Isaiah 13
Scripture
Isaiah 13:6
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Observation - What does it say?
Isaiah carried the burden of being God’s mouthpiece in the world. But that burden wasn’t nearly a great as the burden of destr
uction coming to Babylon. Isaiah tells them that the day of the Lord is coming and they will be destroyed and punished as their sins deserve. The command to them in light of the nearness of the day of the Lord is: wail.
Understanding - What does it mean?
Those who don’t know Christ will suffer on the day of the Lord.
As I read this, I couldn’t help but think of the contrast between those who are in sin and those who are in Christ when the day of the Lord comes. All throughout the prophetic books in scripture, the sinful and wicked nations are told that the day of the Lord is a day of darkness, gloom and destruction because of God’s wrath against sin.
However, those who are in Christ will experience something entirely different on that day. Romans 8 says that our present sufferings aren’t even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The Apostle Paul speaks about the contrast on that day between believers and nonbelievers:
1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Life Application
Rejoice in my salvation and joyfully look forward to the day of the Lord!
Recognize the urgency to save unbelievers from God’s wrath by inviting them into saving relationship with Jesus.
God, thank you for saving us! Thank you that we are filled with hope when we look to the day of the Lord. Thank you for your grace that will make that a day of reward, a day of being joined to you our king, the day your glory is revealed in us and our bodies are transformed. Please fill us with your heart for the lost. Use us to bring many people with us. And even today, bring people across our path that are ripe for the harvest and give us the words to say to point them to you. Amen.