Then All Will Know.

Isaiah 49-50, Revelation 8

Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior; and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. – Isaiah 49:26 ESV

One of the reasons God chose Israel was to reveal Himself through them. They were to have been a living example of what it looks like when men walk in a right relationship with God. They had received His law, which was intended to provide them with a code of conduct, unlike any other on earth. He had given them the sacrificial system in order to atone for their inevitable sins and to receive forgiveness so that they might continue to enjoy His presence among them. God had chosen Israel in order to reveal His presence and power among men. He had placed His name on them so that they might reveal to the world around them what it looks like when men serve God faithfully. Their lives should have been lights shining in the darkness around them. But they had failed. And God had known all along that they would do so. He was not surprised, shocked, or caught off guard. The sending of His Son was not plan B. The incarnation was not a knee-jerk reaction to Israel's failure to live up to God's expectations. The Messiah had been the plan all along. God had known that mankind was incapable of living up to His holy, righteous standards. They could not keep His law. They could not obey His commands. And the sacrificial system had always been a temporary and incomplete solution to their ongoing sin problem. It was never intended to absolve them of their guilt permanently or completely. Which is why they had to keep offering sacrifices year after year. It was a foreshadowing of a greater sacrifice to come.

What does this passage reveal about God?

The goal of God has always been for men to worship Him and Him alone. All of creation was intended to bring glory to God. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1 ESV). “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20 NLT). Throughout history, God has made Himself known to man. He revealed Himself to Abraham. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush. He manifested His glory to the people of israel through thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai. He appeared before them as a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoke. He spoke through His prophets. His presence appeared in the Holy of Holies above the Mercy Seat. God was always making Himself known. But men either failed to acknowledge Him or refused to obey Him. Israel, as a nation, never fully lived in obedience and faithfulness to Him. And yet God would use the nation of Israel as the means by which He would make Himself known to the world. He would see to it that His Son, the Messiah, would be born a Jew. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Galatians 4:4-5 NLT). God's greatest revelation of Himself to mankind would be through His own Son. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15 NLT). The apostle Paul refers to Jesus as “the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). He became God in the flesh – God incarnate.

What does this passage reveal about man?

But even Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7 ESV), was eventually rejected by men. He became “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8 ESV). God predicted the rejection of His own Son through His prophet Isaiah. “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6 ESV). In chapters 49-50 of Isaiah, God makes it clear that the day was coming when He would send His servant to redeem Israel, not from captivity in Babylon, but from captivity to sin. He would bring salvation of a kind they had never known. And as a result, they would know God. “Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 49:23 ESV). The Jews collectively rejected the Messiah when He came the first time. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11 ESV). But at His second coming, Christ will come in power and glory and might. He will come as a conquering warrior and as the King of kings and Lord of lords. “Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior; and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob” (Isaiah 49:26 ESV). At His second coming there will be no discussion or debate as to who He is. There will be no one living who will be able to reject the reality of His nature as God or the essence of His role as King.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The return of Jesus will be accompanied with great judgment. He will not come as an innocent, helpless baby, but as a conquering King and righteous Judge over all the earth. The book of Revelation makes it painfully clear that judgment is a non-negotiable part of His return. Chapter eight records four of the seven trumpets that will bring judgment upon the earth during the days of the Great Tribulation. There will be cataclysmic, worldwide destruction that will impact every living person on earth at that time. God will reveal Himself in devastating, non-debatable reality. And it will all culminate with the return of His Son. Men have only two options: They can choose to recognize the glory of God revealed through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ, making possible salvation and a restored relationship with Him. Or they can wait and face God's glory as revealed in His coming judgment. The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 ESV). When Christ returns, no one will be able to debate His deity or reject His sovereignty. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Lord. They will worship Him whether they want to or not. How much more should we who have been redeemed by His blood worship Him now? We who have been made right with God through the finished work of Christ on the cross have been witness to God's glory. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 ESV). We have seen Him. Now we must reveal Him to all those around us. We have been transformed by the Light of the world, so that we might shine like lights in the world. God is making Himself known through us. But one day He will make Himself known to all men through the return of His Son to earth. Then all flesh shall know.

Father, You want to be known by men. But You also want to be worshiped by men. You designed us for worship. You created us to have a relationship with You. But sin interfered and marred that relationship. It created a barrier over which we could not climb. It placed before a chasm we could not cross. But You sent Your Son to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. And one day You are sending Him again to do for the world what it cannot do for itself. You will redeem Your creation, restore the people of Israel, and bring an end to sin and death once and for all – so that all will know that You alone are God. Amen

Our Blessed Redeemer.

Isaiah 47-48, Revelation 7

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. – Revelation 7:12 ESV

Israel got exactly what they deserved: defeat at the hands of their enemies and a humiliating deportation and exile in the land of Babylon. God had warned them repeatedly. He had told them what was going to happen if they continued to rebel against Him and refuse to obey His commands. He would send His prophets with words of warning and calls to repentance, but the Israelites would remain obstinate and refuse to listen. So God did what He had to do. He punished them, but not without purpose or for a good reason. “For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:9-10 ESV). God would protect the integrity of His name. He would not allow His character to be defamed by those who were called by His name. Their actions reflected poorly on God, but if God were to destroy them completely, His reputation would be damaged. He had made promises to Israel and He would not and could not fail to keep those promises. The Israelites did not deserve God's redemption, but they would receive it nonetheless. “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go’” (Isaiah 48:17 ESV). They would once again experience the redemptive work of God in their lives. They would learn the reality of His power revealed in their deliverance. They would come to appreciate His wisdom revealed in His sovereign plan. They would eventually express gratitude to Him for their restoration to the land and the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the temple. But because their deliverance was temporal and not eternal, they would find themselves falling back into old habits, and giving in to their sinful natures.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God is the creator of the universe. He made all that we can see and all that remains unseen to the human eye. And when He had made it all, He declared it good – including man. But sin marred His creation. What God had created as good became stained by sin. The peace or shalom which originally marked His creation was shattered and the result was that sin spread like a cancer through the land, infecting man and the world in which he lived. But God, because of His character, was not willing to leave His creation in a less-than-perfect state. So God has had a plan in place, developed before He even made the first star or formed the first blade of grass. He has had a divine strategy to deal with man's sin and its devastating aftermath. He was not surprised by man's fall, but already knew what He was going to do in order to reestablish order and redeem His creation. All that we see taking place in the Old Testament between God and His people Israel is simply a foreshadowing of what is to come. His patience and persistent determination to keep His covenant provides us with a glimpse into His character and a reassuring confirmation of just how faithful our God is. God's choosing of Israel as His people was so that He could one day bring about the redemption of all men through a solitary descendant of Abraham, the father of the people of Israel. God was going to use this obscure nation to accomplish His redemptive plan for mankind.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Israel deserved God's punishment for their sins, but they did NOT deserve His selection of them as His people. God made that perfectly clear to them. “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 ESV). God didn't choose Israel because they deserved it. He chose them because He had a greater purpose in mind. He was interested in more than just the redemption and restoration of a single people group. He has always had the complete restoration and redemption of His creation in mind. God is a loving, covenant-keeping God. He is faithful, holy and righteous in all that He does. He always deals rightly and justly, even when He has to punish those He loves. God's anger is never unjustified or without purpose. He uses it to teach and refine those He loves. The people of Israel loved their unique position as God's chosen ones. They put high stock in their one-of-a-kind status as God's people. But their relationship with Him was strained and marked by lip-service, rather than true devotion. “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and call on the God of Israel. You don’t keep your promises, even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Isaiah 48:1-2 NLT). They were unreliable, undependable, unfaithful, and for the most part, unrepentant. But God would still redeem them.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The beauty of studying the Old and New Testaments together is that it presents us with the bigger storyline of God's redemptive plan. God's choosing of Israel had a much greater purpose than just the temporal blessing of a particular people group for a specific time period. God had a much greater, richer, and far more comprehensive plan in mind. His strategy has always been the ultimate redemption of mankind and the complete restoration of His creation. He was not interested in a temporal or partial fix, but a permanent one. And in the book of Revelation we are given a vision of just what that is going to look like. John is allowed to see what God has in store for the future. And the amazing thing is that God is not done with His people Israel. While His eternal plan involves far more than just the nation of Israel, it does not leave them out of the storyline. They will continue to play a significant role in God's redemptive plan, even during the time of the great tribulation that marks the end of the age. God will miraculously redeem 144,000 Jews and bring them to a saving knowledge of His Son during one of the most difficult times of persecution and trial that has ever faced mankind. Those 144,000 Jews will then become His witnesses on the earth, leading “a great multitude that no one could number” (Revelation 7:9 ESV) to faith in Christ. They will evangelize throughout the world, resulting in the conversion of people “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9 ESV). But all of this will be the work of God. It will be part of His grand plan, as He faithfully and methodically brings about the final chapter in His story of man's redemption and His creation's restoration. God will redeem 144,000 from the nation of Israel. He will redeem countless more from every tribe, nation and tongue. Not because they deserve it, but because it is part of His unstoppable, irreversible plan for the world He created. Which is why we should say, “Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Revelation 7:12 ESV).

Father, it is so easy to lose sight of Your bigger plan of redemption. You didn't choose Israel and stop there. You fully intended to make Your grace, love and mercy available to men from every tribe, nation and tongue. You didn't relegate Your plan of redemption to just one nation, but intended to make it available to all. Your plan is greater than my own salvation and bigger than my ongoing sanctification. You have something far greater in store for me and for all mankind that just a slightly better life on this earth. You have eternal life waiting for us. Your salvation ends with our glorification and the complete restoration of Your creation. May you bring Your divine plan to a close soon. Amen

Our Incomparable God.

Isaiah 45-46, Revelation 6

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. – Isaiah 46:11 ESV

Over and over again, God reminded Isaiah and the people of Israel, “I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:6 ESV). He boldly claimed, “I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host” (Isaiah 45:12 ESV). God was unrelenting and unapologetic in His claim to be the only true God. “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength” (Isaiah 45:24 ESV). Idols made with human hands were not only ridiculous substitutes for the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe; they revealed the ignorance and stupidity of the ones who had made them. Idols were powerless to move. They couldn't hear and they were incapable of speech. And when their makers went into captivity, the idols went right along with them. But men still worship gods of their own making. They continue to come up with substitutes for the almighty, all-powerful God who made them, and who alone can save them. They fail to recognize that it is futile to reject God. It is ridiculous to question God or to attempt to replace Him with something or someone else. God's sovereignty is not based on man's acknowledgement of it. Our refusal to confess Him as the one true God does not alter the fact that He is and that all that He speaks is truth and all that He does is right.

What does this passage reveal about God?

