Isaiah – Page 14 – Be Still…

Isaiah 41:1-29 – It’s Personal

It seems God is still on trial here. “Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.” You can think of this as Part 2 of 2. In our last reading, we were blown away by the majesty of God being presented. Shouldn’t the promises made by the creator of all things be totally trustworthy? Well, remember the first audience might need a little coaxing to believe that this amazing God would actually care personally about them.

A new character enters the scene. Who is this king of the east? While not mentioned by name in this verse, his identity will become known soon enough. It’s Cyrus II of Persia. He will be the king to take down Babylon where the Israelites have been in captivity. This is an important passage to show that God was going to use a pagan ruler to help in bringing his people back home to Jerusalem.

Isaiah 40:12-31 – Wait on the Lord

Read Isaiah 40:12-31

I don’t know about you, but as I read through this passage, I couldn’t help but hear the tune to praise song, “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin. There is a fancy word for what we see happening here. It’s a disputation. In other words, it’s a debate or argument, and in this case, an argument that demonstrates the greatness of God. You see, the people who were living in captivity, hearing these words of comfort, needed to be reassured and reacquainted with their LORD. Their trust had to be rebuilt.

Think of a time when you were going through a difficult time. If someone had told you not to worry, that it was all going to turn out all right, would you have believed them? It would depend on who it was and how much you trusted that individual. These verses are helping reestablish the trust and relationship that had probably been damaged or may not even exist in the first place.

Isaiah 40:1-11 – Comfort the People

Read Isaiah 40:1-11

Never give up on God. He has everything under control. Such a beautiful passage to begin the second section of the Book of Isaiah. Scholars believe this was written by other prophets, yet all contained together in the book of Isaiah. We are going to see God as a dynamic, destiny-shaping presence. The first 39 chapters focused on pre-exile prophecies. A span of 100+ years existed between those days involving the Assyrians while Isaiah was alive to the exile. The Babylonian exile would add another 70 years. Today’s reading gives hope to those returning from exile.

What do we see? The time for discipline was past. “Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.” Only a few short chapters ago we were hearing of God’s anger toward his people for this disobedience. What they endured in Babylon was now punishment in the past. It’s time to move on and embrace the future. “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

Isaiah 39:1-8 – A Cliffhanger

Read Isaiah 39:1-8

We’ve all had our favorite TV shows over the years. At the end of each season, you expect and anticipate the cliffhanger. You know, it’s that loose end that will grab your attention and make you drool for the next episode. I think that’s why people like binging on Netflix so much these days. You don’t have to anxiously wait all summer to find out what happens when the fall season kicks off. You can simply keep watching. David and I just did that very thing with a show we’ve been following.

Our text today sets up a bit of a cliffhanger in that we see a new villain being introduced. We didn’t know he was a villain at first. The King of Babylon has made his presence known by sending his best wishes and gift to King Hezekiah on his recovery from a deadly illness. Not long after, his envoy arrives, and we see King Hezekiah welcome them with open arms. King Hezekiah doesn’t leave anything to the imagination but shows the Babylonians all of his riches. Why does the king do this?

Isaiah 38:1-22 – A New Lease on Life

Read Isaiah 38:1-22

Imagine you’ve just been told you’re going to live another fifteen years when you thought you were going to die? I’ve never faced an impending death sentence like King Hezekiah was, but I have had plenty of friends and family members receive news from a doctor that their life was coming to an end sooner than later. I can’t even begin to imagine the emotions one feels in that moment hearing those words. Then moments later to hear you’ve got more time!

“Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” When Hezekiah heard these words from the Lord, he was distraught! Since the message was from God, it is surely true. We see this same historical passage in 2 Kings 20, too. Yet, Hezekiah wasn’t ready to die. He pled with God. “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Isaiah immediately got word from God, before he was even out of the middle courtyard, to go back and tell the king he wouldn’t die after all but live another fifteen years.