Category: Isaiah–BibleTrekToday
The time of His favor
Scripture reading for July 31st: Isaiah 49-51
“This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “(Isaiah 49:8-9)
These next chapters of Isaiah tell of the “servant” of the Lord that will come to bring the promised comfort, salvation, and deliverance to God’s people. God’s Word is very clear about the plans of the Lord to bring a deliverer. Isaiah has already said that “Immanuel” would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) In Isaiah 9:5-6 He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of peace! His government would be without end! In Isaiah 49:5-6 God tells how He will form this servant in the womb. This servant will bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel. Then God says that He will also make this servant a light for the Gentiles and bring His salvation to the ends of the earth! The story is so plain now in light of the life of Jesus Christ and all the prophecies that He fulfilled and the mission of His church!
God has a “time of favor” when His salvation is available to all who will avail themselves of it! This time began when Jesus Christ announced His mission with a quote from Isaiah in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2) Notice how similar this quote is to our text for today’s devotion! Jesus Christ announced His ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance to those in His home town of Nazareth. They did not receive the message with the joy that was expected, however. Those in the synagogue became furious and tried to throw Jesus off the brow of a steep cliff! Not everyone responds to a “time of favor”.
In fact, the “time of favor” referred to the year of Jubilee during which every Israelite would have his inheritance restored! If they had lost property through neglect or illness or bad business dealings, the property was to be restored and the inheritance was to be put back together. It would be a joyous time of healing and restoration on the 50th years! (Leviticus 25:8-13) Jesus Christ was stating that He was their ‘Jubilee’!
Today we live in the “time of His favor” with promise of healing and restoration! Be sure to thank the Lord for what He has done in Jesus Christ! Share this good news with someone who needs favor today!
Fear Not!
Scripture reading for July 30th: Isaiah 44-48
Comfort is needed when people have been through the fire of judgment or discipline. God is a God of all comfort and one of the ways He comforts us is to encourage us not to be afraid. It is said that the term “fear not” or variations of this phrase is used 366 times in the Bible. This means that there are enough verses for every day of the year–even leap year! God knows we need this encouragement. Let’s look as some things God encourages us to not be afraid of and see our hope begin to rise!
In Isaiah 43:1-3, God tells His people to not be afraid when they pass through the rivers or walk through the fire. He has redeemed them and they belong to Him. He promised to be with them and protect them no matter what the trouble. He will ransom them and redeem them and gives His word!
In Isaiah 44:1-5, God tells His people to not be afraid for their children! We can trust the Lord to pour out His Spirit on our offspring and His blessing on our descendants. When we follow the Lord and live by faith, God takes care of our kids. He is able to guide them and help them to choose to walk by faith too! Let’s say “amen” to this promise and live free from fear for our children’s future.
In Isaiah 44:6-8, God encourages His people to not be afraid of the future. He is their redeemer and is the Almighty Lord who has all power and knowledge. He knows the future and holds it in His hands. He is a Rock for those who are in fear of the future. Trusting in Him can make us truly free!
The last thing we can give up fearing is old age and the weakness and frailty associated with it. “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you, I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:3-4) Sounds like God can handle us in old age, too, doesn’t it? What’s there to be afraid of anyway? We are people of faith and please God by trusting Him in everything! “Fear Not!”
Waiting on the Lord!
Scripture reading for July 29th: Isaiah 40-43
Chapter 40 of Isaiah begins a new theme for the prophet. Instead of the warnings of coming judgment and retribution on Israel and the nations for their sins, idolatry and waywardness, this next section speaks of hope, comfort and encouragement. The last 27 chapters are like the New Testament’s 27 books of encouragement, history and prophecy. As we begin in Isaiah 40, let’s get a fresh look at the God of heaven and learn why we can wait for Him to do what He has promised!
