Isaiah 18

Isaiah 18:7

At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the LORD of hosts
From a people tall and smooth,
Even from a people feared far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation,
Whose land the rivers divide--
To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, even Mount Zion.

The people referred to here are the Ethiopians, as it uses almost identical description for them earlier in the chapter.  I'll admit I'm not sure for the reason of the roundabout explanation.  Perhaps it's linking to a previous prophecy of some kind?

Anyhow, the point of the message is clear.  When God returns and elevated Israel, there will be no doubt about what is happening.  Everyone will know who is in control, and will respond appropriately.  They will all bring Him tribute, as He deserves (though He deserves much more).

Isaiah 17

Isaiah 17:6

Yet gleanings will be left in it like the shaking of an olive tree,
Two or three olives on the topmost bough,
Four or five on the branches of a fruitful tree,
Declares the LORD, the God of Israel.

The chapter is about the destruction of both Israel, and one of its enemies.  However, God in this verse gives a glimmer of hope to the people.  They will not all be destroyed, some will survive.

God always leaves hope, even when we don't see it.  It doesn't mean that we will be the ones to survive tragedy, but that tragedy will never wipe out everyone.  Even when the end times come, some will be left, who are faithful to God and testify to Him..

Isaiah 16

Isaiah 16:14

"Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be degraded along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent."

Some of the prophecies in the Bible are rather vague.  They may not say exactly who will be affected, or how.  A number are vague on time.  Some refer to things that will be imminent, and some to things that are millennia in the future.

This is not one of those times.  God specifically says this will occur within 3 years (not sure how the hired man counts; maybe 3 years to the day?).  Within three years of when this was uttered and/or written down, Moab would be no more.  We sometimes ask for clarity on when God will do something; perhaps we shouldn't always.

Isaiah 15

Isaiah 15:3

In their streets they have girded themselves with sackcloth;
On their housetops and in their squares
Everyone is wailing, dissolved in tears.

When God's judgment comes upon this people, it will be swift and decisive.  There will be no buildup, no preparation.  It will come quickly, when least expected, and it will be devastating.

However, not all will be destroyed in it.  Some will be spared, and they will mourn for their kin who were not.  God will leave a remnant, to testify to what happened and unknowingly confirm His power.

Isaiah 14

Isaiah 14:27

For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it?  And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?"

My first time teaching the Sunday School class I'm currently in, I got "stuck" with the second time Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife.  In digging to find something non-repetitive, I realized that God acted directly to bring out the truth, because Sarah was supposed to have Abraham's son within a year.

God acted directly, because man had failed.  He had to intervene, because there couldn't be any dispute in the child's parentage.  That fits with this verse very nicely, I think.

Isaiah 13

Isaiah 13:11

Thus I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

God will judge the world.  There is no if, no maybe, no condition.  The world will be judged, and everyone in it.  The only question is when.

However, we can't say that we don't deserve it.  We have all failed Him, all gone against Him.  We all deserve whatever He decides to give us.  Only by His grace, to those who accept Christ's death in place of our own, will we be spared.

Isaiah 12

Isaiah 12:1

Then you will say on that day,
"I will give thanks to You, O LORD;
For although You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And you comfort me.

This is a wonderful sentiment.  Praising God because He has saved us from our just fate.  Given what we know about what should have happened, how could we not praise Him?

However, there seems to be an implication that we will praise Him after He has saved us from what everyone else is now experiencing.  Wouldn't it be better if we praise Him now, knowing that He has/will save us, but before others suffer?  I'm sure I don't do that as much as I should, but it's something I want to work on.

Isaiah 11

Isaiah 11:3

And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

Today, all we have to work from is what we see and hear.  We rely on testimony, and evidence, and analysis of that evidence.  Everyone knows it's a flawed system.  People can lie, evidence can be misinterpreted or omitted.  It has issues, but it's the best we can do.

When Jesus comes to rule again, he will not be like the rulers of today.  His communion with the Father will be such that he can judge properly, with truth rather than based upon what's presented.  He will know what is truth and what is not, and judge accordingly.  Perfectly.

Isaiah 10

Isaiah 10:20

Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

All the suffering that Israel is about to go through, is not just punishment, or God venting His displeasure at them.  It's not to destroy them, or wipe them out.  There is a real reason for it all.

They are going through all this terrible suffering, so that they will turn back to Him.  It's like the ultimate form of reconciliation, or the book of Judges taken to its proper conclusion.  After this, there will always be at least some significant portion of Israel that will keep the faith with God.  Never again will they completely turn away from Him.

Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9:18

For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.

This is a good description of wrongdoing.  (He used the term wickedness, but that tends to overemphasize things I want to generalize).  Comparing it to a fire gives a very good picture, which anyone can relate to.

It consumes everything, whether you want it to or not.  Even the things it does not consume, it can damage to the point of uselessness.  What is left afterwards is nothing but a bad smell and damage to yourself.  And it can consume you too, given opportunity.

