Isaiah 40:27-31

Another famous section of scripture...this has been turned into quite a few songs, but I think the songs often miss out on the point of why these amazing statements were said about God...

You'll notice in verse 27 that the people have been complaining about God. They says, "God, can you see what is going on down here!?" When life is going perfectly, they want to blame God. "This is not the way I want the world to work God. You are not working on my timetable God. Why are you doing this God? When are you gonna consider what I want God?" We have all been here haven't we? We have all had the arrogant audacity to question the Creator of the universe, as if He doesn't know what He is doing.

Well, the famous verses in this passage are God's answer back to the complaints of the people of the world (Through Isaiah of course). This reminds me a lot of God's response to the complaints of Job. God questioned Job - "Where you there when I laid the foundation of the earth? Were you there when I created the great sea creature?" God was basically saying to Job, "What right do you have to question me...I am the maker of everything...I am holding it all together?"Here Isaiah reminds us that God is everlasting...He is infinitely wise...He never takes a break...He doesn't miss anything that happens on the earth...and when you add all of that together with the rest of God's awesomeness, you get a being that knows a lot more about how things should operate on earth than you or me. Right?

Instead of questioning God, we should place our hope and trust in the fact that He knows what He is doing. When life is hard...when things are going terribly...we should take solise in the truth that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose. As we wait on the Lord...as we make the choice to trust in Him...we will be given the strength we need to handle anything this world has to throw at us.

Isaiah 40:27-31

Another famous section of scripture...this has been turned into quite a few songs, but I think the songs often miss out on the point of why these amazing statements were said about God...

You'll notice in verse 27 that the people have been complaining about God. They says, "God, can you see what is going on down here!?" When life is going perfectly, they want to blame God. "This is not the way I want the world to work God. You are not working on my timetable God. Why are you doing this God? When are you gonna consider what I want God?" We have all been here haven't we? We have all had the arrogant audacity to question the Creator of the universe, as if He doesn't know what He is doing.

Well, the famous verses in this passage are God's answer back to the complaints of the people of the world (Through Isaiah of course). This reminds me a lot of God's response to the complaints of Job. God questioned Job - "Where you there when I laid the foundation of the earth? Were you there when I created the great sea creature?" God was basically saying to Job, "What right do you have to question me...I am the maker of everything...I am holding it all together?"Here Isaiah reminds us that God is everlasting...He is infinitely wise...He never takes a break...He doesn't miss anything that happens on the earth...and when you add all of that together with the rest of God's awesomeness, you get a being that knows a lot more about how things should operate on earth than you or me. Right?

Instead of questioning God, we should place our hope and trust in the fact that He knows what He is doing. When life is hard...when things are going terribly...we should rest in the truth that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose. As we wait on the Lord...as we make the choice to trust in Him...we will be given the strength we need to handle anything this world has to throw at us.

Isaiah 40:27-31

What is the main point of this passage? As a comfort to the people of Israel, Isaiah speaks about the greatness of God. This comes right after an awkward passage in chapter 39 where King Hezekiah takes Babylonians representatives into his treasury to show them how wealthy his kingdom is...he allows his ego to drive him into making a huge mistake. Why would you show potential enemies everything about your kingdom? The wealth. The defenses. The Armory. His bragging made the Babylonians hungry for the wealth of Israel. Isaiah confronts the King about his idiotic move and tells him that the Babylonians will one day capture the city and plunder its wealth. When Hezekiah hears that the people who will pay the price for his sins are his descendants, he does not weep for what he has done...he is relieved that it is not going to affect his life. What a twisted and corrupt way to view consequences! (There are still a lot of people around who could care less about actions that are only going to cause future generations problems - and it's sad) So Isaiah answers his future prophecy of future tragedy with a reminder about the greatness of God. The point is, that even when it seems like everything around us in falling apart...God is in control...God is great...and we can take comfort in the fact that God is at the controls of the entire universe!

What part of the passage spoke most deeply to you? These truths about God are so hard for me to understand, because I am so much less than God (Which is a good thing...you don't want me running the universe, I promise!). Isaiah tells us that God is everlasting...I know this to be true, but it is so hard for me to fathom...I have only been around for 33 years. We are told that God never gets weary, that God never needs to rest...and as a human I know how painfully tired we can get...how run down...how stressed out. These things do not affect God...He does not change the way He is running the world because He is tired or because He has a headache. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is never less that God. He is always God...which means He just happens to be the most complete, most perfect, most incredible being in existence. The only reason that things like perfect, complete, and incredible are in our vocabulary is because of God. He is these things...that is where they came from. We get just small glimpses of God's greatness here on this earth and they blow our minds...the small collisions we have with the truly good things on earth change our lives and those good things only exist because of God. While I will never be God...and will never even be close to God...I think it would be good for me to be less chaotic in the way I live my life. I should do everything I to try to be the same yesterday, today and tomorrow...I should be able to live my life in more stability because I am anchored to the unchanging rock of God's greatness. Somebody cut me off in traffic - who cares...God is good. My kids are driving me crazy - drink it in, they will only be this old once - they are gifts from my heavenly Father...God is good. I am utterly exhausted and empty - run to the Lord for rest and refreshment...God is good. The greatness of God is impossible for me to fully understand...but it is SOOOOO good for me to place my trust and hope in. And when I allow myself to bathe in the greatness of God...it starts to rub off on me and I am able to live as the greatest Brandon possible. That's who I want to be...that's who my wife and my kids and my church need me to be...and that goes for all of us.

Isaiah 53:1-6

What is the main point of this passage? This is a powerful prophecy about Jesus Christ. Isaiah is shockingly clear about the way that God came to earth in the flesh. He set His infinite power and glory aside and became a man. Not a man who was beautiful, powerful, eloquent...but a man who understood what it meant to be rejected and judged harshly by peers. This is astounding! Not only does God become one of the oppressed...one of the people on the margins of society...He also accepts unjust punishment - our punishment - so that we would be able to be found righteous (Like the passage from Romans 3 we looked at yesterday describes).

What part of the passage spoke most deeply to you? The fact that God understands...He fully understands what it means to be hurt. He understands what it means to be rejected. He understands what it means to be despised...to be judged...to be an outcast...to receive unfair treatment...to experience the garbage that comes from other peoples' sinful decisions. Isn't that amazing to think about? He gets us...He knows what we are going through! Have you ever experienced any of those things? Have you ever shouted to God about the cruelty of life on earth? He understands...He knows...He hurts alongside us. I just don't think our relationship with God would be the same if He had come to earth as the most beautiful, powerful human to ever exist...if He had forced the world to bow at His feet through the sheer power of His presence. See, somebody had to pay the price for the sinfulness that had perverted the entire world...and no single human or even the entire human race could offered the kind of payment God demanded. So He stepped into our shoes...He became on of us...He hurt like one of us...He went through the brutality of this fallen world lie one of us, and He was true to His nature - He never sinned. So out of His moral perfection, He could offer Himself as the sacrifice that He demanded for the sins of this broken world. That is what love looks like...that is the depth of God's love for you.

What do these verses challenge you to do and what steps do you need to take to meet that challenge in your life right now? I am challenged by this passage to be a more empathetic person. One of the key ingredients to the love of God, is that He was willing to get dirty...He was willing to step into our shoes and experience the brokenness of this world first hand. He knows what we have gone through...He has walked the path of humanity with perfection and shown us what to do to bring redemption to our screwed up lives. This passage challenges me to do the same with the people I come in contact with on a daily basis - my family, my friends, my youth group kids, and the rest of the people I meet in this crazy world. Before I judge people...before I write them off as "idiots" or "sinners" or whatever...I have to make sure that I step into their shoes, listen to their story, and try to understand where they are coming from. Every one of us has sin issues in our lives that have a lot to do with the experiences we have had on earth, and if we are willing to walk alongside another person before we write them of as "hopeless"...I believe that we can treat people with mercy and hopefully guide them towards the foot of the cross (The place that every one of us needs to be).

