Observe –
Isaiah begins these chapters with indictments against Cush and Egypt, that their people and handiwork and idols will be brought to nothing as the sun dries up the river, the canals become foul, that fishermen and farmers will lament their misfortune. Near the end of the nineteenth chapter, it is told that in the midst of Egypt will be an altar to the Lord and that soon after the demise of Egypt will be many peoples and cities within its borders that will recognize the authority of the Lord. They will worship Him, sacrifice to Him, and He will hear their prayers, mend their hearts and lands, and be near to them. There will be highways between Egypt and Assyria, both of which will bless the Lord and follow Him alongside His inheritance, Israel. Isaiah then is told by the Lord to walk around naked for three years as a sign and a portent against the people of Egypt and Cush for their coming destruction, that their peoples would be taken captive and led away naked, no longer able to rescue themselves or others. What follows next is the description of a fallen Babylon and Dumah, then an oracle concerning Jerusalem. The Lord had asked for weeping and mourning for the sins of the people, instead they continued to celebrate and feast and ignore the Lord who said that their sins would not be atoned for. Interpret – The Lord demands vivid imagery from His prophets, laying on their sides for hundreds of days on end, building small walls and enacting a siege, walking around naked – though it may seem strange to our sensibilities, the word of these prophets and their outrageous methods would have caught the attention of the people as a last-ditch way to get the people of Israel to actually listen. The Lord has given His word along with signs, wonders, and a rich history of divine blessing and deliverance. His word is always among them and in their very DNA as a people, yet Israel and Judah continue to live like those around them, worshipping their gods and adopting their practices, even child sacrifice. While this book might have long spells of doom and gloom, it is important to recognize that the large part of people for which these prophecies were intended had every chance to examine their behaviour and compare it to what the Lord expects of them. In the ancient Near East, your name and your tribe and your history were your identity. It meant so much more than our own nationality means to us today, so they all would have known even the roughest outline of who the Lord was and what He did for them and the rich tradition and relationship upon which Israel was founded. With just the barest effort, they could have seen that their ways were evil and that the consequences were real and near, yet they stubbornly refused and rejected Him who saved them. The Lord’s holiness is real, and the positive and negative consequences of pleasing or offending Him are real too! To ask them to be anything else is to ask Him not to be who He is. Apply – We all have those parts of our lives we know are rough around the edges. The pieces of our personalities, our minds, our habits that does not line up with God’s original plan. We like the Israelites have a real opportunity to examine ourselves against the Word of God every day and walk with our eyes wide open. The Lord does not demand perfection in order to be united with Him, however that is His goal for us and His work in us – to make us more and more into the perfect image of Jesus Christ. To be obedient is a choice that yields real fruit and has real consequences in our real lives. Do not be afraid to do a real search (see Psalm 139) and lay it all down at the foot of the cross each day! By doing this, we leave lots of room for Christ to work and invite Him into each part of our hearts and minds. Application Question – How would you like Christ to make you more like Himself? What sticks out the most? Do we feel confident that He is gentle and loving, even when He works evil out of us? Prayer – Lord, we thank you for the example of your prophets. We thank you that you are patient and kind and discipline your people out of love like a true Father. Please search us and know our hearts, find any offence, sin, or evil in us and help us surrender all these things to you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen! Song - Goodness of God, Adoration Music Text: Isaiah 13 -1 7
