I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 32-35.

    I was struck at the beginning of this by a couple of things. Isaiah says that the time is coming when everyone with eyes will be able to see the truth and those with ears will be able to hear it. At first I thought, “Well, he didn’t day they would see or hear. Only that they would be able to do so.” However, he immediately followed that by saying that even the hotheaded would be full of sense and understanding. The thing which really struck me was when he said that in that day ungodly fools will not be considered heroes and scoundrels will not be respected. When I read this last bit it occurred to me that maybe this was as much a condemnation of current society as it was a prediction of some future time.
    A righteous King HAS come and those who wish are able to see and hear the truth. But there are still those in our society who respect scoundrels and hold up ungodly fools as heroes. Isaiah reminds us why we should not respect scoundrels or hold ungodly fools as heroes. Scoundrels lie to convict the poor, even when the poor are innocent. Isaiah is telling us something important there. When caught lying, scoundrels will try to convince us that they did so in the cause of justice, but Isaiah reminds us that those who will lie to convict the guilty will have no qualms about lying to convict the innocent. Once you start lying to accomplish your goals, your goals no longer include discovering and revealing the truth. As for ungodly fools, they make evil plans.

    Later, Isaiah prophesies of a time of economic turmoil. A time when the godless will cry out that no one can keep a business going or even make a living. Isaiah tells us that those who are honest and fair will not find this time troubling. Only those who attempt to profit from fraud and deceit will suffer. The key here is that those latter will be so few that there will indeed be a great economic calamity. This prophecy gives us a guideline to avoid economic turmoil and to survive it when it comes. Those who try to game the system to get rich, who seek to manipulate others to their own advantage, and the disadvantage of those others, hasten the day of economic turmoil. When that day comes, those who took part in the deceit will suffer the most. Those who dealt honestly and fairly will pass through it practically unharmed.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 29-31.

    Isaiah tells us that his vision is like a sealed book to the people of this world. What he says here applies to the Bible as a whole. The people who reject God fall into two categories. Those who read the Bible a little bit, but say that they cannot understand it because it is confusing and contradictory. And those who do not read it at all because they have been told that they will not be able to understand it. Some of the people who say these things claim to obey God. They have made up their own rules, or adopted those made up by others, rather than following those given to us by God. Time and again, God surprises such people by the things He does. The “wise” tell us that such things will not happen. The intelligent and knowledgeable tell us that such things cannot happen. Then, when these things do happen, they tell us that they do not mean that God caused them to happen.

    These same people plan evil things in secret, thinking that no one will ever know and that they can continue to portray themselves as righteous. Despite their failure to understand what God said was coming, they think that they are smarter and wiser than those who understood God’s words. They think that by planning in secret they can bring about results contrary to God’s intentions. Rather than seek to discover what God desires, they make their plans on their own. When they are told that what they are doing is not right, they respond, “Shut up!” They tell those who talk about the will of God that they are stupid and foolish. Instead of trusting in God and His will, they trust in their ability to shut up those who reveal their corruption.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 26-28.

    God does what is right. He eases the path for those who are righteous and put their trust in Him. Isaiah tells us that those who trust in the Lord will follow His commands. The wicked do not learn to do right, not from the kindness of God, the example of others, not even from the threat of God’s judgment. Eventually God’s patience will run out and He will no longer protect the wicked from the consequences of their actions. I do not think what I just wrote is completely coherent. I was hoping that as I wrote it would come together, but it did not. In particular I was hoping I would find a way to connect the previous thoughts on the passage to the next.
    There is a connection. The prophet Isaiah managed to transition between them. Those who strive to serve the Lord will endure agony as they witness the pain of those oppressed by evil. As we seek the Lord, we suffer and squirm but seem to accomplish nothing. We cannot bring salvation to the earth, but if we die in the Lord we will rise again. As I wrote this I remembered a column I read awhile back about a woman who served in the Peace Corps and later worked with the Missionaries of Charity (the Catholic Order founded by Mother Teresa). She said that the Peace Corps compared poorly to the Missionaries of Charity. The former was composed of idealistic young people determined to save the world, who nevertheless embodied some of the most venal aspects of human nature. The latter, she said, was composed of wonderful, kind people. They had no interest in saving the world because they knew that Someone else had already done that. In many ways that is what Isaiah is talking about. Our call to do good in the world is not a call to save the world. God has taken care of that Himself. Our call is to trust in Him and follow His commands.

    In Chapter 28, Isaiah speaks about wealthy and powerful people who think that they can use their power and wealth to avoid the coming destruction. Isaiah tells them that God has set His own standard for withstanding the coming destruction. The deal of these movers and shakers was based on deception, so it will not stand against the coming flood. As I read this I was reminded of several articles I have read recently which talked about how the technology elites of the world are seeking to figure out how they can avoid the disaster they see coming. They foresee the breakdown of our current civilization from one or more of several causes and they are seeking an exit hatch to escape the misery which most people will experience. The answer to them is the one which Isaiah gave the elites of Jerusalem. Those who believe on the Foundation Stone which God has laid in Jerusalem will not be shaken by the coming flood. But those who think that they can make a private deal with death will be overwhelmed and trampled. These elites are correct about the coming disaster, but trust in God, and the obedience which goes with it, is the only place of safety.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 22-25.

