Isaiah 40:1-18  May we find consolation in the Word given here.. as the glory of the Lord is revealed in His everlasting Word.  It is such good news! God has made a way.. so that we can also find forgiveness for our sins. Hallelujah! 

The rest of this chapter encourages us to worship.. for our God:

Comes "with might."... v10.. " with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. "  He will come to complete everything that He has promised.  He will restore Jerusalem and it will be wonderful. He will reign forever and it will be perfect in every way!

He comes "like a shepherd".. He will "tend His flock, In His arms He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes."  The Good Shepherd is our Lord. He cares for us. He leads us in paths of righteousness.. beside still waters.. and to His house. Praise the Lord!

He is a great God, the Creator of heaven and earth, He "measure the waters in the hollow of His hand.. marked of the heavens by the span.. calculated the dust of the earth by the measure.. weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales.. "v12

Our Mighty God...needed no counselor.. no consult.. no teacher.. v14

"Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold He lifts up the islands like fine dust.... All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless." v17

"To whom then will you liken God?" v18

I need to stop more often and meditate on passages like this.. that reveal the greatness, the majesty, the awesomeness of God.  It helps me gain perspective on the current events and on my own life as well. 

Father in heaven, You are my God and You see me. You know my beginning and my end.  If the nations are a drop and the islands are like dust.. what am I?  Yet, You have chosen me.  You have called me to Yourself. You have saved me, forgiving my sins, by the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  There is no one like You!  "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases Him.. " the psalmist wrote. ".. trust in Adonai" ( Psalm 115)  You hold all the waters in Your hand.  I am in awe of Your greatness... and of Your grace towards us.  I will trust You, Lord.  Now and forever. Bless the Lord! All glory and honor and praise to Adonai.. forever ! Amen. 

 Isaiah 39 Hezekiah recovered from his illness and received visitors from Babylon. Foolishly, he showed them all his treasures.  His pride would be his downfall.  Isaiah tells Hezekiah that because of his actions, his descendants would be taken into captivity by Babylon. Even then, Hezekaih is not disturbed, but glad that his own life would be peaceful.  Hezekiah's son Manasseh would succeed his father and become one of the evilest kings yet. Hezekiah's grandson, Josiah, would do good, but after that would come the nothing but trouble until they were taken into captivity by Babylon. 

Chapter 40 begins a turning point for the book of Isaiah. Some think that a new author is responsible. The focus switches to the future of Israel. The coming of the Messiah and the restoration of the nation is revealed. This chapter is filled with wonderful truths, revealing the greatness of God. 

"Comfort, O comfort My people.. " the Lord begins.  He brings good news!  Jerusalem's warfare will end. "... her iniquity has been removed, .. she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. "  There is an end coming.. when all judgement will be over, when all sins will be gone. It will begin with "a voice calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness.. " 

The Lord made a way.. to Himself.  He smoothed the desert into a highway. He filled in the valleys and flattened every hill and mountain. He raked up the rough ground and straightened out the rugged land... so that "the glory of the Lord will be revealed." (v3-5)

We are reminded here that life on earth is short.. temporary.. " All flesh is grass and all its loveliness is like the flower in the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;"   And this is true.. "but the word of our God stands forever." 

Perhaps that is enough to chew on for now.  Kings came and went. The nation of Israel began and then stopped.. and then began again.  Our lives on earth are temporary.  What is most important is what comes next.  May we find comfort in the good news.. that God has made a way that we can come to Him.. to find forgiveness for all our sins.. to see the "glory of the Lord". 

Father in heaven, You are great and there is none like You. Thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Messiah. Thank You for the grace that You have shown in making a way for us to find You.  Hold us in Your arms like the lambs that the Shepherd gathers.  Tend us.. the sheep of Your pasture, for we need You.. every day and every hour.  Conform us to the image of Jesus, that Your glory would be seen in our lives.  Sanctify us, Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus' name . amen. 

 Isaiah 38  Hezekiah became very ill and Isaiah was sent to tell him that he would die.  But, Hezekiah prayed and the Lord healed him and gave him 15 more years.  

In verse 3 we read Hezekiah's prayer.. "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Thy sight."  The Lord heard this prayer and  saw Hezekiah's tears.  He granted healing to Hezekiah and deliverance of the city.  He even gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign - "... the sun's shadow went back ten steps on the stairway"  of Ahaz's tower.  Think of this as a sundial - and time went backwards.  That's pretty astounding. 

Verses 9-20  are "... a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah"  from that time as he reflected on what had happened to him.  His description of his illness, when he was told he would die.. is interesting: 

"In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol"  he begins. "I am to be deprived of the rest of my years... "  He likens death to:

" a shepherd's tent.. pulled up and removed.."

