Are you behind? Running out of motivation? Can’t jump back in?
Sit down for 8 Minutes and watch this. 8 minutes is nothing compared to other things we look at on our screens right???
Isaiah is so hard for me. I keep looking at the schedule to see when we will be done with it (I know, I am a horrible person) Sit and watch this so that when we get to Chapter 40 we are READY!
Isaiah is divided into 2 parts. The first section is 1-39. The theme of the first 39 chapters is condemnation. We have seen Isaiah bring multiple messages and warnings without any lasting repentance. Overall, the next 8 chapters are to Judah but uses Israel as an example. When he references Ephraim (since that is the largest tribe in the North, he is referring to Israel)
Isaiah gives a graphic description of how God is viewing His people. They are “drunk” on themselves. The materiality, their life, their politics…it is all gross to the Lord. And the view from the people who hear Isaiah’s message is that they mock him-
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.”
That is a harsh way to view God’s laws: “rule for this, rule for that”. (And he is including the Priests in this conversation! How sad). However, if you know any people that are not Christian that is EXACLTY how they view the Bible.
A warning of judgment that He will allow them to “fall backward” at the hands of a foreign nation.
I am enjoying the details in today’s read so hang with me. Read this and break this down:
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood our hiding place.”
I am not trying to upset anyone but just because someone is baptized, went to camp, goes to church or said: “I decided”…can be a “lie of refuge”. The Israelites believe that they can do whatever they want because of their ancestors.
Judah saw the Northern Tribe be taken by Assyria. “That will not happen to us”…Oh it will.
However, there are many that will believe in the Covenant too. Scripture quoted by both Peter and Paul in the New Testament:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
He continues with a warning and says : LISTEN TO ME!!
Chapter 29: He is directly talking to the nation of Judah referred to them as “Ariel”- (Ariel meaning Altar). He is speaking to Jerusalem. Jerusalem will become a blood-soaked altar by it’s surrounding nations. BUT it will be from God’s hand-His judgment. This will occur during the reign of Hezekiah.
NOW, let’s split this newscast screen: We can also see the Tribulation in this read too! This message is sealed in the scroll that only Jesus can open:
11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.”
A scripture I want you to sit on a little is:
13 The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Chapter 30: The message continues to the Souther Tribe, Judah. As Assyria becomes stronger and stronger Judah continues to make alliances with foreign nations like Egypt RATHER than line up with God’s Ways. As they turn to people or ‘the world” for their protection. The Lord says:
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
They are rejecting the Lord.
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
BUT HE WILL NEVER LEAVE THEM!!!’ BECAUSE HE LOVES US!!
18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.❤️❤️❤️❤️
Chapter 8-Israel’s Rebellion
America Israel had usurped God’s sovereign authority to lead the nation, worshipped idols, depended on foreign treaties rather than God, adopted foreign systems of worship, America Israel disregarded God’s Law.
As much as we can look at this and think: “Why would they think this would bring a “better” life…
I am sure ancient Israelites would say the same thing about the things we use in place of God.
Chapter 9- This is a cool chapter. v 1-9 ends with how the prophets’ words are considered “foolish”. Then starting in verse 10 Hosea compares two examples of sins with the present situation in Israel.
Example 1:
“When I found Israel,
it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,
they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol
and became as vile as the thing they loved.
Back in Numbers 25, as the Hebrews entered the Promised land, they were instructed for MONTHS to set themselves apart and worship the Lord ONLY. I don’t know if you remember Balaam: he was supposed to curse the Israelites but couldn’t, well plan B was to entice them to “fall” through “a man’s favorite hobby”. (Not eating…the other one 😉)
Numbers 25- While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them. 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord’s fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
Example 2:“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,
I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,
I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;
all their leaders are rebellious.
Gilgal was the beginning of their new life when they entered by Jericho. It was where the first Passover was celebrated. Since the day they stepped into the land their sinful deeds began.
