Consulting with Chaff - Isaiah 30

"'Woe to the rebellious children,' declares the LORD,

'Who execute a plan, but not Mine,

and make an alliance but not of My Spirit,

in order to add sin to sin;

who proceed down to Egypt,

without consulting Me

to take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh,

and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame,

and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt,

your humiliation." (vs 1-3)

It seems the Jewish nation was always looking for refuge in their neighbors rather than in their God. (It seems I may be guilty as well!) This time they run to Egypt and the great problem is that they do so without consulting God. There are times when we need our neighbors (I've needed mine this week), but when we seek first their counsel and wisdom while not even considering what God might have to say then there is a problem!

Here the Israelites are running to find a solution for their difficult situation. They are all about doing something where their problems and fears are concerned. They are "executing a plan" but that plan is not God's plan. They are "making an alliance" but it is with a pagan land full of pagan gods rather than with the Spirit of the Living God. They are "taking refuge in the safety of Pharaoh" rather than in God who "is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps 46:1). They are "seeking shelter in the shadow of Egypt" rather than "taking refuge in the shelter of Your wings" (Ps 61:4).

There is evil in these actions. They are "adding sin to sin" by their refusal to submit themselves to the wise counsel of their God. There is evil in my actions everytime I act without care for or consideration of the clear commands and principles of the law of God. I " add sin to sin" and practically act like the old atheist I once was when my desires and wisdom take precedence over His!

There are blessings in walking in the way of the LORD and in seeking His counsel. I can't help but think of the words of Psalm 1 this morning:

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.

Righteousness and true blessing go hand in hand. However, Isaiah makes it clear that there is a "woe, to the rebellious children." Hear the words of Psalm 1 again as the theme changes from the blessing of delighting and meditating on the law of the LORD to the curses of "walking in the counsel of the wicked":

"The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

"The wicked are not so!" Isaiah put it this way: "Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame, and the shelter of in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation." There is no real safety or shelter in any thing, any place, or any counsel other than that of our God.

Matthew Henry well sums up this section of Isaiah when he says:"Those that put their confidence in any creature will sooner or later find it a reproach to them. The Creator is a Rock of Ages. The creature is a broken reed. We cannot expect too little from man nor too much from God."

May God grant His children a hatred for the rebellious path and a love for the righteous way!

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Lip Labor - Isaiah 29

"Then the Lord said:

'... this people draw near with their words

and honor Me with their lip service,

but they remove their hearts far from Me,

and their reverence for Me consists of

tradition learned by rote."

(vs 13)

We love games! Far too often we play the part that we want others to believe about us. We vainly think that perception is reality. Reality is that which is known by God. What He knows to be true about us is that which is truly true. We may fool men but we will never fool God Who alone searches the heart and weighs the mind. "Nothing can be hidden from God" including my motives.

The people of Jerusalem are playing their little "God games" here in chapter 29. They draw near to him in lip labor, saying the right things and singing the right songs. In reality their religion is only from their tongues forward. It is merely wind that they blow not breath that they breathe! Here is a vivid description of hypocrisy. They honor God with their words "but they remove their hearts far from Me."

This morning the question before me is - how is my heart? Am I living my life for the praise and confirmation of men or for the glory of God? Do my lips and my heart align? Do I truly love the LORD my God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength? Am I loving my neighbor as myself in word AND in deed AND for the glory of God alone?

Truthfully, there is a root of "people pleasing" in all of us. We like the applause of men. We are naturally lip laborers. Look long enough and you will see some remnant of hypocrite in me - for I am a sinner. I am ever in need of grace. Perhaps the honest acknowledgement of that is what separates the ruined hypocrite from the redeemed hypocrite.

O LORD, please make my lips and life and mind and heart to match up and overflow with the reality of what You have done and are doing in me. Make me to live my chief end which is to "glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." Make my heart near to You my Lord and my God! May my lips and my life be in union with love for my Lord.

Thankful for sanctifying grace,

Lori

The Farmer & His Field- Isaiah 28 part 4

"Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words.

Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he turn and harrow the ground? Does he not level its surface,and sow dill and scatter cummin, and plant wheat in rows, barley in its place, and rye within its area? For his God instructs and teaches him properly. For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is the cartwheel driven over cummin; but dill is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a club. Grain for bread is crushed, indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, he does not thresh it longer. This also comes from the LORD of hosts, who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great." (vs 23-29)

This final section of Isaiah 28 is a parable, much like Christ's many parables. It begins in much the same way as those of Christ often did - "If anyone has ears to hear let him hear." It's content and characters are also familiar - a farmer, soil, and seeds (see Mt 13, Mk 4, Lk 8 and 13).

The farmer of Isaiah 28 is going about his work. He is plowing the field, tilling the soil, and planting the seeds. Later he is threshing, beating, and grinding the harvest. He threshes it just enough and not too much for he wants to get the best out of the produce, not ruin it. This farmer takes great pains to reap the most out of his fields.

What a picture of God, the Divine Husbandman. This morning I will rely on Matthew Henry's thoughts and words rather than my own:

"God's church is His field (1 Cor 3:9) and He continually by His Word and ordinances is cultivating it. Does not God by His ministers break up the fallow ground? God sows His Word by the hand of His ministers (Mt 13:19). Whatever the soil of the heart is, there is some seed or other in the Word that is proper for it. And, as the Word of God, so the rod of God is thus wisely used. Afflictions are God's threshing instruments designed to loosen us from this world, to separate between us and our chaff, but He will proportion them to our strength. If the rod and the staff will answer the end, He will not make use of His cart-wheel and His horsemen."

"You are God's field" (1 Cor 3:19). O LORD of Hosts, do whatever is necessary in the soil of my heart and life to enable me to yield a harvest that will bring you the most glory. Give me ears to hear and make my mind, feelings, and actions to respond accordingly.

Awaiting the harvest,

Lori

A Costly Cornerstone - Isaiah 28 part 3

"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a tested stone, a costly cornerstone

for the foundation, firmly placed.

He who believes in it will not be disturbed.

And I will make justice the measuring line,

and righteousness the level;

then hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies,

and the waters shall overflow the secret place."

(vs 16-17)

Mercy!

Yesterday we saw that pride, sin, and falsehood were the "short sheeted" security of Judah at this time in its history. That wicked wolf Sennacharib was coming to huff and to puff and to blow down the foundation of straw and sticks upon which their lives were built. God is proclaiming truth in opposition to their lies. God is offering mercy to those who will flee from the shaky shack of sin and flee to the costly cornerstone of Zion - the Lord Jesus Christ. "He who believe in it will not be disappointed." (vs 16)

We know that Christ is this precious and tested stone because of the words of 1 Peter 2:

"And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God.... For this is contained in Scripture: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone and he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.' This precious value is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone,' and 'a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense'; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were appointed." (1 Pe 2:4-9)

God has "layed in Zion a choice stone." GOD has layed the stone! The coming of Christ was the plan of the Father. Christ the Son has been sent by God the Father to "save His people from their sins." Hear His Word on the matter:

• "But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive adoption as sons." (Gal 4:4)


• "He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD." (Lk 4:18-19)


• "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin." (Ro 8:3)


• "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)


• "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him." (Jn 3:17)

God Himself has laid this tested, costly stone! Oh - all praise and honor and glory be unto Him who has orchestrated this salvific symphony!!

