The Book Of Isaiah. Day 163, The Glory Of Zion, Part Two

We continue on with Chapter 60 which deals with a prophecy of future prosperity for Isaiah's people.

"Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests? Surely the islands look to Me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord their God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has endowed you with splendor." (Isaiah 60:8-9) Here we see the Gentile nations honoring the Lord God of Israel. They are helping descendants of Jacob to return to their homeland and they are giving valuable gifts to the nation of Israel. There have been times in history when nations have extended a hand of friendship to Israel. There are still some nations, such as the United States, who extend a hand of friendship to Israel. But in the eternal kingdom of Christ, all nations will be friends with Israel. 

"Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion." (Isaiah 60:10) In ancient times the Lord allowed enemy nations to strike the inhabitants of the Promised Land. He did this to discipline them for their idolatry and waywardness. But the discipline was intended to correct them, not to destroy them, just as the discipline of a loving parent is intended to correct the disobedient behavior of a child, not to destroy the child.

The fulfillment of these verses will find their final completion in the kingdom of the Messiah, when He reigns over all the earth from Jerusalem. People whose ancestors persecuted the Jews will recognize them as an honored and chosen people of God. They will love the Messiah and they will love the nation from which He sprang.

The Lord says of Jerusalem: "Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations---their kings led in triumphal procession. For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined." (Isaiah 60:11-12) The Lord will be the king in those days and forevermore, so I think the "kings" mentioned here may be some type of governors under the Lord. In the Bible we find kings appointing various officials whose rank is under that of the king. Or these kings may be people who were leaders of nations and tribes before Christ came to reign over the earth and they may be coming to lay down their authority at His feet.

When the Apostle John was given a vision of the eternal kingdom of Christ, he said of Jerusalem: "The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:24-27)

People in ancient times would shut the city gates at night. They did this to secure the city against enemies that might try to sneak in under cover of darkness. But there will be no darkness in the kingdom of Christ. There will be no enemies: none outside the gates, none inside the gates. You and I have lived our whole lives in a fallen world where there are plenty of things to be afraid of, but that will not be the case on the restored earth with Christ as the king. No one will have an enemy. We will live unafraid and at peace. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 162, The Glory Of Zion, Part One

Chapter 60 is titled "The Glory Of Zion" as the Lord talks about the wonderful things the future holds.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." (Isaiah 60:1) The Lord speaks of His glory like the sunrise. There is no glory for us apart from Him; He is our glory. 

Isaiah's people have been through some dark times. There are some dark times still ahead. But as our previous chapter stated, the Redeemer is coming to Zion. The glory of Zion was partially fulfilled at the advent of Christ, after which many Gentiles and a number of Jews believed on Him. "See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." (Isaiah 60:2-3)

The complete fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy will occur when Christ returns to reign over the whole earth forever, but we already see "peoples" and "nations" coming to Him. These are expressions used to describe the Gentiles who have placed their faith in Him. 

This next passage was partially fulfilled when the people were allowed to return to their land and rebuild after their defeat and captivity. It found another partial fulfillment when Israel became a sovereign nation in the world again in 1948, after which many Jewish people returned to their ancestral land. It's complete fulfillment will occur when, presumably, all the Jewish believers return to their ancestral land when Christ reigns over the world from Jerusalem.

"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come." (Isaiah 60:4-5) The Apostle John foresaw this in Revelation 21:24 when he said of Jerusalem: "The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it."

The Apostle John also foresaw the entire earth restored to an Eden-like state in Revelation 22, where he describes the beauty and bounty of the world. The world will flow with milk and honey; Jerusalem will be the crown jewel of the world because the Lord's throne will be there. Isaiah speaks of the prosperity of Jerusalem and of the eternal kingdom. "Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. All Kedar's flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaith will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on My altar, and I will adorn My glorious temple." (Isaiah 60:6-7)

The passage above had some literal fulfillment when the people went home from captivity and rebuilt their ruined temple. They were able to set up an altar to the Lord, consecrate it, and resume making offerings to Him. But I think the passage above is being used figurately as well, to denote the overflowing goodness of the reign of Christ. I think the language used is intended to indicate that no one will do without anything they need. No one will be hungry or thirsty. No one will be homeless. No one will be without clothes on their back and shoes on their feet. No one will ever have an illness or injury. No one will ever die. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 161, The Lord's Own Righteousness And Justice

As we conclude Chapter 59 we learn that, because righteousness and justice were not found in the land, the Lord did what humans were not doing. 

