Day By Day - Isaiah 15
By Darryl Flaherty
Opening Thoughts:
Chapter 15 is a very difficult chapter to write about as a devotional. This chapter is a prophecy against Moab, how can that matter to us today?
Point 1
If I take nothing more from this chapter, I find it amazing that in the middle of passing judgment on Moab, God inserts the phrase, "My heart shall cry out for Moab" (verse 5). Similarly, when Jesus was being criticised by the priest of the Temple, He lamented over Jerusalem, saying that He desired to gather her under His wings as a hen gathers her chickens (Matthew 23:37).
God desperately wants to draw us under His protection, but we so often reject Him.
Point 2
After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters decided that there was no man for them to marry, so by getting Lot drunk and seducing him, they ended up having sons from their father. The eldest daughter’s son was Moab, and the younger daughter’s son was Ben-Ammi. In God’s amazing patience, He tries, again and again, to get our attention to accept His goodwill for our lives. Even with a nation like Moab that has chosen wickedness ever since the moment it began, God still extends goodwill.
Point 3
God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
The parable of the ninety and nine sheep makes that very clear; God doesn’t want anyone’s soul to be lost (Matthew 18:10-14).
No matter what your sin or the sin of your people/nation or family history, God yearns for fellowship with you. He wants to be able to gather you as one of His own, to call you by His name.
Will you accept Him?
If, regrettably, you do not accept Him, then you become like the nation Moab: doomed to judgment, breaking God's heart as He watches you suffer for the consequences of your decision.
Final Thoughts:
God used prophets like Isaiah, in their day to warn the people of coming judgment. Today we can read His word and see the parallel of our day and realise that someday, in the future, judgment is coming to us, our friends and our families. We need to be doing all that we can to share His word with others before this judgement comes.
Opening Thoughts:
Chapter 15 is a very difficult chapter to write about as a devotional. This chapter is a prophecy against Moab, how can that matter to us today?
Point 1
If I take nothing more from this chapter, I find it amazing that in the middle of passing judgment on Moab, God inserts the phrase, "My heart shall cry out for Moab" (verse 5). Similarly, when Jesus was being criticised by the priest of the Temple, He lamented over Jerusalem, saying that He desired to gather her under His wings as a hen gathers her chickens (Matthew 23:37).
God desperately wants to draw us under His protection, but we so often reject Him.
Point 2
After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters decided that there was no man for them to marry, so by getting Lot drunk and seducing him, they ended up having sons from their father. The eldest daughter’s son was Moab, and the younger daughter’s son was Ben-Ammi. In God’s amazing patience, He tries, again and again, to get our attention to accept His goodwill for our lives. Even with a nation like Moab that has chosen wickedness ever since the moment it began, God still extends goodwill.
Point 3
God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
The parable of the ninety and nine sheep makes that very clear; God doesn’t want anyone’s soul to be lost (Matthew 18:10-14).
No matter what your sin or the sin of your people/nation or family history, God yearns for fellowship with you. He wants to be able to gather you as one of His own, to call you by His name.
Will you accept Him?
If, regrettably, you do not accept Him, then you become like the nation Moab: doomed to judgment, breaking God's heart as He watches you suffer for the consequences of your decision.
Final Thoughts:
God used prophets like Isaiah, in their day to warn the people of coming judgment. Today we can read His word and see the parallel of our day and realise that someday, in the future, judgment is coming to us, our friends and our families. We need to be doing all that we can to share His word with others before this judgement comes.
Posted in Isaiah