Holy Stumps

In the sixth chapter of Isaiah, the prophet himself receives a vision from the Lord in which angels cleanse his mouth with coal and tell him his sins are forgiven. And when he hears the voice of the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send?" he readily volunteers. What follows is Isaiah's commission, along with some terrifying prophecies from the Lord.

God describes the majority of people as having "insensitive hearts, dull ears, and dim eyes" that prevent them from understanding His words and returning to be healed (verse 10). Because of their lack of knowledge and their refusal to change the status quo of their hearts, great destruction and desolation will take place until the "forsaken places are many in the midst of the land" (verse 12). However, God then describes a "tenth portion" left behind that actually resonates with the remnant described earlier in Isaiah 4. Here is the verse in its entirety:

"Yet there will be a tenth portion in it [the land], and it will again be subject to burning, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump" (6:13, NASB).

Notice that this remnant, though surviving the first burning, will suffer a second burning until only the stumps remain. The NIV says "it will again be laid waste," leaving no doubt that this tenth portion will also suffer devastation. Seems kind of hopeless, doesn't it? If it weren't for that last sentence in verse 13, this would indeed be a very somber prophecy. That little sentence, "The holy seed is its stump," offers hope and restoration for God's people.

Consider the idea of "holy seed." My bible references Deuteronomy 7:6 to expand upon this idea. In this verse, God is speaking through Moses in order to tell His people who they are in Him. He says that they are "a holy people to the Lord" and that God has "chosen [them] to be a people for His own possession [or special treasure]." To be "holy" means to be set apart. So in Isaiah's prophecy, those "stumps" with the "holy seed" are not doomed to face complete destruction. Sure, they will undergo painful trials of fire ("subject to second burning"), but they will not be wiped out completely. If the stumps remain, the roots remain. And as long as those roots dig deep into God's love and provision, these stumps will grow and rise up again as God's special treasures. But if the root dig into the dry land of unbelief, bitterness, and hopelessness, the stump will rot.

Maybe you're facing a painful trial right now. Or you're dreading the next painful trial to come. Or you're fearing the most painful trials of all that are sure to come as our prayers hasten the day of the Lord and the tribulations that precede it. This may sound weird, but remember the stumps of Isaiah's vision. They experienced multiple burnings but still contained holy seed, allowing them to grow again as long as their roots were in the right place. Ask Him for renewed eyes and ears to increase your knowledge of Him, as well as a sensitive heart in order to understand and accept that knowledge. Dig deep into His love, allow yourself to be healed, and know that He is never surprised by what happens to us. And though He may allow pain and trials into our lives, He will always leave a remnant for us to grow on. And we will be stronger because of it.

"For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its shoots will not fail." Job 14:7

Good Grapes

"...Then He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones." Isaiah 5:2

With Isaiah 5 comes a parable of a vineyard. It describes God diligently working in His vineyard, which in the end only produces worthless grapes. So in turn God rebukes His vineyard and leaves it to the weeds (verses 5-6). A similar thing happens in over in the New Testament in which Jesus rebukes a fig tree for not producing fruit, and so it withers and never produces fruit again (Matthew 21:18-19).

For those of us who grew up learning about parables, it's not difficult to deduce the meaning behind this one. Even so, the seventh verse in Isaiah 5 explains it for us anyway: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant." So rather than producing good fruit for the Lord, His people are instead producing worthless fruit (or worse, no fruit at all).

Why is this? The conditions for yielding good grapes seem ideal in this vineyard: it's planted on a fertile hill (verse 1), and the Lord Himself has worked within it. He digs all around, removes stones, and above all, He plants the "choicest vine" (verse 2). And it is clear that God expects good fruit to come from His vineyard, as he builds a tower and a wine vat within the vineyard in anticipation of the upcoming harvest (also in verse 2). So we can't blame any of the conditions within the vineyard; indeed, God Himself even asks, "What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have no done in it" (verse 4)?

I think the problem is within the "grapes" themselves. The next group of verses in Isaiah 5 are titled "woes for the wicked" in my Bible (NASB translation). These woes describe the sins of God's people that resulted in their present, "sour grapes" condition. These sins include drunkenness (verses 11-12), pride (verses 15 and 21), lying (verses 18-20), and justifying the sins of others (verse 23). They suffer because of their lack of knowledge of God's righteousness and power (verse 13), and also because they have rejected the law of the One who first planted them (verse 24). These "grapes" were nothing before God chose them for His vineyard, yet they refuse to be anything more if it means depending on Him.

