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Isaiah: A Personal Devotional Journal–3
Isaiah 2:6 reads, “You, LORD, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs.” (NIV)
The word “abandoned” in 2:6 is a different verb than the “left behind” verb of Isaiah 1:9. It means to let go of something, to “loose” it. So, for instance, if someone were holding the hand of a drowning person, or of a person hanging over a cliff, and “abandoned” them, the verb would indicate a letting go of their hand. Another example would be if an army were to withdraw from an area being threatened by an enemy force, leaving the inhabitants behind to fend for themselves, it would be “abandoning” them.
Interestingly, in comparison with the Septuagint Greek of Isaiah, Hebrews 13:5, originally written in Greek, uses both the verb “abandon” from Isaiah 2:6 and the word “left behind” of 1:9–
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” (ESV, unless otherwise noted, all quotations will be from the ESV).
The first verb is the one found in Isaiah 2:6, explained above. The next verb in Hebrews 13:5, “nor forsake you,” is the Greek verb found in LXX 1:9. This meaning is more subtle. It indicates the part that is left behind after something else has been chosen. For when the Lord says, “I will never forsake you,” it means he will never choose others but not you. Think of the foolish maidens who weren’t present with their lamps lit when the bridegroom came. The bridegroom selected the one wise maiden who had her lamp lit and was eagerly waiting for him. The bridegroom chose her and “left behind,” or forsook the others (Mat 25:1-13). Hebrews tells us that the Lord says that will never happen to his followers. He will never let go of them (“leave you”) and never depart to live without them (“forsake you”). οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ οὐδ᾽ οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω, Heb 13:5, Nestle).
How blessed is this reassurance given in the New Testament. But not so in Isaiah 2:6 and forward through 4:1. There God is very angry with his people and has indeed abandoned them. How can this even be?
Going back to Hebrews 13:5, we find that when the writer says, “For he has said… ” the quotation is actually from the Old Testament, not from our Lord in the New. In Joshua 1:5, the LORD (Yahweh, Jehovah) is speaking directly to Joshua just after Moses dies. He’s reassuring Joshua that he would always be with him, “I will not leave you or forsake you.” Joshua remained faithful to the Lord for his whole life, dying in faith. And, God kept all his promises to the people when he brought them out of Egypt.
But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you, (Joshua 23:15).
There is a tough knot in the core of Christendom. Paul dealt with it in Romans. That is a belief that certain people feel they can claim the promises of God as an absolute guarantee that God can never, never break. “He said so, therefore… ” “If he doesn’t do what he promised, then he’s not God. Therefore, he needs to bless Israel.” Or, “I’m born again; therefore, God has no choice but to take me to heaven when I die.”
But nowhere in Scripture does it ever say that God rewards overt, willful, persistent disobedience (rebellion, changing of allegiance). In fact, Scripture everywhere claims the opposite. Joshua 23:15 begins with, “But… ” and continues with, “So the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you, 16 if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.” That’s clear as day. And Isaiah is warning in 2:6-4:1 that what Joshua foretold in chapter 23 is about to happen unless the people repent.
“But, but, but…if God requires my faithfulness, isn’t that works? I’ve been taught, Once saved, always saved.” And, “I can never lose my salvation. Trusting in my faithfulness to God means not trusting in the completed work of Jesus Christ. His grace is sufficient to cover all my sin, even my unfaithfulness.” Show me a Scripture that says that.
Everywhere, but everywhere, the Bible teaches allegiance to God as a continuing prerequisite to his salvation. “But, but…” To say that we have no responsibility and no choice regarding that allegiance is to deny Scripture. God does not drag us into heaven against our will. The whole book of Hebrews is a warning against forsaking Jesus Christ. Chapter 11 is an exhortation to faithfulness. Christians so often quote the latter portion of 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and leave off (Yes! our verb) the first portion, which is a warning against loving money instead of trusting in Christ, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have… ”
Christians often say, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” (Heb 13:8). We need also to quote Malachi 3:6, “‘For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.'” If God does not change but is always the same, then the God who spoke Isaiah 2:6 hasn’t changed or gone away. Christ’s death on the cross doesn’t make that God of Isaiah disappear. So how do we reconcile these two extremes? A God of grace who always keeps his promise to bless and a God of wrath who punishes the wicked?
What needs to be reconciled? Grace and human responsibility. God’s indelible promises and his enduring wrath against his wicked people.