How big is your view of God? Isaiah’s perspective from 700 years before Christ is amazing given what we know today from science and space exploration. This God is so big that he measures the waters of the earth in the hollow of His hand. He marks off the expanse of the universe with a breadth of His hands! He could pick up all the dust of the earth and put it in a basket and weigh it. (Isaiah 40:12) To God, all the nations of the earth are but a drop in His bucket and the islands of the sea are just fine dust. (Isaiah 40:16) According to Isaiah, God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. (Isaiah 40: 22) He makes this statement 2700 years ago when most people thought the earth was flat! Prophecy is from God’s perspective and He is always right!
God also has a tender side and is very personal. He tends His flock of people like a shepherd. He gathers his little lambs into His arms and carries them close to His heart! He gently leads those that have young ones. (Isaiah 40:11) He calls all the multiple billions of galaxies and their billions of stars each by name. He places them where He desires and not one is missing! (Isaiah 40:26) God does all of this effortlessly without getting tired or weary. His power and strength know no bounds. His understanding of every detail of every creature is beyond what we can fathom! (Isaiah 40:27-28)
This God cares for the weary and the weak as well as all creation. His specialty is renewing the weary and the weak. As they wait and hope in Him, they are strengthened by His Spirit. Isaiah, under the anointing of the Spirit of prophecy, uses the analogy of the eagle. (Isaiah 40:29-31) The eagle must wait upon the Lord when it goes through a time of renewal. It loses it’s feathers and beak and must wait on the Lord in the cleft of a rock. After the renewal of feathers and beak, the eagle again can mount up on it’s wings and soar! God’s people will be able to run and walk again in strength and power! What a promise of comfort and hope after a time of weariness and fainting!
Take time today to meditate on the greatness of God as reflected in these chapters of Isaiah. Let your vision of how big your God is grow and your faith to wait upon Him be enlarged! He is truly worth waiting for!
The power of prayer!
Scripture reading for July 28th: Isaiah 36-39
In Isaiah 38 we have the record of an interesting incident in the life of a good king of Israel, Hezekiah. Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him to get his house in order because he was going to die. (Isaiah 38:1) God told this man that his time was up on earth! Who are we to argue with what God says?
In the next verse, we find Hezekiah turning his face to the wall. He humbly prayed to the Lord a simple prayer and wept bitterly. “Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” (Isaiah 38:2) Isaiah then heard the Lord speak to him again. He was to go back to Hezekiah and tell him that the Lord had heard his prayer and seen his tears and would add 15 years to his life. The Lord also assured him that He would deliver the king and Jerusalem from the Assyrians. (Isaiah 38:4-6)
God also gave Hezekiah a special sign of His favor and mercy. He made the sunlight go back ten steps on the staircase of Ahaz. As God had promised more time, He demonstrated His power to turn back the clock! Wow, what an amazing God we serve! What a powerful answer to prayer and what grace for a visual sign of the answer!
This record seems so easy! But there are several things to note that are instructive for us. First, Hezekiah simply reminded God of his life of faith! (James 5:16) He had lived by faith for many years and had a habit of trusting God. What a good record to draw on! Second, Hezekiah was sincere and did not just put on a show. He was real with God about his feelings and desire. Third, he did not demand anything from God, but simply appealed to the one who held His life in His hands. God answered because he heard the prayer and saw the tears! (Isaiah 38:5) God saw a sincere heart of faith and it moved Him. Faith always moves God! (Mark 11:22-24) Faith pleases God like nothing else! (Hebrews 11:6) Jesus asked in respect to prayer if He would find faith on earth when He came again. (Luke 18:8)
If you are facing an impossible situation today, try simply asking God like Hezekiah of old. Trust Him to hear and answer! Here is Hezekiah’s response to God’s grace: “But what can I say: He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” Isaiah 38:15-17
Don’t bet on the horses!
