Do we need a powerful national Defense?

 Read Isaiah 31.

Everyone should know that might does not make right.  But might does not insure success either.  A powerful national defense is always desirable for the protection of a country.  However, if that is what the people and the leaders are depending upon for their future, their faith may be sadly misplaced.

God continued to give Isaiah messages for Judah.  They thought if they could amass a big enough allied force, the kingdom would be delivered from the Assyrians.  The problem was not military preparation but trust.  If Judah's national trust was in Egypt and their army, the plans would fail.  And, they did.

The LORD tried to teach them to "look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!" (v.1).  God's power and His plan always supersedes human efforts.  So, why not ask Him what He wants done?  Why not ask His help?  And, then living in obedience to what He wants done, why not trust Him for the outcome?

God had already announced through Isaiah that He would protect Judah against this enemy.  So, what should they be doing?

1. Turn to him. (v.6a)
The people of Judah had rebelled against the LORD and His expectations of them.  Their sin had brought the pending punishment on themselves.  God proves His mercy and His grace to us by faithfully calling the wayward to change directions.  By coming to Him, they would find forgiveness, peace, and the protection they desired.

2. Cast away false beliefs. (v.6b)
In their rebellion against God, the people had turned to other sources for direction and decisions.  They even placed their faith in inanimate objects they had made with their own hands and prayed to them for help.  Such thinking borderlines on insanity.  Instead, why not trust the One who created the elements and controls the universe?

"And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words." (v.2a)
No human is a match for God's wisdom.  His word is absolute.  Trust Him and see.

 

What are you waiting For?

 Read Isaiah 30.

Living in fear as they awaited the Assyrian invasion, the southern kingdom of Judah looked to Egypt for help and protection.  But Egypt was no longer a strong world power.  Representatives of Judah were dispatched anyway to secure an alliance.  The result would be "shame and disgrace" (v.5).

God had already made it clear that the northern kingdom of Israel would be conquered and the people scattered.  However, God also promised to use the Assyrians to punish Judah, but not conquer them.

How did they get into this mess?  They decided that they knew better how to run their lives and their nation than the God who created them and brought them this far.  "Stubborn children," He called them, making their own plans, seeking alliances and protection from everyone and everything except Him.  In doing so, they "add sin to sin" (v.1).

The people did not want to hear what was right.  They wanted someone to flatter them and help them feel good about themselves.  In other words, they deliberately sought to believe in fantasies instead of the truth (v.10).  None of those false ways dealt with the root issue of their sin and guilt.

God's gracious offer to them remained.  "In returning (repentance) and rest you shall be saved: in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (v.15).  Making a U-turn toward the LORD, accepting His forgiveness, and trusting Him alone would bring them peace and the provision they needed.  All along, the LORD wanted to be their Teacher, showing them how to live (v.21).  One day Israel will listen to Him.  At that point, they will get rid of all the false ways they used to trust with a simple "Be gone!" (v.22).

In the middle of the chapter is the invitation.  "The LORD waits to be gracious to you and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.  For the Lord is a God of justice;"  But there is more.  "Blessed are all those who wait for him" (v.18).  Who are you trusting today to meet your real needs?  God is waiting.  What are you waiting for?

 

Why can't they see the Truth?

 Read Isaiah 29.

This chapter could be labeled as bad news- good news.  First, the "woe".  Ariel is a direct reference to Jerusalem, the city of David (v.1).  The city would come under siege by the Assyrians.  Indeed, Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem in 701 B.C. but was unable to conquer it.  Notice in verse 3, that God takes personal credit for putting the city under such pressure.  And, He will protect the city this time.  Like a person with a bad dream when awakened, the frightening thing was not there.  The whole reason for God's judgment was to motivate them to repent.  But they did not.

Why could they not see what God was doing?  Why could they not hear the prophet's message and change their ways?

Their sin had caused them to become spiritually insensitive to the things of God.  They had blinded their eyes from seeing the truth and stopped their ears hearing what God was saying to them.  Their so-called spiritual leaders could not make sense of God's word.  Even reading the messages did not make sense to them.  They were religious (v.13) but their words of worship were empty because "their hearts are far from me."

Believing they had no accountability to the LORD, they took full credit for their lives.  Their thoughts toward the Creator included: "He did not make me" (v.16).

And now the good news.  What a change, "in that day," when the Messiah will return to rule the world from the city of Jerusalem.  "In that day" the Jews will hear the message and see the truth.  Justice will come to the oppressed and upon the "ruthless."  As a nation of God's people, they will acknowledge who Jesus is and give Him full credit for their lives.  

As the Apostle Paul looked forward to the day of Israel's national repentance, in Romans 9 he wrote of the same potter and clay comparison.  In Romans 11, he wrote of Israel's spiritual blindness and deafness.  His point was that this opened wide the door for the Gentiles to be "grafted" into God's plan of redemption.  As individuals, he wrote in Romans 10:12-13- "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.  For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"  

 

Is the message too simple for You?

 Read Isaiah 28.

Woe to the northern kingdom of Israel! 
The people prided themselves in their prosperity.  But having rejected God, they became like a fading flower.  The LORD would use the Assyrians to trample upon them without mercy.  Meanwhile, the people and their leaders were depicted as drunkards, staggering, confused, and unable to make right decisions.

