Isaiah 32 - 33 Isaiah paints a picture of God's glorious kingdom... and God's righteous judgement.
Lord, open our eyes to see!
"Behold, a king will reign righteously, and princes will rule justly." ( v1)
They will be like..
" a refuge from the wind"
" a shelter from the storm"
" streams of water in a dry country"
"shade of a huge rock in a parched land"
Picture a government like that! No corruption, no self-centeredness, no partisan bickering! Heaven indeed!
V 3-4
eyes that see
ears that hear and actually listen
minds that "discern the truth"
tongues that "speak clearly"!
Picture a country like this.. truth and nothing but truth!
V5 " no longer will the fool be called noble."
No more nonsense.
No more wickedness.
No more ungodliness.
No more oppression and evil and destruction or slander.
V 15 " .... the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high."
v16 " .. justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will abide in the fertile field."
v17 "and the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever."
Chapter 33
v5 " The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness . And He shall be the stability of your times. A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge ; the fear of the Lord is his treasure. "
When He comes, those who remain in their sins, will be terrified. " Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" ( v14)
Only.. " He who walks righteously,
and speak with sincerity;
He who rejects unjust gain;
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe.
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed.
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil." ( v15)
This one - will:
".. dwell on the heights;
"His refuge will be the impregnable rock."
" His bread will be given him"
" His water is sure"
" Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;"
"They will behold a far distant land." (v16-17)
V 20-24 describe the New Jerusalem:
an undisturbed habitation
a dwelling place that will never collapse, never be pulled up, and never torn apart.
"But there the majestic One, the Lord shall be for us a place of river and wide canals... "
We cannot even begin to imagine the beauty that will be before us for eternity!
" And no resident will say, 'I am sick' The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity." v24
Hallelujah!!!
Father in heaven .. Let Your Kingdom come!!!
O the contrast of this sinful and wicked world to the glory of Your Kingdom.
We want to be one of those who will see the King in His beauty.
Help us to walk in righteousness, to speak with sincerity, to turn away from every form of evil and to cling to You, our Rock and our Salvation. King Jesus, we wait for You with longing in our hearts.
Even so, come quickly!
Amen.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Isaiah 30-31 This message focuses on the desire of the people to go to Egypt for help. Isaiah makes clear that God condemned that decision.. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help."
They thought that the horses and chariots of Egypt would solve their problems . But only God could help them. The heart-breaking part is that God wanted to help them and they wouldn't believe!
30:18 " Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to the have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. "
God says, " In repentance and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and trust is your strength. "
But, Israel was not willing. They made a plan.. " but not Mine". They made an alliance with Egypt, "but not of My Spirit". Their choices would bring shame. There would be no profit and no help. But they did it anyway.
Jeremiah was forcefully taken to Egypt with the remnant left in Judah after it was conquered by Babylon. He continually preached repentance to the Jews, and they continually refused. I can't find anything that tells what happened to Jeremiah after that. I don't know if he was ever able to escape and return to Israel or if he died in Egypt. One day I would like to hear the rest of his story!
What is the Shepherd saying to me today?
Rebellion... refusing to listen to the Word of the Lord, will result in destruction. Every time we make our own plans, without consulting Him, every time we want to go our own way without looking first to our Lord, we will end up in "Egypt"... in a place that "cannot profit" us.. a place that is vain and empty. Our hope is in the Lord God, the Holy One. It is in repentance and rest that we shall be saved.
Like the psalmist and the writer of Hebrews both wrote " Today if you would hear His voice do not harden your hearts..." For those who "err in their heart" and " do not know [His] ways" will " not enter [His] rest."
We want to rest in You, Jesus! You bring us into the throne room of Heaven, to receive mercy and grace. You are our Great High Priest, perfect in every way. You are the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the earth . You are the Savior and it is in You that we have eternal life. Keep us from sin. Keep our hearts tender and willing to rest in You always. Amen.
They thought that the horses and chariots of Egypt would solve their problems . But only God could help them. The heart-breaking part is that God wanted to help them and they wouldn't believe!
30:18 " Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to the have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. "
God says, " In repentance and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and trust is your strength. "
But, Israel was not willing. They made a plan.. " but not Mine". They made an alliance with Egypt, "but not of My Spirit". Their choices would bring shame. There would be no profit and no help. But they did it anyway.
