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Isaiah 38-40

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8/1/2004
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Isaiah 38-40
Isaiah 38-40
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23 Isaiah - 2004

During His ministry on earth, Jesus quoted Isaiah more than any other prophet. In this series, Skip Heitzig takes a look at this well-known book in which Isaiah called for Israel to repent from their sins, pointing to the ultimate Deliverer who would bring salvation.

Please note: this series is missing chapters 1-16. No recording of these chapters are available.

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Isaiah, Chapter 38 this evening-- 147,000 plus people die every single day. That's about two people every second on Earth that are dying. Now, you can work out, pump iron, eat right, nip and tuck. But eventually, you're going to lose the battle. All of us are going to face death.

It's appointed in a man, the Bible says, once to die. Solomon said, "to every thing there is a purpose, a time for every purpose under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die." Hezekiah is going to face his own death-- at least a death noticed tonight, though he's going to escape it by a prophecy after a prayer. And Isaiah, the prophet, will by the grace of God tell him that 15 years will be added to his life.

Heard about two guys that lived in the same town in the same neighborhood with the same last name-- one was a pastor and the other was a salesman. The elder pastor died at about the same time that the salesmen took a business trip to Florida. And he wanted to telegraph his wife back home to tell him that he arrived safely. But the wire went to the wrong house, and you can imagine the shock on the poor pastor's wife-- the widow-- when she got the telegram that said, arrived here safely. The heat here is awful.

[LAUGHTER]

When it comes to death, we're all on the same level. Some tombstones are high, some tombstones are low. But under the ground, it's all the same, isn't it? Hezekiah will be told that he's about to face death. He was 25 years old when he came to the throne of Judah. And he reigned for 29 years. So we open up in, probably, the 14th year of his reign.

Most scholars believe that he died around 686 BC. So that puts this period of history in chapter 38 at 701 BC, an interesting date you remember, because that was the date when the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem and threatened to overtake it. So imagine in the very same time that the city is surrounded by enemies, you get a notice that you're going to die and not live-- one trial after another, one blow upon another.

So chronologically then, this chapter fits either simultaneously or slightly before the previous chapter. In those days, Verse One, it's the days of the Assyrian invasion, Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz went to him and said, "thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you will die and not live."

You know sometimes, visits from preachers aren't all that good, are they? And Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord. And he said, "remember now O Lord, I pray. How I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Now according to Jewish tradition, this illness came upon Hezekiah three days before the Assyrians fell. Last time, we read that 185,000 Assyrians were wiped out in one instant by a single angel of the Lord. Jewish tradition places this sickness three days before that event and that when he got the letter that is Hezekiah, from Sennacherib-- the King of Assyria-- that he went and he presented that letter and spread it out before the Lord in the temple on the day of Passover, which again according to tradition, was the day-- the night-- that the Syrian army fell.

Now we don't know if that's true. But it would certainly be interesting that in commemoration of the very event where the angel of the Lord passed over the Hebrews and slaughtered the Egyptians, that once again years later on Passover, the Jews were spared and the enemies were wiped out.

Now, notice that phrase. The prophet says, "set your house in order." In other words, Hezekiah, make provision. Make a will. Get ready for the future for your family. Set your affairs, your house, in order. Now, that's good advice. It's good advice to think about the future a little bit. Because for a lot of people, even talking about death around their homes is very awkward. We don't like to do it. Oh, don't worry about that. Put it out of your mind.

But it could strike at any moment. And it's just good advice to deal with it openly, honestly, plainly, and to set our houses in order. It's a healthy attitude. Who will take the kids? What about insurance? What about the future? And the most important thing-- clearing up any strained relationships you might have.

As a pastor, I've watched a lot of people when their loved ones have died. And when I visit hospitals or work in the hospitals, when somebody would die in the emergency room, for the loved one to turn and to say there was something I wanted to say before that person died-- my Father, or my brother, or my son, or my mom. Try to clear up, if possible, any strained relationships you might have for the future, for peace. Set your house in order.

Look at Verse Three. It says, "Hezekiah wept bitterly." Now, don't get down on Hezekiah for this. This is a normal response. Self-preservation is strong. It's a strong impulse. We want to cling to life as much as we can. You go to a doctor, and the doctor gives you that fatal notice, hey, you've got a few weeks to live. The cancer has progressed. You're going to die. It's only natural that we deal with news, sometimes, very similar to this-- even Christians.

I know sometimes we're Cavalier. And we think, oh that's all right. I'd rather just get it over with and go home, and be with the Lord. Well, that's guaranteed. You're going to be with the Lord. But I think the mature attitude for the Christian is, I want to serve the Lord as long as possible.

That was Paul's attitude. You remember how that in Philippians, in possibly facing his death he said, "I am in a straight betwixt two." Or, I'm between a rock and a hard place-- having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain is more needful for you.

Here is Paul balancing out his future-- on one hand thinking, I'd like to just be at home with the Lord, be in the presence of Jesus forever. On the other hand, though that would end all of the hassles of life, it would also end my present effectiveness.

