Isaiah

 

ISAIAH

June-August 2026

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. June 10 – Read Isaiah 1. Isaiah was a prophet during the reigns of four kings of Judah – the southern kingdom around Jerusalem. He begins with a proclamation against the wickedness of the country and claims the people do not know it or understand it. As you read the words about people in the ancient world, watch for similarities in people and the world today.

   He sees sinfulness, corruption and evil all around him. He points it out first in Israel – the northern kingdom which had been overrun by the Assyrians. The people have been wounded and the land is desolate, but Zion (Jerusalem) is left like a lone standing building or besieged city. They are not wiped out completely, but only a remnant remains. He likens his day to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and their utter destruction.

   Then he proclaims the word of the Lord against the religious practices of sacrifices and burnt offerings. In ancient Israel and today there are two distinct religious groups – prophets and priests. We see this as far back as Moses and his brother Aaron. Moses spoke with and for God as a prophet, Aaron led the ancient worship practices including sacrifices. Sometimes they were on the same page, but most times they seemed to be on opposite pages. That is the case here. To get right with God the priests would call the people to worship and sacrifice, Isaiah says that is not what God desires. He calls the people to stop doing evil and start doing good. Listen to what he is saying to us today! It sounds like Jesus as he often quoted Isaiah. We the people are to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, and help the orphans and widows. Are you listening? Isaiah proclaims if we do good we will eat the good of the land, if we do evil, we do it at our own peril. It comes with an exclamation point – the mouth of the Lord has spoken!

   Then he speaks about the capital city Jerusalem and perhaps Washington D.C. today. Once cities of justice and righteousness but now of murderers, rebels, and thieves. Everyone loves a bribe! And they do not take care of the widows and orphans. God will pour out wrath on the enemies of God and then Isaiah points out that we (the status quo) are the enemies! Using imagery of purifying or refining precious metal, God will purify the people. Note in verse 26 about restoring judges. This reaches back to ancient times after Moses and Joshua led the people, we have a whole book in the Bible of Judges about those ancient leaders who predated the kings. Is Isaiah foretelling of a time when there will be no kings and the city will become righteous and faithful again? May it be so. The call is to repent and seek God’s justice and righteous. The warning is for those who do not that they will wither and be destroyed. What do you hear God saying through Isaiah to you, to us and our world today? Take time to meditate on these words. Isaiah is not done. We will here more, and more, and more over the next 11 weeks.

    

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. June 11 – Read Isaiah 2. Notice here that the word of God concerning Judah and Jerusalem is seen and not heard. God revealed a vision of what would come. This gives a sense that the prophets foretell the future and sometimes they do. But we will see that they more often speak the word of God to call people to repent and follow this will of God. Here in the near future in the days to come all will change and Jerusalem, Mount Zion, will be raised up and all the world will come to it. This will be like the days of King Solomon when he built the Temple and even the Queen of Sheba came to see for herself the glory of ancient Israel. Isaiah sees not just the good old days but even better days ahead. In your life and situation which way to you look – back or forward? Where are your best days?

   Isaiah foresees a time when people will come to the house of God for instruction on the way to live. And the word of God will go out from there to the nations. God will judge the nations and wars will cease. He proclaims the famous words, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”  (This is repeated twice more in the Old Testament though one of those reverses the order and has farm implements being turned into weapons!) I pray and long for a day of world peace when we learn war no more, and military expenditures could be used to build better futures. Pray for peace in the midst of war. Isaiah invites the people to walk this way.

   Then he shifts from the future to the present and decries what he sees. The leaders have forsaken the people. He cries out against the idol worshipers and the foreign armies of horses and chariots. The eyes of those who focus on anything other than God are brought low. The haughty are humbled. But the vision remains that the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. We do not need to wait for that day to exalt and focus on God. Do that today. May this day be that day.

   There is a day when not only Jerusalem and Mount Zion shall be lifted up but when the Lord will be lifted up over and against everything else and Isaiah has a long list in his litany. Can you list your own litany? For you what all does the Lord tower over and above? Remind yourself of your own idols and put them in their proper diminished places.

   People will hide in caves and crevasses when God rises and terrorizes the world in judgement. They also toss all their idols in caves and landfills. This chapter ends with two very different images for me in verse 21. We see the glory of God’s majesty is also seen as the terror of the Lord. There are two very different perspectives of those looking forward to that day as faithful followers of God and those who fear it because they have followed their own personal desires or idols. Do you sense an urgency to make more of the former? Back in his day, Isaiah shared his faith. Let’s do likewise today!

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. June 12 – Read Isaiah 3. Isaiah continues to foretell the future for Jerusalem and Judah with the consequences of the removal of God’s support. There will be a lack of bread and water, the hierarchy from the elders on down will crumble. Then children and youth (perhaps young and inexperienced) will rule, and the people will be oppressed. The youth and the people will dishonor the honorable and will look down on their elders. 

   In the desolation and ruin, one who has a little bit more would be forced into leadership, but the offer will be declined. Thanks, but no thanks, or thanks for nothing might be the reply. Many of us have never had experiences like this since the Great Depression or what we have seen or heard in the news of the plight of the people in the poorest places on earth. Likewise for the people who heard Isaiah’s prophecy, this future would not be like anything they had experienced perhaps since the time of slavery in Egypt.

   Today take some holy time to reflect on your life. Return and remember the worst of your days, the struggles, difficulties, and pains. What did you learn through them about yourself, your family or community of support, and about God. Look at what you have come through and where you are today. Then look ahead and what do you see, a better future or a future that will get worse before it gets better? Isaiah neither tells that it will be better and better nor worse and even worse, but that the future will be worse before it will get better. I believe he was trying to warn people to prepare for the worst (and maybe hope for the best.) I offer the same advice. Beware, be aware, and be prepared.

   Isaiah cries out that the people have stumbled and fallen from who they once were as God’s people. Rather than confessing their sins they seem to be flaunting them. For this the prophet declares their guilt and gives a version of the consequences of the Golden Rule that what they have done will be done to them. As they have oppressed others, others will oppress them. Isaiah speaks out against the leaders for misleading the people and setting them on the wrong path. But the Lord rises to judge those who are rich and getting richer as the poor are getting poorer.

   Then by describing the before and after pictures of the daughters of Zion we see how the mighty, or haughty, have fallen. The best of times will become the worst of times, and the haves will become the have nots. Isaiah describes Judah’s defeat and the death of soldiers and warriors. He does not clearly claim it yet, but Isaiah will foretell of the fall of Jerusalem in the war with Babylon, and those who lived well will be dragged off as prisoners of war. This chapter ends with the city of Jerusalem, and her mighty gates, lamenting and mourning the great loss. There are people among us and throughout the world that are living in this desperate and desolate time today. As we wait to hear of a future glory in chapter 4 tomorrow, today pray for people who are suffering and ask God what you might do to help.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. June 13 – Read Isaiah 4. This is an odd little chapter. It begins with a wrap up of the desperation from the last chapter. Then a new life begins. During your life, reflect on the times when one chapter ended and a new one began. It may not always be a clean break, as a bit of the remnants of the bad days drift into the new day. It reminds me of those ongoing television stories that begin by going back over a recap of the previous episode. Here we have seven desperate women who are disgraced perhaps simply because they are single in a culture that valued married women. They are not really looking for a husband to take care of them. They seem to be independent and able to take care of themselves. But following the devastating losses of soldiers and warriors in the war there might have been a shortage of available men perhaps leaving a ratio of one man to seven women.

   Then Isaiah turns the page and sees a new age, after the war and destruction a single branch blooms beautifully and begins to produce pride and glory once again for the survivors. The remnant in Zion and Jerusalem will be called holy. As he writes of the Lord washing away the filth of the daughters of Zion, is he referring to the seven women at the beginning of the chapter whose disgrace was washed away? For me there is a significant difference as here it is the Lord who does this and there they were trying to save themselves. We do not need to do what God has already done for us. We do not need to work out our own salvation. We need to work out because of our salvation. What good work might you do today? Isaiah wrote a book. I wrote a commentary. What will you do?

   There is a connection in verse 5 with an even older story. I think Isaiah is seeing something in the vision of the smoldering remnants of the city of Jerusalem that will be set on fire by the Babylonians. Not only will the remnants rise up from the ashes, but there is a glimpse here of a past glory as the smoke rises and covers the skies. Do you remember the Exodus story? There was a pillar of smoke by day and of fire by night. God was there in the midst of the people, and they would move forward as it moved. Isaiah sees the holiness of God still in Jerusalem even in the midst of its destruction, even in the worst of times. Without buildings, a Temple or mighty gates and walls, God will be the protection of the remnant of God’s people. Like the clouds of smoke that covered the sky God’s protection would now hover over them. Today, where do you see God? To whom might you point it out?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. June 15 – Read Isaiah 5. This chapter begins with a love song of sorts which also contains a parable. As we read it, we discover that Isaiah is not singing to a girlfriend or wife, but to his beloved God. I have always though that Jesus shows up in the gospels with a new way of talking as he tells parables. But as the gospels note the number of times Jesus quoted from Isaiah and his first sermon was after he read words from the scroll of Isaiah it now seems obvious that he picked up the speaking in parables from Isaiah as well. Here the parable is about God caring for Israel and Judah like a farmer taking care of a vineyard, anticipating that it would bear good fruit. But it does the opposite. It bears rotten grapes.

   So, God tears down the walls and allows others to trample it down to an arid wasteland. Then he goes on to explain his parable that it is about God and it is God’s people who are rotten. God expected justice but saw bloodshed; righteousness but hears the cry of the needy. Then much like Jesus in Luke’s version of the Beatitudes that not only has the blessings on the poor and needy, but also woes to those who were oppressing the poor and needy. Here too God pours out those woes and sees how the mighty will fall. They will loose everything and be destroyed or exiled.

   When God’s people do not bring forth the fruit of justice and righteousness for all people, God will. The haughty will be humbled and the lambs, kids, and calves will be fed by the ruins. This reminds me of what Jesus would preach about the first being last and the last being first. What does this parable say to you in this world of haves and have nots, of billionaires while billions of others live in poverty? What do you believe that God believes about our world today? Read again the woes in verses 20-23. What do they say to you?

   Then Isaiah turns to the future and the consequences of those actions. Because those in power have rejected Gods instructions and word, and destruction comes upon land and the people. For Isaiah the Lord lashes out with anger and delivers punishment. I believe in God’s love and righteousness rather than the fear or anger of God. But I can see for the self-righteous how God’s righteousness and justice could feel like anger and punishment. Do you focus on the love of God or the fear of God?

   Isaiah says this will happen by God calling a faraway foreign army to come at God’s call as the destroying force. What some saw as a great and glorious nation will become distressed darkness. Over the millennia many nations have known such invasions and destructions. Personally, you may have experienced similar dark times in your own life when things were out of your control and went from bad to worse. As you look to your future, the future of your country or the world, do you see brightness and a happy ending or do you see darkness. I happen to see both that things will get worse before they get better. I believe for those of us who will keep the faith there is a new heaven and a new earth as John foresees at the end of the book of Revelation. I don’t know if Isaiah sees it yet but that will change by chapter 40.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. June 16 – Read Isaiah 6. Finally, after five chapters of prophecies, we hear the story of Isaiah’s call to be a prophet. It came the year King Uzziah died (740 BCE). The story takes place in the Temple in Jerusalem when one day while Isaiah was there, he had a vision of God sitting there with his robe filling the room. Angelic figures called seraphs (or seraphim, the Hebrew plural of seraph) were flying about and praising God while smoke filled the house of the Lord. Some scholars see this as an event that might have happened during a time of worship in the Temple when the priests and people would be praising God and burning sacrifices on the altar creating the smoke.

   Isaiah offers a prayer of confession acknowledging his uncleansed lips that he has been using to prophesy to the people who are also unclean. Even though he sees himself as a doomed sinner, he sees God face to face. One of the seraphs brings a coal from the altar fire and with it touches Isaiah’s lips forgiving his sins and removing his guilt. Then he hears God calling for volunteers to be sent out and he replies, “Here I am, send me!” When, where and how do you experience God in times of worship? Have you ever heard God calling you maybe in a sermon or during an announcement of needing help for an upcoming ministry opportunity? Isaiah heard it and responded to it.

   Then God told Isaiah where to go and what to say to the people. Nearly eight hundred years later, Jesus would share similar words and experiences of people listening to him and not fully understanding and looking but not really seeing what he was trying to reveal to them. Here there seems to be an explanation for that as Isaiah goes out to prophesy with God’s intention to cause the people not to see or hear, or maybe not yet. For Isaiah cries out, “How long, O Lord?” God does not provide a date, but a revelation of destruction and the people being taken away. (You should be aware that Isaiah is speaking these prophesies before the northern kingdom of Israel is sacked and the people taken away by the Assyrians in 687 BCE. Later chapters in this book, especially 40 and beyond, will speak of the return of the people of the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem returning from exile after their defeat by Babylon a hundred years later).

   The people who believed their nation was still blessed and powerful like in the days of kings David and Solomon, could not believe what Isaiah was saying about destruction and exile as prisoners of war. It happened in other places and to other people, but surely not to the people of God! So, Isaiah’s words fell on deaf ears. Yet even so God told him that even in the midst of the destruction a holy seed or shoot would rise up again from the trunk of the mighty tree that had fallen. Like him rising to respond to God after the smoke and burning coal touched his lips, the people of God, the remnant would rise from the ashes. Do you have a story of falling and rising? Is God trying to reveal such a story to you in this time and this place? I invite you to open your eyes and your ears to God.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. June 17 – Read Isaiah 7. The chapter begins by skipping a king. We left off with Isaiah’s call the year Uzziah died and Jothan became king but here we are in the reign of his son King Ahaz. I know it can be confusing to think of who reigned when and who followed whom let alone how to pronounce some of the names. It gets more confusing here as not only is the king of Judah named but also the kings of Israel and Aram (the Arameans). At this time the issue is the king and people of Judah are worried that their two neighbors are going to gang up on them and defeat them in a territorial war. So, the Lord sends Isaiah to speak to the king.

   Isaiah and his son go to meet the king and give God’s assurance that there is nothing to worry about for as it says in verse 7, “it shall not come to pass.” The futuristic prophecy is that Ephraim will be gone in sixty-five years. Some scholars think this may be a later addition after the fact. I just see it as odd. How would you feel if I told you not to worry because everything will be better in sixty-five years? Sixty-five minutes okay, five years okay, but sixty-five years?

