Today the people have a question for the Lord – “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’” 

God does see and does take notice, but what He sees and notices is just a bunch of people not eating while oppressing their workers. Once again the Lord makes clear that He is not interested in religious acts if a person’s heart is not surrendered to Him. He desires them not to be wicked, but to lift heavy burdens, feed the hungry, and clothe the poor. “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer.” He also tells them to honor the Sabbath by turning from doing their own ways to delighting in the Lord.

Isaiah says that the Lord is capable of saving the people, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” And for the ones walking in their own ways and not the ways of the Lord, there will never be peace – “The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.”

Therefore, the Lord is sending His Son to redeem them from their sins -“‘The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,’ says the Lord. ‘As for Me,’ says the Lord, ‘this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,’ says the Lord, ‘from this time and forevermore.’”

Later in the story, Paul will quote these words from Isaiah when explaining the future restoration of Israel (Romans 11:26-27). And Jesus will also quote Isaiah during His first sermon in the synagogue in His hometown Nazareth – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:16-19, Isaiah 61:1,2). After reading from the scroll of Isaiah, Jesus will say, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21); which will cause quite an uproar, as we will read later.

Isaiah says when the Lord shines light into darkness through His Son Jesus, we are to “Arise, shine; for your light has come!” Christians are called to be the light in this dark world by sharing the Good News of Jesus and loving others well, looking forward to the day when Jesus will return and will make all things new. Isaiah speaks of the New Jerusalem – “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.” The Lord will give John a similar vision of the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation where the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is the Light, and there is no more pain or suffering (Revelation 21).

Isaiah says the Lord will restore Jerusalem as His bride, “and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Jesus loves the church as His bride, and John tells us in the Book of Revelation that one day He is coming back for her – “‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’” (Revelation 19:7-9).

The Lord sees all. And just as the Lord was warning His people about the impending judgment in the Divided Kingdom Era, He is warning us today about the impending judgment coming at Jesus’ return. For those who ignore the word of God, there will be no peace. For those who have accepted Christ as our Savior, we are to prepare ourselves as a bride would for her wedding day, daily growing in our relationship with Jesus through prayer and by allowing His word to transform us into His likeness through the power of the Holy Spirit. So keep reading! (Isaiah 58:1-63:14)

Today Isaiah speaks of Jesus, the spotless Lamb, who is willingly coming to die for our sins – “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

We have all gone astray. There is not one person who ever lived or who will live that doesn’t need a Savior! And since we are all in need of a Savior, it will please the Lord to send His Son to die for us – “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Isaiah says the Lord will redeem Jerusalem and gives them hope for the future. The people will return to fertile land, and they will become numerous. “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.”

Isaiah urges the people to seek the Lord and live; to trust the Lord and His word and experience life – “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.’”

The Lord promises salvation to anyone who puts their faith in Him, including the eunuchs and foreigners. He says that everyone who holds “fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.” Soon in the story a foreign eunuch, Ebed-Melech, is going to save the prophet Jeremiah’s life (Jeremiah 38:7-13). And because Ebed-Melech will trust in the Lord, he will be given life and peace, just as the Lord said (Jeremiah 39:15-18).

There will be peace for the righteous, the ones who trust the Lord, but there will be no peace for the wicked, the ones who ignore the Lord and trust in themselves and their works – “I will declare your righteousness and your works, for they will not profit you. When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry them all away, a breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain… I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would fail before Me, and the souls which I have made… I create the fruit of the lips: peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,’ says the Lord, ‘And I will heal him.’ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’”

Out of mercy the Lord provides a way to heal us from our sin nature and give us peace. And it is by the blood of Jesus Christ that we, who all were once dead in our transgressions, are made equal – “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Keep reading. (Isaiah 52:13-57:12)

Today Isaiah says that the Lord’s people will one day go from Babylon, and He will reestablish His covenant with them which will even include the Gentiles – “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth… In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth.” This new covenant will be established through the faithful Servant, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8).

Although the people say, “The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me”, the Lord assures them that this isn’t true. He says that His love for them is greater than a mom’s love for her nursing child. He says, “Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” The hands of our Savior will be nailed to a cross for our sins. And after Jesus’ death and resurrection, He will show His nail-scarred hands to His disciple Thomas so that he may believe that Jesus is Lord. Then Jesus will say to Him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

God tells the righteous, the ones seeking the Lord, to look to the past in order to remember that He can be trusted – “Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him.” And look to the heavens and the earth beneath. “The earth will grow old like a garment. And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.”

