Sonshine!

You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4 (Isaiah 24-26)

Chapters 25 and 26 are packed full of scripture sung in hymns, engraved on wall plaques and worship banners, and taught throughout childhood.  They are rich in hope and promise! The words of chapter 24 tell the fate of earth. Man’s world order, social distinctions and occupations, will not matter. Devastation and destruction have no prejudice, only perfect, truthful justice.

The imagery of a strong and safe city, whose walls and ramparts are salvation, (26:1) is a symbolic reference to Jerusalem’s deliverance against Assyria, and a tremendous encouragement to all who suffer persecution, or spiritual struggle. The entirety of Isaiah’s life was lived under threat that his home, would be overrun by foreign enemies, with great armies and ill intent. He chose faith, not just because He saw truly amazing things, but because, in faith, he sought God and He found Him.

God allowed Isaiah to see a New Heaven and New earth and hear the song of the redeemed. He witnessed the ultimate triumph of good over evil and death’s last stand. Someday soon, for each one of us, the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be blessed forever!

Have a Wonder Full Day!

Gretchen

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. II Kings 19:14(II Kings 18-19, II Chronicles 29-31)

When Hezekiah, son of  Ahaz, became king, Judah was in disarray. They were paying taxes to Assyria and twice were attacked and lost walled cities and land. But Hezekiah was not like his father! Listening to God’s messenger Isaiah and working through the Levites, Hezekiah, accomplished far reaching religious reforms. He began by tearing down the idols his wicked father erected. He reestablished religious observances, cleansed and rededicated the temple, and restored proper worship.  In a grand gesture of brotherhood, he invited what was left of the northern tribes to join the spiritual renewal, but most still refuse.

Sennecherib, king of Assyria, had been sending Hezekiah propaganda messages, trying to knock down any confidence he or his people had in God. When Hezekiah received a message of threat, he went to the temple and gave it to the LORD!  Assyria’s pagan king did not know the power of The One True God invoked by those who believe.

The walls of Jerusalem were strengthened, a great conduit was built to supply water to the besieged city and military preparations were made. Then, a great deliverance came by means of an angel of the LORD when 85,000 men in the Assyrian camp were put to death. This brought Hezekiah great prestige and power. He strengthened the priesthood and people once again brought offerings and tithes that were distributed to all who had need. Judah returned to the blessings of faith and were as God intended, a blessing to others.

Simple acts of faith are NOT small things! They change the world!

Happy Tuesday Day,

Gretchen

And the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:10 (Isaiah 21, 23, 34, 35)

Being a seer is a difficult thing.  Isaiah was witness to great destruction, the apocalypse, and he was the deliverer of a salvation message that was wholeheartedly rejected. Yet, he maintained a firm trust and hope in God. Though those around him chose to dwell in spiritual darkness, he anticipated the arrival of a Child, a gift of light and joy, and an end to sin’s bondage.

Isaiah brought news of a world wide judgement that would effect all humanity. This judgement would mean doom for the pagan idolator, the ruthless abuser, the chosen people who rejected their God, but for those who believe it will be an end to evil, suffering, bondage and death.

Chapter 35 is the lyrical and poetic anthem of the Church Triumphant.  If you’re feeling discouraged, read it. If you need revival, this is it. There is a King’s Highway clear of threat and debris, and it leads us Home! Destruction gives way to restoration. Horror turns to re-creation. In the presence of God all things are made new and His Light casts away all shadows, especially the agony of death. What a Glorious known fact!

Here’s to the Future!

Gretchen

An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw. Isaiah 13:1 (Isaiah 13-17, 34:1-4)

Not an especially inspiring verse, but stick with me as I give a little history. Judah has become subject to Assyriah. Ahaz’s sinful and perverse behavior has weakened the kingdom of God’s chosen people and now they must pay tribute to a foreign entity. The invasions Judah is vulnerable to are part of God’s plan of punishment, but these nations are not Holy! God is not endorsing them, but allowing them to proceed. They are acting out of their own imperialistic motivations and power. Isaiah knows that God will exact judgement on these nations too, in His time. 