Observation: Isaiah prophesies God’s judgment against nations opposing and surrounding Israel/Judah: 1. The Lord condemns Babylon (the empire that sent Judah into exile) for its pride and declares that the empire will be overtaken by the Medes and the king of Babylon will experience a shameful death and no surviving offspring—a complete sweep with the broom of destruction. Furthermore, the Lord says He will have compassion for Israel and will settle them again in their own land when this happens. 2. Isaiah also prophesies God’s decisive plan and purpose to crush Assyria (the empire that sent the northern kingdom of Israel into exile). 3. When King Ahaz of Judah dies, Isaiah prophesies to the historic enemy of Israel, the Philistines that they should not rejoice at his death. Isaiah uses intermingled metaphors of roots and snakes to say that Ahaz’ offspring will trouble them and they will also suffer because of a God-sent famine in their land. 4. Chapters 15 and 16 show us a picture of the nation of Moab in exile and God lamenting over them. The Lord says in three years Moab’s splendour will be gone and survivors few. 5. The city of Damascus is condemned to be a heap of ruins, yet with some survivors. Cities in Ephraim (another name for Israel’s northern kingdom) will also disappear. This will cause those left to look to the Holy One of Israel and away from hand-made altars and Asherah poles, the cause of the city’s inhabitants to forget their true God. Interpretation: Using other Biblical references, let’s take a closer look at how Isaiah’s prophecies of judgment on these nations were fulfilled and a bit about why they were judged (match the numbers for easy reference). 1. We see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of Babylon’s destruction by the Medes and Persians in the book of Daniel when Darius the Mede overtakes the kingdom the night Belshazzar, king of Babylon is slain (Daniel 5:30-31) after the prophet Daniel interprets divine writing on the wall. Under Persian king Cyrus, Judah’s exiles are permitted to return home (books of Ezra and Nehemiah will tell us more about that). 2. We know from the book of Jonah, which records Jonah’s journey to the Assyrian city of Ninevah to announce God’s destruction on that city, that God has compassion on Assyria and does not destroy the people when they repent. But the book of Nahum announces Nineveh’s final destruction, which happened around 632 BC when the Babylonians, Medes and Scythians rose up against them. 3. Judah’s King Ahaz is succeeded by Hezekiah (a good king!), who defeated the Philistines “as far as Gaza and its territory (2 Kings 18:8). 4. We hear more about Moab’s judgement, exile to Babylon like Judah, in the book of Jeremiah (Ch 48). Initiated through Solomon’s wives, the people of Moab corrupted Israel and Judah with their god Chemosh, who demanded child sacrifices. 5. Damascus was the prominent city of Syria, which was friendly allies with the northern kingdom of Israel. Here, both are judged. We see the fulfillment of this prophecy in 2 Kings 15:29 when the king of Assyria attacks Israel during the reign of Pekah. In 2 Kings 16:9 we are told he also attacks Damascus, captures it and deported its inhabitants. Application: If the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah can’t escape the consequences for their idolatry and evil, neither will the nations who overtake them and put them into exile. Through Isaiah’s prophecies and their fulfillments, we see the timeless truth that God is sovereign above all kingdoms of the earth, He is the one who sets kings up and He is the one who tears kingdoms down. God is the ultimate authority over all the earth. Reflection Questions: What does it mean to you personally when you ponder God’s authority? Does his sovereignty give you peace or cause you to fear? What does your response to his authority say about your heart’s posture—are you humble before Him or do you have areas of undealt-with pride? Be honest with God and acknowledge his rule over your life and circumstances today. Prayer: There is no one higher than you, Lord. Thank you for the love, forgiveness and grace I experience when I turn to you and acknowledge your greatness and authority and my need for you to save me from sin. Help me to live in a humble posture before you today and help me to trust your authority over my life and being. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Song: No One Higher (Aaron Shust) “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this!”
