Archive for the ‘Isaiah--BibleTrekToday’ Category

Scripture reading for August 4th: Isaiah 63-66

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before You!  As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make Your name known to Your enemies and cause the nations to quake before You!” (Isaiah 64:1-2)  Isaiah longs for God to appear on the earth and reveal His glory and power.  He envisions the mountains quaking at God’s revealed presence.  He can see the glory of the Lord appearing as a consuming fire that causes the wicked to quake in fear.

Earlier in his prophesy, Isaiah has envisioned the coming of the Redeemer as the “servant of the Lord” who would suffer and bear the sins and iniquities of His people.  (Isaiah 52-53)  God would come in compassion and mercy and deal with man’s deepest predicament:  separation from God!  Now, Isaiah prays for God to come in judgment of the wicked and in mercy to His people.

God answered Isaiah in the form of several prophetic words.   God assured His people that He would act on their behalf to save them.  He would also deal harshly with those who would forsake Him to run after gods of good luck and fortune.  (Isaiah 65:11-12)    God assured his servants that they would be cared for in the midst of judgment.  (Isaiah 65:13-14)  He promised to restore Jerusalem as a joy and delight to His people and remove the sound of weeping and crying from it forever.  (Isaiah 65:18-19)  In fact, a new heavens and new earth would be made that would endure forever! (Isaiah 66:22)

This same God who is a Father to His people will come in a different way to His foes.  “See, the Lord is coming with fire, and His chariots are like the whirlwind; He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.  For with fire and with His sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.” (Isaiah 66:15-16) Not only will God’s many enemies be slain, but they will be tormented by worms and fire forever!  (Isaiah 66:24) God is indeed compassionate and merciful to those who are humble and contrite and tremble at His word.  (Isaiah 66:2) He is also an impartial judge to those who resist and rebel!  Whose side will you be on, the many or the few?

Scripture reading for August 3rd: Isaiah 58-62

Sin is man’s terrible predicament.  Sin separates us from God so that He turns His face from us and will not listen to our prayers.  (Isaiah 59:2)  Man is totally depraved and every part of him is tainted with the ravaging effects of this horrible malady.  We tend to think that we have just a little problem and that we are not so bad, especially when compared to others who are worse!  Comparing ourselves with ourselves is a worthless pursuit!

Isaiah describes man’s total separation from God.  His hands are and fingers are stained with the guilt of innocent blood.  His lips have spoken lies and evil.  His feet have carried him down crooked paths leading to murder and violence.  Man walks in total darkness and gropes along like a blind man.  He growls like a bear and moans like a dove because of his predicament.  There is no deliverance and his sins testify against him.  Man even acknowledges his  rebellion against the Lord, lies, oppression and revolt but is helpless to change or deliver himself! (Isaiah 59:3-14)

Paul the Apostle summarized this predicament in Romans 3:23;  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Not a single man is free from sin and it’s separating effects.  All who have ever been born of woman, except for one, have this malady called sin.  The final effect of sin is death.  Death separates us from God for eternity.

Isaiah also records God’s feelings about man’s predicament.  “The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.  He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm worked salvation for Him and His own righteousness sustained Him.” (Isaiah 59:15b-16)  God undertook to help man by His own “Arm”.  This “Arm” would use His own righteousness to sustain Him while He purchased salvation for man from the sentence of eternal separation from God!  Isaiah concludes this chapter with the Redeemer coming to Zion to deliver all who will repent of their sins!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)  Jesus Christ is God’s “Arm” and He alone can deliver us from our predicament.  Those who repent of their sins and turn to Jesus will find the gift of eternal life!

Scripture reading for August 2nd: Isaiah 52-57

Americans are used to paying for about everything!  Money makes the world go around and enables us to purchase what we need.  We work many hours a week and some work several jobs in order to buy the things they need and want.  We are a consumer-driven culture that loves to buy.

However, one of our greatest needs cannot be purchased with money.  There is simply not enough money to buy it because it is so costly.  Even the richest man in the world does not have enough resources to purchase this most pressing need.  “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him–the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough that he should live on forever and not see decay.” (Psalms 49:7-9)

Israel was sold into slavery for nothing.  Her sins took her captive and she was taken away.  God used Isaiah the prophet to call Israel to freedom and hope.  “For this is what the Lord says:  you were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.” (Isaiah 52:3)

Although no money would be involved, the price of redemption would be high.  God would send His “Servant” who would act wisely and be raised up and highly exalted.  (Isaiah 52:13-15)  His servant would be marred and disfigured, beyond that of any man.  He would not be attractive, but would be despised and rejected by men.  He would be a man of sorrows and understand much suffering.  This “Servant” would take up our sorrows and bear our infirmities.  He would be smitten by God and afflicted, pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins and evil.  (Isaiah 53:1-7)  His punishment would bring us peace and His wounds would heal us!  What a redemption by this Servant-Redeemer who was willing to suffer and die to pay a price for us!

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)  Jesus Christ is this willing “Servant” who came to redeem us without money!  The ransom was costly–His own life blood and body offered in our place!  Isaiah correctly spoke of future things that God alone could know and would fulfill!  If you need redemption, today is a good day to “buy” it–by faith in Jesus Christ!

