ISAIAH 31

LORD judges those who don’t trust in HIM verse 1- 3

Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help

and stay on horses

and trust in chariots – BECAUSE they are many

and in horsemen

BECAUSE they are very strong

BUT they LOOK NOT unto the Holy One of Israel

neither SEEK the LORD

Yet HE also is wise – and will bring evil

and will not call back HIS words

BUT HE will arise against the house of the evildoers

and against the help of them that work iniquity

NOW the Egyptians are men – and not God

their horses flesh – and not Spirit

WHEN the LORD shall stretch out HIS hand

both he that helps shall fall

and he that is helped shall fall down

and they all shall fail together

Message of the LORD to Isaiah verse 4- 5

FOR thus hath the LORD spoken unto me

Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey

when a multitude of shepherds

is called forth against him

he will not be afraid of their voice

nor abase HIMSELF for the noise of them

so shall the LORD of hosts come down

to fight for mount Zion

and for the hill thereof

As birds flying – so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem

defending also HE will deliver it

and passing over HE will preserve it

Call to return to the LORD verse 6- 7

TURN you unto HIM from whom the children of Israel

have deeply revolted

FOR IN THAT DAY every man shall

cast away his idols of silver

and his idols of gold

which your own hands have made

to you for a sin

LORD will defeat Assyrians verse 8- 9

THEN shall the Assyrian fall with the sword

not of a mighty man

and the sword

not of a mean man

shall devour him

BUT he shall flee from the sword

and his young men shall be discomfited

AND he shall pass over to his stronghold for fear

and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign

says the LORD

whose fire is in Zion

and HIS furnace in Jerusalem

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! (8159 “look” [sha’ah] means respect, gaze, pay attention to, or accept.)

DEVOTION: We live in a beautiful country. My wife and I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit Alaska on many occasions. It is a beautiful state. Someone asked if it was only good to go in the summer and I said no. I have taken trips in the winter and as I traveled the countryside to visit a missionary the scenery was beautiful. The light of the sun was just different than in New York. I love to sightsee in all the states that I visit. The memories are great.

Here we find the children of Israel looking in the wrong direction. They spent time in Egypt as slaves and yet they thought that they could get help from Egypt that would defeat the Assyrians.

We sometimes think that a human army is better than God. If we can see it in front of us we think we have a chance to win a battle. The children of Israel couldn’t see the spiritual army that was around them. The servant of Elisha saw an army surround them and was afraid. Elisha prayed and the LORD opened his eyes and he saw “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

Our eyes have to be open to the fact that there is a spiritual army around the servants of God. The book of Hebrews informs us that each of those who are heirs of salvation have a guardian angel.

We have a negative example in this chapter of God’s people looking to human means to end a battle. Our responsibility is to seek the LORD in every battle. We are never outnumbered when the LORD is on our side. One angel is enough to fight any of our battles.

CHALLENGE: Daily we need to turn our battles over to the LORD. Worry never wins a battle. The LORD always does!!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 2 Yet HE also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back HIS words: but will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. (7489 “evildoers” [ra’a’] means to treat badly, to do or be evil or bad, someone who does evil deliberately, especially someone who deserves to be punished for their acts, or do wickedness.)

DEVOTION: Too often the children of Israel and even today we find that Christians will go to the wrong source for help. Too often we think we can handle things ourselves without looking to the LORD for help.

The problem is that we can’t do it without the help of the LORD. All of our efforts are not worth too much because our strength is weak because of our sins. It is hard for those who are sinners to win battles against the devil and his angels because only the LORD has the strength to defeat our enemies.

God wants us to depend on HIM alone. However, our sinful heart, even of believers, try to handle our problems on our own and we lost and feel defeated and still don’t repent and turn to the LORD for strength.

We are not learning for the failures of the children of Israel. We seem to think we are not as sinful as them. Yet, we are and need to repent and turn to the LORD alone for our help.

