Text: Isaiah 13:1-22, Isaiah 14:1-32, Psalm 48:9-14, Revelation 12:7-9
A few years ago, I fell for a film called Return to Me. It’s about a man whose wife had died in a tragic accident. In his anguish he agreed to donate her heart to someone else who needed it. Time goes by, and as fate would have it, he meets and (of course) falls in love with the woman who happened to receive his wife’s heart—returning to the one it was made to love. Cue the tears and pass the popcorn because this movie made me a blubbering mess.
Stories like this one captivate me—many of us, really—because our hearts long for an epic love story of our own. As it turns out, one has already been written. We only need to turn to the pages of God’s Word to hear the cadence of His own heart beating like a drum for His people, just as it always has. To Israel He said:
For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
– Isaiah 14:1
Throughout the book of Isaiah we hear God stating His love and compassion toward His people, saying, in essence—
I, Jehovah, have a heart bent with mercy toward you.
I, Jehovah, will choose you again and again.
I, Jehovah, will bring you back to a land of promise.
Return.
Return.
Return.
God has written a story with a plan and a purpose to draw His children back to Himself. Can anyone rewrite the story? Will prideful, land-hungry kings or the captivity of the people of promise change the merciful beat of His heart? No, never. For He has made this provision for them: “The Lord has founded Zion, and His afflicted people find refuge in her” (Isaiah 14:32).
But what was Zion to them?
The Lord made it holy by His habitation, His presence there among them. And so they called it the “City of God.” Though weak compared to invading armies, Zion was a place for the needy and afflicted to flee for protection because God was there. He was the place where they could find hope, their only true refuge and strength. He was their Promised Land.
We have much in common with Israel, those whom God chose and loved and longed to offer refuge in His presence. They were runners and rule breakers, sinners and cynics. So are we. Yet His heart beats for us, even now. It beckons to us.
We must return to Him—to the God who, by His compassion and grace, has given His people refuge for generations on end. We must return to the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, time and time again—to remember it and rehearse it our hearts. Only then will our hearts find rest from the invasions and distractions of this world.
May we return with great joy to the One our hearts were made for, and then keep coming back, day after day. For He is our One true God for ever and ever, even to the end. He will always lead us back to Him (Psalm 48:14).
Stacey Thacker is a wife and the mother of four girls. She is a writer and speaker with a passion to connect with women and encourage them in their walks with God. Her books include Hope for the Weary Mom, the Hope for the Weary Mom 40 Day Devotional, Fresh Out of Amazing, and Is Jesus Worth It?, releasing September 2017. You can find her blogging at staceythacker.com or hanging out on Instagram and Twitter @staceythacker, usually with a cup of coffee in her hand.
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89 thoughts on "Israel’s Return"
We have much in common with Israel, those whom God chose and loved and longed to offer refuge in His presence. They were runners and rule breakers, sinners and cynics. So are we. Yet His heart beats for us, even now. It beckons to us.
What a blessing for me today. Thank you.
God is our promise land…. what a wonderful truth!
Wow what a wonderful devotional today! What a beautiful message of Gods heart desiring us!
It’s striking to me the cyclical nature of the Israel’s relationship with God and how much it models our own personal relationship with Him. Devotion, sin, repentance, restoration. Lather, rinse, repeat. Though on a more grand scale, God has been practicing and displaying his patience for our fallen nature since the beginning of time. How comforting and also humbling. Forgiving some one once is hard enough for our fleshly minds – imagine over and over again for the same betrayal!! God is so good. We are so unworthy. What a beautiful message today and call to break the cycle.
Well written, than you.
Love this comment! God is so merciful!!
Beautiful. Thank you so much for this insight.
The promise of care for His chosen people is such a comfort … be watchful, bring your loved ones to the Word, follow the Law with all your heart, show love and compassion to all. Do not despair when there are trials and hardship. Be constant in your praise and prayer. A challenge, but the right thing to do …
I need to turn to God for all things, not just when things are well and great but also when I have been hurt and wronged. I have been hurt by so many people in my life that I turned to others for help when I should have turned to God for help and restoration. He is my God. He will never leave me but will always lead me back to Him.
