In this chapter, Isaiah shares a message to Jerusalem about their disobedience to the Lord. Notice in the following passage how we can plan well for success, but if it is without God, it is useless: “Oh, what a day of crushing trouble! What a day of confusion and terror the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has brought upon the Valley of Vision! The walls of Jerusalem have been broken, and ceres of death echo from the mountainsides. Elamites are archers; Arameans drive the chariots. The men of Kir hold up the shields. They fill your beautiful valleys and crowd against your gates. Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs to be repaired. You store up water in the lower pool. You check the houses and tear some down to get stone to fix the walls. Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But all your feverish plans are to no avail because you never ask God for help. He is the one who planned this long ago. (Wow! All we have to do is keep God first, seek Him and ask Him for help whenever we need it! If we seek Him, He will establish our plans. Lord, thank you!)
The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of sackcloth to show your remorse. But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter sacrificial animals, feast on meat, and drink wine. (Wow! There we go…not listening to the Lord, again.) “Let’s eat, drink, and be merry,” you say. What’s the difference, for tomorrow we die.” The Lord Almighty has revealed to me that this sin will never be forgiven you until the day you die. That is the judgment of the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
The chapter ends with a message to the palace administrator, Shebna. He becomes proud and haughty, and the Lord reveals to Isaiah that He will pull Shebna down from his high position and drive him out of office.
As usual, read the rest of the chapter for yourself, draw some conclusions, make some connections, and strive to deepen your knowledge.
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us listen to you! Help us seek you, put you first, and make you the commander of our plans! For if we do, you will establish everything we desire! Proverbs 16:3 confirms that if we commit our work to the Lord, our plans will succeed. Lord, we love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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