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 and even tells him in Jeremiah 15:19 that if he (Jeremiah) will repent then God will let him keep on doing what makes him whine. 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. 

Jeremiah 15:19b

Let this people turn to you,but you must not turn to them.

Hard, but applicable words for us today. Don't compromise when we are in the right.

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?  God has something to say about that.

Jeremiah 16:17-18 
My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols. ” 
Vile images today could be such things as movies, videos, pictures, etc.  Idols, of course, take many forms.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 is a study in contrasts.  Here is a paraphrase:
Cursed is the one who trusts in man.  Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
Cursed is the one who depends on flesh for his strength.  Blessed is the one whose confidence is in the Lord.
The cursed one will be like a bush in the wastelands.  The blessed one will be like a tree planted by water.
The cursed one will dwell in the parched places of the desert in a salt land where no one lives.  The blessed one does not fear when heat comes; leaves are always green with no worries in a year of drought. This blessed one never fails to bear fruit.

In thinking about those of us who are blessed, those of us who are called by His Name, we have an obligation to bear fruit.  The seed to perpetuate the tree is in the fruit.  The seed for others' understanding is in our fruit.  Pretty heavy responsibility.

Today's reading ends with these words from Jeremiah 17:16

"I have not run away from being your shepherd."
We keep thinking about how hard this must have been for Jeremiah.  God gave him the job of preaching to a people who would not listen.  And yet, Jeremiah did the job, whining and complaining but yet weeping for the people - so human - and yet so obedient.   Lots of lessons for all of us today.

Sorry dear ones that the posting is late for today.  We just returned from South Carolina late last night.  As we have reviewed the last few days' readings, it is clear that God has been preparing His people (that would be all of us as well) for the message in today's readings.  It is a powerful warning. 

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.

God warns in Jeremiah 14 to beware of false prophets who tell of visions and their own delusions. We must also be careful today of many "theories" taught as Biblical truth. There are many leaders, writers, and speakers who follow this same pattern of twisting God's word to make it say something that it doesn't say simply because that is what people want to hear and believe. God warns about what will happen to them and it's not a pretty picture.

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) read 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?

Jeremiah has some stinging words in this next verse.

Jeremiah 11:14

 “Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
It is very clear from this verse that a time may come when it is too late to pray.
Another thought - could this be a case of misdirected mercy?  Sometimes people need God's discipline in order to learn a lesson.  We may want to spare them the pain but God may want to use that pain for a noble purpose.

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. Again, couldn't help but think of Moshe in Israel with his groups of Messianic Jews.

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???

Another warning that ties in with The Harbinger;

Jeremiah 7:27-28

 “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.  Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

Sound like the United States today??? 

And again in the following verse, a condemnation. 

Jeremiah 8:6 

 I have listened attentively,  but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?”

(See 2 Chronicles 7:14)

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.

Jeremiah also mentions that the spiritual leaders are not ashamed of their conduct, that they don't even know how to blush.  If a person doesn't even know how to blush, that person has no shame.

(Again, see 2 Chronicles 7:14)

  

Jeremiah 9:12-13 
What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it?  (Theological seminaries alone are poor substitutes for the Holy Spirit who guides us into God's Truth.) 
Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross? The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them.
People believe untruths that have been handed down to them. (traditions of men).

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.

The spiritual leaders in Jeremiah's day were telling the people things they wanted to hear.  Not much has changed today.
 

Jeremiah warns that the spiritual leaders deceive the people.

 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 people were being spiritually wounded unto the second death, yet the spiritual leaders were giving "band-aid" treatments at best. 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.'

The ancient paths are in God's Word. There we will find the good way so that we can walk in it.  It is there that we find the plan of salvation spelled out so beautifully for us.  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” , the good way, 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.

This previous statement is made regarding their pretense. 

God urges the people to return to Him. He says He will bring them to Zion which is exactly what the Messianic Jews are doing today. Couldn't help but think of Moshe in Israel concerning the shepherds who lead the people with knowledge and understanding.

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 3:13

Only acknowledge your guilt -

This is a very important verse that reminds us of the need to acknowledge our sins and repent, then the blessings will come.

 

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.  If a person does not know how to do good, could it be that they have not been taught God's ways?

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.

Jeremiah 5:1
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.
Does this mean that God will forgive a nation if a remnant repents?

