| Passage: Isaiah 23-27 On Tuesday, August 11, 2015 (Last Updated on 8/11/2023), Yujin wrote,
I like the poetic way the King James translates this verse:
Here is the pattern:
The activity of God dominates. God will keep in peace. It will be perfect. Eight dominant beats. Then two subordinating clauses follows. The first clause identifies the "him" whom God is keeping in perfect peace. This beneficiary of God's bestowal of perfect peace is the one whose mind is fixated on God. Six beats, not eight. It is subordinate. Then, the second clause gives the reason for God's bestowal of peace on him: He trusts in God. Again, six beats. It is also subordinate and simply amplifies the subordinating clause preceding it. Friends, I am reminded this morning of where true, deep, and enduring peace comes from; it comes from the Lord. When I am anxious in view of my inadequecies, failures, weaknesses, and insecurity, I do not find peace by giving myself a pep talk. I do not find enduring peace through human counsel or assurances. Pleasant experiences may provide a momentary reprieve but no enduring peace. Enduring peace comes from the fact that my God is in control of all things and in Christ works them together for my ultimate good and His glory (Romans 8:28-30). It is nothing that I earn or deserve. It is all of God's grace through Christ Jesus my Lord. When I regard myself and my circumstances, I am filled with anxiety, but when my mind is filled with thoughts of God, of Christ, of God's promises in Christ, then I have amazing peace. This peace is not a self-induced peace, for it does not depend on my ability to reform or repair or resolve anything. This peace is not a circumstantial peace, for it is not rooted in my environment or situation. It is the peace of God. It is the peace that comes from God; therefore, there is no gap of imperfection, no fringe of restlessness, no striving to uphold it or undergird it on account of fragility. It is the peace that surpasses all understanding and guards my mind and heart through the power and promise of Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). This is why Paul also writes that believers ought to pray every request to God and to focus their minds on the excellent things of God (Philippians 4:8-9). For in this way the God of peace will grant the peace of God to us. Friends, this is why I begin every morning in prayer. This is why I begin every morning in God's Word. This is why I begin every morning by hiding God's Word in my heart. As I do, the God of peace grants me the peace of God, which comforts, assures, and guides me throughout the day to the praise of His glory. |
| Passage: Isaiah 23-27 On Monday, August 11, 2014, Yujin wrote, LORD, you established peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us (Isaiah 26:12). This principle is echoed in St. Augustine's famous saying: "O Lord, command what you will and give what you command." Augustine recognized that God was the power behind his obedience. Thus, we read in Philippians 2:12-13, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed... continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. We are simply working out what God has first worked in us. How can we take any credit for this? This is illustrated in the conquest of Canaan, when God gave the Israelites a rich land. God warned them against pride, the temptation to think that they had gained their prosperity by their own strength: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God... You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." (Deuteronomy 8:10-11,17-18). The Israelites were to remember that God gave them their land as well as the ability to effectively work the land. They were to remember and give the glory to God. If we are to think rightly about every good in our lives, we ought to say as Isaiah, "All that we have accomplished you have done for us." Just as James also writes, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17). This, in turn, should lead us to find in the Lord our greatest good and in Him the satisfaction of our deepest yearning. So Isaiah also writes, My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you (Isaiah 26:9). And again, as the King James Version beautifully translates, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee (Isaiah 26:3). Asaph, David's chief musician, declares, Whom have I in heaven but You? Friends, the Lord is our good. Let us not mistaken the benefits of this temporal existence for the eternal weight of His glory, which is our portion in Christ. What can compare with the Lord? In fact, all creation, when properly understood, was designed to drive our affections toward Him, by Whom and through Whom and for Whom everything was made. Let us, therefore, put aside every anxious striving after temporal goals. Let us acknowledge the grace by which we stand and give glory to the One in Whom and through Whom and by Whom our every deed is made worthy of acceptance by God. |