That God puts up with mankind is amazing. That He has not wiped out the entire human race is a testimony to His patience and a reminder of His sovereign plan. The ongoing rejection of God by men is no surprise to Him. His entire plan of redemption is based on man's inability to worship Him in their own strength. No one is capable of worshiping God completely or faithfully. All men eventually fail in their worship of God. Even those who acknowledge Him as God are unable to treat Him with the dignity, honor, reverence and respect He deserves. Even the people of Israel could not remain faithful, in spite of all that He had done for them. And yet God said, “All Israel is saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity” (Isaiah 45:17 ESV). Yes, Israel would suffer punishment for their sins. They would experience the devastating reality of defeat at the hands of their enemies and the demoralizing impact of exile in a foreign land, but God was not done with them. Their loving God would eventually redeem and restore them. And He would use a pagan king to do so. Their sovereign, all-powerful God would do the impossible and cause Cyrus, the king of Persia to return the people of God to the land of promise. In His message to Isaiah, God refers to Cyrus as his anointed. He lets the people of Israel know that even this pagan, godless king was under His control, and would be used by Him to bring about His divine plan of redemption for His people.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Doubting God is a national pastime for most Americans. Even those who claim to believe in Him spend a great deal of time questioning His power and living their lives as if He didn't really exist. Those who unapologetically refuse to acknowledge the reality of God spend their lives coming up with ways to replace Him with gods of their own making. Science, materialism and money, pleasure, religion, entertainment, politics, military power, philanthropy, and a host of other “false gods” end up being the focus of man's attention and the recipients of his worship. It is in these things that men place their hope and from which they seek help. But they will never live up to the expectations we place in them. They will always fall short because they are poor substitutes for the one true God. One of the greatest truths that men must come to grips with is that there is NO OTHER GOD. There is no substitute for God. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9 ESV). Man's inability to comprehend God does not negate His existence. Man's unwillingness to acknowledge God does not alter His reality. Man's propensity to create substitutes for God will always prove futile and fruitless. “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10 ESV).    

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

There are no other gods. There can be no substitute or replacement for God. He alone is God and His divine will is inevitable and unstoppable. He will accomplish what He has planned. He will do all that He has said He will do. I may not always understand it or even like it. I may fail to comprehend what He is doing or attempt to counteract it with my own plan, but His will will be done. His plan will be accomplished. In the book of Revelation, we are given a look into the future, when God will bring His divine plan of redemption to a close. He will bring to an end what He began in Genesis, the book of beginnings. The Lamb who is worthy will be given the scroll and will begin to methodically break the six seals that hold it shut. With each broken seal, God's judgment will be released on mankind. This future event is the beginning of the end. It is known as the time of the great tribulation. And while there is much debate as to its exact nature, the one non-negotiable fact is that God will be the one who brings it about. He will bring a final judgment on the earth. “For the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:17 ESV). There will be wars, famines, disease, and death on an unprecedented scale. God's judgment will come in waves. And while we might want to question the fairness of it all or attempt to rationalize away the reality of it ever happening, we must understand that God's will is inevitable and always right. How well we should remember the words of God to Isaiah: “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’” (Isaiah 45:9 NLT). We must learn to trust God. We must trust Him and rest in the fact that He knows exactly what He is doing – at all times. “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22 ESV).

Father, I find it so easy to doubt You. Because I can't see what You see or understand what You are doing behind the scenes, outside of my perception, I tend to question Your sovereignty and come up with my own plans. But You alone are God. Your will is righteous, holy and always right. Your plan is perfect and You are working it out in perfection. Help me to learn to trust You more. Amen

Worthy Is The Lamb!

Isaiah 43-44, Revelation 5

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! – Revelation 5:12 ESV

God's relationship with Israel was complicated. He had chosen them. He had made them His prized possession among all the nations of the world. He had determined to dwell among them, give them His law as a standard for righteous living, and then provided the sacrificial system as a means of forgiveness when they failed to live up to His law. They were to worship Him as their God. They were to both love and fear Him. They were expected to obey Him. They were to acknowledge Him as their Creator and King. He was to be their Lord of Hosts, their rescuer and protector in times of conflict. But more than anything, God was to be their Savior and Redeemer. There were times when He was forced to be their Judge, pronouncing His sentence of guilt upon them and executing the punishment they so justly deserved. Yet, in spite of their sin, God always stood ready to be their Savior. He repeatedly restored and redeemed them.  

What does this passage reveal about God?

God is worthy to be worshiped. He is deserving of man's praise and adoration – especially those who have been called by His name. He is the one who created all that exists. And as if that was not enough, He determined to have a special, one-of-a-kind relationship with the nation of Israel. He chose to allow them to experience the power of His presence. He revealed Himself to them. He dwelt among them. He gave them His law. He led them. He fed them. He protected and provided for them. He told them, “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:3 ESV). He reminded them, “you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4 ESV). He went out of His way to teach them, “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King” (Isaiah 43:15 ESV). And yet, they responded to Him with indifference, apathy, and a stubborn refusal to acknowledge who He was and all that He had done. “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!” (Isaiah 43:22 ESV). Rather than worship Him, they burdened Him with their sins and wore Him out with their iniquities (Isaiah 43:24). But amazingly, God responded with grace, mercy, love and forgiveness. “I, I am he, who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

When the people of Israel were given the unique opportunity to have a relationship with the God of the universe, they proved to be unfaithful. Their affections for Him proved fickle and fleeting. Rather than honor Him as the one true God, they constantly found themselves turning to false gods. When faced with difficulties or in the midst of trying circumstances, they consistently put their hopes, expectations and affections in something other than God. His repeated acts of kindness, deliverance, protection, provision, mercy, grace, and love were met with indifference, doubt, ingratitude, and unfaithfulness. God had proven Himself over and over again. He had shown that He alone was God. There were no other gods before Him. He had defeated the gods of Egypt. He had overcome the gods of the nations that occupied the land of Canaan. He ridiculed the very idea of idols, saying, “All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit” (Isaiah 44:9 ESV). He exposed the idiocy of those who bowed down to the very things they had created, rather than worship the One who had created them.  

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

For those of us who call ourselves children of God, He has proven Himself worthy of our allegiance. He has redeemed us through the blood of His own Son. He has provided us a means by which we can escape judgment and enjoy a restored relationship with Him. He has rescued and redeemed us. He has shown Himself to be worthy of our praise, adoration, obedience, love and worship. And we are reminded that that worth is unmatched and without end. There is no one else like Him. There is nothing on this earth that even remotely comes close to Him in value and worth. There is nothing in heaven that rivals His majesty, power, and holiness, or merits our worship, attention or affections. In the book of Revelation, John is given a glimpse into heaven and shown a scene that takes place some time in the distant future. He sees God sitting on His throne in heaven, holding in his hand a scroll. John hears the voice of an angel crying out, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break the seals?” (Revelation 5:2 ESV). And much to John's dismay, he realizes that “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it” (Revelation 5:3 ESV), and he began to weep. The scroll contained the details concerning the future of mankind and the earth. It would reveal how the story ends, but no one was worthy to open it and reveal what was going to happen. Except for one – the Lamb who was slain. “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10 ESV). The one who was slain is the one who will make possible the final fulfillment of God's plan of redemption and restoration of creation. He alone is worthy. It is He who provided for our salvation and who will make possible the consummation of all things. He is our Savior, Holy One, Creator, King, Lord of Hosts, and Redeemer. No one and nothing else deserves our praise, attention, affections, hope, trust, worship, and love. “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 ESV).

Father, it is so amazing that I can find myself worshiping anything or anyone other than You. Nothing compares to You. Nothing can hold a candle to You. Your power is unmatched. Your holiness is unexcelled. And yet I can so easily end up worshiping the creation rather than the Creator. I can so quickly place my affections and expectations in those things that cannot deliver. You alone are God. You alone are worthy. You have proven that to be true time and time again, and when it comes time for You to bring Your plan to an end, it will be Your Son who proves worthy to finish what You began. Amen

I Am Your God!

Isaiah 41-42, Revelation 4

You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off;  fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:9-10 ESV

Things did not always go well with Israel. They experienced their fair share of difficulties and had to endure the repeated discipline of God for their sins and indiscretions. But God continually reminded them of His faithfulness and His unwillingness to abandon them. He would remain committed to their care and to His unwavering adherence to the promises He had made to them. He had chosen them. He had set them apart as His own and He would not give up on them. Yes, they would have to experience His judgment and endure His punishment, but He also assured them, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you’” (Isaiah 41:13 ESV). In spite of all that they saw happening around them, they could rest assured that God would not abandon them or give up on them.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God's faithfulness is something we take for granted far too often. Like the availability of forgiveness after we sin, we sometimes just treat lightly and casually God's unwavering faithfulness to us. If we're not careful, we can fail to appreciate just how spectacular His unwavering commitment to us really is. The holy, sinless, righteous God of the universe willingly chooses to have a relationship with us, based not on our own merit, but on His mercy and grace. God loves us in spite of us, not because of us. The amazing thing is that the same God who “gave up Jacob to the looter, and Israel to the plunderer” (Isaiah 42:24 ESV) would be the one who would one day rescue and restore them. “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:14 ESV). The day would come when they would rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

What does this passage reveal about man?

God had done so much for the people of Israel. “The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. But this is a people plundered and looted…” (Isaiah 42:21-22 ESV). Why? Because they failed to obey His law. They rejected His will for their lives. They refused to live as a people set apart by God and for God. Instead, they turned to idols. They put their trust in false gods made out of wood and stone. God sarcastically challenged these false gods, demanding, “tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods. In fact, do anything—good or bad! Do something that will amaze and frighten us” (Isaiah 41:23 NLT). But they couldn't. They proved to be helpless and hopeless. “But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves” (Isaiah 41:24 NLT). Rather than trust in the God who created everything, the people were guilty of turning to gods created by men. God made it clear that these man-made gods would prove to be a huge disappointment. “See, they are all foolish, worthless things. All your idols are as empty as the wind” (Isaiah 41:29 NLT).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

And yet, God didn't give up on His people. He would end up sending His own Son as the solution to the problem of sin among His own people, as well as the rest of mankind. “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1 ESV). Years later, Jesus would quote this very verse and the ones following it, referring to Himself as the fulfillment of isaiah's prophecy. He was the servant sent by God. He was the ultimate answer to mankind's sin problem. God had given His glorious law in order to reveal His righteous, unachievable standard. The law revealed the extent of man's sin. God gave His Son as the sacrifice necessary to pay the penalty for those sins. In other words, God made it possible for men to have a relationship with Himself that they could never have achieved on their own. He made the impossible possible. In the book of Revelation, John is given a one-of-a-kind glimpse into heaven where he saw God Almighty seated on His throne. The imagery he used to describe his vision is other-worldly and fantastic in nature. It is the efforts of a mere man attempting to describe the indescribable. He is trying to put into words something that words could never adequately describe. It is a scene filled with beauty and eliciting awe and wonder. There is thunder and flashes of lightning. There are fantastical creatures and worshiping elders. And in the midst of it all sits the Lord God Almighty. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11 ESV). The amazing thing is that THIS God is OUR God. This same holy, transcendent, powerful, awe-inspiring, fear-producing God is our personal, intimate Father. He loves us and longs to have a relationship with us. So much so, that He gave His Son as the means by which we might be made right with Him. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). Now that is truly amazing!

Father, I am blown away by the fact that You are MY God. I know that You are the god of all men, whether they acknowledge or are aware of it. But You are my God in an intimate, personal way. You have made me Your son and placed me in Your family by sacrificing Your Son in my place and satisfying Your own just demands for the punishment of my sins with His sinless, innocent life. What an amazing reality. Never let me take it for granted or treat it lightly. Amen

Behold Your God!