".. a weaver.. [who] rolled up my life.. He cuts me off from the loom."

".. like a lion - so He breaks all my bones.. "

"Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove." 

In the depth of his sorrow, the Lord restored Hezekiah back to health. "It is Thou who hast kept my soul from nothingness, for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back." 

Hezekiah gives praise to the Lord who has saved Him. 

II Chronicles 32:25  tells us that this illness was given to Hezekiah because  "his heart was proud".  And verse 26 tells us that ".. Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did to come on them in the days of Hezekiah." 

In the times that we are living, we are hearing a lot about death. I find it interesting that so many people talk about how their friend or loved one.."didn't deserve to die".  Like Hezekiah, those who are stricken down think they are being "deprived" of the years that they should have. We act as if death shouldn't happen to us until we are ready for it... our hearts are proud, too.  Like Hezekiah, we must humble our hearts before the Lord.  He is God. He decides when we live and when we die.  He sees us.. everyone of us and has written in His book the "days.. ordained" for each of us.  ( Psalm 139) 

The truth that I keep hearing from My Shepherd is "Trust the Lord forever, for in God we have an Everlasting Rock."  When we keep our minds steadily on Him, He gives us His "perfect peace".  We just have to keep trusting!

Father, You are always faithful, always good, and always in control.  No matter our circumstances, no matter the political issues, no matter the pandemic... our days are in Your Hands.. written in Your book. Thank You for being my Everlasting Rock. Help me to keep trusting. Help me to keep clinging to Jesus, trusting that as I abide in Him and He in me, You will sanctify me through and through according to Your Word.  Be glorified in Your children today, I pray, In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 Isaiah 36-37  Isaiah stops at this point to report what happened.  It was during Hezekiah's reign that Assyria came up against Judah.  They seized some of the fortified cities and came to the walls of Jerusalem.  The king's messengers boasted of the power of Assyria over every nation and challenged Jerusalem to give up and not trust in the Lord to deliver them.  To the Assyrians, the God of Israel was no different than all of the gods of the other nations that had been conquered.  But, they were wrong!

Hezekiah trusted in Adonai, the One true God and so he prayed.. .  His prayer is so powerful.. 

" O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth.  Incline Thy ear, O Lord and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib who sent them to reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. And now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou alone, Lord, are God." 

God answered Hezekiah's prayer. The arrogance and reproach of the Assyrians was not only against Judah, but against God, the Holy One of Israel. 

The Lord sent an angel to strike 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.  Overnight. Sennacherib returned to his home in Ninevah where he was killed by his own sons. 

Arrogance towards the Lord and rage towards His people are things not hidden.  "But, I know your sitting down, and your going out and your coming in, and your raging against Me.. " the Lord says. And this is true today.. He sees those who are even now, arrogant. scheming to do things that are wicked in His sight. Let us pray, like Hezekiah did, that all the world will know that the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.. is God.. and there is no other!

Father in heaven, enthroned above the cherubim, high and lifted up, surrounded by beauty and majesty, with worship and praise continually poured out at Your feet.. let this world know once again that You alone are God. Let Your word run rapidly and flow freely through our nation once again.  Bring revival. Please.  May Your Name be made known and exalted in all the earth! Amen and amen. 

 Isaiah 34-35  Once again, Isaiah is given a vision of the future - chapter 34 painting the picture of a scorched earth after God's wrath is poured out on the nations. Chapter 35 painting the glorious future of God's kingdom. 

In the world we live in today we hear so much about climate change and environmental disasters.  The Word of the Lord reveals that it will happen.. not because of fossil fuels or air pollution.. but because of the sins of mankind. "Draw near, O nations, to hear; to listen, O peoples!" the Lord proclaims, "For the Lord's indignation is against all the nations,  and His wrath against all their armies." 

The Lord will destroy the nations. He will give them over to slaughter. He will drench the mountains in blood. ( v2-3) 

Not only that, but the Lord will allow the stars and the sun and the moon to rot, to be rolled up and torn away. ( v4)

The sword of the Lord will be "filled with blood".  For "the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion." 

Streams will be filled with pitch. The earth with brimstone. Desolation will be everywhere. Only the wild creatures will be found in places where great cities once stood.  All that God has says.. He will do.  All who refuse to humble themselves before Him and obey His word will be included in this judgement. 

In contrast to this picture of devastation is the scene of Zion's future. "The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom." 

The future city of God will be glorious.  There will be great rejoicing. There will be glory and majesty surrounding it. "They will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God."

"Encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble. Say to the anxious heart, take courage, fear not. Behold your God will come with vengeance." 

God will save us.  He will open blind eyes. He will unstop deaf ears. He will restore the lame so that they will leap.  He will give a voice to the mute.  He will bring water to the deserts.  He will build a highway through the wilderness. 

