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Tara Leigh Cobble
Hey, Bible Readers, I'm Tara Leigh Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. Yesterday we covered woes number one, two, and three, and today we wrap up the final three of six. Today's reading ended on a dark note, but hopefully you'll be encouraged to know that tomorrow things brighten up a bit. And we're not far off from the parts of Isaiah that deal with the new heavens and the new earth, which are pretty amazing to read about. We open today with a reinforced Woe to Judah. Woe to those who go down to Egypt. We've heard this one before. We know Judah is working on an alliance with Egypt because Judah is afraid of Assyria. So this is clearly directed at Judah. God says they will seek help from Egypt, but Egypt will be rendered helpless themselves. They may have horses and chariots, but God has weapons Judah can't even imagine he can provide in ways that are supernatural, and he foretells a day when they'll finally turn to him and destroy their idols. And in that day a righteous king will reign. Hopefully you've picked up on this by now, but anytime we see the future righteous king reigning after the day of the Lord, that points to Jesus. Of course, the people in Isaiah's day didn't know this. They naturally assumed it would be an earthly king, but a good one. To contrast all the bad ones they've experienced in that day, fools and scoundrels won't be exalted anymore, but for now, they're still running rampant. The fool and the scoundrel are two distinct people. Here, 326 describes the fool like the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the Lord, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink. And here's what verse seven says about the as for the scoundrel, his devices are evil. He plans wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right. One of the first things that came to mind when I read this was the people who work as sex traffickers, luring unwitting poor people into lives of rape after promising them good jobs or college degrees. When I read about the fool and the scoundrel, all I know is I never want to be either of those people. And one thing they both have in common, besides their hatred of God and His Word, is a disregard for the poor and needy. In fact, a lot of people in Isaiah's day have this problem. Their wealth has made them complacent. He specifically addresses the complacent women and calls them to repent. They are the focus of the fifth woe. He warns them that they're living in a false sense of security when in fact things are about to get really bad within the year. But then, as he always does, he reminds them of the message of hope beyond the desolation. He says God's spirit will be poured out all over the land, which will cause people's hearts to turn back to him and they'll begin to flourish again. The sixth and final woe is pronounced to the destroyer and the traitor, which ultimately points to those who have wounded God's people in Judah. They will serve God's purposes in bringing Judah to repentance, but then they will be judged themselves. Isaiah declares God's trustworthiness to the people of Judah, who will be inclined to doubt it. As all of this is unfolding, he wants to remind them who Yahweh is. In the midst of everything they know being turned on its head and everything they found their identity and hope in being shaken. Isaiah reminds them in 33,6 he will be the stability of your times. Nothing else is worth building your life on. He says the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure. In other words, the most valuable thing you have is your trust in God. After we wrapped up the six woes, we moved on to the judgment of the nations in chapter 34. Much lighter reading, right? Nope. God promises to bring judgment on all the nations of the earth. Honestly, this should come as no surprise. We know what humanity is like. We've seen the news. Isaiah begins to paint images of Edom being turned into an abandoned wasteland full of tar and fire and terrible animals like porcupines and owls. I just had to point that out because owls terrify me. See, it's biblical. While Isaiah is describing what will happen to Edom after God brings vengeance on it, some people believe this is also alluding to hell. Either way, owls are there, so I'm not going. And near the end of today's reading, we have another reminder of why we don't take verses out of context and claim them for ourselves. A well meaning single woman once told me she was claiming Isaiah 34:16 as her promise that God has a husband for her. It says, none shall be without her mate. I wasn't sure if I should tell her that verse actually refers to the wild animals who are populating the desolate, tar covered, sulfur smelling wasteland. God has cursed. Pretty sure I'd rather stay single. Okay then. What was your God Shot the owl bit? No, me neither. Mine was in God's warning to the complacent women in 32:15 16 Isaiah says, God's spirit will be poured out over the land, which will cause people's hearts to turn back to God and they'll begin to flourish because the active presence of God's Spirit brings justice and righteousness. In the next verse, he says, the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness will be quietness and trust forever. So follow me here for a second. The thread we see running through these verses is that righteousness is what brings quietness and trust, and that God is the one who brings righteousness. You don't have to manufacture your own righteousness. You couldn't if you had to. How freeing is that? Titus 3:5 6 puts it this way. He saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing and regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of Christ's death and his blood covering our sins, the Holy Spirit is poured out on us, making us righteous, something we could never achieve on our own. And that is something that will set our heart at peace and help us trust God forever. What a great relief. He's where the joy is Lots of you are halfway through your first trip through the Bible, and some of you aren't even in middle school yet. If you're a kid who likes this podcast, you might also love our books for kids. Let your parents know we've got books especially especially for Bible readers your age. We want to help you and your friends read, understand, and love the Bible. Check out everything we've got for you@thebiblerecap.com kids or click the link in the show notes.