RD35

This passage tells about the remarkable declaration of bodily resurrection from the dead in the Last Days. "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You, who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead." (26:19) Prior to this resurrection, there will be terrible judgment upon the earth – This is graphically spelled out in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament.

The key to perfect peace is to put our complete trust in Jesus, to lean on him at all times. When we get distracted from trusting in the Lord we get anxious and loose our peace. The Lord is our solid ground on whom we can anchor. He does not change or move, he is strong and our burdens are light to him.

When a loved one dies we grieve with the thought that we will never be able to have this person with us anymore, we also think of their suffering and grieve. But the thought that God will destroy death brings us comfort, that if our loved one’s had accepted Jesus we may see them in a better place. With this promise in our hearts, we will not even be worried about our death because we know we will go to a place of rejoicing where there will be no sorrow or pain. When Christ comes back we will see the wonderful promise of his resurrection. We will see victory over death

Not very sure, maybe the feast represents God’s reward for the righteous, to the one’s who obeyed and endured to the end. It will be a joyful time.

The reason for this destruction is sin and rebellion against God. The Gentiles are guilty before God, and for the covenant people they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Everyone is comfortable in this world and are trying to make their lives and future secure by working hard, building houses, saving up for their children, retirement etc. This Prophecy says that God will be destroying the whole world so it is kind of threatening to the people who think this world will be there for them always. They will not be able to comprehend that all that they worked hard for will be destroyed. God is a righteous God and he will not let disasters come upon the righteous, therefore it is important to forming faithful disciples who fear the Lord and who will spread His gospel of salvation to save more and more souls. 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the **** of the flesh, the **** of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever If one loves the world then he does not love God. The world will pass away but whoever does God’s will live forever.

The people of the Judah made a lot of military preparations to save themselves from the attacks of the Assyrian Armies; they were not blamed for doing this, but while doing this they failed to acknowledge God. At the same time of preparations, the people should have looked upto God the maker of Jerusalem. They should have looked up to God for blessing their work and their plans. They should have sought after God’s will and not their own. Shebna was preparing a fine tomb for himself on the heights of the city while Jerusalem itself is threatened. Perhaps he was corrupt- using the nation's resources to further one's own purposes and pride. Yes, I have been in my old life when Christ was not my first priority, but since I have come to know him closely I ask for his grace to not be selfish and put Christ and his duties first, yet I know I fail many a times, Lord have mercy on me for such times, reveal it to me my mistakes and please forgive me.

God commanded Isaiah to take off the sackcloth from his body and the sandals from his feet and go around stripped and barefoot. Isaiah's nakedness was to be a constant reminder to Judah not to rely on Egypt. That Assyria will attack Egypt and carry off captives, who were often stripped just as Isaiah was. And that's just what happened. In the beginning Judah’s king Hezekiah did not join the rebellion, but later Judah had joined in the rebellion against Assyria and has suffered an invasion by Assyria that conquered all her fortified cities except Jerusalem itself. I believe God would not ask me to do exactly what he had asked Isaiah to do, but definitely there are times when God asks me to do something which I feel is a shameful act to do in front of others who would laugh at me. There are sometimes when I have been willing to endure shame for Christ’s sake and times when I have felt ashamed to obey God’s commands with the fear of people laughing at me and calling me a fool. I sincerely pray that God will bless me with that zeal which Isaiah had for the Lord and this will take very radical obedience to God. I am really humbled reading this episode of Isaiah’s life. If i live such a obedient life to God as Isaiah did, then God would give me the grace to go through the shame Isaiah went through.

The ruler was very proud and arrogant towards God. He exalted himself to the position of God. "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). The most Holy God is my Lord and Master, although I have been proud and failed to listen to the will of God in my life, I may have never intentionally exalted myself over my God. I must always remain close to God in prayer and seek His will at all times. Read the word and meditate on it. Remember the mighty things God has done in my life which I could have never done in my own strength. Know that God’s plans for my life are the best and wait on him before taking and making any hasty decisions for myself.

It will be a time of absolute peace, wherein natural enemies will live in peace with each other. This peace will extend over all the earth. The reason for this peace will be the knowledge of the Lord. The knowledge of the Lord means that people will have personal relationship with the Lord and not just and intellectual awareness of him. Every person in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down to Jesus and confess that He is Lord.

Jesse is the father of David. "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." (11:1). from this Davidic line a new king will come. In 11:11 the Davidic messiah is called "the root of Jesse. The Messiah will have the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. Verses 4 and 5 teach us about the moral authority of the Messiah when he speaks and renders judgment. The wicked should fear when he pronounces sentence. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The Messiah will be the ultimate judge. The needy and the poor of the earth. The Messiah will slay the wicked with the rod of his mouth and the breath of his lips.

Laws are passed to oppress the weak and poor for the love of power or they fear that they will be overpowered and they know that the weak cannot do much about it. We can pray for our rulers and also live in love and harmony in the community in which we are in, love everybody equally despite of their social status, race, color, religion or wealth.

