Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Isaiah 41:1-7

‘’Silence in court!’’

The chapter opens with God calling the ‘’nations’’ together at ‘’the place of judgment’’ (1). He summons them to an imaginary courtroom and challenges them to speak in their defence. These are the nations who are hostile to His people. They will need ‘’strength’’ because, as we will see, He is going to challenge them to display the power and knowledge that He Himself possesses (21-29). They will not be up to this encounter with the awesome God who dominates the chapter, and the book as a whole. It will be a formidable meeting. Who can stand before His Holy presence, apart from being clothed in the righteousness of Christ?

The ‘’one from the east’’ is Cyrus king of Persia (2-4). Isaiah later identifies him by name (44:28). It would be another hundred years before Cyrus’ birth. Yet God (and Isaiah, because of God) knew that this man would be called into God’s service to free the Jewish exiles from captivity and restore them to their land (Ezra 1:1-4). When it says that God called him ‘’in righteousness to his service’’ (2), it doesn’t mean that Cyrus was himself righteous, but that God would use him to fulfil a righteous purpose, namely the restoration of His people. God will be with Cyrus, just as He has been (and will be) with every generation in history (4), from ‘’first’’ to the ‘’last’’ (see Revelation 22:13). He is the Lord of history; the eternal God. It’s not surprising, then, that He could foretell the coming of Cyrus. ‘’Who did this? Who made it happen? Who always gets things started? I did. GOD. I’m first on the scene. I’m also the last to leave.’’ The Message. From a human perspective, Cyrus was a political giant; a great, and even terrifying, leader: ‘’…pulverizing nations into dust, leaving only stubble and chaff in his wake.’’ The Message. But we get to see the larger perspective that he was in fact an instrument in God’s Hand to get His work done.

The people of the world will see Cyrus coming and ‘’tremble’’ (5). They will attempt to form alliances against him, but all to no avail (6). Their leaders will try to strengthen morale, even while their craftsmen attempt to build better idols (7). But Cyrus will prove unstoppable. ‘’Far-flung ocean islands see it and panic. The ends of the earth are shaken. Fearfully they huddle together. They try to help each other out, making up stories in the dark. The godmakers in the workshops go into overtime production, crafting new models of no-gods, Urging one another on – ‘Good job!’ ‘Great design!’ – pounding nails in at the base so that the things won’t tip over.’’ The Message.

The reference to Cyrus being called ‘’to his service’’ (4) is literally ‘to his foot’, i.e. to follow at His heels (see Judges 4:10). The true Commander here is the great ‘’I am’’, the Lord of history (4; see 45:2, 4).

Perhaps, today, we need this reminder that no frighteningly powerful individuals are in control of the world. There may be those who are permitted to cause mayhem for a time. But the Sovereign Lord of history is in ultimate control. Ultimately, we all have a date booked to appear in His courtroom.

Prayer: Lord God Almighty, help me to lift my eyes to your throne, and know that you are in control of all things.

Isaiah 40:21-31

The exalted portrayal of the God of Israel continues. It includes the remarkable detail that ‘’He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…’’ (22). These words were written long before the scientific discovery that the world is round! Isaiah praises God the Creator. ‘’Don’t you understand the foundation of all things? God sits high above the round ball of earth. The people look like mere ants. He stretches out the skies like a canvas – yes, like a tent canvas to live under.’’ The Message. But God is also the destroyer of the wicked (23, 24). Wherever earthly rulers are ‘’planted’’ or ‘’take root’’, God blows them away like chaff. The people of Judah needed to hear this, surrounded as they were by great and threatening emperors and empires. Knowing this will also bring perspective to our viewing of the news.

‘Deism’ is the belief that God created the universe, but He doesn’t control it. He ‘wound it up’ like a clock, and left it to run on its own. Deism presents a God who is an ‘absentee Landlord.’ But this is not the God of the Bible. This is not Isaiah’s understanding of the Almighty (25, 26). God not only made the Universe, He also preserves it, with every star in its own place. ‘’Look at the night skies: Who do you think made all this? Who marches this army of stars out each night, counts them off, calls each by name – so magnificent! so powerful- and never overlooks a single one?’’ The Message. The New Testament brings to us an even fuller revelation. It says that the Lord Jesus Christ, being God Himself, is the Agent of creation, and in Him ‘’all things hold together.’’ (Colossians 1:16, 17). It is an awesome experience to be out in a dark place, where there are no street lights, and look up into the night sky. It causes you to wonder. It makes you feel so small. For a believer, it encourages your worship of the infinite God who knows every star by name. (See also Genesis 1:16b, and the almost throwaway line: ‘’He also made the stars.’’ ) I believe a major reason for the universe being there is to prompt us to ask the question of (26): ‘’Who created all these?’’ As someone said, the majestic procession of the stars shows the ‘precision’ of God’s control and not its absence.

