Bible Chapter: Isaiah 49 & 50

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Isaiah includes many prophecies about the coming servant of the Lord, the coming Messiah.  He was promised to come to bring forgiveness of sins to all who will receive them.  The “Anointed One” would be born of a virgin.  The Savior would tell the truth to the world, even if it seemed to be a hard truth.  It was prophesied that the nation of Israel would turn back to God through the coming Messiah, and that He would also reach out to all the nations of the world.  God’s plan was/is to send the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.  This would happen even though the Savior would be despised and rejected.
    The Messiah came to comfort the weak and those who are struggling.  The Messiah knew suffering and humiliation as He paid the price for the sins of the world.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    Isaiah challenged all who believe in the Lord to stay faithful to Him.  There will come times when there will be spiritual darkness and hard spiritual battles.  Nations will rebel against God.  Never compromise truth. As I write this I have just read an article about how many churches are compromising truth in order to try to make Christianity more palatable to the world.  Jesus never did that. He told the people the hard truth, even when they didn’t like it.  It is very important that I don’t get caught up with that compromising that appears to be the way to get people’s attention.  The Bible can stand on its own and we don’t need to change it to reach people to change their lives.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Teach them the Bible.  Teach them the truths of what God’s Word says without compromise.  People need to know the truth. There are times when a doctor needs to tell the patient the hard truth about the disease they have. They may not like it, but if there is any hope of recovery, the truth needs to be understood and treatment started. The same is true regarding a person’s sinful condition.