Isaiah Chapters 64-66

64:1-6 - The people are crying out to God, asking Him to act. They wonder why God is not moving...why God is not saving them from their enemies. They say, "God, please tear open the heavens and come down to earth and bring your justice!" The only problems is, they don't really want justice...because if God brought His justice, they would be destroyed along with the rest of the world. The people of Israel are crying out for God to do something, but it is their own rebellion that is keeping Him away. The people are going through all the religious rituals, but they are doing them for the sole purpose of getting God to do what they want...it is not about worship. I think this happens in churches today - people pray and go to church sometimes expecting those things to work as a magical formula for living an "easy" life. That attitude is just as unacceptable to God now as it was then...

64:7 - So what does true worship look like? True worship is to call on God...to depend on Him...to hold on to Him/cling to Him...to seek Him because He is God and you need Him, not because you need something else. That is worship as described in this verse - how does it compare to the lifestyle of worship that you live?

65:2 - "I spread out my hands" - This means that God is inviting His people to Him...He is there waiting for them to come to Him. It is an answer to chapter 64, in which the people are wondering where God is. He is saying, "I am here and I have always been here. Nothing has changed about me - you are the ones who turned away." Instead of turning to God in humility, they continue to try to use pagan rituals as a means of getting what they want out of God. We all need to take time to consider why we do what we do when it comes to our relationship with God. Do we pray and study the bible to drink in the presence of God, or do we do it in an effort to get what we want?

65:10 - Isaiah always does a good job of sprinkling in some hope when things are looking really bleak in his writings...even in the midst of judgement there is light at the end of the tunnel - there is hope. God promises that there will always be a remnant, and these remnant of His people are those who sought Him. Did you read that - they sought HIM...they didn't seek what they wanted...they didn't seek blessings...they didn't try to manipulate God...they didn't chase after the things of this world...the remnant of God's people are those who seek Him because of who He is. We need to make sure we do the same.

65:17/25 - Isaiah paints a beautiful picture of future hope for us...of what will be in eternity, but also of what can be right now if people choose to live in God's way. Just as we brought hell crashing to earth in the garden when we chose to sin...just as I have chosen to rebel against God in my life and brought the consequences of those actions into the world around me...we can choose to bring heaven to earth. We as the people of God can choose to bring a new reality to bear in the world. Yes, there will one day be a new creation forged by God...but right now believers can forge a new reality by living to worship and honor God.

66:1 - When heaven is your throne and earth is just a footstool for you, you're kind of a big deal right? God is immense and uncontainable...God cannot be contained within the boundaries of the creation that He made, right? That makes sense. So how could we ever even think that we could make a house for God? God doesn't dwell in churches...we cannot lock Him in the boxes we make whether physical or theological. This is part of the problem we have with living out true worship...too often we have a much to insignificant view of God...we think we can do things to control Him, but that is absurd!

66:3ff - All these rituals that are described here are not in an of themselves evil. When Isaiah says - killing an ox is just as bad as murdering somebody, it sounds a little shocking! Does that mean God wants us all to be Vegan? (Check out Acts 10 all you meat lovers) No - what it means is that God doesn't want anything to do with religious practices that self-centered and selfish. What disgusts God is when somebody pretends to worship Him in order to get what they want in the end. God simply wants His people to humbly love Him...that's it...to seek Him and to love Him and all the rest will fall into place.

66:19 - That "sign" that Isaiah talks about here was hung on a tree outside of Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago. That sing for all the world to see...the sign of God's glory and love walking amongst us, was Jesus. And now what this world needs is for people like you and me to live out their faiths on a daily basis and to continue to show that sign to the world through our own lives.

66:19ff - Once again, we see God's heart for the entire world. Isaiah says that God will send His sign, Jesus, into all the world and that people from every corner of the globe will come to Him. It says that God will make even non-Israelite people into His priests (Priesthood of all believers anyone?). God's plan has always been to bring everyone to Him.

66:24 - Now I have to say, this seems like kind of a downer way to end the book when you had just been talking about Jesus and the hope for all humanity. I mean it basically reads like...Jesus is coming, there is hope for everyone, and you can now go out and see the dead bodies of everyone who has rebelled...uhh...what? Why does Isaiah end his book like this? I think it is because he wanted to leave his audience with the understanding that they need to get serious about the sin in their lives. Remember, this prophecy was given because the people of God were turning away from Him and they were about to be conquered in an effort to bring them back into relationship with God. Isaiah is saying - you need to get your lives and your faith in order. He doesn't want to end the book on a hopeful note, because he doesn't want to allow that hopefulness to keep people from getting serious about their sin issues. Doesn't that make sense in some ways? I have seen people who call themselves Christians who believe they can live however they want and do whatever they want because they have the sacrifice of Jesus to take away their sins. I know thinking like that is sick, twisted and wrong (and you could argue that they don't really believe if they can live like that), but it also highlights the importance of understanding that God is still God and sin is still sin...and we should do everything we can to offer ourselves as sacrifice pleasing to God day in and day out.

Isaiah Chapters 61-63

61:1 - This is Isaiah telling us what he has been commissioned by God to do as a Prophet, yet it is also a call to those of us who are born-again Christians. While the Spirit of God in the Old Testament was reserved for specific individuals set aside by God, because we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we all have access to the Holy Spirit. That means the calling of the Holy Spirit of God is similar in our own lives: we should be bringing Good News to the people around us, helping the poor, setting captives free, working to make the name of the Lord great in this world. That is the mission that we are on as Christians...that is what we should be doing every day.

61:3 - "Oaks of Righteousness" - That name for those who have been made righteous by God has such a feeling of strength and permanence to it...I really find it powerful. Because we have been made righteous by the grace and sacrifice of God, we should every day make the choice to live out that righteousness. Though the world around us may be screwed up and things may be falling apart...we can dwell in the love of God and stand firm as an example of true strength to the rest of the world. Christians should be God's oaks of righteousness in this world.

61:4 - The Forsythe family motto is "Instaurator Ruinae" which means "rebuilder of ruins." None of you guys may care, but I think this verse applies powerful meaning to our family motto. God-followers can raise up the broken and devastated things of this world and bring redemption which springs from the redemption we have received in God.

61:10/62:5 - Here we have some really powerful bride imagery. God has dressed His people in righteousness and salvation, so that they are able to stand out as shockingly beautiful in a fallen world...like a bride on her wedding day. In Revelation 19:6-7, John describes the beautiful end times scene when the bride of Christ (The Church) is finally reunited with the Lamb (Jesus). It says that the Lamb will return to the bride when she has had time to make herself ready and that the pure white garments she wears are a gift from God. God has given us the gift of forgiveness for free...we simply have to choose to put it on and wear it proudly.

62:12 - We are the sought, not the forsaken...never forget that.

63:6 and 7 - How do these two images work together? Are they not in direct opposition to one another? First we have a picture of a proud warrior spattered in the blood of the enemies He has just crushed (A picture of God that is horribly offensive to many unbelievers)...but that verse is immediately followed by a call to remember the steadfast love of God!? How do you reconcile these images? God has to go to war against sin in the world...even against the sins of His own people. Who else is going to do it? There is no one righteous enough...there is no one except God that doesn't deserve sin...He must be the righteous warrior. This picture may seem brutal, but think about it like this. What is an American G.I. from WWII appeared at the gate of a concentration camp...covered in grime and the blood of his enemies? Would the Jewish prisoners look at him with disgust? No - they would see him as their savior...the warrior who had fought so that they might be set free. That is what God is doing for all the peoples of the world...He is willing to do what needs to be done no matter what to set His people free. So the blood spattered warrior is driven by love...His steadfast love never changes because God Himself never changes (Malachi 3:6).

