Isaiah 3:1-15 – Take time to evaluate our lives

In Isaiah 3 we see a very gloomy picture of Judah and Jerusalem. They of all people should have the envy of the world, but instead, we see them thrown into chaos. It all happened because they refused to honor their relationship with God and be responsible for the divine privilege that had been accorded to them. They wanted the privilege without fulfilling their responsibility. As a result, God warned them that they would be thrown into disarray. So we see here God telling them what He would do to bring about the disorder to Judah and Jerusalem.

God began by announcing that their supplies and support would be affected. Their provision for sustenance would be affected. There would be no supply of bread or water. And their support system would also be drastically upset and shaken. They included, “the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the expert artisan and the skillful enchanter.” In places of leadership, incompetent, immature children would be put in positions. There would be social disorder. People would become tyrannical because there would be no one to restrain them. Then there would be widespread disorder because people randomly choosing incompetent people into leadership without considering their character. There would also be those chosen refusing to take up the offer. What chaos! These reprehensible behaviors resulted from their refusal to honor God.

Judah and Jerusalem were moving toward destruction. They had offended the Lord and yet failed to realize where they were heading. In their downright defiance, they were resisting God. Like Sodom, they openly and blatantly defied God, leaving the door wide open for divine wrath and disasters to come upon them. The law of the harvest was about to kick in and they would soon be reaping what they had been sowing, yet they were nonchalant. They were told that with the soon-coming judgment, the wicked and the righteous would be clearly demarcated. The latter would be blessed to enjoy the fruit of their conduct while the former to experience the “woes” of God. The leaders, the elders, and the princes were charged with destroying God’s vineyard instead of protecting it. The vineyard of course was referring to Israel as a nation. They had exploited the citizens to furnish their homes. God asked the leadership how could they be so audacious as to crush the people who were rightly His?

Sin always leads to ruin. There is no two way about it. Sin will always render one incapable of sound and logical decisions. Even when the result of sin is patently obvious, a person in sin is incapable of seeing the impending consequence. That’s how blinding sin can be! That is also why we must take time to evaluate life. We must cultivate the habit of keeping a journal of our daily walk. These needful exercises will help us to be more aware and conscious of where our lives are heading. It will help us to arrest wrong attitudes before they escalate into sin that can lead us into a tragic life. Be watchful!

Isaiah 2:10-22 – The coming day of reckoning

The passage we will be discussing has to do with the concept of “the Day of the Lord”. It is a concept that has been taught both in the New and Old Testament. It refers to a period where unusual events will take place signaling the end of time. One way to help us understand this concept is to see this as a period where God will personally be engaged, directly or indirectly, in history to bring about the fulfillment of some facets of His plan. In Old Testament prophecy, the day of the Lord carries both a sense of events that would happen soon as well as events that would be happening in the far distant future. So we see “the Day of the Lord” refers to God’s judgment that had taken place in history and yet seen as a day that will come at the end of the age.

So here in twelve verses, we see Isaiah predicting a day that would soon be coming where everything that men had done would be exposed. Every pretention would be brought low and the Lord will be exalted. Nothing would be left untouched and the symbol of men’s pride will be exposed and dealt with. Bear in mind that what Isaiah describes here carries both a divine judgment that would soon befall Judah as a nation then and yet giving a sense of God’s final judgment that has been ordained to happen to the entire word in the future.

Everything of men will be dealt with from their pride to their religion. God would bring about such a shaking that there would not be a single place that men could hide from His divine wrath. The people would cast away their useless idols to avoid the divine wrath. But all their effort would be futile. No cavern in the mountains or hole in the ground would be able to hide men and give them the protection they seek. God was telling the people of Judah that it was useless for them to trust in idols that could not save them. Here we are told that it would be pointless to trust in mortal men.

Many would live life carelessly and wait for some climatic events to take place before they buckle up and live right. But it is foolhardy to live life that way for we cannot fully tell when the day of reckoning will arrive. Wisdom dictates that we should heed Paul’s word to redeem the time for the days are evil. Everyday past is one day closer to the judgment day. So let us wake up, rise up and clean up, and live each day rightly for any day soon that day of reckoning will come unexpectedly. Be warned!

Isaiah 2:6-9 – Don’t live a compromised life

The people of Judah as God’s people were supposed to be His representatives to the surrounding nations. They should be a godly influence to the people around them. Hence, it was a sad indictment to hear what God said about them. They, who were expected to set the standards for right living, became compromisers and followers of the standard of the nations that surrounded them.  

Since they did not walk according to the light of the Lord which they were called to do in verse 5, God abandoned them to engage in what they so desired. These three verses listed a list of activities they were engaged in, Firstly, they embraced the fallacies and superstitions of the heathen such as soothsaying. This was a distinctive practice of the Philistines. Secondly, they compromised themselves by striking bargains with the foreigners and enrich themselves with their ill-gotten wealth. Thirdly, they placed their trust in their gold and silver and for war they trusted in their horses and chariots. Fourthly, they accumulated and venerated the idols of their own making. They would lower themselves unashamedly to those idols. As sinners, they would ultimately be humiliated in the judgment of God.