Dear Friends,

Greetings and good tidings of courage and hope from Jesus Christ!  His perfect love drives out all fear and gives us peace and rest.  Sunday’s are great days to stop doing the ordinary and to gather with God’s people to contemplate the Almighty and worship Him.

What are some of the reasons people give for staying away from church?  In an article for On Mission, author Diane Butts sites ten reasons why people skip church.  The number one reason was that people in the church are hypocrites and being afraid to become one themselves.  The second sited reason was that it was the only morning that they could sleep in!  I guess they were afraid of falling asleep in church since that was their day to sleep!  Another reason was having no good clothes to wear and being afraid people would look at them if they weren’t dressed properly.  For others it was a fear of not knowing anyone and not knowing what to expect.

It is interesting that these reasons all have an element of fear in them.  God only honors faith and in fact tells us not to fear over three hundred and sixty times in the Bible.  “Fear not” is mentioned numbers of times in the last 27 chapters of Isaiah.  God knows that sin has caused us to have fears and succumb to them at times.  He calls us to courage and faith.  If you are making silly excuses for not gathering with God’s people, begin a new week by resolving to walk in courage and attend church!  You’ll be blessed!

“But now, this is what the Lord says–He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name and you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1-2)

In His Love,  Pastor John

Scripture reading for July 31st: Isaiah 49-51

“And now the Lord says–He who formed me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength–He says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”” (Isaiah 49:5-6)

Isaiah was speaking prophetically of the servant of the Lord.  This servant was going to be formed in the womb with the purpose of bringing Israel to God.  This servant would be honored in the eyes of the Lord and God had been his strength.  God said to this servant, that He was going to give him an additional task of being a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to the ends of the earth.  Who was this servant to be?  Was Isaiah talking about himself or someone else?

Looking back from our vantage point of 2700 years, we can see how God was speaking of His own Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus was formed in a womb of a virgin of Israel.   Jesus was honored in God’s eyes and was God in the flesh.  Jesus drew His strength from His Father.  God’s plan was to use Jesus to restore Jacob (Israel) and also to reach the ends of the earth!

God’s promise to comfort His people and have compassion on them was not and will not be forgotten.  God promised Israel that He would never forget them and He would restore them to their land and inheritance.  “The ransomed of the Lord will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.“  (Isaiah 51:11)  The servant of the Lord would bring them back with joy and gladness after the captivity.  He would accomplish this by listening to God and following His instructions.  He would offer his back to those who beat him and endure mocking and spitting.  (Isaiah 50:4-7)  He would redeem them by God’s plan and bring restoration!  God’s people enter Zion singing of their Servant’s sacrifice for them!

Scripture reading for July 30th: Isaiah 44-48

“This is what the Lord says–Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:  I am the First and I am the Last; apart from me there is no God.  Who then is like Me?  Let him proclaim it.  Let him declare and lay out before Me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come–yes, let him foretell what will come. (Isaiah 44:6-7)

The God who speaks is Israel’s King and Redeemer!  He is none other than the Lord Almighty!  He is the first God and the last, too!  There is no other God like Him!  He is the first and as such knows everything that happened before creation and up until the present.  He is also the last and knows perfectly what will happen and how everything culminates.  He alone can declare the future before it happens!  If any other god can, let him declare it!  What a challenge by God!

The gods of men are all idols.  Many of them are crafted from wood or metal, others are just vain imaginations.  These man-made gods are lifeless and cannot speak.  They are worthless treasure!  (Isaiah 44:9-17)  Man who makes them doesn’t stop to think that he fashioned an idol from a tree and then cooked his supper over the remains!  “He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”" (Isaiah 44:20)  Idolatry and deception go hand in hand.  People lose their ability to think clearly and are deluded by the lies they choose to believe. They make gods that suit their tastes and that allow them to do what they want.

“Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.  By Myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before Me every knee will bow and by Me every tongue will swear.” (Isaiah 45:22-23)

God alone is the source of salvation for all mankind.  God alone is God!  He can swear by no one else, because there is none beside Him!  His word is utterly true and sure and will not be revoked by any other god!  We can choose to bow before Him now and confess our need for His mercy, or one day we will bow as we receive His judgment!  Turn to God today and be saved!

Scripture reading for July 29th: Isaiah 40-43

“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)

God’s tender mercies were to flow again for the battered people of Jerusalem.  Isaiah was told to announce that her sin had been paid for and that God would bring restoration in greater portion than their sins!  God Himself was coming  to visit them!   This was a word of comfort to those who would listen.

Isaiah spoke of a voice crying in the desert to prepare a straight way in the wilderness for the Lord.  He was coming and all people would see His glory!  Isaiah was commanded to cry out to the people:  “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them.  Surely the people are grass.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8)  These verses indicate that man and creation must humbly remember that they are temporary and exist by the grace of God.  His word is the sure foundation for true comfort!