They even mocked Isaiah's clear message from the LORD as being too simple, formulaic, and rote.  They rejected what God was saying to them as being childish, like teaching the ABC's (vv.9-10).  But when a person will not listen to God's word, He will send a stronger messenger to teach them.  If they refused to repent of their sin, then He would have an ungodly, foreign power instruct them about accountability and judgment.  They will "be broken, and snared, and taken" (vv.11-13)

In great contrast to the fading glory of Israel, there will come a day when the LORD will sit on the throne and be a "crown of glory" to His people (v.5).

Woe to the southern kingdom of Judah!
The leaders of the south were no better.  They, too, had rejected God and His word.  Openly, they had committed their lives to false gods, to lies, and trusted in them to protect them (vv.14-15).  In short, they tried to build their lives and the nation on a foundation of sinking sand. 

In great contrast, the LORD said, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.'" (v.16)

New Testament believers cannot read verse 16 without thinking of Jesus.  The Apostle Peter quoted Isaiah in 1 Peter 2:6 and applied it to Jesus.  The Apostle Paul wrote: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:20)

There are only two ways to build a life: trust in the shifting false beliefs of this world, or trust in the sure foundation of Jesus.

 

Israel's future and Ours

 Read Isaiah 27.

True prophecy tells history in advance.  After the death of Solomon, the land divided into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south.  In Isaiah's day, the Assyrians were cruelly conquering every nation in their path.  The LORD told Isaiah to prophesy that Assyria would crush Israel.  As a result, Judah would experience great pressure but God would protect them a while longer.  Later, the Babylonians conquered Assyria and then captured Judah to take them away in exile (v.8). 

Not since the time of Solomon had there been a single nation of Jews on that land under its own rule until 1948; roughly, 3000 years.  Still, the world has yet to see what God told Isaiah would ultimately happen.

Four times the phase "in that day" or "in the days to come" appear.  Most often, that is a trigger phrase concerning the time of Christ's return and events that will follow.  Here is some history in advance.

1. The LORD will slay his enemies. (v.1)
This is the exact picture of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-16.  The sword of the LORD is the word of God.  As we are told in Genesis 1, He spoke creation into existence.  So, in His return at His command, all the enemies of God will be defeated.

2. The LORD will restore Israel spiritually. (vv.2-6)
The spiritual picture of God's relationship with the Jews is one of taking care of His vineyard.  Previously, the message to Isaiah was that the vineyard produced only wild grapes, so God would remove His protection of His people.  But these verses look forward to a day when the Jews will "blossom" "and fill the whole world with fruit." 

3. The LORD will forgive the sin of Israel. (vv.7-11)
God had to deal with their sin of unbelief and blatant false worship.  The exile of Judah that took place in 586 B.C. as predicted.  To this day, the world has not seen the fulfillment of this national removal of sin and restoration.  There is only one solution to sin and that is the forgiveness God alone offers through the shed blood of Jesus, the Messiah.  By faith the godly of the Old Testament looked forward to the day of ultimate atonement.  We look back to the cross in faith for our complete and final atonement.  One day, the Jews will embrace Jesus as the Messiah and know this forgiveness personally and nationally.  The Apostle Paul wrote clearly concerning this in Romans 9-11 and even quotes Isaiah several times to prove his case.  He then concluded, "And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written..." (Romans 11:26)

4. The LORD will be worshiped in Jerusalem. (vv.12-13)
The entire region that is in such turmoil and terror today will "in that day" be sacred territory.  Jesus will reign for 1,000 years from Jerusalem and the world will come to bow before Him.

The good news is that anyone may experience God's personal forgiveness and life-restoration right now by calling on Jesus.

 

A promised peace with a Price

 Read Isaiah 26.

In the last chapter, Isaiah wrote prophetically what believers in Jesus will say "in that day."  Here, now, is the song we will sing when Messiah rules and reigns.

Notice all the benefits of the redeemed.
1. A perfect peace because our trust is in the unchanging and sovereign LORD. . (v.3)

2. A clear and smooth path for life because God takes care of the consequences of our obedience. (v.7)

3. A living Savior. (vv.13-14)

4. A joyful resurrection. (v.19)

In the meantime, the Apostle Paul encouraged:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ( Philippians 4:7)

"The price tag of renewing the mind with Scripture is time and discipline, but the benefits are always disproportionate to the expenditures.  If we are shallow in the Word, we will be superficial in our knowledge of God and less effective in our relationship with others."-Ken Boa

A hope worth the Wait

Read Isaiah 25.

Knowing the truth about God's judgment against unbelievers may cause distress.  In the previous chapter, Isaiah felt the weight of the message and cried out, "I waste away, I waste away.  Woe is me!"  But for those who have placed their eternal faith in the LORD, there is hope and joy in our future.

Isaiah wrote this beautiful song to praise the LORD as he looked forward to that day when God would once and for all deliver His people.

There is no mistaking the fact that this speaks of an earthly kingdom where Messiah will rule and reign.  That will be when the Prince of Peace will rule and all the nations will glorify Him.  Don't miss all the descriptors of how the LORD will protect those who love Him.  It will be a time of great celebration.

From the prophet's view, all of the future events blended into one picture.  The New Testament provides many details, filling in some of the gaps the prophets could not see and did not know.  It is always best when we have the Scriptures commenting on other Scripture, enlightening our understanding.  For instance, the same wording of verse 8 appears in Revelation 21:4.  After the Millennial kingdom on earth, Revelation 22 explains that there will be a new heaven and a new earth.  In that eternal place, there will be no tears and no such thing as death.  We will never say good-bye to our love ones who are with us because of our mutual faith in Christ.

Like us, how Isaiah longed for that day!  In verse 9, he even wrote what we will be saying: "It will be said in that day, 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.  This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.'"