The Book Of Isaiah. Day 121, A Precious Cornerstone

In today's study the prophet Isaiah receives a message from the Lord regarding a "precious cornerstone". This cornerstone is generally interpreted to be a reference to Christ, which is an opinion I am in agreement with.

Isaiah relays this word of the Lord to the people: "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic." (Isaiah 28:16) What else (or who else, rather) could be a "tested stone" and a "sure foundation" except the Lord?

I do not believe this can be a reference to the leadership of Judah. Although King Hezekiah was on the throne during a large part of Isaiah's ministry, and although he was a king who honored the Lord and made many religious reforms in Judah, I don't believe we could call him a "tested stone". He will commit a grave spiritual error near the end of his reign, so he did not stand up to the "test" if there was one. In addition to that, I cannot think of anyplace in Scripture where a mere human being is referred to as a foundation upon which people can stand in righteousness. On the contrary, as the Apostle Paul said, there is no foundation except Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11) Likewise, in many other passages of the Bible, it is the Lord who is being referred to as the Rock, the Solid Rock, and the Rock of Ages. 

Whenever a building project was begun, the cornerstone was to laid first so the walls would be straight. This next segment is a reference to how walls were begun at the sides of the cornerstone so they would remain true. Whoever bases their life on this spiritual cornerstone---on the Lord---will be guided by the Lord's honorable and true principles. "I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line." (Isaiah 28:17a)

We will stop at the first half of verse 17 in order to look at a previous reference to the rock that is the sure foundation. In Isaiah 8:13-14a the prophet said of the Lord, "The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread. He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah He will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." I have heard this passage interpreted like this: We can stumble over the Lord (be offended by Him, reject Him) or we can fall on Him (bow to Him, submit our lives to Him, accept Him as Savior). 

The Apostle Peter took our text from Isaiah 28 and applied it to the Lord Jesus Christ, quoting directly from our study material today, saying that those who trust in Him will "never be put to shame" (from today's text) and stating that those who did not want to believe in Him were stumbling over Him. (1 Peter 2:1-8) They stumbled and fell because they did not want to believe, because they found the message of the cross offensive.

The Apostle Peter also applied a similar text from Psalm 118:22 to Christ, saying, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." The cornerstone the Lord intends to lay, here in Isaiah 28, is Christ. The Lord gave Isaiah this prophecy approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The "builders" (the majority of Jesus' own people) rejected Him, but it is this "cornerstone" (Christ) upon which the Lord plans to base the new covenant with mankind. It is this cornerstone upon which our salvation rests. It is this cornerstone upon which the church is built. It is this cornerstone upon which the world will be governed eternally someday. 

The one who trusts in Him will never be ashamed. But the one who trusts in himself, in the things of this world, or in other gods will be ashamed of those things in which they invested their faith and their time and their energy, for those things are not capable of saving them. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 120, A Covenant With Death

In yesterday's study Isaiah spoke about the coming fall of the nation and the captivity that would ensue. He was attempting to reteach the people the laws and the commandments in hopes they would turn back to them and live by them. Many of the people were scoffing at his words and making fun of him, saying something like, "Why do you speak to us as if we are children? Why have you gone backwards to teach us the most basic principles of the Lord's law? We already know all these things."

As we stated yesterday, Isaiah was teaching them like children because they were behaving like children: they had regressed spiritually. This next thing I say may seem like an odd example but I think it's an apt one. When we are potty training a child or a pet, they will have progressions and they will have regressions. Whenever they have a regression, it helps to go back to the basics and start all over, then move forward again. That is what Isaiah is trying to do for his people; he is trying to take them back to the basics (which they have cast aside) so they can relearn them, take them to heart, apply them to their hearts, and move forward in their faith.

But because the majority of the people don't want to listen to the words of prophets from among their own people, the Lord vowed to teach them with foreign tongues. He is going to cast them into foreign lands where, upon the loss of their nation and their freedom, they will begin to recall the words of the prophets and take them to heart.

We will back up a verse to the one we ended with yesterday and then move forward. "Very well then, with foreign lips and with strange tongues God will speak to this people, to whom He said, 'This is the resting place, let the weary rest'; and, 'This is the place of repose'---but they would not listen. So then, the word of the Lord to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there---so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured." (Isaiah 28:11-13)

Isaiah's scoffers said they were sick of him trying to teach them a rule for this, a rule for that, a little here, a little there. They accused him of talking down to them and treating them like small children. But that is what they needed. They had left the ways of the Lord so far behind them that they needed a very basic refresher course. They are going to get the refresher course whether they want it or not---and they are going to get it in foreign lands under the rule of pagan leaders.