This sovereignly laid stone is "a tested stone." Multitudes have, by grace, placed their faith and their lives on this stone - and it has NEVER failed any who were truly resting on it. Christ is a tested stone. He is a sure stone. He does not falter. He does not fail. He will not let us down. Trusting in the stone that God has laid will not disappoint - "To You they cried out, and were delivered; in You they trusted, and were not disappointed." (Ps 22:5)

This sovereignly laid and tested stone is also a "costly cornerstone." Salvation is freely offered to us in the gospel but it was provided for us at the greatest of costs. It cost Christ! It cost God taking on flesh and becoming man. Christ who "although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Ph 2:6-8). This laid and tested cornerstone cost much more than we can ever imagine or comprehend. God became man to save us!

Note also that Christ is not just any stone, He is "the cornerstone"! Christ is the stone upon which our lives must be built if our foundation is to be strong and sure. There is no other rock, there is no other foundation, there is no other way. He alone is "the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [Him]." (Jn 14:6)

Hear the glad tidings of mercy that Isaiah is holding forth here. God has laid a tested, and costly cornerstone for us in Christ. "He who believes in it will not be disturbed." What am I building on today? Is it the costly cornerstone of Christ or the straw shack of self and sin? What am I believing in today? Is it the sure and tested Rock that God has laid or is it the shortsheeted bed of falsehood that my sin has laid? Have I made a covenant with death and Sheol or have I entered into covenant with Christ? There is only one sure and tested way.

Firmly established,

Lori

Short Sheets & Small Blankets - Isaiah 28 part 2

"'We have made a covenant with death,

and with Sheol we have made a pact.

The overwhelming scourge will not reach us

when it passes by,

For we have made falsehood our refuge

and we have concealed ourselves with deception.'

Therefore thus says the Lord God,

'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a tested stone,

a costly conrnerstone for the foundation,

firmly placed.

He who believes in it will not be disturbed.

and I will make justice the measuring line,

and righteousness the level;

then hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies,

and the waters shall overflow the secret place.

And your covenant with death shall be cancelled,

and your pact with Sheol will not stand;

When the overwhelming scourge passes through,

then you will become its trampling place"

(vs 15-18)

Judgment and mercy, mercy and judgment.... Yep, here it is again! I am amazed at the frequency of this theme. It is good that I am not God - everyone would have already been wiped out after the first offer!

In the continuing swing of this repetitive pendulum be reminded that "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished...." (Ex 34:6-7). He is holy and therefore He will and He must deal with sin, but He is not capricious, He is not ruled by passions as we are. His judgement is always right on time and is always with the most righteous of motives. Yes, He is slow to anger - but He is also a God of holy anger.

Judah is warned here. Isaiah, in verse 14 warns them not to be scoffers. They have "made a covenant with death." They have made a pact with Sheol." In arrogant pride they have told themselves that they can have sin and safety all at the same time! "To think of making death our friend while by sin we are making God our enemy, is the greatest absurdity." (Matthew Henry)

Judah thinks itself invincible. They boast that "the overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by." Hello - it is an overwhelming scourge and you will be overwhelmed by it! Wow, how pride and arrogance blind us. That is why pride 'goeth before a fall," for in our scoffing blindness we cannot see the pit though it is as big as the ocean.

They have "made falsehood their refuge and have concealed [themselves] with deception." How foolish to trust in falsehood! Their confidence is fragile and their trust is as in a spider's web in the middle of a hurricane (Job 8:14). Isaiah tells them as much a few verses later: "Then hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies" (vs 17). They have built on a fault line and the quake will come. They have built on the sand and the torrential downpour of God's wrath will wash them away. How often do I make falsehood my refuge? I do it everytime I trust in anything other than my God. I trust in falsehood when I look for security in my friends rather than in the Friend who sticks closer than a brother. I trust in falsehood everytime I walk in the counsel of the wicked rather than in the counsel of the Word. I trust in falsehood every time I choose to sin rather than to obey!

How foolish we are to trust in the lies of sin and think that we are safe. Isaiah's words are illustrative in verse 20: "The bed is too short on which to stretch out, and the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in." Attempts to find shelter in anything but Christ will be insufficient. He alone is a rock upon which our lives can be foundationally secure.

Judgment - here it is again. Here it is deserved again. The bed of pride is too short and the blanket of falsehood is too small - they are a house made of straw and sticks and they will not stand up against the huffing and puffing that is on the way. Yet, along with the proclamation of judgement comes the offer of mercy. "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." (vs 16)

I think that tested, costly stone is worth a posting of it's own. At this rate I'm going to be in Isaiah for a year! :)

Thankful for a long bed,

Lori

Is Anyone Listening? - Isaiah 28

"To whom would He teach knowledge?

And to whom would He interpret the message?...

For He says, 'Order on order, order on order,

Line on line, line on line,

a little here, a little there.'

Indeed, He will speak to this people

Through stammering lips

and a foreign tongue,

He who said to them,

'Here is rest, give rest to the weary,'

And, 'Here is repose,'

but they would not listen."

(vs9-12)

Judgment and Mercy.

Judgment and Mercy.

Here we go again. What a stiff-necked people they were. What a stiff-necked people we are! How beautiful is the promise of the vineyard and how frightful is the curse of the false grape! How foolish we are to choose anything other than to be firmly planted in Christ's vineyard.

In chapter 28 Ephraim is full of pride and drunkenness. They love their sin and they wear it as a crown - "Woe to the proud crown on the drunkards of Ephraim" (vs 1). Here is the truth of Isaiah 26:13 fleshing out before us - "O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled over us." The "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life" is the trinity they worship, and their false god is about to ruin them. How often do I worship the same pseudo-trinitarian idol?

The LORD has a "strong and mighty agent" on the way. Sennacharib of Assyria will knock the crown of pride from their heads and will be used as the rod of God to deal justly with this wayward and stubborn lot. "The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot" (vs 3). The wages their sins have earned are coming. So is it with us. Our day is coming as well. Those wages will be paid to us if we remain in our unrepentant pride. They have been paid to Christ on Calvary's cross if in faith and repentance we are resting in Him alone to save us. How thankful I personally am for the applied power of the gospel to my own sinful life. My sin, His righteousness - "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Co 5:21) I am humbled!

Realize that the Ephraimites have been taught the truths of the gospel since they were on their mother's breasts. The "gospel was preached before hand to Abraham" (Gal 3:8) and they had been commanded to "teach [it] diligently to [their] sons" (Dt 6:7). They were to talk of these things when they were sitting and walking and lying down and rising. The truths of God's law and of His grace were to be proclaimed always and everywhere in the life of Israel. The hope of covenant mercy was not a foreign thing to them -in their stubborn, selfish pride they just didn't want it!