The text saying that the son is mighty God, and that his government and peace has no end and that He will reign on David’s throne establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness forevermore convinces us that the child is the messiah himself. Wonderful Counselor - The "Spirit of counsel" will rest upon the Messiah. This Son will possess counsel to be wondered at, as the Wisdom of Solomon amazed people in his day. Mighty God - The Messiah is mighty strong, valiant. This Child is identified with Yahweh himself. Everlasting Father - This Child, this Son, will be divine -- he is very closely identified with Yahweh himself, he is the one who is eternally a Father to his people. Now and forever he guards his people and supplies their needs. Prince of Peace - He is the chief bringer of reconciliation, peace, fulfillment, and wholeness. While I need all the saving attributes of my messiah every moment of my life I am seeking his counsel and wisdom desperately in certain areas of my life.

When Ahaz hears of the impending attack on Jerusalem, he is terrified. The Lord sends Isaiah to reassure him. "Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood -- because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah." (7:4) Isaiah conveys to Ahaz the word of Yahweh concerning this impending attack: "It will not take place, it will not happen." (7:7) Then he reassures Ahaz that these allied kings are mere men after all. He tells Ahaz not to panic. King Ahaz does not believe or obey Isaiah's prophecy to trust in the Lord. He pays tribute to Assyria and becomes its vassal. As a consequence of this disobediences Assyrian army conquered all of Judah and besieged Jerusalem. When we are not rooted in the word of God and because of our little faith we tend to think we know better than God. God has his timings for everything but we are not willing to wait on the Lord and sometimes think we can to do things faster and better. Sometimes it is hard to do what God tells us to do because our circumstances look bigger than God, because of our little faith and sometimes because of pressure of people around us. We just find it difficult to trust that God can do something about our circumstances.

People who resist the truth can only be brought to repentance by telling them the truth again. But if they reject the truth a second time, and a third, and a fourth, they become increasingly hardened in their resistance -- hard hearts, the Bible calls it. Their pride and rebellion have reached such a stage that most likely they will misperceive the truth they do hear. Isaiah had a very difficult mission but it was not impossible because God was with him, and all things are possible with god. The prophecy of Isaiah would make tasks worse as generally people tend to become more rebellious when corrected, and as God had told the people would harden their hearts more. The Parable of the Sower. Yes Jesus is frustrated with the people who are only hearers but not the doers of the word, yet there is hope as there will always be a few who would listen to God.

When Isaiah compares himself to Yahweh’s holiness, might and glory he is overcome by his own sense of smallness, unworthiness, and sinfulness. Isaiah says, "I am undone" which would be equivalent to our expression, "I'm a dead man!" In sharp contrast to Yahweh's holy character, Isaiah recognizes his sinfulness, his "unclean lips." The lips represent the expression of an unclean, unholy, un- surrendered heart. God doesn't accept Isaiah's sinfulness as a barrier. He has one of the Seraph’s fly with a live coal from God's fire on the altar and touches Isaiah's lips, and Yahweh declares that his sin and guilt are removed. After Isaiah has confessed and repented of his sins and has been cleansed, God has work for him. When God states his need for a representative to carry out his mission, Isaiah willingly volunteers. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (6:8) I must confess that many a times I have not been ready to serve God like Isaiah in the early days of my lif. Certain tasks seem herculean and I wrestle with the thoughts that I am not big enough or good enough to carry on this mission of God. But by God’s grace my willingness to serve him has increased and he alone gives me the grace to stand up and serve him even though I fall short many a times. Praise the Lord.

Isaiah was a man of God and God wanted him to take his message to the nation of Israel. In Isaiah's vision the Lord, seated in grandeur, high above all others. The King is so massive in relation to the room size that the edge or train of his royal robe fills the entire throne room. The Lord is flanked by seraphs, winged creatures. The seraphim are calling out to each other, reciting again and again qualities of the King whom they serve. The temple was filled with the glory of the Lord. From the Seraphim’s chant we learn that Yahweh is Holy, Yahweh is mighty and Yahweh’s creations exhibit His Glory.

The vintner was looking to harvest good grapes from the vineyard. To accomplish this he dug up the vineyard and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. But when the crop came in he saw that there was only bad fruit. So the vintner said that he will take away its hedge and destroy the vineyard. He will break down its wall and it will be trampled. He will make the vineyard a wasteland neither pruned nor cultivated and briers and thorns will grow there. The vintner would also command the clouds not to rain on it. In this parable The Lord Almighty compares himself the Vintner, the nation of Israel the vineyard of the Lord, and the people of Judah the vines he delighted in. God gave the people of Judah every opportunity to grow fruitfully and well, but all that comes of it is, the gross injustice and unrighteousness that abound in the land. As a result the Lord declares a judgment on the people of Judah which will result in its destruction.

Both the Jews and the Gentiles will generally acknowledge the True God. There will be widespread hunger for Gods word and ways. People will turn away form pagan gods and their idols and only seek to learn from the True God and obey Him. There will be no wars and no disputes between nations. Stronger nations will not force its will on others. Yahweh will be looked up on by all people as the high king for justice and to settle disputes. War will become a thing of the past and peace will reigns to such an extent that people will turn their war weapons to farm implements, since they will never be needed again.

The People of Judah have forgotten God, who they are in God and what is their relationship with God. They have forgotten all that God has done for them and therefore they are not living how God has wanted them to live and so they are in sin. Today also many Christians are confused about their identity, that they are purchased and washed by the blood of Jesus and are children of God. They have turned to their own ways and so in sin. The consequences of such identity confusion are Christians will not serve the one true God. They will turn their back to God and embrace sinful ways. In verses 15:17 God accuses His people of hypocrisy. Though they stretch out their hand in prayers their hands are like murderers, full of blood. They have done wrong deeds and not done justice ot the fatherless and the widow. The sins of the people of Judah are unreasonable to God. They are living in way which is contrary to the way of God. They are the hearers but not doers of the Word of God. God offers them to reason it out with Him together and wash them as white as snow even when their sinful lives are as dark and striking like the colors scarlet and crimson. Meaning, God is willing to forgive them completely if they turn their back from sin and towards God.

Everyone who follows this new rule, that is “a new creation in Christ” belongs to this group “the Israel of God. Everyone who believes in the work of Jesus on the cross for their salvation and not on law, are the Israel of God today. The believing Jew and the believeing Gentile alike form the Isarel of God. Those who do not believe in God and still rely on law and deeds for their salvation do not belong to this group.

The new creation is entirely new, created in Christ, filled with the spirit of God. There are new feelings toward all people—a new kind of love toward family and friends, a new compassion never before felt for enemies, and a new love for all mankind. The things we once loved, we now detest. The sin we once held onto, we now desire to put away forever. The old creation refers to everything that is part of our old nature—natural pride, love of sin, reliance on works, and our former opinions, habits and passions, love of self and with it self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification. The New creation has Jesus Christ as savior which the old creation did not have. The new creation is spirit filled unlike the old creation. The new creation is no longer a slave to the sin. Law is no longer the identifying mark of the new creation, but the Holy Spirit is. Being born again Jesus said we will inherit the Kingdom of God. A new creation has all these characteristics of a born again person, a life filled with and led by the Holy spirit. Earlier we were born of flesh but Jesus tells us that we should be born of the Spirit, a new creation according to Paul is one who has crucified his flesh and is born of the spirit.

We tend to become weary sometimes by living our faith because we don't believe what Paul says, that "A man reaps what he sows" (6:7b). Some times we seek to be rewarded materially for the good we do and do not see certain things which God has blessed us with like good health, peace and joy. Paul reminds us that there is a reward! At the proper time, the time God has chosen, Christ will come and reward us. We'll see the fruition of all the promises of God. We're to do good to all around us, but especially to our Christian family. This isn't selfishness, but our first responsibility. Family members have a responsibility first to one another, to meet each other's needs. When our spiritual family is free from burdens then we can reach out to more people outside with the good news of Christ.

To sow in the flesh means to give into the desires of our flesh and not to lead a life led by the Holy Spirit. It will lead us to sin and turn away from God. It does not look good when we are in sin. The synonyms Paul uses are "walking in the Spirit," "being led by the Spirit," "living in the Spirit," and "keeping in step with the Spirit." The congregation looks joyous and lively, sowing to the spirit. Fellow believers will be forgiving and kind ready to carry each others burdens and help the ones who fall encouraging them gently. There is great love and peace in such a congregation. God is present in their midst and there will be true worship in this place. As a result of sowing in the flesh, there will be disunity in the congregation. God’s spirit will not be present here and memebers may not be filled with the fruits of the spirit. There will be backbiting, gossip and pride and such a congregation will not grow.

Here by saying “caught in a sin” Paul means when sin overtakes someone by surprise and not a routine normal event. It means when we have slipped into sin by heeding to our fleshy desires. Repentance Such a person should be restored by spirit filled people. People who are not just spiritually inclined but the one’s who are living and walking in the Spirit, led by the Spirit, conforming their lives to the Spirit’s influence. Restoration must be by the Spirit, not by law. Restoration should be done with careful discernment and willingness to be patient. It must be done gently with a spirit of gentleness and meekness. When restoration of a person is not done with humility, Then the people will feel worse about themselves and they will spiral down further into sin.

Crucifying the flesh is a Spiritual process where one kills the sinful and physical desires of the flesh (our bodies) so that the Holy Spirit can live in and through us. It means to fight temptations on a daily basis and live a life led by the spirit. It means not to give into our past ways of life, to turn away from the temporary pleasures of life and accept god’s plan in our life, His plan of eternity for us. May be a very immature Christian or a Christian for name sake only. Such a crop is produced because Christians have not crucified their flesh and also because a lot of them have received a diluted message of Christ. Many a times leaders of the church are not willing to point out sin and have encouraged believers to live a comfortable life of sin.