The Voice of the Prophet, Day 9 Forever. Read Isaiah chapter 9. Do we really understand the concept of forever? As beings that are born and die, it’s almost impossible for us to wrap our mind around the concept of something that has no beginning and no end. Trying to understand something that has always been and then will always be is complicated. When we think about the fact that God will reign over everything forever, that takes on new meaning that we struggle to understand. There has never been a point, and there will never be a point, when God is not in complete and total control of everything.…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 7 The sign. Read Isaiah chapter 7. As Isaiah is prophesying, he is sharing with the people the importance of the judgments of God. He wants them to understand the things are going to come to pass. He tells the people to go ahead and ask for a sign so they can know for sure that God will do what he says. And the people say they don’t want to do that, so Isaiah says that God himself will tell you what the sign is. The sign is that a virgin will bear a son and that son will be called Immanuel or God…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 6 Sin versus holiness. Read Isaiah chapter 6. We don’t always think about the difference between sin and holiness. They are so vastly different that we, with our sinful nature, truly can’t understand what holiness really even looks like. Isaiah was confronted with the holiness of God and as a result, he saw exactly how sinful he was. There is so much difference between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. As soon as he saw how holy God truly is, he could do nothing except look at himself and recognize how sinful he was by comparison. We need to see God…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 5 The story of the vineyard. Read Isaiah chapter 5. As this chapter starts, the prophet begins telling a story. God is speaking and explaining about a vineyard. God created a vineyard and planted it and did everything he could for it to set it up for success. But, the vineyard only ever produced bag grapes. God asks the question, “Is there something additional I could have done that that would have caused the vineyard to have been successful and productive?” The question for them, is there something additional that would have helped the people to understand their loyalty and commitment to God? He…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 4 Glory in the Lord. Read Isaiah chapter 4. Reading through Isaiah chapter 4 doesn’t take very long at all. It is a short, tiny chapter. It’s a reminder that the glory of the Lord is incredible and sustaining for everyone. As the prophecy continues regarding the judgment that God is going to bring, we see that after the judgment, God’s glory and beauty is beheld by all. And not only is it seen, it is what provides sustaining life and safety for everyone. God is the one who provides for all of us. His glory and his beauty is evident in everything we…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 3 Life against God. Read Isaiah chapter 3. What does a life look like that is set against the Lord? In this chapter of Isaiah, the people are seeking anything except the Lord, and he shows them just what that kind of life looks like. They are staggering. They’re falling because everything they are doing and saying goes against God. When we are living a life in rebellion to God, we are not going to be able to do anything correctly. We are not able to continue moving forward. God knows, and God sees, and God works in such a way that he keeps…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 2 Only God. Read Isaiah chapter 2. As Isaiah continues to prophecy about the ultimate judgment of God, he reminds us that every person who thinks they are prideful and all of the arrogant thoughts that we come up with, are nothing when compared with the holiness of God. On that final day of judgment, God is the only one that will be exalted. Everything we have done will crumble around us and be nothing. We will be nothing compared to God himself. Are we focusing on God and worshiping him and him alone? Now, one day, every knee will bow, and every tongue…

The Voice of the Prophet, Day 1 Turn around! Read Isaiah chapter 1. We’re going to spend the next couple of months going through the book of Isaiah. Isaiah has some of the most profound prophecies in the entire Bible, and it’s one of the most quoted books of the Bible. New Testament books often quote from the book of Isaiah as they describe prophecy fulfillment. And even Jesus himself read from the book of Isaiah, when he was preaching. We know that Isaiah had a tremendous background history. He was a prophet to the kings of Israel. He had the reputation of being one of God’s servants and the…