Devotionary

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Ep 854 – Isaiah 59:16-21 Apr 19, 2019

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Chapter 59 of Isaiah is full of strong words of condemnation against the people of Judah and they come from the lips of Isaiah himself. Deeming himself the spokesperson for the entire nation, Isaiah confesses their corporate guilt and places all the responsibility for God's judgment of them squarely on their own shoulders. Their predicament was of their own making. They deserved all that God was doing and He was righteous and just in all His actions. But in verses 16-21, there is an interesting twist that takes place. While the people of Judah had refused to extend justice to one another and had failed to help the oppressed in their midst, the God of the universe was going to show them justice and provide them release from their oppressors. He would do what they had refused to do. And He would do it even though they were undeserving of it. The two little words, "God will…" reveal so much about God's character. They wouldn't, but He would. And the fulfillment of that promise lies yet unfulfilled. But no need to worry, because, as Isaiah said, "God will."

Ep 853 – Isaiah 59:9-15 Apr 18, 2019

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It's amazing how we will demand justice from God but refuse every opportunity to extend justice to those around us. We find it easy and justifiable to berate God for His lack of deliverance when we call, but when someone we know begs us for assistance, we're quick to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. In Isaiah 59:9-15, the prophet is going to do what no one else in Judah seemed ready and willing to do: accept personal responsibility for the sad state of affairs in Judah. While Isaiah was not complicit in the sins of his people, he saw himself as culpable. After all, he was a member of the tribe of Judah and knew that, together, they stood before God as a community guilty of abandoning Him through their repeated acts of unfaithfulness. Isaiah had the guts to admit that God was in the right and fully justified in bringing judgment upon His disobedient children. And they had no reason to complain about unfulfilled justice or delayed deliverance. After all, they were the ones who were guilty of refusing to dispense justice and offer deliverance to the poor and needy among them. And God had had enough.

Ep 852 – Isaiah 59:1-8 Apr 17, 2019

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Peace. We all long for it, but it seems to be increasingly more difficult to come by. We live in an age of turmoil, tension, increasing polarization, and intensifying animosity. But peace is available. The problem is, there's only one source for peace: God. And the people of Judah had long ago forgotten that lesson. They had a long history of longing for peace, but always ended up seeking peace in all the wrong places and from the most unreliable sources. But in Isaiah 59:1-8, we see God, once again, offering His wayward people a chance to experience peace, if they will simply return to Him. But they remained obstinate and unwilling to turn to the one source where peace was in abundant supply and hope never returned empty handed. The problem with the people of Judah was that the peace they desired remained elusive, because their sin remained more attractive to them. It was all they could think about. And, as a result, they had no peace, no joy, no justice, and no righteousness. Their world remained dark and their future looked dim because they preferred pleasure over peace.

Ep 851 – Isaiah 58:1-14 Apr 16, 2019

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Denying self is difficult, whether you're talking about passing up your favorite dessert or refusing to satisfy an immoral urge. More often than not, we tend to give in to our inner desires, because the alternative is much harder. But God is all about self-denial and self-sacrifice. In His economy, self is not a god to be worshiped, but a false idol to be avoided at all costs. And one thing God particularly loathes is when His people give Him lip service, pretending to honor Him through acts of self-denial, when all the while their own needs remain their number one priority. In Isaiah 58:1-14, God is going to level some serious charges against the people of Judah, exposing their hypocrisy and false displays of self-denial and sacrifice. They were doing all the right things, but for all the wrong reasons. And yet, they thought their acting had been good enough to fool God. But He was not impressed by their fasting and pious-looking displays of religious zeal, because He could see into their hearts.

Ep 850 – Isaiah 57:14-21 Apr 15, 2019

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It's difficult for most of us to admit when we have a need. We have been hardwired to be self-sufficient. And we've been trained to believe that any confession of need is an admission of weakness or failure on our part. But when reading the Bible, it becomes increasingly clear that God tends to pour out His favor on the weak, the needy, the helpless and the hopeless. He has a soft heart for the down-and-out and the underdogs of society. Even Jesus, during His earthly ministry, tended to spend much of His time with those whom the world considered outsiders and outcasts. He was accused of befriending prostitutes, tax-collectors and sinners of all kinds and He was more than willing to plead guilty as charged. And in Isaiah 57:14-21, God is going to call on the people of Judah to admit their need for Him. He wants them to humble themselves, confess their sin, and admit their need for His help. They could turn to their false gods, but it would not turn out well. Or they could humbly turn to God and trust that He would do what was best. They were sinners. That was non-debatable. But were they willing to confess it and place their hope and trust in the only one who could save them?

