Salvation

Isaiah 12

"You will say in that day:
I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away 
that you might comfort me..." (v 1)

I thought this was really cool. Isaiah just finished talking about the coming(s) of Jesus, and this next passage opens up like this.  "For though you were angry with me, your anger turned away that you might comfort me." The rest of the chapter is about the Lord being strength and salvation.

Once again, the immediate reference is to Israel celebrating their salvation from Assyria, but after that Jesus passage, we can also see this passage with that lens too, because that is what the Gospel is:

Because we were sinners, we deserved to stay away from God forever and suffer.  However, "though God was angry with us, His anger turned away" because He loves us so much. That's why Jesus died to take the punishment we deserve, so that we can be with God.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away that you might comfort me.