ISAIAH 34
God’s judgment on all nations verse 1- 4
Come near – you nations – to hear – and hearken – you people
let the earth hear – and all that is therein
the world – and all things that come forth of it
For the indignation of the LORD is on all nations
and HIS fury upon all their armies
HE has utterly destroyed them
HE has delivered them to the slaughter
Their slain also shall be cast out
and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses
and the mountains shall be melted with their blood
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved
and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll
and all their host shall fall down
as the leaf falls off from the vine
and as a falling fig from the fig tree
God’s judgment of Edom explained verse 5- 7
For MY sword shall be bathed in heaven – behold
it shall come down on Idumea
and on the people of MY curse – to judgment
The sword of the LORD is filled with blood
it is made fat with fatness
and with the blood of lambs and goats
with the fat of the kidneys of rams
for the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah
and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea
And the unicorns shall come down with them
and the bullocks with the bulls
and their land shall be soaked with blood
and their dust made fat with fatness
God’s reason for judgment of population verse 8- 10
For it is the DAY of the LORD’S vengeance
and the YEAR of recompenses for the controversy of Zion
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch
and the dust thereof in brimstone
and the land thereof shall become burning pitch
It shall not be quenched night nor day
the smoke thereof shall go up forever
from generation to generation it shall lie waste
none shall pass through it forever and ever
God’s provision for plants and animals verse 11- 15
BUT the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it
the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it
and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion
and the stones of emptiness
They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom
BUT none shall be there
and all her princes shall be nothing
And thorns shall come up in her palaces
nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof
and it shall be a habitation of dragons
and a court for owls
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet
with the wild beasts of the island
and the satyr shall cry to his fellow
the screech owl also shall rest there
and find for herself a place of rest
There shall the great owl make her nest – and lay
and hatch and gather under her shadow
there shall the vultures also be gathered
everyone with her mate
God’s promise that HIS judgment will happen verse 16- 17
Seek you out of the book of the LORD – and read
no one of these shall fail – none shall want her mate
for MY mouth it hath commanded
and HIS spirit it hath gathered them
And HE has cast the lot for them
and HIS hand hash divided it to them by line
they shall possess it for ever
from generation to generation
shall they dwell therein
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. (7181 “hearken” [qashab] means attend, heed, incline, be attentive, pay attention, give attention, or listen carefully.
DEVOTION: Have you ever given instructions to your children or grandchildren? Here is how it goes. “Please pick up your room and put everything away in their proper place. I will be back in a little while to check to see if you have done what I have said.” I come back in a little while and they are either still not picking up their room or they have picked it up and put it under the bed or in the closet or someplace where they don’t belong. Then you ask “What didn’t you understand about what I told you?” They say, “I don’t know. I forgot!” So goes the conversation.
Most of the time you have to stand right in the room to help them understand your instructions and also get busy doing what they are supposed to do. Once you leave the room anything can happen. I know that never happens to you.
Well, the LORD is giving instructions through HIS prophet Isaiah to the children of Israel.
First HE says the words “Come near,” so that they are not outside of hearing distance. They can hear the words correctly and then there is no misunderstanding.
Secondly, HE informs them as to who HIS audience is for this message. The audience is all the nations of the world. HE wants them to all listen to what HE has to say. The LORD created the world and all those who live in it. HE will give them all a message they can understand and act on. The message is one of a need to repent or be judged.
Thirdly, HE wants them to hear his message. It is a message of judgment because they have refused to repent of their sin. There will be a remnant that listens but the majority will not listen. They will continue to live the way they want to rather than change to please HIM.
Finally, HE would like them to act on what HE has stated. HE wants them to apply what HE has said to them. That can only do what HE wants them too if they listen carefully. HIS instructions seem plain, just like a parents to their children but most of the time there isn’t careful listening involved. Most of us hear what we want to hear and forget the rest.
Children are allowed to not follow instructions carefully but once someone becomes an adult that should not be what is happening. Too many adults in our churches are not listening carefully to what is being stated from the Word of God.
Remember if the Bible is not opened and preached – change churches. If the Bible is not believed in the church you are attending – change churches. If they are changing the meanings of the Bible saying it is old fashion – change churches. If the Bible is preached in truth and you are not listening you have to answer to the LORD for your actions.
CHALLENGE: Listen carefully to what the Bible is teaching. It is not old fashion, it is TRUTH.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nation, and HIS fury upon all their armies: HE hath utterly destroyed them, HE hath delivered them to the slaughter. (7110 “indignation”[qetseph] means wrath, anger of God, frustration, judgment of anger, a feeling of intense anger that does not subside, often on an epic scale.)
