READINGS FOR JULY 3 - JULY 9
JULY 3,
An interesting application from Isaiah…even though Isaiah knew the ultimate outcome...that the nations would bring about the suffering of God’s people, he continued to preach against sin in Judah. Often as Believers we may know that our witness for Him may fall on deaf ears, we should still continue to witness. Our job is to witness, He takes it from there.
Again in Isaiah 13 we have a foreshadowing of a prophecy concerning the Day of the Lord’s wrath. (see the book The Time is Near for explanations concerning the Day of the Lord). The prophecy of the judgment against Babylon is a multi-layered prophecy. While it is prophetic of the day of the Lord, it was literally fulfilled with the defeat of Babylon. There is mention made in this chapter about the land being desolate, the stars of heaven and their constellations not showing their light. They will be obscured because of the heavy smoke from the burning of the surface of the earth. This will happen at the beginning of the Millennium.
2 Peter 3:10
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be exposed.
Speaking of the people during the Day of the Lord,
Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor.
The closer to delivery, the more frequent and more intense the labor pains are for a woman in labor. This is how it will be as time gets closer to the Day of the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
People will say, "We have peace and we are safe." At that time destruction will come to them quickly, like the pains of a woman giving birth. And those people will not escape.
God commanded that Babylon will never be inhabited again according to Isaiah's prophecies. Saddam Hussein tried to rebuild but was unsuccessful. Look what happened to him!
Isaiah gives us a glimpse into Satan’s plans through the king of Babylon. More details concerning Satan are found in Ezekiel 28 .
The Lord gives an admonition through Isaiah in Chapter 21,
"Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees." and "...let him be alert, fully alert."
This admonition is not just for the nations of Old Testament times., nor is it only for the prophets of old. It is equally relevant for all of us today. If we don't make this personal and relevant, then the Old Testament is just a history book.
Along with a reference to "Babylon fallen" in Isaiah are several in Revelation.
Revelation 18:2
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
Babylon is used in analogy to represent the false church during the last days. Unclean and detestable birds are analogous to false teachers in the church. Before the false church becomes a haunt for demons and evil spirits, there must first come a “falling away” or a rebellion. The Christian church will become apostate before it becomes the false church. The seeds of disbelief and unfaithfulness in the church began in Babylon in Nimrod's day. This was from ancient times.
II Thessalonians 2:3
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (when Jesus returns) will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
What does this mean for us? We must be on the alert, prepared, and ready. The "labor pains" are becoming more frequent and more intense as we near the last days.
JULY 4
What an uplifting reading for today…Hezekiah's reforms. His reforms laid the groundwork for the people to be receptive to Isaiah's message. Hezekiah started off really well. His early reforms were done quickly too.
"In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them."
Application for today: Open the doors of our hearts to welcome Him.
Hezekiah restored proper worship and religious observance. There had been a famine in the land of hearing the Word of the Lord from the kings. Hezekiah invited all the people of Israel, including the northern tribes. Most refused, but some joined in the spiritual renewal. That is so true today. When spiritual leaders seek to restore proper worship and observances (God's Holy Days - feast days and festivals) only some will join in. But even though there may be only a few, God will honor that! And, as in the days of Hezekiah, there will be great joy for those few!
Application for today: Restore proper worship of Him, honor His Holy Days.
The priests purified the sanctuary and removed everything unclean and then consecrated it. Remember King Ahaz had brought in pagan gods, altars, and high places. If we apply this type of reform to today, how would it look in our churches?
Application for today: Purify our lives. Remove anything in our lives that pull us away from God. Repent of our sins.
What would be the pagan influences that have infiltrated our churches today? If we look at the ways of The Way (the early followers of Jesus), it looks much, much different from the ways we worship today. Read the book of Acts to see how the early followers of Jesus worshiped Him. (Read also the book Thy Kingdom Come) for how worship will look in the Millennium.
Hezekiah ordered sin offerings for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and for Judah. When the offerings were finished, singing to the Lord began and the whole assembly bowed in worship.
Application for today: Pray that God will forgive our specific sins (blatant and subtle ones, outward ones and inner ones) and to forgive those sins that we may not be aware of. Then rejoice that we have already been forgiven. We don't have to offer those animal sacrifices for sin. Jesus took care of that!
Then Hezekiah did something very significant. He reinstituted observance of Passover. The people responded with great enthusiasm, so much so that they celebrated for an additional week. Sounds like a modern day crusade or revival. "There was great joy in Jerusalem."
Application for today: Start our own spiritual revival. Remember His Days and all His commandments. Then rejoice!
When the celebration was over, the people were motivated to go out into the towns of Judah. They smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars…ALL of them. What a testimony to revival! Couldn't we do that today? What would be some examples of sacred stones and high places?
Application for today: Clean up our own lives and witness to those around us.
The king set the standard, the people followed. What a concept! Spiritual leaders leading spiritually!
The people brought so many freewill offerings (above and beyond the ten percent tax tithe) that the offerings were distributed to fellow priests according to divisions and even given to males three years old who would later enter temple service. Astounding!
