Daily Bible Devotionals

“You nations, come here and listen; you peoples, pay attention!  Let all the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that comes from it.  The Lord is angry with all the nations – furious with all their armies.  He will set them apart for destruction, giving them over to slaughter.  Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood.  All the heavenly bodies will dissolve.  The skies will roll up like a scroll, and their stars will all wither as leaves wither on the vine, and foliage on the fig tree.”  Isaiah 34:1-5 (HCSB)

Isaiah once more turns matters far removed from the events of the seventh century B.C.  Chapter 33 closed with a glimpse of the new heavens and the new earth.  Chapters 34-35 concentrate on the universal judgment of the wicked surrounding the “day of the Lord” and the endless joy of the redeemed, portrayed in terms of the “flowering of the desert.”

The portrayal of the “day of the Lord” focuses (initially at least) on the negative side: it is “…a day of vengeance, a year of retribution…”  God is angry with the nations whom He has called before Him.  He threatens their total destruction, and the language is apocalyptic.

The apostle John confirms that the Day of the Lord is upon us.

“Then I saw Him open the sixth seal.  A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair; the entire moon became like blood; the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place.  Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of Their wrath has come!  And who is able to stand?’”  Revelation 6:12-16 (HCSB)

Israel had comfortably forgotten the “vengeance of the covenant,” the jealousy of God at work within the confines of His chosen people to punish transgression, to discipline them unto greater holiness, and to purge evil from His people.

The broad truth is that God’s saving work, the bringing of His people into a covenant of grace, is not intended to induce a spirit of moral complacency.  Rather, we should enter into a spirit of determined ambition to be holy to obey God’s Word.  Disobedience must expect rebuke and punishment if the disobedience hard-heartedly continues.  God loves His people and will never forsake them, but He will chastise us when we fall into sinful ways.  Today’s passage is a strong reminder of the predictable end of those who “receive the Lord’s Name” in vain.  If He is truly our Bridegroom, shouldn’t we be faithful brides?

God keeps His Word: He is both faithful to judge and faithful to save.  How would you choose Him to be faithful toward you?

“The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: ‘Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?  Who among us can dwell with everlasting flames?’  The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil – he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortress, his food provided, his water assured.”  Isaiah 33:14-16 (HCSB)

Isaiah 33 is an “emergency psalm” of sorts.  It seems to have three clear divisions: A prayer for the promised destruction of Assyria (2-9), God’s challenging answer (10-16), and the future Messianic kingdom (17-24).

The reason I chose today’s passage is because it deals directly with a very sensitive issue as it pertains to Jewish evangelism.  Isaiah answers the volatile question: What happens to those Jewish people who reject Messiah Jesus?  It also delineates between those (within Judaism) whom Isaiah describes as “sinners” and those who are “righteous.”  And Isaiah reveals their representative consequences: blessing or everlasting flames.

You see, there are some in the “Church-at-large” who believe we should not evangelize the Jewish people because, in the apostle Paul’s words, “All Israel will be saved.”  But that argument fails to consider the proper context of Paul’s statement.

“So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.  And in this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.  And this will be My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27 (HCSB)

Paul had already made a distinction that “Israel,” in a Messianic saving sense, is defined as those Jews who believe Messiah Jesus by faith.  Salvation is a choice and not bestowed simply because one comes from Hebrew physical descent.  Both Gentiles and Jews must choose to trust Jesus in order to be saved.  But Paul does not infer that all people who are Jewish (aka physical Israel) will enter into that saving relationship.  That was Isaiah’s message to his all-Jewish audience.  Paul simply reinforced Isaiah’s words.

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed.  For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.  Neither are they all children because they are all children Abraham’s because descendants.” (Romans 9:6-7a) Salvation is by Grace through Faith.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Since today’s chapter is also predicting the days of Messiah Jesus, it is important to point out that many Jewish people believed in/followed Jesus during His earthly ministry (He fed 5000 at one point).  At the same time, many Jews rejected Him, namely Judas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin.  Neither Isaiah nor any other Bible writer would assume the same eternities await both groups.  That reality makes our evangelical efforts even more urgent!   (See also: John 7:50-53; 9:16; 10:19-21; 12:10-11, 19, 42-43)

“Indeed, a king will reign righteously, and rulers will rule justly.  Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, like streams of water in a dry land and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.  Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.  The reckless mind will gain knowledge, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently.  A fool will no longer be called a noble, nor a scoundrel said to be important.”  Isaiah 32:1-5 (HCSB)

No fools or scoundrels?  Sounds like bad news for Washington DC!  The unbeliever is a fool.  The foolish enjoy the company of folly; their perception is twisted.  The folly and confusion which characterized Isaiah’s day changed with the coming of a king.

Having introduced the idea of a new order in chapter 31, Isaiah now launches into a description of the righteous rule of that era’s king.  As to the identity of the “king,” commentators have been divided.  It seems clear enough, however, that it cannot be Hezekiah, for the king Isaiah has in mind is completely righteous.  Isaiah must, therefore, be speaking about a Messianic rule: the righteous government of Messiah Jesus.