If we refuse to obey the Lord's principles even though we are well aware of them, He has to take us back to the basics until we "get it". If we are able to leave the teachings of the Lord behind, without a care in the world about our ungodly mode of living, then we didn't "get it" in the first place. If we had taken it to heart, we would love the law of the Lord, for, "The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward." (Psalm 19:7-11)

If the people had trusted in the Lord and had loved His beautiful and righteous laws, they could have had refreshment of the soul. They could have had wisdom, joy, light, and purity. They could have had security, for no enemy could ever have successfully come against them. The Lord told the people before He ever brought them into the land that if they would remain true to Him, their enemy might charge at them from one direction but He would send the enemy running from them in seven directions. But He also said that if they forsook Him, He would send them running from their enemies in seven directions. This same principle is true for us in our own era. Nothing of any worthwhile or eternal significance can be accomplished if we are living far from the Lord.

Isaiah's people are living far from the Lord in their souls and minds and hearts. The Lord is going to send them far from the land as a result. They think they are living it up by doing whatever their flesh desires but the Lord says this is a lie they have told themselves. "Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You boast, 'We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.'" (Isaiah 28:14-15) 

The people may not know they have made a covenant with death but, in serving idols and in believing the lies of false prophets and wicked priests, they have made such a covenant. In rejecting the Lord in favor of pagan deities they have rejected their only Helper. They may believe some sort of supernatural forces will protect them but these are lies of false prophets. An even more insidious lie will begin making the rounds as well, which we will learn about later in the Old Testament, because false prophets from among their own people (not the pagan prophets) will promise them that the Lord will never allow the city of His temple to fall. The people will welcome this message and will choose to believe it because the message is being spoken by descendants of Jacob. But that doesn't make it any less of a lie! Because they willingly give themselves over to falsehood, the Lord will give them over to the invader, and this is something that can happen to any nation that forsakes the Lord.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 119, A Sharp Contrast

In today's text we see a sharp contrast between those who love the Lord (referred to as "the remnant of His people") and those who scorn His wise counsel. Isaiah paints a beautiful portrait of grace for those who love the Lord. Isaiah also paints a portrait of the sad spiritual condition into which some people---even priests and prophets---have fallen. 

When we concluded our last study session we found Isaiah predicting invasion, defeat, and captivity. He picks up there by saying "in that day" when he begins today's text, in order to link today's text with our last segment, for a day is coming when a remnant will return and rebuild. After that happens, never again will the people fall into pagan idolatry.

"In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of His people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate." (Isaiah 28:5-6) The Lord promises provision and strength to those who are His. 

But what about those who reject Him? What about those who scoff at the idea of following His holy laws? What about those who don't want to know Him and don't want to hear anything about Him? There are those type of people in all walks of life, and Isaiah knows that there is corruption among people of every class in his society: from peasants all the way up to prophets, kings, and priests. 

"And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth." (Isaiah 28:7-8) Isaiah uses graphic and stomach-turning words to describe the deplorable spiritual condition of those who are supposed to be setting a godly example for the nation. They are living lives of excess and debauchery. They render decisions without seeking counsel from the Lord. They give advice that isn't based on true visions from the Lord; it is based on their own drunken dreams and hallucinations.

They scorn the true word of God. They make fun of Isaiah for trying to get them back to godly principles. They say, "Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there." (Isaiah 28:9-10) They are saying something like, "Why does he talk down to us as if we are children? Why does he keep expounding on the commandments and the law as if we have never heard these things before? We are tired of him pointing out where he thinks we are in error. Are we not the descendants of Jacob? Do we not have the ten commandments since many generations past? Have we not had the law for centuries? Why then is this man talking to us like he's teaching the alphabet to a group of kindergarteners? Away with him! We want him out of our faces and out of earshot."

If Isaiah is teaching them the basics as if they are little children, it is because they are acting like little children who have never been taught. They are behaving like people who don't know the commandments and the law. They are behaving like those who have never heard of the Lord and who don't know what He requires for holy living. Isaiah is getting back to the basics because they have strayed so far from the truth that they need a refresher course. If they would stop and listen and take his words to heart, and if they would humbly allow the Holy Spirit to minister to them, these words would bring about their repentance. These words would bring about their salvation.