63:17 - Here we must ask? What is Isaiah saying - that God has forced His own people to turn their backs of Himself? I don't think that is the case. I believe that Isaiah is crying out to God with the complaints of the Jewish people...they seek to blame God for their rebellion, but we know that it is not God who has pushed them towards this as we read Isaiah 65:1, which says that God is ready to be sought out by those who need Him. God has not pushed the people away, in fact, He is waiting for them to figure out how desperately they need Him!

Isaiah Chapters 58-60

58:1 - This is a great verse for worship. A heart of confession should be in place in the midst of every worship service. Worship is crying out to God...refusing to hold back because of what people around you will think - you don't care about that...you cry out, pouring out your failure and sinfulness to God and He pours out His love and forgiveness in return. Is this a part of worship for you? It should be.

58:5ff - Isaiah calls out the people because they are fasting for all the wrong reasons. They were fasting as a means of getting God to give them what they wanted...that is not what fasting is all about. Isaiah explains to us the purpose of fasting. It is about humbling yourself before God and understanding your absolute reliance on Him. Fasting is about connecting with God and being driven to serve those who are around you in need. The core of fasting is about God and others, not about ourselves.

58:10-11 - When you make it your business to put others before yourself...when you look around the world with the eyes of God see the hunger, pain, brokenness around you and try to do something about it...you will find out what true fulfillment feels like. As you give more and more of yourself away, you are filled with more and more of God and you will blossom like a watered garden.

58:13-14 - The Sabbath is a day of rest, but it is actually a day of resting in God. A Sabbath day is not about having a day to do whatever you want to do to serve yourself, it is about connecting with God...it is about relying on God...understanding that you can take a day off from "to do" lists and work, and the whole world will not fall apart because God is in control and God desires to be with you. Isaiah tells us that if we take our Sabbath rest in God we will delight in Him and we will ride on the heights of the earth. I think so few Christians experience that kind of delight and joy in a relationship with God because so few Christians actually take the time to rest in Him.

59:9-10 - So many times we say we want the light...we say we want to walk in God's path...to have a relationships with Him...to sit in His presence, but we refuse to get out of the darkness. We go to church and we say we want God...we say we want change, but we walk right back into the dark places of this world searching for answers and searching for our worth. We are stumbling around blind looking for answers is achievement, money, entertainment, pleasure and anything else we can find...when the answer has been right there with us to the whole time. Stop stumbling and step into the light...step into the forgiveness of God...step into His purpose for your life.

59:17 - Wow - that is vivid and powerful imagery right there...that verse gives me chills. Isaiah paints for us a picture of God as He faces off against the unrighteousness and evil of this world. I read those words and I definitely want to be on His side! How terrible and wonderful is the righteousness of God!? He is motivated by pure righteousness and He goes to war against evil with the purpose of bringing about salvation, but He is also zealous that justice will be measured out to those who have rejected the purpose for which they were created. Do I live my life as a reflection of God's nature described here? Do I work each day to bring justice and righteousness to the world and to fight against evil and oppression? I should.

60:1-2 - This is a cal to all Christians...a call to all God-fearers! Arise...arise and shine the glory of God into this world. Rise up! Shine! Walk through this world as the sons and daughters of the Most High God...live each day as a person who is doing their best to display the image of God we were created to carry. When we as Christian do this, the world will see God through our lives. This is a call to missional living...each and every day no matter where you are, you are called to the be the missionary people of God...to go into the world and make His name great through the lives you live.

60:9 - Why will the people of this world be drawn to the lives of Christians who are living out their faith on a daily basis? Why - because God has made us beautiful. We do not draw people to God because we are physically attractive or because we have magnetic personalities, but because of the grace and mercy of God that hangs around our lives like a cloak.

60:14 and 19 - I read these verses and see them as heavenly images. In God's time, all the proud and arrogant people of the world who used their time on this earth to mock and abuse those weaker than them will be brought low themselves. In the end they will understand where true strength lies and they will be humbled before their God. In eternity we will have no need of the light of the sun and moon because we will be basking in the perfect light of God...God will be our glory and we will shine!

Isaiah Chapters 55-57

55:1-2 - Come all you who thirst and drink deep from the living water...allow God to fill your needs...stop chasing after the things of this world that leave you empty and thirsting for more...quench your thirst in God...let Him fill you...let Him transform you...drink.

55:8-9 - There is no way that you or I are ever going to be able to fully comprehend God. We love to question and fling judgment upon God based on things we've seen from our perspective of the world...but there is no way that we are qualified to question the perspective of an omniscient God who loves and cares for every individual on the planet and has the best interest of the world at heart. His thoughts are not our thoughts...we have to trust that the God who has brought redemption and transformation to our lives is working to bring the same to every life.

55:12 - Do I approach each new day with this kind of joy and praise? No. Why not? Every day is a gift from God...the salvation that has changed my life and set me free is a gift from God...the peace He brings to my soul is a gift...His love is a gift - God is good and the knowledge of that truth should pour out of my being on a daily basis.

56:1 - There is going to be a time when God comes back and restores justice and righteousness to all of creation...the Bible teaches on it...Jesus spoke of it frequently...it will be a future reality. Christians need to make sure in the time they spend on earth that they are living out God's justice and salvation for all to see. While we are living in these mortal shells we call bodies, we must be living for eternity.

56:3-5 - "Foreigners/eunuchs" - These were groups of people who were considered outcasts in the Jewish world. They were not allowed by Jewish Law to participate fully in the worship of God. Yet we see here that God will welcome them in and offer them his love and inheritance as well as the Jews. Scripture consistently shows us God's heart for the rejected and maligned...do we as Christians show the same heart to the world?

56:12 - Isaiah paints a picture of people living here as if they have forever to live. They drink and do whatever else they want, because they think tomorrow is going to be just like today...they think that their lives will go on indefinitely. This reminds me of the beliefs of the false teachers in 2 Peter chapter 3:4 - those teachers thought the end would never come and people could live as they wanted to. It is dangerous for us to live our lives as if we have all the time in the world to make amends and get serious about faith. We never know when the end is going to come, whether that be through the 2nd coming of Christ or through the end of our lives. As Christians we must live each day as if it is the only one we have left.

57:5 - I know this verse sounds strange, but these are both examples of pagan cult rituals. For some fertility festivals, people would go into the forest and have sex with anyone they chose...it was also common in ancient middle eastern pagan worship to have child sacrifice taking place to appease the "gods." The Israelites were buying into the practices of the cults around them and this is part of the reason that God is pouring out His judgment on them.

57:13 - Isaiah taunts the people who worship false "gods" saying, "Cry out to your "gods" when you are in trouble - see how that works out for you!"

57:15 - Let this mess with your mind for a little while...God inhabits eternity! How cool is that. God lives in a state of eternity...He is eternal and this is something we will never understand until we are living it out in His midst. He is unchanging...eternal...perfect...infinitely high above us, yet His heart is for the oppressed and downtrodden of the world. How incredible is that?

Isaiah Chapters 52-54

52:1 - We need to wake up each day remembering exactly who we are. Think about it - who are you? You are the redeemed of God. You are the captive that has been set free...you were enslaved to you sin and have been offered freedom by God. Remember who you are and live like it. Don't put on the lies of this world...don't put on the worries...don't chase after the meaningless trinkets of this life - you are not dogs fighting over scraps. We are the sons and daughters of the Most High God! Clothe yourselves in the strength of the Lord - live with purpose!

52:10 - I believe that Christians today serve as the "holy arm of God." This doesn't mean that we cast judgment on people...it means that we serve as God's hands and feet...it means that we live to make a difference...we live to make God's name great. Are you and I living lives that declare God's salvation to the world?

52:2-3 - This is prophetic scripture about Jesus. He did not "wow" the crowds with a regal/handsome appearance. God came to earth in the form of a humble man, with a humble appearance (He probably didn't look much like the blonde haired, blue eyes Swedish Jesus we see in most depictions). Instead of being heaped with the honor and glory He deserved as the God/man Messiah - he was rejected and abused by the very people He had formed during creation.

