Great Verses From Isaiah – Part 1
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
The things in this list are what God wants us to do. Going against this will grieve the Holy Spirit because it is going against God’s clearly revealed word. I knew a Pastor who was starting a church who told me not one dime of our money will go to the poor. To say the least I was a little shocked. Instructions like what is in this great verse from Isaiah are all thru the Bible.
What happened? Well he kept grieving the Spirit on this and that is a very dangerous thing for a Pastor to do. The Spirit guides and illuminates the Scriptures. His messages started getting more and more off. Then came mean spirited preaching. Then jumping to unfounded conclusions. Then came doctrinal errors like preaching performance based Christianity. That is a works type error that says you are only saved if you perform up to their expectations. Then came having to stop working Friday at 6 pm and not work until Sunday at 6 pm. And kept going downhill from there. Once a grieving the Spirit downward spiral starts the only way out is to realize it and humble yourself and repent of the error. In the end he hurt Christians brought shame to the cause of Christ and closed the church down.
Every Christian should care about and be involved in doing well, helping the poor and the fatherless and the widow. Our tiny house church takes this very serious. Last year 18 Percent of our budget went to the poor and the fatherless.
Gal 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
God delights in showing mercy and He offers forgiveness to all.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
And His forgiveness of sins is done according to His riches of grace. His riches! He has no shortage of grace! There is no sin so dark that it is above His grace and forgiveness. No sin is greater than His forgiveness.
Isaiah says though your sins be as scarlet God can change them to be white as snow. Sin is a stain that we cannot remove but God can. And when He does the stain is completely removed. They shall be white as snow. The stain is completely gone!
We are washed clean by God.
1Co_6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Rom_3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God has provided a solution to our sin that stains our soul. And that solution is Jesus.
In this prophecy Isaiah is looking forward to the 1,000 reign.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
This is fulfilled when Jesus comes back. Not when He comes back and we meet Him in the clouds (the rapture), but when He comes back at the end of the tribulation (Rev Chapter 19)
He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and in that day He will rule and war will not be allowed anymore.
Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
There are many examples in this world of men who have gained great wealth. And not all but many of them gained it thru wickedness. Greed, lying, double crossing, bullying, stealing, and so on. And some thru even worse things. For example human trafficking or drug dealers. And then there are those who are wicked but may or may not be rich. Like abortion doctors, and people in the Porn industry. They may or may not have a lot of money. And there are also those who are very poor and still very wicked.
And we sometimes look at them and wonder where justice is? The fact is that justice is guaranteed. God does pronounce Woe unto the wicked. It will be ill with the wicked. Justice will come in God’s time. And it will be according to what the wicked has done. He will reap from the wickedness that he has sown. It is guaranteed.
Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
There were people in Isaiah’s day that called evil good and good evil. And there were people who did that before Isaiah’s day and there are still people who do that today. In fact I would dare say that it is an epidemic in our day.
They all have one thing in common. They are wise in their own eyes. They think they know better than God. He is the one that sets the standard of what is good and what is evil. Every time that someone calls evil good they are putting their judgment above God’s.
This is why everyone that calls evil good and good evil has a Woe proclaimed against them by God. This means that they will experience the judgment of God for it.
Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Isa 5:23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
Isa 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah says that judgment is coming because they have cast away the law of the Lord and the reason they did that is because they despised the word of God.
The word of God made it very clear what He thinks of strong drink.
Pro 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
And they despised God’s Word on that. And God’s Word made it very clear that you are to love your Neighbor as yourself. Listen to what Jesus said about the law and the prophets.
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus taught that the Old Testament law and prophets taught that you were to love thy neighbor as yourself. And the people Isaiah is talking about also despised God’s Word on that.
And you see the results in their lives that come from their wicked heart of despising God’s Word. They justify the wicked for reward. God declares a Woe unto them. And then gives an object lesson of just how sure this judgment is. If you take stubble and chaff and put it in the fire they will burn. There is no maybe about it. Fire burns stubble and that truth cannot be changed or avoided. Same thing with the Woe pronounced on these men who despised God’s Word and justified the wicked for reward.
The point being made to us here should be obvious. Do not despise the word of God. Do not cast it away because that leads you to doing wickedness and that leads to judgment. A man will reap what he sows guaranteed.
Christians should live opposite of those mentioned in these verses. We should love the Word of God and cherish it and read it and then live it.
Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
God let Isaiah see what few have ever been allowed to see this side of Heaven. Isaiah got to see the throne of God. (John and Ezekiel also saw it).
He saw the seraphims flying over the throne crying Holy, holy, holy is the LORD.