    In today’s passage Isaiah writes “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” This is often used by people to justify a party lifestyle by people who don’t actually know the Bible. As you can see from this passage, Isaiah is actually doing exactly the opposite of encouraging a party lifestyle. He is condemning it. He puts these words in the mouth of people who, rather than mourn and turn to God, chose to party it up in the face of disaster.

    One could easily read this passage as a condemnation of preparing for disaster. In condemning the people of Jerusalem, Isaiah cites the preparations they made for a coming siege, I am not sure if this is a description of something which actually happened, or if Isaiah was speaking figuratively. In either case, Isaiah’s condemnation is not for those preparations. Isaiah condemned them for making those preparations but not spending any time seeking God. Even his condemnation of their attitude of “eat, drink, and be merry” is more about what they did not do than what they did do. God had sent troubles their way to call them back to Himself, but He never crossed their minds, not even in the face of death. This passage should be considered in light of what I wrote about yesterday. When we face apparent doom, if we turn from our sins and call on God, He may make that doom disappear overnight.

    The city of Tyre was confident that they could withstand invaders because of their geographic location. Tyre was situated on an island and the city took up all of the island. In addition, they had a powerful fleet of ships and a good harbor, which made it hard for other nations to blockade them. Isaiah prophesied that despite their geographical security they would fall when God chose for that to happen. Indeed Tyre fell to Alexander the Great some years later. Both nations and individuals should heed this lesson. No matter what natural advantages we may have, God is the ruler of history and can destroy us when He chooses.

    Chapter 24 describes devastation which falls on the entire earth as a result of man’s sinfulness. As I read it, I imagined an ecological disaster, which is certainly consistent with what I have seen of societies where evil dominates. This passage does not call those who serve God to be “concerned for the environment”, not that caring for the environment is a bad thing in and of itself. However, my observation is that, in general, those who have no concern for doing God’s will have little understanding of the impact of their actions on others or on the world around them. Often times, they do not even understand the impact of their actions on themselves. When I started this I intended to write more about the connection between evil and environmental destruction, but I realized that my thoughts on this require their own entry. The last point I want to make is to point out that the philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” leads one towards actions which are environmentally destructive.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 17-21.

    In today’s passage Isaiah prophesies that many nations will face disaster and defeat in order for them to be drawn to God. In particular, he focuses on Israel’s fall from its days of glory. People will continue to worship idols and things which they have made until they face total destruction. Only then will they turn to God. The land will become desolate because of the sins of the people. Yet, before going on to prophesy about how other nations will be brought low before they turn to God, Isaiah includes an interesting prophecy. One which applies more often than we realize.

    In Isaiah 17:14, the prophet writes something we should pay close attention to when life is at its darkest. In the prophecy, Isaiah tells us that in the evening when they go to bed the people of Israel will be terrified by what it appears that the next day will bring, but when dawn arrives their problems will be gone. God will often work the same way for us. Our problems may seem overwhelming one day and be completely gone the next. It may seem to us that our problems cannot be solved, that come the morrow we will drown in them, but if we put our trust in God, He will surely rescue us. How that rescue will come about none of us can know in advance. Perhaps all of those who threatened us will die, as in this prophecy. Perhaps the problems will be solved in other ways. Or, perhaps we will wake up in the morning and realize that what frightened us the night before is not a threat after all. Instead of worrying about our problems we will be better served by trusting God and praising Him for what He has done for us, even when we don’t yet know what that is.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 13-16.

    I was reading Isaiah’s prophecy about the fall of Babylon, a kingdom which had not yet risen to power when Isaiah prophesied, when it struck me that this prophecy resembles World War II and its outcomes. In declaring the fall of Babylon, Isaiah states that God will punish the world for its evil, not just Babylon. Then later, in Chapter 14, Isaiah declares that the nations of the world will help Israel return to its land. During World War II all of the nations of the world suffered the ravages of war to one degree or another. Then after the war, the nations of the world joined together to create the modern nation of Israel.

    I do not mean to say, exactly, that Isaiah was prophesying about World War II. Rather, I am pointing out that Isaiah’s prophecy about Babylon contains warnings beyond just that event. When any nation rises up and its people believe that their power will allow them to defy God, God will bring judgment against them. Why did the entire world suffer with the fall of Babylon? Because, in some ways, the leaders of the rest of the world were complicit in Babylon’s sins. I do not know the details regarding Babylon, but let us look at World War II. The leaders of most of the world knew what the Nazis were doing in Germany, perhaps not the death chambers, but certainly the ostracizing of the Jews and other groups which led to them. Those leaders approved and admired Germany for this. It was not just the leaders either. Many of the people of the nations also admired and approved of what Germany was doing (again, not the death chambers, just the actions which were precursors to them). When the people of the world begin to approve of the dehumanization of certain groups, it is only a matter of time until God pours out His judgment on the earth, and it will not be long.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 9-12.