"Order on order and line on line" the hope of the Messiah has been held forth to them. "Their prophets designed to teach them knowledge - the knowledge of God and of His will. This is God's way of dealing with men, to enlighten their minds first with a knowledge of His truth, and this to gain their affections, and bring their wills into a compliance with His laws." (Matthew Henry)

The prophets proclaimed the truths that would lead them into rest and repose. "Here is rest, give rest to the weary, and here is repose" (vs 12). God's word and God's way are the only sure way to rest and repose. Christ Himself says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Mt 11:28-30)

Line upon line the prophet held forth the promise of rest to those who would flee to the God of grace - "but they would not listen" (vs 12). They would not listen to the call. They would not heed the warning. They would not flee into the vineyard and soon the Assyrian army would storm into them and desolate their land. "Those that will not hear the comfortable voice of God's Word shall be made to hear the dreadful voice of His rod" (Matthew Henry). Line upon line mercy had been held forth. Act upon act they stored up judgment for themselves instead. Pride makes us stupid!

The prophets still speak. Each Lord's day I hear the voice of God, through the ordained ministers of God who are rightly proclaiming the Word of God. I am told to "come." In Christ I will find rest and repose. Each morning I read the Word of God in the pages of the Bible and the Holy Spirit speaks to me as He illumines that written Word. Am I listening?

Praying for an open ear,

Lori

A Well Watered Vineyard - Isaiah 27

"In that day,

'A vineyard of wine, sing of it!

I, the LORD, am its keeper;

I water it every moment,
Lest anyone damage it,
I guard it night and day.'"
(vs 2-3)

Judgment and Mercy.

Judgment and Mercy.

Judgment and Mercy. Over and over again in Isaiah this theme resounds. God judges sin. God has mercy on sinners. Why has He had mercy on me?!

This morning in Isaiah 27, the chapter begins with the judgment on the enemies of God's church. You can see that playing out in verse 1. "In that day the LORD will punish Leviathon the fleeing serpent, with His great and mighty sword." Christ's enemies, no matter how monstrous, proud and powerful they may seem to us, will be dealt with and laid low. All the more reason to seek the King's terms of peace and move into His beautiful city!

In verse 2 and 3 the church is pictured, not as the object of his judgment, but as the object of His affection. It is described as a vineyard. Back in chapter 5 Isaiah used this same analogy. In that chapter the "Well-Beloved" planted a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug all around it and removed the stones that would hinder it. He cared for the vineyard and expected it to produce "good grapes." Instead it only produces "worthless grapes."

Now, in chapter 27 we have a portrait of the reformed grapes. They have been changed! That which was worthless is now producing wine! I am personally very relieved that the Eternal Vine Dresser has not given up on me in my worthless grape condition but has continued tilling the soil of my life. He is working in me that which is necessary to make me fruitful for His Kingdom. Keep tilling Lord!

In these verses it is said the the LORD is the keeper of this vineyard. "I, the LORD, am its keeper." How good to know that we are kept by the LORD. Here is a beautiful picture of the preservation of the saints. God keeps His children! Take a quick survey through the New Testament and see its testimony of the eternal security of those who are truly in Christ:

• No one can snatch them out of His hand. (Jn 10:28-29)
• He has sealed them, through the Holy Spirit, for the day of redemption. (Ep 4:30)
• He will complete and perfect that which He has begun in them. (Ph 1:6)
• He will guard them until that day. (2 Ti 1:12)
• They will not fully nor finally fall for they are founded on the Rock. (Mt 7:25)
• He will not allow any of His little ones to perish. (Mt 18:14)
• He will not lose any of those that have been given to Him. (Jn 6:39)
• He has promised to glorify those whom He has justified. (Ro 8:29-30)
• NOTHING and NO ONE can separate them from the covenant relationship He has established with them. (Ro 8:35-39)
• The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Ro 11:29)
• Those He has called He will confirm to the end because He is faithful. (1 Co 1:8-9)
• He will deliver them from every evil deed and will bring them safely to His heavenly kingdom. (2 Ti 4:18)
• He is able to save them forever and He is interceding on their behalf. (He 7:25)
  Their eternal inheritance is reserved in Heaven and protected by the power of God. (1 Pe 1:3-5)
• He will keep them from stumbling and will make them to stand in the presence of His glory. (Jude 24)

As a chosen child of God the Vine Keeper I am safe! The only ones who leave the vineyard are those who were never really grapes. "They went out from us, but they were never really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us' (1 Jn 2:19). There are tares among the wheat. There are wild and worthless grapes masquerading as real and royal ones. We need to examine ourselves to see which of the two we are. If , by the grandeur of His grace we are among the real and royal then how we should rejoice at the Great Vine Keeper's preserving and prospering mercy towards us!

The LORD is the keeper of this vineyard, and He "waters it every moment." This picture really grabbed me this morning. I am NOT a good gardner. I am very bad gardner. I kill gardens. I forget about my garden and don't water it properly. I give it too little water and then try to make up for my failure by giving it too much water. This morning I noticed that the LORD waters His vineyard "every moment." Only God could do that and not drown it dead!

"I water it every moment." Think of that - God waters His church and His children "every moment" and yet He doesn't over water us. We can never get too much of the water of God! The dew of heaven doesn't drown but drives us to produce more fruit. We need to "do the dew!" We need to drink it in since He is pouring it out to us. We need to guzzle the means of grace and watch the Gardner grow us through them.

The LORD keeps his vineyard, He waters it every moment, and "lest anyone damage it, [He] guards it night and day."

• God is omnipresent - He is always with His vineyard.
• God is omniscient - He sees and hears and knows all the plans and powers that seek to trample it. Nothing can be hidden from God!
• God is omnipotent - Nothing is too hard for Him, no enemy is too great for Him, and no one can remove Him from the guard station from which He eternally cares for us.

Writing of this section, Matthew Henry says : "God will keep it in the night of affliction and persecution. He will keep it in the day of peace and prosperity, the temptations of which are no less dangerous. This vineyard will be well fenced." Oh how priviledged we are to be guarded by Christ in all the affairs of life!

This morning my prayer is - Lord, thank You for keeping and caring for me. Thank you for guarding me day and night. I am safe no matter how strong the storm or how sneaky the sin. Lord - thank You for continually nourishing me. Make me to drink in that which you are always pouring out. Apply the dew of your Spirit through your means of grace to my life and make me fruitful for Your glory and for Your kingdom.

Longing to drink more fully,

Lori

Bandaging My Toes - Isaiah 26 Part 3

"LORD, You will establish peace for us,

Since You have also performed for us

all our works. O LORD, our God,

other masters besides You have ruled over us;

but now through You alone

we confess Your name." (vs 12-13)

I think the first thing that struck me this morning in this section of chapter 26 was that any good works we accomplish are actually accomplished through us by our God. He is the first cause of anything that is good and we are simply a channel of His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10 mirrors this thought. After talking about how we are saved by grace through faith in Christ it informs us that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10) "Whatever good work is done by us, it is owing to a good work wrought by the grace of God in us" (Matthew Henry). In Ephesians 2:8 it is declared that even my faith is a gift of God to me. Surely I have nothing to boast in but my God and His grace to me!

The work of God that is the root of all the good works of Lori caught my attention first thing this morning, but where I found myself camping out and pitching my tent for the day was in what followed. You might want to prepare for a toe stomping - mine are currently being bandaged!

Are you ready? Here it comes: "O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us." Let me repeat it one more time in case you missed it. "O LORD our God, other masters besides You have ruled us." Do you hear the loud and painful "ouch" coming from me!

