Isaiah 1 makes for scary reading. God is hopping mad at the unfaithfulness of his people. They have comprehensively let him down, and they are paying a terrible price for it. God’s blunt language is enough to make anyone blush as he comments: “See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers. Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag” (Isaiah 1:21-22). It was a very grim predicament, but God still had a vision for how things could be in the future. The vision in Isaiah 2 focuses on Jerusalem as the place which would transform everything. It would be the focus of peace and unity, and people would stream there from all over the world. Yes, streams can flow uphill when God is at work!

In Jerusalem, there would be teaching, and the result would be that people would walk in God’s ways – the teaching would lead to action. There is nothing more dangerous than to study the Bible and to reflect on God without asking the question: “Lord, what do you want me to do?” As I write these reflections, I often wonder what happens as a result. My prayer is that God will use them to help you to make really good decisions that will enable you to live more effectively for him.

In his letter, James talks about the importance of not merely hearing the word, but doing it. If you don’t do what God’s word says, he observes, “you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22). He suggests that it would be like glancing in a mirror and immediately forgetting what you look like. I wonder what God is saying to you at the moment and how his teaching is helping you to walk in his ways. No pressure, but it is always great to hear about specific ways in which God is leading people, so always feel free to let me know at [email protected]

Why do you think it is so easy to listen to God’s word and do nothing about it?

Lord God, give me your strength to walk in your ways, however tough it might be. Amen