But since so many have rejected the word of God for so long now, judgment will not be turned away. The threatened invasion will come. Thousands will be captured by the enemy and carried to foreign lands. The Lord makes that clear in the final portion of text we will look at today. "Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people." (Isaiah 28:11)

By the time Israel falls to Assyria and by the time Judah falls to the Neo-Babylonian Empire, a great number of the people will have fallen into idolatry. Idolatry is already rampant in Israel in Isaiah's day and it's only because a godly king sits on the throne of Judah is there less public idolatry there in Isaiah's lifetime. Many people will be dispersed to lands filled with idols, where they don't know the language, where they will think back upon the blessings of the promised lands and the missteps they took that led them to lose it. 

But a remnant will survive and return. The Lord has made that clear in today's passage. He will never break the promise He made: "This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar---the Lord Almighty is His name: 'Only if these decrees vanish from My sight,' declares the Lord, 'will Israel ever cease being a nation before Me.'" (Jeremiah 31:35-36) 

No decree of the Lord can be undone. Just as the universe He created does what He created it to do without ceasing, the nation of Israel will never disappear from His sight. There have been times when Israel was overcome by enemy nations and was subject to them. There have been times when Israel was not a sovereign nation in the world. But the Lord never intended for Israel to disappear as a sovereign nation forever. He allowed other nations to gain control for a time, according to His purposes, but it was always His intention to reinstate Israel as a nation and to have Israel continue as a nation forever.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 118, A Storm Is Coming

Chapter 28 in the NIV is titled "Woe To The Leaders Of Ephraim And Judah". The word "Ephraim" is being used here for "Israel". In Isaiah's day the kingdom was divided, with the northern kingdom retaining the name of "Israel" and the southern kingdom going by the name of "Judah".

The first segment regards the coming fall of Israel, whose leaders and whose citizens are living carnal lives of sin and idolatry. "Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, set on the head of a fertile valley---to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!" (Isaiah 28:1)

The city mentioned here is Israel's capital city of Samaria. On the pages of the Bible we often find the word "Samaria" used synonymously with "Israel" after the kingdom split and the capital of the northern kingdom was located at Samaria.

The citizens of the northern kingdom are looking at Samaria as a great city, as a beautiful city, as a prosperous city. They make toasts to it and sing songs about it during their drunken feasts. But the Lord is about to send a great enemy against it: the Assyrian Empire. As Isaiah continues predicting the fall of the northern kingdom, he compares the Assyrian army to destructive forces of nature. Just as human beings are unable to control the forces of nature, the northern kingdom will be unable to protect itself from the forces of this enemy empire.

"See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground. That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot. That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest---as soon as the people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them." (Isaiah 28:2-4)

Assyria will covet Samaria. Assyria will invade and capture it. Assyria will take captive many of the citizens of the northern kingdom, deporting them to other lands and settling other conquered peoples in their place. Like one who grabs a ripe fig and eats it, the Assyrians will grab hold of the nation and "swallow it up": take it for themselves. 

Why is this going to happen? Because of idolatry. Because of living for decades in unrepentant sin, despite the numerous prophets the Lord has sent to them with words of warning. However, as we have previously studied, the Lord will not make an end of the people of Israel. He will disperse them to other lands but He will not make an end of any tribe of Israel or of Judah. The Assyrian Empire will be used to discipline the people for their sin and idolatry but the Assyrian Empire will not be allowed to thoroughly wipe out any tribe of Israel.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 117, The Ingathering

This final passage of Isaiah 27 is believed by many mainstream scholars to be about the collapse of the world system of the end times and about the ingathering of Israel and about Israel's eternal security. At that time the things of this world will have proven futile and impermanent, whereas the things of God will have proven firm and everlasting.

The Coffman commentary on the Bible interprets our next segment of Scripture like this: "This is a reference to that time period mentioned in Revelation 16, near the close of the dispensation of the grace of God, when the cities of the nations shall fall. This will occur at a time when Adam's race shall have almost run its course, and when, due to rampant wickedness, God will have no moral choice available except to destroy the sinful world." Revelation 16 has to do with the pouring out of the Lord's wrath upon the earth during the Great Tribulation. 

Of the downfall of the final corrupt system of the world, before the Messiah comes to reign over a restored earth forever, Isaiah says: "The fortified city stands desolate, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare. When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor." (Isaiah 27:10-11)

Wickedness will be at an all-time high in the last days. Rejection of the Lord will be at an all-time high leading up to the final judgment. (2 Timothy 3:1-9) The world system will be at its most corrupt in that era and we will be taking an in-depth look at that world system when we arrive at the book of Revelation and study the "kingdom" of the Antichrist. 

