Isaiah 30:12-33:12
I know your head is probably swimming in all of this reading in Isaiah and in Galatians. If so, I would suggest not reading with any other expectation than what the Spirit just surprises you with. Today we'll read, "in quietness and trust is your strength." Let the Lord speak, and just read. After you've read these books year after year, you'll be surprised at what the Spirit keeps showing you. So, don't worry about getting everything now.
Regarding Isaiah, what general impressions are you getting? God seems to be saying a lot about the city of Zion and the Messiah, about the coming armies, the coming judgments, the coming salvations, and the final salvation and redemption of His people. God takes the near events that will show judgment and salvation, and projects them to the end of the age to a final judgment and final salvation. The faith of God's people is shown in those who wait and trust and hope in Him, as opposed to those who go running for all sorts of other help.
Isaiah 30:12-33
Vs. 12-14 These people that spoke to God as they did in verses 10-11 will be punished. Jesus said men would be judged by every careless word they utter. For those who don't know the Lord, the record button is down. For those of us who know Christ and keep asking for forgiveness for our mouths, He hits "erase."
V. 15 This verse stands alone between God's judgments, as an encouragement to those who wait on Him. And what a great verse it is. God is the holy one of Israel.
Vs. 16-17 This will be the fate of those who seek help other than the Lord.
Vs. 18-33 This all has to do with the restoration of the people and God's fighting for Jerusalem and His people. Remember that the immediate threat and deliverance has to do with Assyria, but you can see that God often gave Isaiah words that can only be understood in terms of the future tribulation and their final deliverance and elevation in the world as the people and city of God.
V. 19 Notice again, that Zion is in the focus of this promise.
V. 21 If this is the tribulation, God will be very quick at this time to respond to His people.
V. 22 As a result of the amazing deliverance of God, people will trash all those things they had depended upon.
V. 23 This is freedom from fear. I would imagine that Israel today is not this relaxed and open.
V. 26 This might be the sun brighter than normal, but those people in the Millennium won't need sun screen. Or, it might be that the light of the sun will be diminished during the tribulation (meteor hits, volcanoes, dust clouds) and when the Lord sets up His kingdom He cleans up the atmosphere.
And there will be healing. We'll see this more in Ezekiel and in Revelation.
Vs. 27-30 But before the Millennium comes the judgment of the nations.
Vs. 31-33 But immediately will come the judgment on the Assyrians.
Isaiah 31
Vs. 1-3 God really wanted the people to trust Him and not go to Egypt. Notice here that their desire was so set to seek this help from Egypt, they decided not to consult the Lord at all. If you want to see the real heart of this, look at Jeremiah 42 where the remnant asks Jeremiah to seek the Lord for them and they will do whatever He says. God tells them not to go to Egypt for help. At the beginning of Jeremiah 43 the people respond to him, "You're lying to us!"
Vs. 4-5 God's coming will be without hesitation. Notice the references to Jerusalem and Zion.
Vs. 6-7 This is the appeal for them to trust Him and when they see what God will do, they will know their idols are all worthless.
Vs. 8-9 We've read before how the Lord slays 185,000 men in one night. God made Zion like a furnace which they came too close to and it consumed them.
Isaiah 32
Here we have the promise of blessing interwoven with the promise of judgment.
Vs. 1-4 This is the Messiah in His kingdom and the people will finally hear and understand. Verse 2 is pretty famous.
Vs. 5-8 True nobility will be honored but there will be no room for fools or the wicked.
Vs. 9-14 Those who are proud and live for comfort and commerce will be humbled.
Vs. 15-20 But the Spirit will be poured out in the Millennium. Verse 19 seems to talk about the distress of the tribulation that leads up to that time. Verse 20 seems to say that even in that great time of distress, those who have the Spirit and trust in God will be blessed. The waters sound like those of Psalm 1, and the ox and donkey running loose indicate there is no care for commerce and comforts, indicating that these people have their treasure in heaven, not on earth.
Isaiah 33
V. 1 This woe appears to be against Assyria.
Vs. 2-6 Notice again that God will keep the people safe who wait on Him regardless of the turmoil around them. Notice the two mentions of Zion, His city.
Vs. 7-9 In contrast, those who hoped in treaties and promises are distressed with everything.
Vs. 10-12 God will consume everyone, Jew or Assyrian who does not honor Him. Everything they have worked for was burnable and it produced what was burnable, so God will burn it. Sounds like wood, hay and stubble from 1 Cor. 4.
So often in the Psalms we are told to wait patiently on the Lord. So much of what we are reading here has exactly the same message. Look again at Isaiah 30:15. What do you think the Lord is saying to us as disciples?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQC5P5kOAf0
Galatians 5:1-12
V. 1 This is now the theme of the rest of the book. Paul has established that salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ. So what about the rest of the Christian life? If works are presented first, there is no salvation; but what if you are already saved and now link following Christ to works? Is that really bad? This verse seems to say that gathering works into our lives is not why Christ set us free. Just to get another angle on this, I was reading Philippians this morning and came on 3:1-10. If you read this you'll be amazed how close it is to what we are reading here. Here's what Paul says there. Works keeps you from knowing Christ and experiencing the power of the resurrection. Works focuses us on us and works. Faith focuses us on pursuing and knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection in us.
Vs. 2-6 The power of following Christ is found in faith working in love. Our worth, our motivation, our joy, our mission, everything is linked to that love that is poured into our hearts and following by faith. Romans 5:1-5. Adding anything to our relationship with God hinders our following and adds weight and encumbrance to our walk, like David trying to put on Saul's armor to face Goliath. "Fallen from grace" means understanding ourselves in any way other than being fully accepted and complete in God's grace. Again, look at Romans 5:1-5.
Vs. 7-12 Paul and the Spirit are upset. Verse 9 is important. Once you begin to define yourself by works and not by grace, like yeast, it spreads through everything, to every part of your relationship with God. It might begin with one act, but then doing works becomes linked to everything, even your schedule and habits. It is easy to fall into condemnation, if you are justified in your life by doing certain things and repeating certain behaviors. Your life and God's relationship to you becomes measurable in terms of those acts and works. But if your justification is by grace through faith, "If God is for us, who is against us..…who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?" Romans 8:34
Paul's opponents were worried about cheap grace and so they brought in works. But following Christ must always be based on His grace and love in faith. Mixing works to our walk becomes toxic to our hearts and defines our worth and His love for us through our doing. Doing works becomes about us. We are never loved more or less and His grace is still our joy. His Word constantly washes us in the undeserved grace and love we have been shown in Christ. We should never recover from the undeserved love Jesus has shown us. And following Christ is purely Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWgeUrD4MHI
Psalm 63
It says that David wrote this in the wilderness of Judah. Immediately I thought of the words, "And the Word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness." That was in Judah, too. And Jesus was led into the wilderness. That's a funny place to find God or to be led and tempted, but it seems like God consistently does this for those to whom He wishes to prepare for His harvest. This is a wonderful song from David. It cost him something to be able to write this and it costs us something to truly enjoy it.
Proverbs 23:22
In every generation there have been parents who were evil and not to be trusted. So putting those examples aside and realizing that there might be an exception here or there, here is the rule and the caution spoken to us by the Lord. A person will be blessed by listening to his father and by respecting the words and values of his mother when she is old.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
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