Ep 849 – Isaiah 57:3-13 Apr 14, 2019

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We love having choices. While dining at our favorite restaurant or shopping online at our favorite retailer, we prefer having a wide range of items from which to choose. To a certain degree, it gives us a sense of control. We can customize our meal or our outfit to fit our tastes at that particular moment in time. But when it comes to choosing a deity, God has a fairly strong opinion that options are out of the question. He is a jealous God and He will not tolerate the worship of anything or anyone other than Him. And since He is the one and only true God, there really are no other options. Yet, in Isaiah 57:3-13, we will see God hammering the people of Judah for their seemingly insatiable need to have options when it comes to deities. God Almighty was just not enough. They wanted more. And God is going to give them an ultimatum. He was going to challenge to make their final choice. Which god were they going to serve? If they wanted options when it came to which god to worship, God was willing to let them, but they were going to have to live with the consequences of their choice.

Ep 848 – Isaiah 56:9-57:2 Apr 13, 2019

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In our day and age, everyone is concerned about security. You can't even get on an airplane anymore without first going through "security." For most of us, it is just a necessary inconvenience and a sign of the times. And while we might complain about the delay this kind of security creates, all of us recognize the need and most of us prefer that the TSA agents doing the screening do their job well. After all, what use is the process if those in charge of it don't take their job seriously? And in Isaiah 56:9-57:2, God is going to level some serious charges against the security forces of Judah – namely the spiritual shepherds of the flock of God. These men had a God-given responsibility to care for God's people, but they were like night watchmen who made a habit of falling asleep on the job. They were unreliable and failing to warn the people of Judah about the coming judgment. While Isaiah was preaching a message of repentance, these men were saying that all was well, there's nothing worry about. Claiming to speak for God, they were actually lying in the name of God. Something God takes quite seriously.

Ep 847 – Isaiah 56:1-8 Apr 12, 2019

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Walk the talk. I'm sure you've heard that phrase before. It's meant as a challenge and, in some cases, as an indictment against those who are quick to declare their strong beliefs about a given topic, but whose lives don't seem to align with their words. In other words, they're hypocritical. They say one thing and do another. And God hates hypocrisy, especially in His people. So, in Isaiah 56:1-8, God is going to challenge the people of Judah to walk the talk. He is going to call them to live out what they say they believe in real life – in the form of obedience to His commands. And, in particular, when it comes to their treatment of non-Jews. The people of God saw themselves as special, and they were. They were His chosen possession. But that did not give them the right to look down their noses at those around them. God did not choose them because they were special or somehow deserved His attention. He chose them in spite of them. And now, He wanted them to extend the same kind of mercy to all those around them. He wanted their external behavior to live up with their expressed beliefs, and with the character of compassion found in their God.

Ep 846 – Isaiah 55:1-13 Apr 11, 2019

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Everyone loves to receive an invitation in the mail or, in today's online world, an evite. We like getting invited to things. But an invitation is useless if no one accepts it and shows up as a result of it. An invitation that goes unheeded and unaccepted is pointless and of no value. And in Isaiah 55:1-13, God is going to extend an invitation to the people of Judah, not once, but five separate times. He is serious about them accepting His offer and taking advantage of all He has in store for them. But God has extended invitations before, only to have them ignored. He has offered the people of Judah countless opportunities to repent and return to Him. But their response has always been to ignore His gracious offer and to turn to other gods whose invitations sounded more attractive. The amazing thing about God's offer is that it is absolutely free. No cost involved. Just acceptance. And a belief that God is good for His word and will do all that He has promised to do. In a world filled with people who are dying of spiritual thirst and trying to quench that thirst with anything and everything but God, He continues to offer the spring of the water of life without payment. But the offer only has value if it is accepted.

Ep 845 – Isaiah 54:1-17 Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

Faithfulness seems to be in short supply these days, whether you're talking about the relationship between a husband and a wife, an employee and his employer, or a politician and his constituency. When the going gets tough, everyone seems prone to bail on the relationship and to seek greener pastures. There is no doubt that people let us down and we do our fair share of failing those who depend upon us. But God would have us be a people of our word, committed to sticking it out regardless of whether the circumstances are ideal or not. And in Isaiah 54:1-17, He is going to use Himself as the greatest example of faithfulness, describing His multifaceted relationship to the people of Israel over the centuries. He had played the role of their Maker, served them as their faithful Husband, and rescued them time and time again as their Kinsmen-Redeemer. In the face of repeated acts of infidelity, God had continued to love His people with an unconditional love. The book of Isaiah has made it clear that God brought His loving discipline upon the people of Israel, but He had never given up on them. He had made them, married them, repeatedly rescued them, and He assures them, one will one day He will restore them.

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