Sometimes we need God to question us. Or we need to ask searching questions of ourselves. Don’t we know? Haven’t we heard? Hasn’t it been told to us, and have we not understood? (21, 28a). Then why do we speak so negatively and complain? (27). Have we lost sight of who God is? Perhaps we are not living in the light of the truth we have received? ‘’Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, ‘’GOD has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me’’? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? GOD doesn’t come and go. GOD lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.’’ The Message. This God, whose ‘’great power and mighty strength’’ upholds the universe, will also hold up His weary, discouraged people (29-31). He has not abandoned them, whatever they may feel. (Remember that feelings can tell big lies.) God will give them strength for seemingly impossible tasks; to be able to face challenges and surmount obstacles. ‘’The wrong inference from God’s transcendence is that he is too great to care; the right one is that he is too great to fail (28); there is no point at which things ‘get on top of’ him. But vs 29-31 make the big transition from power exercised to power imparted, to be experienced through the faith expressed in the word hope…’’ Derek Kidner: The ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.656. There is the idea in verse 31 of changing strength, as a person might change into fresh clothes, or exchange and old thing for a new.

Prayer: Lord, let me trade in my strength, which is weakness, for your strength, which is power.

 Isaiah 40: 12-20

There is an incredible, exalted picture of God throughout the second half of Isaiah.

‘’Returning to the land and rebuilding the nation seemed impossible tasks to the exiles, so Isaiah invited them to behold the greatness of God. God is greater than every burden you bear and every challenge you face. Babylon was but a drop in the bucket to God! The world’s false gods can do nothing to hinder the working of your great God, so trust Him to see you through.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.476.

‘’This superb poem rebukes our small ideas and flagging faith…by its presentation of God…and…of a universe dwarfed by his presence. The goal of the passage is v.31, where human imaginings (18) and doubts (27) give way to the humble expectancy that is urged on us throughout the book.’’ Derek Kidner: The ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.656.

In the remainder of chapter 40 Isaiah speaks about this incomparable God who is coming to rescue His people. He poses a series of rhetorical questions, designed to help God’s people trust in Him and wait patiently for Him. They need to know that He is able to do what He has promised. The description of God in (12-31) is reminiscent of God’s own words about Himself in Job chapters 38-41. ‘’God is bigger, greater, and more awesome than any human can imagine. ‘’Who can understand Him?’’ Isaiah asks. ‘’Who can teach Him?’’ ‘’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1038. Who of us has come close to doing any of the things God has done? These words humble us, even as they encourage our faith. ‘’Who could ever have told GOD what to do or taught him his business? What expert would he have gone to for advice, what school would he attend to learn justice? What god do you suppose might have taught him what he knows, showed him how things work? The Message. ‘’Such a Creator hardly needs our impatient advice or shares our impotence.’’ Derek Kidner: p.656.

‘’Why, the nations are but a drop in a bucket, a mere smudge on a window. Watch him sweep up the islands like so much dust off the floor! There aren’t enough trees in Lebanon nor enough animals in those vast forests to furnish adequate fuel and offerings for his worship. All the nations add up to simply nothing before him – less than nothing is more like it. A minus.’’ (15-17) The Message. Isaiah saw that no amount of sacrifices could do justice to the greatness of God, even if all the firewood and animals of Lebanon were available. We can never worship Him adequately.

When you recognise how infinitely great God is, it also helps you to see how utterly ridiculous idolatry is (18-20). What lifeless idol, even when covered in gold, can compare with the living God? There seems to be a certain irony; a sarcastic touch of humour in the reference to idols being so helpless, they have to be constructed with wide bases so that they don’t ‘’topple’’ over! (20). It is of the very essence of an idol to be unstable. Our idols may appear to offer stability, but they cannot give it. As someone has pointed out, the idolater’s pathetic efforts are studied at length in Isaiah (see also 44:9-20; 46:1-7), and the wilfulness that causes the spiritual blindness is exposed in Romans 1:18-23.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to see you more clearly with every passing day.

Isaiah 38

‘’If you are swept off your feet, it is time to get on your knees.’’ Frederick Beck.