Scripture reading for July 27th: Isaiah 31-35
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the Lord. Yet He too is wise and can bring disaster, He does not take back His words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked, against those who help evildoers. But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together.” Isaiah 31:1-3
Our city, state and nation are obsessed with gambling. Our state governor and elected officials are constantly trying to find a way to institute more revenue through gambling. The state horse racing industry is lobbying hard to add gambling casinos to the racetracks in hopes of snaring more money and preying on those with gambling addictions. I have been in Kentucky for eight years, and this issue has come up every year. Oh that the words of God recorded in the prophet Isaiah’s writing would be heard!
Now I know that Isaiah wasn’t writing about gambling. He wasn’t writing about horse racing either. He was writing to God’s people who had a tendency to trust in man and man’s ways rather than in the Lord and His ways. It was a problem in Isaiah’s day and is still a problem today. Trusting in man and horse-power is folly. Man and horses are flesh. The flesh profits us nothing; it is the Spirit that will bring life and peace. (Romans 8:6-8) Isaiah went on to tell the people what the real key to all that they needed was. If they would just fear the Lord, they would have all the treasures of security, righteousness, justice, wisdom and knowledge. (Isaiah 33:5-6)
If you want a real tip for a winning ticket for life, don’t bet on the horses! Fear the Lord and humbly trust in Him and He will bless you with all your heart desires and far more!
“The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” Isaiah 33:5-6
Sunday Rest and Reflection–People of Zion!
Dear “People of Zion”,
As I look back on the week’s reading in Isaiah, God’s great understanding of individuals and nations and His control of history amazes me! God is on a throne, high and lifted up! He is worthy of worship and adoration! He has plans that He has brought to pass and others that await fulfillment. He raises up nations and leaders and brings them down just as easily. He is just and righteous in all He does and is always merciful to those who trust in Him and walk by faith.
Those who trust in Him are often call by the name: “People of Zion”. (Isaiah 12:6) Mt. Zion was the city stronghold of the Jebusites that was captured by King David. It became the “city of David”. It was here that God had His Temple built by Solomon and had His dwelling place among the Israelites in the promised land. Zion was a place that the Lord loved. (Psalm 78:68) It is the city chosen by God to install His King! (Psalm 2:6) The Lord’s blessing flows out of Zion to His people. (Psalm 128:5) God is laying a cornerstone in Zion that will be precious for His people! (Isaiah 28:16) It is a place that is loved by those who love the Lord! He is there and His presence makes that place more special than any other on earth!
In Isaiah 12, God is telling His people that they will be comforted from all their troubles and afflictions one day. They can trust in God and not be afraid. He is their strength and song, and has become their salvation. (Isaiah 12:2-3) With joy they will draw water from the wells of salvation in Zion. From Zion, they will make known what The Lord has done to save them. They will exalt His name among the nations. God’s program has always been world-wide in scope. They can sing and shout for joy because of God in their midst.
Wow! We are now people of Zion too! We can publish to the nations that our God saves. He is our strength and song. We have drunk the water from the well that never runs dry. God has done glorious things for us! He is great among the “people of Zion” because He lives in us today and forever!
Take time to reflect on Isaiah 12 and this city of Zion. What a way to find rest and confidence in our great God and the Cornerstone He has laid for us in Zion! (Isaiah 28:16)
In His Love, Pastor John
A Stone in Zion!
Scripture reading for July 25th: Isaiah 28-30
Beer and alcoholic beverages have been a source of trouble from ancient times. Noah planted a vineyard after the flood and then proceeded to get drunk and exposed his nakedness. (Genesis 9:20-24) In today’s reading, the officials of Ephraim and Israel had a drinking problem. (Isaiah 28:1, 7) They were proud and thought they knew more than God. They were under a delusion and lie of the devil, which was likened to drunkenness. (Isaiah 28:15) They thought that their “religion” had made them immune to any foreign invasion or even correction and teaching from God. They were “good people” who were a part of “God’s chosen” and they had Abraham as their father! What more could God want?