Think of it. If Paul would have died then, he never could have witnessed to another Roman guard. If Paul would have died then, he wouldn't be able to share with another visitor who would come to him as he would share the gospel. If Paul would have died then, his pen never would be used to encourage another church. So Paul-- when looking at his future-- was willing to postpone Heaven if it meant others could grow because of it.

And so it's a natural reaction, even as a Christian, I want to serve the Lord as long as possible. Hey, when it's all over-- guaranteed-- you'll be at home with the Lord. But if you die tonight-- though, you'll be in the presence of God-- you'll never pass out another track. You'll never be able to lead another person to Christ. So while you're here, use it for His glory.

Now, it could be that Hezekiah was weeping bitterly, not just for self-preservation, but because there was no one who would occupy the throne. He had no heir. He had no son. We know that's probably true, because the son that will be born three years from now will be a kid by the name of Manasseh, who-- by the way-- was the worst King ever, the most wicked King Judah ever saw, worse than all of them put together.

But perhaps he's weeping bitterly because the throne of David-- the line, the Davidic line-- was in jeopardy. So God answers his prayer within three years Manasseh will be born. You might say, well knowing what Manasseh did, it may have been better if Hezekiah just died and was home with the Lord.

Perhaps, but again the throne of David was at jeopardy and at stake here, so he does the natural thing-- he weeps. And he does the supernatural thing, he prays. That's good policy. You can weep, but always remember to pray. If you're swept off your feet, remember it's time to get on your knees. That's what he did.

And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah's saying, "go and tell Hezekiah, thus says the Lord"-- and notice this, "the God of David, your Father. I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. And surely, I will add to your days 15 years." Because the Davidic line was in jeopardy, the God of David is speaking. He's reminding him of the promise of the lineage that would continue, and eventually the coming of the messiah.

So Hezekiah would have plenty of time to sire a son who would sit upon the throne and continue this line. But I love that. "I have heard your prayer. I've seen your tears." Some of you have wept bitter tears of late, and you have prayed strong prayers. God has heard every one. God has seen every tear. You say, why hasn't God answered my prayer? God always answers your prayers if you're a child of his.

The thing is, he doesn't always answer it the way you like. Sometimes, he says yes! And you go, all right. Sometimes, he says no. That's an answer. It's not one we like, but it's an answer. Here the Lord says, yes and gives him 15 more years. "I will deliver you"-- Verse Six-- "and this city from the hand of the King of Assyria. And I will defend this city. And this is the sign to you from the Lord that the Lord will do this thing, which he has spoken. Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial which has gone down with the sun on the sun dial of Ahaz 10 degrees, backward. So the sun returned 10 degrees on the dial by which it had gone down."

Hezekiah's dad Ahaz, built-- or had built-- a sundial or an obelisk, some kind of column no doubt, that had on both sides steps or degrees. And the idea is that as the sun goes down, the shadow goes up. And by that, you could tell time even with the trajectory of the sun throughout the year. It was an ancient sundial-- a device by which they could tell time.

So God gives him a sign by taking the time, the degrees, and bringing it back 10 notches. Now, the big question a lot of people have is, how did God do that? Did God slow down the rotation of the Earth? The Earth is rotating at 1,000 miles per hour. Did he slow it down, or stop it perhaps, momentarily? Was it some odd refraction of the sunlight? Answer-- I have no idea. And honestly, it doesn't bother me.

You see, this is the way I look at it. If you can believe Genesis 1:1, the rest is easy, piece of cake. In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. How'd he do that? He just did it. But if you can believe that, the rest is easy. This is a miracle. I don't ever feel compelled to explain God's work, or how God could pull off a miracle. I don't always feel that I have to succumb to a naturalistic explanation. That's what a lot of people think they need to do.

In fact, people look at miracles like this-- miracles in the Bible-- and say, well, it's really not a miracle. It's just a primitive interpretation of a natural event. And so different philosophers-- the ancient Greek, Celsus or the modern philosopher, David Hume or Julian Huxley-- will always take biblical miracles and assign to them some naturalistic explanation as if we have to help God out with it. He's very capable, himself. We don't have to defend that.

I've always been intrigued when I read of people's explanation of the Red Sea opening up and the children of Israel going through on dry land, how that happened. And some scholars believe it really wasn't the Red Sea. They say it was something called the Sea of Reeds, which was a shallow body of water. And when the wind sweeps through that sometimes, the waters will abate-- leaving only about 18 inches so that the children of Israel could Wade across this Sea of Reeds and shallow water. And that's all it was.

If that's true, you have a bigger miracle-- how God was able to drown the entire Egyptian Army in 18 inches of water. That's fabulous.

[LAUGHTER]

Now I can see people trying to give natural explanations, who are unbelievers. What bothers me is when so-called believers feel they have to give an explanation that is natural. I've always loved the commentaries by William Barclay on the New Testament. But I am bothered that Barclay feels compelled to take just about every miracle of Jesus, and tell you why it's not a miracle.

Like the feeding of the 5,000-- he says, that's not a miracle. Really what happened is that day, everybody brought their lunch. But they were selfish. It was getting toward the evening, the late afternoon. They didn't want to bring out their lunch because they knew that everybody would want it. And they'd have to share it.