DEVOTION: The Bible only allows the LORD to have this type of anger toward people. HE is the one who created the world and put the first humans on it. HE is the one who gave Adam and Eve instructions and yet they didn’t listen to HIM and so for many generations till today we have those who will not listen to the instructions of the LORD.
Those who choose to disobey the LORD is going to judge in HIS time and in HIS way. The Bible informs us that those who are without the LORD in their life are going to face HIS judgment.
So we see that throughout the Bible many nations and at times even Israel was disobedient and they had to be judged. There is a day coming where all those who reject the offer of salvation that the LORD has given regarding Jesus Christ will have to face their judgment for eternity.
Those of us that have asked the LORD into our life will be given rewards according to our works that are pleasing to the LORD and the rest of them will be burned but we will be saved “yet so as by fire.”
God wants HIS people in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament to be witnessing to those who need HIM in their life. It is part of our responsibility. We are not to fail to do this if we want the blessings of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Are you witnessing for the LORD today in your family, neighborhood and world? With the help of the LORD we can reach those we love with the message of salvation.
__________________________________________________________
: 4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982)
DEVOTION: Recently we took a trip to visit the seven churches of Revelation and then went to Athens and Corinth. While we were there we visited many sites that talked about the gods that the cities and cultures worshipped. They was an acropolis where the temples to these gods or goddesses were worshipped. Almost always they were located on the tops of large hills or mountains to highlight their worth and power as gods. Israel had similar mountaintop worship centers and Isaiah foretells of the destruction of these places.
Here in chapter 34 he returns to the destruction of nations and their gods. Evidently the whole universe will be involved in this judgment. The Lord will roll up the heavens like a scroll that He has finished reading. The sun, moon, and stars will wither and fall like grapes or figs (cf. Matt. 24:29; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 6:13–14). This implies also the destruction of the pantheon of gods that these heavenly bodies represented in the ancient world. This may refer to the judgment of the sixth seal in the Tribulation (Rev. 6:12–13), or to the eternal state, after the Millennium, when the sun will not be needed (Rev. 21:1). Or perhaps Isaiah was speaking figuratively of a change in the whole power structure in the Millennium when human kings will be done away with and God alone will be in control.
However, the Lord chooses to bring this judgment to pass the people of the world need to be prepared and forewarned! We have been given an opportunity to proclaim the Good News of the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ while the judgment is being withheld. Let us be diligent as we do not know when the end will come to the church age and the beginning of judgment will commence.
CHALLENGE: Let us pray and prepare as if this is the last day of the age of grace! The return of Christ will usher in the great judgment and people need to be warned. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit hath gathered them. (7121 “read” [qara] means to call, recite, cry out, utter a loud sound, proclaim, announce, preach or to summons.)
DEVOTION: Records are important. If you file a tax return but don’t keep the records of all of your expenses for seven years they can come and audit you and you will fail. They want to see the receipts. Keeping records is not easy sometimes.
Also if you are an individual who has to write a dissertation and have all your research on your computer and don’t back it up you could lose all your research if there is a power surge. Backing up your research on a external hard drive or on an online server is always good.
The LORD used HIS servants to record what has taken place from the creation of the world until the end of the world. Each servant or writer is under that inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write an inerrant record of what has taken place in the past and what will happen in the present and even what is going to happen in the future.
One of the proofs of the inerrancy of the Bible is fulfilled prophesy. Isaiah is giving a message of the LORD that will be happening in the future. It will happen after Isaiah is dead. Some false teachers think that the LORD doesn’t know the future. That HE is surprised by what is happening in our world. They are wrong and will answer to the LORD for their false teaching.
There is going to come a time when the LORD will destroy the nations. HIS time of anger will be reached. HE is long-suffering but there is a limit. HE is going to roll back the heavens as a scroll. HE is going to fill HIS sword with blood. It is going to be the day of the LORD’S vengeance. Isaiah uses Edom as an example of what the LORD is going to do in the future. Animals will only inhabit the land of Edom. The people will be gone. There will be confusion. There will be emptiness.
Isaiah instructs the children of Israel to seek out the record of the LORD’S communication with him. HE has recorded HIS future actions in a book. Isaiah is writing one of these books. The Old Testament is full of books that tell of the LORD’S dealing with people in our world. HE is dealing with them in relation to how they have treated HIS people. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament that tell of HIS love and HIS judgment. They also tell us that HE has a plan for mankind. HE is working HIS plan. Consult the book.
