Isaiah 40:10-11 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him (v’zroah moshel lo); behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. 11 He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those with young.
The Hebrew phrase “z’roah moshel lo” paints the picture of an arm that governs with both strength and care. The same Z’roah that brought Israel out of Egypt in power now establishes righteous order and sustains His people in love. Deliverance without rulership is incomplete; the Redeemer becomes the King — and the King rules as a Shepherd. The Arm does not act independently but moves in perfect submission to the Head, carrying out the will of the Father.
In biblical thought, true rulership is never mere domination; it is covenantal stewardship. The Z’roah carries the full authority of the One who sends it, wielding the power to judge the oppressor while protecting the weak. Messiah, as the Arm of the LORD, executes justice, defends the vulnerable, and leads His people in righteousness — not by coercion, but by faithful, sacrificial love.
Isaiah’s vision joins two images often separated in our minds — the scepter of a king and the staff of a shepherd. The Warrior Arm that struck Egypt is the same Shepherd Arm that gathers lambs into His bosom. His rulership aligns creation under divine order, restoring peace where chaos once reigned. When His arm rules, shalom is not an ideal — it becomes reality.
In the ministry of Yeshua (Jesus), this rulership took tangible form: demons fled at His command, storms obeyed His voice, and His touch healed the sick. These were not random displays of power, but the King’s arm setting creation back into harmony with heaven. And in the Messianic age to come, this rulership will be universal, with every nation under the care of the Shepherd-King.
For believers, submitting to the rulership of the Z’roah means embracing both His authority and His embrace. We cannot receive Him as Redeemer without acknowledging Him as Ruler. The arm that delivers us from bondage must also guide us on the path of life. His reign is our refuge, and His bosom is our resting place.
The Z’roah of God is not only the arm that saves you from the enemy’s grip — it is the arm that takes the throne. Let the Arm that delivered you also direct you, for where His rule is established, no enemy can endure and no chaos can survive. He is the Shepherd-King, whose scepter is a staff, whose power is wrapped in tenderness. Under His care, the path is certain, the journey is guarded, and the destination is sure — for His reward is with Him, and He will not rest until He has led you safely home.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Thousands are gathering in Washington D.C. today to pray for the inauguration of the new president of the United States. I know a number of people who will be there and I think it’s a good thing, but this reminds me of a story I heard once.
We arrived at the airport late Thursday night with our bags and our kiddos only to find out that our flight was canceled because of a freak accident — a tractor ran into the plane, of all things! So we repacked our ourselves tightly into a small rental car to make the two hour drive to get back home to Arad in the middle of the night. Our flight was postponed till Sunday.
The Hebrew letter mem, equivalent to our English letter “M,” has a fascinating characteristic: it has two forms. The “open mem” appears at the beginning or middle of a word, with a small opening in its design. The “closed mem,” however, is used exclusively as the final letter in a word, fully sealed in its appearance. This distinction is consistent throughout the Hebrew language—except for one extraordinary exception found in the Bible.
Yeshua (Jesus) gave a remarkable parenthetic instruction in the middle of His Olivet discourse on the time of His coming and the end of the age. While it is unlikely that He himself said this, He certainly inspired Matthew to insert, “..let the reader understand”, concerning this critical event prophesied by Daniel, the Abomination of Desolation. His exhortation intended us (the readers of Matthew’s gospel) to learn what this means.
In John Bunyan’s best-selling book, Pilgrim’s Progress, the central character, Christian, begins his journey leaving the city of Destruction and ventures on his way toward the Celestial City. Early on his journey, Christian decides to depart from the narrow path onto an easier one which leads him to the territory of Despair and its stronghold, Doubting Castle.
The United States is currently experiencing a polar vortex—a surge of frigid air from the Arctic circle that blankets the country, bringing massive winter storms in its wake. As of now, over 350,000 people are without power. This sudden and unexpected cold snap brought to mind a story I’d like to share.
During this frigid weather across the United States and the devastating fires in California, millions have been grappling with widespread electricity blackouts. Thousands of people across the country remain without power. Across the United States, many teens are experiencing life without electricity for the first time—an adjustment that also means living without their cell phones. Can you imagine?