Past sins haunt us. God can forget when we ask Him to, but we lack this super natural power, and so forgetting is piled on top of all our other free will choices. We must chose to NOT remember and move forward in faith. Ugh! I thought it got easier! Trust God with everything?! All the dynamics of family, things far beyond my control that directly effect my daily life, the things I hoped to accomplish in my time on earth……all this must be relinquished and I must be still and know…..that He is God, and I am not?!?! Yes!

100 years before Babylon became a world power, Isaiah knew of its collapse and the return of the exiled Jewish people to their homeland in very specific detail. That is significant! YOUR God, MY God, Our God, The One True God HAS GOT THIS! You long to know the end of your story? You think it would make things so much easier? Well, you do know the final chapter if you diligently live in faith. God doesn’t make random stuff up. He knows the plan He has for you and it ends in Glory! 

Have a Great Day!

Gretchen

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and the little child will lead them. Isaiah 11:6 In time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. II Chronicles 28:22 (Isaiah 10-12, II Chronicles 28)

The behavior of Ahaz was beyond deplorable! He chased after every pagan god associated with any king that showed possible greatness. Under his leadership the poor were subject to exploitation and his government became more and more corrupt. This brought Judah near complete destruction, but there were a few, a remnant, that remained faithful to God.

Even though Assyria was the instrument of Israel’s destruction and strong punishment against Judah, they would soon suffer God’s judgement too.

Isaiah brings to life two very important facts/hopes: 1. God’s anger brings judgement and consequence, but His works become comfort. 2. The coming King will be from David’s family, will reign with righteous justice and establish a new world order free of evil and enmity. The natural world will be transformed, i.e. predators will no longer prey. Isaiah, who saw Heaven, knows that someday everything will be obedient to God’s will.

The constant cycle of man’s impulsive self will pushing against God’s loving gift of free will is exhausting! Sin has no happily ever after and complete submission to God brings peace of mind and heart. As simple as this sounds, when it gets woven into every variable packed moment of our day, the responsibility of holding the standard of Holiness becomes overwhelming. Return to Isaiah’s truths. God’s correction becomes our security, so cling to it, and this life is not your forever life. Give your struggles to the LORD and He will set you free to love Him and others. That’s His original creative plan and it has not changed.

Love,

Gretchen

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 (Isaiah 6-9)

Isaiah saw the LORD. He witnessed the Holiness and glory of Heaven’s Throne and the future plan of salvation. Then, he was called to preach this message of Hope. It was destined to be rejected, but the receiver doesn’t determine the promise, the Giver does, and so, Isaiah kept going until the bitter end.

Hundreds of years before Jesus, Isaiah tells of a Messiah, called Immanuel at His birth, a descendant of David, son of Jesse, who will establish a Kingdom, and draw all those who believe and love God to Himself. This Child, the Prince of Peace, Savior, would humble Himself and become flesh, to wash the feet of His friends, cry with two sisters as they grieve for their brother, take dusty rowdy children onto His lap, shake hands and dine with the socially outcast and touch the diseased to make them whole. And He kept on until the very end.

Oh! How very loved we are. God didn’t give up then and He’s not throwing in the towel today. There will be no bitter end for those who believe, for Light has dawned and cast away all shadows and we will live forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Gretchen

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (Micah1-7)

Micah was a contemporary of Amos and Hosea who prophesied against the morally and ethically bankrupt behavior of God’s covenant people, Israel. Fellow prophet Isaiah was thought to be of royal blood. Micah was a small town man, but he took a strong stand against Judah’s powerful leaders. He is the only prophet to mention Bethlehem (5:2) as the birth place of the coming Messiah.