Jeremiah 5:2
Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ still they are swearing falsely. ”
People may go through the motions, giving "lip service" to repentance but don't mean it.

Jeremiah 5:3
O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?  You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.  
Sounds like some of the lessons we've learned from the book, The Harbinger.  We, as a nation and a church, have been given warnings about repentance, and yet we have not turned.

So in the next few verses Jeremiah thinks that maybe the people just don't know how to repent, they don't know the way of the Lord.  He thinks he will go to the leaders, surely they will know.  But, of course, they don't.  And so God lets Jeremiah know the fate of those people.

We just keep going back to the verse in chapter 5.
If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.
One person CAN make a difference!

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!

We were wondering about the vision of the almond branch and remembered Aaron's staff budding and bearing fruit overnight. Was God expecting Jeremiah to produce much "fruit" in his witness?

Interesting that the prophecies given to Jeremiah were during the times of Josiah's reforms. No wonder the people didn't listen.  Things were going too well.

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.

God reminds the people that they have brought their disasters on themselves. It's not that God punishes so much but that people reap what they sow.

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?

Jeremiah 2:30  
“In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.
The people didn't heed the warnings then, people are not heeding the warnings, the harbingers now.  They didn't listen to Jeremiah then, they don't listen to modern day prophets today. 

God is calling His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways.  Only then can we expect God to bless us.

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.

Chapter 1 of Zephaniah relates God's judgment against Judah.  He mentions "those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him".  

Many times we as Believers turn back from following the Lord, and go our own way or the way of the world.  But even when we don't turn back from following Him, are we guilty of not seeking Him?  And how about when we pray, do we ask God or do we tell God.  We (Phil and Patti) are guilty many times of making plans and then asking God to bless them instead of asking God what plans He has for us.  He's already blessed those plans!  

Also in Chapter 1, God says He "will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold."
This is a reference to the Philistine custom of stepping over the threshold.  Because of their paganism and superstition, they avoid the threshold. See the following:
1Sa 5:1-5
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.   They brought it into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon.   Early the next day the people of Ashdod saw that Dagon had fallen forward on the ground in front of the LORD'S ark. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.   But the next morning they saw that Dagon had again fallen forward on the ground in front of the LORD'S ark. Dagon's head and his two hands were cut off and were lying on the temple's threshold. The rest of Dagon's body was intact. This is why the priests of Dagon and everyone else who comes into Dagon's temple in Ashdod still don't step on the temple's threshold.  

Zeph 3:4
Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.
Many spiritual leaders today profane the sanctuary by bringing in unholy pagan rituals.  They change the commands of God to make them more palatable to the masses ("cotton candy" preaching).  And because God's laws are made palatable, the people are eager to act corruptly(verse 7).  They are quick to support laws concerning gay marriage, abortions, etc.

Zeph 3:18
The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you, they are a burden and a reproach to you.
For us as Believers there is no sorrow attached to the appointed feasts and festivals (the Holy Days).  There is only joy in our remembrance that Jesus is the fulfillment of those days.

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. 

We have reference to this commandment in the gospels.
Mark 12:30
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength."  This is the first commandment.

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 Believers, 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 Believers “sell out” to the ways of the world we prostitute ourselves.

 

Interestingly, today's reading mentions celebrating festivals (the God-ordained feast and festivals) and fulfilling vows to the Lord.   Again, we can make many connections to today. 

Ancient Nineveh is in ruins today. As Believers in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, 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.

"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;"

Imagine life as a horizontal line.  Life begins at the beginning of the horizontal line. At points along the way, God reaches down.  It is up to the individual to reach back or not. Whenever an unsaved person reaches back and accepts Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, they begin to ascend on a vertical line up to God and eternal life.  If the unsaved person does not reach up and accept Jesus, they continue on the horizontal line to the end of it and into eternal death.

Isa 65:12 

Therefore I will number you to the sword; and you will all bow down to the slaughter; because I called and you did not answer; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen."

“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”.

Isaiah 65 mentions offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick.  Brick is symbolic of something man-made as opposed to stone, which is something God made.  We can also relate this to man-made traditions, which Jesus condemned.   

 Isaiah 65:12b

…for I called but you did not answer, I spoke that you did not listen you did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.

God has repeatedly warned about pagan practices.

Isaiah is full of prophecies concerning the Millennial Kingdom.  It is possible to live today with a "millennial mindset and lifestyle" as much as possible, even while living among pagan influences.