Isaiah 9: 7b Isaiah 9-12 (Psalm111) Observe
Interpret If you haven’t, I would encourage you to watch the video on Isaiah (found in the Read Scripture app and via our website on April 19th). Having this background understanding to this amazing book will help you to grasp its depths and truths, including those within our rich chapters for today. We see in these chapters the reality of dealing with present horrors whilst looking for a future hope. The scriptures reveal, however, that the difficulties facing God’s people are because of their abandonment of Him; deciding to go their own way. He has called them back many times but their leaders and prophets simply confirm the people’s lies guiding them away from God. God uses foreign powers to bring His judgement on His people; nevertheless, He will not abandon them. In His grace, He describes a return to blessing in the not too distant future. An eternal future is also described; it will be open to all. Here we see God’s plan of salvation in action and the foretelling of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. These chapters are so rich I would encourage a deal of meditation upon them. Application Prophecy is the telling forth of God’s truth into current context and the foretelling of future events (present and future). In Isaiah we will find both sides of prophecy; indeed we do in these chapters. Isaiah speaks into the current situation with God’s truth, he also foretells the future, predicting Christ’s arrival and mission. It is estimated that there are over 350 prophecies, pertaining to Jesus, in the Old Testament. We see in these chapters, prophecies that Jesus has fulfilled in detail, and prophecies yet to be fully achieved. As we look into our world today we see the consequences of going away from God, of false teaching that guides us further in separation and the need for hope. We see in Christ the arrival of God’s Kingdom and real hope. In current challenges we are able to look to the present presence of Christ and the eternal future hope with renewed confidence. Imagine life without hope! The Question of Application How would you speak God’s truth into our world, country, city, church and personal context? What is God’s message of hope for the present and in the future? (We will unpack some of this on Sunday in the service). Prayer Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, we give you thanks for the light you bring to our darkness. We praise you for your present providence and thank you for the hope of eternal future. Salvation and glory belong to you alone, you are our strength and song; HALLELUJAH. Amen Praise Rejoice the Lord is King! Emu Music, Keswick Convention 2020 Salvation belongs to our God! Randy Rothwell TEXT: Isaiah 5-8
OBSERVATION A little background to the book of Isaiah.
INTERPRETATION
APPLICATION
QUESTION
PRAYER Woe is me for I am lost, I am a [man] [woman] of unclean lips. Cleanse me, oh God. Show me your glory, oh Lord. Call me to yourself. Song: Steve Bell, The Lorica 2 Kings (Chapter 25)
Before we move into the book of Isaiah with our blogs, it would be helpful to first bring some closure to the book of 2 Kings. OBSERVE: Jerusalem had become the capital of the southern kingdom and the location of the temple that Solomon built for God. It had been a place that had been conquered over the centuries by the Egyptians and the Assyrians, retaken by the kings of Israel, and then eventually taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in the last chapter of 2 Kings. The entire Babylonian army……….tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, then took as exiles the rest of the people who remained in the city. (2 Kings 25: 10-11) INTERPRET: Ancient cities were surrounded by think, strong stone walls. The walls provided protection from enemies, and security and safety to all who lived within the walls. So when the Babylonian army broke down the walls of Jerusalem, it put an end to safety and security for Jerusalem’s inhabitants. They were carried off to exile in Babylon. God’s people had always needed a city to live in with walls that were impenetrable by their enemies, where they can live in peace and safety and without fear. But no human king could ever construct such a city. No wall built by human hands could ever provide security that would last forever. APPLICATION: The writer of the book of Hebrews says that the country God’s people have longed for is “a heavenly homeland” and that God “has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11: 16). The apostle John was given a vision of this city, and he saw that it is a city with