Sun.’s Devo - The Empty Threats of the Enemy

Read: Isaiah 33:10-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23 Now, it was time for God to stand up and show his power on Israel’s behalf. He would defeat the Assyrians who were coming against Israel. The ungodly of Israel were in terror of their coming but God told them that those who were honest and fair and refused to profit by fraud and bribes and those who refuse to be enticed to sin will be protected and provided for. These faithful children of God will see their God in all his splendor and recognize it was his power that saved them. They will wonder where the Assyrians went that boasted so loudly. Instead of fear, they will be living in a land where they can worship the Lord in peace and quiet. The people will no longer be sick and helpless because the Lord would forgive their sins. God was bringing down all the nations and many would die. All the nations that went against Israel would be judged and brought down. Edom would burn and its judgment would never end. It would never be rebuilt. Wild animals would inhabit the land they once lived. Righteousness will make the deserts and the wilderness be glad and rejoice. Isaiah proclaimed to the fearful to be strong and just wait because the Lord is coming to save them. When he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the hearts of the deaf, the lame will leap and those who cannot speak will sing for soy. The land will be watered and the plants will flourish. God will make a way of holiness for those who he redeems. Sorrow and mourning will leave and be replaced with joy. This is speaking of the salvation that Jesus was bringing in 700 years but he wanted them looking forward to that promise. For now, God was planning to give them deliverance from their enemies as a foretaste of what was to come. After getting this word of encouragement, they are tested as to whether they were going to believe it. The Assyrians came riding in on their horses and attacked the towns of Judah and conquered then. The Assyrians sent their chief staff to Jerusalem to give them the chance to surrender first before they attacked them. The Assyrian officers gave their speech of intimidation to all the men on the wall - the first line of defense. It is full of threats and slander against God. ‘What makes them think that their God can save them when no one else’s god could save them’? That was their question to them. The leaders of Israel tried to make them just talk to them instead of intimidating their men but that was the intention of the Assyrians. They spoke the same threats to the officers who took all this to Hezekiah. In Galatians, Paul calls us to not use our freedom in Christ to sin but to serve one another. We have to lay down our sinful desires and choose to let the Holy Spirit produce his fruits in us. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Lord, may we be fertile ground for you to produce your fruit in us.