Acquiring Mightiness for Turning the Battle

THE prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 28, on the one hand, paints us a vivid picture of the way Jehovah views the leaders of Christendom and, on the other hand, gives us words of encouragement. It exposes those leaders for what they truly are, modern drunkards of Ephraim, so filled with the wine of Satan’s propaganda that they not only dream vain things but vomit out filth. At the same time this prophecy contains the heart-cheering promise: “In that day Jehovah of armies will become as a crown of decoration and as a garland of beauty to the ones remaining over of his people, and as a spirit of justice to the one sitting in the judgment, and as mightiness to those turning away the battle from the gate.”—Isa. 28:5, 6.a

Though these modern drunkards of Ephraim mock the message we bring them as too simple for their attention, they neither discourage us nor will they continue their mocking for long. Soon Jehovah will rise up to do battle as he did on Mount Perazim and as at Gibeon, in the days of King David, thereby bringing to pass his strange deed and unusual work.

Until that eventful day there is much work for us to do. We must engage in the God-approved spiritual warfare, “not against blood and flesh, but . . . against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) To push back Satan’s assault forces from our gates Jehovah God must become mightiness to us. With us, even as it was with Jesus, it is true that we can do nothing of our own initiative. Everything depends upon Jehovah, as Isaiah 28:5, 6 shows.

How does Jehovah become mightiness to us for turning the battle from the gate? First of all, by providing us with the knowledge contained in his Word. “A man of knowledge is reinforcing power,” we are told, “and in the multitude of counselors there is salvation.” Yes, this knowledge that Jehovah provides makes our shield of faith both large and impenetrable to Satan’s darts; familiarity with it makes us skilled in wielding the “sword of the spirit.”—Prov. 24:5, 6; Eph. 6:16, 17.

Making practical application of this counsel means that we fully appreciate each issue of The Watchtower, Awake! and Kingdom Ministry as well as the books and booklets that come to us from the table of Jehovah through the faithful and discreet slave. Have you completed reading your copy of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose? Are you regularly enjoying our new Yearbook?

For Jehovah to become mightiness to us in our spiritual warfare we must also make good use of his provision of congregational meetings and the various assemblies. How we do need each other! As the apostle Paul so well expressed it at 1 Corinthians 12, we are like members of a human body. What good would a hand or an eye be without the rest of the body? Truly “two are better than one,” and “a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn in two.” So let us not be “forsaking the gathering of ourselves together.”—Eccl. 4:9-12; Heb. 10:25.

Vital also is God’s holy spirit or active force, which he imparts to us in answer to our prayers and yet not apart from his Word, his organization and our consistent course of action. By means of it also Jehovah becomes mightiness to us, as we read: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.”—Zech. 4:6, AS.

[Footnotes]