Assyria carried the people of Israel into exile and soon their magnificent and luxurious capitol city, Samaria, was a ruined heap. The consequences for unconfessed sin from arrogant people will soon doom Judah too. Micah preaches against corrupt judges, sham religious practices and false prophets that condone sinful behavior in trade for earthly comfort. They refused and the future was bleak…..but wait! There’s more!

Mercy is the compassionate forbearance given to an offender. In other words, you don’t get what you’ve got coming! The concept that God is slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness is as mind boggling as infinity! If you think you are unloved, or a passive thought in God’s vast universe, ponder this: With extreme clarity God has provided, through His exclusive covenant keeping, a means for every man to become Holy and exist in perfect relationship with Him. He planned and prepared to give His Son so that your sin didn’t condemn you to what you deserve.

A humble sacrifice fought death’s grip and won. Long before the cross, God was making a way for you to live, because He loves mercy and He loves YOU!

Love,

Gretchen

It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. Isaiah 4:6 (Isaiah 1-5)

Isaiah’s book of prophecy is called the fifth Gospel and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament writing.  It speaks extensively of a Messiah and rests all hope in the coming of a Savior that will bring an everlasting peace.  As for Isaiah’s reality, he lived in Judah after the Assyrian empire annihilated Israel, took its population into exile/slavery and gave the land to its own citizens. The shadow of Assyrian power was ever present as Isaiah watched all but Jerusalem fall.

In the opening chapters of his book, Isaiah brings the equivalent of an indictment down on Judah. They were charged as hypocrites that relish their greed, debauchery, injustice and exploitation of the poor.  Willing to make a great show of religious practices and customs with superficial piety, these covenant people chose to remain hard hearted and arrogant.

The verse above is taken from Isaiah’s first mention of the coming Messiah, a branch reviving out of the stump of David’s fallen family tree. God keeps his promises and is going to extreme measures to assure that all people, of all nations, receive the blessing of mercy and grace.

Love,

Gretchen

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:24 (Amos)

Amos, a simple breeder of livestock, was called, from Judah, to take a message to Israel. Israel’s capitol was the beautiful city of Samaria, who’s palatial residences were built on the backs of the poor. These Jewish people held themselves in great esteem as they publicly marched themselves to the temples, made their sacrifices and paid their tithes, all while cheating and oppressing their fellow man.

At the height of Israel’s military and economic prosperity under king Jeroboam, the marginalized became more so. The rich considered the less fortunate, dispensable commodities and harshly exploited them through a corrupt justice system. There was an increased interest in worship, but these people did not make the connection between their relationship with God, their behavior toward humankind and Godliness in everyday life. These attitudes spelled doom, for the individual and the nation. Within 30 years, those who were so proud became the lowest of exiled slaves.

Even though Amos speaks God’s words of warning, he ends his short career with words of hope. Our love for God is reflected in our love for fellow man and there is life beyond judgement for those who humble themselves.

Love,

Gretchen

I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Hosea 11:4 (Hosea)

This is one of the saddest, filthiest stories in the Bible. God calls Hosea to marry a woman that will not be faithful to him. Hosea honors his wife Gomer, but he cannot love her enough to hold her to his heart and home. She repeatedly chases after men that satisfy her lust for luxury. Eventually she becomes captive to prostitution and Hosea goes and redeems her from bondage.

Like Gomer, the children of Israel refuse to put away their adulterous love of Baal and their desire to seek wealth and power from the land. God’s people, His Bride, refuse to remain faithful to the covenant they made. Within the sanctity of Holy matrimony, or covenant relationship, there is safety and security, a haven from the world. This is God’s design for man and woman and Himself and humanity.

Nothing grieves God more than watching the children He created worship and adore idols made of sticks and stones, inanimate objects created by His hand, and void of any supernatural power. Hosea’s life story parallels Israel’s idolatry, wickedness, captivity and restoration. Our sins pain our loving, Heavenly Father, but we are not loved on our merit, rather on His choice and character. No matter what you have done or where you are coming from, you are, and always will be, loved and cherished!

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen