Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Today is very significant, do you know why? Today is the one-year anniversary of one of the most horrific acts of terrorism in the history of our world: the vicious, brutal Hamas attack on innocent people, even elderly and little children, living in several peaceful Israeli Kibbutz communities near Gaza. More than 1200 Israelis were killed that day and more than 250 taken hostage. At this writing 101 remain in hostage captivity in underground Hamas tunnels, although we do not know if they are dead or alive. At the same time, more than 60,000 Israelis living in the northern Galilee region have had to evacuate their villages due to almost daily attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon. In truth there is virtually no place in Israel today which is totally safe from potential terrorist attack by those who desire to see the nation of Israel eradicated!
2700 years ago, in Jerusalem life was amazingly similar to what I have described in Israel today. The entire northern region of Israel was under foreign domination since the Assyrian army had invaded and captured it more than 30 years before. The region today known as the Gaza Strip was, 2700 years ago, the regional stronghold of the Philistines, the ancestors of Hezbollah and Hamas. The remaining small kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital, was under the reign of wicked king Manasseh who was ruthless, evil and turning the people away from God and toward idolatry and the occult.
Three great foreign powers seemed intent on invading and conquering Jerusalem…the Egyptians, the Assyrians and the Babylonians. It was a terrifying time to be alive in Israel, 2700 years ago, as it is TODAY in many parts of Israel.
But in the midst of the terror, the prophet Isaiah was receiving hopeful messages from God for His people Israel. In the past few days, we’ve looked at God’s promise of a Messiah in Isaiah 53 and we know that Messiah to be Jesus Christ who came to Israel 700 years after Isaiah’s prophecies.
Today consider with me Isaiah 54 which looks even further into the future toward a time of great peace for Israel. Isaiah 54 seemed as impossible in the days of Isaiah as it does today, but rather than rejecting God’s hopeful promises, we embrace them in great faith believing that El Shaddai, Almighty God is more than CAPABLE and always FAITHFUL to accomplish what He has promised! That is the story of God’s relationship with His people Israel and those of us Redeemed by Jesus!
Isaiah must have been thrilled to write these words as God spoke them into his heart: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD who has compassion on you.” (Is. 54:10) In the days of Isaiah and today, bombs and bullets, tanks and drones, artillery and airplanes, and all types of weaponry explode on the hills around Israel and the middle east, yet God’s promise of covenant love for His people remains strong and unshakable!
Have you discovered this about God’s love: you and I can do NOTHING to cause God to STOP extending His love toward us! We can reject God’s love, we can refuse God’s love, but we cannot convince God to NOT love us!
The problem we have in experiencing God’s love is that we tend to equate love with the absence of pain or trouble. But often it is in the crisis we need to be aware of God’s unrelenting, unconditional love! Do you remember God expressed it this way in the first century through pen and life of the apostle Paul: “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:37-39) Is that your conviction my friend? Has that been your experience?
Isaiah gives us two more very powerful statements from God in this great chapter of Isaiah 54 which I’d like us to see today. Here’s the first: “All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace. In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you...” (Is. 54:13,14)
While Israel has had some wonderful times since the days of Isaiah, this remarkable picture has not yet happened, but it will, in the days when King Jesus returns to this earth and reigns in His righteousness and unlimited power, for 1000 years with His throne in Jerusalem! Satan will be bound during those 1000 years (Rev. 20:1-3) and a God given peace will reign!
Here’s another picture provided by Zechariah the prophet: “The word of the LORD Almighty says: I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem…once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there… I will save My people from the countries of the east and west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” (Zechariah 8:1-8) While there have been several times in Israel’s history when large numbers of Jews have returned to live in relatively peaceful Jerusalem, the future millennial kingdom reign of King Jesus will be much greater, much more glorious, much more peaceful than at any other time in history!
And finally, Isaiah 54:17 gives us one more great picture of future hope for Israel: “…no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD God.”
Pause for a few seconds and consider the dramatic difference in the weaponry of armies and terrorists today as compared to weapons used in battle 2700 years ago? And then consider the dramatic changes in technology and weaponry including chemical weapons or pandemic weapons or nuclear weapons and even space launched weapons. Yet do you see God’s promise of invincibility for His people Israel when King Jesus reigns in Jerusalem?
My friends, does the global news frighten you these days? May I give you one more bridge of hope into the next great message from God through Isaiah which we’ll look at tomorrow? It’s been a consistent message from God to every generation of human beings since the days of Adam and Eve: “Give ear and come to Me; listen, that you may live…seek the LORD while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.” (Is.55:3,6)
Until the day Jesus returns to reign, our world will continue to be a place where evil is determined to inflict great pain on people who are trying to live God honoring lives, no matter where you live in the world. Very soon the middle east tinderbox may explode into all-out war, if it does very likely the superpowers of the world may be drawn in also, including the country, wherever you live. But God’s promise stands firm. Jesus Christ reign sovereignly in heaven now and soon HE will return to reign on earth as His kingdom comes to reign supreme here.
In the meantime, God is working here, in our crazy world, through the Holy Spirit alive and strong in God’s people all around the world! If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, your future is secure in HIM regardless of political elections or terrorist organizations or all-out war. And my friends, because God wants to empower you and me to be very influential in bringing God’s LOVE and PEACE into our world, let the children’s voices in this song help refresh us with purpose on this October 7th anniversary:
Today’s Scripture: Is. 54:10-17.
Choose below to read or listen.
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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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