JOURNEY THROUGH ISAIAH (1)

Here are some things I picked up in my read through the book of Isaiah from The Message Bible. Too long of a book to do in one blog. One of my favorite books of the OT.

Isaiah is a book about salvation. It is like a symphony that repeats three common themes: judgment (ch. 1-39), comfort (ch. 40-55), and hope (ch. 56-66).

1. As wicked and sinful as God's people may become, He is always ready, willing, and able to forgive and wipe the slate clean.
2. I love Peterson's paraphrase early in the chapter: "He'll show us the way He works so we can live the way we're made." That's what I want--to live the way He made me to live.
3. Unfortunately, some of Isaiah's descriptions of the condition of the hearts of God's people resemble the hearts of Christians today.
4. Three adjectives to describe someone touched by God--holy, alive, precious.
5. People can live as wickedly as they so desire. But God always has the final say.
6. One of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Reading it never grows old. "Lord, here am I, send me" should be a prayer every Christian prays.
7. Ongoing debate--is it okay to ask God for a sign? God challenged King Ahaz to ask for a sign. It's interesting, however, the previous verse stresses the importance of faith.
8. No matter what happens in my life and in this world, the last word is always Immanuel.
9. Reading the prophetic words about the coming Messiah in verses 6-7 never grows old.
10. Beware of using the first person pronoun as if "I" can do this or that. Arrogance certainly will lead to a downfall.
11. God's reign on earth blows my mind--all is at peace. Kids crawling over rattlesnake dens; no animal or human will kill or hurt.
12. When we sing in worship, we should raise the roof.
13. God is sovereign over every kingdom. He will use one wicked country to destroy a "good" country if He so chooses.
14. Satan's fall from heaven is in this chapter. Notice how many times Satan says, "I." Pride was his main problem.
15. Isaiah is not just about judgment of God's people--but about His judgment of enemy nations as well.

"For our email subscribers, please visit Ken's full blog page at http://www.pastorkenkelly.com/ to view previous blogs and many other helpful links."