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]This parable in Matthew 25 is a warning to the entire body — be ready with your oil! Each of these virgins was anticipating the Lord’s return; none were atheists, or non-believers. They were all virgins who claimed to be awaiting the Bridegroom’s arrival. But notice carefully that only half of them were truly ready.
In the year 1920, young Oswald Smith stood before the examining board for the selection of missionaries. He had wanted to be a missionary for as long as he could remember, and for all that time had been crying out to God that He might open a door for him to do so. Finally, his time had come. There he stood awaiting his destiny. His long-awaited was about to come…”No.”
When God called Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness.
Let me tell you a funny little story. An old mountaineer and his wife were sitting by the fireplace one evening, passing the time in silence. After a while, the wife broke the stillness and said, “Jed, I think it’s raining. Go outside and check, will ya?”
During his reign, King Frederick William III of Prussia found himself in a bind. Wars had been costly, and in trying to build the nation, he was seriously short of finances. After careful reflection, he decided to ask the women of Prussia if they would bring their jewelry of gold and silver to be melted down for their country. Each piece of jewelry he received, he would exchange for a decoration of bronze or iron as a symbol of his gratitude. These decorations would be inscribed, ‘I gave gold for iron, 18l3’.
In connection with the Hebrew Word “Amen”, meaning “faith”, “truth”, “belief”, and “trust”, consider this revealing passage in Isaiah which further amplifies the dimensions of the word in the most wonderful and comforting promise:
“He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth [“Amen” in Hebrew]. …
After spending forty years in the wilderness, the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land arriving to immediately face what seemed an impregnable fortress and an impossible task. Imagine receiving the instruction to march around the fortified city seven times, then finally be commanded to shout with all your might and sound shofars!