Gary Gleans

The promise of Messiah comes with many blessings and promises.  God has many purposes to accomplish in the lives of men and His chosen people through sending Jesus to this earth.  That work of redemption started in the Garden of Eden, was promised all throughout the Old Testament, took on very clear shape with the incarnation of Jesus and will be fully realized upon the second coming of our Lord.  God intends to reverse the consequences of sin on our lives and calls us to a life that is whole and new in Him. JESUS CAME TO RELEASE OUR SOULS FROM SIN: The truth about our human condition is that we are enslaved to our trespasses and sin.  Our sin condition leaves us in a state of condemnation before God and with an inability to be free from the temptations in which we are trapped.  Our hearts are corrupt, our souls are eternally condemned and we are captive in the snare of Satan.  Jesus came to release us from all of those consequences of sin.  We are free from condemnations, corrupt

The history of the nation of Israel has been full of tragedy.  As God’s chosen people they have suffered under the oppression of nation after nation.  Most of these troubles have been brought upon themselves through their own immorality and idolatry but that can be said of every nation on the planet.  Isaiah paints a very different picture of Israel’s future.  He sees a time of peace and prosperity in which Israel will be greatly blessed by the surrounding nations as well as the presence of God.  The description of this chapter does not seem to fit into any part of Israel’s past and it cannot be describing a heavenly state because of the punishment mentioned of rebellious nations.  The only conclusion I can make is that this chapter must foresee a future kingdom that will take place in the Millennium.  ISRAEL WILL BE ENRICHED BY GENEROUS NATIONS: Historically the nations have come flocking to Israel in order to pillage her, destroy her and take her away as captives.  Isaiah sees a

There is good news and bad news.  In this case and in the case of all of humanity the bad news comes first.  Isaiah describes the current state of the nation of Israel and in so doing describes the true state of all mankind without Christ.  If we were to stop there, we would be the most miserable of all creatures, but God in His grace and mercy steps onto the stage of history and provides salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.  God’s promises are the only source of hope mankind has.  In our own sin we have no ability or even desire to do right but God offers to transform our hearts and lives through the promise of the Gospel. THE BAD NEWS IS DEPRAVITY: Isaiah describes the sinful nature of the nation of Israel.  Paul uses this same language to describe the sinful nature of all of mankind.  As we read this description, it is obviously very accurate.  Men prefer to walk in the darkness of their own sin instead of in the light of God’s salvation.  Our hearts are corrupt, our words

Religious rituals may be impressive to men but they do not carry any weight with God.  Men place great value on the things that they do by way of “sacrifice” to try to demonstrate devotion to the Lord when, in reality, they are only promoting their own self-interests.  God looks at our hearts and is approving of our repentance, humility and our servants spirit.  We should not pat ourselves on the back when we go to church instead of watching a game when in our hearts we would rather stay home.  We often place high importance on certain Christian disciplines and tend to neglect the true heart issues.  This chapter is about fasting.  We may be impressed by our own fasting or the fasting of others, but God may see things in a far different way. GOD REJECTS HYPOCRITICAL FASTING: God calls Israel to account for their sin and hypocritical rituals.  They would come into the temple and say their prayers on a daily basis.  They ask for God’s direction and seek His favor when they have been

Our spiritual walk with God is full of paradoxes.  The way we naturally think about things is rarely the way that things truly are.  Jesus taught us that the greatest will be least and the least will be the greatest.  It is hard for us to grasp the concept that the way to greatness is through service and the way to insignificance is through self-promotion.  Too often we find ourselves running on the treadmill of pride without making any progress whatsoever in our lives.  There is a very high price to pay for such faulty thinking.  God calls us to come before Him with humble hearts so we can enjoy a relationship of worship before Him. THE WAY TO CALAMITY IS THROUGH IDOLATRY: Idols are like mirages.  They are tricks that we play on our own minds believing that they are real only to be disappointed and disillusioned.  The nation of Israel had been taught not to worship idols and to worship God alone.  God taught them that idols were not real.  Unfortunately, they did not hear the voi

