Read
Jerusalem Will Suffer
The Lord said:
1Jerusalem, city of David,
the place of my altar,
you are in for trouble!
Celebrate your festivals
year after year.
2I will still make you suffer,
and your people will cry
when I make an altar of you.
3I will surround you and prepare
to attack from all sides.
4From deep in the earth,
you will call out for help
with only a faint whisper.
5Then your cruel enemies
will suddenly be swept away
like dust in a windstorm.
6I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will come to your rescue
with a thundering earthquake
and a fiery whirlwind.
7Every brutal nation
that attacks Jerusalem
and makes it suffer
will disappear like a dream
when night is over.
8Those nations that attack
Mount Zion
will suffer from hunger
and thirst.
They will dream of food and drink
but wake up weary and hungry
and thirsty as ever.
Prophets
9Be shocked and stunned,
you prophets!
Refuse to see.
Get drunk and stagger,
but not from wine.
10 The Lord has made you drowsy;
he put you into a deep sleep
and covered your head.
11Now his message is like a sealed letter to you. Some of you say, “We can't read it, because it's sealed.” 12Others say, “We can't read it, because we don't know how to read.”
13 The Lord has said:
“These people praise me
with their words,
but they never really
think about me.
They worship me by repeating
rules made up by humans.
14 So once again I will do things
that shock and amaze them,
and I will destroy the wisdom
of those who claim to know
and understand.”
15You are in for trouble,
if you try to hide your plans
from the Lord!
Or if you think what you do
in the dark can't be seen.
16 You have it all backwards.
A clay dish doesn't say
to the potter,
“You didn't make me.
You don't even know how.”
Hope for the Future
17Soon the forest of Lebanon
will become a field with crops,
thick as a forest.
18The deaf will be able to hear
whatever is read to them;
the blind will be freed
from a life of darkness.
19The poor and the needy
will celebrate and shout
because of the Lord,
the holy God of Israel.
20All who are cruel and arrogant
will be gone forever.
Those who live by crime
will disappear,
21together with everyone
who tells lies in court
and keeps innocent people
from getting a fair trial.
22The Lord who rescued Abraham
has this to say
about Jacob's descendants:
“They will no longer
be ashamed and disgraced.
23When they see how great
I have made their nation,
they will praise and honor me,
the holy God of Israel.
24Everyone who is confused
will understand,
and all who have complained
will obey my teaching.”
Reflect
God despises manufactured worship. Empty words. Mechanical motions. Repetitive lists of man-made rules. A focus on art with little regard for the Artist. How can any of this be considered worship?
Isaiah delivers the Lord’s rebuke in chapter 29. He points out that – in spite of polished words that sound right to the ear – Israel’s heart is in the wrong place: “The Lord has said: ‘These people praise me with their words, but they never really think about me. They worship me by repeating rules made up by humans’ ” (verse 13).
Motive makes the difference. God centered worship that’s expressed from the heart is the kind he desires. Isaiah reveals some ways to make our worship authentic: (1) Verses 6-12 – revere the Lord, remembering that he is all-powerful. (2) Verses 13-16 – praise God with a sincere heart, focusing every thought on him. (3) Verses 17-24 – trust that God is the source of hope, believing the he will set things right in the world.
Take a moment today and ask yourself some important questions: Is my worship sincere? Is my heart set on God? Am I truly seeking him – desiring to know him, love him, and serve him? Remember, “A clay dish doesn’t say to the potter, ‘You didn’t make me. You don’t even know how’ ” (verse 16).
Respond
Lord, you deserve my praise. Show me how to worship you with a sincere heart, not just repetitive words. Help me to praise you with the right motives. And when I’m bogged down and distracted by the ways of the world, draw me back to you. Remind me that you are the Lord All-Powerful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Mike Ross
Michael Ross is an award-winning journalist and former editor of Breakaway, a national youth magazine published by Focus on the Family. He is also the author, co-author, and collaborator of more than 36 books, including the bestseller What Your Son Isn’t Telling You (Bethany House). Today, Michael oversees Back to the Bible’s book publishing efforts. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Lincoln, Nebraska, with their son.