The Bible Recap - Day 207 (Isaiah 40-43) - Year 6

Episode Date: July 25, 2024

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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. In the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, we've read his prediction of Jerusalem's fall to Babylon, which happened approximately 100 years after he wrote those words. And we'll read more about that time in other books. But before all that takes place, Isaiah also wrote prophecies of a hope beyond that, a future restoration post-exile in Babylon. We see this starting to unfold in chapter 40,

where he speaks to the future generations. In chapter 40, we see the end of Israel's exile. They've been brought back in and God is comforting them. In 48, 8, Isaiah reminds Israel that even though God's creation passes away, God's Word itself will stand. He is immovable. One of the primary points of chapter 40 is that God is worthy of worship and sovereign over all things. Verses 16 through 17 point out that if we were to offer all His creation up to Him as an offering,

it would still fall short of praising Him as much as He deserves. But Israel still struggles with trusting and praising God. Both the rich and the poor among Israel build idols, and the people still fall into sin and entitlement. They act like God can't see their actions in their hearts and that He's being mean to them. So Isaiah calls them to be servants of Yahweh, to turn to him. But instead, just like they did in the wilderness, they complain and accuse God.

They look to the gods of Babylon, just like their forefathers in the wilderness looked to the gods of Egypt. Once again, they're missing the point that Yahweh has rescued them. That rescue does lead them through tough times. It's not all a bed of roses, but Israel can't see the big picture. Isaiah encourages them to trust God because God is doing things they can't possibly understand

and God is capable of more than they can imagine. He tells them to wait for God because God himself will renew their strength as they wait for him. The word wait here is the Hebrew word kava, which means to bind together, to be joined, to meet, to expect, to be confident, trust, endure. So if we were to read verse 40, 31

with all those definitions included, it would say, those who are bound together with the Lord, joined with the Lord, who meet with the Lord, who confidently expect and trust and endure, will renew their strength. The picture painted here is more than just waiting on God like you're waiting on your Uber to arrive.

It's being united with Him, knowing Him, trusting His character. When we live in that space, He strengthens us for whatever we're enduring. In chapter 41, we encounter some prophecies that point to a king named Cyrus. He's a leader God raises up from the east, according to verse two, and from the north,

according to verse 25. Cyrus is actually the leader of the Persian Empire, which eventually destroys Babylon. In layman's terms, Cyrus is the bully that beats up the bully that beats up Israel. And even though Cyrus is not a God-fearing king, he's still God's servant in that he serves God's purposes. We'll read more about Cyrus tomorrow.

Throughout chapter 41, God reminds his people that he is with them, which is all they need for the kavahing we talked about in chapter 40. And because he's in charge of things, he tells his people three times in this chapter not to fear. In fact, this is a big theme throughout scripture. The call not to fear shows up 366 times throughout the Bible, one for every day, even on leap years. God promises to provide for and protect his people,

which should set their hearts at ease. And those who don't believe him are the ones who will fall prey to worshiping idols. Because if they perceive an absence of God's protection and provision, they'll seek it elsewhere. God says not only are the idols themselves worthless, but those who worship them are an abomination.

In chapter 42, we step into a prophecy of Christ. God refuses to give up on his people. God says he will be compassionate and gentle toward Israel. Verse 3 puts it this way, a bruised reed he will not break. And if you've ever felt like a bruised reed, he is compassionate and gentle toward you. In this chapter he continues to walk out his plan for restoration. It's clear that Israel cannot adequately be God's servant as Isaiah has begged them to be, so it's a good thing God has provided a true servant who will fulfill his mission. This servant will restore Israel to God himself and serve as a light to the nations.

Chapter 43 is stunning. God opens by reminding them again to fear not, and not just because, hey, everything's gonna be fine, but because they belong to Him. In fact, He says they will go through trials. One of the trials is something they've already seen Him bring them through. They passed through the waters and were not overwhelmed. Remember that?

And another one of the trials listed is something they haven't seen Him do yet, but He will. It happens in the Babylonian exile. Here it is in verse 2. It says, when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned and the flame shall not consume you. That happens. We'll read about it when we get to the book of Daniel, so stay tuned. It makes Tony Robbins' coal walking experience look like child's play. According to verses 10 and 11, God is going to do all these miraculous things because he chose Israel to know and believe and understand who he is, the only savior,

the only one, not one of many. He calls them to forget the things of the past, just as he has forgotten their sins. Previously, he spent a lot of time telling them to remember, so why is he telling them to forget now? First, the two things they seem to be remembering and dwelling on are their years in exile, for which they blame God, and the days when Israel was powerful and prominent. Both of those memories cause them to forget the one thing he does want them to remember,

who he is to them. So he says to forget those things because he's doing something altogether different this time around. And despite their sin and their lack of offerings and sacrifices, he will still make a way to blot out their sins for his own sake. Where did you see your God shot today? Mine was in 41.8 where he called Israel his servant, Jacob his chosen, and Abraham his friend.

I remember Israel's sin and rebellion, yet they're still serving his purposes. I remember Jacob's manipulation to get the blessing. I remember him wrestling with God, and yet he was God's chosen. And I remember Abraham. I remember his faith and his doubts. I remember his little lies to preserve his own life. And I remember how he tried to fulfill God's promises instead of waiting on God's timing. Yet God still calls him friend. There are no perfect people

for God to use. We're all he's got, broken from the start. But he has written us into his story and he blots out our sins for his own sake. Not just ours, but his own. What an incredible God and Father. He's where the joy is. What do an apple, a three-leaf clover, and an egg have in common? If you grew up in a Christian environment, you might be tempted to say that they're illustrations of the Trinity. But I'm here to burst that bubble or crack that egg and tell you that they are not. The Trinity can be a complicated subject, but it is so helpful to try to gain a deeper understanding of it. It's one of the foundations of our faith. It's who God is. And we want to help you understand

it a little bit more. So we've built out a PDF that talks more about the roles of the persons of the Trinity, including Scripture references. If you want to get this PDF for free, all you have to do is go to thebiblerecap.com forward slash trinity and submit your email address or click the link in the show notes. That's thebiblerecap.com forward slash trinity.