"As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes..."

 God continually reminds us that no matter how many people walk in ways not good in a world that is not good, there will be a remnant who walk in ways that are good.  This is the juice still found in a cluster of grapes. 

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.

Isaiah 66:2
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Will the Lord esteem us now if we are living a "millennial mindset and lifestyle" as much as possible?

Isaiah 66:3b-4a

They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations; so I will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread.

Isaiah 66:17
"Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things - they will meet their end together", declares the Lord.
There are people who are seeking after righteousness, but find abominable things, are led astray and into false worship and pagan traditions.
 

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 God's Word and listen to the Holy Spirit.

The spiritual renewal under Manasseh as spelled out in today's reading should give us encouragement to "burn" our own "high places" instead of compromising and "sacrificing" to God on the altars of paganism.

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

There will be only Believers in Jesus in the millennial kingdom.  Imagine that! 

Isaiah 60:1-3 tells what will happen as the glory of the Lord rises. However, if we make these passages personal and applicable to today, we can be encouraged that we, as Believers, must rise and shine even thought spiritual darkness covers the earth.  His glory can be seen in us.  Others will come to our light.

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. 

The word poor doesn't mean lack of money.  It means meek, lowly, or downcast.  What better news can there possibly be for people who are downcast than the good news of salvation through Jesus! 

Jesus read this passage of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of His earthly mission. 

Luke 4:18-20

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.  He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 

Jesus stopped reading right before, "the day of vengeance of our God."  This part of the Isaiah prophecy had not been fulfilled yet.  It won't be fulfilled until the Day of the Lord or the time of the wrath of God.  We are living in the mercy, patience, learning age.

 

Isaiah 61:7

Instead of shame my people will receive a double portion.

In the millennium God's people will receive a double portion. This refers to land masses for the tribes.  Their land allotment will be significantly larger than they had before the millennium. Also in the millennium, the Gentiles will serve the tribes of Jacob. 

 

Isaiah reminds the people of how God interacted with them in the past and mentions His presence with them.

Isaiah 63:9

In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them.

This presence has been with them (and us) since the beginning as recorded in Genesis 3:8 and Exodus 33:14 as well as many other passages.

 

Isaiah 63:11-12

where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses' right hand.

What confirmation of the interaction of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Old Testament!

 

Isaiah 64:1

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...

Praise God, He DID rend the heavens and come down in the form of Jesus!

 

Isaiah 64:4

All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags

What we call righteous is not necessarily what God calls righteous.  What may be politically correct is not necessarily biblically correct.  Some forms of tolerance, for example.

 

What must the people have thought when Isaiah tells them about the burning of the temple and the ruin of the treasures there as recorded in Isaiah 64.  At that time the temple was still standing.

 

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 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)

Isa 57:8a
Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols.

We may think we can hide our wicked ways, but not so.

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" may 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!

The Sabbath day not only refers to the weekly Sabbath, but also to God's Holy Days, His feast and festival days.  They too are His Sabbaths.  We honor Him by observing these days.

Also in Isaiah 58 God warns about giving Him only "lip service".  God knows the heart and knows when we are only pretending to follow His commands.

There are great promises in Isaiah 58 for those who are truly following His commands.  He says your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Isaiah 58:12
Isaiah was referring to the people of his day but we can make spiritual connections today.  Truth tellers seek to rebuild the basic foundations of the faith.
 

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? 

"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.

What follows after this is a description of the millennium:

City with stones of turquoise, foundations with sapphires, battlements of rubies, gates of sparkling jewels, walls of precious stones.  While this is a beautiful picture, even better than that is the following:  "All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace."

Notice it says ALL your sons will be taught by the Lord and great will be their peace.  What parents wouldn't want that for their children?

Isaiah 55 paints a picture of somewhat of a bartering system that will be in place in the millennium.

Isaiah 55:2
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
This is a very applicable question for today.  How much money do we spend on wants instead of needs?  How much time do we spend on the job to make money to buy things that do not satisfy?
 

“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?

Isaiah 55 continues to paint a beautiful picture of mountains and hills bursting into song. “…all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” What a sound that must be!
This chapter also tells us that there will be a absence of thorns and briers. 

Isaiah 56 reaffirms God's desire that we keep His Sabbaths and His Holy Days.  He promises to bring those who honor these days to his holy mountain to be close to Him.

