{"id":25984,"date":"2023-04-25T22:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T05:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/isaiah-63_15-64_12-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-04-04T12:23:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T19:23:24","slug":"isaiah-65_1-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/isaiah-65_1-16\/","title":{"rendered":"He Called You First"},"content":{"rendered":"

Isaiah 65:1-16\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Isaiah 65:1-16.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Isaiah 65:1 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 1:\u00a0 The book of Isaiah ends with God speaking the whole way through the last two chapters.\u00a0 Is Isaiah 65:1-16 (and even Isaiah 65:17 to the end of Isaiah 66) God\u2019s direct answer to the prayer that Isaiah prayed in Isaiah 64?\u00a0 It\u2019s possible, but it\u2019s not absolutely clear.<\/p>\n

One of the big themes of the Bible is that we weren\u2019t looking for God as much as God was looking for us.\u00a0 We see that in verse 1: \u201cI revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Desiring that we find Him and know Him, God takes the initiative to reach out to us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is why so much of the book of Isaiah is God using Isaiah to lay down messages for people long before they were even born, all in hope that one day they would reach for Him.\u00a0 That is also why 2,000 years before you and I were even born, Jesus Christ hung on a cross and stretched out His arms for us.\u00a0\u00a0God takes the initiative to reach for us long before we ever thought about reaching for Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah 65:2-7 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations–
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat;
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps–
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0both your sins and the sins of your fathers,” says the\u00a0LORD. “Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 2-7:\u00a0 Despite all the ways God takes the initiative to reach out to us, verses 2-5 describe how people keep rejecting God, pridefully insisting on their own way.\u00a0 Verses 6-7 are God promising, even writing a reminder to Himself (\u201cit stands written before me\u201d), that He will not let people\u2019s sinful rebellion persist forever, that one day God will fully repay those who do evil.\u00a0\u00a0God is a just God who will not tolerate evil forever.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah 65:8-10 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This is what the\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: “As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and men say, ‘Don’t destroy it, there is yet some good in it,’ so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-10:\u00a0 God is a just God (v6-7), but He is also full of compassion and mercy (v8-10).\u00a0 Here in verses 8-10 God says that He will not destroy His people completely, but will have mercy on those who serve Him (\u201cmy servants\u201d v9).\u00a0 He will allow His servants to \u201cpossess my mountains\u201d (v9), that is, to live in God\u2019s presence.\u00a0 As we have seen over and over in Isaiah,\u00a0God is full of justice and mercy, holiness and compassion, truth and grace.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah 65:11-12 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“But as for you who forsake the\u00a0LORD\u00a0and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-12:\u00a0 While God will have mercy on those who trust and serve Him (v11-12), those who forsake God will be destined for something different.\u00a0 God says, \u201cI called but you did answer, I spoke but you did not listen.\u201d (v12)\u00a0\u00a0God is calling.\u00a0 The question is: are we listening?<\/strong>\u00a0 May we be careful to listen and respond positively to God calling.\u00a0 For how we respond to God\u2019s call will have huge eternal consequences.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 65:13-16 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore this is what the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-16:\u00a0 The \u201cyou\u201d here is referring to those \u201cwho forsake the LORD\u201d (v11).\u00a0 Here God contrasts what will ultimately happen to those who forsake the LORD with what will happen to those who trust and serve Him.\u00a0 Those who forsake the LORD will ultimately experience unquenchable hunger and thirst, shame (v13), anguish of heart, brokenness of spirit (v14), death (v15) and a reputation that people would consider cursed (v15).\u00a0 For those who trust and serve the LORD, their ultimate experience will be the opposite:\u00a0 their hunger and thirst will be satisfied (v13), they will rejoice with singing (v13-14), and they will live in God\u2019s land with peace (v16).<\/p>\n

Father, thank You for taking the initiative to reach for us, even when we aren’t reaching for You.\u00a0 Thank You for being a just God who will right every wrong and repay every injustice.\u00a0 Thank You also for being a compassionate and merciful God who protects and blesses forever those who trust in You.\u00a0 Since You\u2019re calling, I respond and say let Your kingdom come in my life.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Isaiah 65:1-16.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Isaiah 65:1 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
\n\u00a0
\nOn verse 1:\u00a0 The book of Isaiah ends with God speaking the whole way through the last two chapters.\u00a0 Is Isaiah 65:1-16 (and even Isaiah 65:17 to the end of Isaiah 66) God\u2019s direct answer to the prayer that Isaiah prayed in Isaiah 64?\u00a0 It\u2019s possible, but it\u2019s not absolutely clear.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nOne of the big themes of the Bible is that we weren\u2019t looking for God as much as God was looking for us.\u00a0 We see that in verse 1: \u201cI revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Desiring that we find Him and know Him, God takes the initiative to reach out to us.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25984"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25987,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25984\/revisions\/25987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}