Until one little boy came forward and in innocence, he opened up his lunch basket and started sharing. And that warmed everybody's heart, so they followed suit. And they followed the young boys example. And they all shared together. Or Barclay says, perhaps the disciples and Jesus stored food in advance in a cave. And as Jesus was teaching on that hillside, he just sort of step backwards more and more to the opening of the cave, the mouth of the cave, and the disciples went in, grabbed the food, passed it out.

Or the time when Jesus is walking on the water while the disciples are rowing in the boat, Barclay says, the winds are strong in that area. And they'll move the boat toward the northern shore where it's very shallow. And in the moonlight, Jesus started walking to them in the shallow surf. His feet are really on the sand, but it gave the appearance that he was walking on the water. That's what the disciples put. So it's simply a primitive interpretation of a natural event.

Hogwash. Jesus walked on the water. Jesus fed the 5,000. The sundial went back 10 degrees, no problem. Genesis 1:1-- if God can pull that off, the rest is easy. You know, isn't it funny how we're so apt to assign attributes to mankind greater than God?

If in 1969, we can build a spacecraft that propels a man to the surface of the moon, if back in the 1950s we're capable of building a nuclear submarine-- 33 tons of metal that can submerge 3,500 feet-- why would we say man could engineer such a thing, but oh, this is so tough. God couldn't do it. God did it.

The problem is, we so often-- because we can't fit it in the narrow confines of our mind-- we assign God the same weaknesses that we have. It's always a mistake. And I love it. The Bible just tells you what happened, no explanation given, no explanation necessary.

Verse Nine begins a solemn of Thanksgiving. Hezekiah-- not only a King, but here, a poet. So thankful for God healing him, he writes a Psalm of Thanksgiving, which I love, because I think that so many of us aren't as thankful as we ought to be. You know the story in the Bible of the 10 lepers, one came back and gave thanks. Isn't it interesting, 10% only of those who were healed that day returned to give thanks. I wonder if the percentage has changed much.

A thankful heart produced this beautiful Psalm. This is the writing of Hezekiah, the King of Judah, when he had been sick and recovered from his sickness. "I said, in the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the remainder of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living. I shall observe man no more, among the inhabitants of the world. My lifespan is gone, taken from me like a shepherd's tent. I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom. From day until night, you make an end of me."

It's an interesting analogy. He sees death as the taking down of a tent. Now, picture in your mind-- not going camping as much as-- a Bedouin tent in that part of the world. And the Bedouins are the nomads. That's not because they're never angry. They're called nomads because they travel from place to place, according to the pasture land and the time of the year. So they're always on the move looking for their flocks-- pasture land for their herbs and for their flocks.

And when the pasture land is all gone, tent comes down and they move on. It's the taking down of a tent. Paul used that same analogy. He said in Corinthians, "we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, that we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Paul was a tent maker. And Paul knew just like a tent-- temporary, flimsy-- so is our body.

I do love to go camping. I do love to stay in a tent. There's just nothing like being under the stars and looking up at God's creation. Quiet place, if it's a good camp ground. Beautiful view. And I remember at one time, I took a trip around the United States for about two months, two and a half months, with a truck and a tent, and just enjoyed God's creation. As much as I love being in a tent, after a while it gets really old. You start missing things like showers, good meals, great fellowship, the things of home.

Some people try to make their tent-- their body-- live and last forever. They'll do everything they can to keep this tent intact. I'm not saying, don't take care of your body. But some people go to the extreme. They'll take their flaps and stretch them out, or take their poles and cords and stretch them out, and do anything they can to keep this temporary tent intact.

Hey, we have something more permanent-- a building from God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. So it's a great analogy. The tent comes down. You see, your body isn't the real you. It's just a medium by which your spirit can convey who you are. The real you is spirit. And there is coming a day when you don't need the tent any longer. It's time to move into something permanent-- a building from God, not made with hands.

So when somebody says, he died, they can only say that if he's not a Christian. If he's a Christian, you can say he moved, but not, he died. He's moved. His body is in-- it says the grave-- Sheol, the place of the dead. The body decays and awaits the Resurrection. But there's something far better.

Paul said, "for me to live as Christ, to die is gain." "I have considered until morning like a lion, so he breaks all my bones. From day until night, you make an end of me." The idea of the lion is, this announcement came suddenly and shook him, just like a lion would come in and pounce on his prey. Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered. I mourned like a dove. My eyes fail from looking upward. Oh Lord, I am oppressed. Undertake for me."

Now, notice how the tone changes in Verse 15. "What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and he, himself, has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years in the bitterness of my soul." In other words, I have learned something from this experience. This experience of being close to death and being delivered, and then promised that I'm going to have 15 years left, has humbled me. I'm always going to remember the bitterness of this experience. And I'm going to walk softly. I'm going to walk humbly from now on.

You just may want to remember that because that won't last very long. "Oh Lord, by these things, men live. And in all these things is the life of my spirit, so you will restore me and make me live." Hezekiah realizes the blessings that are accrued during times of trial. By these, men live.

For Hezekiah, this was Faith 101. It was time for his faith to be stretched. For your muscles to grow, they need pressure. That's what lifting weights is all about-- the more pressure, the more reps, the stronger it gets. There's the breakdown of the muscle before the building up. Faith is just like that.

