December 4 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The Prince of Peace, the Son of David, was announced by Isaiah. The story of his coming was proclaimed by the evangelists, each with a different emphasis. Jesus made God's kingship real in this world. Today, the kingdom is here—and it is coming.

Bible Reading:

Isaiah 59: 15b–20

Bible Text:

There was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him (lsa. 59:16).

Devotional:

As Christians we confess that God has pulled us from the kingdom of darkness and placed us in the kingdom of his dear Son. We have the forgiveness of sin and the hope of glory (Col. 1:13). We struggle to subject ourselves and all things to the dominion of Jesus. But we know that, unless he intervenes, we'll never see righteousness on earth.

In the language of this passage: When God sees that no one on earth took up the cudgels for the oppressed, he makes a decision. In total reliance on his own "arm" (strength), he intervenes. Moved by nothing but his own "righteousness," he prepares for war. He dresses up like a warrior (v. 17) and is on his way with a terrible vengeance. It will be an outburst of fury like a pent-up flood. This intervention by the Lord will bring redemption to "those in Jacob who repent" (v. 20).

This is still the kind of picture we should have in mind when we contemplate the coming of the Lord. (And, traditionally, that's what we do in the month of December.) We see the civilized world losing its civilization. History is not the story of human progress, forward and upward, as people once hoped. Today we fear that we will destroy ourselves.

God Almighty sees our inability to save ourselves. But he will rely on his holy arm and his own righteousness. These will bring the new world where righteousness dwells.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.