Isaiah 39-40, Revelation 3

Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. – Isaiah 40:10 ESV

Judgment was coming. While God had spared Judah defeat at the hands of the Assyrians, that did not mean that they had dodged the inevitable punishment of God for theirs sins. They were enjoying an undeserved reprieve, but their sinful state still demanded that a just and holy God deal with them judiciously and rightly. What God wanted from His people was repentance. He desired for them to return to Him in faithfulness and dependence, placing their full trust in Him as their God. He wanted them to reflect their unique position as His chosen people and live their lives in accordance with His commands. But they continued to stubbornly and persistently reject His will for their lives. Even Hezekiah, after having been given an additional 15 years of life by God, makes a cardinal error of giving visiting envoys from the land of Babylon a world-wind tour of his kingdom, showing them all his royal treasures and the extend of his military arsenal. In Hezekiah's mind, he was simply wooing a possible ally in his ongoing fight against the Assyrians. He was trying to impress them with his wealth and power. But in reality, Hezekiah was guilty of placing his hope and trust in something other than God. He saw the eventual rescue of his nation coming from somewhere else other than God. And even when the prophet Isaiah told him that “the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left” (Isaiah 39:6 ESV), Hezekiah mistakenly took it as good news. He somehow thought that this all meant an alliance with Babylon would bring peace and security to the land of Judah. 

What does this passage reveal about God?

Chapter 39 ends with God's pronouncement of coming judgment on Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. As almost always seemed to be the case, the people of God never quite fully understood the significance or seriousness of what was about to happen to them. They always seemed to have another trick up their sleeve or another plan that they thought could forestall the inevitable judgment of God. Hezekiah just couldn't bring himself to believe that God would actually destroy His own people. After all, they were the descendants of Abraham, the chosen people of God. They were the apple of His eye and Jerusalem contained the temple in which God's presence dwelt. But what Hezekiah failed to understand was the holiness of God. He could not and would not tolerate sin among His people. He could not turn a blind eye to their ongoing rebellion and overlook their persistently unrepentant hearts. Judgment was not only inevitable, but unavoidable. As a righteous and holy judge, God had to pass sentence on the sins of the people. To ignore their sins would have made Him unjust. To fail to condemn and pass judgment on their sins would have been an unrighteous act. But God reveals something incredibly powerful in chapter 40. In His divine wisdom and omniscience, God provides Isaiah with a glimpse into the future. It is as if a huge gap exists between the end of chapter 39 and the opening verses of chapter 40. The judgment of God would come. The city of Jerusalem would fall. The temple of God would be destroyed. The people of Judah would end up in exile in Babylon for 70 years. But then something incredible was going to happen. Just when everything was bleak and hopeless, the shout would be heard: “Behold your God!” Just when the people of God had grown accustomed to their exile and resigned to the idea that they would never again see their homeland, the news would be announced, “Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:10-11 ESV). God was going to act. God was going to do something incomparable and inconceivable. He was going to redeem His people once again from captivity and restore them to the land.

What does this passage reveal about man?

The people of Judah did not understand their God. They did not appreciate His power and sovereignty. They took for granted His presence and treated lightly His righteous demands on their lives. God revealed His intimate understanding of them when He rhetorically asked, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’?” (Isaiah 40:27 ESV). Prior to the exile, when they were living in the land of Judah, they acted as if God was oblivious to or indifferent about their behavior. He either didn't care or couldn't see what they were doing. Once they found themselves living in exile, they took the defeatist attitude that God didn't care or was just blind to their predicament. He refused to see anything good that they might be doing. But God reminded them, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV). God was not indifferent to their predicament or incapable of doing something about it. He was the God of the universe. He knows all things. He is all-powerful. He is the source of all strength, all hope, all deliverance, all help, all joy, and all restoration. In spite of the sins of Judah, He would eventually restore them to the land. In spite of the sins of mankind, He will eventually restore His creation to a right relationship with Him. The day is coming when all men will hear the words, “Behold your God!” That does not mean that all men and women will worship Him, but they will acknowledge Him as the God of the universe. There will be no more debate as to His existence or His sovereign reign over everything and everyone.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

In Revelation 2-3, we have the words of Jesus spoken to the seven churches. In these two chapters we see Him both commending and condemning these churches. He acknowledges their faithfulness and perseverance under trial. He praises their endurance and determination to remain true to Him even while facing extreme difficulties. But He also reveals their glaring deficiencies and failures. He points out their compromise, as well as their spiritual arrogance and pride. He exposes their self-sufficiency and tolerance of falsehood in their midst. He accuses them of spiritual apathy and lukewarmness. But repeatedly, He reminds them to stay the course. He encourages them to not give up or give in.

“To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” – Revelation 2:7 ESV

“The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” – Revelation 2:11 ESV

“To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” – Revelation 2:17 ESV

“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations…” – Revelation 2:26 ESV

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” – Revelation 3:5 ESV

“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.” – Revelation 3:12 ESV

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” – Revelation 3:21 ESV

While this may all sound like the burden lies on us to make it through to the end, the Scriptures make it clear that our ultimate victory is the Lord's doing, not our own. Our ability to conquer and come through this life faithful and true is made possible by the indwelling presence of God Himself. Our faithfulness is not of our own making, but is provided by the Spirit of God within us. He empowers and equips us. He gives us strength to obey and the will to remain faithful to the end. So that when all is said and done, and we stand before the Father in heaven, we will hear the words, “Behold your God!” and fully understand the sobering significance of their meaning.

Father, You are incomparable. Your power is immeasurable. Your love for me is unfathomable. I can't fully grasp who You are and all that You have done for me. Yet You are my God. That is unbelievable. You are with me each and every day of my life. You never leave my side. You never lose sight of me or ever take your hands off of me. You will never leave me nor forsake me. You refuse to abandon me and You will faithfully complete Your plan for me. I WILL conquer. I will survive. I will make it through to the end, in spite of my unfaithfulness, weakness, inconsistencies, lack of love, lukewarmness, compromise and spiritual complacency. It is YOU who are faithful and true. And any good I do in this life is completely up to Your Spirit's work in my life. Amen

He Knows.

Isaiah 37-38, Revelation 2

…but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. – Isaiah 38:17 ESV

The Assyrians had Judah surrounded. The fate of the people of God seemed assured. There appeared to be no way that they could withstand the coming onslaught of one of the most powerful armies on earth. But God knew something they didn't know. He knew the outcome. And He had known it from before the foundations of the world. He had known it before Assyrian was even a nation or Sennacharib the king had even been born. Even as Sennacharib boasted and bragged about his power and the invincibility of his army, God had his fate predetermined. God warned him, “Have you not heardthat I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass” (Isaiah 37:26 ESV). Sennacharib's success had been God's doing. This pagan king and his powerful army had been pawns in the hand of God to accomplish His will. God made it clear to Sennacharib, “I know you sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me” (Isaiah 37:28 ESV). Nothing escaped God's notice. Nothing happened without God's sovereign consent. And it was God's predetermined will that Sennacharib would not conquer Jerusalem. For all his boasting and bluster, Sennacharib would find himself unsuccessful, losing 185,000 soldiers by the hand of God and losing his life at the hands of his own sons. God told Isaiah, “By the way he came, by the same way he shall return, and he shall not come into this city” (Isaiah 37:34 ESV). God knew something Sennacharib, Hezekiah, and even Isaiah didn't know. He knew the plan.

What does this passage reveal about God?

There is never a moment when God is up in heaven, wringing His hands in worry or disbelief. He is never caught off guard, surprised by circumstances, or left scratching His head and wondering how something happened. God is always fully aware and completely in control at all times. It is only from our limited perspective that things sometimes appear to be out of His control. When Hezekiah became ill, God was not surprised. In fact, He told Hezekiah, “Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover” (Isaiah 38:1 ESV). But Hezekiah's response to God's announcement was to call out to Him in prayer. He asked God to remember his faithfulness and his effort to serve Him with a whole heart. And God heard Hezekiah's prayer and answered. He gave him 15 more years of life. But even that miraculous answer to prayer was part of God's sovereign plan. He knew what He was going to do all along. And while that thought might give us cause for concern and raise the question of whether it is even necessary or worthwhile to pray; the truth is, we should find comfort in the fact that God is always in control. Hezekiah didn't ask for 15 more years of life. He simply asked God to “remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight” (Isaiah 38:3 ESV). He was simply trusting God to treat him with kindness, grace and mercy as he faced his death. But God had something in store that Hezekiah didn't know. God had planned to extend his life an additional 15 years. But God also had a plan to get Hezekiah's undivided attention so that those last years of his life might be better focused that the years that had preceded them.

What does this passage reveal about man?

There is so much we don't know. There is so much we don't understand. We look around us and see what we believe to be good, only to find out that it ends in trouble. We experience what we believe to be evil, only to learn that it somehow brought us good. Our sorrows end up producing joy. Our successes sometimes bring heartache. We tend to run from trouble and pursue peace and prosperity. But when we do so, we fail to remember that God knows something we don't know. He sees what we can't see. He is in control at all times and His sovereignty extends to all areas of our lives. How presumptuous for us to think that we can know what is best for us? How arrogant for us to believe that we can tell God what He needs to do for us? I am reminded of the words of Isaiah found later in his book: “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be?'” (Isaiah 45:9 NLT). The immediate context of this verse is God's announcement that He will use King Cyrus as His chosen instrument to accomplish His divine plan. He would use this pagan king to restore the people of God to the land of promise after 70 years in exile. And while God's decision to use a godless king would seem to make no sense to us, God knew best. “I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people—without seeking a reward! I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” (Isaiah 45:13 ESV). No one would prayed for that to happen. No man alive at that time would have dreamed that the king of Persia would allow the people of God to return to their own land and pay for the entire trip out of his royal treasury. But God knew.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Over in the book of Revelation, Jesus speaks to the seven churches. He has words of exhortation and warning. He repeatedly says, “I know.” He is fully aware of their circumstances, the nature of their faith, the struggles and trials with which they are dealing, and the ultimate outcome of their situation. Jesus told the church at Ephesus, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance” (Revelation 2:2 ESV). He assured them that He knew they were “enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake” (Revelation 2:3 ESV). But He also knew they had abandoned their first love. They had turned their relationship with Him into religion, going through the motions without the proper motivation of love for Him. Jesus told the church in Smyrna, “I know your tribulation and your poverty” (Revelation 2:9 ESV). He knew their circumstances and the difficulties that surrounded them daily. He also knew they were going to face increasing persecution, but it would be followed by the crown of life. Jesus knew the outcome of their faith as well as their fate. To the church at Pergamum, Jesus said, “I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is” (Revelation 2:13 ESV). He knew how bad things were in their city. He knew how influential Satan was in their home town. He also knew that while many had remained faithful in spite of their difficult circumstances, some had compromised their faith and convictions. In all of this, Jesus does not act surprised, caught off guard, or left shaking His head in disbelief. He knows how hard it is for us to live Christ-like lives on this earth. He knows we face a real enemy who hates us and is out to destroy us. He knows that we will falter and sometimes fail. But He also knows the outcome of our perseverance and persistent faith in Him. “I will grant you to eat of the tree of life” (Revelation 2:7 ESV). “I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10 ESV). “I will give him some of the hidden manna” (Revelation 2:17 ESV). “I will give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26 ESV). “I will give him the morning star” (Revelation 2:28 ESV). He knows. He understands. He has a plan. He can be trusted. He is in complete control and we can trust our lives into His fully capable hands.

