March 31

GOD'S STRANGE WORK
by Ray Prinzing

"For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act."                                                                                           (Isaiah 28:21).

The Lord gave David a victory against the Philistines in the valley of the giants, and then on up into the high places of mount Perazim - the name means, breaches, or a breaking forth.  God demonstrated His power to break forth into new freedom and victory regardless of the depths or the heights.  Each advance has a new directive from the Lord, and so when David came against the Philistines again in the valley of Gibeon, God's word to David was to fetch a compass behind the enemy, wait for a "going in the tops of the mulberry trees," and then to move out to battle, and gain a victory.

Now the prophet Isaiah, reminding the people of these past actions of the Lord, with their triumphs, goes on to declare that God has further works to be wrought, new acts to unfold, which will be stranger still than what their history has recorded.

While the world "strange" is used twice here, there are actually two different Hebrew words that are used, the first being "zar" - a stranger, alien; and the second is "nokri" - a foreigner.  These different shades of meaning only expand the coverage and help explain that this WORK OF GOD is totally foreign and strange to the natural man, yes, even to the majority of those confined in the institutionalized religious structure.  For man, it all must fit into the prescribed doctrine and standard, all else is branded as false, or heresy.

It rejoices us to know that our God can, and IS doing a work totally outside of man's carnal concept.  A work which is utterly foreign to man, impossible to restrict or confine to denominational structure of system. He hath "hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.  Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight." (Matthew 11:25-26).

A work so foreign unto men,
     unsearchable by mortal pen,
Yet positive, without defeat,
     he end is sure, 'twill be complete.