Author: Scott Walter

The first thing we notice reading through this chapter is the cryptic promise about a dragon-like serpent, Leviathan, who lives in the sea. Even though God will destroy this beast, what is it? Why is it referenced here? 

Chapter 27 opens with the promise that God will conquer the source of evil and fear. He will punish the serpent with His sword. He will kill the dragon in the sea. This is a reference to the mythologies of Israel and surrounding nations during that time. The myths mentioned here included a seven-headed, fire-breathing monster in the sea called the Leviathan. The Leviathan is mentioned in several places throughout the Bible in addition to Isaiah, including Job and Psalms. The Leviathan represents the fear, chaos, and death that come with sin. God’s destruction of the Leviathan is synonymous with the destruction of Satan. 

There may not be a Leviathan swimming through waters nearby, but there are certainly sources of evil and fear near us today. What are some common myths in our nation? How do lies told in our culture impact us? What fear, chaos and death do they bring? 

On the day death is destroyed, the people of Israel will be restored to Him. We begin to see a vision of the kingdom of God. People are safe and at peace. They blossom and fill the earth with fruit. They are under the protection of the God who loves them. Yet, those who rise against God experience something different altogether. Rather than their land being filled with life and fruit, it is a wasteland of death and poison. Those who rise against God are broken like old sticks used in a fire. The vision in the chapter ends with how God will bring the scattered people of Israel back to Him from all across the known world. At that time, this would include land from Egypt to Assyria to Jerusalem. All the sons and daughters of God will be restored.

Chapter 26 takes a second to pause from the oracles and judgment to give a beautiful reminder of who God is. While this song describes the ultimate fulfillment when Jesus returns, it is still one that we can sing now, anticipating that day.

Much of the language of this chapter models our attitude to the Messiah. It speaks of our hearts desiring, yearning, and earnestly seeking him. This shows a deep longing for the Lord comes from rightly knowing Him. By increasing our knowledge of who God is, we see Him more clearly. We are reminded that He is steadfast (v. 4), fulfiller of promises (v. 15), has a sovereign plan (v. 5-6), and is just (v. 21). When we are reminded of who He is and what He has done, it puts us in a heart-posture to trust Him.

Verse 3 is the heartbeat of this chapter “You keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” In order to understand the “how-to” of this verse, we have to work through it backwards. When we trust Him, our minds focus on Him. When God is our focal point, we find peace. Tara-Leigh Cobble describes it this way: “The only way to trust and delight in Him is to know Him more and more. In coming to know Him, our peace increases as a byproduct.” This message is one that we can see throughout scripture: our lives are transformed (Romans 12:2), we can have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5), and think about the things above (Colossians 3:2).

The most important thing for us to remember here is the finished work of the cross. The peace that surpasses all understanding is found in the hope of knowing what Christ has already done on the cross for us. We get to walk in freedom and joy because of this truth! He has given us a new way to walk: one that is slow and unhurried. Find rest in knowing that He has already gone before us and we get to walk in His footsteps with Him guiding us the whole way.

In Isaiah 25, we are reminded of God’s perfect faithfulness in what He has done and what He will do. We simultaneously see a picture of His all powerful judgment of the prideful and His tender love and complete victory for those who trust in Him. Take a few minutes to pause and savor the verses that lift up your soul and stir reverence and joy in your heart. Underline the words that describe the great reach of His reign, the totality of His victory, His tenderness and grace, and the seriousness of His judgment. Consider how it might feel to one day see the fulfillment of these verses, because this is our future reality.

So, how does the future change how we operate today? We trust, stand firm, and give ourselves fully to God’s work because victory, in every sense of the word, is coming! Whatever we face today, we face with hope, and we keep trusting and standing firm in our commitment to Him. We trust that He will save us, believing that one day we will say (as it says in verse 9) “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” 

This is our God. This is the LORD. We will behold the one we waited for and trusted in through all the trials of this earthly existence. And the Sovereign LORD Himself will wipe away our tears and remove all our disgrace from all the earth. There is nothing that will keep you in a place of mourning – nothing you have done or been through in this life. Let that soak in.

