Come to Me – Day 19
Hear the word of the Lord
Bible text(s)
Isaiah 66
Isaiah 66
Isaiah ends with a picture of God’s final judgement and the reward of the righteous in the earth made new. God’s glory will be proclaimed to all nations and people from all nations will come to him and worship. A new heaven and a new earth are revealed. What a marvellous conclusion to this beautiful word declared through Isaiah!
However, although Isaiah 66 ends on a note of apocalyptic decisiveness and hope (66:18-24), the beginning of the chapter provides one more warning: “This is the one I esteem,” God says, “he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (66:2). A few verses later, Isaiah directly addresses the faithful as “you who tremble at his word” (66:5). They are contrasted with those who do not answer or listen when the Lord calls and speaks (66:4). These key verses summarise Isaiah’s message – the opposite of sin is not religion, but humble obedience.
In every generation, what ultimately distinguishes the true from the false, among God’s people, is not those who put on the best show of being a Christian, it is those who remain faithful to the word of God.
Do you tremble at God’s word? Do you take God’s words seriously or do you expect God to conform to your own wishes, desires and expectations? Do you accept those parts of the Bible that you agree with and reject those that you consider inconvenient or wrong? If God’s word conflicts with your culture, which do you follow?