It is quite obvious throughout Scripture how God feels about His Sabbaths and the feasts and festivals. These days will be honored during the millennium.  Why not honor them now?

Another great verse today for the "truth tellers".
Isaiah 51:7
"Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have the law in your hearts; Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults.
Isaiah 51:12-16 tells us that we should not fear mortal men.  They are like grass, we should trust in the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.  He says to us, "I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand."

Isaiah 51:17-23 contains a symbol of sins using the cup of wrath as an illustration of God's justice.  But, there is also an illustration of God removing the cup that made you stagger, a wonderful illustration of the forgiveness of sin.

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 spiritual leaders. 

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!

What a comforting verse:

Isa 48:17  

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

He doesn't necessarily give us what we want but what is best for us, like any good parent would.  But, of course God is the perfect parent. 

But He reminds us in the next verse that if we had paid attention to His commands, we would have peace like a river. 

There is also a reminder in this verse about what God has done in the past.
Isaiah 48:21
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;  he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.
Whenever we may be tempted to put God's capabilities in our own little "box of understanding", let's remember this verse.  This great God can bring water from a rock!  Isaiah 50: 2 Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?  How can we ever doubt His power?
 

Isa 49:4  

But I said, "I have labored for no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.  Yet, what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."

Sometimes, truth-tellers may feel as if no one is listening.  But that really shouldn't matter.  The only thing that matters is this.  Are we doing what we have been called to do?  If so, leave it in the Lord's hands.  He will bring about His purpose, in His time.

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!
Another point to ponder. How about all of us? Have we engraved His name on the palms of our hands? Do we live our lives as if we are proud to be called His own?

Isaiah 49:22-23 gives us another glimpse into the millennial kingdom.  Gentiles will be serving the descendants of Jacob.

Isaiah 50:4-5
The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not drawn back.
Isaiah 50:7b
Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

These are great affirmation verses for "truth tellers" and the way to start each day.  The Lord wakens us each morning.  He wakens our ears to listen to what He wants to say to us.  Our response should be to move forward on His instructions and set our faces like flint, no matter what the rest of the world says or does. God has the final word!  Remember our beginning verse today.

Isa 48:17  

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."
We just need to listen and go!

Isaiah says that the enemies of Israel will acknowledge, "Surely God is will you, and there is no other; there is no other god."

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;

Isaiah 45 tells us the Lord says, "Before me every knee will bow; every tongue swear (or confess)."
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
 

Repetition seems to be a very common theme throughout God's Word.  We are consistently and repeatedly warned about our idols.  We were thinking about some of the idols we may have.  We certainly don't make a "god" out of silver or gold, carry it around, put it on a stand, bow down and worship that kind of idol.  God says through Isaiah that the idols are burdensome.  Maybe that would shed some light on what our idols are. Maybe we should evaluate how we spend our time by journaling a normal weekly routine. 

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!

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In light of our trip to Israel in 2011 and our interactions with the Messianic Jews there, this verse is especially meaningful to us. These people referred to in this passage would be all believers in Jesus as Messiah, the Messianic Jews, the scattered tribes of Israel, and the Gentiles.

Isa 44:5 One person will say, "I belong to the LORD." Another will call on the name of Jacob. Another will write on his hand, "The LORD'S," and he will adopt the name of Israel.

Under the heading, FUTILITY OF IDOLATRY,  Isaiah speaks of the ridiculousness of their worship of idols and calls the people to account.  The theme seems to be this.  

God made man and said, "Worship Me!"

Man made idols and said, "We worship you, our idols."  

Creation should worship the Creator, not the creator worship their own creation. 

Isaiah makes a couple of prophecies about Cyrus king of Persia 150 years before it really happened.
   

In today's reading, 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: (see Psalm 139) 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!

And one final amazing thought for today...
Isaiah 45:4b
I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
Even though we as Believers do not acknowledge Him, He still bestows on us a title of honor!  Ponder that today!!!

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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! Anything and everything falls short of that great promise!

All creation speaks of the majesty of God's handiwork.  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? Truth tellers may be bruised but not broken. Their flame may be quenched but not extinguished. 

 

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. If Phil could see, there are many paths we would not have taken. 

Isaiah 43 speaks of the redemption of Israel and the gathering of the scattered tribes into the millennium.  For Believers today, spiritually speaking, no matter how far away we may stray or are scattered either through our own fault or our circumstances, He will lead us back if we are willing.
 