53:5 - Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins...think about what that means. He was beaten, bloodied, mocked, destroyed because of the sins you and I have committed. He took the punishment that you and I deserved so that we might have peace with our Creator. In the most "unjust" act in all of history...God gave is life for us, when we were the ones that deserved death. That is the picture of the compassionate heart of God.

53:7 - Jesus is the sacrificial lamb - the blood offering poured out for my guilt. Think about the picture of humility and love displayed when the God/man Jesus with limitless power at his disposal, allows himself to be led by the people he created to his death - like a lamb to the slaughter.

53:11 - Out of the compassion of his heart Christ took our unrighteousness upon himself, so that you and I might become righteous! He bore the sins of the world for all time...he interceded on our behalf...he laid his life down for ours. Do we honor his love and sacrifice by doing everything we can to reflect his compassion and love into the world?

54:5 - Our maker is calling us to Him like a husband calls upon His bride. He is our redeemer...He is the God of everything - holding everything in existence together, yet He is also in love with each and every one of us individually! How incredible is that?

54:8 - When we choose to reject God and sin, we often have to deal with the consequences of our actions. God allows us to experience the brokenness that our actions have brought, but that does not mean that His love and compassion are taken away. In fact, it is often through the suffering of consequences of rebellious actions that we are led back to throw ourselves on God's mercy.

54:10 - No matter what changes on this earth...the seasons...the mountain ranges...coastlines...empires rising and falling - God's love will never change and it will never come to an end. God has made a covenant of peace with us through the blood of Jesus Christ and that covenant cannot be broken. Praise God!

Isaiah Chapters 49-51

49:6 - Throughout the Old Testament we see that God is not just focused on the Israelite people...again and again we see that His plan has always been for worldwide salvation. He has called the Israelites, His chosen people, to be a light for all...not just an exclusive group that stick to themselves. Christians...the same is true for us. We are God's people through the blood of Jesus Christ and we care not called to hang out in churches with other Christians all the time...we are called to be a light in this world.

49:13 - This verse instantly took my mind to the times I have spent hiking through national parks...when you have the time to walk through and drink in God's uncorrupted creation it just seems to sing the praises of God. Man-made architectural beauty just pales in comparison. The creator of such beauty and intricate detail is also the one who knows ever hair on your head...God knows everything that is going on in this world and knows the cries of the afflicted. Take comfort in the fact that the God who put so much care into creation puts even more care into His plans for humankind.

49:16 - This is powerful imagery of God's love...He has engraved His people on the palm of His hand. I like to wear wrist bands that remind me of missionaries I am praying for and causes I am supporting, so that they will be in the forefront of my mind. Your hand is always there, right in front of your face...we are being told through this verse that God always has us on the forefront of His mind...that is really comforting.

49:25 - Even though the situation can seem dire and hopeless...God contends for us...God fights on our side and there are none that can stand against Him.

49:26 - When God brings salvation to the poor and oppressed, the world takes notice of His power. Again we see that the focus of God is always missional. In all the things that God does in the world, the focus is always on bringing help to the helpless and bringing salvation to the world.

50:1 - When the people of Israel turned away from God and towards false idols it was like they were committing adultery. They broke the covenant they had agreed to with God...they broke their vow like a wife cheating on her husband. Isaiah compares God's judgment on the Israelite people to a man that has presented a divorce certificate to his wife because of her adultery. God sent them away, but because of His infinite mercy, He is willing to take the people back...to take the adultereres back. That is love!

50:5-6 - Isaiah heard the truth of God's love and could not deny it...Isaiah could not turn away from the path of God no matter how violently he was persecuted.

50:8-9 - When God is with us, who can stand against us? Do you allow this truth to permeate your life...to drive away you fears...to inspire you to live out your faith boldly?

50:10-11 - When you trust in the name of the Lord...trust in His way and truth...it becomes a fire that buns within your soul. The truth of God becomes a burning light of hope that offers guidance and life.

51:1 - To be righteous is to be "right" with the God that created you...to be functioning in the fashion that you were created to function. If you want to be what you were made to be by God...seek the Lord...seek His truth - as beings created in the image of God we were sculpted from God's "DNA." God is the rock that we were hewn from and we will never be ourselves if we are not seeking t be like Him.

51:6 - Do not trust and worship the things of this world...they are passing away - it is the salvation of the Lord that lasts forever.

51:7 - If you have experienced the righteousness that comes from God and burn His laws onto your heart, it will not matter what other people in this world think or what they do to you, because you will know the beautiful reality of the TRUTH.

51:17 - WAKE UP! Have we not drunk enough of the failure and pain that comes when we choose to reject God and choose our own path - seriously!? When will we learn...how much suffering are we going to have to put ourselves through until we see that the way of the Lord is the way of life? We need to turn away from sin and turn back to God.

Isaiah Chapters 46-48

46:6 - Most human beings spend their whole lives working hard for money that they can then spend on other man made things. Instead of pagan images...our "gold and silver" are turned into phones, cars, tvs, houses, etc. These things become our idols. These material goods become objects of obsession for us and they distract us from truly worshipping God. Our form of idolatry is just as absurd as the kind that was taking place in ancient Israel. 2 Peter chapter 3 talks about what the things of this world will be worth in the end...they are fuel for the fire of God's judgment. The only things that last through eternity are the righteous and godly choices we make and words we speak. Don't waste the short time you have on this earth chasing after meaningless garbage...live life as an act of worship and choose to make an eternal difference in the lives of people around you.

46:12-13 - We are usually so mule-headed that we wallow in our sins and push ourselves further and further away from God. We tell ourselves that we are so messed up that we could never approach God with our "issues," and this passage tells us that we are right! The only difference is that we are told here that God brings His righteousness to us (He brought it through Jesus Christ). He draws near to us with His righteousness, so that it is always within our grasp. It has nothing to do with us being good enough and everything to do with God being good enough for both of us.

47:6 - Because God was angry that His people, the people He has specifically chosen and saved, broke the covenant with Him...He was willing to profane His own heritage...He was willing to allow His name and His character to be mocked and denigrated by the world so that His people could be disciplined and would return to Him. The Babylonians did not have a more powerful god...they were simply used by the one and only God as a tool of discipline for His people.

47:12 - This passage is dripping with sarcasm..."Babylon, go ahead, keep trusting in your POWERFUL spells and enchantments...keep trusting in the crazy bald priest with the face-paint and the freaky rituals, I'm sure those will protect you. I'm sure those incantations will allow you to be successful against the creator of the universe...oh wait..."

47:14 - The might of Babylon is nothing compared to the power of the Most High God. Everything the Babylonians have...every victory they have won is because God has allowed it to take place. Isaiah assures them that they are about to find out just how meaningless and ineffective their pagan sorcery really is.

48:4 - Because God knows how stubborn and ignorant His people are (All people are in fact), He is willing to let them experience pain and suffering so that they will be refined and so that they will become who they have been called to be.

48:10-11 - The key part of the refining process that the Israelites are going through is that God's name will be made great in the world. People were created to be in connection with God...we were created to worship in His midst...when God allows us to go through hard times and to go through trials, the excess in our life is stripped away and we are actually freed to worship Him in an unhindered fashion. His discipline always has a point...it is to bring His people back to what they were supposed to be doing all along. Allow the sufferings of this world to drive you into the presence of God, not away from Him.

48:12-13 - What about God is not worthy of worship? Nothing. He is everything we need, and we will not be whole...we will not be complete until we acknowledge and understand that truth. There is nothing you can do in this world that is greater than simply worshipping God with your life. That is the highest form of good...worship God and the rest will fall into place.

48:22 - Those who never turn to God...those who never allow themselves to be transformed by His righteousness, will never be whole. They ill never truly be at peace.

Isaiah Chapters 43-45

43:2 - As I read this, though I know this is salvation imagery that Isaiah is using (pertaining to the suffering they will pass through to be brought back to God), my Christian perspective sees beautiful correlation to baptism. When we pass through the waters...when we are purified from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can finally be with God. The flames of the Holy Spirit of God, the all-consuming fire that rages within believers, do not burn and destroy...they temper and strengthen.

