It doesn’t get any more dismal and gloomy than Isaiah 24! Isaiah tells us the whole earth will be destroyed. He speaks of the earth bearing the consequences of human sin. He speaks of the people being destroyed by fire. He speaks of those who seek escape through alcohol having the alcohol turn bitter in their mouths. The key question is: Is this a picture of what must happen or what might happen? As with all prophesy in the Old Testament, the prophets were given messages from the LORD of what was going to happen if the people didn’t repent, and turn back to Him. We don’t have any words of hope in Isaiah 24. There is no, “But if you turn back…” It is simply doom and gloom. We must always read every verse in light of its chapter, and every chapter in light of its book, and every book in light of the entire sixty-six books of the Bible, so there is always hope. Yet, in isolation, Isaiah 24 offers a hopeless picture.
Isaiah 25 offers us a turnaround from the previous chapter as Isaiah offers praise to the LORD for His goodness and for His deliverance. In this chapter it seems Moab is the subject of the LORD’s wrath, and the He is bound to protect the poor from any harm. The poor would not be the poor of Moab, but the poor of Israel. Once again, as always, the LORD is going to vindicate the downcast, and show Himself the protector of those who have no other to protect them. We must remember the poor are not blessed by the LORD simply because they are poor. These are poor and just. They have followed the LORD’s ways, and nevertheless find themselves downtrodden and oppressed. In this case the LORD will redeem them. In this message we see the message of redemption coming from Jesus. He came to set the captives free, and to preach the Good News to the poor. Matthew would add poor in spirit, while Luke would leave it at poor. In any case, our hope in any seemingly hopeless situation is the LORD!
As we return to Mark 14, we find this long chapter recounts everything from the “next to the last supper,” through Peter’s denial of Jesus. As we read it, we find those closest to Jesus, His disciples, ended up betraying Him, denying Him, and deserting Him. I have heard some say, “I would never do such a thing,” which is the very thing Peter said. Peter had been with Jesus for three years, and was bold enough to attempt to defend Jesus when He was arrested, but when the moment came and Peter had to choose self-preservation or remaining faithful to Jesus, he chose self-preservation. The one thing Peter lacked that night was an indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had not yet died, risen from the dead, returned to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to empower believers to follow Him no matter what. Peter would eventually die for his faith in Jesus, but no on the night of Jesus’ arrest. That night Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Him, and the rest ran away, as Jesus knew they would. Despite that Jesus loved them, and Jesus died for them, as Jesus loves us and died for us, regardless of how we have betrayed, denied, or ignored Him. The amazing truth of Jesus’ salvation for us is it is totally unconditional. We did nothing to gain it, and indeed, we could do nothing to gain it. The goodness required to gain salvation isn’t in us by nature. we receive it supernaturally as a gift from Jesus when we trust Him as Savior and Lord. We can then demonstrate the kind of faithfulness Peter demonstrated after He had received the Holy Spirit. The same kind of faith that will permit us to do whatever is necessary to remain faithful to Jesus at home, work, school, or wherever we are. The key is to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, and then the rest is up to His Holy Spirit power inside of us!