July 18 - Isaiah 1-4
It always thrills me to read Isaiah, because even though it was written for the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem many years before Christ, it shows me that God has not changed and His plans have not changed. God is faithful even when people are unfaithful and rebel against Him. The Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to tell this prophecy in images that are very graphic and which speak to my heart. I pray that this long book will be a blessing to you, as we read it.
God's people are in a deep state of rebellion toward Him at the time of Isaiah. God is thoroughly upset with them. He has beaten them severely, and they will still not return to Him. (1:5,6) They prefer their sin and their pagan worship to Him, so He hates their worthless worship. He calls for them to return to Him and be cleansed. (1:18) This is true today, also. Many people who claim to be believers have turned from the Lord Jesus gone the way of the world. Their worship is meaningless, because their hearts are far from God. They need to return to Jesus, before He severely punishes them the way He did Judah in Isaiah's day.
Chapter 2 begins with a glimpse of the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem. It reminds us that God will send Jesus to reign from Jerusalem, and there will be 1,000 years of peace and the rule of God on this earth. God's will to restore Israel to the Holy Land and to send Jesus will not be thwarted. However, the rest of chapter two tells us that the Day of the Lord must come first. God's judgment will be poured out for seven years of tribulation, and then, Jesus will come as the Righteous King to enforce God's Law. The Day of the Lord is also used to mean any day when God brings judgment upon people. It is a scary thought to stand before an angry God. You do not want to have that happen. Just look at what He did to Jerusalem.
There are so many parallels with our situation today. God's people are wealthy and busy. We are allowing ourselves to be distracted from the Lord by all kinds of idols and sins. I am convinced that God is getting tired of our sins, too. He is pouring out His judgment on believers again now in the USA. He has been merciful so long, but now He is acting to punish sin. If Isaiah says anything to us today, it is this. We as God's children must love Jesus with all of our hearts, and we must hate sin with all of our hearts. For too long we have been under the mistaken impression that if we love Him, He will overlook our sin. God never overlooks sin. (Romans 1:18) I urge all of us to listen closely to Isaiah's prophecy and to take it to heart.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 5-7.
God's people are in a deep state of rebellion toward Him at the time of Isaiah. God is thoroughly upset with them. He has beaten them severely, and they will still not return to Him. (1:5,6) They prefer their sin and their pagan worship to Him, so He hates their worthless worship. He calls for them to return to Him and be cleansed. (1:18) This is true today, also. Many people who claim to be believers have turned from the Lord Jesus gone the way of the world. Their worship is meaningless, because their hearts are far from God. They need to return to Jesus, before He severely punishes them the way He did Judah in Isaiah's day.
Chapter 2 begins with a glimpse of the Millennial Temple in Jerusalem. It reminds us that God will send Jesus to reign from Jerusalem, and there will be 1,000 years of peace and the rule of God on this earth. God's will to restore Israel to the Holy Land and to send Jesus will not be thwarted. However, the rest of chapter two tells us that the Day of the Lord must come first. God's judgment will be poured out for seven years of tribulation, and then, Jesus will come as the Righteous King to enforce God's Law. The Day of the Lord is also used to mean any day when God brings judgment upon people. It is a scary thought to stand before an angry God. You do not want to have that happen. Just look at what He did to Jerusalem.
There are so many parallels with our situation today. God's people are wealthy and busy. We are allowing ourselves to be distracted from the Lord by all kinds of idols and sins. I am convinced that God is getting tired of our sins, too. He is pouring out His judgment on believers again now in the USA. He has been merciful so long, but now He is acting to punish sin. If Isaiah says anything to us today, it is this. We as God's children must love Jesus with all of our hearts, and we must hate sin with all of our hearts. For too long we have been under the mistaken impression that if we love Him, He will overlook our sin. God never overlooks sin. (Romans 1:18) I urge all of us to listen closely to Isaiah's prophecy and to take it to heart.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 5-7.