Isaiah Part 1

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Israel’s Fall Lessons from the Israelites The Mountain of the Lord The Day of the Lord Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah The Branch of the Lord The Song of the Vineyard Woes and Judgments Punishment and Reward Isaiah’s Commission The Sign of Immanuel Fear God

Israel’s Fall (Isaiah 1) The book of Isaiah, the prophet, was written long ago, seven hundred years before Christ came to earth, called sometimes the “fifth Gospel” for the riches it contains, so many prophecies about his birth. The rebellious Hebrew nation, a brood of evildoers, again and again had turned their backs on God. Beaten and bloodied by discipline, yet refusing to surrender, they scorned the lessons of the chastening rod. But for the precious remnant still loyal to the Lord, their nation would have rightly been destroyed. Though they went through all the motions of sacrifice and worship, with their evil attitudes God was annoyed. Their meaningless rituals, beautiful prayers, the incense they offered was vain. God wearied of evil, detestable deeds, their hypocrisy causing him pain. He loved them because of their heritage, their forefather Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, the faithful three, but their religion now was a sham. They were to influence their neighbors for God, but the opposite happened, alas. They worshiped the pagan idols, relegated the Lord to the past. Depending on their blood line to save them in the end, they pushed aside the Living God, and lost their only friend. The door to repentance was opened wide, but the rebels preferred their own way. Their idols required no righteousness;  sad will be their judgment day! The tribes of Judah and Benjamin left the other rebellious ten, who were captured to serve as common slaves and were never heard from again. § Lessons from the Israelites (Isaiah 1) Many lessons from Isaiah apply to us today. God sharpened, defined, refined the law, but it is not a new way. He always required obedience, from worldly cares to withdraw. In order to have liberty, we must abide by law. His word was spoke by prophets until Christ came to earth. Now his Gospel is the only guide we need for our rebirth. It establishes our need to change, then tells us what to do to gain a new inheritance where souls are cleansed anew. Like the Jews, we’re sometimes selfish and hark back to the past that seems to look more pleasant, where we often had a blast, forgetting all the side-effects that followed in its wake. Christ lived and died and lives again for our salvation’s sake. Do we show our thankfulness to him by living righteously, or follow worldly idols, with busy-ness our plea? Do we love him only with our lips, like the Jews, our worship vain? Do job and family come first? Entertainment? Earthly gain? We may not worship an Asherah pole or bow the knee to Baal, but unless Christ is our guiding light, all other pursuits will fail to bring us happiness and peace, fulfillment of our being. Indescribable beauties of heaven are now beyond our seeing, but we know that he has made us saints and expects our very best. To live wrong and then pray to die right is such a foolish request. The Israelites who persisted in their own evil ways were cut off from God forever, refusing his law to obey. God is patient and loving and kind, but is also a God of anger. “My Spirit will not always contend with man.”  Disobedience is danger. If the nation of Israel fell away, the original chosen race, how can we expect salvation if we his name disgrace? Confusing “grace” with “license” can only cause us grief. If we disallow the laws of God, we’re no better than a thief. It matters not what humans think; “The mouth of God has spoken”. We can have within our hearts today his Spirit as a token. When the narrow way seems oft uphill, more cognizant are we of our dependence on his grace for every breath, you see. § The Mountain of the Lord (Isaiah 2) Isaiah prophesies that in the last days, the mount of the Lord’s temple, his church, will be established as chief among mountains (religions), above the high hills to perch. All nations on earth will stream to it; many peoples will come and say, “To the house of the God of Jacob, let us go and learn his ways, so that we may walk along his paths and have his peace within.” Their loads will be borne by the Savior who will take away their sin. No longer will Jew and Gentile be enemies that fight, but will beat their swords into plowshares, walk together in God’s light. The New Israel, the chosen few who seek God with honest hearts, will share in the bountiful blessings that his righteousness imparts. Hundreds of years before Christ came, Isaiah prophesied that his church would be established, the nations unified by the teachings of this humble man, God’s only begotten Son, who would show us by example just how the race should be run. § The Day of the Lord (Isaiah 2) The Israelites had forsaken God for idols and superstitions. Their allegiance was with pagans who practiced divinations. With treasuries full of money, all kinds of earthly wealth, they were arrogant and boastful, cared not for spiritual health. But the Lord almighty has in store a day to humble the proud. Their arrogance will be brought low and they will cry aloud for a place to hide from the Holy One, a cave in which to flee, when they, too late, confess his name and his glory they shall see. The idols they made to worship will then be thrown away, of no use in the caverns where they try to escape that day. They will suddenly know how powerless is the man-made religion of lies compared to the majesty of God who the careless world defies. When he shakes the earth in anger, his patience finally spent, he alone will be exalted and they’ll know what his statement meant: “My Spirit will not always contend with man”. Judgment will be swift and sure. Only the righteous won’t feel his wrath, by his blood having been made pure. § Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah (Isaiah 3) As God disciplined the Israelites, trying to turn them around because of their constant rebellion, his patience and love would astound. Even Solomon, the wisest one of all, by his wives was drawn away into idolitrous worship where sinful desires held sway. They were captured by other nations and used as slaves for years, but repentance never lasted for long, though it caused some bitter tears. Isaiah predicts Jerusalem’s fall as they went from bad to worse. They had a dearth of leaders; their words and deeds were a curse. Defying the glorious presence of God, parading their sins without shame, they brought disaster on themselves, had no one else to blame. These were supposed to be people of God, and thought they could not fall because of their Jewish heritage, with no righteousness at all. Woe to the wicked! They’ll be paid back for what their hands have done. Disaster is upon them! There will be an end to their fun. God’s people have been led astray and turned away from the path, crushed and ruined and plundered; their leaders will know God’s wrath. § The Branch of the Lord (Isaiah 3-4) Tell the righteous it will be well with them; they'll enjoy the fruit of their deeds. In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious to see. The fruit of the remnant of Israel’s land will be the pride and glory of those survivors who served the Lord, and who will be called holy. Those who are left in Zion, in the spiritual Jerusalem, recorded among the faithful, God will claim as belonging to him. He will cleanse Jerusalem’s bloodstains by a spirit of judgment and fire, and create over all of Mount Zion and those who assemble there protection as a cloud of smoke by day, a glow of flaming fire by night. Over all the glory, a canopy, a reassuring sight,  a shelter and shade from the heat of day and a refuge from the storm, like resting ‘neath his outspread wings, to keep them safe and warm. § The Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5) My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside farm. He dug it up, cleared out the stones, as the soft spring days grew warm. He planted it with choicest vines and tended it with care, with hopes for a crop of luscious grapes to fill the winepress there. But he was disappointed when it yielded such bad fruit. For all his tender, loving care, it was a vain pursuit. He will take away the hedge he built, protection to withdraw, so that the vines are trampled within the fallen wall. A wasteland it will soon become, neither pruned or cultivated, overgrown with thorns and briars, from rain unsaturated. The vineyard of Almighty God is rebellious Israel. They scorned the teachings of the Lord and into sin they fell. Even the men of Judah, the garden of his delight, were guilty of much bloodshed, cared not for doing right. No justice there, no righteousness; cries of distress were heard. They took his love for granted, thought obedience was absurd. He took away their heritage and gave it to another who would appreciate the gift of becoming Messiah’s brother. § Woes and Judgments (Isaiah 5) Woe to you who add house to house and selfishly join field to field till no space is left for your neighbors, a crop of loneliness your yield. To me the Almighty Lord has declared, the great houses will be deserted, fine mansions left without occupants, and use of the crop land perverted. Woe to those winebibbers early and late who seek only self-entertainment, but have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for spiritual attainment. Into exile, therefore, my people will go for their lack of understanding. They will suffer and die in a foreign land, their heritage not withstanding. Both low and high will be humbled, the eyes of the haughty brought low. But exalted will be the Almighty Lord; by his justice he will show that the holy God is righteous, and his righteousness will share with those who love and serve him and give their special care to others round about them until their final breath. He’ll take away the dread and fear of their former enemy, death § Punishment and Reward (Isaiah 5) Woe unto those who draw sin along with strong cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, their evil deeds replete. Woe to those who try to hurry God to satisfy their pleasure, who call evil good, and practice it in ever-growing measure, perverting all the things of God to fit their own desires. So sad will be their eternity when their evil plan backfires. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight, who think they hide their sins from God in the darkness of the night. Woe to those heroes at drinking wine, who take bribes in the courts, acquit the guilty, prosecute the poor, true justice to distort. They have rejected the law of God and spurned his Holy Word. Their roots will decay, their flowers fade, their wordy prayers  unheard. The anger of the Lord burns hot as he strikes his people down. Then he calls men from distant nations who will serve him without a frown, who never weary of his way, always alert and steady, equipped with the sword of righteousness, their ammo at the ready. They will capture the hearts of seekers for the army of the Lord to spread the word of truth and love that has its own reward. § Isaiah’s Commission (Isaiah 6) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw a mighty vision: The Lord was seated on a throne, with high and exalted precision. The train of his robe filled the temple, and seraphs told his story - “Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the temple shook and was filled throughout with smoke and I saw myself as unworthy until the seraph spoke. With a live coal he touched my lips and said, “Your guilt is taken away”. “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” I heard the Master say. “Here am I. Send me!” I volunteered. “Go and tell this people”, he said: “Be ever hearing, but not understanding, by your own desires misled. Be ever seeing, but never perceiving, with cold and calloused hearts. Otherwise you might repent and be healed by the wisdom that God imparts.” Then I said, “For how long, O Lord?” Till Jerusalem’s destruction. “Until the cities are ruined, the inhabitants slaves by abduction. Although a remnant will remain, still loyal to the Lord, like a stump in the wasteland of Judah, they will have a just reward.” § The Sign of Immanuel (Isaiah 7) When Ahaz, king of Judah, and the house of David were told that Aram was allied with Israel, an undertaking bold, they began to shake with terror, for their numbers then were few. But the Lord spoke to Isaiah and told him what to do. With your son Shear-Jashub meet Ahaz near the Upper Pool. Say: “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid, don’t lose heart like a fool. These two smoldering stubs of firewood are powerless, burnt out. They rely on humans for their strength.  Be faithful; never doubt. If you don’t stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” But Ahaz tried the patience of God and eventually would fall. The Lord himself (Isaiah says) will give to you a sign: The virgin will give birth to one both human and divine, and will call her son Immanuel, the Christ who does no wrong, who will have a normal boyhood of work and play and song. Yet before he’s old enough to choose which way his life will go, the Lord will bring on Judah more than you might wish to know. Humiliation and despair will come from foreign lands, as you are overtaken by the great Assyrian bands. Then the hills, once cultivated, cannot produce a crop for the many thorns and briars from the bottom to the top. Only sheep and cattle graze there, producing milk and curds to feed the faithful remnant who live by God’s sweet words. § Fear God (Isaiah 8) Isaiah says: The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow Judah’s ways. Do not look for conspiracy everywhere, do not fear what they fear; the Lord will be your stronghold all your days. The Lord Almighty is holy, he is the one to fear, for believers a sanctuary and sweet rest. But for unfaithful Israel he is a stumbling stone, a rock that makes them fall.  They failed the test. For the people of Jerusalem, unfaithful, self-possessed, the Messiah will become a trap, a snare. They will stumble, fall, be broken, be captured, serve as slaves. Their example loudly tells us to beware. Bind up the testimony, preserve, seal up the law among disciples who will follow through. I will wait for the Lord, who hides his face from the erring house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.  (Now, how about you?) Here am I, and the children (the remnant) the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols from the Lord Almighty. Why consult mediums and spiritists?  God only has the power. To the law and to the testimony! Those who do not speak the words of God have not the light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, through the land they roam. When famished, they become enraged and curse their God and King, with gloom and darkness their eternal home.

