You gotta feel sorry for poor Jeremiah. He’s only doing what God told him to do. People reject him, ridicule him, try to kill him, etc, etc, etc. And yet he intercedes for the people. He mourns that he was even born. God reassures him. He complains. God chastises him. God tells him not to marry, not to mourn, not to feast. So what does Jeremiah do? Give up??? Hardly!!!

Jer 17:16-18
I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you. Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster. Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. Bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction.

Jeremiah doesn’t run away from His calling, even though it is not something he desired to do. His attitude at this point is for God to bring on the people what they deserve.

How is it with us? Do we run away from God’s call because it isn’t to our liking? Do we continue honoring our idols and Asherah poles? Or do we, in the words of my Dad (Patti's), “straighten up and fly right”?

Enough said!

Jeremiah surely lays it out very specifically!

Jer 13:25-27
This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you," declares the LORD, "because you have forgotten me and trusted in false gods. I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen-- your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?"

God is telling the people that He will expose what they are doing. He refers to all the idol worship, Asherah poles and sexual perversion. What does that have to do with us today? Do we participate in idol worship? Do we have Asherah poles? Too often we want to distance ourselves from the God of the Old Testament and dismiss His warnings to be only for the people then. We miss a depth of understanding when we don’t make the application for ourselves today from the Old Testament. Paul gives some definitive words concerning this.

2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It says ALL Scripture. That includes Old Testament as well as New Testament. So back to the question, what does that have to do with us today? We do participate in idol worship. We do this any time we elevate any thing above our worship of God (material possessions, our jobs, our hobbies, sports). We do have Asherah poles. Any time we rationalize any kind of sexual perversion (pornography, adultery, sex before marriage, homosexuality, watching certain movies, reading certain books), we lift up Asherah poles. There are consequences for our actions. We need only look at the results of these activities in the past to see what happens to us now and in the future.

Okay, I guess we’re done for today!

Today’s reading begins with an intriguing image.

Jer 10:3-4
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
What particular image does that conjure up for you?

An extra-biblical writing The Book of Enoch (father of Methuselah) mentions a similar description to this one in Jeremiah.
Jer 10:13
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Evidence that God is in control of the weather.

Jer 10:21
The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the LORD; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.

And what might happen to the flock without a shepherd? We (Phil and Patti, mostly Patti) are reading a book entitled They Smell Like Sheep. This book spells out the qualifications for good pastoral leadership. In order for a pastor to be a good shepherd, he must spend some time with the sheep. Here is a quote from the book They Smell Like Sheep, “A shepherd knows each sheep by name; he nurtures the young, bandages the wounded, cares for the weak, and protects them all. A shepherd smells like sheep.” That would be a good shepherd as contrasted with a hired hand.

John 10:12-13
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Then contrast this with Jesus, who is the good shepherd.

John 10:14
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--
He knows us…do we know Him?

In Jeremiah 12 is a description of shepherds who ruin the vineyard. The leaders were causing a spiritual drought. It was a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. The seeds of truth were not planted and therefore a crop could not grow. Not much has changed now. We are in many ways experiencing a spiritual drought. But, praise God, there are spiritual leaders out there who are scattering seeds of the knowledge of the Word of God and are nourishing and challenging those who come to hear.

Jeremiah condemns religiosity. People were coming into the temple and saying they were worshiping the Lord but they were doing detestable things in God’s house. Do we misuse the church today? Would a modern day Jeremiah condemn our churches for religiosity or for practicing "churchianity" instead of Christianity?

Jer 7:22-23
For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.

God did not give the people these rituals and symbolic practices of burnt offerings and sacrifices in the beginning of the exodus from Egypt. All they had to do was to obey Him and walk in His commands. They had the Angel of His Presence (the pre-incarnate Jesus). It wasn’t until later that God added all the ritualistic regulations.

Exod 33:14
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

He was with them for heaven’s sake! All they had to do was to listen and obey Him.
Oops...He is with us too isn’t He? If we are believers, we have His Presence with us always in the form of the Holy Spirit. So, what’s our problem???

Jeremiah again rebukes the spiritual leaders.

Jer 8:11
They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace.
The “falling away” from godly teaching started early. It was treated as a “scratch” when it was a “dagger” to the heart.

