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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
September 30, 2018
DO YOU PRAY FOR YOUR CITY?
The prophet Isaiah declared his heart’s yearning to see Jerusalem shine for the Lord. His heart burned for this and so did his prayers.
I wonder. Do our hearts yearn for our city? So much so that we cannot keep still nor remain silent? Where are those who would pray as Isaiah did? Who will declare, “I will not stop praying for my city until righteousness and salvation shine in her”?
September 28, 2018
THE URGENCY OF SEEKING AND CALLING ON THE LORD
Isaiah urged his people to seek and call on the Lord with a sense of urgency. For there would come a time when it would be too late. However, it is not the Lord who hides and moves away. It wasn’t God who hid in the garden after Adam’s fall. It was God who sought and called out to the man and woman He had made. Was God poor at “hide-and-seek,” that He had to call out to them? No, He certainly knew where they were hiding, but it seemed important to Him that they answer His call and come out of their attempts to hide and cover-up their own sin and to rely on His help.
The Lord is near, yet many of us are hiding and not answering His call. How many are there who have heard the gospel, yet they put off following Jesus to a later time. If you have heard the Good News that Jesus saves sinners, yet you are still hiding, come to Him quickly, while you can still “find” Him. Call to Him urgently, while He is near. For there is coming a time when it will be too late. As the apostle Paul said, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (1 Cor. 6:2).
September 24, 2018
THE PERSIAN KING WHOM GOD ANOINTED
Nearly 200 years before he was even born, Isaiah prophesied the coming of an anointed king named Cyrus who would overthrow and rule the kingdoms of the land. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Persian King, Cyrus the Great, conquered the many kingdoms of the Middle East and beyond, including the Babylonians, who had defeated Judah and taken its people captive. These Judean exiles had lived in Babylon for 70 years, when Cyrus not only overthrew Babylon, but also later decreed that the exiles could return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple (Ezra 1:1-4).
The details of the Cyrus prophecy in Isaiah are amazing. God revealed both the fall of Jerusalem and its future restoration to Isaiah. This prophecy not only encouraged the prophet Daniel and the Jews who were exiled in Babylon, it continues to encourage believers today. For we understand that the fulfilled prophecies in God’s Word show that the unfulfilled ones will also be fulfilled, perhaps in our lifetime.
One other note, don’t you find it interesting that God would anoint a Persian king to rescue Israel? I wonder what God has in store for the modern peoples of Persia now dwelling in the country called, Iran?
September 23, 2018
GOD IS BOTH CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF LIFE
A worldview built on any other foundation than the dual truth that God is both Creator and Sustainer of life, will surely lead to false and foolish conclusions. The prophet Isaiah declared this dual truth and more. For the Lord revealed to him the coming of the Messiah, the One who would redeem from death those who believed in Him. So that in Christ, the title Redeemer must be recognized in addition to Creator (John 1:1-3) and Sustainer (Heb. 1:1-4). A right understanding of this truth leads to a more accurate worldview. Yet, the fullest understanding of truth is found in knowing and belonging to Jesus. Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).