Father, I want to trust You more. I want to rest in the reality of Your sovereignty – even when I don't fully understand it. I want to learn to see my circumstances through the lens of Your sovereign will. You are always in control. You always know what is going and exactly why it is happening. You always have a plan for each and every circumstance in life. I may not get it. I probably won't like it. But I need to learn to trust You with it. Amen

Be Strong. Fear Not!

Isaiah 35-36, Revelation 1

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” – Isaiah 35:3-4 ESV

Judgment was coming against the people of Judah. God had repeatedly warned them that their sin and rebellion against Him would have devastating consequences, and in chapter 36, the reality of their coming destruction began to sink in. But in chapter 35, God gave Isaiah a glimpse into the future. He allowed His messenger to witness a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkness and despair of his day. God revealed a time when all things would be made right. The eyes of the spiritually blind would be opened. The ears of those who refused to hear would not only hear, but obey. The judgment of God would be turned into blessing. The barren wilderness would blossom. The desert would become fruitful. The people would see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of God. So God tells Isaiah to “strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” (Isaiah 35:3 ESV). While their current circumstances were less than desirable, they needed to be reminded that God was not yet done. He had a bright and beautiful future in store for them. While everything looked bleak, they had to be reminded that all was not lost. As long as God sits on His throne and rules and reigns over the world He has created, there is hope – “…the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

Our God can be trusted. In spite of all that mankind has done to reject His sovereign rule and reign, He will accomplish His divine plan for their redemption and the creation's restoration. John was given a glimpse into the future and allowed to see what God had in store for mankind. He wrote, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Revelation 1:7 ESV). Jesus Christ is coming again some day. And when He returns, He will do so as a conquering King. In the vision given to John, he sees Jesus as “one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:13-16 ESV). What a stark contrast to the helpless baby in a manger. What a powerful difference from the beaten and bloodied body stuffed in a borrowed tomb. This is the resurrected Lord and Savior returning to finish what He began. Later on, in the book of Revelation, John writes, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment’” (Revelation 19:5-6 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

As we live in this world, it is easy for us to develop weak hands and feeble knees. We can find ourselves sapped of strength and running short on hope. But we must constantly remind ourselves, “Be strong; fear not!” We must never lose sight of the fact that God is not done yet. He has a plan that He has yet to consummate and complete. But He will. We must remind ourselves of the promise that Jesus gave to John. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18 ESV). Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is not done yet. He has not finished His work. But it is so easy for us to lose sight of the reality of our future glorification and put all out hope in our salvation. As great as it is to be saved from sin and the condemnation of death, I must never forget that eternity is the ultimate reward. God has in store for me so much more than even a saved life on this planet has to offer. Jesus told His disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3 ESV). Salvation, as wonderful as it is, would be incomplete without our ultimate glorification. Yes, He loved us and “freed us from our sins by his blood” (Revelation 1:5 ESV), but “he is coming with the clouds” (Revelation 1:7 ESV). He is going to return some day, and when He does, He will finish what He began. He will complete what He started.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

This life is not all there is. Jesus did not die just to redeem me and then leave me to struggle with the temptations and trials of this world. He has something far greater in store for me. As the old chorus goes, “This world is not my home, I'm just passin’ through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.” My ultimate hope is in my future glorification. Paul puts it so well in his letter to the believers in Corinth. “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV). We can be strong and fear not. We can have hope. We can stand firm in the midst of all that is going on around us, because we know how the story ends. We know that this is not all there is. God has a future in store for us that will be far greater than anything we could ever imagine. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).

Father, thank You for this timely reminder of Your plan for us. You are not done yet. Your Son's redemptive work is not yet complete. While I am saved and my place in Your Kingdom is secure, I am still in this earthly tent, struggling with the reality of sin and the constant attacks of the enemy. But the day is coming when You will make all things right. Your Son will return and put an end to sin and death once and for all. He will establish His Kingdom and we enjoy the reality of a life free from sin, sorrow, disease, and death. Help me stay strong and fearless until that day comes. Amen

To Him Who Is Able.

Isaiah 33-34, Jude 1

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. – Jude 1:24-25 ESV

One of the difficult things about reading the book of Isaiah is how it mixes together events that will take place in the not-so-distant future and those that have yet to take place. Within a single chapter you will have prophecies concerning the coming destruction of Judah at the hands of the Assyrians, and predictions of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. There would be more immediate fulfillments of many of the prophecies contained in the book of Isaiah. But some of them would be partial in nature, to be fulfilled in their entirety in the end times. God's divine plan has an end to it. There is a final aspect to His dealings with mankind and the people of Israel. And yet, He is operating in time and space, all along the way, orchestrating events in such a way that all things will culminate on His predetermined schedule. God told Isaiah, “Now I will arise…now I will lift myself up, now I will be exalted” (Isaiah 33:10 ESV). There is a day coming when God will implement the final phase of His great plan. “For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8 ESV). The difficult we face is our inability to see what God has planned out into the future. We are limited in our perspective. So God told us what would happen. He gave us a glimpse into the future. He provided us with an assurance that He has it all taken care of and there is nothing for us to worry about.

What does this passage reveal about God?

The people of God would find themselves falling victim to the attacks of Assyria and Babylon. The northern kingdom of Israel would end up destroyed and living in captivity in Assyrian. Not long afterwards, the southern kingdom of Judah would fall to the Babylonians and end up in living in exile for 70 years. But God was not done yet. He would eventually restore them to their land. He would keep His promise to Abraham and allow them to return to the land of Canaan. He would miraculously provide for them so that they could rebuild the city of Jerusalem, restore the walls that surrounded it and reconstruct the temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. But they would find themselves without a king. Over the next centuries, they would be relatively powerless and helpless, unable to defend themselves against outside forces and constantly ending up the pawns of more powerful forces. But God was not done with them yet. He would eventually send His Son to be born as one of them. He would grow up among them. He would preach a message of repentance to them. But they would eventually reject Him, demanding His death. But again, God was not done with them. God's ultimate plan for His people, the Jews, involves a yet-to-be-fulfilled event that still looms out in the future. Isaiah is given a glimpse of that yet future event. “Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty” (Isaiah 33:17 ESV). “Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, not will any of its cords be broken. But there the Lord in majesty will be for us” (Isaiah 33:20-21 ESV). How easy it is to judge the faithfulness of God based on our limited perspective. How quick we can be to jump to conclusions and question God's sovereignty or doubt His love. But we must always remember that God is not done yet.

What does this passage reveal about man?

As God's people, this world will always be a place of difficulty and confusion. This world was never intended to be our permanent home. We should not allow ourselves to get too comfortable here. But because we have limited perspective and are unable to see very far into the future, we can find ourselves becoming infatuated and enchanted with what this world has to offer. We can end up expecting all of God's blessings to show up here and now, forgetting that His plan involves the hereafter. God has an eternal perspective, not a temporal one. Our greatest challenge is to keep our eyes focused on Him and not what we see happening around us. We must cling to His promises concerning the future. But the world will want us to see this life as our preferred destiny. We will find ourselves tempted to try and get all we can get now, to live for the moment. But God wants us to live for the future. So He has provided us with glimpses into what is going to happen. He has made it clear that there is a day coming when His Son will return and the final chapter of the story will be written. In this life, we will find ourselves surrounded by those who would tempt us to follow their lead, discounting the activity of God in our lives and dismissing the inevitability of the life to come. They will infiltrate the people of God, disguised as one of the flock, but with evil intentions and motivated by wrong motives. Jude described them in very stark terms: “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4 ESV). He goes on to say that they “defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones” (Jude 1:8 ESV). “These people blaspheme all that they do not understand” (Jude 1:10 ESV). They are “grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires, they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage” (Jude 1:16 ESV). Basically, these people are worldly and devoid of the Spirit. He compares them to hidden reefs, waterless clouds, fruitless trees, wild waves and wandering stars. In other words, they can't be trusted.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

But there is one we can trust: Jesus Christ. He is able to keep us from stumbling. He is able to keep us in the love of God and protect us, even when we find ourselves surrounded by those who would deceive and distract us. Isaiah found himself surrounded by those who would reject not only his message, but his God. He had to be reminded that God was not finished, that He had a plan. God would prove Himself faithful. The test for Isaiah would be whether he would remain faithful to God as his world seemingly collapsed around him. He would have to trust God while his contemporaries continued to live in open rebellion to God. He would have to continue preaching his message of repentance when no one seemed to be listening or responding. Jude told his readers, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 1:20-21 ESV). We must remain faithful. We must trust that God will be faithful and send His Son to finish what He began. In the meantime we are to “have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire, to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (Jude 1:22-23 ESV). 

Father, You are trustworthy. I can rest in the knowledge that You have a plan that You are working and there is no one who can stop it. I must not let the presence of those who would distract or deceive me disturb me. You told me there would be those who would try to sneak in and take my focus off of the reality of Your sovereign plan and Your Son's eminent return. Help me stay faithful even if those around me decide to follow their own sinful desires. I want to remain blameless and true, dependent on You and determined to stay the course until the end. Amen

When Righteousness Reigns.

Isaiah 31-32, 3 John

Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. – Isaiah 32:16-17 NLT

So much of what Isaiah had to say to the people of Judah dealt with their coming judgment at the hands of God. They had refused to remain faithful to Him and has instead forsaken Him for other gods. They had put their trust and hope in other nations, seeing them as the answer to their problems. With Assyria breathing down their necks, they decided to make an alliance with Egypt, rather than repent and return to the Lord. But God warned them, saying, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1 ESV). What they didn't understand was that the very presence of the Assyrians and the looming threat of destruction at their hands was from God. It was His doing. He was bringing the Assyrians against them because of their many sins. He was preparing to punish them because they had failed to live according to His laws and in keeping with His commands. But God kept calling His people to repentance. “Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel” (Isaiah 31:6 ESV). God wanted His people to come back to Him in order that He might bless them. But they would prove to be stubborn and hard-hearted, refusing the call of God and falling victim to the unforgiving Assyrian army.

What does this passage reveal about God?

But as has been the case all throughout the book of Isaiah up until this point, God's message of coming destruction is intertwined with a promise of future restoration. God continued to tell them that, while they could not manage to be faithful, He would be. He would fulfill all of the promises He had made to Abraham and David. He would one day do for them what they could not do for themselves. It is the same message He conveyed through the prophet Jeremiah:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV).

They had broken their covenant with God. So He was going to make a new one. The result of this new covenant would be that obedience to His law would be internally driven, not externally. Their obedience would be made possible because He was going to change their hearts. Their relationship with Him would be motivated by love and they would finally be the people of God He had always planned for them to be. And God gave Isaiah a glimpse of what was going to make this all possible. “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice” (Isaiah 32:1 ESV). They would have a new king – the Messiah. Their would be a new kingdom, the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. His kingdom would be marked by righteousness, justice, peace, quiet and “trust forever” (Isaiah 32:17 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

Man's ability to live in keeping with God's righteous standards is extremely limited. We can try, but we ultimately fail. Because of indwelling sin, we can never seem to stay faithful to God's call on our lives for very long. Which is why He sent His Son to die for us. Paul tells us, “even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)” (Ephesians 2:5 NLT). He repeats this theme in his letter to the Romans. “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). God had to do for mankind what mankind could not do for itself. No man can save himself. The Israelites couldn't keep themselves from forsaking God. They couldn't remain faithful. They tried, but always failed. So God would have to do it for them. And the day is coming when He will do just that. God will do for them what He has done for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. We have had our hearts transformed by the Spirit of God. We have had our sins forgiven and the punishment for our rebellion fully paid for by Christ's death on the cross. We have the Spirit of God within us, providing us with the inner motivation to obey His will and apply His Word to our lives. As a result, we have the inner capacity to walk in the truth. John commended his readers for doing just that. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4 ESV). The Greek word Paul uses for “walking” carries the meaning “to walk about.” It conveys the idea that they were to live their daily lives in the truth of who Christ was and what He had done. It is the Spirit of Truth within us that makes this possible. In this life we are surrounded by lies and all kinds of deception. We will be tempted to turn to other sources of help and hope. We will find ourselves quick to listen to the lies of the enemy and accept his alternative sources of salvation. But we must walk in the truth, constantly recognizing that our salvation comes only from the Lord.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

John told his readers, “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God” (3 John 11 ESV). Our relationship with God, made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, should change the way we live. We have the capacity to live righteously, even in the midst of all kinds of unrighteousness. We can experience the rule and reign of the risen Christ in our lives even now. We don't have to wait until heaven. We can experience the peace, security, quietness and rest of His righteous reign in our lives, even as we wait for His return. Paul puts all of this into practical perspective in his letter to the Colossian believers. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12-17 ESV). When we let Christ reign in our lives, it changes everything. It improves our relationships. It alters our behavior. It impacts our character. It influences the world around us.

Father, You are not only my Savior, You are my King. You are to be the Lord of my life. And when I let Your righteousness reign over my life, things change. Good things happen. Thank You for reminding me that I am completely dependent on Your help for living the life You have called me to live. You have given me Your Spirit and equipped me with all that I need to live and walk in truth in this life. And for that I am grateful. Amen

Our Patient, Merciful God.

Isaiah, 29-30, 2 John

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. – Isaiah 30:18 ESV

In the midst of all of Israel's rebellion and stubborn refusal to honor God, God repeatedly called them to repentance. “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength’” (Isaiah 30:15 ESV). He made it clear what they had to do to receive rest and restoration. All He asked them to do was repent and return to Him. If they would simply be still and place their trust in Him, He would bless them. He would show mercy to them. But verses 15 goes on to say that they were unwilling. Rather than trust God, they relied on their own plans. “‘Ah, stubborn children,’ declares the Lord, ‘who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt’” (Isaiah 30:1-2 ESV). They were like children “unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord” (Isaiah 30:9 ESV). They refused to listen to what the prophets were telling them. They preferred to be told lies. It sounds familiar. Paul warned Timothy that this same scenario would exist in his day. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3 ESV). Paul described a day in which the sins of the people of Israel would be lived out again – in the life of the church. “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT).

What does this passage reveal about God?

The very fact that this planet still exists and the human race has not been completely obliterated by God speaks volumes about His patience, faithfulness, mercy and grace. He continues to watch as even those who call themselves by His name reject His will for them and refuse to acknowledge His sovereignty over them. In Isaiah's day, God accused the people of Israel of going through the motions spiritually – “…this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13 ESV). Jesus would quote this very passage when speaking to the religious leaders in His day. “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you…” (Matthew 15:7 ESV). God was not interested in religious rituals and acts of pious posturing. He wanted His people to show Him love through their faithful obedience to His commands. He wanted them to trust Him and to rely on His plan for them. Obedience is not just a matter of going through the motions. It is to involve the heart. It is to include the will. God had repeatedly told His people: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22 ESV). But in spite of the disobedience of His people, God has continued to show patient, faithful endurance. He has continued to pour out His grace and mercy. And He will faithfully fulfill each and every promise He has made to the people of Israel and to His Church.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Our capacity for stubbornness and disobedience is astounding. After all of God's blessings, the people of Israel still could not bring themselves to remain faithful to God. They even believed that they could hide their disobedience and unfaithfulness from Him. “Who sees us? Who knows us?” (Isaiah 29:15 ESV). God accused them of turning things upside down – of reversing the roles – making themselves the gods of their own lives. “You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say to its maker, ‘He did not make me’; of the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?” (Isaiah 29:16 ESV). The apostle Paul would echo this thought in his letter to the believers in Rome: “Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20 NLT). What arrogance and pride we can exhibit as God's creation. How easy it is to forget the one who made us. How quickly we can forget the grace and mercy of God that led us out of darkness into the light. Peter reminds us: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV). Like the people of Israel, we owe all that we have to God. Our very existence as His people is due to His love, kindness, mercy and grace. And yet, how easy it is for us to return His unmerited favor with disobedience, stubbornness, and a willful rejection of His will for our lives.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

In John's second epistle, he commends his readers for “walking in the truth” (2 John 4 ESV). He encourages them to continue obeying the command of Christ to love one another. He wanted them to live out their faith in real life, even in the midst of false teaching and daily difficulties. God had been faithful to them and he wanted them to remain faithful to God by abiding in the teaching of Christ. As Christ followers, we must never forget that God has showered us with His mercy and grace. He has placed us into His family and made us His children and heirs. He has promised us an eternity with Him free from sin, pain, sorrow and death. All He asks is that we remain faithful to Him while we wait for the final fulfillment of His plan. He tells us the same thing He told the people of Israel in Isaiah's day: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15 NLT). While we wait on Him, we must rest in Him. He must trust Him. We must abide in Him. He calls out to us, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10 ESV). He knows what He is doing. He is patiently, graciously working out His plan. And we must patiently, faithfully trust Him.

Father, forgive me for abusing Your mercy and grace. Forgive me for taking Your mercy and grace for granted. I would be nothing without You. I have no right to question Your authority over my life. I have no reason to question Your faithful love and sovereignty in my life. Help me learn to continually return to You and find my rest in You. Amen

Our Precious Cornerstone.

Isaiah 27-28, 1 John 5

…therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’”  – Isaiah 28:16 ESV

God's dealings with His people in the Old Testament can sometimes be seen as somewhat strange and difficult to understand. Even Isaiah acknowledged that God's activities could be viewed as a bit odd. “For the Lord will rise up … to do his deed – strange is his deed! and to work his work – alien is his work! (Isaiah 28:21 ESV). There were times when God poured out His blessings on His people. There were other times when God was forced to bring judgment and extreme punishment. But God always had a reason for whatever He did. There was a method to His seeming madness. God's discipline was purposeful. When He brought destruction, it was always so that He might eventually bring restoration. The people of Israel and Judah were guilty of turning their backs on God. Rather than depend on Him for their hope and help, they had made treaties and alliances with foreign nations. When God raised up the Assyrians to come against the northern kingdom of Israel, rather than turning to God in repentance and dependence, they turned to Egypt. They made a “covenant with death” (Isaiah 28:15) marked by lies and deception. But God would annul their covenant with death by bringing the Assyrians against them. Egypt would prove useless as an ally and powerless as a help against the Assyrians. The people of Israel had convinced themselves that they could avoid the coming calamity by working out a deal with Egypt. “…when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter” (Isaiah 28:15 ESV). But they would learn the hard way that there was only one secure source for salvation. God was going to show them that their faith was best placed in Him and in no one or nothing else.

What does this passage reveal about God?

In the middle of chapter 28, God gives Isaiah a glimpse of God's future blessing. “…therefore thus says the Lord God, ’Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: “Whoever believes will not be in haste”‘” (Isaiah 28:16 ESV). Years later, Jesus would speak similar words in reference to Himself. “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Matthew 21:42 ESV). Jesus would go on to tell the people of Israel in His day that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits” (Matthew 21:42 ESV). Because the Jews would eventually reject Jesus as their Messiah and have Him crucified for claiming to be the Son of God, the Gospel would be made available to the Gentiles. God would fulfill His promise to Abraham and use one of his descendants (Jesus) to bless all the nations of the earth. In the book of Acts, we have recorded the words of Peter as he spoke to the Jews immediately after the miraculous events of Pentecost. “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12 ESV). Paul would also write concerning the Jews, “They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 9:32-33 ESV). Peter would later revisit this topic, telling His Gentile readers, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’” (1 Peter 2:4-6 ESV). As strange as it may seem, God used the rejection of His Son by His own people as the means by which the Good News would be made available to the nations of the world.

What does this passage reveal about man?

We have a difficult time understanding God's ways. And when God's ways don't make sense to us, we tend to come up with our plan. We develop our own strategy for survival. The people of Israel turned to Egypt. Abraham and Sarah turned to Hagar. King Saul turned to the witch of Endor. Jacob turned to trickery and deception. Over and over again in Scripture, we see the people of God turning to someone or something else other than God – all because they could not understand what God was doing or because they didn't like the way His plan was turning out. But God's ways are not our ways. His plans do not make sense to us. The Jews of Jesus' day could not understand how their long-awaited Messiah could show up in the form of a common peasant who had no army, no weapons, and no hope of ever defeating the Romans or any other enemy of Israel. Jesus didn't fit the bill. He didn't look like a Messiah. He didn't talk like a Messiah. He didn't act like a Messiah. So they rejected Him. But God had a plan in mind. He had a purpose for their stubborn rejection of the very one who would prove to be the precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, and their future hope of salvation and security. .

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

In his gospel, John wrote of Jesus, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12 ESV). Because the Jews rejected Jesus, I was given the opportunity to hear the Good News and become a child of God. What a strange, alien plan. But what a wonderful, fantastic and amazing plan. It is because of what accomplished through Christ that we can have a right relationship with God the Father. John wrote in his first letter, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20 ESV). And the amazing thing is that God is not done with the people of Israel yet. He is not finished fulfilling all His plans for them. There is a day coming when God will restore His people to favor. He will rescue a remnant of His people and restore them back in the land and place His Son as their King. “In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate” (Isaiah 28:5-6 ESV). Jesus Christ, the very one whom they rejected, will become their Savior and Lord. He will rule as their King sitting on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem. As strange as it may seem, God will use the rejected One to be their redeemer and righteous ruler. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that overcome the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God!” (1 John 5:5 ESV).

Father, I am so grateful that Your ways are not our ways. I am so glad that Your plan doesn't have to make sense to me in order for it to be right and true. I don't have to understand it to benefit from it. I just need to trust You. Your Son is the solution to all of mankind's problems. He is one to whom all men must turn to receive hope, help and healing. Amen

Perfect Peace.

Isaiah 25-26, 1 John 4

And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.  – 1 John 4:17 NLT

While a large part of the book of Isaiah is about the coming judgment of God on His people for their sin and unfaithfulness, it also contains powerful reminders of God's long-term plans for them that were to include some pretty incredible blessings. One of the things God kept trying to tell them was that, while their love for Him was imperfect, fickle and unreliable; His love for them would prove to be unfailing. He kept reminding them of "that day." Their assessment of their current circumstances was to always include His future dealings with them. God continually reminded them to keep their eye on the prize – the end times – when He would complete His plans for them as His people. There was a day coming when they would be able to say, “For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat” (Isaiah 25:6 ESV). In that day, they would be able to say with confidence and from personal experience, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3 ESV). When God completes His plan, they will be able to look back and see that He was an everlasting rock, a stronghold for the poor, a shelter from the storm, shade from the heat, and a righteous, reliable God.

What does this passage reveal about God?

