Isaiah 41

All else is false.

The prophet challenges all false gods to know the future, but they don’t. Then he issues God’s promise to those who trust Him, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” [Is. 41:10]

We don’t know the future, but we know WHO knows the future. He promises to UPHOLD US with His righteous Right Hand … and that is JESUS.

Pastor Moses Vegh used to say, “There is only one thing worse than falling into the hands of an awesome God …. and that is falling OUT of His hands.”

Isaiah 40

A change of tone. Many Bible scholars believe there was a change of authors from chapter 40 on.

Regardless, George F. Handel included much of this chapter in his oratorio, Messiah. In fact, this passage begins the musical work immediately following the overture. It identifies John the Baptist as being “the voice crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.”

This passage provides text for some, in my opinion, of the most beautiful music ever. Have a listen to the soprano identify our Great Shepherd, Jesus.

Isaiah 39

Hezekiah showed his entire wealth of possessions to an envoy from Babylon. He may have been proud of what God had done for him. It turned out to be an unwise thing to do. It became, in effect, bait for Babylon to invade Israel. Isaiah prophesied that all this wealth would be hauled off to Babylon as well as the sons and daughters of Israel. This was the Babylonian captivity.

Our strength and wealth is in our relationship with God. We humbly praise Him, glorying in Him and not necessarily what He has done for us.

Take this whole world but give Jesus.

Isaiah 38

If you are reading this right now, you are in the “Land of the Living.” King Hezekiah begged the Lord for more life, so the Lord granted him 15 more years. Sadly, one of the meanest and most cruel kings was his son born during his extended life, Manasseh.

One of the positive fruits of living is that we can praise the Lord with our mouths and lives. I often joke that the reason the Lord kept my mom and dad alive so long was because they performed a free concert of praise for Him daily. Dad in his LazyBoy rocker and mom on her 6.5′ shiny black grand piano would sing old Christian songs that nobody else knew … but the Lord, and HE LOVED THEM.

Isaiah 37

Upon receiving a threatening document from the attacking king, Hezekiah laid it out before the Lord and prayed. God responsively assured Hezekiah that He would defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and give them hope for the future.

Defend He did! That night God’s warring angel went out and slew 185,000 of Sennacherib’s army. This was one of the all-time greatest shows of God’s defensive power.

Note that Hezekiah ALLOWED GOD to deal out His revenge and set no human plot against his enemy. It was ALL GOD. His response, His angel, His victory.

The battle belongs to the Lord. The battle belongs to the Lord. The battle belongs to the Lord. The battle belongs to the Lord.

Get the message?

Isaiah 36

The details may be different, but you find yourself being attacked by an enemy just as Hezekiah was attacked by the King of Assyria. Humiliation, challenge, taunts, fear of the future … this is familiar territory for the Lord. He sees it everyday. Although He may allow it [1 Cor. 10:13], He will always make a way of escape and victory.

What foe can stand against the Lord? There is NONE! He delights in rescuing His people, taking these opportunities to show us HOW GREAT HE REALLY IS.

The battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s. It’s HIS REPUTATION, not yours, at stake. Just stay in the palm of His Hand.

Isaiah 33-35

Splendor is a marvelous word we don’t often use. We think of a king’s throne room, a large diamond, a brilliant and colorful sunset when we hear the word. It certainly refers to beauty rarely equaled. Although we get momentary glimpses of it, there is a day coming when God’s splendor will be all around, undimmed by human sin and depravity.

You can see God’s splendor in a flower. Study its color, its texture, its fragility.This is the handiwork of the Master Artist of the Universe. He specializes in splendor.

Isaiah 31, 32

The prophet warns against going to Egypt for help. Early kings would seek alliances to bolster their armies for upcoming battles. God needs no alliance with an earthly kingdom to prevail. He wants His people to trust Him with their complete well-being. It’s no different today. God wants us to seek Him and trust Him. As we ask Him in prayer for what we need and read His Word, He gives us promises and answers.

Verily, verily, I (Christ Jesus) say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. [John 16:23]

Isaiah 30

Our nation, state, and county have their own judicial system with judges etc. I’m sure they usually try to do the right thing in searching for justice.

The Christian, however, operates in a much higher realm of justice. We have in Heaven THE Great and Righteous Judge Who rules in all the affairs of man. Christ Jesus is our Advocate. He represents us before the Father. That’s why the prophet can say,

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.” [Is. 30:15 NLT]

Isaiah 29

The prophet states an indictment against his readers: “These people claim to worship (God), but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.” [Is. 29:13 GNT]

Our heart is our thoughts, our trust, and our values and belief system. We have this lifetime to get it right. We think about what we want. We are wise to bring our mind and desire back toward the Lord and His Word. If we do, He will make Himself known to us and our religion won’t be vain. Life goes much better with Jesus.