Devotions

The Light of Israel

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The Lord will bring judgement with justice and righteousness for those that are oppressed. And he will show himself strong against those that are arrogant with intent to destroy as the king of Assyria is described in Isaiah 10:7 “For it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations”. But the Lord will answer swiftly, “the light of Israel will become like a fire, and his holy one like a flame … in one day”. Then comes a promise, the return of a remnant. Allyah. 

Rob the Justice From the Poor

Isaiah 10:1–4
There are those in the world that are born bright. They see how people live and some use their intellect to “rob”, “spoil”, and “plunder”, like these in Isaiah 10:1-2 “writers who have written harm, 2 to guide the needy away from legal claims, and to rob the justice from the poor of my people, to make widows their spoil; and they plunder orphans”. For these who are oppressors of others he says in Isaiah 10:3 “at the day of punishment … to whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth”. The Lord judges with justice and righteousness and these who might have applied their intellect to help others will instead face the anger of the Lord because of the cry of the poor who they have abused. 

The Light of Israel Will Become Like a Fire

Isaiah 10:5–19
The Lord called Assyria, in Isaiah 10:5 “the rod of my anger” and the Lord said in Isaiah 10:6 “I sent him (Assyria) against a godless nation”. The Lord’s command to him was in Isaiah 10:6 “to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make them a trampling place”. And he might have taken the plunder and gone home. But this is not the way the king of Assyria saw himself. In Isaiah 10:7 “he does not think this … For it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off not a few nations”. So now the Lord says in Isaiah 10:12 “when the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, “I will punish the arrogance of the king of Assyria and his haughtiness.”

The king of Assyria says in Isaiah 10:13-14 “I have” six times and also “my hand” and “my wisdom”. It is against this arrogance that the Lord says he, in Isaiah 10:16 “will send leanness among his sturdy warriors”. And in

Isaiah 10:17 And the light of Israel will become like a fire, and his holy one like a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.

And it is this same Lord that will return in

Revelation 6:15–17 And the kings of the earth, and the most important people, and the military leaders, and the rich, and the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

 

He Will Remove His Burden From Your Shoulder

Isaiah 10:20–34
The Lord gives a promise in Isaiah 10:20-21 “on that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob … will lean on Yahweh, the holy one of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return— the remnant of Jacob—to the mighty God”. And while this was a promise to those in Isaiah’s time, there is also here, a prophetic promise for “the remnant of Jacob” to return to their God and to live in their land. And today, this prophecy is being fulfilled as organizations like Operation Exodus USA are helping people return.

He Shall Judge the Poor With Righteousness

Isaiah 11:1–10

He Will Gather the Scattered Ones of Judah

Isaiah 11:11–16

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Isaiah 10:1-34
  • Isaiah 11:1-16
Devotions

A Child Has Been Born For Us

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Judgement is coming. The Lord said in Isaiah 1:13 “I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly” and in Isaiah 8:6–8 “Because this people has refused”, and now he is calling Egypt and Assyria to war with Judah and Jerusalem right in the middle. There is no escape, but there is a future. The Lord tells Isaiah, though there is fear and dread of destruction in everyone, “regard Yahweh of hosts as holy, he is your fear, he is your dread”. The Lord tells Isaiah in 8:16 “Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.” Then the Lord says “in the future he will honor the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations”, And then comes the promise, “For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” a savior, Messiah. 

The Lord Will Shave the Head

Isaiah 7:17–25
In the first year of “Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah” as the young and new king, “Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel (Ephraim), went up toward Jerusalem (came against Judah) in Isaiah 7:1. This fight between the kingdoms was long standing but now, in Isaiah 7:2 “Syria is confederate with Ephraim”. But the Lord did not want the tribes of Israel at war with each other and he spoke through Isaiah to Ahaz, “it shall not stand” in Isaiah 7:7. In fact in Isaiah 7:8 the Lord says “in sixty-five years from now Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people” so the Lord is dealing with Rezin and Pekah.

