2 In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
REFLECTION:
This chapter issues the hope for those survive God’s punishment upon Judah and Jerusalem. For after God’s judgment has removed sinners and purified survivors, a cleansed and holy Jerusalem will serve as a shelter and shade for people.
But this will only be accomplished by a person called “the Branch of the Lord’. This is referred to Messiah who is to come from David’s family line and to accomplish the ultimate deliverance of the Jews and all humankind.
Therefore, God’s ideal surely will be achieved but it is more than we can accomplish in our own strength. God Himself has acted in Christ to make it possible for you and me to walk in the light of the Lord. We are His new creation. All we can do is to honour the Lord by living righteous lives, however dark the ways of this present world.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
16 The Lord said:
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty
and walk with outstretched necks,
glancing wantonly with their eyes,
mincing along as they go,
tinkling with their feet, 17 therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
the heads of the daughters of Zion,
and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; 19 the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; 20 the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; 21 the signet rings and nose rings; 22 the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; 23 the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils.
24 Instead of perfume there will be rottenness;
and instead of a belt, a rope;
and instead of well-set hair, baldness;
and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth;
and branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men shall fall by the sword
and your mighty men in battle. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn;
empty, she shall sit on the ground.
REFLECTION:
This passage describes vividly the dismay and demise that come when life is out of sync with the will of the sovereign God. It reminds us that people who refuse to walk in the light of the Lord will not prosper.
How do you see the haughty, self-centered attitudes reflected in men and women around you? How does their idea of beauty compare with that of 1 Peter 3:3-4? Do you think such inner beauty applies to men, as well?
How have you tried to develop this inner beauty on your own? How has God’s discipline of you led to growth and purity?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
10 Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty. 11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the Lord of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; 13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan; 14 against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills; 15 against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall; 16 against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft. 17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 18 And the idols shall utterly pass away. 19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 In that day mankind will cast away
their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats, 21 to enter the caverns of the rocks
and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth. 22 Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he?
REFLECTION:
This passage mentions a number of great things (natural or human-made) which the Israelites must have been boastful of. Yet, Isaiah warned his fellow countrymen that God would act to judge the arrogant people by bringing low these great things among them in the day when the splendor of God’s majesty is revealed.
Isaiah prophesied that on the Day of the Lord, the pride of men will be no more. We know that arrogance is not a desirable trait, yet many of us fall victim to our own arrogance.
Ask God to teach you what it means to stop trusting in humanity (v22) and to only rely on God.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
The prophet Isaiah addressed the kingdom of Judah for forty years, beginning in the year that King Uzziah died (around 740 BC) and continuing at least to the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC. As with all the prophets, Isaiah based his message on the deep covenant bond between God and his people Israel. Prophets typically delivered their messages by composing oracles—poetic speeches they recited in public. Unlike some other prophets, Isaiah had personal access to the kings of his day. He was able to bring godly counsel to kings Ahaz and Hezekiah when the powerful Assyrian Empire threatened the life of the nation. Isaiah maintains an international perspective throughout his book, revealing that Israel’s life is bound up with the affairs of the broader world.
Isaiah urges the people to care for the poor and needy, commit to follow God’s ways, and pursue social and economic justice. In typical prophetic pattern, he speaks of coming judgment because of Israel’s failure, but also of promised restoration, and moving from Israel to the wider world. God’s correction is in the service of renewal. Isaiah’s later oracles introduce the complex figure of the servant, whose personal sacrifice brings healing. These “servant songs” fit into the bigger picture of Israel’s return from exile, the Lord’s return to his people, and the nations turning to God. New Testament writers will turn to Isaiah often to explain how Israel’s ancient commission to bring blessing to the world was fulfilled.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah! 11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
REFLECTION:
Isaiah described a religious people whose ritual seems to be according to the law. These people went up to the temple dutifully for the required festivals; they offered sacrifices correctly, made long and impressive prayers. But God called all these meaningless. They seem to believe that following rituals will guarantee God’s blessings. But God totally rejected it.
The people were, instead, summoned to obedience, focusing particularly on justice toward the oppressed, widows, and orphans, people who are vulnerable and without social protection.
The point is that a real and vital faith is not that we appear and do right, but that our relationship with God has produced righteousness.
Is your involvement in church activities, or prayer has become empty ritual, or do you serve the Lord from a heart of love and devotion?
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