Ch.10- they have “No King”- what a punch in the stomach. God warned them when they asked for an earthly king, He said earthly kings will disappoint. He reminded them: “I AM YOUR KING”. And they said “no thanks”. Well, now look at where they are in History!! They have neither a king nor The King of Kings! 😢
Chapter 11 begins this with a really cool vision of how God Loves Israel like a child. Deeply!
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me….
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed them.
So when did all this deception from the Hebrews begin? Chapter 12 reminds us it began in the womb.
The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;
as a man he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
God reminds them: I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING TO WARN YOU!!! I EVEN SENT PROPHETS!
10: I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables through them.”
Oh my Stars!!!! If you read nothing else, read this- This about sums up our 7 month read!! So if you are behind, read this…consider yourself caught up!!
4 “But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;
then they forgot me.
The rest of Chapter 13 reveals his discipline because he LOVES
Finally: Chapter 14:
Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
9 Who is wise? Let them realize these things.
Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
Chapter 1:
4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.”
(In the Valley of Jezreel Jehu killed Ahab’s family in a killing spree. God said he would punish the Israel dynasty for their over-zealousness. (is that a word, well you know what I mean). (2 Kings 10)
11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
Think of it like a split-screen newscast. The same message twisted a few different says. Jezreel means “to scatter”. After the captivity, we know a remnant will come back to build the Temple (Reunited)….but no one ever asked me where the rest of them go??? Well, they scatter ALL around the Mediterranea Sea. (God will use this in a mighty way…think how far Paul had to travel to deliver his letters to scatter the Gospel).
We too are scattered, however, we have been reunited through the life and death of Christ.
And the 3rd screen is the reuniting of HIS people through the 2nd coming.
Chapter 2-This is a beautifully written story about Hosea and Gomer. How Gomer will go looking for something better but does not find it. When Gomer realizes the grass wasn’t greener on the other side and tries to come back…that is when a person is teachable! God will restore the relationship with His people.
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
she will look for them but not find them.
Then she will say,
‘I will go back to my husband as at first,
for then I was better off than now.’
8 She has not acknowledged that I was the one
who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil,
who lavished on her the silver and gold—
which they used for Baal.
Israel wants to come back but will not acknowledge at Lord has provided for them. They still rely on themselves, or treaties, or horses, and chariots…you get my point.😢
So God basically puts them in “Time Out” and takes away all their video games to show them that He was the buyer the whole time. (He ALLOWS them be captured by another nation) I think of it this way: He took his hand of protection OFF of them. Kind of like letting “natural consequences” happen to our children, so you can say “I told you so”. 😂😂😂
Chapter 3- LOVE! HE BUYS THEM BACK! He pays a price for HIS people.
Chapters 4-7 Are the charges against Israel-we have been reading for months and we will be able to put this in historical context. We have seen the “cycle” of sin, and when His people return to him they never truly “go back”. These chapters will reveal the unfaithfulness of Gomer (HIS people) and the discipline (the captivity) that is coming. Why?? So we they will return to HIM. While you are reading this don’t miss the “inside message” that we are HIS priesthood.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
Note: Chapter 6 verse 2
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
The theme of this book is easy. God has a covenant relationship with the people of Israel (and you). God loves His people and has promised to bless them (and you). BUT they (we) must love God and be faithful to the Word. The book will present a marriage (covenant) and the spouse becomes unfaithful (Israel).
Reasons for the unfaithful wife (Israel, us) will be clearly spelled out. See if any are applicable today:
Like a wife who deceived her husband and loves two men. The Israelites claim to be with God but act like they don’t.
Hosea means Salvation. The prophet Hosea is instructed by God to marry an unfaithful woman, and he found in his own life a vivid illustration of the unfaithfulness of God’s people and the faithfulness of God.
I believe this story to be Historical to show an analogy. (Some think it is just an allegory, but I think if it wasn’t historical, God would have noted that)
This book is: Love, God’s Covenant, Relationship with His people, Judgement, and Hope.
The book of Hosea is a one-sided story of faithfulness that represents the relationship between Israel and God. Gomer is married to Hosea like Israel is married to God like the Church is married to God. (We are HOMER in the story).
The story has two characters, the faithful husband and the adulterous wife. She chases after other gods, idolatry, and materialism.
