Isaiah, Chapter 62

In Revelation 2:17, there is a promise about receiving a new name if we are able to overcome that ways of the world. It comes from the letter to the church at Pergamum, and it is God’s promise of endurance. The people of Pergamum lived in a place where false gods were common. They practiced their Christian faith, yet they allowed these other practices to go on around them. God was asking them to endure this temptation for His sake, and if they would endure it He would bless them and give them a new, holy name that only they would know.

Names are quite important in the Bible. Abram had his name changed at God’s request, as did Saul. That is why here, in chapter 62 of Isaiah, we see this tradition continued when God offers a new name for Zion. During biblical times names revealed many things about people. When a name was changed, it was a way of expressing a change in that person’s character. With the two famous examples of Saul and Abram becoming Paul and Abraham, respectively, we see that this was true. When those changes occurred it was a huge change in circumstances for both men.

4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. – Isaiah 62:4-5

This is not merely a prophecy for Israel. In these verses I see a prophesy and a promise for all who believe. If you believe that the Bible is indeed the living, breathing Word of God you know it is interlinked. I see one of those links here in this verse with the promise in Revelation 2. This is a metaphor for our hearts, which are desolate and deserted if we do not have Christ. When we do accept Him, we know that God rejoices over each and every one of us like we are the first to find him.

As we know, life does not instantly become easy once we accept Him. That is why the vision of Zion throughout the book of Isaiah is presented as a promise, rather than a physical place. The promises here serve a dual purpose as both a promise to deliver Jerusalem from the hands of the Babylonians and the future Zion for all of God’s people. These people are not just the Jews, but God’s people who are saved by grace through faith. We are all God’s people if we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once we believe that and ask for Him to take our sins from us we are promised that new name mentioned in Revelation.

TODAY’S QUESTIONS:

1. How does your life in Christ compare to your life before Christ?
2. What do you see as the significance of having a new name?
3. Are there still times you feel desolate and deserted?

Isaiah, Chapter 61

It has been a very eventful week both in my life and in the book of Isaiah. Yesterday we saw the wonderful promise of the glory of Zion that is meant as a reward to those who follow Christ. Today, in chapter 61, we will see what it means to have the Lord's favor. It is a very short chapter, but it is one that is full of praise because it is the continuing fulfillment of God's promise to His people. It also is a reference to a message that Christ Himself would later preach.

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners,

 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
       to comfort all who mourn, -- Isaiah 61:1-2

If you have studied the gospels you have seen these verses before. They are found again in Luke 4:16-19. When Jesus gave His first public sermon in His hometown of Nazereth He proclaimed these verses. This was His statement that they prophecy they laid out was fulfilled in Him. Naturally, this was quite a radical stance. We must remember that His audience did not know they were in the Bible. They had heard of these prophecies for centuries, but it was quite audacious for Jesus, whom they thought was just another man, to stand up and proclaim He was the fulfillment of this Scripture. Imagine hearing someone do this in your home church. It would be more than a little off-putting, as it was to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth.

As we go back to the original text in Isaiah we see the author continue to describe the Lord's favor. Much like chapter 60, it is a promise of rest and peace after persecution. It is a promise that states that no matter how big of a mess we get ourselves into, God is more than capable of cleaning it up. We need only believe in Him and there will eventually be rest. Right now, that may seem far off for you or very near for you. Still, we can rely on these promises, as they come straight from the mouth of God.

8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;
       I hate robbery and iniquity.
       In my faithfulness I will reward them
       and make an everlasting covenant with them.

 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
       and their offspring among the peoples.
       All who see them will acknowledge
       that they are a people the LORD has blessed." – Isaiah 61:8-9

TODAY's QUESTIONS:

1. In your own words, what is the Lord's favor?
   
2. Why must there sometimes be suffering before this favor?
   
3. Why would Jesus be rejected like he was in Luke 4?

Isaiah, Chapter 60

When I opened my Bible today I could already feel God's overwhelming hand on my life. With as much turmoil as I have faced in the last few days, today is different. Today I feel as if God Himself has His hand on my shoulder, telling me that everything is going to be okay. I feel as if I have vetted out all I need to vent in terms of my thoughts and fears through personal journaling. I have examined my own failings in that time as well and presented them before God. It's almost like the air is clean between us, and I no longer have to dread the next two weeks as I face doubt once I return from vacation on whether He will provide or not. It is appropriate, then, that we are in chapter 60 of Isaiah today, as it deals with the glory of Zion.

