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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Therefore the Lord, the Lord
Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning.”
“Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.”
“You will be
ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be
disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen. You will be like an oak
with fading leaves, like a garden without water. The mighty man will become
tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the
fire.”
Isaiah 1:24-31
This ends this
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Yesterday, we read about the
changed city of Jerusalem, a once faithful city that the word of God spoke of
as becoming like a prostitute with its people referred to as murderers, rebels filled
with corruption and greed, and companions of thieves. The special, holy city
favored so much by God for its purity and holiness was now no better than dross,
the waste produced when refining ore, or watered-down wine.
Indeed, Jerusalem had turned away
from God and was moving in the wrong direction, changing for the bad. And
today, there are more than a few cities we could identify as moving the same
way.
So what does it take to break this
negative momentum toward sin and wickedness? How can cities change for the good
and regain God’s favor over them?
As we will see in today’s scripture
and the final words in Chapter 1 of Isaiah, the process begins with God, the
Lord God Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel. Look at these words:
Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel,
declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning.”
“Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.”
“You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in
which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you
have chosen. You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without
water. The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn
together, with no one to quench the fire.” (vv 24-31)
True change, and definitely change
in turning from sin to righteousness, comes with sacrifice. Something has to be
given up for something new to happen. We leave the past behind for a better
future and the better future for any man or woman is a future where the Lord is
the first priority in all things. We can either willingly opt to allow this to
happen or, as we will see in today’s passage, the Lord will make it happen. For
God was not willing to watch His chosen people continue to pollute His holy
land with sin anymore. It was time for Him to intervene and take action, the
kind of action that would facilitate change for the good, even if that change
might be extremely unpleasant for His people. Look again at what He vowed to
do:
1. Display wrath and vengeance.
I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies.
2. Turn against His people.
I will turn my hand against you.
3. Purify His people.
I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.
4. Restore Israel with leaders who
directed the nation in righteousness and holiness
I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the
beginning.
5. Annihilate anyone who continues
to forsake Him.
Rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord
will perish.
6. Lead the people to shame over
the way they had turned from Him.
You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have
delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen. You
will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. The mighty
man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no
one to quench the fire.
Yes, Israel was going to change for
the good but that change was not going to be easy for them, not by a long shot.
We know that the penalty for their continued, persistent disobedience and
unwillingness to take the matter of turning from sin to righteousness seriously
was seventy years of exile away from the land God had promised and led them
into. Jerusalem, the once divine and revered holy city would be laid to waste
and the presence of God would leave the temple before it was destroyed. In
captivity and oppressed at the hands of people who had no belief in their God,
the people of Israel would come to a place where they gained the proper respect
and appreciation for God, a place where they once again could be restored and
renewed, a place where they could return home and once again make Jerusalem
holy, a place where they would once again live in God’s favor.
Restoration can be like this in our
own lives as God does to us individually what He did collectively for the
nation of Israel. When we are embedded in wickedness and show an unwillingness
to repent from our sins, we anger God who will turn His hand against us and bring
circumstances into our lives to purify us. Those circumstances might not be
pleasant. In fact, they might be excruciating and enduring but one thing is for
sure, they will serve to change our bad to good, to changes we would have not
made ourselves if left to our own devices. Maybe you have experiences this in
your life. I know I have.
Friends, in the end translation,
God is always working things for the good. He wants to make all things new and
when I say new, I mean holy and righteousness and blameless in His sight, doing
whatever is necessary to make that happen.
If you have some sin in your life
that is taking you in the wrong direction and away from God, I pray today that
this scripture and message that He has given me speaks to you and shows you the
need for willing change before God Himself makes that change happen. Trust me,
it will be a lot easier to make that change yourself, using the strength He is
ready to grant. If there is a specific matter I need to pray for, please either
post a comment or message me.
Blessings to you always.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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