Today’s message title is “Peace like a river”. Verse 18 says, “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” The Lord teaches us what is best for us and leads us the way we should walk. If you pay attention to the Lord’s teachings, if you pay attention to His commands, then peace will flow to you like a river. Today I would like to talk about 3 aspects of this.

I. Listen to me (Vs. 12-16)
First please look at verses 12 to 16. Verse 12 says, “Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:
I am he;
I am the first and I am the last.
Here the Lord commands Jacob to, “Listen to me.” (12) They are to listen attentively to the new thing that is going to occur to Israel. That is because it is a very important thing. You can tell how important it is because three times it is repeated that they are to listen. That is in verse 12, 14, and 16. In verse 14 it says, “Come together, all of you, and listen.” In verse 16 it says, “Come near me and listen to this.”
What are the contents of what they are to listen to? Verse 12 says, “I am he; I am the first and I am the last.” This means that God never changes. God is the first and the last. By His “own hand” (13) He “laid the foundations of the earth,” (13) and His right hand spreads “out the heavens.” (13) In other words, God eternally never changes. By His Word the heavens and the earth were created and he controls all that he created. In this world there are many gods, but the Lord is saying that He is the real God. “I am he.” (12)
What is the evidence of this? Please look at verses 14 and 15. “Come together, all of you and listen; Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission.”
The evidence is that the Lord “has foretold these things.” (14) “These things” are that “The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon;” (14) and also that “his arm will be against the Babylonians.” (14) “The LORD’s chosen ally” (14) is the Persian King Cyrus. That the pagan King Cyrus is called “The LORD’s chosen ally” (14) seems unfitting, but he is called this in the respect that he destroyed Babylon and set Israel free from captivity. King Cyrus was the Lord’s powerful “arm” (14) that performed the will of God.
Who ““has foretold these things”? (14) Not the pagan gods. “They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see, they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell.” (Psalms 115:5,6) Only the true God can do that. “I am he.” (12) In other words, God who is the creator of the heavens and the earth, who controls history only is God. Just only God can foretell “these things” (14) and fulfill them as he foretold. This was actually fulfilled 150 years after Isaiah prophesized this. This didn’t occur by coincidence, but was performed by the work of God. This is what they are to listen carefully to and pay attention to.
Please look at the first part of verse 16. Here it says, “Come near me and listen to this.” They are not to just listen. They are told to “come near” (16) and listen. To “come near” (16) and listen is to listen well. It is to listen, concentrating on what is being said. God wanted Israel to listen well to His Words, and to look carefully at what is going to occur. This is not something that is just now beginning. It has been like that since way back when. God has spoken to them over and over again through the prophets telling them to listen well. However, the Israelites themselves didn’t listen at all. They weren’t attentive at all. Even if they heard, they didn’t concentrate on it at all. It went in one ear and out the other. The Words of God didn’t remain in their hearts.
Aren’t there times when we are like this too? Now the Lord is speaking to us by different methods, but we don’t accept the message as words spoken to our lives. We accept it only just as events that occurred in Israel’s history, or events of long, long ago, or as one myth. In many cases we don’t listen to it as words for living and as words to be put into our own actual life. We need to concentrate more on listening to God’s Word. We must come near to God and “listen to this”. (16)
Now, please look at the end of verse 16. Here it says, “And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit.” Suddenly “me” (16) was sent. Suddenly “me” (16) appears. Who is this “me” (16)? Thinking in this context it is King Cyrus who was sent to set Israel free from Babylon. Also this King Cyrus is a pattern or type of Jesus Christ. In 45:1 Cyrus is called, “his anointed”. Therefore, this “me” (16) can be said to be Jesus Christ. This Messiah, Savior, Christ was sent by “the Sovereign LORD”. (16) The word here for “LORD” (16) is Jehovah so it is written in capital letters. “The Sovereign LORD”, (16) Jehovah, is the form used for God the Father. “The Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit.” (16) You probably realized it, but here all 3 persons of the trinity appear. In the Bible the word “trinity” does not appear, but its concept can be seen throughout the entire Bible. “The Sovereign LORD (The Father) has sent me (Jesus Christ), with his Spirit.(The Holy Spirit)” (16)

If you look at Matthew 3:16 and 17, when Jesus was baptized and went up out of the water, God’s Spirit descended like a dove and lightened on him. Then a voice from heaven was heard, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17) From here Jesus begins his ministry. The Father sent his Son, “with his Spirit.”
“I have called him, and he will succeed in his mission.” (15) Just as Jesus was faithful unto the cross and filled his mission of redemption from sin, Cyrus was “The LORD’s chosen ally” (14) and “will succeed in his mission” (15) of setting Israel free from Babylon. Israel was to listen to this. Also we must listen to the fact that Jesus was sent to this world of sin to set free all of mankind from sin. He is the Savior, the Messiah.

II. Your peace will be like a river (Vs. 17-19)
Next verses 17 to 19 say, “This is what the LORD says-
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
‘I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants would have been like the sand,
your children like its numberless grains;
their name would never by cut off
nor destroyed from before me.”
Here it is recorded, “If only you had paid attention to my commands.” (18) In other words, that if you listen to the Word of God, “your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains.” (18,19)
“Peace” in “your peace would have been like a river” (18) is the Hebrew word “Shalom”. “Shalom” is a peace that includes happiness. It is complete peace with no defects. It refers to the condition of being completely filled with peaceful happiness. It is an ideal condition. That is Shalom. Such a peace will flow to you like a river.
There is an English Song, “Peace like a River”.
I’ve got peace like a river.
I’ve got peace like a river.
I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.
Isn’t this wonderful! This expression “like a river” (18) expresses a constant flow with no pauses or end. God’s shalom constantly flows onto our soul.

