Isaiah 29 (HCSB)
Woe to Jerusalem
1 Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David camped! Continue year after year; let the festivals recur.
2 I will oppress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying, and she will be to Me like an Ariel.
3 I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with earth ramps, and I will set up my siege towers against you.
4 You will be brought down; you will speak from the ground, and your words will come from low in the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 Your many foes will be like fine dust, and many of the ruthless, like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,
6 you will be visited by the Lord of Hosts with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise, storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire.
7 All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel—all the attackers, the siege works against her, and those who oppress her—will then be like a dream, a vision in the night.
8 It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating, then wakes and is still hungry; and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking, then wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water. So it will be for all the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion.
9 Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with beer.
10 For the Lord has poured out on you an overwhelming urge to sleep; He has shut your eyes—the prophets, and covered your heads—the seers.
11 For you the entire vision will be like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to one who can read and he is asked to read it, he will say, “I can’t read it, because it is sealed.” 12 And if the document is given to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it, he will say, “I can’t read.”
13 The Lord said:
Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service—yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote—
14 therefore I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder. The wisdom of their wise men will vanish, and the understanding of the perceptive will be hidden.
15 Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the Lord. They do their works in darkness, and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?
17 Isn’t it true that in just a little while Lebanon will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest?
18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of a document, and out of a deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The humble will have joy after joy in the Lord, and the poor people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless one will vanish, the scorner will disappear, and all those who lie in wait with evil intent will be killed—
21 those who, with their speech, accuse a person of wrongdoing, who set a trap at the gate for the mediator, and without cause deprive the righteous of justice.
22 Therefore, the Lord who redeemed Abraham says this about the house of Jacob:
Jacob will no longer be ashamed and his face will no longer be pale.
23 For when he sees his children, the work of My hands within his nation, they will honor My name, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 13): For so long I gave lip-service to my walk with You, Father. I'd say one thing outwardly, but inside do something else. Please forgive me of this sin, Father. Help me to always put action and Your truth behind my faith journey.
PROMISE (verses 23-24): In these verses You make us a promise of the return of Jesus as the "God of Israel." You promise us that on that day the "confused will gain understanding" and that "those who grumble will accept instruction" as they stand in awe at Your glory, Father.
ATTITUDE (verse 24): I have a default to complain, Father, when things need to go a certain way that I don't necessarily agree with or don't want to put forth the effort for. Help me to change this grumbling attitude of mind, Lord, so that I may joyfully accept Your instruction.
COMMAND (verses 15-16): You tell us to not try to hide our plans from You, Father. You tell us that You are the perfect Maker/Creator and that everything You do is exactly right, yet often I give into the world's influence and try to do things my own way. I know nothing I do, say, or think is hidden from You, but often I find myself saying or thinking "I hope He didn't see/hear that." Help me to fully trust in Your commands, Lord, in that Your ways are always the perfect solution for me.
EXAMPLE (verses 19, 23-24): You give us several examples here of how we should be living. The first is to live a humble life, having joy after joy in You and rejoicing in You always. The second is to live in a way that honors You by accepting Your instructions and gaining understanding of Your truth from the Holy Spirit, Your word, and through prayer. Help me to live in a way that reflects the examples You've given us here, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: I really do need to get better at doing what the old Barry White song says---Practice What You Preach. I far too often have been one to say something outwardly or promise something on the outside, but inside I never commit to what was spoken. Far too often what I speak outwardly is simply to save face or because it's what others expect of me. Help me to truly "practice what YOU preach" so that I may glorify Your kingdom, Father, and live this life in a way that is pleasing to You.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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