There was much that the people of God in Isaiah's day did not know. Like most human beings, their focus tended to be somewhat myopic and short-sighted. They had a hard time seeing past their current circumstances. But God is eternal and is not limited by the constraints of time. His perspective is everlasting and because He is omniscient, He is fully aware of all that has and will take place. He knows how the story ends. Even during the days of Isaiah, God knew that He was going to send His Son one day. It was all part of His plan. He had told Abraham that He would bless all the nations through Him. The ultimate fulfillment of that promise was going to be the Messiah – Jesus Christ, the God-man who came to earth, lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death on the cross in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind and satisfy the requirements of a just and righteous God. God revealed to Isaiah future events that would include the people of Israel. There would be a great banquet – “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Isaiah 25:6 ESV) – for all people. At that time, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth” (Isaiah 25:8 ESV). There was much that had to happen before those days could take place. In fact, there is still much that must happen before the final phase of God's plan is completed. And none of it was going to be possible without the coming of His Son. John reminds us, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14 ESV). Jesus had to come. But He also had to die. Then God raised Him from the dead, as a testimony to the acceptable nature of His sacrifice. And because Jesus rose again, He is also going to come again. His first coming will be followed by a second coming. The events portrayed in Isaiah 25-26 were all dependent upon Jesus' first arrival on earth as an innocent baby, but they were also dependent upon His second coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). 

What does this passage reveal about man?

John gives us a great word of encouragement as we strive to live with a future-focus in the midst of our current circumstances. He says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 ESV). His readers were facing difficult circumstances. They were under tremendous pressure, from the outside, but also from the inside. They were being tempted to doubt the promises of God. They were struggling with assurance of their own salvation and wondering about the reality of eternity. So John had to remind them to keep their minds focused on God. He knew that difficult times and pressing circumstances were going to distract them. So he pointed them back to one undeniable truth: God's love. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10 ESV). It is an awareness of the love of God that must constantly compel us. It is an understanding of His love for us that motivates our love for one another. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11 ESV). How easy it is to forget just how much we are loved by God. We can find ourselves focusing on how difficult things seem to be in this life, and forget that God has provided us eternal life through His Son's death on the cross. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The hard thing for us to do is to recognize God's love when things are not going so well. It is so easy to become distracted by the cares and concerns of this life and lose sight of what God has in store for us in the future. Isaiah gives us the key: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV). We have to keep our minds focused on God. We have to constantly remind ourselves of His steadfast, unfailing love. He sent His Son to die for us. And one day He is sending His Son to come back for us. We don't have to fear the present or the future. We don't have to doubt God's love for us. Like Isaiah, we should be able to say, “O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them” (Isaiah 25:1 NLT). God has done great things. He is doing great things. And there are great things yet to be done. But we must never forget that all of God's plan are reliable and based on His unfailing love. “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:16-17 ESV).

Father, help me to truly believe that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 ESV). Continue to help me trust You, rely on You, and see You as my rock, fortress, stronghold, Savior and faithful God who will accomplish all You have promised – in this life and in the one to come. Amen

Victory Over Sin.

Isaiah 23-24, 1 John 3

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  – 1 John 3:8 ESV

The people of Judah were well acquainted with sin. They were guilty of it and surrounded by it. God was punishing them for their sin and rebellion against Him. He was using sinful, godless nations as His tools to bring about that punishment. Greed, corruption, gross immorality, selfishness, perversion, apathy, idolatry, and every other form of sin was evident in the lives of the people of God and among the nations of the world. But God had called His people to live holy, set apart lives. He had consecrated them for His use and called them to be His chosen people. “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV). He had provided them with the Law as an objective standard for righteous living. But He had also provided them with the sacrificial system as a means of receiving forgiveness and reconciliation for the sins they were bound to commit. The Law revealed their sin. The sacrificial system provided forgiveness for their sin. But rather than rejoice in the holiness of their God and bask in the amazing mercy and grace He offered them, they turned elsewhere. God indicted them for their unfaithfulness. “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (Isaiah 29:13 NLT). Like the rest of the world around them, the people of God were living in disobedience to and showing disregard for God. So God warns of the day of coming judgment. Over and over again, Isaiah uses the term, “in that day.” He warns of a coming day when God's judgment of man's sin will be complete and comprehensive. It will include all mankind and even impact the earth itself. As in the days of Noah when sin had infected the earth, God will “empty the earth and make it desolate” (Isaiah 24:1 ESV). “The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word” (Isaiah 24:3 ESV). It will be a time of sorrow and suffering, devastation and despair. But even in the midst of the darkness, God's light will shine. He will spare a remnant who will “lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west” (Isaiah 24:14 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

There is a day coming when God will deal with sin once and for all. He will wipe the earth clean from all the residual remnants of sin. Isaiah speaks of the coming day of the Lord, when Jesus Christ will appear a second time on the earth, but this time He will come as the Lord of lords and King of kings. He will come as a warrior dressed for battle to wage war with Satan and to destroy the last vestiges of sin on the earth. John reminds us that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. The apostle Paul gives us a comprehensive list of the “works of the devil” as manifested in the lives of men and women. “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT). Jesus came to destroy those works. And when Jesus died on the cross, we're told His last words were, “‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30 ESV). Jesus' death paid for our sins. Not only that, His death made possible our justification. We stand before God the Father as sinless and righteous, because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Our sins are paid for. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV). But sin still impacts our lives. We still struggle with indwelling sin. Sin surrounds us every day of our lives. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for sin, once and for all. He finished that part of His assignment. But there is one last thing He has to do. And the day is coming when He will complete that task as well. We read about it in Revelation 19:5-6: “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’” On that day, when “the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 24:23 ESV), Jesus will have dealt the final death blow to sin and Satan.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Sin is inevitable. Like a cancer, it continues to spread throughout the planet, infecting not only the lives of men and women, but the creation itself. Yet, as God's children – those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior – while we are far from sinless, we do have the capacity to sin less. Because of Jesus' finished work on the cross, we have the power to live righteous lives here and now. “You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5 ESV). As a result of that reality, John is able to provide us with some stunning good news.  “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9 ESV). We have a new nature. We have the Holy Spirit of God living within us. Our redeemed nature cannot and does not sin. But we do have a sin nature, and it is alive and well. Paul gives us a vivid picture of these two forces doing battle within us. “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-17 NLT). As long as we live on this earth, we will face the daily reality of sin's power and presence in and around our lives. But we do have the capacity to live righteously. We do have the power available to live as children of God rather than as children of the devil. We can love. We can live sacrificially and selflessly. We don't have to sin, but far too often, we choose to. We must constantly remember that Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil in our lives – here and now. But we must also live with the hope that He is coming again, and when He comes He will eliminate sin from the earth and from our lives once and for all.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The story of mankind's redemption is not yet finished. God's divine plan is not yet complete. There is still one more thing that must happen. His Son must return. He must judge sin and Satan one final time. He must eradicate the last vestiges of sin from the earth. He must judge sinful man. He must right all wrongs and establish His justice over all the earth. And while I live on this earth surrounded by sin and daily putting to death the sin nature in my own life, I must keep my eyes focused on the end of the story. John reminds me that this world is not all there is. “And this is the promise that he has made to us – eternal life” (1 John 2:25 ESV). I must live with that promise in mind.

Father, it is finished, but it is not yet done. Jesus has paid the penalty for sin, but He has yet to destroy it from the planet. It is evident all around us. I can see it's influence in my own life. But the day is coming when sin will be no more. The day is coming when death, disease, sorrow, pain, hatred, greed, selfishness, and every other manifestation of sin in the world will be completely eliminated and Your Son will say, “It is done!” I look forward to that day. Give me the strength to live in light of that day and in the power of Your Spirit until it comes. Amen

Love of the World.

Isaiah 21-22, 1 John 2

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  – 1 John 2:15-16 NLT

Our love affair with the world comes in all kinds of shapes and forms. Sometimes we simply love what the world has to offer – its pleasures and attractions, promises and appeals to our pride. Other times we reveal our love of the world through our tendencies to turn to it for deliverance from difficulties and salvation from life's sorrows. The people of Judah were guilty of forsaking God and replacing His role in their lives as their Savior, Lord and King. They had made a habit of turning to the world as the solution to their problems. Not only did they put their hope in foreign nations, they actually worshiped the false gods of those nations. The people of God in Isaiah's day were addicted to and craved physical pleasure. They were driven by their senses. And they took tremendous pride in their own accomplishments and material attainments. But just as John warned his readers that “the world is passing away along with its desires,” so God warned the people of Judah that their world of false idols, replacements gods, and psuedo-saviors were going to be done away with. Babylon was going to fall. So would Edom and Arabia. Even the city of God, Jerusalem, would eventually fall at the hands of outside forces in 586 B.C.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God never intended for man to love this world. Even when the creation was free from the effects of sin, it was intended to remind mankind of the one who created it. In Romans, Paul makes it clear that man was never intended to worship the creation. “So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!” (Romans 1:25 NLT). We are to love the Creator God, not the creation of God. But when John refers to our love affair with the world, he is not speaking of physical creation, but he uses the Greek word, kosmos. In this context, he seems to be referring to what Strong's Concordance refers to as “the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ.” There is nothing inherently wrong with earthly goods, riches, or pleasures, but when we treat them as gods, we allow them to replace the one true God in our life. We expect from them what we should only expect from God Himself. The people of Judah had come to expect salvation from foreign nations. They had learned to seek pleasure from false gods and the immoral religions associated with them. They had made a habit out of seeking pleasure rather than holiness. They were driven more by their sensual desires than by spiritual appetites. And God was neither pleased nor tolerant. John so starkly reminds us, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him” (1 John 2:15 ESV). 

What does this passage reveal about man?

When we love the world and the things it offers, it manifests itself in desires that come from our sin nature, rather than the Holy Spirit. It shows up as a insatiable lust for things we see and can't seem to live without. It also reveals itself in an unhealthy pride in our possessions. We tend to become what we own. Our identity becomes wrapped up in the outward accouterments of life. In other words, the phrase, “the clothes make the man” becomes a form of truth for us. We believe we are what we own, what we have accomplished and how we are perceived by the outside world. But God would have us remember, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT). God is not impressed with our exterior. He is not swayed by what we wear, drive, or live in. He looks at the condition of our hearts. Even so-called religious acts do nothing to impress God if our hearts are not in them. Later on, in chapter 29 of the book of Isaiah, God will declare of the people of Judah, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (Isaiah 29:13 NLT). Somehow, we have convinced ourselves that the outside is far more important than the inside. We have allowed ourselves to fall in love with the world's version of the truth. We have listened to the lies of the enemy and bought in to his convincing offers of hope, healing, satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness. But God's people are designed to turn to Him as their only source for all their needs. He alone can deliver what they are looking for.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

John goes on to remind us, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28 ESV). We are to abide in Christ. That word, abide, literally means “to remain in” or “to be held, kept.” It carries the idea that we are to stay focused on and at rest in the saving work of Jesus Christ. We are to seek our satisfaction in Him and no one or nothing else. It is He who keeps us and sustains us in this life. The world will constantly offer false hope and a form of pseudo-salvation, but it will always disappoint and fall short. John would encourage us to remember that not only can we abide in Him now, we will be able to abide in Him for all eternity. “So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.” (1 John 2:24-25 NLT). Our hope is in Christ, right now and for eternity. We can abide in Him. We can rest in Him. We can find all that we need in Him. There is no need to love the world or the things it offers. Those things will pass away, but our relationship with God the Father through Christ the Son is eternal and everlasting, and worthy of our total trust and commitment.