Part of the delusion was false religion. The priest and prophets were “blinded” and “drunken” by their refusal to truly love and obey God from their hearts. They were honoring God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him! (Isaiah 29:13) Their worship of Him was merely rules taught by men, not in Spirit and truth! When we engage in false religion, we become drunk and delusional, but not with wine or beer! They thought that they were doing fine but were really lost and heading for judgment! (Isaiah 29:9-10) They could not understand God’s Word and His commands because their attitude of pride and self-sufficiency made their hearts hard! What a terrible condition to be in! In this state, they were worse off than an unbeliever because they were deceived!
God has strength for His people who are by faith trusting in Him. He has a solid Cornerstone that He has placed in Zion. It is a tested Stone that is precious and those who trust in this Stone will never be deceived or dismayed! (Isaiah 28:16) This Stone is a living Stone. (1st Peter 2:4) This Stone is none other than Jesus Christ who has become the living Cornerstone of the New Temple. We who trust and believe are resting on this Cornerstone and become living stones in His temple! Those who reject this Stone and stumble over Him do so because they disobey the message of God because of their pride and arrogance and hard hearts! (1st Peter 2:7, Isaiah 8:14) In repentance and rest on this Stone will be salvation for all who will trust in Him! (Isaiah 30:15)
The only sure foundation for our life today is to repent and rest on Jesus Christ and His finished work! False religion keeps us doing and trying to work our way into God’s favor. This is a lie and delusion that results in drunken deception! When we rest in Christ’s sacrifice, by faith through grace we are saved from false religion and the lie of trusting in our own work. What a place of quietness and confidence we have in Christ! Take time today and thank Him for His gift to you! (1st Peter 2:9-11)
From the ends of the earth, singing!
Scripture reading for July 24th: Isaiah 24-27
Isaiah breaks forth in a dissertation about the coming “day of the Lord”. The watchman of Israel is given a description of that day to warn the people of Israel to be ready for what is coming on the people of earth. God’s people are set apart from this day of wrath and welcome it with singing and joy. (Isaiah 24:14-16) The people of earth, those without a knowledge of the Lord and faith in Him, are filled with mourning and terror at this day! (Isaiah 24:11-13)
Let’s focus on those who know the Lord today! Out of this vivid description of the terror of the lost comes bright rays of joy and hope for those of faith! Isaiah hears shouts of joy and acclaim for the glory and majesty of the Lord arising from the East and West! He hears singing coming from the islands of the sea and the ends of the earth! God is bringing His people together and they are joyful in His presence! (Isaiah 24:14-16) God is reigning in their midst on Mt. Zion and His glory radiates through and in His people! (Isaiah 24:23)
In Isaiah 25:1-4, Isaiah breaks into praise of the Lord for His fulfillment of His Word! God speaks out His plans from ancient days and then brings them to pass! He knows how to humble the proud and how to exalt his humble people! He cares for the poor and needy and defeats all their enemies! Isaiah then sees the Lord preparing a banquet of rich foods for all peoples! On the mountain of the Lord, Mt. Zion, God will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples and swallow up the swallower of His people! Death will be defeated and tears will be wiped away! Wow! What a picture of joy! No wonder His people are singing from the ends of the earth!
Of course, these verses were used by the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:50-57 to describe the resurrection body that would be given to each believer at the coming of Jesus Christ! They were also referred to by the Apostle John in his vision from the island of Patmos in Revelation 21:1-5 as he described the new heavens and new earth where believers would dwell with the Lord forever! There is also a reference to the great banquet in Revelation 19:6-9 as John describes the wedding supper of the Lamb! Whenever we receive Holy Communion, we are proclaiming His death destroying the shroud of death over us and our hope of eating at that great banquet! No wonder we are singing from the ends of the earth!
One last nugget from these chapters of Isaiah comes in Isaiah 26:3-4. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” Put your trust in Jesus Christ again today! He is our Rock eternal! From your end of the earth, sing songs of worship without ceasing as you rest in His perfect peace!
Watchman! What is left of the night?
