Day 211 (Isaiah 54-58) - Year 4
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. We're almost finished with Isaiah, the majorist of all the major prophets. Just two more days, then we'll be wrapping up book number 22. So let's jump in with chapter 54. Here, God promises a blessing to the people of Israel.

He says he will enlarge his family through them, and it will include people from all over the world. At present, these other nations are their enemies, so it may feel like a strange blessing to them. But he reminds them in the meantime that this is nothing to fear, and that this time of waiting is nothing to be ashamed of. He presents Israel as a bride and himself as a husband, one who redeems them.

He compares their current situation to what Noah and his family went through in the flood. There was devastation and loss, but ultimately, God protected his people through the trial. He promises steadfast love, a covenant of peace, compassion, not anger or rebuke. And not only will he not wipe them out, but since they have a lot of enemies, he also says no enemy will succeed in wiping them out either. He promises security and protection of his people at large. Their gates will be secure.

He promises to teach all their children. Wow. The fact that God the Spirit teaches us is such a gift. Think about the best teacher you've ever had. Then multiply that experience by perfection, omniscience, and infinite love. Chapter 55 opens with God promising to feed his people for free.

Is this actual food? Is this your favorite medium-rare filet? The new flavor of Blue Bell ice cream that's out of stock in every store in Texas? No, it's better. It's the food of salvation, the feast of eternity. This verse reminds me of Revelation 22, 17, which says, Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Then he says something very important. This is paradigm shifting.

In 55.3, he speaks clearly about something that he's been hinting toward. He's had a covenant with Israel. It was based on their behavior. And they kept giving him every opportunity to withdraw from it because they were not keeping up their end of the covenant. But God kept saying, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to bless you. Despite the fact that you've broken our covenant, I'm keeping it. And now he's making that official. He says he's establishing an everlasting covenant with them. This is forever.

But lest you think it gives them a pass on loving God, he gets around to addressing that almost immediately. Starting in verse 6, he calls them not only to a change of action, but a change of thinking. He says,

It always has been and still is about the relationship, about the love between God and his people. God says he has good plans for his people, ideas that humans don't even have the brain capacity to come up with, and that he will fulfill all his plans. Everything he starts will accomplish what he intends for it. Or as we say all the time around here, what God initiates, he will sustain and he will fulfill.

Probably one of the reasons they needed to hear these words is because God is working things out on his timeline, not theirs. It will take time, but he will eventually restore all of his creation. And according to 55.13, that includes wiping out the briars and thorns that were a result of Adam's curse way back in Genesis 3.18. This feels especially poignant given the fact that Jesus was mocked with a crown of thorns. But Earth 3.0 will be thorn-free.

Chapter 56 opens with shockingly generous words. God says not only has he included the foreigner and the eunuch in his family, but he has also blessed them. And he will give them a name better than sons and daughters.

The chapter closes with a warning to Israel's leaders. Isaiah rolls through a list of ways they've been foolish, which includes being undiscerning, without knowledge, lazy, deluded, unaware of danger, gluttonous, drunkards, selfish, egocentric, and arrogant. For the past few chapters, Isaiah has been prophesying about both immediate and future salvation.

But when the Israelites heard it, they assumed it would all be immediately and completely fulfilled. So Isaiah clarifies further in the rest of the book, starting here in chapter 56. He reminds them that they're still called to put away their idols and worship God alone. Because underneath all that worship of false gods is a heart that hasn't yet believed Yahweh can be trusted. That he's not going to come through for them. He says it like this in 57 11.

Whom did you dread and fear so that you lied and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Fear of man leads to forgetfulness of God. In chapter 58, God tells Israel that there is a wrong kind of righteous deed.

The heart behind what they're doing matters. It'd rather they fast from selfishness than from food, from pride instead of wine, because all their fasting is still selfishly motivated, whereas proper fasting humbles us, blesses others, and honors God. Today my God shot reminded me of that game whack-a-mole because the same thing kept popping up everywhere. It all points to the way God draws near to sinners to help them. I'll share just two of the spots with you.

First, it was in 5715, which says, I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit. The most high God is with the lowly. And it goes on to say that he's with them to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. 5718 says it like this, I have seen his ways, but I will heal him.

God sees all our wickedness in full view, and he draws near to help. He doesn't run from our sin. This reminds me of a meme I've seen floating around the internet that draws the distinction between religion and sonship. It says, religion is, I messed up, my dad is going to kill me. But sonship is, I messed up, I need to call my dad. In case you haven't seen this yet, we'll post it on our socials today.

One of the primary ways to determine how you view God is to ask yourself where you go when you sin. Do you run to God, knowing his love, comfort, and healing wait for you there? Or do you run from God, afraid he's disappointed in you, afraid of his wrath? I will never stop reminding you that Christ absorbed all the Father's wrath for the sins of his kids, past, present, and future. All of it. There's no wrath left for you if you're his kid.

And if you're afraid he might be disappointed in you when you sin, do you know why that's not even possible? Because disappointment is the result of unmet expectations. And God has no unmet expectations for you. He knows you're a screw-up. It doesn't shock him one bit. He expects everything you do because he's outside of time. A thousand years ago, he already knew the sins you haven't even committed yet. And 2,000 years ago, he paid for them. You can't possibly disappoint him. You can't let God down.

That's not to say he isn't grieved over your sins. He still loves you and has emotions and wants what's best for you. But his wrath has been satisfied, and disappointment is literally impossible for an omniscient God. When you sin, he's with you, ready and waiting, with compassion and healing and joy. Because he's where the joy is.

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