The Song of a New Heart (1)

Some ask the question whether the prophet Isaiah or someone else wrote this song. Perhaps the question should be, “May it be my song?”

“In that day thou shalt say…” What a wonderful day it is in the life of God’s children when they may say what the Lord has made known in their heart. That is a day when the Lord gives freedom, love, and desire—no, not to speak about self but to speak of the honor and the glory of that great God, of that only precious Saviour, of the blood and righteousness of Christ. In that day means the day the Lord came over for my soul, when all enemies had to flee away, when all the voices of the accusers had to be silent; that was a day when the Lord came over, when the covenant was renewed in my heart.

In that day when the heart may hear, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,” the heart may feel the tender drawing love of the Lord. There, hope, love, and desire are awakened to give Him, the dearest Saviour, all honor, glory, and praise. In that day the new heart may say, “Though thou wast angry with me.” So, in the song of a new heart a child of the Lord first wants to speak of how his life has been. He has been a deeply fallen sinner; one who has lived all his life as an enemy of God, one with no desire or need to seek for what has been lost. All his days have been spent in seeking after the pleasures of a sinful world.

The anger of the Lord was not always there; we have awakened that anger. It is because of our sins that there is anger with God. No, we must never think lightly of God’s anger. In holy anger the Lord came and destroyed the first world with the Flood. His was a holy anger which caused fire and brimstone to rain down on Sodom and Gomorrah, when their sin had “waxen great before the face of the LORD.” There is a holy, righteous anger awaiting the end time when the Lord will come to destroy all who are outside of Christ. It will be terrible for all those who have never heard about this God, but that cannot be compared to us who have the great privilege of having His Word and everlasting testimony explained, who all the days of our lives may hear that there is a way of escape.

“Though thou wast angry.” The word wast is of the greatest importance here. That word is saying that it has become different in the life of a rebel. Wast means that there was a time that eyes were opened to realize sin and the holy anger of a righteous God.

Perhaps you may be inclined to ask, “Is that always necessary?” Ask the prophet; he says “I will praise Thee.” For what will such a one now praise the Lord? For the time when a guilty sinner was stopped upon the way of being forever lost. For the time when he may come upon his knees and with two empty hands he may lift up a guilty, wretched heart to a God who in Christ is ever ready to forgive.

We call that a wonderful observation. God’s anger turned away. David says in Psalm 30:5a, “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life.” In another place he says, “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin.” Here the Lord’s children say, “It is a thing I long to know that Thine anger is turned away.”

Oh, what a wonder when a troubled heart may hear how that is possible. Then this troubled heart may learn that from all eternity there is a divine plan. There a holy God is saying, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” In that love He gave the Son of His right hand to come upon this sin-cursed world. He came to stand in the breach between an angry God and His people. He came to heal that breach and open a way unto that which is lost. There He paid the price for sin. All these people may learn something of what that has cost. Then they stand in holy amazement and say, “Oh Lord, what a wonder that from heaven such a way has been opened to save a wretch such as me.”

What a wonderful observation. Here the child of the Lord may begin the song of a new heart. Though the Lord is angry with my sin, He is not angry with my person because the Lord sees His people in that precious blood price of His Son. Blessed are those people who, with that God-given eye of faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ, may in Him see a door opened unto eternal life. Now they long again and again to see a sign along the way by which they may be assured that this is the way unto the Saviour for whom their heart longs. They now yearn for a living confirmation, “And Thou comfortest me.” How beautiful the song of a new heart. In that song you may now notice two words, Thou and me. Thou is the Holy Father who is satisfied in His Son, and says “Come, there is balm with Me for My children upon the way to the heavenly kingdom.” No, then the Lord does not strike down His people. He comforts the smallest, weakest, little lamb.

Who is that struggler? So often he walks the journey full of doubts and fears. So often he hungers for a small crumb of the love and mercy of Him whom he cannot miss anymore. “And thou comfortest me.” How? When He opens His Word, and when through the lattice of that Word they may look upon Jesus; when they believe He has sought and saved them; when they may sit under the preaching of his Word as the poorest and neediest and may hear an invitation, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.” How? When the Lord’s table is prepared and the poor and needy may hear the invitation in their heart and come to the place where they may lift up those empty hands, and with their heart may hear, “This is My body, which is broken for you.”

May I ask, are you not void of that comfort? Then you may sing the song of a new heart, even in the smallest, trembling beginning, and I may assure you that He, that great God, in His beloved Son will not despise your song.

(To be continued)

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