 

This short message reminds us of what Paul said in Romans 1:21-25, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and ^[o]crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed^]forever. Amen.”

 

It is an extremely dangerous thing not to live rightly and walk obediently before God. He has made us free moral beings, capable of making our choices in life. He will not violate our volitional rights. But He will work with us so far as we are willing. Tough situations may come our way but the final decision whether to obey Him or not is ours to make. Sad would be the day when God stops guiding us and leaves us to act according to our own desires and design. Without God, we do not have the capacity to act rightly. Never forget that obedience is the ultimate act of worship. It is the best way to remain open to receive the blessings of God. So live obediently and walk in the light of the Lord, for the sake of the salvation of our souls!

 

   

 

Isaiah 2:1-5 – Living for that great hope

The message presented in the first chapter of Isaiah was essentially a wake-up call from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Instead of living a glorious relationship and God centred life, the people chose to live a life without regard for Him. They had fallen so far that they failed to realize and appreciate their God-given privilege. Being faithful, God would not abandon them. Through a series of tough dealings, God sought to make them realize how far they had fallen. Reasoning with them, God was calling on them to return to their privilege.

When we come to Isaiah 2, we see the prophet began a second message declaring what God was going to do in the future. This second message will take us to Isaiah 4. Here the prophet began and ended God’s message with a promise. And in between, he gave a series of scathing indictments from God against His people.

In the opening promise what Isaiah saw was God establishing His righteous kingdom where the temple would once again be the centre of worship. In prophecy, the word “mountains” is always used to refer to kingdoms. Hence what Isaiah spoke concerning the mountain of the house of God, he was talking about a spiritual kingdom, which would be exalted above all kingdoms of the world. The day would come, he asserted, when the Gentiles would be drawn to that holy mountain of God. There would be a deep longing to know the ways of the God of Israel.

The God that Israel worships would one day be the desire of the nations. People would want to live their lives according to the precepts and principles that God would give. Here Zion would become the centre of religious instruction. Isaiah also saw a time where fighting among the nations would cease and weapons of war would be made into farming equipment. The Gentiles would go on to use the principle of God’s Word to settle their dispute.

Ironically, in the day of Isaiah, the people of God had chosen to abandon the true God for the false gods of the nations. Here Isaiah speaks of a day in the future where the nations would abandon their false gods and idols to come to the mountain of the Lord and embrace the true God whom Israel had abandoned.

What was Isaiah doing? He was painting a glorious picture of the future where their God, the true and living God, would take pre-eminence and become the desire of the nations. His instruction would be the standard by which the world would live by. Since they had such a privilege to know Him and have a relationship with Him, shouldn’t they seize it and begin to live their lives in the light of the LORD?

Like them, we believers of God have a great and glorious hope in Christ Jesus and the coming eternal kingdom. Hence, we must live our lives in the light of that hope. While the world may be in despair and fainting for fear, our focus must be set on Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the hope of all nations. We must seek to live our lives for Him every moment that we have!

Isaiah 1:24-31 – Be responsive to God’s dealings

God would rather that we respond to His instruction and walk obediently. In His grace, He would deploy different means to get our response. If we respond obediently, we will find His grace undergirding our journey to ensure change. But if we persist in wilful disobedience despite His gentle coaxing, the tough dealings of the Lord will become inevitable. So here in the concluding of Isaiah 1, God warned the people of Judah and outlined what He would do to purge them of their sins.

Judgment would be God’s final resort to align His people to Himself. He would pour out His wrath against the rebellious rulers with the purpose of removing the useless and impurities. Corrupt leaders would be replaced by dedicated judges and counselors. They would be like those leaders who had served Israel with integrity in the early days. Under their godly leadership, the reputation of Judah and Jerusalem as a righteous and faithful city would be restored.

The outcome of what God would do would be different for two groups of people, those who would repent and those who would resist His dealings. The contrite Zion will be restored with justice and her repentant people would be redeemed with righteousness. Those who would resist would be overwhelmed by the wrath of God and be brought to a fateful end. Verses 29-31 describe the outcomes of those who would resist and meet with the wrath of God. They would be like an oak tree with fading leaves. They would have no source, like a garden with no water supply. The strong man would become a weakling, like a breakable twig. And the work would be burnt. God was pressing home the point by showing the repercussion of unrepentance.

God has a good plan for all of us. He requires our collaboration with Him. As we trust Him and obediently and faithfully follow Him, we will reach the goal He has for us. When we stumble, repentance is required so that we can realign. But when we refuse to repent, God will have to take painful measures to bring us into alignment. If we respond to Him, the correction will take place. But if one persists in resisting and not respond, a sad outcome awaits.

These verses underscore for us the importance of walking obediently and faithfully with God. To always maintain a heart that is pliable before God so that we can respond to Him aptly with His dealings, to avoid a disastrous outcome to life. The choice is clear!

