Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Isaiah chapters 12-17. And after the reading, I have some comments I’m calling today’s episode “An Encouraging Word.”

Comments on Isaiah 13

Isaiah chapters 13-23 are prophesies against nations that have attacked and otherwise been troublesome f or Israel and Judah. 

God was letting His people know that their tormentors would be dealt with, and that they would be avenged. He wanted to give them hope. And most of those prophesies have been fulfilled, exactly as written. God said He would bring an end to nations that seemed unbeatable, and He did.

The prophecies yet to be fulfilled are sources of hope for *us*. We know the end of the story, and God wins. Our ultimate enemy, the tormentor of mankind since the Garden of Eden, the father of lies, will be forever condemned to the lake of fire. And we who love God, who belong to Jesus, are going to spend eternity in His presence. 

Knowing this makes it possible for me to remain relatively calm in the midst of world events that cause many to be quite disturbed. Of course I hate seeing liberties eroded and injustices go unpunished. I hate seeing lies perpetrated as truth, and truth being censored as lies. 

But I know that one day, all will be made right.

Eternity is a long time. The entire history of mankind, in light of eternity, will be a mere blip. 

We must keep our eye on the ball. We are here to be a shining light on a hill, showing a lost world the way to Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” And He also said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

There is more than enough reason to have hope, even today. Jesus is on the throne, and looking at current events, I have high hopes that His return is right around the corner. We’ll talk about that at a later time.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 12 GNT; Ch. 13-17 NKJV

Support

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Transcript

Download .txt file.

Isaiah 12-17: An Encouraging Word (LSFAB S13E020)

[TEASER – 0:00]
We’re here to be a shining light on a hill.

[INTRO S13E020 – 0:10]
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’ll read through the entire Bible in a year. What’s new with you? Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Isaiah, chapters 12 through 17. And after the reading, I’ve got some comments for you. I’m calling today’s episode, “An Encouraging Word”. But before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 0:36]
Our heavenly Father, as we read Your Word today, I ask that You open our hearts and minds and help us to understand. Bless this time. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

All right, let’s begin.

[ISAIAH 12 (GNT) – 0:51]
Isaiah, chapter 12.

(1) A day is coming when people will sing,
“I praise you, Lord! You were angry with me,
but now you me and are angry no longer.
(2) God is my savior;
I will trust him and not be afraid.
The Lord gives me power and strength;
he is my savior.
(3) As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty,
so God’s people rejoice when he saves them.”
(4) A day is coming when people will sing,

“Give thanks to the Lord! Call for him to help you!
Tell all the nations what he has done!
Tell them how great he is!
(5) Sing to the Lord because of the great things he has done.
Let the whole world hear the news.
(6) Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing!
Israel’s holy God is great,
and he lives among his people.”

[ISAIAH 13 (NKJV) – 1:37]
Isaiah, chapter 13.

(1) The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

(2) “Lift up a banner on the high mountain,
Raise your voice to them;
Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
(3) I have commanded My sanctified ones;
I have also called My mighty ones for My anger—
Those who rejoice in My exaltation.”

(4) The noise of a multitude in the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts musters
The army for battle.
(5) They come from a far country,
From the end of heaven—
The Lord and His weapons of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.

(6) Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
(7) Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,
(8) And they will be afraid.
Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.

(9) Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy its sinners from it.
(10) For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be darkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

(11) “I will punish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
(12) I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,
A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
(13) Therefore I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place,
In the wrath of the Lord of hosts
And in the day of His fierce anger.
(14) It shall be as the hunted gazelle,
And as a sheep that no man takes up;
Every man will turn to his own people,
And everyone will flee to his own land.
(15) Everyone who is found will be thrust through,
And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
(16) Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.

(17) “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
(18) Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
(19) And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
(20) It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
(21) But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
(22) The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”

[ISAIAH 14 (NKJV) – 4:40]
Isaiah, chapter 14.

(1) For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. (2) Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.

(3)It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, (4) that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:

“How the oppressor has ceased,
The golden city ceased!
(5) The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of the rulers;
(6) He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,
He who ruled the nations in anger,
Is persecuted and no one hinders.
(7) The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
They break forth into singing.
(8) Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you,
And the cedars of Lebanon,
Saying, ‘Since you were cut down,
No woodsman has come up against us.’

(9) “Hell from beneath is excited about you,
To meet you at your coming;
It stirs up the dead for you,
All the chief ones of the earth;
It has raised up from their thrones
All the kings of the nations.
(10) They all shall speak and say to you:
‘Have you also become as weak as we?
Have you become like us?
(11) Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
And the sound of your stringed instruments;
The maggot is spread under you,
And worms cover you.’

(12) “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
(13) For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
(14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
(15) Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.

(16) “Those who see you will gaze at you,
And consider you, saying:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
(17) Who made the world as a wilderness
And destroyed its cities,
Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

(18) “All the kings of the nations,
All of them, sleep in glory,
Everyone in his own house;
(19) But you are cast out of your grave
Like an abominable branch,
Like the garment of those who are slain,
Thrust through with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit,
Like a corpse trodden underfoot.
(20) You will not be joined with them in burial,
Because you have destroyed your land
And slain your people.
The brood of evildoers shall never be named.
(21) Prepare slaughter for his children
Because of the iniquity of their fathers,
Lest they rise up and possess the land,
And fill the face of the world with cities.”

