The Real Meaning of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/2_chronicles/27.htm

The two chapters of Chronicles and the chapter of Kings above are short, documenting more of the actions of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Ahaz was a bad king, even going so far as to tear down and remove some of the things that were built in Solomon’s temple. Now we take another break to start the Book of Isaiah, one of the major prophets.

The Book of Isaiah is another one of the difficult books to read because there is much symbolism used in it. It is also one of the longest books of the Old Testament, so it takes a while to read and digest the information. If you like me (most are smarter than I), you’ll read much of Isaiah and are left scratching your head, wondering what is being talked about. Don’t get me wrong, the general message, as is with other books of prophets, is the same: Israel and Judah have separated themselves from the Lord, they are doing evil things and if they don’t repent and turn back to God, they are on their own and bad things might happen to them.

I believe God can see into the future, and while many say that the bad things are caused by God as a punishment, I disagree; I believe He can simply see what will come of Israel and Judah because of their ways. And the same holds true for us. God constantly sends warnings through His messengers, churches and pastors, angels, even that little voice in your head, warning you what the consequences of separating yourself from God will be. And just personally, which shows I’m not a very good Christian (and I’m not), but whenever there is a national disaster like a tornado or hurricane, and there is loss of life, I always hear the rhetoric, “Where was God?” And instead of being compassionate, my first thought is, “Maybe if you knew where He was, things like this wouldn’t happen”. You see, Satan loves to lay blame, to lay false beliefs about God on you. It is Satan that causes the bad things to happen, then blames it on God.

As a former boss, it was frustrating when there was a dispute between admin and an employee. That employee could resign or get fired, and was free to badmouth the agency all they wanted, tell likes, making up fictious tales, even going so far as slander, but admin is not able to defend itself or talk about the actions of the former employee because it is “confidential personnel information”. It’s the same with God. Satan can slander Him all He wants, but if God says anything bad about Satan, it would help Satan…if God chastised Satan, I can just hear him say, “See, I told you!” So like Jesus who refused to answer Pilate, God must remain silent and unable to defend Himself. He has given us His word so we can learn about His true character. Besides, God loves Satan, I’m not sure He could say anything bad if He wanted to.

One thing exciting about the Book of Isaiah is that it is a prophetic book, and I won’t spoil the fun, but there is something special that Isaiah will prophesy about. And it is wonderful!

So bear with me as, for the sixth time, I still try to decipher everything Isaiah has to say. I’ve studied it before, but I don’t believe I still fully understand anything. I even had to memorize the entire chapter of Isaiah 56 once for a Bible Study course I took, but I can’t begin to recite it now.

So, let’s dig in to Isaiah.

P.S. How do you pronounce his name; I-ZAY-A, or I-ZI-A?