Thank you Lord for always leading us back to you! Thank you for creating a safe place for your children.
http://www.in-due-time.com
I shudder and weep over God’s words through Isaiah :
Execute wrath.
Mobilizing an army for war.
Destroy the whole country.
Wail!
Destruction from the Almighty.
Pain and agony.
Flushed with fear.
Cruel.
Disaster on the world.
Burning anger.
Stabbed.
Die by the sword.
Children smashed to death.
Houses looted.
Wives raped.
Young men cut to pieces.
No pity on children.
Yes. I shudder and weep.
Our God is many things but do not be deceived, He is not soft on sin.
While He is compassionate towards Zion, towards His own, those who are outside His protection face dire and sure results.
Judgment is real. It came. It comes. It is coming. Mankind is without excuse.
As He has purposed it, so it will be. As He has planned it, so it will happen.
We read the vivid description. We shudder and weep.
Oh Lord, how can I ever consider evangelism as ‘someone’ else’s job?
I say they will know I am a Christian by my love. Do I love them enough to not just shudder and weep, but to speak?
I know the Way to life. How dare I not show them the Way?!
Forgive me, Lord. Give me words of holy and tender boldness. Let my words be clear. Oh Lord, give them ears to hear and hearts to receive. Turn my tears from sadness to rejoicing. Amen.
Thank you, Churchmouse! I gather with you in agreement. May it be so!
Amen Churchmouse, amen.
Whoa. Yes. Yes to all this.
Wow, what you have written here took my breath away. And yet it was right in the scripture reading. Your short descriptions just made me shutter and YES it does make you realize we each need to be evangelizing. Thanks!
Zion is a place of worship, Zion is a place of praise, Zion is the presence of the Lord! Let all fall down in Zion!
Loved this section from this mornings reading: Zion was a place for the needy and afflicted to flee for protection because God was there. He was the place where they could find hope, their only true refuge and strength. He was their Promised Land.
I had never considered it before but I love this idea that God is our Promised Land. It isn’t a location on a map but the very presence of God himself. God is my place of refuge.
What a powerful devotional this morning. Isaiah can come off as so gory at times, but there is so much beauty in the midst of all this destruction. If you’re willing to repent, God will give you a fresh start.
I underlined all the sins that are highlighted in today’s text: iniquity, insolence, pride. The one that’s been coming up again and again is arrogance. I think one of the ideas Isaiah is really trying to get across is that your arrogance will destroy you and everything you touch and everything you love. The moment you lose your humility and your recognition that without God you would have nothing (no relationships, no job, no hope, no peace, no opportunities, etc), is the moment you set yourself up to lose it all.
So throughout this text Isaiah is saying: whatever you do, don’t stop giving God the credit. Don’t stop seeking him, especially after he blesses you. You didn’t get here by yourself. He brought you.
And I also like how it doesn’t matter who we are. The scriptures were very specific about why Assyria saw its doom after doing God’s work: they didn’t give God the credit for the victory.
I also love how the text told Philistia – look don’t get too happy that your enemy was destroyed. Sin will destroy you too.
Israel is only brought back into the fold after they change their hearts. In the Isaiah 14:1-32 section, they sing it was GOD who gave them the victory. Their humility is back and God is their refuge.
When God blesses me, it’s so easy to become Assyria, Babylon, and rebellious Israel – to give my hard work and cleverness all the credit when true credit belongs to God.
Thank you for the teaching that God is our promised land. It’s so nice to know that we dwell in it no matter where our physical bodies are located.
Thanks for your input on Isaiah. I sometimes have a hard time understanding God’s anger with entire groups. I know we are born sinners, but did babies, etc. in Assyria really deserve such destruction? I still don’t fully understand it, but it is helpful to realize that their lack of humility caused their doom. Thanks!
