All these things My hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the LORD.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2

חָרֵד

chared

fearful; also reverential:—afraid, trembling

This word, tremble, can mean to be afraid of something as well as to revere or stand in awe of something.

God, the Creator of all is the One and Only before which I stand in awe. His Word beholds the Truth and deserves reverence. I am on my knees.

Matthew Henry writes of this passage and the word, tremble, in Isaiah: “That he would not heed it as he would a humble, penitent, gracious heart. He has a heaven and earth of his own making, and a temple of man’s making; but he overlooks them all, that he may look with favour to him that is poor in spirit, humble and serious, self-abasing and self-denying, whose heart is truly contrite for sin, penitent for it, and in pain to get it pardoned, and who trembles at God’s word, not as Felix did, with a transient qualm that was over when the sermon was done, but with an habitual awe of God’s majesty and purity and an habitual dread of His justice and wrath. Such a heart is a living temple for God; He dwells there, and it is the place of His rest; it is like heaven and earth, His throne and His footstool.”

The precious one who is trembling is probably a gentle person, non-judgmental, humble and grateful. She/he is able to seek forgiveness when she has strayed, has sinned. She desires to please God and walk according to His ways. She trembles at the sound of His voice, His rippling waters, His rejoicing over her, His love for her. She knows her God yet is always learning about Him, ion awe of His power and greatness. The more she learns, the more she actually trembles for God is Almighty and Omniscient.

C. H. Spurgeon delivered a sermon in 1884 on this passage in Isaiah saying: They are not a proud people: they do not cry, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?” They are humbly hearing; hearing the word of God, and inwardly reverencing the heavenly monitor. They are no longer careless and reckless, for the voice of the Lord has brought them to their bearings. They have bowed their heads before Jehovah, and they listen with rapt attention to everything that he may speak. They are like the child Samuel when he said, “Speak, Lord; for your servant hears.” They are teachable, and lowly, and by no means belong to the school who correct the infallible, and judge the unerring.

God’s Word should cause us to tremble. It holds the Truth, the only Truth. As I read the words of these two verses in Isaiah, I am in awe of the mightiness of our God. I cannot think of Him in any other way. Mighty in power. Exalted. Creator of all…ALL!!

And these are two of 31,102 verses in this magnificent Book. And how many of them speak of the wonder of our God? Oh, my!

God teaches us all that He desires that we grow in spirit and lean more and more toward Him, on Him. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to draw near to Him.

He gave us His Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

May I turn toward Him in all my ways, learning Who He is and all that He has done and continues to do for me. May I be a light in this dark world, LORD.

“And as for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.” Isaiah 59:12

Hear the Word of the LORD,
you who tremble at His Word:
“Your brothers who hate you
and cast you out for My name’s sake
have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame. Isaiah 66:5

חָרֵד

This old hymn reminds me of the very reason I tremble for the earth shook when Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again. He draws me to Him and loves me despite my frailty of body, of spirit, of mind. He is the Living Water, the Christ, the Resurrection, the Bread. He nourishes me, quenches my thirst, and reminds me just Whose I am.

Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

חָרֵד

Father God, may I bow before You trembling in reverence and love as I seek Your face. I pray that Your Word, Your Son, always be held in esteem in my very being. Father, I love You dearly and want to know You more and more. I want to tremble because of Who You are and what You have done, all that continue to do. You gave me Your Word so that I could see You more clearly as I read and study. I am truly sorry when I become slack in my study. May I love You so much that I only desire to know You more and more. May I tremble in Your Presence, LORD. I pray in the powerful Name of Jesus, Your Son, the Word. Amen.

Isaiah 66:1-2 graphic: https://www.facebook.com/thedailybibleverses/

from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Isaiah

C. H. Spurgeon’s quote comes from No. 2071-35:97. A Sermon Delivered On Thursday Evening, May 1, 1884, By C. H. Spurgeon, At The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

Graphic: Open Bible: https://www.jacobabshire.com/ + I added the text on Canva

“Tremble at the Word” – http://www.rickeymacklin.com/tremble-at-his-word/

Were You There? An African American spiritual that probably predates the Civil War; was first published in William Barton’s Old Plantation Hymns (1899)