God Speaks
The LORD Lays Out His Plan–He Reviews and Rebukes; People Return and Repent; He Restores and Renews
Verse of the Day: Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Isaiah 54-58:
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 54
1. The LORD God says, “Your Creator is your husband [protector and provider]; the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is His name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.”
2. In God’s appointed time, people who belong to God will experience the following: “no weapon turned against [them] will succeed. [They] will silence every voice raised up to accuse [them]. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from [Him].” The LORD has spoken this, and He cannot lie.
Isaiah 55
1. God’s words will always accomplish what He intends.
2. People should seek the LORD and call on Him. Those who are behaving wickedly should change their ways, including thoughts of wrongdoing. Then the LORD will have mercy and forgive them.
Isaiah 56
1. God wants people to be just and fair to all and do what is right and good–following His laws and commands.
2. The majority of people take no thought of God; they follow their own path and seek only to please themselves.
Isaiah 57
1. God is far above all mankind. He is Holy in all He is and does. He promises to restore people who are crushed in spirit–contrite and humble. He will revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
2. Wicked people keep on in their willful ways. They are as restless as a stormy sea, continually churning up filth and destruction.
Isaiah 58
1. In verses 6, 7, 9b, 10a, 12 and 13, God lays out the actions of people who please Him. Verses 8, 9a, 10b, 11 and 14 describe what God will do in response.
2. In verses 1-5, God lays out the charges against people whose supposedly religious actions displease Him.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Isaiah 54-58?
O LORD Most High, thank You that You are my Creator, my husband. You always protect and provide for me. You are the LORD of Heaven’s Armies and my Redeemer. You are the Holy One of Israel and the God of all the earth. I want to know from experience what it means to have no weapon that is turned against me succeed. Please silence every voice raised up to accuse me. [As a friend of mine often says, “Everybody but God, shut up.”] May I experience the benefits enjoyed by the servants of the LORD. May I not try to vindicate myself but let my vindication come from You. Your words always accomplish what You intend. So, I can count on all of Your promises coming true. Holy Spirit, please help me to seek after the LORD and call on Him always. Don’t let me persist in my old, wicked ways, but by Your mercy and grace, forgive me and help me to change to be more like Jesus day by day. Then I’ll be able to be just and fair to all and do what is right and good–to follow the Father’s laws and commands. Some people don’t even think about You, God; they follow their own “truth” and only do things to please themselves. These wicked people keep on in their willful ways. They are as restless as a stormy sea, continually churning up filth and destruction. You, LORD God, are far above all mankind. You are Holy in all You do. You promise to welcome back and restore people who humbly come to You and are truly sorry for their sin. You will always give new life and courage to those with repentant hearts. You don’t leave us in the dark as to what You consider right and wrong, whether it’s our attitudes, our actions, or both. For instance, in Isaiah 58, You called Your people out for thinking they were pleasing or appeasing You by fasting while, at the same time, they were not treating other people the ways you had directed them. Help me, LORD, to demonstrate my love (and holy fear) of You by how I obey Your commands to love other people. Then I will please You and 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 54-58? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will ask someone running for office how their proposed policies line up with the actions that please God in Isaiah 58.
- I will spend time daily praising the LORD for how He describes Himself and what He does in Isaiah 57.
- I will take actions that demonstrate that I’m trying to be just and fair to all people and do what is right and good–following His laws and commands.
- I will talk with other people about the LORD God being my Creator, my husband [protector and provider], the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth, and invite them to receive Him as theirs as well.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.