Scripture reading for July 23rd: Isaiah 21-23
Prophets in the Old Testament were often likened to watchmen. Watchmen were stationed on the city wall to give early warning of approaching danger or enemy attack. They also functioned as an alarm clock to the people of the city. They kept track of the time and announced the arrival of a new day. When someone awoke in the night, they could call out to the watchman on duty and inquire about the time. That’s what we find in today’s reading in the prophet Isaiah!
“Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?” The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.” (Isaiah 21:11-12)
These ancient verses were a prophecy of Isaiah written down for Dumah, a Hebrew word meaning “silence”. This prophecy was meant for Edom and Seir was a city in Edom. As I read these verses, I could not help think about our day and time. Many are asleep and living in darkness. They don’t know what time it is prophetically and are unaware of the danger of the coming time. Those who are aware of the coming day, listen for the watchman! They know the signs of the times. They prepare for the coming day and the rising of the Son!
The question: “What is left of the night?” is applicable today! The disciples of Jesus asked Him that question in a slightly different form. They asked Him when He would come and what would be the signs of His coming and the end of the age. (Matthew 24:3) Jesus Christ taught that no man would know the day or the hour of His coming again. (Matthew 24:38) He also taught that many would be caught unaware and unprepared for that day! (Matthew 24:37-41) His coming would be like a “thief in the night” that the owner of the house was unprepared for! (Matthew 24:42-44) The owner should have kept watch and been ready!
The watchman’s answer is revealing: “The morning is coming, also the night”. Many today are not aware that the “day” that is coming will be “night” for them! They are living in perpetual darkness and are not ready for the arrival of the “Son”. They are living in deception and are in danger of judgment of being cast into outer darkness for eternity!
Are you ready today? Are you being a wise ‘watchman’ who is busy warning those of the coming “day” of the Lord? Are you living in such a way that others can see your preparation or are you setting a bad example by living in the darkness? Today is a day of mercy if you will repent and turn to the Lord, the great “Watchman” of our souls!
“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:14-15)
Man’s help is futile!
Scripture reading for July 22nd: Isaiah 17-20
“Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be afraid and put to shame. In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?” (Isaiah 20:5-6)
The fear of man is a snare that many men and women fall into. They look to a man or a nation of people for help or protection. They rely on military power, political influence, money, or knowledge to provide them a measure of safety and security. We are taught that ‘might makes right’ and that the ‘fittest will survive’. In the natural, this appears to be the smart way to live and get along in this world.
We in the United States of America have had a lot to boast about in this regard. We are a nation that boasts of the most powerful and feared military capabilities in the world. We have vast resources and technology that enables us to use our resources to protect us and even to free oppressed peoples in other parts of the world. We have sought to use our power and resources to protect freedom and fight against oppression and wickedness. But in spite of our great resources and technology, can these give us true safety and security? The Bible says that God alone is our source of safety!
In today’s reading, Isaiah was speaking an oracle against Egypt. Egypt was a powerful nation even during this period of time. They were a nation of idolaters who consulted sorcerers and mediums instead of God. God’s prophet Isaiah warned them that they would find these leaders very unreliable and unstable and His judgment would expose them as false! (Isaiah 19:1-4) God would cause drought and famine to reduce the people to despair. He would expose their politicians and officials as senseless and fools! (Isaiah 19:11-14) God would pour on them a spirit of dizziness causing them to stagger in their own vomit! Trusting in men is futile! There is no security there!
God’s mercy is extended to these in Egypt in this passage. As they are going through this judgment, if they will turn to the Lord, He will have mercy on them! (Isaiah 19:19-22) He will raise up a deliverer for them and make Himself known to them. They will worship and acknowledge the Lord, and He will heal them! This passage ends with God declaring a blessing over Egypt and Assyria: “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:25)
God’s amazing mercy and love for all nations cause us to worship Him and willingly serve Him! Take time today and repent of any ‘trust in man’ and thank God that He is trustworthy! He alone is our source of protection and our way of escape!