In The Matrix trilogy, Zion is the last human city. It is a place of refuge for humanity and represents a promise of hope for all humanity. This is no coincidence, as the trilogy relies heavily on spiritual and Christian influences. Biblically, Zion has often been a reference for God's Holy City. It is also a place of refuge and hope for humanity because it is where God Himself rules. In chapter 60 we see it as a promise of wealth and riches in a world full of darkness. It is God's reward for His people if we choose to follow Him. It is also a place that sometimes leads to our own arrogance.

12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;
       it will be utterly ruined.

 13 "The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
       the pine, the fir and the cypress together,
       to adorn the place of my sanctuary;
       and I will glorify the place of my feet.

 14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
       all who despise you will bow down at your feet
       and will call you the City of the LORD,
       Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

 15 "Although you have been forsaken and hated,
       with no one traveling through,
       I will make you the everlasting pride
       and the joy of all generations. – Isaiah 60:12-15

We are part of God's nation once we give our hearts to Him. As we discussed yesterday, however, we are far from perfect even after making this transaction. We often see this glory and think that it automatically means smooth sailing for the rest of our lives. In reality, it is a cycle as we discussed yesterday. We can easily become arrogant when blessings continue to come from God. This can lead to sin and defeat. I admit that recently I have been led to be somewhat arrogant as God continued to bless me up until this past weekend. I tried constantly, every day to deflect the glory on Him of His blessing, but in the end I find myself back in a period of defeat.

It is in this period of defeat that I begin to question God's motives. Why would he do this to me? In the case of this job, I felt I was doing everything right. There was no sign any one was unhappy enough with me to let me go. I gave glory to God, yet I am still here. I consider it a test of my faith, because I could easily turn from God right now and walk away. He didn't give me what I wanted, and He continues to work on His own plan instead of mine. I could easily be the spoiled child here and throw a fit.

I choose not to, however. I choose in this moment to follow God because I know he will provide. In the grand scheme of things this is merely a minor trouble, and one that I have experienced before on multiple occasions. I know there is still the promise of Zion, as mentioned throughout this chapter. Life is full of its ups and downs, but God has shown me on multiple occasions that He is in total control. I may not always agree with this control, as I don't at the moment, but I still follow Him and long to serve wherever He will send me. I did not know until this week that my life could be more confusing that it was. I found out this week it can be, yet God is still in control?

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. To what extent is control an illusion?
   
2. What does God's promise of Zion mean in your life?
   
3. How can this promise be a joy even when all seems dark?

Isaiah, Chapter 59

I apologize once again for how late this is going up today. Last night my parents were forced to put my grandmother in the hospital. This meant I had to pay a visit to my home town today, and an already hectic life took another crazy turn. I admit right now that I am struggling at the end of my already limited strength, but I still come here because I know that God is in full control.

It is times where we are tested by so many things that sin becomes a strong temptation. Isaiah 59, today's lesson, deals with that sin. It also deals with the confession and redemption of that sin. Redemption has been a recurring theme throughout the book of Isaiah. We have seen it in the repeated promises of Christ being sent as a redeemer for all mankind. We are far from perfect once we are redeemed. It is our human nature, because of sin, that it becomes a repeating cycle even after we are redeemed. This chapter teaches us that even in this cycle we have a choice. We can choose to follow God and change in light of our sin and redemption, or we can choose to ignore it and God will ignore us.

1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
       nor his ear too dull to hear.

 2 But your iniquities have separated
       you from your God;
       your sins have hidden his face from you,
       so that he will not hear.

 3 For your hands are stained with blood,
       your fingers with guilt.
       Your lips have spoken lies,
       and your tongue mutters wicked things.