Then we can thank HIM for our victory and give HIM the glory HE deserves in our life. Our strength in in the LORD alone. If we can learn that lesson then we can move forward in our walk with the LORD and have many victories.

CHALLENGE: Are we willing to learn from the failures of the children of Israel? Are we willing to learn from what we see happening today even in the lives of believers who try to correct themselves without the help of the LORD? The LORD wants us to trust HIM alone!

___________________________________________________________

: 3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not Spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helps shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together. (3615 “fail” [kalah] means bring to an end, come to an end, complete, finish, to waste away, be exhausted, be used up, perish, or be destroyed.)

DEVOTION: Isaiah is dealing with the issue of trust in many chapters. He wants the children of Israel know that if they trust in anyone or anything other than the LORD, they are in trouble.

This verse states that the Egyptians are just human beings. He informs them that horses are just flesh and blood also. Then he informs them that the LORD is not flesh and blood. The LORD is omnipotent. HE can do anything.

HE can defeat any enemy. HE will fight for those who trust in HIM. HE will chasten those of HIS children that trust in others. HE is going to defend Jerusalem. The rest of the chapter instructs the children of Israel that they have to turn in the direction of the LORD.

They had deeply revolted against the LORD. They trusted more in idols made with their hand then in the LORD. When HE stretches HIS hand out against someone, they are going to perish.

All these chapters are messages of Isaiah to the children of Israel to change the direction they were going. These were the people of God. These were people who should have listened to a prophet of God. However, they didn’t.

We are supposed to learn from the Old Testament. We are supposed to be ones who trust in the LORD alone. However, we find that we trust in our education, friends, and ourselves before we trust in the LORD. We are not learning from their example.

Why does he repeat so much?? Because they are hardheaded and so are we. Let us start trusting the LORD and not leaning on our own understanding. HE is working in our lives. LISTEN!!

CHALLENGE: Failure is going to happen to all those who look in the wrong direction for help. Success comes to those who turn all their burdens over to the LORD. Failure should not be something we appreciate.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 6 Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). מַק [ʿamaq /aw·mak/] – to be deep, be profound, make deep.

DEVOTION: What does it take for people to give up their idols and rebellious attitudes toward the God that has saved them? As Isaiah spoke to Israel not to trust in Egypt and the riches and power that it displayed so he speaks to us today not to trust in the prosperity and economic and military might that is demonstrated around us. Under the Bush administration it was proclaimed that the United States was the only superpower in the world. Shortly after that came the economic downturn that shocked many and made skeptics of the power of the United States. Since then there has been a dramatic increase of monetary and military influence from nations like China, Russia and some Middle Eastern countries. What was considered a lopsided power structure seems to have corrected itself. The same was true in Isaiah’s time, Assyria was the dominant world power but Egypt was threatening and Israel was looking for support. Yet they were looking in the wrong place! Instead of looking to the Lord they were looking to man. Instead remembering where their help had come from repeatedly, they searched for new sources of corrective power.

Their deep revolt had caused them suffering, sorrow and untold pain but they still were rebellious! They were looking for the golden and silver trinkets to save instead of the creator of gold and silver. He stands and waits for their return.

CHALLENGE: The depth of our revolt also causes God to go to extreme measures to get our attention. He loves us and is willing to demonstrate that repeatedly. Is gold or silver stopping you from returning to Him today? Just another dollar or another promotion and then I will return. Another ballgame, another event and then I will be finished? Return to Him and throw away that idol, truthfully it isn’t satisfying your deepest needs. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)

_________________________________________________

: 9 And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, says the LORD whose fire is in Zion, and HIS furnace in Jerusalem. (8574 “furnace” [tannuqr] means oven, an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced for various reasons, fire-pot, stove, or of God’s wrath.)

DEVOTION: The LORD wants the children of Israel to know that HE is in control of what is happening in the nation. HE is the one who allows the enemy to win battles and HE is the one who wins the battles for the children of Israel.

