Isaiah 25-33
February 3, 2008
Isaiah 25-33
Warning 1:
“as when the hungry people dream they are eating; but they awaken, and their hunger remains; as when thirsty people dream they are drinking, but they awaken faint, with their thirst unquenched” 29:8
The Lord reminded me of my sinful indulgences and my pursuit of the idols of the world. Sometimes, I like to indulge and ‘worship’ idols such as the TV, or clothes, in order to bring me temporary pleasures, but as the verse says, I would wake up and find myself dissatisfied with these things, because the Lord creates in me intimacy and a desire for satisfaction that can only be found in Him alone.
Warning 2:
“[The Lord says] these people come near to me with their mouth; and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught..” 29: 13-14
I fear that one day I will become ‘numb’ to spiritual things, and simply worship God only with lip service, and not from the bottom of my heart; or become simply a hearer of the Word, but not a doer of the Word. It is a clear reminder that we should often check ourselves and our hearts to makes sure that we don’t become legalistic Christians or hypocritical Christians, but Christians who are free from laws, but live a life that is truly worthy of the calling.
Throughout the few chapters of Isaiah, the Lord shows of His righteousness, His justice, and yet His mercy and grace.
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise to show you compassion… How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you..” 30:18, 19b
How beautiful a picture, to know that our God is a compassionate God! That when we call out to him for help, as soon as he hears, he will answer. He is always doing and working for the good of His children. A gracious God, slow to anger but full of love.
“The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth” 25:9
I want to find the treasures of the Lord, I want to be truly rested in Him. And this is what the Lord has said in His Word:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength.. The fruit of the righteousness [His righteousness] will be peace, its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure”. (30:15, 32:17, 33:6)
And all these are because of the very fact that.. “The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness…” (32:16, 33:5)
Put together, it says, because the Lord is full of justice and righteousness, he is our sure foundation for the good and hard times, our source of salvation (rest and repentance), wisdom and knowledge, which will enable us to find strength in Him, by trusting Him and being quiet before the Lord, because our confidence is in Him [our knowledge of our just and righteous God].
And in order to experience all these, it begins with fearing the Lord. It means revering Him, being in awe of His holiness, His justice, His righteousness, the Sovereign and the Most High God. For “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise” (Psalm 111:10)
To fear the Lord entails delighting and walking in His commandments and ways (Psalm 112:1, 128:1)
