Saved From The Fire

In the book of Isaiah, we now begin to see prophecies and reference to God’s salvation for His own people. Compared to much of what came before in the book, these words are very encouraging.

But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. — Isaiah 43:1-2

These words make me think of Polycarp, a great Christian martyr who was killed in approximately 169 A.D., when Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome. As the story goes, he asked not to be nailed to the stake, as was the custom, but only bound to it, telling the executioner that his God would allow him to endure the flames. And when they tried to burn him at the stake, so the story goes, a strange phenomenon prevented him from catching fire. Eventually, they had to kill him with a sword.

I wonder if this passage played through Polycarp’s mind that day. Most of us would consider the verse above to be largely figurative, but in Polycarp’s case, it was quite literal. Our God has the power to physically rescue us from the water and from the fire if He so chooses. Literally.

A Challenge to Idol Worship

Since the beginning of the Israelite nation, beginning with the time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai, the people had struggled with idol worship. Recall how they made the golden calf at Aaron’s direction when they thought that Moses wasn’t coming back from the mountain. God warns against idols – it even merited one of the Ten Commandments. So how strongly does God feel about idol worship?

“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. “Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable. — Isaiah 41:21-24

I get the feeling from this passage that idol worship is being mocked by the Lord. I don’t get this mocking tone from any other passages in the Bible (at least, none that I can recall). It is interesting to see how God lays out the challenge to those who put their trust in idols, as if to say, “Okay, prove yourselves, do something great, or give us a direct answer to a question.”. I think it safe to say that the Lord is in strong disapproval of putting other gods before Him.

What are our idols in today’s culture?

Why Creation Is Beautiful

Why is the beauty of nature in existence at all? This passage in Isaiah gives us a clue.

“But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” — Isaiah 41:17b-20

Though I don’t enjoy the fact that I have a long drive to work each day, I do appreciate the fact that I live in Colorado and the scenery that I get to see each morning is beautiful. I thank God each morning for the glory of nature which I observe as the sun rises on my left and lights up the mountain range on my right. God could have chosen to create the earth as a flat disk with no features. He could have chosen to leave out the myriad species of trees and plants that surround us. He could have created a world without color, if He had decided that was best. But that is not His way. Because his creation reveals the nature of the Creator, “so that people may see and know”.

Facing Death

King Hezekiah is known for being a good king.  And like many kings (and really, like most of us), he has his good moments and bad moments.  Yet, for the most part, he remains dedicated to the Lord.  In the passage below, we find Hezekiah growing deathly ill.  How does he react to this incident?

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  — Isaiah 38:1-3

I’ve read this story many times, but it struck me today that Hezekiah takes an unusual attitude about his impending death.  While we read of other prophets or great men of God facing death without worry (think of the apostle Paul, or martyrs such as Polycarp), Hezekiah seems truly afraid of death and he successfully petitions God for more years on earth.  Why was he not ready to die?  What fears did he have?  I’m reminded that Jesus himself prayed in the garden to have his own difficult death taken away from him.  Taking that into account, I don’t think it is a sign of weakness to ask for more life.  I wonder – what would I ask for if faced with the same situation?

Giving God The Glory

King Hezekiah of Judah receives a visitor from the king of Assyria in chapter 36 of the book of Isaiah. This field commander from Assyria does his best to put fear in the hearts of the people in Judah, even choosing to speak in their native language so that the common man will hear. While reading this story, one wonders just how King Hezekiah will react to the threat. Will he cave to the pressure, like so many of his predecessors had done? Not in this instance. See how Hezekiah reacts.

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.” — Isaiah 37:14-20

Unlike so many of the Israelite and Judean kings who had ruled before, Hezekiah remains faithful and brings the problem to the Lord, with confidence in His ability to defeat the enemy. I admire Hezekiah’s attitude in this prayer – he prayed not strictly for his nation’s salvation, but wanted God’s name to be raised up before others. “So that all kingdoms on earth may know…” is an admirable prayer.

Judge, Lawyer, and King

While much of the book of Isaiah is dedicated to prophecies of doom and gloom for various people throughout the earth, I like to read the book while looking for positive reinforcement of God’s character. I found just such a passage in today’s text, though it was buried in the middle of a section of gloominess.

“For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.” — Isaiah 33:22

I like the picture shown here. God is our judge, and could we ask for one who is more just than He? But at the same time, the verse says He is the one who gave the law in the first place. So there can be no dispute or variance in interpretation – the lawgiver and judge are one. And if that is not enough, He is also our king – who is sometimes called in to deliver an executive decision if the law were unclear, or if unusual mercy was required. Indeed for us, we need just this kind of mercy from our King, because all of us are technically guilty under the law. So, for us, God is everything we need. I guess we already knew that, right?

God vs. Man

In a humanistic world – one which glories in the accomplishments of men and which ignores the true Creator – it is good to occasionally get a reminder about who is really the most powerful.  Isaiah reminds us of that in today’s passage, which refers to the earthly glory of Egypt.

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.  Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words.  He will rise up against the house of the wicked, against those who help evildoers.  But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit.  When the LORD stretches out his hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together.”  — Isaiah 31:1-3

In comparison to mighty Egypt, the Lord is much, much greater.  Though they may think they can rely on their chariots and horses, Isaiah reminds us that they are just flesh and machine, driven by mere men.  And God has the power to make all of that worldly power as meaningless as a puff of wind.  Is this a temptation for our world today?  Do we take pride and make glorious the “powerful” things around us?  Are we tempted to rely on flesh and machine, rather than the One who made it all, and who is readying perfection for His people in heaven?  We must often be reminded that all of this around us will fade, in comparison to God’s glory, and He will rule forever.

