1:1-31
- God invites us to ‘come’ to Him and receive salvation - ‘though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’. He also
warns us - there will be judgment ‘if you refuse and rebel’ (18-20).
God speaks to us of His great purpose of salvation: ‘God did not send
the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through Him’. He tells us that we can be saved through faith in Christ:
‘Whoever believes in Him is not condemned’. He calls us back from the
way of unbelief and judgment: ‘Whoever does not believe is condemned
already because he does not believe in the Name of the only Son of God’
(John 3:17-18). In Jesus Christ, there is ‘great salvation’. Make sure
that you receive God’s salvation. ‘How shall we escape if we neglect
or ignore such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3).
2:1-22
- God calls us to worship Him - ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord...’ - and walk in His ways - ‘Come, let us walk in the
light of the Lord’ (3,5). We are moving towards the Day when ‘the pride
of men shall be humbled and brought low’, the Day when ‘the Lord alone
will be exalted’ (11,12,17). How are we to get ready for the Return of
our Lord Jesus Christ? God calls us to keep on worshipping Him. We are
to encourage one another to keep on walking with God. ‘Let us not give
up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching’
(Hebrews 10:25). Let our pride be humbled and let the Lord be exalted
as we await Christ’s Return in ‘faith’, looking to Him alone for our
‘salvation’ (1 Peter 1:7-9).
3:1-26
- God’s Word calls us to make our choice. We must choose between the
way of ‘the righteous’ and the way of ‘the wicked’. There is a great
difference between the two ways - ‘Tell the righteous it will be well
with them... Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them!...’ (10-11). We
still need to hear the words of Jesus: ‘Enter by the narrow gate...
only a few find the narrow gate, the hard way that leads to life’. His
words are not popular. Many people dismiss His words as old-fashioned.
They don’t like this kind of talk: ‘the gate to hell is wide and the
road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it’
(Matthew 7:13-14). They say, ‘ Jesus said such ‘nice’ things about love.
Why does He spoil it all by saying things like this?’ When will we
start listening to all that Jesus says - and not only the ‘nice’ things we like to hear?
4:1-5:17
- ‘Those who are left... will be called holy’ (4:3). The world speaks
of God’s people with contempt - ‘the holy people who need to learn to
live in the real world’. When God calls His people ‘holy’, He speaks in
a very different way. He speaks with affection. He looks upon us with
love. We are special to Him. We are precious in His eyes. God loves us
and He calls us to be holy. We are to live as those who have been set
apart for God. We are not to live for this world only. There is
something else, something greater than this so-called ‘real world’.
There is a world that is unseen and eternal, heavenly and glorious. This
is our higher calling, our call to holiness. Let us ‘look to the
things that are unseen and eternal’. Let us ‘press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ (2 Corinthians
4:18; Philippians 3:14).
5:18-6:13
- God reveals His holiness: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts’
(3). In His holiness, we see our own sinfulness: ‘I am a man of unclean
lips’ (5). God is perfectly holy: ‘Your eyes are too pure to look on
evil’ (Habakkuk 1:13). When we look at ourselves in the light of God’s
perfect holiness, we see the truth concerning ourselves: ‘All have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). There is no
room for excuses. We must confess our sin. We must pray for God’s
forgiveness: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’ (Luke 18:13). To those
who come to Him with a true confession of sin, God speaks His Word of
forgiveness: ‘your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven’ (7). The
Lord has saved us. Let us serve Him. Let us pray, ‘Here am I! Send me’
(8). Let us share the Good News of His forgiveness.
7:1-25
- Isaiah looked ahead to the coming of ‘Immanuel’ - ‘God with us’
(14; Matthew 1:23). We look forward to the Second Coming of Immanuel:
‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They
will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’
(Revelation 21:3). The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ presents
us with a challenge: ‘When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on
earth?’ (Luke 18:8). He calls us to ‘stand firm in our faith’. We must
not ‘shrink back ‘ from Him. We must ‘believe and be saved’ (9;
Hebrews 10:37-39). Jesus says, ‘I am coming soon’. Let us pray, ‘Come,
Lord Jesus’. Let us pray that our ‘love’ for Him will not ‘grow cold’.
Let us pray for strength to ‘stand firm to the end and be saved’
(Revelation 22:7,12,20; Matthew 24:12-13).
8:1-22
- ‘Immanuel... God is with us’ (8,10). Jesus Christ has come to be
with us so that we might go to be with Him. He has come from heaven to
earth so that we might go from earth to heaven. He died for us that we
might live with Him. He does not return to heaven alone. He ‘brings many
sons to glory’: ‘Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me’
(18; Hebrews 2:9-10,13). Jesus speaks to us of the glory of the
Father’s House’. He shares this glory with us: ‘I go to prepare a place
for you... I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I
am you may be also’. He invites us to enter this heavenly glory. He is
‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’. Without Him, we cannot enter
heaven: ‘No one comes to the Father except through Me’. Through faith
in Him, we receive ‘eternal life’ (John 14:1-3,6; 6:40).