43:6 - Again, while I know Isaiah is talking about the gathering of the dispersed Jews, through my NT Christians perspective this is an uplifting passage about God's heart for the whole of the world. We know that there is only one God and we know that He has formed us all...we are all, everyone on earth, His sons and daughters...we were all created for His glory, and He is calling us all into His kingdom.

43:11 - There is nothing that can save you apart from God - nothing. You cannot ever be good enough or smart enough or strong enough to save yourself. There is no one else that can save you; do not put your faith in people. There is nothing in this world that can save you; do not live for power or posses ions or success. There is only God...throw yourself on His mercy.

43:14 and 28 - These verses seem to be in total opposition of one another. Is God the redeemer of Israel or the destroyer of Israel - which is it? My answer to that question would be - yes. God knows that it is through the punishment and suffering that He is going to inflict upon the Israelites that they will return to Him for the salvation they so desperately long for. Similar to a parents willingness to discipline their children in the NOW to help them become well-adjusted human beings in the FUTURE.

43:18-19 - It is our obsession with the past - past successes and past failures - that keeps us from seeing the new opportunities that God is putting before us day in and day out. Don't try to relive old glories - God makes all things new...God is doing a new thing in your life today...open your eyes and see what He has in store for you. Don't allow yourself to be crippled by mistakes in your past - God is our redeemer and restorer and He has created a new path for your life if you choose to take it.

43:23-24 - The people should be offering praises and sacrifices to their faithful God but instead they choose to offer something else to God. They have chosen to shame God by offering Him their sinfulness...they live boldly in their sin before God. They have chosen to offer Him their complaints...over and over that arrogantly question whether God knows what He is doing in the world. Make sure that you don't make the same mistake - offer God your heart...offer your life as a living sacrifice, instead of just offering Him your complaints.

44:6 - He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and He is the end. Before God there was nothing. There is no such thing as "after God." There are no gods besides our one true Lord. Trust in his truth.

44:16-17 - Here Isaiah does an awesome job of describing the absurdity of idol worship. He says, "People take a tree and they cut it down. They chop up half of the wood and burn it to cook their supper. They carve the other half into and idol of a false god who they then worship. Do you expect the wooden god who is only good for fueling your fire to do something for you. The wood you carved that idol from was made by the one and only God. That is madness!" It is easy for us to look back on ancient idol worship and see the absurdity of it...we think to ourselves, wow, those were some really simple and delusional people. But take a moment and think about the things that current day people in our culture worship. Celebrities! Come on - there are few people on earth that are less worthy of our worship than spoiled, self-indulgent, promiscuous, drug/alcohol addicted celebrities - they don't need our worship they need our prayers that they can find salvation through Jesus. What else do we worship - sports (They are games!), money (Paper made from trees like the idol described above!), material goods (What is that flat screen gonna do for you when your dead!)...our form of idol worship is just as mad as theirs.

44:25 - This passage reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:20-25. The wisdom of the world is proved foolish over and over when held up to truth of God.

45:1-8 - God calls the future king Cyrus to be His instrument of judgment in the world. Whether or not Cyrus knew that he was called it does not matter - God is in control. How amazing is it that a prophet from a powerless little country like Israel would be able to predict which world powers would crush God's people (Babylon) and which ruler would save His people (Cyrus)? In 45:3 - Isaiah says that Cyrus will come to acknowledge that God has called him and chosen to use him eventually. Check out Daniel 6:25-28...King Darius acknowledges that Daniel's God (The one and only God)is the "living God." Daniel was allowed to prophesy during the reign of Darius and his successor CYRUS, which means that Cyrus understood who God was at least in part and saw himself as an instrument of God. Prophecy fulfilled - YAY!

Isaiah Chapters 40-42

40:3 - This is a verse that is prophesying the coming of John the Baptist as confirmed by Matthew chapter 3 in the New Testament.

40:5 - The glory of the Lord shall be revealed...the glory of the Lord came down in the human form of Jesus. Jesus lived his life and showed us a standard of living that is unattainable by ourselves. As God made flesh he showed us the beauty inherent in actually living as God intended us to live all along. If we choose to let ourselves be transformed by the Spirit of God, our very lives can reflect the glory of the Lord into this world.

40:8 - Again, Isaiah reminds us to not put our trust in the things of this world. Everything that is of this world fades, dies, losses its meaning, yet the Word of the Lord and the truth of the Way of God endures forever. Why do I get so distracted?

40:12-15 - These verses sound a great deal like passages from the Book of Job when God answers Job out of the storm (It would have been quite terrifying I believe). See, when people choose to question God they really have very little ground to stand on...honestly, what do we know? I can only see what it going on in and around my individual life...God is sustaining and caring for every form of life that exists all the time. I think He might have a better perspective on how to run the world than we do.

40:27 - The people then sound a lot like us today don't they? They whine and complain to God. They say, "God, do you see what's going on in our lives? Are you even listening? Do you even care about me? God what about my rights...what about the things I deserve?" People seem to be born with an innate sense of entitlement. We seem to forget that what we really deserve is punishment for denying what our creator made us to be...and yet as we will see in the next couple of chapters, what He offers us is grace and mercy.

40:28ff - Isaiah answers back to them...oh, you think you know a better way to run the world...is that right? Did I forget to mention to you who this God you dare to question is? He is the everlasting God. He doesn't rest like you have to. Doesn't grow weak...doesn't grow weary...He is. He is in control...He is full of power...He is the life and strength giver. (These verses are also the inspiration for a great song we sing at church called "Everlasting God"...almost word for word)

41:5-6 - Even the pagan peoples from the coast have seen the Lord at work and have begun to fear Him. Here we have more proof that God has always been working in the rest of the world as well as Israel. The fear of the Lord drives the people to draw together in brotherhood and community...this is what happens we people humble themselves before God. Everyone understands that they are all in the same boat...there is no one superior to another because everyone is vastly inferior to God. The fear of God brings humility and peace.

41:17 - God always hears the cries of the thirsty...He sees them...He understands their plight...they are not alone...He will not forsake them. Christians - we are the hands and feet of God in this world...we are the ones who need to be bringing hope and water to everyone in the world in the name of God. Don't let those people be forsaken because we chose to ignore their plight.

42:1-3 - Here we have more Messianic prophesies. Jesus did not try to raise up an army and lead a revolution of violence and oppression...he led a revolution of love through his death. He faithfully brought for justice for everyone in the world by dying in our place. But that doesn't seem like justice does it...the innocent God/man was slain while the sinful masses were set free. The justice comes because the price of our sin was paid. Things were made right. God made the choice to take things into His own hands and right our wrongs.

42:6-7 - God took the old covenant and tore it up, and then He chose to hold up both ends of the covenant Himself. He knew we could never hold up our end of the relationship and so He paid both prices...He blessed us, loves us, sustains us and He died to set us free from the prison of sin and death we'd enslaved ourselves in.

42:20 - How often has this been me - seeing the tings going on in the world around me, but not really seeing them. Not really being moved to do anything about it. Hearing the cries of the lost and broken, but not really hearing. What is it gonna take for me to see with God's eyes and hear with God's ears.

Isaiah Chapters 37-39

37:1 - Finally when faced with insurmountable odds and scared out of his mind, Hezekiah does not run to the Egyptians or try to muster his own forces...he does what he should have done from the very beginning - he throws himself and his people on the mercy of the Lord. Too often, our first instinct is to "fix" everything ourselves or find someone who will, but we need to create a pattern of faithful living where our first instinct is to go to God.