The pressure will build it up. You never grow in faith if you have a steady diet of all blessings, all sunny days, all wonderful moments. Your faith is stretched by the trials. By these things, men live. You know, how will you know if your faith works, unless it's tested? It's easy to have faith when the economy is strong, and the cupboards are full, and life's one big happy time. But by these, men live.

Tonight, you may be enjoying a great time of blessing. And if so, great. Hallelujah. Enjoy it. We rejoice with you. But tonight, some of you may be feeling very desolate, very empty. Know that God has his eye and his hand on the thermostat. You're in the oven. It hurts. It's painful. But he's watching.

He knows what you're able to handle, what you're able to endure. He won't allow you to be tempted above that which you are able. And he has a beautiful process at the end of refining. He is allowing you to be stronger. I don't how many of you play golf, but did you know when golf balls were first manufactured, they were perfectly smooth and round? Then they started hitting those babies a lot. And they discovered the rougher the surface gets, the further they go.

So they started making golf balls with dimples because they realized that if it's beat up a little bit, it'll travel further. It takes some rough spots for you to go further. And you say, Lord if you're a God of love, why would you allow it? It's because he is a God of love that he allows it. He wants you to be stronger to go further, to do better.

By these-- oh Lord, by these things, men live. "Indeed, it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness. But you have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. Sheol cannot thank you. Death cannot praise you. Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your truth."

Again, Sheol is the Hebrew word for the grave, the place of departed spirits. Is where the body goes after death. It decays, awaiting the Resurrection. Now Hezekiah-- when he says this-- that Sheol cannot thank you and death cannot praise you, he's saying this from the Hebrew point of view. And from the Hebrew point of view, they were a bit sketchy sometimes about the future and death.

Now from the Christian point of view, death is a gateway. For me to live as Christ, to die is gain. I'm in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. There is a certainty that comes in the New Testament. Now, we know where Hezekiah went when he did die, don't we?

He went to a place mentioned in Luke 16 as Abraham's bosom. Though he was a little bit sketchy, he went to a place where he was comforted by Abraham until the time that the messiah would die and rise from the dead. And by the way, though he says, Hell cannot thank you, death cannot praise you, we remember that David said, where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I ascended to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold you are there.

Knowing that the Lord is everywhere and no place is beyond his reach. "The living-- the living man, he shall praise you. And as I do this day, the Father shall make known your truth to the children. The Lord was ready to save me, therefore he will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord."

Now, Isaiah had said, let them take a lump of figs and apply it as a poultice on the boil and he shall recover. And Hezekiah had said, what is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? Now, I want you to mark this. Hezekiah was healed by God, but it included a human application-- a human means. A poultice, medicine, was applied to the wound.

This would be tantamount to praying over somebody and then that person going to a doctor. You can't say that well, that's a lack of faith. God can choose to heal by any means He wants. He can instantly heal. He can speak the word. Healing can come. Or he can do it in cooperation with science and medicine. By the way, this boil was probably a carbuncle, which was a large boil with several openings-- dead necrosed tissue-- that developed over time and a foul discharge. Sorry to paint that kind of a picture. That's just what it was.

[LAUGHTER]

Isaiah 39-- "at that time, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan the King of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. Now, this is a transitional chapter. Remember so far, the threat-- the world empire that was the threat to the nations and Judah and Jerusalem-- was Assyria.

But now, we see a shift of power developing, where it's no longer the Assyrians that people get worried about, but the Babylonians. A new empire is on the horizon, flexing its muscles, gaining in strength. And that's the great Babylonian Empire. This is what happens. A delegation from Babylon-- a group of men-- make their way from Babylon all the way across the desert. They come to Jerusalem because they have heard that Hezekiah had been healed.

And so this is sort of a congratulatory gesture. A present is given from the King saying, we heard that you're well. Ostensibly, it was a wonderful gesture. But it would seem that there is an ulterior motive. There is a proverb. In Proverbs 27:6, "faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Let's just sort of put that as a banner over this chapter. Because we see both the kisses of an enemy and the wounds of a friend named Isaiah. Let's look at the kisses of the enemy. At that time, Merodach Baladan-- by the way, Merodach means a rebel and Baladan means not the Lord, a rebel not the Lord. It's actually a fitting title. Because Babylon began by a rebel who was against the Lord named Nimrod. And that empire developed, waned, and now grows in strength once again-- and will be called Mystery Babylon in the end times.

So Merodach Baladan comes on the scene. Now, let me just tell you a little bit about him. He was clever. He was ambitious. and he was bitterly opposed to the Assyrians. They fought back and forth for years until finally, Sennacherib besieged the city of Babylon for nine long months.

Eventually, the Assyrians took over Babylon. But after a period of time, a young man by the name of Nabopolassar, who was a Chaldean chieftain, who became-- later on-- the Father of Nebuchadnezzar. He was the one who swept the Assyrians out of Babylon, defeated Nineveh, and became the King. So that history is happening behind the scenes.

In this chapter-- probably-- what is happening is the Babylonian delegation that comes to Jerusalem is trying to form an alliance with Judah because they want to fight against the Assyrians. It's just forming a political alliance, an attempt to gain support to fight against the Assyrians.