Isaiah 1:21-23 – Guarding our God-given sacred trust

In these three verses, we see how the people of Judah had failed to shine for God. They were living a life that contradicted the nature and call of God and were guilty of many terrible sins. Isaiah described how God gauged His once beloved city and people. It was a city in an utterly wretched condition. The once faithful Jerusalem had become a prostitute. Her shine was gone like silver that had become dull and valueless. They were also likened to good wine that was badly diluted and become tasteless. A city that once was a symbol of righteousness had now become a place full of murderers. Instead of being faithful advocates of the unfortunate, the poor, and the needy, her leaders exploited them. Lacking justice, the leaders took bribes and enriched themselves instead of looking after the people. God expects Judah, with whom He had a relationship, to reflect His righteous character. Had they stayed connected to Him and acted rightly, Jerusalem would be the shining city on a hill.

Here God was accusing them of breaching the trust He had given to them. As a people, they had oppressed the poor and needy instead of looking after them. Verse 23 shows how inhumane they were. Their rulers were described as rebels and were companions of thieves. Their people, the ordinary citizen, loved bribes and chased after rewards. They did not care to protect the orphans and were nonchalant to the pleas for help by those who were bereft of their husbands. They had lost sight of the mission they were called to do.

In Proverbs 14:34, God reminds us that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” As believers, our mission on earth is to reflect God’s righteous character. We are expected to demonstrate high moral conduct and behaviours in our daily practice. Isn’t this what the Apostle Paul in Titus 2:12 exhorted us to be? As a godly community, we are called “…to deny ungodliness and worldly desire and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age.” The church, God’s godly community, ought to comprise of leaders and members who show upright and moral character.

Today, the church of Jesus Christ, the called-out community of God, is given the trust to exhibit God’s righteous character to a lost world. When we fail to shine for God, we would be guilty of abusing our sacred trust. How we steward our lives and conduct ourselves will show whether we have fulfilled our God-given mandate. We can live as a testament to God or as a reproach to all people. We must guard our God-given privilege. Let us be the faithful redemptive agents of God to reflect and glow for Him wherever we go!

Isaiah 1:16-20 – God’s call to right living

 Worship is truly a lifestyle. The truth is this: like the people of Judah, we too could put up a charade and offer to God hollow worship devoid of reverential fear. We need to come to grips with the truth that God values obedience more than sacrifices. Undeniably, true worship is about living out the Word of God in our everyday living. That was where the people of Judah had failed. Like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were prideful, arrogant, careless, had no regard for the poor and needy, yet exploitative. A lifestyle lack of justice and fairness and compassion contradicts the character of people who claimed to have a relationship with God. 

Verses 16-17 tell us that God is gracious. He prefers mercy to judgment, so He called out for repentance. This is the obvious way to return to God. These verses show us the two clear steps of repentance. Firstly, there must be the clearing and removal of the evil of deeds done before the eyes of God. Secondly, there must be an active step in putting things right before God. The call was for the people to take corrective steps to cease from evil and do what is good and to make compassion and justice the way of one’s dealing. When these are put in place, worship will be glorious.

God incentivised the call to repentance by issuing an invitation. He was asking the people of Judah to come clean with Him as He stretched out His hand of grace toward them. Note that the requirement of God is not illogical. When His people do their part, He will do His. No matter how badly one had strayed, the hand of God is still stretching out in grace to us in mercy. He prefers restoration to judgment. With God, we never need to second guess His intention. He only has the best intention for us. All God expected of His people was their openness, willingness, and responsiveness. The blessing of God in our life is only a decision away. When we choose willingly to align our relationship with Him, He only has good things installed for us. When we willingly repent, He will forgive freely and we will enjoy the best of blessings. If we refuse to accept His offer, hardship and destruction await. A blessed or a miserable life will be ours by choice.

“If you consent and obey,

You will eat the best of the land;

“But if you refuse and rebel,

You will be devoured by the sword.”

 His words remain the same to us today! Blessing or hardship, the decision is ours to make!

 

Isaiah 1:10-15 – Worship is a lifestyle

God addressed the people of Judah and Jerusalem calling them Sodom and Gomorrah. These twin cities were destroyed many years prior to Isaiah’s existence so he could not be talking about them. Here Isaiah was referring to them metaphorically. We often think that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality. But in reality, homosexuality was only one of them. Think of what Ezekiel the prophet said about these twin cities in Ezekiel 16:49-50, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.” The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were not only rich and prideful but were also living in careless idleness. Besides, they were uncaring about the poor and needy and full of abominations. They would oppress the poor and exploit them. God was referring to Judah and Jerusalem as Sodom and Gomorrah because He saw them in much the same way as the twin cities who had gone astray.

God saw hypocrisy in their religious practices. They were elaborate in their worship ceremonies. But they were done mindlessly and without a heart. They were doing it cursorily without meaning and motivation to honor God. Such acts were mere meaningless religious activities and were offensive to God. He detested them. Whether it was their sacrifices, assemblies, offerings, and even their prayers, God had no regard for them for they were only empty rituals. The scathing indictment God gave to the people of Judah should become a warning to us who love and worship Him. These verses tell us that God hates hypocrisy, especially in the worship and service we offer to Him.