    Much of today’s passage is a proclamation of hope in the coming Messiah. When Isaiah speaks of the people who walk in darkness seeing a great light he is referring not just to when Jesus walked the earth. He is referring to the times throughout history when society has forgotten God. This prophecy gives me hope for our society today. So many people today are walking in darkness, but God will reveal Himself once more and they will see His light. Perhaps I am being called to facilitate that revelation, perhaps you are.

    However, the revelation of that light will come with the pouring out of God’s judgment. He will cut off the head and the tail of society. He will do so because wickedness and hypocrisy has spread to all parts of society. The political and religious leaders have become wicked and hypocritical. The common members of society have joined in the wickedness. Even the poor and oppressed seek to take advantage of their fellows. Isaiah makes it clear that while God will bring judgment against such people, their wicked behavior will start the fire which consumes them.

    God will use the wicked to bring judgment upon the wicked. But then the arrogance and pride of those God used will turn against them. They will believe their rise is a result of their own power and their pride will consume them. In that day, those who are faithful to the Lord, who put their trust in God rather than man, will rejoice. Christ will rule in the land and the people will express His love everywhere.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 5-8.

    Isaiah warns against those who spend their efforts accumulating wealth at the expense of others and their time pursuing pleasure. They do these things without even thinking about God or noticing what He is doing in the world. When discussing the accumulation of wealth, Isaiah focuses on those who acquire more real estate than they can truly use, while leaving the poor with no place they can afford to live. The result is unproductive land, both because there is no one to work the land and because the environment breaks down. In the middle of oppressing the poor, these people mock God by asking why, if God is holy, He is not doing something for the poor?

    Isaiah warns us against those who say that evil is good and that good is evil. Those who insist on doing so will reap great sorrow. Today in our society we have many who claim that things long recognized as evil are actually good, and things long recognized as good are evil. Many of them compare this change to the change which recognized that slavery was evil. However, only a small number ever argued that slavery was good. The argument had been that it was not evil. In time, any society which insists on calling that which is evil good and that which is good evil will face destruction. Its own internal conflicts will tear it apart.

    One of the most inspiring stories in the Bible is Isaiah’s account of his calling by God. First, Isaiah recognized his complete unworthiness to be in the presence of God. He recognized his terrible guilt, a guilt which all of us share. But God cleansed him of his crime, of his sin, just as He offers to do for each and every one of us through Christ Jesus. Upon being cleansed of his sin, Isaiah heard God calling for someone to carry His message. I think we often miss that it was immediately upon being cleansed of his sin that Isaiah heard God’s call. This does not mean that we may not receive a call later, merely that when we experience God’s forgiveness, we immediately feel the desire to serve God. Isaiah was not cleansed of his sin because he faithfully conveyed God’s messages to His people. Isaiah faithfully conveyed God’s message because he was cleansed. We should be the same way.

    Isaiah told King Ahaz not to fear the alliance of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Syria. While the kings of those two nations were plotting to conquer Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and had gathered their armies to that end, it would never happen. God was going to bring the Assyrian army to crush both of those nations. There are two aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy I have never noticed before and I have never heard anyone comment on. First, Isaiah condemns the people of Judah for rejoicing over the destruction of those kingdoms. We should never rejoice over the sufferings of others. And here is the thing which I find interesting. Isaiah prophesied that as a result of Judah’s rejoicing, Assyria would invade Judah, but not quite conquer it. Isaiah predicted that the Assyrian army would sweep into Judah and there would be nothing the people of Judah could do to resist it, but the flood of Assyrian conquest would recede before Judah fell.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 1-4.

    Isaiah starts off by calling the people of Jerusalem and Judah evil and corrupt. This was despite them offering the correct sacrifices and burnt offerings. IT was despite them keeping the rituals and ceremonies and festivals prescribed by God’s Laws. They had followed all of the superficial commands to the letter, but had failed to do that which God counted as important. They did not do good and seek justice. Isaiah’s condemnation is not unique to the people of ancient Judah. All too often we get caught up in the ceremonies and rituals of serving God and think that they cover over our mistreatment of our fellow man.

    The prophet offers both warning and hope. He warns that God’s judgement will pour our over those who continue to sin. Those who continue to worship idols, things that they themselves have made, will face suffering as God pours out His judgement. God will humble the proud and bring down the exalted. Those who seek to put themselves in God’s place will discover that they do not have the strength or wisdom to survive there. However, those who humble themselves and recognize God’s sovereignty will be raised up. God will wipe away the sins of those who seek to do His will. The wicked are doomed. Their own actions will lead to their destruction. Those who put their trust in human agency will suffer. But those who put their trust in God, those who beg His Spirit to make them behave in a godly fashion, will receive the reward they have earned.