9:1-10:4
- The prophecy has been spoken - ‘To us a Child is born, to us a Son
is given...’. The prophecy has been fulfilled - ‘Today in the town of
David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord’. Jesus
Christ is our great Saviour. He is our ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (9:6: Luke 2:11). Jesus Christ
has brought to us a great salvation. Through faith in Him, we enter
God’s heavenly and eternal ‘Kingdom’ (9:7: Luke 1:30-33). This is ‘Good
News of great joy’ - for ‘all the people’, for ‘all generations’. Let
us rejoice in the Lord, as Mary, the mother of Jesus, did - ‘My soul
glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour... for the
Mighty One has done great things for me...’. Let us join with the angels
in saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest...’ (Luke 2:10; 1:46-50;
2:14).
10:5-34
- ‘A few, the remaining few of Jacob, will return to the Mighty
God...’ (21). So few people take time to worship the Lord. Are we to
become discouraged? No! We must take encouragement from God’s Word: ‘The
Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame’(17). We
must continue to pray for God’s blessing. ‘Let the flame burn brighter
in the heart of the darkness, turning night to glorious day. Let the
song grow louder as our love grows stronger; let it shine! let it
shine!’. ‘Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river, flow, flood
the nations with grace and mercy; send forth Your Word, Lord, and let
there be light!’ (Mission Praise, 743,445). May God give us grace to ‘truly rely on’ Him, ‘the Lord, the Holy One of Israel’ (20).
11:1-12:6
- The family tree of ‘Jesse, the father of King David’ has a very
special ‘Branch’ - Jesus Christ (11:1; Matthew 1:1,6,16). Jesus Christ
has raised ‘a banner for the nations’. He is ‘the Saviour of the world’.
He has died ‘for the sins of the whole world’. The ‘Good News’ is to
be preached to ‘all the world’. Christ calls ‘all nations’ to ‘turn to
Him’. He calls ‘all nations’ to receive the ‘forgiveness of sins’. He
calls ‘all nations’ to become His ‘disciples’ (12; John 4:42; 1 John
2:2; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Matthew 28:19). May our personal faith - ‘I
will praise You, O Lord... God is my Salvation... The Lord is my
Strength and my Song...’ - become our public testimony - making Christ
‘known among the nations’, telling ‘all the world’ what the Lord has
done for us (12:1-2,4-5).
13:1-22
- ‘The Day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from
the Almighty... The Day of the Lord is coming - a cruel Day with wrath
and fierce anger...’ (6,9). Christ’s Return will be a Day of salvation -
‘the Day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be
marvelled at among all those who have believed’. It will also be a Day
of judgment - ‘When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven... He will
punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out
from the presence of the Lord...’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Don’t let
the Day of the Lord ‘surprise you like a thief’. It can be a Day of
‘salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’. Trust ‘Jesus, who rescues us
from the coming wrath’ (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4,9; 1:9-10).
14:1-23
- We look beyond ‘the king of Babylon’ (4). We see Satan, full of
pride - ‘I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High’ -
, fallen - ‘How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer...’ - , and
brought to nothing - ‘you will be brought down to the pit of hell...’
(12-15). We look also at ‘the king of Tyre’. Again, we see Satan - ‘you
were on the holy mountain of God... you sinned; so I cast you as a
profane thing from the mountain of God... your heart was proud... you
have come to a dreadful end...’ (Ezekiel 28:12-19). Satan (the devil)
wages war against the Lord and His people. The final outcome of this war
is certain - defeat for Satan. Christ has won the victory: By ‘the
authority of Christ’, Satan ‘has been thrown down’. In Christ, we have
the victory: ‘they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb ...’
(Revelation 12:7-12).
14:24-15:9
- ‘My heart cries out for Moab’ (5). Here, we see the loving heart of
God. He takes ‘no pleasure in the death of the wicked’. He does ‘not
want anyone to perish’. He longs for ‘everyone to come to repentance’
(Ezekiel 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9). We see the loving heart of God in our
Saviour, Jesus Christ: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and
stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered
your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and
you would not!’. We see the loving heart of God in Paul. He sees the
nation of Israel turning away from Israel. He is filled with
compassion: ‘I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart’
(Matthew 23:37; Romans 9:2). May God help us to feel for the lost, to
look upon them with His love, to long for them to be saved.
16:1-17:3
- ‘In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a Man will
sit on it - One from the house of David...’ (5). This Man is more than
‘a descendant of David’. He is Jesus Christ, ‘the Son of God’ (Romans
1:4). ‘Jesus, the Saviour reigns’. Jesus is ‘the King of Love’. He is
‘our great Redeemer... our God and King’. Let us worship ‘our glorious
King’. Let us sing to Him, ‘Alleluia! What a Saviour!’. Let us, with
heart and voice, ‘confess Him King of glory now’. He is ‘our King’. Let
us ‘bring Him hearts that love Him’. Let us ‘bring Him thankful
praise’. He puts His question to us: ‘Who will serve the King?’. Let us
give our answer: We will ‘rise up’. We will ‘have done with lesser
things’. We will ‘give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve
the King of kings’ (Church Hymnary, 296,388,371,380,300,464,479,477).
17:4-18:7
- ‘You have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not
remembered the Rock of your refuge’ (10). How easy it is to forget! The
Lord has loved us so much. We should remember to say, ‘Thank You’. Very
often, we forget. When Jesus healed ten lepers, only ‘one of them came
back’ to say ‘Thank You’. Far too often, we are like ‘the other nine’
(Luke 17:11-19). We forget to thank Him for His love. We take His love
for granted. We should be celebrating. We should be letting Him know
how much we love Him. Don’t forget ‘your first love’ (Revelation 2:4).