But as their fear of their enemy is asswaged, the relief and message of peace and security does not follow. The Lord had given Isaiah a message that judgement was coming and now we hear the prophet say in

Isaiah 7:17 “Yahweh will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your ancestor days that have not come since the day Ephraim departed from Judah: the king of Assyria.”

This coming war begins as in Isaiah 7:18 “Yahweh will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the stream of Egypt and the bee that is in the land of Assyria” and in Isaiah 7:19 “And all of them will come and settle” and in Isaiah 7:20 “On that day, the Lord will shave the head and the hair of the feet with a razor of the one hired from beyond the river—with the king of Assyria”. Imagine the flood of soldiers as the begin to move at Gods call. They need food, water provisions for war and “After subduing Syria and Israel, the Assyrians shall encounter Egypt (2 Ki 23:29), and Judah shall be the battlefield of both (Is 7:18), and be made tributary to that very Assyria (2 Ch 28:20; 2 Ki 16:7, 8) now about to be called in as an ally (Is 39:1–6). Egypt, too, should prove a fatal ally (Is 36:6; 31:1, &c.).1

I Will Require Reliable Witnesses

Isaiah 8:1–4
God always shows us things to come (Isaiah 41:20-42:9, Revelation 4:1) and has Isaiah write the prophecy, the sign that God is doing this. But he not only writes it, he calls in Isaiah 8:2 “Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah” to be “reliable witnesses”. God named the child in Isaiah 8:3 “Maher-Halal-Hash-Baz” which means “impetuous, be rash, formally, hurried, i.e., pertaining to actions which are energetic, yet without wisdom or sense (Isa 32:4; Hab 1:6+)”.2

And God set the time in Isaiah 8:4 “before the boy knows to call ‘my father’ and ‘my mother,’” when “one will carry away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria in the presence of the king of Assyria”. God gives the time, the place, and the birth of this child as the beginning. Followed by the “spoil of Samaria” and the flood that is to come over Judah.

Be Broken, You Peoples, And be Dismayed

Isaiah 8:5–10
We get the reason for this invasion in

Isaiah 8:6–8 “Because this people has refused … he will spread his wings out over your entire land, God with us.”

Judah, Jerusalem, the place of God’s people, those who said “God with us” and again in Isaiah 8:10 “God is with us!” is being broken and washed over by invading armies that will leave nothing behind. And we might say this shouldn’t be possible because out of the mouth of these people is the message to the world, “God is with us”. But they were not living for God because he said in

Isaiah 1:13–15 You must not continue to bring offerings of futility, incense—it is an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation— I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become to me like a burden, I am not able to bear them. 15 And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood.

There is one thing worse than not living for God and that is invoking God’s name when you are not living for him. 

Regard Yahweh of Hosts as Holy

Isaiah 8:11–22
Now the Lord speaks directly to Isaiah, not to Ahaz or the nation, but to Isaiah as a son of God, in Isaiah 8:11-13 “Yahweh said this to me”, “he warned me”, “you must not”, “you must not”, “you must not”, and “you shall regard Yahweh of hosts as holy, he is your fear, he is your dread”. Isaiah is to keep the Lord first place. Nothing happening in the world around him was more powerful, nothing more dangerous, even the whole of the Assyrian army, and the “conspiracy” (hidden plots), and the fighting, and the destruction of Judah around him were nothing in comparison to the Lord.

The lord also speaks to Isaiah as one that walks in the office of a prophet, as a teacher, as a leader of “my disciples” in

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.

and Isaiah responds in

Isaiah 8:17 And I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will await him.

 

A Child Has Been Born For Us

Isaiah 9:1–7
Now Isaiah sees the future and begins in Isaiah 9:1 with “no gloom … in former times he treated the land of Zebulun and Naphtali with contempt … but in the future he will honor the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations”.