In the previous portions of this chapter we saw that the people were perverting justice, that they didn't have compassion on the needy, that they were trusting in idols, that they were living lives of excess as if life would always continue the same way, and that they were only calling upon the Lord when troubles came---and even then they weren't confessing and repenting of sins. No one stood up for what was right, other than the prophets, and we know that they were scorned. The Lord speaks of this situation below.

"The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm achieved salvation for Him, and His own righteousness sustained Him." (Isaiah 59:15b-16) He has sent prophet after prophet to the nation, urging the people to repent. But we know from our study of the kings that the spiritual condition of a majority of the people continued to grow worse. Adversity is going to do what words did not do. In captivity in foreign lands, a number of the people will be sorry for having lost the way and they will turn back to the Lord.

Human armies will bring about the adversity but this is by the will of God. "He put on righteousness as His breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak." (Isaiah 59:17) Here we see Him dressing for battle, for the battle is actually His, no matter what nation comes against the people. If it were not His will, no nation on earth could defeat them. He promised them that very thing before He ever brought them into the land, saying that their security depended on their faithfulness. But He also said that unfaithfulness would bring disaster and that He would remove them from the land.

"According to what they have done, so He will repay wrath to His enemies and retribution to His foes; He will repay the islands their due. From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory. For He will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along." (Isaiah 59:18-19) Who are the enemies and foes of the Lord? Those who reject Him. His enemies and foes are also those who persecute people faithful to Him. In these two verses I believe He is speaking not only of disciplining Isaiah's people who have forsaken Him (by allowing Assyria to conquer Israel and by allowing Babylon to conquer Judah) but also He is speaking of the judgment that will fall upon the heathen nations. In time, as He has promised earlier in our study of Isaiah and other prophetic books, He will deal with those who invaded the nation and carried people to foreign lands. The captives will be set free and many will go back to the Promised Land.

An even bigger picture of deliverance is found in today's passage. The Lord will allow the people to return to their land and the Redeemer will come from these people and from their land. The Lord says: "'The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,' declares the Lord. 'As for Me, this is my covenant with them,' says the Lord. 'My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants---from this time on and forever,' says the Lord." (Isaiah 59:20-21) 

The Messiah could not come "to Zion" unless the people are allowed to return to Zion, for the Lord has already made it clear in the Bible that the Messiah will come from the lineage of King David and that He will be born in Bethlehem in Judah. Therefore, the people know that the promise to return to the land is true, for none of the promises following that one can come true unless they are in their land. But it's important to note that the Lord is not promising salvation for all but salvation for those "who repent", as He states in the concluding verses. The entire human race is not saved simply because the Redeemer was born, only those who repent of their sins and place their faith in the Redeemer. 

This salvation is offered to the descendants of Jacob and to the descendants of pagan idolaters. That is why the Lord said in today's passage that people from the east to the west (in other words, all over the map) would revere and glorify His name. We are blessed to be living in the church age, to be living after the advent of the Messiah, so we can believe on Him. My ancestors were Gentiles, no doubt bowing to all sorts of heathen idols and living in all sorts of abominable depravity, but I have found redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone can! He makes His invitation for redemption to every person on the face of the earth. We could not save ourselves, so the Lord accomplished a method of salvation for us through His own righteousness.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 160, Personal And National Sin

In yesterday's study we viewed some of the things that were preventing the people's prayers from being heard. Today we look at some of the results of those sins, of which they have not repented.