Racism is a problem that has plagued the world for multiple millennia.  Sometimes people will even accuse God of racism because of His choosing of the children of Israel.  However, this is not an accurate accusation.  God did choose Israel, but for the purpose of blessing all the nations of the world.  All men from all nations are invited into a personal relationship with God through faith in the Lord Jesus.  All men from all nations will suffer eternal judgment if they do not trust the Lord Jesus.  There is no difference in God’s eyes. GOD WELCOMES THE OBEDIENT GENTILE BELIEVERS: God calls all men everywhere to a life of repentance from sin and righteousness before Him.  God blesses those who obey Him and trust in His means of forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son.  It does not matter to Him from which nations the followers come.  He promises not to separate the Gentile or foreign followers from those who are in Israel.  They will receive the same forgiveness and be welcom

Salvation is a free gift from God for all who will come to Him and receive it.  He will not force it upon us nor will He accept payment for it.  He only requires that we come to Him.  As simple as that sounds, it is not quite as easy as we might think.  Our natural tendency is to think we are fine without the Lord or capable of earning our salvation through our efforts.  It is hard for us to admit we are incapable on our own, give up and come before the Lord as our only source of hope.  The blessings of doing so are astounding but too often man’s pride gets in the way.  Never the less, God extends His amazing grace for us to come. AN INVITATION TO COME TO THE LORD FOR SATISFACTION: God invites the hungry and thirsty to come to Him and eat and drink until they are satisfied.  The condition is that they must come with no money.  The food and drink He has to offer are not for sale; they are free for the taking for all who will come.  Men would rather work and pay their own way but al

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his

Who crucified Jesus?  That question can be answered in several ways without being wrong.  He was placed on the cross by Roman Soldiers at the order of Pilot.  He was turned over for this purpose by the Jewish religious leaders who were supported by the mob of Jerusalem.  Satan had been trying to kill Jesus from the time of His birth.  My sin, your sin and the sin of all mankind is what put Him on the cross.  While all of these options are true, Isaiah tells us there was another Person who was behind all of this: God the Father.  It was the will of the Father to send Jesus to the cross.  The Son was smitten by the Father so we could be redeemed from our sin, reconciled to God and the glory of God could be spread to the end of the earth.  The glory and grace of God is revealed on the cross as well as the wretchedness of sin that would bring the Father to the point of slaying His Son.  The depths of God’s love for us and the terror of Jesus’ torment are clearly evident and foretold in th

God has a plan for His people and it will be accomplished in His time and His way.  We may have a very hard time comprehending His plan but it will come to pass.  The foretold destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of its inhabitants is all according to God’s plan.  However, God also has a plan for the restoration of the city and the people.  His plan of salvation reaches far beyond the scope of one nation and stretches to the corners of the earth.  God’s purpose for restoring Jerusalem includes the coming of Messiah, His humiliation and His salvation being offered to all the nations of the world.  God’s plan graciously includes every single one of us but it could only be accomplished through the sacrifice of His Son. JERUSALEM WILL BE REDEEMED: Isaiah has good news for the city of Jerusalem.  She will be set free from the oppression of the nations God used to chastise her.  Jerusalem is called to dress for this glorious occasion of her coming redemption from slavery.  Israel

Eternity is a very difficult concept for us to grasp.  We are so accustomed to counting down the hours of our work day, the months of the year and the years of our lives that it is hard for us to imagine a life in which time will not be in short supply.  Eternity is not a state of timelessness but it is a reality in which we will experience time without end.  When we consider the mathematics of this truth it seems blatantly obvious that the more or less one-hundred years we will live our earthly lives are of such small significance when compared with the hundreds of billions of years times hundreds of billions of years without end that will be our eternal life.  We must constantly remind ourselves of this truth because it is so easy for us to focus on this earth-bound life.  However, we can also find great comfort in the fact that God is still in control of our earthly lives and that they are important to Him.  He does not abandon His children on earth and just tell them to look to th

Trust is what the Lord requires of His children.  Sin has brought down havoc upon this world and then we further complicate our lives by our own sinfulness.  Sin always has consequences, many of which are far beyond anything we could imagine.  The only way to be free from sin and to face the consequences of sin is through trusting God.  Israel was about to find herself being taken into captivity by a cruel and barbaric nation.  This was the consequence of sin.  These circumstances would cause her to question the trustworthiness of God.  Isaiah warns her not to fall into this trap by reminding her of God’s power as well as by prophesying of the pain Jesus would bare in order to set her free from sin.  We must never allow the consequences of our sin tempt us to stop trusting God.  Rather, we must recognize it was our failure to trust God that brought these circumstances upon us in the first place. WE SHOULD TRUST THE LORD BECAUSE OF HIS SOVEREIGNTY: Israel was about to be taken into

