Isaiah 10 “The Remnant”

“In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed overwhelming and righteous.” (vv.20-22)

Earlier in chapter 10, Isaiah recorded that a small righteous remnant of God’s people, would be preserved by His sovereign grace from destruction by the Assyrians (Isa. 1:9). Now here in our text, he looks to the future and says, "In that day (the time of Jacob's distress, brought to an end by return of Messiah) that the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped (the remnant), will never again rely on the one who struck them (the Anti-Christ), but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

Meaning only a small number of God’s people will endure (those who by grace through faith are saved) and will return. For a great destruction is determined (referring to the Great Tribulation), during the last three and one half years before Messiah returns. This will be overwhelming and righteous, to put an end to the ruthless reign of the man of sin, the antichrist. Then, when Messiah returns to set up His righteous kingdom, He will re-gather and cleanse the final Jewish remnant, (those who believed) and will fulfill God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Please pray for Israel, that the eyes of many will be opened to believe on the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who came and died for all men, before the coming of Jacob's trouble. 

The Truth: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name (Jesus Christ) under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Isaiah 9 “Light And Shadow”

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (v.2)

Art historian Seymour Slive described the great Dutch artist Rembrandt (1606–1669) as the master of light and shadow, a compelling storyteller on canvas. Rembrandt’s painting, “The Adoration of the Shepherds,” portrays the darkened stable in Bethlehem where two shepherds kneel beside the manger while other people stand farther away. One man holds a lantern, but the brightest light shines not from his lantern but from the Christ-child, illuminating those who have gathered close to Him.

Each person may see a different story in Rembrandt’s painting, but perhaps each of us is represented somewhere in that stable. Are we kneeling in worship, or standing back in hesitation? Are we hiding from the light that has penetrated our darkness, or do we find ourselves attracted to its essence?

Jesus invites us to step out of the shadows of darkness and to allow His light to shine into our hearts. As one poet describes it; “Observing God’s love from afar is only a passing delight; But when we experience Christ’s presence, our darkness is turned into light.” My prayer for you today if you find yourself one of those in the painting standing farther away in darkness, that you would step into His light of forgiveness and follow Him into eternal glory.

The Truth: Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12)

Isaiah 8 "Look To The LORD"

And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (vv.19-20)

Isaiah was reminding the people of Judah (and us) that God’s children are forbidden to go to mediums and wizards for counsel and wisdom (vs. 9). God’s children are commanded to go to the Word of God for light. The people were looking for a message, and if they just would have listened and taken heed, they would have realized that God was speaking to them through the prophecies He was giving to Isaiah.

Humanity still seems to be always looking to anyone and/or anyplace, but God, for advice. But God’s Word has stood the test of time. Jesus promised that it would; “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Luke 21:33). The Bible still remains today our playbook, our guide, and our owner’s manual for life. It will lead us past the stormy waters of 21st-century compromises, to the calm realm of eternal truth.

Therefore, look to God, and heed His Word.

The Truth: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me, does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. (John 14:23-24)

Isaiah 7 "Ahaz's Refusal"

“‘Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!'” (vv.11-12)

God made an amazing offer through Isaiah to the wayward King Ahaz, He was basically saying, “Name it Ahaz! Anything you need to help you believe.” Ahaz’s response may seem polite at first reading; but when read carefully, we find that it is really an obstinate, headstrong refusal to make any agreement with God.

This chapter is a sharp, abrupt contrast between the disobedience of Ahaz, as he refused to submit to God, and the quick obedience of Isaiah in the preceding chapter. When the Lord called to Isaiah, he was instantly compliant saying, “Here am I! Send me” (Isa. 6:8). But King Ahaz was stubborn and refused to even respond to God’s offer. 

The point is that our heavenly Father is so gracious He was willing to be tested by an unbelieving king so He could reveal Himself to the king personally. God seeks a personal, intimate relationship with each of us in His creation. King Ahaz’s most famous ancestor, King David, wrote this about knowing God: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man that trusts in Him!” (Ps. 34:8).

God invites each of us into an ever-growing, closer personal relationship with Him. We need only to humbly submit to His gracious offer through David to, "taste and see that the LORD is good,” and ask Him to show Himself to us in a personal way that we will understand.