This verse not only tells the people of God to consult the book but to preach it. They are to preach with a loud sound. They are to proclaim it. The message is one that can be told to others as a warning of future events. God’s people are to spread the word to all they come in contact with on a daily basis.
Are we spreading the word of coming judgment? Are we telling others about the only way to escape this judgment? Isaiah was spreading the Word of God. It is our turn NOW!!!
CHALLENGE: Study the Bible with the idea that it gives you a picture of what God is doing and why. Then instruct others.
_______________________________________________________
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)
Seek the book of the LORD verse 16
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)
Sacrifice verse 6
_______________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Book of the LORD verse 16
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 6, 8, 16
Indignation of the LORD verse 2
Sword of the LORD verse 6
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit verse 16
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)
Nations verse 1, 2
Idumea verse 5, 6
Bozrah verse 6
Nobles verse 12
Princes verse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Curse verse 5
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hear verse 1
Hearken verse 1
Seek verse 16
Read verse 16
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zion verse 8
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Host of heaven will be dissolved verse 4
Day of the LORD’S vengeance verse 8
_________________________________________________
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
In this case, Isaiah is calling us to a searching acquaintance with God’s written word, on the grounds that every smallest detail—down to the birds and beasts—comes from his mouth, will be implemented by his Spirit and applied by his hand. (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Vol. 20: Isaiah: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (243). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
_________________________________________________________
Isaiah dramatically apostrophizes the nations of the world here. They cannot hear him, for, presumably, he is speaking in Jerusalem; but his message in fact concerns them all. Such a dramatic apostrophe, addressed to the heavens and the earth, opened the book of his prophecies (1:2). He accumulates words and phrases—“you nations,” “you peoples,” “earth,” “world”—to emphasize the universal scope of his words. This makes the later particular reference to one small state all the more striking.
Such a dramatic address leads us to expect that it will introduce statements, not simply about the nations themselves, but about the sovereign God who addresses them; and so it is. There is to be a great judgment that will manifest the anger of God with them (v.2; cf. Rom 1:18–2:11). It is significant that the prophet refers to the armies of the nations, for national arrogance and cruelty have so often found their focus in aggressive acts by military forces. Israel had in fact been on the receiving end of many such attacks, but divine retribution was coming. Amos, Isaiah’s older contemporary, had however proclaimed the judgment of God on all acts of inhumanity by one nation to another, whether or not Israel or Judah was involved (see Amos 1–2 and the Introduction). The fearsome description in v.3 is not attractive; it is not meant to be, thus driving home the point that God’s wrath will lead to the death of his enemies. (Grogan, G. W. (1986). Isaiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 217). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
____________________________________________________
34:2–4. In God’s judgment of wrath against the armies of all nations the dead bodies will rot on the ground. Also the stars … will be dissolved. Catastrophic events in the sky will accompany the Messiah’s return to the earth to establish His millennial reign (cf. Joel 2:10, 30–31; 3:15; Zech. 14:6–7; Matt. 24:29). However, Isaiah 34:4 may refer to the judgment of the sixth seal in the Tribulation (Rev. 6:12–13), or to the eternal state, after the Millennium, when the sun will not be needed (Rev. 21:1). Or perhaps Isaiah was speaking figuratively of a change in the whole power structure in the Millennium when human kings will be done away with and God alone will be in control. (Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1084). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
_____________________________________________________
Ver. 2. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, &c.] All the nations of the earth, which have committed fornication with the whore of Rome, or have given in to her false worship, superstition, and idolatry; which is the reason of God’s wrath and indignation against them, and of such severe punishment being inflicted on them; see Rev. 18:3: and his fury upon all their armies; the armies of the kings of the earth, gathered together at Armageddon, to make war with Christ, and those that follow him; see Rev. 16:14, 16 and 19:19: he hath utterly destroyed them; not only devoted them to destruction, but actually destroyed them, with Cherem, an utter destruction; one of the words of which Armageddon is compounded, and so points at the place, as well as the nature and, manner, of the destruction: he hath delivered them to slaughter; to be slain with the sword of him that sitteth on the white horse, which proceeds out of his mouth, Rev. 19:21. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 194). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
____________________________________________________
2. For the indignation of the Lord. Jehovah is about to express his wrath against all the nations which are opposed to his people.
He hath utterly destroyed them. In his purpose, or intention. The prophet represents this as so certain that it may be exhibited as already done. (Barnes, A. (1851). Notes on the Old Testament: Isaiah (Vol. 1, pp. 491–492). London: Blackie & Son.)