"And Hezekiah-- Verse two-- was pleased with them. And he showed them the house of his treasures, the silver, the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all his armory. And all that was found among his treasures, there was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them."

There's a piece of the puzzle that needs to be inserted at this point. Second Chronicles 32 shows us the motivation of his heart. It says, "during this same time, Hezekiah's heart was lifted up. He became prideful." And we get a hint of that even in our text. For it says, "he was pleased with them." They've come from afar to see me. This is all about me. He saw himself as an important figure in world history. His heart was lifted up.

Now, it seems that he has forgotten what he said in that song that he wrote. He said, you know, I'm going to walk humbly. I'm going to remember this bitter experience. And I'm going to slow down my steps. That's what he said. But now, he falls to pride. Can I just say, pray for your leaders. Pray for your leaders.

Even though leaders are in positions of authority, every leader is susceptible. King David fell because of the lust of the flesh. King Solomon fell because of the lust of the eyes. And Hezekiah fell because of the pride of life. Because of that susceptibility in all leadership-- especially spiritual leadership-- Satan would love to destroy leaders because in destroying leaders, he can destroy flocks. And Jesus said, "Satan, the enemy, comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy."

So what does he do? This delegation comes and he shows them his stuff. He shows them all of the wealth, all of the treasures, all of the store houses. And by the way, the Bible says, he had many storehouses of wealth in Jerusalem. That would include all the way back from the time of David, the treasures of Solomon, all the collected wealth in the temple-- which is like showing a thief the vault in the bank.

Because eventually when Babylon is going to get power, they're going to come back and get the wealth to subsidize their warfare against the Assyrians. They're going to go back and say, hey Merodach Baladan-- this guy is loaded. It was a bad move based on pride.

In Proverbs 29:5, there's an important text. It says, "whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet." The Hebrew word for flatter is smooth. And our English word, by the way, for flattery comes from a French word that means the flat of one's hand. It means you stroke somebody with the flat of your hand.

Thomas Brooks used to say, stroke a donkey on the belly and you can lay any burden on its back. That's flattery. Oh, you're so wonderful. Hezekiah, you're amazing. You're important in world history. Oh, I like that. They've come all the way from Babylon to tell me that. And so, he showed them all of the treasures.

Now that's the kisses of the enemy. Let's look at the wounds of a friend, Verse Three. "Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and he said to him, what did these men say and from where did they come to you? Hezekiah said, they came to me from a far country, from Babylon. And he said, what have they seen in your house? So Hezekiah answered, they have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them. And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord of hosts. Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and what your fathers have accumulated until this day shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the lord."

Now this is the first clear reference of the Babylonian captivity in this book. The Babylonians are coming. I'm going to tell you the truth, Hezekiah. The enemy is Babylon. They're coming to get you. By the way, he is predicting this 70 years before the event occurred-- well before Babylon was ever a threatening empire. Assyria was the superpower. But he is predicting Babylon will come. And Babylon wasn't even a threat at the time.

"And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon." So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "the word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. For he said, at least there will be peace and truth in my days."

What kind of a response is that? Well it's a short-sighted response. It's like, at least I'm safe. Yeah but, your kids, your grandkids-- by the way, in 605 BC, Daniel and some of the royal kids of the court in Jerusalem will be taken and serve the King of Babylon. But he says, hey, it's not going to happen in my days. And this is the problem with short sighted politicians only looking for their own platform instead of what's best for the nation, and what's best for the future.

Now what I love about Isaiah is that he comes in and he is honest, straightforward, not intimidated-- respectful, yes-- but not intimidated by the King. He tells him the truth. Somebody once said that "if you fear God, you don't need to fear anyone else." Or as somebody else put it, "whoever is on their knees before God can stand before any man."

I love Isaiah. He comes and he tells them the truth. "A friend will stab you in the back." That's Merodach Baladan-- flattery. "An enemy will stab you in the back. An enemy will stab you in the front. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful," as proverb says.

Nathan did that with David. He came in, straight to David, and he said, David you're the man-- pointed his finger at him-- laid the sin, and charged squarely at David's feet. Paul, the Apostle, had problems with Peter, approached him squarely, personally.

There's a story about Billy Sunday. And Billy Sunday used to preach hard and heavy at times. And one time, he addressed a crowd and he said, "they tell me that I rub the fur the wrong way. I do not. Let the cat turn around."

[LAUGHTER]

That's Isaiah giving it straight up. "Thus saith the Lord, this is the word of God. You made a mistake and now captivity will come." now Isaiah Chapter 40 marks, really, the second section of the book. You could divide it up into 39 chapters-- we've covered that-- and the last 27 chapters belong in the league, all their own. It's the second part of the book of Isaiah.

It has a different language, different emphasis, different subject matter. It's filled with hope more than judgment. And because of that, some people think it has a different author. And so there is the hypothesis of the Deutero-Isaiah, two different Isaiahs. Most people say that Isaiah, the prophet, may have written the first 39 chapters but the last 27 probably were written by somebody-- maybe even named Isaiah-- during the Babylonian captivity. But probably not, just a different person altogether, not named Isaiah. We don't know who it was-- a different author. Some even ascribe three authors to the book of Isaiah.

