Isaiah 44 - Idolatry

 

Isaiah 44 – Idolatry

 

Isaiah is very bold in his statement where he tells the Israelites that they are very much like the idols they worship. He tells them that their idols are profitable for nothing.

 

Idols cannot hear, see, talk, smell or feel. They cannot help anyone. He tells the people that they should be ashamed for making an idol, when it is God who made them. Those who made the idol spend much of their time and effort in the making of it, but when it is complete it is still nothing. Only something to look at. The origin of all the materials man uses to make these images came from God. We are responsible for taking care of what God gives us. If we abuse the things he has given us, it is most likely those things will be taken from us. The idols we put before God cannot help us, they don’t lift us up, they don’t bring us joy and most of all they cannot save us.

 

God reminds His people that He formed them, chose them, and would help them. There is no need to be afraid, for God meets every need and keeps every promise. He knows what lies ahead and helps you prepare yourself to meet it.

 

Those who trust false gods will be afraid and become like the gods they worship. (Psalm 115:1-8), Their bodies may feast on excellent food, but their souls feed on ashes. They live on substitutes.

 

The nation’s exodus from Babylon would be a time of redemption and rejoicing, and God would confirm His word to His people. Jerusalem would be restored, and the temple rebuilt, and God would even use a pagan ruler to accomplish His purposes. He is the God of the impossible.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Isaiah 43 - God's Not Through with Us

 

Isaiah 43 – God’s Not Through with Us

 

God is not through with the Israelites and He is not through with us. He confirms that God created mankind. We did not come from monkeys; we came from God.

God took Israelites crooked ways and made a nation out of them.

 

Our beginnings came from a man who rebelled against God. Adam has passed on to us a fallen nature which will never be reformed or repaired. But God has given us a new nature. God promises us that even when we go through the waters and through the fires He will be with us. God does not say we will not have troubles, all of us will have a trouble or two in our lifetime but He does guarantee that we will not face these troubles alone. God will deliver us from our troubles.

 

When the Israelites rebelled, God gave them Egypt and Ethiopia to discipline them. When they turned back to God, He then in turned disciplined Egypt and Ethiopia.

 

Everyone who comes into our life is there for a purpose. If it is someone you are having trouble with, ask God why it is, and what are you to gain from it. He may be using them to straighten something out in your life. God will paddle our behinds for wrongdoing, and He may use others to do the paddling. Once you have learned the lesson He desires for you to learn, He will in turn paddle the one that is causing you trouble. We must take heed to understand the lesson and not gloat over the other being paddled.

 

We cannot imagine how much God loves Israel and how much He loves us. He is the one and only God and Savior. No pastor, religion or church can save us. Only God can save us. If we are true to Him, He promises to stay true to us.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Isaiah 42 - God's Servant, Jesus Christ

 

Isaiah 42 – God’s Servant, Jesus Christ

 

Mark 10 :45 says that “Christ did not come to be ministered to, but to minister to us”. He was chosen by God and empowered by God, so He did not get discouraged and quit. He did not come with a club in His hand to beat down sin. He simply let sin bring on its own judgment. Jesus Christ lived and served by faith, trusting His Father to meet His needs, and that is the way we must live today. His power is available to us.

 

As weak as the Israelites were, the nation returned to the land after their years of captivity. They were spiritually blind and obstinate, but God led them and worked on their behalf. He told them he would lead them from darkness to light and from their confusion to clarity. He would not forsake those who wanted to follow Him.

Those who follow other gods will be turned away and shame will be their only friend.

 

When we belong to God’s family, our Father is ready to forgive and restore us. Putting life back together again may appear impossible, but the Lord will work for us if we let Him. He can do new things, guide us on a new path, and give us a new song. In the end He will regather the ones who come back to Him and are faithful.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

Isaiah 41 - God Will Protect

 

Isaiah 41 – God Will Protect

 

God was in control of the nations, and He raised Cyrus to do His bidding. The false gods of the nations are no match for the true God of Israel.

 

God gave the Israelites assurance when He said, “You are my servant! Fear not for I am with you!”

 

God will protect and lead His children through the pitfalls and dangers of life. Soon there will be a showdown between darkness and light, between God and man, between faith and unbelief. God is now calling individuals to turn to him and accept the salvation He has to offer. He is not demanding anything of us. He is simply asking us to accept His grace and salvation that He has to offer.

 

When Christ returns He will establish rules of righteousness. Since God is coming to right the wrongs and relieve injustice, those who are right with God can be of good courage. There is hope for us who trust Him, and we need not worry about the future.