And it was during this very time, “During the reign of Pekah of Israel, Naphtali came to an end. Tiglath-pileser of Assyria captured “all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria” (2 Kgs 15:29)”3 including Zebulun (the Galilee mentioned here). And in Isaiah 9:4-5 “you have shattered the yoke … For every boot that marches and shakes the earth and garment rolled in blood will be for burning—fire fuel” , no more war, no more oppression.

Now, we have a well quoted section, a prophetic word, the introduction, the birth of the messiah, the one who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords or as he says in

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; light has shined on those who lived in a land of darkness.

Isaiah 9:6–7 For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His dominion will grow continually, and to peace there will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and sustain it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

People Had no Compassion Toward Each Other

Isaiah 9:8–21

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Isaiah 7:17-25
  • Isaiah 8:1-22
  • Isaiah 9:1-21

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 437–438). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 3. Jeansonne, S. P. (1992). Naphtali (Person). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 4, p. 1022). New York: Doubleday.
Devotions

My Eyes Have Seen the King

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The first five chapters of Isaiah lay out God’s plan, and “they have rejected the instruction of the Lord”. Now, in chapter six King Uzziah dies. The nation had prospered but in the end, prophecy had been cut off because of Uzziah’s sin. At his death, there is uncertainty in the kingdom and Isaiah has a vision of the Lord, he still reigns, and gives Isaiah a message, judgement but not annihilation. As the new king Ahaz takes the throne, enemies array themselves around Jerusalem. But the Lord sends Isaiah and speaks to Ahaz, saying in Isaiah 7:14 “Look! the virgin is with child and she is about to give birth to a son, and she shall call his name ‘God with us.’” and the Lord gives his word that what seemed like certain destruction will not happen.

They Have Rejected the Instruction of Yahweh of Hosts

Isaiah 5:20–25

He Will Raise a Signal for a Nation from Afar

Isaiah 5:26–30 

My Eyes Have Seen the King, Yahweh of hosts!

Isaiah 6:1–13
The first five chapters of Isaiah are a preface giving an view of God’s plan for the children of Israel, their failure to fulfill their part, God’s judgement and future redemption. Now in chapter six we see the end of the reign of King Uzziah. So here is some short history:

“Uzziah reigned for fifty-two prosperous and secure years (2 Kgs 15:1–7; 2 Chr. 26)”.1

2 Chronicles 26:4 And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done.

Isaiah was likely related to Uzziah and may have lived in close proximity if not in close relationship because “Jewish tradition mentions Amoz as the brother of King Amaziah of Judah. If this assumption is correct, Isaiah and Uzziah were cousins, thus making Isaiah a member of the nobility. This family connection would explain the impact of Uzziah’s death (chap. 6) on the prophet as well as the apparent ready access Isaiah had to the kings to whom he ministered”.2

However, in later years of his reign, “Uzziah had committed a dreadful sin of trespass (2 Kgs 15:5; 2 Chr. 26:16–21), intruding into the house of the Lord where, as a layman, he had no right to go. For this he fell under divine judgment and for the rest of his reign was alienated from the worshipping community, under divine displeasure”.3

So, at the end of Uzziah’s reign, prophecy had been cut-off. But now, in what may have been a moment of personal loss for Isaiah and a time of uncertainty for the nation, in Isaiah 6:1 “the year of the death of Uzziah the king”, he is comforted by a vision and says “I saw the Lord”. Please understand that the words “comforted by a vision” are my words as I read what was recorded and place myself in that moment of history.

Isaiah is awe struck by a vision of the Holy Lord and his glory in Isaiah 6:3 and says in Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me! For I am destroyed! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I am living among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king”.

Isaiah recognizes how far he and his people are from the holiness of God but he is prepared in Isaiah 6:7 “your sin is annulled”. Then in Isaiah 6:8 the Lord calls out “Whom shall I send” and Isaiah responds “Send me!”. Then in Isaiah 6:9-13 the Lord gives Isaiah a message of judgement, a time when the people will not hear, and will not see, and the cities will lie waste. But it will not be complete destruction because the root will remain in Isaiah 6:13 the Lord says, “although felled, a tree stump remains in them. The seed of holiness will be her tree stump”. 

