Birth Announcements. Isaiah 9:6-7.

When birth announcements arrive in the mail, husbands across America get in trouble for not paying attention:

“How tall is he?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“What does he weigh?” 

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know much, do you?”

“I know they put him in a Dallas Cowboys jersey for the picture.” 

Some birth announcements take a more poetic turn.  Blues songs often include references to prophetic words spoken over the singer at his birth:

Gypsy woman told my mother,

‘Fore I was born,

You got a boy-child coming,

Gonna be a son of a gun.

Gonna make pretty womens’

Jump and shout,

And then the world gonna know

What this all about”

(from “Hoochie Coochie Man” by Muddy Waters). 

George Thorogood adapted the device for his song, “Bad to the Bone”: 

“On the day I was born,

The nurses all gathered ‘round.

And they gazed in wide wonder

At the joy they had found.

The head nurse spoke up.

Said ‘leave this one alone.’

She could tell right away,

I was bad to the bone.”

These songs are silly, of course.  No one said anything like that when these songwriters were born. They were born tiny, innocent babies, and the ladies cooed over them like any other babies. 

But the Bible records powerful words spoken over several newborns. Angels brought messages from God to the parents of a number of children, including Isaac, Samson, John the Baptist, and others. But you will never find a statement to rival the words spoken over Jesus—particularly the history-changing words spoken by Isaiah 400 years before His birth:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the government of the world will rest upon His shoulders. He will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor,’ ‘Mighty God,’ the ‘Everlasting Father,’ the ‘Prince of Peace.’ And His kingdom will never end … from now on and forever.” Isaiah 9:6-7. 

This was not fictional nurses in some imaginary delivery room.  This was Isaiah the prophet, speaking four centuries before Christ. The God who put the stars into orbit is telling His people what is to come. I can just see myself opening that birth announcement:

“Oh honey.  Looks like Mary and Joseph had their baby.”

“How many pounds?” 

“I don’t know.”

“How many inches?”

“I don’t know.  But I know this—they’re saying He is the going to be the KING OF THE WORLD and will sit on a throne that will never end.”

“Well, can you at least tell me what color eyes He has?  Who does he look like?”

“Doesn’t say.  But apparently his shoulders are broad enough to support the weight of the whole world.”

“For the Lord Himself will give you a sign: a virgin will conceive and bear a son and you will call his name Immanuel” Isaiah 7:14.

Now that’s what I call a BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT!

–And you know what else?  God has plans for you just as He had plans for Jesus.  If you can imagine the excitement of first-time parents staring at their tiny baby, you can understand the way your future excites the One Who made you.

God is up to something … and He is excited about your part in it!

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FEAR GOD OR FEAR EVERYTHING ELSE. Isaiah 8:12-13.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “When you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” 

It’s not easy to have faith that strong—but it is true:

“Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified.  You are to regard only the Lord of Hosts as holy. ONLY HE should be held in awe” Isaiah 8:12-13. 

Isaiah argues that we can be so consumed with God that we are not afraid of threats around us.  But how? Honestly—how can a Christian reach a point where your thoughts are so filled with the truth of God that things like a terminal illness or sudden joblessness seem small and not so scary?  We can’t all be prophets, right? 

Is it possible for a regular person to worship so deeply he has no fears but the fear of God?

YES.  Focus on God’s greatness—talk to Him about His qualities.  Begin by praying through His qualities in Isaiah:

God, we praise You because a virgin conceived and brought forth a son, Immanuel. We praise you that Gentiles walking in darkness have seen Your Great Light. That on those living in darkness, a Light has dawned.  You have shattered our yoke of slavery, delivering us from our oppressors. A Child was born to us, a Son given to us. And the government rests on His shoulders. He is called ‘Wonderful Counselor,’ ‘Mighty God,’ ‘Everlasting Father,’ and ‘Prince of Peace.’ He will reign on the Eternal Throne of David, and Your zeal, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.  God, we praise You because a branch from the line of Jesse will bear fruit and Your Spirit will rest on Him, a Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, of Counsel and Strength, of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord, and His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.  Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7; 11:1-4.

Remember: “He INHABITS the praise of His people” Psalm 22:3.  When you are scared and need Your Heavenly Father to hold you—PRAISE DRAWS HIM NEAR.

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CAN YOU SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING? Isaiah 5:11-13.

God’s children suffer because they miss God’s work.  But why are we blind to God’s activity? Because we focus on our appetites.

“Woe to those who rise early to drink beer, who stay up late drinking wine. At their feasts they have music and wine. They DO NOT PERCEIVE the Lord’s actions, and they do not see the work of His hands. Therefore my people will go into exile because they lack knowledge” Isaiah 5:11-13.