But since the people are persisting in sin, they are seeing no relief. They are stumbling and fumbling about like someone trying to find an exit in pitch darkness. "Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead." (Isaiah 59:10) When we give in to our own compulsions and go our own way, we can end up in a very dark place. But what happens when our lives are guided by the Lord? The Lord Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) We don't have to stumble and fumble through life; we can have the guidance of the Lord.

A life not centered upon the Lord is unsatisfying. We can run to and fro and we can look here and there but nothing we try will satisfy the needs of our souls. The Lord compares the unsatisfied soul to the growls of a hungry bear or a bird in distress. "We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away." (Isaiah 59:11) It seems like nothing good is happening. Everywhere the wayward person looks, there is more bad news.

Why is no justice found? Why are people's rights being ignored? Why are enemies increasing on every side? Troubles have increased because sins have increased, as Isaiah confesses on behalf of the whole nation to the Lord. "For our offenses are many in Your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey." (Isaiah 59:12-15)

Isaiah sets an example for us to follow in prayer. Although Isaiah himself hasn't committed the specific sins listed above, since he loves the Lord and is faithful to Him, he is not a perfect man. He has committed some sins, as we all do, and he is also aware of the sins the citizens of his nation are committing. He lumps himself in together with all the people and with all the sins of the people. We can do the same in our prayers, praying for forgiveness for our own sins and praying for forgiveness for all the citizens of our nation. We are not perfect, for no one is, and although we may never have committed sins as grievous as some folks have, we have made our own mistakes. We should deal with our own mistakes first and then move on into praying for the whole nation, just as Isaiah did, and we can ask the Lord for mercy on all of us together.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 159, Rushing Into Sin

We know from our study of the kings that the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon. The fall of the northern kingdom occurred during Isaiah's lifetime; the southern kingdom continued for approximately 130 more years. In both cases the causes of the fall were idolatry, immorality, and lack of compassion for their fellow human beings. As we move on into Chapter 59 we take a look at how the people's feet were swift to run into sin and were swift to run away from the Lord's principles.

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2) In our previous chapter we talked about how the majority of the people were only calling out to the Lord when they were in trouble. They were ignoring Him the rest of the time or going through the motions of honoring Him without feeling anything in their hearts. When He ignores their pleas for help it's not because He lacks the power to help them. It's because He will not bless their sin. If He orchestrated a miraculous deliverance from their enemies while they are still sinning against Him, this would not encourage them to repent. Instead it would send the false message that it's okay to keep doing what they're doing.

Folding their hands in prayer is meaningless when they are living in unrepentant idolatry and immorality and cruelty against their fellow man. "For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil." (Isaiah 59:3-4)

Judges are taking bribes to pervert justice in the courts, thereby disenfranchising the poor and needy. Witnesses are perjuring themselves after taking oaths in the Lord's name to tell the truth. They are responsible for people's rights being taken away from them and, in some cases, they are responsible for people's lives being taken away from them.

The Lord compares them to dangerous snakes and spiders. "They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands." (Isaiah 59:5-6) 

The people think they are profiting by their evil schemes. But they are morally and spiritually bankrupt. Their deeds are like poison; they will be the death of them in the end. Their wicked webs of deceit are as fragile as a spider's web; they won't hold up to the Lord's scrutiny. 

"Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace." (Isaiah 59:7-8) Why do they "rush" into sin? Because they enjoy it. If they didn't enjoy it they would be rushing away from it because humans have a very strong tendency to avoid or put off unpleasant tasks. If the people didn't enjoy the way they were living, they would be doing something else, but they take so much pleasure in their sin that they rush to it as quickly as they can.

All of the things we've looked at today are impediments to their prayers. The Lord could save them from their enemies but He won't because they refuse to listen to Him and repent. He is going to allow them to be conquered in order to discipline them for their sin. After the era of captivity is over, on the pages of the Bible we don't see them bowing to false gods anymore, so that is a lesson they learned---and they learned it the hard way.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 158, True Religion, Part Three

Thank you for your patience the last several days while the blogger program seemed to be having some technical difficulties. I think everything is working again as it should.