And only the righteous will walk there.  Those "ransomed of the Lord."  We will come with "joyful shouting.. with everlasting joy.. and sorrow and sighing will flee away. " 

Choose life.. the Lord calls to us.  Choose to believe. Choose to obey.  We each have a choice to make.. as to which destination we want to end up in... a place of terror beyond anything we can imagine.. or a place of joy beyond our expectations.  May God help us to seek Him with all our hearts, for when we do, He has promised... we will find Him. 

Father,  your deeds are great. Your work is full of majesty and splendor.  Your righteousness is eternal. You are merciful and compassionate.  Your Word is truth. It can be trusted.  You have offered redemption through Jesus Christ, to all who will call on His holy Name.  Stir the hearts of the lost and confused, the rebellious and the disillusioned .. to seek You and find You. Send more workers into Your harvest field. Bring salvation to the nations, before it is too late.  We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Isaiah 33  Every glimpse that  I get of the kingdom of God stirs my heart and strengthens my desire to know Him more!

 When the judgements of God have finished.. the Lord says, "Now I will arise.. Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up." 

All the "chaff" will be consumed by the fire of God.  The sinners and the godless cannot live in the presence of the "consuming fire".   But, " He who walks righteously, and speaks 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.. "  are the ones who will be blessed. These are the remnant who will be saved.  

"He will dwell on the heights; His refuge will be an impregnable rock; His bread will be given him; His water is sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty." 

They will see Jerusalem, "an undisturbed habitation, a tent which shall not be folded, its stakes shall never be pulled up, nor its cords be torn apart.. " 

And they will see the Lord.. "But there the majestic One, the Lord, shall be for us, a place of rivers and  wide canals, on which no boat with oars shall go, and on which no mighty ship shall pass - For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us....and no resident will say, 'I am sick'; The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity."

The Lord desires a holy people, who will trust in Him and walk in His ways. Our only hope to live this way.. is for the life of Jesus to live in us.  Jesus said, "Because I live, you also will live. When the day comes, you will know that I am united with my Father, and you with me, and I with you." John 14:19-20 Paul wrote to the Colossians, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God."(3:3)

In Christ our Messiah, we are able to "see the King in His beauty" and not be consumed.  In Christ, we can live in righteousness and truth. In Christ, we can live on the "heights".  In Christ we find provision and safety.  In Christ, we can have the proper relationship with our Heavenly Father, knowing Him as our Judge, Lawgiver, and King. In Christ we can have "perfect peace" for we keep our minds on Him and trust in Him fully. 

Father, lead us by Your Spirit into the truth of Your Word, that we might begin to grasp what it means to be hidden "with the Messiah" in You. Teach us Your ways and help us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Amen. 

 Isaiah 32  The writings of Isaiah continue to vacillate between the present ( of Judah) .. filled with sin and its consequences .. and the glorious future, when "a king will reign.."  As much as we want to just think about that wonderful day, we need to hear what God has to say about Judah.. for their sins are also ours. 

In Judah's day:

The fool was called noble. The rogue was called generous. 

The fool spoke nonsense and inclined his heart "towards wickedness."

He practiced ungodliness and spoke "error against the Lord."

He kept the needy hungry and thirsty. 

He used evil as a weapon.

He devised evil schemes. 

The women of Judah were called "complacent".  Because they would not listen or rise up against the wickedness..  they would watch as their vines wilted and their fields dried up. They would see only "thorns and briars" growing in their gardens.  The city would be abandoned . There would be no more joy... except for the wild donkeys.. 

God proclaims that those who deal treacherously would be dealt with in the same way.  Brave men would cry in the streets. Highways would be desolate.   Because  they had "no regard for man.".. everything would be consumed.

Sin's consequences will always be destruction and death. It happened in the past and it will happen again.. here and now.  It is a tragedy that we see unfolding right before our own eyes. 

Thankfully, we have the same promises that God gave to Judah, the promise of a day that is coming when the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth... and the old will be no more. 

The King, Jesus, will reign.

Princes will "rule justly".

We will find refuge, shelter, "like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land." 

The blind will see, the deaf will hear, "and the mind of the hasty will discern the truth." 

"Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will abide in the fertile field. and the world of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever."

As we wait for that day, we can pray, like Isaiah.. "O Lord be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be [our] strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of distress.. "

"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 [our] treasure." 

Father, You are our Everlasting Rock and we lean wholly on You. Be our strength. Be our guide. Let Your will be done on earth... now.. as it is in heaven. Stop the foolish and the wicked from their evil plans. Open our eyes that we might discern truth and have understanding. We take refuge in You for we trust You with all of our hearts.  We wait for You with hope, trusting in Your great goodness.  Bless us, we pray, with Your Presence and be gracious to us, according to Your great Name..  in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.