taking down an evil planet

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (5)

Isaiah 13:9-13

9 Watch! The day of Yahveh — coming, cruelty and wrath and burning anger, making the land a desolation, and he will destroy its sinners from it. 10 Because the stars of the sky and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will hold back when it comes out, and the moon will not allow its light to shine. 11 And I will punish this evil planet and wicked ones for their iniquity. And I will put an end to the pride of arrogant ones, and I will bring down the self-importance of tyrants. 12 I will make homo sapiens more rare than gold and humanity more than the gold of Ophir. 13 For this reason I will make the sky shake, and the land will break loose from its place because of the wrath of Yahveh of armies, and in the day his anger burns.

taking down an evil planet

Isaiah uses cosmic language, even though he is still describing the overthrow of the Babylonian empire. He is inviting the Israelites to watch this event take place, because as they do, perhaps they will get a glimpse of that distant time in which these words will have their ultimate fulfillment. The downfall of the tyrants who ruled this evil planet as part of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire was like a dress rehearsal for that future day which will be known in eternity as the day of Yahveh. On that day, the LORD will destroy all his enemies, and make the planet desolate. He will make homo sapiens more rare than gold on that day.

Are you a friend of Yahveh, or his enemy? I ask you this not out of criticism, but out of concern. Just as surely as God took down his Babylonian enemies, he will most certainly take down the rest of his enemies. Not one of his enemies on this evil planet will escape his wrath.

But there is a way for escape. Jesus Christ took upon himself all the wrath of Yahveh when he died as our substitute on the cross. He endured the death that purchased freedom from that fate. To appropriate his payment for our own sins, all we have to do is believe in him, and trust him.

LORD, we confess being a part of this sinful planet you plan to take down. We also confess Christ, our Savior and substitute. Rescue us through him!

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my consecrated ones

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (4)

Isaiah 13:1-8

1 The oracle of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw: 2 Raise a flag on a bare hill, lift up a voice to them; wave a hand and allow them to enter noblemen’s doorways. 3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, I have also summoned my mighty warriors to demonstrate my anger, the ones who will show how great my majesty is. 4 A sound, a noise on the mountains, sounding like many people! It sounds like kingdoms roaring, of nations gathering! Yahveh of armies mustering an army for battle. 5 They are coming from a distant land, from the end of the sky, Yahveh and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy all of the land. 6 Wail, because the day of Yahveh is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 7 This is why all hands will grow slack, and every human heart will melt, 8 and they will be dismayed. Pangs and labor pains will irrupt; they will tremble like a woman giving birth. A man will stare at his neighbor, their faces flaming with shame.

MARCH FORTH, my consecrated ones

If you had asked the Medo Persian soldiers about Yahveh, they would have said Yah-who? Nevertheless, they would be consecrated by the LORD to do his will – to demonstrate his anger against the oppressive and violent Babylonians. All around us today there are nations filled with mighty warriors who are consecrated by the LORD to do his will. He is the LORD of armies, and they answer to him as their true commander-in-chief. Our God is sovereign, and he can use anything or anyone in his creation to accomplish his purpose.

Of what value is it for us to know that? Well, if we are being oppressed of violated by an enemy, it is comforting to know that our God has control of the situation. He has armies at his disposal to change our situation. He is not helpless. When we pray to God for help, we know that he is able to overthrow our oppressors. He is not even limited to working in the hearts of only those who believe in or are aware of him. Like those Medo Persian soldiers, he can use armies to do his will who are totally oblivious of the fact.

LORD, we believe in you, and we have consecrated ourselves to do your will. But we are also confident that when we pray, your resources you have consecrated to help us are not limited. You can use armies who do not know your name to exalt your name.

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God, my victory

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (3)

Isaiah 12:1-6

1 And you will say on that day, “I will praise you, Yahveh, because you had been angry with me, your anger turned, and you comforted me. 2 See! God, my victory; I will trust, and I will not be afraid, for my strength and might is Yah, Yahveh; and he has become victory for me.” 3 And you will draw water from the wells of victory in joy. 4 And you will say on that day, “Give praise to Yahveh; call on his name. Make his deeds known among the peoples; make it known that his name is exalted. 5 Sing praises to Yahveh, for he has done a glorious thing; it being known in all the land. 6 resident of Zion, shout out and sing for joy, because the holy one of Israel is great in your midst.”

God, my victory

Isaiah encourages his people to look beyond the present crisis and trust God to bring them victory in it, and deliverance from it. Yahveh, not some earthly king with some earthly army – is to be the deliverer, and bring victory. The end result will be praise for who God is. So, Isaiah encourages his people do start praising God already. The purpose for this praise is not the victory, because that has not come yet. The purpose for the praise is that the holy one of Israel is great in their midst. The being and nature and works of God are the reasons for praise and worship.

LORD, give us the faith to praise you for who you are, knowing that you are the one who will bring victory to us. You are our victory.

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next exodus

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (2)

Isaiah 11:10-16

10 And this will happen on that day: Gentiles will seek the root of Jesse, who will be standing as a flag to a people, and his resting place[1] will be glorious. 11 This will also happen on that day: The Lord will again reach out his hand a second time to get the remnant of his people that is left, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coastlands of the sea, 12 and he will raise a flag for the Gentiles. And he will gather the outcasts of Israel, and he will gather the scattered ones of Judah together from the four wings of the land. 13 And Ephraim’s jealousy will go away, and the enemies of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not be an enemy of Ephraim. 14 But they will fly over the Philistine shoulder, toward the sea. Together they will plunder sons of the east. Edom and Moab will be reached by their hand, and the sons of Ammon their conquered people. 15 And Yahveh will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt and he will wave his hand over the river with his scorching wind; and he will strike it into seven streams, and he will enable someone to walk through it with the sandal. 16 So there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of his people that remains, just like there was for Israel in that day he went up from the land of Egypt.

next exodus

In this amazing passage, Isaiah predicts that the Messiah will stand as a flag to a people, and they will be drawn to that flag as they experience a second exodus. Just as God had struck the Red Sea to make a way for the Jews to escape Pharaoh, he will also make a way for this people to escape back to the promised land. They will be coming from both the south and the north, so God will strike both the tongue of the sea of Egypt (the gulf of the Red Sea) and the river (Euphrates). The resulting highway will make it possible for Israelites, no longer at enmity with one another, to return to the holy land. But this people who look to the Messiah as their flag also contains Gentiles, people from other nations.

So this passage not only predicts a physical restoration of Israel, it also speaks of a spiritual restoration which will include Gentiles. Both groups together will seek the root of Jesse as their leader.

LORD, we seek to follow the root of Jesse. Lead us to your promised inheritance, a blessing you have in store for all who seek you.

[1] The word for resting place is very similar to a word for sacrificial gift. There may be a word-play here.

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inspiring the fear of Yahveh

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (1)

Isaiah 11:1-9

1 And a shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 And the spirit of Yahveh will rest on him– a spirit of that is wise and understands, a spirit that encourages and makes strong, a spirit that knows and fears Yahveh. 3 And he will inspire the fear of Yahveh. And he will judge not by what his eyes see, and he will correct not by the rumors his ears hear. 4 But he will judge the poor with righteousness, and he will decide for the needy of the land with integrity. And he will strike the land with the rod of his mouth, and he will kill the wicked person with the breath of his lips. 5 And righteousness will be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 And a wolf will live as an alien along with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a kid, and a calf and a lion and a fatling together and a small boy will be tending them. 7 And a cow and a bear will graze; their young ones will lie down together. And a lion will eat straw like the cattle. 8 And one nursing will play over a serpent’s hole, and one who is weaned will put his hand on a viper’s hole. 9 They will not do harm and they will not destroy on all of my mountain of holiness because the land will be full of people who know Yahveh, like water covers the sea.

inspiring the fear of Yahveh

This amazing time that Isaiah describes is brought about by an amazing man, a descendent of Jesse as David was. Isaiah is drawing a comparison between the king of Assyria’s soon-to-be failed attempt to capture Jerusalem, and this coming Messiah’s future rule from Jerusalem. Assyria’s reign was accomplished by violent attacks with his weapons and armies, but the Messiah will destroy his enemies by merely speaking a word of judgment against them. Assyria created lands full of armies that attacked and conquered. The Messiah will create a land full of peace, where the beasts will lie down peacefully beside the small children. Assyria oppressed the poor and needy. The Messiah would champion their cause and bring them justice.

All of this will happen because the spirit in the Messiah will be God’s Spirit. He will inspire others with a knowledge beyond what a person can see and hear normally. He will bring them to a relationship with the LORD that respects his authority and power, and a love for him as their Father from the sky.

All of this will ultimately happen when Jesus Christ returns to this planet as he has promised. But we do not have to wait for the Messiah’s return to live in the fear of Yahveh. The righteousness, peace and joy that he inspires is the fruit of walking in step with his Holy Spirit today.[1]

LORD, inspire us to walk in the fear of Yahveh, and manifest your righteousness, justice and peace.

[1] Romans 14:17.

