God Speaks
God Gives Isaiah a Glimpse of Heaven and a Peek at His Plans for Israel’s Future
Verse of the Day: Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread. (Isaiah 8:12-13 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Isaiah 5-8:
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 5
1. God reasons with His people about what He sees regarding their behavior.
2. God’s people tend to ignore Him when things are going well for them. They end up doing evil, the opposite of what He expects.
Isaiah 6
1. The LORD God of Israel is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.
2. The majority of people see but do no perceive what is right, hear but do not understand what to do, feel but do not grasp the truth of God. They need to turn back to the LORD and be healed.
Isaiah 7
1. God sends advisors, like Isaiah, to weak and fearful rulers, like Ahaz, to reassure and encourage them to do what is right in His sight.
2. People like Ahaz may think that they are being humble or pleasing God, but they are really exasperating Him.
Isaiah 8
1. God is willing to be with His people [Immanuel, God with us], but the majority will refuse to turn and trust in Him alone.
2. Many people call “conspiracy” things that are not and fear things that they should not. The LORD Almighty is the only one they should regard as holy; He is the one of whom they should have a healthy fear and great respect.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Isaiah 5-8?
HOLY, Almighty God, it must be so disappointing when the people You have chosen, guided, set free, and provided for respond by either ignoring, insulting or outright disobeying You . It appears that You take it just so long, then You act by sending disaster after disaster upon them. This is meant to wake them up and draw them back to You. Even though most will not repent and turn back to You, You always reserve a remnant (a tenth?) of the people who will be faithful and trustfully obey You. Holy Spirit, please help me to be one of them. Like Isaiah, please grant me the privilege of a life-changing encounter with the thrice holy God whose glory fills the Temple. Cleanse my heart so that I will be equipped to serve You as You direct. Like Isaiah, instruct and prepare me to encourage and reassure weak and fearful people to do what is right in Your sight. Cause me to remember always that You are Immanuel, the God who is with us. Cause us to turn back and trust in You alone. You are the only one of whom we should have a holy, healthy fear. As we exercise the fear of the LORD, we will 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 5-8? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will join with others in declaring the holiness of God and being cleansed by Him.
- I will consult with God as to how I can be truly humble and pleasing to Him.
- I will examine what I call a conspiracy and confront what I fear apart from God.
- I will research what it means to have a healthy fear of God and then work to develop it.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.