For that there is only one condition. That is we must pay attention to God’s “commands”. (18) We must pay attention and follow the Word of God. If so, “your peace would have been like a river…Your descendants would have been like the sand.” (18)
Abraham who was called “the father of faith”, was told by the Lord, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1,2) Then when Abraham just like these words say, left his country, and left for the land that God showed him, God blessed him greatly. Abraham is honored by the Jews, Christians, and Moslems as “the father of faith”. Now that is by over half of the world. He is honored that much for following the Word of God.
How about you? Do you listen to the commands of God and follow them obediently? Or do you think they aren’t for your benefit and they’re not important? Let’s praise God who teaches you what is best and leads you the way you should go and listen to that teaching and obey.

III. Flee from Babylon (Vs. 20-22)
Therefore, the conclusion is to “flee from Babylon”. (20) Please look at verse 20. Let’s read it together. “Leave Babylon,
Flee from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;
say, ‘The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.’”
Here this says to the Israelites who were captured by Babylon to leave there, and to flee from there. That was because even though they heard that, there were some people who were staying there. Although God rose up King Cyrus to destroy Babylon and set them free, there were some people who attempted to stay there.
It may be unbelievable, but that is reality. Although God through Jesus Christ saved us from our sins, there are people who don’t leave them, and don’t flee. Your sins are forgiven. God performed the acts of salvation for you. God sent his son Jesus Christ to the world for you and died on the cross for you sins. He redeemed you from your sins. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, all your sins are forgiven. That is the good news. That is the Gospel. Even so there are people who don’t believe in the Gospel and want to continue just as they are as slaves of sin. There are quite a lot of people like this who are content the way they are. That is really too bad.
Please look at verse 21. “They did not thirst when he led
them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them
from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.
This refers to the events of the Exodus. The liberation from Babylon is being described as the second Exodus. In the Exodus it was great that they left Egypt, but right away the Egyptian army pursued them and right before their eyes the Red Sea loomed large ahead of them. However, God made a dry road for them to pass through on. Also when they thought they might die from thirst in the desert where there was no water, the Lord “made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.” (21) In other words, the Lord who saved them from Egypt will without fail save them from Babylon. This is ultimately a model of the coming kingdom of heaven. In other words, the Lord who will save them from Babylon will save the people from suffering in their sins and without fail lead them to the kingdom of heaven.
However, no matter how wonderful the promise is, if you don’t believe it then there is no meaning. Even if they are told “Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians,” (20) if they stay under the control of Satan, continue just as they are as a slave of sin, and think that just want to enjoy life, and more than believing in God do as they please living freely, no matter how wonderful a promise it is, it has no meaning. What God says to such people is as it says in verse 22, “There is no peace…for the wicked.” You are free to believe or not to believe, but “There is no peace” (22) for those who don’t believe.
In April of this year MTC had their annual meeting and after that was the World Mission Conference. There this year too Rev. Akira Takimoto spoke. He spoke about a book the Rev. Oswald Smith wrote.
I forgot the name, but when a revival occurred in a Canadian town, the people in the town started going to church. Then all the people of the town came to the meetings. People were saved, repented of their sin, marital relationships were restored, robbery disappeared, and it became a wonderful town.
However, among them were people who weren’t happy about the revival. They were the owners of the taverns. They weren’t happy because the people who had come to the taverns and enjoyed drinking stopped coming to the tavern and quit drinking so it messed up their businesses.
So then a tavern owner got mad, “We must disturb and interfere a meeting!” He went to gangsters and asked them to disturb the meetings. The gangsters that he had hired barged into the meeting to disturb it, but while looking for a chance to do so, they became frightened by listening to the message.
“Ah, the way we are we’re going to go to hell! Oh, no” I repent. I will believe in Jesus!” Then they repented and believed in Jesus. How wonderful!

How wonderful it would be if such a revival came to Japan. However, the owner of the tavern was furious that the gangster members that he sent believed in Jesus so next he himself went to disturb and interfere the meeting.
He sat down in a center seat and waited for a chance to disturb and interfere. Then the messenger prayed, “Show me where I should speak today’s message from”, and the Lord said to speak from Isaiah 38:1. That passage is words spoken to Hezekiah. “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, ‘This is what the LORD say; Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’” (38:1)
The literary style of the words that the Lord spoke, “; Put your house in order, because you are going to die” (38:1) are “You will definitely die”.
These are words that Prophet Isaiah spoke to Hezekiah who was King, but God told the preacher to speak these words. “Put your house in order, because you are going to die.”
However, the preacher thought that it would be difficult to preach on those words, but God said, “Speak”. Therefore, the preacher stood up, and he had just barely started to speak saying, “Let’s read tonight’s passage, ‘ Put your house in order, because you are going to die’” (28:1) when the tavern’s owner stood up and shouted, “What are you saying! Christ is a lie!” God doesn’t exist!” and the meeting was about to be completely spoiled. Everyone was concentrating on the man.
Just then the man’s voice came to a dead stop. As soon as he stopped, blood spurted out of his mouth, he collapsed and died.
Rev. Oswald Smith said that sometimes we don’t fear God, and even though we do something bad we think that God is love so He will forgive us, but if we continue to resist God, then we will die.
You are free to believe or not to believe, but those who don’t believe, that don’t pay attention to God’s command, this will be the result. You can’t buy peace by your own strength. No matter how much money you have, no matter what abilities you have, by your power you can’t win peace. In order to get peace, you have to just listen to God. You must listen to God who said, “Listen to me.” (12) If you listen to God, God will certainly teach you what is best and lead you on the path you should go.
The path is Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) No one has peace except through Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe in Jesus Christ, you won’t have real peace. If you desire it, please stop useless effort, and let’s believe in Jesus. Then let’s “announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth.” (20) Jesus puts value on your belief.