29. Isaiah 44:1-5

It’s my privilege to baptize [child] this morning. Infant baptism is one of the great benefits of those who put their faith in God. And it requires faith on the part of the parents to see God’s promises coming to fruition. And I want to look at Isaiah 44, which is yet another passage that speaks of the beautiful doctrine of covenant succession, and how infant baptism fits into it. Isaiah 44, beginning to read at verse 1 says:

1 “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen.

There are three things that verse talks about. First, is covenant succession. Jacob was the third generation Christian. But before he was even conceived, God’s promises went to Jacob because of the faith of his parents. And actually, God’s choice preceded the parent’s choice. God initiates the covenant and we would be without hope apart from God’s choice. Verse 2 continues:

2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

This is a fantastic pro-life verse. This verse indicates that God forms us in the womb, that we are persons in the womb, that God values babies who are in the womb, and God claims us in the womb. And God promises to help us from that time forward. The sign of these covenant promises is water baptism which points to Spirit baptism. Verse 3 deals with both. It says:

3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;

Pouring water and later God pouring out the Holy Spirit symbolizes the fact that it is all of grace and not of works. It’s not our movement, but God’s movement that changes us and changes our children. We are always dependent upon God. And God continues to watch over our children as they grow up, which is what verse 4 talks about.

4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.

We look forward to [child] growing up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And the result is eventual profession of faith so that she can perpetuate the cycle of God’s faithfulness from generation to generation. So verse 5 says:

5 One will say, “I am the LORD’s”; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, “The LORD’s,” And name himself by the name of Israel.

Those are descriptions of the various ways that people would make their covenant vows when they became older. So here is a passage of Scripture that shows covenant succession. It starts with God’s election of an adult, bringing that adult to faith, claiming his children, helping the parents raise those children in the nurture of the Lord, seeing those children embrace the covenant by faith, and that in turn keeps the historical covenant going. We speak of this as covenant succession. And while water baptism is the symbol, only the Spirit and his grace can achieve it. So as the [parents] come to have [child] baptized, may they put their trust in God rather than the ceremony, and may God answer their faith with a rich pouring out of His blessings in years to come. Amen.