Thurs.’s Devo - Judgment to the Nations

Read: Isaiah 19:1-21:17; Galatians 2:1-16; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 23:13-14 God had a warning for Egypt. His army was advancing on Egypt. God would cause civil war in Egypt. Upper Egypt would fight Lower Egypt. They would call upon their false gods to no avail. The wisdom of their false priests would give them nothing but bad advice. Their economy would sink, their food supply grow scarce and there would be no answers. In fear, they will turn to the Lord and God would set up his altar in the heart of Egypt and a monument to Him at its border. These will be signs that Egypt worships the Lord. When the people cry out for help, God will send them a savior to rescue them. God will send his Spirit to heal them. There will be a road connecting Assyria and Egypt and both countries will worship the Lord. Israel will join them in worshipping the Lord. The prophesies began to come true when the Assyrians attacked the Philistine city of Ashdod. God told Isaiah to take off his outer tunic exposing his inner vest. This was a picture of what was about to happen to the Egyptians possessions. They were about to be taken and their sins exposed. Egypt had been under Ethiopian rule for over 50 years so they were synonymous. When the Assyrians take Egypt, the Philistines will panic because they were counting on the Egyptians helping them. Chapter 21 gives the account of the fall of the Babylonian kingdom and the rise of the Persian kingdom. It happened on a night when the Babylonians were feasting and drunk. The sight that Isaiah sees frightens and sickens him. Babylon had abundant towers where their watchmen looked for invaders. Isaiah was one of God’s watchmen who watched and told what he saw coming. Many prophets saw the same thing and warned them. Isaiah as a watchman told Edom what he saw coming to them. They cried out to have some relief and he saw a quick relief but it would not last. He saw the Edomites and the Assyrians being run out of their own lands into unknown roads they would take to escape. They would hide in the deserts of Arabia and the people of Tema would bring water and food to help them survive. Only a remnant of Arabians would live. In Galatians, Paul finally is able to revisit the church in Galatia. He meets with the leaders to make sure they are all on the same page especially about circumcision and find that they agree in their doctrines. Paul is so pleased even though he meets a few who were planted in the church just to take away their freedom. Paul doesn’t give them an inch. The leaders of the church recognized that Paul had been given the commission to preach to the Gentiles and that Peter had been given the mantle to preach to the Jews. They encouraged Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles. Paul had had to confront Peter about his hypocrisy with the Gentiles but he had repented and was now walking in truth. Lord, may we appreciate the discipline of your hand and repent. Thank you for forgiveness.