In answering these seeming contradictions, it seems impossible to escape the concept of the faithful remnant. First, the Bible everywhere teaches that people are saved by means of faith, that is, their belief in, hope on, obedience to, and allegiance toward God. “By grace you are saved through faith…” (Heb 2:8). But second, on the other hand,–although we haven’t gotten there yet, we will get to the rest of Isaiah 2:6-4:1–but in that passage God describes his aversion and repugnance to the wicked ways of his people. Isaiah 2:6 says that he has already “abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob.” So on one hand, Isaiah 2:2-4 speaks of their final blessing, and on the other hand God abandons and punishes. What gives?
Reading all the way through Malachi 3 reveals the solution:
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.
17 “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. (Mal 3:16-18 ESV)
These verses explain in a nutshell the concept of the faithful remnant. These are the ones whom God saves throughout the Old Testament and in the New Testament through Christ. Paul also explains the distinction between the two groups in Romans 9 and 11. Read those chapters with Isaiah in mind. God’s grace always forgives those who repent and believe (trust in, rely on, obey, and show allegiance toward) him. The rebellious (traitors), no matter their lineage, he rejects.
So, is this faithfulness of the remnant a matter of their own virtue, a matter of works righteousness? No. Paul explains, “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (Rom 11:5-6). It’s faith, but it’s a faith born of grace.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8-9)
Nevertheless, we are the ones who must live out our lives. God does not live our lives for us. Down here on the ground, faith looks like a struggle. It looks like a struggle because it is a struggle. And living out our faith looks like choice, because without contradicting grace, it is a choice. It’s a gift and a choice at one and the same time. Faith is a choice that God’s grace allows and helps us to make. Those who perish do not make that choice, even when given plenty of opportunity. The lesson, as Paul teaches in Romans 11, is to accept the blessing of salvation with humility and thanksgiving, not taking it for granted, living in holy fear, lest the fate of abandoned Israel become our own. And we are to pray for Israel, that God’s grace would awaken and arouse them to living faith.
But this is what Isaiah is about: these two groups and God’s actions and promises for each. There is blessing for the one, and destruction for the other. Lord willing, we will continue.
Isaiah: A Personal Devotional Journal–2
RECAP: As mentioned previously, God in Isaiah addresses two groups of people. He is pleased with one group and blesses them. The other group receives his condemnation. Unless the reader understands that God constantly and abruptly switches back and forth between these two groups, she might form the opinion that God is “schizophrenic,”–now he is happy; now he is angry. The groups are usually not labeled per se. Most often, everyone is referred to as “they.” So how does the reader know when God has left off addressing one group and switches to the other? The answer lies in the content. Someone who knows God well might say, “God would never speak to his loved ones using words like these.”
The two groups, though usually not labeled, are labeled in Chapter 1. Verse 2 introduces the rebellious children. Verse 9 introduces the “few survivors,” (LXX seed) the Lord “left,” (LXX left surviving, Thayer Def. 2), that is, spared. He spared a remnant. The concept of remnant derives from a root meaning “forsake, abandon.” Most often, biblically, the word is not used in a good way. Israel “forsakes” or “abandons” God’s law. But when judgment comes, and God sweeps away the wicked, it is good to be part of the leftovers, the small group not taken, the ones left behind. The image of a seamstress cutting a pattern works well. The scraps left over after the usable portion has been removed are “left.” Seamstresses actually call this leftover portion the “remnant.”
Isaiah’s whole concept of a “remnant” spills over into Romans 9:6, “… For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,” and 9:27, “And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved.'” Understanding the concept that Isaiah flips between addressing two distinct groups of people is critical. Unless the reader grasps this and learns to identify the two groups, she might get whiplash. God in Isaiah 1:25-27 addresses the remnant, who will be cleansed by the removal of greater Israel, whose judgment is described in verses 28-31.
Chapter 2 opens, “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem,” (ESV, unless otherwise noted). Judah and Jerusalem formed the Southern Kingdom of Israel. Judah is the tribe that birthed Jesus, according to his flesh. Jerusalem was the center of Israel’s worship, location of the temple of God. Isaiah’s prophecies span four Judean kings (1:1), and the timing is just over 100 years before the Babylonian captivity. God sent Isaiah to call his people to repentance (1:16-20).