Hezekiah listened to the Lord and obeyed. The result…major spiritual reform and renewal.
What would happen to our churches today if a spirit of reform and renewal swept our country, or our church denominations, or our local churches, or individuals? We can't depend on our spiritual leaders alone. You know it ultimately comes down to the individual; will we be willing to institute reform and renewal in our own lives?
Read carefully the last paragraph in today's reading - 2 Chron. 31:20,21.
Application for today: When we do what is right in the eyes of God, when we are faithful to Him, when we are obedient to the Lord and His commands, when we seek the Lord and work wholeheartedly for Him, we WILL prosper, And that's a promise!
JULY 5
Today’s reading in Isaiah tells the story of the wrath of God on the yearlong Day of the Lord and gives us a glimpse into the Millennial Kingdom.
Under the heading THE EARTH'S DEVASTATION (Isaiah 24:1-23)
We are reminded concerning the wrath of God about the consequences of disobedience. Too often when we suffer the consequences, we tend to want to blame somebody else...sometimes we even want to blame God. It's comparable to a small child who has been repeatedly warned not to touch the hot stove but touches it anyway, then wants to blame the parent who has consistently warned him, or wants to blame the stove. The wrath of God is the consequence of the sins of the people.
Isaiah 24:6
Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.
The very few that are left will be the remnant. Those who have gone into their inner rooms until the wrath of God has passed by. (Isaiah 26:20)
"...gleanings left after the grape harvest." also refers to the remnant.
“In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below”
Evil will be destroyed and Satan and his evil angels will be thrown into the Abyss on the Day of the Lord.
Under the heading PRAISE FOR SALVATION (Isaiah 25:1-9)
Isaiah describes the millennium and at the ending describes what may be the marriage supper of the Lamb in the new heaven and the new earth. (Revelation 19:6-9)
Under the heading PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE (Isaiah 26:1-7)
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."
This is a great verse to keep in our minds when things around us are not so peaceful. If we want peace, we keep our thoughts on God and trust in Him. This keeps us from being shaken by surrounding chaos.
Under the heading CONDEMNATION OF WICKED (Isaiah 26:10-11)
These verses let us know that in the year long Day of the Lord all unbelievers are given yet another chance for salvation yet most of them refuse and fire will consume them.
Under the heading ETERNAL DEATH OF THE WICKED (Isaiah 26:14-18) are these words,
"...those departed spirits do not rise."
Contrast those words with these in Isaiah 26:19,
"But your dead will live; their bodies will rise."
Seems to be a contradiction, doesn't it? Those who are non-believers will appear before the Judgment Seat but will not rise to eternal life. They only go down to eternal death. In Isaiah 26:19, those who are believers will also appear before the Judgment Seat, and they will rise to eternal life.
Leviathan is mentioned in Isaiah 26. In ancient Aramean literature this is a seven-headed monster, an enemy of God and God’s created order of things. How very appropriate as a representative of Satan! Satan is most definitely an enemy of God and according to Hebrew word pictures, Satan is “chaos man”. (chaos as the opposite of order). See also Revelation 13 for more information.
Isaiah 35 is a peek into the nature of things in the Millennium, as well as the attitude that should be ours as the redeemed today. These conditions are the opposite of a spiritual famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
Isaiah 35:8
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.
Imagine walking in that Way, His Way, the Way of Holiness. Can't we do that today? Do we have to wait until the Millennium?
July 6
Isaiah 29:22-24 mentions "children, the work of my hands,"
Read what follows that verse. When we understand our children are from God, we will stand in awe of Him. This is what brings about that spiritual awakening that Isaiah writes about.
Then God's vineyard will be restored.
“…fill all the world with fruit…” is another one of those passages that seemed highlighted for us today.
Fruit is the result of how we live our lives. Are we bearing good fruit or bad fruit? As Believers we should, of course, bear good fruit. What would happen if Believers filled all the world with good fruit? That fruit can take many forms. We bear fruit when we witness for Him. We bear fruit when we exercise our spiritual gifts. We bear fruit when we display the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control). How can we fill all the world with good fruit? Easy. Take root in that firm foundation…spend plenty of time with Jesus! He has said that He will watch over the fruitful vineyard, water it continually, and guard it continually.
Isaiah 29:9 By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing.
When the altars of paganism are destroyed, then will guilt be atoned for. Pagan influences within places of worship have so slowly and subtly crept in and the people have become so accustomed to them. Had it been sudden, it would have been easier to confront and stop it.
Under the headings BLESSINGS WILL RETURN and SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN (Isaiah 32:12-20 and Isaiah 33:2-16) are listed descriptions of the Millennium.
Any ideas on Eliakim? He was the one chosen to replace Shebna, the steward of King Hezekiah. On Eliakim’s shoulder was placed the key to the house of David. There is another reference to this “key”. It’s found in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 3:7
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
The ending verse for today's reading is a bit confusing. To whom is Isaiah referring when he says, "the peg driven into the firm place will give way;..." Is he speaking of Shebna, the one that Eliakim replaced or is he speaking of future for Eliakim - that he would follow in the footsteps of Shebna? And does it have anything to do with the church in Philadelphia written about in the book of Revelation?
