Devotions

I Have Chosen You

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Hezekiah’s enemies, the Assyrians have disappeared. The Lord has restored his health and promised him fifteen more years of life and Hezekiah is happy. When emissaries come from Babylon, maybe to show the goodness of God, but I think with great pride Hezekiah shows them all and in Isaiah 39:2 “There was nothing that Hezekiah had not shown them in his house or in all his dominion”. Isaiah brings a message from God that Hezekiah’s children will be taken captive as eunuchs in the palace of Babylon. Then the Lord says two things, in Isaiah 41: 10 “You must not fear, for I am with you”, and in Isaiah 41:18–20 “I will open rivers on the barren heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness like a pool of water … (a flourishing land)” The Lord says in Isaiah 41:12 “all those who are angry with you … your opponents shall be like nothing”. 

Peace and Security in My Days

Isaiah 39:1–8
In his pride, Hezekiah shows all of the treasures of the kingdom to the emissaries from Babylon. What great wealth they have. What great store houses they have. What great weapons they have. For one that had followed after God in his youth and sought reforms for the nation so they would also follow after God, in these last fifteen years that God has given him, he is acting foolishly. The Lord sends the prophet to say in

Isaiah 39:6–7 ‘Look! days are coming, and all that is in your house and that which your ancestors have stored up to this day shall be carried off to Babylon. Nothing shall be left,’ says Yahweh. 7 ‘And some of your sons who go out from you, whom you fathered, shall be taken, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”

But rather than calling to the Lord in prayer and interceding for his nation and even his own sons, Hezekiah responds with this sadly self-centered statement in

Isaiah 39:8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is good,” for he thought, “Surely there will be peace and security in my days.”

Hezekiah may be able to fulfill his pledge to the Lord in

Isaiah 38:20 Yahweh, save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the temple of Yahweh.”

But what of his people? With all of the great things that been accomplished, for example, Hezekiah brought “religious reform to Judah … The temple in Jerusalem was reopened … idols were removed … Temple vessels … were sanctified for use … The sacrifices were initiated with singing and the sounds of musical instruments … Hezekiah organized the priests and Levites for the conducting of religious services … The tithe was reinstituted … (and) feasts called for in the Law”.1

Still, Hezekiah was not able to secure the future of the people. But what is most surprising is his egregious disregard for their coming captivity. It seems his only concern was that “there will be peace and security in my days”.

Clear the Way of Yahweh (the Lord)

Isaiah 40:1–10

Who Has Measured up the Spirit of Yahweh

Isaiah 40:11–20

Yahweh (the Lord) is the God of Eternity

Isaiah 40:21–31 

I Have Chosen You

Isaiah 41:1–10
Though Israel has gone through the judgement of God and the opposition of the god of this world, the Lord says in

Isaiah 41:8–9 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you, the offspring of Abraham my friend, 9 you whom I grasped from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts and told, “You are my servant; I have chosen you and I have not rejected you.”

To these descendants, to the children of Israel is God’s promise,

Isaiah 41:10 You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.

This is a specific promise to the seed of Abraham, but in this, we understand something about God’s ways. What God began here, flows through Jesus Christ and through Him, to us, no longer by natural physical lineage, but by faith to all who believe. From this we can also take courage and can take these very words for our own. 

All Those Who Are Angry With You

Isaiah 41:11–20
How many times have you been confronted by anger? How many times have you faced opposition as you are doing your utmost to follow after the things of God? How many false accusations against you? How many times have they made you feel like the lowest of the low as the people of Israel are described in Isaiah 41:14 “O worm of Jacob”. Here is God’s promise in

Isaiah 41:11–12 Look! All those who are angry with you shall be ashamed and humiliated; your opponents shall be like nothing and shall become lost. 12 You shall seek them, but you shall not find them; your opponents shall be like nothing, and the men of your war like nothing.

Our natural reaction is to defend ourselves, to fight back, to get revenge, but God says in Isaiah 41:13-14 “You must not fear; I myself, I will help you. You must not fear”. Twice he says, “you must not fear” and twice he says “I”, “I myself” and “I will help”.

Now look at this, in Isaiah 41:15-16 “I will make you into a new sharp threshing sledge … you shall thresh … you shall make the hills like chaff … you shall winnow”. The Lord is well able to defend us on his own, but as an earthly father might teach his son to stand up to a bully, so there is a work the Lord wants to do through us.

Then there is a work he will do all by himself for the poor and needy in

Isaiah 41:18–20 18 I will open rivers on the barren heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness like a pool of water and the land of dryness like springs of water. 19 I will put the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive oil tree in the wilderness; I will set the cypress, elm, and box tree together in the desert 20 so that they may see and know, and take to heart and understand together that the hand of Yahweh has done this, and the holy one of Israel has created it.”

Present Your Legal Case

Isaiah 41:21–29

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Isaiah 39:1-8
  • Isaiah 40:1-31
  • Isaiah 41:1-29

References

  • 1. Hardin, G. (2003). Hezekiah. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 758). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.