| Passage: Isaiah 23-27 On Sunday, August 11, 2013, Yujin wrote, He will swallow up death for all time, This promise of Isaiah is reaffirmd in the Book of Revelation: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4). I believe these prophecies refer to the same time and events, the time of the end, even the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth. Fast forward to Isaiah 65 and we read of this: See, I will create Again, Revelation speaks of the same establishment of a new heaven and a new earth: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea (Revelation 21:1). Friends, it is for this that we hope. As for the present earth, in which we live. It is destined for destruction by fire: Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants... The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word... Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, theinhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left (Isaiah 24:1,3,6). This destruction is extensively described in the Book of Revelation. Peter also describes it in his letter: By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly... The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare (2 Peter 3:7,10). But believers will not be a part of this destruction, but we will participate in the promised new heaven and new earth. Again, Peter writes, But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). But in view of the destruction of the present heavens and earth and the establishment of a new heaven and earth, Peter asks believers a very practical question: Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming (2 Peter 3:11-12). We ought to live holy and godly lives. This is simply a restatement of Jesus' command, "Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). To live holy literally means to do acts that are set apart to God or is God-approved. To live godly literally means to do everything to the glory and honor of God. In fact, the expression "What kind of people ought you to be" literally means "Of what country," which suggests that believers should live not as citizens of an old heaven and earth, which will soon be destroyed, but a new heaven and new earth, which God will establish in perfect righteousness. So, in the same vein, Paul writes, Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life,appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4). Friends, let us set our hearts and minds heavenward and with the new heaven and earth in view. With this perspective let us forge our every decision and pursue every course for ourselves and our families, so that in everything we will conduct ourselves in a manner that God approves and pursue a lifestyle that brings highest glory and honor to Him. |
| Passage: Isaiah 23-27 On Sunday, August 12, 2012 (Last Updated on 8/11/2013), Yujin wrote, I wish that I could convince all of you to journal and/or share what you read in the Scriptures. There is nothing like it to really fix the Word of God in your minds and in your hearts. You can highlight those verses that capture your attention. You can investigate those verses that you don't fully understand. You can think about how God's people may have understood these words in their time, and then try to discern what applications may still be made for our time? So much is lost in just a swift reading. But to journal and share means to read, reread, and formulate your thoughts so that you might draw principles from what you read. Isn't this what it means to meditate on God's Word? Remember, the promised blessing is not just to those that read God's Word, but those that deeply meditate on it. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock. (Isaiah 26:3, 4 NLT) Perfect peace! Isn't that what we all long for? It is a peace without interruption, without frustration, without distress, without any anxiety whatsoever. It is a blissful peace, where there is no unfulfilled longing. It is deep rest and extreme joy all wrapped up in one completely satisfying package. Here the promise is for God's people in the end times or as they look forward to it. The exhortation is to trust in the LORD and fix their attention on Him, who is as reliable and secure as an eternal Rock. This is eminently practical for us, who often worry, get frustrated, or find ourselves distracted or distressed by this or that. The biblical counsel is to simply rest in the LORD, that is to trust Him and be focused on His glory, a glory that He will share with us in the last day. All night long I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek for God. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right. Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. Although others do right, the wicked keep doing wrong and take no notice of the LORD’s majesty. (Isaiah 26:9, 10 NLT) This should be eye-opening for all of us, who think that unbelievers will ultimately be won over by kindness. People are saved by grace, not kindness. Therefore, your appeals to them with God's love, Christ's humility and sacrifice, and acts of kindness are not what ultimately convinces them to become Christians. It is God's supernatural work in our hearts that saves us. Without that grace, every kindness shown to us we would abuse and begin to expect as something we deserved all long. Love and sacrifice? Rather than seeing the awesomeness of God, we would see in this our own great worth. We would read "God so loved the world" and intrepret this to mean that the world was "so lovely" that Jesus died for it rather than understand it properly as "God in this way loved the world," namely, "that He gave His only Son." To think otherwise would be to underestimate our depravity, our sinful nature. Isaiah here argues that people learn what is right not by kindness but by judgment, even final judgment. When you read of the wicked in the Book of Revelation, the constant refrain for them is that they "still did not repent." We are to understand that apart from God's grace, people do not, indeed cannot, repent. Look! The LORD is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The LORD has spoken! The earth mourns and dries up, and the crops waste away and wither. Even the greatest people on earth waste away. The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive. (Isaiah 24:1-6 NLT) The language here is reminescent of the