Samaria destroyed and foundation laid

ISAIAH CHAPTER 28

Isaiah tells of the destruction to come for Samaria, the city of glorious beauty will disappear and the Assyrian army will destroy it. The the Lord will be Israel's crowning glory and he will give a longing for justice to the judges and great courage to the warriors who stand at the gate.

At the time, Israel was being led by drunks and the priests staggered from wine and made stupid mistakes and they wallowed in their filth. But since they did not listen, God spoke through foreign oppressors whose language was not known them. Over and over God gave them the message to listen because he was placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem and whoever believes need never run away again. He told the priests and prophets their own refuge was built of lies and would be knocked down and he would cancel the bargain they made to avoid death and when the flood came, they would be carried away.

Tell your people, said the Lord, that they will have no place of refuge and the Lord will come in anger and destroy his own people. The Lord said that the farmer knew what to do, for God had given him understanding. He farms his crops the same way, tenderly caring for the crop, for the Lord is a wonderful teacher and he gave the farmer great wisdom.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW:When the kingdoms of Israel were split, Jerusalem was in the southern and Samaria the northern part. The people in the northern part were led into idolatry, though Isaiah warned them against this practice. In verse 16, the Lord talks about laying a foundation in Jerusalem- this means the Messiah who will come in the future.


Judah was afraid of the Assyrians and instead of trusting God, they turned to other sources for security. Verse 15 may refer to Hezekiah's alliance with the Pharaoh Tirhakah against Assyria.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? It shows us the penalty for living for idols. Our idols today might be money, lavish living, driving for success, but no matter what they are, we should never forget that idolatry worship leads to our destruction.

In verses 23-29 the Lord speaks of special tools the farmer uses to plant and harvest so that his plants are not destroyed. The farmer takes into account how fragile they are in the same way that God takes our individual circumstances and weaknesses into account. God deals with each of us sensitively and we should follow his example when we deal with others. Look around you and be attuned to the needs of those around you. Give them special treatment.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Pray for Gabe. Pray for Logan during her difficult pregnancy.
Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.