Wednesday, October 16, 2024
DBR 2023

ISAIAH 29-33: DAY 41 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

February 10, 2023

ISAIAH 29-33
DAY 41 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
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Focus Verses for Today: Isaiah 30:15-18

Today, our journey continues through the prophetic book of Isaiah. A lot is happening in today’s reading! God’s focus is on Judah, His blessed city Jerusalem, and, of course, His chosen people, Israel.

Take a moment to pray for understanding of Isaiah 29-33; then read it intently. Let’s journey!

IsaiahIsaiah 29-33: Judah fails to follow God in all things. God is not a God of compromise. God is a God of order. God is the Creator of all! He knows all things! He knows every thought ever thought! God knows every dream ever dreamed! Nothing that is done, thought, nothing – not a thing: God knows. He knows everything about all creation: you know the birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees. Everything! Yet Judah tries to hide its sin from God, turning from God. God wants to be actively engaged in our lives. He wants to help us with decision-making. Rather than turn to God, Judah turned to Egypt for help. Egypt’s help turned out to be useless. Judah’s disobedience to God resulted in many consequences; the first, and most obvious to the worldly mindset, is that God allowed Judah to be occupied by foreign countries. The children of God became slaves to a faithless nation. The more important concern is disobedience results in spiritual separation from God. This is truly tragic. Think of it like when a spouse becomes angry and chooses the sofa over the bed – it is not permanent but it is painful and hopefully thought-provoking. (Isaiah 29:1-33:24)

Our focus verses for today:

15This 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.
16You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
    you will all flee away,
till you are left
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner on a hill.”
18Yet 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!
(Isaiah 30: 15-18, NIV)

God has an unconditional love for all His children, but His unconditional love is not free. It requires repenting of sin and making God the center of your life. When faced with a problem, no matter how large, or how small, we must wait on God’s timing. Judah failed to turn to the Lord, failed to wait on Him. Do you include God in all aspects of your life? Do take everything to God in prayer? Or do you just pray when the world is weighing heavy on your plan for your life? God wants you to conform your life to His plan: Are you willing to do that? Sin: is there a particular sin that has you all bound up? Have you chosen to ignore it and hopefully slide by? Seek God’s help and direction to overcome what may appear to you as an impossible task. Remember what God said to Sarah: “Is anything too hard for the Lord…” (Genesis 18:14a, NIV) Now the hard question! Do you love the sin which binds you more than you love the Lord? Tough question which must be answered!

Godspeace!

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