Jer 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

2 Cor 1:12
Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace.

What a boast…to conduct ourselves in holiness and sincerity because we understand and know the Lord!

Jer 5:30-31
"A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?
Why is it that the people love being told lies?

Oh, guess the answer is found in the following verse.
Jer 6:10
To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.

In case we didn’t get it with Jeremiah, Paul adds a few touches.
II Th 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Jer 6:13-15
"From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD.

The prophets and priests who lie and rule by their own authority are not ashamed of their conduct. They are so far from God’s Monument of Truth that they don’t even know enough to be ashamed.

So how do we as people of God become familiar with His Monument of Truth? Jeremiah makes it so very clear.

Jer 6:16
This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'

We stand at the crossroads daily. We make choices daily. Back to our first verse for today, "But what will you do in the end?"

Will we take the “road less traveled” and go to the ancient paths, the Monument of Truth?

Jer 3:11
The LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah.

2 Tim 2:13
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
We have an amazingly gracious God. He remains faithful to us - even when we are not faithful to Him!

God reminds us through Jeremiah as He did with Isaiah that our relationship with Him is as a spiritual marriage.

Jer 4:3
This is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: "Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.

Unplowed ground is like a hardened heart…not open to hearing and applying the Word of God. We are told to break up this unplowed ground. How can we do that?

He also tells us not to sow among thorns. Later in this same chapter we find this verse.

Jer 4:22b
They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good."

If we sow among thorns, we reap destruction.

Gal 6:8a
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction;

Skill in doing evil comes from practicing that which is evil. It is called "usage familiarity".

Best advice: Break up our “unplowed ground” and allow God’s Word to take root and grow.

Jer 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Proof that God knew us even before we were conceived. Since He is omniscient, He can do that!

Jer 1:9
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth.

What an image that is! The Lord reaches out to “touch” us. He did that through Jesus!

Jeremiah reminds us of the spiritual marriage relationship.

Jer 2:2
"Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: "'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.

Jer 2:13
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

How often do we try to do things on our own – at great cost and effort? Our way is substandard at best. God gives freely and His way is so much better.

Jer 2:19b
Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

God is Holy. We should not worship Him casually!

Ps 29:2
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Heb 12:28
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

How should it look to worship Him in splendor and with reverence and awe?

Earlier we stated that ancient Nineveh is in ruins today, as prophesied by Nahum. The following is a link that you might find interesting.
http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/assyria/2-assyria-mound-bb.html

Zephaniah is an excellent example of the layering of Biblical prophecies. There is an immediate literal fulfillment of the prophecy, which is symbolic of a future fulfillment of that same prophecy. These prophecies are spread throughout the book of Zephaniah. For example, the judgments of Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria were literally fulfilled when the Babylonians invaded the entire area in the 580s BC. The future fulfillment will take place during the wrath of God when God pours out His judgment on these same countries (See Chapters 17- 20 of the book THESE LAST DAYS ). God’s people will then inherit this land during the millennium (See Chapters 21-24 of the book THESE LAST DAYS). It’s ironic (at least from the human point of view) that God uses Ammon and Moab as places of safety for His people during the time of His wrath.

Zeph 2:10
This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty.

There is an unbelievable verse in today’s reading.
Zeph 3:17
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Can you even begin to imagine God singing??? Yet Zephaniah tells us that He does! He takes delight in us and rejoices over us. AMAZING!

"While Manasseh may have been an ungodly king in the beginning, he redeemed himself somewhat in the end. Manasseh reigned longer (55 years) than any other Israelite king and had the dubious distinction of being Judah's most wicked king. He came to the throne at the age of 12, although he probably co-reigned with Hezekiah for ten years. His father's godly influence appears to have affected Manasseh only negatively, and he reverted to the ways of his evil grandfather, Ahaz. Committed to idolatry, Manasseh restored everything Hezekiah had abolished. Manasseh erected altars to Baal; he erected an image of Asherah in the Temple; he worshiped the sun, moon, and stars; he recognized the Ammonite god Molech and sacrificed his son to him, he approved divination; and he killed all who protested his evil actions. Manasseh was temporarily deported to Babylon where he humbled himself before God in repentance. Upon Manasseh's return to Jerusalem, he tried to reverse the trends he had set; but his reforms were quickly reversed after his death by his wicked son Amon."
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Contrast the above description of Manasseh to his grandson Josiah.