A broader context we draw from these verses is this: worship is a lifestyle. It is living a life to glorify God. Anything less would be a life of hypocrisy. Whatever we do in church, at work, or home, even in our recreation, we can either glorify God or discredit Him. Don’t be known as a Christian in label but living a life devoid of God being at the centre of all our activities and conduct in life. It will do us well to make Colossians 3:17 the dictum of our lives: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Isaiah 1:7-9 – The consequence of irreverence

In verses 5-6 God described Judah as a battered man yet oblivious of her condition. Now in verses 7-8, another description is given of Judah. She was an invaded land. And her nation was devastated and left desolate yet she could not see her own shame. The enemies that attacked her were unidentified. They were only referred to as strangers. This is an indication that they were not their brethren from the northern Kingdom of Israel.

The daughter of Zion here refers to the city of Jerusalem which was a glorious city. It was once known as the city of the great king. Now it had become only a cottage. Isaiah painted a picture of Jerusalem, once a great city, had become a booth where watchmen would erect in a vineyard to protect the fruit that was beginning to ripen. She was also seen as a temporary hut built in a cucumber field to watch over the growing cucumbers. These images were intended to show that the once beautiful city losing its glamor. She had become a temporary shelter instead of the solid, strong glorious city it once was. Zion was left in a condition of waste.  

Judah and Jerusalem would be even more wasted but for the grace of God. They would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah that had been razed to the ground if not for the mercy of the Lord who had left her with a remnant of survivors. Think of how far the people of God had fallen. The Words of God to them in Exodus 19:6 were “…and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ Yet now the land they were to live and glorify God had been left desolate and stripped bare.

It is pitiful when the people of God have become defenseless and exposed to all kinds of needless attacks. Why have Judah come to such a state? They had no regard for God.  They were cool about their relationship with Him and took Him for granted. They failed to take time to cherish the privilege accorded to them. In so doing they had spurned the love of God.

In verse 9 we see a glimpse of hope extended to Judah. God talked about the remnant that He would preserve. All is not lost if they heed His voice. Today, we also need to heed the call of God. As His people, we have immense influence when we are walking right with Him. We are the link to God. The day we fail to realize our position and walk in careless disregard in our relationship with Him, our influence will diminish. Be sure to maintain a vibrant relationship where God is always reverent!    

Isaiah 1:5-6 – Take time to review your spiritual state

God began by telling the people of Judah how ungrateful they were before He went on to tell them how corrupt they were. Yet they failed to see their state of affairs. They were oblivious of their own spiritual condition. They were so hardened and callous that they did not even know how bad their condition was.

In verses 5-6 Isaiah went on to describe Judah as a man who was battered and bruised. He was so badly buffeted from head to heart to toes, yet did not feel the hurt of his wounded body. Instead of seeking help, Judah mindlessly and cluelessly would go back and take some more beating. Anyone who had been so badly plummeted would have sought for help but not the people of Judah. They were oblivious of their own condition and how badly they needed help.

God was baffled at why they could not see their own condition. So He asked that rhetorical question, “Where will you be stricken again, as you continue in your rebellion?” What happened to Judah happened because they had not taken the time to take stock of their life with God. They failed to realize how badly their condition was because they did not stop to appraise themselves. This is the sad fact of life. Many of us fail to pause in our journey and take time to evaluate and make necessary alignment in our journey of life. These two verses call us not to go about life mindlessly, despite the bruise and hurt sustained.

The first step to spiritual health and vitality is awareness. We can only make changes when we know where we have gone wrong. How can we know where we have gone wrong if we do not take the time to appraise our own spiritual condition? No matter how spiritually healthy we think we are, we must make time to wait upon the Lord, evaluate our journey and discern where we are going, and then make the needful alignment.

Isaiah 1:4 – Give God top priority in life

 In Isaiah 1:1-3 God accused the people of Judah of their ingratitude. As if in a court scene, the prosecutor Isaiah summoned heaven and earth to listen to what God had to say about Judah and Jerusalem. God honored them by becoming a Father to them. He personally took care of them and raised them up. Yet they chose to show ingratitude and spurn that privilege. They took the relationship with a careless attitude and did not bother to understand the heart of God nor would they take time to build it. God expects us to cherish our relationship with Him by living a life of gratitude. When we fail to reciprocate God’s love, even animals would look smarter than us. Why? At the least, they know how to appreciate their master. A careless couldn’t-be-bothered attitude toward God is a symptom of rebelliousness. That hurts the heart of God.

By a couldn’t-be-bothered lifestyle, the people of God had totally missed out on the purpose of their relationship with Him. They live a life loaded with guilt and failure. Simply put, a  degenerate life. The prophet was not scolding them. The word “Ah” suggests that he was lamenting their failure to see their own condition. They had abandoned God, despised the Holy One of Israel, and even turned away from Him. They chose a life of waywardness rather than one that walked closely with God.

For us today, how do we abandon the Lord and despise Him? Bear in mind that It is God’s desire for us to have a vibrant relationship with Him. God has initiated the move to make us His children and He wants us to truly value Him and appreciate Him for who He is in our lives. He expects us to prize Him above all else. But when as the people of Judah we do not treat the Lord with honor and fail to give Him the priority He deserves, we would have deemed to have abandoned Him. When we treasure other things in life more than God, we would have devalued Him. When other things in life become the object of our love, we would have put God in a place of lesser importance. Jesus said that the first thing God requires of us is to love Him with our whole heart and mind and soul and strength. Making Him first in our lives means we consider Him in all that we do in life. When we do so, we lessen the risk of acting and living in ways that will dishonor Him. Let’s make God the top priority of life!

