Devotionary

Latest Episodes:

Ep 783 – Isaiah 19:16-25 Feb 07, 2019

Show notes

Discipline and mercy. Wrath and love. Judgment and justice. Rebuking and restoration. The Bible is full of paradoxes that make us shake our head in confusion. Throughout the entire book, we see God presented in ways that appear contradictory and difficult to reconcile. And in these last few chapters of Isaiah, there has been a steady stream of oracles warning of God's pending judgment against the nations. And yet, in Isaiah 19:16-25, we will hear God say some strikingly different things to Egypt than He did in the first 15 verses. In fact, this portion of the chapter presents a somewhat surprising scene that features Egypt receiving healing from the hand of God. And the Egyptian people responding in praise, adoration and worship. Obviously, these things have not yet happened. There are no altars to the God of Israel in Egypt at this time. But Isaiah describes a day in which the worship of Israel's God will be commonplace. And many of the other nations mentioned in these oracles will worship God alongside the Egyptians. God will judge the nations, but He will also restore a remnant from among the nations representing every tribe, nation and tongue.

Ep 782 – Isaiah 19:1-15 Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

Nobody likes being disciplined. And it doesn't help when a parent tells the child they are about to discipline that, "This will hurt me far worse than it hurts you." That well-used maxim has never been believed by any child of any age at any time in history. And the children of God are no different. Despite the fact that God assures us that He disciplines those He loves, we still avoid it like the plague. We will do anything in our power to escape the judgment and loving discipline of God – even if it means refusing to own up to the sin in our lives and rejecting His will for our lives. In Isaiah 19:1-15, we are going to encounter yet another oracle of God, this time delivered to the nation of Egypt. The nation of Judah had placed Egypt high on its list of potential candidates for the role of rescuer from God's pending judgment. But God was going to let Judah know that Egypt would have enough problems of its own, and find themselves unwilling and incapable of doing anything to help Judah out of its predicament. We may not like the discipline of God, but we will never be successful in escaping it. He always disciplines those He loves.

Ep 781 – Isaiah 18:1-7 Feb 05, 2019

Show notes

God made the world. The book of Genesis makes that perfectly clear. But sometimes it is easy to forget that fact and to view God as some distant deity who is out of touch with a world that seems to be increasingly out of His control. But Isaiah would have us realize that God still rules over all that exists and His sovereignty extends to the ends of the earth. And in Isaiah 18:1-7, we will see God deliver another oracle, this time against the nation of Cush. While we know little about this kingdom, we do know that, to the average Hebrew in Isaiah's day, it represented the ends of the earth. It was a relatively unknown land that remained a mystery to the people of Judah. Yet, God has plans for Cush. In fact, He has plans for all the nations of the earth – past, present, and future. As the people of Judah faced the prospect of God's pending judgment, they were looking for someone to step in and rescue them. And they weren't that picky when it came to potential rescuers. So, God makes it clear that the nations to whom they might turn would prove less-than-satisfactory saviors, because God has judgment in store for them as well.

Ep 780 – Isaiah 9-14 Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

Faithfulness is important to God, because He is faithful. And He expects those whom He chooses to call His own to respond to Him in faithfulness. But as we have already seen, the peoples of Israel and Judah found it virtually impossible to treat God with the honor and reverence He deserves. They were constantly pursuing false gods and putting their hopes in pagan nations. Regardless of the many occasions when God stood by His people, they continued to turn their backs on Him, treating Him with disdain and showing Him disrespect. And in Isaiah 17:9-14, God will accuse the people of Judah of forgetting Him, the God of their salvation. They will prove to have short-term memories, failing to remember all that He had done for them. And they will show a disregard for His involvement in their lives, thinking instead that they are somehow responsible for all the good things they enjoy. Their forgetfulness will bring upon them God's justice. And while God would end up punishing their unfaithfulness, He will remain faithful to them.

Ep 779 – Isaiah 17:1-8 Feb 03, 2019

Show notes

God is the only god there is. There are no others. And as the sole deity in the universe and the creator of all that exists within it, God demands and expects to occupy center stage in the hearts of those He has created. But ever since the fall, mankind has found itself on a trajectory away from God. Sin, at the core of which lies pride, has caused man to drift from God, and doomed humanity to a futile quest to find significance and meaning in life. But this journey of discovery never ends. Sinful, pride-prone man never finds that for which he is searching. And yet, God graciously calls out, offering Himself as the sole source of man's joy, comfort, meaning, and hope. He alone can deliver what man so desperately seeks. And in Isaiah 17:1-8, God continues His judgment against the nations. He delivers yet another oracle, this time pertaining to Syria. He lets them know what He has in store for them because they had allied themselves with Israel and had plotted to overthrow the nation of Judah. And God uses this verbal assault on Syria to remind His people to trust in Him. No nation in the world could stand against Him, so why wouldn't the people of Judah trust in Him? In light of all He was going to do on behalf of them, why did they still refuse to seek Him?

