Wed.’s Devo - God is Our Only Hope

Read: Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 23:19-21 The rulers of Jerusalem had thought they could buy their way out of the judgment that was coming, but God was not letting that happen. Jesus would be the standard of justice. The wicked will get what they deserve. The Lord is determined to crush the whole land. *** Jerusalem will be punished for her blood sacrifices made to foreign gods. She will be crushed, then God will crush those who destroyed her; they will be gone like a vapor. Jerusalem won’t believe these words, but it will still happen as the prophet proclaimed. *** The people of Jerusalem can’t believe Isaiah’s words because their eyes have been blinded and their hearts sealed. They are hypocrites that just go through the motions of worshiping God, but their hearts are far from him. The wicked, who don’t think God sees what they do in secret, will find out differently. *** Then the veil will be removed from the eyes of the humble and they will be filled with joy. The wicked and the scoffer will be gone and the innocent will rejoice. *** Israel had asked Egypt for their help instead of asking the Lord. Instead of help, they got humiliation. Israel gave them much money to help them, but it was all in vain. *** God told Isaiah to write all this in a book to stand as a witness against the people who refused to heed its words. They didn’t want to hear any bad news, they just wanted to hear good news from the prophets. *** In Galatians, Paul was warning the church not to listen to the teachers who were trying to put them under the law again. Paul gave many examples of how they are not subject to the law anymore, but the freedom of grace by faith. *** Lord, let us remain in the freedom you purchased for us at Calvary. Our victory comes from you alone.