Isaiah 66
COMMENTARY:
: 2 For all those things has mine hand made, and all those things have been, says the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word. (2730 “trembles” [chared] means fearful, frightened, reverence, afraid, or terrified.)
DEVOTION: Isaiah continues to express the fact that there are two types of people in the world. There are those who reverence the LORD and those who do not.
God has communicated with the world through HIS prophets and apostles. The Word of God is based on the fact that the Holy Spirit moved holy men to write the Word of God without errors. This means that the Word of God gives us the truth of God in written form. It is the only absolute truth regarding the Creator of the Universe.
Some people continue to challenge the truthfulness of the Word of God. They believe that the men who wrote it were only humans and that there was no influence of God on their writings. They want us to believe that all these forty authors were just creating a religion out of the air. They believe that there is no absolute truth only human ideas that have evolved over the years.
The LORD wants individuals who are willing to reverence the Word of God. When they read the Word of God they are willing to apply it to their life. It becomes the standard by which they live. They are willing to share their beliefs with others because they believe it is TRUTH.
Those who walk away from the teaching of the Word of God were living in Jerusalem in the days of Isaiah. They were willing to eat swine’s flesh. They were willing to make broth of abominable things. They were willing to worship idols. They chose to go their own way, which was away from the commands of the LORD.
In fact, the LORD called out to them but they would not answer. HE spoke to them but they would not hear. They continually did things that were displeasing to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Come to the LORD with a contrite spirit. HE wants us to be humble in HIS presence.)
: 4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before MINE eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. (8586 “delusions” [ta’aluwl] means wantonness, any kind of harsh treatment given to a person or people, wantonness, caprice, vexation, or adversity.)
DEVOTION: Only the LORD knows what will affect people the way HE wants it to affect them. There are people who are not willing to listen to the message of salvation that HE gave to HIS people and so HE had to vex them because of their attitude toward HIM and HIS provision of salvation.
HE calls to all who are on this earth to receive HIS call. Every person has an opportunity to become a follower of HIM but most chose not to listen to the call and refuse to follow HIM.
Once they have made this choice HE is going to let them believe the way they want to believe because they have made their choice not HIM. So many people try to use the excuse of “What about the heathens in countries that have never heard the Gospel?” The answer is the same as those in Israel who have had an opportunity to follow the LORD but chose not to.
There is not one person who can stand before the LORD and say, “I never had a change to follow YOU! That statement would be a lie because HE does give everyone who is every born to come to a saving knowledge of HIM if they will listen.
Too many today are not listening even in countries like America who have many opportunities to hear the gospel but chose to ignore it and then complain that the LORD is not giving them the right opportunities to follow HIM.
Even those who attend some churches that preach the gospel correctly don’t listen to the call to follow HIM. They are satisfied with just attending church when they feel like it and reading the Bible when they feel like it and think that they have not be given the right message to believe.
These individuals will stand before the LORD and say “We didn’t really get the message right!” It will not work because the LORD says that everyone will receive an opportunity to follow HIM if they are willing. The majority say NO!
CHALLENGE: If you are reading this and have never chosen to follow Jesus really, you can change and become a follower. If you are reading this and have made a decision to follow Jesus, are you being faithful to HIM daily? Don’t be fooled, the time is short!
: 17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the LORD. (6942 “sanctify” [qadash] means dedicate, holy, consecrate, appointed, pure, clean, or sacred.)
DEVOTION: This word should be only applied to those who worship the one TRUE GOD of the universe but here we find that there were individuals who were members of the tribes of Israel dedicating themselves to false gods.
They were individuals who didn’t have a problem with knowing that the LORD was the one true God yet thought that their false gods could help them because they were going through a hard time with the LORD because of HIS judgment on the tribes for their worshiping of false gods.
False worship has been happening from the beginning of time with the Tower of Babel being one example. Today we find that there are many churches that look like they are in place to have people worship the LORD but they are there just for a social gathering place that offers very little Bible and a lot of entertainment. This is another example of false worship.
