12/6/12. Isaiah 23:1-18. SET APART FOR THE LORD-my devotional

Key Verse: 23:18                                                                                 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“¹⁸ Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.”

Dear Lord, heavenly Father, thank you for filling our hearts with hope and purpose. Thank you that our happiness is not dependent on people and things, but on goals that are set in Jesus and the Gospel. Thank you that this Christmas will be the most meaningful and heart moving ever. Help us to understand the deep meaning of the coming of Jesus into this world. Fill our hearts with a spirit of celebration and excitement for what was accomplished through Jesus Christ. Please help me to finish my theology homework by Monday. I pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: The Lord Almighty Planned It (1-14).

We must protect our hearts from pride and vanity. Look at verses 1-7, “A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them. ² Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. ³ On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nilewas the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations. ⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.” ⁵ When word comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre. ⁶ Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island. ⁷ Is this your city of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off lands?”

I can see how Tyre fell.Tyre was a merchant city that was known in all the world for its trade. She became wealthy as the marketplace of nations and was known as the city of revelry. They were a city of business people. Many lived as princes among the people enjoying the luxuries of the day. They thought that they could enjoy such things forever. They felt that nothing could touch their island strong hold and the luxuries and wealth would carry on forever.  But God saw things differently.

Isaiah compared Tyre to a prostitute. They sold themselves for the wealth of others. They lost their heart and soul to wealth and worldly living and seeking human honor and prestige. I think this is a very empty way to live life. After all, their life spam probably was 40 years. Why live of such temporary things for 40 years and then have to face our Maker and answer to what we did with our lives, time and resources?

America is kind of like Tyre. We have developed a magnificent economy. The merchants of the world want to “ply our waters.” We have stability compared to other parts of the world. We live in a society where couples are willing to spend $100 for a dinner. We seek honor and praise for the things we have, and where we have gone and the things we have seen. To live in the luxuries of the world, it is tempting sell our souls and ignore Christ. We give our hearts and minds and bodies away to the world in exchange for a few trinkets that we can hold onto temporarily. This is like spiritual prostitution. It is not wrong to have wealth. It is loosing our hearts to these things that is there is a problem. Loosing our hearts is what God is not pleased about.

 Look at what God allowed to the people of Tyre in verses 8-14, “⁸ Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth? ⁹ The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. ¹⁰ Tillyour land as they do along the Nile, Daughter Tarshish, for you no longer have a harbor. ¹¹ The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble.  He has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed. ¹² He said, “No more of your reveling, Virgin Daughter Sidon, now crushed! “Up, cross over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” ¹³ Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin. ¹⁴ Wail, you ships of Tarshish; your fortress is destroyed!”

Tyremay have felt that it was privileged. But it was not exempt from the Lord’s judgment. God was sending the Assyrian army there as well. Judgment would be inescapable. Even if they sailed toCyprus, they would find no rest. The Lord planned it in order to bring low the pride of human glory and reveal his glory in all the earth. They would be in exile and tilling their land like everyone else. They would not have opportunities for reveling. They would have not rest for that. They would be devastated an in a state of war.

He reveals his sovereignty over all nations. The fact is God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. He can not allow people or nations to resist the truth of God and prosper continually. They will one day have to face the fruit of their lives apart from God. Ignoring God for wealth and pleasure (or any other false idol) will not get us the fruit that our hearts long for. It usually brings fear, loneliness and isolation.

Part 2: After 70 Years (15-18).

Verses 15-18, “At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: ¹⁶ “Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.” ¹⁷ At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. ¹⁸ Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.”

It appears God will giveTyrea second chance. God promised to restoreTyreafter 70 years. She would again ply her trade as a merchant city. But they took their second chance and returned to the same state of affairs that they were in before. How sad. We need to take the second chances that God provides and rededicate our lives to live for his glory.

Tyretried to store up wealth again, but instead of hoarding wealth for herself, her wealth would be set apart for the Lord. God would give her wealth to his own people, to those who live before the Lord. How ironic. But this is so true. Proverbs 13:22 reads, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.” People in their selfishness, gather wealth and in the end it goes to the righteous. You can not take it to heaven. There is only so much you can enjoy your wealth here on earth. It will all go to someone else. It could be the kids and the grandkids. According to this passage, I would not be surprised if the money does not make its way into the resources of the righteous to be used for God’s purposes. It is kind of like drug dealer’s care becoming police cruisers. God is fair and just.

Prayer: Lord, rule my heart. Help my heart to be dedicated to you. .

One Word: Dedicate my heart, life and resources for the glory of God.