Sun.’s Devo - The Day of the Lord

Read: Isaiah 33:13-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23

This was the last prophecy about Sennacherib’s overthrow. The ones who were afraid were the sinners. But the righteous and those who speak what is right despise what the oppressors do. They refuse to take a bribe and do not delight in seeing evil. They will rise to the top and be blessed with all they need. They will see the Lord, but the evil people they will not see again. The foreigners who came into their borders will be gone. Jerusalem will stand immovable and protected. God will be their place of refuge and beauty. The Lord will be their judge, lawgiver and king. He will save them. God’s people will divide the spoil and even the lame will get their part. No one will be sick and they will all be forgiven their iniquities. 

God is filled with anger and wrath at the evil nations and their gods. He has devoted them to destruction and their blood will fill the earth. Their sin reached heaven and it is now time to punish the wicked. This is the day of God’s vengeance when he judges the world in a day but recompenses the righteous for a year. It is the terrible day of the Lord. Many prophets are saying we are coming to that day very soon when in a day, the evil people will be gone. 

The wild animals will possess the lands of the enemies of God. Kingdoms will be gone and only thorns will be left in their place. Then the land will rejoice because she can enjoy her rest. The desert will bloom like a rose and there will be joy and singing. The world will see the glory of the Lord. Those who didn’t have eyes to see the truth will be able to see and those who didn’t have ears to hear will be able to hear the truth. Those who could not sing because of fear will be able to sing. 

The way of righteousness will be holiness. We will not have to worry about the devil devouring us. We will walk as the redeemed and return with singing and joy. 

Chapter 36 tells us how all this worked out for them in Isaiah’s day. Sennacherib took the fortified cities of Judah and sent his officer, Rabshekeh to Jerusalem to give them the king’s message. He shouted to the men on the wall his message to King Hezekiah. He boasted of all they had conquered. He told them that they should not tell him that they were trusting in the Lord because Hezekiah had had them remove all their places of worship and only lets them worship at the altar in Jerusalem. Even if Assyria was to give them horses to ride, they would be no match for his army. They trusted Egypt to help them, but that didn’t work either. He even boasted that the Lord had told them to take Jerusalem and destroy it. 

The officers of Jerusalem asked Rabshekeh to please speak in Aramaic and not Hebrew so the men on the wall couldn’t hear their boasts but they said they wanted them to hear what they had to say since it affected them. They offered the men on the wall land and vineyards and their own cistern if they would surrender to them. They were offering Socialism to them. They reminded the men on the wall that the other nation’s gods couldn’t help them so why would they think their god was any stronger. 

The men on the wall didn’t respond because they had been ordered not to engage in words with them. 

This story is such a great one for us to read today. Our enemy is loud and obnoxious and a liar. He wants to intimidate and wear us down. He offers us provision as a bribe but it is only a trap to control us more. Satan and his follwers have no power, but we have it all because we have the Lord on our side. We have nothing to fear. 

In Galatians, Paul talks about our greatest weapon which is love. We don’t war as our enemy does with hatred and carnal weapons. Our weapons are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. If we keep love in our hearts, we will win. 

Paul gives a list of all the works of the flesh which are evident in our world. The fruit of our lives is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. No law can fight these spiritual fruits. 

Lord, may we live in the fruit of your Spirit manifesting your fruit. May we be humble and not provoke one another or envy what another has. May we be content in your will for our lives. Prepare us for the days ahead. We trust in you as the commander of the Lord’s army.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Wrath on the Nations and His Promise to his Remnant

Read: Isaiah 30:12-33:12; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 23:22

Isaiah warned them that because they refused to hear the word of the Lord and trusted in oppressing the poor and living according to their own laws instead of God’s, their lives were about to be destroyed. It would be sudden and harsh. The way to be saved was not in fleeing, but in standing and trusting in the Lord. They wouldn’t listen, so they fled when the enemy came.

God desired to show them mercy and to bless them. He waited patiently for them to ask for help, but they refused to trust him and wait for him to act.

A remnant would live in Jerusalem and God would hear their cry. He would be gracious to them and lead them with his spirit. These people will get rid of their idols and the idols of the people. They will be blessed with rain and prosperity. God will multiply them and bless them abundantly. He will bind up their wounds and heal them. 

God will preserve his faithful children while sifting the nations with destruction. The faithful will see the destruction of the wicked and rejoice. Egypt will not be able to help though many will run there. God will rise up against all the people who did evil and those who helped them in their evil work. Man cannot stand against God and win. God is not afraid of mere men and their voices. 

Isaiah calls out to Israel to turn to the Lord. They will find no help in their idols of gold and silver. God’s sword will kill the Assyrians. They will run in panic from God’s army. 