In light of the coming victory where death is swallowed up, 1 Corinthians 15:58 calls us to “stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” God’s victory is surely coming. Isaiah 25:3 declares even “strong peoples will honor [Him].” Even “cities of ruthless nations will revere [Him].” He certainly does not need our help to turn people to Himself, but what a privilege that He allows us to participate in His work! Whatever we offer today toward God’s work, we know that it is not in vain. We withhold nothing, we trust through everything, and we fix our eyes on the final victory that is certain to come.

If you’ve ever driven on a dangerous, winding road you’ve likely seen the signs that say “Danger Ahead!” We see this traffic sign to warn us of falling rocks, sharp turns, or icy bridges. We would discover these dangers on our own soon enough, but the sign is there to alert us to the danger so we can adjust our actions to avoid fatal outcomes. The sign doesn’t cause or change the conditions, but it should change our behavior. 

Isaiah 24 is a warning sign for the people of Israel and for us. In The Message translation of scripture, this chapter begins with “Danger ahead! God’s about to ravish the earth and leave it in ruins. . .” This chapter begins a section of apocalyptic literature that continues through Chapter 27, preparing people for the coming devastation. The Bible Project defines an apocalypse as a heavenly perspective on an earthly situation. The apocalypse described in Chapter 24 provides a heavenly perspective on earthly rebellion. 

Isaiah defines the situation in verse 5: “The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.” Let’s look at the four charges against humanity Isaiah outlines in this verse:

1. The people defiled the earth, both literally and figuratively, damaging the beautiful environment and relationship God created for us.
2. The people disobeyed [crossed over the line of] God’s laws, provided at creation and throughout history. This rebellion broke their relationship with Him.
3. The people violated or changed the statutes, the boundaries God prescribed to keep them safe. 
4. The people broke the everlasting covenant. The “everlasting covenant” may refer to the covenant made when God created humans or to the promise made to Noah after the flood. In both of these, God provided life and earth to humanity, and humanity has taken that for granted.

While these charges were written for the people in the 700s B.C., they also were written for us today as we continue to struggle with this same rebellious behavior.

 Isaiah describes the natural and supernatural consequences of this behavior as a warning. Watch out for dried up resources, wars, inescapable situations, and overwhelming guilt. God is warning us, along with Isaiah’s original audience. Remember: a sign doesn’t cause or change the conditions, but it should caution us to change our behavior. The time to repent is now.

Isaiah 23 is the story of Tyre and the redemption the Lord brings to it. Tyre was a city that essentially ruled the trade waters with the port being in Northern Israel. In the ancient world, Tyre was bustling with trade from all over, but also had a cloud of materialism and pride to cover it. It had strongholds of selfish glory and was dishonoring to the earth (v. 9). The Lord recognizes the land as a place of anguish, bareness, and ruin. The Lord then declares for seventy years the city of Tyre be forgotten, but when the seventy years have come and gone, He will declare it holy in His eyes. Tyre will return as a supplier of abundant food and fine clothing with all the wages deserving.

Before we begin to unpack what this story of a city means for us reading today, it’s important to note that this turns from an impersonal story to an intimate story. The words used in the beginning of the passage refer to the city as “it” and on occasion refer to the city as “her”. By the end of the story and as a result of the redemption of the city, the city is referred to as “her” multiple times over the course of one verse (v. 18). There seems to be less pointing of “that city over there” and more of personal ownership and upholding in the word usage of “she.” 

In the writing of the story, the city is once lost, but now has a true Owner of abundance.

We could easily look at this story and look down upon Tyre, but isn’t this a symbol of the story of us? Once being lost, broken, and prideful, then encountered by the one true God, later to be restored completely. He takes our brokenness and heals it. We go from being separate from God, broken, filled by selfishness to being fully restored and blessed through Jesus’ justifying us on the cross. He pulls us near to say, “This one is mine.” Thank you, Lord, for being in the business of restoring Your people.

This chapter, the fourth oracle spoken through the prophet Isaiah, is directed toward Jerusalem. This city is God’s chosen city, home to the people He set apart as His own. They have been called to look different and live differently because they belong to God. In all that the Lord has brought Jerusalem through, in all the victory and blessing, Isaiah 22:11 says “You did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.” The people have forgotten their God. They have turned to their own power, relying on their own strength to try to protect themselves and provide for themselves. They have forgotten the God who ordains all that has happened and all that will happen. The God who has provided and protected, and who will be the one to provide and protect again.