Great Flood by which God destroyed the earth in Noah's day. Yet, there is a difference, for this time the destruction will not be by water but by fire. Peter alludes to this in his letter: And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. (2 Peter 3:7, 10-12 NLT) Peter writes that in view of this coming judgment believers should seek to live in a holy and godly manner. Why? It is because the final judgment is not for them but for the "ungodly," that is, the unbelieving. Also, since it is to their benefit, they should seek it to come sooner rather than later. The only reason it does not come now is that God has determined those that will be a part of the righteous in the kingdom, and all of them have not yet "come to repentance": The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone [i.e. any of you] to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:9 NLT) This means that God held off the final judgment for my sake, so that I could be born and come to faith. He did it for your sake, so that you too could repent and believe. Romans says that there is a "full number of Gentiles" God has ordained to be a part of His kingdom. Here "anyone" and "everyone" does not mean any person and every person (for that would suggest that everyone would be saved, which contradicts the premise of Scripture) but those of a particular kind, namely, believers. God wants any and every believer to come to repentance. But those who die in the LORD will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead! (Isaiah 26:19 NLT) What a glorious promise of resurrection, and that in the Old Testament! It speaks not only of resurrection, but a bodily resurrection (read 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul argues against those that deny this). This is our final hope, that our bodies will finally be redeemed, that we we be resurrected into an imperishable and glorious body. Has the LORD struck Israel as he struck her enemies? Has he punished her as he punished them? No, but he exiled Israel to call her to account. She was exiled from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east. (Isaiah 27:7, 8 NLT) Notice Isaiah makes a distinction between Israel and her enemies. It is not on the basis of Israel being more righteous than her enemies that God treats them differently. As you read Isaiah, and as you first learned in Deuteronomy, Israel was favored not because of her greatness or righteousness but because of God's choice. Israel's enemies are, more often than not, totally destroyed without remnant, but a remnant is always preserved for Israel. Again, God treats Israel differently because they are the people of His covenant, even that unconditional and eternal covenant He established through Abraham. We too are saved over others not because we are more righteous or have more faith than anyone else but simply because of God's choice, which is manifested in His grace toward us. We have nothing whatsoever to boast about except this, that God, in His unsearchable wisdom and inexplicable grace, chose us for eternal salvation. |
| Passage: Isaiah 23-27 On Thursday, August 11, 2011, Yujin wrote, Friends, I find an important verse in Isaiah 26:12, LORD, You will establish peace for us,Many commentators refuse to take these verses at face value and instead interpret this to mean that God has made doing good works a possibility, or else that He has given the ability to do it. Yet, here we find Isaiah confess that God has DONE all our works IN us. It is very similar to the words of Paul in Philippians 2:13, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Now, this does not mean that there is nothing for us to do, but it certain implies that there is nothing for which we can boast. In Isaiah 26:18 Isaiah speaks of Israel as being like a pregnant woman with child, but instead of fulfilling his purpose in bringing forth the child, Isaiah writes, "We have, as it were, brought forth wind." In context this child refers to Israel's mission to bring salvation to the world. In this Israel has failed; however, God will accomplish what Israel has not. Again, there is nothing for which Israel can glory except in God alone. When will we realize that salvation, whether we speak of our own or that of the nations, is not a product of free will but is the work of God? Even "grace" is insufficient to save if it only includes the message of deliverance. This is why Isaiah writes in Isaiah 26:10, "Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness." Unless grace encompasses both the message and faith, both deliverance and repentance, there will be no hope for the wicked. They will certainly, as we, all be destroyed. To all who have been given the grace to understand this, let us glory in God alone. |
| Passage: Isaiah 23-27 On Wednesday, August 11, 2010 (Last Updated on 8/12/2012), John and Marsha wrote, Isaiah 25:8 "8 he will swallow up death forever. Is this a prophecy of the CHRIST or the end time destruction of man? Just wondering your thoughts... -- John Yujin responds... Yes! I believe this is a prophecy that looks ahead to the time of the end. This prophecy will find consummation in the new heaven and the new earth, as recorded in Revelation 21:1-4 (cf. Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). This is the hope of the people of God, both of Jews and of Gentiles and of the Church of God. A key in the Book of Isaiah, and other books, to understanding end times references is the term "the Day of the LORD" or expressions like "in that day" (e.g. follow the use of this expression just in Isaiah alone). With perhaps rare exceptions, such expressions always look forward to the final days. |