Isaiah 14: Powerful, yet compassionate God
Ahaz, one of the most wicked Israel kings who sacrificed babies to false gods, was king in Israel during this prophecy about Jehovah having compassion. The Assyrians are strong now. The Philistines are still angry and ready to attack. The Babylonians are growing ever stronger. But God will preserve his people.
How much more then will God take care of me. I think my problems are great and turn to my own knowledge and power. If God can overthrow conquering nations and kings who think themselves a god, cannot God help me in my troubles. Do I think myself unworthy of God’s compassion? Look at Israel and their sin and yet God still had compassion.
This taunt in Isaiah 14 isn’t just against the king of Babylon, it’s against the devil himself. The devil through the king of Babylon says, “I will ascend to heaven; above the starts of God, I will set my throne on high.” “But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit,” says the LORD.
May we make the easier decision of simply turning to God for all things. Whether it be for comfort in times of trials or for our daily food. All things are from God, and they are a blessing from him. May we not let the wicked man inside of us take over and rely on ourselves. The devil and his temptations are lies and deceit. God is a loving God, compassionate, and covenantal friend. What else could we need or even want?
Going through a Bible study guide on Ephesians by Henry Vander Kam. Did some research on him. Quite an interesting life he lived immigrating from Netherlands, pastor in Christian Reformed Churches, and ultimately leaving to help start a new seminary and the United Reformed Churches.
A dozen interesting facts on Henry Vander Kam:
1. Birth and Immigration: Born on November 8, 1917, in Houwerzijl, Groningen, the Netherlands, to Cornelius Vander Kam and Grace Volkema; immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1924 as the youngest of his family.
2. Early Life Challenges: Grew up on a celery farm near Byron Center, Michigan; the Great Depression limited his education to eighth grade, requiring him to work on the family farm instead of pursuing immediate studies for ministry.
3. Education: Graduated from Calvin College in 1942; entered Calvin Theological Seminary that year, earning a Th.B. in 1945.
4. Marriage and Family: Married Elaine Dekker during his seminary years; the couple was blessed with three sons and two daughters.
5. Ordination: Ordained into the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) ministry on August 8, 1945, marking the start of a 50-year pastoral career celebrated in 1995. Served the Prosper Christian Reformed Church in Michigan from 1945 to 1950.
6. Subsequent Pastorates in CRC: Second Christian Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa (1950–1955); First Christian Reformed Church in Pella (1955–1964); West End Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan (1964–1968); Rogers Heights Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming, Michigan (1968–1970); Living Hope Christian Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (1970–1972).
7. Denominational Leadership - Education: Served on the Calvin College and Seminary Board of Trustees in the late 1960s and early 1970s, acting as president from 1970 to 1973.
8. Denominational Leadership - Missions and Synod: President of the CRC Board of Home Missions; frequently delegated to CRC synods, where he served as clerk, vice-president, and president (president of the 1976 Synod). (Report 44 – homosexual practice is sinful and incompatible with membership and should be subject to church discipline. Also, synod 1976 explicitly rejected opening ecclesiastical office to women. Many conservatives at the time viewed 1976 as the last synod that clearly and firmly upheld traditional Reformed positions on Scripture, sexuality, and church order before the denomination began a long leftward drift in the 1980s and 1990s. Henry Vander Kam himself later cited the post-1976 trajectory as one reason he eventually left the CRC.)
9. Bible study guides Authorship: Letter to the Ephesians 1976, Amos – 1978, Thessalonians -1980, Timothy – 1982. All reprinted in mid 2000’s by Reformed Fellowship Inc.
10. Involvement in Reformed Renewal: One of the seven founding ministers of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Orange City, Iowa (later moved to Dyer, Indiana), established in 1981 to promote biblical and covenantal preaching; taught Reformed Dogmatics there for over three years post-retirement.
11. Transition from CRC: Left the CRC in 1992 amid concerns over denominational directions; helped establish the independent Free Christian Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving as its pastor until his death.