Jeremiah was forcefully taken to Egypt with the remnant left in Judah after it was conquered by Babylon. He continually preached repentance to the Jews, and they continually refused. I can't find anything that tells what happened to Jeremiah after that. I don't know if he was ever able to escape and return to Israel or if he died in Egypt. One day I would like to hear the rest of his story!
What is the Shepherd saying to me today?
Rebellion... refusing to listen to the Word of the Lord, will result in destruction. Every time we make our own plans, without consulting Him, every time we want to go our own way without looking first to our Lord, we will end up in "Egypt"... in a place that "cannot profit" us.. a place that is vain and empty. Our hope is in the Lord God, the Holy One. It is in repentance and rest that we shall be saved.
Like the psalmist and the writer of Hebrews both wrote " Today if you would hear His voice do not harden your hearts..." For those who "err in their heart" and " do not know [His] ways" will " not enter [His] rest."
We want to rest in You, Jesus! You bring us into the throne room of Heaven, to receive mercy and grace. You are our Great High Priest, perfect in every way. You are the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the earth . You are the Savior and it is in You that we have eternal life. Keep us from sin. Keep our hearts tender and willing to rest in You always. Amen.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Isaiah 28 -29 Ephraim/ Israel - will be destroyed, punished because of its great sinfulness. Even the priests and prophets are not anything but drunkards - reeling, staggering, confused, and tottering. They had every chance to repent and turn to the Lord, to find rest in Him, but they "would not listen". Isaiah gives message after message of warning.. but they are deaf and blind... even as God had told Isaiah in the vision at the beginning of his ministry.
We need to hear the same message... it is just as relevant to our day as it was to Israel..
We also have many who "draw near with their words.. and their lip service.. but they remove their hearts far from [Him]." Their worship is " tradition learned by rote". It is a habit with no true relationship with God. There is no wisdom or discernment. There are deeds done in darkness with no acknowledgement that God sees or cares.
God says this, " You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made should say to its maker, 'He did not make me' or what is formed say to him who formed it, 'He has no understanding?'" (29:16)
We should be saying:
Psalm 95:6 " Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. "
Isn't this so true of our culture? We want to tell the God who created us, our Maker, that He didn't make us... we came from nothing.. evolving from animals that came from nothing! How utterly foolish! Those who should be speaking the truth... are reeling, staggering, confused, and tottering - priests, preachers, rabbi's .. whoever - deceivers who call truth a lie and a lie the truth. God will bring judgement upon all who refuse to turn back to the truth.
So thankful that Isaiah's message also contains hope :
the deaf will hear;
the blind will see;
the afflicted will be glad;
the needy will rejoice;
There will a remnant of God's children who will be saved - who will sanctify His Name; stand in awe of Him; come to know the Truth and ... will bow down and worship the Lord, our Maker.
Father, thank You for the "wondrously marvelous" ways that You work, not only in judgement but in redemption! We have like sheep gone astray! We have each gone our own way. But You laid the iniquity of us all on Him, on Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Wondrously marvelous! Praise and honor and glory are Yours! Help us to keep walking in faith and remembering that we are the clay and You are the Potter. Amen.
We need to hear the same message... it is just as relevant to our day as it was to Israel..
We also have many who "draw near with their words.. and their lip service.. but they remove their hearts far from [Him]." Their worship is " tradition learned by rote". It is a habit with no true relationship with God. There is no wisdom or discernment. There are deeds done in darkness with no acknowledgement that God sees or cares.
God says this, " You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made should say to its maker, 'He did not make me' or what is formed say to him who formed it, 'He has no understanding?'" (29:16)
We should be saying:
Psalm 95:6 " Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. "
Isn't this so true of our culture? We want to tell the God who created us, our Maker, that He didn't make us... we came from nothing.. evolving from animals that came from nothing! How utterly foolish! Those who should be speaking the truth... are reeling, staggering, confused, and tottering - priests, preachers, rabbi's .. whoever - deceivers who call truth a lie and a lie the truth. God will bring judgement upon all who refuse to turn back to the truth.
So thankful that Isaiah's message also contains hope :
the deaf will hear;
the blind will see;
the afflicted will be glad;
the needy will rejoice;
There will a remnant of God's children who will be saved - who will sanctify His Name; stand in awe of Him; come to know the Truth and ... will bow down and worship the Lord, our Maker.