walls – magnificent, beautiful, impenetrable walls “made of jasper,” built on foundation stones “inlaid with twelve precious stones,” nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty – but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21: 18-19, 27). It is the saving work of Jesus, the slain Lamb of God that provides the foundation for an eternity of peace and safety from the enemies of sin and Satan. All those whose names are written in his book – all those who have come alive to Christ Jesus – will live with him forever in his city, surrounded by beautiful, impenetrable walls. It is this city that we are to long for and desire to become residents of. REFLECTION: Are you preparing for the heavenly homeland that is being prepared for you? PRAYER: Lord Jesus; how I long to live in the place that you have gone to prepare for me. To live free from attack of the enemy and of my own sin. It is here in the New Jerusalem, that I will no longer be carried off into captivity by my selfishness and fear. With you, I will dwell in perfect safety. SONG: New Jerusalem (Vertical Worship) Observe:
2 Kings 18-19 begins with Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, taking up kingship of Judah at the age of 25. He made a great effort to keep the commandments of the Lord by breaking the pillars, cutting down the Asherah, and even breaking the bronze snake that Moses had lifted up in the desert, which people had begun worshipping as an idol. Hezekiah trusted the Lord and walked after the example of David. After four years of Hezekiah reigning as king in Judah, the king of Assyria brought his army against Samaria, besieged it, and took the Israelites there captive. A while after this, the Assyrians brought their weapons of war against all the fortified cities of Judah and took those too. Hezekiah, in an effort to ransom his people, stripped Jerusalem of all it’s silver and gold, even going so far as to remove the gold from the temple. The king of Assyria took the payment but besieged Jerusalem. The two sides send out delegations to talk near Jerusalem where the commanders of the Assyrian army taunt those sitting on the walls of Jerusalem, profaning God and breathing threats against His people. Hearing of this with great distress, Hezekiah goes to see the prophet Isaiah who reassures him that God will indeed punish the Assyrians who, once being an instrument by which God judged the people of Judah and Samaria for disobeying the Lord, have gone too far and think of themselves as gods. The Lord then says that He will work a great work for Judah. Indeed, later one night, the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 of the Assyrians besieging Jerusalem. The enemy king returns home and is struck down by his sons while worshiping to his god, just as the Lord had said. Interpret: The pages of 1 &2 Kings are packed with drama and action. Each chapter is full of great and terrible deeds, judgement, redemption, history, and more. These two chapters are no exception as we finally come to a king who is faithful to the Lord and decent to His people. Though his life is full of ups and downs and crazy turns, we see an example in Hezekiah of a man who remembers the commandments of the Lord and how He honours him. There were countless times when the taunts of the enemy and the strength of their arms would have given the king good reason to fear and tremble, yet even during a terrible siege, he sought the Lord and did as He commanded. The very enemy, who after having carted off much of Judah, that was encamped around Jerusalem was not enough to shake the kings dependence on his King and seek His guidance and wisdom. While Hezekiah was commended and blessed for his obedience to the Lord in regards to the Law, he also availed himself of the most precious fruit of obedience – a steady relationship with his God. Throughout his reign, Hezekiah showed the benefits of being close to the Lord and being committed to Him fully. It was not mere ritual and law he fulfilled, but demonstrated love and obedience, and by doing so had the eyes and ears of God Almighty during the greatest trial during his days as king! Application: We think a lot about our walk with the Lord and how to do what pleases Him, but are we making the most of our relationship with Him? Do we let Him know the woes and worries of our hearts? Do we tell Him about the sins with which we are struggling? Are we making our requests known to Him with praise and thanksgiving? Let’s always remember that God is personal and wants to be closer to you than even your most beloved friends and family! Application question: How can we live our lives in a way that makes the most of our relationship with God Almighty? What difference could that have on your life? Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for making a way for us to be one with you. Thank you for taking on human form and being one of us, and that we know when we pray to you, we’re talking with a personal God who understands us fully. Please help us dive into a deeper relationship with you and warm our hearts with your presence and love. Amen! Song - King of Kings, by Hillsong Worship Text: 2 Kings 15-17 (Ps. 105)
