Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
“Drones” are amazing inventions that are changing so many aspects of life in our world. Drones with cameras are being used by rescue teams to locate people swept away by recent hurricanes and also helping damage assessment teams figure out what to do with all the debris and how to begin rebuilding.
Yesterday we began looking at God’s message to humanity through Isaiah 59 and even though written 2700 years ago it’s almost like a ‘drone fly over’ of every city in our world in our day, 2024. The first two verses are a shocking wake up call for everyone, everywhere in every generation: “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear!” (Is. 59:1,2)
Like a wave of reality, it crashes over us as we look around at the ‘debris piles’ of recent disasters; ‘debris piles’ of war in so many places; and ‘debris piles’ of broken lives all around us. But before God brings His hope filled answers, it’s as though God invites us to take a ‘drone fly over’ and look more closely at our world.
Yesterday we looked at God’s very strong words in Isaiah 59:3,4 and if you continue reading through verse 8, I’m sure you’ll shake your head in amazement as these words seem to be such an accurate analysis of our world today! But in Isaiah 59:9 the tone changes as the words Isaiah writes seem to be coming from the hearts and minds of those people who realize the despair in which they are living is a despair they have caused by their own rejection of God: “So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness. We search for any gleam of light, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind, we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes… we look for justice but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.” (Is. 59:9-11)
Oh my, it’s a very sad despair, but it’s the reality in which hundreds of millions of people are living today, all around the world, do you agree my friends? And of course they want to blame their government; or out of control crime in their cities; or lack of good jobs; or the drug cartels; or widespread alcoholism. Or I wonder what you hear is the ‘blame game’ where you live?
But courageous, honest people want to look at the ‘debris piles’ all around us and seek to understand God’s perspective, believing it is then we can find God’s answers and God’s hope. So, Isaiah kept writing: “Our offenses are many in Your sight, O God, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the LORD God, turning our back on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.” (Is. 59:12,13)
Wow, those are courageous words, aren’t they, my friends! Have you ever heard any politician or significant influencer in your city stand up before a microphone to utter such profound admission of debris causing truth? As I look around our world, in almost every segment of society, one of the greatest needs we have is for all types of leaders to stand up and be honest about the mess we’ve made of our world and take responsibility. But of course, blaming others or passing the problems on to the next leaders are the much easier, well-traveled paths.
And that’s why God calls us to recognize the price of refusing honesty, refusing to be responsible, refusing to face the social tragedies head on. Listen to what God said to Isaiah next: … “So, justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in our streets, honesty cannot enter here. Truth is nowhere to be found and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.” (Is. 59:14)
Oh my, such powerful, convicting, accusations of truth. And that very last phrase really strikes me: “whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.” Everywhere in our world God is raising up some courageous truth tellers; some responsible leaders; some people of integrity willing to face the onslaught of hypocrisy and deeply rooted corruption, and sadly they too often become the ‘prey’, the target of those who much prefer the darkness to the light, the wicked to the good.
This is not a new phenomenon; it has been the power of the dark kingdom at work in our world since the days of Noah! So, God’s next words to Isaiah are so important for us to hear today: “The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so, His own arm achieved salvation for Him and His own righteousness sustained Him. He put on righteousness as His breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; He put on the garment of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.” (Is. 59:16,17)
It’s a graphic picture of a great warrior deciding to take matters into His own hands, taking up weapons unique to Him and charging out into the fray intent on awakening HOPE for people suffering in the despair and the ‘debris piles’. And who is this great warrior?
Jesus Christ Himself, God the Son, who came to earth, stepping into the human despair and spoke God’s truth, displayed God’s power in His miracles, and paid the ultimate price on the cross so any and every person could be rescued from their sin despair and healed from their personal debris pile, by His atonement death and resurrection power.
Does the language God used in Isaiah 59:16,17 sound familiar to you, my friends? Do you remember that almost 800 years later the Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul to write these words to the Christians in Ephesus: “Be strong in the LORD and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and the breastplate of righteousness in place…Take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…” (Eph. 6:10-18)
Let’s take great encouragement in both these words of promise found in Isaiah 59 and fulfilled in Jesus, and these Ephesians 6 words of challenge to live victoriously as well armed people of God making a difference in our debris filled world. And as the Holy Spirit stirs our hearts deeply to take action in bringing the light of Jesus into the darkness of our world, let’s worship with this powerful song…
Today’s Scripture: Is. 59:1-17.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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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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