June 30 – Isaiah 66
And just like that. We finished. Oh, I have enjoyed this study. I’ve learned a lot. How about you? I’ve enjoyed Isaiah’s imagery and marveled with him at the wonders of our God. He helped me see God’s vastness in powerful ways. I am always struck by the prophecies, too. It’s amazing what Isaiah saw in advance, and his words have convinced so many people of the truth of the gospel. Christ took our well-deserved punishment on Himself, and by His stripes we were healed. We’ve also had some beautiful glimpses of the sure hope of Heaven. Knowing the truth of the prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ makes it so much easier to believe the truth that there will some day be a new Heaven and a new Earth. Lastly, I am grateful to have read again about God’s great, deep grief when we go astray and seek our own broken ways. His love shone through in this reading. Our God wants us back, no matter how broken and bent we’ve become.
This last chapter is an apt summary of the book. We see both the blessings of obedience and promises of salvation and the curses and woes that will descend on the unfaithful and wicked. We are reminded that God sees the heart. Acting holy and offering sacrifices outwardly will not work with Him. He sees the heart. He wants a humbled people, who worship Him alone. He wants to bless those who worship Him with abundance and beauty. Let’s choose to walk toward Him. To serve and follow Him. To delight in being His!
What’s next for you? As you enter into the month of July, what book of the Bible will you read? Make sure you have a plan for tomorrow morning. God’s Word nourishes our very souls. Let’s partake each day, drawing ever nearer to the One who loves us so deeply and who has saved us so completely. Thanks for studying with me! Write me anytime at sharon@sweetselah.org. And please consider donating to this ministry. We offer online Bible Studies for free, so all can learn. Will you help us continue our work? You can donate here: https://sweetselah.org/donations/.
My verse: Isaiah 66:22 “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear,’ says the LORD.”
My response: Thank You, Lord, for faithfully loving Your people, despite the many times we’ve disappointed through the centuries. There will always be a remnant – there will come a time when You will reign and destroy evil. We can rest in Your promises only because they are not based on our faithfulness, but rather on Yours. But Lord? Help me to be found among the faithful, nonetheless!!
