Daily Prayer Devotional for Women and Men

Devotional

(From Scripture Union)

ISAIAH’S BIG BANG

Pray

It is with thanksgiving and expectancy, Heavenly Father, that I come to your Word today. I am grateful for the ways you speak to me through it and show me who you are.

Read

ISAIAH 27

For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

Deliverance of Israel 27 In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword— his fierce, great and powerful sword— Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea. 2 In that day— “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: 3 I, the Lord , watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. 4 I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. 5 Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.” 6 In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. 7 Has the Lord struck her as he struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her? 8 By warfare[a] and exile you contend with her— with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows. 9 By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles[b] or incense altars will be left standing. 10 The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare. 11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor. 12 In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. 13 And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Footnotes Isaiah 27:8 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. Isaiah 27:9 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

Meditate

Consider

‘The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.’1 Rest in God’s presence.

Think Further

This chapter opens with a big bang, at least for Isaiah’s original hearers. They would have been familiar with the Canaanite mythology describing Leviathan, a powerful sea monster, being defeated by the pagan god Baal but, here, Isaiah’s prophecy reframes the story: it is the Lord who defeats the coiling serpent, which in this context represents Israel’s oppressors, Assyria and Egypt. ‘In that day… ,’ the refrain repeated through this chapter, God will decisively come to the rescue.

This deliverance has two main implications for his people, both of which were very positive. First, he will care for them once again; that’s the main point of the vine imagery (vv. 2–9). The first step to deliverance is removal of sin (v. 9), which opens the way for God’s loving care for his people; note the personal tone, ‘I, the Lord, watch over it’ (vv. 2–4). The second implication is that he will gather them once again (vv. 12, 13), a reality that would have been an impossible dream in captivity.2

So how does this ancient prophecy speak to us today? I find it incredibly hopeful to know that God is using both my failings and my obedience to further his plan in my life.3 It’s good to be reminded of that when we find ourselves in a desert place in life. I also find it incredibly reassuring to know that someday God will defeat evil once and for all. It’s good to remind ourselves of that truth when we contemplate what’s happening in our world today. Isaiah’s message resonates so powerfully because we know that one day it will find ultimate fulfillment in the return of Jesus Christ.4

Apply

What is the biggest ‘monster’ (v. 1) you are facing in your life right now? Prayerfully imagine God standing with you to face it.

Pray

Almighty God, throughout all of Scripture, you always carried out your purposes; you were victorious, regardless of how great the battle. In the battles I face, help me to remember that you are never-changing, you are always faithful—and you have promised to never leave me or forsake me.