We are still in Chapter 58 where the Lord talks about what "true religion" is. It's not simply going through the motions. It's not calling on the Lord only when we are in trouble. It's a right relationship with the Lord and with our fellow man. If a person loves the Lord, a person will do a better job of loving other human beings; therefore, a person will do a better job of obeying the Lord and of doing good to others.

The Lord says: "If you do away with the yoke of oppression and the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your light will become like the noonday." (Isaiah 58:9b-10) 

The Lord doesn't tell most people to get rid of everything we have in order to serve the poor and that's not what He's saying in the text above. The only person the Lord Jesus Christ told to give up everything was a man whose wealth was his god. That man's wealth was standing between him and salvation. But if we have more than we need, there is no reason why we can't give some contributions to programs that help the hungry. And even if we don't have much extra, perhaps we can devote some time instead. In the verses above, many of Isaiah's fellow citizens had no concern for the hungry beggars among them. They weren't donating to them. They weren't giving time to serve them. They were living comfortable lives with enough leisure time to have time to gossip about others. They were pointing at the sins of others without acknowledging their own mistakes.

If the people get back to the basics of their religion and form a personal relationship with the Lord, they will naturally care about others. As the Lord Jesus Christ said, the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others. (Matthew 22:37-40) If our relationship with the Lord isn't right, our relationship with others won't be right. If we don't love the Lord, we can't love others the way we are supposed to love them. 

If people will heed the Lord's words and get right with Him, which will naturally help them to treat their fellow man right, He will bless them abundantly. "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings." (Isaiah 58:11-12)

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 58:13-14) Obeying the Lord should be a delight to us. When we love someone, we want to do things that please them, don't we? If we love someone, we want to spend time with them. The Lord commanded a day in which we are to focus on Him and commune with Him. It's not too much to ask that we attend a worship service or spend some quiet time in Bible study and in prayer and meditation.

In this whole chapter the Lord is not asking too much of us. We should love and honor Him because He loves us so much that He was willing to do anything it took in order to offer us a means of salvation. In addition to that, He supplies our needs and comforts us and strengthens us and guides us. How can we not love Him? And if our love for Him is real, we can love others. After all, didn't Jesus die for everyone? Jesus thought our fellow man was worth dying for, just as He thought you and I were worth dying for. If He found value in them then we should as well. He's not asking us to like everyone but to value them as human beings who have eternal souls. We can care about the destiny of their eternal souls without necessarily agreeing with them or having much in common with them. 

If we love the Lord and love our fellow human beings, the Lord promises to hear our prayers and to help us through our difficulties in this fallen world. He never breaks a promise, which is why He ends our chapter by saying, "The mouth of the Lord has spoken." When He says something, it can be counted on. 

The Book Of Isaiah, Day 157, True Religion, Part Two

 

(I apologize that the formatting is weird today. I don't know what's causing it.)

In our last study session the Lord said that many of the people were only going through the motions of religion. They were calling on Him only when they were in trouble. Even when they set aside a day to fast and call out to Him, they were doing it in the wrong attitude. They were oppressing their workers, getting in arguments with each other, going through the day however it pleased them, and generally acting in ungodly ways.

Now the Lord talks about what a true fast is. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:6-7)

There is value in fasting and praying but not if we are living in unrepentant sin. If we intend to set aside a day for fasting and for calling upon God, we need to examine our hearts before bringing our specific issue to Him. He has no obligation to recognize our day of fasting if we have sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with. The people He describes in the verses above are people who have sin in their lives that needs to be dealt with. We can see by what He says about them that they are allowing injustice to prevail, that they are oppressing their fellow citizens, that they are inhospitable to travelers, that they are not concerned about the needy folks among them, and that they are turning a blind eye even to the needs of their own family members.

