Today's Video Devotion

Thursday 4/25/24

A Holy Judge

📺️ Isaiah 33 🔊

 ¹Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

 ²O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

 ³At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

 ⁴And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

 ⁵The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

 ⁶And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

 ⁷Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

 ⁸The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

 ⁹The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

 ¹⁰Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

 ¹¹Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

 ¹²And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

 ¹³Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.

 ¹⁴The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

 ¹⁵He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

 ¹⁶He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

 ¹⁷Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

 ¹⁸Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

 ¹⁹Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

 ²⁰Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

 ²¹But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

 ²²For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

 ²³Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

 ²⁴And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Isaiah

Date Penned: (700-681 BC)

Overview: To Tell of God's Salvation through the Messiah (c 1-66)

Theme: Words of Judgment (c 1-39)

Message: The Lord is Judge (v 1-24)

Isaiah 33 Commentary 

(33:1) Assyria Breaks their Promises - "Thee that spoilest" is Assyria. Assyria continually broke their promises but demanded that others keep theirs. It is easy to put ourselves in the same selfish position, demanding our rights while ignoring the rights of others. Broken promises shatter trust and destroy relationships. Determine to keep your promises; at the same time, ask forgiveness for past promises you have made and broken. Treat others with the same fairness that you demand for yourself. 33:2 These are the words of the righteous remnant who were waiting for God to deliver them from their oppression. We can pray these words each day. 

(33:4) Victory Over Assyria - See 2 Kings 19:20-37 and Isaiah 37:21-38 for a description of the victory over Assyria mentioned here. 33:5 There are a few places in the world where justice and fair treatment are often the rule of the day, but most of the world struggles under great oppression, prejudice, inequality, and unfairness. When Christ's kingdom is established, Zion (Jerusalem) will be the home of justice and righteousness because the Messiah will reign there. As a light to the world, the new Jerusalem will be the holy city (Revelation 21:2). Justice will prevail there, and where justice prevails, worship is unhindered. 

(33:9) Deserts - These fruitful, productive areas would become deserts. Lebanon was known for its huge cedars. Sharon was very fertile. Bashan was very productive in grain and cattle. Carmel was thickly forested. 

(33:14-16) A Consuming Fire - These sinners realized that they could not live in the presence of the holy God, for he is like a fire that consumes evil (see 30:27-28). Isaiah gave examples of how to demonstrate our righteousness and uprightness: We can reject any gain received through extortion and bribes, refuse to listen to plots of wrong actions, and stay away from evil. If we are fair and honest in our relationships, we will dwell with God and he will supply what we need.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Isaiah with Chapter 33. In our text today, we see the Lord as a Judge, as these sinners realize that they cannot live in the presence of a Holy God. Seeing the truth of who God is, His Holiness, and His Goodness will cause us to know that we are sinners. This Goodness of God will lead us to repentance. In applying, if we see who God truly is, we will see ourselves in the light of who we are. Sinners in need of repentance. How about you? Do you know who God truly is? Let us learn from our text today, and the prophecy of Isaiah on how God is a Holy God and this Holiness leads us to repentance.