 4 No one calls for justice;
       no one pleads his case with integrity.
       They rely on empty arguments and speak lies;
       they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. -- Isaiah 59:1-4

This does not mean God refuses to hear our prayers if we sin. Like all things with God, it depends on where our heart is when we approach Him. This section is a warning against taking God for granted and not changing our ways once we repent. We accomplish nothing if we repent but don't change our ways. This is like running headfirst into a wall. The only thing it accomplishes is likely a bloody nose. In some cases it is even worse because we are thumbing our nose at God by asking Him to forgive us when we have no intention of changing our ways.

This is an area of my life where I have often struggled. It's not just one way either, but several ways. It took me years of battling my anger before I realized that I needed to change something about it rather than ask for forgiveness from my actions. An alcoholic accomplishes nothing if he asks for forgiveness from drinking unless he actually stops drinking from it. The actions here are twofold. God promises that He will never walk away from us. He will never take away His forgiveness. We must still do our part, however, and commit ourselves to a relationship with Him.

21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD. -- Isaiah 59:21

This represents that covenant with us. We saw in verses 16-17 that God came as a redeemer Himself in the form of Christ. He came because there was no other that could come in His place. We have seen these characteristics, which are given to Christ here, before when Paul uses them too describe how we must put on the full armor of God. It is because of this covenant in verse 21 that we can put on the full armor of God and face our own sin.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How do you deal with the temptation of sin?
   
2. In what ways have you failed to move past sin and repentance before?
   
3. Why does God allow us leeway for failure after forgiveness?
   

Isaiah, Chapter 58

Chapter 58 of Isaiah resonates with me today. It is essentially a warning against going through the motions in the hope that God will recognize these motions and bless them when our hearts are not truly in it. This resonates with me today because I recognize that I am once again at the end of my own personal reserves of strength. I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted because of the events over the past few days. Still, I turn to the Lord and His Word. I turn to His word honestly searching for strength and not simply because I am supposed to turn to the Word in times like this. While this chapter deals with fasting and what the Israelites thought they could make God do with it, the same can be applied to whenever we pray, study the Word, or seek the Lord without our hearts being fully into it. It is my prayer this morning that I come here honestly seeking, and not just because I have to.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
       'and you have not seen it?
       Why have we humbled ourselves,
       and you have not noticed?'
       "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
       and exploit all your workers.

 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
       and in striking each other with wicked fists.
       You cannot fast as you do today
       and expect your voice to be heard on high.

 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
       only a day for a man to humble himself?
       Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
       and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
       Is that what you call a fast,
       a day acceptable to the LORD ?

 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
       to loose the chains of injustice
       and untie the cords of the yoke,
       to set the oppressed free
       and break every yoke?

 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
       and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
       when you see the naked, to clothe him,
       and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. – Isaiah 58:3-8

We are guilty of this when we fast and do so merely to expect results from God. It is like doing something merely to do it instead of doing so as an honest act of worship. The Israelites were warned against this because they merely thought the act of fasting would bring about blessings. The same is true when I write here. The mere act of here does not change things in my life. It does not instantly mean I no longer have worries or I am lifted out of the exhausted, depressive state I am currently in. There is a difference between mere works and spiritual disciplines, as disciplines come when we focus our hearts on God.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
       and from doing as you please on my holy day,
       if you call the Sabbath a delight
       and the LORD's holy day honorable,
       and if you honor it by not going your own way
       and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
       and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
       and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
       The mouth of the LORD has spoken. – Isaiah 58:13-14

It is not what we do, but how we do it. That is where the true joy of the Lord resides. These last verses illustrate how God can help us rise above our troubles if we are truly seeking Him. He asks only for our hearts. I know that is a repeat of what I have said above, but it is a point that is worth repeating. Even when I have nothing left I am trying to point my heart towards Him and rely on Him to get me through this difficult period.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What does it mean to align your heart with your disciplines?
   
2. What do you see as the difference between disciplines and works?
   
3. Is this a promise that everything will be perfect?

Isaiah, Chapter 57

Today is one of the hardest times ever for me to write. Mentally and emotionally I am an overwhelmed shell of myself. Yesterday was Easter Sunday. As a Christian, it marks the fulfillment of the promise of Christ through His resurrection. It is the day we celebrate being separated from the bondage of our sin. It is a day of strength, but for me personally, it was a day of terrible news. Yesterday afternoon I found out I was let go of my job without any warning whatsoever. I am saddened, but at the same time encouraged because God has already provided work this week in form of at least four days of substitute teaching and three random writing assignments. I am going to make it until we go to Florida, and my temp agency, who is just as shocked as I was at being let go, is already working to find something for me once we return.