If you have read the book “Redeeming Love’ by Francine Rivers you know how it ends. But if you know God you already know how it ends.
-with Forgiveness ❤️.
Click here to read *yes some of this may seem ‘skimmable’ BUT it’s good.
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE READS TODAY! I hung on every word. Two reasons:
OK…I am pumped! Read 2 kings the first 8 verses only. Hezekiah King of Judah. (refresh: The nation that has the Davidic Covenant, the nation that will be exiled BUT a remnant of people will survive, the nation that every once in a while has a good King).
I am Team Hezekiah!!
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
I could make a sermon out of this! What God made for good, man made evil. Anything that we worship, even in the “Church world” is idolatry. (You can skip this part if you remember the story)
On March 4th (that was 136 days ago!)
Numbers 22
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,[c] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Well, who has John 3:16 memorized besides Tim Tebow? Well, what is the scripture JUST before it??
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What was a beautiful foreshadow of healing through FAITH became an act of idolatrous worship. And YES every time I see an ambulance I am reminded to PRAY for Healing through my Faith (even though the symbol is from Greek mythology, Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing)
Sorry, I fell down a rabbit hole on that.
2 Chronicles 29- Same story…a lot more words. Why? Who wrote it? (Yes I know God wrote it silly) I mean who did God use to write it? Ezra. Ezra was a priest, and the Chronicles were written for the remnant people that return after the captivity to rebuild the Temple.(you knew that) So if we are in a ‘good’ period Ezra will want to write MORE so the Israelites feel encouraged when they read this. (It’s like reading the American History Books…only the good stuff is in there 😂). When you read it, you will definitely see that a Priest wrote it. Lots of sacrifices…Geneology…musicians…temple….etc.
So look for all the beautiful details in this chapter:
(Trivia: Which Levite family was the High Priest from?)-put in comments.
So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished. 36 Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people because it was done so quickly.
Chapter 30.-The Passover.
It feels like we have read 1000 names in the Bible. Who are the 12 tribes again? Who are the enemies? Who are the Kings?. When you read the Passover and who is being invited to celebrate God’s deliverance from Egypt, here is a reminder of who The Tribes of Israel are:
18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. ❤️❤️❤️
chapter 31- Read the ABOVE IN BLUE and then read this. I could write a book on this topic (I won’t, I promise). I actually started writing quite a bit BUT it may have translated wrong (my biggest fear) so I deleted it.
When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.
The chapter ends with:
20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. 21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
Can 1 person make a difference??
Finally, the Sons of Kora write this to be sung in the Temple: Click here for Psalm 48.
Follow this chart: sad days are coming. The apple falls far from the tree!!
Tyre (and Sidon)-You can find Tyre on the coast just above Israel. Tyre was a trading city that was very wealthy and very evil. They controlled much of the trading through the port of the Mediterranean Sea. It was wealthy, corrupt, and filled with prostitutes.
3 On the great waters
came the grain of the Shihor;
the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre,
and she became the marketplace of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea,
for the sea has spoken:
These cities will fall and the event will devastate the other world powers who depend on their ports for profit. Their evil ways will be disciplined and Isaiah warns them to flee! Get on your boat and go to Tarshish!
8 Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are renowned in the earth?
9 The Lord Almighty planned it, (Yes He did!!)
to bring down her pride in all her splendor
and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.
Tyre will be restored as an image of how wealth should properly be managed by God’s people.
18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded.
The Next 4 chapters might be titled “The Apocolypse of Isaiah” or “God’s Purpose in Judgement”.
Think of it like a movie camera focused in and slowly pulled back. It is focused on Judah, then Israel, then surrounding nations, and finally the whole world. There is NO DOUBT you will see End Time Prophecies as you read this. God’s universal judgment on sin and his victory over evil in the end.
I am going to pull out a few verses BUT the whole read (worth hitting “listen” at the top too) is worth hanging on every word.. God will not show favoritism.
5 The earth is defiled by its people;
they have disobeyed the laws,
violated the statutes
and broken the everlasting covenant.
