AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Monday – June 27, 2022, Sivan 28, 5782
JUDAH’S DEFENSES
Greetings dear and precious saints of God and welcome back to our Bible Study of the wonderful Book of Isaiah. Please take a moment and share this teaching by every means possible to extend our reach with the gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God, the Truth. The featured picture is provided by our good friend and man of God, Joe Getchell Jr. Be sure you are reading out loud especially as we proceed into our primary Scriptural text. Remember, faith comes by hearing and it is impossible to please God without faith. Seems important to me, what do you think?
Isaiah 22:8-14 (NLT)
8 Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons.
9 You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool.
10 You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls.
11 Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.
12 At that time the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.
13 But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
14 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has revealed this to me: “Till the day you die, you will never be forgiven for this sin.” That is the judgment of the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
As we read this and reflect upon it remember that this has all occurred by their choice of disobedience to God. Our troubles are always our choice. We don’t set out to have trouble we just want to do our thing. We either don’t know what the Bible says to do, or we have not proven what we do believe. Let’s be good Berean’s (Acts 17:11). Perhaps we believe a lie, like God puts troubles on us to test us.
I have provided our Bible text today in the New Living Translation to make it more understandable. The Prophet speaking is Isaiah. In verse twelve we are told that they were told to repent by the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is none other than the Jesus of the New Testament, the Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity in eternity past. Dear and precious saints, the way out of trouble, out of the curse, is always repentance first then doing the Word of God. Doing the Word of God means having a 180 degree change of mind, bowing only to the Word of God and not to another word, another god.
As we examine verse thirteen it is as if they are drunk, entered into a stupor. In the midst of disaster headed to greater disaster and banqueting saying tomorrow we die. They did not need to die, with repentance our Lord would have made a way out, and a way back to abundance and security. But they would not. Seems to me that this all sounds a lot like the Word brought by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 6:15-17 (KJV)
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
Can we see today’s Church in the Isaiah and Jeremiah texts? Back to our Isaiah text, we find in verse fourteen where their rebellion reached a point of no return, no possibility of repentance and they would die in their sin. What a sad situation. We saw this with Pharaoh in Egypt where he hardened his heart until there was no place for a change of heart, a change of mind, repentance. Let us strive with all of our hearts to be free of sin of any kind. Yes, that is possible and is our goal. Let us arrive in Heaven free of all sin. Let us never refuse to repent of sin, hardening our hearts due to pride or other reasons. There may be reasons but there will be no excuse before the Lord.
Lord willing, I will pick up right here tomorrow.
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Receive the blessing in Jesus’ name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (MSG)
24 GOD bless you and keep you,
25 GOD smile on you and gift you,
26 GOD look you full in the face and make you prosper.
By: Dr. David R. Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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