Everyone who has received a doctor’s report with a deadly prognosis, especially in younger years, will be able to identify with Hezekiah’s agonised question (10). It’s not easy to hear that you are going to die, and especially not in the ‘’prime’’ of life. Hezekiah felt ‘mugged’ – that good years were being stolen from him. (All of this happened at a time when Hezekiah knew that the Assyrians were coming 6. It was trouble upon trouble for him.)

But some people facing death are brought back from the brink by God’s grace (38:1-8). I know some Christians think it is unbelieving to go to a doctor. I do not share their view. It seems to me that Hezekiah was healed through prayer (2-6) and medicine (21). Surely we are not to despise the benefits of knowledge God has given through scientific discovery? I believe our Christian attitude should include thanks to God for medical resources, respect for medical practitioners, and trust in God alone for healing. He may work through doctors. He often does. He may use medicine. The essential thing is to look to Him for your healing.

People who have come through a serious illness (or any other form of trial) and who sense that God has been with them in it, and brought them out of it, will regularly say something similar to King Hezekiah (17a). They wouldn’t want to go through it again; they are glad not to be in that trouble anymore; but they recognise the providential good in it (Romans 8:28).

I sometimes think about Hezekiah and wonder what it was like for him. At the beginning of the extra fifteen years (5) he must have felt relieved and elated. It probably seemed like a long time. It is quite a long time. But as the clock ran down how did he feel? I would like to think that he never lost a sense of gratitude that God blessed him with ‘time added on.’

‘’Hezekiah pictured death as going through a gate (v.10),taking down a tent (v.12), being cut from a loom and rolled up (v.12), and being attacked by a beast (v.13).But he clung to the Word of God (v.17) and gave praise to God for all He did (vv.16-20). Difficult experiences should give us a new appreciation for life and a new desire to live for the Lord.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p,474.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the things you’ve brought me through. As someone said, ‘’If I’d never had a problem, I’d never know that God can solve them. I’d never know what faith in God can do.’’

 Isaiah 37: 1-13

There is a right time to grieve, lament and repent (1-4). This is true even for ‘charismatic’ Christians. It can’t be all about ‘chandelier swinging’. There is a legitimate time to wear our equivalent of ‘’sackcloth’’ (1, 2). There is a time for serious, grown up praying that faces terrible realities with faith. Sometimes we are too trite and trivial; too silly and superficial, in our approach to Almighty God.

Notice that Hezekiah ‘’went into the temple of the LORD’’ (2), and ‘’…sent…to the prophet Isaiah…’’ (2). Let your troubles move you in the direction of God. Don’t be too proud to bend your knees in prayer, or to ask for the prayers of others (4b). When you recognise your ‘’no strength’’ (3), you are in a place to draw on the fullness of God’s strength. Always remember that the Lord knows about all the details of your difficulties (4). Nothing is hidden from Him.

‘’Ch.37…is a model of response to intimidation. Hezekiah’s steadfastness owed nothing to blind optimism; his sackcloth (1) was proof of that. His call for Isaiah’s prayer (4) showed where his confidence lay…’’ Derek Kidner: The ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.654.

The first thing God regularly says to His troubled people is ‘Don’t be afraid!’ It is so easy to operate out of fear instead of trust. Yes we need to be wise and careful, not silly and stupid. We ought to keep our discernment ‘radar’ always switched on. But let’s not allow fear to make us live closed in and folded up little lives. We can go out into each day holding the Hand of God and trusting in His power to keep us. In God and with God we can remain open and expansive in heart; generous in spirit.

You never know how God is going to turn around the difficult problems you pray about. But He has a plan even when you don’t. He often acts in the most surprising ways (5-7). What God said would happen, did happen. The enemy had lots of words of threat and bluster (10-13), but what God says stands above all the words of man. You don’t need many words from the Lord to drive the fear out of your heart, if you will just trust what He says. One Word from Him changes everything!

Prayer: Help me to hear and trust your voice above all the blaring voices of this world.

 Isaiah 36:13-22

Apart from Hezekiah’s psalm (38:9-20), chapters 36-39 are almost word for word concurrent with 2 Kings 18-20.

The ‘’great king’’ (13) did not take into account that he was up against the greatest Monarch (20). His pride went before a fall. It always does! Sennacherib missed the point when he banged on about the ‘’gods’’ of other nations not being able to stand in his way (18-20). They were useless because they were ‘’gods’’ – man-made deities. It would be different when he raised his fist against God (with a capital ‘G’); the maker of heaven and earth. Sometimes, when under assault, it is best to just keep quiet, and get on with what you have to do, trusting in God (21). It certainly isn’t a good idea to enter into a discussion with the devil. (You may remember from yesterday that Warren Wiersbe sees something of Satan’s tactics in the words of this man, speaking on behalf of his king.) Don’t debate him. Dismiss him, in Jesus’ Name!