The Lord says, “And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; you have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared— The Lord of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”

We live in fear when we forget the Lord and His mighty power and strength. The righteous do not have to fear this world or the wicked who lie and throw insults, for the wicked will be destroyed, but the righteous, those who trust in Christ, will ultimately be delivered from all evil. The Lord is sovereign over all things, and the enemy can not do anything more to us than the Lord allows. God’s plans and purposes will always prevail. Therefore, Isaiah says that after the Lord disciplines His people through captivity, He will pour out His wrath on their enemies – “For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

Keep reading to see the Lord’s plans for His people unfold. (Isaiah 48:12-52:12)

Today the Lord makes clear who He is – “I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.” He calls out those who make false gods to worship and says it is foolish to worship something you make with your own hands – “Those who make an image, all of them are useless… Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing?”

The people are spiritually blind, therefore, “They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand… A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul.” One commentator said that the people first loved darkness and chose blindness, so the Lord gave them what they wanted. He said it was similar to the way the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh. When God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, the Lord was allowing Pharaoh to do what he wanted to do. The same is true for those who are choosing to worship idols made by their own hands.

However, Isaiah gives the people a word of hope – “Remember these, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you… Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’ And to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

Soon, Jeremiah will foretell of Judah’s seventy year captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10). After seventy years, Cyrus, king of Persia, will make a decree releasing the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). Isaiah’s prophecy of the deliverance was written more than two hundred years before Cyrus fulfills the prophecy. 

So we see that God is sovereign over all, including pagan kings. The Lord says, “To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— to subdue nations before him.” And this is not a hard task for the Lord because, as He says – “I have made the earth, and created man on it. I – My hands – stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded.”

The Lord tells the people to “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”

Isaiah foretells the fall of Babylon to Persia. The Lord is going to humble Babylon for taking pleasure in punishing His people – “I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, and given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy… Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasure… For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’ Therefore evil shall come upon you.” The Lord always sees, and He always serves justice to the unrepentant wicked. 

We end the reading with God exposing the stubbornness of His people. However, although the people persist in their stubbornness, the Lord will restore them by His mercy and grace, and for His name’s sake – “For My name’s sake I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.”

Nothing can stop the plans and purposes of the Lord. He is sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die so that anyone who puts their faith and trust in Him will have their soul delivered. Later Paul will say, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”(Romans 10:17). When we hear the word of God, we can either respond by trusting in Jesus and His sacrifice as payment for our sins or we can choose to ignore the Lord and be left to ourselves. Paul will tell us that if we choose to ignore the Lord, He will turn us over to ourselves and our hardened hearts, just as He did with Pharaoh and the ones choosing to worship idols made by their hand – “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 2:28).

As C.S. Lewis said, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, ‘Thy will be done’.” Keep reading. (Isaiah 44:6-48:11)

Today Isaiah switches gears from announcing judgment to speaking words of comfort and restoration. He prophesies of the coming Messiah and of John the Baptist who will prepare the people for His arrival. Later in the story, Matthew, Mark, and Luke will all quote Isaiah when describing John the Baptist as “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”

Isaiah compares our lives to grass which is frail and dies but says the word of God is everlasting – “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Josh McDowell writes about the endurance of the Bible in “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” – “Written on material that perishes, having to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press, did not diminish its style, correctness, nor existence. The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of classical literature combined.” The Bible is our source of truth from the Lord, and He will ensure that His word stands the test of time. No man or organization can destroy God’s word or what He has declared. 

Isaiah shares a declaration from the Lord – “Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” When Jesus arrives, He will declare Himself to be this Good Shepherd – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Jesus will first come as the Lamb to be slaughtered for us, but one day He will return as the King of kings and Lord of lords to rule with a strong hand.

Isaiah speaks of God’s greatness, the God of creation for whom there is no equal. Isaiah says that the Lord will renew the strength of the ones who wait on Him. Although Israel has been overthrown by the Assyrians and Judah is about to be carried off by the Babylonians, the Lord will not forget them – “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them— Those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”

Those who trust in the Lord do not have to fear because we have been redeemed by Jesus and we have a God upholding us by His might. God speaks of the coming Savior today who will bring forth justice for truth – “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Isaiah says Israel has been God’s blind, deaf, and disobedient servant, but by grace the Lord is going to do “a new thing”. He is sending His faithful Servant, His Son, to redeem His people – “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins… I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.”

When Jesus arrives on the scene, He will say to his disciples that He came to serve, not to be served – “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). 