Father, thank You for the "wondrously marvelous" ways that You work, not only in judgement but in redemption! We have like sheep gone astray! We have each gone our own way. But You laid the iniquity of us all on Him, on Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Wondrously marvelous! Praise and honor and glory are Yours! Help us to keep walking in faith and remembering that we are the clay and You are the Potter. Amen.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Isaiah 27 Much of what Isaiah writes is difficult... is he speaking of the present or the future? Is he speaking of Israel or of others? He seems to move back and forth, speaking of good and forgiveness one moment and then of judgement and destruction the next. I need to find a good study on this book...
Meanwhile, I read and pray, "Holy Spirit, teach me the Word and help me to hear Your voice."
For the moment, this is what draws my attention:
V1-2 The Lord vows to destroy "Leviathan" - the serpent; and "the dragon". This reminds me of the book of Revelation, where John writes this, " And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss..."
There is coming a day when evil will no longer have any power left... Hallelujah!! Even now, Christ is victorious and we have been set free from its dominion!
V 9 Isaiah speaks of a time when " iniquity will be forgiven... the full price of the pardoning of his sin.. " will be paid. It will be a day when " Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout; and they will fill the whole earth with fruit." It will be a day when the trumpet is blown and the people will gather in Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Again... Hallelujah ! We look forward with longing for that day.
V11 Once again those who fail to turn back to God are warned... " For they are not a people of discernment , therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them. And their Creator will not be gracious to them."
A time of harvest is coming. Isaiah tells us that "one by one" we will be gathered up.. Jesus spoke about this in a parable found in Matthew 13. A man sowed good seed in his field, but an enemy came and sowed tares. The man instructs his workers to , " Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'" Jesus goes on to explain that He is the sower of the good seed and the devil is the one who sows the tares. The harvest is the end of the age and when the reapers come, the tares, " those who commit lawlessness" and the "stumbling blocks" will be "cast.. into the furnace of fire". But, "the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. "
Father in heaven, Holy One of Israel, You are Sovereign and Mighty and we praise You, revering Your Name. You have revealed to us clearly what You will do at the end of this age. Those who love You and serve You, made righteous by the blood of Christ.. forgiven and cleansed by grace through faith.. will forever live with You in Glory. And those who refuse to repent and trust in the Lord, not discerning Your Word, the Truth... will be cast out. We are so thankful to call You, our Father, and to put our trust in You. We love You and desire to live always for You and with You. Yet, we have hearts that yearn to see all of our loved ones come to that same faith in Jesus Christ... to repent and believe.. to know You and give their lives to You. So we ask You to open their eyes to see the Truth of the Gospel and to open their ears to hear Your voice, so that they might turn to You and be saved. Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God.. hear our prayers and answer.. to the glory of Your Name. Amen.
Meanwhile, I read and pray, "Holy Spirit, teach me the Word and help me to hear Your voice."
For the moment, this is what draws my attention:
V1-2 The Lord vows to destroy "Leviathan" - the serpent; and "the dragon". This reminds me of the book of Revelation, where John writes this, " And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss..."
There is coming a day when evil will no longer have any power left... Hallelujah!! Even now, Christ is victorious and we have been set free from its dominion!
V 9 Isaiah speaks of a time when " iniquity will be forgiven... the full price of the pardoning of his sin.. " will be paid. It will be a day when " Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout; and they will fill the whole earth with fruit." It will be a day when the trumpet is blown and the people will gather in Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Again... Hallelujah ! We look forward with longing for that day.
V11 Once again those who fail to turn back to God are warned... " For they are not a people of discernment , therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them. And their Creator will not be gracious to them."