I struggle with the same Caitie. Slowly learning more about the character of God though.
I also kind of got stuck on that. I don’t always take the Old Testament literally so much as it was maybe also a way for the Israelites to make sense of a world that was much more violent than we are used to. I imagine that total war was much more the norm back then, so at the time this would have been more of usual practice. I struggle to think of God intentionally dashing infants to death.
I dont think God is the one dashing infants to death. I believe he is saying that as a result of their sin, infants will be casualties. It’s on them, it’s not on God.
Thank you Lana for giving your wonderful insights to this text. It really helped me a lot!
“The moment you lose your humility and your recognition that without God you would have nothing (no relationships, no job, no hope, no peace, no opportunities, etc), is the moment you set yourself up to lose it all.” — PREACH LANA. I need to frame this truth and keep it where I can always see it. Thanks for digesting and sharing!
I love that this reminds us of God’s goodness in His plans for us. So often I’ve seen God’s plans as just hard and scary, so I resist them and even become angry at God for continuing to just call me to “difficult” things. But then I see that that’s exactly how the Jews were seeing God’s plans, even from the moment they reached the desert after coming out of Egypt. “God, this is too hard. Let me go back. This plan is not good!” And yet, God was waiting for them to just trust Him! He was waiting to give them a GOOD land, a GOOD plan. They just kept seeing God’s plans as too difficult, not in line with their own plan. But thank goodness, as it reminds us in today’s passage, He never gives up on us! My prayer today is that I can trust that His plans are GOOD and look forward to them with joyful anticipation!
Casey – this is such a great realization! Thank you for sharing with us this morning! Grateful for you.
– Stormye
So beautiful. Thank you.
Casey, the Lord has used your words to speak to my heart today. Thank you for sharing your thoughts from our reading today!
I was trying to explain to someone yesterday why I study so much. You explained it exactly. We must return to the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, time and time again—to remember it and rehearse it our hearts. Only then will our hearts find rest from the invasions and distractions of this world. :)
I was never the first chosen in grade school on the kick ball teams.. I had a beautiful best Friend in high school and the boys chose her.. in the past 6 years a lot of people have chosen to walk out of my life..so to read about God choosing Israel over and over causes me to see His choosing of me without hesitation.. God chooses us when many choose to ditch us..and no matter what we’ve done or have yet to do, He keeps on choosing us.. He wants us on His team.. we are valuable to Him.. it’s a glorious feeling to know He chose us and He cherishes us always.. so when the whole world seemingly leaves us all alone, God stays with us forever and always.. now that’s true love!
Thank you for this.
Yes!! Thank you! So often I feel that I do not have any true friends. Just when you think you meet that person, something happens. I am blessed with a loving husband and beautiful kids but that longing to connect with a friend is strong. God always bring me back to the beauty of his unshakable love for us. It is beautiful! And you are right He always chooses us and will always find us!!
Diane – wow. What a beautiful tie in. You’re right, God chooses us over and over and it is so wonderful. Grateful for you and your words this morning!
– Stormye
Diane, that is so beautiful. Just what I needed this morning. I’ve struggled with rejection from being single. But picturing Him saying, “Oh, don’t you see?! I choose YOU, Lauren, as my Bride!!! I’m your husband! I’m your fulfiller! I’m your everything!” over and over again is so good for my spirit!
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn:
“As I have planned,
so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand,
This verse. It stuck out to me like a sore thumb in today’s reading, for no apparent reason except maybe it reminded me of something I would tell myself. I’m a planner, doer, dreamer, thinker and a tightly wound perfectionist. All these things have proved to be difficult to manage as I get older and I accumulate more tasks and responsibilities as well as grasping for unrealistic dreams I’ve desperately held on to since I was a child. I tell myself often, “if I plan and make sure everything is just right nothing can go wrong” and “if I dream it and believe it anything is possible!” But yet I still end up void and unfulfilled. No amount of planning and articulating will satisfy like Jesus. I know that truth, yet it’s so hard to let go and surrender MY ways and MY plans. So maybe this verse was meant for me today because He knows I need the reminder each and every day, but as I look at the remnants and debris of our recent wind storm I see that He has made Himself clear. Life is messy, life is chaos, but He will always stand and He will always be. Whatever we need Him to be in that moment, He will be. He will be peace. He will be rest. He will be love. He will be joy. He will be life. He will be comfort. He will be freedom. He will be.