(22) “For I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts,
“And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant,
And offspring and posterity,” says the Lord.
(23) “I will also make it a possession for the porcupine,
And marshes of muddy water;
I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the Lord of hosts.

(24) The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying,
“Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass,
And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:
(25) That I will break the Assyrian in My land,
And on My mountains tread him underfoot.
Then his yoke shall be removed from them,
And his burden removed from their shoulders.
(26) This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth,
And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
(27) For the Lord of hosts has purposed,
And who will annul it?
His hand is stretched out,
And who will turn it back?”

(28)This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died.

(29) “Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia,
Because the rod that struck you is broken;
For out of the serpent’s roots will come forth a viper,
And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.
(30) The firstborn of the poor will feed,
And the needy will lie down in safety;
I will kill your roots with famine,
And it will slay your remnant.
(31) Wail, O gate! Cry, O city!
All you of Philistia are dissolved;
For smoke will come from the north,
And no one will be alone in his appointed times.”

(32) What will they answer the messengers of the nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the poor of His people shall take refuge in it.

[ISAIAH 15 (NKJV) – 9:14]
Isaiah, chapter 15.

(1) The burden against Moab.

Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste
And destroyed,
Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste
And destroyed,
(2) He has gone up to the temple and Dibon,
To the high places to weep.
Moab will wail over Nebo and over Medeba;
On all their heads will be baldness,
And every beard cut off.
(3) In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth;
On the tops of their houses
And in their streets
Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly.
(4) Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out,
Their voice shall be heard as far as Jahaz;
Therefore the armed soldiers of Moab will cry out;
His life will be burdensome to him.

(5) “My heart will cry out for Moab;
His fugitives shall flee to Zoar,
Like a three-year-old heifer.
For by the Ascent of Luhith
They will go up with weeping;
For in the way of Horonaim
They will raise up a cry of destruction,
(6) For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate,
For the green grass has withered away;
The grass fails, there is nothing green.
(7) Therefore the abundance they have gained,
And what they have laid up,
They will carry away to the Brook of the Willows.
(8) For the cry has gone all around the borders of Moab,
Its wailing to Eglaim
And its wailing to Beer Elim.
(9) For the waters of Dimon will be full of blood;
Because I will bring more upon Dimon,
Lions upon him who escapes from Moab,
And on the remnant of the land.”

[ISAIAH 16 (NKJV) – 10:46]
Isaiah, chapter 16.

(1) Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
From Sela to the wilderness,
To the mount of the daughter of Zion.
(2) For it shall be as a wandering bird thrown out of the nest;
So shall be the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.
(3) “Take counsel, execute judgment;
Make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day;
Hide the outcasts,
Do not betray him who escapes.
(4) Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab;
Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler.
For the extortioner is at an end,
Devastation ceases,
The oppressors are consumed out of the land.
(5) In mercy the throne will be established;
In mercy the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.”

(6) We have heard of the pride of Moab—
He is very proud—
Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath;
But his lies shall not be so.
(7) Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab;
Everyone shall wail.
For the foundations of Kir Hareseth you shall mourn;
Surely they are stricken.
(8) For the fields of Heshbon languish,
And the vine of Sibmah;
The lords of the nations have broken down its choice plants,
Which have reached to Jazer
And wandered through the wilderness.
Her branches are stretched out,
They are gone over the sea.
(9) Therefore I will bewail the vine of Sibmah,
With the weeping of Jazer;
I will drench you with my tears,
O Heshbon and Elealeh;
For battle cries have fallen
Over your summer fruits and your harvest.

(10) Gladness is taken away,
And joy from the plentiful field;
In the vineyards there will be no singing,
Nor will there be shouting;
No treaders will tread out wine in the presses;
I have made their shouting cease.
(11) Therefore my heart shall resound like a harp for Moab,
And my inner being for Kir Heres.

(12) And it shall come to pass,
When it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place,
That he will come to his sanctuary to pray;
But he will not prevail.

(13) This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning Moab since that time. (14) But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Moab will be despised with all that great multitude, and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”

[ISAIAH 17 (NKJV) – 13:14]
Isaiah, chapter 17.

(1) The burden against Damascus.

“Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city,
And it will be a ruinous heap.
(2) The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for flocks
Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
(3) The fortress also will cease from Ephraim,
The kingdom from Damascus,
And the remnant of Syria;
They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

(4) “In that day it shall come to pass
That the glory of Jacob will wane,
And the fatness of his flesh grow lean.
(5) It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain,
And reaps the heads with his arm;
It shall be as he who gathers heads of grain
In the Valley of Rephaim.
(6) Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it,
Like the shaking of an olive tree,
Two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough,
Four or five in its most fruitful branches,”
Says the Lord God of Israel.

