(Isaiah 31:1-9)
1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
And rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And does not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of the workers of injustice.
3 Now the Egyptians are human and not God,
And their horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will stretch out His hand,
And any helper will stumble,
And one who is helped will fall.
And all of them will come to an end together.
4 For this is what the Lord says to me:
“As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey,
Against which a band of shepherds is called out,
And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise,
So will the Lord of armies come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”
5 Like flying birds so the Lord of armies will protect Jerusalem.
He will protect and save it;
He will pass over and rescue it.
6 Return to Him against whom you have been profoundly obstinate, you sons of Israel. 7 For on that day every person will reject his silver idols and his gold idols, which your hands have made for you as a sin.
8 And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not wielded by a man,
And a sword not of man will devour him.
So he will not escape the sword,
And his young men will become forced laborers.
9 “His rock will pass away because of panic,
And his officers will be terrified by the flag,”
Declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
And rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And does not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of the workers of injustice.
3 Now the Egyptians are human and not God,
And their horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will stretch out His hand,
And any helper will stumble,
And one who is helped will fall.
And all of them will come to an end together.
4 For this is what the Lord says to me:
“As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey,
Against which a band of shepherds is called out,
And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise,
So will the Lord of armies come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”
5 Like flying birds so the Lord of armies will protect Jerusalem.
He will protect and save it;
He will pass over and rescue it.
6 Return to Him against whom you have been profoundly obstinate, you sons of Israel. 7 For on that day every person will reject his silver idols and his gold idols, which your hands have made for you as a sin.
8 And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not wielded by a man,
And a sword not of man will devour him.
So he will not escape the sword,
And his young men will become forced laborers.
9 “His rock will pass away because of panic,
And his officers will be terrified by the flag,”
Declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
God's promise in verse 5 echoes what He did for the Jews when He freed them from Egypt back when they were slaves. They were even to celebrate Passover every year, just as a reminder that the Lord is there wanting to save and help them! And He is more than able!
God will judge righteously, punishing the sinners, and protecting those who have humbly repented, accepting God's free gift of forgiveness and salvation, making Him Lord and Savior of our lives. God never changes His mind. He does not retract His words. Therefore, once we become a child of God, nothing can undo that, not even ourselves! So the decision to be saved is ours to make. Will we accept, or will we reject the Lord Jesus? Until we die, it is never too late to put our trust and faith in Him. And why wait? The sooner the better!
There are so many benefits to becoming and being a Christian. The biggest benefit of course is eternal life in heaven with the Lord. But also, while here on earth, God gives us a certain hope. He changes us from the inside out, and then works for us, in us and through us. He gives us spiritual peace, joy, contentment, protection, guidance, truth... And He promises to bless the obedient, who do things in His strength and wisdom, all to His glory...
(Luke 11:28) ...blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.”
(James 1:25) ...one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.
(Romans 8:28) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
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