102nd Week, Isaiah Chapters 33-35(Click on Title for Video Introduction)

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Click on Title for Video Introduction


Monday, Isaiah Chapter 33
Isaiah 33
Verse 2
Tanya Ruden

Verse 2:  0 Lord be gracious to us; we long for you, be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of distress.

THOUGHT
This chapter reminded me of those verses from the New Testament that say ‘put on the armor of God.’ This chapter talks about and reminds us God should be our foundation and our strength.  We should look to Him each day to start our day. Those who don’t use Him as their strength have such turmoil and pain. Those who fear and respect God will have peace and will be fed with their needs met.

We have been promised this since Isaiah.

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, so often we jump out of bed to start each new day thinking of worldly tasks. Help us to look to You first thing each day for strength and guidance, knowing that when we are abiding with You, our lives will be at ‘peace’, not without challenges, but without turmoil. AMEN.


Tuesday, Isaiah Chapter 34
Isaiah 34
Tanya Ruden
April 21, 2005

THOUGHT
I had a hard time picking one verse from this chapter to focus on. The visual image from this chapter was amazing though. As I read this chapter, I envisioned how angry God was to make the land so desolate. 

It reminded me of the Lion King when Simba runs away to the desert. He is there all alone with the buzzards (like the owls in the chapter). Also, the chapter described the hyenas - like the Lion King. That was not a happy part of the movie, and this was not a happy time for the people. 

God was angry and punishment was necessary. Don’t we have so much to be thankful for in Jesus, who calms this anger of God and handled our punishment for us?

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, Thank You - Thank You for dying on the cross for our sins. Thank You that we are able to live in a time of ‘milk and honey’ not desert and loneliness. Thank You for Isaiah and the history of the Bible to help us realize how awesome Jesus and his action of dying on the cross is for us. Forgive us, we pray and help us to live as great examples and witnesses for those around us.  AMEN


Wednesday, Isaiah Chapter 35
Isaiah 35
Verse 10
Tanya Ruden

Verse 10:  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

THOUGHT  
‘Joy of the Redeemed’ - JOY!
How often did we hear that word in the first 34 chapters of Isaiah?  After a message about judgment on all of the nations for rejecting God, we see relief.  After great distress when God will judge all people for their actions, we see peace, a vision of justice, and the destruction of evil.

I loved all the verses in this chapter where it talks about opposites - weak to strong, deaf to hearing, hummer to singer, impatient mom to one with patience (some of those at the end I added).  Won’t it be great when all of our ‘imperfections’ are changed? Going along with my childhood theology this chapter kind of reminded me of the movie, ‘The Little Mermaid’. The memory is when the evil Ursula is defeated and all her prisoners are turned back to mermaids and all become beautiful again - awesome!!

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, thank You for the message of Joy. Thank You for a message of happiness and a time when all our weaknesses will become strong. I pray we all long for this time and never become too comfortable here on earth that we don’t long for more. AMEN


Thursday, Isaiah Chapter 36
The Prophet Isaiah - Much of this written information is from the Life Application Bible.

THOUGHT
Trees and prophets share at least one important characteristic - both are planted for the future.  Yet seedlings are often overlooked and prophets often ignored.  Isaiah is one of the best examples of this.  The people of his time could have been rescued by his words.  Instead, they refused to believe him.  With the passing of centuries, however, Isaiah's words have cast a shadow on all of history.  

Isaiah did not set out to be a prophet.  He had been established as a scribe in the royal palace in Jerusalem.  It was a respectable career, but God had other plans for his servant.  Isaiah's account of God's call leaves little doubt about what motivated the prophet for the next half century.  His vision of God was unforgettable.  

The encounter with God permanently affected Isiah's character.  He reflected the God he represented.  Isaiah's messages - some comforting, some confronting - are so distinct that some have guessed they came from different authors.  Isaiah's testimony is that the messages came from the only One capable of being perfect in justice as well as in mercy - God Himself.  

God told Isaiah that the people would not listen.  But he was to speak and write his messages anyway because eventually some would listen.  We who are part of that future can see that many of the promises God gave through Isaiah have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  We also gain the hope of knowing that God is active in all of history, including our own.  

Strengths and accomplishments:
1.  Considered the greatest Old Testament prophet.
2.  Quoted at least 50 times in the New Testament.
3.  Had powerful messages of both judgment and hope - speaking and writing mainly in Jerusalem.
4.  Carried out a consistent ministry even though there was little positive response from his listeners.  
5.  His ministry spanned the reigns of five Kings of Judah.  

Vital Statistics:
1.  Where:  Jerusalem
2.  Occupations:  Scribe & Prophet
3.  Relatives:  Father:  Amoz.  Sons:  Shear-Jashub, Maher-Shalal-Has-Baz
4.  Contemporaries:  Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh and Micah.


Friday, Important things to remember
The book of Isaiah contains both prose an poetry and sues personification (attributing personal qualities to divine beings or inanimate objects).  Also, many of the prophecies in Isaiah contain predictions that foretell a soon -to-occur event and a distant future event at the same time.  

Important things we learned from his life:
1.  God's help is needed in order to effectively confront sin while comforting people.
2.  One result of experiencing forgiveness is the desire to share that forgiveness with others.  
3.  God is purely and perfectly HOLY, JUST, and LOVING.  

Key Verses to remember:  
Isaiah 6:8 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' and I said, 'Here am I.  Send me!'"  

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. " 




 



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