Father, the world can be a pretty enticing place. The things of this world can be a huge distraction and cause us to lose our focus on You and Your Son. Help us to remain in You. Help us to find all our help, hope, happiness and ultimate satisfaction in Your Son and His saving work on the cross. There is nothing this world can offer that Christ has not already provided through His sacrificial death on my behalf. Amen

Walking In Darkness.

Isaiah 19-20, 1 John 1

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. – 1 John 1:5-6 ESV

The people of Judah had a bad habit. When they found themselves facing times of difficulty, it seems that their first response was to look for an immediate solution to their problem. And their natural impulse was to look for help through human means. When the Assyrians were breathing down their necks, it only seemed natural to turn to some other powerful nation for help. The logical solution to their problem seemed to be a military alliance with a powerful nation-state like Egypt or Cush. But God warned them that these sources of help would prove to be insufficient. He was to be their salvation. He was to be the one to whom they turned when times got tough. But in those dark moments of our lives, when things appear overwhelmingly difficult and we find ourselves in despair, it is so easy to make unwise decisions. We can find ourselves making matters worse for ourselves by focusing our energies, efforts, hopes and hearts on the wrong things.

What does this passage reveal about God?

The apostle John described God as “light.” He is unadulterated light “and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5 ESV). Light speaks of God's very nature. He is without darkness or sin. He exposes sin in the lives of men. He is pure and holy, completely truthful and provides those who turn to Him with the “light” they need to take the next step safely and securely. John goes on to say that “if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6 ESV). The people of Isaiah's day claimed to be in fellowship with God, but continually found themselves walking in darkness. Their lives were marked by sin and disobedience to the very one with whom they claimed to have a relationship. And when God disciplined them for their sin, rather than turn to Him in repentance, they groped around in the darkness for help. They turned to nations darkened by sin rather than turn to the light of God. Turning to God would require repentance. God was going to demand that they turn from their love affair with darkness and walk into the light of His glory and holiness. In their minds, turning to Egypt would bring them salvation without repentance. They could remain just as they were. No repentance required. No change necessary. But that wasn't God's plan. That wasn't what God expected of them. So God would have to show them what happens when they refuse the light and turn to the darkness. He would destroy their sources of false hope. “The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them” (Isaiah 19:1 ESV). “I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them” (Isaiah 19:4 ESV). Judah's “savior” would end up needing salvation.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Fellowship with God involves intimacy. Having a relationship with Him requires coming into His presence and becoming exposed to His light and glory. His holiness exposes and reveals our sinfulness. The closer we get to Him, the more clearly we see our own deficiencies. But John provides us with hope. He reminds us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV). One of the benefits of living in the light is that it exposes darkness (sin). When God reveals the sin in our lives, it is not to condemn us, but it is in order to transform us. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8 ESV). As God exposes the sin in our lives, we have one of two choices. We can either acknowledge it and confess it, or we can simply deny it. But when we deny the very sin that God reveals, we are calling Him a liar. We are refusing to accept His divine assessment of our lives. That was the very problem the people of Judah had. God was punishing them in order to get them to acknowledge their unfaithfulness. He wanted them to see the error of their ways and repent. But rather than repent, they sought out other sources of salvation. Rather than admit their sins, they simply looked for other “saviors.” But it's interesting to note that their choices would prove disappointing. Not only would Egypt be unable to save them, they would ultimately need saving by God. Isaiah prophesied about a time to come when God would rescue the Egyptians and cause them to turn to Him as their God. “When they cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering” (Isaiah 19:20-21 ESV). The day is coming when God will send a savior, His Son Jesus Christ, to rescue and redeem even the Egyptians and the Assyrians. That day has not yet come. It will take place when Christ establishes His millennial kingdom on earth.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Our man-made solutions are always draped in darkness. Our human saviors are always flawed and marred by sin. God is the ultimate solution to mankind's problem and man's greatest problem is sin. The people of Judah had a sin problem. The people of Egypt had a sin problem. The people of Cush had a sin problem. The people of America have a sin problem. You and I have a sin problem. And the solution is Jesus. John wrote, “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.  We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy” (1 John 1:1-4 NLT). Jesus Christ was the Word of life. He is the source of eternal life. He is the means by which we can have fellowship, a restored relationship with God the Father. He came to pay the penalty for our sins. But He also came to set us free from the indwelling presence of sin in our lives. In his gospel, John describes Jesus as the light and says, “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4-5 NLT).

Father, thank You for sending the Light into the world. Thank You for sending the Light into my life. I am grateful that His presence in my life continues to expose the sin in my life. His holiness continually reveals my sinfulness. Not to condemn me, but in order to allow the Holy Spirit to continue His work of transforming me into the character of Christ. You are slowly, steadily making me the light You have called me to be. But there is always the temptation to run back to the darkness, to turn to something or someone else for answers to my sin problem. Help me understand that You alone are the sole source of help and hope for my life. Amen

The Danger of Forgetfulness.

For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge… – Isaiah 17:10 ESV

The northern kingdom of Israel had made an alliance with Syria in order to come against the southern kingdom of Judah. Not only were they planning an attack on their own brothers, they were turning to a foreign nation to help them do it. They were placing their trust in men rather than God. And at the heart of their decision to place their trust and hope in men was a failure to remember that God was the source of their salvation. As a result, their efforts to sow seeds of faith in pagan idols would prove unfruitful. Their alliances with other nations were just not diplomatic and military in nature, but they also formed spiritual alliances, turning to the false gods of those nations as a source of help and hope. But God warned them, “In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense” (Isaiah 17:7-8 ESV). A day of judgment was coming. At that time, the people of Israel would learn to turn to their God and to abandon their false gods, made with their own hands. They would receive a powerful reminder of the danger of forgetting God.

What does this passage reveal about God?

Isaiah 17-18, 2 Peter 3

Ultimately, God is in control. Mankind may forget or even ignore Him, but He does not go away. He does not cease to be God. Our refusal to acknowledge Him does not alter His reality or diminish His capacity to rule and reign. God is sovereign over all. Repeatedly in these chapters, we see the words “in that day” and “at that time.” There is a day of judgment coming. God has planned a time of payback, when He will deal righteously and justly with the sins of mankind. We can read in the Old Testament the countless times in which God fulfilled His warnings of coming judgment on the people of Israel and Judah. He had warned about the coming of the Assyrians against the northern kingdom and it took place. He later warned the people of Judah that the Babylonians would come, and they did. He has provided ample warning of yet-future judgments to come that will involve the entire world. And those days will come just as He has said they will. “For the Lord of Hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27 ESV). God will do all that He has planned to do, and no one can stand in His way. It doesn't matter whether we believe it or not. It doesn't make any difference if we agree with it or not. God's will will be done.

What does this passage reveal about man?

There will always be scoffers. Peter reminded his readers of that reality. “I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandments of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’” (2 Peter 3:1-4 ESV). There were those in Peter's day who were denying the return of Jesus. They scoffed at the idea. Warren Wiersbe describes a scoffer as “someone who treats lightly that which ought to be taken seriously.” These individuals took a look at the world around them and concluded, “From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created” (2 Peter 3:4 NLT). In other words, they believed that the world would simply continue to go along just as it always had, because God was not involved. Jesus was not coming back. There was no need to concern yourself with right moral standards or holy living. But Paul reminded his readers that these scoffers “deliberately overlook this fact” (2 Peter 3:5 ESV). They choose to ignore the reality that God has intervened in the affairs of the world on a variety of occasions, including at creation and during the world-wide flood in the days of Noah. God is not aloof and distant, simply watching the world from afar. He is intimately involved and has a divine plan for its ultimate redemption and restoration. Peter assured his readers that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV). It will come unexpectedly and suddenly, catching everyone unawares and unprepared. But he encouraged his audience to be ready – to not forget the God of their salvation and their rock of refuge. “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11-13 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

God wants us to be ready. He wants us to live as if we truly believe in the return of His Son. We are to live in anticipation of “day of the Lord” as if it could be any day. We should desire to “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (2 Peter 3:14 ESV). There will be those around us who scoff at His return and live as if it isn't even going to happen. They will refuse to live their lives in preparation for His coming. But we must be ready and “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (2 Peter 3:15 ESV). The longer He delays, the more people have the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation made available through His Son. While we should long for and pray for His return, we should also see each passing day that God delays that event as a sign of His grace and mercy on mankind. And in the meantime, we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter3:18 ESV). Rather than forget Him, we are to grow in our knowledge of Him.

Father, You are our Savior. You are our rock of refuge. Never let me forget that. It is so easy to turn to someone or something else other than You. But those things always prove insufficient and incapable of delivering what they offer. Only You can rescue and redeem. Only You can save and sanctify. You are in complete control and Your plan is unstoppable. No matter what I see taking place around me, I can know that You are intimately involved in the affairs of men and diligently working Your plan to perfection. Amen

The Truth About Falsehood.

Isaiah 15-16, 2 Peter 2

They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. – 2 Peter 2:19 ESV

The Israelites were always surrounded by options. When they faced difficulties and trials, there were plenty of places they could turn to for help and hope. If one nation threatened to come against them, there were always other nations with whom they could form alliances and treaties, in the hopes of averting disaster and destruction. But the only problem was that God had intended for them to turn to Him alone for their salvation. They were His people and He was their God. In the book of Isaiah, we see God pronouncing a series of warnings against the nations surrounding Israel. Some of the nations included in God's oracles were Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Cush, and Egypt. There were nations that would prove to be threats to the safety and security of the people of God through conquest. But there were also nations whose main danger came in the form of false hope. They would prove to be tantalizing tests of Israel's faith, offering them false hope when they found themselves faced with threats to their national security. God wanted the people of Israel to know that He was to be their only source of security. They didn't need to fear the likes of Babylon. But they also didn't need to turn to potential allies like Moab. None of these countries could be trusted because they were God-less. Yes, they had their own gods, but they failed to worship the one true God. They were marked by pride and arrogance. They were characterized by self-sufficiency and had their own stable of man-made gods to which they turned. But God makes it clear that “The people of Moab will worship at their pagan shrines, but it will do them no good. They will cry to the gods in their temples, but no one will be able to save them” (Isaiah 16:12 NLT). So why in the world would the people of God every turn to a nation like that for help? 

What does this passage reveal about God?

God is sovereign and all-powerful. That is one of the primary points of the book of Isaiah. In this list of oracles pronounced by God on the nations, we get a clear picture of God's sovereign hand over the nations. He is more powerful than Babylon. He is more trustworthy than Moab or Egypt. He is greater than the greatest enemy of Israel. In fact, God uses these nations to accomplish His divine will. Not a one of them operates outside of His sovereign plan for mankind. In their pride and arrogance, they envision themselves as free-will agents operating on their own initiative, but they are nothing more than pawns in the hands of God. Isaiah knew of Moab's reputation all too well. “We have heard of the pride of Moab – how proud he is! – of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; as his idle boasting he is not right” (Isaiah 16:6 ESV). But he also knew of Moab's of fate: “the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude and those who remain will be very few and feeble” (Isaiah 16:14 ESV). God would cut Moab down to size, just as He would do to Babylon. There was no reason for the people of God to trust in Moab. That nation would prove to be a false source of hope and help. God was to be their salvation. He was the one to whom they were to turn in times of need.