Observe: Israel’s kings: 0/20 good. Judah’s kings: 8/19 good. Today’s sad lineup, in order of appearance: Judah: Uzziah Named by Isaiah, who prophesied during his long reign. Pleased God BUT kept pagan shrines. The Lord afflicted him with leprosy, isolating him until his death. Jotham as regent in this period. Good, but… Israel: Zechariah Did evil in the Lord’s sight. Assassinated by Shallum. Bad. Shallum After only a month, assassinated by Menahem. Probably bad. Menahem Contemporary of Uzziah. Destroyed an entire town. His bribes and extortion stopped the Assyrian king from attacking Israel. Bad. Pekahiah Menahem’s son. Continued Israel’s sins. Assassinated by Pekah. Bad. Pekah Continued Israel’s sins. Assyrian king invaded Israel during his reign. Assassinated by Hoshea. Bad. Judah: Jotham Uzziah’s son. Pleased God. Rebuilt part of the Temple BUT let idol worship continue. Israel attacked Judah during his reign. Good, but... Ahaz Jotham ’s son. Followed Israel’s sins, sacrificed his son, worshipped at pagan shrines. Stole silver and gold from the Temple, bribed Assyrian king to defend Jerusalem. Repurposed, relocated Temple furnishings to please Assyrian king. Bad, really bad. Israel: Hoshea. Contemporary of Ahaz. Did evil in God’s sight. Exile, ‘because the people of Israel sinned against the Lord their God’. (17:7) Bad. Worship became thoroughly syncretized under these kings, influenced by Assyria; priests teetered between gods and God. With no discernment, fear of God or obedience to His law, Israel knelt to the true God and whatever idols were handy. Foreigners settled Samaritan cities, bringing their idols with them. Despite a returned priest’s preaching the fear of the Lord, they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner (17:40). A dark time, yet again. Interpret: Reading these scandal sheets, we weary of repeated evil; imagine the depths of God’s righteous anger. Perhaps… ‘God sees the truth, but waits.’* Even the “good” kings disobey God, compromising wholehearted devotion in ignoring His command to destroy all pagan influences. God gave the people the kings they wanted (or deserved?). But what they wanted was not what they needed – a true King of justice and mercy, of integrity and love, full of grace, sinless, worthy of worship -- a servant/King. The problems with nearly all the kings? They forgot ruling means serving. They forgot to worship God only. Eventually, God erased the kingdom of Israel, exile to Assyria the ending. Apply: We too live in dark times and see/sense dark things around us: Visible – huge gaps between rich and poor; God’s male/female duality a mockery; increasing crime, poverty, homelessness; child abuse; euthanasia; world-affecting diseases; government corruption; societal and family breakdown; slavery; increased persecution of Christians; injustice; lack of wisdom and truth even in some church leaders, and so (onerously) on. Invisible – principalities, powers, and spiritual battles; moral laxity; absence of true faith and love of God; idolatries, confusion, greed, anti-authority, unbelief, cynicism; my rights, my ‘truth’, Self as main idol. 2 Tim.3:1-5 is a chilling forewarning... But God’s truth overcomes darkness: ‘In [His]light do we see light’ (Ps. 39:9); ‘… even the darkness is as light to You ‘(Ps 139:12a) ‘I am the Light of the world...’ (John 8:12) His light shines into the darkest corners of hearts. By His grace, idolatrous self-rule yields to His just and holy governance. We pray for those in authority, at whatever level, that their hearts will turn to “do what is pleasing to the Lord”. As ours must, constantly. Ask: Lord, what idols do I still ‘worship’? Help me destroy them! What ‘kings’ other than You rule my life? Assume the throne of my heart. Lord God, would You grace me to obey, love and trust You alone? You bought me, at such great price. Pray: These I ask in Your Name, King Jesus. Song: The King of Love My Shepherd Is *Title of a short story by Leo Tolstoy “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!”