But what of this king’s subjects, described by Isaiah as “rulers”?  (Which makes sense, because we will reign with Messiah. 2 Timothy 2:12)  Whereas the foolish are crafty and cunning, dedicated to doing evil things, using all kinds of tricks and plots to deceive, the disciples of Messiah will be enlightened and noble.  Salvation changes men’s minds and makes them wise.  This is something God promised to do in Isaiah 29.

“Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder.  The wisdom of their wise men will vanish, and the understanding of the perceptive will be hidden.”  Isaiah 29:14  (HCSB) (See also: 1 Corinthians 1:19)

In just over a year's time, things will change drastically for Jerusalem.  The description of Jerusalem’s transformation seems to transcend anything that happened in Isaiah’s time.  Once again, the prophet is using the events of his day to teach greater truths.  Following the judgment of Jerusalem comes the outpouring of the Spirit.  Shavuot (Pentecost) naturally comes to mind. (Also see: Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17-18, 33; 10:45)

But there are even greater things here: A new order of things will be established where there is fruitfulness, peace, righteousness, quietness, security, and rest.  These “attributes” are descriptive of the new earth, the home of the righteous.  They are also given to believers as a deposit of sorts, distinguishing us from the World and reminding us to live in hope of that glorious day when the “New Jerusalem” will be revealed.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control.  Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who rely on horses!  They trust in the abundance of chariots, and in the large number of horsemen.  They do not look to the Holy One of Israel and do not seek the Lord’s help. But He also is wise and will bring disaster.  He does not go back on what He says; He will rise up against the house of wicked men and against the allies of evildoers.  Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord raises His hand to strike, the helper will stumble and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together.” Isaiah 31:1-3 (HCSB)

Isaiah’s warning to Israel was also prophesied generations prior in Psalm 20.

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. – Selah - May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.” Psalm 20:1-9 (NKJV)

100 + years later, Jeremiah was the on-the-scene reporter, testifying that everything Isaiah had prophesied was coming to pass, exactly as predicted.  Still, on the verge of judgment, Israel had a choice to repent.  The same could be said of America today!

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: ‘If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’ But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God, saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’ - Then hear now the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die.  So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’”  Jeremiah 42:9b-17 (NKJV)

“Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God.  All who wait patiently for Him are happy.  For you people will live on Zion in Jerusalem and will never cry again.  He will show favor to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears, He will answer you.  The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression, but your Teacher will not hide Himself any longer.  Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: ‘This is the way.  Walk in it.’  Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images.  You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, and call them filth.”  Isaiah 30:18-22 (HCSB)

There is a recent UCLA survey on “spirituality on college campuses,” conducted over a number of years, polling over 1400 higher learning institutions.  As it were, spirituality is on the rise on college campuses.  But a sobering statistic stands out among the thick pages of data.  When asked, “Do you seek spirituality to know what God requires of you?” only 13% said “Yes.”  That answer tells us that most people are seeking God for what He will do for them, not what He requires of them.

Given that statistic, it makes sense that many followers of Messiah Jesus find themselves disappointed with God.  We often assume that God exists to make us wealthy, successful, or popular.  In short, we generally believe He exists for our happiness.  The truth is that we exist for HIS pleasure, not the other way around.  He is more concerned with our spiritual prosperity than our earthly wealth.  

So, if we expect “good standing” with God to mean wealth and prosperity for us, we will experience mostly disappointed lives.  Consider the words of today’s passage:

“He will show favor to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears, He will answer you.  The Lord will give you meager bread and water during your oppression, but your Teacher will not hide Himself any longer…”  Isaiah 30:19b-20a (HCSB)

Israel has turned to the Lord, crying out, and He will hear her cry.  But His response was not to shower her with earthly wealth to reward her repentance.  No, He gave Israel what was necessary for physical survival and spiritual wealth: Bread, water, and His guidance (His Word).  It makes Jesus’ reply to Satan during His desert temptation more stirring:

“Man does not live by bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3b, Luke 4:4 (HCSB)

Only after Israel had learned what God required of them (and proved faithful in heeding His Word) did He allow earthly blessings to return to them.  So, keep heeding His Word.

“Then He will send rain for your seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food, the produce of the ground, will be rich and plentiful.  On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures.”  Isaiah 30:23 (HCSB)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Isaiah 29. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Listen and hear my voice.  Pay attention and hear my words.  Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed?  Does he continually turn and break up his ground?  Does he not level its surface and sow dill and scatter cumin and plant wheat in rows, barley in its place and rye within its area?  For his God instructs and teaches him properly.  For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is the cartwheel driven over cumin; but dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.  Grain for bread is crushed, indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.  Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, He does not thresh it longer.  This also comes from the Lord of armies.  Who  has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.”  Isaiah 28:23-29 (NASB)

Today’s chapter ends with a more promising note.  A farmer doesn’t keep on plowing indefinitely.  He sows in order to reap.  

Has God been “turning your soil,” lately perhaps, mixing in a bit of “manure” to boot?  God is preparing you as a farmer prepares the land to yield a bountiful crop of spiritual fruit!  Spiritual discipline is what this chapter has all been about.  Those who see the Father’s hand in it will profit.  Yes, it involves hardship.

“Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons.  For what son is there that a father does not discipline?”  Hebrews 12:7 (HCSB)

It is also unpleasant and painful.

“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”  Hebrews 12:11 (HCSB)

God’s discipline is revealed in a variety of ways; like a farmer who plows and sows, The Lord deals differently with particular children in order to produce a harvest of grace.  He may rebuke us through the reading of His Word. (2 Timothy 4:2)  He may use sickness. (Romans 5:3-4)  Sometimes, He even uses Satan himself.  Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was also a “messenger of Satan.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)  That is the lesson of the book of Job.

To those who have eyes to see, there is a smiling face below the surface of a (seemingly) frowning God.  Our lives, even when under discipline, are ordered by a God who is “wonderful in counsel” and “gives great wisdom.”  God is preparing us, teaching us to faithfully endure pain and trust in Him so that we can stand firm to administer the gospel at a time when others are being crushed by the weight of this World.  

Endure His training.  Nobody trusts when a poorly trained, out-of-shape soldier says, “I got your back!”  Nor do they heed the rhetoric of the undisciplined Christian.  

“Consider it great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (HCSB)

“On that day the Lord will thresh grain from the Euphrates River as far as the Wadi of Egypt, and you Israelites will be gathered one by one.  On that day a great trumpet will be blown and those lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they will worship the Lord at Jerusalem on the holy mountain.”  Isaiah 27:12-13 (HCSB)

Isaiah’s Apocalypse (Isaiah 24-26) has shown the coming judgment for the world, the downfall of God’s enemies, and of death itself.  It has spoken of the safety of God’s people within its own eternal city, promising complete deliverance from His wrath and eventual bodily resurrection.  

The aim of God for His people is not only their salvation from sin and its curse; it is that they might be fruitful.  The passage in chapter 27 depicting a vineyard must be read in parallel with chapter 5, where we were shown the picture of Israel as having been unfruitful.  The Vinedresser had come to His vineyard only to find “bad fruit.”  All the attention given to the vineyard had been to no effect.  The coming exile into Babylon was God’s chastisement for their backsliding.  Interesting, then, the words of Jesus:

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in Me and I in Him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”  John 15:5 (HCSB)

Jesus is the restoring agent for both Israel and the nations.  He is the TRUE vine.  In addition, salvation comes exclusively through Him.

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 (HCSB)

Today’s chapter ends with a summons to the dispersed Jewish exiles to come home from Assyria and Egypt.  A great trumpet sounds, summoning their return.  The words are echoed to this day in synagogue worship in the tenth of the Eighteen Benedictions, “Sound the great trumpet for our liberation; lift up the ensign to gather our exiles…” The language is picked up by Paul, who describes the ushering-in of the end:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ [Messiah] will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (HCSB)

We find the same picture in Psalm 47:5: “God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.”  In fulfillment of His plan and purpose, God is going to spread a feast for all kinds of people, including all “Israel,” but not all Jews. (Romans 9:6-7; 11:25-26) Messiah-followers are diverse and cosmopolitan.  Heaven and glory await God’s people: those who are the redeemed through Messiah Jesus.  And what will our occupations be?  Worship leaders, singing His praises!  

“On that day sing about a desirable vineyard!” Isaiah 27:2 (HCSB)

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:  ‘We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.  Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.  For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city.  He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.  The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.’”  Isaiah 26:1-6 (ESV)

Isaiah depicts pilgrims coming from far off, arriving at the gates of the city, and calling out in song for the doors to be opened wide to receive them.  Jerusalem’s strength, the peace enjoyed by its inhabitants, comes from the salvation God has caused to make known within its walls.  

The song is not only a testimony of what those who sing it have come to know.  It is also an exhortation to others to put their trust in the Lord and experience the same transformation in their own lives.  For that matter, it should be the passionate cry of all believers!  While we may not all be called to be “evangelists,” per se, we are all called to evangelize.

Several points are worth noting in today’s chapter, distinctive features of those who “occupy the city of God.”

1) They are righteous. (26:2, 7) Those who are righteous have received their righteousness from the Lord.

2) They are blessed. (26:7) The way they travel is level and smooth.  It makes John the Baptist’s message more understandable: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight…”  It also clarifies that fire consumes the wicked. (26:11)

3) They long for His presence. (26:8-10) Even in times of judgment, the righteous learn repentance.  The wicked remain in unbelief despite God’s warnings.

4) They enjoy peace. (26:14) Isaiah sees the wicked as being denied resurrection into God’s kingdom.  This does not mean that Isaiah denied the resurrection of the dead as such.  His point was merely that those who trouble the righteous will trouble them no more.  This is especially so in Heaven.  

5) They confess past failure and frustration. (26:16-19) Evidently, Israel had been in such distress that they were barely able to pray.  It reminds me of the silent prayer Hannah prayed in Eli’s presence. (1 Samuel 1:9-20) Now we see the resurrection of the righteous.

6) They wait patiently and quietly for the Lord’s coming. (26:20-21) The exhortation is for us to faithfully believe His Word and promise.  He will deliver!