Let Jesus be your first love. Let Him be your only love - for the whole
of your life. ‘High heaven, that heard the solemn vow, that vow
renewed shall daily hear; till in life’s latest hour I bow, and bless
in death a bond so dear’ (Mission Praise, 499).
19:1-20:6
- ‘The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My
people, Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel my heritage”’ (19:25).
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek... you are all one in Christ Jesus’
(Galatians 3:28). How can people who seem to be opposites be brought
together? Jesus Christ brings them together. He breaks down ‘the
barrier’. He removes ‘the dividing wall of hostility’. We are brought
‘near’ to one another through ‘the blood of Christ’. We must come to
‘the Cross’ of Christ. There, at ‘the Cross’, we will find each other.
We will discover what it means to be ‘one body’ in Christ (Ephesians
2:13-16). When Satan comes, creating misunderstanding, filling our minds
with suspicion and undermining our hopes of peace, let’s remind him
of God’s Word, ‘You are all one in Christ Jesus’.
21:1-17
- We live in a situation of conflict. We are at war with the enemy.
Satan is God’s enemy. Satan is our enemy. Satan is a very determined
enemy. Satan is a defeated enemy. The words of verse 9 - ‘Fallen, fallen
is Babylon...’ - , repeated again in Revelation 14:8; 18:2, assure us
that Satan will not prevail over the Lord and His people. The victory
is the Lord’s. He gives His victory to us. When the going gets tough,
when Satan seems to have the upper hand, let’s remember this: ‘Fierce
may be the conflict, strong may be the foe, but the King’s own army
none can overthrow. Round His standard ranging, victory is secure, for
His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure’. Let us not hesitate to
commit ourselves to Christ: ‘Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
we are on the Lord’s side; Saviour, we are Thine’ (Church Hymnary, 479).
22:1-25
- Here, we read about ‘the Valley of Vision’ (1,5). The Lord Himself
is to be our Vision: ‘Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be
all else to me, save that Thou art, Thou my best thought, by day or by
night, waking or sleeping Thy presence my light’ (Church Hymnary,
87). Down in the valley, the mountain-top experience seems a long way
off. What are we to do when everything seems to be hard-going? When
there seems to be no way out of the valley, no way back to the
mountain-top, we must keep on ‘looking to Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:1-2). In
the ‘valley’, we must learn to say, ‘My goal is God Himself, not joy nor
peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God’. Let your ‘valley’
become your ‘valley of vision’, the place where you are learning to
‘turn your eyes upon Jesus’ (Mission Praise, 470,712).
23:1-18
- ‘Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no
account!’ (13). To the nation which turns to Him, the Lord speaks His
promise of blessing - ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ...’
(Psalm 33:12). To the nation which turns away from Him, God speaks His
warning of judgment - ‘For lack of guidance a nation falls’ (Proverbs
11:14). We must choose. Will we choose to listen to the Lord, to submit
our lives to Him, to follow the guidance He has given to us in His
Word? Or, will we ignore Him and go our own way? The way of the Lord
leads to blessing - ‘Righteousness exalts a nation’. The way of self
leads to judgment - ‘sin is a disgrace to any people’ (Proverbs 14:34).
What will it be? - ‘Look at the Babylonians...!’ or ‘They will see
your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5:16).
24:1-23
- ‘They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they
acclaim the Lord’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the
Lord, exalt the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of
the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the
Righteous One”’ (14-16). What a beautiful picture of a land that is
enjoying God’s blessing, praising Him and giving glory to Him! Looking
around us, we see a very different picture - ‘The earth is defiled by
its people; they have disobeyed the laws... therefore a curse consumes
the earth; its people must bear their guilt’ (5-6). Can the dark picture
of sin and guilt be turned into the brighter picture of salvation and
rejoicing? God ‘is able to do so much more than we can ask for, or even
imagine’ (Ephesians 3:20). Be bold. Pray that God will send revival in
our time.
25:1-26:9
- ‘O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name...
You have done marvellous things’ (25:1). We remember what God has done
for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in
Jesus Christ who died for us. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who rose again
for us. We look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
look forward to the Day when ‘He will swallow up death for ever’. On
that Day, ‘the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces’. On
that Day, we will look back and say, ‘Surely this is our God; we
trusted in Him, and He saved us’. On that Day, we will ‘rejoice and be
glad in His salvation’ (25:8-9). Here and now, let us learn to ‘trust
in the Lord’. We can trust in Him ‘for ever’. He is ‘the everlasting
Rock’ - ‘the Rock of our salvation’ (4; Psalm 95:1).
26:10-27:13 - Jesus is our Saviour
- ‘Lord, You establish peace for us’; ‘We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ’. We cannot save ourselves. We can only look away
from ourselves to Jesus - and be saved by Him: ‘all that we have
accomplished You have done for us’; ‘By grace you have been saved
through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God’
(26:12; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8). Jesus is our Lord - ‘Lord,
our God... You alone are our Lord’. How are we to live once we have
received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? - ‘Just as you
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him’. We are not to
‘keep on sinning so that God can keep on showing us more and more
kindness and forgiveness’. We are to live a life of ‘good works’ (26:13;
Colossians 2:6; Romans 6:1; Ephesians 2:10).