12. Scholarly Contributions and Legacy: Authored Bible study guides and longtime contributor to The Outlook Magazine promoting covenantal theology and critique CRC shifts; active in founding the United Reformed Churches; passed away on January 11, 1996 (79 y/o), due to congestive heart failure, survived by his wife and family.
Isaiah 13: God’s Sovereignty clearly displayed
At the time Isaiah is speaking (around 735–700 BC), Babylon is not yet the world empire; Assyria is still the dominant power. This makes the prophecy dramatically forward-looking: Isaiah leaps over the next 100+ years and describes the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Medes and Persians in 539 BC.
This is one of the most remarkable predictions in the entire Old Testament. Babylon was the greatest, richest, most impregnable city of the ancient world—yet Isaiah declares it will be permanently abandoned. “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generation.” Isaiah 13: 19 & 20a.
This is historically fulfilled after Cyrus captured it in 539 BC and then Babylon gradually declined. By the time of Christ, it was already largely ruins, and today (2,500 years later!) it is exactly as Isaiah described: desolate heaps inhabited only by wild animals. The actual archaeological site of ancient Babylon covers about 10 square kilometers and is located roughly 85 km south of Baghdad, on the Euphrates River. It's an uninhabited ruin field—mostly mounds of crumbled mud bricks, excavated foundations, and remnants of walls—overgrown with sand, dust, and sparse vegetation. Wildlife like jackals, hyenas, and desert creatures do inhabit the area, aligning eerily with Isaiah's description.
God’s Sovereignty couldn’t be made clearer. And as true as this prophecy was about Babylon, God gives us similar revelation of the final judgement of the entire world. May we heed to His word, not take it lightly, and put aside our pride and live for him.
Isaiah 12: God is my salvation
Despite God’s judgement and wrath, He is a just God and a merciful God. As a father gets angry with his child, disciplines him, corrects him, and gives him a hug, so God does this perfectly with us. If a parent never disciplines his children, their disobedience continues to grow and the further they get lost in darkness. May we thank God for the rod he gives to us when we drift away from him.
God uses the times when we are low to bring us closer to him. It’s especially in times of despair and sorrow that we finally give ourselves over to him. May we find our trust and salvation in God. Also, may we not forget him during the good times. “Make known his deeds among the peoples and proclaim that his name is exalted.”
Work in me Lord, your Holy Spirit, that I may devote my life to serving You both in times of trials and times of plenty.
Isaiah 11: The Spirit of Jehovah and the peaceful Kingdom
The spirit of the Jehovah,
Wisdom and understanding,
Counsel and might,
Knowledge and the fear of Jehovah,
When we read in the New Testament of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples and believers, these attributes are what is given. May we also pray for these. Wisdom to make good decisions. Might and boldness to stand up for what is right. Knowledge of God’s law and his scriptures and application to our daily life. Christ, the Branch of Jesse, was the perfect example of this.
Life won’t be easy fearing God, but the reward will be greater than anything we can imagine. The new heavens and earth will be the ultimate peace. I vividly remember my daughter when she was about 3 years old playing at the edge of a lake. As I was watching her, I noticed a small water snake in the grass next to her and warned her about it. She calmly looked at the snake, shrugged her shoulders and replied, “he’s not bothering me.” She continued to play her toys while the snake slithered passed her back into the water. It was a small glimpse of what the new world will be like where there’s no fighting, harm or sin. Just perfect collaboration and peace among people all worshipping God under the perfect rule of Christ.
So much time and energy is wasted to combat sin in this world. How little our time and energy is spent praising God. Small local communities working together under the same goal of worshipping God can accomplish much. Imagine the whole world working together without sin! May the Spirit of Jehovah be upon our lives during this pilgrimage and may we yearn for the day of Christ second coming.
Isaiah 10: Pride will be punished
The leaders in Israel (735 BC) were making unjust laws and depriving the poor of their rights. God uses Assyria as His tool to punish Israel for their wickedness. God’s power is sovereign. Entire nations are his tools for carrying out his plan.
