Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

The Savior of Israel

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the One who formed you sans, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; You are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be there with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not burn up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to Me. You are honored, and I love you.” (vv. 1-4, NLT)

“”But you are My witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “Your are my servant. You have been chosen to know Me, believe in Me, and understand that I alone am God. There no other God-there never has ben, and there never will be. I, yes,I, am the Lord and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.

No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord. “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone our of my hand. No one an undo what I have done.”(vv. 10-13, NLT)

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

“Look at My servant, whom I strengthen. He is My chosen one, who pleases me. I have put My Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise His voic e in public. He will not crush the weakest weed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant land beyond the sea will wait for His instruction. “

God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is He who says, “I, the Lord have called You to demonstrate My righteousness. I will take You by your hand and guard You, and I will give You to My people, Israel, as a symbol of My covenant with them. And You will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.”

“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give My glory to anyone else, nor share My praises with carved idols. Everything I prophesied has come true, and not I will prophesy again. It will tell it before it happens.”

“Listen in silence to Me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.”

“Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind. He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking on unfamiliar ground. Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am He.”(vv. 1-4, NLT)

“But as for you, Israel My servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham My friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying ‘Your are My servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.” (vv. 8-10, NLT)

The Lord has No Equal

Who else has held the oceans in His hands? Who has measured off the heavens with His fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give Him advise or teach Him? Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does He need instruction about what is good?

No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all the animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God. The nations of the world are worth nothing to Him. In His eyes they count for les than nothing-mere empiness and froth. (vv. 12-17, NLT)

Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God-the words He gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant? God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to Him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes His tent from them. (vv. 21-23, NLT)

“To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?” asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, call each by its name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, ho a single one is missing. (vv. 25-26, NLT)

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall from exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (vv. 28-31, NLT)

Comfort for God’s People

“Comfort, comfort, My people,” says Your God. “Speak tenderly of Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

Listen! It’s a voice of someone someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all the people will it together. The Lord has spoken.” (vv. 1-5, NLT)

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, He brings His reward with Him when He comes. He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will cary the lambs in His arms, hold them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. (vv. 10-11,NLT)

Hezekiah’s Poem of Praise

When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem:

I said, “In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?”

I said, “Never again will I see the Lord God while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or be with those who live in this world. My life has been blown away like a shepherd’s tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly my life was over. I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over. Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crain, and then I moaned like a mourning dover. My eyes grew tire of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!”

But what could I say? For He Himself sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt. Lord, Your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allowed me to live! Yes, this anguish was good for me, for You have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins.

For the dead cannot praise You’ they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in your faithfulness. Only the living can praise You as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the net. Think of it-the Lord is ready to heal me! I will sing His praises with instruments all the days of my life in the Temple of the Lord. (vv. 9-20, NLT)

Hope for Restoration

Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel, or the plain os Sharon. here the Lord will display His glory, the splendor of God.

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have week knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

And when He comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak, will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. The parched ground will become a pool, and the springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will only be fore those who walk in God’s ways: fools will never walk there. (vv. 1-8, NLT)

Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven, He will make Jerusalem His home of justice and righteousness. In that day, He will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure. (vv. 5-6, NLT)

The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. “Who can live with this devouring fire?” Those who are hones an fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong-these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance. Your eyes will see the King in all His splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance. (vv. 14-17, NLT)

Israel’s Ultimate Deliverance

Look, a righteous king is coming! An honest princes will rule under him. Each will be like a shelter from the wind and refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in the parched land.

Then everyone who has eyes will be able to se the truth, and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it. Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer will speak out plainly. (vv. 1-5, NLT)

Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home. Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the Lord will greatly bless His people. Wherever they plant a seed, bountiful crops will spring up. The cattle and donkeys will graze freely. (vv. 16-20, NLT)

Blessings for the Lord’s People

So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show You His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious to you if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see Your teacher with your own eyes. Your own hears will hear Hi. Right behind you a voice wills say, “This is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left. Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, “Good riddance!” (vv. 18-22, NLT)