It Shall Not Come to Pass

Isaiah 7:1–9
Isaiah has had a vision and God has sent him with a message of judgement. Now, in Isaiah 7:1 we find the new king Ahaz and enemies array themselves against Jerusalem. And in Isaiah 7:2 we find “his heart (the new king Ahaz) and the heart of his people shook like the shaking of the trees of the forest because of the wind”.

But in Isaiah 7:2-9 “Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, go out to meet Ahaz” at a specific place, “And you must say to him, ‘Take heed and be quiet! You must not fear … It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass”.

These enemies had the strength to overtake them, God had spoken his displeasure and judgement, they had no defense, but their trouble would not come from this enemy. 

Call His Name ‘God With Us’


Isaiah 7:10–16
The Lord has sent Isaiah to speak to Ahaz and give him a message but it isn’t Isaiah speaking it is the Lord speaking through him in Isaiah 7:10 “Yahweh continued to speak to Ahaz”. The Lord asked Ahaz to “ask for a sign” in Isaiah 7:11 and when Ahaz refuses in Isaiah 7:12 saying “I will not put Yahweh (the Lord) to the test”, the Lord tells Ahaz the sign he has chosen, in Isaiah 7:14 “Look! the virgin is with child and she is about to give birth to a son, and she shall call his name ‘God with us.’” and the sign is in

Isaiah 7:16 For before the boy knows to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned.

So in less than four years, all threat will vanish, nine months before delivery and “At about three years of age moral consciousness begins (compare Is 8:4; De 1:39; Jon 4:11)”.4

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Isaiah 5:20-30
  • Isaiah 6:1-13
  • Isaiah 7:1-16

References

  • 1. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 79). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Mosley, H. (2003). Isaiah. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 837). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
  • 3. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 79). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 4. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 437). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Devotions

Yahweh (the Lord) Takes His Stand

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Isaiah delivers a message saying there is a “day of the Lord”. There will be a time of judgement where God “in the glory of his majesty” will stand before all and decree for each according to what they themselves have done. He will bring down “the high and the lofty” and will take no excuse from those that in Isaiah 3:15 “crush my people and grind the face of the poor”. It will be a day of terror for the wicked, but a day of cleansing for the innocent. And at the end of this day, will be peace and contentment for those that remain. 

There Is a Day for Yahweh of Hosts

Isaiah 2:12–22
The days of the Lord’s judgement will come. On that day, the arrogant, “the proud and the lofty” in Isaiah 2:1, in fact, he goes on to describe the works and desires of man in Isaiah 2:13-16. Then he says in

Isaiah 2:17 And the haughtiness of the people shall be humbled, and the pride of everyone shall be brought low, and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.

None of the things that man trusts in for safety will protect them from the power and glory of God’s presence. There is no amount of money that will buy righteousness. There is no wall that will hide you from God’s gaze. And it is not that God is seeking to destroy, because God is love but he is also righteousness and who can stand “in the glory of his majesty” in Isaiah 2:10?

People Will Be Oppressed By Each Other

Isaiah 3:1–9 

Yahweh Takes His Stand to Conduct a Legal Case

Isaiah 3:10–15
We may seldom think of the courtroom of heaven, but God is just. He will judge with righteousness. So there is a simple truth for all man in

Isaiah 3:10–11 Tell the innocent that it is good for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe to the wicked! It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him.

What we read here is very much like what was recorded by John in Revelation 5:1-14. Isaiah says it this way, in

Isaiah 3:13 Yahweh takes his stand to conduct a legal case and takes his stand to judge the peoples.

And the Lord begins with the elders and princes who he expects to care for the widow and orphan and stranger in the land and he asks in

Isaiah 3:15 Why do you crush my people and grind the face of the poor?” declares the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

The Lord Will Take Away the Finery

Isaiah 3:16–4:1
Isaiah 3:18 says “in that day”, it isn’t forever, it isn’t recurring, it is the day of the Lord, the day of judgement that they have brought on themselves.

