For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6, NIV 

 

The books of prophesy are sometimes hard to read, because the conditions are so grave. The sins of the people are grave. The warnings that God gives through the prophets are grave. The eventual punishment is grave. But in the midst of all that, they had a ray of hope - the promise of the Messiah!

 

Over and over in the books of the prophets we read of the evil state that the nations had sunk to. We read of their depravities, of their hatreds, and of their total disregard for the LORD. The prophets are sent to encourage the people to repent. The message they bring from God is akin to a two-sided coin: On one side is repentance, forgiveness, and reward. On the other side is sin, a hardening of the heart, a refusal to repent, and finally punishment.

 

But in all of this, the people are told of the Messiah who is to come into the world. On scores of occasions they are given the faintest insight into the eternal purpose of God which involves the rescue of all people who would come back to Him on His terms. In these insights we are told where the Savior would be born, how He would live, and even how He would die. And even though the sins of the people would require a terrible price be paid, this Messiah would still come to restore them to their God.

 

In the Old Testament books of prophesy we have only a dim picture of the Savior to come, but we are fortunate in the fact that we live long after these times and have the revealing of the Messiah in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord. And though many people and many nations still live in depravity and hatred and total disregard of God and Christ, we still have that ray of Light that promises us salvation... if we will just turn back. It was true of the people during the reigns of the Kings of Israel, and it is true for us now. The difference is that now we see the eternal purpose of God clearly and at hand, rather than dimly and at a distance.

 

The only question is will we follow that ray of Light, or will we doom ourselves to the consequences of the darkness? This was the choice given to the people of God during the era of the prophets, and it is the same choice we are given today. Which will you choose: The storm or the Light?

 

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:10-11, NIV 

 

Today is day 2 of the 30 day challenge to read through the books of the prophets of God, with Isaiah 8-14 being the reading for today. May God richly bless you as you seek to follow the Light through all of the storms of life!