Isaiah 66:2–The True Believer For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. If nothing is more important than to be saved then the next most important thing is to know that we are saved. Sadly the devil is busy promoting counterfeits of true religion. There is ever the danger that we are trusting in something other than the Christ of the Scriptures. At times in the church’s history religious hypocrites seem to greatly outnumber genuine saints. We need to remember that God’s standard is the one by which men are finally measured. In the first part of his prophecy Isaiah records the invasion of the Assyrians, God’s instrument to chasten His chosen nation. In the second part Isaiah prophesies a future captivity in Babylon from which only a remnant will return. This is a constant theme; the unbelief of the many and the faith of the few. The temple will be destroyed (63:18) and the building burned (64:11). When the people return from Babylon they will need to rebuild the temple. Yet God is saying that in the end a building is nothing. He is looking for more than a building (vv.1,2a). The nation is in the same lamentable condition as when Isaiah began to prophesy (1:11). If anything their religion is worse. They worship the holy God in the same spirit as those who engage in the foulest idolatry, and they have added to God’s worship (v.3). Ultimately God is building His temple not with perishable material but with men. His church is composed of living stones or true worshippers (Eph.2:21; 1Pet.2:5). Here the hypocrite has no place. What do we learn of the true believer? Firstly we see his attitude to self. He is “poor” in his own eyes. Of course this is not a reference to material things, but to spiritual. A converted man is someone who knows many distresses, afflictions and troubles. He sees sin in all that he does. All the sons of Adam are poor because of his and their fall into sin, but only believers confess themselves to be so. They are the ones to whom Jesus held out such encouragement in His sermon on the mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.5:3). Secondly we learn of his attitude to sin. He has “a contrite spirit.” Much ‘repentance’ is merely the sorrow of the world which worketh death. True repentance is a broken, contrite heart; a change in the mind and will respecting one’s entire life. Our conscience smites us. There is conviction of our sin. As we are drawn to the King of kings our pride is stripped away; we are bowed in the dust before Him and cry for mercy. Lastly we discover his attitude to Scripture. He trembles at it. Where is this today? We should have a reverence for the whole of the Word because of its Author. It is in the nature of saving faith that it trembles particularly at the threatenings of Scripture. We read that Noah was “moved with fear” (Heb.11:7). Why? Not because he saw rain clouds in the sky and the flood waters rising but “being warned of God of things not seen as yet.” Do we believe that there is a Judgment Day to face and a hell to be escaped? Such then are true believers. These only enjoy the favour of God, and make up the walls of the true Zion. Oh to be among them at the last! You and I need Jesus Christ, who died for sinners to reconcile them to God. Seek Him then with all your heart, and you shall surely find Him.