How do we argue that? Well, we really don't have to argue it. Jesus answers the question for us. He quotes out of both sections of the book of Isaiah and ascribes them both to the prophet Isaiah. So in Jesus' mind-- in his knowledge-- Isaiah spoke words out of the first 39 chapters, the second 27-- settles it. It would save scholars reams of pages and literature if they just turned to the New Testament.

Hey, the message may change. The messenger is the same. Any author can speak on two different subjects. Psalm 2 was written by David. Psalm 22 was written by David. Psalm 2 has the reigning messiah in view-- Psalm 22, the suffering messiah. Can't David write both Psalms? Can't Isaiah speak about two different subjects?

Why did he change here? Well, the second half of the book is to encourage the Jews-- who would be in captivity years later-- something that would encourage them, fill them with hope, that they would return to the land, that deliverance would come, and that eventually their messiah would reign and rule from Mount Zion.

What I love is the contrast between Hezekiah and the Lord. Hezekiah is short-sighted. He's thinking, at least it won't happen in my day. God thinks of the long term and is preparing his people for the captivity that will be theirs in days to come.

By the way, we can't pass this up. The book of Isaiah corresponds to the entire Bible. How many chapters are in Isaiah? 66. How many books are in the Bible? 66. How many chapters are in the Old Testament? 39. How many chapters in the New Testament? 27. And just like the Bible is divided between Old Testament and New Testament with a different emphasis, so is the book of Isaiah.

Chapter 40-- the first chapter of the new section-- begins with a voice crying in the wilderness, "prepare the way of the Lord." That's how the New Testament begins. John, the Baptist, comes on the scene and announces Christ. The last two chapters of Isaiah have the New Heavens and the New Earth in view. How does the Bible end in the New Testament? It has eternity and the New Heavens, and the New Earth, the new Jerusalem also in view. It's a beautiful correlation of the entire Bible.

Verse 1, "comfort. Yes, comfort my people, says you're God." You notice the change in tone, already. It's different. It's filled with hope. In the first part of the book, it was, whoa. Second part of the book, it's, wow. Hope is the tone of these chapters. In fact, I would say this verse is the theme of the rest of the book. Though Isaiah will periodically speak of judgment that is to come, it's overshadowed by a new hopeful tone.

"Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received from the Lord's hand double for all of her sins." Don't get the idea that God is giving more punishment than necessary, that he's giving twice as much punishment for half as much sin. That's not the idea.

The idea here is the weighing of the scales. As sin is on the scales, another-- a double-- another weight is added that balances it out, in terms of punishment. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert, a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and Hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight, the rough places, smooth. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Now, this verse obviously goes beyond the return of the Jews from Babylon. It goes way beyond the decree of Cyrus, who became-- in a sense-- the deliverer of Israel for them to return. It goes way beyond the rebuilding of the temple on Earth, and goes to the time of the messiah. It's what John the Baptist said. "A voice crying in the wilderness--" and he pointed to Jesus Christ, "prepare the way of the Lord."

So John, the Baptist, prepared the way for the first coming of Jesus. The prophet, Elijah, will prepare for the second coming. For it says in Malachi Chapter 4, "behold I will send to you, Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." When is he going to come? "I believe he is going to come during the tribulation period as one of the two witnesses. And he will be preparing the nation to receive their messiah when he comes again, and 144,000 of them will ready themselves for the messiah's come.

The voice said, cry out. And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers. The flower fades because the breath of the Lord blows upon it." Surely, the people are grass. "The grass withers. The flower fades. But the word of our God stands forever."

Mankind is weak. The flesh is weak. Even the greatest kings of the greatest empires have their limitations. But the greatest assurance in a world that is filled with wars, filled with uncertainty, is the certain word of God.

There's an interesting survey that was conducted by Tyndale House Publishers. And this is what they produced. "90% of frequent Bible readers say they feel at peace all or most of the time, as compared to 58% of infrequent Bible readers." Maybe that's why you look so peaceful-- because you love his word. It's certain. It's sure.

Here it says, "the word of our God stands forever." Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "'til Heaven and Earth pass away, not one jot or tittle will by any means pass from the law 'til all is fulfilled." How foolish it is for people to say, what does this book-- the Bible-- written thousands of years ago have to do with me, today? How does it apply?

It's the eternal word given by the eternal God. And it will outlive any skeptic. One of my favorite stories is about the skeptic, Voltaire. Voltaire was braggadocios, bold, assaultive against the Bible. And he made a prediction in 1778. He said, "within 100 years, the Bible will become an extinct piece of literature. And people will forget all about Jesus Christ and His disciples."

Within 50 years of his death, the Geneva Bible Society used the house of Voltaire as a distribution center for bibles all over Europe. [LAUGHS] Isn't that great? In the very house of the very one who claimed the Bible would be outdated and extinct, became the distribution center.

John Clifford wrote one of my favorite poems. "I paused one day beside the blacksmith's door and listened to the anvil ring the evening chime. And looking in, I saw upon the floor worn hammers from beaten years of time. And so I thought, the anvil of God's word for years, skeptics blows have beat upon. And though the noise of infidels was heard, the anvil is unworn. The hammers, gone."