Ep 778 – Isaiah 16:1-14 Feb 02, 2019

Show notes

In Isaiah 16:1-14, God continues His oracle concerning the nation of Moab. He has much more to say regarding this long-standing enemy of Judah. And much of what God reveals in this chapter has to do with events surrounding a future day that has yet have taken place. There is little doubt that God did eventually judge the Moabites for the role they played in Judah's defection from God. He could not excuse them for the influence they had in leading the people of Judah astray. They would turn to their false gods for help, but would find them to be impotent to do anything to help them. They would prove no match for the omnipotent God of the universe. As we have seen before, God speaks of a day when the tables will be turned and the people of Moab will find themselves on the receiving end of God's judgment. They will be the ones to weep and mourn over their loss. Like all the other nations who stood opposed to God and His people, the Moabites would learn the hard way that they were helpless against the righteous Judge and King.

Ep 777 – Isaiah 15:1-9 Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

It seems to be a universal principle that every truth has its counterfeit that shows up in the form of a lie. Everything that is real seems to have its false alternative. And this principle applies to God as well. According to the Scriptures, there is only one true God, but that has not stopped the proliferation of thousands upon thousands of false gods over the centuries. The Bible offers one objective standard of truth and righteousness, but that has not prevented the propagation of countless counterfeit alternatives. And, as we will see in Isaiah 15:1-9, this tendency of mankind to promulgate all kinds of substitutes for God and His Word has always been around. The people of Moab worshiped their own god, and they lived by their own set of moral standards. But the sad reality is that their preference for false gods and fraudulent ethical standards had caused the people of God to reject the one true God for a lie. The Moabites had proven to be a stumbling block to the people of Judah, causing them to turn away from God and pursue what would prove to be a false and faulty alternative. But Judah and Moab would soon learn that, not only does God have no alternative, He has no equal.

Ep 776 – Isaiah 14:28-32 Jan 31, 2019

Show notes

Humanity seems to be hardwired to rejoice at the fall of an enemy. We take a perverse pleasure in seeing someone we dislike get what we believe to be their just desserts. Whether we call it revenge, payback, retribution or comeuppance – it all means the same thing. And in Isaiah 14:28-32, God has a word for the nations, warning them about celebrating over the apparent fall of Judah too quickly. He specifically addresses the Philistines, the perennial enemies of the people of God, letting them know that their day of judgment was coming as well. So, while they might see the fall of Judah as good news worth celebrating, they needed to know that God was going to pay them back for the roles they had played in opposing the people of God and, in some cases, leading them away from God. While the book of Isaiah is primarily a message of God to His chosen people, it contains prophetic pronouncements concerning humanity as a whole. Even the land of Philistia would one day experience the judgment of God, because He rules and reigns over all.

Ep 775 – Isaiah 14:24-27 Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

Humanity has a pride problem. Ever since the fall, mankind has displayed an uncanny ability to make far too much of itself. While we are the byproduct of God's creative powers, we tend to believe the lie that, somehow, we are self-made men and women. We have convinced ourselves that, when it comes to our many achievements and advancements in everything from medicine and healthcare to science and technology, we deserve all the credit. But this pride problem has been around for a long time. In fact, Isaiah 14:24-27 deals with the pride of the nation of Assyria and provides God's perspective regarding it. Let's just say that the Assyrians were going to discover the hard way, that their power would prove no match for the omnipotent God of the universe. While He would allow the Assyrians to inflict pain and suffering on the people of Israel, God would not give them free reign to do as they wished. This pagan nation, like every other nation that has ever existed, were subject to the sovereign will of God Almighty. And no matter how prideful or powerful they became, they were completely subject to the plans and purposes of God.

Ep 774 – Isaiah 14:12-23 Jan 29, 2019

Show notes

The world has always been full of people and organizations that stand opposed to God. And that makes sense when we consider that the god of this world is Satan, who has long aspired to set himself up in place of God. And because Satan rules this fallen world, he has influence over unredeemed mankind, causing them to follow his ways and live with the same sense of pride and arrogance that marks his own nature. The nations of this world have long emulated the ways of Satan, coveting the power, position and possessions he offers them in return for selling out to him. And in Isaiah 14:12-23, we get a look at the impact Satan's influence has on the nations of the world during the end times, particularly Babylon. God provided Isaiah with insight into the fall of Babylon that would take place in the not-so-distant future. But He also revealed details concerning the destruction of a future Babylon, that would exist during the days of the Tribulation. The kingdom of Satan and the kingdoms of men have no chance against the power of Almighty God.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected