God Speaks
God Severely Judges Tyre, the Whole Earth, and Disciplines His Own P eople, Then Restores and Blesses Them
Verse of the Day: You [LORD] will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high, He lays the lofty city low; He levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust. (Isaiah 26:3-5 NIV 2011)
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Watch TBR Day 199
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Isaiah 23-27:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Isaiah 23
1. God may judge merchant enterprises like Tyre, but for a limited time. Then He turns their profit back to serve His people and purposes.
2. People grieve over the loss when their sources of income are threatened or removed.
Isaiah 24
1. God treats everyone fairly (not necessarily equally).
2. All categories of people and the land itself will suffer when the LORD shakes things up with judgment against their transgression of His laws.
Isaiah 25
1. The LORD God “will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against His land and people. “The LORD has spoken!”
2. In God’s appointed “day” the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted Him, and He saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation He brings!”
Isaiah 26
1. God keeps in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him.
2. People are to show their trust in the LORD by obeying His laws. Their heart’s desire should be to glorify His name.
Isaiah 27
1. The LORD God will do whatever is necessary to purge people of wickedness and take away their sin.
2. Any nation is foolish and stupid if its people turn away from The LORD God.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Isaiah 23-27?
Thank You, LORD, that You, the God of the Old Testament, are as compassionate and forgiving as Jesus in the New Testament because You are the same God. I declare that You are my God and I trust in You. You have saved, are saving, and will save me for eternity. That is only by Your mercy and grace because I keep turning to You in faith. My thoughts are all fixed on You. Holy Spirit, help me to live this out on a daily basis and share this good news with other people so that they don’t have to face eternal judgment. Please help those who have turned to You and received adoption into Your family to live in holy fear of disappointing or breaking fellowship with You. May we live every day to bring You glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Isaiah 23-27? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will ask the LORD to guide and bless me financially so that I can in turn pass the profits on to people who are serving His purpose.
- I will ask the Holy Spirit to help me treat all categories of people fairly.
- I will go in person to ask someone specific to forgive me and/or offer my forgiveness for a specific situation.
- I will thank the LORD for purging me of specific wickedness and taking away all of my sin.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.