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Dear Heavenly Father, Praise I can’t help but smile at your blessing: “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance” (Isa 19:25). Buried in Isaiah’s oracles to the nations is one of the most beautiful statements of your desire for “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). I praise you today as the God of all nations, the God who calls everyone to come and worship you. Praise the Lord! Today in Your Word Today you shared with me more of Isaiah’s oracles to the nations. These oracles foretold your coming judgment on the nations which surrounded Judah, beginning with Babylon (Isa 13–14) and ending with Tyre (Isa 23). Isaiah spoke these oracles to the people of Judah because he wanted them to realize how foolish it would be to make alliances with the very nations you had doomed to judgment. Instead, Judah should rely on you and wait for you to deliver them from the threat of Assyria. This reminds me to keep my trust firmly anchored in you. Governments, institutions, and organizations may fail, but you never will! The tone of the oracle against Moab is very different from that against Babylon, and this shows me that it’s possible to rejoice at your victory over evil without taking pleasure in the death of any individual or nation. In this oracle, I see tears in your eyes as you bring judgment on Moab for its sin (Isa 16:9–11). This is an important reminder that you have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and if I truly love others, I will do all I can to turn them from the path of destruction. The oracle against Syria (Damascus) pictures the ruin that would befall Judah’s current oppressor. The nation Ahaz feared so much that he begged Assyria for help was destined to be crushed under your mighty hand. This shows me how silly it is to fear men rather than you! The oracle against Egypt is a fascinating revelation of your plans for this great nation, both in the near future and in the millennial reign of Christ. Judah regularly put their trust in Egypt rather than you when they faced political and military threats, and Isaiah made it clear that Egypt was going to be judged right along with the other nations. In the near future, you would incite a civil war in Egypt, and they would come under the rule of a “hard master” (Isa 19:4). However, in the millennium, Egypt “will tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them” (Isa 19:16). In that day, the Egyptians will turn to you and ally themselves with Judah. There will be an altar to you in Egypt, and you will be their God! A highway will stretch between Egypt and Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship you along with the Assyrians and the Israelites! How amazing to think that the nations that attacked Judah, the nations they feared so much, would one day come and join them in worship. This teaches me that the gospel transcends national boundaries. I must go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to love and serve you! Reflection The question, ‘Who will you trust—God or men?’ is as important today as it was in Isaiah’s time. When crisis comes in my own life, will I wait on you, or will I put my trust in men? Request Father, my desire is to put my hand in yours and lean on your mighty arm! Keep me close to your side! Thanksgiving Thank you for the assurance that you are sovereign over the affairs of men! Truly, you reign supreme! In Jesus’ name, Amen. Suggested Hymn: “What a Savior!” — Isabel C. Byrum. Meditation Verse: Isaiah 19:20. |