II Ki 23:25
Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did-- with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

What a statement to Josiah’s character! Notice all the “all”s.
However, even a godly person like Josiah can still suffer because of the sins of others.

II Ki 23:26
Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger.

Sin has consequences. Sin is like an open wound. The wound may heal but often scars remain.

Nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh has some specific applications for us today. Nineveh was a wicked city when Jonah was sent there. They were so wicked that, according to Jonah, they didn’t deserve to be saved. Can you make any applications to humanity today? After Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh preaching repentance, the people in Nineveh believed God and repented, and then turned from their evil ways. God had compassion and did not destroy them. See any connections yet? Unfortunately, Nineveh shortly returned to their evil practices, even worse than before. The commentary in the Chronological Bible only touched on the surface when describing their many sinful and wicked ways. Making the applications to today yet?

Nahum lists some specific practices of the people of Nineveh; sorcery, prostitution, and witchcraft, all outward symptoms of inward character. God says He will treat them with contempt. Connections to today?

The people of Nineveh believed God, repented, and turned, however they didn’t necessarily believe IN God. They would be as the man Jesus spoke of in Matthew’s gospel.

Matt 12:43-45
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

Unbelievers can believe, repent, and turn from their life of sin. God has compassion and saves those persons from destruction even though they may not deserve it. They, like the people of Nineveh may believe that God exists (even Satan knows that God exists) and yet not believe IN God (Jesus) and so have the indwellment of the Holy Spirit. When temptations of the former life resurface, their condition may be worse than before.

How about unbelievers who believe IN God (Jesus), repent, and turn from their life of sin? Believers are saved from eternal destruction (eternal death), yet still give sanctuary to some former sins. For example, as Christians, we can sometimes be very soft concerning stands on sins, such as prostitution, sorcery and witchcraft. Sorcery and witchcraft can come in many forms, such as the celebration of Halloween, reading of novels and watching movies concerning sorcery and witchcraft. The sin of prostitution also can take many forms, not all necessarily connected with sexual sins. Remember our relationship with our Savior is as a marriage. Anytime we Christians “sell out” to the ways of the world we prostitute ourselves.

Ancient Nineveh is in ruins today. As Christians, we don’t have to be in ruin. We can put on our figurative “sackcloth and ashes”, repent, and turn from our wicked ways. Then our gracious and merciful God will have compassion on us, forgive us, and restore us to a right relationship with Him.

“All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people…”

Another verse describing our ever patient God who offers us chance, after chance, after chance! He is not willing that any should perish.

Matt 18:14
In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

God makes it perfectly clear in Isaiah 65 how He feels about those “who walk in ways not good”.

Again in today’s reading in Isaiah 65:17-25 is another incredible description of eternity and more descriptions of life in the millennium.

Isaiah 66 spells out the rewards for the believers and wrath of God for the unbelievers.

We say farewell to Isaiah, a true prophet of God. Some parting thoughts by the commentator of the Chronological Bible that we would like to bring out. “God’s message will sometimes be hidden from the common people by the very ones who ought to bring understanding – the religious leaders”.

Jesus had something to say about the religious leaders of His day.
Matt 23:13
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

While we may look to religious leaders for understanding, ultimately, we need to look to the Holy Spirit.

Can there be any richer passages of Scripture that those for today? Have we said that before???

What a great picture in Isaiah 60 of people being gathered together and what will be happening during the Millennial Kingdom! As we put the pieces of the prophetic puzzle together for the book THESE LAST DAYS we wondered about this verse.
“Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?” Does this mean that there will be forms of transportation in the Millennium that we know nothing of now???

Isaiah reports that during this millennial reign, the Lord will be the light.
Isa 60:19
The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Zechariah gives us another view.
Zech 14:7
It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime-- a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.

And John had this to say about the eternal heavenly kingdom. God gives the light. Jesus is the lamp.
Rev 21:23
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Which brings us back to the beginning.
Gen 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

The light that God created first was not the light of the sun, but the light of the son! He was there in the beginning and will be there for eternity!

