October 2, 2019
OUR CREATOR HAS BECOME OUR REDEEMER! In the last chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord reminds us that He is both Creator and Owner of all. There is nothing we can build for Him nor give Him that He doesn’t already own. Yet, He would have us humbly surrender our hearts to Him. For though
September 28, 2019
ARE YOU SPENDING FOR THINGS THAT DO NOT SATISFY? The Lord questioned Israel as to why they labored so hard for things that did not satisfy. Why not come to the Lord and freely receive His food and drink? But Israel had fallen into idolatry. They pursued the blessings of God, rather than God Himself.
September 25, 2019
ARE YOU WEIGHED DOWN BY IDOLATRY? God gave Isaiah a prophecy against Babylon and its idol worship. It is sarcastic in its imagery, predicting that Babylon’s idols will “bow” down as they are lowered onto ox carts and carried away by the very people who used to “bow” down before them. Even the oxen are
September 23, 2019
GOD’S CHALLENGE TO OUR MATERIALISTIC IDOLS The idolatry of today is not unlike that of Isaiah’s day. Explanations of origins were offered by the prophets of Baal. They offered materialistic creation stories and led the people to “exchange the truth about God for a lie, so that they worshiped and served created things rather than
September 21, 2019
SPREAD YOUR TROUBLES OUT BEFORE THE LORD When King Sennacherib sent a letter threatening Jerusalem, King Hezekiah put on burlap, went up to the Temple, and spread the letter out on the floor for the Lord to consider. God heard his prayer and defended him. What threat do you fear today? Have you brought it
September 17, 2019
TRUST IN THE LORD ALWAYS When all else fails, we tend to finally shift our trust to the Lord. Yet Isaiah calls us to a better way. Trust in the Lord “always.” Those who try to take a stand on sand soon discover it only seems to work on sunny days. As soon as clouds
September 12, 2019
GOD CONFIRMED THIS PROPHECY IN CHRIST JESUS Isaiah prophesied God’s judgment of Israel and Judah. Yet, he also prophesied that though the tree would be chopped down, leaving only a stump, there would be a shoot that would grow from the old root. This shoot would grow into a “new Branch,” which is Christ, the
September 11, 2019
REMEMBER 9/11 BUT LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE Isaiah is filled with words of judgment and destruction, yet it also overflows with future hope. Isaiah prophesied the overthrow of the Northern Kingdom, “the “land of Zebulun and Naphtali,” by the Assyrians. This prophesy concerning Israel came true during Isaiah’s lifetime. But the prophecy of
September 9, 2019
UPSIDE-DOWN MORALITY—THE SIGN OF IMPENDING WOE The Lord declared impending judgment on Judah through the prophet Isaiah for their rejection of His law and the confounding of His Word. For their thinking had become so warped by sin that they called evil— good, darkness— light and bitterness— sweet. A nation with such an upside-down morality
September 8, 2019
BRING YOUR SINS TO THE LORD Isaiah begins his prophecy with a terrifying appraisal of Israel’s sin. Yet before he even finishes the first chapter, he offers this hope of forgiveness and covering from the Lord. For the Lord invites us to come to Him and “settle” our sin problem. Though our sins are deeply