Is God for Us or Against Us? | Isaiah 9:1-10:4

Show Notes

Episode 646: 
In this episode, we explore Isaiah chapter 9. The chapter begins with a message of hope in the Messiah, contrasting with God's anger against Israel. We discuss the significance of the prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus, highlighting the descriptions of Him as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

What is The Bible Guys?

Whether you’ve been following Jesus for years or you’re just starting to ask questions, there’s a seat for you here.

Join Jeff and Chris for honest conversations about Scripture, faith, and the everyday stuff we all navigate. With humor, personal stories, and plenty of back-and-forth, The Bible Guys explore what the Bible says and how it connects to your life.

Subscribe, bring your questions, and get to know the Bible one conversation at a time. Head over to TheBibleGuys.com for more information!

You're listening to the Bible guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible. Guys. Wow, what was that? I don't know, I know you're kind of like a rapper. Now, Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible. Guys. Welcome to the Bible. Guys. We love that you're here. Yeah, okay, so you're a rapper, Like that's harsh crap, that's not rap, like the Fresh Prince. That's almost what's more of a jingle? Yeah, okay, jingle Hey jingles being on the Jingles and Fresh Prince. Wow, that's uh, that's that's something. Well, that's about what you were doing right there. Right. So hey, today we have an interesting segment two. Hey smell you later. And we've never done it before. We've done as a new one. So we have done draft lists before, of course, we've just never done a draft list like this, because what we're supposed to do is draft our dream concert lineup with bands and performers who would create the perfect live show. So it's a musician draft list, yes, apparently, and we do. Rock paper scisors. Those first we just picked five. So here's the question before we do it. Are they Are they alive or dead? Do you think you're just doing your own band? She didn't give any caveats, so you're free. I could do dead. It is it is. Yes, it's under grace, not the law. She doesn't give you any rules here. Okay, well, geez, that changes things of all time, of all time. Yes, it's way harder too. Okay, let's do rock papercisors ready, one two three? Shoot? Oh? We both went scissors one two three shoot. We both went rock one two three shoot. We both went rock paper. I got you, you got me. Okay, that's so funny. So that's funny how we even think of like sometimes. Okay, so if we're going to go. I don't know. I don't think. I don't think it's fair if we go dead, it's so much harder. I don't want to do dead. I think you should. I think you should just pick anybody you want, all. Right, fine, anybody, fine, okay, any number body number one Whitney Houston really, oh gosh, yeah. Wow, that's the one that you were hedging your bets against. Is Whitney. Well, I don't think that you would choose her at all. But I absolutely think that she is the greatest female singer of all time. Wow, Okay, I do, wow, I do. I think she had a couple of great songs. I didn't say that. I said she's the greatest female So you. Could have drafted her last and I still wasn't drafted, I know. So yeah, you got in there, you got in. I'm going Jeff, sorry about me. All right, So so this is going to show my age a little bit. I would pick oh man, uh bon Jovi? Oh yeah, sure, yeah, Jo that's great. That's a good one. But but prime bron Job Yeah yeah, yeah, not at all. Hey they're still doing well for. Their age, right for the age, but Prime bon Jovi is better, that's right. Yeah, okay, all right, I'm going to say Johnny Cash. Wow, so Whitney and Johnny. That's gonna be an interesting uh yeah yeah. Well it's a perfect live show, yeah, Jim. Yep, Okay, let me see. I would there's a Christian musician. It's my favorite singer from back in the days, retired now but Michael English, oh favorite lead singer. Wow, that is going into the archives right there. Because nineties yep. Eighties and nineties, eighties and nineties. Okay, I'm gonna go Gosh, I mean, it's a whole new category when it's dead. So I'm gonna go with I have to. It's Elvis Presley, Elvis, really, I have to. So you have no living favorites right now? No, the dead trump the living. Yes, I have living favorites. I'm just saying, if we're if we're going those who passed. I'm picking all live singers on Jovi's still alive. So I know English, but I'm saying, Okay, you're just choosing your favorites. Okay, so you just favorite Elvis Presley, So Elvis, Johnny and Whitney Whitney Okay, where Elvis and Johnny related? No, but listen, you do understand why I'm doing this because there's no live singer that trumps my desire to see Johnny Cash. Okay, Okay. I thought you're just assuming you're putting together a concert lineup. Okay, Okay, I see that, all right? Am I at number three? Yes, you're at number