February 2, 2010 (Isaiah 1-8)

Isaiah - here is what this book is all about, visions of what was to happen, but much pertains to us today.

¹ These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

It is pretty much a prediction of judgement against the people who had turned against following God.

This is what the Lord says:
“The children I raised and cared for
have rebelled against me.
⁴ Oh, what a sinful nation they are—
loaded down with a burden of guilt.
They are evil people,
corrupt children who have rejected the Lord.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
⁵ Why do you continue to invite punishment?
Must you rebel forever?
Your head is injured,
and your heart is sick.

¹⁵ When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,
for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
¹⁶ Wash yourselves and be clean!
Get your sins out of my sight.
Give up your evil ways.
¹⁷ Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.

As I read that last verse I thought of Compassion International and their ongoing fight to help children. Whether they are orphaned or not, they are definitely oppressed. I'm grateful for their work, especially in Haiti, as I had no idea they had the presence there that they do. And all 74 of their full time staff came out of the earthquake alive. That is nothing other than the hand of God protecting them. Here is a brief article from the web...

Compassion International, the world's largest child development and sponsorship organization, received good news Monday that all of its Haitian staff members were alive and accounted for following last week's massive 7.0 earthquake that destroyed much of the nation's capital city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas.

All 74 of Compassion's Haitian staff in the Port-au-Prince area have now had a chance to regroup outside their offices, making the office building's parking lot their interim meeting place while they wait to hear from Engineering Ministries International as to whether or not it is safe to go back inside. The staff briefly meets before going back out into the community assisting as many as 50 child development centers seriously impacted by the quake.

Compassion International is the world's largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children in 26 of the world's poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works holistically through local churches to address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children, enabling them to thrive, not just survive. Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating — four stars — for eight consecutive years.

These chapters are interspersed with some encouragement in the midst of the judgement. Again, a portrayal of the cleansing that can only come through Jesus.

¹⁸ “Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.
¹⁹ If you will only obey me,
you will have plenty to eat.
²⁰ But if you turn away and refuse to listen,
you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

This snippet of encouragement caught my eye.

⁹
Unless your faith is firm,
I cannot make you stand firm.”

These chapters talk about the leaders and rulers depending on each others strengths instead of on God.

¹⁰ Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: ¹¹ “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

¹² But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

But really, what had happened 'behind the scenes' was that Ahaz had already asked the King of Assyria to join forces with him. The footnote of my Bible says "He would trust his worst enemy before he would trust God." Obviously God knows what we try to hide from Him. Isaiah's response is also a prophecy of the birth of Christ.

¹³ Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? ¹⁴ All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). ¹⁵ By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. ¹⁶ For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

¹⁷ “Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!”

¹⁸ In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees. ¹⁹ They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places. ²⁰ In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.

So the king that Ahaz had made an alliance with, would actually be the one to destroy him. I liked the visual impression I got when I read that God would 'whistle" for the other armies to destroy him. All nations do God's bidding, even though we usually don't see it that way. There needs to be a spiritual awakening in our country, or I'm afraid we are doomed for the same response.

And then, in chapter 8, finally some encouragement:

A Call to Trust the Lord

¹¹ The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does.
He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do,
¹²and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.
¹³ Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the one you should fear.
He is the one who should make you tremble.
¹⁴ He will keep you safe.