Verses 2-4 are positive words prophesying goodness and blessing. These are addressed to the remnant, the “seed,” (1:9). In verse 2, the words “mountain,” “mountains,” and “hills,” are symbolic. Isaiah is not speaking of literal elevations of literal landscape features, nor of a cataclysmic, literal lifting up (a seismic earthquake?) of a massive amount of earth and rock, even though it is true that Jerusalem was built on a high hill. The “mountain of the Lord” represents the dwelling place of God, the figurative seat of his power (see also Isaiah 30:29, Micah 4:1-2, and Zechariah 8:3). The hills in this verse represent other, smaller powers. “Zion” is first mentioned in 2 Samuel 5:7 and is a name for the City of David, the capital of that great king. David in turn becomes a New Testament type (a model New Testament writers claim from the Old Testament) of the Great King, Jesus Christ. Taken together, the words of verse 2 speak of the physical location of the center of the Lord’s kingdom, where he is to be worshiped.
Still in verse 2, what time period do “the latter days” refer to? The Septuagint (Old Greek translation) calls these “the last days.” We find this phrase again in Acts 2:17, 2 Timothy 3:1, Hebrews 1:2, and elsewhere in the New Testament. Hebrews 1:1-2 declares, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Based upon its New Testament usage, the “last days,” or “latter days,” refer to a time future to Isaiah, a time of Messiah’s reign, that is, after the resurrection and ascension. Yet, the question still remains, “latter days” of what? Taken as a whole, verses 2-3 speak of a time of restoration and righteousness in God’s kingdom, a time when his center of worship will be a beacon of light to the whole world.
Verse 4 is extremely well known among Christians. “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” It speaks of the peaceful, enlightened reign of the Lord, Christians would say of Messiah. Whether this age of spiritual peace and prosperity refers to the current church age in its entire extent, or to a still future reign, cannot be known. In either event, God’s intention, as expressed by Isaiah, is to bless his worship by many peoples, not just the Israelites.
Verse 5 transitions from Group 1, the blessed, to Group 2, the judged. It can be read with the previous section, or the following. It’s as though God is saying to his own people, the house of Jacob (paraphrasing), Look, I just showed you the future of my kingdom and my worship. Now won’t you come and be part of this? Verse 5, “And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.” Could the Apostle John have been thinking of this when he wrote in John 1:4-5, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,”? See also John 12:35-36 and Luke 1:79.
Verses 2:6-4:1 address in an unbroken stream the group God chastises (to be continued).
Isaiah: A Personal Devotional Journal–1
In Isaiah 1, God speaks as a man. By that I mean he speaks in the language we use. He uses our words, and his meaning is clear.
God’s tone (verses 1-8) is the tone of one who is grieving, as a father grieves his wayward children. He speaks not as an authoritarian–not as a lofty God of might who issues decrees with thunder and lightning. His tone is pleading, almost as though he has put himself down at our level.
Nevertheless, judgment is coming, but God’s call is ever for his people to repent. God’s first-ever recorded words to Cain urged him to repent:
… And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. (Gen 4:4-8 ESV)
In response to God’s graphic description of the people’s sinfulness in verses 1-8, the first person plural voice of verse 9 acknowledges that they had sinned.
Isaiah 1:9 If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. (Isa 1:9 ESV)
Nevertheless, it is God who acts in verse 9. It is he who did not (note the past tense, as though the speaker is recording after-the-fact) completely wipe out his people, as he had done when he passed judgment on the wicked towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here is the FIRST mention in Isaiah of those whom God “left,” or spared. Here, so early in the book, Isaiah introduces this group of people whom God addresses throughout the full length of Isaiah: those who repent and remain under his wing. The other group comprises those who do not.
Still in verse 9, the verbal phrase, “had not left us,” in the Septuagint contains the root (lemma) of the Greek word for “remnant,” which Paul announces in Romans 9:27, where he quotes from Isaiah 10, a few chapters later. Then, in Romans 9:29, he quotes this verse from Isaiah. The “remnant” whom God spares from judgment play a critical role in Isaiah. The ESV calls them, “a few survivors,” again in verse 9. In the Septuagint, the Greek word for “survivors” is “seed,” which my analytical lexicon labels as singular. God left a remnant, a leftover seed, whom he did not destroy. From Paul again, we recall that Christ is Abraham’s “seed,” singular (Galatians 3:16). I surmise that here in Isaiah 1:9, the seed are the remnant of the faithful, from who Messiah comes. The other group of people, for want of a better word, I call the “bulk,” the bulk of the people. As Isaiah progresses* through the reigns of four kings, a very long time, we find that he alternately addresses each of these two groups. We will watch for that.