Servant is the name given to the apostles and all leaders are called to be servants.  Isaiah refers to Jesus, the coming Messiah, as Servant.  All who are true followers of Jesus will most certainly demonstrate the same servant’s spirit that Jesus did.  Israel is about to be taken into captivity.  Isaiah writes in order to prepare the people for this reality and to assure them of God’s complete control over these circumstances.  God is at work in order to bring salvation to Israel and to the nations of the world through Jesus the Servant. CHRIST WILL REDEEM: God’s purpose in sending Jesus to this world is very clear.  He wants to reconcile mankind to Himself.  In order for Him to accomplish that purpose He had to redeem them from their slavery to sin.  Jesus accomplished that redemption through His death on the cross.  Jesus came to earth to seek and to save that which was lost.  God has chosen Israel to be the people through who Jesus would come into the world and through Him the

God has a plan and a purpose for the world He has created and for the people He has chosen.  He is determined to see those plans and purposes come true.  At the heart of this desire is the glory of God.  When God’s people rebel against His will and refuse to worship Him, they are in effect giving the glory of God to another.  When this happens God will discipline His children in order to bring them back in line with His plan and purpose.  The greatness of man’s rebellion is only exceeded by the greatness of God’s grace and glory.  He will bring His children to repentance and redeem them from their sin for the glory of His holy name. GOD’S PLAN TO REFINE ISRAEL: Israel calls herself by the name of the Lord but has been living in rebellion against the Lord.  It is a very dangerous thing to call ourselves by the name Christian and then do not live according to the example of Christ.  Throughout history God has revealed His will to His people and brought those things about.  God has d

Consequences are always hard for us to face for our actions.  Many times the consequences for our sin are not immediate.  This delay has a tendency to make us think that there will not be consequences and causes complacency and even arrogance.  The Lord used the nation of Babylon to bring consequences to the rebellious nation of Israel.  They were particularly brutal in their conquest and were every bit as evil as the nation they were being used to punish.  Instead of seeing the consequences God was bringing down on Israel and warned of their own sinfulness, they continued to live in pride and arrogant idolatry.  Isaiah writes to warn of the consequences of this path. BABYLON WILL BE HUMBLED: God will tear do the proud nation of Babylon because of her evil idolatry and the cruelty that she used when she conquered the nation of Israel.  God will make the nation sit in the dust in humiliation.  The once prosperous and feared nation will be brought down and stripped naked before the

Incomparable is a word that applies to God more than any other person.  God has no peers.  He is over all and nobody comes close to being able to attain to His level.  When we consider the greatness and splendor of God there is really only one logical response: worship.  Unfortunately, men are not so readily accepting of the idea of a supreme, sovereign God because it makes us responsible to Him and requires our submission.  Men want a god they can manage and even manipulate.  Idolatry is simply a form of self-worship.  Isaiah makes the supremacy of God very clear as he points to the contrasts between God and idols. WHO CARRYS WHO? The idols of men have no ability to move on their own.  They are inanimate objects with zero mobility.  Idols are completely dependent on others to carry them from one place to another.  In Brazil many cities have processionals where an image of Mary holding baby Jesus is carried through the streets on a cart.  This image is supposed to have great power

God is a Deliverer and He uses His people as instruments of deliverance.  Sin is like chain that captivates the hearts of mankind.  That figurative chain of sin will often lead to a physical chain of imprisonment.  The consequences of sin lead men into bondage.  We become slaves to sin which, in Israel’s case, lead to being enslaved physically to other nations.  Satan always presents sin as some form of liberty but nothing could be further from the truth.  Sin always leads to slavery.  God sent Jesus in order to deliver us from our bondage to sin and set us free so we can worship Him in freedom and truth. GOD WILL USE CYRUS TO DELIVER ISRAEL FROM CAPTIVITY: Israel’s sin and idolatry would eventually lead them into captivity.  Generations would pass with Israel enslaved to other nations.  This is not God’s rejection of Israel; rather it is God’s instruction of Israel.  God is teaching a principle about the consequences of sin.  He is also leading Israel to a place where they will r