three? All right? I think I would get kicked out of my house if I didn't say Celine Dion. Oh yeah, sure, yeah, Celene Dion's phenomenal. Yeah. My girls would put Selene above Whitney, and they love Whitney. Yeah yeah, yeah, well some people would, yeah, smart people. Yeah, well you know, you know, I don't think so no, go ahead, go ahead. Okay, And then I tell you what, because you're giving me pressure, I'm gonna go back to Uh, I'll go to live And I wrote down a few notes here just before the thing began. I didn't even know we were doing this one. Why didn't I didn't either till I get into the May studio. Okay, I'm gonna go with Garth Brooks. Garth Brooks. Yeah, well you've already sung some of his songs here on the on the show. So yeah, yep, okay, So Garth Brooks, all right, well that's my fourth one, right, Yes? Who else am I going to go with? So this is my fourth? Yep, boy, this is a tough one for me. I have a hard time, you know what. I'm just doing musicians at this point, right, yep. I'm gonna say Chris Bodie, he's my favorite trumpet player. Wow. Wow, Okay, that's that's uh, that's a choice. Yeah, okay, And but he plays for all kinds of like, can you imagine if you've heard a trumpet player in the last twenty years on any kind of significant pop thing. Yeah, it's him, But can you imagine him following bun Jovi now? And he's like, actually, how do I follow that? Actually he does a lot of concerts with people like that. So one of the yeah, one of the live concert albums that he did while back, he has Vince Gill and sting Are oh and uh and uh Stephen Perry, Oh, Steve Perry, Stephen Tyler, Stephen Tyler. Yeah, so Steven Tyler. Yeah, so it's just. Well, okay, all right, So he's used to it, yep, ask you, oh boy. And then I think I've got I've got some notes here, and it's hard to pick one. Uh. So I've got like Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, Billy Joel, The Eagles, Journey, Tory Kelly, John Legend. Oh you got to do toy Kelly. There's no doubt you're obsessed with toy Kelly singing. Yeah. Yeah, but but okay, go ahead, but according to Rank, you just named like thirty according to Rank. I'm gonna say nobody beats Shania Twain for me. Okay, so, so Shania is my favorite. Okay, so you've got You've got a couple of country singers. In Garth and Shania our country and John and Johnny and Johnny Original. Ye okay, then I'm going to say, so there's nobody when when things are really really stressful. For me, I listened to Andrea. Yeah, so he's an Italian opera singer, right, Okay, so I picked the jazz trumpeter and uh Italian. Yeah, well we we are different. We got in there and Celine Dionna there, Michael English Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, he's my favorite, my. Favorite, by the way. Back in the day, I phenomenal singers. I loved Michael English. Yeah, for sure. I used to sing Michael English songs. Not like Michael English New New not at all. But Tray sings a little bit like Michael English. Yeah. So hey, that was an interesting one. That's a really we both put together some really weird bands. Yeah, but mine could work together, yours would struggle. Well, three of mine were dead. That'd be weird. One Yeah, that'd be weird, you know. But hey, that was a cool little segment. So thanks Desi Rae. Yeah, I appreciate that and talking about. Dead people. Yea, dead people. You know Isaiah as far. As we know. So we're in the Book of Isaiah. And if you don't know, if you're new to the show, we're always trying to find like the worst possible transition from that that seg from the segments into the devotional Partah. But we're in the Book of Isaiah today, in Isaiah chapter nine, and so so Chris the beginning of it. It starts off with hope in the Messiah. Yeah, and then you're never gonna guess what what's next. Well, I'll give you one guess. One guess. The Lord's anger against Israel. That's all the prophets, all the prophets. God's pretty upset with Israel. So we're going to start off in Isaiah chapter nine, verse and it says nevertheless that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulin and naught lie will be humbled, But there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light for those who live in a land of deep darkness. A light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice, and they will rejoice before you, as people rejoice at the harvest, and like warriors dividing the blunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroy the army a median. The boots of the warrior and the uniform's bloodstained by war will be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful counselor Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David, for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's armies will make this happen. It says they'll go through verse four. Right, yep, the Lord has spoken out against Jacob. His judgment has fallen upon Israel and the people of Israel, and Samario, who spoke with such pride and arrogance, will soon know it. They said, we