‘’In ch.36, in general, the technique of subversion is displayed for all time in the speeches of vs 4-10, 13-20. There we see the tempter’s skilful use of truth, barbing his shafts with a few unanswerable facts (e.g. the perfidy of Egypt [6] and the failure of the gods [19]), his use of ridicule (8), threats (12b) and cajolery (16-17), and his perversion of theology –misrepresenting Hezekiah’s reforms (7), selecting from Isaiah’s preaching (10; cf. 10:6, 12) and drawing damaging conclusions from false religions (18-20). The king’s instruction, Do not answer him (21), took due account of the fact that the speaker was seeking victory, not truth.’’ Derek Kidner: The ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.654.

If, as we saw yesterday, a key word in the first half of this chapter is ‘’depend’’/ ‘’depending’’ ( 4-7), then a key word in the second section is ‘’deliver’’ (14, 15, 18, 20). I’m not aware that Hezekiah ever did try to make out that he could ‘’deliver’’ his people from Sennacherib (14), but, as we will see in the next chapter, he knew where deliverance was to be found. He and his people were delivered. In spite of all the prideful boasting of the enemy, deliverance came through faith. It still comes today to those who trust in the Lord. The torn clothes of (22) point to a sense of grief, repentance and deep need of God. The Lord was to come through for them in spectacular fashion.

‘’Silence is our best reply to the allegations and taunts of our foes. Be still, O persecuted soul! Hand over thy cause to God. It is useless to argue, even in many cases to give explanations. Be still, and commit thy cause to God. He has heard every word, and will answer. Thus Jesus held his peace, when falsely accused…But before going into this conflict be sure that, like Hezekiah, thou hast put from thee all that is false and evil. The iconoclasm of the good king which Rabshakeh so curiously misinterpreted was, after all, his main security. It is necessary that there should be no controversy between God and the soul which He is to defend.’’ F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.283.

Prayer: Lord help me to see through the enemy’s tantalising offers, and recognise the price that must ultimately be paid for accepting them (16, 17).

 Isaiah 36: 1-12

It was their worst nightmare (1). That which they feared had come upon them. A people as cruel and barbarous as any you are currently hearing about on the news, if not more so, were camped on their door step. It looked like ‘curtains.’

The big army (2) was no doubt meant to intimidate. Bullies know how to turn the screw. They are experts at applying pressure to achieve their desired ends. Sennacherib had already demonstrated what this army could do (1).

He took a two-pronged approach. He sought to scare them with the size of his army, but also to undo their confidence with his words; words that were intended to terrify the people seeking to find shelter behind the walls of Jerusalem (11, 12). The big issue in these words is about ‘’depending’’. (See how the idea comes up in 5, 6, and 7). He was quite right to say that trust in Egypt would be futile (6). Isaiah himself had made the point clearly and well. They were not to trust in human alliances. ‘’Egypt? Don’t make me laugh. Egypt is a rubber crutch. Lean on Egypt and you’ll end up flat on your face.’’ The Message. But he was quite wrong to question the efficacy of trust in Almighty God (7). In the course of doing so, he showed that he had an imperfect understanding of what Hezekiah had done in his spiritual ‘clean up’ campaign. Hezekiah had not been telling the people that they were not to worship and trust in God anymore. He was calling them to get rid of their pagan gods.

The issue of where our confidence lies; who we depend upon; who we trust in is a major challenge to be faced day after day, and even moment by moment. Every difficulty and problem we run into forces us to choose. Will we trust in God or look to some substitute? Every ‘Egyptian’ crutch will snap under our weight and put splinters into our skin.

‘’From the words of the Rabshakeh (army field commander), you can learn much about warfare against your own spiritual enemy the devil. Satan is proud and confident of victory. He tries to frighten you into surrendering. He knows that the most important thing is where you put your faith (v.4). Are you trusting the world, yourself or the Lord (vv.6-7)? The enemy offers to give you something in return for your obedience (vv.8, 16), but there is always an ‘’until’’ involved (v.17)! He wants you to think that his gifts are as good as the Lord’s gifts and that the Lord cannot be trusted to help you (vv.14-15, 18). Use the shield of faith to quench those fiery darts (Eph.6:16) and never negotiate with Satan (v.21). Do what Hezekiah did: ask the Lord to help and believe His Word.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.473.

Prayer: Help me to truly believe that the greatest opposition can be overcome through faith in you Lord.