37:3 - Through all the turmoil and destruction that God has allowed to come to the Hebrew people - they have grown, developed and become more dependent on Him. God has used His judgment to get them to the place they need to be...kinda like the pain and pressure a baby feels when they have to go through the birth canal. The Jews in this passage are at the cusp...they are ready to be born again as God's faithful people, but they need His help - like a doctor reaching in to help the baby. Interesting picture of God's faithfulness...sometimes He allows us to go through pain to get us to the place we need to be to ask for His help, but He has been there all along.

37:7ff - The Assyrian general talks a good game, but God effortlessly turns him away...he returns to his king, Sennacherib, who has been fighting in northern Africa and they go back to Israel with the entire Assyrian army. At this point the Jewish people have got to be wondering what God is up to...talk about "out of the frying pan into the fire!" It is often pretty hard to see the big picture of what God is doing in the world around us, but we have got to trust that He knows what He is doing...what other hope is there?

37:20 - This verse tells us exactly what God is doing...He is going to use this situation as a way to make Himself known to the people of the world. This is why the nation of Israel exists...this is the mission of the people of God...to be a light and a beacon of truth tot he rest of the world. The Jews were not called to be separated so that they could be a closed community...they were called to be a holy priest nation so that they could lead the rest of the world by example. We as Christians are not called to sit around in "holy huddles" and only interact with people who believe the same things we believe...we are called to be God's holy people...we are called to lead in this world by example.

37:26 - God's will...Will. Be. Done. This verse confirms for us that God has been guiding the path of the Assyrians all along...He has been using them as a tool to bring about His will. We know that God is guiding the events of the world to bring about His greater plan.

37:29 - Just as God brought the Assryians to the doorstep of the Jews...He can also turn them right around. God used the Assyrians to bring the Hebrew people back to Him...and when that happens, when they choose to trust God once again, He offers them salvation - He drives the Assyrians away. This fits with the theme we have seen throughout Isaiah, that God will allow His people to go through pain to bring about joy and faithfulness in the end.

37:36 - Multiple historical accounts outside of the Bible verify that something described here happens to the Assyrians army. Some historians believe it was a plague...possibly cholera caused by unclean drinking water, because the Hebrews had the clean sources of water within the city. God has clearly chosen to work through natural disasters in other parts of the Bible, and the angel of the Lord here may have chosen to use and epidemic as his sword of justice. It just excites me to see another example of archeaological evidence backing up the biblical narrative. (Interestingly enough in the Assyrian account "The Sennacherib Prism" the whole event is painted in glowing terms for Sennacherib (naturally)...it says that the Assyrian army ravaged the Israeli countryside and surrounded Hezekiah trapping him like "a caged bird" in Jerusalem. Sennacherib never conquered Jerusalem, just as the Bible says...and his account happens to leave out the fact that his army was decimated by God. Political spin has existed as long as there has been politics.)

37:38 - Just as Isiaih prophecied earlier, Sennacherib died by the sword in his own lands. His sons butchered him in the temple of his false God. This is a picture of the way that the world operates...it is not about honor, but about power and decpetion and destruction and selfishness. The Israelites were called by God to show that there was a different way to live - the way of God, yet they often allowed themselves to follow in the path of the world. As Christians we must do everything we can to present ourselves as followers of Christ...showing that world that there is a way of hope and truth. We cannot allow ourselves to buy into the selfish, self-destructive nature of the way of man.

38:5 - Do you really need more proof that prayer is powerful and effective? Well, here it is. Though we know from other passages of Isaiah that God has an eternal plan that He is working out in the world, there are plenty of biblical texts - like this one - that show that He is willing to change events and tweak small aspects of His plan for the sake of His faithful. How cool is that? Our prayers make a difference! Our prayers matter! Never forget that.

38:19 - The living thank you. We should be thankful every day for the gift of life that we have been granted. Every day it is a new and special gift from God. My heart is still beating...my lungs are still breathing...my brain synapses are firing - all gifts! Do I approach each day with a spirit of thankfulness, offering myself as a willign servant of God ready to make His fathful goodness known to my kids...to the world? Do you?

39:2 - Similar to 2 Chronicles chapter 32 (Another telling of this time in Israelite history) - Hezekiah allows his pride to bring doom upon the people of God. Every time we allow our pride to make decisions and drive our actions, we invite desctruction and pain into our lives. Hezekiah proudly shows the Babylonians everything he has to impress them...and they are so impressed, they return in a few years to destroy the Kingdom and enslave God's people. Because the Jews once again place their trust in the wealth and strength of the world, they will once again be brought to their knees in judgment.

39:8 - His lack of care about future generations just breaks my heart. When told that the Babylonians will crush his kingdom, the king rejoices to know that at least it won't happen on his watch...that is just sick. What would have been different if the rulers of Israel had chosen to do everything int heir power to leave behind a legacy of faith generation after generation? Do you live to leave behind a legacy of faith for your children and for their children?

Isaiah Chapters 34-36

34:2 - God is just and His judgment is poured out in equal measure on the Hebrew people and on the rest of the world. I wonder if we see less of the twisted paganism of ancient times and less direct action from God towards judgment because the Holy Spirit of God is more frequently working actively in the world since the sacrifice of Jesus? What do you think?

34:6 - This is pretty brutal imagery...I believe that this sword has another name - "justice." Remember, God is just, and the sin of mankind brought death and destruction into the world...because sin brought blood and death, it can only be paid for through blood and death. That is justice. Good thing for us that God is also merciful, so He came to earth and paid the price for our sins through His own blood and death!

34:13 - This passage and the verses around it make me think about civilizations like ancient Egypt. Egyptian rulers ruled their country almost completely unchanged for 1,000 years - A THOUSAND YEARS! That is so long. Imagine how much our country has changed in the 200+ years we've been around. They remained unchanged for a thousand. Yet now their greatest achievements the tombs of their rulers - the great pyramids - are the homes of jackals and bugs. Such is the power of man.

35:5-6 - This is Isaiah's future prophecy for the return of the faithful remnant to Israel, but it also paints a beautiful picture for us about our eternal future with God (And we needed something like this didn't we - these chapters have been pretty brutal thus far!). The eternal kingdom of God has no sickness, no pain, no handicaps, no sorrow - it will be like a refreshing oasis in the desert of human existence so far...a paradise that last forever!

35:8 - The only path into heavenly Zion is "the Way of Holiness." The only way for any of us as flawed individuals to become holy is through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our "way of holiness"...as the Israelites passed through the parted waters of the Red Sea to receive salvation from the Egyptians...we pass through the ripped body of the God-man Jesus. We pass through His blood and become holy as our Father in Heaven is Holy. Thank you Jesus!

35:10 - We are the ransomed...as I just mentioned, we have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Think about the worth that God places on your life...He deems you worth the blood of God!

36:6-9 - Oddly enough, the pagan Assyrian commander that approaches echoes the words of Isaiah almost directly. He also chides the Jews about how foolish it was to put their trust in the Egyptians who will only let them down in the end. The commander also seems to understand that the Assyrians are being used as a tool by God to pour out His judgment on the Hebrew people...interesting. This just goes to show God's ability to use any person as His instrument and mouthpiece...a false god worshipping pagan commander from a vile and sinful nation is used by God to confirm the prophecy of Isaiah - wow.

36:20 - The heart breaking fact about this chapter is that God is the one who gets truly shamed. The Assyrian commander puts the God of the Israelites (The one and only God in existence) in the same category as false gods of other nations the Assyrians have already conquered. God watches as people He created brag that He does not have the power to protect His own people, and He allows the shame to be heaped on Him because H loves His people and He wants them to be punished so that they will return to relationship with Him. This is definitely one of those, "This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you" moments for God.

Isaiah Chapters 31-33

31:1 and 3 - This is a recurring theme in Isaiah...the Jews continue to put their hope of salvation and trust in other humans - in the strength of man-made armies and animal powered chariots - instead of putting their trust in God. But those things are not God and they will never be God and they will never offer the hope that God is. We must make sure in our own lives that we are not putting more importance of the wisdom and power of man than we do on the guidance of our Father God.