will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone, and replant the feld sycamore fig trees with cedars. But the Lord will bring resins armies against Israel and stir up all their foes. The Syrians from the east and the Philistines from the west will bear their fangs and devour Israel. But even then the Lord's angle will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised tous strike. For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent, and they will not seek the Lord of Heaven's armies. Therefore, in a single day, the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly read. The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail. For the leaders of the people have misled them, and they have led them down the path of destruction. And that is why the Lord no pleasure in the young men, and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans, for they are all wicked hypocrites, and they all speak foolishness. But Even then, the lord's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. This wickedness is like a brush fire burns not only briars and thorns, but also sets the forces ablaze. And it's burning sends up clouds of smoke, and the land will be blackened by the fear of the Lord's Heaven's armies. Lord of Heaven's armies, the people will be fuel for the fire, and no one will spare, even his own brother. They will attack their neighbor on the right, but will still be hungry. They will devour their neighbor on the left, but will not be satisfied. And in the end they will even eat their own children. Manasa will feed on Ephraim, and Ephriam will feed on Manassa, and both will devour Judah. But even then the lord's angle will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. What sorrow awaits that unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy Among my people. They prey on widows and take advantage of orphans. What will you do when I punish you when I send disaster upon you from a distant land. To whom will you turn for help? Where will your treasures be safe? You will stumble along his prisoners or lie among the dead. But even then, the Lord's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. Oh well, good morning everyone. Yeah, hey, you know what that reminds me of you ever had a parent you have. It reaches their boiling point and they finally just scream enough, Yeah enough, I've had enough. And he's like, well, yeah, you've gotten dead to the point to where there's no going back. You know, It's like the Lord is patient for generations. He is you know, he warns, he has instruction, he asks for you know, devotion, He does all those things for just so so long. It just seems like it seems like his patience is never ending. And then all of a sudden you come across this and and he's like okay. Because you know what, there's difference between sometimes God will express his anger versus saying here's what's going to happen, judgment, Judgment's coming. Because there's plenty of passages where God expresses his anger and his you know dissatisfaction and all these kinds of things. But then you know, this one in particular says, here it comes right. Judgment's coming and it's common. That's right. And guess what, it's coming hard because even when these things happen, my anger still will not be satisfied. That's right. And he says, my fist is poised to strike. He said that, what three four times? Yeah, And he said one of the reasons why his fist was poised to strike. He's just pounding them is he says, And they will still for all this punishment, that people will still not repent, they will not seek the Lord of Heaven's armies. And so God says the well, then, finding a single day, I'm going to wipe out both the head and the tail. Now I'm going to wipe out the rulers and the false prophets. It's it's a sad thing. You know. I've had conversations with people before who come to me and say, these horrible things are happening in my life, and they'll just go down the line this thing and this thing and this thing, and they're like, what should I do? Honor God? And that's what I always say, honor God. And then I had one guy ask me, do you think this is God's judgment on me? And if so, what do I do? And I said so, just so you know, I'm a pastor, I care for the sheep. I'm not the judge. So I don't know. I said, what do you think? He said, I think, yeah, maybe maybe this is God's judgment. I said, well, then what is the only logical thing to do? Right, So you need to go to God. I can't go to God for you. You need to go to God and you need to just say God. Because he wasn't convinced of it, he was thinking maybe that was the issue. And I said, you need to go to God, confess your sin as best you can, but more importantly, let him know your heart is heading towards him. Right, even if you're not positive you understand what it was that's bringing the judgment. Run to him. And I told him, I said, I don't know that I believe that this is judgment from God. I don't know. God hasn't spoken to me about this, but