28:1-22
- Jesus Christ is ‘the precious Cornerstone’. He is ‘the sure
Foundation’ (16). Jesus is the Name of our salvation - ‘Salvation is
found in no-one else... there is no other name... by which we must be
saved’ (Acts 4:10-12). There is only one ‘Foundation’ for our faith -
‘Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:11). He is the ‘chosen and precious
Cornerstone’ - ‘to you who believe, this Stone is precious’ (1 Peter
2:6-7). Build your life on Christ, ‘the solid Rock’ - ‘My hope is built
on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; no merit of my own
I claim, but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name. When weary in this earthly
race, I rest on His unchanging grace... When earthly hopes are swept
away, He will uphold me on that Day. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand.
All other ground is sinking sand’ (Matthew 7:24-27; Mission Praise, 473).
28:23-29:16
- ‘The wisdom of the wise will perish’ (29:14). There is another
‘wisdom’, a ‘wisdom’ which shall not perish, a ‘wisdom’ which is ‘wiser
than man’s wisdom’. Christ is ‘the Wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians
1:24-25). With Christ as our Saviour, we ‘shall not perish’. Through
faith in Him, we receive the ‘wisdom’ which brings ‘salvation’ (John
3:16; 2 Timothy 3:15). Jesus Christ is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’
(John14:6). He is the Way to true wisdom. He is the Truth upon which
true wisdom is based. He is the Life which is based on true wisdom. He is
true Wisdom. We must not seek wisdom apart from faith in Jesus Christ -
‘the world did not know God through wisdom’. There is one true wisdom
which does ‘not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God’ -
faith in ‘Christ crucified’ (1 Corinthians 1:21-23; 2:1-5).
29:17-30:17
- ‘In returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is
your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, “No!”’
(15-16). God wants to bless us. He wants to be our ‘salvation’. He
wants to be our ‘strength’. How does God bless us? How does He become
our ‘salvation’? How does He become our ‘strength’? We must want His
blessing. We must want His ‘salvation’. We must want His ‘strength’. We
must return to Him and rest in Him. We must quietly listen to His Word,
putting our trust in Him. There is no ‘salvation’ without ‘returning
and rest’. There is no ‘strength’ without ‘quietness and trust’. God
does not force Himself upon us. We can say, ‘No! I will have none of
it’. God wants to bless you. Will you say, ‘Yes, Lord! I want You to be
my “salvation”. I want You to be my “strength”’?
30:18-31:19
- ‘Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who
trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they
are strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the
Lord!’ (1). It is so easy to forget the Lord. We try to go it alone,
and we forget to look to Him for help. Even when we forget Him, He does
not forget us. When we turn our backs on Him, He calls us to ‘return
to Him’ (6). He reminds us that our true help is found in Him: ‘Our
help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth’ (Psalm
124:8). We need not look around here, there and everywhere for an
answer to the question, ‘Where does my help come from?’. There is only
one true answer to this question: ‘My help comes from the Lord, the
Maker of heaven and earth’ (Psalm 121:1-2).
32:1-20
- ‘Abandoned... deserted... a wasteland...’ (14). Can such a
desperate situation be turned around? Yes! When ‘the Spirit is poured
upon us from on high... the wilderness becomes a fruitful field’ (15).
We must not lose heart. We must keep on calling upon the Lord. We must
believe that God is able to turn things around. When the situation
seems hopeless, we must put our trust in ‘the God of hope’. We must
pray that God will send His blessing: ‘May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy
Spirit you may abound in hope’ (Romans 15:13). ‘Restore, O Lord, the
honour of Your Name! In works of sovereign power, come, shake the
earth again... Restore, O Lord, in all the earth Your fame, and in our
time revive the Church that bears Your Name’ (Mission Praise, 579).
33:1-24 - ‘O Lord...Be our strength every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble’
(2). We are not to pray to the Lord only ‘in the time of trouble’. We
are to pray to Him ‘every morning’. We are not to keep God at a
distance, calling on Him only when things are going badly. When we keep
God at a distance, our life tells its own sad story - ‘O what peace we
often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear - all because we do not
carry everything to God in prayer’. When we draw near to God, He draws
near to us, and everything becomes very different - ‘What a Friend we
have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to
carry everything to God in prayer!’ (James 4:8; Mission Praise,
746). Let God’s ‘love’ come to you ‘new every morning’ - ‘fresh as
the morning , as sure as the sunrise’ (Lamentations 3:22-23).
34:1-17
- God calls us to ‘draw near’ to Him. He wants us to ‘pay attention’
to Him. We must ‘listen’ to His Word (1). God’s Word is not always what
we want to hear. It will always be what we need to hear.
‘The Lord is angry with all nations’ (2). We don’t like to hear about
God’s anger. We prefer to be told ‘You’re doing fine’. We need to hear
about God’s anger. We need to hear about how far we have wandered away
from God - ‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us turned to
his own way’. We are sinners. We have turned away from the Lord. We
have chosen our own way rather than His way. We must hear this ‘bad
news’ before we can really appreciate the ‘Good News’ - ‘the Lord has
laid all our sins on Jesus’, ‘Christ died for us while we were still
sinners’, ‘Christ died for our sins’ (53:6; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians
15:3).
