Daily Devotional
Sunday: Stand Firm or Fall: Isaiah 7:1-25
Isaiah approaches King Ahaz with the simple message to turn to God and trust Him for the protection of Judah from Syria and Israel. The challenge to either “stand firm in his faith, or fall,” is issued to the king, along with the offer to ask God for a sign of confirmation. The double reason for trusting God is that He alone is God, there is no other, and when we rebel against Him, we reap the devastating results. When the king refuses this offer using a pious excuse, Isaiah issues the sign of the virgin conceiving-—the sign of Immanuel.
Monday: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz: Isaiah 8:1-22
“Quick to the plunder; swift to the spoil.” The meaning of the name of Isaiah’s son is a witness against Judah’s rebellion. The child’s birth is prophetically foretold. God is with Israel. If Israel tries to live as if that isn’t so, God will use Assyria to bring destruction. But the nations are just instruments in God’s hands. They will never utterly destroy Judah. God is the One to be feared, but He is also a sanctuary for Israel. To the obedient, God is safety. To the rebellious, God is a “stone of stumbling.”
Tuesday: His Name Shall be Called…: Isaiah 9:1-7
Assyria’s conquest of Judah began in the territory of “Zebulun” and “Naphtali,” a very lush agricultural area just north of the Sea of Galilee and the main trade route to Egypt. Though Assyria will be allowed this invasion, God will turn them back in the “valley of Jezreel.” How will God do this? Through the birth of a child! (Isaiah 9:6). The government and peace he will produce will be everlasting (Isaiah 9:7)! Christ, the sacrificial lamb, will be God’s answer to the world’s oppression and hostility (Daniel 7:13-14; 1 Timothy 3:16).
Wednesday: Four Grievous Charges: Isaiah 9:8-10:4
Isaiah again makes clear that it is God, not Assyria, with whom Judah must come to terms. This passage has four stanzas, each ending with, “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4). God lodges four charges against Israel: arrogance, exalting human leaders, the lack of brotherly love, and a lack of justice for the poor and helpless.
Thursday: A Remnant will Survive: Isaiah 10:5-34
This passage divides into three parts: (1) the message against Assyria, (2) the promise of a surviving remnant who will trust God, and (3) a reminder to Israel of God’s mighty, divine protection. God is the true “mighty One.” There is no other!
Friday: The Banner of the Lord: Isaiah 11:1-16
This prophetic passage of God’s coming Messiah shows us a very different kind of leader than any Israel has ever had. Righteousness and faithfulness will be at the heart of this ruler’s existence. He will not rule selfishly, but according to God’s unchanging holy standards. The Messiah will be a banner who will call all the nations of the world to salvation!
Saturday: The Hymn of Reconciliation: Isaiah 12:1-6
This hymn is a beautiful comfort to His people. The Lord will cleanse His people, and their transformation will be a witness to the nations. The song is full of evangelical theology. God is the One who initiates salvation—there is nothing Israel did to earn God’s grace. Faith does not produce reconciliation, but is the proper response to the reconciliation promised. It was in Christ that God reconciled the whole world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).