Chapters of His Heart: Isaiah 21-25

You can Read Isaiah chapters 21-25 here.

   The reason I decided to group these five chapters is because of their similarity. You will notice when you read them that there is a lot of repetition in the first four chapters. Chapters 21-23 repeat a similar judgement message to six specific people groups, and chapter 24 reiterates that message to the whole world. The details vary in each chapter but the core message is the same, God is coming to judge all people and determine between those who belong to Him, and those who belong to the world. There was a word in chapter 24 that caught my eye, something we've seen before in Isaiah's prophesies, the word remnant. Isaiah says in 24:13 "Throughout the earth the story is the same-only a remnant is left.." What is the remnant? The remnant will be made of The Faithful, those who were true to The Lord even in the hard times. Chapter 24 verses 14-16 say this of the remnant,

 "But all who are left shout and sing for joy.....We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One!"

Chapter 25 is an example of what those praises will sound like. Those included in the remnant of spared children will rejoice in their salvation. God planned this judgement a long time ago, and when His plans come to pass the faithful ones will sing of His power. Verse 3 says that even those not chosen to be part of the remnant will exalt God's strength.

"Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory, ruthless nations will fear you."

Think about what is being said here, world powers will emphatically proclaim His glory, merciless nations will be afraid of Him. What great power, to evoke this kind of reverence and emotion. What a great God, to embody such power and, in the same being, such love, as expressed in the rest of the chapter. He is described as a tower of refuge for the poor, needy, and distressed. A refuge from the storm of oppression. He is silence, stillness and shade.

Sometimes when I read things from the Old Testament I find myself in a mindset of "this happened ages before Jesus came and so, none of it can really apply to me". I know that it's true and that it's God's word and we should follow it's leading, but sometimes I read it and go, "that was a great story" or "wow, God did some great things". I forget that, that God is my God. These chapters were great reminders of that because they actually aren't talking about some obscure prophesy of the ancient Jew's future. They are big, flashing billboards that point to our future. The future of all followers of Christ. They aren't talking about smiting the neighboring enemy of the Jews, they are talking about wiping out God's enemy, our enemy, forever. That remnant Isaiah spoke of, it's not the spared people of an Old Testament battle, that remnant is us. That remnant is followers across the world singing in thousands of languages the song of salvation.

Listen to the proclamation made in verse 9;

"In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”"

Imagine this kind of praise being sung all over the world, in every nation, in every language. Imagine how beautiful that will be. In His deep love God offers this beautiful gift to all of His children. The chance to follow Him and become a piece of the remnant. I want to be a part of that. I want to sing at the top of my lungs that I trusted my God and He saved me. God's heart longs for this remnant of people to include every one of His children, and my heart longs to be counted as His child.