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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Is. 28-29
More evidence of God’s compassion is that He tells us the same things over and over and over again. He knows we are hard headed and stubborn. He tells us our condition and the result of our condition. Then He tells us who He is and promises salvation – on Him, free of charge to us. All we need to do is repent. Which means to acknowledge that we are as good as dead and surrender everything to God. Only then can He pull us out of the quicksand and onto His Rock – the firm foundation of our salvation.
“Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable…. Hail will sweep away the false refuge, and water will flood your hiding place.” (Is. 28: 16, 17b). Sound familiar? Jesus said that the one who hears His words and does them – the one who believes and repents – is like a man who built his house on a rock. No matter the storm, that house remains unshakable. But the fool, who continues in his own way is like one who built his house in the sand. The storm will sweep away his false fortress and he will lose the very thing he did not want to give up.
Is. 30-31
I know that when the Babylonians overthrew Judah and Jerusalem, there was a group of Jews who fled to Egypt, against the LORD’s word. This part of Isaiah’s prophecy makes me think of that. Since this prophecy seems to concern Assyria, it may well be that many from Israel and Judah also fled to Egypt during the Assyrian invasion as well. I believe this is a representation of how we turn to our own efforts for salvation. We see this with many of the early Jewish believers in the New Testament. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans to address this very situation.
What was true in Isaiah’s day was true for the early Church and is still true today. “For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: ‘You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing.’ You say, ‘No! We will escape on horses’” (Is. 30:15-16a). Those who wait patiently for God, who rest in His grace, will receive every good thing – life abundant. However, those who continue in their efforts to save themselves reject God and die.