Isaiah Part 2

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel To Us a Child is Born The Woes of Disobedience The Remnant of Israel God’s Judgment on Assyria The Remnant of Israel Songs of Praise A Prophecy Concerning Babylon Winners and Losers A Prophecy Against Assyria A Prophecy Against the Philistines

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel (Isaiah 8) The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;  it will fall on Israel. Isaiah sends the message to Samaria where the ten northern tribes now dwell. With pride and arrogance of heart they go against God’s will, and plan to do things their own way, their kingdom to rebuild. But the Lord will give strength to their foes and spur their enemies on with hopes that they might still repent before his judgment is done. Since they have not turned and sought the Lord, he will cut off both head and tail, corrupted elders and prominent men, false prophets whose lies will fail. Those who guide this people misled them; all Israel has gone astray. Now they will be without leaders and forced to find their own way. The Lord takes no pity on them, for they blindly follow the blind. Responsible for believing a lie, everyone has an ungodly mind. A pall of evil is in the earth, surely wickedness burns like a fire. The wrath of the Lord is upon the land that pursues its own selfish desires. They devour and yet are still hungry, they eat and are not satisfied. Their souls are not fed by worldly pursuits; happiness has been denied. Their story encourages us today to be diligent in our search of the truth Christ left us as a guide, that his name we will never besmirch. § To Us a Child is Born (Isaiah 9) Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah prophesies in great detail that the Lord will honor Galilee, by the sea, along the Jordan, and no prophecy of God has ever failed. To the people walking in darkness, a great light now has dawned, the Messiah of the Jews at last has come. Their nation has expanded, enlarged by Gentile converts, increasing joy sweet as a sugarplum. They rejoice before the Master as when dividing plunder or at harvest time, the harvest of salvation. He has shattered their yoke, their burden of sin, the rod of their oppressor, beat Satan, the author of damnation. For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and on his shoulders will the government rest. “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father”, his family will be forever blest. Of his law of peace there will be no end; on David’s throne he reigns, establishing his Kingdom for all time, upholding it with righteousness and justice by his word, accomplished by the zeal of God divine. Over three hundred prophecies, Old Testament scriptures, proved true in New Testament days. Some meanings are two-fold, predicting the end when we vacate this body of clay. What a different place this world would be if we’d only look to God for all the answers of our daily life. Complete submission to his will is the only way to peace, to overcome the world and all its strife. § The Woes of Disobedience (Isaiah 10) Woe to those who make unjust laws, who issue oppressive decrees, depriving the poor of the rights they deserve, robbing people with unjust fees, making prey of helpless widows, mistreating the fatherless. When it comes to the day of reckoning, will you have any redress? To whom will the wicked run for help when disaster comes from afar? Where will you leave your riches - in Satan’s reservoir? Nothing will remain for you but to cringe with the captives, in vain, no chance for a better outcome than to fall among the slain. There is time and opportunity to repent and change your ways; surrender to the powerful One who can gladden all your days. Hide in him for protection against the devil’s snares. He will take your burden of sin away, lighten your load of cares. Else the fire of his anger against you will bring everlasting pain. In his arms you haven’t a thing to lose, and eternal life to gain. § The Remnant of Israel (Isaiah 10) Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, destruction is decreed by God’s own hand. Only a remnant will return, a few who serve the Lord, and through faithful, true obedience will stand. Ahaz, their king, refused to trust the power of their God, instead depending on Assyria’s might. This ally turned and conquered them. They should have learned a lesson, but still, against God’s law continued to fight. The Lord, the Lord Almighty will carry out destruction against the land and people that he loved. He allows their foes to conquer up to Jerusalem, their fate still in control of God above. He draws the line to show us the reins are in his hands. His enemies are punished for their sin. Although we must live in the world with hate and greed and war, the Bible’s message is: The good guys win! § God’s Judgment on Assyria (Isaiah 10) A great and powerful nation was Assyria of old, with intentions to destroy, to gain more ground. So God used them for discipline against his erring people, whose disobedience would now rebound. But woe to those Assyrians who seize and snatch and plunder, whose willful pride of heart and haughty look have angered God Almighty, who will use his club of wrath, and will stop their siege like closing up a book. God is absolutely in control, and uses fiery trials to test our faith, develop perseverance. For a time, the devil is allowed to roam the world in freedom, to flatter man without much interference. But when his purpose has been served and judgment is upon us, he must then face a just and righteous King. His reign is limited by God, his power temporary, like the earth and sky and every living thing. Senacharib, the prideful king, thought it was by his wisdom that he subdued the nations round about. Then angels killed his soldiers, one-hundred-eighty-five-thousand! As to Who’s in charge now there should be no doubt. The prophecies of Isaiah are great for building faith, as none has ever failed nor ever will. The faithful are rewarded, the disobedient punished, all prophecy and righteousness fulfill. § Songs of Praise (Isaiah 12) When the time of prophecy is fulfilled, when the time of the Gospel comes, then you will say, “I will praise you, O Lord,” your hymns reaching every eardrum. “Your anger toward me has turned away.” Christ died to assuage his wrath. “You have comforted me with your saving grace.” His blood set us on the right path. “Surely God is my salvation.” There is no other way to be saved. He is our Lord and Redeemer. “I will trust and not be afraid.” “The Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” We draw living water from his well, quench the thirst of every nation. “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; proclaim what he has done. Exalt his name in songs of praise from dawn to setting sun. Sing to the Lord, for he has done amazing, glorious things. Let this be known to all the world, let his mighty anthems ring. O Zion, shout and sing for joy, for great is the Holy One, the Messiah of true Israel; the Christ at last has come.” § A Prophecy Concerning Babylon (Isaiah 13) Babylon in Isaiah’s time was a great but wicked city, representative of raw power, earthly glory. In this prophecy concerning Babylon, the things Isaiah saw make an interesting and thought-provoking story. God leads his troops in a holy war against its mighty gates and the nobles in this bastion of sin, or anyone depending on their brains and fame and fortune instead of God, the victory to win. His wrath against their sin is great; he hates all that is evil because it harms the people that he loves. Devastating and enslaving, it robs and kills and maims, destroying souls who doubt the God above. He compares the fall of Babylon to the end of earthly time, to Sodom and Gomorrah, vanished, burned. Her days, he says, won’t be prolonged; her time is now at hand. From her plight the Medes’ compassion will be turned. He vows to put an end to the arrogance of the haughty, to humble their pride and punish their ruthless ways. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, will be overthrown by God, uninhabited until the judgment day. The Medes could not be bought off with proffered bribes of silver, had no delight in Babylonian gold. They would slaughter every citizen, in the city and the country, would have no mercy for the young or old. Only the remnant, the faithful few, would accept this prophecy, knew from experience God can never lie. The same is true today, as scoffers rule the world, and the power of Almighty God deny. § Winners and Losers (Isaiah 14) God will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel, the spiritual family for which Christ died, in his kingdom forever to dwell. There aliens will join them, Gentiles who once were foes, to share in the house of Jacob, Yahweh at last to know. As menservants and maidservants in the land of the Lord Most High, they will make captives of their captors, convert them and bring them nigh. They will rule over their oppressors with the law of Christ, the Word, share salvation through the Gospel, the best news ever heard. All the lands who are at rest and peace break out in joyful song, with the Lord as their protector, defending them from wrong. God has broken the rod of the wicked; the rulers have been struck down. In his fury he has subdued nations. His relentless aggression abounds. The grave below is all astir to greet the wicked ones. The spirits of dead tyrants taunt the leaders of Babylon. “You’ve become like us, despite your pomp. Death makes us equals here. To the depths of the pit you have been brought down from your glorious career.” The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again, but will die for the sins of their fathers, are not to inherit the land. § A Prophecy Against Assyria (Isaiah 14) The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so will my prophecy stand. I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mount I will trample him down. His yoke that has burdened my people will be replaced with a crown. For the whole world this plan is determined; over all nations stretches his hand. The Lord Almighty has purposed; his rule covers every land. Who is strong enough to thwart him? What army can turn him back? Not one of his prophesies ever failed, no wisdom does he lack. His desire for all creation is love and joy and peace. For the chosen few who follow him, his blessings never cease. As long as we live in this body, we will crave the same old things that are common to all humans and caused the fall of these kings. Satan was once called Lucifer, a mighty angel who fell because he followed his carnal desires that led him down to hell. Every day on earth we have a choice of which way we should go: Down the path of least resistance to Satan’s place below, or up the straight and narrow path where righteous feet have trod toward pearly gates and golden streets to the very throne of God. § A Prophecy Against the Philistines (Isaiah 14) Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple and prophesied in his name. It was in the year King Ahaz died that this new oracle came: Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the roots of that snake, your enemy, will come a costly token. A deadly viper will spring up, a venomous serpent to chasten. No evil will go unpunished; your downfall I will hasten. The poorest of poor will find pasture, in safety to lie down and rest, but your root will die by famine, your defeat will I manifest. Melt away, all you Philistines who forget to give God thanks. A cloud of smoke comes from the north, not a straggler in its ranks. What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? God will rescue his own people and give to them salvation. They will find refuge beneath his wings where their souls will be secure. By the reassurance of his Word, forever they shall endure. Fear of God, with knowledge, will turn to love; Christ is their only hero. The perishable things of this old world add up to exactly zero. cgtrent@att.net Home

Isaiah Part 3

A Prophecy Against Moab An Oracle Against Damascus A Prophecy Against Cush A Prophecy About Egypt Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush A Prophecy Against Babylon A Prophecy Against Jerusalem A Prophecy About Tyre The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth Praise the Lord

