Isaiah 24 (HCSB)
The Earth Judged
1 Look, the Lord is stripping the earth bare and making it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants:
2 people and priest alike, servant and master, female servant and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
3 The earth will be stripped completely bare and will be totally plundered, for the Lord has spoken this message.
4 The earth mourns and withers; the world wastes away and withers; the exalted people of the earth waste away.
5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed teachings, overstepped decrees, and broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth’s inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive.
7 The new wine mourns; the vine withers. All the carousers now groan.
8 The joyful tambourines have ceased. The noise of the jubilant has stopped. The joyful lyre has ceased.
9 They no longer sing and drink wine; beer is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.
11 In the streets they cry for wine. All joy grows dark; earth’s rejoicing goes into exile.
12 Only desolation remains in the city; its gate has collapsed in ruins.
13 For this is how it will be on earth among the nations: like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.
14 They raise their voices, they sing out; they proclaim in the west the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore, in the east honor the Lord! In the islands of the west honor the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs: The Splendor of the Righteous One.
But I said, “I waste away! I waste away! Woe is me.” The treacherous act treacherously; the treacherous deal very treacherously.
17 Panic, pit, and trap await you who dwell on the earth.
18 Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the windows are opened from heaven, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
19 The earth is completely devastated; the earth is split open; the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.
21 On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below.
22 They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished.
23 The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 5): Father, please forgive me for far too often being a contributor to the world's sins of "transgressed teaching, overstepped decrees, and broken the everlasting covenant." I have far too often given into the world and the flesh for my way of doing things, my way of thinking, and even my expectations for what I "deserve." Help me to remember always that I do not deserve anything. Help me to cleanse away my frequent sin of self-righteousness.
PROMISE (verse 23): This is Your best promise to us, Lord. You promise that You will return one day to reign as our King on this earth, restoring Your glory to the earth. Thank You so much for this promise, Father!
ATTITUDE (verse 16): I often default to the "woe is me" attitude like Isaiah mentions here. Help me to change this attitude, Father, so that my attitude is no longer selfish and instead glorifies You through all things.
COMMAND (verses 17-18): Not so much a command as much as a warning. You tell us that upon Your return there will be a ton of global panic and those who flee from the sound of panic will fall into a pit. When this time comes, Lord, please help me to recognize that it is You so that I may not flee.
EXAMPLE (verses 14-16): Through all the turmoil, chaos, and panic You give us the example we are to follow upon Your return. We should be singing loudly and proudly praise to the majesty of the Lord, honoring You through our songs and praise as the Splendor of the Righteous One!
*DAILY NOTE: Hearing this promise, Father, shows me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel in this broken world. So much sin, hatred, and darkness in this world, yet the promise You make here is that it will be made perfect again when You return. This gives me hope that we can have Heaven on earth on day and I am so grateful for this promise. I look forward to praising You and worshiping You upon Your return just as I will in Heaven alongside You, Father. Thank You!
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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