Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Monday,
No matter where you live in the world, I’m sure you have some interest in the current Presidential election process in America. I don’t know if at any time in American history the two paths forward, offered by the two main Presidential parties, have been more different than today. Because of the role of America in the world, those two different paths have almost immeasurable and dramatically different implications for the future of our world. Do you understand that?
Over the past several weeks we’ve been seeking to learn very important lessons from the Biblical record of the nation of Israel who frequently faced very similar times. As Moses was nearing the end of his life he gave a series of farewell, instructional messages to the next generation of Israelites, those who would have the opportunity to finally enter the Land of God’s Promise with Joshua. Deuteronomy 28 is a chapter which called the people of Israel to look into the future and envision two very different future paths.
One was the path of living in full alignment with God as His people. Living fully committed to the Covenant God had invited them into, starting with the 10 Commandments. Living nurturing their authentic relationship with God with worship of Holy God as the centerpiece of that relationship and teaching their children and grandchildren to do the same. God’s promise was that if His people chose this path God would help them live it; God would protect them from their enemies and bless them with bountiful abundance in every way. You’ll find that remarkable future described by God in Deuteronomy 28:1-14.
But God was equally clear and graphic in His description of a very different path forward if His people chose to reject God’s generous offer and instead turn away from God, disregard His Covenant, fabricate and worship idols of their own making and lead their children and grandchildren in doing the same.
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 is an almost unimaginable description of what life would be like for Israel if God’s people chose the path of wickedness. I’m sure you noticed the remarkable imbalance between the number of verses dedicated to the description of these two very different future paths. 14 verses describing the path of God’s blessing and 53 verses describing the horrible path of God’s punishment.
You would think every Jewish family would read Deuteronomy 28 several times a year and would challenge each other to help their family walk with God and avoid the horrific disaster which God warned if they abandoned Him. Sadly, as we’ve seen in our journey through Kings & Chronicles, the northern kingdom Israel immediately turned away from God after king Solomon and they did experience Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and finally were conquered and demolished by the mighty Assyrian army in 722bc. The southern kingdom Judah wavered back and forth between the two distinct paths of Deuteronomy 28, largely depending on the moral and spiritual courage of the king in Jerusalem at any given point in their history.
As we’ve seen in recent days, the 29 wonderful years of king Hezekiah were absolutely the path of God’s great blessing as described in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. But those great years were followed by 55 terribly painful years of king Manasseh who led God’s people away from God and embraced idolatry and even the occult. (2 Kings 21:1-9) As a result they lived many of those 55 years like the description of Deuteronomy 28:15-68.
Isaiah was the prophet through whom God spoke for more than 50 years during the reigns of Hezekiah, and both his father wicked Ahaz and at least for a few years, his wicked son Manasseh. There is no specific detail in the Bible of how Isaiah the prophet of God died, but many Bible scholars believe this brief statement in Hebrews 11:36,37 describes how Isaiah and other prophets were rejected, persecuted, tortured and some even killed by the Jewish leaders who refused their messages from God.
Listen to these words: “Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning, they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated…” As you see I underlined the words they were sawed in two because some extra Biblical, historical literature claims the prophet Isaiah was killed during Manasseh’s reign by being placed inside a hollow log and the log actually being sawed in two with Isaiah inside, still alive! Such was the hatred and total rejection of wicked Manasseh for the messages of God proclaimed and written by Isaiah!! Now pause and ponder that for a moment.
In the past few days, I’ve been leading you through a very powerful message from God in Isaiah 42. It was both intended for the Jewish people in 690bc, king Manasseh’s era, but also for God’s people of every generation who, like the people in the days of Moses and Deuteronomy 28, are living with leaders promising very different futures, as is happening in America today.
So, I want to leave you with this challenge today: read or listen to the audio Bible version of the remaining verses of Isaiah 42:10-25 as God describes two very different visions of the future for the people of Isaiah’s day.
One was a future day of Hope and God’s victorious intervention as God would defeat His enemies and the enemies of His people. (Isa.42:10-16) This picture will reach its ultimate future fulfillment when Jesus Christ returns to earth and reigns over His millennial kingdom from Jerusalem. (Rev. 20)
The other, very different future picture seen in Isaiah 42:18-25 was of God’s approaching judgment on His people if they continued living in rebellion against God, refusing to live in the Covenant relationship God gave them, (Ex. 24:7,8) and incurring upon themselves the justice of Holy God.
It must have been difficult for Isaiah to write this message of judgment from God for His people: “You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen. It pleased the LORD for the sake of His righteousness to make His law great and glorious.” (Is. 42:20,21) Yes, God’s covenant law offered to His people was glorious and wonderful, providing a clear path to living a God blessed life.
But king Manasseh was leading the people of Jerusalem far away from God, turning their backs on God and embracing wicked and worthless idols. Despite all God’s miracles performed and God’s messages of guidance, warning and hope, the people seemed uninterested in anything God said. Look around where you live today my friends, do you see people like that?
God gave Isaiah a very clear message of warning for His people: “Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in the future? Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? For the people would not follow His ways; they did not obey His law. So, God poured out on them His burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.” (Is. 42:23-25)
What a dreadful thing for God to turn from being the protector and provider for His people, to God pouring out His judgment upon His wayward, rebellious people! Do we understand that God has a full arsenal of judgments He can use to discipline rebellious people? History has shown us several including: uncontrollable, contagious, terminal diseases; or what some call natural disasters like volcanoes or tornadoes or tsunamis or typhoons or hurricanes; or how about the violence of war or terrorism?
As Isaiah set down his stylus and reflected on what God had spoken to him, which he recorded for us in Isaiah 42, I wonder if it brought Isaiah to tears as he contemplated the future judgment disasters God was predicting would soon be coming upon rebellious Israel?
As you and I read it today my friends, and as we look back over history, will we learn the lessons God invites us to learn from history and humble ourselves before God, or will we follow the paths of so many before us and raise up our fist in rebellion against God? I think I’ll leave you pondering that very significant question as you consider what you see in your city, your country and the volatility all around our world.
Here’s a song to help us consider these things my friends, for God has not given up on our world, have you?!
Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 42:10-25 & Deuteronomy 28.
Choose below to read or listen.
Isaiah 42:10-25
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Deuteronomy 28
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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