I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 9-12.

    This is a very messianic passage and, as a Christian, I view it as a prophecy concerning Jesus. However, I am going to try to look at this as those before Christ would have read it. Before I get to that I want to write about God’s judgment which came before the Messiah and how that might apply today. Judgment came upon the people of Israel because their leaders, rather than lead them to righteousness, had led them to sin and destruction. They had told them that evil was good and that good was evil. However, that is no defense for the people. They had such evil leaders because even the most powerless among them, the widows and the fatherless, had sought to take advantage of those around them. Rather than building each other up, neighbor had taken advantage of and devoured their neighbors. Rather than working together so that all might rise up the people attempted to prevent their neighbors from bettering themselves. Time and again God has brought judgment against people and nations who have gone down this path. If you want to make things better, do not wait for the leaders to lead people. Be the one setting an example for others.

    Then there is the judgement which God declared against Assyria. God had raised Assyria up to power for His own purposes. He had chosen them to bring judgment on the people of Israel, but not just the people of Israel. He had raised them up to bring destruction on those who practiced evil in other nations as well. Unfortunately, the Assyrians believed that their power was their own doing. They believed that they could do whatever they wished and no one could stand against them, that there was no power which could hold them to account. Their arrogance was their downfall. The same holds true today. Those who fail to acknowledge that there is a power greater than themselves will, sooner or later, find themselves being held accountable by that Power.
    I said at the beginning that I was going to write about the messianic prophecies in this passage, but I am going to stop here.