(Isaiah 21:1-17)
1 The pronouncement concerning the wilderness of the sea:
As windstorms in the Negev come in turns,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A harsh vision has been shown to me;
The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have put an end to all the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4 My mind reels, horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been turned into trembling for me.
5 They set the table, they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields!”
6 For this is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, station the lookout, have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees a column of chariots, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
He is to pay close attention, very close attention.”
8 Then the lookout called,
“Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
9 Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.”
10 My downtrodden people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.
11 The pronouncement concerning Edom:
One keeps calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, how far gone is the night?
Watchman, how far gone is the night?”
12 The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”
13 The pronouncement about Arabia:
In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night,
You caravans of Dedanites.
14 Bring water for the thirsty,
You inhabitants of the land of Tema;
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15 For they have fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow,
And from the press of battle.
16 For this is what the Lord said to me: “In a year, as a hired worker would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end; 17 and the remainder of the number of bowmen, the warriors of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel has spoken.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
As windstorms in the Negev come in turns,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A harsh vision has been shown to me;
The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have put an end to all the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4 My mind reels, horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been turned into trembling for me.
5 They set the table, they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields!”
6 For this is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, station the lookout, have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees a column of chariots, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
He is to pay close attention, very close attention.”
8 Then the lookout called,
“Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
9 Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.”
10 My downtrodden people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.
11 The pronouncement concerning Edom:
One keeps calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, how far gone is the night?
Watchman, how far gone is the night?”
12 The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”
13 The pronouncement about Arabia:
In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night,
You caravans of Dedanites.
14 Bring water for the thirsty,
You inhabitants of the land of Tema;
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15 For they have fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow,
And from the press of battle.
16 For this is what the Lord said to me: “In a year, as a hired worker would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end; 17 and the remainder of the number of bowmen, the warriors of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel has spoken.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Isaiah was a man of God, and even he became overwhelmed and distraught over things... things that haven't even happened yet! Ignorance can be bliss, but God tells us these things in His word, so that we can be aware of several factors.
It was never part of God's plan or desire that sin and evil would enter the world. But because God is love, He created mankind with a free will. This means that He will never force anyone to love Him back. So of course, being omniscient, God knew that sin and evil would enter the world, and therefore had a plan all along, to deal with sin and evil. Since He still has a desire that all come to know Him personally, part of His plan was to come to earth in flesh and take our place in death, to pay the price for sin, and rise again to have victory over death, sin and evil.
From these types of scripture passages, we can understand that disturbing things have happened, are happening, and will happen... BUT the Lord is sovereign and has a plan! Just like Isaiah, we need to trust in the Lord because He will sort out all of these things! When we fear the Lord, we don't have to fear anyone or anything - even the future!
We are not to fear or worry about anything. Instead, focus on the Lord, trust Him for and in everything, and in His strength and guidance, live in obedience to His word, which includes serving Him and others. There is such freedom and peace found in all of this!
(1 John 4:14-18)
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
Therefore - be ready! For the Israelites and those who will one day go through the Tribulation, they are to be ready for the Lord's return. And for all of us now, we are to be ready for the time when we pass away or when the rapture occurs. And "being ready" simply means - to become believers - to have a personal relationship with the Lord - to be on the Lord's side in order to be on the victorious side.
Why wait until the last minute? You might not know when that last minute is, so if you wait for the last minute, you will have to worry about that and everything else. So why postpone and worry, when we can enjoy God's blessings, inner peace and confidence, and receive His salvation and His faithful, trustworthy help right now?
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