Isaiah 1:1-3 – Don’t be ungrateful

The Prophet Isaiah called his proclamation a vision. His vision was not the product of his mind, thinking, imagination, or logical conclusions. What he proclaimed was an experience of sight, not imagination. His vision was a God-given ministry tool. What he saw had to do with the events concerning the Southern The Kingdom of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. Those events took place under the reign of four kings namely, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We must also begin with the premise that Isaiah’s vision was not just the result of an insightful man who had astutely analyzed events of the day and forecasting the result of his analysis. As God’s prophet, Isaiah’s proclamation came through a revelation from God, and he knew with a settled certainty that whatever he said was divinely true.

What we see here in chapter 1 is like a court scene. In the first three verses, Isaiah acting as God’s prosecutor began by announcing the offense committed by God’s own children against Him. Heaven and earth were summoned to listen to the accusation God was making against His own. One detestable attitude clearly demonstrated was their attitude of ingratitude. What became clear as we read verses 1-3 are these: firstly, the people of Judah and God had a Father-son relationship. God was their father and they were His sons. He loved them dearly and they were the object of His love. Secondly, God was the one who had raised them up. He cared and nurtured them and brought them up. They had status and stature because of God. But sadly, they showed ingratitude by rebelling against God, the Father who had loved them. Acting like rebellious children they spurned the love that God had shown. Even animals recognized their master and would reciprocate the love shown to them. But Israel, God’s people were worst than those dumb animals. By their ingratitude, they had shown how lack of appreciation of the privilege they had.

 

To have a relationship with God is a supreme privilege accorded to us. We must cherish it and take time to nurture the relationship. Never should we take Him for granted and allow the relationship to lapse into a non-vibrant, non-existent state. Because when that happens, we become nonchalant and show a lack of understanding for God, leading to a life of ingratitude. We must seek to cultivate an attitude of gratitude for what God has done for us by living life thankfully. Let us set our affection on Him!        

 

Introduction to Isaiah

Today, we begin our journey into the Book of Isaiah. This is going to be a long and arduous journey. Difficult no doubt but will certainly be enriching. We begin by looking at some background information that will help us to understand this prophetical book. Prophets were God’s spokesmen and their main ministry was to communicate God’s message to His people. Generally, most of them were counselors to the kings of Israel providing the direction of God to deal with the kings themselves or to guide them in dealing with the nation of Israel. Generally, the prophets would bring a word of judgment and then a message of hope.  

There were two kinds of prophets in the Bible, the non-writing prophets such as Elijah, Elisha, Nathan, Gad, and etc and the writing prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi. The book of Lamentation was written by Jeremiah, hence was also placed among the prophetical writings.  

There are two categories to the writing prophets, commonly referred to as the major and the minor prophets. There are five books categorized as the major prophets namely, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The rest of the twelve prophetical books are termed the minor prophets. The two words, major and minor do not refer to their importance but the length of their books. The major prophetical books are longer whereas the minor ones are shorter. It must be said that every prophetical book, major or minor, carries an important message for the people of God.

The non-writing prophets ministered during the time of united Israel while most of the writing prophets ministered when Israel became divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Bear in mind that they ministered under different kings, some of them ministered in the north and some in the south. They also ministered during different time periods in the history of Israel. Some before the nation went into exile, some during the exile and others after the return from the exile.   

The prophet Isaiah was the son of Amoz who was the brother of King Amaziah. That would make Isaiah a cousin to King Uzziah. His relationship with royalty made the kings he ministered to more readily accessible. He ministered over the reign of four kings, namely, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This would mean that Isaiah ministered from 740 BC to 700 BC. In short, the message of Isaiah is about the impending disaster to the kingdom of Judah and the coming salvation of the Lord. In the book of Isaiah, we are pointed to the coming of the ultimate Messiah. Let’s get ready for a rigorous spiritual journey.

 

 

2 Samuel 24:18-25 –Offering God only our very best

Gad the seer came to David and instructed him to build an altar at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David obeyed immediately and went about to get the land. When Araunah saw David approaching him, he went out and meet him, first bowing down before the king respectfully, asking “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David’s reply to him was, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be held back from the people.” Araunah wanted to give it free of charge to the king, including whatever was needed for the offering, yoke of wood, and even the oxen. But David insisted on paying for the land, for he refused to offer to God anything that would cost him nothing. So David purchased the threshing floor of Araunah for fifty shekels of silver. And there he built an altar and offered a sacrifice. The Lord was moved by David’s prayer and the pestilence was removed.  

Down the centuries what David had done in this offering had set an example for us believers. “I will not offer burnt offering to the LORD my God which cost me nothing”, has inspired many to give their all to the Lord. We think of Mary who came to Jesus with her vial of costly spikenard oil, her prize possession. It probably took her life savings to buy it, yet she was willing to break it over the Lord Jesus’ head to show her total affection. In this account, we see David would not give cheap offerings to the Lord but rather an offering where he would have to make some sacrifices. Let us not offer to God the leftovers of our life, but like David and Mary let us give God our very best portions. Offering the Lord the best of our life is the only appropriate response for all that he had done for us. It is fitting here for us to close our reflections on this book of 2 Samuel, with the words of a hymn as a personal prayer of dedication of our lives, in total consecration to our Lord Jesus.

