Question of the day: What brings you joy?
Today we finish chapter 8 and then all of chapter 9. It is a long passage so let's get started.
READ: Isaiah 8:18-22; Isaiah 9
18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.
The Darkness Turns to Light
19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
have devoured Israel with open mouth.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and dignitaries are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks folly.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
they will not spare one another.
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring:
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
All right lets dive in...
Chapter 8:18-22
Where are we looking for guidance?
If we are not looking to God we can most certainly expect to be in darkness.
It seems right now we are in a time in history where discerning truth is harder than ever before. It is challenging to know how to figure out what is true. There is so much disinformation, so much opinion and framing of information, and out right lying, that it is hard to know how to navigate at times. I know what you are thinking... just look to Jesus. Yes that is the right answer, but how do we do that practically.
The bible doesn't say anything about our current political climate, it doesn't tell me if I should get the vaccine or not. So how do I navigate this world, in light of this passage?
Perhaps it is as simple as, "looking to Jesus."
Certainly as it says in verse 22, if we are looking to this world we will only find, "distress, darkness and fearful gloom."
So in my family I some of us were first in line to get the vaccine, and others have not gotten the vaccine. ALL of us earnestly seeking after God's guidance and will for our lives. So what is going on? Are some of us just more in tune with God's will, and others misguided and wrong?
WE are NOT going to get into a discussion about the vaccine!!!!! That would be completely missing the point!
When our granddaughter was born just a few weeks ago, we had the privilege of going and helping take care of little beautiful Emma. After being in the home taking care of our daughter, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, for several days, we finally needed to go pick up somethings at the store. When I stepped out of the car, it dawned on me that for three days, nothing else in the world had even come into my mind. I hadn't thought about anything other than the task at hand. All that mattered was to do all I could to best serve my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.
Maybe if we were doing a better job at looking to Jesus, perhaps we would be focusing more on the task at hand, sharing Him to the world?
In chapter 9, we see that there will be a great light. That we don't need to be in this darkness that envelopes the world. That light is...
Verse 6 is hard to read without breaking into song. The Halleluiah Chorus just runs in my head.
Wonderful Counselor.
Do we really see Him as our counselor? Do you daily moment by moment seek his guidance. I am a huge proponent of counseling. We need to use the gifts of amazing counselors that have been provided by God for us! How should this impact how we live?
Mighty God.
What do you think of when you hear mighty? What does this say about our God? How does that change or impact how we live?
Everlasting Father
Recently there has been so much death and loss, so much pain that we have all seen and experienced. It reminds us how risky and how vulnerable we have to be in relationships. With God, it is different! This love relationship he has called us to, is one that is everlasting! It will never end. Even the best of relationships can end for a variety of reasons but our relationship with God, never has to end! How does that change how we live?
Prince of Peace
Perhaps the most hurtful or disappointing way we as Christians have reacted to the current climate in our country is.... I'm not sure it looks like we are one with the Prince of Peace. Does the world look at us and say, "wow Christians are not only peace filled but they promote and facilitate peace just by their presence." If we are truly the adopted children of the Prince of Peace, how does that change how we live?
He and His Kingdom are FOREVER
I really believe that we need to be reminded often that we don't live just for this moment in time, but that we are called to live with the knowledge and assurance that this is just a brief moment. We have been gifted with eternal life, therefore this life is just a moment in time. How does that change how we live?
Without God
The next section in this chapter is about a people who want to do it all themselves. Who don't seek after God, who don't live differently because of who God is. As a result we see the destruction. We see in verse nine they have an arrogant and prideful heart. They see problems and they arrogantly think they will do it themselves and make things so much better.
Do we ever fall in the trap of thinking we can make things so good?
A Warning for Leadership
There is also reprimand of the leadership. I don't know about you, but in the 7 years we have been diving into the bible here in this class, it seems we have read a lot more warnings for the church leadership that for the "sinners."
Conclusion
What is your takeaway from this lesson?
How will it change how you navigate through this next week?
In verses 2,3 and 4, we are encouraged. We might be in a world of great darkness. He is still with us shining light. He is the source of great joy and that joy is available for us all! These chapters often read as God is angry and doing terrible things to His people... but.... what is really happening here is that God has offered us everything, joy, peace, love, kindness, EVERYTHING, and what we see is what has happened when His people say, "No thanks!" We don't want any of that!
So what will or who will you choose this week.
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