Isaiah 57:1-2
The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
Oh, what compelling verses these are! With companion verses in Mark and Matthew.

Mark 13:19-20
If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
(See also Matthew 24:21-22)

The fate of the wicked is found in the remaining verses of Isaiah 57.

Isa 57:12
I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you.
What a convicting verse this is! Even though we may do good works, if we do not honor the Lord in what we do, or if we follow the ways of the wicked, seems as if the bad cancels out some of the good. It reminds us of some of the kings, especially Asa. If we are not believers in Jesus, it doesn't matter how many good works we do.

IKing 15:14
Although he did not remove the high places, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.
Asa was fully committed, yet he held on to the ways of the wicked. He was righteous in many ways and in his many works, but what God was looking for in Asa and also in all of us, it that we will be fully committed to Him AND we will destroy our “high places”, whatever form those "high places" make take.

Isa 57:15b
"I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
What an amazing thought. This Master of the universe, who lives in unapproachable light, in a high and holy place, wants to live within us!

Isaiah 58 gives some information about the Sabbath. The Sabbath day is a day of “rest”. This “rest” means so much more than stretching out on the hammock, under a shady tree in the back yard and taking a little snooze. “Rest” means to rest in God’s unfailing love, to rest in His mercy, His goodness, His faithfulness, His grace; to rest in His promises; to rest in trusting Him. Ultimately “rest” is eternal salvation, to rest forever with Him. We honor Him on a Sabbath day by not going our “own way” and “speaking idle words”. So exactly when is the Sabbath day? Using the definitions above, sounds like every day should be a Sabbath day!

Isa 59:2
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
This was another very convicting verse for us today. When we examined our prayers, we realized that we have been neglectful in confessing our sins, BEFORE we begin to petition Him for requests. Something easily remedied.

“For your Maker is your husband -”
This really spells out the spiritual marriage relationship between believers and Jesus or between Jesus and His church.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you..”
Wonder how long God’s moments are?

“Seek the Lord while he may be found”;
What does it mean “while he may be found”? Does it mean there may come a time when He can’t be found?

“…all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” What a sound that must be!

Isa 52:11
Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
What an admonition to stay pure, especially leaders in the church.

In reading Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 53, it is so obvious this prophecy of Jesus. There is so much to write about here but we will focus on just one verse in Isaiah 53.

Isa 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Iniquity means Jesus took everything about us that wasn’t perfect, not just our big sins. That was everything short of perfection. It was everything that every person did or ever will do. He loves us that much!

Rom 3:23-24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Praise God we are justified freely because of that redemption! He loves us that much!

In the last days there will be a tremendous earthquake that will shake the earth when the seventh angel pours out his bowl.

Rev 16:17-18
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.

In the midst of this severe earthquake, the flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder we have this incredible promise from God.

Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

He loves us that much!

Have you ever been somewhere and been given a very important phone number? You find a pen but no paper. You frantically look around for something to write on but find nothing. Out of desperation, because the number is so important, you scribble the number on the palm of your hand. Can you imagine a number so important that you would etch the number with a sharp instrument in the palm of your hand?

Well, ponder this verse today!
Isa 49:16a
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

God engraves us on the palms of His hands. We must be pretty important!

Jacob’s descendants have been told they will not seek Him in vain.

Isa 45:19
I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Those who seek Him, find Him.
Prov 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

Jer 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Amos 5:4
This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;

No question in Isaiah 47 of how God feels about astrology.

Ever had a time in your life when you felt as if you were in the “furnace of affliction”? (Isa 48:10). Ever wonder why???
Isa 48:11a
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.

Next time you are in the “furnace of affliction” remember it is for His sake that you are there!

God makes it very clear that once He acts, no one can change it.

Isa 43:13
Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"

John 10:28-30
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

The following passages make the connections between Old and New Testaments.

Isa 44:6
"This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

Rev 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

And more connections…

Isa 44:8
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

1 Cor 10:4
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

And even more connections…

Isa 44:24
"This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

And still more…

Isa 45:3
I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

John 10:3
The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

The Bible proves that it is one continuous story from beginning to end!