A Prophecy Against Moab (Isaiah 15-16) Moab’s mistreatment of the Jews is coming back to haunt. They have boasted once too often, their prideful ways to vaunt. Now they will be invaded and scattered far and wide, but drought and famine follow them. They find no place to hide. Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest, the fugitives flounder and moan. They cry for darkness to cover them in their misery far from home. When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out. To no avail she prays at her shrine, finds no loving god about. Her joy and gladness are taken away, no shouts or singing are heard. Lamenting and grief and mourning drown out any hopeful word. Within three years, the prophet says, Moab’s splendor will have ceased. Her many people will be despised, her misery increased. But some day oppression will come to an end; some day Messiah will come, establishing his throne of love to rescue the hopeless and glum. One from the house of David will rule with faithfulness, who in judging will seek justice, speed the cause of righteousness. § An Oracle Against Damascus (Isaiah 17) Damascus was a city in the neighborhood of Judah, undependable as allies or as friends. Because they were ungodly, their fall was prophesied, Assyrian seizure waited ‘round the bend. See, Damascus will no longer be a city, says Isaiah, but will become, ere long, a ruined heap. The place will be deserted and left for grazing flocks who, without fear of the foe, lie down to sleep. The fortified city will disappear, its royal power cease, its glory fade as that of Israel. The fat of Jacob’s body will slowly waste away, with just a remnant its decline to tell. Those gleanings of the harvest will keep the hope alive, will fan the fire of faith down through the years. Not serving pagan idols, the work of human hands, they will look to God with eyes now filled with tears. The identity of Israel had been forever lost, with Assyrians they’re now a mixed breed race. Residing in Samaria, considered as mere dogs, to the Jews they have become a sad disgrace. Forgetting God their Savior, their fortress in the storm, rebuked by him they turn in restless flight. Like a tumbleweed before a gale they wander in the dark, and disappear before the morning light. Sixteen times the Jews were captured because of wickedness, God’s way to discipline the ones he loved, yet they never learned the faithfulness that he desired for them, and missed out on the home prepared above. § A Prophecy Against Cush (Isaiah 18) Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush. In papyrus boats they send envoys, their neighbors to ambush — a people tall and smooth-skinned, aggressive, strange of speech, whose land is divided by rivers, whose greedy hands outreach. All you people of the world, who on the earth abide, when a banner is raised on the mountain at morn or eventide, I will keep quiet and look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in space. For before the harvest, when the bloom is gone and the flower becomes a grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives. No fruit or branch will escape. They will all be left to the birds of prey, to the animals in the wild. Summer and winter they will feed, in weather harsh or mild. Then every knee will bow to God, and gifts to him be brought by people tall and smooth-skinned, to the God they never sought. From a people once feared far and wide, who devoured like a lion, gifts to honor him, the Holy One, will be brought up to Mount Zion. § A Prophecy About Egypt (Isaiah 19) See, the Lord rides on a high swift cloud, above any human mind, and is coming to Egypt whose idols tremble; no power do they find to compare with the God of Israel: almighty, immortal, wise. The hearts of Egyptians melt within at his awesome strength and size. I will bring their plans to nothing, hand them over to a king who will rule them with fierce cruelty, whose chastening rod will sting. The water of the river Nile will refuse to flow as streams of Egypt dwindle, no reeds and rushes grow. Sown fields become so parched and dry, the dust will blow away. Fishermen will groan, as empty nets and barren hooks hold sway. No crop of flax to comb and weave, no linen to be made; cloth workers are dejected without their stock in trade. Wage earners will be sick at heart, as industry is nil. Senseless advice from counselors is as vain as a sugar pill. The cornerstones of Egypt — the leaders — are as fools. They have led the people far away into godless ridicule. Egypt staggers in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers ‘round, with the dizzy spirit God outpoured to sicken and dumbfound. In the day of the Messiah, Egypt will be terrified as the hand of the Lord Almighty will make them quake inside. Five cities within Egypt will speak the language of God and swear allegiance to the Lord, as the righteous road they trod. God will send to them a Savior, to rescue them from sin. They’ll make vows to the Lord and keep them, salvation thus to win. There will be a Gospel highway from there to Assyria’s land and they will worship together, on equal footing again. § Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush (Isaiah 20) A Jewish sign of mourning was sackcloth Isaiah wore for the division of Judah and Israel, which saddened him to the core. In the year Ashdod was overthrown, at King Sargon’s command, the Philistines were captured by the might of God’s own hand. He spoke then to Isaiah: Take off your sackcloth togs and the sandals from your weary feet. You won’t need a travelogue. So he went stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign of the way the king of Assyria would keep the captives in line. Stripped and barefoot, exiles young and old would be led away in shame. Egyptians and Cushites with buttocks bared would dishonor their proud name. The people who live on the coast will say: See what happened to our allies, those we fled to for deliverance. And hope for escape slowly dies. As a punishment for godlessness, the slaves are led away, a type of what will happen on the final judgment day. § A Prophecy Against Babylon (Isaiah 21) An oracle concerning the desert by the sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the south will God’s judgment be. An invader from the desert brings terror to the land. This punishment for evil Babylon cannot withstand. At their sad fall into sin, my body is wracked with pain. Lay siege, you men of Media; she shall not rise again. They set the tables, spread the rugs, they calmly eat and drink. Their fall is unexpected. We’re impervious, they think. Babylon has fallen, fallen! Comes a chariot driver’s cry. All its idol gods have fallen; shattered on the ground they lie. We may ask, “Why risk your precious soul for an idol made by man? Is there any hope of heaven in a god from mortal hands?” Yet the gods most people worship, as in all of history, are wrapped up in fame and fortune, holding no salvation key. Money’s strength is vain and fleeting, travels not beyond the grave. Only Jesus’ blood can purchase tickets with the power to save. § A Prophecy Against Jerusalem (Isaiah 22) Concerning the Valley of Vision (Jerusalem) once great: What is your cause for revelry; why do you celebrate? Trials caused you no repentance, grouped now with the heathen nations. You are filled with joy and gladness instead of lamentations. All your leaders have fled together; were captured without using the bow. You were caught and taken prisoner because of sin, don’t you know? This destruction Isaiah prophesied now caused his heart to weep. After Assyria failed to conquer them, their consciences were asleep. The Lord Almighty has a day of tumult waiting for you, a day of trampling and terror, discipline overdue. A day of battering down of walls, of wailing and crying and pain, asking help from God’s great mountain, but your weeping is in vain. The defenses of Judah are stripped away, your own resources too weak. You looked everywhere but to the Lord, alliances to seek. You strengthened the walls, built a reservoir, yet looked not to the One who planned and made it long ago for the glory of his Son. The Lord Almighty called you to repentance for your sin, to wear sackcloth and weep and wail, the Father’s forgiveness to win. But see, there is joy and revelry, a flippant attitude about your wicked lifestyle that shows ingratitude. Christ’s blood is not meant to cover unrepented sin. It will never be atoned for, no salvation in the end. § A Prophecy About Tyre (Isaiah 23) Wail, O ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and is left without a harbor or a house. Be silent you merchants of Sidon and people of the island; respectfully be quiet as a mouse. Her seafarers enriched you with bargains to be sold, on the waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre. The marketplace of nations is no more. Who planned this fate for Tyre, long the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, her traders renowned in the earth? The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all glory, and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. The Daughter of Tarshish, like the Nile, will no longer be a haven for all who would grow rich upon her trade. Go through your land, go till the soil to earn your daily bread. There are no longer fortunes to be made. Up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest. In Babylon the people are of no account. It’s a place for desert creatures, its fortress is laid bare because to them God was not paramount. Tyre will be forgotten for the length of seventy years; then it will happen as in the prostitute’s song: “Take up a harp, walk through the town, O prostitute forgotten; play the harp and sing so you’re remembered long.” Then at the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will ply her trade again throughout the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for God, not stored and hoarded to enhance her worth. Her profits now will go to those who daily serve the Lord, for food and clothes, abundant for their needs. No longer will her interest be in worldly fame and fortune, nor wasted on her revelry and greed. § The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth (Isaiah 24) See, the Lord is going to lay waste to the godless earth, ruin and devastation will cover its face, Inhabitants will scatter, the priest and all the people. It will be completely plundered and laid waste. The earth dries up and withers, the earth’s exalted languish. It is defiled by selfish people’s sin. They have disobeyed the laws, broke the covenant with God; a curse consumes the earth and all therein. Its people now must bear their guilt, for they will not repent. They’ll be burned up, and very few are left. But this remnant will be spared, the ones who serve the Lord. The majority of folks will be bereft. New wine dries up; its source is dead, the merrymakers groan. The gaiety of tambourines is stilled. The noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent. The prophecies of doom have been fulfilled. All is destined for destruction; too late now to turn back. All joy and gaiety has turned to gloom. Who can escape the terror? The snare and pit await; no hope to ever visit God’s throne room. The remnant raise their voices with shouts of joy and praise, they acclaim the majesty of God on high. “Glory to the righteous one”, they sing while rising through the clouds to heaven where their souls will never die.  Floodgates of heaven open, the earth is broken up, is shaken, split asunder, reels and sways. This old earth was never made to last, is running out of time. We have only one lifetime to mend our ways. No excuse or rationalization can deal with human sin. Confront it, leave it in the watery grave where Christ’s blood purifies the soul and gives us a new life, for only he controls the power to save. § Praise the Lord (Isaiah 25) O Lord, you are my god; I will exalt and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things that you planned long ago, predestined by your word, and everything you said was true, every prophecy man has heard. The city is a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin. You removed all their protection for depending too much on humans. Therefore strong peoples will honor you, even godless, ruthless nations. With reverence they now will acknowledge your wisdom in creation. You have been a refuge for the poor, a shelter from the storm; you rescue the needy from ruthlessness and keep them safe from harm. On this high mountain —  your much-loved church —  you will prepare a feast of rich food for all people, from the greatest to the least. You will feed them lavishly from your word, your children, great and small, with the best of meats and finest wines, the banquet feeds them all. On this mountain God will destroy the shroud, the fear of death, that enfolds all peoples, all nations from birth to that last breath. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and from all his people on the earth, he will remove their disgrace. The end of this life now ushers in eternal beauty and peace. Instead of dreading the judgment, death comes as a welcome release. In that day they will sing and shout, “Surely, this is our God. We trusted him and he saved us, his holy, righteous squad.” The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain, the remnant that remains, but Moab will be trampled; all enemies God disdains. As straw is trampled in manure, in a cesspool they will swim. He will bring down their pride -- dependence on self -- instead of trusting in him. Indescribable terror will be their lot, or beauty beyond compare. Every day they have a choice to make: Is it hell, or heaven fair? cgtrent@att.net Home

Isaiah Part 4

A Song of Praise Deliverance of Israel Woe to Ephriam (Israel) The Error of Israel Woe to David’s City Woe to the Obstinate Nation (Judah) Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt The Women of Jerusalem Distress and Help Judgment Against Nations Joy of the Redeemed Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

