Devotionary

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Ep 814 – Isaiah 37:14-20 Mar 10, 2019

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At some point, everybody thinks they're god. Even those who express belief in God can find themselves acting like they're in control of their own lives, calling the shots and living according to their own self-centered agenda. And in Isaiah 37:14-20, King Hezekiah of Judah receives a much-needed primer on the sovereignty of God. He alone is God. Not only are there no other gods but Him, there is no reason for anybody to act like they're God besides Him. King Sennacherib had a god-sized ego that led him to believe he was invincible. And the people of Judah had a long track record of placing their hopes in a variety of gods besides Yahweh. But in these verses, we have recorded a prayer directed to God by Hezekiah, in which he acknowledges God's status as the one and only God of the universe. The king, faced with the threat of Assyrian troops knocking down the city walls and taking all the people captive, found himself kneeling before his God in abject humility and helpless reliance. He needed the one true God to do what only He could do: Save His chosen people.

Ep 813 - Isaiah 37:1-13 Mar 09, 2019

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Everybody has a bad day now and then. But for King Hezekiah of Judah, the bad days were beginning to stack up and looked like they were about to fall and crush his kingdom under their weight. The Assyrians were knocking at the gates of Jerusalem, threatening invasion if the people of Judah didn't take their advice and surrender. The emissary for King Sennacherib had been taunting Hezekiah and the people; ridiculing their pitiable army, scoffing at their alliance with Egypt, and mocking their God. For Hezekiah, it was a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace. But God had other plans. And Sennacherib was in for a rude and unpleasant surprise. In Isaiah 37:1-13, Hezekiah finally decides to see the help of God and he receives some incredibly good news that reveals the paltry power of the Assyrians when faced with the omnipotent God of Judah. They were no match for God Almighty, and Isaiah provides King Hezekiah with some much-needed encouragement in the midst of all the pending doom and gloom. God was still on His throne, and the Assyrians were powerless to do anything outside His will or without His permission.

Ep 812 – Isaiah 36:1-21 Mar 08, 2019

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As God's chosen people, the members of the nation of Judah were to have turned to Him for help in times of need. But they had made a habit out of seeking and serving false gods, not only for worship, but for rescue. And in Isaiah 36:1-21, God is going to indict them for their misplaced trust. Over the centuries, Judah had regularly placed their hope and trust in false gods and turned to foreign nations for assistance when facing difficulties. And most recently, they had turned to Egypt, forming an alliance with their former captors and paying them a large financial settlement in order to guarantee their help against the Assyrians. But none of this had been God's will. He had never instructed them to pay their money or place their hope in the Egyptians. And even Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, knew that this costly arrangement between Judah and Egypt would prove to be a waste of money, because Egypt would prove to be an unreliable savior. Pharaoh had been quick to take Judah's money, but would be slow to offer any form of aid in return. And the people of Judah were going to learn a very painful lesson about misplaced trust and their missing faith in God.

Ep 811 – Isaiah 35:1-10 Mar 07, 2019

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Proverbs 14:12 reads, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." Yet, ever since the fall, mankind has chosen to go his own way, ignoring the path prescribed to him by God. Even the people of Judah and Israel, the chosen people of God, had a difficult time staying on the path God had set out for them. He had called them to walk in all His ways, but they tended to wander off the path and take detours that landed them in hot water with God. So, in Isaiah 35:1-10, the prophet reveals some exciting news for the people of Judah. In spite of their wandering ways, God will bring them back and place them on His way of Godliness. There will be a future time of restoration and renewal that will impact not only the people of God, but the entire planet. God will strengthen the hands of the weak, make firm the knees of the feeble, open the eyes of the blind, and restore to the mute the ability to speak. In short, God will put His chosen people back on the path He originally planned for them. He will seek them in their lostness and restore them to the Way of Holiness, where they will make their way back to Him and experience true gladness and joy.

Ep 810 - Isaiah 34:1-17 Mar 06, 2019

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When you come to a passage like Isaiah 34:1-17, it can be somewhat disconcerting, because it reveals aspects of God's nature that we can find difficult to reconcile. Especially if we prefer to see God as all-loving, all the time. These verses are full of imagery that reflects God's wrath and righteous indignation. He speaks of slaughter and vengeance, death and destruction. But while this chapter may be difficult to accept, it must be taken with the rest of God's Word. The prophetic pronouncements God makes within chapter 34 must be balanced with the other, much more encouraging portions of the Scriptures that provide us with the rest of the story. Speaking through His prophet, Isaiah, God makes it quite clear that His judgment is coming against Judah. And that judgment will be harsh and unavoidable. But God has also provided more than enough assurance that His divine will includes a day of future restoration and renewal. God will punish sin. He will judge His rebellious people. But the day is coming when He will make all things new.

Ep 809 – Isaiah 33:7-24 Mar 05, 2019

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There is only one kind of salvation that really matters: The kind that comes from the hand of God Almighty. Any other kind of salvation is short-lived and insufficient to bring lasting results. The people of Judah might find temporary relief from the threat of Assyrian invasion by trusting in the Egypt, but it wouldn't last. Especially since the destruction they faced was coming from God Himself. Isaiah knew that the only hope for Judah's salvation was if the people repented or God relented. The first one showed no signs of taking place. Isaiah had begged and pleaded with the people of Judah to repent and return to God, but to no avail. And so, the only option available was if God decided to extend mercy to His rebellious people. In Isaiah 33:7-24, the scene is bleak and the prospects look grim. But in the midst of the doom and gloom, God sheds a light of hope. He promises to show His power and might. And He pledges to deal with the Assyrians, turning the tables on them and making them the victim, not the victor. In spite of Judah's failure to repent, God promises to restore them one day. He announces a time when He will be their Mighty One – their king, judge and lawgiver, restoring them to a right relationship with Himself – out of His love, mercy and grace.

Ep 808 – Isaiah 33:1-6 Mar 04, 2019

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The whole reason the nation of Judah was seeking the help of Egypt was because they longed for someone to save them from the looming attack of the Assyrians. But sadly, they never seemed to think about taking their problem to God. Maybe it was because they knew He would require them to change their ways. He would demand that they give up their sinful lifestyles and begin living as who they were supposed to be: The chosen people of God. So, when trouble came their way, they looked for a savior, but they refused to consider God. In a way, they were looking for someone to save them from God, because the Assyrians had been sent by Him for the express purpose of punishing the people of Judah. But God is in the salvation business. He would ultimately save Judah from the threat of Assyrian invasion. And, even after Judah fell the Babylonians, God would save them from captivity and return them to the land of Canaan. In Isaiah 33:1-6, Isaiah begs God to extend mercy to the people of Judah. He longs for God to save them from themselves. And, one day, God will. His Son will save them and make it possible for them to be restored to a right relationship with their heavenly Father.

Ep 807 – Isaiah 32:9-20 Mar 03, 2019

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etimes God's promises sound too good to be true. They can come across as so "out there" that they lose any sense of reality. We begin to doubt that they will ever happen and, as a result, we start looking to things other than God to bring us joy, hope, satisfaction and significance. That was the problem in Judah and it was pervasive. In fact, in Isaiah 32:9-10, Isaiah is going to address the women of Judah, using some pretty colorful and offensive language to make his point. These women were guilty of finding their fulfillment and identity in material things. They had grown comfortable and complacent, enamored by their material possessions, and totally forgetting that they belonged to God. They were His possession. He had chosen them and made them His own, but they lived like they were independent agents who had full control over their lives and their futures. They were the masters of their own fates – or so they thought. God was going to humble these proud and arrogant women, along with the rest of the nation. But the day was coming when He would pour out His Spirit upon them, making it possible for them to willingly seek and serve Him and Him alone.

Ep 806 - Isaiah 32:1-8 Mar 02, 2019

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Waiting on God can be difficult, because He operates on a different time schedule than we do. In fact, He operates outside of time. For Him, the past, present, and future are all one and the same. He sees it all as if it is happening right before His eyes. But we are human beings and burdened by the limitations of our temporal existence. We are bound by time and space. We can't see or know the future. That is, unless God reveals it to us. And in Isaiah 32:1-8, Isaiah is going to share some exciting news with the people of Judah, letting them know that God has some pretty amazing plans in store for them. While their present circumstances were anything but ideal, God wanted them to know that the day was coming when they would sit under the rule of a righteous king who would restore their nation to power and prominence. And better yet, He would restore righteousness to the land, making it possible for all men to live in perfect, unbroken fellowship with God Almighty. God was going to extend His grace and mercy to the people of Judah, in spite of their centuries-worth of rebellion against Him. He would be faithful, even though they were not.

Ep 805 – Isaiah 31:1-9 Mar 01, 2019

Show notes

The old saying states, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Bu that can mean a lot of different things. When difficulty comes, some people just bolt and run. Others stand their ground. We can be tempted to fight or take flight. But when it comes to God's people, they are called to stand firm in the faith. Rather than run, they are to trust God. And, while the future may require them to fight, they will do so knowing that it is God who fights for them and with them. He will provide the victory. But in Isaiah 31:1-9, we see another option that every child of God faces when confronted by difficulty: Seeking help from something or someone other than God. The people of Judah were in a tough spot, but rather than turning to God, they chose to put their trust in Egypt. Instead of relying on God Almighty, they decided to place their hopes in the might of Pharaoh and his army. But they would be severely disappointed. Human help is never a good alternative to the holy help God offers. The power of men is no match for the omnipotence of God. And the people of Judah were going to learn that lesson the hard way.

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