Isaiah 54-56
Welcome to daily Audio Bible Chronological. I’m Jill. It’s the 30th day of July and we are going through the Bible together in chronological order. We do it every day until we get through the Bible together in a year. It’s a joy to be here with you reading the word of God. It’s my complete honor and I’m humbled to be able to do so, but I’m also on this journey with you. I have never been through the Bible in chronological order. So we’re doing that together individually, but collectively as a community. It’s such a beautiful thing. We are here once again centering ourselves around the word of God- we’re just going to take the next 25 to 30 minutes, and exhale first of all. We’re gonna listen and quiet ourselves and we’re going to open our hearts to receive all that God would say and speak and do in our hearts through his word. Today we’re continuing Isaiah chapter 54 and will be reading through chapter 58. And we are still in the New English translation for just a few more days. Isaiah 54.
Commentary:
We have a really powerful ending to the reading today. Could’ve pulled from several different places from today if I’m just being honest. But the part that was particularly uncomfortable that sort of hit right right where it counts is in chapter 58. They seek me day after day. They want to know my requirements like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They asked me for just decrees. They want to be near God. They lament. Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves? Look at the same time you fast you satisfy your selfish desires. You oppress your workers. Your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today trying to make your voice heard in heaven. Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humbled themselves bowing their heads like a reed stretched out on sackcloth and ashes? is this really what you call a day that is pleasing to the Lord? No, this is the kind of fast I want. Here it is, I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, to break every burdensome yoke. This could make me weep. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe them. Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood, Then your light will shine like the sunrise, your restoration will quickly arrive. Your godly behavior will go before you and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. I don’t know exactly what this means to be honest with you, and for the record, if you’re reading along its it’s worth rereading all the way to the end. I think the point that hurts is that we can so easily do the things and check off the boxes thinking that we’re following the rules and we’re doing all the things. We’re getting it so right and were completely missing the heart of God because we are missing the heart of God’s people. We’re walking past the hungry and we dismiss the marginalized. We blame the oppressed that they got what they deserved. We elevate the rich and the prideful because just maybe maybe deep down it makes us seem rich for a moment, might make us feel a little more elevated in our egos and our conscience. Remember a few years ago during a fast and just walking around telling people how hungry I was. And finally, the Lord convicted me of- ya you are missing the whole point if all you’re doing is complaining the whole time you’re fasting. Then just don’t fast- don’t do it if all you’re doing is complaining about how much you want a cheeseburger. And I was at a crossroads, either needed to break fast and attend to my selfish desires or I had to stay on course and stop complaining and press into what exactly I was doing. I was fasting in hopes to obtain something that I wanted instead of shifting my awareness to what I was willing to give up and reaching toward God as my dependency in place of what I would normally reach for and gravitate towards. I don’t know about you…I don’t want to miss the mark anymore and I want to jump and shout and make a scene in hopes to bring attention, that hopefully people will come to Christ because look at me, look at all the things I’m doing right and I’m totally missing the heart of God. How do we know the heart of God? We ask him. We spend time, we seek it out, we read it in his word. We so easily speak for God instead of speaking to God and we must remember to spend time that connects our heart to his heart through worship, prayer, through dialogue, through quietness and stillness.
Prayer:
So father, this is my prayer today that we will not miss the mark that we will not be busy doing the things that we think that you want us to do and we completely miss your heart. I’m tired and so weary of hearing people speak for you father without speaking to you, And even this, even this word speaks to our hearts today that comes from the prophet Isaiah, speaking to your children who refused to listen to you, who chose to worship other gods, who turned their back on you, and hearing these words that you spoke through your prophet to the people, let them not fall on deaf ears today. As your children, open our eyes to see that which we have been blind to, open our ears to hear what we have avoided, what we have let fall on deaf ears and once again we pray father that you would turn these hearts of stone to flesh- let us be open to receive all that you want to say and speak into in our lives through your word. I pray that we would only take this and internalize it to ourselves, not for anybody else. Not for the people that we think need to hear this and they need to change. We can only change our own selves. We can only choose to do the work for our own lives and may it be so. I pray, and I pray this in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Announcements:
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