AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Tuesday – August 23, 2022, Av 26, 5782
YOU HAVE MADE OUR NATION GREAT
Greetings dear and precious saints of God and welcome back to our Bible Study of the Bible Book of Isaiah. Please take few moments and share this teaching as widely as possible by every means available to you. Thank you so much for sharing. You are a blessing to this Ministry. You have a very important part to play in expanding our reach with the good news. There is no news, absolutely no news, near as good as the Word of God. The featured picture was taken by Joe Getchell Jr a wonderful man of God, in July of this year. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy these kinds of scenes. Now let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text and continue reading out loud. You don’t have to read my words out loud although it will help you understand but always read the Bible texts out loud.
Isaiah 26:13-16 (NLT)
13 O LORD our God, others have ruled us, but you alone are the one we worship.
14 Those we served before are dead and gone. Their departed spirits will never return! You attacked them and destroyed them,
and they are long forgotten.
15 O LORD, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great. You have extended our borders, and we give you the glory!
16 LORD, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline.
As we once again start off with verse thirteen, the Prophet Isaiah is declaring that others have ruled them as a nation but they only worshiped God. That is his confession now but we know that was not always the case otherwise they would not have needed rescue from bondage. The temptation to go into bondage comes to us all many times but we and we alone make the decision to go into bondage or not. In their repentance came healing. When God’s people repented, healing came. When will we, the people of God in the United States come to understand this?
2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
It is not the unsaved that God is calling to humble themselves, to pray, to seek Him, and turn from their wicked ways but those who call Him Lord. Under these conditions we have standing in Heaven and He hears (a legal term) us, forgives us, and moves to reverse the curse. Now Isaiah turns to giving praise where praise is due.
Isaiah 26:15 (NLT)
15 O LORD, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great. You have extended our borders, and we give you the glory!
The Prophet Isaiah gives full credit to the Lord for making Israel great, in fact he repeats it. He then declares not only has the Lord made Israel great (again) but has enlarged its borders. Reminds us of the prayer of Jabez.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (KJV)
9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
There is much to say about this passage including that Jabez is a type of Christ. Jabez means pain and sorrow. God says in this Scripture that he is “more honourable than his brethren”, this is certainly true of Christ with us as His brethren. The word ‘honourable’ is sometimes translated as glory which has to do with the richness of God in our lives. Jabez asked for the blessing and received Him, we receive the Blessing at salvation. He asked God to enlarge him and God did just as He did for Israel in our primary text. Israel came in repentance and humility and saw the glory of God (verse 16) just as Jabez saw the goodness of God. Jabez recognizes that the primary person to be grieved from doing evil is he himself. Of course, we know that evil in our lives is a great grief to God and many times to those around us. The word ‘grieve’ in the Jabez text means to bring pain (physical and emotional) and even to fashion one’s life. Meditate the final verse of our primary text and I will pick up there tomorrow the Lord willing.
Isaiah 26:16 (NLT)
16 LORD, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline.
Whey can’t we learn there is a far better way?
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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