it's always appropriate when you're unsure of the circumstances, run to God. Right, That's appropriate, And so you can see here, This very clearly is God's judgment on the people, and they still will not repent, which repent just means turned from your way and turn to God's way. Right. And so if there's ever a time when you're unsure about a circumstance, just run to God. I think that's always God's answer. He's more concerned about the heart, the trajectory of your life, right. He doesn't. He's not looking for, you know this, to destroy you. That's not what he wants to do. His desire is not to destroy. That's why you can kind of see this anger is like, you're making me do this, right, And he doesn't want that. He wants the repentance. I always always used to say, and I and I've still said it recently, but in fact, I think I might have even mentioned on this podcast earlier. But the three categories, there's a there's a there's a big category before you get to misery and tragedy. And it's conviction, which is a fancy church word of saying, uh. It's the power of the Holy Spirit within you that is nudging you, inviting you, challenging you, encourage. And away from It's the spirit of God in you. So the conviction is a very very large category. That's the patience that we talked about earlier. Yes, it's it's the uh, you know, the warnings and the uh. You know, God's desire expressing his desire. Please follow me and be aware of this and be on guard against this, you know, those kinds of things if you think about your own life. God sends conviction in many forms. So sometimes you'll you know, hear a sermon, or you'll read God's word, or you'll see a poster, or you'll have a conversation withbody who's godly who speaks truth or life into your into your soul, you know, and they and they say, hey, I'm concerned about this or I'm pointing out this or whatever it is. And sometimes you hear a song on the radio. Sometimes it's and God. I believe not always, but God often uses little things in our lives to get our attention and U and it's and it's and you know, if it's truly the spirit of God, I think he can fall under this word conviction because the Holy Spirit is trying to turn us toward him. He's trying to get our attention, remind us and oftentimes It's hard to interpret, like was that God or was that just a coincidence of you know, that guy wearing a shirt? You know what I mean? I was in I was in Walmart, uh, the other day. I know, it sounds funny Walmart, right, I rarely good to Walmart. It's got such a stigma, doesn't it. But anyway, I was in Walmart the other day and I was wearing a painter's shirt. I was painting my daughter's house. And that's I was down in Florida, and so uh. This this shirt that I had was a work shirt from a mission strip back in two thousand and seven, and we had gone to Costa Rica and it was my old church and it had, you know, a logo on the front, and on the back it had John three sixteen in Spanish. Right, and this guy's behind me in line. This happened a few days ago. Guys behind me in line and he goes excuse me, or actually he says, pumping me small or whatever whatever you say in Spanish. Right, starts talking in Spanish to me, and I said, I no, i' bles spaniel poquito. He says, oh okay, he says, well, I'm just wondering what is the shirt you're wearing, And I told him it was a missions trip in Costa Rica. He said, I literally can't believe that you're wearing that shirt. He goes, I just prayed and asked God to show me a sign. And then I get behind you in line, and I look and I see John three sixteen in my own native language, in my own language, and he said, and it's just he goes, this is unbelievable. I think it's God speaking to me. Now. I do believe that there are things that God uses, you know, that defy coincidence. And you could try to explain it away if you want to. But when you pray and. Then you get in line and you look up and you know, and there it is, right, I just think that God uses things like that. And so all that to say, let's surrender to the big category of conviction before it crosses over, because not always, but sometimes God will use misery and God will. Use tragedy, and God forbid that it ever gets to that point. Yeah, but that conviction is is God's grace. Right, we don't like it, that conviction is God's grace, saying hey, come back to me, right, there doesn't have to This doesn't have to turn into a train wreck. Right, come back to me. That's right, right, that's exactly right. Okay, Well we covered that part. We spent a long time on that one. But the gem of this passage is one of the you know, John quotes it, Matthew quotes it in talking about Jesus. Yes, and it says here the people will walk in darkness. Who walk in darkness will see a great light. And for those who live in the land of deep darkness, a light will shine. Member John talks about that a light came into the world, yes, darkness, right John, chapter one, and that he is Jesus actually referred to himself as the light