Survivors of God's Wrath

Prayer Focus: Israel

Bible Reading: Isaiah 36-37; 2 Kings 18:9-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23; Psalm 76

Scripture

Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. (Psalm 76:10)

Observation

My paraphrase version of our reading today:

The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, sent a party to Jerusalem to negotiate a surrender. They'd previously taken the Northern Kingdom of Israelites by laying siege to their city for years, and then finally carrying them off to captivity. Now they had their sights set on Judah.

He issued a challenge, mocking God by saying "Where were all the other nation's god's when I destroyed them? You won't stand against me either." God answered Sennachrib's challenge by killing 180,000 of his men in their sleep, forcing him to withdraw from the field!

Soon after this event, God spoke to Hezekiah through Isaiah, telling him to get his affairs in order, he was going to die soon. Hezekiah prayed and wept bitterly for himself and for the fate of the nation. God answered his prayer by telling him that He would grant him another 15 years. The sign for his belief was that he would move heaven and earth, literally. He caused the shadow of the sun to move backwards by 10 steps on the staircase.

The result of these miracles?  It witnessed powerfully to the surrounding nations. Tiny Judah, who has a God who fights their battles for them, saves them from disaster, turns back time, and gives their King a longer life is not to be trifled with! Asaph, Hezekiah's recorder, wrote a song, likely sung far and wide in that time, and the scripture I've pulled for today is from that song, Psalm 76. "Surely your wrath against man brings you praise and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. Make vows to the Lord and fulfill them; let all neighboring lands bring gifts to the one to be feared."

And so the neighboring lands, did.

Word got to Babylon about these gifts, and they sent envoys to survey. Hezekiah took them on the royal tour, holding back nothing from their sight. Isaiah scolded him for this, prophesying that Babylon would come and take it all.

Hezekiah's response was "Good. There will be peace in my lifetime." We could speculate all sorts of reasons why Hezekiah would say that. Was he being short-sighted? Didn't he believe Isaiah? Was he simply tired of conflict? Maybe he just wanted to finish well, for the records to say that as far as was up to him he lead in righteousness and there was peace. I don't know. I do know however, that at the height of a recent victory, before any conflict with Babylon had happened yet, Isaiah was prophesying disaster. The rise of a good king forestalled the consequences of  the rebelling of Israel, and God’s plan for uniting them. 

Application

The lesson I draw from today's reading is what Asaph declared in verse 76:10 "Surely your wrath against men brings praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained." If you take that verse out of context it sounds like God gets glory from violence, but when you place it back in the time and place it was written, you see that the wrath was not against his children, but against their oppressors, the ones who were trying to take their land and would make them slaves. God's wrath rescued the people in an event that echoed the angel of death during the Passover before they left Egypt. The whole purpose was to remind his people and the world that he was a God not made by man and crafted of wood or stone, but a living, breathing, fully-engaged God who fights his own battles, and protects his children. He doesn't abandon us to ourselves.

Prayer

Lord, look on me and cleans me from all my rebellious ways. I am so grateful to you, mighty God, for not leaving me alone in my sin. You conquered sin and death and rescued me, and I am a survivor. Your wrath teaches me restraint. Amen

Mantle

Mantle


Prayer Focus: India
Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-4

Scripture
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not."
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13 Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. (2 Kings 2:9-13)


Observation
Elisha asked for a double portion of the gift - and got it.  He went on to do many miracles, proving that he indeed had Elijah's mantle.  The Holy Spirit transfers twice the power and effectiveness from Elijah to Elisha after Elijah is taken by the Lord. The bible goes on to record twice as many miracles for Elisha. 

Application
 When I let my imagination sit here in this place and time I wonder what sorts of things went through Elisha's mind that provoked his request.  We don't have a peek into his thoughts, only what he did with the power once granted.  I encourage you to go to today's reading and see what that was.
The take-away that I have with today's reading is simple: What has the Holy Spirit gifted us as Jesus was taken up into heaven?  To find the answer to that, go to mark 16:15 where Jesus tells his disciples "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to be bold, to proclaim your word as I ought.  Your word promises gifts of your Spirit to enable me to do this.  Help me reach for them, help me reach for you!

Judgement

Prayer Focus: Haiti

Bible Reading: Isaiah 13-17

Scripture:

Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
an army for war. (Isaiah 13:4)

Observation:

The scripture reading for today details the judgement against Babylon, Moab and Damascus.

There is a movement among us as believers that wants to see only the friendly side of God. The tolerant side, the one that doesn't judge and is ever patient with us. Even now, when searching for what to say to you here, I want to find the rainbow, the happy place to take you and boost you in his love before you go on your way. But this is a side to God we must look at.