Isaiah saw the Lord in His proper place high and lifted up as king of kings on His throne. The Almighty creator being worshipped by Angels that He created.
Isaiah saw His authority displayed and His Holiness declared. And seeing the Lord in His proper place had an effect upon Isaiah.
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Seeing the Lord high and lifted up and seeing that He is Holy, holy, holy made Isaiah declare his sin. He says Woe is me, for I am undone. Isaiah is admitting his sin when he says I am a man of unclean lips.
Way too many people who claim Christianity look at God the wrong way. Some see Him as a kind of Santa Clause who is there to grant their wishes. Others see Him as a buddy or the man upstairs, or someone that provides feelings and entertainment. They are totally looking at Him wrong.
What we need is more people who will see the Lord (who is Holy) high and lifted up in His proper place on His throne.
Seeing the Lord in His proper place makes you see yourself in your proper place which is a sinner before a holy God. It changes you and your purpose, goals, and desires. It is a good thing to see the Lord high and lifted up!
Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah saw God on His throne. He saw His authority displayed and His Holiness declared. And seeing the Lord in His proper place Isaiah confessed his sin and had his iniquity taken away. (Isa 6:6-7)
And then Isaiah heard the call. After hearing that God wanted to send someone to tell others His Word, right away he voluntarily says Here am I; send me.
This is the way it works. First someone must see the Lord for who He is, and seeing that brings awareness of their awful sin. Then they call upon the Lord to save them with a repentant heart and they get saved.
Once saved they should see the great need for God’s Word to be shared and they should see that God wants this done. And then like Isaiah say from the heart that wants to serve the Lord and be a blessing, Here am I; send me.
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This one is precious. Starting in Genesis God started promising that the Savior would come. And as time progressed God gave more and more details about the coming of Jesus. And thru Isaiah God gives the prophecy that He will be born of a virgin and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us.
And this came true hundreds and hundreds of years later with the birth of Jesus.
Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Mat 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The Bible is very clear Jesus was born of a virgin. Why is that so important? Because the sin nature is passed thru the man all the way back to the first man Adam. Jesus being born of a virgin means that Jesus is the only one who was born without the sin nature of man.
This means that Jesus could die for our sins because He had no sins of His own. He was the just dying for the unjust.
This is all driven by the unmerited, unearned, and underserved Love of God. To this I say Praise the Lord!
Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Isaiah asks the rhetorical question should not a people seek unto their God? A rhetorical question is a question that has an obvious implied answer. And the answer is yes of course they should! God’s people should seek answers from their God and not familiar spirits and wizards.
Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
And Isaiah gives a good rule for listening to what preachers say. If they do not speak according to God’s Word then do not listen to them because there is no light in them. God will NEVER have a man speak something that goes against His Word.
Our Lord wants us to look for and follow His direction. He wants us to trust in Him with all our heart.
Another Great One from Isaiah – Isa 9:6-7 Part One
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
This is a prophecy about Jesus being born and how He will one day rule and in the middle is given a list of names for Jesus. These are descriptive names that cover both some of what He will do and also who Jesus is.
Jesus is the mighty God. He existed before the manger. He is the great I AM, the preexisting one. He is the creator who left the glories of Heaven to come to a sin stained Earth and redeem us.
And Jesus is also called the everlasting Father. Some might be confused by this. This is a reference to the trinity. There is only one God but He is manifested to us in 3 personalities. God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and these 3 are one.
1Jn_5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Jesus taught that those that have seen Jesus have seen the Father.
Joh_14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
The reason the atoning work Jesus did on the cross is effective is because of who He is!
The reason He can promise us Heaven is because of who He is!
The reason He can forgive sins is because of who He is!
Amen and Amen.
Another Great One from Isaiah – Isa 9:6-7 Part Two
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
This is actually two prophecies back to back about two separate events.
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder
Unto us a son is given is the prophecy about Jesus coming to be born so He could live a sinless life and go to the cross. And then there is a Colon: And then comes the prophecy about Jesus coming a second time to establish His 1,000 year reign.
They are two different events. And we know now that they are separated by 2,000 years at least.
This verse is one of the reasons why when Jesus rode the ass into Jerusalem that they shouted Hosanna and expected Him to put the government on His shoulder and start His Kingdom right then.
And when He did not they got angry and a few days later shouted Crucify instead of Hosanna.
But make no mistake. Just as the first prophecy came true so will the second. Jesus is coming again. And when He does will set up His kingdom and He will establish it with judgment and justice and perfect peace. Men will not make war anymore.