Nearness
Victory
ISAIAH 62:11–12 11Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” 12And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken. In our study of Isaiah, we have seen that time and again God’s people failed to fulfill their part of the covenant.…
Righteousness
ISAIAH 59:16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. The prophet Isaiah was describing the condition of their nation: there was inequity, injustice, violence, and corruption. He said that because righteousness stands far away (Isaiah 59:14), the people have been separated from God. The injustice in the land has left God’s people hopeless. But God wanted Isaiah to not…
Restoration
ISAIAH 49:8 Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages . . .” As a result of sin and disobedience, God’s people were taken to Babylon in chains. Defeated, they found themselves in a new land with no place to worship their God. It…
Draw Near to GOD
ISAIAH 48:16 “Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. Getting to know a person involves drawing near and listening. If we were honest with ourselves, we would admit we are not very good listeners. Some would rather keep talking, while others may get easily distracted and would want to do…
Courage
ISAIAH 43:1–2 1But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Israel had failed to trust God. They…
Comfort
ISAIAH 40:1–3 1Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. 3A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” While God’s people had a long history of stubbornness and unfaithfulness, God has a long history of consistency…