Isaiah then described how God would come to Judah and in glory!  He would come with power and yet would be gentle as a shepherd tending the lambs.  He could measure the waters of earth in the hollow of His hand and mark off the heavens with its span.  He would pay no attention to nations or earthly power, for He was enthroned above the circle of the earth.   He created the stars and called them by name!  He is the everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth!  (Isaiah 40:10-28)

Do you find yourself in need of God’s comfort today?  Humble yourself and think about God and his eternal word.  He is the God of all comfort and hope and encourages us with the hope we find in Jesus Christ, the God whose coming is described by Isaiah!  Those who hope in God will renew their strength and find themselves soaring with wings like eagles!  Good news energizes you at your very core and makes you want to run with it!

Scripture reading for July 28th: Isaiah 36-39

King Hezekiah was a godly man who depended on the Lord.  One day he got a report from his advisers that his city of Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrian army.  The field commander of Sennacherib’s army had given them a message for the King that encouraged him to surrender and that mocked God.  The field commander promised peace if they would just surrender, and warned of destruction if they would not.  He pointed to other cities and nations that they had defeated as reasons to listen.  Mourning, the advisers went to King Hezekiah to give him this bad news.  (Isaiah 36:22)

Hezekiah’s response was to tear his clothes, put on sackcloth and go to the Temple of the Lord.  (Isaiah 37:1)  His advisers were sent to Isaiah for wisdom.  Isaiah promised them that God had heard and would act.  Sennacherib sent Hezekiah another letter warning him not to trust in God, but to surrender.  Hezekiah went to the Temple again and spread the letter before the Lord.  He prayed, “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.  You have made heaven and earth.  Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the Living God.”   “Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” (Isaiah 37:16-17, 20)

God answered this humble prayer of Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah.  “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here.  He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ram against it.  By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city,” declares the Lord.  “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.” (Isaiah 37:33-34)  Scripture records that a angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp and Sennacherib withdrew!  (Isaiah 37:36-37)

If you need help today and are feeling overwhelmed, why not try Hezekiah’s simple prayer.  God is listening and He sees where you are.  He always honors faith and is watching those who humbly seek His guidance and help!  You honor Him when you call for help!

Scripture reading for July 27th: Isaiah 31-35

“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17)

Isaiah’s warning of judgment is followed by encouragement to those who looked to their King, God Himself, as their source of deliverance and protection.  True peace comes from right living, daily choices to live life under God’s law and authority.  This peace is a fruit that grows with daily obedience.  When a person knows that they are righteous in God’s sight, they can have the quietness and confidence as a permanent state in their lives.  They need not worry about death or judgment, or fear God’s fiery wrath.  (Isaiah 33:14)

Some of the actions of the righteous are spelled out for the Israelites.  “He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil. . .” (Isaiah 33:15)  Righteousness is not just a religious state, but comes from a life that is under God’s authority.  Choices are made to do what God directs, not what is popular or expedient.  Money and manipulation don’t dominate the thinking and actions of those who walk with God.

There are rewards for the righteous in this life and in the life to come.  Isaiah tells the righteous that God will protect them and provide for their bread and water.  He will take care of them in the fiery troubles!  But more than that daily care, they have a special privilege.  “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and view a land that stretches afar. . . Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; . . .There the Lord will be our Mighty One.” (Isaiah 33:17,20-21)

Jesus Christ has become our righteousness today. (2nd Corinthians 5:21)  He is the King who came and bought our freedom from the power and penalty of sin.  When we repent and rest in Him, we can have quietness and confidence forever!  God will protect us and provide for all our needs while on our pilgrimage on earth.  One day we will behold the King, Jesus Christ, in all His beauty!  He will set up His throne in Jerusalem and rule the earth in peace for a thousand years!  Praise the Lord!

Scripture reading for July 26th: Isaiah 28-30

“The Lord Says: “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.  Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men.”" (Isaiah 29:13) .

Man has a deep inner need to worship God.  That is his ultimate purpose and greatest delight.   God chose Israel as His special treasure and chose to dwell among them, first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple at Jerusalem.    They were given laws and strict rules about where and how they could approach God safely to worship.   When Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord, they were warned by example that worship in an improper manner could result in sudden death.  (Leviticus 10:1-3)

Throughout their history, the Israelites struggled to worship God from their heart with all their strength.   They drifted into idolatry again and again.  They would sometimes worship God and then go up to an idol temple and offer sacrifices there.  Sometimes, they just went through the motions and really had no personal love or care for the Lord Himself.

In our reading today, Israel is involved in this empty worship.  God seeks to wake them up and warn them through Isaiah’s prophesy.  “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting Me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge.” (Isaiah 30:1-2)  Israel worshiped God, but then ran to Egypt for help without consulting God.  They made plans to protect themselves, but failed to rely on the Lord for their refuge in time of trouble.  Their worship was empty words and rituals, filled with unbelief that God could provide for them and protect them.

The Israelites wanted things in their control.  They told the prophets to tell them pleasant things (illusions) and quit confronting them with the Holy One! (Isaiah 30:10-11)  Empty worship and illusions go together.  A false understanding of God leads to judgment and destruction.  The American church must wake up to the warnings of Scripture.  God requires repentance and rest in His care and protection.  He wants His people to wait upon Him in quiet confidence and to see His salvation come to pass.  (Isaiah 30:15)