No Weapon Forged Against You Will Prevail | Isaiah 54:9-17

Show Notes

Episode 819:
In this episode, we delve into Isaiah 54, where God reassures His people that He will never again be angry with them and that His love and covenant will remain steadfast. We reflect on the significance of God's promises, emphasizing that they are everlasting and reliable. Just as God made a covenant with Noah, He promises restoration and protection to His people, assuring them that no weapon formed against them will succeed.

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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. We are on Thursday, man oh man. And this is the fourth promise talking about God's protection detection. Yes, that's right, different week context. It's been a great week. I hope that's encouraging week. Yeah. But before we get into that, we are going to tackle a segment today that is highly unusual because I just read it a minute ago. Yes, this is called a draft list, which we've done before. Yes, but this one's a little unusual. Desiree says today's topic is no weapon forged against you will prevail. So for today's segment, let's do a draft list of weapons you would want to use if you were in a zombie apocalypse. But the zombies were made of marshmallows. Zombie apocalypse? What weapons? This is a draft? What weapons? Yeah, we're gonna have. Well that was an easy one for me, and then she flipped it on its head and said, all the zombies are made out of marshmallows? Correct, what kind of Yeah, I don't know, I don't know. But We've already made fun of Desiree on Monday. We're not going to make fun of it today. So we're not going to make fun. We're gonna put fun. Although I will say after eight hundred and something episodes it must be hard. We're at the bottom of the barrel. We're at the bottom of the barrel. So we're going to do You want to do rock paper scissors to see who goes first. Yeah, let's get ready one shoot. You always be me yep. Well usually most of the time. I did rock heated scissors, I win. So here we go. And by the way, I don't think any of my three weapons that I'm going to choose you're going to really fight for anyway. Okay, okay, So number one, okay, I would like optimisis prime. Optimist Prime's heated sword. Oh, heated sword, so optimist Prime. Yeah, that's a good one. It's a huge sword that comes out. And it's heated and it just melts stuff. It'll cut right through marshmallows like nobody's business. That's a good one. And it's mass it's huge. Yeah, it sliced through crowds. I like that one. That might be the best one. But thank you might be the best one. I don't even think we can get over that one. I was thinking, yeah that I would want a giant flamethrower and just toast them. Oh yeah, toasted marshmallows. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Flamethrower just in general. Yeah, just a regular flne thrower. Yeah, yeah, that's good. Okay. Number two, have you ever seen a movie ant Man? Yes, remember when they were the restroom and uh, he shot him with that gun and he turned into this little thing of google. Yes, remember that, I want that weapon. You want that gun, and just shrink them all into. Little, yeah, just tiny little piles of Google. So they go from like giant marshmallow zombies zombies to like lucky charms, little gooey like Halloween chunky lucky charms. Okay, so as long as as long as the gun didn't need to be reloaded, you and all the zombies would be instantaneously shrunk down to a little tiny times kid of course, kidding me. Tek carts, yellow moons, oorn stars, green clovers, blue diamonds, and purple horseshoes. Okay, come on, okay, could you have said that, by the way, No, I could not. Okay, I wasn't busy memorizing the cartoon or the commercial. We didn't I can even do it in his voice. I don't want to do that. So I was just eating it like a madman. Okay. Uh, I would say, a giant roasting fork. Oh yeah, okay, So I've got a theme here. Okay, yeah, so you're just gonna you're just gonna stab. Him yeah, well yeah, yeah, stab them and then then run to a fire something yeah. Something. Alls I know is that when I've got a marshmallow at the end of my fork, he's not dangerous. It's not coming after me anymore. But you only have one fork, that's true. So if you have multiple zombies, then you get to stab it squishy. You just keep squishing them on. Okay, all right, so this is a long fork. It's fifty zombies. Hand me that long fork. Okay, all right. Uh here here's my third one. And by the way, I decided to get really clever with this one. It's all along the side, along the lines that you're going with. Okay, okay, uh you remember Willie Wanka's chocolate river. Yes, okay, so they're marshmallows, right, yes, okay, So the weapon because the river isn't the weapon. The weapons is an army of ooplopus. So give me an army of oopa loompus to push the zombies into the Chocolate river so that we can have a beautiful, you know, hot chocolate kind of thing. Well, I was thinking of molten chocolate, like like on a s'more. Oh yes, right right, yeah, because you can melt them. Yeah, because it melts them, it changes the thing. But if you're going to use the chocolate, then I would do like a giant graham cracker smashers. Okay, there is that? Is that your weapon? That's my weapon? Now, okay graham Crackers smashers just to smash the marshmallows. Because we got the chocolate. Yeah yeah, and we got the four work you're gonna roast them. Yeah. And then flamethrower. Yeah we have the flame thing now now we got the Yeah. Well Augusta Augustus when he fell into the river, he got sucked up and then shot up that pipe. Yes, right, so I mean like it's sort of a weapon. Right, get that that big giant vacuum thing. Yeah? Hey, the which is the other weapons? They push them into the Chocolate river and then they get sucked up and they just get shot out. So hey, people, if you ever find yourself in a marshmallow zombie apocalypse, don't say we didn't try to help. We feel like we've done our part. We have done our best. That's right, you have done our best, and you're welcome. That's right. You're gonna be You're gonna be fighting, fighting these marsh mellow zombies out in the street, and sudden you can go, hey, wait a minute, Jeff said. Yeah, that's right, that's right. And then so look just look for the closest flame thrower yeah, yeah, exactly, or the big long fifty foot fork. Yeah, or giant grand cracker smashes. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, all right, okay, do you have a transition for that one? I don't think we're ever getting that time back. That's what I think. Uh, what time we wasted? That time we're never getting the better? Yeah, well, the people are you going to get that time back? So they're going to say they just wasted six minutes of their lives. Well, the good news is hopefully God will never be angry with us. Oh okay, is that the transition? I guess, because that's what verse nine says in Isaiah fifty four. Okay, so God won't be angry with us for what wasting people's time? Yeah, I guess. So they're trying to say, what's the promise for this one today? Well, the promise is no weapon formed against you will prevail. Oh that's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Well, here we go. Let's read it. We built, we have built in transition. Well that is in Isaiah fifty four. Yes, what the heck? I'm searching for goofy things. And we could have just said, uh, you know, Isaiah talks about how no weapon, no I must that's right, that's all we need to say. Yea, even if we are marshmallow zompies. Well, I don't know about you, but okay, here we go. Hopefully I'm a little more dangerous. And verse nine it says, just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, But even then, my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken. Says the Lord who has mercy on you, Oh storm battered city, troubled and desolate. I will rebuild you with precious jewels and make your foundations from lappi lazuli. Do you know what lapizul is? No, It's like a bluish stone. It's beautiful, beautiful. I can't believe you knew how to pronounce it. I was just in Egypt and a place they were selling lappy lazuli. That's why. Really, yeah. I will make your towers of sparkling rubies, your gates of shining gems, and your walls of precious stones. I will teach all your children and they will enjoy great peace. You will be secure under a government that is just and fair, and your enemies will stay far away. You will live in peace, and terror will not come near. If any nation comes against you to fight, it is not because I sent them. Whoever tax you will go down and defeat. I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction, and I have created the armies that destroy. But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. And these benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord. Their vindication will come from me. I the Lord have spoken. So if you remember, Isaiah spends a lot of time prophetically talking about the destruction of Israel God's judgment. But then he also pivots and starts saying, but hey, it's not gonna last forever, and I'm going to restore you. Things are going to get better. So God's so sure. I was the one who made the blacksmiths. I was one who assembled the armies. But now let me tell you from this point on, once you turn to me, right, because in that he's been talking about you live in peace, I'll teach you. If you come to me, I'm going to make your towers great, all those kinds of things. He says. Now in that coming day, no weapon formed against you will prosper or will succeed. Now let me start with because you started with verse number nine. Yeah, and I want to start there, because he said, just as I swore in the time of no that I would never let again let the flood cover the earth, so I now swear right. And so let's talk about the promises of God. So this was a covenant that God is referring to that he made with this people in Genesis chapter nine. We referenced it last week, didn't we yes about the rainbow, and the fact that God makes a covenant is significant because a covenant is defined by a promise until death. Right. So when God makes a covenant to his people, that's why it's so significant because God never dies, so therefore his covenant lasts forever. So I can make a covenant with my wife, which I did when I got married her, right, and it's supposed to be in its designed till death do us part. That is the intention of a covenant, right, and so, but our lights are finite, so that God makes a covenant and it lasts forever. That's why we mentioned it last week about the rainbow, because it's it's still coming. The rainbows are still there after every rain and so he's making a promise to Jerusalem, and I think that it's the thing I want to point out is less about this particular promise and more about the promises of God. Right. The promises of God are everlasting. The promises of God themselves will never fail, and God will always keep his promises. So when he promises something, it is a promise that you could bank on forever, right, And that, by the way, that goes through every generation, just like the rainbow does. And then, just like Jesus made the the in the Last Supper, he said, this is the covenant I make to you. I bring you a new covenant. And the new covenant I make is and he poured out the wine and he broke