We don’t have idols in our homes made into statutes usually but our idols are in the form of a box in the living room called a television. The next idol could be our phone or computer. Sometimes our idols are our homes or our cars or our vacations.
Our society is moving further and further away from the teachings of the Word of God. Most people don’t even carry a Bible on Sunday into churches that do preach the Good News. Many believers don’t what to take a stand on anything because they don’t want to offend anyone except God.
So we have to ask ourselves the question like the children of Israel: Are we worshiping the one true God of the Bible or false gods that are in our world?
CHALLENGE: We have a responsibility to do more than those who worship false gods. We need to make sure we are fully consecrated to the LORD each day and tell those who will listen if they are worshiping a false god or not worshiping anything more than themselves.
: 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. (8438 “worm” [tola’ath] means maggot, scarlet, or crimson.)
DEVOTION: This chapter is a continuation of the last chapter. It is talking about the time period of the Millennium and beyond. It is a warning to the children of Israel that God has a plan for the future and HE is working HIS plan. There are only two locations that are available in the future: heaven or hell.
Those who chose not to follow the LORD will go to a place that has fire that will not be quenched. This place is described in the New Testament as the “second death.” Only those who reject Christ will go to this place. Their names are not written in the book of life. This word carries the connotation of a relationship to a snake or dragon. There is a relationship to an created being who is called the snake of the Garden of Eden or that old dragon – the devil.
In John 8:44 Christ tells the Pharisees that they are the children of the devil and not Abraham. Apparently, these people in this verse are related to the devil and the part of them that will not die is their relationship to the devil and not to the LORD. They will spend eternity in this relationship. Mark 9: 44, 46, 48 repeat this verse in the New Testament.
We know that the book of Revelation tells us that the devil will go into the “lake of fire” for eternity. All those related to him will spend their time in the same location. Only the followers of Christ will avoid eternity in the lake of fire.
Our prayer is that everyone receiving these devotions is not going to the lake of fire but to heaven because of their relationship with Christ. Are we being the witness to our family and friends that we are called to do?
CHALLENGE: The Bible teaches that there is a place that the LORD has reserved for those who want nothing to do with HIM. It will last for eternity. There will be only judgment in this place. Warn your friends and family.
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)
House Israel built for LORDverses 1, 20
Place of restverse 1
Kills an oxverse 3
Sacrifice a lambverse 3
Offer an oblationverse 3
Burn incenseverse 3
Rejoiceverses 10, 14
Offeringverse 20
All flesh shall worshipverse 23
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Wordverse 2
Word of the LORDverse 5
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 14-17, 20-23
Heaven HIS throneverse 1
Earth HIS footstoolverse 1
Creatorverses 2, 22
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)verse 9
Hand of the LORDverse 14
House of the LORDverse 20
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
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)
Enemiesverses 6, 14
Gentilesverses 12, 19
All fleshverse 16
All nationsverses 18-20
Tarshishverse 19
Pulverse 19
Ludverse 19
Tubalverse 19
Javanverse 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Idolverse 3
Chosen their own wayverse 3
Delight in abominationsverse 3
Delusionsverse 4
Fearsverse 4
Not answer the LORDverse 4
Not hear the LORDverse 4
Evil verse 4
Wrong choices verse 4
Hateverse 5
Cast out believersverse 5
Eating swine’s fleshverse 17
Abominationsverse 17
Mouseverse 17
Transgressedverse 24
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Poor and of a contrite spiritverse 2
Trembles at LORD’S Wordverses 2, 5
God callsverse 4
God spokeverse 4
Hear the Word of the LORDverse 5
Glorify the LORDverse 5
Joyverse 5
Rejoiceverses 10, 14
Peaceverse 12
Comfortverse 13
Servantsverse 14
Sanctifyverse 17
Purifyverse 17
Worshipverse 23
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zionverse 8
Jerusalemverses 10-14, 20
Children of Israelverse 20
Priestsverse 21
Levitesverse 21
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
New heavens and New earthverse 22
Worm shall not dieverse 24
Fire not quenchedverse 24
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