I urge you to spend time with a reference book or a google engine researching what these nations were like. Put God's wrath in the context of the people who lived there and the sins they were committing in that time. I've typed and erased several attempts to explain why God's intervention in this way was necessary, but it always goes outside of the scope of this short devotional. I will say though, that God's judgment to Israel and to the surrounding Nations was a rescue. The result was the prophesy of the Messiah, comfort that God would redeem his people. He would not abandon them! The judgements and exile would, in the end, restore their faith as a nation, and prove to the Gentiles that He was the Lord God.

Application:

My take-away from this is to look more closely at my life. What sins have I allowed in my life thinking that they weren't so bad? Where do I justify my actions to suit my needs? Where am I compromising? Do I live my life today as though there will be an accounting of my choices?

I have lots of questions that I am going to take with me into my prayer closet.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to fear you as I ought, help me turn my eyes to you. There is a verse in chapter 17 of our reading, verse 7, I will end my devotion with your words breathed as a prayer "In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.. "

The Sinful Nation

Prayer Focus: Indonesia

Bible Reading: Isaiah 1-4

Scripture

2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
"I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand."

4 Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him. (Isaiah 1:2-4)

Observation

Israel split into two nations that was at times antagonistic and other times in alliance with one another. When Isaiah, a prophet to the tribe of Judah, enters the scene the two nations were jockeying for power from each other. God spoke through Isaiah and warned Ahaz not to make deals with outside nations. Warnings he would ultimately ignore. The opening verses here in Isaiah set up the premise, and the following 39 chapters deal with the Judgment of Judah, the nations, and the world.

Israel had forsaken God. His great love wouldn’t allow them to degenerate past what he could redeem. So he would take action; action through the subjugation of his children by another nation, this time Babylon instead of Egypt. They would go into an exile that would cause them to cry out to God once more as a people. The result was repentance and unification of this fractured people, and in the time of Nehemiah, they would trickle back to build their home again.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Right now in our reading, we are at the beginning.

Application

I can’t help but see the warning here in these opening verses! I hear the heart of God breaking over his children’s sin and his frustration that they are walking away from him. God had made a promise to Abraham that he would remain faithful to his people, even if they were unfaithful. We recently read in Hosea how he felt about the direction they were going, how personally he took heir national rejection of him.

Every day that we go our own way, we grieve the Holy Spirit, and there is a reckoning. The verses we are looking at today addressed a nation, not an individual. However, we must take the warning of judgment Isaiah delivered personally, for people are the building blocks of a nation. It’s a warning that is as vital for us to recognize today, as it was for the people of Isaiah’s time.

Prayer

Lord, I pray that we as a nation hear you, obey you and return to you. The bible says “if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14) America needs your restoration. I don’t have it in me to ask for exile and slavery, like what befell Israel twice. But if that is what it takes to save us from ourselves, then I pray you do what you must to keep our nation from being completely given over to our sin. Amen.

The Sinful Nation

Prayer Focus: Indonesia

Bible Reading: Isaiah 1-4

Scripture

2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
"I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.

3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand."

4 Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him. (Isaiah 1:2-4)

Observation

Israel split into two nations that was at times antagonistic and other times in alliance with one another. When Isaiah, a prophet to the tribe of Judah, enters the scene the two nations were jockeying for power from each other. God spoke through Isaiah and warned Ahaz not to make deals with outside nations. Warnings he would ultimately ignore. The opening verses here in Isaiah set up the premise, and the following 39 chapters deal with the Judgment of Judah, the nations, and the world.

Israel had forsaken God. His great love wouldn’t allow them to degenerate past what he could redeem. So he would take action; action through the subjugation of his children by another nation, this time Babylon instead of Egypt. They would go into an exile that would cause them to cry out to God once more as a people. The result was repentance and unification of this fractured people, and in the time of Nehemiah, they would trickle back to build their home again.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Right now in our reading, we are at the beginning.

Application

I can’t help but see the warning here in these opening verses! I hear the heart of God breaking over his children’s sin and his frustration that they are walking away from him. God had made a promise to Abraham that he would remain faithful to his people, even if they were unfaithful. We recently read in Hosea how he felt about the direction they were going, how personally he took heir national rejection of him.

Every day that we go our own way, we grieve the Holy Spirit, and there is a reckoning. The verses we are looking at today addressed a nation, not an individual. However, we must take the warning of judgment Isaiah delivered personally, for people are the building blocks of a nation. It’s a warning that is as vital for us to recognize today, as it was for the people of Isaiah’s time.

Prayer

Lord, I pray that we as a nation hear you, obey you and return to you. The bible says “if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14) America needs your restoration. I don’t have it in me to ask for exile and slavery, like what befell Israel twice. But if that is what it takes to save us from ourselves, then I pray you do what you must to keep our nation from being completely given over to our sin. Amen.