Bible Reading Reflection from Isaiah 58-66

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (FG), a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible] 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟝𝟠:𝟜

"Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high."

A great chapter to read before every fasting program! There's an acceptable fasting and meaningless one! There's truth in the saying, "Some prayer will not reach farther than the floor of a chicken coop, not to mention heaven's door."

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟝𝟡:𝟙𝟞

"He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him."

Israel couldn't save itself. They don't even know the right way. And there's none that is interceding for them. There's no hope for Israel. So, God brings Salvation through the Suffering Servant, Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That's the true picture for all of us too. If there was no hope for Israel, what hope do the Gentiles have? And God brings Salvation for us too through Christ. Salvation is only of the Lord!

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟘:𝟙𝟘

"Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you."

This world is a fallen world: trouble, fear, pain, evil, suffering shall go on as long as it exists. A day will come when God will make everything beautiful. That's the hope. We live in hope.

We hope that tomorrow will come. Everything about the future (near or distant) is uncertain. We live by hope every second of our life. We can hope for the distant future too. And more hopeful because it's God who said so. God is wrathful, but merciful too. His mercy is upon those who hope in Him!

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟙:𝟚

"to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn"

If you are a supporter of any team in a football match, you want your team to score more with a goal difference of 2 or more (like 3-1 or 4-2). Not necessarily because you hate the other team, but because you want to make sure that the other team will not equalize it before the final whistle. We want certainty, assurance, confirmation.

Now, read this verse again. God promises not only God's favor upon the righteous but also vengeance upon the wicked. No more wicked to get the upper hand anymore.

BTW, Jesus quoted this of Himself, but He mentioned only the first part because this is the era of His favor to be saved. The second part will come just before the end of the world, the day of vengeance.

Now, the ungodly may prosper, but they will be like red hot charcoal put in the water. They shall vanish in no time soon. In the end, the righteous with God wins, and the universe is theirs!

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟚:𝟛

"You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

What a word picture! This is what God has purposed for His people!

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟛:𝟙𝟟

"O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage."

Both the godly and ungodly live in this same world. Both suffered. Both will die. Both committed identical sins. Both went astray. Both hardened their hearts. Both rebelled. Both grieve God. What's the difference? That could be said of Peter and Judas Iscariot.

From a divine perspective, it's God who preserves the other person, despite who they are. From our perspective, the godly acknowledge their sins and their need for God's mercy.

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟜:𝟞

"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

Is there hope for mankind? None. Even the best deeds do not come close to God's standard. The best righteous deeds and the worst deeds may be huge in our eyes like a bucketful of water to a spoonful of water, but is there a difference when it is compared to a mighty ocean?

But, when God made a man righteous, his deeds are acceptable to God and will receive a reward for each good deed. Not just action-deeds but avoiding-deeds. When you hold your patience. When you decided to not gossip, to not insult, etc. those are good avoiding-deeds!

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟝:𝟚𝟝

“‘The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,’ says the LORD.”

And this line should have been added as well, "And mosquito shall not bite you anymore"🙂

 

𝕀𝕊𝔸𝕀𝔸ℍ 𝟞𝟞:𝟚𝟚

“‘For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘So your offspring and your name will endure.’”

The 66th chapter of Isaiah speaks of the new heaven and the new earth. The 66th book of the Bible also speaks about them.

It's in the 22nd verse of the last chapter of Isaiah. It's in the 21-22 chapters of the last book of the Bible.

If you aren't impressed with the coincidence, just be impressed that heaven and earth will pass away no matter what climate change activists do to preserve the earth. And God will create a new heaven and new earth!

This world is definitely not our home!