In today’s reading the headings seemed to tell the story. NOTHING TO FEAR, NEEDS TO BE PROVIDED, IDOLS CANNOT PROVIDE, FALSE PROPHETS FAIL MESSIAH BRINGS JUSTICE, and NEW KINGDOM FOR BELIEVERS. In the life of a true believer in Jesus Christ, there is nothing to fear. Only He provides all we need, not any thing of this world (idols) or any prophets (false or true). Only Messiah, Jesus Christ, brings justice and through belief in Him we have the promise of the New Kingdom!

God promises us so much. His promises stand firm. We are the ones who deprive ourselves of His great promises.

Jesus quoted Isaiah, making it perfectly clear to whom Isaiah was referring.
Matt 12:18-21
"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope."
Can we relate a “bruised reed” and a “smoldering wick” to life today?

Isa 42:9
See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
God tells us ahead of time what is going to happen. Our future is laid out in His Word; the wrath to come, the Millennial Kingdom, Eternity...

A verse very close to our hearts:
Isa 42:16
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
On a day shortly after Phil lost his eyesight, this verse “found” us. It is a verse that we revisit often, especially when we travel down “unfamiliar paths”. Before Phil’s blindness, few paths were more unfamiliar than public speaking and writing books. We praise God that He has turned the darkness into light and the rough places smooth.

One of my (Patti) favorite verses in Scripture is the following:
Isa 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Just as He calls all the starry host (Isa 40:26) by name, He calls us by name. We belong to Him! AMEN!

Paganism flourishes during the reign of Manasseh. In today’s reading, Isaiah turns the focus beyond the godless era and toward the restoration of God’s people, physical restoration and spiritual restoration. One thing we observed during this reading is that prayers are answered and requests to God are honored. However, if the prayer or request is outside the will of God, there are often dire consequences. Think about when the people asked for a king. Samuel knew that the people should not have a king, and warned the people of such. They, however, demanded a king. So what happened? God gave them a king. Now they are suffering the consequences for that request. Hezekiah bargained for longer life. God granted that request and dire consequences ensued. As a result of the 15 year extension, was the birth of Manasseh, who took the throne at age 12, one of the most evil of all of Judah’s kings.

If you haven’t read Isaiah 40 in a while, please read it again today! And while you’re at it, read Job chapters 38-42. It will give you a fresh perspective on just how great God is! And then read this

Isa 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This great God who laid the earth’s foundations, gives orders to the morning, sends lightning bolts on their way, knows when the mountain goats give birth, commands the soaring of the eagles, etc, etc, etc…cares enough about each of us to strengthen and help us. What an amazing God we have!

Some intriguing aspects of today’s reading…the nation of Judah spiritually declined with the reign of Manasseh, whose name means “causing to forget”. What an understatement! Not only about Manasseh, but the people of Judah as well. They had already stepped on that slippery slope anyway when they were unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction and asked for “no more visions of what is right”.

Manasseh rebuilt the high places, erected altars to Baal, made an Asherah pole (this by the way was a symbol of sexual promiscuity as an act of worship), worshiped the starry host, desecrated the temple with altars to the gods, and even sacrificed his own son in the fire. He also was responsible for the shedding of “much innocent blood”; most likely other people followed his practice of human sacrifice. This is a model example of how one person can change a nation. Satan is clever and time efficient with his resources. Instead of sending thousands of evil angels to influence thousands of people, he can send one evil angel to influence one strong leader who, in turn, will influence thousands of people.

Another aspect for today… If Hezekiah hadn’t been given the extra 15 years to live, Manasseh would not have been born.

We can learn many lessons from today’s reading. God is very patient but as He warned the people of Judah, He warns us today. He will stretch out the “measuring line” and the “plumb line”. Sometimes we can test His tolerance to the breaking point. And then, as spoiled children, we suffer the effects of disobedience. Why would we want to do that? It’s so much easier to obey and listen to His instruction. He is, after all, the perfect parent and He has the perfect plan! Who could argue with that???