One of my (Patti) favorite verses in Scripture is the following:  (Yes, Jim, I know I say that about a lot of verses!)
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!

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The themes of portions of Isaiah 40 and 41 are:  God is in control and He tells us what He's going to do through His prophets.  There are many layered prophecies there as well.

 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!

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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”. 

The prophet spoke to them.  "But the people didn't listen."  What a sad, sad verse to read.  So true then, but also so true today.  

It doesn't seem to take much to turn AWAY from the Lord - but much effort and energy to turn TO the Lord.

 

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???

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The reading for today blends the accounts from 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, and Isaiah to tell the complete story.  It makes it so much easier to understand. 

When Hezekiah paid tribute to the king of Assyria, he apologizes to him for doing wrong.  He hadn't done wrong exactly, he just needed to depend on God.  

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?  

The Assyrians were not successful in taking Judah into captivity.  God had reserved that capture for the Babylonians.

 

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. They began trusting in themselves and what they could accomplish apart from God.  They were depending on their own strength instead of God's strength.

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. Hezekiah asked for a sign that God would heal him.  Isaiah responds by calling on the Lord to make a shadow go back ten steps from the sundial.  This doesn't mean that God turned the sun back, only that the shadow turned back. Could it have been that another light source made a shadow of its own?  Like maybe a supernova or a comet or asteroid, or could it have been the Shekinah glory of God?

God granted Hezekiah's 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! 

Isaiah once more reminds Hezekiah that the treasures will be carried off to Babylon.  Hezekiah's response tells us that he didn't really care about what happened to his descendants, only that God had promised him peace and security in his lifetime. Shortly after this God left Hezekiah.  

Satan was certainly speaking through the Assyrian field commander when he discouraged Hezekiah from listening to Isaiah.  The things he said were blasphemy against God.  God certainly took care of them! 

A couple of Satan-led attributes have surfaced in today's reading, self-reliance apart from God and pride.  Pride…what a successful tool that Satan uses, an attribute of which he is very familiar and something that we as Believers must guard against.

We can learn a few lessons from Hezekiah and from his son Manasseh.  A single person can change a nation - either for the good or the bad.  The further away from God we go - the closer to His discipline we get.

2 Kings 19:30
Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.

To be that single person to change a nation for good, we must take root from His Word.  This is how we bear fruit for the Kingdom.

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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.   For us today, spiritually speaking, is this illustrating how our sins will be revealed, nothing will be hidden when we come before the judgment?

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. This concept of worshiping God on pagan high places has been repeated many, many times in the last few weeks. 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!

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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.  The nation of Israel was taken captive.  Today, we too can be taken captive by false teaching and hollow philosophy.

II Kings 17:15

They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the Lord had forbidden them to do.

Israel suffered because they imitated the pagan.  Do we today imitate the pagan?  Do we have other gods and idols that pull us away from a close relationship 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.  

The people were only giving "lip service" to the Lord.  If they were truly worshiping Him, they would be convicted of their sins and would stop worshiping the Lord in pagan ways. Same thing applies to us today.  We can't just give Him "lip service".  We need to give Him "heart service". 

 

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?  If we don't learn from them and make it personal, then the Old Testament is just another history book.

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Isaiah 29:22-24 mentions "children, the work of my hands,"

 Read what follows that verse.  When we understand our children are from God, we will stand in awe of Him.

“…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 Believers we should, of course, bear good fruit. What would happen if Believers 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!  He has said that He will watch over the fruitful vineyard, water it continually, and guard it continually. 

 

Isaiah 29:9

By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin:  When he makes all the altar stones to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.

When the altars of paganism are destroyed, then will guilt be atoned for.  This is one way we heed the warnings of The Harbinger.   Pagan influences within places of worship have so slowly and subtly crept in and the people have become so accustomed to them.  Had it been sudden, it would have been easier to confront and stop.

  

Isaiah 32:12-13 

Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers —

When there is a drought or famine in the land, the crops die, but weeds remain.  We need only to take a look around during drought conditions.  Crops are dying, grass is dying, but weeds are thriving.  So it is when there is a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. Fruitfulness decreases, but sinfulness increases so that the land is overgrown with thorns and briars (false teaching).

What a great promise in Isaiah 32:17-18
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. 

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.