The Branch of Yahweh Shall Become Beautiful and Glorious

Isaiah 4:2–6
After the day of judgement is over, then, in Isaiah 4:3 “He who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy”. The judgement is to wash “away the filth” and cleanse “the blood of Jerusalem” in Isaiah 4:4. After this day, it will be the “innocent” of Isaiah 3:10 that will remain and there won’t be anything left that defiles or makes unclean.

Let Me Sing for My Beloved

Isaiah 5:1–7 

The Holy God Shows Himself Holy by Righteousness

Isaiah 5:8–19
We find a description of those that will come under judgement in Isaiah 5:8-15 and they are further seen mocking in Isaiah 5:18-19 saying “let him make haste” as if God’s day will never come. But God shows who he is in

Isaiah 5:16 But Yahweh of hosts is exalted by justice, and the holy God shows himself holy by righteousness.

And even more than that, he shows the result of his actions which are peace and contentment in

Isaiah 5:17 And then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and fatlings, kids will eat among the sites of ruins.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Isaiah 2:12-22
  • Isaiah 3:1-26
  • Isaiah 4:1-6
  • Isaiah 5:1-19
Devotions

Yahweh (the Lord) has Spoken

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As we finish reading John’s letters, we find him dealing with a mature church in a fallen world. Even in the church there are those that operate as the world does, seeking position and trying to control others. John encourages them to support missionary outreach saying “we ought to support such people” in 3 John 8 and this is why we are here in our generation, to declare Jesus Christ as the way. We begin in Isaiah and find God has spoken judgement against His nation, those that were to be His representatives of justice and righteousness in the earth but they are not what they ought to have been. Even as judgement is spoken, restoration and a future is also given because it is God’s heart that we “walk in the light”. 

Prosper Concerning Everything and Be Healthy

3 John 1–4
This is always God’s will for us that we “may prosper concerning everything and be healthy, just as your soul prospers” in 3 John 2. These are not idle words just spoken to be a kind greeting between friends. These are active words full of faith and Gods power. If we look at the ministry of Jesus we find that he said in

Luke 4:18–19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

and it was recorded by those that witnessed in

Acts 10:38 Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

It is this same Holy Spirit and power that John invokes with his words of faith in his prayer and every thought for them. 

They Have Gone Out on Behalf of the Name

3 John 5–8
John encourages missionary work saying “we ought to support such people, so that we become fellow workers with the truth” in 3 John 8. And it is true, whether we walk with them in the labor or provide financial or other support to make their work possible, we are sharing in the fruit for God’s Kingdom. So, for these that “have gone out on behalf of the name, accepting nothing from the pagans” in 3 John 7 their support could make a huge difference for the Kingdom because there were likely many that would pass their way.

It isn’t immediately obvious that this is the church in Corinth, but this letter is written to “Gaius” and “In Rom 16:23, Gaius sends greetings from his residence in Corinth to the church in Rome, implying that he may have known personally some of the Roman Christians. His Latin name and his financial position suggest that he belonged to the class of Roman freedmen who had come to Corinth and had apparently prospered economically. He was at least a person of sufficient wealth to host the whole Corinthian church, which must have been quite large judging from Acts 18:10”.1

So, this letter had potential impact on one of the larger Churches of the day, but even more than that, fact that the city of Corinth had “Control of these two harbors, and its position virtually astride the 6-km-wide isthmus linking the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, made Corinth the great crossroads of the ancient world (Strabo 8.6.20)”.2 It was a place that was on the way for missionaries whether going out or coming home and in either direction encouraging support was helpful.

The One Who Does Good is of God

3 John 9–15
Sadly, not everyone who seeks place in the church is godly. John writes about one who in 3 John 9-10 “who wants to be first among them, does not acknowledge us … disparaging us with evil words … he does not receive the brothers himself, and he hinders those wanting to do so and throws them out of the church”. How is the love of God in this? The provision of God flows freely to us, and we also are to be a free flowing conduit of that blessing to others.

