A king will reign in righteousness, but first judgment must come upon the nations.

• God Is Our Salvation – In times of trouble, we should look to the Lord to be our salvation (33:2). He gives us stability in the midst of a chaotic world (33:6).  In what situations do you need to look to the Lord to be your salvation, your stability?
• Coming Reign – A King is coming who will bring righteousness and justice and rest (32:1-2). Compare his coming reign to our world today.  How does his coming excite and encourage you?

Judgment is coming upon Jerusalem, but restoration will follow.

• Look to the Lord – In their calamity, Jerusalem looked to Egypt rather than God for help. God made clear that Egypt could not help them.  Are you looking to the Lord for help, or are you looking everywhere but God?
• Heart – Israel’s hearts were far from God (29:13), so God says he will do wonder upon wonder (v14), that they might be in awe of God (v23). In what ways has your heart drifted from God?  Cry out to God that he might do wonder upon wonder, that your hearts might be drawn to him in awe.

God will bring judgment upon the earth, but a glorious day will follow.

• Worship – This passage is filled with worship – praising and giving glory to God (24:14-16, 25:1). We can praise him because he is our stronghold, a shelter from the storm (25:3-4).  We can praise him because death and mourning will end (25:8), and the dead will rise (26:19).  Ponder these truths and praise the Lord!
• Peace – We can find peace in the midst of trials when we keep our gaze set on the Lord and trust in him (26:3-4). What trials are you facing in your life?  Look to the Lord.  Trust him.  Find his peace.

Oracles of judgment continue: now against Babylon, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon.

• The Lord Has Spoken – God has spoken judgment on Babylon and because God has spoken, it will certainly happen (21:17). Do you believe God’s Word?  Are you trusting in his promises?  What he says, he will do.
• Repentance – God called Jerusalem to repent of their sins, to return to the Lord. Instead, Jerusalem threw a final party before the enemy attacked.  Is God calling you to repent of some sin?  Are you listening?

Oracles of judgment continue, now against Damascus, Cush, and Egypt.

• Look to the Lord – God calls us to look to him for help rather than idols made by men (17:7-8) or powerful nations that God can end in a moment. What help do you need today?  Seek help from the Lord.  Rest in him.
• Peace and Worship – Again, Isaiah predicts a day of peace – even between enemies like Assyria and Egypt! Peace will reign as people unite in the worship of the true King of Kings. What a glorious hope we have!

Our passage today begins a series of oracles predicting God’s judgment upon the nations.

• The Lord Reigns – God is not just the God of Israel, but he reigns over all the nations. He decides when nations form and when they end.  He brings judgment on Judah’s enemies: Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, and Moab.  None can annul God’s purpose or stop his actions (14:27).  How can this truth be an encouragement to you in a world often opposed to God?
• Proud Humbled – God will humble the proud and the arrogant (13:11, 14:12-15). What pride do you need to confess to the Lord and turn away from?

God will use Assyria to bring judgment upon Judah, but restoration is ultimately promised.

• God’s Sovereignty – Assyria’s attack against Judah is not beyond God’s control, but rather Assyria is being used by God to bring judgment on his people. God will judge evil and proud Assyria for their sins too.  God reigns over all the world.  How does this truth encourage you today in the midst of wars and rumors of wars?
• Messiah’s Coming Reign – Chapter 11 speaks of a Messiah in the line of David who will rise. The Spirit of God will rest upon him.  He will reign with justice and peace.  The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God.  We know that this Messiah has come, and is coming again.  Use chapter 12 to praise the Lord for this certain hope.

Enemies threaten evil King Ahaz, but Isaiah calls him and all of Judah to look to the Lord for deliverance.  In the process, Isaiah proclaims the coming Messiah.

• Sign of Immanuel – God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign of Judah’s deliverance. Ahaz, who has followed other gods, refuses, faking piety with religious language.  So God gives him a sign of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son called Immanuel.  This child will show Ahaz that God is with Judah.  Yet the ultimate fulfillment comes in the virgin birth of our Messiah (Matthew 1:23).
• Coming King – Isaiah predicts the birth of a child in the line of David who will reign forever with peace and justice. This child has been born and we await his return and glorious reign!

A glorious day is coming, but first judgment is coming for sin.  Isaiah is called to serve.

• Woe to the Wicked – Isaiah pronounces judgment for those who call good evil and evil good (5:20). In what ways does our world confuse evil and good?  Isaiah sees his own wickedness and cries out his own woe upon himself as he stands before a holy God (6:5).  Through sacrifice (note the altar in 6:6), God cleanses him.  Before a holy God, we too stand guilty.  To whom do you look for forgiveness?
• Call – God called Isaiah to proclaim his Word (6:8). What work has God called you to do?  Are you doing it faithfully?  If you are unsure how God wants you to serve, seek his direction.

Isaiah warns of coming judgment because of Judah’s sin, yet notes a coming day of blessing.

• Repent – God condemns Judah for their sin: their insincere religious activities, their idols, and their haughty pride. Are you guilty of any of these sins?  He calls Judah to repent and return to the Lord.  If they will repent, God will forgive (1:18).  If they refuse, they will be judged.  For what sins do you need to repent?  Do it!  And then rejoice in God’s forgiveness!
• Mountain of the Lord – Isaiah foretells the day when all the nations will serve the Lord, and peace shall reign over all the earth (2:1-4). How does this certain hope encourage you today?