ISAIAH 25
COMMENTARY:
:1 “O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). אֱמוּנָה [ʾemuwnah, or (shortened) ʾemunah /em·oo·naw/]- firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness.)
DEVOTION: I was in the hospital today visiting two people, the first a dear elderly lady who has known the Lord for many years. We had a wonderful time talking of the Lord and His work in and through our lives. She talked about desiring to be in heaven and the joy that would be. The second was one that stated he knew the Lord but his demeanor and desire to talk of the Lord was so different. I left one comforted and encouraged and the other wondering if he understood the meaning of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
Isaiah in the midst of difficult and distressful times still was able to praise his God! He looked to the Lord for His counsels of faithfulness and truth. Whether Isaiah was speaking for himself, future people, or a combination of both he knew God to be faithful.
What a powerful statement to individuals as they watch believers go through trials! If we are able to continue to exalt, praise and trust our Savior despite the circumstances people notice and respond.
CHALLENGE: As you face difficulties this week think about the people who are watching how you respond. Remember God is faithful! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify YOU, the city of the terrible nations shall fear YOU. (3513 “glorify” [kabad] means to weigh heavily upon, to praise, honor, to make honorable, or distinguish.)
DEVOTION: This verse is describing the earth when the LORD has returned to set up HIS kingdom. All nations will glorify and fear HIM. The fear of the LORD will spread to all nations during this time period.
Right now, there are very few areas that are truly glorifying the LORD. There are few places that are called “churches” that today are not really glorifying the LORD. They are full of false worship and false teachings.
It seems that many churches that used to preach the gospel are doing it now. They are more concerned with entertaining those who attend instead of challenging them to honor the LORD in their daily life. Very few are interesting in reaching the area around the church with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today we live in an age where the average person who calls themselves a Christian are not reading their Bible or telling others about Jesus but are rather trying to fit in with the crowd, so that, they can just have fun and not have to worry about there they are going to spend eternity.
However, the day is coming when those who “claim” to be believers will stand before the LORD and answer the question “What have you done for ME?” Many will give excuses but the LORD doesn’t accept excuses.
Could it be that many who are members of churches will spend eternity in the lake of fire rather than in heaven? God is the final Judge and HE will judge on the basis of a genuine commitment to HIM by those who claim to be believers.
There is coming a day when the fear of the LORD will be real and those who were pretending to be believers will find out their final fate.
CHALLENGE: Are you part of the strong people who don’t care what others think but will be witnessing to them with the genuine message of salvation? God is going to judge fake believers even those who attend church every Sunday!
: 4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. ( 6184 “terrible ones” [ariyts] means awe-inspiring, terror-striking, causing fear, champion, ruthless, violent men, and tyrants.)
DEVOTION: Protection is needed in our world. We have local police who protect us from people who might attack us without reason. There are people who want to hurt those who are weak. We have armed forces as a nation to protect us from those who would like to do harm to our country. If they try to attack us they come to our defense. Those who are poor or needy need someone to stand up for them and help them when they are attacked by those who have money.
The best protection anyone can have is the protection God can give. HE is able to help the helpless. HE is able to help the poor. HE is able to help those who are facing storms in their life.
Finally, HE is able to protect those who are facing violent governments that hurt their people rather than protect them. In this passage they are called ruthless ones. They are called tyrants. But God is able to place them in a shadow of protection that they can’t get through.
If we are living under the protection of the LORD we should be praising the LORD for HIS protection during of all of the storms of life. We need to exalt HIM to others. We need to tell others of all the blessings HE has allowed in our life. We need to listen to HIS counsel because everything HE says is faithful and true.
We live in a world full of trouble and danger. We are not to be a fearful people if we know Christ as our personal Savior. We can turn to HIM during those times and ask for HIS strength to get us through every trouble that HE allows in our life. Our prayer life has to be lively.
Our enemy is lively. He would like to see us give up or fail. He delights in any of God’s children being afraid of him. That is not what the LORD wants us to feel.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM. HE will direct your path. Do you believe this truth taught in the Word of God? Live like you do.
CHALLENGE: If you fall into the categories above – trust in the LORD to protect you.
: 8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. (5331 “victory” [netsach] means glory, majesty, eminence, perpetuity, strength, enduring, everlastingness, or enduring of live.)
DEVOTION: The LORD engulfs death forever. HE has strength over death. Death no longer has dominion on the earth. Without death there will be no more sorrow over the loss of a loved one. The enemies of the LORD’S people will no longer be able to kill HIS people.
During the millennium, Christ will rule and the enemies will be silent. At the uprising at the end of the millennium only the enemies of Christ will be judged. HIS servants will be surrounded with LIFE EVERLASTING. Praise HIS name.
There is a life after death. There is a life after death that can be called everlasting. It is appointed that all men will die. There are two places that are available for those men who die to go. One is heaven. The other is hell and finally to the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
The difference is that those who follow Jesus Christ into salvation through repentance of sin will spend eternity in heaven. Those who chose to not follow Jesus Christ will spend eternity in a literal place called hell. The choice of Jesus Christ as LORD in a life makes the difference. There will be no tears in heaven because the LORD wipes them away.
Today Biblical Christians are the blunt of many jokes. Today Biblical Christians are looked down on for being narrow minded. Our narrow mindedness is based on the Word of God that states there is only one way to heaven. That way is through Jesus Christ alone.
There are many who call themselves Christians who are not followers of Jesus Christ. Their claim is false based on their actions after they make the statement. Yes, all believers sin after they become followers of the LORD. There needs to be confession of sin to keep our fellowship fresh with the LORD. If there is no confession by genuine believers, the LORD sends weakness, sickness and premature death into their life. Those who not genuine followers of the LORD and they continue to sin with no chastening of the LORD are false believers. These individuals will be part of those who spend eternity in lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: Praise the LORD for a time in your life when all tears shall be wiped away. There are going to be tears while we are here on this earth but none in heaven. It will be something to sing about!!!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Isaiah worshiping the LORDverses 1-5
Exalt God
Praise
Done wonderful things
Counsels of old are faithfulness and truth
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 6, 8-11
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)verses 1, 9
Wonderful worksverse 1
Counsels of the LORDverse 1
Faithfulnessverse 1
Truthverse 1
Strength to the poorverse 4
Strength of the needyverse 4
Refuge in a stormverse 4
Shadow from the heatverse 4
LORD of hostsverse 6
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master)verse 8
GOD – Jehovahverse 8
Lord GOD verse 8
Wipe away all tearsverse 8
Rebuke of HIS people shall HE take awayverse 8
HE will save usverse 9
Hand of the LORD restverse 10
Spread forth HIS handverse 11
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Swallow up death in victoryverse 8
Wipe away all tearsverse 8
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Strangersverses 2, 5
Nationsverses 3, 7
Moabverse 10
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Terrible onesverse 4
Prideverse 11
Trust in high wallsverse 12
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Exalt the LORDverse 1
Praise the LORDverse 1
Counsel of the LORDverse 1
Glorify the LORDverse 3
Fear of the LORDverse 3
Strengthverse 4
Refugeverse 4
Victoryverse 8
Wait on the LORDverse 9
Rejoiceverse 9
Gladverse 9
Salvationverse 9
Rejoiceverse 9
Restverse 10
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
In this mountainverses 6, 7
Feast of fat things
Feast of wines
Fat things full of marrow
Wines
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Swallow up death in victoryverse 8
In that dayverse 9
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