35:1-10
- What blessings are given to those who draw near to God - ‘Your
God... will come and save you’ (4). The Good News of Christ comes to us
as a call to faith - ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’
(Acts 16:31). We have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We cannot remain the same. We are called to live a new life. We
must travel on the Lord’s ‘highway’ - ‘the Way of Holiness’ (8). This
is ‘the Way’ which leads to ‘everlasting joy’ (10). This ‘Way’ is so
different from the world’s way. The world has no time for those who
seek to live a holy life. This is what Jesus says about the world’s way
of life: ‘the gate is wide and the way is wide that leads to
destruction’ (Matthew 7:13). Whatever the world may say, we must never
forget this: ‘Without holiness, no-one will see the Lord’ (Hebrews
12:14).
36:1-37:20
- Hezekiah is facing a very powerful enemy - ‘Sennacherib, king of
Assyria’ (36:1). Hezekiah prays for deliverance - ‘O Lord our God,
deliver us from his hand’. He prays for salvation - ‘O Lord our God,
save us...’ (37:20). We face an even more powerful enemy - Satan, ‘the
ruler of this world’, ‘the god of this world’. We must pray for
deliverance. We must look to the Lord for salvation. We must pray with
faith in Jesus Christ. Satan ‘has no power over’ Jesus. When Jesus was
‘lifted up from the earth’ (crucified), He won a mighty victory over
Satan. Jesus died for us so that Satan, ‘the ruler of this world’ might
be ‘cast out’. Satan’s power is broken when ‘the light of the Gospel
of the glory of Christ’ shines ‘in our hearts to give us the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (John
14:30;12:31-33; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).
37:21-38:8
- Sennacherib has no power over God’s people. They are protected by a
superior power, the power of God - ‘This is what the Lord says
concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this city or shoot an
arrow here... By the way that he came he will return...”’. This is
God’s answer to Hezekiah’s prayer for salvation - ‘I will defend this
city to save it’ (33-35). What a great God we have! He is the God of our
salvation. He will answer our prayer for salvation. God loves us: ‘God
so loved the world that He gave His only Son...’. Christ died for us:
‘God made Him who knew no sin (Christ) to be sin for us, so that in Him
we might become the righteousness of God’. Christ promises to receive
all who come to Him for salvation: ‘I will never turn away anyone who
comes to Me’ (John 3:16; 6:37; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
38:9-39:8
- ‘The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments
all the days of our life in the House of the Lord’ (20). Some people
say, ‘I can be a Christian without going to Church’. Here, we have
something very different. Believing in the Lord leads to worshipping the
Lord. It doesn’t make sense to say, ‘I believe in the Lord but I’m
not interested in worshipping Him’. We believe in Christ. We are saved
by Him. We receive a new Spirit of worship: ‘God has sent the Spirit of
His Son into our hearts, crying, “Father, my Father!”’ (Galatians
4:4). Let’s have none of this ‘believing without worshipping’ - ‘Abba
Father, let me be Yours and Your alone. May my will for ever be
evermore Your own. Never let my heart grow cold, never let me go. Abba
Father, let me be Yours and Yours alone’ (Mission Praise, 3).
40:1-31
- ‘The Lord is the everlasting God... He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak... those who wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength...’ (28-31). Far too often, we say, ‘I can’t’
when we really mean ‘I won’t’. ‘I can’t’ - This is an insult to the
power of God. The Lord calls us to do something special for Him. We say,
‘I can’t’. What are we really saying? This is what we are saying -
‘Lord, I don’t believe Your promise - “Those who wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength”’. Don’t say, ‘I can’t’. Don’t get so busy
with other things that you fail to wait upon the Lord and renew your
strength. When the Lord calls you to serve Him, say, ‘Yes, Lord, I will
wait upon You. I will renew my strength. I will do Your will’.
41:1-29
- ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God, I will strengthen you and help you... I am the Lord your God
who... says to you, Do not fear; I will help you... I Myself will help
you, declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel’ (10-14).
When we have something important to say, we repeat ourselves. We want
to make sure that our message gets across. We say, ‘Do you get the
point? Do you see what I mean?’. This is what God is doing here. Three
times, He says, ‘I will help you’. He wants us to get the point.
He wants to leave us in no doubt. He wants us to be sure of this: ‘I
will help you’. He doesn’t want us to go around thinking, ‘I wonder if
God will help me?’. He really does want to help us. He says it once. He
says it twice. He says it three times: ‘I will help you’.
42:1-25
- ‘Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I
delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the
nations’ (1). These words turn our thoughts towards the Lord Jesus
Christ. At His baptism, we hear the voice of the Father - ‘This is My
Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased’. At His baptism, we see
‘the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on Him’. Jesus
is the fulfilment of God’s Word of prophecy: ‘All mankind shall see the
Saviour sent from God’. After His resurrection, we hear Jesus Himself
speaking. He says, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising
them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit...’
(Matthew 12:15-21; 3:16-17; 28:18-20; Luke 3:6). Let us bring Christ to
the nations. Let us serve the Lord in the power of the Spirit.