It is hard to perceive God’s actions if your day begins and ends with alcohol—or any of numerous other distractions.  You must SETTLE YOUR MIND and carve out time for God.

But it’s hard. Want to make it easier? See God’s holiness.  When you encounter holiness, everything changes:

“In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Seraphim flew above Him, each had six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. One called to another: ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD OF HOSTS, HIS GLORY FILLS THE WHOLE EARTH.’ The foundations of the doorways shook at the voice and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!’  Then one of the angels flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with tongs, and he touched my lips with the coal and said, ‘Now your wickedness is removed and your sin atoned.’” Isaiah 6:1-7.

Isaiah SAW GOD’S HOLINESS, and He was struck with fear. He would never again struggle to make time for God—and he would never fail to perceive what God was doing around him.

God, show us Your HOLINESS.  Help us see Your work around us and join You in it.

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MY PURPOSE? TO BEAR FRUIT. Isaiah 5:1-4.

We are here to bear fruit.

But how?  The same way trees bear fruit. They need sunlight, water, and soil.  They also need a few years—peach trees and grape vines often don’t bear fruit until year three or four.  First, they need good roots.

God explains Himself as a farmer with crops that are unsatisfying:

“The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes…. What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did?  Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield nothing but worthless grapes?”  Isaiah 5:1-4.

Jesus extended the metaphor even further:

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He PRUNES so that it will bear even more fruit….  I am the vine. YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. If you remain in Me, you will bear much fruit, but apart from Me, you can do NOTHING” John 15:1-2,5.

It takes time before a vine is ready to bear fruit. But once the roots are established, what if you bear only “worthless grapes” or too little fruit?

Then God will prune you.  In fact, even if you bear A LOT of fruit, God promises to prune you—so you will bear even more!  “EVERY BRANCH THAT BEARS FRUIT, HE PRUNES SO THAT IT WILL BEAR EVEN MORE FRUIT” v.2.

God, help us to see ALL our struggles as YOUR PRUNING.  Thank you for caring about us and making us more fruitful. Give us courage and faith to face the pruning shears.

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QUARTERMASTER. Isaiah 6:8.

When I was eleven, I joined the Boy Scouts. my friends Chris and Paul joined too, and my brother Dennis came along as soon as he was old enough.

What red-blooded American boy wouldn’t want to join an organization that promised to take him on a camping trip in the woods every month for the next six or seven years? There would be hiking, fishing, fire-building, sight-seeing, wildlife of all kinds—I was excited.

One night I went to a patrol meeting at Jimmy Klein’s house.  It was not the whole troop, just our patrol—the Wildcats. I’m sure I was not listening too closely.  It was my first “meeting” in life and listening was a skill I had not developed.  But I heard something about someone who moved away and suddenly the Wildcats needed a new quartermaster. 

My hand shot up.

“I’ll do it.  Here I am.  Send me.”

“You?  You’re just a kid.”

“Do you even know what a quartermaster is?”

“Nope.”

“Well, it’s a lot of work.”

“So? I can do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

I went home excited.

“I’m the new quartermaster!”

My parents were less enthusiastic.  “Did they force that on you?”

“No way! I volunteered.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“Yeah, that’s what they said!”

If you know my story, perhaps you can see the problem.  Work and I did not get along. 

A quartermaster is in charge of all the supplies: tents, igloos, chuck boxes, groceries, pots and pans of every shape and size. I had to take a ton of stuff home after every campout and store it in the garage.  Often after heavy storms or an otherwise dirty weekend, I had to scrub everything with soap and water, then hang it up in the garage to dry out for a day or two. Then I had to re-pack everything once it dried.  Finally, my mom and I had to buy groceries before every campout. 

Serving as quartermaster was not a lot of work.  It was an INCREDIBLE amount of work, not only for me, but for both my parents. But I never forgot that I had volunteered and sworn I could handle it.  Lazy as I was, I never considered quitting.  I had practically begged for that job—and the truth is, with my parents’ help—I became an excellent quartermaster. 

And it all started when my hand shot up:

“I’ll do it.  Here I am.  Send me.”

Isaiah had a meeting too.  He had an unscheduled meeting with God.  Isaiah reports what year it was and says, “I saw the Lord, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” When he encounters God’s holiness, Isaiah realizes that he is sinful. But the angel brings a coal, touches his lips, and removes his sin problem. Suddenly Isaiah hears God’s voice:

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And Isaiah can’t help it.  He speaks out.  Perhaps he shouts, waving his hand in the air:

“I’ll do it.  Here I am.  Send me” Isaiah 6:8.