_____________________________________________________
This prophecy is in perfect harmony with Revelation 19:19–21. In fact, these words of Isaiah might be looked upon as a commentary on, and explanation of, the vision found in the Apocalypse. It coincides also very closely with the first part of the 14th chapter of the book of Zechariah. When all nations shall be gathered together against Jerusalem, Jehovah will go forth and fight against them, we are told, as when He fought in the day of battle. In that day, the feet of our blessed Lord will stand upon the Mount of Olives when He returns to deliver His earthly people and to vindicate the promises of God made to them by all the prophets of old.
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree (verse 4).
This, in turn, links with the judgment under the sixth seal in the book of Revelation, and also carries our minds on to the end of time, as predicted in Psalm 102:26 and Hebrews 1:11. It would seem as though the first fulfillment must be taken in a poetic or symbolic sense, that is, we are to understand by the heavens, the sun, and the stars, not the literal heavenly bodies but rather the ruling Gentile civil and ecclesiastical powers of the last days. Whereas the other two passages would seem clearly to point to the passing away of present conditions entirely, in order to bring in the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. One need have no difficulty in regard to this double application, for we have the same thing elsewhere in Scripture and that in a number of places. God often uses symbolic language to describe certain events which may later have a literal fulfillment. For instance, our Lord tells us of great earthquakes which will prevail immediately before His second advent. In the book of Revelation we read of such great earthquakes, but there, in accordance with the symbolic character of the book, they have to do with the shaking and breaking down of existing institutions, the destruction of civilization as we now know it.
The following verses deal particularly with the judgment which is to fall upon Idumea, a judgment that has never yet taken place but we may be assured will be fulfilled literally in the end days. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 212–214). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
_____________________________________________________
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!!)
_________________________________________________________
The Integrity of the Written Word
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)
In addition to the numerous times when the writers of the Bible asserted that what they wrote came directly from God (e.g., Leviticus 1:1;Jeremiah 1:4; Revelation 1:1), there are at least four warnings against tampering with these revealed words.
The first is our text above, in which Moses commanded neither to add to nor diminish from anything he had written. This warning was supplemented later with the following: “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it” (Deuteronomy 12:32).
Moses was the first writer of the Bible and it was appropriate that he should give such a warning. The last was John, and his warning was even more severe, at the very end of the whole body of Scripture. “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life” (Revelation 22:18-19).
Since John was the last apostle, it is clear that this warning is against any later attempt to add some new “revelation” to the now-complete Word of God.
Then, very near the middle of the Bible, there is this: “Every word of God is pure: . . . Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6). And remember also the words of Christ: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). So don’t mess with the Word of God! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
__________________________________________________________
Genesis 45
Joseph and his brothers reconcile.
INSIGHT
Forgiveness! Where would we be without forgiveness? Without forgiving and being forgiven?
We see in this chapter a very moving example of Joseph being willing to forgive the very ones who some years earlier had plotted to kill him. Notice that Joseph’s ability to forgive was rooted squarely in his theology: “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
If we lay hold of eternal rather than earthly things, we can more easily forgive when someone robs us of earthly things. Forgive and accept forgiveness. (Quiet Walk)
_______________________________________________________
JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30
Let me show you the essential difference between justification and sanctification. Look at it like this: Justification is an act of God the Father; sanctification is essentially the work of God the Holy Spirit. There is this division of work in the blessed Persons of the Trinity. It is the Father who declares righteous and just. It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies.
Second, justification takes place outside us, as in a tribunal; sanctification takes place within us, in our inner life. I stand in the court when I am justified, and the judge pronounces that I am free; it is a statement about me, outside me. But sanctification is something that is worked and takes place within.
Third, justification removes the guilt of sin; sanctification removes the pollution of sin and renews us in the image of God.
And therefore, last, by definition justification is a once-and-for-all act. It is never to be repeated because it cannot be repeated and never needs to be repeated. It is not a process but a declaration that we are pronounced just once and forever, by God. Sanctification, on the other hand, is a continuous process. We continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord until we are perfect beyond the veil.
So there is nothing quite so erroneous and confusing and unscriptural as to mistake the essential difference between justification and sanctification. That is the whole trouble with Roman Catholic teaching and all Catholic piety. If you confuse sanctification with justification, you will be doubtful as to whether you are justified or not. If you bring in your state and condition and sin that you may commit, then you are querying your justification. But if you realize that justification is forensic, external, and declaratory, you know that you are justified whatever may be true about you.
A Thought to Ponder: Justification removes the guilt of sin; sanctification removes the pollution of sin. (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 174-175, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
_________________________________________________________
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.