There is no way to compare the glory of God to the foolishness of man.  God has proven Himself to be true, powerful, loving and wise.  God has created all of the earth and gives all men life so they might worship Him.  Man then turns around and bows to and idol instead of to the God who gave Him life.  God has determined that Israel will worship Him in a genuine manner.  He has taken all the steps necessary for His children to worship Him.  Unfortunately they have rejected Him and turned to idols instead, however this will not hold true forever.  God has determined to transform the hearts of His children so they will worship Him as He intended.  Israel’s suffering as well as the hardening of their hearts is a temporary condition. GOD HAS PROMISED HIS FAITHFULNESS: God is always faithful to keep His promises.  He has chosen the nation of Israel and given them spiritual life.  He will judge all nations according to His perfect knowledge.  Israel may live in fear for a time but God w

God is a unique Person in the universe.  He is without equal and beyond compare.  This is true because of who He is, what He has done and the things He has promised to do.  He has no peers and all His rivals are hopeless in their efforts to thwart His sovereign plan.  Men love the idea of diversity especially when it comes to deity.  Sinful men become very uneasy with the teaching of the uniqueness of God.  Multiple gods is more comfortable for us to consider because it makes us far less accountable.  If we make ourselves responsible to gods we have made with our own hands our comfort level increases.  The truth is that there is only one God and we will all give account to Him. GOD HAS RANSOMED ISRAEL FROM HER CAPTIVITY: The love of God for the nation of Israel is beyond explanation.  Just like God’s love for me or anyone is beyond explanation.  None of us have done anything worthy of the love of God.  Isaiah know Israel is about to go into a period of captivity where she will be

God has certain expectations of His people.  He makes great provision for them and has made many promises to them but they still refuse to acknowledge Him, worship Him, obey Him and serve Him as they should.  God’s revelation of Himself to mankind should always result in worship.  Instead, man has consistently turned his back on God and pretended to be blind and deaf to the glory of God, preferring to worship idols of their own making.  God will not tolerate this kind of idolatry forever.  A day is coming when all of His expectations will be fulfilled and every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will speak of His glory.  Oh what a glorious day that will be! GOD HAS SENT HIS SON: God’s greatest promise to mankind was that He would send Messiah to save us from our sins.  He sent His Son empowered by His Spirit to bring justice to the nations and salvation to all who trust in Him.  His purpose in redemption will not fail and He will not rest until it has been accomplished.  The sa

God is a jealous God who will not share His glory with any man or any idol fashioned by the hands of man.  He calls men and nations into account and accomplishes His will in this world.  Sinful and rebellious nations may thrive for a time but there will be a just judgment ahead.  God’s chosen people may suffer the consequences of their sin and be enslaved by godless nations for a time but God will restore them in response to their repentance.  All men are responsible to God and all nations are under His sovereign control.  There may be times throughout history where this truth is not clearly evident; but a time is coming where there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who is King of kings and Lord of lords. GOD CONFRONTS THOSE WHO TRUST IN IDOLS: The nations of the world have exalted themselves.  Isaiah calls them the coastlands.  They have prospered and become arrogant in their own power.  These idolatrous nations wrongly believe themselves to be invisible.  God will call the

The future, for the most part, is unknown for most of us.  The specifics of our lives unfold in a way we cannot predict with very much accuracy.  Our plans are often interrupted or need to be adjusted because of unexpected illness, death, circumstances or any number of unknown factors.  The history of the world has taken twists and turns that take us by surprise and make radical changes to the way we live our lives.  This uncertainty in life can promote stress, anxiety fear, cynicism, apathy, idolatry and many other sinful responses.  God knows there are many dark days through which the nation of Israel must pass so He reveals to Isaiah some important truths about the future and about Himself so all of us can face the future with hope and at least a certain level of understanding. BE COMFORTED BY THE PROMISES OF GOD: No matter how dark and difficult the days of the future might become; there is great comfort to be found in the promises of God.  When we live in misery and have no i