This is the era the prophet Daniel foresaw when he spoke of the final kingdom on earth that would be crushed when the King of kings comes to establish His kingdom forever. (See Daniel 7 for an overview of the world kingdoms that would rise and fall between Daniel's day and the day when the Messiah takes the throne.) Because wickedness will abound as never before, and because so many people on the earth in those days will repudiate and curse the Lord to their dying breath, and because the Lord knows who will reject Him right up to the end, He can say that He will have no compassion or favor upon them. This does not mean that He doesn't offer mercy to everyone, but it means that He knows who will accept or reject His mercy. And about those who reject His mercy up to the point where they have no more opportunities left, He can say that no compassion or favor is given because they wanted no compassion or favor from Him.

In the day when He has put all of His enemies under His feet, and when He has put all the enemies of the Jews and the Christians under His feet, He will gather in the descendants of Jacob from every corner of the earth. No tribe of Israel is lost to the Lord. An ingathering of sorts has happened in several stages already; for example, when Jews returned from the places their enemies took them captive, such as when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and told them they could go home. But an ingathering will occur on a massive worldwide scale when it is time for the Messiah to take His throne at Jerusalem.

"In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem." (Isaiah 27:12-13) Many Jews fled to Egypt from the northern kingdom of Israel when it appeared that a fall to the Assyrian army was imminent. Many more were captured and taken captive by Assyria. A great number of them and their descendants never returned to the land of Israel but they will in the future. There will be more Jews in Israel in that day than there ever have been since the nation was first founded in the Old Testament. 

When we arrive at the book of Revelation we will talk more about this massive ingathering. But for now we will close by keeping in mind that the Lord knows the location of every single descendant of Jacob. It doesn't matter how many were dispersed in antiquity or in more modern times; not one of them is lost to the Lord. We may refer to some of the tribes as being "lost" because we don't know where everyone was dispersed but the Lord knows exactly who they are and He knows exactly where they are.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 116, The Only Name

As we concluded yesterday's study we found Isaiah predicting a day in which Israel would be the crown jewel of the whole world. The prophet foresaw the eternal reign of the King of kings and the eternal peace of Israel. 

In our next segment of text we find the Lord asking Israel whether He was as harsh with her as He was with the heathen nations. (He was not.) We find Isaiah speaking of a time when idolatry will exist no more---a day in which the name of the Lord will be the only name upon which anyone will call. 

"Has the Lord struck her as He struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her?" (Isaiah 27:7) The Lord has not dealt with Israel the way He has dealt with her enemies. In our study of the prophets we have already looked at several predictions involving the downfall of various enemies of Israel. A number of those fell never to rise again in any form; they ceased to exist as a nation and as a distinct people in the world. Yet the Lord has continued to preserve Israel, though on several occasions He allowed enemy armies to invade, plunder, conquer, and take captives. But at no time has He ever wiped out a tribe of Israel and there is no time when He ever will wipe out a tribe of Israel.

The prophet continues: "By warfare and exile You contend with her---with His fierce blast He drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows." (Isaiah 27:8) Scholars are in disagreement over what this verse means. Some believe it's a reference only to Israel, whereas some believe it's a reference to Israel and other nations to whom the Lord sent judgment. I personally feel that the "her" in this passage is Israel and that it's a reference to how, as we mentioned above, the Lord disciplined her for her idolatry with warfare and exile in the past. 

I feel that this next passage reinforces that opinion because, after the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria and many of her citizens taken captive and after the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon and many of her citizens taken captive, we do not find the descendants of Jacob falling into heathen idolatry again. There were still spiritual issues in Jesus' day, as we mentioned in yesterday's study, but we don't find the people building pagan altars and making sacrifices on them anymore.

From the time of their return from exile, we don't see the people clinging to heathen gods, but we also don't see the complete fulfillment of our next segment at that time. When they returned they were more concerned with rebuilding their cities and city walls than with tearing down old altars, so I assume many remained in ancient times. But there is coming an era---an eternal era---when the name of no god but will ever cross their lips except the name of the Lord. There will be no idolatry in any form, not the common form of ancient times (in which images were used) and not the modern form of putting prestige and prosperity and other things in place of God.

"By this, then, will Jacob's guilt be atoned for, and this will be the fruit of the full removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing." (Isaiah 27:9) I am not clear whether Jacob (Israel) is the one being talked about when Isaiah says "he" will crush the altars or whether "he" is the Lord. Both may be the case since only the Lord can atone for anyone's sins and because, when all the people give their hearts fully to Him and He forgives their sins, they produce the fruit of repentance and remove all types of idolatry from their lives. The same can be said of anyone who repents and turns to the Lord for salvation: He is the one who does the forgiving and the atoning and the justifying, then once we have been saved our lives produce good and worthwhile fruit. But even then we cannot take credit for the fruit! We could produce nothing of value without Him.