A Song of Praise (Isaiah 26) In that day of judgment, this song will be heard in the land, in Judah, the new Jerusalem, the city under God’s command: We have a strong spiritual city; salvation is its walls. Through its gates the righteous shall enter, where no sadness ever befalls. The nation that keeps the faith of God will be kept in perfect peace, whose mind is steadfast on Jesus Christ, where blessings never cease. Trust in the Lord forever, the Lord, the eternal rock. He humbles those who dwell on high, those who abuse his flock. He lays the lofty city low, great nations are brought down. Into fine dust and ashes, he levels it to the ground. Mistreated poor, the long oppressed, will trample it under their feet as they sing aloud a song of praise when the Savior they shall meet. The path of the righteous is level; the Almighty makes it smooth. O upright One, as we walk in your laws, we humbly wait for you. At night and in the morning, my soul within me yearns for your presence, for your guidance; to your law my spirit turns. When your judgments come upon the earth — devastation, wars and strife, the people with good and honest hearts learn righteousness for their life. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness. Even in the land of the upright, they will not their evil confess, regard not the majesty of the Lord that nature so bountifully shows. Let your people’s zeal put them to shame as gratitude overflows. Lord, you established peace for us; our accomplishments are your doing. And you alone do we honor; your greatness is past our viewing. You enlarged the nation, O Lord, bringing the Gentiles in, all spiritual descendants of Abraham who would salvation win. Your dead body will live, our bodies will rise and meet you in the air. Only you brought salvation to the earth because of your loving care. The faithful dead who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. The earth no longer conceals her slain; resurrection God will deploy. He will punish the people of the earth and all will be made right. Those who have disdained his teaching will be banished to endless night. The remnant will enter heaven’s gate and see God face to face, forever thankful for his love, his power and his grace. § Deliverance of Israel (Isaiah 27) In the day of judgment, God will punish with his sword, he will slay the gliding serpent of the sea. Sing about a fruitful vineyard who the devil cannot harm, for the Lord is watching, guarding tenderly. With his people he’s not angry; unto them there is no wrath, for the blood of Christ has taken it away. Not willing that any perish, a refuge he would be: “Let them make peace with me, make peace today.” Messiah here is prophesied, and his church, in days to come: Isaiah says that Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom when this new age has dawned, and new converts then will fill the world with fruit. By warfare and exile God contended with her rank rebellion to bring about repentance for her deeds. Jacob’s guilt could be atoned for if men would only change, becoming all that they were meant to be. After he destroyed their cities with their altars to the idols, they were abandoned, desolate, forsaken. They had no understanding of the God they claimed to serve, so for their woes was no compassion taken. In the day of the Messiah he will gather up the remnant. From their exile he will find them, one by one. They will come and worship Christ the Lord on the holy mountain, in the new Jerusalem, now barring none. Many years before the birth of Christ, details were prophesied about his life and death and resurrection, and yet Isaiah didn’t understand this good news that he spoke, that the laws of God would take a new direction. We are so blest to have the perfect law of liberty to guide us in the way that we should go, and if we study faithfully to seek his holy pleasure, it will tell us everything we need to know. § Woe to Ephriam (Israel) (Isaiah 28) Woe to that wreath, Samaria, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, set on the head of a beautiful fertile vale. The pride of those laid low with wine will be struck down by God; their judgment is impaired by beer and ale. See, the Lord has one (Assyria) who is powerful and strong and will throw it forcefully upon the ground. Like a hailstorm and destructive wind, like a driving rain and flood, God will drown their pride to turn their lives around. In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown for the remnant, a beautiful wreath to wear. He will be a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, a source of strength, his army’s load to bear. His followers, faithful soldiers, take captive every thought with the sword of the Spirit, his own righteous word. His message is simplistic, yet few will follow through, thinking anything so simple is absurd. Do and do, rule on rule: responsibility. A little here, a little there to search. Not popular then, not popular now: Let’s follow our own way; we’d rather have an easy “feel good” church. “This is the place of my repose”, his people heard him say, but they ignored him, and his anger grew. Very well then, God will speak to you with foreign lips, strange tongues; Assyrians will tell you what to do. Running backward from his discipline, relying on themselves and their Jewish heritage to save their skins, they will fall into a trap that is of their own design, by Assyria be captured once again. § The Error of Israel (Isaiah 28) Hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule Jerusalem: You boast about your own self-righteous plan. “With the grave we have made an agreement, made a covenant with death; a scourge cannot touch us, the chosen clan." A falsehood is your hiding place, your life is one big lie; you have trampled underfoot your only hope. Your heritage through Abraham is not enough to save. Your arrogance has such a narrow scope. Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie that all is well, and water overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death (the law) will surely be annulled. With your lies you’ll see the big Judge face to face. See, I lay a stone in Zion, says the only Sovereign Lord, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone. One who trusts in this foundation will never be dismayed, and will never, ever have to stand alone. To the unrepentant heart, this message will bring terror; you can’t stretch out upon your too short bed. The blanket is too narrow to wrap around for warmth, and misery will cover you instead. God will perform his alien task. He does not like to punish, but for rebellion you must give account. Your theology is flawed: Blood line doesn’t prove a thing. You think your actions are irrelevant. Sometimes the Lord must break his people, plow the fertile soil, before a crop will grow from righteous seed. With different individuals he deals in different ways, because he knows exactly what we need. Magnificent in wisdom, wonderful in counsel is the Lord Almighty who would guide our lives. He does not think like humans nor act like Santa Claus, but constantly for our salvation strives. § Woe to David’s City (Isaiah 29) Woe to you, Ariel, (Jerusalem) the city where David settled! She will mourn and lament when she is besieged, and I will test her mettle. Encircled and encamped about, her people now brought low, her speech will mumble from the dust, ghostlike, beneath the foe. But her enemies — all nations — will be ground up like fine dust, the ruthless hordes who laid her waste, but besiege and attack they must. Suddenly, in an instant, the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and flames of fire and noise like a mighty drum. So it will be with all the nations who fight against Mount Zion, who prey upon God’s people like a roaring hungry lion. The ruthless tyrants will vanish, the mockers disappear with those who misjudge the innocent, to justice turn a deaf ear. A deep sleep has come over you: The Lord has sealed your eyes. Because your hearts are hardened, understanding has been denied. You have disobeyed the Lord your God, except for a precious few. This remnant will be a fertile field, their faithfulness renew. Once more the humble will rejoice as they recognize their need for the Holy One of Israel, God’s Son, the righteous Seed. § Woe to the Obstinate Nation (Judah) (Isaiah 30) The Lord declares: Woe to the obstinate children who carry out plans of men. You form an alliance, not by my Spirit, heap despicable sin upon sin. You look for help to Pharaoh, for refuge in Egypt’s shade instead of relying on God for strength, and losing your souls in the trade. Rebellious, deceitful children who refuse to seek God’s face will receive neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace. “Give us no more visions of what is right”, they say to the prophets and seers. “Tell us pleasant things, even if you must lie; no more of your righteous ideas. Stop confronting us with the Holy One, only prophesy illusions.” Says the Holy One of Israel: You design your own confusion. Because you relied on oppression, depended on deceit, your sin will become as a bulging wall, collapsing in defeat. In repentance and rest is salvation, yet you would have none of it. In quietness and trust is your strength from God, but in idolatry you sit. Yet the Lord still longs to be gracious; he rises to show you compassion, for the Lord is a God of justice. His love he does not ration. O people of Zion, the remnant, no longer will you weep. He will graciously answer your cry for help, your souls he will safely keep. Adversity and affliction have been your bread for awhile. Your teachers will be hidden no more; revelation will bring a smile. “This is the way; walk in it”, you will hear from a voice behind. And as you quietly wait on him, a new path you will find. The Lord will send you plentiful rain for the spiritual seed you sow, and spiritual food from his own Word that will help your faith to grow. The moon will shine just like the sun to illuminate your path, but the wicked will be punished; God’s lips are full of wrath. Free from sin and superstition, from alliances with man, you will sing in celebration of God’s salvation plan. § Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt (Isaiah 31) Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help against the foe, but do not ask the Holy One for aid. Egyptians are just puny men, their horses only flesh, with which your failed alliances are made. Without the Spirit of the Lord, you have no staying power. He who helps will stumble; he who is helped will fall. God will stand his ground like the mighty lion, strong and unafraid, will bring disaster to them, one and all. Like a mother bird protects her flock, he will hover over Zion, the faithful few who follow in his ways. He will shield, rescue, deliver, give them power to withstand. Contentment, love and joy will fill their days. O Israelites, return to him whose leading you denied. Your revolt has brought you misery and pain. But in that day of wrath, justice will be meted out, and you’ll reject the idols you have made. The victor becomes the vanquished; Assyria will fall. A sword — but not of mortals — will devour them. Panic will seize their leaders when they see the battle standard, their stronghold will become the site of mayhem. The fall of Assyria is a sign, figurative of the end, when judgment comes to all, both good and bad. There justice will at last prevail according to our deeds, regardless of wealth and acclaim we had. Every knee will bow, all tongues confess that Christ is Lord of all. No atheist will doubt who runs the show. Too late now for repentance, the wicked’s fate is sealed; the joys of heaven they will never know. § The Women of Jerusalem (Isaiah 32) You women who are complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I say. In little more than a year, you will tremble and shudder and grieve. Assyria will assail you on that day. Wear sackcloth, beat your breasts and mourn for the conquest of the land, the fruitful land that now will be laid waste. The abandoned fortress and citadel, the noisy city deserted: Jerusalem is no longer holy and chaste. It will remain a pasture for flocks til the Spirit is poured out and Judah is renewed like a fertile field. Justice will dwell in the desert, and righteousness will live in the fruitful church, with peace and joy her yield. With quiet confidence and trust, secure will be the hearts of those who seek the Lord in all their ways. In peaceful dwellings they shall live, undisturbed in homes of rest, giving praise to God through pleasant, endless days. Though hail may flatten the forest, the city completely razed, how blessed will the saints forever be as they sow the kingdom seeds on the banks of every stream, leave their oxen and their donkeys to range free. § Distress and Help (Isaiah 33) Woe to you, O destroyer (Assyria), you who have not been destroyed. God has used your wicked ways to serve his purpose to discipline the Israelites who have strayed so far away, ignored his laws and became idolatrous. When you are no longer useful, you will be destroyed, betrayed. Your nation, once so strong, will be no more. Your ruthless tactics now meet justice meted out by God, whose righteous standards you always ignored. O Lord, be gracious to us; we long to be with you; be our salvation, strength in our distress. At the thunder of your mighty voice the enemy will flee. When you rise up the nations acquiesce. (One hundred-eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers died in one night by the hand of God on high.) Lo, their brave men in the streets cry out, envoys of peace now weep, the godless armies tremble, terrified. The exalted Lord fills Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation, knowledge, wisdom will be yours; the key to God’s approval you will find. Fear of the Lord, respect and awe, will draw you to his Word, to the wealth of his eternal, saving treasure, awaiting those who gladly seek to know the heart of God, and come away with blessings beyond measure. He who walks the righteous path and speaks the simple truth, rejects extortion, bribes and murderous plots — this is the kind of man God wants to dwell in heaven’s realm. Christ’s blood has cleansed completely his sin spots. His bread and water will be supplied; he will never be in need. No longer will he fear the ruler’s might. His eyes will see Jerusalem, the city now re-born, illuminated by God’s glorious light. § Judgment Against Nations (Isaiah 34) The old law was the embryo of the full-blown grace of God, the new law with its unique saving power. Isaiah's prophecies look toward the future near at hand, as well as Christian times and judgment hour. Come near, you nations; listen.  You peoples, pay attention! Let the earth and all who dwell there hear the word. The Lord is angry with all nations, those who live in sin. His wrath upon their armies now is heard. He will totally destroy them; slaughter soon will be their doom. Their slain will be thrown out, send up a stench. The mountains will be soaked with blood, God's sword has drunk its fill. In judgment, justice will not give an inch. Descendants of Esau (Edom) represent all evil peoples, the careless who would spurn the Christian walk. Wild oxen (worldly power), great bulls (kings, mighty leaders) will someday eat their words, their boastful talk. For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause, to take account. Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust to burning sulfur. Forever, smoke will rise in great amounts. Her nobles have no kingdom there, her princes all will vanish, a haunt for jackals, home for birds of prey. The measuring line of chaos, plumb line of desolation will God stretch out until the judgment day. God called it, through Isaiah, and caused it to come true. The land is desolate just as prescribed. His mouth has given the order, his Spirit gathers his own, the faithful few who would in him abide. § Joy of the Redeemed (Isaiah 35) *700 years before Christ, his church is revealed.* The dry, parched desert will be glad, the wilderness rejoice. Like a crocus, it will blossom, and shout with joyous voice. It will know the splendor of Lebanon, of Sharon and Carmel, will see the glory of the Lord in his New Israel. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, steady knees that might give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “God will save you on that day.” He will come with wrath and vengeance on those who know him not, but grace and mercy will be poured on the faithful he begot. The eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will hear, the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy, the lame will leap like a deer. Gushing forth in the spiritual wilderness will be the water of life. Like a stream in the desert, a bubbling spring will warble like a fife. The burning sand will become a pool to quench the soul’s long thirst, with new growth sprouting everywhere, as though the ground had burst. A highway will be opened there, the Way of Holiness, a raised road up to heaven, the route to endless bliss. The unclean will not journey there, only those who walk with God. No wicked fools go about on it, as the low road they have trod. No ferocious beast is found there upon the freedom way. Its travelers will have no fear as they walk from day to day. Only the ransomed, the redeemed tread safely on to glory, singing joyously to spread the word, to tell salvation’s story. “I am the way, the truth and the life,” said Jesus long ago. “None comes to the Father but by me.” — Just what we need to know! All prophecy was fulfilled in Christ as his banner was unfurled. Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world. To us is revealed the mystery Isaiah didn’t understand. We are very blest in these last days to be led by the Master’s hand. To us belong the scourging, the stripes, the pain, the shame that Jesus bore so lovingly as he took all the blame. We who wear his name should live like him in humble servitude, with thankful hearts that plainly show our deepest gratitude. § Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem (Isaiah 36) In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib attacked. All the fortified cities of Judah were captured and ransacked. King Sennacherib of Assyria sent his field commander in to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem with an army of his men. At the aqueduct of the Upper Pool they met with three envoys to boast of their accomplishments and threaten to destroy the city of Jerusalem unless they made a deal to surrender and go peacefully, a patronizing spiel. They mocked King Hezekiah for expecting help from God, since the other towns of Judah  had been overrun roughshod. “How can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” The arrogance of power is hard to understand. God had allowed Assyria to discipline the Jews, but in Jerusalem they were to find some disappointing news. In pride they uttered blasphemy against the God most high, and by his hand their soldiers were destined soon to die. cgtrent@att.net Home