The LORD is going to make sure that the fire on the altar is going to continue to burn even when there is an enemy near that seems to be able to defeat the children of Israel but it doesn’t happen.

Our protection comes from the LORD even today. The enemy is real. He wants to defeat us and cause us to fear. However, the LORD is on our side to help us even when we are not as faithful as we should be. HE wants us to depend on HIM just like the children of Israel were to depend on HIM in the Old Testament.

HE has promised to never leave us or forsake us. That doesn’t mean that HE will not send judgment at times to get our attention just like HE did to the children of Israel wen they were not serving HIM properly.

It would be nice if we would be faithful to HIM all the time but for some reason it seems that just like the children of Israel were prone to wander, we seem to follow in their footsteps.

CHALLENGE: Faithfulness is necessary for continual blessings from the LORD. Our prayer should daily be that we would be faithful to HIM today!

______________________________________________________________

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Seek the LORD verse 1

_________________________________________________________

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Holy One of Israel verse 1

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3- 5, 9

Wise verse 2

HE will bring evil verse 2

HE will not call back HIS words verse 2

Arise against the house of the evildoers verse 2

Arise against the help of them that work iniquity verse 2

LORD shall stretch out HIS hand verse 3

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 3

LORD of hosts has spoken to Isaiah verse 4, 5

Fight for mount Zion

Defend Jerusalem

Deliver it

Preserve it

LORD whose fire is in Zion verse 9

HIS furnace in Jerusalem verse 9

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Egypt (for help) verse 1, 3

Are men not God

Horses flesh and not spirit

He that helps shall fall verse 3

He that is helped shall fall down verse 3

Shepherds called against lions verse 4

Assyrian verse 8, 9

fall by the sword

will be destroyed

discomfited

pass over to his strong hold for fear

princes afraid

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Trust in man verse 1

Trust in chariots verse 1

Trust in horsemen verse 1

Look in wrong direction verse 1

Evil verse 2

House of evildoers verse 2

Those who work iniquity verse 2

Revolted verse 6

Idols of silver and gold verse 7

Made with their hands verse 7

Sin verse 7

Fear verse 9

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Seek the LORD verse 1

Not afraid verse 4

Defended verse 5

Deliverance verse 5
Preservation verse 5

Turn toward the LORD verse 6

Furnace in Jerusalem verse 7

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Mount Zion verse 4, 9

Jerusalem verse 5, 9

Children of Israel verse 6, 7

Turn to the LORD

Deeply revolted

made idols of gold and silver

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

In that day verse 7

__________________________________________________________________

DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method. Thank you.

QUOTES regarding passage

Think of the money Judah would have saved and the distress they would have avoided had they only rested in the Lord their God and obeyed His will. All their political negotiations were futile and their treaties worthless. They could trust the words of the Egyptians but not the Word of God!

As God’s church today faces enemies and challenges, it is always a temptation to turn to the world or the flesh for help. But our first response must be to examine our hearts to see if there is something we need to confess and make right. Then we must turn to the Lord in faith and obedience and surrender to His will alone. We must trust Him to protect us and fight for us.

A friend of mine kept a card on his office desk that read: Faith Is Living Without Scheming. In one statement, that is what Isaiah was saying to Judah and Jerusalem; and that is what he is saying to us today. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 80). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

_________________________________________________________

31:2, 3 The house of evildoers refers to Judah. Their help refers to Egypt. Both Egypt and Judah will perish together. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 839). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)

_________________________________________________________

31:2 He also is wise. Sarcastically, Isaiah countered the unwise royal counselors who had advised dependence on Egypt. does not retract His words. The implied exception is, of course, when the sinful nation repented, as in the case of Nineveh (Jon 3:5–10). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 31:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