Was it a lot of work? Yes.  Is it easy to serve God? No.  Did God keep Isaiah busy? Yes, for the next forty years! Isaiah’s book is 66 chapters.  He is one of the MAJOR PROPHETS.  His life made a difference and he will never be forgotten.  To this day, his prophecies about the life, suffering, and death of the Messiah are some of the most amazing, most carefully studied writings in the entire Bible. (Isaiah 53 is incredible.)

So what about you? Would you volunteer?  Can you tell God, “I’ll do it.  Here I am.  Send me”?

God, remove our sins as you did Isaiah’s—then help us to volunteer for whatever you need from us.

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COME LET US REASON TOGETHER.  Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 45.

In the book of Isaiah, God speaks frankly, in a straightforward style.  Because of translation challenges, some of the wording may seem old or “religious,” but that should be corrected.  This is God offering you a seat at His table, a good meal, and a good conversation.  Let’s paraphrase and put it in today’s English:

“Come, let us reason together.  Let’s talk.  No matter how bad your sins are, I will wash you clean” Isaiah 1:18.

And skipping ahead to today’s reading in chapter 45—

Don’t be afraid.  I have fixed you, healed you. I will be with you when you are in deep waters and huge waves. I won’t let you drown. I will be with you in the fire and I won’t let you be burned—because I am Jesus, your God.  And because you are precious in My sight, I honor you.  Do you realize that?

I HONOR you.  And I LOVE you.  You should never be afraid of anything ever again, because I am always with you…. You have your name, but from now on, you will be called by My Name.  You are connected to Me—just as children are connected to their fathers and take their fathers’ names, so you are connected to me and will be called by My name. 

I created you FOR MY GLORY.  When you make good choices, you give Me glory. I formed you, molded you, and chose everything about you. 

You were custom-made for Me.  I LOVE YOU! 43:1-7.  I formed everyone for MYSELF, for MY own purposes.  No matter who you think of—I formed them for My purpose.

“The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise” Is. 43: 21. 

I am Jesus.  There is no other God. I form light and create darkness.  I make success and I create disaster.  45:6-7.

God, thank you for speaking plainly to our fears and shame and hurts.  Help us to love You more every day.

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The Older Brother Temptation, Isaiah 1:18.

God confronts His children in the book of Isaiah.

“‘Come, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool” Isaiah 1:18.

This is not an accusation. God states it as a given: ‘sure your sins are as red as blood, but come to Me and I will wash them whiter than snow.’ These are words of forgiveness. 

But we’re not convinced our sins are as red as blood. We were never THAT bad, right? I live a good life.  I don’t cheat as much as my friends.  I give a little money to the church.  I don’t drink like him or carry grudges like her.  I try to be a good person. Pretty soon you’re thinking, ‘Sin? What sin?’

When you hear the parable of the Prodigal Son, do you relate to the older brother? He was obedient all those years—yet dad barely noticed.  Do you ever feel that way? You have served God faithfully for so long.  When is He going to give you a party? Luke 15:29.

Do you ever think, BUT I’M A GOOD PERSON!

No, you are not—and neither was the older brother. He did the right things, but his heart was WRONG. He did NOT share his father’s burden for the lost brother (do you?). Instead, he was envious of his brother. His heart was as foul as that of the Prodigal Son.

But the Prodigal’s repentance set a standard the older brother would never meet. 

Interestingly–and just like us–both brothers focused on outward actions, thus both condemned the Prodigal.

But Jesus is interested in our hearts—and some of us who live as cleanly as the older brother have nevertheless daydreamed ourselves into every kind of evil: lusts, jealousies, hatred, even murder. 

The Bible says “all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” Romans 3:23. “What about the good things I have done?” you ask. God says your good deeds are as foul as things we flush down the toilet, Isaiah 64:6. 

The secret to spiritual growth is to OWN your sinfulness.  I don’t mean to beat yourself up over it. But you must face it honestly. Only when you see the depravity from which the Father saved you will you begin to love Him and live a life devoted to Him. As believers, we walk in grace. We refuse to feel guilty over our past. But we must also refuse to stop feeling gratitude for what Jesus did for us.  How can we “neglect so great a salvation?” Hebrews 2:3.

God, give us a heart of repentance and gratitude like the Prodigal Son’s.

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CAN A FATHER BE BOTH TENDER AND TERRIFYING? Hosea 11:8-9.

God is both.  The movie that best captures my view of my father is Mel Gibson’s THE PATRIOT.  The dad is wise and thoughtful, avoiding war, but when war comes for his sons, he takes action in a manner that is fierce to say the least. 