God does not need us to serve Him. We need Him to serve us. Jesus served us by giving His own life to pay the cost for our sins so that we may be redeemed. And He continues to serve us today by working on behalf of those who wait on Him (Isaiah 64:4) and by working all things for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

More from Isaiah tomorrow, so keep reading. (Isaiah 40:1-44:5)

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” So Hezekiah cries out to the Lord, and the Lord says He will heal him, add fifteen years to his life, and deliver him and the city from the Assyrians for the Lord’s sake and the sake of His servant David.

The Lord’s favor is upon Hezekiah. “But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem.” So when the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon come to Judah to visit Hezekiah, possibly as a means to align with them against Assyria, God withdraws from Hezekiah, “in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.” 

Hezekiah eagerly shows the envoy from Babylon “all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”

Since Hezekiah is full of worldly pride, Isaiah rebukes Hezekiah – “Hear the word of the Lord: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

And Hezekiah’s response to this terrible news – “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good! For he said, ’Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?’” 

Hezekiah is so blinded by his success, wealth, and arrogance that he doesn’t see his own foolishness. The Lord graciously gave Hezekiah fifteen extra years of life, and what did Hezekiah do with those extra years? He lived pridefully and self serving, negatively impacting future generations with his arrogant and foolish acts. Hezekiah could have used the time he spent with the Babylonian envoy to elevate the Lord and not himself. He could have testified of God’s great majesty and His holy protection and blessings upon His people. Hezekiah could have used his life to draw those pagan men to the Lord. Instead, he took that opportunity to glorify himself and not the Lord.

The day is coming when the Babylonians will return and take away all that Hezekiah flaunted before their eyes. And the Babylonians won’t just take away the material wealth, they will also take away the sons of the kings of Judah. This will occur more than a hundred years later, and this is when we will meet Daniel and his friends – “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God… Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace… Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah” (Daniel 1:1-6).

The decisions that we make with the life the Lord gives us make a difference in this world. We may never know the far reaching impact of our lives, but we should live each of our days honoring God, elevating His name, and pointing others to Him as Lord and Savior. Keep reading. (2 Kings 20:1-11, Isaiah 38:1-8, 2 Chronicles 32:24-31, Isaiah 38:9-22, 2 Kings 20:12-19, Isaiah 39:1-8)

When Hezekiah, king of Judah, hears the message against Judah and the Lord from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, which was delivered by the Rabshakeh, Hezekiah “tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.” Then he sent his servants to inquire of Isaiah. Isaiah responds, “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” 

“Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.” However, Sennacherib still intimidates Judah by sending a threatening letter to Hezekiah. When Hezekiah receives the letter, he goes to the house of the Lord and prays – “‘O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”

Isaiah gives a word from the Lord regarding the arrogant Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and his messenger, the Rabshakeh, who believe that all of their military success has been because of their own works and might. The Lord points out their ignorance and says all that they have accomplished was orchestrated by Him for His purposes – “From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, that you should be for crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins… But I know your dwelling place, your going out and your coming in, and your rage against Me. Because your rage against Me and your tumult have come up to My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came.”

The Lord declares that He will defend Judah for His sake and to keep His promises made to King David – “‘He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into this city,’ says the Lord. ‘For I will defend this city, to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”

And since God always delivers on His word –  “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.” 

“Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.”

But unfortunately all the success goes to Hezekiah’s head. Tomorrow a haughty Hezekiah acts foolishly by flaunting his wealth in front of some men from Babylon. Keep reading to see the negative impact that pride of leadership can have on a nation. (2 Kings 19:1-19, Isaiah 37:1-20, 2 Chronicles 32:9-19, 2 Kings 19:20-37, Isaiah 37:21-38, 2 Chronicles 32: 20-23)

Micah reminds Israel of God’s goodness and their failure. He says all the Lord required of them was to be just, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord. Instead, the people walk in wickedness and follow the practices of the evil kings of Israel, Omri and Ahab. Therefore, judgment is upon them. 

Micah says there’s not one faithful man among them – “The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net.” However, knowing the Assyrians are about to invade, Micah does not put his hope in man but in the Lord – “Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation, My God will hear me.”

Micah ends with a prayer asking the Lord to shepherd His people like He did when He brought them out of Egypt so the nations would fear Him and His people would return to Him. Micah knows that God’s mercy is great and that He is working His plan to send a Savior to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves; to cleanse us from our sins and give us a heart that loves the Lord and desires obedience to His word. One day Jesus will come and fulfill these words from Micah – “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” Jesus Christ will pay the debt for our sins by His sacrifice on the cross, tossing them into the depths of the sea – “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

As the Lord said, the Assyrians are now invading Judah. Hezekiah, king of Judah, tells the people not to fear the Assyrians –  “‘Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.’ And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sends the Rabshakeh (a title meaning “chief of the princes”) to tell Judah not to listen to King Hezekiah, and not to trust the Lord to deliver them from the Assyrians. The Rabshakeh says, “But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, ‘Do not answer him.’ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.”