__________________________________________________________

Ver. 2. Yet he also is wise, &c.] That is, God, the holy One of Israel, is, whom they disregarded; and wiser too than the Egyptians, to whom they sought for help, and who were thought to be a wise and political people; and wiser than themselves, who imagined they acted a prudent part, in applying to them; so wise as to know all their schemes, and able to confound them, as well as most certainly and fully to complete his own; and it would have been therefore the highest wisdom to have sought to him, and not to men: and will bring evil; the evil of punishment or affliction on wicked men, which he has threatened, and which they could in no wise escape, by taking the methods they did: and will not call back his words; his threatenings delivered by the prophets: these, as he does not repent of, he will not revoke or make void, but fulfil and accomplish; what he has said he’ll do, and what he has purposed he’ll bring to pass; and therefore it was a weak and an unwise part they acted, by applying to others, and slighting him: but will arise against the house of evil-doers; not the ten tribes of Israel, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; but rather the people of the Jews, or some particular family among them; it may be the royal family, chiefly concerned in sending the embassy to Egypt, or in advising to it; though it may be the singular is put for the plural, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it the houses; and so may design all those great families which joined in this affair, and are therefore called evil-doers; as all such are that put their confidence in the creature, and not in the Lord; and against such he will arise, in a hostile manner, sooner or later, against whom there is no standing; see Job 9:4: and against the help of them that work iniquity; that is, against the Egyptians, the helpers of the Jews, who were workers of iniquity, and therefore their help and hope in it would be in vain; or else the latter part is descriptive of the Egyptians their helpers, who were a wicked and idolatrous nation, and so not to be sought unto for help, or trusted in, since, God being against them, it would be to no purpose, as he is against all workers of iniquity. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 179). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

__________________________________________________________

A friend of mine kept a card on his office desk that read: Faith Is Living Without Scheming. In one statement, that is what Isaiah was saying to Judah and Jerusalem; and that is what he is saying to us today. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 80). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

__________________________________________________________

FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

________________________________________________________

2 Chronicles 35
The Passover, unobserved for years, is reinstated.
INSIGHT

Abraham Lincoln once said, “A man’s about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.” That may be an oversimplification; yet it states a basic truth: Often we must consciously decide what we want to become. Those who grow spiritually are those who have made a conscious decision to pursue spiritual things. Josiah, one of the great kings of Judah, is a strong reformer who tries to lead the nation in righteousness. In 2 Chronicles 34:31, we read: “The king . . . made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the whole heart.

(Quiet Walk)

__________________________________________________________

No More Problems
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)
All too often in these days of “easy believism” and the erroneous “peace and prosperity” teaching, we hear someone say, “Once you become a Christian, all your problems will be over.” It is doubtful that anyone really believes such a statement, much less experiences it. Certainly the Israelites who had just been miraculously delivered from bondage didn’t experience it.
Of course, this concept is not biblical. In fact, the Bible teaches quite the opposite. Christ promised, “Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22). He, Himself, would have many problems. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Later, after experiencing many problems, John wrote, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13).
These problems may take the form of general troubles that come from living in a sinful, cursed world; specific afflictions, which God allows in our lives to bring about His purpose; or discipline for personal sin, as well as direct persecution from without.
While troubles will come, all is not lost! Christ promised, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Through Him we have the strength to meet every difficulty of this life with peace, good cheer, and victory. Through Him we also receive the promise that throughout eternity “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)

___________________________________________________________

I believe that our Lord wants us to learn more of Him. HE wants us to have a gift of the Spirit, an inner experience of the heart, as our first service, and out of that will grow the profound and deep and divine activities that are necessary. (p. 157)

___________________________________________

He (The LORD) spoke about the first thing that was needful – to be fervently occupied in spirit with the love of Christ’s Godhead, and to love and praise HIM above all other business, bodily or spiritual. (p. 157)

____________________________________________

We have plain teaching that the Lord does not want His children to become “saint-worshipers.” He doesn’t want you to become a preacher-worshipper or a teacher-worshipper: God wants to deliver you from the best man you know so that man can die and be removed and you won’t backslide! (p. 158) (I Talk Back to the Devil by A. W. Tozer)