When Jesus sent the twelve, he expected the children of Israel to receive them and provide for them, how much more should this be in the church today.

Matthew 10:7–10 And as you are going, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near!’ 8 Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, expel demons. Freely you have received; freely give. 9 Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your belts. 10 Do not take a traveler’s bag for the road, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for the worker is deserving of his provisions.

Isaiah Introduction

Introduction to Isaiah
Isaiah points clearly at Jesus Christ as messiah “The New Testament quotations cover all sections of the Isaianic literature, ascribing all alike to the same prophet. The authority of the New Testament with, at its centre, the authority of Jesus, is decisive”.3

The book begins by recognizing the failure of Israel to enter in to God’s blessing, “As the book of Isaiah has come to us, chapters 1–5 form a distinct section—like a ‘preface’ to Isaiah’s collected prophecies … effectively a declaration that ‘You are not what you ought to have been’”.4

Because of this, “Isaiah foretold the destruction of Jerusalem (JUSTIN MARTYR, HIPPOLYTUS, CHRYSOSTOM, CYRIL OF JERUSALEM). Because the Jews had forsaken God, his salvation was transferred from them to the Gentiles (ORIGEN). Although we are naturally the offspring of God, we are separated from him because of our sins (JEROME). Although the Jews had the prophets’ message concerning Christ, only a remnant of them recognized him when he came (JUSTIN MARTYR). Salvation is not attained by human efforts, which produce pride, but by grace through faith (CHRYSOSTOM, AUGUSTINE). The remnant refers to those Jews who believed in Jesus Christ and were saved (JEROME)”.5 

Yahweh (the Lord) has Spoken

Isaiah 1:1–9
When God speaks, all of heaven listens. God’s word goes out to the earth and His judgments will be carried out. Isaiah’s introductory words are very much like the description John gives in Revelation 5:1-14. “As this commentator suggests, Isaiah doesn’t say why, but I believe his reference puts this in the right perspective, “Isaiah does not explain why the heavens and earth are summoned to hear … creation is called to court as the perpetual witness of what happens on earth (Ps. 50:4–6) and is therefore able to affirm the truth of the divine accusations”.6

But here, God is not commending them for their goodness or offering an answer to their prayer, instead He is pronouncing judgement on them for their evil behavior. And here we also find the great grace and goodness of God because He does not leave them desolate. Over the next few chapters Isaiah also offers them a future hope. 

An Outline of God’s Plan

Isaiah 1:1-2:11

  • Yahweh (the Lord) has Spoken – Isaiah 1:1–9
  • Hear the Word of Yahweh (the Lord) – Isaiah 1:10–20
  • The Declaration of the Lord Yahweh of Hosts – Isaiah 1:21–31
  • The Mountain of the House of Yahweh Shall be Established – Isaiah 2:1–4
    “Isaiah 2:2–4:6 opens with a thrilling vision of what Zion was meant to be: a rallying-point for the whole world, the city of universal truth and peace. But of course, to the prophet’s eye, it simply was not so. Far from conforming the world to itself, the Lord’s people had conformed to the nations (2:6–7) and would, with the world, come under ultimate divine judgment (2:12–21)”7 but this is not the end, God will restore.
  • Walk in the Light of Yahweh (the Lord) – Isaiah 2:5–11

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • 3 John 1-15
  • Isaiah 1:1-31
  • Isaiah 2:1-11

References

  • 1. Gillman, J. (1992). Gaius (Person). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 2, p. 869). New York: Doubleday.
  • 2. Murphy-O’Connor, J. (1992). Corinth (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, p. 1135). New York: Doubleday.
  • 3. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 39). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 4. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 47-48). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 5. McKinion, S. A. (Ed.). (2004). Isaiah 1-39 (p. 2). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 6. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 50). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 7. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 48). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Devotions

Love is From God

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In these short letters, John emphasizes God’s love for us as revealed by the life of Jesus Christ. It is because he came in the flesh that he could also pay the price for our sin and open the way for us to be reconciled to God. By faith in Jesus Christ, we have eternal life, we have access to God, we in Christ overcome the world. Or we might say, nothing can prevent us from stepping in to God’s Kingdom, nothing can separate us from God if we choose to believe that “he (God) first loved us”. 

We Know What Love Is Because

1 John 4:7–21
John says that we know what love is because in 1 John 4:19 “he first loved us”. If God had not loved us, we would be as animals in the world, devouring and being devoured, and in 1 John 4:18 afraid, with only the punishment of death waiting. But God loved us and in

1 John 4:10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

John says, “In this is love … propitiation for our sin” but we don’t know that word. Propitiation means “expiation” or “atoning sacrifice” but these terms are still too distant in their use to have real meaning for us. We might say propitiation is the “means of forgiveness … the remedy for defilement … expiation focuses on the means for the forgiveness of the sin, propitiation would focus on God’s view of satisfaction or favorable disposing”.1 Maybe the better approach in understanding God’s love is to read what Paul says in

Romans 3:23–26 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, 26 in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the person by faith in Jesus.

This isn’t something that we did or have had any part in other than our simple acceptance of what Jesus Christ did by giving his life. “GNB (‘God offered him, so that by his death he should become the means by which people’s sins are forgiven through their faith in him’)”2

But God did not just forgive our sin, just as he raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he has also given us this same life in

1 John 4:9 By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God sent his one and only Son into the world in order that we may live through him.

 

The One Who Has the Son Has the Life

1 John 5:1–12
John says in 1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God” and then in 1 John 5:4 he says “everyone who is fathered by God conquers the world”. Now, we might think this means at some future time we will conquer the world, but he goes on to say, “this is the victory which has conquered the world: our faith”.

There isn’t anything in heaven or hell or on the earth that can prevent us from accepting Jesus Christ if we choose to. People often quote

Romans 8:38–39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

and there is a powerful truth here, but “our faith, “the one who believes” “conquers the world” in

1 John 5:5 Now who is the one who conquers the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Eternal life is ours now, in 1 John 5:11.

This is the Confidence That We Have Before Him

1 John 5:13–21
Many people feel that God is far off, that He spun up the world and walked away. But God has revealed himself through Jesus Christ so that:

  • “you may know that you have eternal life” in 1 John 5:13
  • we can have “confidence … before him” in 1 John 5:14
  • “if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” in 1 John 5:14
  • “whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests” in 1 John 5:15

The problem that many people have is that in 1 John 5:19 “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” and it is only those that believe, that have faith in God through Jesus Christ, that have access to Him. And to these that believe, he says in

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us approach with confidence to the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I Found Some … Walking in the Truth

2 John 1–4 

Confess Jesus Christ Coming in the Flesh

2 John 5–11
This is a very short letter from John that gets straight to the point in

2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist!

Apparently some who seemed to have begun in the faith have gone off into other doctrine so John cautions strongly in

2 John 9 Everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching—this person has both the Father and the Son.

John takes a hard line saying “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching (that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh)” in 2 John 10, “do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him” because they are deceived and will deceive others so by “speaking a greeting” you are helping them gain acceptance and, even if it is unintentional out of you gentle and good heart, you “share in his evil deeds”. Jesus said it this way in

Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Speak Face to Face

2 John 12–13
In our age of technology we sometimes forget the importance of speaking “face to face”. Whether you accept the 55% of communication is body language theory or not, there are some things that are better said in person. When we look at the life of Jesus, we find that he connected personally and often individually with people and he is a good role model for us.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • 1 John 4:7-21
  • 1 John 5:1-21
  • 2 John 1-13

References

  • 1. Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Bruce, F. F. (1985). Romans: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 6, pp. 110–111). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.