“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”
– Isaiah 25:1
Hi James and Ellen,
If you have never read through the Bible, your grandpaa would like to encourage you to begin to read through the Bible. Why do you think that it is important to read through the Bible? Why do you think that it is important to think about what you have just read in the Bible? Why do you think that it is important that you talk with your dad and/or ma or with a guy or gal about what you have read in the Bible? Have you ever sensed that as you are reading in the Bible that the words that you are reading are ‘Living Words’? Have you ever sensed that as you are reading in the Bible that the words that you just read are as applicable today as they were when they were first written? Have you ever sensed that as you are reading in the Bible that the words that you just read reaffirm your Christ-follower faith? Isaiah 25 is the last of the 1189 chapters that make up the biblical canon that your grandpaa will write on. Verse 1 sums up your grandpaa’s thoughts right now at the end of spending over ten years randomly going through the Bible, “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” When God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Spirit, breathed on Isaiah – who was God’s designated planet Earth spokesman at this time, these words, your grandpaa thinks that Isaiah was probably spending his days hanging out in the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah was probably still dealing with stomach churning angst of knowing that the ten tribal clans who had made up his people groups’ northern kingdom had been conquered by the country of Assyria’s army. Because Isaiah was quite possibly very concerned that the guys and gals in his people group – the Israelite people group of guys and gals, who made up Israel’s southern kingdom would opt to go on the same rebellious, deviant track that the guys and gals in Israel’s northern kingdom had been on – which Isaiah knew had prompted God to have the country of Assyria’s army ravage Israel’s northern kingdom’s land area and to take away to the country of Assyria His specially chosen guys and gals who had been living in Israel’s northern kingdom’s land area, Isaiah had God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Spirit, tell him that He was unfolding His plan that He made before He created planet Earth.
Do you know what God’s plan is for your lives? Your grandmaa and grandpaa were told by an acquaintance when they started out on the track of being missionaries that they should pray to or ask God to close the doors of opportunities that He did not want them to go through versus praying to or asking God to open a door of opportunity for them that He wanted them to go through. As your grandmaa and grandpaa are closing in on the end of having had a very blessed missionary experience – that was preplanned by God, your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God used them to be verifiable witnesses to His faithfulness. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God has through them done marvelous, amazing things for the sake of His kingdom. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that they have never through their own abilities and strength made a difference in the life of another guy, gal or kid. Your grandmaa and grandpaa now know that God is to be given all the glory for whatever unfolded during the years that they have been missionaries. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God embedded them on planet Earth to be living sacrifices for Him to use to further on planet Earth His emerging family of Christ-follower guys, gals and kids. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God is continually exalting Himself through the words of praise that He – as God the Spirit, is always animating them to articulate through prayers, songs, testimonies, etc.
God – because of having established everything that future holds, could tell His prophet spokesman – who was Isaiah at this time, that even though His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, who were living in Israel’s southern kingdom would suffer a similar fate as His specially chosen guys and gals who had been living in Israel’s northern kingdom had suffered, that Israel’s enemy people groups would suffer an even worse punishment. God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Spirit, told Isaiah that the strongholds of ruthless foreigners would become heaps of rubble – and that He was going to explicitly have the country of Moab be trampled. God used the land area of Moab here in a symbolic way to demonstrate how He was planning to bring to absolute muck – in whatever land area that they are living, guys and gals who are living self-driven, pride filled lives. God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Spirit, avows in this oracle that He was passing on to Isaiah that because He had had His specially chosen guys and gals be a refuge at one time for the poor and needy, that He will ultimately honor them by having the mountain on which their city had been settled be the site where He will one day have death forever be swallowed up, where He will have tears forever be wiped off their faces and where He will have them forever trusting in Him because they will know that He has saved them. Your grandpaa thinks that this is the moment when God – as God the Son, returns to planet Earth as part of God’s celebration of the consummate victory over Satan and sin that He has planned to take place one day in the future. If you have given your lives as living sacrifices to God for Him to use to . . . , you are on life tracks that will have God using you to . . .
Isaiah 25 (1189)