Becoming Salvation

“Look, God is my salvation,  I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

These immortal words of the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, were written in a time of tumult in the nation of Israel.  Isaiah, being a prophet of God, was given insight into the times to come and although Judah had yet to fall to Babylon and be captive, Isaiah not only saw this inevitability, but he also spoke of the time that would follow the captivity, when Israel would return to the land.  It is of this time that the above scripture references.

God, the Almighty, “has become my salvation”.  This is what Isaiah prophesied would be spoken by the Jews in the time following their captivity.  In God I will trust and I will not fear.  The Lord God is my strength, and He is my song of joy.  The captive, now free;  the chastised nation, once driven into captivity because of their own sin, now welcomed back to their homeland and, more importantly, to their right place with God; this people will know that God is their salvation.  

Even the trial of captivity could not remove them from God’s mighty hand.  Even the powers of the world could not hide them from the Lord’s watchful eyes.  They were never lost.  They were never forsaken.  God was always with them, and as they returned from the harrows of captivity in a foreign land, He awaited them, to embrace them in His love.  Strength, joyful singing, fearlessness - these are all the fruits of souls that understand the Lord God has become their salvation.

His salvation did not extinguish or fade out of existence.  It lives on today in the Name of Jesus Christ.  That same becoming salvation is awaiting those individuals who, whether Jew or Gentile, have recognized their need of a savior.  Those who, while still in their captivity to sin, call out for salvation.  The Lord God awaits those who are coming back from a place that is foreign and oppressive.  His love embraces the soul that is broken, and His face is turned to those who cry to Him.  

To you the Lord Jesus Christ has become salvation.