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fist shaking at the mountain

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

February 2015 (28)

Isaiah 10:28-34

28 He has come to Aiath, he has passed through Migron; at Micmash he deposited his baggage. 29 They crossed over a pass; Geba, a place of overnight lodging for us. Ramah trembles; Saul’s Gibeah has run away. 30 Daughter of Gallim, project your voice; Laishah, listen! Answer her, Anathoth! 31 Madmenah flees! The inhabitants of Gebim take themselves to safety! 32 Yet today standing at Nob, he will shake his fist at the mountain of the house of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33 See! The Lord Yahveh of armies is about to lop off a branch with great power, and the self-importance of the height will be felled, and the height will be brought low. 34 And he will cut down the grove of the forest with the ax, and Lebanon will fall with a mighty fall.

fist shaking at the mountain

I can imagine the inhabitants of Judah standing around their laptops (I did say imagine) and watching the news as each day another northern city falls under the onslaught of the Assyrian Reich, attacking from the north. But then something amazing happens. That terrifying king who would stop at nothing to own the world would be stopped in his tracks. He will stand there at Nob, furious that he can go no further toward his goal. He will shake his fist at his prize, which he would not be able to claim, and that prize is Jerusalem. His armies will be stopped by Yahveh of armies.

This story of failed invasion is Isaiah’s way of saying that even God has his limits. God is limited by his compassion, and by his promises. He will not allow his people to be utterly destroyed. He has a plan to bless them with that Immanuel, son of the virgin.

Isaiah’s audience is a nation of sinners, who must face the consequences of their rebellion, so he preaches judgment. But they are also a nation that God has promised to be a portal of blessing through the ministry of the Messiah. That future is sure, regardless of whether Judah responds to Isaiah’s preaching or not.

God may have a plan to bless you and give you a future, and you may experience that. But do not allow that blessing to lure you into thinking that God has overlooked your sin. Remember that Assyria thought they were unstoppable, but God stopped them. And, like Judah, you may be experiencing blessing because of God’s promise to someone else. Eternal life is only promised to those who have repented of their sin and put their faith in Christ.

LORD, as we enjoy your blessings, may we be careful not to presume that these blessings are signs of your eternal favor. Christ is your promise. Teach us to focus our faith on him.

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broken yokes

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

February 2015 (27)

Isaiah 10:24-27

24 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahveh of armies: “My people who live on Zion, you must not be afraid of Assyria. It beats you with the rod, and it lifts up its staff against you in the way of Egypt. 25 My wrath will come to an end for still a little, a trifle, and my anger is directed to their destruction. 26 And Yahveh of armies is going to swing a whip against him, as when Midian was defeated at the rock of Oreb; and his staff over the sea, and he will lift him up in the way of Egypt. 27 And in that day his burden will be taken off your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.

broken yokes

The king of Assyria had grown fat on all the excess he was receiving as tribute from those nations he had under his yoke. But the LORD promised his people that those days are numbered. Soon, that yoke would be broken, and God’s people would be free from that foreign tyrant.

Another Tyrant has God’s people in his control today, and he grows fat from all the kingdoms of the world under his yoke. The LORD’s message is to him as well. The days of Satan’s tyranny are coming to an end. The yoke he has on us is breaking. King Jesus is taking back the planet which belongs to him. He will break the yoke of the usurper.

LORD Jesus, we choose to take your yoke upon us, because your yoke is easy, and your burden is light. Show us how to stop allowing the usurper to grow fat through our tribute.

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a remnant of sand

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

February 2015 (26)

Isaiah 10:20-23

20 And this will happen: on that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivor of the house of Jacob will not continue to lean on its attacker but will lean on Yahveh, the holy one of Israel, in truth. 21   A remnant will return– the remnant of Jacob–to a mighty God. 22 Because though your people Israel was like the sand of the sea, a mere remnant of it will return. A time of annihilation is planned, a time of overflowing righteousness. 23 Because the Lord Yahveh of armies is about to make a complete destruction and a planned end in the midst of all the land.

a remnant of sand

Growing up in Suwannee county, Florida, I know all about sand. No matter where you go – in the field or on the road, at home or at church, a fine layer of sand accompanies you. The floor mats on your car or truck tell the tale of where you have been. A remnant – a thin layer of sand — returns with you.

The LORD had promised Abraham and Jacob that the nation coming from them would be as numerous as the sand of the sea.[1] Now, he is reversing the promise. That nation that he had blessed, he will now curse for its rebellion. The nation that he prospered, he will now whittle down to a small remnant, who will once again learn to lean on him instead of the superpowers around them.

Such is the case with every nation or family who turns its back on the Yahveh of armies. The LORD will continue to hold on to those who are his, but they will be like a small remnant of sand. All other traces of the LORD and his greatness and glory will disappear from those who have rejected him.

LORD, forgive us for leaning on the wrong king. Restore your glory to our land.

[1] Genesis 22:17; 32:12.

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bragging ax

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

February 2015 (25)

Isaiah 10:12-19

12 And this will happen: when the Lord has finished all his work against the mountain of Zion and Jerusalem, “I will punish the fruit of the king of Assyria’s proud heart and the pride of his high eyes. 13 Because he says, “I have accomplished this by the strength of my hand and by my wisdom, because I have understanding, and I have removed boundaries from peoples, and I have plundered their treasuries, and like a bull I have brought down those sitting on thrones. 14 And my hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples, and like the gathering of forsaken eggs, I myself have gathered all the land. And I encountered no fluttering wing or open mouth or tweet.” 15 Does the ax boast against the one who chops with it, or the saw magnify itself against one who moves it this way and that, like a rod waving even the one who lifts it up; like a staff lifting up him who is not wood? 16 For this reason, the Lord, Yahveh of armies, will send leanness among his bulky warriors, and under his glory a burning — like fire burning — will burn. 17 And the light of Israel will become like a fire, and his holy one like a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorn and brier in one day. 18 And he will destroy the glory of his forest and orchard soul and flesh, and it will be like the wasting away of an invalid. 19 And the surviving tree of his forest will be a small number, and a boy can record them.

bragging ax

Assyria was the superpower of Isaiah’s day, and nothing could stop it from assimilating the nations around it, including Israel. But Assyria was only a tool in the hand of Yahveh of armies. Once his work against Israel is finished, the LORD will punish that bragging ax. A fire will burn against that mighty land, and suddenly their trees will be depleted.

Such is the foolishness of being proud of what God is doing through me. My spiritual gifts are tools in the hands of the Lord. His Holy Spirit gave them to me, so he gets the credit for what they do. In the end, it is not the tools that matter, but the one really wielding them. His plan determines who is great, and how long they stay that way. So, perhaps we should be careful about seeking advice from those who appear to be successful in life or ministry. For Assyria, their success was purely incidental to God’s larger plan, and it had nothing to do with their strategies or morality. In fact, God revealed through Isaiah that Assyria’s success without humility led to their judgment and eventual defeat.

If we want to be permanently successful, we will have to learn what God wants to do, and do it faithfully.

LORD, show us your purpose, and allow us the honor of being involved in it.

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kingdoms of the idol

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

February 2015 (24)

Isaiah 10:5-11

5 Oy! Assyria, the rod of my anger, and that staff in their hand is my wrath! 6 I am sending him against a secular nation, and I am commanding him to fight against the people of my wrath, to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make him a trampling place, like clay on streets. 7 But he does not think so, and his heart does not plan this. Because in his heart he wants to destroy and to cut off not a few nations. 8 Because he says, “Are not my commanders a gathering of kings? 9 Is not Calno like Carchemish was? Is not Hamath like Arpad was? Is not Samaria like Damascus was? 10 Just like my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idol and their images were greater than those from Jerusalem and Samaria– 11 should I not do to Jerusalem and its worthless idols what I have done to Samaria and her carved idols?”

kingdoms of the idol

The Assyrian Reich was a plan to conquer the nations by means of assimilation. The king planned to first overwhelm each nation with a display of superior war strength. Then, he would take any survivors of the war away from their homeland, effectively severing their connection to their religious life. He would replace the defeated king with one of his own commanders, and repopulate the land with exiles from other defeated lands. The silly idols of the defeated nation would be shown to be useless against his superior strength. This plan was amazingly successful, so Assyria was assured that Jerusalem could be taken with the same tactics.

Now, Isaiah steps back from his ranting against Judah for its unfaithfulness, and he asks them to take a good look at what this king of Assyria is doing. He says that Assyria has been able to do this, not because of his superior strength or wisdom, but because all the nations he has overcome were essentially unprotected secular nations. They had idols which they used for show, but they had no true spiritual power.

Then, Isaiah gets back on point. The people expect him to say that the king of Assyria is going to be set straight if he attacks Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is not the home of some silly statue claiming to be a god, but the creator God himself, Yahveh. But Isaiah refuses to give them that comfort. Instead, he has the Assyrian king saying “should I not do to Jerusalem and its worthless idols what I have done to Samaria and her carved idols?” The pagan king sees no difference.

Real godliness looks different that the kingdoms of the idol. If we struggle with the same sinful lifestyles of those around us who do not know Christ, if we look and act like a secular people, perhaps it is because we are. Jesus said that his followers would be different. They would be salt and light. They would taste and look different than the kingdoms of the idol.

LORD, give us a genuine authentic faith in Jesus Christ. We confess a deep-seated kinship with the kingdoms of the idol all around us. We stand condemned by the words of your prophet. Forgive us for wanting to be like the world you rescued us from. Make us into a people who are gladly and distinctly yours.

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