Week 134, Day 3: Judah is defenseless
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 22:1-25
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Judah was going to have their defenses removed. The breaches in the walls of Jerusalem were going to be many. The attitude would become let us eat and drink for tomorrow we may die. And God describes their condition as such that they have hewn a tomb for themselves. Jerusalem had become their grave. Because of their wickedness God would bring them down. Even though they had chariots and warriors it would not matter. Any nation that is full of wickedness has a bleak outlook for God will bring them low.
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Week 133, Day 5: All Will Submit
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 19:1-24
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
The next nation slated for judgment and God’s correction is Egypt. This chapter however shows a different picture than we saw with some of the other nations. Instead of everyone being wiped out and the nation no longer existing, God speaks of them as the Egyptians being brought to the point where they will even worship, sacrifice and return to the Lord (vs. 21-22). He also talks about “in that day” Egypt would be “My people” (vs 24-25). I think that God has prophecied through Isaiah about the immediate judgement that would come upon Egypt to punish them for idolatry and also the future inclusion of Egypt among the gentiles who would become part of His people. I think the concept of Egypt among the Gentiles who would come to be God’s people through the Messiah is also reflected in the comment inn verse 23 of a highway that will run from Egypt to Assyria so that they may worship together. Through Christ the Gentile nations were brought together under one king and now worship the Lord together.
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Week 133, Day 3: Regard for his Maker
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 17:1-14
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
The destruction of Damascus is mentioned in this chapter. So Isaiah has begun to describe the downfall of the neighbors around Israel. But the main focus is still on Israel’s actions and response. In the day that Israel is destroyed the people will again have regard for their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel (vs. 7). Many people in life will not have any regard for what God says until bad times come. Then they wake up and see their need for God. That is a sad trend that has occurred repeatedly. But this purging in Israel would not be a temporary shift. After the destruction of Israel and Judah the Jews did not have problems again with being drawn after idols. That temptation had been purged from them.
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Week 132, Day 5: A bed of worms
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 14:1-32
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Babylon’s fall was celebrated by many nations because she had afflicted so many. This chapter contains the taunting that some would sling at Babylon’s fall. She had been a city of pride and had exalted herself. And yet when God brought her down she was utterly destroyed. Part of the taunt given was that she had been brought down to Sheol. Verse 11 contains a darker side of speech than what we are normally accustomed to in scripture. They speak of maggots being Babylon’s bed and worms being spread over for her covering. Utter slaughter would take place. For all her boasting Babylon could not stop her own downfall, nor can any nation. To me this is one of those lesson especially applicable to America. We have been very successful and prosperous. Our prosperity has grown to the point that many are boastful and proud. And yet like any other nation, we can and will decay at some point in time. God is the only lasting source of strength and a firm unchanging foundation for life.
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Week 132, Day 4: Punish their pride
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 13:1-22
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Isaiah speaks about the downfall of Babylon long before Babylon is anything more than a vassel city under the thumb of Assyria. And yet here we have God speaking of them as “the beauty of kingdoms”, vs 19. Babylon would become one of the most grand places, containing one of the seven wonders of the world. The ruins of the city show how splendid the city was in architecture. But because of their pride and wickedness God would reduce them like He when He overthrew Sodom & Gomorrah (vs. 11). It is impressive to think how a city that was the great center of dominance would be brought so low that no one lives there and only wild animals would inhabit it. I like to compare this to thinking about Washington D.C. Anyone who has visited that city knows how grand and wonderful it is to behold. And yet the thought that a city so majestic could be overthrown is hard to imagine, never to be rebuilt again. Again, it is so impressive to add to this that Isaiah is speaking these things before Babylong is even a dominant player in the scheme of things. God truely can see the end before the beginning.