I will let Matthew Henry smite us all:

"When the Israelites had been careless in the service of God, God had suffered their enemies to have dominion over them, that they might know the difference between His service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.

The same may be our own penitent reflection. Other masters besides God have ruled over us. Every lust has been our Lord and we have thus wronged both God and ourselves."

"Every lust has been our Lord." Every time I am tempted to sin it is my lusts that are behind that temptation. Every time I give into that temptation I am bowing to my lusts as Lord! "Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lusts. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren." (Ja 1:14-16)

Every time I sin in thought, word, or deed I am practically having another God before Him. I am serving other masters. I am being ruled by other gods.

I am guilty and need the mercy of Christ. With Calvin, I recognize that my heart is an idol factory. It is "from within, out of the heart of men, [that] proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting, and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness" (Mk 7:21-22). My heart regularly needs the transplanting, reforming mercy of Christ.

This morning I simply pause to confess my sin in this area and to seek His forgiveness and mercy knowing that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1:9) O God, make me to have no other God's before You!

"Kind and merciful God,

we have sinned in your sight,

We have all wandered far from Your way;

We have followed desire, we have failed to aspire

to the virtue we ought to display.

Kind and merciful God,

we've neglected Your Word

and the truth that would guide us aright;

we have lived in the shade of the dark we have made,

when You willed us to walk in the light.

Kind and merciful God,

we have broken Your laws

and in conduct have veered from the norm;

we have dreamed of the good, but the good that we could

we have frequently failed to perform.

Kind and merciful God,

In Christ's death on the cross

You provided a cleansing from sin;

speak the words that forgive that henceforth we may live

by the might of Your Spirit within.

Kind and merciful God,

bid us lift up our heads

and command us to rise from our knees;

may our hearts now be changed and no longer estranged,

through the pow'r of Your pardon and peace.

(Bryan Jeffery Leach, 1973)

On a Smooth Path - Isaiah 26 part 2

"The way of the righteous is smooth;

O Upright One, make the path

of the righteous level.

Indeed, while following the way

of Your judgments, O LORD,

we have waited for You eagerly;

Your name, even Your memory,

is the desire of our souls.

At night my soul longs for You,

Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;

For when the earth experiences Your judgments

the inhabitants of the world

learn righteousness." (vs 7-11)

The final words of the song of Isaiah chapter 25 speak of God's humbling of the proud who would not enter into covenant with Him. "For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust." How many times already in Isaiah have the high and mighty been made the low and humiliated. The song ends with a reminder that there will be a righteous judgment of God. The only "unassailable city" is the city of Zion - God's city - the city where He has "set up walls and ramparts for security" (vs 1).

Having closed the gospel song with a reminder that God is the Judge of all the earth and that every road leading away from Him leads only and always to certain disaster, Isaiah shows the great contrast of the path of the wicked to the path of the righteous. These two paths could not be more antithetical.

"The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level."

Now, I must readily admit that the road of my life has had MANY bumps. For many years I was on a road running from God and His Kingly decrees. There was a way that seemed right to me but in the end it led to death (Pr 16:25). During that period nothing was truly smooth for "the way of the transgressor is hard" (Pr 13:15). The counsel of the wicked, the path of sinners, and the seat of scoffers (Ps 1) led me to a place where my life was as chaff driven by the wind. It was a worthless, meaningless path - despite the outward successes I may have seemed to be achieving.

I've been a Christian now for 21 years and the road of my life has still appeared to have quite a few bumps on it. (I'll spare you the many details but suffice it to say I've lived a lot of life in a little time!) To those on the outside looking in it may seem that my road, since Christ, has been anything but smooth. At first glance I might tend to agree. However, as I meditate on this passage this morning I must admit that "the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places" (Ps 16).

The Good Shepherd has made me lie down in green pastures. He has led me beside quiet waters. He has guided me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even when I have walked in the valley of the shadow of death, I have not needed to fear evil, for He has been with me. His rod and staff have comforted me! My ways, though not always easy, have truly been smooth for there has ALWAYS been grace sufficient to carry me through whatever stumbling blocks sin, Satan and self have cast in my path. "The way of the righteous is smooth."

By walking with Christ I have set my life upon the narrow path (Mt 7). I am "following the way of [His] judgments" and on those days when my heart and my flesh begin to fail (because of my sinful doubts) I will "wait eagerly" for my God because "those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary" (Is 40:31). Walking in Christ's way and waiting on the Christ of the way certainly make the path smooth.

The smooth way begins by our being made "righteous" in Christ - there is no truly smooth path apart from Him. It continues as we follow the "judgments" (directions) He has given us. We find rest for our weary souls along its course as we "wait for [Him] eagerly." Finally, we find smooth sailing on this path when the desire of our hearts is not the smooth path itself but the God of the path.

If I look at the path I will lose heart. If I look at the God of the path who has planned this path long ago in perfect faithfulness (Is 25:1) I will be strengthed and my way will be smooth.

Isaiah says that God's name and memory should be the "desire of our souls" (vs 8). He declares that at night our souls should "long for" our God (vs 9). He says that our souls should "seek Him diligently" (vs 9). He reminds us that even when the earth is experiencing judgments that even those things are an opportunity for us to "learn righteousness" (vs 9).

Oh how little we understand as a nation, as the church, and as individuals of the truths of the last part of verse 9. We seem to not have a category for suffering and want to remove it whatever the cost. Please look at that verse again. "For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the earth learn righteousness."

Judgment, hardship, and suffering are a catalyst for "learning righteousness." David declares in Psalm 119 that "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Thy statutes." James points out that we should "consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let the endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (Ja 1:2-4). I don't need a bail out - I need to "learn righteousness" through my afflictions. Sometimes the apparent rough road is ultimately the surest way to the smooth road!

How is my path this morning? Is it smooth? Not, is it without rocks and stumbling blocks, but is it smoothed by the gracious presence and promise of my King the Great Road Builder! Am I walking in His ways? Am I waiting on His time? Am I delighting in His name? Am I longing for His presence?

If I am then my way is smooth. By His grace, I have much to rejoice in regarding this wonderful way.

Sailing smoothly on the mercy of Christ,

Lori

A Gospel Song of Security and Peace - Isaiah 26

"In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

'We have a strong city;

He sets up walls and ramparts for security.

Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,

The one that remains faithful.

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,

Because He trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock."

(vs 1-4)

It is only proper that chapter 26 begins with a song. Isaiah has given us a gospel hymn and it is a fitting one in light of all of the gospel grace that has just been proclaimed. Chapter 25 was full of grand promises to those who are in covenant with God. Be reminded of a few of them:

• He is my God. (vs 1)
• He has worked wonders.(vs 1)
• His plans were formed long ago with perfect faithfulness.(vs1)
• He is a defense for the helpless. (vs 4)
• He is a defense for the needy in his distress. (vs 4)
• He is a refuge from the storm.(vs 4)
• He is a shade from the heat. (vs 4)
• He prepares a lavish feast for all the people of His mountain. (vs 6)
• He has swallowed up death for all time. (vs 8)
• He will wipe tears away from all faces. (vs 8)
• He will remove the reproach of His people. (vs 8)

It is definitely time for a song - and what a glorious song it is!