If we were not sure that God is angry, verse 10 makes that abundantly clear. The speaker of verse 9 says, “If…, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.” But with God there is no “if.” We know that he is speaking to the “bulk” group now, because he directly addresses them as though they are Sodom and Gomorrah:
Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! (Isa 1:10 ESV)
And then, in verses 11-15, God speaks in the most personal of terms about how he does not want their forms of hypocritical worship–their false obedience to his law. In 16-17, he lists what he does want: his heart seeks justice for the fatherless, the widow, and the oppressed. Sins against these are the ones God notices.
Verses 18-19 are a direct call to repentance, along with a description of the blessings which will ensue. Verse 18 speaks the FIRST promise of cleansing in the book. Verses 18-20 offer the two choices: repent and be blessed, or continue rebelling and be punished.
In tragic terms, God describes in verses 21-23 how low the once beautiful city has fallen, how mismanaged and corrupt it has become. But in verse 24, he, the “Lord” and “LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,” vows, “I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes.” This also is tragic, because verse 25 reveals that these enemies and foes are his own people. We know this from the text because he names his foes and enemies as, “you” and refers to them with the word, “your.” There is no doubt of whom God is speaking–his own people.
24 Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get relief from my enemies and avenge myself on my foes. 25 I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. (Isa 1:24-25 ESV)
Verse 25 reveals, however, that his intention is to purify. He continues to describe the restoration of Zion by means of justice and righteousness in verses 26-27. But the closing verses switch back again to the “rebels and sinners,” and their end in verse 31 sounds a lot like hell. This causes the reader to go back and reread vs. 24-25, where the likelihood emerges that the group there who receives the cleansing are the remnant, while the rest of the chapter describes the bulk who will be destroyed.
RESPONSE
I was first struck by the love of God and how he makes himself so accessible. His heart is that his people should repent and receive his blessing. Nevertheless, he, as the Sovereign Lord, judges wickedness. He will have none of it. But the pleading for repentance is strong here, as throughout the rest of the book. It is not God’s desire that any should perish.
As I read the descriptions of those who displease God, I could not help but think of our own country, America, right now, especially as we travel through this election season. As I look around the dark landscape our country has become, it seems as though Isaiah’s words directly describe us as a nation. How tragic that is. And what about the church? Is God wholly pleased with us?
Personally, the sins of my life are scarlet. In meditation, I rehearse these sins before the Lord. My only hope is that I will be one of the ones who continuously turns to God in confession and repentance. I am assured that God has loved me in the past, and if I remain humble and dependent upon him for my cleansing, I am sure he will love me to the end. Lord, help me to do my part. Lord, may it be so.
__________
* It is true, this is not the first time I have read or studied Isaiah. I studied it many years ago, and discovered the concept of the remnant at that time. What is a surprise to me here, is that the remnant is named as early as v. 9 of chapter 1.
Isaiah: A Personal Devotional Journal–Introduction
Who “owns” the Bible? Scholars? Academics? the Church? a denomination?
My initial response tells me that God owns the Bible. It is his from start to finish. And he gave it as a gift to his people, the church: Israel in the Old Testament and the Bride of Christ in the New.
A common, ordinary person has access to the Bible and God encourages such to read it, to eat it, to devour it. There are many testimonies we often hear in which someone says they began reading the Bible and became a Christ-follower. God wants his children, all of them, to read his word.
Isaiah has always been one of my favorite biblical books. It speaks the gospel of Christ. As I was considering recently, What book shall I choose for my devotional reading, I detected an eagerness in my heart for Isaiah.
Quite frankly, I am too old to begin an academic study of Isaiah. The book is huge, and there are volumes and volumes of commentary that have been written about it over the centuries in which one writer contradicts another. There is no way I can wade through all that material.
Therefore, I have decided to read Isaiah as a small person taking her daily walk, enjoying and paying attention to the scenery and small details of the path. And, I love to write. So I decided to write a journal of my musings as a single voice. I pray, Lord, that you will lead and guide me along your way, give me your eyes, point out to me what you want me to see and hear, smell, taste and touch along the way. I pretend to have no authority, other than the Holy Spirit as my guide. Lord, I give this journal to you. Bless, please, according to your will. Hallelujia and praise your name, Love in Christ, Christina.
One Small Voice 