February 6, 2010 (Isaiah 18-27)

Even though the following verses are talking about Egypt, I think we forget that everything is controlled by God. We are so used to believing the lie of "human wisdom" - that our weather is based upon El Nino patterns, the jet stream, etc., etc. And to some degree it is. God has created a world of laws and order, and some things are sure (gravity) and predictable (sunrise, sunset). But He is ultimately in control. He can make the sun stand still; He can make the rains stop; He can rain down fire and brimstone from heaven. All of human race is dependant upon Him, and Him alone, and yet most do not realize it, or recognize Him and give Him glory.

^{Isaiah 19:5} The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields.
The riverbed will be parched and dry.
⁶ The canals of the Nile will dry up,
and the streams of Egypt will stink
with rotting reeds and rushes.
⁷ All the greenery along the riverbank
and all the crops along the river
will dry up and blow away.
⁸ The fishermen will lament for lack of work.
Those who cast hooks into the Nile will groan,
and those who use nets will lose heart.
⁹ There will be no flax for the harvesters,
no thread for the weavers.
¹⁰ They will be in despair,
and all the workers will be sick at heart.

But again, we see God's mercy:

²⁰ When the people cry to the Lord for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a savior who will rescue them. ²¹ The Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the Lord and will give their sacrifices and offerings to him. They will make a vow to the Lord and will keep it. ²² The Lord will strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them.

More conviction today in the short verse below. How often am I guilty of this? All too often:

^{Isaiah 22:11}
But all your feverish plans are to no avail because you never ask God for help.

Maybe it's because I'm stuck in the 'judgment' books, but I have to think that the way the world is going, who's to say the following words are not for today?

^{Isaiah 22:12} At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
called you to weep and mourn.
He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins
and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.
¹³ But instead, you dance and play;
you slaughter cattle and kill sheep.
You feast on meat and drink wine.
You say, “Let’s feast and drink,
for tomorrow we die!”

^{Isaiah 23:8} Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, empire builder and chief trader of the world?
⁹ The L ord of Heaven’s Armies has done it to destroy your pride and show contempt for all human greatness.

^{Isaiah 24:4} The earth dries up, the crops wither, the skies refuse to rain. ⁵ The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted the instructions of God, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. ⁶ Therefore, a curse consumes the earth and its people. They are left desolate, destroyed by fire. Few will be left alive. ⁷ All the joys of life will be gone.

But for those who will heed the punishment, and turn to God, we again see His grace:

^{Isaiah 25:1} 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.

³ Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory;
ruthless nations will fear you.

⁴ But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,
a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
You are a refuge from the storm
and a shelter from the heat.

⁸ He will swallow up death forever!
The Sovereign L ord will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery
against his land and people.
The Lord has spoken!

⁹ In that day the people will proclaim,
“This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”

^{Isaiah 26:3} You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
⁴ Trust in the L ord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
⁵ He humbles the proud
and brings down the arrogant city.
He brings it down to the dust.

⁷ But for those who are righteous,
the way is not steep and rough.
You are a God who does what is right,
and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
⁸ L ord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;
our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
⁹ All night long I search for you;
in the morning I earnestly seek for God.
For only when you come to judge the earth
will people learn what is right.
¹⁰ Your kindness to the wicked
does not make them do good.
Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong
and take no notice of the L ord’s majesty.
¹¹ O L ord, they pay no attention to your upraised fist.
Show them your eagerness to defend your people.
Then they will be ashamed.
Let your fire consume your enemies.

¹² Lord, you will grant us peace;
all we have accomplished is really from you.
¹³ O L ord our God, others have ruled us,
but you alone are the one we worship.

¹⁵ O L ord, you have made our nation great;
yes, you have made us great.
You have extended our borders,
and we give you the glory!

¹⁶ Lord, in distress we searched for you.
We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline.

¹⁹ But those who die in the L ord will live;
their bodies will rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
will rise up and sing for joy!
For your life-giving light will fall like dew
on your people in the place of the dead!