43:1-28
- ‘I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour... I
am the Lord, apart from Me there is no saviour’ (3,11). Isaiah’s words
turn our thoughts towards Jesus our Saviour. The Name of Jesus is the
Name of our salvation: ‘Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is
no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’
(Acts 4:12). ‘How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear’;
‘There is a Name I love to hear... It tells me of a Saviour’s love, who
died to set me free; it tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s
perfect plea. O how I love the Saviour’s Name, the sweetest Name on
earth’; ‘Name of all majesty... See now what God has done, sending His
only Son, Christ the beloved One, Jesus is Lord!’ (Church Hymnary, 376; Mission Praise, 672,481).
44:1-28
- ‘I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry
ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on
your descendants’ (3). Here, Isaiah is looking forward to the mighty
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost - ‘They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit...’ (Acts 2:4). It is ‘the Spirit’ who
brings ‘streams of living water’ into our lives. It is ‘the Spirit’ who
sends ‘streams of living water’, flowing out from us to others (John
7:37-39). We are to ‘be filled with the Spirit’. ‘Speak to one another
with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your
heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything
in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ - Let your life be full of
praise to God: ‘filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18-20).
45:1-25
- ‘I am the Lord... I will strengthen you’ (5). How does the Lord
strengthen us? He strengthens us with salvation. He comes to us as our
‘God and Saviour’. He calls us to come to Him and receive salvation:
‘Turn to Me and be saved...’. Through faith in Christ, we are ‘saved by
the Lord with an everlasting salvation’ (15,17,21-22). We are
strengthened with ‘everlasting salvation’. We look ahead to Christ’s
Return ‘in power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:30). On that Day, the
glory of our Saviour will be fully revealed: ‘At the Name of Jesus every
knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father’. Jesus is our Saviour. His ‘Name is above every name’. Our
‘strength’ comes from Him (23-24; Philippians 2:10-11).
46:1-47:15
- ‘I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like
Me... I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and my
salvation will not be delayed’ (46:9,13). God does not keep His distance
from us. He comes near to us - ‘The Word is near you, on your lips and
in your heart (that is, the Word of faith which we preach). God does
not delay His salvation. He comes to us with His promise: ‘If you
confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’ (Romans 10:8-9).
Jesus is the Word of God. He is our Saviour. He is our Lord (John
1:1,14; 20:28,31). Let us worship Jesus. He is ‘the Holy One of
Israel’. He is ‘our Redeemer’. ‘The Lord Almighty is His Name’ (47:4).
‘O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord’ (Church Hymnary, 191).
48:1-22
- ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who
directs you in the way you should go’ (17). God knows what is best for
us. He helps us to say, ‘As for God, His way is perfect’ (Job 23:10; 2
Samuel 22:31).How does God help us to see that His way is best? He
invites us to consider His love. We are to think about all that He has
done for us - ‘the mercies of God’. He calls us to dedicate our lives to
Him - ‘present your bodies, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God’. Dedicating our lives to the Lord - This is ‘our ‘spiritual
worship’. We are not to live for this world - ‘Do not be conformed to
this world’. We are to live for the Lord - ‘be transformed by the
renewal of your mind’. ‘God’s will is good, pleasing and perfect’. Learn
this for yourself. Dedicate your life to Him (Romans 12:1-2).
49:1-26
- ‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of
Jacob’. We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to
‘know’ (26). ‘Jesus, the Name to sinners dear, the Name to sinners
given, it scatters all their guilty fear, it turns their hell to heaven’
- This is not something to keep to ourselves. We must make Christ
known to others - ‘Oh, that the world might taste and see the riches of
His grace! The arms of love that compass me, would all mankind
embrace. His only righteousness I show, His saving truth proclaim: ‘tis
all my business here below to cry: “Behold the Lamb!”. Happy, if with
my latest breath I may but gasp His Name: preach Him to all, and cry in
death: “Behold, behold the Lamb!”’ (Mission Praise, 385). ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News’ (Mark 16:15).
50:1-51:8
- ‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that
I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me
morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’
(50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to speak for God. We cannot
speak for God unless we are listening to Him. Before we can speak for God, we must speak to
Him. We must pray, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1
Samuel 3:9-10). Listening to God comes before speaking for God. First,
we wait on the Lord - ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. Then, we witness
for the Lord - ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our
God’. Waiting on the Lord and witnessing for Him, we will win others for Him - ‘Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord’ (Psalm 40:1-3).
51:9-23
- ‘Awake, awake!... O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days gone by...
The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake
them... I am the Lord your God... I have put My words in your
mouth...’ (9,11,15-16). We must pray for revival in this generation.
Pray for a revival of joyful worship. Pray for a revival of powerful
preaching. Where will revival come from? It comes from the Lord. God
hears the prayers of His people - ‘Awake, awake!... O arm of the Lord;
awake, as in days gone by’. God answers the prayers of His people -
‘The ransomed of the Lord will return... Gladness and joy will overtake
them’. Revival comes when God sends His Word of power - ‘I am the Lord
your God... I have put My words in your mouth’.
