WORD STUDY – LAYING BARE HIS ARMS

 

Isaiah 52:9-10: “Break forth in joy, sing together ye waste places in Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.  The Lord has made bare his arm in the eyes of the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord.”

 

“Do you sleeves hang low do they wobble to and fro

Can you tie them in a knot can you tie them in bow,

Can you throw them over your shoulder like a Continental Soldier?

Do you sleeves hang low?”  Early American folk song used for a call to action.

 

This is a very interesting picture. The lord comforts his people by laying bare his arm.   The picture is clear, but you get even more vivid picture when you stop to consider the garment that men and women wore in those days. The garments had long flowing sleeves that you could easily tie up in a knot and throw over your shoulder. Even up until the 18^th and early 19^th century men wore shirts that had long loose fitting sleeves. We have an old saying: “Well, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.” Even today it is still a sort of macho image to wear a long sleeve shirt and then roll up the sleeves. It gives the picture of one ready to do hard labor and take on a fight.

 

In ancient times and even up to the time of the Revolutionary War, soldiers wore long sleeves to protect their arms from the sun, insects, and for warmth.  If you found a man with his sleeves rolled up and flung over his shoulder, especially if he revealed rock hard biceps, go on, get out of there, it means he is getting ready to fight. When he lays bare his arm it is the sign that he is dead serious about what he is getting ready to do. The first thing a soldier would do before going into battle would be to tie up his sleeves so they would not encumber him in his impeding fight.

 

If a soldier approached with sleeves down, you could relax, he is not looking for a fight. Such a thing became a symbol of one’s intentions. If the sleeves are tied up and thrown over one’s shoulder, the time for negotiations are over with, and someone is about to get their engine overhauled.

 

Sometimes when I face a really difficult situation and I am pounding on some imaginary door trying to escape but the door will not open, I can almost imagine God rolling up his sleeves like John Wayne and saying: “Well, Pilgrim, we’re just gonna have to bust that door down.”  The picture of God “laying bare his arm” is a picture of a no nonsense God who is ready and anxious for a good fight.

 

Here is the thing Isaiah is saying. Just the image of God with his sleeves rolled up brings us comfort. The word comfort is nicham which not only means to comfort but also means to feel compassion. This is in a piel form so it would mean to feel a great sense of compassion. The picture can almost be seen today. Israel is being pushed around and bullied by all their surrounding nations and then God steps up, rolls up his sleeves and says; “That’s it, enough is enough, you want to bully this nation any longer then you are going to have to go through me.” So too as we struggle with all the situations life is throwing at us. We try and try and try to do our best but it just seems like it is doing no good.  At some point the great compassion of God is going give way and God is going to roll up his sleeves and step forward, face our situation and the forces behind it and say: “Alright, enough is enough, now you have to deal with me.”

 

When I was a student at Moody, my roommate and I had a friend who came from Tokyo, Japan.  He was an engineering student from IIT who had a crush on girl from Moody and he would often come over and stay with us with us when he visited her.  His name was Kaneechi.  He was under five foot, skinny, and just a little guy. But he knew all this martial arts stuff; you know things like braking bricks with his bare hands.  He told us that one evening when he was returning to IIT he was in the subway station reading a book when four, huge, honken guys walked up to him, kicked the book out of his hand and said: “Ok little man, give us your wallet.” Kaneechi jumped up and said; “I no give wallet, I fight.”

 

We said: “Kaneechi” there were four of them, could you handle it?” He said: “Aw, very easy; I break one’s arm, throw another on track, all others – run way.” I suppose there are times that God is just being merciful to our enemies who are oppressing us but eventually there comes a time when God has to rolls up His sleeves and says: “I no give mercy, I fight.”