(7) In that day a man will look to his Maker,
And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel.
(8) He will not look to the altars,
The work of his hands;
He will not respect what his fingers have made,
Nor the wooden images nor the incense altars.

(9) In that day his strong cities will be as a forsaken bough
And an uppermost branch,
Which they left because of the children of Israel;
And there will be desolation.
(10) Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold,
Therefore you will plant pleasant plants
And set out foreign seedlings;
(11) In the day you will make your plant to grow,
And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish;
But the harvest will be a heap of ruins
In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.

(12) Woe to the multitude of many people
Who make a noise like the roar of the seas,
And to the rushing of nations
That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
(13) The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters;
But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away,
And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind,
Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
(14) Then behold, at eventide, trouble!
And before the morning, he is no more.
This is the portion of those who plunder us,
And the lot of those who rob us.

[COMMENTARY – 15:32]
Chapters 13 through 23 of Isaiah are prophecies against nations that have attacked and otherwise been troublesome for Israel and Judah.

God was letting his people know that their tormentors would be dealt with, and that they would be avenged. He wanted to give them hope. And most of those prophecies have been fulfilled exactly as written. God told them in these chapters that he would bring an end to nations that seemed unbeatable, and he did.

And the prophecies yet to be fulfilled are sources of hope for us. We know the end of the story. We know that God will win. God has already won. Our ultimate enemy, the tormentor of mankind since the Garden of Eden, the father of all lies, will be forever condemned to the lake of fire. And we who love God, we who belong to Jesus are going to spend eternity in His presence.

Knowing this makes it possible for me to remain relatively calm in the midst of world events that cause many to be quite disturbed. Of course, I hate seeing liberties eroded and injustices go unpunished. I hate seeing lies perpetrated as truth and truth being censored as lies or hate speech.

But I know that one day all will be made right.

Eternity is a long time, the entire history of mankind in light of eternity will be just a mere blip.

Beloved, we must keep our eye on the ball. We’re here to be a shining light on a hill showing a lost world the way to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” And he also said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”

Beloved, there is more than enough reason to have hope. Even today, Jesus is on the throne and looking at current events. I have high hopes that his return is right around the corner. And we’ll talk about that at a later time.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 17:39]
I would love to hear your thoughts. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511. And if you’re outside the US put a +1 at the beginning of that number. You can also comment on the show notes page for this episode at lifespringmedia.com/s13e020. Or you can go to comment.lifespringmedia.com, and you can always email me at st***@*************ia.com.

Tomorrow is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Matthew 5 through 7.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW – 18:11]
Our Associate Producer today is Timothy LaFontaine, who sent in his monthly $20 donation. Thank you, Timothy, so much for your support. God bless you.

[LISTENER FEEDBACK – 18:26]
I got an email this morning from James in Norway. This is the first time he’s written. He says, “In the morning to you, Steve and in the morning is when I like to listen to your podcast.” Well, he’s obviously here because he heard about the show on the No Agenda podcast.

James says, “I’ve been meaning to replace my pointless morning internet consumption with something good and wise for a while now and have been meaning to read the Bible since forever. So when I heard that I could join you to do both this year. I jumped at the chance. Thanks Steve.”

And he put a smiley face. And then he signed off with “Hooray for Jesus, James in Norway.” I like that: “Hooray for Jesus”.

He said, “PS. Sorry if I didn’t do the sign-off right.” No need to apologize, James. I like that.

He said, “Sorry if I didn’t do the sign off right, but I’m not the churchiest person around and I’m not sure how to do it.” Again, you did it just fine.

“Anyway, it seemed,” he says, “more appropriate than just my usual ‘Best regards’ and maybe it made you smile.” Well, I think you heard it does.

“I think Jesus is really nice. He inspires me to try to forgiveness and kindness instead of resentment and nastiness. I especially like how he would talk and be nice to anyone no matter who they were, or what social status they did or didn’t have.” Yeah… yeah that came from him.

And then a PPS, “Capital letters on “He” and “Him”, right? I went back and corrected my message. Again, sorry, I’m new to this in a way. There hasn’t been much church on me since I was a kid.”

Well, James, you are welcome here for sure. I don’t care how churchy someone is or is not. I’m happy to have you as a member of the Lifespring family for sure.

And once in a while Jesus didn’t talk nice to people and you know who the people were that he was not always nice to. It was the churchy people. Yeah, Jesus was not real happy with hypocrites. As we read through the Gospels you’ll see that. James in Norway, thank you for sending that email. God bless you.

[OUTRO S13E020 – 20:26]
Sister Kirsty does the newsletter for us. Brother Sean of San Pedro does the chapters and Sister Denise corrects the transcripts.

Thank you to each one of you. And thanks to today’s Associate Producer Timothy LaFontaine.

Comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511. I’ll play your comment on the show. And if you’d rather you can go to comment.lifespringmedia.com and fill out that little form there or email me at st***@*************ia.com. The fact is, I want to hear from each one of you. If you find value in the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, please do support it at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for inviting me into your day. I do not take it for granted. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise