the swing of the pendulum

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (12)

Isaiah 14:28-32

28 In the year of the death of king Ahaz there was this oracle: 29 You should not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken, because a viper will come forth from the corpse of that snake, and its fruit is a striking serpent. 30 And a firstborn of a poor man might eat comfortably, and a needy one might lie down in security; but I will cause your parent to die in famine, and it will kill your remnant. 31 Wail, gate! Cry, city! Melt, Philistia, all of you! Because smoke is coming from the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 And how will one respond to those spreading bad news about this nation? That Yahveh has founded Zion, and the needy of his people will take refuge in him.

the swing of the pendulum

Ahaz was not a righteous man. He repeatedly caused trouble for Isaiah, and refused to heed his warnings. But he was a king of Judah, and the LORD would not look kindly upon the Philistines when they rejoiced over his death. The armies coming will be so much worse.

The Philistines took the death of Ahaz to be a sign of the weakness of Yahveh. They took the opportunity to spread bad news about Judah, saying that the end of the nation was near, and plotting how they might take over. Isaiah concluded that they had gotten their prediction wrong. The future would not go their way, in spite of the present victory. Philistia would suffer for their sins.

Sometimes the pendulum swings back in our favor for a while. We should not allow those times to lull us into a false sense of security and forget our sins or our ultimate needs. The problem with Ahaz was that he had gotten just enough victories to cause him to disregard Isaiah and his words, so he felt he did not need God. His enemies, the Philistines, took his death as a sign of his God’s weakness. But, in fact, the death of Ahaz would hasten the coming of the next step in God’s plan, and that would show how strong God is.

LORD, when fortune favors us, help us to seek your favor first, and not to be blinded by the swing of the pendulum.

Posted in Ahaz, discernment, faithfulness, plan of God | Tagged | Leave a comment

a broom of destruction

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (11)

Isaiah 14:22-27

22 “And I will rise up against them,” a declaration of Yahveh of armies, “and I will cut off name and a remnant from Babylon, and offspring and posterity,” – a declaration of Yahveh. 23 “And I will make her a hedgehog’s possession, and pools of water, and I will sweep her away with a broom of destruction,” – a declaration of Yahveh of armies. 24 Yahveh of armies has sworn, saying, “If this has not happened just as I have intended, so it will, and just as I have planned, the oath will stand: 25 to break Assyria in my land, and I will trample him down on my mountains; and he will remove his yoke from them, and he will remove his burden from his shoulder. 26 This, the plan that is planned concerning all of the land; and this, the hand that is stretched out over all of the nations. 27 Because Yahveh of armies has planned, and who will frustrate him? And his hand stretched out, and who will turn it back?

a broom of destruction

It sounds almost comical – like a weapon devised for a third rate video game. But the broom of destruction that Isaiah spoke of was nothing to laugh at. Once the armies of Media and Persia were finished with the land that had once been the home of the Assyrians, and was presently under the control of Babylon – nothing was left. They swept it clean, and made it a desolate place. The ultimate defeat made all the previous victories nothing. One by one, all the nations who had carried the burden – the yoke – on their shoulder, would be relieved of that yoke. That is the plan of Yahveh of armies, and what he plans, no one can frustrate. It is going to happen.

Do we dare to believe that God can still do the same thing today? He will do it collectively and ultimately when Christ returns, and he sets up his kingdom of righteousness. All the oppression and evil of past victors will be removed from the victims. Peace and righteousness will reign through judgment.

But this God of armies also wants to sweep through our lives and remove the burdens that we are bearing now. He tells us “Come to me, all who work hard and carry a heavy load, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Because my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”[1] His broom of destruction can destroy all the things that are keeping us from the peace and rest he wants us to enjoy. His yoke can make life worth living again, and we need not wait for eternity to experience it. It is only a prayer away.

LORD, we invite you to destroy all the things in our life which are keeping us from the peace and rest you intend us to enjoy. Sweep through our lives with your broom of destruction.

[1] Matthew 11:28-30.

Posted in deliverance, judgment, kingdom of God, rest | Tagged | Leave a comment

thrown away from your grave

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (10)

Isaiah 14:16-21

16 Those who see you will gawk at you, they will gaze closely at you: ‘this is the man who made the land tremble, who caused kingdoms to shake, 17 who made a world like the desert and destroyed its cities, who would not let his prisoners return home?’ 18 All kings of nations, all of them, lie in glory, each one in his house. 19 But you, you are thrown away from your grave, like a repugnant shoot, clothed with slain, those pierced by the sword, those who go down to the stones of the pit, like a corpse that is trampled. 20 You will not be united with them in a decent burial because you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people. A descendant of evildoers will not be celebrated for eternity! 21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons because of the sin of their fathers. Let them not rise and take possession of a land or fill up the face of a world with cities.”