Isaiah 8

Isaiah 8:19

When they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God?  Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

I never understood the idea of a medium.  I could see why one might want to talk to a relative who has died, to tell them how you loved them, or hear it from them.  I know how people can regret not saying some things, or want to take things back once it's too late.

But why would you consult someone who is dead about the future?  What makes people think that the dead somehow know more than the living?  Maybe they can see everything that's happening now, I could understand how people might believe that.  But the future?  Why would the dead have a special conduit to the future?  God exists outside time, and is the only one who can know.  He chooses who might know the future, and no one else.

Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7:13

Then he said, "Listen now, O house of David!  Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?

This is a statement that I think I would have found most perplexing if it were posed to me.  The king had probably not wanted a sign, out of reverence.  Why should he test God, even when asked?  The instruction itself could easily be a test, to see how much faith he had.  I like to think I'd have probably done the same thing

However, in this case, that was the wrong answer.  Instead, he was to ask, because God had instructed him to.  His supposed reverence was actually disobedience.  His hesitation was insulting to God, as it would be for a king to keep another person waiting with whom he had an appointment.  When God gives us instruction, we should obey, even if it doesn't always make sense.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:5

Then I said,
"Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

For a long time, I've felt that church has lost its significance in many ways (to the attenders, not just the public in general).  The moment the service is over, everyone's thoughts turn away from it.  They're all talking about what is going on in their lives, their plans for lunch, and who said what.  The sermon is almost instantly forgotten, or at least shunted aside.  Being ADD, it's hard enough for me to give it proper thought, and the random chatter around me doesn't help.

What would it be like if more people had Isaiah's view of their time in church?  If we were impressed with our unworthiness to be in this place, gathered to remember God's glory and power and purity?  How would we act differently?  How would our conversations change?  What would be the  impact on the church?

Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Whenever I read passage like this, I stop and wonder if there are places I'm doing this in my life?  I know there are things I do which are contrary to Scripture.  I realize that, but I do them anyways, and that is to my shame.

But are there things that I'm doing wrong without knowing it?  Are there things that I think are fine, which aren't?  And if there are, am I willing to change?

Isaiah 4

Isaiah 4:4

When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,

At first glance, it looks like this may be a prophecy about the return of Christ, either before or after the Millennium.  It appears to be God judging the people, and cleansing His holy city.

However, I think it may be significant that the term Lord is not the word for God (that would be all caps).  Instead, it seems to be using a more generic term.  That makes me wonder if this is referring to when Jerusalem is conquered by the Babylonians, and the purging is God using them to clear away the wicked who had brought the Israelites to this fate.

Isaiah 3

Isaiah 3:8

For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD,
To rebel against His glorious presence.

As I type this, it's a few hours until the second presidential debate, between two (in my...and many others' opinions) completely unqualified candidates.  A scandal broke in the news for each side two days ago, and a lot of people are wondering "how did we get to this?"

I don't like to stretch the "America is specially favored by God" line very far, because I'm not convinced by it.  But I think there is something to the idea that when a nation rebels against God and His commands, that God will turn away from it and let it take things to their natural conclusion.  I hope there's still a chance for the people of this nation to realize their mistakes (myself included) and turn back to Him and His ways.

Isaiah 2

Isaiah 2:3

And many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths."
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

This is what will once again come, after Jesus returns for his millennial reign.  The people will all look to Him for guidance.  He has the best way, and knows what it is for everyone.

We, currently, have a significant portion of that way.  It's called the Bible.  I wish I could say that I have the enthusiasm that the people here display, but that would be lying.  It is, however, my prayer for that enthusiasm to become my own.

Isaiah 1

Isaiah 1:13

"Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies--
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.

How does one know when ritual loses its meaning?  What is the indicator that something with a specific purpose has lost that purpose, and is just being done to check a box, or fulfill a tradition?  How do you know when you've lost the sincerity that makes ritual have purpose?

I've been fighting this question a lot recently, in my own life.  I appreciate tradition, but despise empty ritual.  I've come to worry some of my actions are merely empty ritual, without sincerity.  I pray that God will show me if this is true, and if so guide me back to the heart I had.

Song of Solomon 8

Song of Solomon 8:11

"Solomon  had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers.
Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

I have no idea how much a thousand shekels of silver was, but it sure sounds like a high price.  Hope it was quite the vineyard.

Song of Solomon 7

Song of Solomon 7:10

"I am my beloved's,
And his desire is for me.

If only...

Song of Solomon 6

Song of Solomon 6:8

"There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
And maidens without number;

Call me jaded, but this is part of the reason I don't like this book.  If Solomon is truly the one who wrote this, he was a serial philanderer/polygamist.

The man has 60 queens he's married to, 80 concubines he should be married to, and who knows what's meant by maidens (concubines-in-waiting?, yet we're supposed to believe that he has suddenly found his one "true love?"  I don't buy it.