Day By Day - Isaiah 20
By John Horsburgh
Initial Thoughts:
While I am not familiar with all the names used in the short chapter, there is a specific use of nations that should ring true for us when we take the symbolic references into account. From the time when Israel was led out of captivity in Egypt, Israel has represented God’s people and Egypt has represented the world. Into this, there is also the use of Ethiopia, not the nation we see in the world today but a reference to a strong, muscular people descended from Ham, one of Noah’s sons. In the shadows of invasion by the king of Assyria, there is no hope in either strength or worldly glory.
Point 1:
Put off your sackcloth and your shoes. For Isaiah, that meant walking about naked, a thing of shame and a foretelling of what was to come at the hand of the king of Assyria. If we are going to rely on our strength and the wisdom, possessions and position in the world, we need to reassess our priorities and face the future with a renewed reliance on the Word of God; for there is a time coming to all of us when we will stand before God stripped bare of all our earthly treasures and we will be judged, not by the world, but by Christ.
The New Testament tells us to judge ourselves, inferring that when we do we will change the areas where we fail to reach God’s standards and, in so doing, we will avoid the judgment to come. Let’s make sure that we do not fall into the trap of modern thought that says we are not answerable to anyone or anything but our own desires.
Point 2:
For Isaiah, sackcloth was a symbol of humility and repentance, and there are many times when everyone from kings and prophets to the lowest of the low would put on sackcloth and ashes to demonstrate shame, sorrow and repentance. This, however, is only an outward sign and when we translate this concept to the New Testament we become acutely aware that God does not look upon the outward demonstration but He looks upon the penitent heart. We need to embrace what God has done for us as told in the passage from Isaiah 61:3, that says, “He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that we might be trees of righteousness, His planting, that He might be glorified.”
Point 3:
Isaiah wandered about barefoot and naked for 3 years. No doubt that was a hardship for him as he endured the ridicule of those about him but also the harshness of the sun in summer and the cold in winter. I don’t know about how everyone else has been feeling this year but I am very aware that there are a lot of people who have found 2020 to be a time of great difficulty. Fires, health threats, isolation and financial distress have all played their part in making this a year to forget but if we are totally honest we should repent of blaming the year and begin to trust God if we truly believe that He is the one who holds our future in His hands.
Final Thoughts:
We sing a song, “Christ is enough for me” and, in reality, as I grow older I am aware that my strength will not always be there. Also, we have all seen how easily our possessions can be stripped away from us through natural disasters and economic downturns but we need to take some direction from the heroes of the faith, be they from the Old or the New Testament. For example, Job, having lost everything he had, refused to curse God but rather chose to worship; and chained in the prison, Paul and his companions lifted their voices and sang songs of praise and they too worshipped God.
As we continue to cope with the restrictions we face let’s not just try to put on a brave face but let’s put off anything that would rob us of our joy and determine to live each and every day to the Glory of our God.
Initial Thoughts:
While I am not familiar with all the names used in the short chapter, there is a specific use of nations that should ring true for us when we take the symbolic references into account. From the time when Israel was led out of captivity in Egypt, Israel has represented God’s people and Egypt has represented the world. Into this, there is also the use of Ethiopia, not the nation we see in the world today but a reference to a strong, muscular people descended from Ham, one of Noah’s sons. In the shadows of invasion by the king of Assyria, there is no hope in either strength or worldly glory.
Point 1:
Put off your sackcloth and your shoes. For Isaiah, that meant walking about naked, a thing of shame and a foretelling of what was to come at the hand of the king of Assyria. If we are going to rely on our strength and the wisdom, possessions and position in the world, we need to reassess our priorities and face the future with a renewed reliance on the Word of God; for there is a time coming to all of us when we will stand before God stripped bare of all our earthly treasures and we will be judged, not by the world, but by Christ.
The New Testament tells us to judge ourselves, inferring that when we do we will change the areas where we fail to reach God’s standards and, in so doing, we will avoid the judgment to come. Let’s make sure that we do not fall into the trap of modern thought that says we are not answerable to anyone or anything but our own desires.
Point 2:
For Isaiah, sackcloth was a symbol of humility and repentance, and there are many times when everyone from kings and prophets to the lowest of the low would put on sackcloth and ashes to demonstrate shame, sorrow and repentance. This, however, is only an outward sign and when we translate this concept to the New Testament we become acutely aware that God does not look upon the outward demonstration but He looks upon the penitent heart. We need to embrace what God has done for us as told in the passage from Isaiah 61:3, that says, “He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that we might be trees of righteousness, His planting, that He might be glorified.”
Point 3:
Isaiah wandered about barefoot and naked for 3 years. No doubt that was a hardship for him as he endured the ridicule of those about him but also the harshness of the sun in summer and the cold in winter. I don’t know about how everyone else has been feeling this year but I am very aware that there are a lot of people who have found 2020 to be a time of great difficulty. Fires, health threats, isolation and financial distress have all played their part in making this a year to forget but if we are totally honest we should repent of blaming the year and begin to trust God if we truly believe that He is the one who holds our future in His hands.
Final Thoughts:
We sing a song, “Christ is enough for me” and, in reality, as I grow older I am aware that my strength will not always be there. Also, we have all seen how easily our possessions can be stripped away from us through natural disasters and economic downturns but we need to take some direction from the heroes of the faith, be they from the Old or the New Testament. For example, Job, having lost everything he had, refused to curse God but rather chose to worship; and chained in the prison, Paul and his companions lifted their voices and sang songs of praise and they too worshipped God.
As we continue to cope with the restrictions we face let’s not just try to put on a brave face but let’s put off anything that would rob us of our joy and determine to live each and every day to the Glory of our God.
Posted in Isaiah