Lord, in the fullness of my might,
I would for Thee be strong:
While runneth o’er each dear delight,
To Thee should soar my song.

I would not give the world my heart,
And then profess Thy love;
I would not feel my strength depart,
And then Thy service prove.

I would not with swift winged zeal
On the world’s errands go,
And labor up the heavenly hill
With weary feet and slow.

O not for Thee my weak desires,
My poorer, baser part!
O not for Thee my fading fires,
The ashes of my heart!

O choose me in my golden time:
In my clear joys have part!
For Thee the glory of my prime,
The fullness of my heart!

2 Samuel 24:11-17 – Our Merciful God

David realized and confessed his sin and the Lord heard his prayer and answered, but he still had to bear the consequence. It is one thing to be forgiven and quite another to bear the consequence of one’s transgression. Sin will always bring with it consequences. So we read in verse 11 that the Lord sent a message to David through Gad his seer. And graciously God gave David three choices of punishment for him to choose one.

The three punishments were: firstly, for them to experience seven years of famine; secondly, three months of being pursued by their foes; or thirdly to experience three days of pestilence. Though greatly anguished, David chose to fall into the hand of the Mighty God i.e. the three days of pestilence. He knew that God would be compassionate, that even in His punishment he could expect Him to be merciful. The last option was the best, in that it would be less disruptive for the people and for him personally.  

Verse 15 said that the LORD sent upon that land a pestilence from that morning until the appointed time. Apparently, David was right, the Lord was merciful. The pestilence was supposed to come upon them for three days, but it only fell on them till the appointed time, meaning the afternoon sacrifice of the same day. This meant that God did not punish them for three days. However, we note the severity of the punishment for 70,000 of his men from Dan to Beersheba died within a short space of time. When the hand of the angel of death was coming toward Jerusalem, the LORD mercifully stopped it in response to David’s intercession.

When David saw the angel of death moved toward Jerusalem, he told the Lord that he knew it was his fault and was prepared to bear the brunt of the responsibility. He felt that the people were innocent. God heard his prayer and the pestilence stopped at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusites.

Two great lessons can be drawn from these seven verses. We serve a merciful and compassionate God. In His dealing with us, He is always compassionate and merciful. David chose to fall into the hand of God for He knew that God is measured and merciful. As a leader, David took personal responsibility for the wrong. And was prepared to bear the brunt of the punishment. God saw his heart and stopped his affliction on the people. Remember the words of Jesus urging us to be merciful, even as the Father in heaven is merciful. Let us be people of mercy!

2 Samuel 24:1-10 – Conscience and decision making

This is an account of David’s pride by taking a census of the number of men he had. He ordered Joab to register the men of Judah and Israel from Dan to Beersheba. He wanted to know the number of men he had. Joab, however, felt that what David wanted to do did not seem right. But David was not persuaded, so Joab and his commander went out and had the people counted. They found that they had 500,000 men in Judah and 800,000 men from Israel.

What he did angered the Lord, and he realized almost immediately that he had sinned against the Lord. What led David to take the census? According to 1 Chronicles 21:1 “Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.” Here we are told that the Lord incited David to do so. Putting together the two passages, we conclude that it was Satan, who permitted by God, incited David. We need to know that Satan can do nothing to us or make us do anything without God’s permission.

Immediately after the census, David was troubled. He quickly confessed to the Lord saying. “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” There was nothing wrong with taking a census, but it was the attitude of David that was unacceptable. Instead of trusting the Lord, he was leaning on the men that he had.

What is positive about David was his quickened conscience. Some people can be doing something wrong and their untrained conscience could not detect it, hence they would not respond. But not so for David, he responded immediately when his conscience was quickened. Almost immediately he confessed his wrong and asked for forgiveness. Conscience is God’s given guide to help us in decision making. When our conscience is rightly informed and educated by the Word of God, we will be able to make the right decisions. Let us study the Word to show ourselves approved workmen of God, that have the aptitude to make the right decisions.

2 Samuel 23:24-39 – Inspiration

There is no hint of what the rest of David’s thirty had done. But their names were included in the roll of honor. However, we note that the group of thirty was not limited to thirty men. They could have started out with thirty and as time progressed others were added to the initial thirty. It could well be also that some of them had died and others retired allowing new to replace them.

People who joined David motley crew came from all over Land. Several were even foreigners who were fighting in David’s army. When they first came many were said to be discouraged, dejected, depressed, and dismayed. With the inspirational leadership of David, they became mighty men. How did David do it? Inspiration creates a hunger in others to want to emulate you. For one, David's deep love for God is an inspiration. We are all ministered to by the Psalms he wrote. When discouraged he would seek comfort in the Lord. This is one thing worth our emulation. If we want to be an inspiration to others, loving God and being connected to Him consistently and constantly is the place to start. When possess the fruit of the Spirit, we will live a life that lights up the lives of others. Be an inspiration set the way and be a light ofCjhrtsi8 everywhere we go.      

 

2 Samuel 23:18-23 - Developing a great attitude

In our previous discussion, we saw how three of David’s thirty broke through the enemy line just to fetch the water from the well of Bethlehem. They brought water from that well to David at great peril to their lives. Theirs was a sacrifice so great that the king felt that he did not deserve such honor, so he refused to drink it. Verses 18-23 revealed two of their names. They were Abishai and Benaiah.

What is so special about the two men? Abishai as we know was the brother of Joab. Unlike his brother, he was more controlled and measured. He rescued David who was old and was almost killed by the giant Ishi-benob. From that point on he advised David not to go out with them for war. He was said to have killed three hundred in a battle with just a spear in his hand. The second person was Benaiah, who had done several deeds of great courage in the face of dangers. His outstanding deeds were: (1) he smote and got rid of two of Moab’s best men; (2) he faced and killed a lion in the pit on a snowy day; and (3) armed with a club, he overcame a remarkable Egyptian and killed him with his own spear. As a reward for his great deeds, David made him the captain of his bodyguards.         

Though the name of the third hero was not mentioned, Joab was possibly the man. On several occasions, he was known to have taken matters into his own hand to a point of being defiant toward David. David kept him so long also because he possessed the secret of Uriah’s death. For he was the one who executed David’s order to place Uriah at the battlefront to have him killed by the enemy. Joab was a ruthless man who had treacherously killed Abner and Amasa, two commanders whom David was counting on to help him establish his kingdom. But their lives were cut short by Joab ruthlessly. Joab was also responsible for the death of Absalom despite David’s plea with him to deal kindly with him. All of these acts made David wary of him.

 

One phrase that occurred twice tells us something about Abishai and Benaiah. In verse 19 and verse 23, it was said that they both were honored among the thirty, but did not attain to the three. In other words, they did not attain the status of the first three described earlier, namely Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar the Ahohite, and Shammah. Though they were not put among the first three, they did not complain or lament that they were not honored as them. And unlike Joab who schemed to make something for himself, these two chose to remain serving David faithfully. They were men who were not driven by position but were contented with their place and position. They were simply glad to have a place to serve. Like them, are we contented to serve God where we are? Emulating them we must refuse to be envious with what others may be given. We must remain faithful in exercising the gift we are endowed with by serving God faithfully and diligently. What an excellent attitude to emulate!

2 Samuel 23:13-17 - Stewardship par excellence

The account we are reading in these verses describe another outstanding thing another three of David’s thirty men did for him. This took place when David and his men were encountering the Philistines. He was taking a temporary sanctuary in a cave in Adullam. Here he was thinking about the water from the well in Bethlehem that he was accustomed to when he was a youth. He thought aloud wishing for a drink from that well. For these three who overheard what he said, it was an opportunity to make his wish come through. So they broke through the camp of the Philistines which were occupying Bethlehem and managed to get the water from that well for their king. What loyalty! Every leader, we can be sure, would wish for men who are loyal and fearless. Men who would take great risks to accomplish a mission just to honor their leader.

However, when the three brought back the water for David, he refused to drink it. For how could he drink something that his men had put their lives at risk, just to secure the water for him? To David what truly matters was their well-being. He felt overwhelmed that they had put their lives in extreme danger just to satisfy his need. David was not rejecting the effort they had made. To him, this was a sacrifice made with a price too great, with a motive too high and a love so great that only God deserved. So he refused to drink the water but instead offered it to the Lord.

This is stewardship par excellence. And this is the kind of stewardship that God deserves and the kind that He expects of us. If David’s three would rise to that level to serve a human king, how much more should we rise to that level of stewardship as we serve the King of kings. Jesus our Lord deserves the equivalent of such acts and much more. It is needful that a steward is found faithful. And such stewards we must be. Christ Jesus offered His best to serve us and shouldn’t we give our best to serve Him in return? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:15 reminds us that “He (Christ) died for all, so that (we) who live might no longer live for (ourselves) themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on (our) behalf.” The only kind of stewardship the Lord deserves should be nothing short of  100 percent of the very best that we can bring to Him. Amen!

2 Samuel 23:8-12 – Courage, tenacity and steadfastness

David had a group of mighty men who had fought with him and helped him to gain the throne and captured Zion. They are listed here in 2 Samuel 23:8-39. These men were known as David’s mighty men and had commonly been called David’s thirty chiefs or simply the thirty. Verses 8-12 list for us three prominent ones. They were known as “The Three”. They deserved a special mention because of the extra-ordinary feats they had accomplished.

The first, to be mentioned here was Josheb-basshebeth who was also known as Adino the Eznite. He was a man of great capacity. In one of his encounters with the enemies, he was purported to have killed 800 men with a spear in his hand. It’s hard to imagine how one person could fight and overcome 800 but he did. He was truly a person of great capacity.   

The second to be mentioned was Eleazar the Ahohite. He was a man of great tenacity. In one battle he simply refused to retreat but fought so hard that it was said that his sword literary clung to his weary hand. The other men only appeared after the danger was over to strip the enemy corpses of their spoils.  

The third was Shammah the Hararite. Verses 11-12 tell us that in one battle with the Philistines in “a plot of ground full of lentils”, when all the men of Israel had retreated, he stood and fought the enemies alone.

