Don’t Delay

Ecclesiastes 8:11
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

One of the training techniques used in training dogs is called marker training. The key to this training technique is to reward or punish the dog at the moment that they do good or bad so that they can mark in their minds what they did so they will know whether or not they should do that action again. If the trainer delays in marking the action, that action, whether good or bad, will not be remembered by the dog; thus, the dog continues its bad habits.

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Happily Ever After

Song of Solomon 2:3
“As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”

Every person who is married desires to have a strong and loving relationship with their spouse. You don’t get married with hopes that your marriage will be miserable.

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Purpose Matters

Isaiah 1:11
“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.”

God asked an important question to His people. He asked, “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?” God saw the sacrifices they made, how often they frequented the temple, He heard the prayers they prayed, but He still didn’t understand their purpose as to why they continued to do these things.

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God’s Merciful Hand

Isaiah 9:12
“The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

There is a game many youth play where you clasp hands and see who will cry, “Mercy” first. Each person tries to push the hands back in such a manner that it becomes so painful for the one losing that they cry, “Mercy.” It is the mercy of the one winning that keeps them from inflicting more pain on the losing person. If they wanted, they could hurt them, but their mercy is what causes them to stop.

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Destructive Mindset

Isaiah 22:13
“And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.”

The inevitable invasion of the Assyrian army revealed the mindset of the Jewish people. Even though they sacrificed and frequented the temple, it was the impending invasion of this army that revealed their heart and mind. The mindset that was so destructive was that they thought they should just live for the moment because they felt they were going to die on the morrow.

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The Agent of Change

Isaiah 32:15
“Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.”

A prophecy of desolation is found in Isaiah 32. God talks about the palaces being forsaken, the inhabited city being desolate, the forts becoming a den for the wild animals, the homes of the city being dilapidated, and the people of God becoming servants to the enemy. It seems as if there is no hope for God’s people until you come to the verse above.

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Faulty Focal Points

Isaiah 39:8
“Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”

Hezekiah achieved much good for the LORD in the early years of his reign. He was probably the third greatest king in Israel’s history, yet his reign was tainted by faulty focal points at the end of his life. What is sad is that his focal points were right when he just began to reign, but his confidence in himself is what led him to faulty focal points. The verse above shows us three faulty focal points that became the eventual destruction of a good man.

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False Confidence

Isaiah 47:10
“For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.”

It is said twice in Isaiah 47 that the Babylonians said, “I am, and none else beside me.” These people had become so confident in themselves that they placed themselves above God. They thought that nobody could ever remove them from their status; however, they found out that their confidence was misplaced. Their false confidence led to their demise. There were three things in which they placed their confidence.

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Benefits of Serving the LORD

Isaiah 58:14
“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

God always gives motivation for His people to get right with Him. You would think when a Christian learns of the LORD’s blessings that every Christian would want to serve Him, but sadly, many continue in the way of sin and reap the heartache it causes. In Isaiah 58, God shows several benefits you receive when you choose to serve Him.

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