Slices
Prepare
As you prepare, imagine God hurrying to be with you, as you ‘wait’ for him (v 18).
Bible passage
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ 22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, ‘Away with you!’
23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
27 See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar,
with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,
and his tongue is a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a rushing torrent,
rising up to the neck.
He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;
your hearts will rejoice
as when people playing pipes go up
to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Rock of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice
and will make them see his arm coming down
with raging anger and consuming fire,
with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;
with his rod he will strike them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
with his punishing club
will be to the music of tambourines and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.
33 Topheth has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath of the Lord,
like a stream of burning sulphur,
sets it ablaze.
Explore
Verse 18 (from Saturday’s passage) provides a key overlapping point with today’s verses. After much feverish activity from others, God ‘rises’. This feels like a full, New Testament revelation of his nature. At the heart of it are grace, compassion and justice. Because of these, we can see in verse 19 the same loving father who runs delightedly towards the prodigal son (see Luke 15:20).
All we can expect from God is well encompassed here in these verses. As his people, when we cry for help we can look for his immediate response (v 19), his intimate presence (v 21) and his bountiful provision (vs 23–25). By now, I guess, we are ready for Isaiah’s lurch in verse 25 – from broad, tranquil meadows, through horrible slaughter, and back to streams of water and gentle healing (v 26).
Finally, we plunge back into destruction, the raging anger of God’s judgement and fire pits. (Topheth is something like an ancient cremation place, verse 33.) Yet still – mixed in a way that’s strange to our modern sensibilities – are images of holy festivity, rejoicing and celebration (v 29). Isaiah’s God-given vision shows realities which we know must come to pass. God will destroy all that is wicked. He will restore his kingdom – and then invite us in.
Respond
Just now, what are the bruises you carry from life? Ask the Lord to bind them up right now (v 26).
Deeper Bible study
‘Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says’.1 Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hear from God today.
In the first half of chapter 30, Isaiah prophesied a message of judgement. As we saw yesterday, Israel had trusted Egypt to save it from danger and God didn’t approve. Now, in the second half, Isaiah takes a U-turn back to hope: God intends to pummel Assyria with ‘his punishing club’ (v 32). It’s a violent image, but it shows how determined God is to bring justice on earth. ‘Amen’, the people of Jerusalem would have shouted, ‘it’s about time!’ The most powerful force in this chapter, however, is not a weapon: it’s the voice of God (v 30)2 and he uses it to bring both judgement and hope.
The truth is, forming an alliance with Egypt was not Israel’s main mistake: that was the consequence. God says Israel’s sin was an unwillingness to ‘listen to the Lord’s instruction’ (v 9), a habit that exasperated God.3 Today, Christians don’t often consciously, intentionally decide to commit sin. What’s more typical is we gradually, unintentionally stop listening; the gadgets of our digital age can distract us from an attentive life of listening to the Spirit.
What makes the end of the chapter so hopeful is that Isaiah envisions a day when the people will relearn the basic discipline of hearing and obeying God’s voice (v 21), the consequences of which are spiritual renewal (v 22) and temporal blessing (vs 23–26). And yes, it will also be his instrument for destroying evil and restoring justice (vs 30–33). What God wants his people to understand is that hearing and obeying his voice is not just a technique that helps us come out on top in life. Maintaining a listening lifestyle is the main priority in a living relationship with God.
Do you think Christians should pray for God to wield his punishing club? Are there reservations? Pray for God to bring justice on the earth.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Daniel 6,7; 2 John
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for the children and young people in the two Southport Grow Communities, that God will bless them for their strong faith in him and deepen their spiritual understanding.
Mission Support
Unlock the full potential of your outreach to children and young people with FREE Mission Support from Scripture Union.
A staggering 95% of under-18s don’t go to church, so you might think reaching them is an impossible challenge. But we see it as an amazing opportunity, and we’re here to help you embrace it!
Whether you're simply looking for inspiration or crave one-to-one support in your drive to reach the 95, we've got you covered!
