(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Isaiah 33:1-24)
1 Woe to you, destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
2 Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.
Be their strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of distress.
3 At the sound of a roar, peoples flee;
At the lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
4 Your plunder is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
Like an infestation of locusts, people storm it.
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7 Behold, their brave men cry out in the streets,
The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased,
He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for mankind.
9 The land mourns and wastes away,
Lebanon is shamed and withers;
Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.
10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11 You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath will consume you like a fire.
12 The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13 “You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14 Sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”
15 One who walks righteously and speaks with integrity,
One who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking at evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see a distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
“Where is one who counts?
Where is one who weighs?
Where is one who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed settlement,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its ropes be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us—
23 Your ship’s tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
Those who limp will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am sick”;
The people who live there will be forgiven their wrongdoing.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
While you were not destroyed;
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
2 Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.
Be their strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of distress.
3 At the sound of a roar, peoples flee;
At the lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
4 Your plunder is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
Like an infestation of locusts, people storm it.
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7 Behold, their brave men cry out in the streets,
The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased,
He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for mankind.
9 The land mourns and wastes away,
Lebanon is shamed and withers;
Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.
10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11 You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath will consume you like a fire.
12 The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13 “You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14 Sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”
15 One who walks righteously and speaks with integrity,
One who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking at evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see a distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
“Where is one who counts?
Where is one who weighs?
Where is one who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.
20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed settlement,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its ropes be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us—
23 Your ship’s tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
Those who limp will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am sick”;
The people who live there will be forgiven their wrongdoing.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The Lord not only has made the Law, but He also keeps the Law, and will judge everyone according to the Law. Those who break the Law will be punished. Where there is sin, there is eternal death. This is why Jesus came to die and pay the price for all sin and rose again, in order to have victory over death. In this way, the Lord can offer us forgiveness for our sins. All we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation, which is freedom from sin, death and eternal punishment. We are saved from His wrath and consuming fire.
Those who seek and make Jesus their personal Lord. Savior and King, receive His everlasting life, and can take refuge in Him. Because all our sins have been forgiven, God sees us through Jesus' righteousness. And because our sins have been forgiven, He will not judge us according to any sin committed. This answers the question in verse 14 which asks how someone can live with the consuming fire (which is the Lord).
As believers, as per His Law, the Lord will judge us according to the good deeds we do with pure motives. And because it is His desire that we serve, exalt and glorify Him, the Lord will guide and equip us in righteousness and integrity. As we fear Him, He is our treasure, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. And as He is our justice and impregnable rock, the Lord will protect and provide for us, heal and nourish us.
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