Isaiah – Page 17 – Be Still…

Isaiah 29:1-24 – Are You Amazed?

Right out of our text today, “Are you amazed and incredulous?” What is your reaction when you think of what God has done? The people of Jerusalem were not so impressed. Many of them still didn’t believe that God would bring destruction on them. God says, “I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls.” We know from other messages given to Isaiah that God will raise up enemies, particularly Babylon, to crush Ariel, the City of David (i.e. Jerusalem). Blood will be spilled!

And then, just like that, the torrent will be over. “Suddenly, in an instant, I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire. All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream!” The people don’t realize it will be years, generations before the “instant” arrives.

Isaiah 28:1-29 – Never Be Shaken

Read Isaiah 28:1-29

Just to keep our bearings, Samaria was the capital of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Isaiah’s message today is about Israel, but we know that his direct audience was the people of Judah. God’s message wasn’t meant to taunt Judah but to protect them with critical information. If God’s wrath was coming down on Israel for their idol worship and refusal to turn to God, then didn’t it follow that those doing the same in Judah would also be subject to God’s wrath at some point? Unfortunately, this truth wasn’t as obvious to them as it is to us.

We weren’t even there, but we can take heed of the message for ourselves. We can design our faithfulness as God would deserve and/or expect. We don’t have to guess at what will please and displease God. We simply need to turn to the clues he leaves for us in his Word.

Isaiah 27:1-13 – God’s Vineyard

Read Isaiah 27:1-13

Did you recognize the church here as being God’s vineyard? We see Leviathan as the enemy of God’s created order. Whether it’s meant to be Satan, Babylon, or something else is unknown. What is important to note is that God will punish and kill it. Evil will, at last, be no more.

“In that day, sing about the fruitful vineyard. I, the Lord, will watch over it, watering it carefully. Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.” God’s people are that vineyard. We are being watched over and cared for. When enemies attack, God will destroy them, unless they beg for mercy. It is always God’s hope that people will turn from their evil ways. “Let them make peace with me; yes, let them make peace with me.”

Isaiah 26:1-21 – Future Glory

Read Isaiah 26:1-21

Once again, God reveals the future to Isaiah. If we ever wonder what our purpose is, it is to praise and worship God. Everything else in life is just fluff. If we are wanting to make a difference in the world to leave our mark, with our purpose in mind we should be striving to being remembered as faithful and right with God. “Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter.” When you think of it, nothing else really matters. It can put your whole day into a new and fresh perspective.

Were there any verses in today’s reading that popped for you? I suppose it was verse 10 for me. “Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord’s majesty.” What caught my attention here is remembering that God loves the whole world. Everybody. Even evil people receive God’s benefits, but that doesn’t teach them to do what’s right. Sadly, they probably don’t even realize where their good fortune comes from. But it is temporary. Without God there is no future glory. They’ll end up like a “one hit wonder!”

Isaiah 25:1-12 – Hallelujah!

Read Isaiah 25:1-12

After our reading yesterday, I feel like the light switch was just turned on. Truly our mourning is turned to dancing. Psalm 30:11-12 pictures it like this. “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” Such a beautiful compliment the praise given here for judgment and salvation.

I had highlighted verse 1 along the way, and it’s good to see those “notes to self” in my Bible. I wish I had put a date on it – there was even a yellow sticker which signifies “God’s Plan and Promise.” I think that is a surprisingly good summation of what we have going on in this whole chapter. It was God’s plan, his will, and his intention, that his people would go through their time of desolation. For those who endured, the promise of salvation and a feast in his presence would come. “O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.”