No Place To Hide

How often do we do things in secret, thinking that we are getting away with something?  Do we live each day in such a way that we have a “front” for other people, but we live differently when we are alone?  It has been said that the best test of a man’s character is to see what he does when he is alone, for that reveals his true nature.  The prophet Isaiah addresses this very issue:

Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”  — Isaiah 29:15

Hiding from sin dates all the way back to Adam and Eve.  The fact is this – we cannot hide anything from God.  He sees all that we do, and He knows every thought that we think.  That can be a very scary thought, unless we understand that God is a loving Father, who wants the very best for His children.  With that knowledge in hand, we approach Him with a different viewpoint – one that seeks His help and His mercy.

A Resting Place

How do we approach God’s offer of grace?  For me, this has been a continual struggle and challenge.  I was raised with a church worldview which was very legalistic.  “Do this and you’ll live; don’t do it, and you’ll die.”  It was a tough way to live (and the view still plagues me sometimes).  This passage in Isaiah describes the comparison between grace and legalism very well.

“Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,  to whom he said,    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.  So then, the word of the LORD to them will become:
   Do and do, do and do,
   rule on rule, rule on rule;
   a little here, a little there—
so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.”  — Isaiah 28:11-13

It is clear from these verses that God’s intent is for us to rest on his grace (though not in a way that we begin to think that sin is acceptable – see Romans 6:1).  To find that resting place in this life, to understand that God offers a kind of repose from the lies of Satan, is to truly understand grace.

Sleepless

I found several meaningful points buried in this verse from Isaiah.

“The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.  Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.  My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.  When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.  Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD.

“O LORD, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it.  Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.”  — Isaiah 26:7-11

Have you ever come awake in the middle of the night, with the fear that something, somewhere was not right?  A feeling that something suddenly happened to a loved one, or that someone was in pain or torment?  I get this feeling occasionally, and it is hard to describe the moment…an emotion that pervades the rest of the night.  I often turn to prayer during these times, and it brings comfort – knowing that God is still in control.  After I pray, I wonder what it would be like to NOT have the Lord to turn to in such times of need.  I think the rest of the night would be sleepless and tortured – much like the fire and torment that Isaiah describes at the end of this passage.  What would life be like without God?  There are so many who live in this scenario – and it motivates me at these times to make Him known to those who are living without.

The Reason For The End Times

Isaiah continues to prophesy against peoples and nations, but nothing compares with what is predicted in chapter 24.

“See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants—it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.  The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered.  The LORD has spoken this word.”  — Isaiah 24:1-3

His insight now extends to the end of the earth as we know it – all peoples, nations, and life will be affected.  A common question to ask when reading these verses is, “Why?”  Why would God bring such utter ruin to the earth?  If we read a little further, we find the answer.

“The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken.  The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.”  — Isaiah 24:19-20

The guilt of man’s rebellion will be the reason for his destruction.  And make no mistake – we are ALL guilty of this rebellion.  But we have a a Savior in Jesus Christ who take this guilt away from us.  And we can be ready for the end times and the subsequent destruction of everything around us.  Are you ready?

The Prophecy Against Tyre

In Isaiah, we read many prophecies against various nations on the earth.  One prophecy against Tyre stands out to me:

“Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth?  The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all glory and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.”  — Isaiah 23:8-9

Once again, I am convinced that it is God who controls history, rather than history being just a random sequence of events.  “The Lord Almighty planned it” is what the prophet tells us about the coming fall of Tyre.  Indeed, we see the fate of Tyre will culminate in the service of the Lord.

“At the end of seventy years, the LORD will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.  Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothes.”  — Isaiah 23:17-18

Even Pagans May Turn to God

Within the book of Isaiah are many prophecies.  I found this one to be a little unexpected.

“In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border.  It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them.  So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and keep them.  The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.”   — Isaiah 19:19-22

Most of the prophecies concern God’s chosen people being restored to the Lord.  This one speaks of a pagan, sun-worshiping culture who will one day join with the Jews in worshiping the one true God.  Has this happened already?  Or is it to happen in the future?  I need to do some research on this.

True Worship

As a church worship leader, I am often in search of examples of true worship in the Bible.  What attitude should we have when we approach our God in worship?  Complete reverence?  Excitement?  Some of both?

Isaiah refers to a time in the future when Christ will rule, and there will be peace.  Near the end of this section, we find the following description of praise and worship.

In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;  make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.  Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.  Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”  — Isaiah 12:4-6

What a great description of a true worshiping attitude!  We are told to “sing for joy” and to “shout aloud” – this tells me that worship of the Lord can sometimes take on a more unrestrained emotion.  For some of us, this is a hard lesson to learn – we may not be entirely “comfortable” showing this kind of praise in public.  But if the joy of the Lord is truly filling our hearts, how can we keep from expressing it?

The Remnant

Though Israel is not yet carried off into captivity, Isaiah is already predicting their return to the Lord after the Assyrians have taken hold of them.

“In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.  A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.”  — Isaiah 10:20-21

I like the concept of the remnant that Isaiah uses in this passage.  To me, it involves the idea of a small but hardy group of people who have decided that they will turn back fully to the Lord.  While all those around them continue to be led away from God, these few will hold fast to what they believe, and will not be diverted.  This small remnant will return to the Lord.

I am reminded of the words of the king in Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3:

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…

Though not a popular concept in our “tolerant” world, it may indeed be only “a few”, a remnant, who will be left to raise God’s banner today.