A time of harvest is coming. Isaiah tells us that "one by one" we will be gathered up.. Jesus spoke about this in a parable found in Matthew 13. A man sowed good seed in his field, but an enemy came and sowed tares. The man instructs his workers to , " Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'" Jesus goes on to explain that He is the sower of the good seed and the devil is the one who sows the tares. The harvest is the end of the age and when the reapers come, the tares, " those who commit lawlessness" and the "stumbling blocks" will be "cast.. into the furnace of fire". But, "the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. "
Father in heaven, Holy One of Israel, You are Sovereign and Mighty and we praise You, revering Your Name. You have revealed to us clearly what You will do at the end of this age. Those who love You and serve You, made righteous by the blood of Christ.. forgiven and cleansed by grace through faith.. will forever live with You in Glory. And those who refuse to repent and trust in the Lord, not discerning Your Word, the Truth... will be cast out. We are so thankful to call You, our Father, and to put our trust in You. We love You and desire to live always for You and with You. Yet, we have hearts that yearn to see all of our loved ones come to that same faith in Jesus Christ... to repent and believe.. to know You and give their lives to You. So we ask You to open their eyes to see the Truth of the Gospel and to open their ears to hear Your voice, so that they might turn to You and be saved. Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God.. hear our prayers and answer.. to the glory of Your Name. Amen.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Isaiah 25-26 These two chapters are songs of praise.. that reflect the joy of those who will live in Christ's kingdom during the Millennium. One clear message that we need to hear is that there is a time coming when those who have been oppressed.. the helpless, the poor, the humble.. will be the ones who will rejoice in the long awaited salvation. The ruthless, the wicked, the oppressors .. will be wiped out.. and not even remembered! The Bible Knowledge Commentary calls this a "reversal of fortunes." Jesus said that the first will be last and the last first. This is truth to remember and live by.
Isaiah is given a glimpse into the future, when Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of God.
v6 - He will provide "a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain."
v7 - He will "swallow up the covering which is over all peoples.. " ( the veil, shroud of death)
v8 "He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces."
He will " remove the reproach of His people from all the earth."
To enter this beautiful city, Isaiah teaches, we need to be righteous:
We must remain faithful. v2
We must be "steadfast of mind". v3
We must trust in Him. v4
We must follow "the way of [His] judgements" v8
We must wait for Him eagerly, v8
We must desire Him.. long for Him.. and seek Him v9
The unbelievers will experience God's judgements, yet they don't learn from them.
They are still unjust.
They still can't see God's majesty.
They don't see that He is Lord and that destruction will come to all those who refuse to acknowledge Him.
We are reminded once again that nothing is hidden from the Lord.. No secrets will be covered over. Every sin will be judged. It is a sober reminder that needs to send us to our knees in repentance so that we may learn righteousness.. " But through Thee alone we confess Thy name." ( v13b)
Only by His grace are we saved as we come by faith to His mercy seat.. . day by day.
Father in heaven, thank You for showing us grace. Thank You for revealing Your truth to us and leading us to salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. May we remain faithful, steadfast, obedient, and eager for Your Presence, awaiting the day that Jesus comes again. Keep us walking in paths of righteousness of Your Name's sake. Amen.
Isaiah is given a glimpse into the future, when Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of God.
v6 - He will provide "a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain."
v7 - He will "swallow up the covering which is over all peoples.. " ( the veil, shroud of death)
v8 "He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces."
He will " remove the reproach of His people from all the earth."
To enter this beautiful city, Isaiah teaches, we need to be righteous:
We must remain faithful. v2
We must be "steadfast of mind". v3
We must trust in Him. v4
We must follow "the way of [His] judgements" v8
We must wait for Him eagerly, v8
We must desire Him.. long for Him.. and seek Him v9
The unbelievers will experience God's judgements, yet they don't learn from them.
They are still unjust.
They still can't see God's majesty.
They don't see that He is Lord and that destruction will come to all those who refuse to acknowledge Him.
We are reminded once again that nothing is hidden from the Lord.. No secrets will be covered over. Every sin will be judged. It is a sober reminder that needs to send us to our knees in repentance so that we may learn righteousness.. " But through Thee alone we confess Thy name." ( v13b)
Only by His grace are we saved as we come by faith to His mercy seat.. . day by day.
Father in heaven, thank You for showing us grace. Thank You for revealing Your truth to us and leading us to salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. May we remain faithful, steadfast, obedient, and eager for Your Presence, awaiting the day that Jesus comes again. Keep us walking in paths of righteousness of Your Name's sake. Amen.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Isaiah 23-24 Chapter 23 is a word about Tyre who will be judged for its pride, but after 70 years will be somewhat restored.
Chapter 24 is a prophecy about the final judgement of the earth. It is quite sobering..
"Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants."