the bread and he said, I'm making covenant with you, and it's the covenant with humanity. And basically it was Jesus giving his life in the same way that his body was broken, the bread was ripped, the cup was poured out, this blood was spilled out. The covenant was salvation. The covenant is that we forever have our sins paid for by Jesus, who is the one who is going to pay for all of our sins, just like the sacrificial lamb, you know what you know was the sacrifice to pass over for our sins. Right. Yeah, So it's it's just about covenants. Yeah, I love that. That's the promises of God. Are that secure? Right? They're not just a nice idea. They're secure to the point of He's never going to die, which means he'll never break his promises. When you read this, this key one for today is in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed, or no weapon formed against you will prosper, is what you've heard. And then he says, you will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. I thought that was interesting. I don't know that I've ever really noticed that before. But he says, these benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord, and their vindication will come from me. So it's interesting as he mentions all these things. I'm going to rebuild your cities. I'm going to teach your children. You're going to enjoy great peace. You're going to have a government that's fair. You will live in peace. No terror will come against you, nations won't be able to come against you. Right, all these kinds of things, no weapon formed against you will succeed. He says, all of these benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord. So even though you will silence every voice raised up to accuse you, it's in the context of serving the Lord. Right, that's it. So what are these people supposed to be about? Are they supposed to be about rebuilding their city with precious jewels. No, that's what God's doing. Are they supposed to be about, you know, working for peace and rebuilding great governments? And no, these are the promises that God's given. Right, Right, that's all God's job. And then he says, you just be my servant. You do my work, and then I'm good. You do your part and I'll do my part. Right that we do what we can do. God can do what only God can do. Yeah, that's right. And what's funny is my kids and maybe your kids were this way. My kids had stages in their life when they were happy to have me do what they could have done and what only I could do. Sure, right, they couldn't pay the mortgage, they couldn't fund their rides everywhere, they couldn't pay for their sports. They couldn't. So I was doing all that. I was providing safety and security and provision for my kids. But then there was a time when they were being immature that they were happy to go ahead and let me mow the lawn too. They were happy to let me go ahead and clean the dishes after we did all the cooking for the night, right, and I think immature Christians are happy to let God do all his part, and then they want him to miraculously do their part. Right, right, But that's not the promises he's making. No weapon formed against you will prosper if you're serving me, right, that's it. And I think it's funny we want God to do miracles rather than working through our difficult marriage. Well, he says, these benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord. Right, Yeah, we want God to work miracles to fix our marriage rather than us doing the hard work of working through the marriage. We want God to do a miracle to solve our money problems that we dug ourselves into that pit. Now we want Aim to the miraculously get us out of it, rather than doing our part. And so in this they had rebelled against God judgment Cain. They got wiped out. And then God says, you know what, once you turn to me in previous chapters, once you turn to me, he says, then see if I don't now bless you again. And I'm going to rebuild all those things you lost, and I'm going to redo all this stuff, and it's gonna be me. I'm gonna one that steps in and do that. I just need you just now start serving me. Do what you're supposed to be doing, and I'll do my part. So it just stood out to me. Yeah, that's amazing. And what about the idea that it says no weapon formed against you shall prosper? Is that something specific that we can apply to us? I mean, I'm thinking, like you know, we obviously did a little thing at the beginning there, we were talking about different weapons, or do you think this is more of a general promise that says basically, anybody who comes at you, I'm going to take care of Because he wasn't necessarily referring to bows and bow and arrows. Right, he was talking about blacksmith there, yeah, and forges. Yeah. I don't think he was referring to specific weapons. He's referring to the ultimate protection, right, would you agree? Yeah? Okay, Well, I think in that situation he is talking about actual weapons because he talks about the blacksmith forging, he talks about the weapons of destruction, he talks about the armies that he created to destroy. Yes, but I think there's nothing that's coming against you, yea yea, yeah, for us. Yeaheah, yeah, yeah, I think I think that the application is what I should. Have shad the application to me and you yes, yeah, yeah, yeah for sure. So so the so God is promising that one day he's going to restore Jerusalem and uh and then and then nothing will come against it, He'll never punish them again. Uh. Now after this time at Isaiah was is this is this a future promise or did God punish them after that or was it from this time on chronologically that Israel has never punished That's an interesting question. Yeah. No, this