Skeptic after skeptic has tried to debunk the Bible. But the Bible stands because of the evidence-- the word of our God stands forever. "O Zion," Verse 9, "you who bring good tidings get up into the high mountains of Jerusalem. You who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, behold your God."

In other words, God is return to Zion. That's the idea. God has come back to our place. Let's tell everyone. "Behold the Lord, God, shall come with a strong hand. And his arms shall rule for him. Behold, His reward is with him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs with His arms and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young."

Remember that song? I betcha Pastor Chuck's going to close with that song, tonight.

[LAUGHTER]

Notice that Isaiah turns to a gentle figure of a shepherd with a strong, but gentle, arm in feeding and caring for his sheep. It's a common picture in the Bible. God is the shepherd. We are the sheep. David said, "the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want." so the Bible often pictures us as sheep.

Now depending on what you know about sheep, that's either very insulting or very comforting. And I look at it is very comforting. David, being a shepherd, knew that the quality of life that the sheep have is solely dependent on the kind of shepherd that you have. You have a good shepherd, the sheep have it made. Have a bad shepherd, the sheep have a bad time.

So for David to say, "the Lord is my shepherd," it wasn't an insult. It's, I'm delighted. Look at who is taking care of me. It's like a kid bragging about his dad. Have you ever known pet owners that don't take care of their pets? You know, they have a dog but they never really spend time with the dog. They walk the dog, maybe, once a year. You know, it's not a good environment for the animal.

Then on the other end of the pendulum, you have the radical, professional dog owner-- buys sweaters for the dogs, enters the dog and doggy shows, customized dog house-- phydeaux-- P-H-Y-D-E-A-U-X, you know, in French-- phydeaux.

[LAUGHTER]

Now, we would look at somebody like that and say, how utterly ridiculous. But if you were the dog, which owner would you want? I'd want the second one. "The Lord is my shepherd. He will lead his flock like a shepherd." It's a beautiful, beautiful passage. "Gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those who are with young." So comforting.

"Who has measured the water in the waters in the hollow of his hand, measured the heavens with a span, calculated the dust of the Earth with the measure, weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? The incomparable greatness of God-- unique, one of a kind. Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor, has taught him?" Who can be God's counselor? Now, I know a lot of people who've tried. God, you should have done it this way. But he's incomparable.

"With whom did he take counsel? And who instructed him and taught him in the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop in the bucket and are counted as a very small dust on the scales. Look, he lifts up the Isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor it's be sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing. And they are counted by him as less than nothing, and worthless."

If you think about our universe-- hey if you think about our Earth-- we're very small. We all live on a globe-- a sphere-- 8,000 miles in diameter, spinning on its axis at 1,000 miles per hour. And you're one of billions of lifeforms. You're one of about six million people on Earth-- six billion, plus, people.

But think about the universe in which you live. The moon is 200,000 miles away. I think it was a full moon last night-- looked pretty close. You could walk to the moon if there was a bridge. It'd take you 27 years at the normal walking speed. But if you were going the speed of light, you'd make it there in 1.5 seconds. But it would take you 100,000 years traveling at 186,000 miles per second to traverse the length of the Milky Way galaxy.

And after that there are-- they say-- billions of other galaxies beyond it. And God says, oh it's only about that big. That's the span of the hand from the thumb to the middle finger-- or to the little finger. That's it. That's the span. We say, oh this universe is so huge. Well it is to us, but God goes, it's only that big.

So think about it. Here's God measuring the universe, billions of galaxies. In one little tiny corner of the Milky Way-- or of the universe-- is this little place called the Milky Way galaxy. Billions of stars, and there's a speck of dust called the Earth. And you-- one of billions of life forms, one of 6 billion people on that speck of dust-- and you have a problem.

[LAUGHTER]

Perspective is amazing, isn't it? So when you pray, don't carry your limitations over onto God. You're talking to somebody who goes like that with your universe-- the incomparable God.

"To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him? The workman molds an image. The goldsmith over spreads it with gold. And the silversmith casts silver chains. Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution chooses a trade that will not rot. He seeks for himself skillful workmen to prepare a carved image that will not totter."

You see what he's getting at-- the idols of the nations. They're going to make this little statue made by their own hands and then say, that's my God. Now the Jews were told plainly, squarely, you don't make any image when you worship me.

And here's why. Images always dishonor God because they obscure God's glory. Think about it. What image could anyone make that would tell the full picture about God? Not a one. Because God is infinite, the moment an image is cast, you defy the very nature of God and you make him limited by that image.

An example of that is the golden calf that Aaron made in the wilderness. It was in the shape of a golden calf, or a bull. He was probably thinking back to the days of Egypt. Apis the Bull was worshiped as the God of Strength. And maybe he was thinking, here's an image. It speaks of the strength of God, the magnitude of God.

But that image said nothing of the love of God, of the grace of God, of the intimate nature of God. And so, it obscures God's glory because it doesn't tell the whole picture. That's always the danger when you put imagination over Revelation, the Word of God.

