Brett Hawthorn @BrettHawthorn@dingdash.com

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭NIV* “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees,”‬‬

*10:1* God will judge crooked judges and those who make unjust laws. Those who oppress others will be oppressed themselves. It is not enough to live in a land founded on justice; each individual must deal justly with the poor and the powerless. Don’t pass your responsibility off to your nation or even your church. You are accountable to God for what you do for the poor.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:7‬ ‭NIV* “But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.”‬‬

*10:7* Although Assyria did not know it was part of God’s plan, God used this nation to judge his people. God accomplishes his plans in history despite people or nations who reject him. He did not merely set the world in motion and let it go! Because our all powerful, sovereign God is still in control today, we have security even in a rapidly changing world.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NIV* “When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.”‬‬

*10:12* The Assyrians were haughty. They thought they had accomplished everything in their own power. Our perspective can become distorted by our accomplishments if we fail to recognize God working his purposes through us. When we think we are strong enough for anything, we are bound to fail because pride has blinded us to the reality that God is ultimately in control.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:15‬ ‭NIV* “Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!”‬‬

*10:15* No instruments or tool accomplishes its purpose without a greater power. The Assyrian’s were a tool in God’s hands, but they failed to recognize it. When a tool boasts of greater power than the one who uses it, it is in danger of being discarded. We are useful only to the extent that we allow God to use us. If God has given us resources and special talents, we must not regard them as our own creation or special privilege.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭21:28‬ ‭NIV* ““And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults: “ ‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning!”‬‬

*21:28* The Ammonites and Israelites were usually fighting with each other. God told the Israelites not to ally with foreign nations, but Judah and Ammon united against Babylon in 589 B.C. (Jeremiah 27:3). God first judged Judah when Nebuchadnezzar first went to Jerusalem (21:22); but Ammon will also be judged, not for allying with Judah, but for watching Jerusalem’s destruction with insulting delight.

*Galatians‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NIV* “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”‬‬

*6:2* No Christian should ever think that he or she is totally independent and doesn’t need help from others, and no one should feel excused from the task of helping others. The body of Christ - the church - functions only when the members work together for the common good. Do you know someone who needs help? Is there a Christian brother or sister who needs correction or encouragement? Humbly and gently reach out to that person, offering to lift his or her load (John 13:34,35).

*Isaiah‬ ‭9:1‬ ‭NIV* “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—”‬‬

*9:1* In our gloom and despair, we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end. But we can take comfort in this certainty: although the Lord may not always take us around our troubles, if we follow him wholeheartedly, he will lead us safely through them.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:2-6‬ ‭NIV* “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”‬‬

*9:2-6* In a time of great darkness, God promised to send a light who would shine on everyone living in the shadow of death. He is both “Wonderful Counselor” and “Mighty God.” This message of hope was fulfilled in the birth of Christ and the establishment of his eternal kingdom. He came to deliver all people from their slavery to sin.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:8-10‬ ‭NIV* “The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria— who say with pride and arrogance of heart, “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.””‬‬

*9:8-10* Pride made Israel think it would recover and rebuild in its own strength. Even though God made Israel a nation and gave them the land they occupied, the people put their trust in themselves rather than in him. Too often we take pride in our own accomplishments forgetting that it is God who has given us our every resource and ability. We may even become proud of our unique status as Christians. God is not pleased with any pride or trust in ourselves because it cuts off our contact with him.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭20:12-13‬ ‭NIV* “Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy. “ ‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.”‬‬

The Sabbath, instituted by God at creation, was entrusted to Israel as a sign that God had created and redeemed them (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). This day of rest was a gift from a loving God, not a difficult obligation. But the people repeatedly desecrated the Sabbath and ignored their God (see also 20:20,21). It was meant to be a memory device but they ignored it. Today, many Christians celebrate the Lord’s Day, Sunday, as their Sabbath. Whatever the day, we must be careful to fulfill God’s purpose for the Sabbath. He wants us to rest, to refocus, and to remember him.

*‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭20:39‬ ‭NIV* ““ ‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.”‬‬

*20:39* The Israelites were worshiping idols and giving gifts to God at the same time! They did not believe in their God as the one true God; instead, they worshipped him along with the other gods of the land. Perhaps they enjoyed the immoral pleasures of idol worship; or perhaps they didn’t want to miss out on the benefits the idols might give them. Often people believe in God and give him gifts of church attendance or service, while still holding on to their idols of money, power, or pleasure, not wanting to miss out on any possible benefits. But God wants all of our lives and all of our devotion; he will not share it because devotion to anything else is idol worship. Beware of trying to keep God pleases while you also pursue the pleasures of sin. You must chose one or the other.