What does this passage reveal about man?

But the temptation will always exist to seek out false sources of salvation. God's people will always find a steady supply of alternative forms of help and hope. It was as true in the early church as it was in the days of Isaiah. Peter reminds his readers that in the Old Testament “false prophets also arose among the people” (2 Peter 2:1 ESV). But then he adds the warning, “just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1 ESV). In the Old Testament there were always plenty of false prophets who made a habit of offering alternative forms of “truth.” They claimed to speak for God, but were actually contradicting the very words of God. They offered false hope. They gave faulty advice. And in the early days of the New Testament church, there were plenty of false teachers who were guilty of doing the same thing. Peter described them as being driven by sensuality, marked by greed and false words, insatiable for sin, irrational, despising authority, and destined for destruction. He calls them “waterless springs and mists driven by the storm” (2 Peter 2:17 ESV). They are false sources of sustenance. They can't provide what they claim to offer. And yet, there is always the temptation to turn to them as sources of help and hope. Yet Peter warns: “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2 Peter 2:19 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The world in which we live is full of false hope. It offers up a steady diet of false forms of help. As the people of God we are to seek Him only. We are to turn to Him in our times of need. But there will always be the temptation to find other forms of salvation. Peter warns us that those who offer up falsehood “entice unsteady souls” (2 Peter 2:14 ESV). They prey on those who are not grounded in the truth of God. Those who don't know the truth will always be susceptible to falsehood. They will always be easy targets for those who offer up counterfeit gods and alternative sources of hope. That is why Peter spent so much time warning his audience. He wanted them to understand the dangers. He wanted them to seek God alone. In fact, he reminded them, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9 ESV). We must never lose sight of the fact that God is our sole source of salvation. He is the only place we can turn to for truth. We are surrounded by lies and constantly offered up false forms of hope. But we must place our trust in God alone. He alone can rescue. He alone can save. He alone can provide the help we need as we live out our lives on this planet. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NLT).

Father, You are my help and hope. Never let me seek salvation from another source. I know I do and for that I ask forgiveness. Keep me coming back to You. Help me to learn that You alone can be trusted. You alone can save. You alone can provide what I need to live the life You have called me to live. Amen

The Greatness of God.

Isaiah 23-14, 2 Peter 1

The Lord of Hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.” – Isaiah 14:24 ESV

Our God is unstoppable. His plans are unalterable and His will unchangeable. He will finish what He starts and always accomplish what He purposes. For Isaiah, the future was a mixed bag of God's coming punishment upon the people of Israel, as well as eminent destruction of their enemies. God was giving Isaiah a panoramic view of His divine plan concerning Israel and the nations. Babylon, which in the days of Isaiah, was still not yet a powerful nation, would rise to prominence and become a key world player. But the pride and arrogance of that great nation, personified in its kings, would be brought low by the Lord God Almighty. From a human perspective, the things that happen in our world can appear so random and uncontrolled. The events of our day can seem so arbitrary and as if they are nothing more than the outcome of blind fate. But God wanted Isaiah to know that His will was being done at all times. He was behind the affairs of men, orchestrating events and individuals in such a way that His plan was always being accomplished. God asked Isaiah, “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27 ESV). God had plans for the people of Israel. Those plans included their ultimate punishment for their sin and rebellion. But those plans also included their future restoration and redemption. God would use the Babylonians and Assyrians to carry out His judgment on the people of Israel, but He would also eventually turn the tables and exalt Israel while humbling their enemies.

What does this passage reveal about God?

Sometimes we can find ourselves judging the efficiency and effectiveness of God based on what we can see. We look around us and see nothing but trouble, trials, difficulties and despair. It can appear as if the enemy is winning and our side is losing. But in those moments, it is not our God who is lacking, but our perspective. We are limited in our outlook. And our nearsighted approach can blind us to the reality that God is in control, whether it looks like it or not. Some of the problem lies in the fact that we often confuse our plan with God's plan. When things don't turn out quite the way we envisioned, we can jump to the conclusion that God's will is not being done. But what we fail to understand is that His ways are not our ways. He sometimes works in ways that are contradictory and contrary to our expectations. Captivity and enslavement was the last thing they Israelites expected. They saw themselves as God's chosen people, the descendants of Abraham. They were the apple of God's eye. But it was their very position as His people that made their punishment inevitable. God was not going to allow them to live in open rebellion to His ways. God was going to discipline them as a father disciplines his children. Their seemingly negative circumstances were actually a sign of God's love for them. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

Our goal in this life should be to learn to see God in all the ups and downs of life. The enemy and the world are constantly attempting us to take our eyes off of God and to focus on anything and anyone else but Him. Our greatest temptation will be to forget that God is in control and to wrongly conclude that our lives are nothing more than a series of random events left to chance and our own limited powers. Even as believers, we can somehow conclude that our spiritual lives are completely up to us. We may fully believe that our salvation was the work of Jesus Christ, but wrongly assume that our sanctification – our growth in Christ-likeness – is somehow up to us. For many of us, our spiritual growth is nothing more than an ongoing attempt at self-improvement, done in our own strength and marked more by failure than success. We forget that our sanctification is just as dependent upon the work of God as our salvation. Paul reminds us, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV). It is God who must complete the transformation of our lives into the likeness of Christ. And Peter echoed these sentiments when he wrote, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,  by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV). The New Living Translation puts it this way… “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” How easy it is to forget that.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

But that does not mean I have no role to play. God sovereignty does not eliminate my responsibility. Peter goes on to say, “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone” (2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT). God has given me all that I need to live the life He has called me to live. He has provided me with His Spirit. He has equipped me with His Word. He has placed me within the body of Christ, the Church. But I still must supplement my faith. I must seek to add to my life the qualities that are characteristic of Christ-likeness. And I must grow in my understanding that God uses anything and everything in my life to accomplish His will for my life. My troubles and trials are instruments in His divine hands. The circumstances of my life are actually opportunities for me to witness God's power as He exposes my sins and expresses His strength through my weakness. The goal is to grow in my awareness of His greatness and in my dependence upon His grace. The discipline of God should remind me of His love. The difficulties of life should drive me to my knees in dependence upon Him. The successes of life should cause me to rejoice in His blessings. God is accomplishing His will in my life, whether I recognize or realize it. 

Father, You are a great God and greatly to be praised. You are working out Your plan in my life and in this world in ways that I cannot always see or fathom. Your will is unstoppable. Your plan is unalterable. May I learn to trust You more. May I learn to lean on You more. May I grow to understand that You have given me everything I need for living a godly life. But I must turn to You for help and hope. I must lean on You for strength. Because You alone are great. Amen

In That Day.

Isaiah 11-12, 1 Peter 5

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. – Isaiah 12:2 ESV

Right in the middle of all the bad news that Isaiah had to deliver to the people of Israel, God gave him a glimpse into a future time when things for the chosen people of God would be dramatically improved. Isaiah was given a much-needed reminder that God's plan regarding Israel was not limited by their sin and rebellion. His future redemption and restoration of them as His people would not be based on their worth or ability to earn His favor. Just as God had restored Israel to the land after their years spent in captivity in Babylon, there was a day coming when He “will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people” (Isaiah 11:11 ESV). In the centuries ahead, the people of Israel would find themselves scattered and dispersed yet again, but God was going to “assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah” (Isaiah 11:12 ESV). The God of Israel is faithful. He would prove Himself to be worthy of their trust. He had told them of His faithfulness. “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations…” (Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT). But what the people of Isaiah's day needed to understand was that much of what God was going to do for them was to take place far into the future. He described a day when “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:6-7 ESV). This is likely describing a future day when there will be a time of unprecedented peace. The imagery of the wolf, leopard, lion and bear all represent the enemies of Israel who had plagued them for centuries. In that coming day, there will be God-ordained peace over all the earth and “they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain” (Isaiah 11:9 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

God revealed to Isaiah that there was a day coming when “there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1 ESV). There was an individual coming on whom the Spirit of the Lord would rest. He would be marked by wisdom and understanding, counsel and might. He would have unprecedented knowledge and a fear of the Lord. This future leader was to be none other than Jesus Christ Himself. But it speaks of Jesus after His second coming when He will rule and reign as the rightful descendant of David from his throne in Jerusalem. The book of Revelation describes Him in all His glory. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:11-16 ESV). Earlier in chapter 9, it was revealed how this future King would arrive on earth. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV). Luke would later record the words of the angel Gabriel, spoken to Mary about her soon-to-be miraculous pregnancy. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33 ESV). God was going to send His Son the first time in the form of a helpless baby. He would grow into manhood and eventually give His life as a substitionary sacrifice for the sins of mankind. But there is a day coming when God will send His Son again, but on that day He will come as a conquering warrior. He will put right all that is wrong with the world. He will restore creation, redeem Israel, and destroy the enemy of God once and for all. 

What does this passage reveal about man?

As we live in this world, it can be so easy to lose sight of God's bigger plan. We can become so tunnel-sighted that we fail to recognize what God is doing on a grand scale. His long-term strategy so often escapes our notice. But Peter told his audience, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand o God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV). One of the more difficult things for us to do as human beings is to humble ourselves under God's sovereign will. There is a part of us that wants to know, that wants to dictate the direction and control the outcome of our lives. When difficulties come or our circumstances take a turn for the worst, it is easy to forget that God is in control. Our hope is to be a future hope. That does not mean that God is not involved, at this very moment, in the everyday affairs of our lives, but we must never lose sight of the fact that His salvation has a future aspect to it. Over and over again in the book of Isaiah, we read the words, “in that day.” Those words have a future orientation. Isaiah writes, “You will say in that day: ‘I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me’” (Isaiah 12:1 ESV). The situation at the time Isaiah was writing was less-than-ideal. The people were in rebellion. The threat of God's coming punishment hung over their heads. But there was a day coming. Salvation from the hand of God was in the future, and when it finally came, the people were going to be able to express their thanks and appreciation to the faithful, loving God. In the very next verse we read, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2 ESV). Part of the test for the people of Israel was to learn to trust God and to see Him as their strength and salvation, long before the actual experience of that salvation was to take place.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Sometimes it is hard for me to see God at work in and around my life. I can find is so easy to doubt and despair, wondering where He is and what He is doing. But I must always remind myself that His plan is far bigger than what I can see. His ultimate salvation of my life has a future aspect to it. Yes, He has saved me from the penalty of sin and death, but there is also a day coming when He is going to save me from my ongoing battle with my own sin nature. He will release me from this earthly body and allow me to experience what it is like to live a sin-free, pain-free, quilt-free, doubt-free life. Paul writes, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling…” (2 Corinthians 5:1-2 ESV). Peter gives us this encouraging words to remember as we live out our lives in the meantime: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 6:10-11 ESV). There is a day coming when God will call me to His eternal glory. At that point, He will completely restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me. It is as good as done. It is a sure thing. I can count on it as if it has already happened. So in the meantime, I need to learn to live my life with that day in mind. That is my future. That is my hope.

Father, I am so grateful that You have the end perfectly worked out. You know my future and You have it securely in place for me. I don't have to worry about it. I don't have to wonder how it all turns out. All because of what Your Son, the root of Jesse, has already accomplished on my behalf. Help me keep my eyes focused on the future as I live out my days in the present. Amen