of the world. Right, And so this is what it's talking about. It's talking about Jesus. The Bible quotes the passage for a child is born to us, the sun is given to us. Right, this, this whole thing here, the government rests on the should to be called wonderful counselor. Some have wonderful and counselor has two different names. Some are wonderful counselor. You know what, I'm not sure I remembered that maybe I learned that at one time, but I've. Always either way, he is wonderful, and he's a wonderful counselor the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of peace right, and he's going to his government will never end. And so I love this because this passage nine one through seven, he pauses right in the middle of all this bad news. Hey, judgment's coming for you, guys. And then he says, but nevertheless, it's not going to last forever, and you're not going to be totally wiped out. And he talks about Zebulin and after Life, which is where Jesus lived, that's up in the Galilee area. It's all in the northern portion of Israel. And he says, listen, man, when Galilee of the Gentiles is going to discover this great opportunity, it's hundreds of years what is this, seven hundred years before Jesus was borne, describing what the Messiah was going to be like, and just letting them know, hey, it might be rough for a while, but good news is coming. And that's literally the gospel. The Gospel means good news. That's right. And I've done Christmases, and in fact we have Inhritage together. Where were you focused on those four phrases wonderful counselor mighty God, everlasting Father, or. Prince of peace. And it's a very very famous passage used at Christmas time. And uh, and it's also this whole Isaiah passage one through seven was quoted in Matthew chapter four. Uh, Jesus describes uh and quotes this verse describing. His own ministry and uh. And I think it's wonderful how. Those four descriptions represent four different aspects of God's character. Right, it's just like you met, just like you said a minute ago. So wonderful is the adjective counselors that what is it noun? Right, So wonderful counselor. And then he's a mighty God. He's not just God, he's mighty God. He's the authority. Right, He's the everlasting Father. You know, to think about everything that goes into that word father. And then and then he's always Father, right. And then he's the Prince of peace. And so those four aspects of coming into the world is what the world needs, you know, it's it's uh. You know, the announcement of Jesus bringing those four attributes is just a wonderful piece of news, right there. So then in verse four says, for you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian, and the boots of the warrior, the uniforms of bloodstained by war will be burned. You feel for the fire, and then it says, for unto us, a child is born. That's right. So what you have here is you have the Savior fighting for us. So we have such a dichotomy between these two chunks. On one side you have God fighting for us. The other side you have God fighting against them. Right, And it's a choice, that's the thing. The choice is you can experience God fighting for you, which he is, he's fighting for all of humanity. That requires surrender, or you can experience God fighting against you. But here's what you can be convinced of. God is not neutral about you. He's not ambivalent about you. He wasn't ambivalent about his people. He's not about ambivalent about you. He's not neutral. He's not just going to go, ah, do your thing. So he's either gonna you're gonna allow him to fight for you and break the yoke of your slavery or his fist is going to be coiled against you. Right, those are There's another fight too, it's the people fighting back against God. Yeah. Yeah, right, so there's there's a sort of like, uh, you know, it's a it's a fight, but it's a it's a provoked fight, right right. So, and so the way you get God to fight for you is through repentance, right right, That's it. And he spells it all out in these two chapters. And by the way, I think I think it's verses like that where he says he's going to break the yok of slavery. Uh, it's it's it's the I believe he's referring to the yoke of slavery of sin. Right, yes, it's sin. And yet people probably interpreted that very literally, sure, right, They interpreted it as you know, Roman oppression. They would often look back and when Jesus came in on the palm Sunday. Uh, they thought, you know, he was going to be a military, you know, warrior. Well, often in Hebrew there's a double meeting, yes, yeah, yeah, but certainly we know that that this is talking about Jesus and specifically he broke the yolks of sin. He talks about that later, and so does Paul. He breaks the bondage and the chains of sin. So yeah, that's great, it's really great. So through repentance we can have God fighting for us. That's right, right, Well, that is our time. So what a great passage and hopefully we will see you tomorrow on the Bible. Guys,