Scripture

“Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us!’ Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria?”

Observation

The land of Judah is invaded by the army of Assyria. Having taken all the walled towns in Judah, they proceed to Jerusalem.

The Assyrian leaders call the leaders in Jerusalem to surrender. They claim that they have no alternatives. Egypt is weak and cannot help them. The Lord will not help them, they say.

The Assyrians offer that, if they surrender, the residents of Jerusalem, will be taken to another land where they can grow their own grain and vineyards. They tell them that they cannot rely on the Lord to rescue them. The Assyrians have overcome all the gods of the other nations.

Application

The Assyrians were a fierce and fearsome nation. They rapidly expanded their empire, conquering the nations around them.

The Assyrian leaders made a fundamental mistake when they came to Jerusalem. They made what philosophers call a category error. That is, they assumed that the Lord is the same as the gods of the other nations. They reason that these other gods had not been able to protect their people, and therefore the Lord would not save the people of Jerusalem.

Whereas other so-called gods are imaginary and therefore weak, the Lord is real and strong. He is not like the others.

We can rely on the Lord and have faith that He will provide for us and protect us. He knows what we need, and like a wise Father, he looks after us.

Prayer

Father, I thank you that, unlike all the other false gods, you are real and you care for your people. Please help me to trust you. Amen.

Scripture

The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the planes of Sharon. The Lord will display his glory, the splendour of our God.

Observation

God is bringing his refreshment. Even the deserts will be green and fertile. The Lord’s glory will be on display.

Encourage the weak, tired and fearful because God will come to destroy our enemies. He will heal the blind, the death and the lame.

There will be a highway through the land that only the righteous can travel on. It will only be for those who walk in God’s ways. The redeemed of the Lord will return with joy and singing. Sorrow and morning will disappear.

Application

God brings life to the desert and joy to his people.

This is not a far off reconstruction of the world when Jesus returns. It is right now.

Jesus takes the desert places of our lives – the addictions, the sins, the broken relationships – and He redeems them. He turns them into something beautiful.

So life comes to the desert. As we walk close to Jesus, we also bring life to other people. The greening of the desert places becomes contagious.

Isaiah talks about a highway of holiness that only the righteous people can travel on. When we come to Jesus, He takes away our sins. We need to then start living God’s ways, as holy people, in order to be the change agents, the healers of the desert.

Prayer

Lord, your ways are beyond our wildest dreams. You take broken people and heal us, and then use us to heal others. Thank you. Amen.

Scripture

And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens, it will fall upon Edom, the nation I have marked for destruction.

Observation

The Lord summons the nations to hear His judgement against them. He is angry with them and will judge them.

There will be judgement first of all against Edom, the nation the Lord has marked for destruction. The Lord will slaughter many people and send fire and burning pitch on the land. This judgement will never end. Nobody will ever live there again.

The ruins of the land of Edom will become homes for jackals, hyenas, and wild goats. The Lord has promised this, and He will make it come true.

Application

We live in an age that refuses to recognise sin and its consequences. Christians are loathe to use the word sin or suggest that people may be punished by God. A recent commercial in the USA football final was criticised for seeming to suggest that Jesus is OK with various sins.

God is love. But part of God’s love means that He will not tolerate things that oppose His love. When we lie, steal, lust, or over indulge in food, then we are opposing God’s ways for us and resisting his love. These things are called sin and will be dealt with.

Edom’s judgement is described as eternal punishment. God was not going to relent on this nation that had done many evil deeds.

Eventually, we will all face that eternal judgement of God. Those who confess that Jesus is Lord will go to heaven, while those who maintain their sin will go to hell.

Love is real. Sin is real. Judgement is real.

Prayer

Thank you Lord Jesus for paying the price for my sin. In you, I can know forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life. Amen

Scripture

Instead you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals. You will see Jerusalem a city quiet and secure. It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut and whose stakes are firmly fixed.

Observation

Assyria destroys but has never been destroyed, it betrays but has never been betrayed. The lLrd will destroy Assyria.

Now the Assyrians have broken their peace treaty, and they care nothing for all the promises they have made.

The Lord is a devouring fire. He will burn up Assyria. The sinners in Jerusalem will be terrified, but the righteous ones will dwell in plenty and in security.

Zion will be a place of holy festivals, Jerusalem a city of peace and security. The Lord will be like a river that protects them from invading enemies.

Application

The Lord will pull down all the enemies of His people. The sinners will be terrified by His actions, but those who love the Lord will live in peace and security.

This picture of Zion as a place of holy festivals, and Jerusalem a quiet and secure city, is about the hearts of people who trust and obey Jesus. Jesus is our peace and security. In Him, we are made holy and can enter the holiest places of worship.

This promise of restoration is for every believer. I am a part of this holy and peaceful city. Because God is my protector, I have no reason to be anxious or fearful.

Jerusalem means “city of peace,” but in human terms it has been anything but this.

