Mon.’s Devo - Choose Well

Read: Isaiah 6:2-7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3
I have heard many sermons on the first verse of Isaiah six and have yet to understand it completely. One of my commentators said that it could have been Uzziah’s actual death or just when his leprosy kept him from carrying out his office as king. Anyway it was a milestone for Isaiah since it was his only vision or encounter with the Lord.
Isaiah saw the Lord in his glory flanked with angels. He saw the heavenly temple and heard the worship of heaven. Though Isaiah had prophesied before, he got an instant upgrade as a prophet with this encounter. God was sending him to the lost house of Israel with a message they wouldn’t listen to but had to hear. They had to be responsible for turning their backs on God and have the opportunity to repent.
Isaiah predicted the unsuccessful attack of Syria against Israel.
God sent him to Ahaz to encourage him to trust God. He told him to ask for a sign but Ahaz refused to bother God with a sign. This exasperated the Lord so he gave him a sign anyway. He told him that a virgin would have a son and they would name him Emmanuel. Isaiah was speaking to his day and to a day in the future. Isaiah’s young bride would become pregnant and have a son. Before this child would be able to have a conscience, the two kings that Isaiah feared, Rezin and Aram would be brought down but it will be a terrible time for Israel and Judah. The land will go from fertile to thorns and briers and their men would have go to war.
In Corinth, Paul was chastising them for trusting in a group of people that enslaved them, exploited them and took advantage of them. He told them of the price he paid for their freedom asking them to make a wise choice.
Lord, help us not to be deceived by the deceptive delicacies of the enemy and choose the cross instead.