   The Lord asks Isaiah to ask Ahaz for a sign to affirm for him that God will do this. We do this when we put our signature on a contract or maybe simply shake hands on it. But Ahaz does not want to do this, and we hear his words quoted by Jesus when tempted in the desert. So, the Lord gives the sign, and we hear this one in the telling of the birth of Jesus each Christmas. But I do not read it here that way. I believe the sign was for the king in the king’s day not sixty-five years later or in the birth of Jesus six hundred and fifty years later. A pregnant woman gives birth and names the child and reminds the people Immanuel – ‘God is with us.” And by the time the child can eat solid food and knows right from wrong maybe in two or three years this current problem will be solved as the Lord brings on the king of Assyria to overrun those other countries and bring devastation in 722 BCE. (King Ahaz ruled from 735-715 BCE.)

   What are your Immanuels – those signs of God being with us? Today, tell someone about what you are seeing and believing. What word of God might you share with others? Be a prophet sharing what you see and believe.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. June 18 – Read Isaiah 8. The story of Isaiah from the last chapter continues into this one. The child predicted who would be called Immanuel here is born to Isiah and an unknown prophetess and named Mahershalalhashbaz. (Aren’t you glad you didn’t get that name!) As you may know, all names have meanings. What does your name mean? The meaning here, unlike Immanuel’s in the last chapter, is not spelled out. But the Hebrew translation roughly is, “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” I would offer the nickname, “Time’s up.”

   God says to Isaiah to carve it in legible letters so people could read it and even have it notarized. The reasoning is unclear but maybe it was to be set up in the front lawn to let the neighbors know a little more than just, “It’s a boy.” What words or signs do you have on display in or outside your dwelling? What are you saying to the world? Notice what others say as you walk about your neighborhood. What about your church signs? Do they say to all people “Welcome” or “Keep Out?”

   Once again God notes that by the time this child can name his parents the dynasties of Damascus and Samaria will be carried off to Assyria. The illustration given is of their enemies being washed away in a flood from Assyria perhaps reaching back to the memory of the flood of Noah’s day. Back then through the flood a remnant of Noah and his family survived, and here the remnant of Judah and Jerusalem survive when Israel is washed away.

   Isaiah is warned by God not to walk the path of people who walked in fear. Evidently conspiracy theories are not new, they were rampant even back then! Isaiah offers a double parable that Jesus will later repeat about a sanctuary or cornerstone being a stumbling block. God’s truth and those who stand on it will abide. Conspiracy theories and theorists will stumble and be broken. Isaiah calls on the faithful to wait for the Lord.  

   Then Isaiah ends this chapter by warning people not to consult ghosts or spirits for instructions on how to live in these in-between times while they are waiting on God. For me this speaks of needing a new way of thinking and living in a new situation rather than falling back on, “we’ve always done it this way before.” Today, to prepare for your new life ahead what new ways of thinking and living will be required for you to take your next leap of faith?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. June 19 – Read Isaiah 9. Again, in this chapter we will read of things we hear each year during Advent as we await the birth of Christ. But I am looking at Isaiah speaking a word of hope to the people of his day that would be in the nearer future rather than centuries away. Isaiah begins by giving us his assessment of those days and they are dark and gloomy days. They are days of war and defeat of part of the descendants of Israel by the Assyrians, and it sounds like some of the neighboring lands already defeated by the Assyrians and now fighting with or for them.

   You or someone you know may have been diagnosed with PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I think Isaiah is proclaiming that diagnosis on the whole of Jerusalem and Judah. I also think this darkness is the status quo and not Post it, they are living in the midst of Traumatic Stress. Some of us are living that daily given the current state of the union, others have felt that during previous administrations with various policies and actions contrary to their preferred futures and hopes. For each of us when we are in the midst of TSD I believe Isaiah is speaking to our darkness.

   The hope the prophet brings is light. The future times will bring light and for those of us with hindsight will give light to things not only in the present and future but to the dark things in our past. (As I write this on June 19^th known as Juneteenth – a day to celebrate when the last slaves were informed that they were free at the end of the civil war, Isaiah is proclaiming the same to those, “who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Today, in the midst of darkness look for the light!)

   Again, we read verse 6 like it is all about the coming Messiah whom we know as Jesus, that child who would be born and given to us who would be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah had a way with words and with names, didn’t he! I believe Isaiah was prophesying that now that the Assyrian siege was over and Jerusalem and Judah were spared destruction that these enlightened days were coming soon. For me, this is similar to what I see in the earliest Christians believing that Christ would return in their lifetimes to usher in the promised realm of God. Down through the centuries and millennia, for believers, there is always a hope, that this too shall pass, and that the sun will come out tomorrow. Today, for you who live in darkness and those around the world who do may we pray for God to shine light upon us. Isaiah saw the light and he shared it through his words. Share what you see with those still cannot see because of their darkness. Remember that Jesus said both, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) and “you are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) I am sharing the light with you through my words. How might you share Christ’s light today? Shine on!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. June 20 – Read Isaiah 10. This chapter continues with the word God’s judgement against those who oppress the people who are poor and needy. This warning was not unique to Isaiah’s day, but down through history and even today. Jesus lifted up this judgement. Why aren’t we doing it today?

   Isaiah has affirmed that Assyria was the rod that God used to punish the northern kingdom of Israel. But it seems like the king of Assyria has let this power go to his head and instead of just punishing Israel he is trying to overcome and oppress everyone and is now threatening Judah and Jerusalem. Then the prophet uses a metaphor almost like a parable of the hand of God wielding an instrument. Here Assyria is the instrument God uses. And God warns that an ax cannot raise itself above the hand that uses it, and neither can a saw, a rod, or a staff. As a plagiaristic poet I would say, “The Lord is mightier than the sword!”

   The might of Assyria will wither and waste away. As nations rise and fall here, we see the prophesy of the fall of Assyria and a reemergence of the fire and the light of Israel. When in your lifetime have you seen this happen on a personal or local level and on a national and international level? Personally, do you see God raising you up to fulfill God’s purpose? Take heed not to lift yourself up but humbly acknowledge God who has gifted you and lifted you.

   The chapter ends with a notation that a remnant of the northern kingdom of Israel escape from the devastation of Assyrian and perhaps come as refugees seeking asylum in Jerusalem. God’s people who had become as numerous as foretold to Abraham like the sands of the sea, were now reduced to a remnant. The word of God speaks comfort for God will punish the punisher and the threat and oppression will be removed. The mighty army of their enemy will waste away. (You can read more of this story in 2 Kings chapters 18 & 19.) Where do you see God in action in the world and in your world? What have you learned about God in the reading of God’s word and in your life’s experiences of God? As you take time to thank God for all that God has done and is doing, take time to ask God what you might be doing. And then do it!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. June 22 – Read Isaiah 11. In this chapter Isaiah offers a futuristic prophecy that the church sees as portraying the coming of Christ and the peaceful realm of God that he will bring about. For the people of Isaiah’s day, it might have been a bit more immediate of a hope of a brighter future following the weakness of the nations of Israel and Judah devastated by the Assyrians. The vision is a hope for a new king like a new shoot arising from the stump or remnant of Jesse – King David’s father. There may have been a hope that like the prophet Samuel before him, God would call Isaiah to anoint a new king for a new glorious age. The appeal may have also reminded the people of David’s son Solomon, the wise king, as it mentions that the spirit of knowledge and wisdom would rest upon him. This just and wise king will judge for the poor and oppressed and against the wicked oppressors. Each Advent and Christmas we hear the words of verse 6 describing Jesus as that little child that shall lead us into God’s realm.

   Then we see what this peaceful world will look like as the predators and prey shall live together in peace. Reading closely verse 7 the way this change will come about is not that the prey will become like predators or the weak becoming strong. The bear and the lion will become vegetarians eating grass and grain rather than the poor and oppressed! In a world of “eat or be eaten” where do you find yourself? As followers of the Good Shepherd we may identify more with the sheep rather than the wolves. But take some time in prayer reflecting on how you are living your life. Are you a giver or a taker? Are you a part of the problem or a part of the solution. As a follower of the Prince of Peace, how might you help people around you see how you live into this peaceful world. In Jesus’ name, invite the wolves to join you.

   The second half of the chapter is about the return of the exiles and remembrance of another definitive time and leader. It begins in verse 10 by returning to that root of Jesse which will rise and cause this to happen. Exiles will return from all over, not just the ones taken to Assyria as prisoners of war, but those who fled ahead of the war for safety in various directions. The prophecy is that people would return from the four corners of the earth. Today I think of the earth as a spherical planet with no corners per se. But I have had flat maps, sometimes posted up on a wall, to show where all the church was involved in mission and all those maps had four corners the very furthest points. As I write this, I am planning for a family reunion back in my hometown. Most of us have grown up and scattered from their though not quite to the four corners of the earth. But for a day many of us will return to gather together. This might be a good time to reach out to former church members who have become inactive to come back to church to worship God together again. Invite someone.

   I like what it says about Judah and Ephraim no longer being jealous or hostile to one another. It sounds like the start of the peaceful realm in the beginning of the chapter but then it quickly turns to the prey becoming the predators as they attack and plunder their neighbors! Notice how it ends with the Lord making a way for the people’s return by drying up the Nile River and allowing those from the south to return much like God parted the waters to allow moses and the Israelites to return from Egypt. As God had done these things in the ancient past and in Isaiah’s day, what do you see God doing in the world today? Praise God for all of that. And then ask God what you might do to be a part of what God is already doing. Where might God be leading you today?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. June 23 – Read Isaiah 12. This is one of the shortest chapters in the Bible. (The shortest is Psalm 117 with just two verses!) We usually see Isaiah as a prophet and this book as a prophetic book. (Let me remind you that prophets don’t just foretell the future they speak God’s word to the people or to the king, and the prophet professes the word of God.) But not in this chapter!

   Isaiah changes here from prophet to song writer or song leader. Here he is instructing the people how to sing their praise and thanksgiving to God. (As a hymn writer I can relate to what is happening here.) After the war with Assyria and the northern kingdom of Israel’s defeat and the after affects on the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem, Isaiah helps the people put their feelings into words in the form of a song. I see this as Isaiah trying to help people work through their PTSD with a song of praise. You may have noticed that much of Isaiah is not written in prose but poetry or song. Here it is a song of praise and thanksgiving.

   Isaiah teaches the people to give thanks to God. What might we learn from this song? How might it help us to give thanks and praise God today? Isaiah begins by reflecting back on the war and his theology that God caused it to happen because God was angry with the people. That is not my theology, but it shows up throughout the Bible and the early church in some form of “bad things happen to bad people” or maybe conversely if something bad has happened to you, you must have deserved it. The death of Jesus on the cross shatters this argument and theology for me as the one who was sinless still suffered and died. I would sing this song to acknowledge that bad things do happen and that God comforts and strengthens us when it does. For that I will give thanks.

   Because the Lord’s strength is my salvation I can trust and not be afraid. (Paul would later write in Romans 8:31b, “if God is for us who is against us!”) Besides giving thanks to God, Isaiah calls us to tell the whole world about what we experience God doing in our world and in the world. We are to proclaim God’s name! We are to sing praises. We are to shout and sing for joy. The Holy One is among us.

   Take some holy time today to reflect on the various ups and downs in your life and where and how you see God there with you. Where do you see God today and how might you share that with others, even with the world. Has God put words in your heart that you can be moved to your lips or type with your fingertips? Find your voice and profess your faith today.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. June 24 – Read Isaiah 13. For the next 10 chapters Isaiah will have proclamations against various nations. He begins with Babylon which will become a major focus of this book later on when the Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem and then defeat it and carry away prisoners and plunder to Babylon.

   Let me begin by saying I do not fully comprehend what this is. It is described as an oracle concerning Babylon. Oracles are oral or spoken and heard which may have been the origin. But in verse 1 it says this is what Isaiah saw which is not an oracle but a visual. Then at some point it is written down, and it becomes an article like in a newspaper or magazine. My best guess for us today is that it is all three.

   As I read these oracles to the nations I think about the letters to the seven churches that John writes in the book of Revelation. We will eventually get to that book. Bit for the next two wees let’s look at what God is saying here through the prophet to the nations, or maybe to the people of Jerusalem about the various nations. Listen today for what God might be saying to the various nations and people of the world.

   Babylon is seen as a mighty warrior nation. There have been many down through the centuries as we might think of who rose and fell - the Romans, the Ottoman Turks, the British or Spanish fleets, the Germans during two world wars, or the Soviet Union. Who are the might warrior enemies for you today?

   As powerful as any of these nations were in their day, the Lord of hosts has no match. Isaiah seems to be revealing a battle to end all battles. Perhaps this is like the Armageddon of Revelation – the final battle. Maybe it ultimately will be the war to end all wars. Isaiah saw this day of the Lord drawing near. Here twenty-six hundred years later it feels at times like the day of the Lord is near as well. Jesus in his day also raised the vision of Isaiah of this day of judgement and destruction.

   Though this oracle is for the Babylonians it is worldwide as well with mass destruction punishing the world in verse 11 and leaving a tiny or rare remnant in the next verse. Though it is not referenced here, I cannot help but relate it to the story of Noah when all but his immediate family are destroyed by the flood. Earlier Isaiah had spoken about darkness but here he gives specifics like the sun, moon, and stars going dark. Instead of destruction by fire as forecasted at the end of the flood story perhaps this was an early attempt at describing all being swallowed up by a black hole.

   We see savage descriptions of war and atrocities upon the women and children as Isaiah proclaims the defeat of the Babylonians and the rise of the Medes (and Persians – in the region of modern Iran.) He sees the destruction as being so great that people will no longer live there and it will become overrun with wild animals.

   In the midst of wars and persecutions, I believe Isaiah was writing an oracle of hope for the people of Juday and Jerusalem that their enemies will be destroyed soon to give them hope and strengthen their faith in God. What might Isaiah say to those who are worried or afraid today? What prophetic words might you say? Looking back upon history with how things have risen and fallen, I fall back on the prophetic words of ancient wisdom, “This too shall pass.” And like Isaiah may that day be close at hand.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. June 25 – Read Isaiah 14. Here Isaiah begins with an affirmation of Judah and foretells of its restoration. In the midst of all the other proclamations against Judah’s neighbors and enemies, here we have an encouraging word. To me it sounds like a future much like the past – like the days of Kings David and Solomon. When you are having difficult days which way do you turn to find consolation? Do you look back to the good old days or forward to better days ahead? I believe Isaiah and I do a little of both.

   Then Isaiah quickly turns to speak against the king of Babylon, or maybe Babylon in general, who at the time was a world power overpowering and dominating all others around them. The powerful king with all his pomp and ceremony will die and be buried and Isaiah foresees his body decomposing in the grave. How the mighty have fallen! The perception is that he had tried to make himself like God. But he is not to be buried in a pyramid or magnificent tomb, but cast out into the Pit to turn to dust and be trampled underfoot.

   Assyria is the next country to receive an oracle from the Lord with definitive words of “so shall it be” and “so shall it come to pass.” These are words of a promise like the words to Abaraham about having a child before the strangers return the next year. Here in this plan, and it is not just for Assyria, but God’s got a whole plan for the world. (That will sing, by the way.) Take a moment to think about what part you are to play in God’s plan today.

   The chapter ends with an oracle about Philistia and the Philistines. I thought they had been long gone. These are the people King Saul was fighting against when little boy David took on their giant warrior Goliath, four hundred years earlier. Perhaps a remnant remained, but here the remnant will finally be killed. This whole chapter ends focusing not on the mighty but on the needy and how they will find refuge among God’s people in Zion. These oracles to me seem to reflect what Jesus taught about the first being last and the last being first. How might we help the helpless today?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. June 26 – Read Isaiah 15. In this and the next chapter Isaiah shares an oracle about Moab. If you know the story of Ruth from several books earlier in the Bible, you might recall that she was from Moab and by the end of the book, after she marries Boaz and they have a son, we discover that she is the great grandmother of King David. By Isaiah’s day a few centuries later the Moabites may have become at odds with Judah and Jerusalem and here the prophet prophesies their ultimate destruction.

   One of the interesting and challenging things about this chapter is the numerous place names. If you read the chapter before reading this commentary you undoubtedly struggled to pronounce them all, hence the challenge. For me the interesting part is that there are sixteen of them named which tells me that Isaiah knew what he was talking about and knew this enemy well. Let me challenge you to explain. Are there countries that you have or you do consider enemies? Depending on your age you might remember some wars or skirmishes (undeclared wars) or other countries we have been at odds with. Iran, Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Korea, etc. Pick one and then tell me the names of sixteen of their largest cities. As we have read and will read the other oracles about the nations you will notice none are as unpronounceable as this chapter.

   This destruction seems to come swiftly – in a night as it says and repeats in the first verse. The people weep. The men have their hair and beards shaved off which was a sign of humiliation. Instead of clothing they are wearing something like burlap sacks (for those of you who remember burlap!) Then in verse 5 we may have a clue to Isaiah knowing so many names. I think the heart crying out is the author’s and not God’s. Isaiah knew these places and these people, and cries out for them in their humiliating loss. Today for whom does your heart cry out? What news do you see or hear that touches the core of your being? Take time in prayer for each one by name. And ask God what you might do about it. Isaiah wrote a couple chapters about this situation. What might you do today? Let me encourage you to take action and do it.

   There are two places of water mention in the end of this chapter and more will be mentioned in the continuing of Moab’s article in the next chapter. These people were living in a desert area. Water was vital. Water meant life. The Wadi of the Willows may have been a shallow crossing perhaps of the boarder that plunder is carried across to be taken away to Assyria as spoils of war. The other is the waters of Dibon which have turned red from the blood spilled in battle. From what had been seen as good places in the past are now seen as painful memories in this oracle. In response to the painful news we just remembered and prayed about, I invite you now to return to the good memories of your past that were near water. Maybe you have memories of going to the ocean shore somewhere or a lake, river, or pond. Take some time to go back there in your mind and if you are able take some time today to go somewhere and sit by the water and allow it to bring peace to your soul. May the water of life bring peace to your soul.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. June 27 – Read Isaiah 16. Here what have the rest of the story of the oracle concerning Moab. The tone shifts from the proclamation of Moab’s destruction to words of comfort, counsel and justice for those described as lambs or fluttering birds. The outcasts are to be hidden and protected from the destroyer and destroyer (Assyria). Have there ever been times when you were in need of such protection and care and been blessed to receive it? Have you ever offered it to others? This too is your proclamation. And if it has not happened, be prepared for a day may yet come when you are on the giving or receiving end.

   Do you know the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Disckens? “It was the best of times it was the worst of times…” He shared the difference between London and Paris during the time of the French revolution. In essence he shared the ups and downs of life. Take a moment to reflect on the best times of your life. Are they now or in the distant past? And how about the worst of times? As Isaiah shares the oracle of Moab they had some good old days when they prospered and were on top of the world, but now the mighty have fallen near to the edge of extinction as they have been trampled down by their enemies. There were good times of raisin cakes and abundant wine! There were bad times of bad harvests and lack of food. God’s heart moans for Moab.

   The chapter ends with a word of the Lord for the past and future of Moab. The glory of the good old days will be long gone, or at least three years longer gone, and the few survivors will be weak and feeble. Let me share and ask about the end of our chapters. I often tell people that I have never been this old, but lately I have been adding that I have will also never be this young again! I am working through making memories and checking things off my “Bucket List” because a day may come when I can no longer do what I have done or am still able to do today. Before it is to late fully live today and do something to help someone else to fully live today too.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. June 29 – Read Isaiah 17. Isaiah next proclaims an oracle against Damascus. This city and surrounding towns will also be destroyed, and sheep will graze among their ruins. Like the nation of Israel, there will only be a remnant remaining. He offers another parable or visual of the reapers at harvest time taking most of the crop away and leaving just the gleanings or the reapers of the olive trees taking all but a few of the fruit left hanging on the highest boughs.

   Then the few remaining people will look and disregard the idols, altars, and sacred poles they had made. Their desolation was due to their forgetting God the rock of refuge. And because of that the work of their hands will come to nothing on the day of their destruction. Jesus will tell a parable about a wise man building a house on a rock and a foolish man building a house on the sand. For me, Isaiah gives a similar parable on who the true Rock truly is and what happens to people who build their lives on something else. The question for us today may be to ask in what do we put our faith? Is it ourselves and our own abilities that we won’t ever get sick or debilitated? Is it in the institution or company we work for that it will never go bankrupt, or our nation that it will never fall? The people of Damascus believed the same way in their day. But the prophet calls on them and us to ultimately put our faith in God the Rock of refuge.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. June 30 – Read Isaiah 18. Isaiah next writes an oracle about Cush. In ancient times this was the land south of Egypt. They sent ambassadors and probably traders not in wooden ships, but ones made of papyrus reeds from the Nile. I hear in this message a call to these ambassadors or travelers to become messengers to go and spread God’s word. This reminds me of Jesus’ words to the disciples we call the Great Commission to go spread the Good News to all the world. What word is God calling you to share in your world? How far might your word reach as each one passes it on and the word spreads? Put in a good word for God today.

   Isaiah points out there will be signs or signals for the people of the world to be watching for. Jesus said the same about watching and waiting for that day that he would return. Today, do some holy watching. What sights or signs do you see? Do some holy listening. What word or sounds do you hear? Don’t just notice and internalize their meaning for yourself. Point it out to others. Be an ambassador for Christ today. Go and spread the Good News.

   This oracle speaks a warning of disaster coming soon between the time of spring blossoms and fall harvests. Time is of the essence here for Isaiah. So, I wonder about all of these oracles. Were they actually intended for the people named or for the people of Judah and Jerusalem who would read the whole scroll when it was finished? Do we have the combined record of all of them here in a lengthy scroll or book? Were they at the time a daily dispatch from the prophet to be sent as a warning like a daily newsbreak or posting? (What you are reading from me is both, I write this commentary for today but in four more years when they are all completed, I will assemble them into a book to be published for later readers to read and respond to in their own day. I wonder if Isaiah had any idea that these words would be read and reflected upon nearly twenty-five centuries later?)

   The chapter ends noting that people from the known world will be coming to Mount Zion (Jerusalem) bringing gifts to God. This is nothing new, but maybe not currently happening in Jerusalem any more as back in the heydays. You may recall that the queen of Sheba (Yemen) came bearing gifts to see King Solomon. Even people from the mighty nations will come bearing gifts and paying tribute to God. I believe this foretells what will happen as a result of God’s signs and of ambassadors sharing those signs as they intermingle with the peoples of the world. Do you have a sign or vision of a glorious future to which you might invite others to see and move towards? Spread the Good News.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. July 1 – Read Isaiah 19. In this oracle concerning Egypt there is no mention of Joseph, Moses, or slavery. Isaiah seems to be concerned with current events rather than history. It seems that God is stirring up civil unrest and perhaps even a civil war as the Egyptians fight amongst themselves. He writes about their spirit being emptied out. I cannot help but see similar attitudes in the world today.

   He writes of the Egyptians being defeated and they were by the Assyrians in Isaiah’s day. There may have been a great drought as well as he describes about the Nile River drying up. There will be no crops or fish to eat. There will be a great depression as many workers will be out of a job. Pharaoh has no clear path forward. All of the sages and counselors are giving him foolish advice and stupid counsel. Once again, I perceive similar things happening in our world today.

   Isaiah sees the formerly mighty Egyptians now trembling with fear as the Lord raises a hand against them. Not only will they fear the Assyrians but also the land of Judah. To finally bring relief and peace the Egyptians will swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. People will speak the language of Canaan and an altar to the Lord will be raised in Egypt. In verse 20 it sounds like an unknown savior, evidently from Canaan or Judah comes to defend and deliver Egypt. (As we prepare to celebrate 250 years of American independence from Britain, we should not forget the assistance received from the French during the Revolutionary War.)

   In the end there seems to be three world powers – The Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Israelites. A highway was built from Egypt to Assyria. These were not like our highways built for cars and trucks, commerce and travel. These were built for the armies to march. Later we will learn of the Roman armies doing the same in Europe.

   The chapter ends with peace and blessing and an interesting word from the Lord. “Blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria the work of my hands and Israel my heritage.” As I see it, these three super-powers are now all connected and related under the hand of God. We may not seem to be anywhere near that place in the world today, but if it could happen back then, might it yet happen one of these days? Pray for God’s peace and blessedness for the world today.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. July 2 – Read Isaiah 20. Here Isaiah does not just make a pronouncement. He makes a statement! The Lord does not tell the prophet to make a placard and walk around, nor to wear a T shirt with a slogan on it like we might see today. Instead he is to remove his clothing and sandals and walk around naked and barefoot. This was not just for a day but it says for three years! It is not done in protest but to show the people of Egypt and Cush what will happen to them when the Assyrians defeat them and lead them off as prisoners of war barefoot and naked. Have you ever made a sign and protested or wore a shirt with a declaration of your belief on the front? Sometimes we catch people’s attention by what they see rather than what they hear. What might you say without saying a word today? If you can’t say it, display it.

   And just as the world powers of Egypt and Cush are defeated, confounded, and dismayed – what about the inhabitants of Israel who had hoped to secure an alliance and security from their neighbors to the south, now they were terrified the same fate would fall on them. When has something like this happened to you? When has your foundation or safety net shown some cracks? There may have been things like the loss of a stable income, a divorce, a death of a loved one. Have there been times when you have had the rug pulled out from underneath you? Did you find your faith diminished as you blamed God for allowing this to happen? Or did your faith grow stronger as you realized you needed to rely on God more? I wonder what the Israelites did? We will have to keep reading.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. July 3 – Read Isaiah 21. After speaking oracles against the nations to the south Isaiah next turns to the nations to the east. With an image of desert storms or whirlwinds. Earlier the Assyrians had overrun and conquered the nation of Isreal to the north and in later chapters we will read of Babylon’s siege and overthrow of Jerusalem. Here in the in-between times the prophet is foretelling of what will come from the east – betrayal and destruction. Media or the Medes will defeat the Babylonians, and the Babylonian exile for the people of Judah will end. But bad days will come before those good days, and Isaiah has a horrible gut feeling about it.

   The Lord calls Isaiah to post a lookout to watch and announce what is seen. From the watchtower come the riders. These remind me of the pony express in the old west carrying the mail as fast as they could from outpost to outpost. And here the riders bring the good news that the hated enemy Babylon had fallen. Things are much different today as we no longer have to wait for the 6 o’clock news, it is streaming constantly. We rarely wait for letters to be delivered by mail, we open our email or text messaging app. But think about the times and the things that you have been waiting for; results from medical tests, approval of an application or job proposal. There are times when we “wait upon the Lord” for an answer to a prayer. I have been waiting for decades for world peace, but I keep praying. How about you, what are you waiting for? What are you doing while you are waiting. The sentinel gave an update; I keep writing hymns and commentaries.

   The chapter ends with an optimistic word that things would change within a year. The glory of Kedar (northern Arabia) will come to an end and their warriors will be few. It seems like changes come slowly, but here it will happen quickly. However you are experiencing life and things today, some things will change and some will change quickly in the coming year. Look back over the past few years and notice the changes both good and bad that have happened to you. What all did you do to help make the good ones better and to help you get through the bad ones? Those skills you have learned will help you in the changing years ahead! Let’s lean into them. Like in Isaiah’s time, God is with us and will guide us through.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. July 4 – Read Isaiah 22. Here Isaiah turns to Judah and Jerusalem with a warning of their destruction. The leaders tried to slip away and were captured. Isaiah himself is moved to tears weeping for his beloved people. The walls built by King David are knocked down. There seem to be vain attempts by the people to fortify the walls but it is in vain as they relied upon their own efforts rather than relying on God. When things are falling apart What do you tend to do? Do you jump in to fix it yourself or do you ask God for strength and wisdom to guide you? Do you pray and ask God to do it for you or at least to send someone to help? I tend to jump in and try to do it and then thank God when it is done.

   The Lord calls for weeping and mourning, but the people seemed to celebrate with feasting and we hear the words, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” There are people who seem to be out of sync with reality and live fatalistic lives. The call of the prophet is to live humbly before God.

   Isaiah speaks the word of God to an official who seems to have been taking care of himself rather than the people. The Lord denounces him and declares that he will be cast out. He shall be disgraced and removed from his position. Another whom the Lord calls shall be lifted up to rule in his place. Eliakim will receive the key of the house of Daivid. He will be secured in his position like a peg on the wall where the whole weight of the house of David shall be hung. But even here the secure peg shall give way and fall. The security of Jerusalem and Judah shall fall in the end. There is no full explanation for this destruction, but we have seen it in the rising and falling of other leaders down through history and even more recently. There may also have been times when our own fortunes and misfortunes have waxed and waned. During these twists and turns, we may not fully realize any reason why. Often, we need time to be able to look back to see it with 20/20 hindsight. Look back over your experiences and see what you have learned from even the most difficult lessons. For the people of Jerusalem, it will take a few more years (and a few more chapters!)

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. July 6 – Read Isaiah 23. Isaiah started these oracles about various places back in chapter 15 with Moab and ends here with Tyre and Sidon. This chapter seems out of place to me. As a prophet of Jerusalem, I would have expected that he would have wrapped up these oracles there, but that was the previous chapter. Isaiah might be a little forgetful like me and after he thought he had proclaimed all the oracles, he remembered he forgot about these two cities on the Mediterranean coast in what we know as southern Lebanon. Tyre and Sidon as seaports seemed to have a bad reputation even in Jesus’ day and he noted them in a comparison to a couple other wicked cities in Matthew 11:21.

   These two international seaports seemed to be vital in the trading markets and some gained great wealth and power. But they too will be destroyed, and word will get back to the foreign ports that they will no longer be receiving cargo ships. International commerce would be disrupted with dire consequences for both cities. What disruptions have you experienced with trade embargos or economic downturns? It may have been localized with the closure of a major manufacturer or business in town.

   A lengthy timeframe is given for Tyre’s destruction in verse 15. It will be destroyed for seventy years. Roughly the same timeframe will happen for Jerusalem, but we will read about that later when we hear of the exiles returning from Babylon and the walls being rebuilt. After the desolation and the rebuilding, things will be the same as before but also different. As the chapter closes, we see the city of Tyre back in the international trade business, but instead of a few people gaining and hoarding the profits, the prophet foresees the prosperity being dedicated to the Lord and distributed to supply the people with food and clothing.

   Perhaps it is because of this transformation in the future that Isaiah puts this chapter at the end of the oracles to end with a preferred future seventy years in the future in the midst of the wars and difficulties of the present day. These end with hope for a better future. Do you have such a hope? How can you share it with others? I hope you will.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. July 7 – Read Isaiah 24. After the series of oracles Isaiah goes into a description of the annihilation to come about at the Lord’s command. For me, I look at the story of Noah and the flood and remember it ends with a rainbow and a promise that God will not flood the earth again, but a warning that God will destroy it with fire the next time. That notion is picked up here and is scattered through some prophetic descriptions of the end times in the New Testament as well. Though this might sound like the end of all, I know the rest of the book and by chapter 40 the tune will change as God offers comfort to the remnant and the people returning from exile.

   Though it begins with the destruction of the earth, I do not know what all Isaiah and his readers knew of the earth. They had a small world that they knew of that did not reach to the Americas or even northern Europe or China. More was unknown that known. So, this destruction may have been a bit more localized to the region around Judah and Jerusalem and their known world. But it was devastating to all strata of the population as described in verse two. The earth is cursed because of the sin of the earth’s people. My translation sounds contemporary with the earth being polluted by its inhabitants! The biggest problem which is mentioned three times is that the wine gives out. But around this devastation perhaps at the outer ring around or from the ends of the earth there is shouting and singing for joy. But for those in the center of the destruction, things go from bad to worse like falling into a pit and climbing out then caught in a snare. Have there been times when your world has this fallen apart? Have you experienced the worst of times only to notice that even though things are getting worse and worse for you, others are doing okay, others are actually doing better and better? And if you think about it, doesn’t that make you feel even worse? That is the pit the people of ancient Jerusalem were finding themselves. Their world seems to have come to an end.

   But then it happens a day comes when things change for the better and we read that in verse twenty-one. Those other kings of the earth that have enslaved the Israelites will themselves become prisoners and thrown in a pit. Once again, the Lord will reign in Jerusalem and be glorified by the elders. I see these elders not as the leaders of the people but literally elders – those who were old enough to remember the good old days before Jerusalem’s fall and lived through the seventy years as prisoners of war to be able to return to glorify God in the end. Where are you in your life’s journey? Are you in the midst of the pits? Are you back on top? I have come through a lot in my lifetime and things are somewhat better, but I am praying that in the near future things will get better not for me but for all people, especially those who are still struggling today. May God’s comfort come to us all. (But we still have fifteen chapters to read, one day at a time!)

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. July 8 – Read Isaiah 25. In the end of the oracles and prophecies of destruction, Isaiah pauses to praise God. For me this chapter is wrapped up in time – past, present and future. Watch for the tenses of the verbs used throughout the chapter. Verse one has all three – the Lord God is our God, I will exalt you, for you have done wonderful things. I believe we all live in these three time zones as we recall memories or call upon lessons learned to face situations today and work on those things to be done today to prepare for a preferred future. I tend to look to the future, though I do often look back and try to live for today. As I read Isaiah I hear him doing the same way. Unlike other Biblical writers he does not retell many of the old stories of Moses or the patriarchs. He shares a good bit of what is going on in the midst of war and the preparations for war, but he focuses most often on the outcome and aftereffects of the war, the exile and return of the people in the end. Where do you tend to focus?

   God is glorified here for being a refuge for the poor and needy. Jesus was a reader and believer in Isaiah and would resonate with these words. God is a protective shelter and shade on a hot day. God is the provider of feasts and will destroy the shroud of death! The Lord will wipe away tears and remove disgrace. (Grace removes disgrace, perhaps!) Not today, but on that day it will be said that this is our God; we have waited for him. (All three tenses again in one sentence.) God is our savior, so let us be glad and rejoice. Today, for what are you glad and praise God? Think of those things in the past, the present, and the future and be glad!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. July 9 – Read Isaiah 26. Here we have Judah’s victory song or maybe what we might call a national anthem. Note that this is not after but before the time of the victory. It is a song that foresees the future. We have these too. Some are militaristic like, When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again or Over There – “it won’t be over till it’s over, over there.” We also have hymns that point us towards a heavenly home when our life here is over. Have there been difficult times in your life when you looked forward to it being over? That is how I see this chapter. And I can see it two ways. The ultimate ending of the end of time, or the temporal ending of the war and exile when the prisoners of war and exiles come marching home again.

   The victory does not belong to the people of Judah but to God. The people of God have peace knowing that their trust is in God who is as solid as a rock. I see that rock crushing the mighty cities of the enemy and the lowly people trample and step on the dust of the fallen empires. A level and straight path will lead the people home. We will read more about it in a few chapters and John the Baptist will pick up on it as he prepares the way for Jesus. I see this path as being a contrast to the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness when the people left Egypt and followed Moses to the promised land. Think about the path of your life. Some have clear and fairly straight paths, but others of us wander all over the place until we get on the right path.

   Verse 12 reiterates the understanding that we do not make the peace, it is given by God. And all that we do, we do not really do, it is done for us by God. Without God we can do nothing. But with God we can do all things – read Philippians 4:13. In the end we find the people praying to God for salvation. All of their labor is in vain like a woman in labor, but they bear nothing but wind. They won no victories, but the Lord is the victor punishing those who have committed iniquities. There is an interesting note of the dead rising perhaps like the dry bones Ezekiel saw or as in the dead rising in the final judgement. If you are feeling dead tired or half-dead today, pray and ask God to raise you up to fully live for God today.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. July 10 – Read Isaiah 27. This chapter starts with an odd verse. It seems to fit better at the end of chapter 26 when the Lord punishes the inhabitants of the earth and then the inhabitant of the sea – Leviathan. This seems to close the story of the old heaven and earth (and sea) to make way for the new story of what will come “on that day” that begins with verse two. After singing a song of victory to Judah the southern kingdom after the split at the end of Solomon’s reign, here Isaiah turns to Israel the northern kingdom who had been defeated by the Assyrians.

   In verses five and six there is a reminder of a foundational story of Jacob and his name being changed to Israel when he wrestled all night with God (or an angel). There is a reference to clinging to God as Jacob would not let go of God that night of wrestling. In the morning they parted in peace (and with a blessing and limp for Israel). The twelve sons of Israel become a great nation but then is divided and the northern nation struck down. But Isaiah sees the nation beginning to come back together and rise again as sin and guilt are removed. The idols and their sacred poles and altars will be destroyed.

   Isaiah sees the day of the Lord when those who were taken off as prisoners of war to Assyria will return from the area around the Euphrates River and those who were refugees fleeing the war all the way to Egypt will return to Israel and worship God at the holy mountain of Jerusalem. Here this is the hope or the dream of a people still scattered and suffering, that the Lord’s day will come. What is the hope or dream that you see for yourself or for our country or world? What is your vision for God’s church today? Dare to dream a God-sized dream and dare to live into it.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. July 11 – Read Isaiah 28. This chapter begins with an oracle about the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and ends with a warning to the southern kingdom (Jerusalem). There is a pronouncement of woe or judgement against the leaders including the priests and the prophets in verse seven. We often see the priests who uphold the status quo being opposed by the prophets who speak for God. As Christians, we see this in Jesus’ confrontation with the chief priests and the Pharisees. But there were also times when prophets were opposed to other prophets, sometimes called false prophets. I see similarities in the polarization of the church with those upholding certain traditions and others calling for change. I also see it in the different perspectives of politicians with very different views. Here is Isaiah’s time it seems there were those who believed that God would protect the people from the invading armies of the Assyrians and Babylonians and Isaiah who proclaimed that they would be defeated for their iniquities by God’s instruments.

   The analogy of what Isaiah sees as false prophesy or teaching is a sort of drunken stupor. Those who are teaching are cloudy and impaired in their understanding and judgement. When they try to teach the young – babies being weaned or even young adults – they teach them precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. We might use a fishing analogy and say - hook, line, and sinker. Have there been times when you have discovered the truth only to realize that you had been taught lies? Have there been times when you have tried to be prophetic like Isaiah and have people resent what you are trying to tell them? Welcome to the club!

   In verses fifteen and eighteen there is a reference to a covenant or deal made with death or Sheol – the land of the dead. The Canaanites had a god of the dead who ruled in a place called Sheol and this may be a reference to the people turning to idols to protect them from the invaders instead of turning to God. Today some may talk about making a deal with the devil. Isaiah gives a warning about putting faith in anything or anyone besides God is futile. The leaders, priests, false prophets and idols will all fail. There is a brief mention of a precious cornerstone and sure foundation in Zion (Jerusalem) as Isaiah points the readers to the coming Messiah.

   As Isaiah prophesies the complete destruction he uses an agricultural parable. God teaches the people how to plant and harvest in due time. Ecclesiastes will say there is a time for everything. The field will be harvested and the grain crushed, but after the destruction there will be another season. Isaiah is preparing the readers for future chapters and the returning from exile. What word of hope do you have to share with people who are worried and frightened today? Be prophetic!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. July 13 – Read Isaiah 29. This chapter speaks of the siege of Jerusalem (Ariel) as the city where David camped. Isaiah takes us readers back to the time when David lay siege and ultimately took the city for his capital. Now the Assyrians, who have defeated the northern kingdom, are laying siege to the city. Though the Assyrians did not capture the city at this time later the Babylonians will. Isaiah may be speaking of the past with King David, the present with the Assyrians, and the future and the Babylonians here in this chapter. And he prophesies that their undoing at the hands of the Babylonians will be God’s doing.

   When Jesus enters Jerusalem with a boisterous Palm Sunday crowd the Jewish authorities will ask Jesus to quiet the crowd, but he informs them that if the people are silenced the rocks will cry out. Here Isaiah is saying something similar about the ghostly voices coming up from the graves or the ashes to ashes and dust to dust. I think about archeologists brushing away the dust to reveal ancient artifacts or scrolls. What old dusty books and memorabilia do you have, and what might they say to you if you dig them out of their storage spaces and really look and listen?

   Isaiah foresees the end of the Assyrian invasion and wipes the warring enemies away. They may have had dreams of taking the city but the reality is that it will not happen and when they wake up to that fact they go away hungering and thirsting for it but ultimately unsatisfied. The people of Jerusalem are stunned and astounded that the enemy is gone. They are in a stupor or slumber to the saving action of God. Even the prophets and the wise ones are blind or oblivious. The vision shared by Isaiah is oblivious. The people cannot read it like a sealed scroll or an incomprehensible language.

   Verse thirteen will be shared by Jesus in Mark 7:6-7. I think we all have had experiences with people who offer lip service to God while they remain at a distance from God and doing God’s will. Perhaps we might pause, reflect and confess that has been us at times as well! Isaiah seems to turn an upside-down world right-side up. God will do amazing things that will cause people to reevaluate and realize they were wrong and God was right. God is affirmed as the potter and we are the clay. I do see some who were made in the image of God trying to make God into their own image!

   Isaiah closes out this chapter with hope for the future of fruitful fields and forests. The deaf shall hear, the blind shall see, the meek shall have joy. I think Jesus preached this in his first sermon! There is a hope that God’s people will once again return to God. Those who have been wrong will finally get it right. Acceptance will replace resistance. Today, may we be open to God’s will for our lives. Perhaps the main battle in this chapter is not the enemy without laying siege to us, but our being our own worst enemies! What might you do today to see yourself the way God sees you, and to love yourself the way God loves you?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. July 14 – Read Isaiah 30. Here in this chapter and the next Isaiah will go to great lengths to speak against making a treaty or pact with Egypt to save Judah from the Assyrians. He shares the Lord’s word of warning against their decision not to ask God for help or even counsel but to ask the Egyptians. God pronounces shame and humiliation that they seek help from another nation. It will cost them not only in the tribute carried to Egypt on the backs of donkeys and camels, but it will cost them their independence and pride as a people. Egypt’s help is worthless and empty as the Assyrians defeat them. Have you ever been let down by someone or something you relied on for help?

   Evidently God knows human nature because God tells Isaiah to write this down on a tablet or scroll for this to be a witness forever. They are a rebellious people who will not listen. And how about us? Likewise, do we want to hear smooth talkers rather than the hard truth from the prophets and seers? God warns that because they reject the word of the Lord, they will be like a wall that bulges, buckles, and falls. This may be a prophesy about the tearing down of the walls of Jerusalem when the Babylonians defeat them later on. Have there been times for you when all came tumbling down? Then what?

   In verse fifteen God offers a time of rest, quietness and trust. But the people refused and chose instead to flee quickly trying to outrun the storms of life rather than face them. Then the Lord offers a promise to Zion to be just and gracious showing mercy and those who do not try to flee but wait on the Lord are blessed.  There may be adversity and affliction, but the Teacher shall be revealed. Where have you seen God in the worst of times in your life? Do you know about the lesson in the vision of the Footprints in the Sand?

   As the people choose to once again follow the Lord they will let go of the silver and gold-plated idols of their faith and rely on God who will bless them. Isaiah paints a glorious picture of God’s world that reminds me of the garden at the beginning or the new heaven at earth at the end of the scriptures. Isaiah as a prophet offers it here in the midst of the struggles in the midst of the story. Grab a hold of it in the midst of whatever you might be going through today.

   The chapter ends with the people singing and dancing at the end of the siege as the Assyrians are overwhelmed by God and depart. With the sounds of timbrels and lyres the people rejoice. Sing and rejoice today. As Paul writes in Romans 8 if God is for us, who can be against us? Praise and thank God today.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. July 15 – Read Isaiah 31. Once again, we have a short chapter that continues the oracle of the previous chapter and in my humble opinion should have been included in that chapter. Isaiah continues to prophesy against those who are seeking help against the Assyrians by relying on Egypt instead of relying on God. They apparently can see the strength of foreign chariots and horses but cannot see any strength in believing and trusting in the Lord or trusting in Isaiah as the Lord’s messenger. For the people of Jerusalem this is a teachable moment.  When have you had such moments when your faith may have been tested and you found yourself relying on someone or something unreliable rather than God?

   Isaiah shares an illustration that the Assyrians are not afraid of Egypt much like a young lion is not afraid of a band of shouting shepherds trying to chase it away from the flock. Saber rattling will not do it. Faith in the Lord of hosts (a host is an army of angels) is what is needed to defeat this army. Visually Isaiah portrays this host like a hovering flock of birds. Today look for visual signs of God being with you, guiding and protecting you. Look for the birds, clouds, rainbows and other expressions of the Creator being revealed in creation. You might even see it in yourself or in others who happen to all be made in the image of God!

   The prophet calls for repentance and turning away from idolatry and putting their faith in anything other than the Lord. The Assyrians will soon flee from the land, and their leader shall be killed, and the encampment shall be abandoned. The holy fire at the Temple altar shall continue to burn bright revealing the power and presence of the Lord. This may be a calling to the people to return to worship the Lord and offer sacrifices not to the idols but to God. Reflect and then come before God and give thanks for all the ways God has been with you and guarded you in your life. This week come to worship with a grateful and thankful heart.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. July 16 – Read Isaiah 32. After the fear of the Assyrian invasion is gone, Isaiah envisions a time of peace as a new king reigns in Jerusalem. Righteousness and justice will prevail. It will be like a refuge from a storm, a stream in the midst of an arid land, and shade for the scorching heat. There will be safety and relief. The people will see it, feel it, and hear it. Fools and villains will no longer be seen as noble or honorable. The noble leaders will rise and plan and execute those noble plans.

   In verse nine the women who are complacent are called to rise up. A time frame of a little more than a year will see these dramatic changes for the better. Have there been times in your life when things changed significantly in a short period of time? It might have been a wedding, a new baby, a new job or a retirement. It may have been the start or end of a war, or a change in elected leadership. There may be some of us anticipating some positive change while others are fearing a presumed negative change. Be sensitive and aware of all going through drastic changes.

   Isaiah sees a day when the spirit of God will be poured out on God’s people and everything will change for the better. I pray that happens for those of us who are struggling now and even for those who are complacent now. We have put up with a lot for too long. Do you perceive the light at the end of Isaiah’s tunnel? Justice and righteous will reign. Peace and rest will abide. Pray that this day comes soon. Prophesy and tell of it until it does. What do you foresee in your future? With whom can you share it?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. July 17 – Read Isaiah 33. Today we are halfway through the book of Isaiah! Things will be shifting from the threat of war and defeat to the joy of returning from the exile in the next few chapters. Here we have a prophecy of the destroyer being destroyed. The old saying is, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The treacherous one is now being dealt with treacherously by this other enemy.

   Isaiah calls out to the Lord to be gracious to the people as they wait for their salvation from the enemy. Thanks to the Lord, the people will be saved, and the Lord will be exalted in Zion with justice and righteousness. The treasure of Zion is the fear of the Lord who also offers stability, wisdom, and knowledge. But the sinners are afraid and the godless tremble for the fear of the Lord. At that time many feared the Lord and the Lord’s judgement and punishment. There are still some who preach fire and brimstone and fear of the wrath of an angry God today. I do not, I preach that God is loving and forgiving as I have come to see that and believe that from Jesus and the New Testament writers. Do you live in faith or in fear?

   This chapter ends with a vision of the coming of a majestic king. Some may see in this a prophecy of the coming of Jesus, but I see it as Isaiah looking forward while recalling the past. Before King Saul and David and David’s descendants there was no king of Israel. God was king, but the people pleaded with the prophet Samuel to anoint a king for them like all the other countries. I see Isaiah here calling for the people to return to the rule of the Lord rather than another king. The Lord will not only save the people but will also forgive their iniquity! The Lord offers us the same deal. Do not fear the Lord. Praise the Lord!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. July 18 – Read Isaiah 34. As I read this chapter it reminds me of the final battle of Armageddon in Revelation or what I remember hearing of the first World War – that it was the war to end all wars. Here Isaiah pronounces God’s word against war and warring factions. This may reach back to the notion in Isaiah 2:4 where the people were called, “to beat their swords into plowshares and learn war no more”. These days we seem further from that day rather than closer.

   In the aftermath of the decimation of this war, there is nothing left but annihilation of civilization. Thorns and weeds shall cover the remnants of the fortresses. Wild animals and birds shall be all that survive and are able to thrive. This is rock bottom - the worst of the worst. Today think back on your own timeline and when have been the worst times. When have you been at your lowest. Realize that from there, there is only one direction and that is up. A bad day is better than a worse day. For those who have passed through the worst days, look and see the journey of recovery as things have improved. Looking back give thanks to God that you are no longer there. For those of you who are, like Isaiah in this chapter, right now at the lowest point of your life - it is bad, but it is not over. Unfortunately, it often gets worse before it gets better. But it will get better! And in verse 16, Isaiah offers a map to the way up and out - read the book! He calls his readers to seek and read from the book of the Lord. Though this chapter in Isaiah seems bleak, it can speak volumes to us when things are that devastating in our own lives.

   The chapter ends and the next chapter begins with a couple verses that do not appear in some of the oldest known manuscripts. Scholars believe these were added later, perhaps to give clarity. We will see what they might say to us in the next chapter as Isaiah leads us up from the valley of the shadow of death.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. July 20 – Read Isaiah 35. We begin here with where we left off in the last chapter with a couple verses not found in some of the ancient copies of Isaiah. They add a future vision of the desert blossoming after the dry season and hope for a time of blossoming after the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem. There may be some of us or people around us who are having a hard time right now. Like these ancient writers, what might you write or say to lift them up and help them look beyond the doom and gloom they are currently seeing?

   Isaiah seems to be rallying the people who seem to be afraid of the near future. His affirmation and faith allow him to rely not on their own strength or the alliances they might have with neighboring armies, but ultimately in God. Who is your “go to?” For some it is a spouse or partner, family, co-worker, teacher or boss. Who is it for you? Isaiah and the prophets go to God for help. I wonder what might happen if God is our first resort rather than our last resort. When something arises, stop and pray and ask for God’s help with the situation and see what happens. You might become a prophet!

   Once again, we hear the prediction of a time when the blind shall see and the deaf hear. The dry thirsty ground shall become pools of water! We see a vision of a holy highway to bring God’s people home from exile and none shall go astray. God’s people will return to Zion with singing, and they shall be filled with joy at their homecoming. Their sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

   As I read these words I not only look back on the historical journey of the people returning from Babylon to Jerusalem, nor the hope of people struggling today to find a way to the resolution of the current problems, I look forward and see the final holy highway leading believers to a heavenly home. I’m not quite ready to go just yet, but I look forward to that day when I can enjoy singing with the heavenly choir!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. July 21 – Read Isaiah 36. In this chapter and the next we read of King Sennacherib of Assyria threatening to destroy Jerusalem which does not happen and in the end the king dies and the threat is removed. I see this chapter as a form of peace negotiations. They often happen behind closed doors and all that the common people is a summary that is reported on the news. Sometimes we hear the news summarized from one side of the negotiations that sounds different from what the other side is saying. In this chapter we hear what the Assyrians are saying.

   The Assyrians seek to avoid war by pointing out the futility of resistance on the part of the people of Judah. They cannot really rely on Egypt for help in this war. They will be hurt rather than helped by Pharaoh. Rabshakeh, the chief negotiator, dismisses the notion that the Lord God will help any more than the gods of the other defeated nations helped them. He even claims that the Lord is the one who commanded that the Assyrians attack and destroy Judah!

   I find it interesting that we hear nothing from the three negotiators that King Hezekiah sends out to meet the Assyrian delegation. All they request is for the Assyrian to speak in Aramaic rather than the language the people understand – presumably ancient Hebrew. It seems they want to keep the negotiations secret less their position is weakened by the fear instilled in population. Sensing this is a weak spot, Rabshakeh speaks even louder so the people can hear and fear the consequences of the impending war. He offers more than an olive branch of peace, he offers that the people will be led away to a prosperous land of grain and vineyards. His message is, “War is bad, surrender is good.”

   The Jewish emissaries make no reply as King Hezekiah had ordered them. They simply returned to the king and told them what they had heard. They had also torn their clothes, which was a visible sign of the bad news they had received. As it turns out, these were not negotiations but a gathering of information, and the information sounds bad. There seem to be two options – fight a war that they will lose or be subjected to exile which may not turn out to be a lemon rather than wine! The chapter ends on a sour note.

   What might we learn from this encounter? Don’t believe everything you hear. You might be led astray. By losing faith you might lose everything. We probably all have had bad days like this when everything seemed to be against us. Today look back over those times and realize that you have learned and grown from them. How did God and faith help get you through to where you are today. In the next chapter we will see how it did for Judah.

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. July 22 – Read Isaiah 37. When the delegation returns and informs the king of the words from the Assyrian king, he tears his clothes and puts on sackcloth. This seems a little over the top, but that was the way one expressed displeasure at bad news. What reactions have you had? Have you ever torn up the piece of paper or rolled it into a ball and thrown it? Did you ever have a temper tantrum and throw or break things? Who has put a fist through a wall?

   The king also went to the Temple to pray and probably offer a sacrifice or two. And he sends his delegation to Isaiah. He asks that the prophet speak with God about the demeaning words of the Assyrians who mocked the Lord God. Verses 5-7 seem to be a later addition not in some of the oldest manuscripts. This may have been an editor’s attempt to fill in the reply from Isaiah to explain what had happened that caused the Assyrian army to retreat. As we read on, we read between the lines that other battles are going on simultaneously and the Assyrians were battling on many fronts. Perhaps the troops surrounding Jerusalem were needed elsewhere in battle but before the withdrawal, another message is sent to Hezekiah to warn him that the battle is not over and that he will still be defeated. God will not save them as the many gods of the other nations had not saved any of them from the Assyrians.

   This message comes as a letter which Hezekiah neither tears up or balls up, instead he goes again to the house of the Lord and lays it out before God and prays over it. Do you see something new you might do? Take the bad news and share it with God in prayer. Lay your problems before God and ask for help and guidance! See what difference God makes in your immediate reactions and responsive actions.

   Isaiah hears what Hezekiah has done and responds with the word of God to affirm the king’s prayer. God speaks against the king of the Assyrians and assures Hezekiah that God will turn the enemy around and send them back the way they came. There seems to be a time reference in verse thirty that it won’t happen in the first or second year but by the third year the farmers will be able to get back to farming as before. God hears prayers and responds to them. Sometimes God’s response to prayer is quick, sometimes it is slow, and sometimes it is “No.” Keep on praying and remember to pray and give thanks for the answer received and the problem resolved. We do not read here that Hezekiah does that, but he does have another personal request of God in the next chapter.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. July 23 – Read Isaiah 38. When King Hezekiah was sick and dying Isaiah came to tell him to set his house in order before he dies. I invite you to take these words to heart as none of us knows when we might die and there have been too many times when people did not plan for it and make all the necessary arrangements and it was left to the grieving family to try to figure it all out. During their time of grieving, one more grief was added.

   Hezekiah prays to the Lord and weeps bitterly. The Lord speaks to Isaiah to go and tell the king that God heard his prayers and weeping and will heal him and give him fifteen more years. More than that, the Lord will defend Jerusalem from the Assyrian attack. Then God offers a sign. The shadow on the sundial of Ahaz shall go backwards ten steps, and it did according to the story. I don’t know if Isaiah saw it or Hezekiah from his death bed, but somehow it was recorded as a sign that God would do what God would do. Noah saw a rainbow. What signs have you seen? What wonders have you beheld that are reminders that the Lord of Creation is with you? Notice today and praise God whenever you see one. Maybe watch for light overcoming shadows physically or figuratively!

   Then we get what is described as a writing from Hezekiah about his near-death experience. It is not quite a psalm or a song, so it is labeled as a writing about what happened. Maybe it was a journal entry. Do you journal or write down your reflections about things that happen in your life? I have off and on and more off than on. As you read Hezekiah’s reflection on his pending death and recovery, what might you write about today of some event in your life? It may have happened years ago but today is a good day to reflect back and then put it into words, perhaps as a way of putting your life in order!

   The chapter ends with what reads like and is noted as an addition to include the remedy Isaiah had used to heal the king and to note that the king had asked for the sign. As you write your story today, remember you will be able to go back and edit it later, Lord willing.

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. July 24 – Read Isaiah 39. As King Hezekiah heals he receives envoys with a letter and a get-well gift from the king of Babylon. How do you respond to others when they are ill or recovering? Do you send cards or texts? Do you send cards or candy? A similar thing happened back then. But then Hezekiah shows off his palace and treasury to the visitors. When Isaiah hears about it, he proclaims the word of God that they will return and carry everything away to Babylon. The text does not say it, but maybe implies that these envoys came not to bring a letter and a gift but to spy on Jerusalem. They probably checked out more than just the treasures. They would have also evaluated the fortifications and defenses only visible from inside the city and palace walls.

   With the insight of God, Isaiah was able to see the ulterior motives and the consequences of Hezekiah’s actions. This is a way of seeing and acting for the long term. Hezekiah seems only concerned with here and now or maybe a short-term future. This is evidenced by his comment back to Isaiah, and the final comment, at hearing what will happen to his sons. He thinks the word is good because it will not happen to him in his lifetime.

   When I was younger, I thought only of myself and my own future, but when I became a father, I began to think of my daughter’s futures and now as a grandfather, I wonder what sort of a world my grandsons will grow up in and how can I help them prepare for that. There is a native American notion that decisions are to be made by keeping the next seven generations in mind. What is the long-term impact of what you are doing today, not just for yourself but for those who are coming after you? Are there ways you might want to live differently for them?

   This is the final story of Hezekiah, and I do not believe it ends well as it ends with his self-centeredness. I will encourage you to live today and each day that your story ends well and you leave a good legacy for those who follow you. The story of the destruction of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon is not told here and by the time we turn the page to the next chapter, we will hear the Lord’s pronouncement about their returning from exile seventy years later.

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. July 25 – Read Isaiah 40. Finally, after seven weeks of reading about doom and gloom we hear familiar words of comfort and joy that are used to remind us of the birth of Christ during Advent. For the people of ancient Jerusalem these were words of comfort that the war was over, and they were returning home from their exile in Babylon. Think back over difficult times in your life, who or what brought you comfort? Did you feel God comforting you, maybe through God’s people? Think about who might need some comfort today. How might you bring God’s comfort to them?

   Isaiah writes and a voice cries out. The way of the Lord is prepared. Here it was the preparation for the trip home. This was not just packing a suitcase it was packing everything like a move from one house to another. Do you remember those big moves in your life? Packing, sorting, leaving things behind, it is a big move. It can feel like lifting valleys and moving mountains.

   In this occasion the glory of the Lord is revealed, and everyone sees it. My experience is that most people are clueless unless someone clues them in. Isaiah is the one here that alerts the people like John the Baptist will do by repeating these words to the people who go out to see him in the wilderness. We read of images of the eternal God as a good shepherd and the Creator of all. Human life is short-lived like flowers and grass that grow for a season, but God and God’s word are eternal. God is all knowing and all powerful. God is active unlike worthless idols that just sit there. Have you not known? Have you not heard? What have you learned from life and from this reading through of the Bible? What have you learned about yourself and about God?

   We may be weak and weary, but God is full of a most powerful love. God empowers the faint and powerless. By reading the scriptures and remembering our stories our power is recharged. The Lord renews our strength to go on. We shall mount up with eagles’ wings and fly. We shall run and not be weary. We shall walk and not faint. What is the love of God empowering you to do today?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. July 27 – Read Isaiah 41. In this chapter I see Isaiah leading the people to listen and reflect on what has happened to them as a judgement from God. The Babylonians from the east were under the Lord’s command to bring them to this point. God is eternal the first and the last. We will read that again in Revelation 22:13. Their world, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, trembles at the might of God expressed through the conquering army.

   But there is a transition in verse six where we learn a great lesson that each one helps the other. They offer encouragement even in the midst of fear and trembling. Think of the worst of times when you have been helped and encouraged and when you did that for others. This ancient story is our story as well.

   The family of Jacob who was renamed Israel are chosen and now gathering together back in Israel from all the places where they have been scattered. For the God becomes a helper and an encourager. When has God done that for you? How might God be doing that today? And not just for you, but those around you. And if God can use the Babylonian army to do God’s will, God could likewise use you in some way today!

   In verse fourteen we get a bit of “worm theology.” It reminds me of teaching that the first shall be last… We often think of ourselves as the apex predator on this planet, but here the description is of the lowliest of creatures at the bottom of the food chain. And then from that lowly position we have the second half of Jesus’ quote …and the last shall be first! There may be times when life (or God) knocks us down a peg or two to give us time to reflect and learn of our need of God as we are lifted back up on our feet. To me it reads that we with God’s help will be instruments to rebuild after the destruction. (Read about that in Ezra and Nehemiah.)

   The chapter ends with an admonition not to rely on idols or false prophets for wisdom or counsel. God alone and God’s prophets bring the good news. All others are deluded and nothing but empty wind. From whom and where do you seek wisdom and answers? Some are seeking it from social media or other unreliable sources. In the next chapter we will hear of God’s servant who is a reliable source.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. July 28 – Read Isaiah 42. In this chapter Isaiah begins to reveal the coming servant of the Lord. There will be much more said in the coming chapters but here it describes the one who will bring justice and light to the nations. Notice, this is not just for Israel and Judah, but for the world. Again, we read words about opening the eyes of the blind and setting prisoners free. The Lord declares that the old has passed away and new things are coming. There is a command to sing to the Lord a new song. I take this verse to heart as I write new hymns today.

   Isaiah calls to the people who have been suffering under the fear of war to rise up and give glory and praise to the Lord. For a long time, it says, the Lord has held back and restrained any reaction, but now the time has come for the Lord to act. For me there are similarities in the stories of the return from Babylon here and the return of the people from Egypt with Moses. A long time had passed since the glory days of Joseph being second in command to Pharoah and the Israelites being enslaved, before God acted by sending Moses to set them free. Are there things that you have been praying to God about that God has not yet answered? We can pray the same prayer over a particular problem or situation for years or even decades. Do not give up but keep praying and believing that God in God’s own timing will answer. It may not happen in your lifetime, so pray for future generations.

   There is a warning against those who put their faith in idols who have ears but do not hear their prayers. They have eyes but do not see what is really going on. Friends, know that God hears even the words that are not spoken. God hears our heart’s desires even when we cannot put them into words. And God sees things which we miss. God sees the wrongs we wish to hide and the dire needs all around us which we ignore. Ask God to open your eyes and ears to see and hear today.

    

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. July 29 – Read Isaiah 43. This is a chapter of affirmation and restoration for the nation of Israel and Judah. At the end of verse one we hear the affirmation that God calls the people by name, specifically Jacob and Israel, but maybe metaphorically God calls and knows each of us by name. God is on a first name basis. We hear it when God calls Moses at the burning bush and the boy prophet Samuel. Do you hear God calling you by name? And not only does God call us by name but claims us as family.

   God affirms to be with God’s people through the rivers and floods and the fires and flames of life. No matter what we are going through, God goes through it with us. The Israelites and we are called to not be afraid – to have faith in the One who is faithful. God promises to gather all of the scattered family together. This is more than a family reunion it is a family reuniting after the war and destruction to build their new life together. As all the people gather they are to witness and testify what they have seen and heard especially to those who are as yet spiritually deaf and blind. What witness or testimony can you give? To whom will you give it to this week?

   God will release the people from captivity in Babylon by releasing the bars that have confined and restrained them. What bars or barriers might God remove for you? When God does that what will you do about it? How will you live differently having been set free from that?

   Isaiah ends this chapter by pointing out that the people of Jacob and Israel have not worshiped God nor honored God with sacrifices and offerings. All they have brought before the Lord was the burden of their sins. And God reminds them that their sins go all the way back to their first ancestors in the garden down through the ages. Therefore, as this chapter ends, we read that God has judged the people and given Israel and Jacob up for destruction.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. July 30 – Read Isaiah 44. In this chapter Isaiah proclaims a blessing on the children of Israel that they will be blessed. They may still be experiencing captivity and slavery, but God foresees a day of blessing when rain will fall on the dry ground and like it, God’s spirit will be poured out on God’s people. (Sounds like Pentecost – a shorter version than the one we usually hear from the prophet Joel.) Reflect on the ups and downs in your life. Give thanks and praise for those times when God turned things around for the better. And if you are in a down time right now, know that God has a preferred future of blessings for you. But remember that many times things get worse before they get better. Here I note it will be better for their offspring in another generation or so.

   The Lord reminds the people that they are God’s witnesses. What have we witnessed? To what might we testify? The witness here is that there are no other gods other than God. The middle part of the chapter is all about pointing out how worthless idols are. They do nothing. The point is made with a chunk of wood. Part of it is used in a fire to warm a person or to cook his or her food, and the other part is used to make an idol. The first piece of wood has a purpose and a value. The second piece is useless. It offers no heat, nor fuel for cooking. It just sits there. Let verse twenty resonate with you for a while. What is it saying to you about the minds and limited understanding of the idol worshipers who cannot see or understand what they are doing? What might be your own idols that you worship and desire that are so much a part of who you are that you cannot even see them for what they are?

   Then the chapter ends with an affirmation that God has wiped away the sins and transgressions of the people of Israel and Judah. God has redeemed them and will bring them home to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. There may have been some thinking and saying it cannot be done or it will never happen. There were soothsayers, diviners, and wise sages of disbelief. The Lord will make their knowledge foolish. What do you God say to the naysayers today? What do you say to them? I sometimes say, “Watch and learn” or “Wait and see!” What are you learning and seeing as you read the prophesies of Isaiah?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. July 31 – Read Isaiah 45. Though he was briefly mentioned at the end of the last chapter, here we hear of Cyrus the Great of Persia who defeated the Babylonians and set the exiles free to return to Jerusalem. Parts of this story are told in the book of Ezra from his point of view as a chronicler or historian rather than a prophet. (We will look at that book after we finish Isaiah.)

   Here Isaiah reveals that Cyrus is anointed by God for the purpose of defeating the Babylonians to set the Israelites free. This reminds me of the old adage that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But it may speak deeper to reveal how God sometimes helps us through other people. Sometimes those might be family members or friends but other times it might be complete strangers. They might have been strangers to us but as with Cyrus, God knew him and called him by name. Strangers aren’t strangers to God who knows all! Reflect on all the people God has put in the right place at the right time to help you. Thank God!

   There is an admonition starting in verse nine to show how God is the creator who is like the potter who makes the pot. The pot does not tell the potter what to do, the potter makes the pot do what the potter wants it to do. Here, Isaiah is proclaiming, that God can use foreign leaders to do what God wants done. Just as the Babylonians were used to punish the Israelites, Cyrus is used to set them free from their captivity. What do you see God doing in the world today? Thus, Israel is saved by God and not by Cyrus.

   The chapter ends with a further explanation of the futility of worshipping idols. Isaiah reminds his readers that there is no God besides God. And just as the Persian rule is now spreading throughout the known world all the way to Egypt and Ethiopia, the word of God is spreading. In verse twenty-three we read that every knee shall bow down to God and every tongue confess. This prophesy has not yet been fulfilled as though there are many around the world who believe in God, there are still many more who do not. Our job of spreading the Good News is far from done. With whom might you share it today?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. August 1 – Read Isaiah 46. This chapter is a continuation of the argument against the idols being of any use in defeating the Assyrians (Persians). Here we hear how their idols are not a help but an actual burden for the beasts that have to carry them on carts. This may refer to them being carted around during religious festivals or maybe to rally the troops for battle. The ancient Israelites used to do that with the arc of the covenant. As Isaiah tells it this is a contrast to how God has borne the people. The Lord is not a burden but bears the burdens of God’s people. The Lord carries us like a mother carries a baby in a womb and how people have to carry elderly people who can no longer get along by themselves. This reminds me of the line in the story “Footprints in the Sand” and how Jesus carried the person during the difficult parts of life’s journey. When have you felt that God has carried you? Probably the low points come to mind, but also remember the high points like someone lifting you up on their shoulders during a celebration.

   In verse ten this chapter reminds me that we live most of our lives in the in between times. There was a prophecy and then a time between waiting for it to come to pass. The Lord had told Isaiah that Jerusalem would fall and much of the first part of this book is waiting for it to happen. Here Babylon is foretold that it will fall and the exiles will return home but they seem to still be waiting for it to happen. News travels fast but the ramifications take time. I think of elections that happen and the time it takes to count votes and declare a winner may take a little time, but then it may be months before the person takes office and maybe even longer for the promises made in the campaign to finally happen. Here while the people are waiting Isaiah is doing some explaining.

   While we wait let me ask you to reflect on your life, looking back or looking ahead. We are here today in between the past and the future. When you look in either direction notice there are certain days or times that are significant. Birthdays, weddings, new jobs, vacations, special events, etc. that we have waited for and celebrated, remembered and treasured, or they are enthusiastically anticipated. Notice that there are relatively just a handful of those times and all the rest of time is in between the last one and the next one. Even those who live for the weekends have to work five days to get two off. We spend more time in between.

   I find Isaiah here reminding the people of the promise and helping them prepare for it. We might spend our in between time praising God for all the times before and the good times to come. And be sure to thank God for always being with us and seeing us through the good times, the bad times, and all the times in between. In whatever time you are in today, may God be with you in it!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. August 3 – Read Isaiah 47. Here ends the prophecy of the fall of Babylon with a description of its humiliation by describing the nation as a virgin princess in the palace being stripped of her throne and robe now sitting on the dust of the ground and forced into forced labor like a peasant. We might say old adages like: “What goes up must come down” or “The bigger they are the harder they fall,” when things like this happen. Over the millennia it has happened over and over. Does it give us insight as to what is happening today? The caution I read here is how do we treat those who may be below us today, for we might fall to be among them tomorrow. Babylon treated their prisoners like the Israelites wickedly and now they were suffering the same treatment from the Assyrians who defeated them. Reflect on the words of Jesus about, “doing unto others.” Do things that way, instead of the ruthless way of the Babylonians.

   What I find most interesting is the description of the star gazers in verse thirteen. Rather than listening to the prophet they were interpreting the stars much like horoscopes today. But even more intriguing is the notion that this might give a revelation into the familiar story we read in Matthew’s gospel of the star gazers from the east coming bearing gifts for a newborn king. I wonder if Matthew was trying to connect the dots to the exile? It gets interesting when we think that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were exiled to Egypt to escape Herod’s killing of the baby boys. In the ups and downs of your life what all have you learned? Where have you seen connections between your life and the larger picture of life? Where does this story resonate with your story?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. August 4 – Read Isaiah 48. The prophet cries out to the people to remind them that God is the Creator. God is the one they are to call on not worthless idols. God has been speaking from the very beginning to the ancestors and even calling creation into being. And God is calling out now to set them free to return home to Jerusalem. When and how do you hear God call? Do you hear God in the scriptures, or the hymns, in the prayers or in your ears? Have you heard God calling you, warning you, guiding you, or loving you? Listen for what God is saying to you today.

   Similar things had been spoken to the ancient Israelites and down through the centuries. Here I believe the prophet is trying to tell the people that God has been with them and speaking to them in the good times and the bad. And here God is revealing new things. In the past their ears had not been open and they had not heard, but now they are to draw near and hear. It is not King Cyrus that sets them free it is God though the king that does it. It was not the Babylonians who had defeated them but God through the Babylonians. They had thus been punished for their disobedience. And now they are being released not for their own sake, but for God’s sake, that God’s name be praised. They are to go out and go out proclaiming that the Lord has redeemed them. And as they pass through the desert, the Lord makes water flow from the rock. It reminds us of the story of Moses doing the same at God’s instruction in the wilderness stories. This is a specific act of God that the people remembered and praised God. Today remember your own story and the times and places that God has been there for you. Remember and give thanks.

   The chapter ends with a line that does not seem to fit about there being no peace for the wicked. I do not know who the wicked are that are being referred to here. Perhaps it is speaking about those who do not acknowledge that God redeemed them. Maybe the ones who are resenting God punishing them with captivity in the first place. It is a call to us to reflect on our own location today on the peace-wickedness scale. Are you more filled with peace or anger? This final word is spoken in the negative but my final word on it today is positive in turning it around and stating that there is no wickedness for the peaceful. Be at peace and share the peace of Christ with people today.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. August 5 – Read Isaiah 49. Here we have the second of four Servant Songs in Isaiah. These will later become associated with the Messiah and then to Jesus. Only here in verse three the servant is identified as Israel, but is that the nation or the patriarch who wrestled with God? The prophet may have been referring to himself as a prophet speaking and guiding the Israelites. I like the idea of servant and Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and told them to serve. We as followers are called to be servants and sometimes, we use the term servant leaders. We are to serve God and all whom God calls us to serve. Watch today for opportunities and listen for God to call you into service.

   In verse six it begins with the prophet’s role as a servant to the Israelites to lift up and restore the people. But it continues with profound words we will hear Jesus declare about a mission to be light to the nations. This pronouncement is not just to save the exiles but to save the world. Our work is cut out for us. Are you cut out for this? How might you let your light shine today? Serve God well.

   The chapter continues by preparing the exiles for their journey home. This was a similar journey to their ancestral journey as Abraham and Sarah traveled from ancient Ur to the promised land. It also would have resonated with the people stories of other ancestors following Moses out of Egypt. Take time to reflect on the journey of your life and of your ancestors who brought you to where you are today. If you are sensing an upcoming transition in your life how does this help you prepare for your next journey?

   There is wisdom in verse seventeen. The original context might have been the tearing down and building up the walls and city of Jerusalem. I think it applies to life. There are people who might try to put you down, but there are also people who build you up! The affirmation is that there are more for us than against us – especially when God is for us, who can be against us (as Paul would write to the Romans). Thank God today for all the builders in your life and be the same for those in need of a little support today.

   The prophet foresees a problem as the exiles return not just from Babylon but from all the other nations where ancestors fled before the war with the Assyrians. The land will be crowded and expanded. We saw it in the US as more pilgrims came from Europe and the settlers moved further and further west. We see it today in Israel as the Palestinians have been forced onto smaller and smaller portions of land as Israeli settlers expand their territory.

   The chapter ends with a vision of prosperity and the former exiles and slaves shall again be lifted from being defeated to being prosperous, from being subservient to being dominant again. And because of this the world will take notice and all flesh will know that their redeemer is the Lord. I wonder, can people who look at us today see God who created us and called us into service? If all they notice is you, how might you get out of the way to reveal the God who is behind you building you up not for your glory, but for God’s?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. August 6 – Read Isaiah 50. The beginning of this chapter seems to me to be a response to what the Israelites might be complaining about the Lord not being fair or blaming God for their troubles. There are people who put the blame on others rather than take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences. Here the Lord questions the people as to why this is God’s fault. What wrong did God do? None, and then goes on to explain it is because of the sins of the people of God that they suffer and their mother – their motherland was cut off from them as they were taken into captivity as exiles. Do you tend to blame others or even blame God sometimes? Are you able to honestly recognize your sins, confess, and repent?

   There is another section to further describe the suffering servant as being one with the ability to say what needs to be said. Here, it is a word of encouragement to the weary. As a flower of Jesus, I hope that my words have been encouraging and helpful to people. The servant is attentive and listens to God. May we be the same. What have you heard lately? Do you hear it in your inner ear or hear it in the reading of scripture or devotionals? A description of some of the suffering is in verse six. What suffering have you endured? How has the Lord helped you go and grow through it?

   With the description of going to court we can see a reference to Jesus before Pilate with the chief priests as the adversaries. As you read these descriptions in Isaiah you can understand how the apostles and early Christians were trying to understand Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross and why Isaiah became a major influence in early Christian theology.

   In the last two verses I see a contrast between those who see and obey the Lord and servant, and those who walk in darkness without God’s light. They try to walk by their own light and get burned. In the beginning creation started with, “Let there be light.” Today let that light shine in you and through you. May your words, your light, your service be a help to others in the name of your Helper.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. August 7 – Read Isaiah 51. This chapter begins with a look back. It’s a look back at their roots, their family tree, back to Abraham and Sara. It does not use the tree metaphor we use today but the image of being hewn from the same rock much like Adam being formed from the earth. Today before we go forward into the day and into this chapter pause and take a look back at where you have come from. That linage is partly your biological family but also a collective family of a culture and a people, of a faith and a tradition. Like leaves on a tee drawing sap from the branches, trunk and roots of the tree, draw on the strength and power of those who pushed through their lives to bring you to the edge of the past where you are to bear fruit.

   In the midst of the difficulties and pains of slavery and exile, the prophet is reminding people of who they are as a people. They are God’s people, and they may be knocked down, but God will soon build them back up. After looking at the past including the recent past of suffering the prophet begins to unveil the near future and the salvation God is bringing. This salvation is forever, and so for me this is not just announcing the time has come for them to go back to Jerusalem, but to go on forever into eternal life.

   As the oracle continues it reaches back to the beginning and creation including a myth of God overcoming the chaos in creation by defeating the sea monster, sometimes called Leviathan but here called Rahab. The ancient story of Moses and the people fleeing from Egypt a way through the depths of the sea is recalled as well. The Lord who has done all of this down through history is with the exiles and will soon being them home. And the Lord is with us in the midst of our struggles today. Draw on those stories of the past and go and create your own story with the Lord who created you and gifted you for just such a story.

   The prophet called the people to rise up from their desolation and stagnation as a defeated nation and prepare to move forward. What is the prophet calling you to do and be today? Rise up!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. August 8 – Read Isaiah 52. I read this chapter like a pep talk that the prophet is giving the people before they leave their captivity and head for home. Some of us might need one of those today in whatever circumstances we are in. Most of us might be living in the “not yet” for there is something we want to do or have happen but it has not happened yet. Hear these words as a call from the “yet” encouraging you to awake or rise up and prepare to move forward. God is with you today. Follow God and see where God leads you. You cannot get there by sitting around here! The example of God bringing the people out of Egypt is used as a powerful witness or example of what God has done and what God can do. What do you think God can do with us and through us today? Will you help God in God’s mission?

   Things will turn around from people blaspheming God or maybe declaring that God is of no help, to those who praise and proclaim God’s name. I just preached a sermon on the beautiful feet mentioned here and pointed out that it is not the way we think of beauty. There is no pedigree podiatry here. The description on beautiful feet bringing the good news are the feet that are blistered and battered from hiking mile upon mile to bring that good news. It is like the beautiful, calloused hands that have done the hard work to provide for a family. These captives in Babylonia will have beautiful feet after they journey by foot back home. They will share the good news and have the blisters to show it. And this section ends with a reminder like in the wilderness, God will go before them and also be their rear guard as God had done before when the Egyptian chariots had pursued them in the exodus.

   The chapter ends with another reference to the suffering servant. As a follower of Jesus what descriptions that you read here apply to him and what happened to him during his crucifixion and resurrection? I see the good news being spread to the other nations in the last verse. It will not just be the returning exiles that will be blessed with the good news, but the whole world who hears about it. Who might you tell about it today? Let your beautiful feet take you somewhere today to do just that!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. August 10 – Read Isaiah 53. The oracle about the suffering servant continues and we hear words that were picked up by New Testament writers. In verse three we read that he was despised and rejected. It goes on to say that he has born our infirmities and was wounded for our transgression and by his bruises we are healed. I have sung the chorus from Handel’s Messiah about how, “All we like sheep have gone astray!” He is described as a sacrificial lamb – a lamb that is led to slaughter. You can see how the prophecy of this prophet was seen by the followers of Jesus to describe him especially his death and that through that death we were healed.

   There is much more to Jesus than his death on the cross, though that seems to be the focus of many Christians. In that portion of Jesus’ story, I focus on the resurrection and new life that Christ offers. In the whole story some focus on the miracles, but I focus on the teachings and this year my daily devotions that I share with the congregation is not about WWJD - What Would Jesus Do, but about WDJS - What Did Jesus Say. What about Jesus do you focus on and why?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. August 11 – Read Isaiah 54. Here the prophet offers hope for the future of the oppressed and desolate people. They have lived through the desperate times and are embarking on a time of restoration and new growth. This section of Isaiah reads to me like the end of the book of Revelation that ends the desperate times and reveals the glorious end times. Take some time to reflect on where you are now. If you are in difficult or desperate times, here these as words of hope for a better future. If you are experiencing what later you will recall the “good old days” enjoy them while they last and be ready for the day when things will change. Do you know someone who might need to hear these encouraging words of the prophet during a difficult season in their life? Find a way to share it with them.

   For some of us who are in the latter years of downsizing these were are about upsizing. That happens in life as some of us are born into families with maybe a starter home ideal for two people but a baby or two may cause the need to look for a bigger house. We might go to college and start off with half a room and then move up to a single room in a shared apartment until we graduate and can afford a place of our own and up and up we grow. Where are you in the journey of life and which way are you going and growing? How might you help those around you who are in transition in either direction?

   The prophet speaks theologically and what is happening in the relationship between God and God’s people. He puts it into practical terms as in the relationship between a husband and a wife. When the Israelites felt abandoned by God when they were defeated by the Babylonians and carted off into captivity they felt that God had deserted them like when a husband would separate from or divorce from his wife. They were abandoned and without hope for a better future. There is a promise made like the one made to Noah and here it is to not ever abandon the people ever again, but to always be with them. I like the theology of the end and that God is always with us, I do not like the theology that God abandoned the people or that God caused bad things to happen to the people when God was angry with the people. I know that theology is out there as a way of keeping people in line as God will punish sinners, and if not in this life in the life to come. So, you better watch out! I prefer a theology that says you are loved and forgiven to go an love and forgive others.

   As this illustration continues there is not just any old house in the future but the people will be moving into a jewel encrusted city. It reminds me of the emerald city of Oz, or the new Jerusalem in Revelation. Notice in verse sixteen we are no longer at a place of beating our swords into plowshares as in the beginning of this book, but at a place of producing weapons for fighting once again. More times than not we are at war or preparing for war rather than at peace or working for peace. Today, pray for peace and for minds and hearts to be turned towards it.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. August 12 – Read Isaiah 55. The prophet invites the poor captives to come, eat and drink freely. There are a couple good questions for all of us on how we spend our money. What are the bare necessities? If we needed to pinch our pennies or stretch our dollars, what is the least we need to live? Then it asks about everything else. What do we spend our money on that really do nothing to satisfy us? In essence it is wasted on nothing of intrinsic value to us. Let me encourage you to have a serious conversation with god about your finances and what you should do with what you have left after your basic expenses. What would truly satisfy your soul?

   The Lord offers to the exiles an everlasting covenant like the one with King David. People came to Jerusalem to see the king and the glory of his palace and fortified city. Likewise, the Lord says that people will come once again to see the glory that God bestows upon them. This is quite different than their last view of the city as they left Jerusalem destroyed by war when they went into exile. What might you do today to show that the glory of God surrounds you and lifts you up?

   I disagree with the theology of verse six. I understand it as some people seem to think that God is far away from them at their worst times or that maybe even that God has abandoned them. But I believe God is always as close as the softest whisper and can always be found by those who are seekers. What has been your experience and what do you believe?

   Likewise verse eight can be misunderstood to mean that God and we are on different plains as God’s thoughts and ways are much higher than ours. I see it more likely to mean something similar to what we say in the Lord’s prayer about God’s will being done. There often is a clash between our will and God’s will or God’s way and our way. The prophets spoke the word of God so that the people could get on the same page. Do you hear anything here to change your ways? Here the prophet says God’s word is shared to accomplish God’s purpose. What is God saying to you, and what are you going to do about it?

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. August 13 – Read Isaiah 56. At the end of the reading of scripture during worship the reader exclaims, “The word of God for the people of God.” Then the congregation replies, “Thanks be to God.” This chapter begins with a similar proclamation, “Thus says the Lord.” It is a call to the people to listen up. Today, I call you to listen up when you read scriptures, pray, or hear one of God’s children speak. Listen for what God is trying to say to you.

   Here it is simply to maintain justice and do what is right. Put that on your to do list for today. There is a context given behind this instruction. They were to do this because the Lord’s salvation and deliverance were at hand. They were to get things in order in order to prepare to go home. What is it you need to do and why? Allow your why to guide your what.

   Three times here it is stated to keep the Sabbath. Why? It might be helpful to hear God’s word in the version we do not remember as well. The Ten Commandments are in the Bible twice. We normally hear the version in Exodus chapter twenty but today read it in Deuteronomy chapter five. Each is similar but notice there are different reasons for resting on the Sabbath and the second explanation fits better here. The people were to rest on the Sabbath – to remind them they were slaves and never got a day off and this was a weekly reminder that they were set free. They were to remember that and take time that day to worship the Lord who set them free. Here the Lord says how important this is by repeating it three times to help prepare the people how to live once they are free to live their own lives. How do you thank and honor God for the life and freedom that you have been given?

   This oracle from the Lord is not just to the Israelites but notice that others – foreigners – are welcomed to the Sabbath and worship of the Lord. And here we hear words repeated by Jesus when he turns over the tables in the Temple, “my house shall be called a house of prayer.” While this oracle was being proclaimed the Temple was lying in ruin from when the Babylonians had destroyed it. These people would not be returning to a house of prayer until they rebuilt it. I believe the prophet was preparing them for the work to do to get ready to go home and what needed to be done when they got home. What do you hear the Lord calling you to do to rebuild and restore relationships with foreigners, with one another, and with the Lord?

   The prophecy does not end there, as there is a condemnation of those rulers who were corrupt and turned to their own way instead of following the Lord’s ways. They take care of themselves not the flock they are to be taking care of. The word for us and for all leaders is – take care!

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. August 14 – Read Isaiah 57. This oracle shares a stark contrast. The righteous and devout perish and are taken away as exiles due to the sin and evil done by the people. The prophet gives an explanation to the plight they have endured. But then it is contrasted to what will happen as the upright will enter into peace as they are set free and return home to rest on their couches. Peace is the word for today as it will be pronounced at the end of the chapter as well.

   The major portion of the chapter addresses those who were involved in idol worship. Molech is mentioned but there were many others as well. The Lord is displeased with those who try to have it both ways and hedge their bets by worshiping idols and the Lord. God will not be so mocked. In the end it seems like they had forgotten the Lord altogether. In our culture today there are not so many gods and idols as in ancient days, but I would content there are things that people idolize and sacrifice their lives and livelihoods pursuing. And by focusing so much time and effort on these things the Lord has taken a back seat or even been forgotten altogether. Reflect on what things preoccupy your time and effort. Have they become of supreme importance in your life to the point of pushing God aside? Today might be a good day of prioritizing what is truly important and what is idolatrous.

   For the prophet those who focus on God will be blessed. They will be built up and follow God’s way back home. The humble and contrite will be lifted up and revived. They will be healed and find peace. For all our idolatries may we repent today and turn back to God. May our divine relationship be healed and we find peace with God and within our souls. Today rest and meditate on God’s presence with you and be at peace.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. August 15 – Read Isaiah 58. The prophet pronounces judgement on the worship practices of the Israelites. The description indicates they worship God to get God on their side. They worship God for what they can get out of God. It raises a good question for us – what are our motives or ulterior motives for worshiping God? Then there is a question about fasting and it’s purpose being distorted. Do you ever fast? Why? What for? I have fasted to feel what it is like to be truly hungry. I have saved money by not eating food and donated that money to help feeding ministries that help those who are hungry. Verses six and seven speak volumes about why and how we might fast today. It sounds like something Jesus would say!

   Next the prophet speaks of light shining in the darkness. These actions of love and mercy will be seen by God. And the Lord will respond likewise. If we act in loving ways it will change our days. Let your light shine and see how that affects people around you and how you are blessed as they reflect their light back upon you. The metaphor of water is used to describe for these people in a desert region that they will be like an oasis or a watered garden. They will be like a never-failing spring. Jesus talked to the woman at the well about living water. Where is your water level today? Are you half-full or half-empty? Are you running dry or a never-failing spring of living water? Pray that God will overflow your cup that you will be able to share it with others who are dry and in need.

   Once again, the prophet speaks God’s word about the Sabbath. We are to refrain from mishandling the gift of the Sabbath rest. We are to delight in it and use it as a day to reconnect with God and God’s ways and God will bless us in it and through it. How might you truly celebrate your day of rest this week? Take time to spend it with God.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. August 17 – Read Isaiah 59. Here the prophet points out that the reason the God has seemingly not heard or responded to the prayers for salvation from bondage in Babylon is not due to any lack or inability on God’s part. It is the iniquities of the prayers that have prevented their being set free and sent home. They seem to be hatching evil like snake eggs and weaving tales like spider’s web. Their works and deeds are evil and violent and for this reason God has not yet responded as they have desired. There is no peace and no justice and therefore God has not responded. What is your experience and understanding of prayer? I affirm what the prophet says here that God is always listening. But I believe that when God does not respond as we might wish or pray is due to God’s timing is different than ours and often God’s will is different than ours. I prefer to pray God’s will be done and for God to show me God’s way. Prayers for patience are always answered! Keep praying. Then wait, watch, and see how God responds.

   Knowing that we are all sinners, honest prayers of confession are heard. Prayers asking for help in changing our ways and having strength to resist temptation are heard. What is it you need to pray today? Pray, and pray without ceasing!

   In the end here God brings righteousness and salvation. This understanding from the prophet will help the people as they head back to Zion to worship God and stive for justice for the people and righteousness with God. The covenant with God’s people will be in the mouth of the prophet and will not depart. That does not mean it will not be spoken for it will, but the word of God will remain with the prophet and the prophet’s descendants. This may be spiritual descendants rather than biological. We hear in the story from the prophet Joel quoted in the Pentecost story that God’s spirit is now upon more than just a few prophets. The word of God is in our mouths. What does God want you to do and say today? I pray that God will guide you to do it.

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. August 18 – Read Isaiah 60. The first verse becomes a powerful chorus in Handel’s Messiah. Arise, shine, for your light has come. We sing that for the light of Christ coming into the world at Christmas. But here it is originally the light of God shining on them to dispel the darkness of captivity and slavery in Babylon and to lead them home to the glory of Zion. And others who had scattered before the war would be returning refugees as well.

   When the glory is returned then the nations of the world will once again come to Jerusalem like the good old days of kings David and Solomon. The prophet is proclaiming to the people to rise to the occasion of the good new days! Where are the good days for you? Reflect back to all the good times in your past. Reflect on what is good today, and then think about how you might rise up to prepare for the days to come.

   The prophets speak of the foreigners who will build up the walls of Jerusalem. You can read more about that in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. And once it it rebuilt and the glory of the Lord is re-established there, kings and nations will come bringing gifts of wealth. Lebanon will bring building materials from their forests to rebuild the temple. The descendants of even the Babylonians who had oppressed them will come and bow down. Jerusalem will be known as the City of the Lord the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. People will know that the Lord is their Savior and Redeemer. We will claim those descriptive terms to Jesus, but for ancient Israel it was God and God will once again be found in the Temple in Jerusalem. The people will call the walls Salvation as they save and protect them from any enemies. The gates will be called Praise as people come through them to praise God. We too have walls for protection and doors to let people in. Let people in to share the love and praise of God.

   The chapter ends with the light of God’s glory shining on them. Where do you see God’s light shining today? Glorify God when and wherever you see it. And point it out to those who might have missed it and listen for others to share with you where all they see it today.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Wed. August 19 – Read Isaiah 61. The beginning of this chapter should be familiar as it is the word Jesus read at his first sermon in Luke 4:16-19. Here it is the prophet who is anointed to share good news with the exiles in Babylon. In the midst of all the bad news we hear today what if we were to realize that as believers in God we too are prophets with prophetic good news to share to overcome the evil in the world today. As we heard yesterday, “Arise, shine!”

   The people who had been overwhelmed, defeated, and exiled are now to stand tall and firm as oaks of righteousness. Arise and stand tall today. There is a call to repair the ancient ruins of Jerusalem. I have seen old video clips of the rubble left after the bombings of cities after WWII. I have also traveled through some of them and seen the restoration. There still are some buildings left in ruins as a reminder. What restorations have you seen? What do you see today that still needs to be restored? What is God calling us to do about that?

   In verse eight we read that the Lord loves justice and hates wrongdoing. What do you believe the Lord loves and hates in the world today? What about in your world? What might we do today to do more of the former and less of the latter? Strive to do all the good you can.

   We are called to be righteous and to greatly rejoice in the Lord like the prophet. We are like God’s garden yielding a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit. How will you grow today?

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Thurs. August 20 – Read Isaiah 62. Here we begin with a note that God will not keep silent. That begs the question, had the people felt that god had been silent during their time in exile? It reminds me of most of the book of Job where God falls silent after the first couple chapters and does not speak to Job through much of his time of suffering and suffering the advice and supposed wisdom of his friends. How about you? When have you sought a word from God only to hear silence? What are you hearing these days?

   Here the people were hearing that God has heard their prayers and will be answering astonishingly in the coming days. The people will be given a new name. They probably had a name after being defeated by the Babylonians – Losers, Slaves, Forsaken, Desolate, etc. Unlike the names given by their enemies, these new names will be given by God. What names have you been called? What name does God call you?

   God calls them My Delight, and their land Married as in God and the people and land are united together. This wedding imagery reminds me of the bride and groom of the church and Christ in Revelation. This passage sees the people and God being tied together. And God makes a promise not to let enemies overrun their land and exile them again.

   More new names are given: The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord, Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken. Listen for a new name God bestows on you and begin to live into that name. Become who God sees you. Claim the Name.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Fri. August 21 – Read Isaiah 63. It is hard to say what is going on in this chapter. After three chapters of celebration of their freedom and heading home to rebuild Jerusalem, and before the final two chapters declaring a new heaven and earth, here we have a couple chapters of lamentation. Here it starts out with an image we sometimes sing about trampling out the vintage of the grapes of wrath. God’s robes are stained crimson from blood much like those stomping in the winepress would be stained in purple. God’s vengeance on Edom might be a broader judgement and punishment of all the Israelite enemies. This is not my view of God but it was the ancient view of the all-powerful God who was to be feared. This was a God who fought wars and defeated enemies, flooded the earth, brought destruction and plagues on people. I have a very different view of God from Jesus, the gospels, the epistles, and down through centuries of theological illumination. How about you? Is God to be feared or loved?

   The prophet then reminds the people of Moses and their journey to the promised land in the ancient past. The God who led them home back then is doing it for the exiles once again. Though it is not capitalized in my version, the holy spirit is mentioned a couple times. The spirit walked with them and also gave them rest along the way. How do you see the Spirit guiding you? Can you see it in your big picture and overview as well as in the moment by moment of each step of the way?

   There is a prayer of penitence at the end of the chapter asking why the Lord allows us to stray and to harden our hearts. These are good theological questions to ponder, and also to call us to repent whenever we see that we have done that. It closes with a reflection that we have been acting like God is not our ruler, but we are making our own rules. It is not about following God along God’s way but doing our own thing. Can you identify with this at some times in your life? Today is a good day to check your GPS – God’s Positioning System.

  

A CHAPTER A DAY Sat. August 22 – Read Isaiah 64. The cry goes out to the Lord to do something to save God’s people. There is a call for God to do something awesome like God had done in the ancient past, seemingly in the stories of Moses and the Israelites as they left Egypt for the promised land. Sometimes we think of awesome and something huge and earthshaking. But today look for the “awe” in the “ah-hah” that reveals to you an awareness of the presence of God. Jesus talked about the beauty of the lilies of the field and of God’s caring for the birds. Look around you at creation and see the Creator behind it all. Take a good look at yourself and your circumstances, see the God who has created you and gifted you to do something awesome today.

   I like the phraseology of “no eye has seen and no ear has heard” in reference to God who is unlike any other. I propose that you may have a unique experience of God today, something that no one else notices. Be alert and be aware. Watch and listen. I believe these were the traits of all good prophets.

   Perhaps this chapter is preparing the people for what they will see and hear when they return to Jerusalem. It is not a returning to the past glory or the future restoration. It is a return to ruin and the unfinished work yet to be done to repair the walls and rebuild the Temple. They anticipate being re-devastated upon their return. In the end they cry out to God to say something. They feel they have been punished by God for their past sins. Will God continue to punish them or leave them to wallow in their grief silently? This is a tough way to end a chapter.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Mon. August 24 – Read Isaiah 65. Here in this chapter for one last time the prophet spells out the Lord’s judgement on the Israelites before the exile. The condemnation notes that the people did not seek the Lord but sought to worship idols and doing their own will instead of doing God’s will. This is a good reflection in which to see ourselves and our own practices. When have we failed to seek God or God’s will for our lives? When have we just done our own thing? Confess, repent and change your ways.

   Even in the midst of the judgement upon some, there is a blessing upon some others who have remained faithful. These descendants of Jacob, who have survived the destruction and the exile, shall thrive in the resurrection of the new heavens and the new earth. They will have a “do over” – a new chance at living the faithful and abundant life that the Lord prepares for them. Have there been times for you, or perhaps you see this as a time when you experience positive life-changing situations? Thank God for all of those times God has guided you out of the bad times and into the good times.

   Here the Lord is about to create joy and delight in Jerusalem and in God’s people. The Lord is offering longevity and elimination of infant mortality. God’s people shall live the good life and a long life. It will not be for a season of planting but of years later when the trees bear their harvest. It will not be a short time for building the house but for living a long time in that house. It will not just be for their lifetime but for generations to come. The message seems clear to do what needs to be done not just for the short term but for the long haul. What are you doing these days that will outlive you? I believe people might read this commentary long after I am gone or sing some of the hymns I write in the church of the future. What legacy are you building today to leave for future generations?

   This chapter ends with a glimpse back at an earlier prophecy from Isaiah 11 about the peaceful realm of God where the wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. I continually pray for that peaceful day. In the midst of wars and the fallout from the world’s conflicts we seem to be drifting further and further from the peace of God. Pray for peace and as you are able be one of the blessed peacemakers that Jesus talked about in the Beatitudes, for we shall be and be called children of God. Peace be with you.

 

A CHAPTER A DAY Tues. August 25 – Read Isaiah 66. This book ends will a final prophecy concerning the return and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, particularly the rebuilding of the Temple and the resumption of worshiping God there. The Lord asks what kind of a house can the people build? But the question and answer seem to be more about what kind of people might build a house of worship. It will be built by people who are humble and contrite. These are contrasted to the powerful who kill animals as sacrifices like those who worship idols. God will punish all those who do not worship with a humble and contrite spirit. According to the prophet, to properly worship God we should acknowledge the Lord’s greatness described here as the one with a throne in heaven and the earth as a footstool, and we should humbly acknowledge our lowly estate as mere creatures created by the Creator. We are to hear the word of the Lord and to tremble at its hearing. This may fit for those who fear the Lord, but not so much for those who love the Lord. Have you ever trembled in either reading or hearing the word of the Lord?

   There is a roar from the city, from the ruined temple as the Lord rebukes the people who were not properly worshiping God. This reminds me of the story of Jesus turning over the tables and chasing away the people buying and selling animals and proper coinage for the temple offerings. Reading verses seven and eight I am surprised that no New Testament writer quoted these with regards to the miraculous birth of Jesus or to his death or resurrection bringing about a deliverance of the world in a single day. The prophet sees something miraculous in the day that Jerusalem is reborn as the capital city without a prolonged siege or battle. And whereas it took king David seven years to establish Jerusalem as his capital city, here it is presumably done in one day by the decree of king Cyrus (see Ezra 1:1-3) As you reflect on the various changes in your life, were there some that took years to accomplish and maybe others that seemingly changed overnight?

   As Jerusalem is restored both the exiles and other refugees from other nations will return and wealth and prosperity will flow into the city from other nations as well. Here we see a feminine representation of the Lord who comforts the people like a mother who comforts her child. How are you feeling and experiencing God’s comfort? As God comforts the afflicted, God also afflicts the comfortable! God’s indignation is against those opposed to God – foreign or domestic. Flames of fire are mentioned which may reach back to the end of the story of Noah when God promises not to destroy the earth by flood but warns about destroying it with fire the next time.

   Then the chapter and the book end with two visions. On the one hand is the restoration and the new heavens and the new earth where all flesh will come and worship the Lord. But in the last verse, after worship is over, they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of those who had rebelled against God. To me this seems to be an odd way to end the book.