Now Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When we put our trust in Him, we become the city of peace, the New Jerusalem.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the peace and security that come only from you. Please help me to walk in your peace and not allow the world to pull the down. Amen.

Scripture

My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest.

Observation

A righteous King is coming who will not be like the sinful, foolish, and weak kings of the past. He will rule with honest princes who will be like a refuge in the storm.

Everyone will be able to see the truth. Ungodly fools will no longer be heroes, and scoundrels will not be respected. Fools practise ungodliness and make poor people even poorer.

City women living in luxury and immorality need to take care. In the next year, their crops will fail. Their land will be overgrown with thorns.

But justice will rule in the wilderness, and it will bring peace.

Application

The Lord promises to care for and protect His people, and to give us rest.

Over many year,ears, I have been protected by the Lord in many ways, possibly more than I am aware of. When I am driving long distances, the Lord sustains me when I am tired. There have been numerous near misses where an accident may have happened, but it didn’t by a hair’s breadth.

We enjoy rest when we understand that God is in control and He loves us. There is no need to be anxious about anything when we surrender everything to the Lord. We can sleep deeply at night knowing that He cares. Whether I have plenty or little, the Lord will provide what I need. Whether my family is at peace or falling apart, God is greater.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the rest that comes from knowing your love. Please help me to always rest in you. Amen

Scripture

What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers, and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

Observation

Those who look to Egypt to protect Judah from Assyria are doomed. They depend on human armies instead of the Lord. The Lord will come against Egypt, and they will fall.

The Lord is like a lion growling over a sheep it has killed. It is not frightened by the shouts of the shepherds. In the same way, the Lord will hover over Jerusalem. He will protect and save the city.

Application

Judah was threatened by the rising power of Assyria to the north. To balance the odds against them, they sought the assistance of Egypt which was far more powerful.

The Lord says they are wrong to do this. The Egyptian soldiers are just humans. Rather, Judah should return to the Lord and put their trust in Him alone.

Whether it is geopolitics or personal safety, we can get things wrong. We tend to put our trust in other people or in our own ability.

The problem is, of course, that to put our trust in the Lord means that we rely on someone who cannot be seen. Even worse, there is an implication that to “return to the Lord”, we might have to give up our favourite idols and change our lifestyle.

It seems much more straightforward to make our own arrangements for our security. It is easier to trust ourselves then the Creator of the universe.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for my self- protectiveness and my inflated belief in my own abilities. Please help me to trust you in all things and at all times. Amen.

Scripture

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says, “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In and confidence and quietness is your strength.”

Observation

Judah makes alliances that are not directed by the Spirit of the Lord. They have gone to Egypt for help, but all who trust in Pharaoh will be disappointed. The Lord says that Egypt is a harmless dragon that cannot help them.

The people of Judah don’t want to hear the words of the prophets or the visions of the seers. They want to live life their own way without being bothered by the God of Israel.

The lord tells them that it is only in resting in Him that they will be saved. In quietness and confidence is their strength.

Justice will rule, and God’s righteousness will bring quietness and confidence forever.

Application

The people of Judah looked for peace and support from the ruler of Egypt instead of seeking it from the Lord.

God told them that it was only in returning to him that they would find quietness and strength.

The Lord is our strength. He is the one we should trust. He loves us and is always faithful.

Israel and Judah looked to make unholy alliances with other nations, Many christians seek strength anywhere but in God. We seek security in our jobs and our possessions. We look for affirmation in our families.

There is nothing wrong in any of these things of course, but the Lord is the source of our strength.

Put Him at the centre of everything.

Prayer

Lord, you are my quietness and my strength. Please help me to trust you always. Amen.

Scripture

So the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.”

Observation

Jerusalem will be punished by the Lord for the hypocrisy of the people. They celebrate the feasts, but the Lord will become their enemy.

Suddenly, the enemies will themselves be crushed. The Lord who has acted against Jerusalem will now act to save it. The nations fighting against Jerusalem will become like a dream.

The Lord will astound the hypocrites who honour him with their lips but their hearts are from him.

Soon the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field. The humble will rejoice with the Lord, but the arrogant, and the false witnesses will be taken away.

Application

Many people pay lip service to the Lord. They go to church and claim to be born again, but they are just going through the motions. Such people were once described as Sunday morning christians. They are present in worship, but their lives remain unchanged the rest of the week.

The Lord wants us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. Every part of our being has to be surrendered to Him. Christ must be the centre of every part of our lives.

This is a process of dying to ourselves. For most of us this will be a lifelong quest, in which the Lord puts his finger on the various things we hold back from him.

The trouble is that we get to a comfortable level of sin. We can tolerate certain sins in our lives, even though we know that they are displeasing to the Lord. We must we must let go of everything.

Prayer

Father, please show me areas of my life that you want me to change and give me the grace to surrender them to you. Amen.