_____________________________________________________________

For instance, in his first letter the apostle John establishes three tests of genuine Christian profession: a truth test (believers must believe certain things to be true), a love test (believers must genuinely love one another), and an obedience test (believers must do what Jesus says). Transparently, all of us fail these tests, more or less frequently – and then the only comfort John provides (and it is entirely sufficient) is that the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us form all sin. The point to observe is that these three tests must be applied together: it is not best two out of three, nor is there an option to excel in one and flunk the other two. (p.121, The Intolerance of Tolerance by D. A. Carson)

____________________________________________________________

Genesis 42
Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt.
INSIGHT
This puzzling chapter becomes more enlightening when we suggest that Joseph was testing his brothers to discover if they would treat Benjamin differently than they had treated him. The issue was whether or not they could be trusted to bring Joseph’s beloved brother to him without harm. While Joseph’s heart cried out for reconciliation with his family, he was being cautious for Benjamin’s sake. Joseph was wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16).
We should be the same. (Quiet Walk)

__________________________________________________________

TEMPORARY CONVERSION

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that…is offended.
Matthew 13:20-21
Our Lord, because of the danger of a “temporary something” happening, was constantly dealing with this and seemed to be repelling people. Indeed, they charged Him with making discipleship impossible. Take that great sixth chapter of John where the people were running after Him and hanging onto His words because of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, and our Lord seemed to be trying deliberately to repel them.
Take also the parable in Matthew 13—the Parable of the Sower—and our Lord’s own exposition of it. Notice particularly verses 20-21: “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hears the word, and anon with joy receives it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended.” But notice what our Lord says about this same man: he “anon with joy receives it [the Word].” That is what I mean by temporary conversion. He seems to have received the Word, he is full of joy, but he has no root in him, and that is why he ends up with nothing at all. Now that is our Lord’s own teaching; there is the possibility of this very joyful “conversion,” and yet there is nothing there in a vital, living sense, and it proves temporary.
Paul speaks in 1 Timothy 1:19-20 of “holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.” Now that is very serious teaching. He says the same thing in 2 Timothy 2. There is such a thing as temporary conversion, temporary believers, but they are not true believers. That is why it is so vital that we should know the biblical teaching as to what conversion really is.
A THOUGHT TO PONDER: There is the possibility of a joyful conversion proving to be temporary. (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 119-120, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

________________________________________________________

Nourished and Cherished

He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. EPHESIANS 5:29

There are two words in today’s verse given to husbands as a very specific assignment in loving their wives : “nourish” and “cherish.” The word “nourish” means not only “to feed” but also “to nurture to maturity.” We have an assignment to help our wives grow. Stated another way, Barbara is my number one disciple. I must take responsibility for her spiritual growth.

Practically speaking, that means praying with her and for her. When the children were little, it meant finding a way to get her some time to be able to get alone and read the Scriptures. All the time, it means talking about the spiritual lessons you are learning. It means considering what spiritual nutrients she needs to become the woman God created her to be.
The word “cherish” is another great term that means “to warm another,” and hence, “to cherish.” When you pull a blanket over yourself on a cold night, you don’t feel an immediate burst of warmth. It takes time for the coolness to
subside. It’s the same way with your wife. Every wife, regardless of the season of life she is in, needs her husband to use words that warm her soul—words of delight, encouragement, affirmation and understanding. She needs the warmth of your relationship to endure the “cold” she may be facing. She needs you to enter her world and say, “I’d rather spend time with you than with anyone else
in the world.”

I don’t have many regrets as I look back over our marriage, but I wish I paid more attention to Barbara’s spiritual growth. Having 6 children in 10 years and leading an organization that grew 30 to 40 percent a year during that same period were challenges for both of us. Husband, “seize the day!” Pay attention now to how you can nourish and cherish your wife.

DISCUSS
Ask your wife to share a few things you can do to nourish and cherish her and to help her grow. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)

__________________________________________________________

We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.