Will Hezekiah fear the Assyrians and cave under their words, or trust the Lord and stand firm on His Word? Keep reading to find out. (Micah 6:1-7:20, 2 Chronicles 32:1-8, 2 Kings 18:13-18, Isaiah 36:1-3, 2 Kings 18:19-37, Isaiah 36:4-22)

Today Isaiah announces God’s ultimate judgment against the nations – “For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, and His fury against all their armies: He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter… For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance. The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.” The Lord has set a future date when He will serve justice against all the evil in the world. Jesus will later say, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21). During the great tribulation, there will be unparalleled disaster upon the land and the people, which is described in detail at the end of the story in the Book of Revelation.

Isaiah declares that his prophecy is true and will absolutely happen – “Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail.” That is why Jesus will later say, “For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:35-36).

Isaiah says, “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness… But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Jesus will later declare that He is the Highway of Holiness – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Charles Spurgeon describes the Highway to Holiness as the all time greatest accomplishment – “Engineering has done much to tunnel mountains, and bridge abysses; but the greatest triumph of engineering is that which made a way from sin to holiness, from death to life, from condemnation to perfection. Who could make a road over the mountains of our iniquities but Almighty God? None but the Lord of love would have wished it; none but the God of wisdom could have devised it; none but the God of power could have carried it out.” 

Today we also hear from Micah who declares judgment against Judah’s wicked wealthy oppressors and false prophets. He also calls out the leaders for perverting justice – “Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity, who build up Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity: her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.’ Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest.” The leaders falsely believe that no harm will come to them or their city because of their proximity to the temple of the Lord. However, they are wrong. 

Micah tells Judah that Babylon will invade Jerusalem and take them off into captivity, but the Lord would eventually deliver them – “And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.” So Israel will be judged and humbled by other nations, but out of this lowly nation, the Lord will bring forth the Savior, the Ruler Jesus Christ – “‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.’ Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and this One shall be peace.”

Paul will later say that Jesus is our peace because through Him we are reconciled to the Father – “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:14-18).

Jesus Christ is coming later in the story. He will humbly be born in a barn in Bethlehem just as the Lord planned all along. Jesus will willingly fulfill the work of our salvation, creating a Highway to Holiness; because we have a Lord of love who through His wisdom and by His power is making a way to redeem His people. Keep reading. (Isaiah 34:1-35:10, Micah 2:1-5:15)

“‘Woe to the rebellious children,’ says the Lord, ‘Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!’”

Isaiah condemns Judah for seeking help from Egypt, whose help is vain and empty, instead of seeking help from the Lord. The people do not want to hear the truth from the word of God. They only want to hear what aligns with their own personal feelings and beliefs. Therefore, judgment is upon them – “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.’ Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: ‘Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perversity, and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.’”

The Lord tells His people, “‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ But you would not.” However, because the Lord is gracious, He will wait for them to cry out to Him – “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.”

The Lord explains that hope is found in Him, not man. But since Judah relied upon Egypt for protection from Assyria instead of the Lord, He will shatter both Judah and Egypt – “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together.” However, there is always hope for the one who turns to the Lord. Therefore, the Lord calls His people to return to Him – “Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves. Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, and a sword not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become forced labor.” And this is exactly what the Lord will do. He is going to defeat the Assyrians in His divine way, which we will read about soon in the story (2 Kings 19:35).

Isaiah speaks of a king who will reign in righteousness. Commentaries believe Isaiah is referring to the faithful King Hezekiah who is sitting on the throne in Judah. He is a picture of the coming King, King Jesus- “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice. A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen. Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.”

The Lord mentions a time when the Holy Spirit will be poured upon His people, making fruitful what was once dead – “Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” After Jesus completes the work of salvation and ascends to heaven at the right hand of His Father, He will pour the Holy Spirit upon His people. Our righteousness is found in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our lives are fruitful to the Kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by that power, we can have peace beyond understanding. 

We end the reading with a word of hope for Jerusalem. In the midst of the threat of the invasion by Assyria, the Lord says He will save Jerusalem- “Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down; not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the majestic Lord will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by (For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us); your tackle is loosed, they could not strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; the lame take the prey. And the inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick’; the people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.”

The greatest gift the Lord gives is not merely being saved from external enemies; it is the forgiveness of iniquity and the gift of eternal salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Tomorrow we will hear more from the prophets Isaiah and Micah, so keep reading. (Isaiah 30:1-33:24)