JULY 7
It is easy for us today to get caught up in renewal and re-commitment like the people of Hezekiah’s day. We can soon slip back into the old ways if we are not careful to maintain that renewal and re-commitment. The slipping is so subtle that we might miss it. Isaiah warns the people of this danger.
Isaiah also continues to condemn spiritual leaders who are so consumed with the world that they don’t hear the voice of God. He continues to condemn meaningless worship. How does that look in our churches today? People go through the motions of ritualistic worship…rituals that are made by men. Our focus becomes the ritual and we neglect to worship Him in the “splendor of his holiness”.
Unfaithfulness doesn't happen overnight, "...a little here, a little there..." .
"Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."
A person's perception of the Word of God is distorted when the worship is founded on traditions of men. When this happens, "...we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place." We hold on to a lie and don't see the truth.
Isaiah pronounces "Woe..." to those who let their "cycle of festivals go on." Can we make an application to the pagan festivals in our churches and places of worship today?
In Isaiah 29:5-8 is a pronouncement against the oppressors. The description reminds us of "cotton candy" preaching and teaching with no substance. Woe to you, O destroyer (see Revelation 7:11 as to who the destroyer is).
But, as always there is this great promise of restoration and the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the precious cornerstone, that sure foundation.
What prophetic words for today, “For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll…”
If we do not faithfully and frequently communicate with Him, if we do not know Him intimately and personally, His Words are just “words”. They have no meaning for us. We should approach the reading of God’s Word with “holy expectation”.
JULY 8
Today’s reading has a summary of the reason for Israel’s fall. The people were taken into captivity because of the sins they committed against God, despite repeated warnings from the prophets. The historical record spells it out. The Samaritans mixed religions as the Israelites had done. It seems as if they had one foot with the world and one foot with the Lord. The nation of Israel was taken captive. Today, we too can be taken captive by false teaching, traditions of men, and hollow philosophy. God warned Moses and Joshua about mixing with the nations, mixing with their religions, their false gods and pagan practices. We are warned about the same things today.
II Kings 17:15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the Lord had forbidden them to do.
Israel suffered because they imitated the pagan. Do we today imitate the pagan? Do we have false gods and idols that pull us away from a close relationship with the Lord?
II Kings 17:41
Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
The people were only giving "lip service" to the Lord. If they were truly worshiping Him, they would be convicted of their sins and would stop worshiping the Lord in pagan ways. Same thing applies to us today. We can't just give Him "lip service". We need to give Him "heart service".
There are so many lessons we can learn from the Old Testament…all the mistakes that God’s people have made in the past are spelled out for us, repeatedly. The consequences of those mistakes are also spelled out, repeatedly. Why can’t we learn from them? If we don't learn from them and make it personal, then the Old Testament is just another history book.
JULY 9
As a reminder, there is a difference between Israel and Judah. At this point in the chronological reading, the nations were separated, never to be joined again, until Jesus returns. The nation of Judah (plus the tribe of Benjamin and a small remnant of the other tribes) is known as the Jews. The rest of the tribes “the lost tribes” have been dispersed, many of them into the western nations.
Isaiah tells us in chapter 19 that the land of Judah will subjugate Egypt. Well..this hasn't happened yet. But it will - yet in our future. When that happens the cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord. In fact the people of Egypt will call out to the Lord and He will send them a savior and a defender who will rescue them. During the year long Day of the Lord, all people will be given a chance to swear allegiance to the Lord. It will be an urgent altar call, so to speak.
Isaiah 30 relates that God will "cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down."
Isaiah 31 relates "...the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights..."
But "...the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will 'pass over' it and will rescue it."
Just as He did at the very first "Passover" in Egypt.
Isaiah 19:19
In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border.
The land of Egypt in ancient times was divided into two parts; upper and lower Egypt. The boundary between these two nations is in the area of where Cairo and the Great Pyramid at Giza are today. Interestingly, the pyramid is located both on the border of upper and lower Egypt and in the heart of Egypt. This could be the altar and monument to the Lord that were there before the flood.
In the Millennium:
Isaiah 19:23
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.
Interestingly, Abraham (Abram) was the first to walk the Isaiah 19 highway. (Genesis 11:31, Acts 7:2-4)
God sure uses an unusual sign (Isaiah’s nakedness) to demonstrate the humiliation of Egypt and Cush at the hands of the Assyrians. For us today, spiritually speaking, is this illustrating how our sins will be revealed, nothing will be hidden when we come before the judgment?
Isaiah foretells that Judah will reject the truth.
Isaiah 30:9-11
These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction. They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
In other words, they were saying, “Tell us things we want to hear”. Isaiah warned about this and so did Paul.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Turning “aside to myths” is comparable to worshiping God on pagan high places. This warning of worshiping God on pagan high places has been repeated many, many times in the last few weeks. What did God warn about that?
As always God gives us a chance for redemption.
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Can’t you just imagine Him whispering this in our ears? This creator of the universe, caring enough about us to whisper in our ears! Amazing!