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Week 132, Day 2: The lamb & the wolf
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 11:1-16
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
This chapter is one of those often abused passages. The chapter starts with speaking of the shoot that would spring up from the stem of Jesse. And the branch from the roots of Jesse that would bear fruit. This is clearly a reference to the coming of the Messiah. When Jesus came He brought about the things that are spoken of in this chapter. In verse 10 Isaiah said “in that day” nations will resort to the root of Jesse. The Gentiles were welcomed into the kingdom of God and came to the Messiah. What is often abused is the language about how different things would be after the shoot from Jesse came. There is a lengthy list of animals dwelling with each other. The animals that would normally be enemies would dwell in peace together. This peaceful state of condition would be for “all in My holy mountain”, verse 9. Some will take this to apply to some restored paradise on earth in a millenium kingdom. What Isaiah speaks of here is the change in people’s relationships brought about when the Christ established His kingdom. Men would no longer be enemies and at odds with each other but would dwell together as brothers and sisters in peace. Paul spoke of the root of Jesse having come in Rom 15:12 and in the context of Isaiah 11 we are told that this relationship change would happen in the days when this root came forth. It is good to also remember the words of Jesus in John 18:36 when Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world. Jesus did not and does not intend to establish an earthly, physical kingdom. His reign is over the hearts of men and His kingdom is the current church where Jews and Gentiles dwell in a peaceful, harmonious relationship together.
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Week 132, Day 1: Assyria – God’s rod
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 10:1-34
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
I appologize for missing the post on Friday. In chapter 10 there is some fascinating remarks made by God about Assyria. Assyria was used by God to execute punishment on several nations, including Israel. In verse 10 Assyria is described as the rod of God’s anger. Assyria was the tool used, unknowingly, by God to inflict punishment on many nations for their wickedness. Assyria believed they had done these things by their own power. God will also punish them for their pride and arrogance. Assyria was a wicked nation that God used to accomplish His will. There are times like these where we are given a glimpse of how God works in the world to accomplish His will. Today we are not revealed how God accomplishes His will but we can be assured that God is still in control and will punish the wicked and unjust in due time. We must continue to persevere through adversities and strive to remain true.
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Week 131, Day 3: The sign
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 7:1-25
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Sorry for the delay in posting. I am planning to go back and catch up with the posts for chapters 5 & 6 tomorrow. In chapter 7 God offers king Ahaz of Judah a chance to request a sign that God will deliver him and destroy Judah’s enemies. I like how God describes this request in verse 11. God says for Ahaz to request a sign as deep as Sheol or high as heaven. Whatever you can dream of, this is your chance to ask that God do it to provide evidence for this message. Ahaz doesn’t want to test God – which is a good response. God goes ahead and gives Ahaz the sign. What is the sign that is deeper than Sheol or higher than heaven, i.e. not in your wildest dreams would you imagine this is possible? That a virgin will become pregnant and have a child named “God with us”. We sometimes get so familiar with this prophecy and event that we fail to be impressed with how significant this sign is. A virgin having a baby. Who could believe it? And yet what we see here is that way before it ever happened, God has foretold of it. Amazing!
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Week 130, Day 5: The Branch
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 4:1-6
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
We have another reference to the time when the Messiah will come. In chapter 2 we spoke of the mountain of the house of the Lord being established. Now we have a day when th Branch of the Lord would be beautiful and glorious. It seems clear that the branch is a term used to refer to Jesus (Isaiah 11:1, Jer 23:5). In His day we are told that the filth of the daughters of Zion will be washed away and the bloodshed of Jerusalem will be purged. Jesus came proclaiming a call for repentance and laid down His life so that all could have forgiveness of sin. The reference in verses 5 & 6 to the protection and refuge that God would give onr Zion I believe is a reference to the spiritual blessings that the children of God are afforded through Jesus. We have comfort, aid, peace and encouragement given to us by God. No matter what the storm that faces us in life we are able to weather these things through the help of our Lord.
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Week 130, Day 4: Remove all Beauty
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 3:1-26
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In God’s judgment against His people He will cast down those who are proud and haughty (vs 16). The Lord would take away their ornaments and decorations (vs. 18-23). Anything that they used to promote their pride and take stock in would be removed. They would be humbled before God and have to exchange all their fine things for scraps. We are often guity of taking blessings for granted. Life has always been good and so we do not see it for all the wonderful things it holds. It is almost like we think that life has to be so good and enjoyable. Given time and a lack of focus anyone can let material blessings and prominence go to their head. There have been many Christians who have gotten a big head and been puffed up in their own sight. Such actions unfortunately call for God to bring them low. Let us endeavor to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God and not put our trust in any earthly trinkets.
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