For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.—Isaiah 54:9

Todd Alexander

There are twenty-one unique instances in the Old Testament where God declares a solemn oath using the Hebrew word shaba¹ (Strong's #7650). Fourteen of those resulted in blessings, and seven resulted in either hardship or destruction. These solemn oaths were often recalled by God’s people both in scripture and in the telling of stories passed down through generations. Even God himself recounted these oaths as in Isaiah 54:9.

In the original “rainbow covenant” in Genesis 6:18, 9:9-16 referred to in Isaiah 54:9, a different Hebrew word berith, translated “covenant” was used eight times while describing the nature of God’s action, and shaba was not used at all. Berith denotes an agreement between two parties², while shaba, as in Isaiah 54:9, denotes a solemn, one-sided oath.

Of the twenty-one unique instances, Isaiah 54:9 is of particular interest because it is the only Scripture wherein God uses shaba twice. Extraordinarily, the two uses confirm two separate oaths: one with Noah and the other, as Pastor Russell describes, with the Gospel age church! In this Scripture, God not only recalled the covenant that He made with Noah, he also summarized it and characterized it as a solemn oath by using the word shaba. Surprisingly, God continued with Isaiah by using the oath that He made to Noah to set the stage for yet another oath He would then make to the Gospel age church. This is a life-affirming presentation by God that should be comforting to us. Consider that, in Isaiah 53, God had just given Isaiah one of the most descriptive prophecies of the future Messiah. Now, in the next chapter, God was recalling a familiar story (the oath to Noah) to accent a new one (an oath to us). Thus, God was connecting Isaiah, and us, into the great experiences of the righteous ones of the past and future. This technique carries a force and power that surely reassured Isaiah and should give us great confidence and boldness of faith.
 

Sheba—an Oath of Seven

Shaba is an interesting Hebrew word. It is actually the verb form of the Hebrew word for the number seven (sheba). Shaba denotes action, attaching an important and active significance to the number seven. Literally, when God uses the word shaba, God “sevens” himself, as if he intentionally repeats the promise seven times! It is an interesting correlation to the seven messages that Jesus delivered to the Gospel age church in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

In all instances, a solemn oath from God provided a tremendous psychological edge to those doing God’s will and it meant terror to those who were not. An oath from God meant that the recipient’s life purpose was connected to a larger reality than could be readily seen. A shaba promise from God was an active promise. It was the reward of both a supreme trust in God and the corresponding faith action to do His will.

This is true even today, and we should remember Isaiah 54:9 as a foundation of our trust and hope in God. In fact, this Scripture is a segue not only between two ages (the Jewish age and the Gospel age), but also between two peoples of God, the one developed by the covenant of bondage during the Jewish age and the other by the covenant of grace during the Gospel age.

For Abraham a solemn oath from God meant that God recognized his faith (Genesis 22:16-18). It gave him the confidence that the blessings of God to all the nations of the world would come through his progeny.

For Moses it meant that he could not cross over Jordan (Deuteronomy 4:21). However, another solemn oath reassured him that God would make the people of Israel a holy people if they heartily kept His commandments (Deuteronomy 28:9).

For Israel in the wilderness, it meant that many of the men would not see the Promised Land and enter into God’s rest (Numbers 32:10,11). God’s solemn oath also meant that the nation of Israel would suffer from time to time at the hands of their enemies when they strayed from God (Judges 2:14,15). It was also by a shaba oath that God promised a land flowing with milk and honey (Jeremiah 11:5). In another instance it meant that Bozra would be continually desolate and a reproach (Jeremiah 49:13).

God made His solemn oaths through prophets from Abraham to Amos. His prophets were all faithful in delivering God’s powerful messages. The oaths were comprised not only of promises of hope, but also of rebukes that were necessary for the nation of Israel to, if heeded, remain under God’s covering. Hezekiah was a classic example of a willing hearer of God’s messages; his heart was full of a sincere desire to serve the Lord. But the nation of Israel was not a willing hearer. They were too busy with their own agenda and they let it crowd out the gentle reproaches of the Lord throughout their national history. Finally, Amos the prophet was sent to deliver the three harshest rebukes where God used the word shaba. God swore that He would allow evil to come upon Israel. We are tempted to look back on that nation with disdain and conclude that they should have known better. Blessers they would have been had they been willing hearers.

Lessons for Us Today

The lessons we find in a study of these solemn oaths reveal the goodness and the severity of God’s treatment of His people. If we believe we are God’s people of the Gospel age, we must learn from the lessons of the nation of Israel and change our lives to be able to be faithful in conforming to God’s standard. If we don’t change promptly, and fully, the implications are clear: our punishment may be severe. Even though we, as God’s Gospel age people, are developed under the grace covenant, our judgment occurs in real-time. God will not tolerate a continual insensitivity to either our hearing or our doing of His intended purposes in our lives (Proverbs 13:1, 1 Peter 4:17).

For Israel, straying from God was sometimes an episode, as in the golden calf fiasco, and sometimes a gradual slide, as with the kings who stopped serving the Lord and worshipped idols instead. We find the same sin patterns in our lives. Sometimes we are overcome by the lust of the flesh in an episode where we forge our own golden calf. The lust of the eyes and the pride of life beckon us to develop earthly solutions to satisfy our human desires. At other times we find ourselves not listening to the gentle reminders of God, those nudges that we all feel as the holy spirit works on our flesh and gives us hints to change our course. When we ignore these gentle reminders, our sins accrue and eventually require a correction that might be so severe we find ourselves in danger of stiffening our necks rather than softening our hearts. If we resist God during his corrective measures, we will surely lose our covering, as did Israel.

Let us not be as they were. Let us not be like those timid souls who went before us and, as a nation, did not trust in the living God. Let us not lift up our golden idols (whatever they might be) in place of serving the majestic God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let us not be weakened by the carelessness of our world with its competing agendas. Let us not reach the point where we require corrective action that might prove too hard to receive.

Yes, we are individuals, more nimble and quick than Israel. But let us make sure we stay individually resolved, and actuated, to follow Jesus. While Israel was politically connected and less likely to change, let us not yearn for those encumbrances of political connectedness that tripped-up the Pharisees. Let us realize that while these fleshly entanglements may make us feel good, they allow little room for us to change and grow. Let us be responsible (response able) and submit to the Lord, the truth, and the brethren who are often the vehicles of his communication. Let us always be keen to watch the signposts along our narrow way. And, as we follow our Lord in his path of self-denial and extreme love for his fleshly and spiritual family, we will feel connected to the experiences of the righteous ones of the past and to God’s purposes for the future.

Let us listen to the messages that God is telling us through his word, through his faithful people and through his holy spirit which is working powerfully in our hearts. Let us celebrate the victories of the past, as God did, and fully realize his new promise for us, for our development and for our reassurance during the Gospel age. Let us never forget that his rebukes are but for our correction in righteousness. Let us submit to those rebukes as did Noah and all of the Ancient Worthies.

Finally, let us press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us put away the works of the flesh and submit to the sanctifying power of the holy spirit, for God has given us a solemn oath that he would not be wroth with us in our shortcomings and rebuke us beyond repair. He has promised that he would work in us to bring forth the peaceable fruit of the spirit.