Hezekiah became king around 725 BC. As recorded in 2 Kings 18, he rebelled against the king of Assyria and defeated the Philistines. This was around 721 BC. Then around 701 BC he paid extortion money to the king of Assyria, using the gold and silver in the temple and the treasuries of the royal palace after Sennacherib attacked and captured the fortified cities of Judah. What happened in those intervening 20 or so years? Around 711 BC Isaiah demonstrated the humiliation of Egypt and Cush by going naked. Then shortly after that we have a record of the people of Judah rejecting God’s truth. Is it that the people, led by King Hezekiah began drifting from God? We aren’t told that the people returned to pagan gods, high places, and sacred stones, but they did back away from God.

Hezekiah tries to rely on the past and reminds God of all the good things he had done earlier. He bargained with God for 15 more years. God granted this request, but pride got hold of Hezekiah again. However, to his credit, he did repent, only to have pride resurface with the envoys of Babylon as he bragged about his storehouse treasures. BIG mistake!

Pride…what a successful tool that Satan uses, an attribute of which he is very familiar and something that we as Christians must guard against.

As a reminder, there is a difference between Israel and Judah. At this point in the chronological reading, the nations were separated, never to be joined again, until Jesus returns. The nation of Judah (plus the tribe of Benjamin) is known as the Jews. The rest of the tribes “the lost tribes” have been dispersed, many of them into the western nations.

Isa 19:19
In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border.
The land of Egypt in ancient times was divided into two parts; upper and lower Egypt. The boundary between these two nations is in the area of where Cairo and the Great Pyramid are today. Interestingly, the pyramid is located both on the border of and in the heart of Egypt.

In the Millennium:
Isa 19:23
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

God sure uses an unusual sign (Isaiah’s nakedness) to demonstrate the humiliation of Egypt and Cush at the hands of the Assyrians.

Isaiah foretells that Judah will reject the truth.
Isa 30:9-11
These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction. They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"

In other words, they were saying, “Tell us things we want to hear”. Isaiah warned about this and so did Paul.

2 Tim 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Turning “aside to myths” is comparable to worshiping God on pagan high places. Do we do that today? What did God warn about that?

As always God gives us a chance for redemption.
Isa 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Can’t you just imagine Him whispering this in our ears? This creator of the universe, caring enough about us to whisper in our ears! Amazing!

Today’s reading has a summary of the reason for Israel’s fall. The people were taken into captivity because of the sins they committed against God, despite repeated warnings from the prophets. The historical record spells it out. The Samaritans mixed religions as the Israelites had done. It seems as if they had one foot with the world and one foot with the Lord.

II Ki 17:41
Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

There are so many lessons we can learn from the Old Testament…all the mistakes that God’s people have made in the past are spelled out for us, repeatedly. The consequences of those mistakes are also spelled out, repeatedly. Why can’t we learn from them?

“…fill all the world with fruit…” is another one of those passages that seemed highlighted for us today.

Fruit is the result of how we live our lives. Are we bearing good fruit or bad fruit? As Christians we should, of course, bear good fruit. What would happen if Christians filled all the world with good fruit? That fruit can take many forms. We bear fruit when we witness for Him. We bear fruit when we exercise our spiritual gifts. We bear fruit when we display the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control). How can we fill all the world with good fruit? Easy…spend plenty of time with Jesus!

Any ideas on Eliakim? He was the one chosen to replace Shebna, the steward of King Hezekiah. On Eliakim’s shoulder was placed the key to the house of David. There is another reference to this “key”. It’s found in the book of Revelation.
Rev 3:7
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

It is easy for us today to get caught up in renewal and recommitment like the people of Hezekiah’s day. We can soon slip back into the old ways if we are not careful to maintain that renewal and recommitment. The slipping is so subtle that we might miss it. Isaiah warns the people of this danger.

Isaiah also continues to condemn spiritual leaders who are so consumed with the world that they don’t hear the voice of God. He continues to condemn meaningless worship. What does that look like in our churches today? People go through the motions of ritualistic worship…rituals that are made by men. Our focus becomes the ritual and we neglect to worship Him in the “splendor of his holiness”.

But, as always there is this great promise of restoration and the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the precious cornerstone, that sure foundation.

What prophetic words for today, “For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll…”
If we do not faithfully and frequently communicate with Him, if we do not know Him intimately and personally, His Words are just “words”. They have no meaning for us. We should approach the reading of God’s Word with “holy expectation”.

Today’s reading in Isaiah tells the story of the wrath of God on the Day of the Lord and gives us a glimpse into the Millennial Kingdom.

