Isaiah 51-52
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The first part of the book of Isaiah is
mostly messages of God’s wrath and rebuke, but then around chapter 40 and on
there have been some of the most uplifting, comforting, and encouraging verses
found in the whole Bible.
I was thinking about that today and how
messed up the Israelites still were.
It is not like they suddenly got their act together and everyone was
perfect now. God’s words of
comfort and encouragement were to get them to come back to Him, to remember how
He had rescued them in the past, and to start trusting Him wholeheartedly.
These chapters were about the remnant of
Israel returning from the exile to Babylon, starting over. God says He has taken away the cup of
His wrath. He tells His people,
who have basically been living as slaves, to “Awake, awake, clothe yourself
with strength. Put on your
garments of splendor.”
They didn’t deserve to keep getting a
second chance. They didn’t earn
the right to start over. But it
was because of God’s grace, love, and faithfulness that He not only delivered
them, He pumped them up full of His strength, His comfort, and His compassion.
We don’t have to be all cleaned up and
perfect for God to offer us comfort and compassion. We don’t have to earn the right for a new start in
life. God rejoices in setting us
free. He says, “You are mine …
come home … and I will cover you with the shadow of my hand.”
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