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.
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