Every person will be humbled on that day.
Every city, every nation, will be held accountable for the pollution.. not of the air or water.. but the pollution of sinfulness and rebellion that has filled the earth.
There will be no place to hide or escape God's judgement when it comes.
" The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split through, the earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again. So it will happen in that day, That the Lord will punish the host of heaven, on high, and the kings of the earth on earth." ( v19-21)
Our only hope is in Jesus. He alone can save us from the destruction to come. God help those who have chosen to forsake the Holy One.. for they truly have nothing.. and nowhere to turn.
Father in heaven, we thank You for salvation that is in Jesus Christ the Lord. When the sun and moon will fail, when the earth is no longer.... we will still behold Your glory. It is both hard to imagine what that day will be like, and yet becoming more clear to us that the time is coming near. Our world is full of pollution. Pride, selfishness, abuse, contempt, hatred... fill our cities and nations. Send revival to Your people, Lord, that we might shine Your light once again and speak Your Word faithfully, so that more souls will turn to Jesus for the salvation that He has purchased by His sacrifice. Thank You for all those who serve You around the world. Bless them with the words to say, to make Your message clear, that the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ will be found in every place. We give You all praise for You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Amen.
Chapter 24 is a prophecy about the final judgement of the earth. It is quite sobering..
"Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface, and scatters its inhabitants."
Every person will be humbled on that day.
Every city, every nation, will be held accountable for the pollution.. not of the air or water.. but the pollution of sinfulness and rebellion that has filled the earth.
There will be no place to hide or escape God's judgement when it comes.
" The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split through, the earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again. So it will happen in that day, That the Lord will punish the host of heaven, on high, and the kings of the earth on earth." ( v19-21)
Our only hope is in Jesus. He alone can save us from the destruction to come. God help those who have chosen to forsake the Holy One.. for they truly have nothing.. and nowhere to turn.
Father in heaven, we thank You for salvation that is in Jesus Christ the Lord. When the sun and moon will fail, when the earth is no longer.... we will still behold Your glory. It is both hard to imagine what that day will be like, and yet becoming more clear to us that the time is coming near. Our world is full of pollution. Pride, selfishness, abuse, contempt, hatred... fill our cities and nations. Send revival to Your people, Lord, that we might shine Your light once again and speak Your Word faithfully, so that more souls will turn to Jesus for the salvation that He has purchased by His sacrifice. Thank You for all those who serve You around the world. Bless them with the words to say, to make Your message clear, that the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ will be found in every place. We give You all praise for You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Amen.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Isaiah 21-22 Isaiah speaks what God puts into his thoughts.. and I find it hard to understand. These are historical events preceding the fall of Jerusalem into the hands of Babylon. It happened just as Isaiah said and I find it still heartbreaking...
That God's chosen people, who could have had everything... lost it all through their unbelief and rebellion. They would rather have the attitude.. "eat and drink.. for tomorrow we may die" than trust in the One who made it all and holds all things in His hands.
We live in the same world and have the same attitude that Israel had... we want to do our will and not His. Nations, families, and individuals... we all have to come to grips with this truth.. we are called to lay it all down, at the feet of King Jesus, and take up only a cross.. and follow Him. We can have everything.. in Him, if we only will let Him rule our lives instead of insisting on our own will to be done. Why is it so hard for us to do this?
Father in Heaven, You are completely faithful and completely true. Everything we have is from You and You are all we need. Let us comprehend this better and believe it firmly. Thank You for loving us so much. Hold us close to You we pray. Amen.
That God's chosen people, who could have had everything... lost it all through their unbelief and rebellion. They would rather have the attitude.. "eat and drink.. for tomorrow we may die" than trust in the One who made it all and holds all things in His hands.
We live in the same world and have the same attitude that Israel had... we want to do our will and not His. Nations, families, and individuals... we all have to come to grips with this truth.. we are called to lay it all down, at the feet of King Jesus, and take up only a cross.. and follow Him. We can have everything.. in Him, if we only will let Him rule our lives instead of insisting on our own will to be done. Why is it so hard for us to do this?
Father in Heaven, You are completely faithful and completely true. Everything we have is from You and You are all we need. Let us comprehend this better and believe it firmly. Thank You for loving us so much. Hold us close to You we pray. Amen.
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