thrown away from your grave

On my many trips to Cebu, Philippines, I often visited and walked about in a Chinese cemetery. In stark contrast to the poverty and disorder that one could see everywhere else, this cemetery was ornate, immaculate and orderly. It was the only place that I have ever seen air conditioning and a Christmas tree – in someone’s grave. At the root of this kind of practice is the idea that the dead should be treated well, and that doing so will ensure that the living will fare well in life. Babylon had similar ideas in its culture. That is why Isaiah’s words bit so hard. He predicted that the kings of Babylon would not be treated well in death. Their corpses would be thrown away from their graves. Their soldiers would not be able to protect them, because they will be slaughtered, and thrown into a mass grave. Their sons would be killed as well, so the dynasty would not continue. What a fate to anticipate for the rulers of the world’s superpower!

Isaiah was telling the well-off that they will not experience their grandeur and fame forever. Death will show those wealthy tyrants who ruled the world by their oppression and violence that their power was a sham. They were in reality no better off than the slaves they mistreated.

Isaiah is also telling us something here. He’s asking us who we are stepping on in our race to the top. He is encouraging us to look beyond the power and fame of the present and seek a relationship with God now. He reminds us that nothing is more important than a relationship with the LORD, because only that will outlast our mortality. Jesus promised to raise those who believe and trust him on the last day. That commodity (faith in Christ) is the most precious of all things. It is worth surrendering all the wealth and fame the world has to offer, because those things will not survive. God’s kingdom will.

LORD, when we are tempted to put wealth or fame ahead of your kingdom, remind us of the fate of the Babylonian kings.

Posted in destruction in hell, mortality, relationship with God, resurrection | Tagged | Leave a comment

waking to taunt Babylon

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (9)

Isaiah 14:9-15

9 Sheol below is getting excited over you, to welcome your entrance, it wakes dead spirits for you, all of the leaders of the land. It raises all of the kings of the nations from their “thrones.” 10 All of them will respond and say to you, ‘You yourself were also made weak like us! You have become the same as us!’ 11 Your pride is brought down to Sheol, along with the sound of your harps; the maggot is spread out beneath you like a bed, and your covering is the worm. 12 How you have fallen from the sky, morning star, son of dawn! You are cut down to the ground, conqueror of nations! 13 And you yourself said in your heart, ‘I will climb the sky; I will raise up my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the assembly mountain on the northern summit. 14 I will ascend to high places where only a cloud goes. I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

waking to taunt Babylon

Sheol is the Hebrew term most used for the intermediate state – the state between death and resurrection. Isaiah pictures the dead rulers who had been put there by Babylon waking up from their sleep in Sheol and rejoicing that now their destroyer has been destroyed: the one who put them to death has now died. They exult over the fact that the king of Babylon who had such high ambitions for himself has been brought low – down to the dirt depths of Sheol.

Isaiah is not actually saying that people are awake in Sheol. He’s saying the exact opposite. In his vision, he saw those spirits who were asleep being woken up so that they could taunt Babylon. So, the point of this text is not to prove the unbiblical doctrine of innate immortality and a conscious intermediate state. Isaiah is predicting the death of Babylon. He would not be predicting death and denying it at the same time. In fact, he asserts the reality of death to all – even mighty Babylon.

When was the last time you thought about the reality that death comes to all? It is important to think about that, because no matter how great you are, or how successful you become, death awaits. Since we cannot escape it, it behooves us to approach the one who promises a resurrection unto eternal life. We can plan to succeed, but we must be aware that staying alive forever is not something that human beings are capable of doing. Only God has immortality, so if we want to overcome the death problem, we had better seek a relationship with him.

LORD, we confess our inability to survive this life. We trust your grace to raise us to a new, eternal life when you return.

Posted in dependence upon God, judgment, sleep of death | Tagged | Leave a comment

on the day Yahveh gives you rest

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (8)

Isaiah 14:1-8

1 But Yahveh will have compassion on Jacob, and he will again choose Israel and position them on their land, and the immigrant will join himself to them, and they will connect themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And Gentiles will rescue them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will take possession of those Gentiles in the land of Yahveh as slaves and female slaves. And this will happen: they will take their captors captive and have dominion over their oppressors. 3 And it will happen on the day Yahveh gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and hard work which was you did. 4 that you will take this taunt against the king of Babylon, and you will say: “How an oppressor has stopped! Hostility has ceased. 5 Yahveh has broken a wicked staff, a scepter of rulers, 6 that struck peoples in wrath, a blow without ceasing, that ruled nations in anger, bringing persecution without restraint. 7 All of the land rests peacefully; they break out singing. 8 Even cypresses rejoice over you, the cedars of Lebanon sing: ‘Since you were laid down, no lumberjack comes up against us.’

on the day Yahveh gives you rest

Isaiah’s predicts of the downfall of the Babylonian empire. He imagines the land breaking out in song because it is no longer under the oppression and pain of tyrants, seeking its destruction. Perhaps you have been going through a difficult time, and you are seeking that kind of rest. Maybe it has been a long time since you have felt like singing. Please know that you are not alone. The LORD knows the oppression you are feeling. He wants you to know that he plans to give you rest, and you will know a time when you can feel like singing again.