Jesus will reign in righteousness and justice. His government will be rooted in peace and safety. Knowledge, wisdom and understanding will return to the earth. The fool and the scoundrel will be exposed for who they are. Isaiah warned the wealthy women of this day and told them to fear the Lord and repent of their idolatry. Isaiah saw the future of Jerusalem which was barreness and destruction. It would stay that way until God pours out his spirit on them. Then their wilderness would become fruitful once again. They would return to justice and righteousness in the wilderness and dwell in peace. 

The destroyer destroyed because they were evil. They betrayed others, now they will be betrayed. 

Isaiah prayed for God to be gracious to those who were waiting on Him to save them. He knows that God will fill the earth with justice and righteousness once again. The earth will be filled with salvation wisdom and knowledge and the fear of the Lord. But, what Isaiah was seeing was the time of total destruction and ruin. He sees the whole earth being devastated. He sees the fire of God burning out the chaff.

This is what God is doing now in the nations. He is exposing sin and deceit and turning us back to him. It is devastating to see, but glorious because God is cleansing the world of all the idolatry and sin. He will reign on the earth and it will be filled with his glory. Salvation, righteousness and justice will reign. 

In Galatians, Paul was giving them a choice of choosing to rely on circumcision and the law to save them or to trust in Christ to set them free from the law. He reminded them that Jesus is the law of love.

Paul reminded them that they had begun running their race well but had been side-tracked by these false teachers to tried to bring them back under the law. 

Lord, may we see through the subtle ways we are being tempted to get back under the law. May we walk in your grace and favor. Give us strength to stand and wait for your salvation. May we not be side-tracked by the things going on in the earth and miss the one who is orchestrating the rise and fall of nations. Give our righteous leaders wisdom and courage to do the right thing. We pray the same for ourselves. We look to you as the author and finisher of our faith. 

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Plan for Victory

Read: Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 23:19-21

Isaiah addresses the leaders of Jerusalem who made a covenant with the devil and believed his lies that he would take care of them. 

God laid the foundation stone in Zion and it can be trusted. In his government justice and righteousness are the standard. He will sweep away the things their lies brought them and destroy the things they did in secret. Their covenant with Satan will be annulled and will not stand the storm. What they trusted in will not sustain them in the storm. 

God will rise up and bring destruction on the whole earth.

Their punishment will be meted out according to their works. 

Chapter 29 is directed to Jerusalem and the Temple. They would be punished suddenly by the Assyrian army. The Assyrians would gain nothing permanent by the conquest. She would face inner strife and then be conquered by Babylon who would then be conquered itself.

Judah had been blinded by deception and false teaching, false prophets and false gods. True wisdom from God was like a book they were not able to read. They went through the motions of following God, but their hearts were far from him. They did things in darkness thinking they were hiding from God but he knows everything. Nothing his hid from our Creator. 

The day was coming when the people will be able to read the book of the Lord and understand it. Their blind eyes will be open and their deaf ears will hear the truth. Understanding and wisdom will bring joy and they will see the judgment of the wicked. The children of the Lord will turn to him and fear him and learn his ways again.

All the rebellious who made an alliance with the devil will go into bondage. They will trust in Egypt to their shame and humiliation. They will try to bribe Egypt to help them but it will be in vain. They had refused to hear the warnings of the prophets of God and it will come back to destroy them.

In Galatians, Paul explained that the law had been their guardian until Christ came to justify them by their faith. Through him we are all the same - God’s children, offspring of Abraham and heirs to all the promises of scripture.

Through Christ’s death, we received our inheritance as a son of God. We are no longer slaves to the world and its system but are heirs with Christ.

Paul is bewildered that the Galatians still desire to live under the law instead of under the freedom of grace. He explains that Hagar, the slave, had a child according to the flesh, while Sarah, the free woman had a child according to the promise of God. Haran stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia where the law was given and Sarah stands for spiritual Jerusalem which is the promise of our future. He explained that they were not children of Hagar but of Sarah. They were the heirs of the promise.

Lord, thank you that we are heirs of your promise. May we not slip back under the law of sin and death. Thank you for your promises and life, liberty and joy.

Thurs.’s Devo - Every Knee Will Bow -

Read: Isaiah 25:1-28:13; Galatians 3:10-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 23:17-18

Chapter 25 is a song of praise that all God’s children through the ages can sing. It is especially for the last days that we are living in. The city that has fallen is symbolic for Babylon and evil. God makes a feast on Mt. Zion for the righteous and they will celebrate the end of death. All sorrow and oppression will be gone. Our salvation has come and sin and pride will be destroyed along with all of God’s enemies. 

