Devotionary

God pursues His people, but He also loves when His people pursue Him. After all He had done for the people of Judah, God every right to expect them to seek Him with all their hearts. But they had done just the opposite. Rather than seek and serve God faithfully, they had proven to be unfaithful and spiritually adulterous. And, after Isaiah pleads with God to show them mercy, God responds by declaring their guilt and labeling them as without excuse. They had been His chosen possession, but rather than respond in love and adoration to the one who set them apart as His own, they had treated Him with contempt and drug His holy name through the mud. He had called them to repentance, but they had refused to listen. He had lovingly declared to them, “Here I am,” but rather than return, they had chosen to reject Him for other gods. In Isaiah 65:1-7, God is going to warn the people of Judah that He is about to repay them for their deeds. He is going to punish them for their wickedness. But, even then, God will not sto

The potter and the clay. This imagery is used throughout the Bible and is always intended to juxtapose the sovereignty of God over His creation, especially humanity. And this relationship between the potter and the clay is used repeatedly to remind the people of God that they are to live in willful submission to God. In Isaiah 64:8-12, the prophet addresses God as the divine potter and confesses that he and the rest of the people of Judah are little more than clay in the Almighty’s hands. He recognizes that their circumstances were out of their control and that any hope they had of redemption and restoration was up to the one who had made them. Their fate was in God’s hands. So, Isaiah pleads for God to be lenient and to remember that they are His chosen people. The prophet appeals to God as a Father, calling on Him to show mercy to His children. And Isaiah paints the scene surrounding Judah in a very tragic light, describing the city as a desolation, Mount Zion as a wilderness, and all the pleasant places as

Let’s face it. It’s hard to say, “I’m sorry.” And poor Isaiah has been trying to get the people of Judah to confess their sins and express their sorrow to God for 63 chapters. Now, as if in a last-ditch attempt to assuage the anger of God, Isaiah takes it upon himself to act as the corporate confessor for the nation of Judah. He stands in as their representative, presenting himself before God and begging the Almighty to accept his humble confession on behalf of his fellow citizens of Judah. But Isaiah not only hopes for forgiveness and restoration from God, he longs to see God in all His glory. Isaiah 64:1-7 reveals Isaiah expressing his desire For God to come out of hiding and to reveal Himself with all the pomp and circumstance He displayed on Mount Sinai. We’re talking thunder, lightning, earthquakes, smoke, and fire. Isaiah was looking for a show from God. But he had a reason for his request. He wanted the people of Judah to see God for who He was: The all-powerful, holy God of the universe. Maybe if they

Sometimes, when going through a time of difficulty, we seem to forget that God has been good to us in the past. The present pain seems to induce long-term memory loss, causing us to doubt God and His goodness. We call out, demanding that God rescue us, but we fail to remember all the times He has done so in the past. But present pain should be a good reminder of God’s past mercies. He has always been there and, if we look closely, He has always come through for us. Maybe not according to our liking or our preferred timing, but He did come through. In Isaiah 63:7-19, the prophet is going to call out to God, pleading for Him to rescue His people. But Isaiah will show no signs of memory loss. Instead, he will recount to God the many examples of His grace and mercy and beg Him to rescue His wayward people yet again. Isaiah wasn’t attempting to jog God’s memory, but he was trying to remind his own people of the faithfulness of their heavenly Father. They were His children and He would care for them. Yes, they had

Christians are encouraged to long for the coming of Christ. We are to eagerly anticipate His return, first for His bride, the church, and then in His second advent, when He returns to earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords. And in Isaiah 63:1-6, Isaiah is given a glimpse of that future day, when Jesus returns in all His might and glory, bringing the final judgment against Satan, Antichrist, the false prophet and all the nations of the world that stand opposed to God. Isaiah records the words of Jesus Himself as He declares that His day of redemption has come. He will finish what He began, completing the divine plan for the redemption of His chosen people, the recreation of the world, and the removal of Satan and all those who follow him from the scene. The final phase of God’s judgment, unleashed during the seven years of the Tribulation, will come to a close as Jesus defeats the forces of evil and establishes righteousness on earth once and for all. And nobody longs for that day more than Jesus Himself