It’s the same storyline we see again and again throughout Scripture. God makes a promise to His people, they lose patience, they lose trust, and they grasp at control. Humankind is so prone to attempts at self-sufficiency–wanting not to wait on God and trust His faithfulness, but to be our own god. Isaiah reminds us how deeply this grieves the heart of God, but let’s not lose sight of His character in hearing of His wrath: Why does God despise their rebellion? Why does God give such a strong admonishment through the prophet Isaiah?

It’s because He loves His people. He loves us. His anger burns toward anything that would separate us from His presence. As often as we see a pattern of disobedience throughout Scripture, we also see a God who would do anything to bring His people close to Himself. Verse 20 introduces us to Eliakim, who would care for the people of Jerusalem, would be seated with honor, and would determine who could approach the king. He is just a shadow of the Savior that would come, the One who would care for His people in a way no one else ever had or ever would, and the One who would make a way for eternal access to the King–access that no sin or attempts at self-sufficiency could ever get in the way of. Let’s not miss the heart of the God we serve–a God who hates anything that would separate us from Him, and who sacrificed His Son so that nothing could.

This chapter contains the first three of a series of five oracles that the Lord speaks through Isaiah. There is abundant wickedness throughout the nations, and God is proclaiming His judgment over them. Isaiah had long waited for God to intervene in the sin that has captivated the nations around him, but when he sees what God’s response to the nations’ sin will look like he is gripped with anguish. Verse 11 says, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?” It’s like we can hear him yelling, “How much longer? How much longer?” There is desperation in the peoples’ voices as they see the consequences of their sin surrounding them.

In her book Holier than Thou, Jackie Hill Perry reminds us of God’s identity as Holy, and how that determines His relationship to sin. She says, “When God sees sin in all of its different colors, He doesn’t see himself, He being the most beautiful. There is nothing so unlike God than sin. Nothing so awful as that presence within us that is repelled by God’s voice.” Because God is holy, He cannot be in the presence of sin and sin cannot remain in His presence. His justice and wrath is rooted in His holiness.

God’s holiness defines how he is unlike us. He cannot sin, He is only good, only love, only righteous, only holy all of the time. A right understanding of God is a right understanding of His identity as holy. With this proper understanding of God, our only response to Him is to fall flat on our faces in worship and surrender. 

May we see and know God for who He is, and trust His ways all the more deeply because of His character that has been revealed to us all throughout Scripture. Praise God that sin and wickedness cannot stand in His presence, that there is justice for all of the pain, brokenness, and wrongdoing that we come face-to-face with each day. Praise God for covering us with the blood of Jesus through sacrificing His Son on our behalf. Because we are seen as righteous through Jesus, we are able to come near to God. He is good, just, and holy, and he will come again to make all things right. 

Isaiah 20 is one of the shortest chapters in the Bible, and it is also notable for the oddity of God telling Isaiah to be naked while prophesying about Egypt and Ethiopia (Cush). But why would God ask him to do this? Why would Isaiah abide by preaching naked for three years? 

In the year 711 BC, God spoke through Isaiah. Generally, Isaiah was simply delivering a verbal message from God. However, on this occasion God told Isaiah to provide a visual: “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet” (v. 2). The Lord commanded Isaiah to walk naked and barefoot among the Jews for three years as a warning not to make the same mistake Ashdod made in trusting the Egyptians for protection. Those who depended on Egypt could no longer look to that nation for help, but instead should only depend on God. 

It’s important for us to note that Isaiah wasn’t completely without clothing. Naked in this context means he only wore the inner garment customary in that day—sort of like underwear. The message here wasn’t to try and provoke controversy. It wasn’t even about nudity—it was about complete poverty and humiliation. This is Isaiah putting on humility for the sake of proving a point. Isaiah dressed in the same way the poorest and most destitute around him would dress. 

God’s message to the Jews urges His people to trust fully in Him. God did not have to warn the people, but He allowed them to have three years of warning so that individuals could prepare and turn to the Lord. God wanted Israel to trust in Him and lean on Him, not on anyone else. Through this story, we can see God’s patience and grace in our own lives. While Isaiah’s ministry of preaching (almost) naked wasn’t in our time, it shows that God cares about his people, and He will use various means to communicate His message to His people. We just have to pay attention to what God is doing all around us.