The Lord Jesus said that people with these attitudes won't fare well in the judgment. He said that not caring about our fellow man is the same as not caring about Him. Jesus loves everyone and He gave His life for everyone. If we don't have a heart for our fellow man, we are not displaying a heart like Christ's. Indeed, we would have to question whether we belong to Christ at all. When we are cold-hearted about the needs of others, Jesus says this to us: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me." (Matthew 25:45)

What happens when people belong to Christ, love their fellow man, and care about the needs of their fellow man? The Lord Lord will bless them. "Then your light will break through like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:8-9a)

The Lord is not obligated to answer prayers if we are living in unrepentant sin. He is within His rights only to hear prayers of contrition for those sins. Once we have dealt with what is standing between us and Him, we can come to Him in confidence that He will hear (do something about) our problems.

This doesn't mean He will answer our prayers in exactly the way we expect, but it means He will do what is best about our situation. It means we will have His help, His comfort, His provision, and His peace. He will come to our aid. If He does not answer us in exactly the way we expect, it is because the way He intends to answer us will turn out for a greater purpose. For example, there was a very big problem in my life that I was praying about earlier this year. It was something I really needed solved. It was something I truly felt the Lord wanted to solve. He did solve it, only not in the way I expected. He allowed a difficult situation to come into my life and He worked out this problem and several others at the same time by dealing with everything in a way I didn't expect!of the people were only going through the motions of religion. They were calling on Him only when they were in trouble. Even when they set aside a day to fast and call out to Him, they were doing it in the wrong attitude. They were oppressing their workers, getting in arguments with each other, going through the day however it pleased them, and generally acting in ungodly ways.
Now the Lord talks about what a true fast is. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:6-7)
There is value in fasting and praying but not if we are living in unrepentant sin. If we intend to set aside a day for fasting and for calling upon God, we need to examine our hearts before bringing our specific issue to Him. He has no obligation to recognize our day of fasting if we have sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with. The people He describes in the verses above are people who have sin in their lives that needs to be dealt with. We can see by what He says about them that they are allowing injustice to prevail, that they are oppressing their fellow citizens, that they are inhospitable to travelers, that they are not concerned about the needy folks among them, and that they are turning a blind eye even to the needs of their own family members.
The Lord Jesus said that people with these attitudes won't fare well in the judgment. He said that not caring about our fellow man is the same as not caring about Him. Jesus loves everyone and He gave His life for everyone. If we don't have a heart for our fellow man, we are not displaying a heart like Christ's. Indeed, we would have to question whether we belong to Christ at all. When we are cold-hearted about the needs of others, Jesus says this to us: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me." (Matthew 25:45)
What happens when people belong to Christ, love their fellow man, and care about the needs of their fellow man? The Lord Lord will bless them. "Then your light will break throughIn our last study session the Lord said that many of the people were only going through the motions of religion. They were calling on Him only when they were in trouble. Even when they set aside a day to fast and call out to Him, they were doing it in the wrong attitude. They were oppressing their workers, getting in arguments with each other, going through the day however it pleased them, and generally acting in ungodly ways.

Now the Lord talks about what a true fast is. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:6-7)

There is value in fasting and praying but not if we are living in unrepentant sin. If we intend to set aside a day for fasting and for calling upon God, we need to examine our hearts before bringing our specific issue to Him. He has no obligation to recognize our day of fasting if we have sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with. The people He describes in the verses above are people who have sin in their lives that needs to be dealt with. We can see by what He says about them that they are allowing injustice to prevail, that they are oppressing their fellow citizens, that they are inhospitable to travelers, that they are not concerned about the needy folks among them, and that they are turning a blind eye even to the needs of their own family members.

The Lord Jesus said that people with these attitudes won't fare well in the judgment. He said that not caring about our fellow man is the same as not caring about Him. Jesus loves everyone and He gave His life for everyone. If we don't have a heart for our fellow man, we are not displaying a heart like Christ's. Indeed, we would have to question whether we belong to Christ at all. When we are cold-hearted about the needs of others, Jesus says this to us: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me." (Matthew 25:45)

What happens when people belong to Christ, love their fellow man, and care about the needs of their fellow man? The Lord Lord will bless them. "Then your light will break through like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:8-9a)

The Lord is not obligated to answer prayers if we are living in unrepentant sin. He is within His rights only to hear prayers of contrition for those sins. Once we have dealt with what is standing between us and Him, we can come to Him in confidence that He will hear (do something about) our problems.

This doesn't mean He will answer our prayers in exactly the way we expect, but it means He will do what is best about our situation. It means we will have His help, His comfort, His provision, and His peace. He will come to our aid. If He does not answer us in exactly the way we expect, it is because the way He intends to answer us will turn out for a greater purpose. For example, there was a very big problem in my life that I was praying about earlier this year. It was something I really needed solved. It was something I truly felt the Lord wanted to solve. He did solve it, only not in the way I expected. He allowed a difficult situation to come into my life and He worked out this problem and several others at the same time by dealing with everything in the way that was best. By doing it His way, He worked out more things that I had even asked for!In our last study session the Lord said that many of the people were only going through the motions of religion. They were calling on Him only when they were in trouble. Even when they set aside a day to fast and call out to Him, they were doing it in the wrong attitude. They were oppressing their workers, getting in arguments with each other, going through the day however it pleased them, and generally acting in ungodly ways.

Now the Lord talks about what a true fast is. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter---when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:6-7)

There is value in fasting and praying but not if we are living in unrepentant sin. If we intend to set aside a day for fasting and for calling upon God, we need to examine our hearts before bringing our specific issue to Him. He has no obligation to recognize our day of fasting if we have sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with. The people He describes in the verses above are people who have sin in their lives that needs to be dealt with. We can see by what He says about them that they are allowing injustice to prevail, that they are oppressing their fellow citizens, that they are inhospitable to travelers, that they are not concerned about the needy folks among them, and that they are turning a blind eye even to the needs of their own family members.

The Lord Jesus said that people with these attitudes won't fare well in the judgment. He said that not caring about our fellow man is the same as not caring about Him. Jesus loves everyone and He gave His life for everyone. If we don't have a heart for our fellow man, we are not displaying a heart like Christ's. Indeed, we would have to question whether we belong to Christ at all. When we are cold-hearted about the needs of others, Jesus says this to us: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me." (Matthew 25:45)

What happens when people belong to Christ, love their fellow man, and care about the needs of their fellow man? The Lord Lord will bless them. "Then your light will break through like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:8-9a)

The Lord is not obligated to answer prayers if we are living in unrepentant sin. He is within His rights only to hear prayers of contrition for those sins. Once we have dealt with what is standing between us and Him, we can come to Him in confidence that He will hear (do something about) our problems.

This doesn't mean He will answer our prayers in exactly the way we expect, but it means He will do what is best about our situation. It means we will have His help, His comfort, His provision, and His peace. He will come to our aid. If He does not answer us in exactly the way we expect, it is because the way He intends to answer us will turn out for a greater purpose. For example, there was a very big problem in my life that I was praying about earlier this year. It was something I really needed solved. It was something I truly felt the Lord wanted to solve. He did solve it, only not in the way I expected. He allowed a difficult situation to come into my life and He worked out this problem and several others at the same time by dealing with everything in the way that was best. By doing it His way, He worked out more things that I had even asked for! like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:8-9a)
The Lord is not obligated to answer prayers if we are living in unrepentant sin. He is within His rights only to hear prayers of contrition for those sins. Once we have dealt with what is standing between us and Him, we can come to Him in confidence that He will hear (do something about) our problems.
This doesn't mean He will answer our prayers in exactly the way we expect, but it means He will do what is best about our situation. It means we will have His help, His comfort, His provision, and His peace. He will come to our aid. If He does not answer us in exactly the way we expect, it is because the way He intends to answer us will turn out for a greater purpose. For example, there was a very big problem in my life that I was praying about earlier this year. It was something I really needed solved. It was something I truly felt the Lord wanted to solve. He did solve it, only not in the way I expected. He allowed a difficult situation to come into my life and He worked out this problem and several others at the same time by dealing with everything in the way that was best. By doing it His way, He worked out more things that I had even asked for!