October 12, 2006 - Isaiah 39-40 and Colossians 4
The book of Isaiah seems to have two sections in it. Chapter 39 is the final chapter in the first section, while chapter 40 begins the second section. That is why they are so different. Chapter 39 is an historical account of Hezekiah's life, and chapter 40 is a wonderfully diverse prophecy about the life of Jesus and things to come. This shows us some of the variety of the revelation of God in His Word.
If you remember Isaiah 38, you know that God extended Hezekiah's life because of his sincere prayer for healing. However, here we see that Hezekiah did not use his extra years wisely. God became angry at Hezekiah because he showed the treasures of Judah to the Babylonians since he was impressed by them, and he probably wanted to impress them. Therefore, God sent Isaiah to tell him that all of the treasures and all of his household would be taken away by the Babylonians. What a terrible mistake he had made! This begs the question if it would have been better for Hezekiah to have died, instead of God granting his prayer to extend his life? So, why did God extend his life? It is obvious that we all have a choice as to how we will live each day of our lives, and we are responsible for our choices. Even though God knows what we will choose, He does not force us to choose the right thing. He is giving us the opportunity to follow Him, but Hezekiah made the wrong choice. We must be careful not to do the same thing, because the consequences effect other people, too.
Isaiah 40 tells of God's greatness and of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. It contains many truths about our God. However, most people cherish this chapter for the promise at the end. Look at verses 28-31. This is a glorious truth for all of us. Do you lack strength? Do you get weak and feel faint? The answer is to wait upon the Lord. What does that mean? It means to spend time with Him and to only go at His command. When we do that, He gives us the strength to accomplish what he sends us to do. The problem is that many people are not waiting on the Lord. They are going ahead without His direction or provision.
Colossians 4 has a whole list of God's servants. Paul addresses each of them in a personal way. How were they able to serve the Lord in the early church? They had to wait on the Lord and go in His strength. How do we serve Him today? We must rely on the same process. We must learn to wait on the Lord, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 41-42 and I Thessalonians 1.
If you remember Isaiah 38, you know that God extended Hezekiah's life because of his sincere prayer for healing. However, here we see that Hezekiah did not use his extra years wisely. God became angry at Hezekiah because he showed the treasures of Judah to the Babylonians since he was impressed by them, and he probably wanted to impress them. Therefore, God sent Isaiah to tell him that all of the treasures and all of his household would be taken away by the Babylonians. What a terrible mistake he had made! This begs the question if it would have been better for Hezekiah to have died, instead of God granting his prayer to extend his life? So, why did God extend his life? It is obvious that we all have a choice as to how we will live each day of our lives, and we are responsible for our choices. Even though God knows what we will choose, He does not force us to choose the right thing. He is giving us the opportunity to follow Him, but Hezekiah made the wrong choice. We must be careful not to do the same thing, because the consequences effect other people, too.
Isaiah 40 tells of God's greatness and of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. It contains many truths about our God. However, most people cherish this chapter for the promise at the end. Look at verses 28-31. This is a glorious truth for all of us. Do you lack strength? Do you get weak and feel faint? The answer is to wait upon the Lord. What does that mean? It means to spend time with Him and to only go at His command. When we do that, He gives us the strength to accomplish what he sends us to do. The problem is that many people are not waiting on the Lord. They are going ahead without His direction or provision.
Colossians 4 has a whole list of God's servants. Paul addresses each of them in a personal way. How were they able to serve the Lord in the early church? They had to wait on the Lord and go in His strength. How do we serve Him today? We must rely on the same process. We must learn to wait on the Lord, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 41-42 and I Thessalonians 1.