His Way Or The Highway Series

Isaiah 32: 1 – 20

His Way Or The Highway

1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice. 2 A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 3 The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen. 4 Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly. 5 The foolish person will no longer be called generous, nor the miser said to be bountiful; 6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness, and his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, to utter error against the LORD, to keep the hungry unsatisfied, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7 Also the schemes of the schemer are evil; He devises wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks justice. 8 But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand. 9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; You complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.10 In a year and some days you will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, the gathering will not come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, and gird sackcloth on your waists. 12 People shall mourn upon their breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13 On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city; 14 Because the palaces will be forsaken, the bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks— 15 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest. 16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. 17 The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. 18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, 19 Though hail comes down on the forest, and the city is brought low in humiliation. 20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

Memories are a gift of God. As we review our lives we can enjoy those moments of great joy that our Holy Father Blessed us with. Oh, you know, I do not have to list for you those pleasant times that occurred only for you.

Memories can also be painful. Those times were significant heartache came to us. Why can’t we just blot them out of our memories and just have only the good stuff in our thoughts.

The Jewish people had many years to remember the good old days when God’s favor washed over their lives. Because of their sin our Precious Master had to turn His people over to the consequences of their sins. You can imagine the people sitting in a foreign land just sitting around remembering the Holy Land in which they were taken forcibly from.

In the book of Psalms 137 we read of their heartaches, “1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.2 We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. 3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! 6 If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

I find it most interesting that three Jewish gifted song writers, Marvin Hamlisch; Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote a popular song which a Jewish singing star by the name of Barbara Streisand made famous called ‘For the way we were.’

A couple of their impacting lines are;

Memories,

Like the corner of my mind

Misty water-colored memories

Of the way we were

Scattered pictures

Of the smiles we left behind

Smiles, we gave to one another

For the way we were…

Have you yearned for times past. Throughout the Bible we know of the Jews desire to have it the way it was before. Our Lord gave them a taste of great peace and blessings during the times of kings David and Solomon. The people desire was that our Holy Righteous God would again restore the nation again with His Perfect selected Messiah. We will see this desire throughout chapter 32. There will be significant changes that will occur when He comes and takes over.