Revelation 3: 15 2 Kings 12-14 (Psalm 104) Observe
Interpret As we read through these books we witness the continual failure of leaders and people to fully follow God. Today is no exception. Joash follows God to some degree, and works to repair the temple, but allows idol worship to continue; incomplete obedience. The Priests seem inactive for twenty-three years under support from Joash; lethargy or the love of the status quo? Jehoahaz is disobedient to God but seeks Him when under threat; obedience because of necessity? Jehoash continues in the bad example of his father but does seek help from God’s man, Elisha. However, he does not fully commit to Elisha’s instructions so is not fully blessed. Amaziah, like Joash, makes an attempt to follow God. With limited success, however, he gets over confident and brings ruin on his kingdom. In the final section, an able leader Jeroboam, goes against God, but is used by Him for the sake of God’s people. None of the Kings fully commit to God. They are influenced by culture, fear, self, others, ambition, power and situation. It is God’s grace that sustains the kingdoms through, and more often than not, in spite of the kings. God’s Priests seem to refuse an open invitation to bless God’s people. Despite their inaction, blessings then flow in abundance, with direct intervention from the king, showing the heart’s desire of the real KING. Application Many factors will prevent us fully committing to God; we will see something of ourselves in the chapters we have read today. The sad truth is that our hesitancy, and lack of trust, often causes us difficulties. In sport (especially rugby and football-soccer), I learnt that full commitment brought reward, lack of commitment often brought loss and injury. It was best to be all in or all out. God cautions us of this truth in our relationship with Him. In Revelation 3: 14-22 the Church of Laodicea is warned against being lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. In 3: 16 there is a stark warning of rejection if the Church continued in this vain. In a far more positive 3: 16 (John) we see our saving grace. The fully committed Christ, achieves for us, our eternal future if we trust in Him. This grace of God is the all saving and vital truth for us. God does not deal with us as we deserve but is amazingly longsuffering and patient. He so desires to bless, if we but only trusted and fully committed The Question of Application Are you all in, all out or a bit of both in your relationship with God? How might God bless you if you gave more of yourself in loving trust? Prayer Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen Praise When I survey the wonderous cross by Kathryn Scott The Wondrous Cross by Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin II Kings 8-12
OBSERVATION
INTERPRETATION
APPLICATION
QUESTION
Lord God, have mercy on your struggling people. Grant us your assurance that you are truly God and we can trust you. You are love and we want to know that love deep in our hearts. Make us steadfast as we believe and to follow you. Song: Yet not I but through Christ in me 2 Kings (Chapter 4-7)
OBSERVE: In chapter 5 we read about an important man named Naaman, who was the general of all the armies of Aram. Although Naaman had great influence and success, he also had a problem that he could not overcome: leprosy. After Naaman heard about the great God of Israel from a young captive from Israel who served in his household, Naaman went to see the prophet of God, Elisha, to seek healing. “Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy” (2 Kings 5: 10). INTERPRET: The very idea of having to do this made Naaman storm away in anger. Naaman saw himself as far too important and successful to do something so simple, so ridiculous, as dipping himself into the muddy Jordan River. However, Naaman’s servants pleaded with him, “If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?” (5:13), and he relented. After he washed himself six times he was still leprous. But then, after he came out of the water the seventh time, his skin was like that of a young child – it was as if he had been born again; he had become a new creation. APPLICATION: Naaman wanted to pay the prophet something to show his gratitude. But the prophet Elisha refused any gifts to show Naaman that this God could not be bought or be satisfied by what we can offer. This was not the first time someone had tried to obligate God through their great wealth or good deeds. However, salvation comes only to those who are willing to humble themselves and receive by faith the wealth and goodness of another – Jesus Christ. The only “great thing” God wants, is for us to turn to him in humble faith and obedience, recognizing that we can do nothing to save ourselves. The ‘great thing” is simply to rest completely in the great finished work of Jesus on the Cross. Many will come to the Lord at the judgement, Jesus said, and plead all the great things they did for God. Yet Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Get away from me” (Matthew 7: 22-23). Why? Because they were determined to accomplish their own salvation through the “great things” they did for God. They were unwilling to simply rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. QUESTION / REFLECTION: Is the finished work of Christ enough for you? PRAYER: Jesus, your words tell me to humble myself and offer you only my need, yet I so easily feel that I must do some great work for you in order to be loved and accepted by you. Help me to be more willing to rest in your great work alone - which is enough. SONG: Jesus Paid It All (Newsboys) |
Preachers BlogIn 2024, each week's blog is a follow-up reflection written by the preceding Sunday’s preacher to dig deeper into the sermon topic and explore engaging discussion questions. Archives
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