52:1-12
- ‘Good News’ - Let us ‘shout for joy’. ‘Good News’ - Let us sing
‘songs of joy’. There is the Good News of God’s reign - ‘Your God
reigns’. There is the Good News of our redemption - ‘The Lord has
redeemed’ us. We are not to keep the Good News to ourselves. This ‘news
of happiness’ is to be shared with everyone. We must let ‘all the ends
of the earth see the salvation of our God’. ‘Christ died for our sins’
- This is Good News. Christ was ‘raised on the third day’ - This is
Good News. ‘Jesus is Lord’ - This is Good News. This is the Good News
we must ‘pass on’ to others. In our world, there is so much bad news.
We must not let the Good News be drowned out by the bad news. We must
make sure that the people hear the Good News - loud and clear (7-10; 1
Corinthians 15:3-4; Mission Praise, 249).
52:13-53:12
- In this remarkable prophecy,.we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us -
‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ - and risen from the dead -
‘After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life’ (6,11).
‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ (Mission Praise,
745). We might put this question to Isaiah. In one sense, he wasn’t
there. He lived long before the time of Christ. In another sense, he was
there. God opened his eyes. God gave him a glimpse of what was going
to happen in the future. ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’.
In one sense, we weren’t there. These things happened long before we
were even born. In another sense, we were there. It was our sins which Christ took with Him to the Cross. It was our sins which He left behind Him when He rose from the dead (Romans 4:25).
54:1-17
- ‘The Lord’ is not only ‘the Holy One of Israel’. He is ‘the God of
the whole earth’ (5). The Gospel is for ‘all nations’. The ministry of
Christ’s apostles began in ‘Jerusalem’, but it did not end there. The
Gospel was to be taken ‘to the ends of the earth’ (Luke 24:46-47; Acts
1:8). Taking the Gospel out from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth was
not easy. The apostles faced much opposition. They stood upon God’s
promise: ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper’ (17). When we face
opposition, we must take our stand on the Word of God: ‘If God is for
us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31). Even when our words seem to
fall on stony ground, we must keep on speaking the Word of God’s love:
‘With everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord,
your Redeemer’ (8).
55:1-13
- The Word of God is spoken - ‘Seek the Lord while He may be
found...’ (6-7). No one seems to be listening. What are we to do? We
must remember God’s promise: ‘My Word will not return to Me empty’
(11). We do not see all that God is doing. He is doing much more than
we realize - ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts...’ (8-9). We may be
feeling very despondent - ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and
haven’t caught anything’ (Luke 5:5). The Lord still comes to us with
His Word of encouragement: ‘You shall go out with joy...’ (12). Before
there is joy, there may be many tears. When there seems to be nothing
but disappointments, we must remember the Lord’s promise: ‘Those who
sow in tears will reap with songs of joy...’ (Psalm 126:5-6). We must
not ‘judge before the time...’ (1 Corinthians 4:5).
56:1-57:10
- ‘My House will be called a House of prayer for all nations’ (56:7).
God is gathering His people together ‘from every tribe and language
and people and nation’ (Revelation 5:9). ‘Salvation comes from the
Jews’, but it doesn’t end there - ‘The Gospel is the power of God for
the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the
Gentile (the rest of the world)’ (John 4:22; Romans 1:16). We were
‘foreigners’. Now, we are ‘no longer foreigners...’(56:6; Ephesians
2:19). Christ has ‘broken down the dividing wall of hostility’. ‘We are
no longer Jews or Gentiles’. ‘We are one in Christ Jesus’. Christ has
‘made the two one’. We ‘have been brought near through the blood of
Christ’. We are ‘one body’ - Jews and Gentiles brought together ‘through
the Cross’ of Christ (Ephesians 2:13-16; Galatians 3:28).
57:11-58:14 - ‘To the far and to the near’, God speaks His Word of ‘peace’
(57:19). Christ is God’s Word of ‘peace’ (Ephesians 2:13-14). Christ
is for ‘the Jews’. Christ is for ‘the Gentiles’. There is one way of
salvation. Jesus Christ is our Saviour. We must put our ‘faith’ in Him.
Through Him, we have ‘peace with God’ (Romans 3:29-30; 5:1). God’s Word
invites us to ‘call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved’ (58:9;
Acts 2:21). In Christ, there is true ‘joy’ - ‘I delight greatly
in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with
garments of salvation...’ (58:14; 61:10). We rejoice in Jesus Christ.
He is ‘the High and Exalted One’. He has come from His ‘high and holy
place’. He has become ‘Emmanuel’, ‘God with us’. He is our peace and
joy, our Saviour and our God’ (57:15; Matthew 1:21, 23; John 20:28).
59:1-21
- What are we to do ‘when the enemy comes in like a flood’? We must
look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ. He has ‘come’ as our
‘Redeemer’. Trusting in Jesus Christ, we must pray that ‘the Spirit of
the the Lord will come like a rushing stream’. We must pray that ‘the
wind of the Lord’ will come sweeping through us with much blessing
(19-20). In ourselves, there is no blessing - ‘salvation... is far from
us’. ‘Our sins have separated us from God’. We need to receive
‘salvation’ from the Lord (11,2,17). We must not delude ourselves. Satan
is stronger than we are. We have no hope of victory over Satan - until
we put our trust in Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we are helpless and
hopeless. With Him, we shall be victorious. He is ‘the Rock of our
salvation’ (Matthew 7:24-27; 2 Samuel 22:47; 1 Corinthians 10:4).