So how are we to be good grapes? The answer comes from Jesus Himself: "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). If we abide in Him, we will bear fruit, and not just any kind of fruit, but the GOOD kind, since Christ is the actual vine we get our nourishment from. This means depending on him, since "the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me" (John 15:4). That would be like a lone branch lying on the soil, fully expecting to grow and bear fruit apart from the vine from which it came. It just doesn't work, and likewise it doesn't work for us, either, if we try to live apart from God. So study His word. Pray often. Develop the gifts He has given you. Resist sin and other temptations. And don't be afraid of God's discipline; He is only "pruning" us so we can bear even more fruit for His glory (John 15:2):

"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." (John 15:8). May our ultimate concern be to bring glory to His name and to bear GOOD fruit for His kingdom.

The spirit of burning

"When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning..." Isaiah 4:4

The fourth chapter of Isaiah describes a time where God creates and protects a remnant of His children. The above verse caught my eye because my Bible indicated that the phrase "spirit of burning" had a similar occurrence over in the book of Matthew. This time, John the Baptist is the one prophesying. He says of Jesus, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (3:11).

Two different prophets. Two different testaments. Two different references. Or are they actually very similar? Think about it. In Isaiah 4:4, "purge" also means to "rinse away," which reminds me of what happens during a baptism. Our sin is washed away by Jesus' blood when we believe in His name, and that "rinsing away" is demonstrated further when we are baptized in His name. In a way, we're using water to symbolize how God's fire actually works.

In addition, if you read one verse further in Matthew, you'll see that John the Baptist elaborates on this fire idea; he prophesies that Jesus will "clear His threshing floor" and "burn off the chaff with unquenchable fire" (verse 12). This mirrors with what we read in Isaiah 4; the "filth" and "bloodshed" are basically the chaff that is burned away by God's fire to create His remnant.

Notice the dual result of God's fire: It destroys what is evil, but it also cleanses and refines what is good. It "burns off" our sin and then purifies us so we can be more like Him. The same fire He will use to create His remnant on Mount Zion is the same fire He uses now when He baptizes us with His Holy Spirit.

So what does it mean to be baptized with His fire? The first thing that comes to my mind is POWER. The moment we are baptized with God's fire, we become more powerful for His purposes than we ever thought possible. The same Holy Spirit that fell on the disciples in Acts is the same that dwells in us, and when you read about all that happened AFTER that day of Pentecost, that's pretty incredible. So be confident in the One who gave you this fire and causes it to burn in you still. He has great plans for all of us if we would just allow His fire to work in us and through us for the good of His kingdom. Let His fire burn off the chaff within you so nothing will hold you back from all that He has intended for you. And allow it to cleanse you so you'll become more like Him.

Sowing in tears...

So I'm going to digress away from Isaiah today to share something that is a little personal, but very awesome!

Recently a sister in Christ shared a word for me that she had gotten from the Lord. It came with a picture of my son and I playing together joyfully. In fact, her entire word for me had to do with JOY, and that there's always a season for being joyful. She gave me a Scripture about sowing in tears and reaping with joy; it sounded oddly familiar at the time but I didn't delve further until today, almost a week later.

I was looking back in my journals from the past year, and I came across one rushed and disjointed entry dated 3/13/09. I quickly realized I penned this entry on the morning before I had a miscarriage; at the time, I was already experiencing some symptoms that indicated there was a problem with my pregnancy. I was waiting to go to the doctor to get checked out and I was crying out to God for help. I poured over the Psalms, trying to find some hope and security in them. I wrote a number of references down that morning, but the only verses I wrote down in their entirety were Psalm 126:5-6:

"Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."

Notice the first part of that passage?! That's why it sounded familiar to me. God gave me this verse as I was about to enter one of the most difficult parts of my life. I grieved the loss, and it made it difficult for me to pray and spend time with Him for some time. I believe He gave these verses to me to confirm that joy would come again, both in my relationship with Him and in the form of a second, healthy pregnancy a short time later. And while the birth of my son brought a dark season of postpartum depression, I've been mostly content since then, though always kind of expecting something else to go wrong.

I think God used my friend to remind me of this verse to show me His goodness, and that He really does work everything together for our good. There will be times when we will sow in tears, but that's just the prelude. Soon a harvest will come where we will reap with joyful shouting as we praise the Lord who provided it. Consider this verse from Hebrews: "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." There are hard lessons to be learned in the sowing, but righteousness and peace will come with the reaping.

Why did I share this? I think we all need to be more open and attentive to the Lord's voice, and when He gives us a word for someone else, we need to be obedient and share that word with them. My friend sharing with me helped me remember that God is always with me on this journey, and that a Scripture He gives me during a time of great sorrow will also be relevant during a time of unspeakable joy. So step out and tell others what God had shown you. Even if it seems uncomfortable. Even if you're afraid that the words you have to give them may not be what they want to hear. You will bless them and also bless the heart of the One who spoke those words to you. :o)

Going up to Zion...

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths..." Isaiah 2:3

Ever sit down to read your Bible and all you can think is, "Shouldn't this feel more like a desire than a duty?" I do. I'm guessing it's a common problem every child of God encounters from time to time. Hectic schedules, family problems, job hassles, and other annoyances often crowd up our day to such an extent that by the time we finally get a chance to sit down, we'd rather watch TV or read a magazine. Studying God's law and learning more about His character doesn't always make it to the top of our to-do lists. And if we do get around to it, we're often too distracted anyway.

The second chapter of Isaiah describes a time in the "last days" where all the nations will gather at the mountain of the house of the Lord. Once they encounter God on this mountain of Zion, their chief concern seems to be learning more about God's laws. They want to become more acquainted with His ways and to "walk in His paths" (verse 3). True, a day of reckoning immediately follows (or perhaps coincides with) this gathering at the mountain, so one might argue that anyone might be more motivated to learn about God's laws in the midst of His terrible judgments. But there are plenty of reasons to study God's Word regardless of what is happening. Here's three of them:

• Learning and obeying God's law brings peace. I don't think it's a coincidence that the next verse in Isaiah describes the aftermath of not only God carrying out His judgment, but also of His people learning about His perfect law: they hammer their weapons into tools and "never again learn war" (verse 4). Knowing who we are in Him is the most peaceful place we can be. It helps us lay down our weapons of distrust and self-pity and to reshape them into tools that can be utilized in His kingdom.
  
• Learning and obeying God's law brings love to others. In fact, under the new covenant set in place by Jesus' death and resurrection, God's law IS all about love! Paul wrote to the Romans that "he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law" (13:8), and in James we learn that if we are obeying God's command to love others, we are "doing well" (2:8). And Jesus told His disciples that people would know that they are His followers if they had love for one another (John 13:35).
• Learning and obeying God's law helps us to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12). While we are saved by His grace, His law is just as important if we are to know how to carry that salvation out in our daily lives. That's why the people were concerned not only about learning God's law, but also about walking in His paths. God wants us to continually seek Him and to do His will every day of our lives; knowing His laws is pivotal to doing this. That way we know if we're on the right path!

Whether we are reading the Bible, serving others, or just sitting at His feet and listening to Him intently, God can teach us all He wants us to know. We just have to be willing to climb that mountain and make it a priority. Want to climb it with me? :o)

watered-down truth

"Your silver has become dross, your drink diluted with water." Isaiah 1:22

Last night my husband and I started reading Isaiah together. It's a book full of prophetic utterances that are still relevant today in these end times. I skimmed over the above verse without thinking too much about it until my husband highlighted it for me, explaining that the "drink diluted with water" represents the act of diluting the truth with those things that are not true.

You can think of countless examples of this almost immediately. We are told through the media and through (unfortunately) popular opinion that an unborn child is not really alive until it is born, therefore abortion is okay. The production and distribution of pornography is really just "freedom of speech" being carried out. True, there are thousands of people living in poverty in the U.S. alone, but don't worry, take care of yourself. Everyday we are bombarded with some version of the truth, but it is often airbrushed, covered up, masked, or diluted with lies from those with ulterior motives.

The Enemy doesn't want us to seek after the truth, because he knows that it weakens his grip on our hearts and minds. Jesus called Satan the "father of lies" in the book of John, saying that lying is his native language (8:44). I once heard a saying that Satan will often tell us things that are true, but he never tells us the actual truth. Yes, it's TRUE that living here on earth is a struggle, but the TRUTH is that this place is not our home. The Enemy knows that if we only focus on what is "true," we will never go any further than that to seek out the full "truth."

On the other hand, all God tells us is the truth, and that truth is found on every page of His Word. Just take a look at the Gospels and how Jesus spoke to His followers. Go to www.biblegateway.com and type in "Jesus truth" in the keyword search. See how many examples pop up where Jesus says, "I tell you the truth"? And remember John 14:6 where He says He is the way, the TRUTH, and the life? The truth is, God IS the truth. "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill" (Numbers 23:19)?

If we are to be imitators of God, we are to walk not just in His love but in His truth. In a world that constantly presents us with watered-down truth, let us be the ones who are willing to speak God's truth AS IS as His unashamed children.

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. " Ephesians 4:14-15

Whatever Happened to Elihu?

So I finally finished Job today. It ended the way I remembered, of course, with Job confessing that God is sovereign and Job's friends having to make a sacrifice due to their false words to Job concerning God and His will. But one thing I wonder, what happened to Elihu?

Elihu kind of sneaks into the picture at Chapter 32. Before this, Job and his friends are debating whether or not a righteous and obedient life deserves calamity. Job especially focuses on his past, remembering how good he had it and how righteous he was, and bemoans his present state, telling God to give him an answer pertaining to why He allowed these bad things to happen ("Let the Almighty answer me!" Job 31:35). The beginning of Chapter 32 tells us that Elihu, up until now, has hesitated from joining the discussion because he is younger than everyone else. This act of respect is probably the only thing holding Elihu back from asserting himself before now, since by the time he does join in "his anger burned" (verse 5) because of what his elders were saying about God.

In short, Elihu's speech goes on for several chapters. He rebukes Job and his friends for basically putting God in a box as if His ways could be predicted or controlled ("Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?" 34:13). Elihu defends God's justice and sovereignty, saying "His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps" (34:21). And he also breaks that proverbial box his elders tried to use to contain God by describing His awesome wonders and majesty ("God thunders with His voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend" 37:5; "Stand and consider the wonders of God" 37:14).

After this, God answers Job (in a whirlwind, no less!), and for the next four chapters Job is humbled in the wake of His words that describe His power and might. Elihu isn't mentioned again, and seems to disappear as mysteriously as he appeared earlier. He wasn't rebuked along with his elders, but he didn't receive any reward for his words either (at least none that is recorded). So what happened to him?

You know what God told me? Elihu was taken care of. It doesn't matter that he wasn't praised for his tenacity and faith to stand up for God in the presence of those older and wiser than he. He knew who he was as God's child, did what was asked of him, and then moved on. Often God asks us to do things for His kingdom that probably won't result in any kind of recognition. Sure, we've helped others by acting on what He tells us to do and have become stronger in our faith for doing so, but there are no parades for anonymous donations, leading our children to Christ, or even helping a disabled person cross the street. Acting on His will without regard for accolades keeps us humble and focused on the One who rewards us in Heaven (Matthew 6:1).

So what can we learn from Elihu?

• Respect your elders. He understood his lowly position and waited to act out of respect for those in a position of authority.
• Recognize righteous indignation and act carefully in it. His "anger burned" against the words being spoken, but he did not act out his anger and was careful to only say the words that would further his cause.
• Remember 1 Timothy 4:12: "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example to those who believe." This can even apply to being young in your faith, and not just your age. Even if you just accepted Christ and you're 80 years old, you're young in your relationship with Him, but you still have something to offer to more mature believers if you allow God to direct you.
• Rest in God's love and sovereignty. Basically, Elihu practiced what he preached. He told the others that God's will did not depend on our obedience or works. In doing so, he did what God asked of him without thinking he was entitled to anything for doing so.

May we all become like Elihu; willing to remain behind the scenes until God calls us forth for His purpose, and then humbly doing His will simply because He has asked it of us.

Hope deferred....

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

This past week has been the week of trials, it may seem. The Enemy is trying to weaken my faith, as well as the faith of my family and friends. First, he has been systematically attacking several marriages within our church body, mine and my husband's included. Then, he's been trying to whisper lies in my ear when unthinkable hardships come to me and those I hold dear: my grandmother becoming bedridden and possibly facing death less than two months after I lost my grandfather, a wonderful friend and sister in Christ suffering from pain and illness even after hours of prayer and intercession for miraculous healing, and a faithful, deserving couple who after planning for months to adopt a baby were forced to say good-bye when he was only a few hours old when the adoption process fell through. What are the whispers I hear? "How can a loving God allow these things to happen to His children?"

It's an age-old question, often used as fodder by atheists to cause dissention and debate. The fact is, we live in a fallen world. We all will fall victim to disappointment, disease, and death at some point in our lives. And sometimes we may not know this side of Heaven why God allows these things to happen. But one thing I hold to during these hard times: He will work EVERYTHING together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Even the most horrible events in our lives can serve a higher purpose later on, whether it be a lesson learned, an opportunity to cling to His side, a chance to minister to others, or maybe just allowing something better to happen later on when the time is right.

Our hopes are often deferred, as referenced in the Scripture above. Last year my husband and I suffered the loss of a pregnancy. All we wanted was a baby, but that hope was deferred. In our case, God allowed us to conceive very soon after, and now we can't imagine life without our precious son. We still miss the baby we lost, but God turned that hardship into good, in the form of our child, as well as being able to minster to others who have also experienced miscarriages.

The verse above mentions a "tree of life" that comes with desire being fulfilled. The biblical tree of life is currently in Heaven. I can't think of a better desire being fulfilled (or a bigger hope currently being deferred) than one day meeting my Savior and sitting under the branches of His tree of life. Lord, please help me keep this eternal perspective even when times are hard here on earth.