is this whole section right here is talking about what will happen after they repent, because they hadn't repented yet. Okay, remember, so Isaiah. Is making a future promise. Yeah, he spends a big chunk of time warning them, yep, and then he says, then here's how it's going to be resolved. You get the fifty three Jesus all that kind of stuff and Isaiah and then he finishes up saying, and when you do come back to me, I'm going to restore all the things I took away from you before. Right. That's kind of how the Book of Isaiah works, not entirely, but chunks of it. This portion is now God saying this is how we're going to clean up the mess you caused. Right, not not that he caused, but you caused, you know, the people of Israel. But in this, in this verse, so clearly this verse, no weapon turned against you will succeed, No weapon formed against you will prosper. That verse is specifically at the Israelites. But I have found myself praying this verse, saying, God, if you could do it for them whom you loved, I know you loved me, would you do it for me too? So I've claimed this verse on a number of occasions, asking God, Hey, you promised other people you loved no weaponformed against them will prosper. Hey, would you blunt the weapons of my enemies right now? The people trying to hurt me? Would you confound them? Would you silence every voice raised up against me? Right? And so I've prayed the principle, knowing that God did it for others, why wouldn't he do it for me? In what was it in Hubbacchic he says you did it in old times? Do it again? Right? Right? Right? And that was a minor prophet just saying God, we saw what you did before. It was amazing. Do that in our time too, And so it's appropriate for us to take these promises that we see God making. Clearly this promise is directed rate at the Israelites, but it's appropriate for me to say, God, I know you did that for them, do what you did in old times, do that for me too. I need it right now. I don't have anywhere else to turn. There's all this destruction, and you might be in a situation where maybe the world burned down around you because of your own situation. But just like the is Lights, if you just because your own decisions, just like the Israelites, if you turn back to God and you repent, See God, you are the center of my world and all that stuff, then you can begin rely on him to begin rebuilding. Because that's what God does, is he brings beauty out of ashes. Also in Isaiah right here is it, Jeremiah? No, that's isa Is that Isaiah? Yeah? And then he says God's great at that. That's one of the He's an expert at bringing beauty out of the ashes again and things coming back to life is what it does. He's a pro at resurrection and new life and so God to do the same thing in your life. And then in that case you can also understand Listen, once God turns his face towards you, you don't have to worry. Nothing else is gonna come against you. Yeah. Beauty for ashes, grace for fear, gladness for mourning, peace for despair. Yeah, yeah, that's good. So okay, well, I think that we've basically unpacked that passage. But if. People at home are listening and they can take away one thing for themselves, one application to take with them for today, what would it be? You do what you can do while you're trusting God to do what he can do. That's really good. Yeah. So don't just wait around, sit in a corner in a fetal position, hoping somebody comes and rescues you. But at the same time, go about your business knowing God's got your Back's that's what he's saying, right, is you just do the next thing. When I got when I found out I had cancer, my wife and I we had a day where we cried and we were worried about it. We didn't know at the time. They thought maybe I was going to die. And then finally I told Bunny I said, Hey, we're not in charge of any of the rest of this process. My healing is not in my hands. All these things got we need God to work out every detail of this from here I now, So all we can do is the next thing. So we prayed, God, give us the best doctors. God give us favor with the system and the process and all those things. God intervene, give us healing, both natural healing through your servants that are going to be doing all the work, and supernatural healing and the things that they can't take care of themselves. Right, And we just realized we weren't in control anymore. This illusion of control. You know, for a boss, I think I'm in control everything, and then you know, suddenly you realize I don't have much control anything, not the most important things. And so at that point I just did the next thing. I showed up at the next appointment. I leaned in and learned as much as I could. I called the experts that I knew. I did all the things I could do, and every single step of the way, said God, I'm doing what I can do, but I can't do what you can do. I need you to do what you can do, and that is when you know that you're really leaning in your trusting him, and then you know God showed up and right now I'm cancer free. We're at five years, five years, five years next month. Yeah, so it's pretty amazing. Yeah, good for you. And so you just do what you can do. You do the next thing. You don't have to do all the things. You don't even have to know what all the things are yet. Just do the next thing and then let God know you're doing your best. Now, God, I need you to step in and do it only you can do. And He delights in it and by the way, specializes at it. By the way, I'm a fan that you're not dead and you're. A big fan of that. Yeah, I'm good, good good, I'm happy about it. Wait, that's our time, so hopefully we'll see you tomorrow. All the Bible guys,