“In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below”
Evil will be destroyed and Satan and his evil angels will be thrown into the Abyss.

Leviathan is mentioned. In ancient Aramean literature this is a seven-headed monster, an enemy of God and God’s created order of things. How very appropriate as a representative of Satan! Satan is most definitely an enemy of God and according to Hebrew word pictures, Satan is “chaos man”. (chaos as the opposite of order)

Isaiah 35 is a peek into the nature of things in the Millennium, as well as the attitude that should be ours as the redeemed today.

Isa 35:8
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

Imagine walking in that Way, His Way, the Way of Holiness. Do we have to wait until the Millennium?

What an uplifting reading for today…Hezekiah's reforms. He started off really well. His early reforms were done quickly too.
"In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them."
The priests purified the sanctuary and removed everything unclean and then consecrated it. Remember King Ahaz had brought in pagan gods, altars, and high places. If we apply this type of reform to today, how would it look in our churches? What would be the pagan influences that have infiltrated our churches today?

Hezekiah ordered sin offerings for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and for Judah. When the offerings were finished, singing to the Lord began and the whole assembly bowed in worship.

Then Hezekiah did something very significant. He reinstituted observance of Passover. The people responded with great enthusiasm, so much so that they celebrated for an additional week. Sounds like a modern day crusade or revival. "There was great joy in Jerusalem."

When the celebration was over, the people were motivated to go out into the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars…ALL of them. What a testimony to revival! Couldn't we do that today? What would be some examples of sacred stones and high places?

The king set the standard, the people followed. What a concept! Spiritual leaders leading spiritually!
The people brought so many freewill offerings (above and beyond the ten percent tax tithe) that the offerings were distributed to fellow priests according to divisions and even given to males three years old who would later enter temple service. Unbelievable!

Hezekiah listened to the Lord and obeyed. The result…major spiritual reform and renewal. What would happen to our churches today if a spirit of reform and renewal swept our country, or our church denominations, or our local churches, or individuals? You know it ultimately comes down to the individual; will we be willing to institute reform and renewal in our own lives?

Oh, boy, here we go again, back into Isaiah. An interesting application from Isaiah…even though Isaiah knew the ultimate outcome that the nations would bring about the suffering of God’s people, he continued to preach against sin in Judah. Often as Christians we may know that our witness for Him may fall on deaf ears, we should still continue to witness. Our job is to witness, He takes it from there.

Again in Isaiah 13 we have a foreshadowing of a prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord’s wrath.

Isaiah gives us a glimpse into Satan’s plans through the king of Babylon. More details concerning Satan are found in Ezekiel 28 .

Along with a reference to "Babylon fallen" in Isaiah are several in Revelation.

Rev 18:2
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

Babylon is used in analogy to represent the false church during the last days. Before the false church becomes a haunt for demons and evil spirits, there must first come a “falling away” or a rebellion. The Christian church will become apostate before it becomes the false church.

II Th 2:3
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

What does this mean for us?

What a sad end to King Ahaz. Why is it that so many of the kings gave silver and gold from the temple to their enemies? Does prostitution come to mind?

Corruptions that led to the downfall of King Ahaz;

1. copied an altar of a false god
2. sought guidance from the bronze altar instead of guidance from the Lord
3. took away the Sabbath canopy
4. offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus
5. took away the furnishings from the temple
6. shut the doors of the Lord’s temple
7. set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem
8. built high places in every town in Judah

Any connections for today?

Contrast this to his son Hezekiah. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces Moses’ bronze snake because the Israelites were worshiping the object instead God. Hezekiah held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow the command the Lord had given Moses. The result? The Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

Any applications for us?

Oh, so very much in today’s reading that pertain to the last days.

“…dead bodies will send up a stench; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.”
(Armageddon)

Stars dissolved, sky rolled up like a scroll, starry host will fall…all preparations for the new heaven and the new earth. Throughout the entire Bible are many other references.
Rev 6:14
The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
2 Pet 3:12
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

Then we have this great promise.
Isa 16:5
In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it-- one from the house of David-- one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.

And just in case we wonder who is in control…
Isa 14:24
The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.

What comfort! He is the One in control!