I say this today because there is a similar hope in Isaiah 57. Once again we see a warning against the wicked to begin this chapter. There is also a promise to those that are faithful. It is promises like this that are giving me the strength to move forward today even though I want to curl up and lie down in fear.

16 I will not accuse forever,
       nor will I always be angry,
       for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me—
       the breath of man that I have created.

 17 I was enraged by his sinful greed;
       I punished him, and hid my face in anger,
       yet he kept on in his willful ways.

 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
       I will guide him and restore comfort to him,

 19 creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel.
       Peace, peace, to those far and near,"
       says the LORD. "And I will heal them." – Isaiah 57:16-19

Yesterday my pastor spoke of Friday and Sundays. He referred to Friday in the sense of Good Friday, the day that Christ was crucified. It is, without argument, the worst day in all of humanity. The following Sunday, however, was the greatest day in all of humanity when Christ conquered the grave. On that day there was hope for all mankind because the price for sin had been paid. In His resurrection, we are healed and comforted if we merely ask Him for it. MY pastor compared Friday the down times in our life, when all seems lost. I, personally, have had many Fridays in my life. There is, however, hope in the Sunday's. That is when Christ comes to us, victorious, and we are vindicated. Right now in my life I am on a Saturday, which is the intervening period between a Friday in my life and a Sunday. I do know that Sunday is coming because of the promise of Christ. He rose Himself and conquered the grave, so this is nothing for Him to overcome.

So I remain faithful, even though it is hard today. I found out my news yesterday around 6pm. By 6am I already had work today. By 9am I had work for three other days this week. I also have writing assignments and through all this I have already recovered most of what was taken from me this week. In just 15 hours God has provided. Even though I had to scramble, He did not and he was in full control. I cannot help but offer Him praise in this today.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How was your Easter?
   
2. How do you transition from the Fridays to the Mondays in your life?
   
3. How do you praise God in the Fridays?

Isaiah, Chapter 56

Christ's gift of salvation is for everyone. This is a point I have tried to illustrate over the course of the last several chapters here in the book of Isaiah. Today, we take this message somewhat for granted because we have heard it many times in our lives. It has become one of the central tenets of the Christian faith. Much of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is considered historically Jewish, however. Many books in the Old Testament were written with the Jewish faith in mind, and in fact they are still used in Judaism today. They still search for the promised Messiah because they deny that Jesus Christ was indeed their Messiah. At the time many of these books were written, Jewish society was not very accepting to those that were not considered holy. The very idea that foreigners and outcasts of society could be granted salvation was, well, foreign.

3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,
       "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."
       And let not any eunuch complain,
       "I am only a dry tree."

 4 For this is what the LORD says:
       "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
       who choose what pleases me
       and hold fast to my covenant-

 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls
       a memorial and a name
       better than sons and daughters;
       I will give them an everlasting name
       that will not be cut off.

 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD
       to serve him,
       to love the name of the LORD,
       and to worship him,
       all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
       and who hold fast to my covenant-

 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
       and give them joy in my house of prayer.
       Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
       will be accepted on my altar;
       for my house will be called
       a house of prayer for all nations." – Isaiah 56:3-7

These verses clearly illustrate, even to the Israelites, that salvation is meant for everyone under Christ. People are not rejected by Christ because of where they were born. They do not get cast out because they are undesirable in society. Though the Israelites had an elitist view when it came to some people, God did not. An example of how this carries over to today can be seen with the homeless. Some people are elitist in that they don't want to see them. They may blame the homeless for not taking charge to change their plight. Those that are homeless can still believe though and find salvation in Christ. They are living examples of what it means to be blessed by God even when they are not outwardly blessed.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What are other ways that we see salvation as not for certain people?
   
2. Why did God need to specify this?
   
3. Why did God still have his "chosen people" even if salvation is meant for all?