In Isaiah 43, Assyria passed through but Babylon is still coming. God reminds His people to remain faithful and trust Him when they face anything - deep waters, rivers of difficulty, fires of oppression. He lets us know that if we remain and abide in Him with all our hearts, we will not be consumed or burned up. He will take care of us and help carry us through the storms. He is our Savior, Redeemer, Restorer, and we are precious to Him. He loves us and will never leave us. He is God. He is Ever...
Aug 17, 2023•11 min
In Isaiah 42, God tells Isaiah to tell His people that a Savior is coming. The coming of Jesus - our Messiah - is prophesied years before He comes and everything prophesied comes forth in the exact detail that God says it will through Isaiah. God will never stop pursuing us and will never give up on us. God laid the foundation and set everything up and it all points to Jesus. He gave us a Rescuer because He couldn't bear to watch us die in our sins. Jesus is God's glory, God's Light, and God's p...
Aug 16, 2023•12 min
In Isaiah 41, God speaks through Isaiah assuring His children, His faithful remnant, that He will help them through the exile. He will rescue His children. He challenges the false idols that His children choose to chase after as they double down on idol production in preparation for what's coming rather than looking to God for strength and protection. The world can only provide what it knows and if it doesn't know God, it's completely useless. God knows the future and loves us beyond comprehensi...
Aug 15, 2023•10 min
In Isaiah 40, Isaiah brings a message from God of hope. The Babylonian exile is still about 100 years out and he speaks as though they have already been rescued, set free, restored, and redeemed. He gives a hope of a coming New Jerusalem. He foresees John the Baptist coming to prepare the way for our Messiah. He gives the key to hope which is trusting in the One and only God who carries us through the valleys and exiles and brings us to redemption and restoration. God wants to deliver His people...
Aug 14, 2023•11 min
In Isaiah 38 - 39, Hezekiah becomes terminally ill and he cries out to God and prays for mercy. God hears his prayer and saw his tears and answered him with 15 more years. Prayer works y'all! Hezekiah praises God and gives Him all the glory and honor in a heartfelt poem of praise. He is so excited, he ends up showing the Babylonians the back door to Jerusalem and everything Jerusalem has stored up, including their weapons. He got caught up in the moment of feeling free and safe and lost his head...
Aug 11, 2023•10 min
In Isaiah 36 & 37, Hezekiah is faced with national threats and in response he humbly goes to God and cries out for help. God hears his cry and steps in by taking out the attacking Assyrians. God shows what happens when His people trust in Him. When we feel surrounded we can choose to stand firm in faith, seek God, cry out to Him and trust that He is moving on our behalf. God intervenes. He is God and has us covered.
Aug 10, 2023•16 min
In Isaiah 34 & 35, Isaiah once again ties what they are facing soon with the coming Assyrian and Babylonian battles but he also speaks of the coming worldwide judgment that involved all the nations - the whole universe. The day is coming when God is going to deal with and destroy sin and evil head-on. God brings justice and it is deserved as people continually turn their backs on God. The land will become empty and desolate and we will walk through some very difficult times ahead. It will no...
Aug 08, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 31-33, Isaiah concludes his oracles and warnings of coming woe for not repenting and turning from sin to God and for not faithfully trusting in God. God calls for His people to pay attention to Him and stop being complacent. He calls for obedient faith. He gives hope that the day will come when evil is done and over as His faithful remnant stand firm in confident and expectant prayer. God reiterates His authority and makes it clear that He will be exalted and everyone on earth will kno...
Aug 07, 2023•14 min
In Isaiah 29 & 30, Isaiah brings another warning of what's to come for Jerusalem and Judah. He once again so eloquently ties in the now of his time with the not yet. Jerusalem doesn't repent after Assyria comes through and continues to rely on false alliances with Egypt and things they make on their own rather than God. They continue to revel in their sin rather than repent. He speaks of the tribulations times and the final battle and victory. He speaks of peace, joy, and the awe of God retu...
Aug 04, 2023•16 min
In Isaiah 27 & 28, further hope is given. Sin will be destroyed. Evil will be dealt with. God is all about 2nd chances and gives an "out" for those opposed to God. He says it's not too late to turn to Him and accept the saving grace Jesus offers. Jesus is returning and when He does, He will deal with evil and gather His people to Him. When? Yes. Isaiah again speaks of woe - this time to Samaria. Rather than putting hope and trust in political alliances that will fall, we need to keep our hop...
