The Lord Spoke: "Stay Clear"

Isaiah 8:11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 

We have seen the last two days that the Lord had told the people to not be afraid of their enemies, but to way and trust in Him.  They did not listen, but instead tried to appease and even join with their enemies in resisting the Assyrians.  What they could not see or would not believe is that Assyria was God's mighty arm of judgment. God spoke words of encouragement to Isaiah to not get caught up in what everyone else was thinking and doing. Much like Psalm 1, he was not to walk in their ways, get caught up in their fears. We are to remain true to a proper fear of the Lord.  God goes on to tell Isaiah that He will be with him: as his sanctuary of protection and solid rock of stability. To us He would say the same: don't be swept away. 

The Lord Spoke: "Not a Good Choice"

Isaiah 8:5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

We saw yesterday that the Lord had told the people to not be afraid of Rezin, but to trust in Him and He would take care of things.  Instead, they chose to ally themselves to those they feared, putting their trust in them rather than Him.  This was a bad decision, as God was going to use the great Assyrian Empire to take care of those nations.  By association, this put Judah at risk.  Assyria would surround them and threaten their very existence.  Often, God offers to help and save, but we choose to try to find our own way out of our messes. That never ends well.

The Lord Said: Don't Worry; I've Got This

 

Isaiah 7:2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah...7 thus says the Lord God: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

Sometimes, knowing we are imperfect and sinful, makes us worry about every potential evil story that comes our way.  We often live in fear of what might happen.  God wants it to be clear when we are being judged for our sin or just experiencing the fallenness of this world.  The people of Judah heard that other nations were plotting against them and where scared to death.  God wanted to make it clear that they needed not to worry, but to trust in Him.  The chapter goes on to give the promise of Immanuel - God with us - a promise for that time as well as the coming of the Messiah. Stop worrying; trust and listen to God. 

The Lord Said: "Now You're Listening."

Isaiah 6:4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”...

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: 

“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; 
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”

As noted yesterday, when the Lord speaks in the prophets, it's usually with words of rebuke. Isaiah had been overcome with the holiness of God and the sinfulness of himself and His people. In the skipped verses above, the Lord's angel promised forgiveness before God Himself spoke to Isaiah. Isaiah was now ready to listen and to speak for God. Sadly, most of Isaiah's people would not be ready to listen, repent, and respond in faith and obedience. Are we ready to listen?

The Lord Said: "It's Not Going to Be Pretty"

 

Isaiah 3:13 The Lord has taken his place to contend;
    he stands to judge peoples.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment
    with the elders and princes of his people:
“It is you who have devoured the vineyard,
    the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people,
    by grinding the face of the poor?”
declares the Lord God of hosts.
16 The Lord said:
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty
    and walk with outstretched necks,
    glancing wantonly with their eyes,
mincing along as they go,
    tinkling with their feet,
17 therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
    the heads of the daughters of Zion,
    and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts.

Often in the prophets when we read The Lord Said it is followed by a message of judgment. The setting is also often like this one: God is seated as Judge - not of pagan nations, but those claiming His name. Their selfishness and pride will find them out, thinking they are above judgment. As Paul tells the Corinthians (chapter 10) we need to learn from their example. If not, things can get pretty ugly, like a scab, and worse.

God Has Spoken in His Holiness...

 

Psalm 60:6 God has spoken in his holiness:
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet;
    Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
    You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
    for vain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalm 60 may not be in the top ten of your favorite psalms, but it is one of a few which reference God speaking. David begins by crying out to God about how difficult it was to drive out pagan peoples who were harassing Israel. In the midst of his cry, God answers, claiming every part of the Promised land for His people, even if not yet subdued.  David replies with a renewed cry for God to go with them. The last verse is the only one that rang a bell as I read it, but it is powerful. It is with God that we shall do valiantly; it is He who brings the victory!

The Lord Said: "You are My Son. Ask Me."

 Psalm 2:7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron;
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

Interestingly, though understandably, we have less than a handful of statements in the Psalms where God/The Lord "spoke" or "said."  The nature of the Psalms is to reveal man's response to God's action and revelation. This psalm of David is an exception, where he quotes what God has said to Him.  This was a promise to him, which also foreshadowed the Messiah.  God said "You are my son; ask Me."  Those words impacted David greatly, and we find most of the time he acted as if he knew God's loving favor and faithfulness to His promises. It is also interested to consider how this statement impacted the Son of God when He was being tempted by Satan. Satan offered Him the nations of the world. To be sure, the voice of the Father echoed in His heart and mind: "You are My Son. Ask Me."