+ The first thing sung about is God's protection of His church. "We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security" (vs 1).

Though the church often seems weak in these days, the reality is that she is strong, she is safe, and she is secure. Even the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. She is a strong city, not because of anything in her but, because HE is in and around her. It is God who has set up walls and ramparts. He is her security. We have nothing to boast in but our God. He alone is our strength and shield, and in Him we have our trust.

+ The second section of this song rings out the reality of the welcoming nature of the gospel. "Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter" (vs 2). The gates are flung open that those who have been robed in the righteousness of Christ may enter into this safe place. The gospel call is universal. Whosover will may come. There is room, flee into the city while the gates are open.

+ The third stanza holds forth a song of peace and it is at this point that I am convicted this morning. "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You" (vs 3).

Oh, what a sweet section of this song. There is much turmoil in life. There is much that tempts us to fret and fear. Our eyes are often taken off of our Savior. The waves regularly crash against our boat. The storms often pound upon our windows. We are rarely a people of peace. Here, in this song, Isaiah gives us the remedy. He gives us the sure answer for peace.

Notice who it is that is kept in perfect peace. It is "the steadfast of mind." It is he who "trusts in You."

Peace is a gospel grace that is given and grown in the same way that all others gospel graces are. Its not a magic pill that we swallow and voila!

First, it is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 6). Peace is a work of God! We can't just conjure up peace all on our own - it cannot be done, not in the true meaning of the word. We must have His Spirit indwelling us. That Spirit is given to us when we have repented of our sins and have by faith begun to rest in Christ to save us from those sins. True repentance and faith are evidenced in our taking up our cross and following Him daily. Once we are saved by grace we begin to walk in grace. Being "in Christ" is the first step to real peace.

If we are in Christ, we have the Spirit dwelling within. Through Him all the gracious means are available to us that are necessary for peace. However, notice from this song that it is not simply some mystical remedy that falls on us from heaven. No, we are to apply the means of grace in our current situations!

I often hear my friends speaking of being filled by the Spirit in some abstract terms. Rarely do I hear a tangible definition of what that is. Yet, the Scripture gives us a tangible description in Ephesians when it tells us "do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit." In the same way that I will NEVER get drunk simply by walking down the street and having a bottle of wine fall from the sky and land in my mouth, I will also NEVER be filled with the Spirit by simply sitting on my sofa waiting for Him to fall on me.

That is not the way it happens. The analogy of drunkenness in Ephesians is so practical. To get drunk with wine I must take the bottle. I must pick it up. I must put it to my lips. I must drink. The more I drink, the more I become controlled by the wine. In the exact same way, if I am to be filled with the Holy Spirit I must take the means of grace (Acts 2:42). I must pick up my Bible and read, go to church and sit under the preaching, get on my knees and pray, partake of the Lord's Supper and be baptized, and fellowship with the saints. I must pick up the means of grace and injest them into my life. The more I drink of them, the more I become controlled/filled by the Holy Spirit.

Yes, we must have the Holy Spirit to have peace and we must be constantly filling ourselves with the Holy Spirit to have peace. We will not have peace if we are running on fumes. Therefore, secondly, peace comes from being "steadfast of mind". We are "transformed by the renewing of our mind." (Rom 12:2)

Am I in turmoil? Then what is the condition of my mind? What things am I thinking on? Am I dwelling on my circumstances or on the God of those circumstances? Hear the words of Paul in Phillipians 4. They are a remarkable parallel to Isaiah 26:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you."

Am I thinking on what is "true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise" (Ph 4)? Or am I thinking on the opposite of each of those? Is my mind "dwelling" on these things or am I simply tossing up the occaisional flare prayer for peace? Is my mind "steadfast"? Am I taking "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Co 10:5)? Am I trusting in my God or am I, like Peter looking at the water I need to walk on more than at the Savior?

"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because He trusts in You."

Oh my great God, I must confess I am not often "steadfast of mind" and my thoughts dwell much more on the "what ifs" than on You. You are my God and the gospel promises are mine by covenant mercy. Help me, this day and always to "Trust in the LORD, forever, for in God the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock." Grant me peace, help me sing. AMEN.

Humbled and needy,

Lori

A Fat Feast - Isaiah 25 Part 2

"And the LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet

for all peoples on this mountain;

A banquet of aged wine, fat pieces with marrow,

and refined aged wine. And on this mountain

He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,

even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

He will swallow up death for all time,

and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces,

and He will remove the reproach of His people

from all the earth;

for the LORD has spoken." (vs 6-8)

Gospel truths are a feast! Because of the covenant of grace, which God planned for me long ago, I am a guest of the King of kings at His banquet table! The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the master of this feast, has "prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies" (Ps 23).

It is a great feast. The wine is aged, rich and full. The meat is fat and filling. Matthew Henry says: "It is a feast of fat things, full of marrow. So nourishing are the comforts of the gospel to all those who feast upon them."

I have to say that I am seeing that more and more. I am so well fed as I sit under Phillip's preaching of the Word each Lord's Day. I am so satisfied every time I take up and read this beautiful Book of books. I sup with the Savior every time I boldly go before the throne of grace in prayer. I feast fatly on my God each month at the Supper He has instituted. My cup overflows as I fellowship sweetly with the saints around the things pertaining to Him. Through gospel grace I am well fed!

Not only is this a feast, but it is an unending feast. Christ has "swallowed up death for all time." Death cannot spoil this feast, it will only make it sweeter!

"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of the sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. " (1 Cor 15:54-55)

The gospel feast is a fat feast; it is an unending feast; and it is a joyful feast! "And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth."

In this life I find such joyous comfort in the manna from heaven. I am not saying that all is happy go lucky, not at all. In this fallen world there is much sorrow. However, in the midst of the sadness of the world there is an unshakable joy because of the presence of God and the sure knowledge of His planned providence in my steps. I feast joyfully in this life knowing that He is currently "storing my tears in His bottle" and that the day is coming when He will finally and fully wipe them away! Again I quote Henry:

"In the covenant of grace there shall be that provided which is sufficient to counterbalance all the sorrows of the present time."

Oh, how blessed we are to have been invited to the feast. It is a feast freely offered to "all peoples." It is a fat feast - come and be filled. It is an unending feast - come find eternal rest at this table. It is a joyful feast - come receive rest for your weary souls. It is a certain feast for "the Lord has spoken."

"Come, for the feast is spread,

hark to the call;

come to the Living Bread,

offered to all.

Come to His house of wine,

low on His breast recline,

all that He has is thine;

Come, sinner, come."

(Henry Burton, 1878)

Sitting in satisfaction,
Lori

My God, His Wonders & Perfect Plans - Isaiah 25:1

"O LORD, You are my God;

I will exalt You,

I will give thanks to Your name;

For You have worked wonders,

Plans formed long ago,

with perfect faithfulness." (vs1)

Over the past 2 years I have probably stopped to meditate on this verse more than any other in all of Scripture. Here it is falling before me on this LORD's Day morning. What a great way to prepare to worship my God.