Aug 02, 2023•15 min
In Isaiah 25 & 26, judgment comes and those who stand firm in their faith in God give thanks and praise to Him for it. God will bring humility to the proud. Ruthless evil may not believe God or acknowledge Him but the day is coming when God will be feared. God will provide refuge and strength to His faithful remnant and though it will not be easy, His strength will carry us through as we passionately cling to Him with all we got. His remnant that stands firm in faith through the end will be ...
Aug 01, 2023•12 min
In Isaiah 23 & 24, we have the final oracle of judgment to the nation of Tyre which ends the national oracles. Then we see prophesy of coming worldwide judgment as well as hope once again - deliverance. In the midst of worldwide desolation, a remnant will remain strong and will sing praises to God through it all. They will stand firm in faith and give glory to God in praise. The whole earth will shake and there will be no where to flee, but God will win the final battle and will reign for al...
Jul 31, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 20-22, Isaiah brought forth God's messages naked and barefoot for three years because God wanted to prove a point. Isaiah, being the radical - fully transformed and sold out to God - prophet that he is, did exactly what God wanted and the point was made. The oracles of judgment are still being spoken to the surrounding nations and this time, it's Jerusalem's turn. Isaiah is heartbroken and weeps. Sin and rejection of God should bring us to tears. He sees the spiritual demise of the sit...
Jul 28, 2023•16 min
In Isaiah 18 & 19, the oracles of judgment are spoken regarding Ethiopia and Egypt. God is cleaning up the evil and judgment will come for how they have treated His children. He once again gracefully ties the now into the not yet. We are told a time is coming when there will be peace, unity, and worship throughout the earth. A Kingdom is coming like no other. Sin and evil will not be present. There will be no more alienation or separation. God will reign and Jesus is our eternal King. Once a...
Jul 26, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 15-17, the oracles of judgment are spoken regarding Moab, Damascus, and northern Israel. God tells Moab that all their prosperity will be stripped away as well as a whole lot of hardship for a season. He again gives that glimmer of coming hope. It will not be forever. There is a Savior coming. He will rule with mercy and truth. In the judgment against Damascus and Israel, Isaiah lets them know not much will remain. Only a small remnant. He answers the question of why - because they hav...
Jul 25, 2023•15 min
In Isaiah 12-14, there is a song of praise in response to a message of hope. Oracles of judgment start being spoken against the nations who strike against Israel. Isaiah once again speaks into the now and the not yet. The Babylonians may strike, but it won't last forever. God's hand will move and Babylon will be taken down. Jesus will return and there will be final victory and Satan will be taken down. Satan was prideful and wanted to be like God. He wanted to ascend to the heavens and be set up...
Jul 24, 2023•16 min
In Isaiah 10 & 11, Isaiah continues to prophesy of coming judgment and exile for God's children as they have turned from Him and refuse to repent. Sin has to be accounted for and time has run out. In the midst of the chaos, God again brings words of hope. Even when situations look bad, there's hope. God does not forget His people. Out of the remnant who remain strong and stand firm in faith, our Messiah comes. God is not done with His people. God is involved and has us. Even in the midst of ...
Jul 22, 2023•14 min
In Isaiah 9, Isaiah lets God's children know there is hope. Our Messiah will come. Jesus will bring us forgiveness, redemption, restoration, and hope for a brighter future. Isaiah continually speaks into the current time and current situation as well as forward into the 1st coming of Jesus and into His second coming. He speaks to the now, what's to come and what's still coming all at once. He encourages God's children to hold on to that hope while in exile. He lets us know there will be peace, a...
Jul 21, 2023•10 min
In Isaiah 7 & 8, God reminds His people to trust in Him. Even though battles come, God is bigger. God is mightier. God is able. God is with us. He reminds us God cannot make us stand firm. Unless our faith is firm, we will stumble. He promises us our Messiah. Jesus comes and saves us all forever if we choose Him. He will not force our faith. We have a choice and can choose to trust in Him. He desires our hearts more than anything. He desires to connect with us. We are wanted and loved by the...
Jul 20, 2023•13 min
In Isaiah 6, Isaiah God brings Isaiah into His presence and almighty glory. The experience of God's presence changes him and transforms him. He knows he is sinful and his sinful nature is revealed and brought to light in God's presence. Jesus forgives him for his sins, removes his guilt, and cleanses him. He responds with confidence and urgency in his desire to carry out God's will and call for his life. He's willing and wants nothing more than to give up everything to walk out the call of God o...
