February 21, 2022
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Isaiah? Here’s today’s reading:
Isaiah 26 (NIV)
A Song of Praise
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
Living in perfect peace is a promise of God but not without effort from us.
3You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
We must keep our minds fixed on God to have that peace. to trust that He is in control in the good times and the bad and that ultimate victory belongs to Him.
When Isaiah says in verse 10 that when grace is given to the wicked they still do evil reminded me so much of king after king that did not obey God and is still true today of those that hear of God and choose to continue to live in sin.
“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”
Isaiah 26:4 NIV
https://isaiah.bible/isaiah-26-4
Vs 3. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you!! How I am learning that these past few months.
Isaiah 26
There’s nothing like standing on a rock when the storms of life come against us. And how much of that is related to how we think and how steadfast our minds are because we trust in God, our rock of refuge. How good is it to be properly related to the One who is bringing calamity on the world, knowing full well that our salvation is what will follow with us. And that final salvation will be complete and total. It will effect every aspect of life. It will be about God righting the wrongs and overcoming evil to promote righteousness and bring favor on those who think and live the way He dictates. Verse 10 is one of the saddest verses when it says even when the wicked are shown grace they do not learn righteousness. That is why God makes war against the proud and gives grace to the humble….because the humble let grace teach them to say no to ungodliness and say yes to God and His ways. Oh that we would seek Him and follow! Oh that we would seek His glory and His renown…because that is really all the matters….it is the only thing that is true…it is the only thing that God can support and strive for in all His efforts towards humankind…otherwise He wold be living a lie….
Wow, so much in this chapter.
God builds a city for the righteous and welcomes then in.
Their minds are at perfect peace as they focus on Him.
The people have longed for your judgment upon the high and lofty, upon those who deal unjustly, even when shown mercy they persist in unrighteousness; they are thoroughly wicked. (I found this statement assuring because my default is that we should be sharing the gospel and there is always the opportunity for repentance….but in our world today, I see unrepentant, evil people. It is assuring that God knows their heart and will judge accordingly.)
Those “lords” who lorded over the righteous, even their memory will perish.
In their/our own strength, we labored and brought forth nothing but wind; unable to deliver ourselves.
The dead will rise with us and be safely kept in God’s chambers while He deals with those on the earth. (sounds like 1 Thessalonians 4….or perhaps Revelation 12 where God hides “the woman”, Israel, and feeds her for 1260 days while dealing with the dragon.)