Isaiah 25:1 is in a picture frame right next to my kitchen sink so that I can be reminded of its truths over and over throughout the day. This is one of those spiritual multi-vitamins that I take often. It fortifies and nourishes me again and again. Its message helps me to think on "whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise" (Ph 4:8). Here is a power packed verse that enables me to "take every thought captive." It steadies me in the swirling storm. It comforts me in the times when I am afraid. It strengthens me when I am weak as water. It moves my heart to exulting praise! Here is a golden nugget that I have hidden in my heart that I might not grumble against my God.

Life is often hard. In my finite state, I rarely understand the providence of God as it is unfolding before my eyes. My vision is blurred, my view is blocked. The forest of the fall skews my ability to see the fertile valley clearly.

It seems that I'm looking at the back side of the Persian rug of life and from my perspective things don't always seem well planned out - things often look like a bunch of ugly knots! But things are not always as they seem. This verse has been an anchor for me when the winds blow hard and has helped me to catch a glimpse of the "rug" of my life from God's side - oh, and from His perspective it is beautiful!

+"O LORD, you are my God." Here is covenant comfort. Yes, God is GOD. But, because of His electing grace granted to me in Christ Jesus, He is not only God but He is MY God! "I will be your God and you will be my people." He is mine and I am His! I am in a relationship with Him because He has entered into a relationship with me. He is my God and in His sovereign mercy He set the wheels in motion from eternity past to adopt me as His own. It is all of Him, none of me, and I am humbled beyond words! May Paul speak for me:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention.... In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will." (Eph 1:3-11)

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the widsom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor. Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Ro 11:33-36)

"O LORD, You are my God" and it is true only because of your own sovereign mercy and lovingkindness. I have brought nothing to my salvation but my sin. Even my faith is a gift of You (Eph 2:8-9)! "Amazing love how can it be!" When I am tempted, tried, and terrified here is a divine cordial. The LORD is my God!

+"I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name." Because He is my God I will praise Him and I will thank Him. The covenant relationship - this bond set in blood that has inseparably knit me to Him and Him to me - should move me to praise and thanksgiving.

I was by nature a child of wrath (Ep 2:3) justly deserving of His dipleasure. I was a dead child (Eph 2:1) and God went to the orphange of the dead and plucked me out, gave me new life, and called me His beloved! "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul my life, my all!"

He is my God! I will exalt Him! I will give thanks to His name! To know God is to praise God! To know God is to thank God! To be known by God is beyond expression but must move us to praise and thanksgiving! If we are not moved we are not known! O LORD how gracious and glorious You are!!! I will exalt and thank You this day!

+"For You have worked wonders..." God is My God and He is worthy of all my praise and thanksgiving for His sovereign work of redeeming and adopting mercy to me, but He is also worthy of praise and thanksgiving because of the wisdom of His divine decrees.

He has worked wonders. He is a God of omnipotent power. Think of this:

• He has made the world and all that it contains out of nothing but the word of His mouth.
• He sent the flood and destroyed all the wicked of this world while saving and securing Noah and His seed inside an ark.
• He opened the barren wombs of Sarah, Rachel, Hannah and Elizabeth.
• He sent the plagues to Egypt and yet His own people were set apart and spared.
• He parted the Red Sea that Israel might escape Egypt on DRY ground and closed it back up that their enemies might be stopped in their sin.
• He sent manna and meat from heaven to feed His children in the wilderness.
• He slaked their thirst with water from the rock.
• He felled the walls of Jericho with only a march and a shout.
• He provided a kinsman redeemer for Ruth.
• He made a boy to defeat a giant with a stone and a sling shot.
• He conquered the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmal by burning up a water soaked offering.
• He gave the widow a vessel of overflowing oil in the midst of a famine.
• He humbled Nebuchadnezzar with madness and then restored him at the proper time.
• He became the Word made flesh and was born of a virgin.
• He turned water into wine.
• He cast out demons.
• He fed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish - and there were leftovers!
• He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansing to the leper, leaping to the lame.
• He conquered death and hell when He rose from the grave.
• He has pulled many a camel through the eye of a needle (Lk 18).
• He has saved me!

He has worked wonders. He still works wonders. He is my God and I will exalt Him and give thanks to His name!

+"...plans formed long ago..." The wonders He has worked long ago and the wonders He is working right now are part of a sovereign design. All of these wonders are planned. Things don't happen by accident, by chance or by dumb luck. Things happen by the sovereign counsel of God. "His sovereignty rules over all." (Ps 103:19). "He works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11).

A.W. Pink, the great Baptist pastor says of God's sovereignty:

“The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy. Being infinitely elevated above the highest creature, He is the Most High, Lord of heaven & earth. Subject to no one, influenced by none, absolutely independent; God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him.”

God has sovereignly ordained the steps of our lives. My ways and days are planned. I am who I am and where I am by sovereign counsel. As His child by covenant mercy, those planned steps, whatever they may be have "fallen out in pleasant places." Even the so-called frowning providences of my life (and know that there have been many in Lori's journey) have all ultimately been good for me. I would change none of them!

How can I say that? Because my sovereign God is also a good God! The wonders He has worked, the plans He has formed have been formed "with perfect faithfulness." Do you see the grand beauty of the last part of verse 1? The steps He has ordained for me are perfect for me. His actions toward me are consistent with the faithfulness of His character. This good and holy God is faithful to be good and holy in all He does.

God is faithful to His cherished children in whatever His omniscient wisdom is pleased to bring their way. He knows best what we need most. "Whate'er my God ordains is right." The path I am on was carved out by a sovereign and faithful design.

He is my God, He works wonders, He forms faithful plans. He is God and I will exalt and give thanks to His name!

My times are in Thy hand, my God I wish them there;

My life, my friends, my soul, I leave entirely to Thy care.

My times are in Thy hand, whatever they may be;

pleasing or painful, dark or bright, do what seems best to Thee.

My times are in Thy hand; why should I doubt or fear?

My Father's hand will never cause His child a needless tear.

My times are in Thy hand; Jesus the Crucified,

those hands my cruel sins have pierced are now my guard and guide."

(William F. Lloyd, 1824)

"O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness."

Selah.

Lori

Unmoved In an Earthquake - Isaiah 24 part 2

"The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split through,

the earth is shaken violently.

The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard,

and it totters like a shack,

for its transgressions are heavy upon it,

and it will fall, never to rise again. (vs 19-20)

Here is another somber dose of reality regarding sin and its consequences. Here is the continuing oracle of the fading and withering effect of the fall. There is nothing good in sin. It deceives us into thinking it is good but in the end its way is death. Sin always and only destroys. It never edifies. It never makes us better. It always makes us worse. Sin should be hated at all costs.

Is there any other enemy this murderer named "sin" into my bosom and embrace him as if he were my best friend. that we embrace as readily as we do sin? If a murderer broke into my home to kill my family would I welcome him and offer him tea and toast? Yet over and over and over I welcome Foolish woman that I am - I need God's grace.

In Isaiah 14 the people have put their hope in the creation rather than in the Creator. They are idolators and this world is their idol. Idols will always fail us. This world will fail us if it is our hope. The beauty and splendor of creation should point us to the greater beauty and incomparable splendor of its Creator. He should be our great hope and our glorious treasure. Hear Matthew Henry's words on these verses:

"Those who lay up their treasure in the things of the earth place their confidence in that which will shortly be utterly broken down and disolved. Worldly men dwell in it as in a castle, an imperishible tower; but it shall be removed like a shack, so easily so suddenly, and without any loss to the Great Landlord. It shall fall and not rise again; but there shall be a new heavens and a new earth in which shall dwell nothing but righteousness."

Isaiah declares that "the earth is broken assunder." There is a present sense in which so much in this life is broken - just look around. There is a future sense in which all of this world will end broken under God's just judgment. It is sin that is the cause of it all. The weight of sin is heavy upon this world. ("For its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again.")

Sin is a burden - a heavy burden. It destroys nations, churches, families and individuals. Either we will recognize the weight of this burden as Christian did in Pilgrim's Progress, flee to the cross of Christ, and have our burden removed by the power of the gospel; or we will carry this burden throughout life, heaping more and more of its baggage upon us, and finally carrying its guilty weight throughout eternity. Oh how blinding is the burdening effect of sin that we would choose anything other than the gracious offer of Christ!

Here is an oracle of judgment yet in the midst of all this wrath there is also a glorious thread of mercy proclaimed. In verses 13-16 we are told of the remnant whose hope is in the LORD and who raise their voices in praise to Him. "They raise their voices, they shout for joy. They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the LORD."

Oh saints, in Christ we are redeemed from the pit that our sins deserve. There is sure and certain hope in the Rock of our salvation.

"God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth should change,

and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains quake at its swelling pride."

(Ps 46:1-3)

The earth will crumble but "there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved." (Ps 46:4-5)

Secure in His grace & unmoved in the earthquake,

Lori

From Fading to Flourishing - Isaiah 24

"The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers,

the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.

The earth is polluted by its inhabitants,

for they transgressed laws,

violated statutes,

broke the everlasting covenant.

Therefore, a curse devours the earth,

and those who live in it are held guilty." (vs 4-6)

So, obviously the passage before me this morning won't be utilized by Hallmark on a "just wanting to cheer you up" card! These are hard truths. Yet truth - hard or soft - needs to be said and heard.

Sin has made a mess of things. It has turned the garden paradise into a mourning, withering, fading place. As beautiful as the most beautiful thing in this world is, it is still affected by sin and is no where near as beautiful as it once was and will again be after Christ returns! We live post-fall.

"The earth mourns" - there is sadness and sorrow in the post-fall world. "The earth withers" - there is sickness, death, and dying in the post-fall world. "The world fades" - things don't last instead they wear out in the post-fall world. "The earth itself grows old, so those that dwell in it." (Matthew Henry)

May I say it again, sin has made a mess of things! Why is there mourning? Why do things wither and fade? Because of sin! Hear Isaiah: "for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty."

It is sin that has brought all of these things about - Adam's sin and my sin. Lori owns guilt in all of this. I transgress laws and I violate statutes. I do what God's law tells me not to do and I don't do what God's law tells me to do. I have broken the everlasting covenant and am deserving of the curses that accompany that infraction.

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:23). Death is what we've earned. Eternal life is what we've been freely given by grace through faith in Christ. The wrongs of Isaiah 24 (which began in Genesis 3) have been righted by our Elder Brother, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. "You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."

Praise God for Christ! My heart leaps at the very thought of it. In this post-fall world will I ever be able to come close to comprehending the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of God?

I am guilty - Christ has taken my guilt upon Himself and in Him there is therefore now no condemnation for me! Christ - the God/man has come and lived the perfect life I could not live. He has died the horrific death I deserved to die. He has risen victorious from the grave that I might not have to fear the grave. I am deserving of death - Christ has given me life and that life is eternal! God is both just and the justifier!

The things of this sinful, fallen world are fading. Thankfully our immutable, eternal God and His promises are not.

• "In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remian the same, and Your years will never end." (Ps 102:25-27)
• "For I, the LORD, do not change." (Mal 3:6)
• "...the Father of heavenly lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (Ja 1:17)
• "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the LORD abides forever." (1 Pe 1:24-25)

This immutable God has mercifully repaired the breach in the covenant that I have broken. Those perpetual curses that are my just wages have been turned into perpetual blessings for me because of Christ's atoning work. What more is there to say?! Only, thank You Lord!

Humbled beyond words,

Lori

Withering Vanity & Everlasting Glory - Isaiah 23

“Who has planned this against Tyre?

The LORD of hosts has planned it

to defile the pride of all beauty,

to despise all the honored of the earth.” (vs 8-9)

It is prophesied here in Isaiah that Tyre will fall. Being a sea-port town everything about Tyre is wrapped up in its sea trade. Understandably, Isaiah begins his prophesy against them with “Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed.”

Tyre will fall and it will fall at the sovereign command of the King of Kings. Tyre was a proud place and once again we see that “pride goeth before a fall.” Over and over this theme has woven its way throughout these prophesies of judgment. I should flee far from pride and beg God to make me a humble woman.

God designed this judgment and “He designed it to convince men of the vanity and uncertainty of all earthly glory, to show them what a withering thing it is even when it seems most substantial. Are men’s learning and wealth or their pomp and power their glory? Look upon the ruins of Tyre and see all this glory stained and buried in the dust.” (Matthew Henry)

There is only one certain, everlasting, unfading glory and He is “the King of Glory” (Ps 24). There is no person, place or thing of eternal glory outside of Him. Tyre fell. Babylon fell. Assyria fell. “If we looked more upon the falling of others we should not be so confident, as we commonly are, of the continuance of our own standing.” (Henry)

By His grace I will build my house upon the Rock of Glory knowing that when the rain descends, the floods come, and the winds blow then and only then may I be certain that my house will not fall (Mt 7:24-25).

Building on the Rock,

Lori

Duty, Devotion & the Nail of Nails - Isaiah 22 Part 2

“And I will drive him, like a peg in a firm place,

and he will become a throne of glory to his father’s house.

So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house,

offspring and issue, all the least of the vessels,

from bowl to all the jars.” (vs 23-24)

So, there are certain mornings when the passage of Scripture that comes next in your quiet time just doesn't look too thrilling. You press on and read anyway asking God to take His Word and teach you something- anything. As you read the text you think - "OK, today will simply be an act of duty." That was the case for me this morning. But duty turned to devotion in the last 3 verses and again by an act of grace my heart is stirred by the beauty of the Word and more so at the greateness of the God of the Word.

In my study through Isaiah I've been amazed at the full-orbed picture of the character of God that is revealed in its pages. I've been awed by the acurate fulfilling of the prophecies of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon. (I've just been studying these very things in ancient history with Josh and here they are clearly spelled out in the Scriptures - centuries before they occured.) God's Word can be trusted!

Today, however, I hit this seemingly obscure passage about the deposing of Shebna the steward of the house of David and the replacement of him by Eliakim. Oh wow! (Can you hear the sadly sarcastic tone of my heart?) I should NEVER doubt the remarkable practicality of every jot and tittle of the Word of God.

I'm reading along about how Shebna's pride went before Shebna's fall - yada, yada, yada. He's ousted and humbled and Eliakim is lifted up and he serves the king and the people well. Duty, duty, duty - I'm reading out of duty.

