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.