 

He told Jacob (Israel) that they need not fear or be dismayed. He is their God and He is holding them in His “righteous right hand”. With Jesus, we are never alone. God will work in and through our loneliness. He wants to take us into His confidence. He wants to enable us to walk with Him, have fellowship with Him.

God’s salvation, His fellowship, His goodness, His grace is all there if we turn to Him.

 

God knows the future and has everything under control, so there is no need to worry.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Isaiah 40 - The Grace of God

 

Isaiah 40 – The Grace of God

 

Everything that Isaiah predicts about the one who is to come will be fulfilled. He is the one that offers the invitation that says, “Come unto me all you that labor and who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Our God is the comforter, He comforts us in all our tribulations, and He enables us to comfort others like He comforts us. When Jesus transcended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us.

 

In Isaiah’s day and in even some religions today they brought sacrifices to appease their angry gods. It was done because their gods were always angry. The One and true God is not angry. It is man’s sins that alienates them from God. God does not expect us to do anything to appease Him. He sent His Son to die for us, He was our gift from God. That is our comfort for the world today.

 

Our flesh is feeble and frail, and it will soon pass away, but the Word of God is strong and secure and endures forever. It is the only gospel that gives eternal life to man who is just a natural creature on this earth. When you see Jesus Christ as God manifest in the flesh, you must come to Him as He is, not just as a man, but as God.

 

There is no man or any manmade god equal to our Father in heaven. We see our equals every day in each other. Compared to God, we know very little, we only know what God has revealed to us in His word and we can’t even comprehend all that He has told us.

 

Isaiah wants us to know that God knows about the difficulties and problems of His children. If you belong to Him, then He will quiet the storms in your life, but there are lessons for us to learn in these storms. Rather than cry out against God, we should be asking what the lesson is we need to learn from this storm. God will not let us go through hard times if there is no lesson to be learned. Regardless of who you are when you need strength to walk, He will give it to you. If you need strength to run, God will furnish it, and if you need to fly He has that for you also.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Isaiah 39 - Hezekiah Failed the Test.

 

Isaiah 39 – Hezekiah failed the Test.

 

What could not be accomplished through an army, or an illness was accomplished through flattery. If Satan cannot succeed as a lion, then he comes as a serpent. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Prov. 27:6).

 

The King of Babylon wanted one thing: Judah’s cooperation in opposing the Assyrians. They tempted Hezekiah with a letter, saying they are glad of his recovery and was quite concerned about it. Hezekiah did not take this letter to the Lord like he did the letter from the Assyrian King. Instead, he tossed it aside and welcomed the Embassy of Babylon to come see all his riches. Hezekiah still had many riches that David and Solomon had acquired, and he foolishly showed the Babylonians all that he had.

 

The enemy is a liar and uses every excuse to get entry into our life. With Hezekiah, his pride took over and discernment disappeared. Ephesians 4:17-32 lists some of the “footholds” you can give Satan to enter your life.

 

Isaiah did not fear the king but told him truthfully that Babylon was the real enemy and one day would conquer Judah. However, Hezekiah thought it a good thing since it wasn’t going to happen in his lifetime. He showed no concern for his children who would become eunuchs in the palace.

 

This prophecy came to pass just as Isaiah said.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah

 

Isaiah 38 - Hezekiah's Life Extended

 

Isaiah 38 – Hezekiah’s Life Extended

 

It was during the siege of the Assyrians that Hezekiah was plagued by a “boil.”  This boil made him sick unto death. This sentence of death was delivered to him by the prophet Isaiah. In Heb. 9:27 it says, “it is appointed unto men once to die, after that comes judgment.” We all know that someday we will die. We just don’t know when, if we did know, I am sure our lifestyle would suddenly change.

 

When Hezekiah found out he was to die, he turned to God in prayer. He also wept.

He reminded God of his reputation before God. In 2 Kings 18:5 it said that “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him there was none like him among the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.”

 

God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and granted him another 15 years of life. Not so much for Hezekiah’s sake, but for David’s sake.

 

Today we ask our prayers in the name of Jesus. It is for His glory God answers our prayers. When we ask for healing, sometimes God heals, sometimes He doesn’t. It is up to God what He decides.

 

In the days of Hezekiah, God decided to give him a sign to assure Him of his prayer being answered. Hezekiah asked for the sign of the shadow of the sun to be turned back ten steps. Imagine him looking out the window and seeing the shade of the palace steps going backwards instead of forward. Hezekiah must have rejoiced when he witnessed that.

 

After Hezekiah was healed he began to let pride and arrogance take the place of his humility. He soon forgot that God saved him. After he was healed, his wife gave birth to Manasseh. His son was twelve years old when he began to reign. He was the worst king to rule in both kingdoms.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah, J. Vernon McGhee Through the Bible.