Then the part that turned from duty to devotion:“And I will drive [Eliakim] like a peg in a firm place, and he will become a throne of glory to his father’s house. So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, offspring and issue, all the least of the vessels, from bowl to all the jars” (vs 23-24).

Eliakim, the steward, will be driven like a peg in a firm place. All his father's house will have a dependance on him, just like coffee cups and pots and pans with handles have a dependence on the nails, hooks, or pegs upon which they are hung. The people could hang their hat on Eliakim. He would take care of them well. He would bear their burdens and carry the weight of their concerns. The text even points out the far reaching extent of his care. He would not only be a hook to hang the greatest on but also a peg of safety and support forthe least. He wouldn't be one to show favoritism to the mighty. He would treat the powerful and the poor equally. All would be provided for.

All I could think of was how this pictures the Lord Jesus Christ. As the greater Eliakim he has the key of the house of David. As the greater Eliakim He is a peg in a firm place. He is THE peg in THE firm place! On Him hangs all the glory of his father's house. On Him my life and all it contains hang as well. And just as Eliakim - more than Eliakim - He is no respector of persons. He will be a firm peg to whoever will rest on Him - rich or poor, black or white, male or female, young or old - there is no distinction!

There is no safer or surer hook I can hang the hat of my life on. The soul that rests on Him shall never be disappointed. No matter how great the weight I am carrying His strength is perfect and His grace is sufficient. I can rest securely in and on Him.Christ is the firmly driven peg that will carry me and bear my burdens - so I must cast my life and my cares upon Him. He bore my nails and hung for me on Calvary’s cross. Now He is my nail and on Him I am to hang everything.

He is a nail that will never rust or weaken. He is the omnipotent , eternal, unchangeable, faithful nail and I can trust Him with whatever comes my way. Is my life, all of it, lived in utter dependence upon the hook of the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I hanging my all on Him? How I need His grace to make it so!

This morning I read His Word out of duty and by the work of the Sprit of His grace that duty was gloriously transformed to devotion. I am foolish to ever doubt!

Hanging on Him,
Lori

Eating, Drinking & Ignoring the Eternal - Isaiah 22

“But you did not depend on Him who made it,

nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.

Therefore in that day the LORD GOD of hosts,

called you to weeping, to wailing,

to shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.

Instead there is gaiety and gladness,

killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,

eating of meat and drinking of wine: ‘

Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.’ "(12-14)

In the first part of this section of chapter 22 Isaiah gives another somber oracle to Israel regarding the persecution that will come to them from Assyria. The trumpet of warning is sounded and the people will respond to it but not with proper motives.

The passage says that they did some fortifying to Jerusalem but it was because their houses were in it and not because God’s house was in it. It was all about them and not at all about God.

They “did not depend on Him who made it, nor did [they] take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.” Not only did they not depend on Him, it would seem that they didn't even consider Him!

God’s whole purpose in bringing this calamity upon His people was to see them come to repentance. God’s discipline of us is always for the same reason. He wants to see us restored. However, if we spurn the Fatherly rod there will be just consequences.

Jerusalem ignored the warning and not only that, they mocked the warning! “Therefore in that day the LORD GOD of hosts, called you to weeping, to wailing, to shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth. Instead there is gaiety and gladness, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine.”

They took some minimal steps to repair the breaches in the walls of their city and then they sat down to “eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

Henry's words on this passage are profound. They have pierced my heart and I will share them in their entirety.

“God’s design in bringing this calamity upon them was to humble them and
bring them to repentance. In that day of trouble the Lord did thereby call
them to weeping and mourning, and all the expressions of sorrow, even to
baldness and girding with sackcloth; and this to lament their sins, to enforce
their prayers, and to dispose themselves to a reformation of their lives. To this God called them by His prophet’s explaining of His providences.

How contrary they walked to this design of God. They were as secure and cheerful as if they had had no enemy or were in no danger. When they had taken precautions for their security, they set dangers at defiance, and resolved to be merry: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

This was the language of the profane scoffers who mocked the messengers of the Lord and misused His prophets. They made a jest of dying. They ridiculed the doctrine of a future state on the other side of death. A practical disbelief of another life after this is at the bottom of the carnal security and brutish sensuality which are the sin, and shame, and ruin of so great a part of mankind.”

That last line has profoundly moved me this morning! I see the practical outworking of it all around me. It is around me and honestly some of it is in me. I personally need to pray for a greater understanding of the reality of eternity that my own life might be properly focused. I need to pray for God to grant that same understanding to my church family that we might be more serious about evangelism. I need to pray for God to open the eyes of the lost and dying that they would repent rather than “eat and drink.”

In His glorious grace,

Lori

Threshed People- Isaiah 21

“O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!

What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,

I make known to you.” (vs 10)

The words of chapter 21 speak of the great calamity that will fall on Babylon at the hand of the Medes and Persians. It is said to be a "harsh vision" (vs 2). There's nothing pleasant about what Babylon is going to face. Yet, these words of calamity for the crown of Babylon are words of comfort to the captive of Israel. The prophecy of this downfall had to be an encouragement to them. Their oppressors are about to be oppresed. Vengeance is the LORD's and it is about to be served.

In verse 10 God refers to Israel as His “threshed people.” Matthew Henry poignantly says: “The church is God’s threshing floor. True believers are the corn of God’s floor. Hypocrites are but as the chaff and straw. The corn of God’s floor must expect to be threshed by afflictions and persecutions. Even then God owns it for His threshing; it is still His."

There is no safer thing to be than His and no safer place to be than in His church.

In His glorious grace,

Lori

The Naked Prophet - Isaiah 20

“At that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz,

saying, ‘Go and loosen the sackcloth from your hips,

and take your shoes off your feet.’
And He did so, going naked and barefoot.” (vs 2)

I’m glad I’m not a prophet - especially not a naked one!

Isaiah, who has repeatedly declared signs to the nations now becomes a sign himself. Just as he is stripped so will they be. Egypt will be stripped and led away as captives. For three years Isaiah was to prophecy in this manner - naked!

Think of the great hardship and ridicule he must have faced – yet he obeyed. Three years naked and he obeyed!! And I complain about the “hardships” God brings in my path! Shame on me! I have it so easy and yet complain so quickly.

Humbled once again,
Lori

Warnings & the Free Offer of the Gospel- Isaiah 19

“…for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors,

and He will send them a Savior and a Champion,

and He will deliver them.” (vs 20)

Isaiah 19 presents a message to the Egyptians and overall it is not a pretty one. “The LORD is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt” (vs 1). The idols will tremble and their hearts will melt. Brother will fight against brother. The water of their great river will run dry. Their princes will prove to be fools and they will become a demoralized people. Fear will fill the land and the judgment of God will be on fear's heels!

Here is a dire warning and yet in the midst of this warning there is an offer of mercy. Is that not the gospel way? “Out of the threatening clouds of the prophecy the sun breaks through and it is the Son of Righteousness” (Henry).

There is a warning and there is an opportunity for faith and repentance. “Repenting Egyptians shall find the same favor with God that was found by the repenting Ninevites” (Henry). "If they will cry out to the LORD... He will send them a Savior and a Champion and He will deliver them." The gospel is for the nations. Even the worst of idolators and the cruelest of oppressors will find grace and mercy if they will flee to Christ.

In His glorious grace,

Lori