God hates sin and will destroy those who would destroy His children.  But God remains a God of compassion.  He is not like us—He does not lose His temper.  He always tempers His anger with love and grace.

“How can I give you up, Israel?… I have had a change of heart. My compassion is stirred! I will not vent the full fury of My anger. I will not destroy you. FOR I AM GOD AND NOT MAN, THE HOLY ONE AMONG YOU. I WILL NOT COME IN RAGE” Hosea 11:8-9.

God states the obvious—”I am God and not man”—He controls His anger, even setting it aside.  Then He speaks of the roar of a lion.  Lions are terrifying—on quiet nights their roar can be heard five miles away.  Lions are sort of the Great White Sharks of the savannah—hunting in complete silence.  Men have been pulled from tents by their heads, the lion’s top and bottom incisors meeting in the center of the man’s skull.  Imagine the size and power of those jaws.  But if the lion is your father—if you are his cub—the roar has a different meaning, and when you hear it, you come.

“The Lord… will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west,” from Egypt, from Assyria, “and I will settle them in their homes” vv.10-11.

No one can roar like God. HE IS GOD AND NOT MAN… He will not come in rage.  And when He roars, He will call you home to a place where He can protect you.

God, thank you that You are kind enough to comfort us, and strong enough to defend us. You inspire us.

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Come. Let’s Talk. Hosea 11:8-11.

In Isaiah, God says to His people, “Come, let us reason together.” That means, “Come, let’s talk. Let’s discuss your sins and my holiness, and how we can have a relationship. Even if your soul is as red as scarlet, I can make it white as snow” Isaiah 1:18.

God is merciful. He wants to forgive and restore. He invites us to come to Him in our sorrow and find mercy.

Hosea contains a similar passage. After listing Israel’s terrible sins and the terrifying judgment to come, God stops and speaks of mercy.

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? I have had a change of heart; My compassion is stirred! I will not vent the full fury of my anger. FOR I AM GOD AND NOT MAN, THE HOLY ONE AMONG YOU. I will not come in rage. They will follow the Lord. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west. … Then I will settle them in their homes.” Hosea 11:8-11.

Read this again—WHY does God choose compassion? Why does He withhold some of His wrath?

Because He is GOD AND NOT MAN. Men become angry and lose control, but God is stronger than men. God has compassion we will never understand.

GOD still ROARS. But what happens? When God roars, His children do not run away, but return to Him because He is their father.

Does God have to roar to get your attention? Have you allowed a weakness or a “secret sin” to take over your life? Is God roaring, crying out for you to return? Turn to Him while He is offering mercy. Don’t wait for consequences. “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6). Get down on your knees and beg God for forgiveness. Surrender to Him your actions, beliefs, thoughts. Give Him full control of your mind and heart.

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Poisonous Lawsuits. Hosea 10:4.

In his book NARCONOMICS, economist Tom Wainwright argues that drug cartels do not necessarily have more conflicts than other businesses. But they resolve conflicts with guns because they cannot use the legal system.  In other words, drug lords murder people because when a contract for illegal drugs is breached, the seller can’t file a lawsuit against the buyer to enforce the terms of the contract.  

Our legal system is better than the shootouts of the Old West and modern drug cartels. 

Do you know what the secret to a working legal system is?  It is NOT education, wisdom, precedent, or the threat of fines or incarceration.

The power of our legal system is OBJECTIVITY. Lawyers and judges, despite their education, are not morally superior to anyone else. Their hearts may be evil, their motives impure. But because they are not personally involved in the case, they can be objective. That’s the secret.

Each party hires a surrogate to stand in as his agent—a surrogate who is not involved.  Each lawyer puts aside emotions and evaluates the case on its merits.  Then the state hires a third surrogate to stand in as the agent of the law. And he can judge between the parties and impartially apply the law to the facts because he is also OBJECTIVE.   

It is not a perfect system, but filing a lawsuit is better than taking matters into your own hands. It is better than killing each other.

“So lawsuits break out like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field” Hosea 10:4.

God says lawsuits break out when people become rebellious and no longer respect God, the king, or each other, Hosea 10:2-4. 

Our court system is a good system—it beats murder—but too many lawsuits says something about the hearts of the people. 

As a lawyer, I have advocated for both plaintiffs and defendants.  As an individual, I have been both a plaintiff and defendant—and a jury foreman.

But the best advice I can give about the courthouse is stay out of it.  Learn to FORGIVE.  Be a PEACEMAKER.  Let some things go.  Roll with the punches when possible.

“SETTLE matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still on the way” Matthew 5:25.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” Matthew 5:9.

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