Jul 19, 2023•11 min
In Isaiah 4 & 5, Isaiah is speaking into southern Israel as they face the captivity of Babylon. God wanted them to be sweet grapes but they chose to live differently than God instructed and therefore became bitter grapes. They chose to covet. They chose drunkenness. They chose carelessness. They chose deception. They chose injustice. They chose pride. They chose to disregard God and His presence in their lives. They face the consequences of these choices as God prunes the bitter grapes away....
Jul 18, 2023•17 min
In Isaiah 2 & 3, a glimmer of hope is seen in the vision of the coming millennial blessing. A vision of redemption and restoration. Before that restoration, there will be judgment. Sin has to be accounted for. We have a choice to accept the sacrifice of death Jesus gave for each of us to be counted as righteous before God, or pay for the sins of our lives with our own death and punishment. We all have sins in our lives that need repentance and Isaiah offers a warning and call to do so. Pride...
Jul 17, 2023•14 min
In Isaiah 1, there's a court case in session and it's God vs His children. His children are guilty. God addresses a major issue in Israel through Isaiah. A sin issue. An issue of not taking God serious or knowing God and who He is. He speaks of the hypocrisy of His children doing weekly rituals with no heart. God isn't after a show. He's after our hearts. He is looking for open, honest, and sincere hearts. He's not looking for perfection, just sincerity. He refines us, cleanses us, redeems us, a...
Jul 14, 2023•13 min
In 2 Samuel 24, David is tempted and once again falls into sin by taking a census. This census wasn't ordered by God, it was a David thing. We aren't told why, but for whatever reason, he wants to know how many people are in Israel now. God doesn't need our human strength or numbers to win battles. Our legacy is built on God and God alone. God writes His story through us and has all the power to carry out His will in our lives. We can trust Him, rely on Him, and give Him all the glory. We are a ...
Jul 13, 2023•16 min
In 2 Samuel 23, we see David's last recorded words. He honors God and gives God all the glory for all the victories in and through his life. He was overlooked by his earthly father but he was anointed and put in place by God. God anoints who He chooses. God raised him up to royalty yet he remained humble and repentant before God. He had a vast crew of mighty men with him in the battles. He was not alone. We are never alone. God has a master plan and will bring it forth, even through all the mess...
Jul 12, 2023•13 min
In 2 Samuel 22, David sings a song of praise to God. He recounts all the ways God has been faithful to David despite his sin choices along the way. He praises God for His deliverance, cleansing, steadfast unfailing love, and victories. He gives all glory to God for everything God has brought him through - both the good and the bad. He sees himself in Christ - guiltless, innocent, cleansed, blameless, and righteous. He has a repentant heart and desires to chase after God with all he is, has, and ...
Jul 11, 2023•13 min
In 2 Samuel 21, David has been dealing with a famine for 3 years. He calls out to God for direction and God gives the wisdom needed to stop the famine. They had endured this suffering for 3 years. When we face suffering, we can rely on God. We can seek His wisdom and guidance, we can rely wholly on God, and we can depend on His righteousness and let Him refine us through it. David also recounts battles they had faced with giants. David did not battle alone. He had mighty men fighting alongside h...
Jul 10, 2023•12 min
In 2 Samuel 20, Sheba tries to start a revolt against David so he can take over as king. He thinks he can do it better. David jumps on the situation and gets it handled but only by the working, moving, miraculous hand of God. A woman in the town they are about to attack in an attempt to stop this wanna-be king approaches Joab and he listens to her. She brings great wisdom and some level of resolution is achieved because of it. The wanna-be king loses his head, but a city and tons of other people...
Jul 07, 2023•12 min
In 2 Samuel 19, Joab shakes David out of his misery and into his role and calling as king. He is a king who is mourning his son's death but also a king who just won a victory in a battle. He had to set himself aside to properly handle his troops. He gets over his feelings and failures and steps up and out into his calling as king. We all need people we trust in our inner circle who will call us out when we need to be realigned into what we should be doing for God, His Kingdom, and His glory. As ...
Jul 04, 2023•18 min
n 2 Samuel 18, the hair that Absalom loved and idolized so much became his end. He got stuck in a tree by his hair during battle and thus lost the battle. God gives us victory and when we trust and submit to God, we have His victory. When we concede to idols in our lives, they lead to our destruction. Two runners compete to bring David the news because they both believe it will be received as good news. One takes a direct route and one takes an indirect route. When David receives the news, he de...
Jul 03, 2023•14 min
