OUR FATHER WHO COMFORTS HIS PEOPLE AFTER HIS JUDGEMENT VISITS THEM

The book of Isaiah chapter 11 12 verse 17 1 says this;

On that day you will say, “Praise the Lord! He was angry with me, but now he comforts me.

The people of God, in the face of a great calamity, are filled with consternation as their security and the economy collapses around them.

As they bow under the Lord's judgement, they suddenly find reprieve when the Lord's anger abates and He turns to comfort them.

In relief, they will praise their God and honor Him as He ministers to them and provides all that they have need of  during the complete failure of the economy.

It is during this period that the Lord's people are encouraged to valiantly help their neighbours using what they have been blessed with as described in Isaiah chapter 16 verse 4;

Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.”

The oppressor will come to an end,  and destruction will cease;  the aggressor will vanish from the land.

God's people are assured that they can shelter their neighbours from the oppressor who had set upon the destruction of the world because the Lord would bring a sudden and complete remival of the aggressor.

In times of calamity, let us shield our neighbours using the provisions and protection with which we ourselves are blessed by our Father in heaven

Amen.

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OUR FATHER IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED

From Psalm 113

He lifts the poor from the ground

He gives the hungry what they need 

He settles empty homes with children

From the rising of the sun

To when it sets again

His glory shines above the heavens

Praise the Lord

Let His wonderous name be praised

Both now and forever

Exalt His holy name (x1) (x4)

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New International Version

Psalm 113

1 Praise the Lord.[a]

Praise the Lord, you his servants;

    praise the name of the Lord.

2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,

    both now and forevermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,

    his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God,

    the One who sits enthroned on high,

6 who stoops down to look

    on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust

    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

8 he seats them with princes,

    with the princes of his people.

9 He settles the childless woman in her home

    as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

OUR FATHER WHOSE SPIRIT RESTS UPON THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST

The book of Isaiah chapter 11 verse 2 says this;

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

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OUR FATHER RESPONDS TO PRIDE AND HAUTINESS WITH JUDGEMENT

Examining verse 12 of chapter 10 of the book of Isaiah, we read this;

When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 

The king of Assyria had failed to detect that Jerusalem was in the weakened condition it was because it was undergoing the punishment of judgement for failure to adhere to the Lord their God.

The prophet, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared that the Lord was at that time, executing judgement on Mount Zion and Jerusalem for their infidelities to God but when He was done, He would punish the King of Assyria for the pride and haughtiness with which he had looked upon God's people during their time of weakness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF ALL BEINGS

Looking even deeper into verse 11 of Isaiah chapter 10, let us examine the text component by component.

shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

The king of Assyria, assessing his intention to gain control over Jerusalem ( God's people ),  measured Jerusalem and her spiritual cohesion to be on par with Samaria and since he had already subjugated Samaria, he felt confident that he would be able to bring Jerusalem under his total domination.

The question he asked himself was if there was any reason why he would not be able to bring Jerusalem under his control.

Looking at Jerusalem, he saw their religious practices and spiritual influence to be indistinguishable from the practices and influence of her neighbours.

This led him to the wrong conclusion that his experience in overrunning Jerusalem would be the same as overrunning Samaria.

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OUR FATHER KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF ALL BEINGS PART 1

Isaiah chapter 10 verse 10 says this;

As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,  kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—

This verse, relaying the reasoning that the king of Assyria conducted as he contemplated his assault on Jerusalem, qualitatively measured the cultural and spiritual development of the kingdoms he had already conquered and compared them to the level that Jerusalem had attained.

He concluded that Samaria and Jerusalem were at a lower standard of spiritual technology that his previous conquests and this led him to make the logical jump that he made in verse 11;

Shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

He became confident that he could handle Jerusalem with the same effort that he had handled Samaria.

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OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES HIS PEOPLE BUT DEFENDS THE REMNANTS

Continuing with excavation of the book of Isaiah chapter 10, we now look at verse 11 which reads as follows;

shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

Here, the king of Assyria characterizes Jerusalem as having images (idols) and believed he could militarily  deal with Jerusalem as he dealt with Samaria and her idols.

He reasoned that other kingdoms that he had previously conquered were more skillful people who had designed and produced more impressive and fearsome idols than what Samaria and Jerusalem were able to produce. 

Verse 10 put it this way,

As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—

The way that these other kingdom's idols had excelled was that they had gained a strong hold over those who were under their jurisdiction and had dominated their territories in physical and spiritual terms.

And because of the programs that these kingdoms had committed themselves related to the obeissance towards their idols, their sway had exceeded that of Samaria and Jerusalem who had themselves diluted their own spiritual heritage of interactions with the living God of their forefathers and adopted idols.

The infidelity of Samaria and Jerusalem had brought them into the arena of judgement of their God and it was while they languished in this state that the king of Assyria surveyed them and plotted an opportunistic move against them.

Verse 12 tells us that this power grab by the Assyrian was a mistake;

 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.

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