60:1-22
- ‘Arise, shine; for your Light has come... the Lord will be your
everlasting Light’ (1,19-20). Jesus Christ is ‘the Light of the world’.
When we ‘follow Him’, we ‘will not walk in darkness’. We ‘will have the
light of life’ (John 8:12). We are living in difficult times. We are
surrounded by much darkness. We must not be discouraged - ‘the lamp of
God has not yet gone out’ (1 Samuel 3:3). When the darkness threatens
to overcome the Light, we must take encouragement from God’s Word - ‘The
Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’
(John 1:5). When the darkness seems to be everywhere, put your trust in
the Lord - The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?’ -
and let ‘His Word’ be ‘a lamp to your feet and a light to your path’
(Psalms 27:1; 119:105).
61:1-11
- ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favour’ (1-2). Jesus has fulfilled these words (Luke
4:18-21). Jesus has come, ‘proclaiming the Good News of God’. He tells
us that ‘the time has come’. This is the time of opportunity, the time
for making our response to Jesus Christ. He calls for our response -
‘Repent and believe the Good News!’. He calls us to make our response now
- ‘now is the acceptable time... now is the day of salvation’ (Mark
1:14-15; 2 Corinthians 6:2). There will come a time when the time of
opportunity comes to an end. When Christ returns ‘with power and great
glory’, it will be ‘the Day of vengeance of our God’. We do not know
when Christ will return. Get ‘ready’ for His Return. Put your ‘faith’ in
Him (2; Matthew 24:30,36,44; 25:13; Luke 18:8).
62:1-12
- God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every
name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (2; Philippians
2:9-11). Christ loves us. He has given Himself for us. He calls us His
‘Bride’ (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2,9).
Through faith in Christ, we have become ‘the Holy People’. Through Him,
we are ‘the Redeemed of the Lord’. We have been ‘Sought After’ by the
Lord. In Him, we are ‘the City No Longer Deserted’ (12; 1 Peter
2:9-9-10; 1:18-19; Luke 19:10; John 14:18). ‘There is a Name I love to
hear... It tells me of a Saviour’s love, who died to set me free. It
tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea... Jesus, the
Name I love so well, the Name I love to hear!... O how I love the
Saviour’s Name, the sweetest Name on earth!’ (Mission Praise, 672).
63:1-19
- The Lord our God is ‘mighty to save’. He has shown His ‘steadfast
love’ to us. He has become our ‘Saviour’. ‘In His love’, He has
‘redeemed’ us (1,7-9). We read here about the power of God - He is ‘mighty to save’ - and the love
of God - ‘In His love’, He has ‘redeemed’ us. What love the Lord has
for us - ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...’ (John
3:16)! What power there is in the Gospel of love - ‘The Gospel is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16)!
What a ‘Saviour’ we have - Our Lord Jesus Christ is ‘able to save to
the uttermost all who come to God through Him’ (Hebrews 7:25)! Think of
Jesus Christ. Think of His love, His power, His salvation. Thank Him
for all He has done for you - ‘Alleluia! What a Saviour!’ (Church Hymnary, 380)
64:1-65:12
- We confess our sins to God - ‘We sinned... All of us have become
like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy
rags’. We look to God for forgiveness - ‘Do not remember our sins for
ever’ (64:5-6,9). We know that God hears and answers our prayer. Jesus
Christ is God’s Answer to our prayer. He has ‘come down’ from heaven to
earth. ‘The Son of the Most High’ has been ‘born’ into our world. Jesus
Christ is God’s way of saying ‘Here am I! Here am I!’. He is ‘God with
us’ (64:1; 65:1; Luke 1:32,35; Matthew 1:23). ‘The blood of Jesus,
God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin’. Let us ‘confess our sins’. ‘The
blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin’ - Let us come to
God with faith, believing that He ‘will forgive our sins’. (1 John
1:7,9). Let us rejoice in Jesus, our Saviour!
65:13-66:4
- What a contrast there is between those who belong to Christ - ‘My
servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts’ - and those who have
refused to come to Christ for salvation - ‘You will cry out from
anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit’ (14)! God is
preparing a great future ‘for those who love Him’ - ‘I will create a
new heaven and a new earth’. He is calling us away from our sins -
‘Past things will not be remembered. They will not come to mind’. He
is calling us to His ‘holy mountain’. How can we enter into our full
enjoyment of God’s eternal salvation? God’s Word tells us: ‘I will pay
attention to those who are humble and sorry for their sins and who
tremble at My Word’ (65:17,25; 66:2; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Make sure that
you belong to Christ. Put your faith in Him (John 3:18,36).
66:5-24
- ‘Hear the Word of the Lord’. How are we to listen to God’s Word? We
are to ‘tremble at His Word’. We are to ‘drink deeply with delight’
(5,10-11). There is to be the fear of the Lord. There is to be joy in
the Lord. These are not opposites. They belong together - ‘Work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling... Rejoice in the Lord’
(Philippians 2:12; 3:1). We hear God’s warning, and we ‘tremble’. To
those who ‘sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth’,
God says this: ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God’ (Hebrews 10:26,31). We hear God’s promise, and we ‘rejoice’:
‘The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the
everlasting arms’ (Deuteronomy 33:27). Let us ‘hear the Word of the
Lord’ - the warning as well as the promise!
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