Isaiah Part 5

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold Hezekiah’s Illness Envoys from Babylon Comfort for God’s People God is Greater Than All The Helper of Israel Christ, the Servant of the Lord Song of Praise to the Lord Israel Blind and Deaf Israel’s Only Savior Israel the Chosen Idol Worship

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold (Isaiah 37) When Isaiah heard that Assyria had ridiculed the Lord, he told them that Sennacherib would soon die by the sword. Hezekiah took the letter of blasphemy and threats and spread out there before the Lord the brazen epithets. In submission and humility, he prayed for help divine, that in the kingdoms of the earth God’s glory now would shine. Isaiah sent a message to this repentant king that his prayer was answered by the Lord, his plea had taken wing. Of Sennacherib he spoke words that should make him shake inside: Against whom do you raise your voice and lift your eyes in pride? Against the God of Israel, heaping insults on the Lord! You took the glory for yourself and your godless fighting horde. Long ago I had ordained it, and I brought it to pass. You were just the instrument I used; you will dry up now like grass. I’ll defend this city and save it, for David’s sake and mine. You shall not shoot one arrow here; you might as well resign. Then the angel of the Lord went out into the Assyrian camp, and a hundred eighty-five thousand men lay dead in the morning damp. Sennacherib withdrew post haste; to Nineveh he went, where his own sons slew him with a sword, their reign to implement. Isaiah’s prophecies had come true, that Assyria would call and, excepting for Jerusalem, all of Judah’s towns would fall. When Sennacherib blasphemed the Lord, his death was prophesied, and just exactly as prescribed, by the sword he died. Dare we to argue with the Lord and disobey his word? To think he’ll overlook our wrongs is totally absurd! For our own good, he teaches us to be all we can be, reflecting his own shining light for all the world to see. § Hezekiah’s Illness (Isaiah 38) In those days Hezekiah ailed, was at the point of death. “Put your house in order,” said the Lord, “ere you breathe your final breath.” With his face to the wall, Hezekiah prayed, and bitterly he wept. “Remember, Lord, my faithfulness.  Your commandments I have kept.” Then God said, “I have heard your prayers and seen your many tears. To your life of righteousness I’ll add another fifteen years.” Isaiah, God’s reporter, to the kingly helpers said, “Apply a poultice of figs to the boil and he soon will leave his bed.” Hezekiah asked, “What will be the sign that recovery is nigh?” And God said, “The shadow of the sun on Ahaz stairs nearby will regress ten steps backward from where it has gone down,” and it happened just as God had said, relieving Hezekiah’s frown. “In the prime of life”, Hezekiah wrote, “must I walk through death’s dark gate, be robbed of years of usefulness to keep this final date?” My life has been pulled down today, just like a shepherd’s tent. Like a weaver’s cloth it is rolled up, its earthly time is spent. I waited patiently til dawn, moaned like a mourning dove; my eyes grew weak as I cried for aid from heaven up above. Surely it was for my benefit that I had to suffer so. From the pit of destruction I was saved, from agony and woe. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of soul. By such things my spirit has found life; you restored me and made me whole. You have put all my sins behind your back and remember them no more. I cannot thank you properly for the blessings you outpour. The living, the living praise you, O God, as I am doing today. Fathers tell their children of your faithfulness, the only righteous way." § Envoys from Babylon (Isaiah 39) The son of the king of Babylon sent letters and a gift after Hezekiah had regained his health. He received the envoys gladly and showed them all around, too prideful of his storehouses of wealth — the silver, the gold, the spices, his entire armory, the treasures of which he was oh so proud. There was nothing in his palace or his kingdom round about left unexposed, his once-humble head unbowed. Isaiah the prophet asked Hezekiah, “What did those men say, and from whence did the strangers come?” “From a distant land, from Babylon”, was the king’s reply. The distance must have stroked his ego some. “What did they see in your palace?” the wise old prophet asked. “Everything!  I showed them all I own.” “In other words, they cased the joint,” Isaiah must have thought. Despite his pride, Hezekiah should have known. Isaiah to Hezekiah — “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: Everything your fathers stored up til this day will be carried off to Babylon, nothing will be left, and some of your descendants taken away. The men will be castrated to serve as lowly eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.” “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” King Hezekiah said. From experience he knew it would be done. But his selfish human nature was thinking, all the same: “in MY lifetime there will be rest and peace.” A hundred fifteen years seemed much too far away to worry. Perhaps by then all life on earth would cease. Although he was a man of God, the king had feet of clay, like all of us who try to serve the Lord. Sometimes our efforts miss the mark, but onward we must go. Anything worthwhile is almost always hard. § Comfort for God’s People (Isaiah 40) To the faithful remnant God declares, “Comfort, comfort, my people”. Look forward to Messiah, strength for the sick and feeble. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, whose service has been hard. Her sin has all been paid for, and double is her reward. Referring to John the Baptist, a future big event, Isaiah says to listen to the voice which will be sent. Prepare a way in the wilderness, a highway for our God. He will smooth a path for followers who in his steps would trod. His glory then will be revealed in the earthly Son of Man, and through apostles he will spread great news, salvation’s plan. All men are temporary, like grass that soon will die, but god’s word stands forever; he cannot tell a lie. You who bring good tidings to Zion, Jerusalem reborn, lift up your voice and shout with joy to those who are forlorn: “Here is your God, your Savior, who rules with power and might. His arm is your protection; the enemy he will smite. He brings reward and recompense for those who choose to serve, and like a shepherd, he tends the flock,  his charges to preserve. § God is Greater Than All (Isaiah 40) Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? Only God knows the number of raindrops that irrigate the land. Who has held inside a basket all the dust that forms the earth? Nobody else besides the Lord creates an atom’s birth. Who weighed the mountains on the scales and balances the hills? Creator God made everything and even added frills. Who has understood the Spirit of the Lord who lives on high? Beyond our grasp is his awesome mind, however hard we try. Whom did the Lord choose to consult to enlighten him, pray tell? When Lucifer tried to best him, he wound up deep in hell. Who showed God understanding, the way of right and wrong? Though many claim the system, it was God’s thing all along. He sits enthroned above the earth, spreads the heavens like a tent, and one by one brings out the stars.  How many did man invent? Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord God is eternal. We can live with him forever in his abode supernal. He is bigger than disappointment, greater than the storm, is patient with our fumbles, our lives he will transform. Pre-existent, self-existent, Christ fills the universe, yet intimately shares our lives, does TLC like a nurse. He gives strength to the weary, and power to the weak, those with hope in the Lord Almighty, who his love and guidance seek. Even youths grow tired and weary, may stumble, trip and fall, but the Lord has plenty strength to spare and gladly shares with all. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and never tire, they will walk and not grow faint because with zeal they are on fire. § The Helper of Israel (Isaiah 41) Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength. Let’s consider public opinion, let the nations speak at length. Who has stirred up one from the east, called Cyrus, my people to free? Who hands nations and kings over to him?  I, the Lord, I am he. The islands, who worship idols, see it and tremble with fear. They make more idols to protect them from Cyrus, but for them the end is near. But you, O Israel, Jacob, the faithful remnant I choose, be calm, for I am beside you; with my help, you cannot lose. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will help you and keep you strong. With my righteous right hand I will hold you and protect you from all wrong. All those who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who oppose you will perish when the Lord God they have faced. Though you, O Jacob, are small as a worm, your God is larger than life. You will thresh the mountains and crush them. I’ll protect you through the strife. In the gracious Lord who always provides, the remnant will rejoice and glory in the Holy One, hear and obey his voice. The needy search for water; their tongues are parched with thirst. They hunger and thirst for righteousness; God’s pleasure they put first. I, the Lord, will answer them. My people will not be forsaken. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, my love will not be mistaken. I will turn the desert into pools, the parched ground into springs. They will drink their fill of my Spirit, with joy and gladness sing. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and cypress together, so people may see the church as one flock, all nations as “birds of a feather”. The hand of the Lord has done this, created the kingdom for you so you can live happy, productive lives here and hereafter, too. Can all your idols together prophesy a future event? Who told you even before his birth that Cyrus would be sent? I was the first to tell Zion that help was on the way, from the east and north he’d come and tread on Babylon like clay. You make your own idols and worship them; where is your common sense? You and they are detestable.  You commit a grave offense. Only God Almighty offers grace to erase your sin and shame. He can redeem and make you whole if you would wear his name. § Christ, the Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42) Here is my servant, whom I uphold, absolutely obedient and true. I delight in my special chosen one who does what I ask him to do. He will bring justice to Judah and the nations round about, will not raise his voice in the streets, will neither cry nor shout. So gentle is the Son of Man, no bruised reed will he break, nor snuff out a smoldering wick of faith; great patience will he take. To the faithful he brings justice, will not falter or discouraged be. Close relationship to the Father keeps him upbeat and worry-free, for he knows that trials strengthen our wills, teach us to rely on the Lord. Though he may not save our physical lives, our souls are being restored. “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness, wherein is your salvation. I will make you to be a covenant, a light for all the nations, to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, free captives from prisons of sin, enlighten those who are in darkness, who need God’s Spirit within. I am the Lord; that is my name. I will share with no idol my glory. My prophecies have all come true, and now I tell a new story. Before they spring into being, I gladly announce them to you. Examine the evidence, see for yourself how many have come true.” § Song of Praise to the Lord (Isaiah 42) Sing to the Lord a new song for the new work he’s begun. Christians will love to sing for joy from dawn to setting sun. Praise his name from the far ends of the earth, let the nations all rejoice for knowledge and revelation by the God-sent prophet’s voice. All you who go down to the sea, you islands, praise his name. Let the desert and its towns sing out his glory and acclaim. From the mountaintops let the people shout the gospel’s great good news. Proclaim it to the islands to chase away their blues. The Lord will march like a mighty man, stir up his righteous zeal. With a shout he will raise the battle cry; defeat will his enemies feel. “For a long time I kept silent and quietly held back, but now, like a woman in childbirth, in pain my body wracked, I cry out, gasp and pant for breath, giving birth to a new dispensation. I will lay waste the hills and mountains and dry up their vegetation to clear a path for my people, the faithful who follow my way. I will lead the blind down a new road into the light of day.” § Israel Blind and Deaf (Isaiah 42) Hear the word of the Lord, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant, Israel, and deaf to my every plea? You have seen many things my hands have wrought, the miracles and blessings I send, but your blind eyes have paid no attention; your ear I’m unable to bend. It pleased the Lord in his wisdom, for the sake of his righteousness, to make his law great and glorious, his obedient children to bless. But this is a people plundered and looted because of their sin, trapped in pits or hidden in prison; without God there’s no way to win. His discipline aims at repentance, to show you the need for his love, but you turn a deaf ear to his teachers, the prophets he guides from above. Which of you will pay close attention to the history of your clan? Who handed Jacob over as loot and Israel as plunder again? Was it not the Lord of heaven? For they would not follow his ways. They chose not to obey his law, have rebelled through endless days. So he poured out his anger upon them, the violence of war. It enveloped them in consuming flames, but they did not take it to heart. § Israel’s Only Savior (Isaiah 43) This is what the Lord says — he who created you: Fear not, O Jacob, you have been redeemed. I have called you by my name, the remnant who obey, the true Israel who dare not to blaspheme. When you walk through the waters, the tempests of earthly life, or through the spiritual searing flames of fire, I will be there with you to protect your precious souls. Your righteousness always is my desire. I’m the Holy One of Israel, the Savior, Lord and God. I will bring your children from the east and west. From the ends of all the earth I will ask for their return, my universal church, supremely blest. They all will be called by my name in this new dispensation, who, through the new birth, I have formed and made. Created for my glory, together they assemble, and for their sins a ransom has been paid. My witnesses, my servants, you will spread the word abroad, that apart from me there is no saving grace. I, and not some foreign god, am Lord of all the earth. Without my Spirit, none can see my face. Forget the former things, on the past you must not dwell. See, I the Lord am doing a new thing! Streams in the barren wasteland will quench your spiritual thirst, my living water from a desert spring. Wild animals, they honor me and question not my leading, do exactly what I purposed for their lives, unlike so many humans who choose to do their “thing”, have learned my laws and lordship to despise. The majority, O Jacob, you have not called on me, haven’t honored me by sacrifice or deed. I’m weary of offenses, burdened with your sins, my commands for your own good you do not heed. To your temple’s dignitaries I will send disgrace and consign destruction to all Jacob’s tribe. Israel will come to scorn for her unfaithfulness; glory to the Father you would not ascribe. § Israel the Chosen (Isaiah 44) Secular, national Israel had disobeyed the Lord, was cut off from the help of God on high, but the faithful remnant who remain are called new Israel, the spiritual Jews, Abraham personified. Now listen, O Jacob, my servant, my chosen Israel, this is what the Lord says; harken now to him  who made you, formed you in the womb, and helps you in your trials, who lights the way when your own lamp grows dim. Do not be afraid, O Jacob, Jeshurun, the righteous one. I will pour water on the thirsty land; pour out my Spirit on your many offspring in the faith, lead them to safety with my own right hand. Prolifically they will spring up like grass out in the meadow, like poplar trees beside the living stream. The Word of God will nourish them, to keep them green and supple, with blessings well beyond their wildest dreams. One will say, “I belong to the Sovereign Lord,” another will take Jacob’s name, still another will write on his hand, “The Lord’s;” they are Israel, all the same. I am Israel’s King and Redeemer; the Lord Almighty am I. I am the first and I am the last, the God of earth and sky. There is no other god but me; who else can lay a claim? Let him declare and prove his might, put forward his great name. Let him foretell what is to come, the future prophesy as I have done since ancient times, which no one can deny. Another Rock does not exist; no, I’m the only one, a haven for my children, adopted through my Son. § Idol Worship (Isaiah 44) All who make idols are nothing, as worthless as their name. Those who would speak for them are blind and ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes an idol with his hands and calls his art a god? A mortal’s work is powerless as a shapeless old dirt clod. He wastes his time who casts an idol, profits not a thing, except to sell it to a fool, another ding-a-ling. The blacksmith heats the metal and pounds it into shape, with muscles, forge and hammer, til his mouth begins to gape. He loses strength from hunger, of thirst he faints away, unlike the God who formed the world and over it holds sway. The carpenter measures with a line and marks the work he plans; he roughs it out with chisels and shapes it with his hands. Cedar or cypress or oak he cuts, the fuel for his fire. With some of it he warms himself or cooks, as needs require. But he also carves an idol from the same tree God provides and prays for help to this block of wood, preferring to believe a lie. A deluded heart misleads him; no god but the Lord can save. Only Christ our blest Redeemer has power o’er the grave. cgtrent@att.net Home

Isaiah Part 6

Jerusalem To Be Inhabited The Only Lord Gods of Babylon The Fall of Babylon Stubborn Israel Israel Freed The Servant of the Lord Israel's Sin and the Servant's Obedience Everlasting Salvation for Zion The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath Assurance to the Faithful The Suffering and Glory of the Servant The Future Glory of Zion

Jerusalem To Be Inhabited (Isaiah 44-45) This is what the Lord says — who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who alone has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets, overthrows kings, who makes fools of diviners, makes nonsense of the wise, carries out the words of his servants who have said, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited.  Judah will be rebuilt. I’ll stop the water flowing from the stream-head. Cyrus is my shepherd, will accomplish all I please, rebuild the temple just as I have planned.” God says, “Cyrus, my annointed, you are chosen for this purpose, and I, the Lord, will lead you by the hand, subdue the nations before you, strip kings of their armor, open doors before you, break down strong bronze gates, cut through bars of iron, find many secret treasures, so you may know that God directs your fate. For the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel my chosen, before your birth I call you now by name, and bestow a title on you, although you worship idols, do not acknowledge me or the truth I claim. I will strengthen you, my chosen, so that all men everywhere may realize there is no God but me. I create light and darkness, bring prosperity and disaster; I, the only Lord, do all the things you see. You heavens, rain down righteousness; let it shower from the clouds, let the earth open wide to show salvation’s spring. Let righteousness grow with it, the work I have created, let Israel her joy and gladness sing.” Cyrus did, indeed, free Jerusalem, more than a century later, walking into that great city on dry land after diverting the Euphrates River running ‘neath the wall, and the temple was rebuilt at his command. § The Only Lord (Isaiah 45) Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, with statements of Scripture so plain, using human intelligence, the viewpoint of man whose standards and morals are vain. Does the clay say to the potter, “Let me tell you what to make”? Woe to him who tells his parents, “Begetting me was a mistake”. You are but a broken potsherd, just a piece, not even whole. Dare you now advise the Maker who designed your earthly role? Says the Holy One of Israel: It is I who made the earth; I created man upon it, and a woman to give birth. My own hands stretched out the heavens, marshaled all their starry hosts. Would you give me working orders, of superior knowledge boast? I am God of all creation, fashioned earth and all therein, so that it would not be empty, spoke that life could there begin. I am Lord; there is no other. I speak truth, declare what’s right. I’m a righteous God, a Savior, redeeming souls from endless night. Every knee will bow at judgment, by me every tongue will swear: “Only in the Lord is righteousness.” No atheist argues there! All spiritual descendents of Israel will exult; the faithful of all nations, every race, will bask with him in glory and praise his holy name for the freedom shared through his amazing grace. § Gods of Babylon (Isaiah 46) Babylon’s Bel (Baal) bows down, Nebo stoops low; by beasts of burden are their idols borne. The images that are carried about are a burden for the weary, have no power to refresh their own careworn. Unlike their graven images, Christ lifts our heavy load, has made us and sustains us as we serve. “To whom will you compare me or count me as an equal?” asks God, incredulous at Israel’s nerve, that his own people worshiped these idols made by man, the evil that proceeds out of his heart. From gold or silver, brass or wood, a useless god is made, which not one helpful gesture can impart. Only seven thousand of the Jews, out of many millions, refused to bow the knee and worship Baal. They depended on their blood line to keep their souls secure, although he warned them that their plan would fail. “Remember this, fix it in your mind, take it to heart, you rebels, remember former things from long ago. I am God; there is no other, not one that can compare, foretell the future and then make it so. My purpose will stand, I will do what I please; from the east I summon up a bird of prey; from a far-off land he (Cyrus) will come to do my bidding. My righteousness is now not far away. What I have said, I will bring about; what I plan, that will I do. You stubborn-hearted Jews, listen to me. The salvation I have promised will not be delayed; in the new Israel my splendor you will see. § The Fall of Babylon (Isaiah 47) Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground in shame without a throne. No more will you be called delicate or tender; your true lack of compassion will be known. Take millstones and grind flour, take off your veil of virtue, lift your skirts and wade bare-legged through the streams. Your nakedness will be exposed, your shameful deeds uncovered. I will take vengeance for your wicked schemes. Sit in silence, go into darkness, Daughter of the Babylonians; queen of the kingdom you are called no more. I was angry with my people, desecrated my inheritance, allowed you to enslave those I adore. You showed no mercy, treated them with suffering and shame, were haughty, thinking you could never fall. “Forever I will reign as queen,” you boasted in your pride, did not consider God’s just plan at all. Now listen, wanton creature, lounging in security, and saying to yourself, “I’m number one! I will never be a widow or suffer loss of children.” Both will overtake you when my wrath is done. In spite of all your potent spells, your sorceries and magic, you are doomed to suffer greatly at my hand. Disaster will come upon you; you can’t conjure it away, calamity your gods cannot withstand. Keep on then with your magic spells and with your sorceries which you have labored at throughout your life. Perhaps your spells will soon succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. Let your astrologers prevent the strife. Surely they are all like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They can’t even save themselves from flames of hell. Each of them goes on in error, has no use for things of God, nor in his home in heaven hope to dwell. § Stubborn Israel (Isaiah 48) Listen, O house of Jacob, who come from Judah's line, you who are named as Israel and think you're doing fine. You take oaths in the name of the Lord, invoke him as your God, yet follow not his righteousness, resist his chastening rod. You consider yourselves citizens of the privileged holy city, refusing to see reality in God's truth - such a pity! Depending on your bloodline to retain his loving favor, your rites of worship are in vain, as you mistreat your neighbor. I foretold the future long ago, that when it came to pass, you would see me as the only God, but you were blind, alas. Now I will tell of new things, the coming Christian age, of hidden things unknown to you, your leaders to enrage. You have not heard of them before; you cannot truly say that you have known or understood this new and better way. Your ear has not been open to the word of God on high. You were a rebel since your birth, and a rebel you will die. For my name's sake I delay my wrath; I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off from me, and to my word be true. Captivity refined you in the furnace of affliction, but still you worship idols and are headed for perdition. I will not yield my glory to Satan's wicked name, nor idle sit and thus allow myself to be defamed. § Israel Freed (Isaiah 48) Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel whom I have called: I am he, I am the first, I am the last. My hand laid the foundations of the awesome, living earth and my right hand spread the heavens, deep and vast. When I summon my creation, together they stand up and honor me - obedient to my laws. They tell the ancient story of how they came to be, to serve my human child, despite his flaws. Come together, all of you, and listen as I speak: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The ally God has chosen (bold Cyrus, yet unborn) will carry out his purpose - freedom bring. His mighty arm will be against the Babylonians; I called him, and he will have great success, save my people out of bondage to serve the living God, so that once again my name they will confess. I am the Lord your God, teaching what is best for you, who directs you in the way that you should go. If you only paid attention, obeyed my blest commands, like a river, peace throughout your lives would flow. Your descendants would have been like sand, numberless as wave-washed grains, their name would never be cut off from me. There is no peace for the wicked, those who serve other gods. Their selfishness is plain for all to see. Flee from the Babylonians!  With shouts of joy proclaim, "The Lord his servant Jacob has redeemed." He led them through the deserts and always quenched their thirst; even from the rock, life-saving water streamed. In the most unlikely places, his blessings can be found, outpoured in richest bounty when we heed his words of truth and righteousness that guide us here below, the manna left for hungry souls to feed. § The Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 49) Christ speaks: Listen to me, you islands, hear me you distant nations: Before I was even born, the Lord called me. From my birth he has made mention of my name, the name he gave, the Messiah who would come to set men free. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword; my words are your protection. Like a polished arrow I have been concealed. “You are my servant, Israel,” my Father said to me. “My splendor will in you soon be revealed.” But I said, “I have labored and spent my strength in vain. No purpose have I served, condemned to die. Yet what is due me, good or bad, is in the hand of God; my reward is in my Father’s house on high. The Lord who formed me in the womb, his servant thus to be — to bring back Jacob, Israel to restore -- has honored me and been my strength in all that I have done. I will gladly serve him now and evermore.” Again my Father says: “It is too small a thing, to restore the tribes of Jacob as my church. For the Gentiles, also, you will be a light to guide their way; no longer for salvation must they search. To him who was despised on earth, the servant whom I sent, abhorred by the Jewish nation whence he came, then kings and princes will arise because of the faithful Lord, and bow to him in ultimate acclaim. § Israel's Sin and the Servant's Obedience (Isaiah 50) Where is the certificate of divorce with which I sent your mother away? Israel and Judah were prostitutes; idol worship in their hearts held sway. Your mother was divorced and sent away because of these transgressions. When I came there was no one to greet me, no repentance, no confessions. Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength you need? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, my chosen with manna feed. I clothe the sky with darkness, make sackcloth to cover it all, provide for the children of Israel, yet they rebel and fall. The Sovereign Lord has given me a well instructed tongue, with sustaining words for the weary, the old and the very young. He wakens me morning by morning, makes my ear to listen and learn. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; his teachings I never spurn. I have not been rebellious nor drawn back from his voice. I offered freely my back to the scourge; the cross was always my choice. I hid not my face from mocking, from spitting, the ultimate shame. When they angrily pulled the beard from my cheeks, I accepted the sin and blame. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. I know I will not be put to shame; like flint I set my face. He who vindicates me is near; who would dare accuse me now? Self-righteousness is your only light when the Lord you disavow. § Everlasting Salvation for Zion (Isaiah 51) Listen to me, pursuers of righteousness and you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you have been hewn. Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. Across the earth their progeny is strewn. The Lord will comfort Zion, have compassion on her ruins; her desert wastelands will become a garden. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving will abound for the love of God that gives eternal pardon. Listen to me, my people, my church, my newborn nation, the gospel law will now go out from me. To men of every nation, my justice is a light, and my salvation can be had for free. The islands will look up to me and wait in steadfast hope for my righteousness which will not, cannot fail. This earth is temporary, will soon go up in smoke. Then the wicked will repent, to no avail. Hear me, you who know what is right, have my law in your hearts, fear not reproach of men who have no power. Like a garment, moths will eat them up, devour them like wool. Fear God, keep his commands; this is the hour. Set your hearts on things above.  Righteousness will last forever. Clothe yourself with strength, the strength of God’s own arm. The ransomed of the Lord, his church, the faithful will return with singing, for they cannot come to harm. Everlasting joy will crown their heads, sorrow will flee away, for I am he who comforts and sustains. Do not fear mortal sons of men who eventually die and burn like desert grass, lacking God’s life-giving rains. I am the Lord your God, who set the heavens in place; the earth’s foundations laid at my command. You are my people, Zion; I have put words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand. § The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath (Isaiah 51) Awake! Rise up O Jerusalem, who have drunk from the cup of God’s wrath, who have drained to its dregs the goblet of shame by leaving the Lord’s righteous path. Of all the sons that Israel bore there was none to guide her aright, no one to take her by the hand and lead through the darkness of night. These double calamities have hit you — ruin, destruction, famine and sword. None can offer you consolation, no comfort can afford. Your sons have fainted; their strength is gone, lying prostrate in the street. Like a helpless antelope caught in a net, they cannot regain their feet. They are filled up with the wrath of the Lord; from God’s rebuke they quail. Without his holy guidance their plans are sure to fail. Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk, but not with wine. This is what you Sovereign Lord says, pay attention to his sign. “See, I have taken from your hand the cup that made you reel; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, no longer will I appeal. In the hands of your tormentors will be given this cup of woe. They have trod your backs like a sidewalk, and forever it shall be so. § Assurance to the Faithful (Isaiah 52) Awake, awake, O Zion and clothe yourself with strength, put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem. The uncircumcised and the defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust, rise up, Jerusalem. O captive Daughter of Zion, free yourself from chains; without money you will be redeemed. Both Egypt and Assyria have oppressed my chosen people. All day long my name is constantly blasphemed. Therefore my people will know my name, will know that I foretold salvation of Israel’s remnant by and by. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the earth good news, proclaim peace and good tidings from on high, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”  His word is ever true. Listen!  With praise your watchmen lift their voices. When the Lord returns to Zion, with their own eyes they will see, burst into song as Israel rejoices. The Lord redeemed Jerusalem, has comforted his people; the ends of the earth will see his great salvation. The Lord lays bare his holy arm for comfort and for strength, assurance in the sight of every nation. Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch thou no unclean thing! Come out from it, be pure in thought and deed, you who carry the vessels of the Lord and wear his holy name. He will be your guard, supply your every need. § The Suffering and Glory of the Servant (Isaiah 52-53) Seven hundred years before his birth, Jesus' story was told: See, my servant will act wisely as his kingdom wings unfold. He will be raised and lifted up, exalted and esteemed, that through his loving sacrifice, his saints will be redeemed. As many were appalled at him, disfigured beyond recognition - his form marred beyond human likeness, assuming our contrition - so will he sprinkle, cleanse with his blood, the nations who trust his word, and many kings will shut their mouths, astounded at what they've heard. For what they were not told, they'll see, the work of the Master's hand. What they have not heard, the Gospel, then they will understand. Who has believed our message, to whom has the Lord been revealed? Like a tender shoot he grew and thrived, but his future was concealed. From the root of Jesse he sprouted up, in soil parched and dry, no beauty or majesty to attract, nothing handsome to catch the eye. Despised and rejected by prejudiced men, familiar with sorrow and woe, he earned no esteem from the Jewish elite, but became their hated foe. He took up our infirmities, our spiritual illness he bore, yet we considered him stricken by God, full of sin to the core. Even though we saw no fault in him, we judged him worthy of death, but he proved his Lordship by his love, forgiving 'til his final breath. He was crushed for our iniquities and pierced for our transgressions, the punishment that brought us peace, his wounds our intercessions. We all, like sheep, have gone astray - are lost in sin and shame. We spurn the Shepherd's guidance, and yet he took our blame. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter, afflicted and oppressed, yet offered no defense of self; his own needs were repressed. Assigned a grave with the wicked, the thieves on either side, his body was taken to a rich man's tomb to rest at eventide. Though his life is made a gift offering, the Lord will prolong his days. Again he will see the light of life when his body will be raised. My Servant will justify many by the knowledge of his word. With the faithful he will divide the spoils, their spirits undergird. For them he poured out his life unto death, was numbered with transgressors, and, bearing the sins of many, became their intercessor. § The Future Glory of Zion (Isaiah 54) Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; O Jacob, shout for joy, burst into song. More are the children (Christians) of the desolate and barren than of her who had a husband all along. Enlarge your tent’s parameters and stretch your curtains wide; your numbers will increase beyond your dreams. Believers from all nations will come to worship God; the remnant will be bursting at the seams. The dawning of New Israel will take away your shame. You need not be afraid of more disgrace. No more humiliation, no reproach of widowhood. No more anger when the Lord will hide his face. As a wife who married young and failed to keep her vows, you were rejected by your jealous groom, but now, with deep compassion, I will bring you back again, and multiply the children of your womb. As in the days of Noah, with the whole earth under water, when I swore against another world-wide flood, so I have sworn to you that I will not be angry, and will prove un-failing love with my own blood. Though the mountains might be shaken, the hills may be removed, my covenant of peace forever stands. O afflicted city, lashed by storms and oft in need of comfort, your walls will be rebuilt by God’s own hands. With turquoise, sapphires, rubies your buildings now will glow, and great will be your children’s peace of mind. Your sons will be taught by the Lord, in righteousness established, with tyranny and terror left behind. No weapon will prevail against you and the sword of peace. You’ll refute all accusations with the word. The servants of the Lord will now inherit his salvation, by their Savior vindicated, undeterred. cgtrent@att.net Home

Isaiah Part 7

Invitation to the Thirsty Salvation for Others Righteous or Rebel? Comfort for the Contrite True Fasting Sin, Confession and Redemption The Glory of Zion The Year of the Lord’s Favor Zion’s New Name, Christian God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption Praise and Prayer Judgment and Salvation Judgment and Hope

Invitation to the Thirsty (Isaiah 55) Come, you who are thirsty for righteousness, come to the waters and drink. The food and water that you crave are closer than you think. Buy wine and milk that satisfy, eat bread without a cost. Salvation is free for all of you who heretofore were lost. Listen to me: Eat what is good, the word that saves your soul; you will delight in the richest fare, with heaven as your goal. Give ear and come to me for food, that your soul may live and thrive. An everlasting covenant with my people I revive. My unfailing love to David was promised long ago; through his seed, my Son, Messiah, all spiritual blessings flow. The Christ, the people’s leader, summons nations yet unknown, foreigners to Jewish worship who til now have felt alone. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked man forsake his way to the Savior lend an ear. Let him turn and serve the Lord; mercy then he will receive, for our God will freely pardon, sinful burdens to relieve. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. My word is not void or unfruitful, will sustain you the rest of your days. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace, an everlasting sign that my care will never cease. § Salvation for Others     (Isaiah 56) Maintain justice, do what is right; salvation is close at hand. My righteousness will be revealed, and soon! Blessed is the man who holds fast the word of God, who tries with all his heart to stay in tune. No foreigner will I exclude in this new freedom age, anyone who has a thirst to do my will. I give an everlasting name, that of Christ, the risen Lord, and their cup of righteousness I gladly fill. Those who have kept the old law are ready for the new, who love the Lord and worship from the heart. To my holy mountain they will come, the church which I provide, and from their midst I never shall depart. For all the nations round about who love the word of God, my church will be a holy house of prayer, a house that is not built with hands, made up of living stones, and my spirit will dwell richly with them there. To Israel's exiles I will add still others to the fold, the Gentiles who were once so far away. The lion and the gentle sheep will then lie down together, and peace among these nations will hold sway. Watchmen of fallen Israel, their vain and selfish leaders, heed not the call of Christ to righteousness. They are dogs with mighty appetites, they never have enough; self-righteous, never Christ's great truths confess. Do what is right in the sight of God and you cannot go wrong. Stay faithful like the remnant of the Jews. Seek constantly his will for you, the testament he left that frees you by its power, great Good News! § Righteous or Rebel? (Isaiah 57) The righteous perish, devout men are taken and no one understands that the reason the righteous are taken away is to spare them from evil hands. Those who walk uprightly find sweet peace, find rest as they lie in death. No need to mourn for the faithful man when he takes his final breath. But come here, you sons of a sorceress, offspring of prostitutes! Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue, you brute? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of filthy liars? You burn with lust beneath the trees, among the thorns and briars. You sacrifice your children in the ravines and the crags to the idols that you worship, all you pagan scallywags. Forsaking me, Creator God, you uncovered your spiritual bed, climbed into it and opened it wide, to foreign gods were wed. You descended to the grave itself, were wearied by all your ways, but would not say, "It is hopeless," insisting that wickedness pays. Who is it you so dreaded and feared that you have been false to me, nor pondered the outcome in your hearts? The truth is plain to see. Your righteous works will be exposed, no benefit at all. When you cry out for help in disaster, let your idols break your fall. But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the promised land, and possess my holy mountain where only the righteous stand. § Comfort for the Contrite (Isaiah 57) And it will be said “Build up, build up, prepare the road above. Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people whom I love.” For this is what the lofty One says, whose name is forever holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is lowly, to revive his spirit, uplift his heart. I will not always accuse, nor will I always be angry; the repentant I will not refuse. I was enraged by his sinful greed, punished him and hid my face, yet he kept on with his sinful ways, a shame and a disgrace. But I will heal him when he repents, will guide and comfort him, creating praise in Israel where hope is growing dim. Peace, peace to those both far and near, as Gentiles join the Jews. I will heal their many afflictions with the power of my Good News. But the wicked are like the tossing sea which will not, cannot rest, whose waves cast up dank mire and mud, stinking froth upon the crest. There is no peace for the wicked, only judgment dire to dread, no hope of heaven’s glory when awakened from the dead. § True Fasting (Isaiah 58) Shout it aloud, do not hold back; like a trumpet raise your voice. Declare to the house of Jacob: Their rebellion has been a bad choice. For day after day they seek me out, seem eager to know my ways, as if they do that which is right, the righteousness that pays. They ask me for just decisions, seem eager for me to come near. "Why have we fasted that you have not seen, offered praises and you do not hear?" Because on the day of your fasting, you mistreat employees at work. Your fasting ends in quarrels and strife, my law of love you shirk. You cannot fast as you do today and expect to be heard on high. The fasting I have chosen is the cords of sin to untie. Loosen the chains of injustice and set the oppressed man free. Share your food with the hungry, share your knowledge of me. Give shelter to the wanderer, clothe his nakedness, care for those of your own flesh and blood; to the weary offer rest. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, your healing will quickly appear. Then your righteousness will go ahead and God will guard the rear. Then you will call on him in prayer and he will answer you. When you cry for help, he says, "Here am I", and will faithfully follow through. Do away with the yoke of oppression, accusation, malicious talk, spend yourself on the needs of others; by your side the Lord will walk. Then your light will rise in the darkness, your night will become like day. The Lord will satisfy your needs and guide you in the right way. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that will never fail, sharing salvation's plentiful waters from God's own bottomless well. The spiritual ruins of Jerusalem your people will restore to become the church, the spiritual home of the faithful forever more, a building made of living stones where the Holy Spirit dwells. I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land, and your hearts with joy will swell. § Sin, Confession and Redemption (Isaiah 59) Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from God; you would not have him near. Your sins have hidden his face from you, your hands are stained with blood, your lips speak lies and wickedness, your tongue is filled with crud. No one calls for justice or pleads with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and lies, conceiving trouble in their hearts and giving birth to evil. Whoever eats their vipers eggs will die. The cobwebs they spin are useless for clothes to cover their sins; their nakedness from God they cannot hide. Acts of violence are in their hands, their deeds are evil deeds, and evil thoughts corrupt them from inside. The way of peace they do not know, nor justice do they crave; straight paths have been turned into crooked roads. No righteousness is within reach, no light to show the way, no caring friend to share their heavy loads. Isaiah here includes himself, confessing his own sin, acknowledging the guilt that’s on his head: We walk in deep dark shadows; like the blind we grope along. Among the strong, we are just like the dead. We growl like bears and moan like doves; no justice can we find. Deliverance seems oh so far away. Our offenses are many in your sight, iniquities, rebellion, and treachery against the Lord holds sway. Fomenting oppression and revolt, we turn our backs on God, and utter lies our black hearts have conceived. So righteousness and justice are kept beyond our reach. Truth and honesty are lost and no one grieves. The Lord looked on and was displeased that justice had been trampled. He saw that there was none to intercede. So his own arm worked salvation, his righteousness sustained him, taking vengeance on their wickedness and greed. According to what they have done, so he will repay wrath and retribution to his foes. All nations then will fear his name; they will revere his glory. Everyone will reap exactly what he sows. § The Glory of Zion (Isaiah 60) Arise, O Zion, shine, for at last your light has come, the glory of the Lord upon you rises. Though darkness covers all the earth - its people walk in sin, you reflect the light of God that harmonizes. Kings will be attracted to the brightness of your dawn, the Gospel that dispels the gloom of sin. Gentiles will join the Jews as the remnant forms the church, the bride of Christ that glows from peace within. Your heart will throb and swell with joy, your spiritual wealth increase, as the Holy Spirit guides you day by day. Who are these who fly along like clouds, like doves fly to their nests? Joyous Christians who at last have found the Way. The islands, Gentile converts, bring your children from afar to the honor of the Lord, the Holy One, who endowed his church with splendor, erring Israel reborn, through the sacrificial blood of Christ, his Son. Foreigners will now rebuild your walls, Gentiles will take the lead; their kings will serve you, spreading wide the gate which always will stand open to welcome strangers in. Their thirst for righteousness the Lord will sate. Although you, Old Jerusalem, were forsaken for your sins, when you repent, all things will be made new. I will make of you the joy and pride of this last dispensation; with saving power I will comfort you. I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler, and violence will cease within your land. You will call your walls Salvation, your gates will be called Praise, for now you will be led by God's own hand. The sun will no more be your light, for the brightness of the Lord is your glory, everlasting and complete. Your sun will never set again, your moon will wane no more. The lamp of God will always guide your feet. Then all your people will be righteous, own the land forever; the shoot that I have planted will remain. The church I have established will display my mighty splendor, a vine that's watered with my Gospel rain. § The Year of the Lord’s Favor (Isaiah 61) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, says Isaiah; to the poor in spirit I now preach Good News, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives who are slaves to sin and living with the blues. The blind will have their sight restored to see the light of God, to understand his will and thus repent. I come to comfort all who mourn because of sin and shame, to tell them that a Savior has been sent, to bestow on them a crown of beauty jeweled by the stars instead of ashes, banishing their grief. Instead of mourning they will wear the soothing oil of gladness, and praise will be their garment of relief. They will be oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, displaying all the splendor of his glory, will spread the news by word and deed to nations round about, forever tell the precious Gospel story. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, temples built by God, with living stones that grow and reproduce. Aliens, Gentile Christians, will work your fields and vineyards; fruits of the spirit will become profuse. You will be called priests of the Lord, be ministers of God. The riches of the nations you will boast. Instead of shame you will receive a hearty double portion of grace provided through the Holy Ghost. Your inheritance, eternal life, will be a source of joy. An everlasting covenant I make: Your descendants will be known as a people richly blessed, for your faithful Mighty Lord makes no mistake. My soul rejoices in my God; the Lord is my delight, for he has richly clothed me with salvation, arrayed me in a robe of his holy righteousness, like a bride adorned in jeweled expectation. For as the soil makes seeds to sprout and water makes them grow, so righteousness will spring forth and abound. God’s praises will reverberate throughout his great domain, and all his saints with glory will be crowned. § Zion’s New Name, Christian (Isaiah 62) For Zion’s sake — Jerusalem — I will not keep silent, til her righteousness shines out just like the dawn. Salvation, like a blazing torch, will light the world around her. To the glory of the Lord they will be drawn. God will bestow a new name on those who follow him; you will be a crown of splendor in his hand, a royal diadem for the bride of Christ the Lord, as you wear his name throughout sweet Beulah land. I have posted watchmen on your walls, the elders I appointed, and preachers who will spread the great Good News. They will not be silent day or night til Zion is established; by the Word will Satan’s power be diffused. The Lord swears by his right hand and by his mighty arm: Never again will your enemies eat your grain. Never again will foreigners drink wine for which you toiled, never will your harvest be in vain. Pass through the gates, my people.  Build up the new highway! Remove the stones and raise the banner high. See, your Savior comes in victory and carries his reward. The redemption of the Lord is very nigh. You will be called Sought After, The City No Longer Deserted, The Holy People, bought by Christ the King. Give honor to the Holy One who suffered in your stead, with joyful praises let his anthems ring. § God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption (Isaiah 63) Who is this coming from Edom, his garment stained with crimson? Who is this robed in splendor, great in strength? ‘Tis I, speaking in righteousness, mighty in salvation. For my people I will go to any length. Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? I have trodden the winepress, carried the cross alone. I trampled them in anger, trod them down in my wrath, for the rebel nations had a heart of stone. Their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing, for the day of vengeance had consumed my heart. I looked, but saw no one to help, nobody gave support, so my own arm worked, salvation to impart. Obstinate, stubborn, rebellious, and steeped in wickedness, Edom had defied the Holy God, the only help available to guide and light her way. She would not heed the lessons of his rod. She blamed God for her troubles, though the enemy was sin. His discipline came from a heart of love. His chastening was for their good, yet they would not repent. Their hearts were hardened with an iron glove. Do as you want to do, and claim the consequences. No use to offer pearls to filthy swine. My spirit won’t always contend with vile and sinful man, but the faithful remnant will be saved as mine. The most illiterate of men can read the book of nature and know Great Intellect lit up the sky. If he won’t believe the first book, the glory of creation, then he likely will just pass the Gospel by. § Praise and Prayer (Isaiah 63-64) I will tell of the kindness of the Lord for which he is to be praised, yes, the many good things he has done for us with compassion all of our days. He said, “Surely they are my people, who will not be false to me,” and so he became their Savior, their help in every need. In all their distress, he too was distressed, with love and mercy saved, yet they rebelled and grieved him, left the path that he had paved. So he turned and became their enemy, punished them for wickedness, made them slaves of godless nations so they might their sins confess. Then his people recalled the days of old, the days when Moses led. Where is he who brought them through the sea, with quail and manna fed? Where is he who set his Spirit to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, led them to the promised land? Like a horse in open country, like cattle that go down to the plain, this is how you guided your people, made yourself a glorious name. Look down from heaven, your lofty throne, and see us in our plight. Your compassion is withheld from us; where are your zeal and might? You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from days of old. Why do you make us wander from you, your discipline unfold? Why harden our hearts so we do not revere your name above? Is this your way of proving to us your great un-dying love? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribe to inherit it all. Our enemies have trampled down the sanctuary wall. O make the mountains tremble, rend the heavens and come down. Cause the nations to quake before you, show them your righteous frown. There is no God besides you, who helps those who gladly do right, but when we continued to spurn your ways, in us you did not delight. All of us have become like one unclean, our righteousness filthy rags. We waste away because of our sins, the spirit within us sags. Yet you, O Lord, are our Father; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry too long, O Lord, with your wayward Jewish band. Oh, look upon us — your people — we pray, for we realize our lack. Do not keep silent and punish us, no longer hold yourself back. § Judgment and Salvation (Isaiah 65) To those who did not ask for me, I now have been revealed. I was found by those who did not seek my face. To a nation called the Gentiles I said, “Lo, here am I,” to shame my erring tribe, the Hebrew race. To an obstinate people, Israel, I have held out my hands; all day I wait for them to change their ways. They provoke me to my very face, pursuing their own dreams, who consult the dead and sit among the graves. Self-righteous, uppity, unclean, they burn incense to idols, break all my laws while claiming to be mine. Their righteousness is putrid; I smell it all day long, smoke in my nostrils from their godless shrines. See, I will not keep silent but will pay back in full. Both your fathers sins and yours are on your laps. Burned sacrifice, defiance: Your deeds will follow you. With evil hands you formed your own deathtraps. This is what the Lord says, the Lord that you rebuff: Because of the few, I will not destroy them all. I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, the faithful that remain, to possess the mountain that will never fall. Sharon will be a pasture for flocks, with green grass and aplenty; the valley will become a resting place. My people will inherit them, the ones who love to serve, the remnant of Israel who seek my face. But as for national Israel, you who forsake the Lord, who worship luck and fortune, trust in fate, you are destined for the sword, will all bend down for slaughter. My righteous laws you spurned and came to hate. I spoke; you did not listen.  I called; you did not answer. You did evil in my sight, and you will pay. You chose that which displeases me, brought shame instead of honor, and you will rue your choice on judgment day. § Judgment and Hope (Isaiah 66) This is what the Lord says: Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool — what more do I need? Where is the house you will build for me and where my resting place? My hands made all these things without a seed. This is the one whom I esteem: He’s meek, contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word with humble heart. The rituals you offer without the due respect are abominations of the vilest sort. Hear the word of God, you faithful who tremble at his word, ignore your brothers who exclude and taunt. Because you serve me, suffer long this ignorant abuse. Their hurtful words will soon come back to haunt. They will be put to shame, will be repaid in kind; the Lord will punish their unrighteous deeds. And to the faithful remnant he will give eternal life,  his holy treasure trove will fill their needs. Isaiah gives a prophecy, the coming of the Christ, in words that he could not then understand: Before the pains of labor come, she gives birth to a son, made possible by God’s own righteous hand. Who has heard or seen such things except through faith in him? Can a nation be brought forth in just a day? Zion gives birth to her children at the onset of her labor, and the law of Christ gives us the living way. Three-thousand souls became the church, the new Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, as prophesied. A remnant of the Jews believed, then followed his example, and in his blood God’s wrath was satisfied. Rejoice with new Jerusalem, you who have mourned for her; nurse at her breasts, drink deeply of her truth. Delight in her abundance that overflows to others, as a mother comforts all, both babes and youth. Your spiritual lives will prosper, a flooding stream of wealth. Peace like a river floods your banks with joy, a peace above the understanding of the human mind, beyond the strength of Satan to destroy. cgtrent@att.net Home