“… her warfare is accomplished … ”
(Isa 40:2, ASV)
In the last few teachings we have looked at the nature of fearfulness. Now that you have hopefully dealt with it, or is at least in the process of dealing with it, we return to the two themes which spring from Heb 2:14-15 – “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all in their lifetime subject to bondage.” This verse makes it very clear – fear of death renders you a slave. We said that we would discuss the two great D’s which enslaves people in a hopeless snare – Devil and Death. We’ll start with the Devil.
The history of man is inevitably linked to Satan. As one of the most powerful created beings, the most beautiful one with the brightest light (hence his name, Morning Star – Ezek 28:17; Isa 14:12), “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek 28:12). But after his revolt against Yahweh (Ezek 28:15) he was thrown out of heaven (Luke 10:18), and for 4000 years man tried to wage an almost hopeless battle against the King of Darkness (Dan 7:21; Rev 13:7). He controls the kingdoms of the earth (Luke 13:7).
In his poem Pty Ltd the poet Dirk Opperman aptly describes Satan’s reign on earth and in the life of man, describing how he buys a plot of land, fences it, and writes on the gate – This is Dirk’s property. In the second stanza a fiscal shrike, a type of bird also called the laksman (hang man) in Afrikaans (here symbolising death) proclaims over the area – This belongs to me. In the final stanza the poet notes how a snake suddenly emerges from the milkwood trees on the land, and declares – All of this, all of this is my property. The snake here is obviously “the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan” (Rev 20:2) – he lays claim to everything. He feeds off the dust of the earth (Gen 2:7; 3:14) – you and I.
But a fantastic thing occurred 2000 years ago – when Yashua died on the cursed wood, the power that sin had over man was rendered moot, and death was overcome (2 Tim 1:10). In Isa 28:5 it was already prophesied that the day would come where death would eternally be destroyed. 1 Cor 15:54 makes it perfectly clear – “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
An interesting phenomenon in the compilation of the chapters in the Biblical scroll of Isaiah is that it has 66 chapters, and thus corresponds with the number of books that are in the Bible. Genesis thus corresponds with Isaiah 1, Exodus with Isaiah 2, etc. The crossing from the Old Testament (39 books) to the New Testament happens with the fortieth book, which then corresponds with Isa 40. It is amazing how that chapter contains certain key terms which encapsulate the very foundations of the new covenant. And then – verse 2 makes this announcement -“her warfare is accomplished …”. Jesus had managed to free his descendants from Satan’s reign of terror, which had lasted 4000 years. The church’s battle had been won. Selah.
- Sela: What implications does this teaching have for your life?
- Read: Judges 16-18
- Examine how this has been fulfilled: Figure out the meaning that hair has within a NT context.