"Here I am LORD, send me." (Isaiah 6:8)

Isaiah 6 “Woe Is Me”

“Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (v.5)

Here in chapter 6, Isaiah was given a vision of the God in heaven that few others have ever experienced. The prophet’s attention was immediately drawn to the throne where God rules in awe-inspiring majesty and holiness. He saw the angels surrounding the throne who eternally call out the reality of God’s holiness. In fact, over 600 years after Isaiah lived, John heard the same testimony in heaven: “Holy, holy, holy is the Last ord God Almighty” (Rev. 4:8)

Like Job, who was stunned by God’s awesome presence and responded; “Now that my eyes have seen you, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6), Isaiah was just as overwhelmed by his own sin and imperfections in the presence of a holy God. He felt unworthy both as an individual and as an Israelite in the sight of God.

But God showed mercy to Isaiah. And instead of consuming him with fire, He sent an angel to him with a live coal from the altar, which was before the LORD. The angel then touched Isaiah’s mouth with the burning coal to purify his unclean lips, that Isaiah might be cleansed of his sin and become a mouthpiece (prophet) of God to His people.

Confronted with such a vision, Isaiah saw without delusion his own sinfulness and unworthiness. All pride and pretense were stripped away. “Woe is me!” he cried out. “I am ruined!” And we all would be too, were it not for the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses a man from all sin. Hallelujah!

The Truth: “And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Isaiah 5 “The Vineyard”

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; For righteousness, but found, a cry of distress.” (v.7)

Here in Isaiah 5 (and again in Ezekiel 15), we find Israel likened to a vineyard; the Lord is the gardener and caretaker. Consider the care of which God lavished on His vineyard, “His delight.” He chose a fertile hillside, rich in good soil; He cleared away stones and planted the best vines. Anticipating a good crop, He built a winepress to catch the grape juice and a watchtower to guard the harvest. But what was the harvest He gained for all His love and care? “Bad fruit” (v. 2).

What kind of fruit was the LORD expecting from His chosen people? “He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress” (v.7). In other words, Israel had been equipped to produce justice and righteousness: it had been chosen by God, delivered from oppression by His hand, given the law, and blessed with the tabernacle of God’s presence. But instead, Israel produced fruit that defied His careful cultivation. What a disappointment.

The application here is easy to see. We who are Christians have also been chosen by God, He has cleared away the stones and weeds in our lives, planted us in rich soil, watered us with His Word, and anticipates a good harvest from our lives. I pray that we do not disappoint.

The Truth: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48)

Isaiah 4 “The Branch”

“In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.” (v.2)

The “day” referred to here in Isaiah’s prophecy is, the time of Jehovah’s judgments. The “Branch of the LORD,” or the growth of the LORD, is the first reference to a personal Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. He will come as the ornament and glory of His people. The “fruit of the earth” (Jesus – through death, burial, and resurrection), shall be excellent and desired by those who survived (the remnant) the great day, and become citizens of the restored Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

I pray that the eyes of many will be opened before the time of Jehovah's judgment. For He is a great and might God in whom their is no darkness, with whom sin has no quarter, justice and righteousness are with Him, and He will execute them with no partiality or mercy in that day.  

The Truth: “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. And in His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

Isaiah 3 “Abuse of Leadership”

"It is you who have ruined My vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.“  (vv.14-15)

Here the prophet Isaiah speaks the word of the LORD to the leadership of both Jerusalem and Judah. The leaders had turned away from the Law and obedience. They had become corrupt and led the people poorly. His main accusation is their lack of attention to the poor and the oppressed among them. The ways in which they had beaten them, and crushed their faces into the ground.

So, what will God do about these wicked leaders? “The Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray” (Isaiah 9:14-16).

God is certainly disappointed in this kind of leadership and plans on judging it severely. Unfortunately for those in authority, they were about to find out themselves what being under oppression was all about, as they would soon be invaded by the Assyrian army (vv. 25-26). There is an old saying, "what goes around comes around." And if God's people are led astray, wow to the leadership.

Fortunately for us as Christians, we have an ultimate Ruler, a King, to whom possess all wisdom, power, and truth. One that guides us, and never leads us astray. The faithful and righteous, King of kings, The LORD Almighty! Amen.

The Truth: "This is what the Lord says — Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6)