Isaiah 1-2
The Holy Spirit will “disclose to us what is to come.” (John 16:13)
In the Chronicles we saw the history of Israel – how it split into two kingdoms. We also saw the kings as they would rise and fall, based on their faithfulness to God. The northern kingdom, Israel, never turned back to God. They went through some imitations of worship, but their hearts were always filled with admiration for the idols of their neighbors.
The southern kingdom, Judah, however, had some faithfulness from time to time. Good kings would arise, and then bad kings would follow. The temptation was always there to substitute idols for the true God of Israel
As we come to the books of the prophets, we see a foreshadowing of what we read in John. And there is no greater foreshadowing of God’s prophetic gift than the book of Isaiah. He lived and prophesied during the last days of Israel – just before they were taken into captivity by Assyria, and during the days before Judah was captured by Babylon.
Babylon hadn’t been established yet, but Isaiah prophesied that Judah would fall to them. He saw the same errors occurring in the southern kingdom that he had seen in the northern, and his observations were dire.
All of Israel at one time had been such a holy people. God had created them as a nation and nurtured them as His own. He dramatically led them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. He gave them a degree of prosperity which no nation had ever known before.
As we begin the prophecies of Isaiah, we see that things have changed. God’s people are not acting like they are His. They have turned to the idols around them and they have diluted their worship of Him.
There are warnings and there are promises which we will see throughout Isaiah’s book. If the people continue to desert God, He will no longer be faithful to them. Yet if they return, they will be blessed as before. The choice is theirs.
The good news is that “in the last days, the mountain of the Lord will be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall stream to it.”(2:2).
Today is that day – the day in which the Lord Jesus has paid the price for us, and brought redemption to the world – to all who call upon His name. People from every nation are streaming to the One True God.
The Word hasn’t reached all, but it’s reached many. And there are many around the world who are continuing to stream to His Mountain. And there will be many more.
Ephesians 1
It’s time for us to realize what Christ has done for us, rise up, and live in His best. If we can just get this, our lives will be forever different.
There are some prayers in Ephesians which, if prayed daily, will change our lives. One of these in this first chapter.
Paul says that he is thankful for the Ephesians and their faithfulness to the Lord.
He prays that God will give them a “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.”(V.17) and that the “eyes of their understanding will be opened so that they may know the great things of God.”(V. 18). These include His riches, His glory, and “the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe.” (V. 19).
When you read verses 18- 21, you will get an ear full! In fact you will have to read it several times even to understand what he is saying. But it is powerful, and the more you understand it, the more powerful it becomes.
So I would like to suggest that you read this prayer and pray it for yourself everyday for a while.
If our eyes are ever opened to see what our Lord has done for us, we won’t have trouble having faith. We will know from the depths of our beings that our God is working on our behalf – while we are praying.
It’s an exciting life we have before us. Let’s choose to live it with gusto!
