THE LORD SAVES US

Passage: Isaiah 33:1-24

Key verse: 22

NIV

Distress and Help

33 Woe(A) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;(B)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.(C)

2 Lord, be gracious(D) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength(E) every morning,
    our salvation(F) in time of distress.(G)
3 At the uproar of your army,(H) the peoples flee;(I)
    when you rise up,(J) the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder,(K) O nations, is harvested(L) as by young locusts;(M)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

5 The Lord is exalted,(N) for he dwells on high;(O)
    he will fill Zion with his justice(P) and righteousness.(Q)
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation(R) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear(S) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](T)

7 Look, their brave men(U) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys(V) of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
    no travelers(W) are on the roads.(X)
The treaty is broken,(Y)
    its witnesses[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
9 The land dries up(Z) and wastes away,
    Lebanon(AA) is ashamed and withers;(AB)
Sharon(AC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan(AD) and Carmel(AE) drop their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,(AF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;(AG)
    now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(AH) chaff,
    you give birth(AI) to straw;
    your breath is a fire(AJ) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(AK)
    like cut thornbushes(AL) they will be set ablaze.(AM)”

13 You who are far away,(AN) hear(AO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(AP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling(AQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(AR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(AS)
    and speak what is right,(AT)
who reject gain from extortion(AU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(AV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes(AW) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(AX)
    whose refuge(AY) will be the mountain fortress.(AZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail(BA) them.

17 Your eyes will see the king(BB) in his beauty(BC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.(BD)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(BE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(BF)”
19 You will see those arrogant people(BG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(BH)

20 Look on Zion,(BI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,(BJ) a tent(BK) that will not be moved;(BL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(BM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(BN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship(BO) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(BP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,(BQ)
the Lord is our king;(BR)
    it is he who will save(BS) us.

23 Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame(BT) will carry off plunder.(BU)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(BV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(BW)

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Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

O Lord, Be Gracious to Us

33 (A)Ah, you destroyer,
    who yourself have not been destroyed,
you traitor,
    whom none has betrayed!
When you have ceased to destroy,
    you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying,
    they will betray you.

2 O Lord, be gracious to us; (B)we wait for you.
    Be our arm every morning,
    our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 (C)At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
    when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
    (D)as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

5 (E)The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
    he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
6 (F)and he will be the stability of your times,
    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
    the fear of the Lord is Zion's[a] treasure.

7 Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;
    (G)the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 (H)The highways lie waste;
    the traveler ceases.
(I)Covenants are broken;
    cities[b] are despised;
    there is no regard for man.
9 (J)The land mourns and languishes;
    Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
    and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

10 (K)“Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
    “now I will lift myself up;
    now I will be exalted.
11 (L)You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;
    your breath is (M)a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
    (N)like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”

13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
    and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
    trembling has seized the godless:
(O)“Who among us can dwell (P)with the consuming fire?
    Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 (Q)He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
    who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
    who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
    (R)and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
16 he will dwell on the heights;
    his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
    (S)his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

17 (T)Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
    (U)they will see a land that stretches afar.
18 (V)Your heart will muse on the terror:
    “Where is he who counted, where is (W)he who weighed the tribute?
    Where is (X)he who counted the towers?”
19 (Y)You will see no more the insolent people,
    the people (Z)of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
    stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
20 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
    (AA)Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    an untroubled habitation, an (AB)immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
    nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
    a place of (AC)broad rivers and streams,
(AD)where no galley with oars can go,
    nor majestic ship can pass.
22 For the Lord is our (AE)judge; the Lord is our (AF)lawgiver;
    the Lord is our (AG)king; he will save us.

23 Your cords hang loose;
    they cannot hold the mast firm in its place
    or keep the sail spread out.
(AH)Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;
    even (AI)the lame will take the prey.
24 And no inhabitant will say, (AJ)“I am sick”;
    (AK)the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

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Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 33:6 Hebrew his
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll witnesses
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The people of Judah were in great distress because of Assyria. Human means had failed and as a last resort, they cried out to the LORD for help. They asked God to be gracious to them (2). They remembered that God could make the nations flee. They realized that God alone was a sure foundation. He was the source of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. It was not too late to turn to God. Do you turn to God only as a last resort? Do not wait that long. But no matter when you turn to God, he longs for you to return to him and to be gracious to you.

Isaiah reminded his people of the poor result of their efforts without God. Their envoys wept bitterly. Their highways were deserted, and their land wasted away. Without God, endeavors will fail.

God promised blessing when his people turned to him. Those who act and speak what pleases God can be in fellowship with him. They will see the beauty of the king. The enemies who had terrorized them would be no more. God would establish his people. They will again know the LORD as judge, lawgiver, and king. The LORD will save his people. He will protect them from disease and graciously forgive their sins (24).

Prayer: Father, please forgive us for not always coming to you first but as a last resort. Thank you for accepting us and saving us. You are our King.

One Word: Who is the LORD to you?