31:6 - My translation says that the people have "deeply revolted" from God...that is such a powerful phrase. How have you and I deeply revolted from God in our lives? How have we chosen to rebel...how have we denied the lives that we have been created to live? No matter where you are, no matter what you have done, it is never too late to turn back to God. Isaiah is calling the people of Israel and us to turn away from our rebellion and back to the path of God.

32:1-2 - Isaiah predicts that a king of righteousness will one day reign. We know that the ultimate king of righteousness was and is Jesus Christ. He came to show the world a new way...a revolutionary path of existence where people have the strength to care more about others than themselves. When leaders choose to lead out of righteousness and selflessness they stand out like a stream in the midst of a desert. The world is thirsty for Christians who will stand up and lead by choosing to truly follow Jesus.

32:5 - In a world where people try to live nobly...try to seek out justice and righteousness...the fools are no longer called noble. I think about political shock-jocks from both ends of the political spectrum who spew vile and offensive political garbage back and forth and I think about all the people in the US who listen to them almost religiously. These people are not offering solutions, they are not offering a better way, they are not making the world a better place - they are fools that make themselves wealthy through hatred. As Christians seek to follow the way of Christ and allow his righteousness to fill them...they should see the vileness of worldly "wisdom and truth" for what it is - foolishness.

32:8 - Very clear cut - those who are noble, think about noble things and perform noble deeds. You can always tell the health of a tree from its fruit. What is your life producing?

32:9-10 - Isaiah calls out the women of Israel, because they have grown complacent. They think that everything is fine...they think that there will always be food and that they have nothing to worry about. Isaiah tells them that they should go into the fields and put on sackcloth and ashes because judgment is coming. They should begin mourning because famine and destruction is just around the corner. Judgment comes because they have not only grown complacent in regards to their crops, but also in regards to their faith. In the easy living world of suburbia, do not allow yourself to grow complacent when it comes to your relationship with God.

32:17 - This is what righteous people living out righteous lives bring to the planet: peace, quiet, trust, rest, etc. These are the things that should follow in the wake of Christians living out their lives in this world.

33:2 - This is a great verse to start your day out with - God be my arm today...guide me where I should go...use me to do your work in this world today...no matter what comes, good or bad, I know that you are with me and I know that you are my salvation.

33:6 - Who is God? He is the abundance of wisdom. All wisdom comes from Him. He is the source of salvation. Salvation only comes through Him. He is the abundance of knowledge. All truth comes through Him. If you choose to love and fear this one and only God with all your heart, it will be a treasure to your life and those who know you.

33:14-15 - Who can stand in the midst of God's consuming fire? Those who have lived to reflect His character and nature in this world. Those who have chosen to love and fear Him with their whole beings. Like we talked about yesterday - the consuming fire of God becomes a place of contentment for those who trust in Him alone.

33:22 - Judge - lawgiver - king - God is our salvation and hope. No human being can be these things for us. Christians in the US must remember that as great as this country is...it is not something that we should put our faith and trust in. It is human...it is flawed...our only true king, our only true authority is God. Respect the authorities that have been placed over you in this world, but understand the reality that all things are superseded by the greatness and wisdom of God.

Isaiah Chapters 28-30

28:1 - Absurdly, the people try to ignore their coming judgment and the enemies stacked against them by throwing on festive laurel wreaths and getting drunk...by throwing parties. Isiah says these crowns and the crowns of fortresses lining the hills of Israel will be thrown down and destroyed. How often do we try to ignore the reality of the world and the consequences of our actions by just indulging ourselves in meaningless pursuits that will fill our mind and time. This world is passing away - do not put your trust and your hope int he things you find here.

28:5-6 - Throughout the book of Isaiah, no matter how dark the prophecies becomes, there is always hope interspersed. Isaiah tells us that when the Lord acts it will be beautiful to His people - those who have truly remained faithful. He will lend strength and courage to those who have been fighting to hold true to their faith...who have been holding the gates against the temptation to becomes just like everybody else. Know that when you trust in God's way and choose to way in it...you will get the strength you need.

28:11-12 - The people of God have refused to listen tot he warnings and instruction He has sent, so they will have to hear it from the lips of the foreign people who conquer them. This must be so heartbreaking for God. He loves His people and wants to show them the truth, but they refuse to listen and will have to be utterly crushed by their enemies before they can see the truth. Kinda like a child that will not listen tot he wisdom of their parents and the only way they will ever learn is by getting crushed by the consequences of their actons and being brought to their knees before God.

28:29 - God gives simple, uneducated peasants the knowledge to be able to grow crops. They know that they cannot just continue to plow over and over thinking that crops will grow. They have to plow, then plant, then water, and then gather the crops the correct way. God has taught these people the complicated process of crop growing and yet the "wise" rulers and religious leaders of the day cannot see the folly of thei ways. They continue living in opposition to God and will not be reaping ay fruit...they will only reap judgment. Are there things in your life that you just keep doing over and over and expecting to get different results, that you need to change?

29:7 - Ariel probably means roaring lion or heroic figure. Isaih is referriung to God's people as they should be...as the lions of the Lord...as heroes of faith in the world. But because of their refusal to truly follow God, they will be beseiged and conquered by other nations. Even in this there is hope. Isaiah says that the people who besieg and conquere them will be like a bad nightmare...they will last only for a short while and then it will be over. There is hope in the midst of their judgment. There ois also hoep in the midst of this fallen world. It may seem like the problems fo the world will never end, but when we are with God for eternity, it will seem like these issues were just the blink of an eye.

29:13 - The peopel believe that they worship God, but it is false worship. They worship with mouths, but do not worship God in their hearts. They believe that because they are the people of God that they are beyond judgemnet, but they must learn to fear God and love Him fully and God will do whatever it takes to get His people to understand that truth.

29:16 - The people try to turn the reality of creation upside down - they try to deny their creator...make themselves the gods of their own lives. They believe they know how to live their lives better than the one who created them, which is absolutely unnatural and absurd. Does the pot of clay say to the potter - who are you to tell me what to be? No! It is just as absurd for us to think that we know better than God how we should be living our lives.

30:1 - The people stubbornly try to save themselves by turning to other nations...they try to devise their own plans for salvation without consulting God. They want to trust human "wisdom and strength" more than they trust God's and that doesn't really work out very well for them. Has it ever worked out for anybody? Unfortnately, there are still timnes in my own life when I try to depend on my own "wisdom" instead of faithfully turning to God...and it never ends well.

30:15 - If you turn back to God in repentance and choose to find rest in His presence - that is where you will find salvation. Jesus has offered us the means of true repentance...the ability to turn to God and be made righteous. In quiet trust of God, you find the strength to face the problems of this world. Oddly enough, these actions: repentance, trust, humility, quiet - these are opposite of the typical human efforts to bring salvation to ourselves.

30:19-20 - Always there is hope for God's rebellious people. He disciplines out of love to bring His people back to Him. God never ceases to love and listen to His people.

30:33 - This verse sounds alot like the hell/eternal judgment pictures painting i the New Testament with regards to the end times. I thought it was interesting to notice that the source of heat in these eternal flames is the breath of God. Elsewhere the breath of God is described as life-giving. Read Malachi 4:1-2...it says that the sun light of God brings healing to the wounded and it burns away every bit of moisture from the chaff. The light and truth of God is healing power to the faithful and it is devouring flames to the unfaithful. Rob Bell once had a series called "the flames of heaven might just be hotter than the flames of hell" where he talked about the fact that the people who reject God may not want anything to do with eternity with Him. Th same source of goodness and light that is beautiful to those who love God...is terrifying torture to those who hate Him.

Isaiah Chapters 25-27

25:1 - Good challenge for me: if God is truly my God...if I truly love and trust in Him - then I will respond to Him every day with exaltation and praise. Do I view my life as an act of praise used to honor my awesome God? Not very often...that needs to change.

25:4 - Here Isaiah continues to share the hope that rests in God. He is a stronghold, a fortress, for the poor and the helpless...for those who have nowhere else to turn. The ruthless people of the world through themselves over and over at God's people and at His earthly kingdom, yet they are as useless as breath trying to blow down a wall. None can stand against the will of God.

25:7-8 - There is this covering laying over all people - this blanket of death and hopelessness...we all know it is coming...it is inevitable...we run from it in fear and fight it with everything we have. Yet Isiah says, there is hope - God will devour death. And we know that God destroyed the power of death over our lives by dying for our sins on the cross. He took our sinfulness upon himself and destroyed it through His perfect sacrifice. Though our bodies will die, we know that death has been conquered and that there will be a resurrection into eternity with God.

26:3 - The key to finding and keeping peace in this crazy world, is to keep our minds fully focused on God. He is unchanging...He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and the stability of His character gives us peace to handle the instability of this world.

26:7 - Those who allow the righteousness of God to change their lives and make them righteous do not live constantly on emotional roller coasters. They down go up and down - feeling really close to God and then feeling far from God. When we allow the righteousness of God to wash over out lives we can be content in any circumstances - good and bad.

26:11 - When people finally comprehend the love that God has for them and for His people - the love that He has always had for them - they are ashamed that they ever doubted or rejected Him.

27:3-4 - The Lord is the keeper of His vineyard - His people - and He takes care of them. But any good gardener knows that for the sake of the garden, sometimes you have to pull weeds and prune the plants to keep the garden healthy. God is also willing to do this to His people as we have seen throughout the book of Isaiah. The pruning may be painful and hard, but it is for the sake of the garden - His people.

27:6 - The garden grows healthy as a result of God's pruning, and the fruit the people of God will produce grows abundant and impacts the entire world positively.

27:7 - Again Isaiah wants to remind us and offer us hope - God has struck His people...He has disciplined them, but not like He has disciplined their enemies. He has not brought utter destruction down upon them...He has done what He needed to do to bring them back into relationship with Him. God has done what He had to do to make them healthy again so that they can produce fruit. Very similar to the role of a father in the lives of His children. If somebody was trying to hurt my children, I would react very swiftly with whatever amount of violence that was required to keep them safe. There are times that I also "bring the pain" to my kids (i.e. spank them), but this is done as a means of helping them to become better people. One is an act of righteous anger, and the other is an act of discipline. God has poured His righteous anger out on the enemies of the Israelites and on the other hand He has poured out loving discipline on His people.

27:9 - Through the punishment that God brings, their sins are atoned for...their guilt is removed. As the sinfulness is cut away, the people are freed to once again produce fruit in the midst of their relationship with God. The only problem is that the people keep going through the same cycle. They sin and rebel, they are punished and their sins are atoned for, and then they return to God. Over and over this takes place in the scriptures. God brought an end to this cycle by offering Himself as an atoning sacrifice, once for all.

Isaiah Chapters 22-24

22:4 - I think it is appropriate for church leaders and Christians in general to mourn and weep at the state of the Church today - as Isaiah weeps for Jerusalem, the daughter of God. There is much beauty in the Church and there are many faithful people in the world, but look at the Body of Christ...the Bride...the Church is fractured, disjointed, prideful, disconnected...this is not the vision of the unified Body of Christ. What needs to change?

22:8-11 - The Promised Land that was given to the Hebrew people by God, came t them only through His power and intervention...that is why the have the land. Yet they try to hold on to it, not by relying on God, but through their own strength. They are destined to fail as is anyone who seeks to save themselves through their own power.

23:9 - Again and again we see the judgment of God coming against the prideful. Pride is the root of all sins, from the very beginning. People arrogantly try to make themselves gods...desperately try to save themselves...yet they only succeed in bringing God's wrath at their rejection of Him.

23:17ff - The overall point of this last paragraph is simple...why would you trust or fear Tyre? Isaiah does not understand why God's people continue to put their trust in other human sources of strength when God is in control of everything! Isaiah prophecies that Tyre will be broken and destitute for seventy years, but then God will allow them to resume their trade with the world and the profits will be used to serve God. Never trust in human ingenuity, strength, plans - trust that God's will is going to be done.

*Chapters 24-27 are described by some scholars as Isaiah's Apocalypse. While he does not have quite the symbolic imagery of Daniel or Revelation, these chapters paint a picture of God's sovereignty and His control of all universal events.

24:5 - It seems unfair that the whole earth would be judged by the Laws of Israel when many of them have never even heard God's covenantal laws. That would be a bit unfair, but that is not what this passage is talking about. The whole earth falls under the judgment of God because they have broken the innate covenant relationship that exists between the Creator and all His created. God has written laws on the hearts of every human being...we inherently know good and evil...we know that we are not made to love only ourselves and destroy others and the earth - this knowledge is burned into our DNA as beings created in the image of God. Whether people have ever read a bible or not have little to do with the fact that God has written a natural law inside us and all people of the earth are called into judgment because we have rejected this law.

24:14-16 - What is up with these three verses thrown smack-dab in the middle of this chapter on destruction? Th world is being destroyed and there are people celebrating? What? This is most likely a picture of joy from the remnant of God-fearers that are living on the earth. They have been oppressed by the evil machinations of the "earth-city" and they sing with joy that God is finally going to make things right.

24:21 - All the heavens and the earth are subject to the rule of God. With a word God turned on the lights - created the sun, the moon the stars...and with a word He can turn them off as well. Never forget the awesome power of our creator God.

Isaiah Chapters 19-21

19:18 - The Lord always maintains a remnant of faithful people - always works out a situation, no matter how dire, so that people will turn to Him...people of every country. In this passage, the people are Egyptian - not Jews - that God is drawing towards Him. There are pockets of people in every area of this world who are being drawn to the person of God...we must never forget to keep our brothers and sisters in belief in our prayers. We are one body and we need one another - and God is at work even in the unlikeliest of places...don't forget.

19:25 - God calls the Egyptians, His people. He calls the Assyrians, the work of His hands. He calls the Israelites His inheritance. I love passages like this from the OT because it shows us once again that God has always been a missional God who cares for all people of the world. Yes, He called the Israelites to be His chosen priest-nation...but He called them so that they could be a light to draw the rest of the world to Him. He did not choose them so that they could be an exclusive group of people that rejected everyone else. Today's Christians must understand this concept, because we have not been called to be closed off from the secular world - we have been called to live in this world as God's priest nation and to draw people towards God.

20:2 and 4 - This says that God told Isaiah that he was supposed to walk around naked for three years - NAKED! Now there is some discussion as to whether this meant totally naked or that he was walking around in a loincloth that still exposed his buttocks for three years (Some scholars believe that the conservative Hebrew community would probably not allow even a prophet to walk around fully naked for that long), but that is not the point - talk about committment to God! Talk about making a powerful illustration (I don't plan on using this one in a sermon any time soon!)! The thing about this that challenges me is that Isaiah is so committed to the representing God to the world that he was willing to do anything...ANYTHING...THREE YEARS! Most times it seems like Christians in our culture will do basically nothing uncomfortable, even if God has called them to it...what have I been running from? How about you?

21:10 - The process of threshing grain was pretty extensive. They would throw raw grain on hard ground and have cattle drag huge blocks of stone across the grain. This would crush the grain and get the husks off of it. After this, the people harvesting the grain would throw it into the air and allow the wind to blow the chaff away. This is what the Israelites felt like. They had been crushed under persecution and military oppression...they had been tossed about and were feeling rejected by God. Unfortunately, they did not understand that it is through the threshing process that the pure grain is retrieved. God was allowing the Jews to experience trouble so that they would come through the experience purified and focused on being His people again. Instead the Hebrews chose to put their trust in the people of Babylon and so God is telling them in this passage - the Babylonians are not the answer...they are going to fail just like every other human source of power...they are no the salvation you are hoping for - I AM! Isaiah is trying to get them to understand that through the trials God is drawing them to Him and that they need to only put their trust in God. Good reminder for you and me as well.