The day Isaiah foresees is the day the prophet Zechariah foresaw when he said, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name." (Zechariah 14:9) Amen! What a glorious day that will be!

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 115, Israel: The Lord's Vineyard

In today's segment of Chapter 27 the Lord speaks of Israel as His vineyard. This is not the only time in the Bible where we find Israel referred to as a vineyard and the Lord referred to as its husbandman: the One who planted it, the One who feeds it, the One who prunes it, the One who protects it. The Lord Jesus used this analogy in one of His parables, and that particular parable painted the vineyard in a bad light, for it was being unproductive. But Isaiah's vision of Israel as the Lord's vineyard looks ahead to a later time than the era of Jesus Christ. 

In Jesus' day the comparison of the nation to a vineyard was an indictment against the people's unbelief, since so many rejected Him and His message. But Isaiah foresees a day when no one in the nation will be spiritually unproductive again. He is speaking of the eternal era of the Lord's reign over the earth, which is a subject he spoke about at great length in our previous chapter.

We know this because our text begins with the phrase "in that day", which is a reference back to yesterday's text in which the Lord forever abolished upon the earth all temptation and all sin and rebellion. In our last study session the Lord put Satan and his minions in prison forever and He put death to death. When the Lord has done that, no one will ever reject Him again, and all who are upon the earth are those who love and serve Him, and they will enjoy peace and joy forevermore in His presence.

"In that day---'Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.'" (Isaiah 27:2-3) The Lord is the Founder, Protector, and Defender of Israel. He always has been and He always will be. While it's true that on the pages of the Bible He did at times allow enemies to trouble or defeat the nation, (due to idolatry), He never allowed anyone to make an end of the descendants of Jacob and He never will. The day Isaiah foresees is the day which the Apostle Paul also foresaw when he said, "All Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:26) 

Isaiah and Paul both envisioned Israel becoming a spiritually fruitful nation in every way. The Lord Jesus spoke of the nation as being unfruitful in His day; Isaiah could have said the same about the northern kingdom of Israel in his day and about many in the southern kingdom of Judah as well. But a day is coming when the Lord will sing for joy about this vineyard and its fruitfulness.

We must not take on a judgmental attitude about the idolatry that took place in the Old Testament (when people rejected God the Father in favor of pagan gods) or about the rejection of God the Son that took place in the New Testament. We cannot be judgmental unless we have never sinned---and we all know we have sinned. Anytime we've placed someone or something ahead of the Lord, we have been operating in a spirit of idolatry. And during the years before we were saved, were we not rejecting the Lord? We cannot look down on anyone for their sins since we are not sinless ourselves. I am of Gentile heritage and there is absolutely no doubt that my ancestors were spiritually unfruitful. They bowed to images and made sacrifices and offerings to deities that don't exist. I can't brag about them or about my own past, much less look back at the sins that took place in Israel and Judah and shake my head over them.

No enemy will ever confront Israel again in the everlasting era Isaiah foresees. If any enemy existed, the Lord would trample it fiercely under His feet. He is no longer angry with any of the sin or idolatry that took place in Israel. Those things no longer exists and He has put those things out of His mind forever. This is why He declares to them that if anyone or anything existed that wished them harm, He would destroy that person or thing. "I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting Me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. Or else let them come to Me for refuge; let them make peace with Me, yes, let them make peace with Me." (Isaiah 27:4-5)

There are no enemies of Israel in the world in that day and there never will be again, but the Lord paints a colorful picture of exactly what He would do to defend the nation if He had to. He also paints a picture of the salvation of the Gentiles when He says, "Let them come to Me for refuge; let them make peace with Me." Gentile nations were the enemies of ancient Israel. Gentiles are the people who have persecuted the Jews throughout the eras. But in the eternal reign of the Lord over the earth, the Gentile believers and the people of Israel will be at peace with each other. They will be at peace with each other because so many Gentiles will have made peace with God and will consider themselves the brothers and sisters of those of Jewish heritage, for all believers will be the children of God and will be of one united family.

Israel will be the crown jewel of the world---the capitol of the world---and will be a blessing to the entire world. Today's passage closes like this: "In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom, and fill all the world with fruit." (Isaiah 27:6)

Right now we are hearing alarming stories in the news about the angry and sometimes violent demonstrations of anti-Semitism in the United States and in other countries. The spirit of anti-Semitism has existed for many ages past and has reared its ugly head in particularly atrocious ways a number of times. But a day will come in which the Lord judges all such attitudes and actions against the descendants of Jacob. And after that judgment, no spirit of anti-Semitism will ever exist in the world again. Instead, the nation of Israel will be admired above all others.