‘The Three’ speaks of unique courage and tenacity. And they were also bold and steadfast. These are the essential qualities of people whom God had endowed with a singleness of purpose. One thing that must be said is that these were only the vessels whom God used to help David. But the reason they were successful was because of God. According to verse 12, “the Lord brought about a great victory.”

Yes, we need courage, tenacity, and steadfastness in our spiritual battles,  but we must never forget that the greatest source for victory is to have the Lord fighting for and with us. Let us be sure to remain steadfast, immovable and abound in God’s Work, and experience the victory that He will bring. All glory to God!

 

 

2 Samuel 23:1-7 - Grace and glory

The opening verse of this song says that it contains David’s last words. But we know that these were not the last words of David. For 1 Kings 2:1-9 tell us that in his dying moment he gave clear instructions to Solomon on what he wanted him to do when he was gone. So how could 2 Samuel 23:1-7 be the last words of David? These verses were probably the last prophetic words that David had spoken concerning the future, which were inspired by God.

 David began by talking about himself and his humble beginning. He was the son of Jesse, the shepherd boy whom God had taken, from looking after sheep to shepherd His people. He saw himself as the anointed of God. David was also a Psalmist who had written some seventy over psalms. Each of David’s psalm was written under divine influence. Here in verse 2 he particularly asserted that “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” In other words, what he had spoken was God’s words.

The words were prophetic in that they alluded to Jesus Christ the Messiah. He foretold of the Messianic King who would rule men in righteousness and would rule with the fear of the Lord. He spoke of the coming of the Messiah as the coming of “the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through sunshine after rain”. The Messiah would bring salvation, deliverance, a new and refreshed era of growth, and ultimate stability. As God had promised him so David confidently declared that the Messiah would come through his line. The last two verses of this song show the contrast to worthless men who would be sent into judgment. Like thorns, they would be removed and fed to the judgment of fire.

Our lessons from these verses can be summed up in two words: grace and glory. David was raised from a humble status by the grace of God. He was only a shepherd boy, but the difference was when God chose him and made something beautiful out of his life. All these happen through the gracious act of God. Like him, we once were lost but God’s grace found us. The status we have in God now and the person we will potentially become, happen when we depend on His grace. None of us has anything to commend ourselves to Him. It has always been His grace, a grace that looked beyond our faults and saw our needs. And because of the grace showered on us, like David, we can now anticipate a glorious future – a life walking in the fullness of His plan. Praise the Lord!

 

 

2 Samuel 22:36-52 – Working in synchronization with God

In 2 Samuel 22, we see how David started by praising and adoring God, then continued to assert that God fought with and for him because he chose to walk uprightly. In this final segment from verses 36-52, we cannot but see David’s emphasis that it was God who had enabled him to secure all his victories.

Here he re-counted how everything worked out for him. He was empowered to gain victory in all his battles. That was God’s part, but there was also David’s part. He collaborated and acted in sync with God.  Every victory that David had gained was God working through him.

As we reflect on these seventeen verses, we will realize that what happened to David can also be true of us. If we are to be victorious in life, we need to work in partnership with God. As we team up with God, stay confident in Him. We can gain victory in all battles in life.  

In the last six verses of 2 Samuel 22, David ended with where he began. He raised his praise to God again. He affirmed that the victories he had experienced came because God had been the Rock of His life. Like David let us work in sync with God. As we obey His word and keep in step with Him, victory shall be sure!

2 Samuel 22:21-35 – The Lord blesses the upright

In the first 20 verses of 2 Samuel 22, David first praised the Lord and saw Him as his mighty defender and shield. God’s protection was upon him as he encountered his enemies. David narrated how he came face to face with death and yet came out unscathed. Because his voice went up to the Lord who then delivered him from what seemed like certain death. In verses 1-20, we saw how God in all His sovereign power was waiting to come to the rescue of His own. Like David let us be reminded that God is just one prayer away. Remember, a simple call for help from the Almighty will trigger His assistance. Our prolonged distress is often due to our failure to call upon Him.

In the next segment of 2 Samuel 22, starting from verses 21-35, David felt that God came to his help because he had acted righteously and asserted that God rewards righteousness. This, of course, was shown in how he dealt with King Saul. Though he had several opportunities where he could finish him off, yet he refused to touch the Lord’s anointed. Hence, he was sure that his victory was secured because had acted rightly and was in right standing with God. He did not do anything that would prevent God from intervening on his behalf. As he remained in right standing with God, he found out that God turned what seemed like darkness into light. This set for us an example that we should actively pursue the path of righteousness too so that we will inherit God’s blessings. Isn’t this what Jesus our Lord also calls us to do? He said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” It behooves us therefore to seek His reign over our lives, and also to go after His righteous standard in our living. 

In verses 22–35, David shows us the need to live uprightly. God sees everything concerning us. Nothing we do will ever escape His sight. His eyes, according to Psalm 34:15, are “toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry”. David shows us plainly the necessity to live rightly by acting rightly. We must learn to rely on God and continue to live uprightly no matter how people may treat us. God will never allow us to be pressed beyond what we can bear. He will come to our rescue. He is a faithful God and we can trust Him!