In Chapter 26, Jerusalem is the strong city of Salvation. We will live in perfect peace of mind. God’s judgments, laws and ways will be taught and lived by. The wicked will be ashamed and judged. Even their remembrance will be wiped out of the earth. But the righteous dead will live again. 

God encourages them to hide for a while while he judges the wicked with his fury. He will punish Leviathan who is the creature of chaos in ancient mythology. He is referring to Satan whom he will slay. But, his pleasant vineyard, his people he will watch over and keep safe. Both Judah and Israel will be fruitful and purged of evil. Their guilt and shame will be forgiven and cleansed. 

The trumpet will sound and the righteous will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain. The pride and foolishness of man will be gone and all will worship the Lord as king. He is just and mighty.  The false prophet and the defiled priests will be judged by the army of Assyria. 

The unbelievers had criticized Isaiah as a stammerer who said the same thing over and over, treating them like children. They refused to listen to what Isaiah said even though he gave it to them what God said line by line. Now, his words will be their undoing. They will be judged for not listening to his clear message. 

In Galatians, Paul says that all who rely on the law to save them are under a curse. The law says that they must do every one of the laws to save them. Paul tells them that it is the righteous who live by faith. Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law. He became the curse for us because the law says that everyone who is crucified is cursed. Through him we can all receive the blessing of Abraham even if we are Gentiles. 

The promise was given to Abraham and his off-spring. Jesus was one of his offspring and we are one of Christ’s off-spring. 

The promise to Abraham was given before the law existed. The law was given later as an intermediary until Christ could come. The law could not give life or righteousness; they come only by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Lord, thank you that we are living in the time of grace and faith. Thank you for Jesus who became the curse for us that we might experience the grace of forgiveness and life. May we extend this truth to those we meet today.

Wed.’s Devo - What Does the Lord Say?

Read: Isaiah 22:1-24:23; Galatians 2:17-3:9; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 23:15-16

Chapter 22 is a proclamation against Jerusalem which is referred to as the valley of vision. Jerusalem was about to be attacked and destroyed by Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. Sennacherib had rallied many nations against Jerusalem and they were coming to bring great damage to Judah and Jerusalem. 

Hezekiah was the king of Judah. He had dissembled houses to fortify the wall. He had built a tunnel inside the wall to keep Assyria from poisoning their water supply and so that the Assyrian army would find no water for themselves. They kept their weapons in the House of the Forest, but those were no protection compared to God. Isaiah rebukes the nation for not trusting in God, though Hezekiah did turn to the Lord in the future. Isaiah had warned them this was coming but they continued living like there was no threat. 

Now the time of partying was over and the threat was at the gate. Sheba was the king’s steward and treasurer and judgement fell on him because he didn’t trust in the Lord. He had built an elaborate tomb to be buried in, but his body would not see that tomb. He would die a violent death because he was not a good steward who prepared his nation for the future. He would be replaced by Eliakim who was a type of Christ. He would bring honor back to the nation and to his office as steward. 

God had a word for Tyre. It was the export-import city by the sea, also known as Phoenicia. It was a very prosperous seaport who had great power and great sin. They worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth which required child sacrifices and all sorts of abominations. God was very angry at their pride and arrogance. God was done with them. They would be fallen for 70 years then rise to prosperity once again only to have that prosperity go to the godly. 

In Chapter 24, God’s judgment filled the earth and only a few would survive. It is a time of great sadness and desolation. But the remnant will sing and praise the Lord. God will punish the wicked and they will go to the pit as prisoners. Then, the Lord will reign on earth in Jerusalem.

In Galatians, Paul explains that grace is not a license to sin but a call to die of self and live for Christ. It is a call to surrender. He explains how the Holy Spirit was freely poured out on them; they had done nothing to get it. That is how God’s grace is. Salvation is poured out on us along with his grace to receive it. It changes our hearts so that we no longer want to live by our flesh, but by faith like Abraham did. We are the sons of Abraham who will bless the nations because of our faith.

Lord, may our faith bless those around us. May we not waver in the days of judgment and shaking but stand in Christ, our Rock.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Grace

Read: Isaiah 19:1-21:17; Galatians 2:1-16; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 23:13-14

Egypt had long been an enemy of God’s people. God often warned his people not to return to Egypt. Isaiah saw God getting ready to wage war against Egypt. He began by stirring up internal strife within Egypt to weaken them so that when he sent the Ethiopian Shabaka in 711 B.C., it would fall. 

Egypt depended on the Nile River for its livelihood and God caused it to fail. A drought causes famine and disease. Their false prophets spoke lies and their wise men gave bad counsel because they were not seeking God. 

