Today’s Reading, Isaiah 1-4
Focal Scripture: Isaiah 2:10 “Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and from his majestic splendor.”
Having a correct view of the Lord matters. Through the years it has become very obvious that people love the character trait of God that focuses on his love and his mercy. I completely understand why they feel this way and why it is so appealing. Knowing that God is patient and that God is kind brings peace and comfort. However, in doing so we ignore his whole character because it makes us uncomfortable.
In today’s reading we see that the Lord is going to judge. Isaiah here says that the people will need to go into the rocks and hide from the terror of the Lord. Then hide from his majestic splendor. Why, you may ask? Because Judah and Jerusalem will be judged. They will be judged for giving their souls to idols. Judged for not worshipping the one true God.
This truth also applies to those who are alive today. We will also be judged by the Lord. We will be judged to see if we are true believers. Then if we are true believes our works will be judged. It will be determined if our works are sincere or out of duty. Our actions will be evaluated and the reason we serve others will be investigated. The Lord will leave no stone unturned in our lives.
Then the unbeliever will also be judged and when they are found lacking saving faith they will be separated from God for all eternity. Their judgement will be final and severe. The Bible also tells us that in the last days the world will be judged and it will be a tremendous event. The world will gather together to make war against Jesus. Then he will destroy his enemies with the words from his mouth. Jesus will judge the world because he is the only one worthy to do so in the universe.
Why bring this up in a devotional? Because we need to have a right view of God. He is love and mercy but he is also truth and judgement. Because he is perfect he must hold everyone to account. The terror of the Lord is real but it should also encourage us as believers. It should encourage us because we know sin will be dealt with and it should encourage us to tell others about Jesus.
Our challenge is to be honest about the Lord we serve. He is a God of mercy and his mercy is amazing. However, his mercy will give way to judgement. As believers we need to em race this character trait of the Lord. Not because we enjoy the thought of his terror but because his terror shows how serious he takes sin.
I hope and pray that you view the terror of the Lord as a way to become passionate about evangelism. We should desire that nobody experience the judgement that will fall on those who do not believe. We need to explain that Jesus is their salvation and the only one who can satisfy God’s righteous standards. Pray for a heart that sees people in need of hope and mercy because the coming judgement of the Lord is on the way for those who don’t believe and the world.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Isaiah 5-8
