Isaiah 54-64

For your Maker is your husband-
the Lord Almighty is his name-
the Holy One of Israel is you Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
Isaiah 54:5

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
Isaiah 62:5

I have lots of thoughts floating in my head about these verses, but I can't seem to get them properly written.  Very powerful verses!

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,  
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10

Both of the verses above confirm to me that the Lord is the ONLY way.  He is the one that will not disappoint or mislead.

no weapon forged against you will prevail 
Isaiah 54:17

Sometimes we feel like evil prevails.....but it's b/c we look at the situation and not the whole picture.  God's work is being done even in pain and disaster.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are you ways my ways," declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9

This reminded me of a saying I heard not so long ago that has stuck with me:  "If our God was small enough to understand he would not be big enough to worship!"  His plans are not our plans and sometimes we don't understand why.

Maintain justice and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand 
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Isaiah 56:1



no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
Isaiah 57:1


When good, righteous people die we ask "WHY?"  This was true then and it's still true today.   


In Chapter 58 true vs. artificial fasting is the topic.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf
 of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:9-11

The way I looked at this:  We can not eat our meat on Friday's during Lent or give up TV for the season.....but if we are not loving God's people with all our hearts our fasting attempts are for nothing.  Our true fast should be from our selfish, self centered ways.  I want to be a well-watered garden whose waters never fail!!!!!

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus speaks in front of the people of Nazareth.  He reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.  He reads this:


The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to preach good new to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
Isaiah 61:1-2


He does not continue reading from Isaiah 61.  He rolls it up and hands it off.  After a little more research it seems that the rest of vs. 2-3 pertains to the second coming of Christ.  A glimpse into our future....

and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn
and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.


Wow!

I'm going to leave the last few chapters for another post.  I need to work on them a little more.  As hard as Isaiah was to start....it is an amazing finish! -nic