In verse 16 it begins with “in that day” speaking of the day when the Egyptians will return to Yahweh as their God. Egypt, Israel and Assyria will repent and come to the Lord. This is in the future. God will heal Egypt and they will set up a pillar to the Lord at its border. The whole nation will turn to the Lord and God will make a way for Egypt and Assyria to fellowship together. Israel, Egypt and Assyria will all be one and be a blessing and be God’s people.

In Chapter 20, Isaiah returns to his time and warns Egypt and Ethiopia that the Assyrians are coming to invade their land and to warn Israel not to trust in the help of Egypt. 

In Chapter 21, the Wilderness of the Sea is referring to Babylon. In 703 B.C., Babylon was defeated by Sennacherib of Assyria. This is terrible news to Israel who knows she is next. Isaiah responds to this like a woman in labor. He warns them to set a watch for the enemy day and night. 

A warning goes out to Edom and Arabia about the coming Assyrians. There was an oasis city in Arabia called Tema, who is being called upon to help the refugees who will escape the Assyrians. Arabia will be taken in a year.

In Galatians, Paul is still giving his life story.  After his salvation he had spent 14 years in the regions of Syria and Cilicia before coming to Jerusalem. The churches of Judea had heard that he was now preaching the gospel of Jesus and had rejoiced.

When Paul came to Jerusalem he brought Barnabas and Titus with him. Titus was a Greek and he was told by some of the Judaizers who had infiltrated the church that he must be circumcised, but they didn’t give in to the lie. Paul had been called by God to preach to the Gentiles and Peter had been called to preach to the Jews. It took some explaining, but James, Cephas and John who were the pillars of the church understood the grace that Paul preached and received them as their brothers in Christ. 

Paul had to confront Cephas when he arrived at Antioch because he was two-faced. He ate with the Gentiles, but when the Jewish leaders showed up, he only ate with Jews. Paul called him out for being a hypocrite. He explained that a person is not justified by doing the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.

Lord, may we remember that when we are condemned by Satan. May we remember that our salvation is because of our faith, not our works. Thank you for grace. 

Mon.’s Devo - The Grace of God

Read: Isaiah 15:1-18:7; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 23:12

This prophecy was thought to have been delivered in the first years of Hezekiah’s reign over Judah. It was fulfilled in the fourth year. Moab had probably joined with Israel and Syria against Assyria and now Assyria had come to conquer it. Ar was one of Moab’s great metropolis which was taken very quickly by Assyria. The survivors and others in the country had fled to their high places in Debon and Medeba and to their temple in Nebo  to pray to their god Chemosh.

They were taken so quickly that even the armed men gave up the fight and joined in the lament. The people traveled to their southern boundary which is the Dead Sea, but there is no water to drink or grass. 

Isaiah is grieved to see this happening even to their enemies. The refugees of Moab come to Judah for escape. They had stopped sending lambs for tribute, but are now bringing them in hopes that Judah will receive their gifts and help them. Isaiah tells the to let the outcasts of Moab in and be a shelter to them. He speaks of the day when a throne established in love will one day judge in justice and in righteousness. What a picture of the Gentiles coming into the kingdom. 

Isaiah sees Moab praying to their god which will not help them. He sees that in the next three years, Moab will be reduced to a very few.

Then Isaiah has a word for Damascus, the capital of Syria. He says they will cease to be a city. He sees that what happened to Israel will happen to Syria. Israel had fallen and Damascus was next. 

Finally, the people of Israel will stop looking to their false gods and idols and return to their God who created them to be his children. When their cities are deserted and destroyed, they will seek refuge in the Lord, their rock. 

God will do a great pruning of his people. Then, instead of giving tribute to some other king to keep them safe, they will bring their tribute to the Lord. 

Galatia is an area which includes the town of Antioch Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Paul addresses his letter to them. Paul probably wrote this letter on his third missionary journey while he was in Macedonia or Corinth. 

The Judaizers in the church were the legalists who taught that the people were still obligated to keep all the law of Moses. They said that God’s promises were only to the Jews and the Gentiles had to be circumcised to experience salvation. They taught that one must have the law and faith to be saved.

This was the opposite of what Paul taught that salvation was by grace through faith. This letter was Paul’s reaction to their evil propaganda. He begins by extending grace to them. He is astonished that they have so quickly received this message of bondage which he calls a different gospel. 

Paul reminds them of his testimony. He used to be the greatest of Judaizers and it led him to persecute the church. But then, he got a download from heaven about the grace of God. He spent three years in Arabia learning about Christ before he came back to preach the truth about faith and grace. 

Lord, may we not be tempted to come under bondage again to the law but live in your grace and freedom. Thank you for the truth of your goodness and grace.