Advertise on podcast: Christ Church Bentonville

God was not going to use Cyrus to subdue Israel and keep them in submission to a Gentile nation, but to free Israel and bring the Gentile nations into submission through them.

The God who is truly King of the whole universe loves His chosen people, and His end goal is to bring them salvation.  He is the Creator and Redeemer who can be trusted.

The message is as relevant today as it was in Isaiah's day.  He said the remedy for the absurdity of idolatry is redemption by an incomparable God.

The Lord told Judah to “Fear not."  But He also gave them some pretty impressive reasons why.  But God had decided to change His mind about their exile was not one of them.

Isaiah once again circles back to a message of judgement because the people of God then needed to be reminded that "It is only the revealed Word of God and obedience to it that makes a distinct and blessed people." (Motyer).  The people of God today need to be reminded of that as well.

God's people have the promise that He will act to deliver them from all their sin and sorrow. So what should they do when it seems He is silent? Wait on Him, turn from their idolatry, and sing His praise for all He has done and promises He will do - even in the silence.

The Lord delights in His people with the fullness of His being because He delights in His Son and Chosen Servant, with whom His people have been united, with the fullness of His being.

The Lord through Isaiah encourages us as He did the people of God in Isaiah's day because in Christ we too are offspring of Abraham.  His electing love He set upon us, His covenant promises He has made to us, His presence with us, His power and strength He gives to us, and His redemption of us are more than enough to overcome any and all of our fear.

Because God is who He is, He will keep doing what He has always done which is sustain, restore, and carry His covenant people by His own unfailing strength rather than their strength that fails.

Through Isaiah, God promises that the word of judgment in exile is not HIs final word and declares comfort to His people in the midst of their distress.

The fact that the Lord had heard Hezekiah, saw his tears, and answered his prayer should have had such a profound effect on him that it would change how he approached what happened next.  But it didn’t.

Hezekiah’s prayer didn’t alter God’s plan, it was a part of God’s plan.  God’s mind didn’t change, the circumstances did. His prayer was an ordained means to God's ordained end that would be for His glory and not only  Hezekiah's good but ours as well.

Through Hezekiah, we learn it is a privilege to pray because through prayer God invovles us in what He is doing.

The enemy of the Lord's covenant people has a consistent pattern of attack - undermining the people's position, highlighting their weakness, holding out false promises, then denying the faithfulness of the Lord. Judah's dilemma is our dilemma: will we trust the word of worldly powers, or the word of the Lord of heaven and earth?

The Lord is the Lord of all nations, and there is coming day where His boundless wrath will be poured out on His enemies and the enemies of His people. But an even better renewal is promised to all who turn from sin to trust in the redemption offered in Christ - a new creation free from sin, sickness, and sorrow and filled with glory and joy.