True story BUT…
The floodgates of the heavens are opened,
the foundations of the earth shake.
19 The earth is broken up,
the earth is split asunder,
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth reels like a drunkard,
it sways like a hut in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion
that it falls—never to rise again.
When God conquers he will open the New Heaven and the defiled earth will be gone! (I can’t wait for Revelation!)
25:2 You have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
BUT… WHERE WILL YOU BE???
6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
I basically underlined the rest of the read, but here are a few: (maybe one, is the one you need today)
19
Chapter 26 reminds us that there will be a resurrection of the dead. Jesus conquers death and we will rise up and be in the presence of the Lord!
But your dead will live, Lord;
their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust
wake up and shout for joy—
your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.
Chapter 27 ends with a Double Reference both “near’ and “far” prophecy. The judgment of the lost and the restoration of his people from the Babylonian Captivity, and the gathering of HIs people after the apocalypse:
12 In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. 13 And in that day a great trumpet will sound. (do you remember us talking about the significance of the trumpet…The Lord will fight for you) Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Chapter 18. OK, so I read it and it was like reading Japanese. Let’s look at it:
Woe to the land of whirring wings
along the rivers of Cush,
2 which sends envoys by sea
in papyrus boats over the water.
Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.
OK, Cush is modern-day Ethiopia….referred to as the smooth-skinned people (what product are they using, I want it)
Land is divided by rivers?
Ohhh it is the Egyptians!!! That makes sense…In my head, Cleopatra had great skin too!
Cush had actually conquered Egypt so we know this is another world power. The Promised Land is surrounded by them (just like today). Cush is now seeking an alliance with Judah to overcome Assyria. But it is in God’s timing that any nation is destroyed…
THIS CHAPTER IS HARD. The lesson is…God doesn’t need Cush to ally with Judah to take Assyria…this is not HIS first Rodeo.
Chapter 19- Egypt- very interesting chapter:
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. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. ❤️❤️❤️21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.
Chapter 20- Look at the Map. Ashdod is on the coast near Israel (and Judah). It is in the Philistine nation. You will see the world powers in a triangle around it. Egypt (and Cush), Babylon, Assyria, Phoenicians. Well as they fight each other, they use Israel as the travel route. We know this is going to scare the bejeebees out of them so they try to make alliances. (That was SPECIFICALLY told by in the law, that they should NOT do that).
So if I honed in on the map you can now see the city that Assyria is coming to attack. Ashdod. (LOL, are you ready to kill me with all these maps…at least they are not genealogies)
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So what should God’s people do? TRUST HIM! Nope…they make the alliances as usual. God asks Isaiah to walk naked for 3 years as a symbol of what he is going to do in Egypt and Cush. He will strip them of their world power.
Isaiah 21-
In all this, I forget how hard a task Isaiah has been called to. (I was LITERALLY just thinking in my head…how hard it is to read Isaiah when we are on a tight schedule, as I have my feet on a coffee table with my coffee….so suck it up buttercup)
3 At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
4 My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!’”
In the Double reference, who/what is Babylon?? Revelation 18:
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
Chapter 21- Look at the map again. It makes sense that Edom and Arabia are in distress since they also fall into the category of fighting for land and trade routes. (or robbing and looting on those trade routes). BUT they too get their answer:
16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.
(Mic Drop!)
Chapter 22– read or re-read this chapter and stop at verse 11. Jerusalem is under attack. They have their horses, chariots, water, bows and arrows but what is the ONE thing they are not relying on?
but you did not look to the One who made it,
or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.
The end of the chapter- I read a ton of stuff and I am going to leave it blank. Is it a Messianic passage or is it not a Messianic passage? Much debate. I am going to say it is not. It is just that Eliakim (the finance manager for king Hezekiah) will be put in a place of royalty…but he too will eventually fall with Jerusalem.
I could be totally wrong..a lot of info out there that supports me being wrong, but I really am ok with not figuring it all out.
Chapters 13-23 are oracles against the nations. The message was given to Israel ABOUT the fall of the surrounding nations. Today we will read 13-17.