Assyria boasts in themselves for being able to destroy and conquer nations. But God says “Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it?” Isaiah prophesies God’s judgement on Assyria and, sure enough, the Assyrian army is decimated with a “mysterious” plague and then Babylon and Media destroy Ninevah in 612 BC.
The sin of pride is not something God takes lightly. The devil himself fell because of pride. Perhaps it can be argued that all our sins are founded on pride. The outright direct defiance of God and saying to His face, “I’m better than you,” will be punished by an angry God.
After all this destruction, a faithful remnant will return who finally put their trust in God rather than national alliances. Today this is still the case. This world is filled with destruction, corruption, and arrogance. But God will preserve His small remnant for the new heavens and Earth. Stay humble and trust in God.
Isaiah 9: The new Heavens and Earth
Despite the darkness all around, God shines his light through Jesus Christ. How hopeless and meaningless would life be without a greater purpose! What is this greater purpose though? Is it to make this world a better place expecting Christ’s second coming to redeem it? No, Christ said many times his kingdom is a spiritual one, not of this world. The new heavens and earth will be the place with no war and no sin. A place with productive citizens and with a common goal of serving God. And Christ will be the Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.
Until Christ’s second coming, God will continue bringing his judgement on the wicked. Nations will turn on each other. Similar to Israel and Judah, nations will be divided from within. “Through the wrath of Jehovah of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm.” Isaiah 9:19&20
Opt out of this dog-eat-dog world we live in. Get off the treadmill of consumerism. The pleasures of this world only lead to darkness and despair. Look to the eternal kingdom and store your treasures there. True joy comes from serving God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.
Isaiah 8: Doom and Gloom?
Throughout history, nations rise and fall but Jehovah’s perfect plan is constant. When things are going well and my nation is at peace, life starts to get comfortable. My human nature turns me away from God and makes me think I’m doing this by myself. Many in Judah and Isreal turned away from God and did not believe the prophecies of Isaiah. But after these prophecies came true and the Assyrians came and the Babylonians came, God’s people would then remember the words of Isaiah. During the extremely difficult life of being captive or being attacked is when we turn to God for help. God uses these events to discipline his people.
I’m convinced America also will come to its end, and perhaps fairly soon. Maybe attacked by another nation. Maybe it’ll implode from within by a civil war. And not just America but any nation today. The whole world is fragile. There’s plenty of conspiracies out there but as Isaiah says in verses 12 & 13, “do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But Jehovah of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” Why waste my time and energy trying to predict the future and be ahead of others with understanding of the political events throughout the world. So I can invest money better? So I can prove to others how smart and in-the-times I am?
I must simply wait for Jehovah and put my hope in him. Of course, not wandering through life aimlessly and idly, but focusing on important efforts. Serving others, raising my family in God’s word, and working diligently at the work God gave me to do. Those who turn to their own understanding “will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.”
Lord, let your face shine upon me and be gracious to me. Lift up your countenance upon me and give me peace.
Isaiah 7: Where do I turn?
When I am in fear or trouble, where do I turn? Having an engineering mindset, I typically buckle down, learn, and formulate my own solutions. Or I think how I could avoid the problem all together and deal with it a later day. I actually have a pretty high risk tolerance for being an engineer.
Over and over again, the kings of Judah turn to their own understanding to their and their nation’s demise. Each time they turn to God in prayer and ask the prophets what God’s will is, God answers them. After turning to God, the struggles and hardships I face are merely smoldering stubs of firewood in the grand scheme of things. These struggles are temporary compared to eternity.
“But God doesn’t answer my prayers,” I complain. He doesn’t talk through prophets like he used to. After 10 minutes of reading the Word, I realize He does talk back. Christ is the sign from God – “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” How much more of a sign do I need to believe and trust in Him? What more could God do to make this so obvious for me? In retrospect, seeing the kings of Judah ignoring God makes me cringe because the answers and solutions are so obvious. As I reflect on my own past, I realize how my decisions did not include first turning to God in prayer.
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”