LORD, thank you for encouraging us with your presence during time when we feel overwhelmed. Thank you for the promise of deliverance, and the hope of future praise.

Posted in praise, rest, second coming | Tagged | Leave a comment

goat dance

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (7)

Isaiah 13:19-22

19 And Babylon, glory of kingdoms, the splendor of that the Chaldeans’ pride themselves in, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah’s catastrophic overthrow by God. 20 It will not be inhabited forever, and it will not be lived in even after generation and generation, and no Arab will pitch a tent there, and shepherds will not allow their animals to lie down there. 21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures, and the daughters of an ostrich will live there, and goats will dance there. 22 And hyenas will answer in its widowed palaces, and jackals in the pleasing temples; and its time is close to come and its days will not be prolonged.

goat dance

Isaiah’s prediction about Babylon is clear. It will be totally destroyed, and left uninhabited, except for the occasional wild animal straying into what was once a palace or temple, and dancing there. It will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. The destruction of these two evil cities was a direct result of God’s judgment, and was often used as a simile for his judgment upon other cities or nations.[1]

Jesus warned that his second coming will be like that too, only on a global scale. Like Noah’s flood or Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction by fire, the only hope is to escape it, because no one will live through it. The good news on both counts is that God had provided a means of escape, an ark for Noah, and an angel for lot. But most of the world ignored Noah’s ark, and Lot’s wife looked back, and was lost.

As we keep seeing in these Prophets, the LORD is the author of both the judgment and the rescue. Isaiah’s message to the Israelites is that God sees the oppression they are experiencing under Babylonian rule, and his judgment upon Babylon will be severe. The implication is that his power that can destroy mighty Babylon is available to deliver repentant Israel.

Jesus taught the same thing about his second coming. It will bring death and destruction to all – except those who are ready for it. Are you ready for the Lord Jesus to return?

Come, Lord Jesus.

[1] Genesis 19:24; Deuteronomy 29:23; Jeremiah 49:18; 50:40; Zephaniah 2:9.

Posted in destruction in hell, judgment, repentance, second coming | Tagged | Leave a comment

no mercy, no pity

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

March 2015 (6)

Isaiah 13:14-18

14 And this will happen: like a hunted gazelle or sheep and without one who gathers them, they will each turn to his people, and they will each flee to his land. 15 Everyone who is found will be pierced through, and everyone who is carried away will fall by the sword. 16 And their children will be dashed into pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be raped. 17 Watch me stirring the Medes up against them, who do not value silver and do not delight in gold. 18 And bows will shatter young men. And they will not show mercy on fruit of the womb; their eyes will not look with pity on children.

no mercy, no pity

Isaiah continues to describe the future downfall of the Babylonian empire. He describes their soldiers as fleeing in panic back to their own country and their own kin. But that does not help them, because many will be caught and killed on the way, and those who arrive back home will be invaded and suffer the same atrocities that they had inflicted. Their children would be slaughtered before their eyes, and their wives raped. The God of armies sends armies that do not share his attributes of mercy and compassion. They will not be bribed by money to end their violence. They live for it.

Why is such a horrible depiction of violence in the holy scripture? First, it is the true depiction of the fate that Babylon suffered under the Medo Persian armies, as a punishment from God for its own violent overthrow of other nations, including Judah. Secondly, it hints of the terrible recompense that the planet will suffer on the day of Yahveh, when he brings punishment to cleanse the earth of its rebellion.

LORD, we shutter to think of the terrible retribution in store for those who have sinned against you by being cruel and violent toward others. We throw ourselves at your mercy, because you are a God of mercy and you have taken pity on us. By your grace you have atoned for our sins through Christ’s death on the cross. We cling to that cross, and seek deliverance from your terrible judgment. Our hearts also cry out for those still trapped in lives of sin and rebellion. Help us to reach them before they suffer such terrible punishment and destruction. Help us to reach them with the message of the victory you won for them at the cross.

Posted in atonement, destruction in hell, evangelism, judgment, violence | Tagged | Leave a comment

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!

Posted in destruction in hell, future, Jesus Christ, judgment | Tagged | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in commitment, prayer, providence, sovereignty of God | Tagged | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in deliverance, faith, praise, presence of God | Tagged | Leave a comment