Forgotten and forsaken. That’s exactly how the people of Judah felt. While Isaiah has spent the last 61 chapters pointing out their sins and warning them about the coming judgment of God, they couldn’t help but feel like they were the ones who had been ignored. They saw themselves as the forsaken ones. It wasn’t that Isaiah had failed to expose their guilt and corporate culpability. It was that they just couldn’t bring themselves to believe that their circumstances were of their own making. Yet, in spite of their refusal to take responsibility for their sins, God is going to offer them the promise of His future restoration. Isaiah 61:1-12 reveals that they were going to experience the unbelievable and totally undeserved joy of being redeemed by God. God had not forsaken or forgotten them. He had not turned His back on them. He had great things in store for them, and He wanted them to keep their eyes focused on the future, when they would become once again, the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, sought out

As Christians, we talk a lot about the glory of God. Sometimes, I’m not even sure we quite know what we mean. We talk about giving God glory. We sing of His glory. We refer to Him as being glorious. But are we sure what we mean when we say these things? The people of Israel thought they were giving glory to God by going through the motions of keeping His law and offering the sacrifices He had prescribed. But their hearts were far from Him. They called Him glorious but didn’t treat Him as such. But in Isaiah 61:4-11, we hear of a day when God will get all the glory He deserves and not just from His chosen people. The entire earth will glorify Him for who He is and all that He has done. And He will bring glory to Himself by restoring His rebellious people to Himself – all by Himself. The nations will sit up and take notice. The world will recognize Him as God and marvel at the glorious nature of His power, mercy, and grace. All to His glory.

The Bible is a story. A single story with a clear beginning and an end to it. But in spite of the opinions of some, it is not a work of fiction. It is history. Or, as some like to say it HIS story. The story of God’s redemption and restoration of sinful mankind. And in Isaiah 61:1-3 we are given a glimpse into the future when that final chapter of the story will be written. It involves the servant of God. This individual will play a starring role in the culmination of God’s story and will bring about the final phase of His redemptive plan. And, as we will see, Jesus Christ was and is that servant. He came the first time to pay the price for the sins of man. He gave His life as a ransom for many. He sacrificed His own life that those who were enemies of God might be made friends of God. Not only that, so that they might become children of God. And while the majority of the Jews, His own people, rejected Jesus as their Messiah, there is a day coming when He will return again. When He does, He will restore His r

Today’s passage contains three little words that carry a punch: But the Lord… In Isaiah 60:17-22, God reveals His future plans for the people of Judah. While the near-term prognosis looked bleak, with judgment hovering over their heads, the people of Judah could rest in the promise that God had something remarkable in store for them. Their immediate prospects were less-than-ideal, but His long-term plans were better than they could have ever hoped or imagined. The future would feature a complete reversal of fortunes, turning the circumstances surrounding Judah and Israel on their heads. God was going to do great things for them. But the events described in this passage are still yet to be fulfilled. They remain on the distant horizon – a part of His end times strategy that will bring His redemptive plan for mankind and the world to a final dramatic conclusion. While it can be easy to look at the current state of affairs in the world and lose hope, we must always remember those three powerful words that hover

As the book of Isaiah begins to draw to a close, the prophetic tone of the book seems to increase in intensity. While the people of Judah were facing some serious judgment from God, He was letting them know that the future was bright. In spite of their rebellion, God was going to do great things among them. As He had spoken through the prophet, Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” From their limited perspective, things looked bleak, but God could see all the way to the end, the literal end, and He knew how the story would eventually unfold. Isaiah 60:1-16 is a marvelous reminder of God’s promise to be Israel’s Savior and Redeemer. And while the people of Israel had initially rejected His Son when He came to earth the first time, God is going to make sure that His Son’s second advent results in the salvation of His people. Despite generations of rebellion and a lengthy track record of rejecting God, the people of Israel woul

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 t

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 dispens

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 t

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.   

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 w

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, bu

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

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 t

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 dyin

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 Hi