That's why we need the entire Bible to tell us about God. The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows his handiwork. They're always telling us about him. But in that Psalm-- Psalm 19-- he speaks about the word that is perfect. We can never place imagination above Revelation. That's exactly what idolatry does.

Have you not known? Have you not heard Verse 21? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the Earth? "It is he who sits above the circle of the Earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the Heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."

Anybody ever tells you, the Bible is outdated and archaic, or that the Bible teaches the world is flat, show them that verse. "God sits above the circle of the Earth." No, it took years for people to develop the theory that the Earth was flat, but God always knew and revealed in his word that it's spherical-- the circle of the Earth.

He brings the princes to nothing. He makes the judges of the Earth useless. "Scarcely shall they be planted. Scarcely shall they be sown. Scarcely shall their stock take root in the Earth, when he will also blow on them and they will wither. And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. To whom then will you liken me? Or to whom shall I be equal, says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number? He calls them all by name. By the greatness of His might, and the strength of His power, not one is missing."

Now, I hear that you can pay a considerable amount of money and get a star named after yourself, or a loved one, as they discover them in the telescopes further and further away. But God has His own names. And I'll just save the money and find out what He named them.

"Why do you say, O Jacob and speak, O Israel? My way is hidden from the Lord. My just claim is passed over by my God." that's what the captives would say-- some of them-- eventually in Babylon. "God is forsaken us. He's indifferent to our condition."

But he says, "have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the Earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak. And to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary. Young man shall utterly fall. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like Eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint."

Did you know that the Christian is a rechargeable battery? Even when our strength wanes, even when you feel out of power, you plug into the power source-- the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? We do it by waiting on the Lord. Now, does that mean we just sit in a chair and we just wait?

[LAUGHTER]

No, I think it's better to have in your mind, the picture of a waiter serving somebody. I'm going to wait on the Lord. I'm going to do his bidding. I am a servant who will be actively waiting. And as I do that, God will give me the strength that I need, day by day. So I'm trusting that the Lord's going to do that with me. I am believing that by next week, my voice will be better and that my strength will be renewed.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, tonight some are feeling despair, weak, vulnerable. But Lord, were talking to the one who takes this huge universe and looks at it within the span of his hand. Lord, with you is ultimate power, ultimate strength. And so, we come to rest in you and to wait on you. Not only wait for you, but wait on you as servants doing their master's bidding. In that Lord, we will be strengthened.

Lord, I pray for your flock that they would mount up with wings as Eagles soaring, walking, running-- not fainting, not growing weary in well-doing. Lord, I pray that this week you would open up powerful doors of witness and ministry. And it would be one of the most glorious weeks ever known as we wait on you and see our strength renewed. We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

The pastors are down here at the front to minister to you, tonight if you are weak, if you are fainting, if there are issues that are too big for you to handle. You don't know what to do. There's confusion. God will help you-- the eternal God, the omnipotent God. He will help you, tonight. So they're here to help you make connection with God.

Shall we stand. As soon as we're dismissed, we would encourage you to come forward and seek the Lord, wait upon Him. And though waiting upon Him as Skip has suggested is serving, yet just come and wait here for God to work in your life. It covers both areas.

And so we would encourage you tonight to come and seek the Lord. And the Bible tells us that "in the day that we seek Him with all of our heart, He will be found of us." So don't take your burden home with you. Leave it with Him, tonight And go in His strength. Let your strength be renewed in him, and by him.

[SINGING] He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs in His arms and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently those that are with young. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather His lands in His arms and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

I hear some of the ladies singing that obligado part. And probably, a lot of you have forgotten that it but you ladies-- if you remember that, we're going to sing it once more and bring out. Because the beautiful part about that chorus was the ladies. And their part of it, it just added that dimension to it. So ladies, take it.

[SINGING] He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs in His arms and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

We'll have to come back to that one again. And you ladies are going to have to learn your part. [INAUDIBLE] God bless you.

[APPLAUSE]

This is the end of this message. If you would like further information on any of our products, or to receive our free catalog, contact The Word For Today. The address is PO Box 8,000 Costa Mesa, California 92628, or you may reach us by our toll free number, 1(800)272-WORD. That's 1(800)272-WORD.

Additional Messages in this Series

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6/13/2004
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Isaiah 17-19
Isaiah 17-19
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6/20/2004
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Isaiah 20-22
Isaiah 20-22
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6/27/2004
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Isaiah 23-25
Isaiah 23-25
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7/4/2004
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Isaiah 26-28
Isaiah 26-28
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7/11/2004
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Isaiah 29-31
Isaiah 29-31
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7/18/2004
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Isaiah 32-34
Isaiah 32-34
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7/25/2004
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Isaiah 35-37
Isaiah 35-37
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8/8/2004
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Isaiah 41-43
Isaiah 41-43
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8/15/2004
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Isaiah 44-46
Isaiah 44-46
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8/29/2004
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Isaiah 50-52
Isaiah 50-52
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9/5/2004
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Isaiah 53-55
Isaiah 53-55
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9/12/2004
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Isaiah 56-58
Isaiah 56-58
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9/19/2004
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Isaiah 59-61
Isaiah 59-61
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10/3/2004
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Isaiah 65-66
Isaiah 65-66
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There are 14 additional messages in this series.
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