Then
Babylon- These prophecies are both a short-term fulfillment and a long-term fullfillment. Basically, we are looking at a news show with a split-screen (Like Fox News or CNN)
Babylon is the up and coming “superpower” as a nation (one view-current in OT) However, Babylon is also symbolic of all evil, pride, oppression, or power that exalts itself against the Lord. ( second view-Revelation 18). This is a prophecy that we will see mixed both near and far prophecies.
Isaiah 13
(far prophecy)
9 See, the day of the Lord is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
____
(Near prophecy)
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Chapter 14
Always look for Hope. God is compassionate for “His People” (us) There is a return of His people
The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Foreigners will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
(Foreigners will join….that is referring to Gentiles…you and I are included in His Mercy!)
So if Jesus is the King of Kings. Who is the King of Babylon??
HUGE double reference. As we see the historical context of the fall of the Babylonian King “near reference”. The King of Evil is Satan himself when we look at the “far” prophecy.
ARE YOU READY FOR IT!!!! THIS IS THE HISTORY OF SATAN- “Morning Star” translation is Lucifer!
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
Only Scripture interprets scripture: so where can we cross-reference this? Glad you asked:
Ezekiel 28:14. The “near” reference is the King of Tyre. The “far” reference is the destruction of Satan.
‘You were the seal of perfection, (Lucifer as an angel)
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”
(His end will be at the last battle in Revelation)
Ch 15-16 Moab. Who are the Moabites?
The Moabites were a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot, born of an incestuous relationship with his oldest daughter (Genesis 19). From Zoar, on the southeastern border of the Dead Sea, they gradually spread over the region on the east of Jordan. They have been a thorn in the Hebrews side ever since.
In short, an enemy will come from the North and free the refugees and push them towards Edom and around towards Judah. To take the refugees or not to take the refugees…that is the question???
Yes- why you ask? Think of Ruth…she was a Moab (and I like her). She gave birth to the line of David (and I like him half the time)….So they bring lambs as a tribute (how symbolic)…and a VERY cool double prophecy…
The oppressor will come to an end,
and destruction will cease;
the aggressor will vanish from the land.
5 In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
one from the house of David—
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
Well, the answer is NO-Their tribute was with empty hearts. They were prideful and continued to worship false gods…So God’s verdict for Moab is:
But now the Lord says: “Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.”
I TOLD YOU I STRUGGLE WITH ISAIAH! THIS IS HARD. BUT, my goal is to understand 1% more than I did last time. So let’s keep moving forward!
Try reading this one. When you see “In that Day” look for the double prophecy. Historical and Future. You can do it. BUT the one thing I want to point out is the beauty of Repentance. Regardless if you view it as the falling of Damascas or the final battle in Revelation…People are Saved!
7 In that day people will look to their Maker
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands,
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles
and the incense altars their fingers have made.
Look closely at the King’s names for the Kingdom of Israel. Today is the day we read about Hosea. The last king In Israel.
On the Judah side, we are still at Ahaz.
Ahaz (KIng od Judah)–😢
He’s awful! Let’s list a few things: Think about this for a minute. He lived in the Southern nation, in Jerusalem- where the TEMPLE was located yet he…
“Listen Linda”, If I were a preacher…I would make a series out of this! SO MUCH APPLICATION here…and I am guilty of all of it…so let’s move on 😕
Now let’s look at the Northern Tribe (Israel)
Chapter 17…HERE IT IS! The last king of Israel. The Israelites are taken captive and removed from the Promised Land!
5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria.
(Follow the purple lines)
In Deuteronomy 28 God told them if you obey me….if you disobey me. HE WARNED THEM. (over and over and over again) So what did they do? (Basically, I am copying the whole chapter)
7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
13 The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”
(they would put the baby on the statue. There was a hole in the center that had a fire in it)
18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left…… So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.
To make matters worse:
But they did not know how to worship our God….so Lions ate them. Ha! Well, that was freaking them out so they came up with a plan…have one of the captured priests go back and teach them how to worship God.
If that post was confusing please let me know.
Reading the Bible - 2021 