{Moriah}
As another planner, doer, dreamer, thinker and tightly wound perfectionist….thank you for your words this morning! My we surrender to His will and allow him to redeem our planning, doing, dreaming, thinking and even perfectionism for His purposes and plans.
Moriah, this is a much needed reminder this morning! Thank you for sharing this!
– Stormye
This resonates so strongly with me. Thanks for sharing x
Moriah, this verse stuck out for me too, but for a slightly different reason. Over the last few years I have prayed for outcomes in situations and it appeared that God did the complete opposite. I was so angry, disappointed and hurt. It took me a long time to get over these pains, and if I’m honest there’s still a grain of resentment in my heart now! However, with hindsight, I can see that God’s plans in those situations were so much better. Had I got what I wanted, I have no doubt that my workload would have increased massively, that my life would be busier and I would be highly stressed. I have learnt (am still learning) that God knows best and his plans are best. I am so thankful that as He has ‘planned, so it shall be’, because I clearly haven’t a clue!!!
It’s so easy to look at passages like this and think, “Wow, what idots that they would continue to disobey and turn from God. Even after He shows grace to the over and over.” And then God strikes my heart with guilt…this is me. This is us. Time and time again we turn from God in our sin nature. And yet He still loves us, He still shows us mercy and grace. This will always blow my mind. I don’t think I will ever wrap my mind around this.
I am reading Ephesian with my church lifegroup and every day of SRT so far has lined up so much with my Ephesians study. We are saved by grace, even in our depravity. This should humble us and call us to greater devotion to Him.
http://www.littlelightonahill.com
I can definitely apply this to my anxiety. It’s caused me to grow farther and farther away from God, and I need to return to Him.
I feel you sister! I struggle with anxiety too. Praying Jesus gives you peace and helps you find freedom from anxiety to return to Him! ❤
Anxiety can so easily drown out everything else, can’t it, including being able to listen to God’s voice :( But hope you’re able to come to a place where God meets you *in* your anxiety, so that you are able to draw near to him in the storm as well as in the calm.
I love how The Message translates chapter 14. What really stuck out to me is “One again, He will choose Israel.” I love how committed God is to us, even though we can be SO fickle! I also loved:
“God-of-the-Angel-Armies has planned it.
Who could ever cancel such plans?
His is the hand that’s reached out.
Who could brush it aside?”
How often do we find ourselves doubting God? Thinking the circumstances that we face are going to swallow us up and take away all the joy and hope in our life? We have to remember that God is with us- no matter what happens in life. Just like the passage we read in Revelation says- evil is going to be defeated! Nothing can stop this plan of God. No present circumstance is bigger than Him. No disease, war, conflict, or anything on this earth can stop our God!
Those who are meant to be always find their way back to each other? Is this not so true with God and His people? When you accept Christ into your heart, even if you go through years of being lost because you’ve forgotten that God has a plan for you, He always makes it so that you find your way back to Him again. Remember that He is a jealous God, and once you belong to Him, He belongs to you indefinitely. This is the kind of love we desire in our partners… but how great is it that it’s a love that already exists with the King Himself. Our King. And a King never forsakes His people. True love always finds its way back to each other, no matter how long the journey may be. I learned that the only refuge I ever needed was in Christ and it took me years to realize that, even though I’ve been “Christian” all my life. Flash forward years later, I can’t go through life without placing my hope and trust solely in Him. He’s become my refuge in all things. I found my way back to the One who never left. Take refuge in Him, and you’ll soon discover how more bearable it is to live in this life.
“True love always finds its way back to each other, no matter how long the journey may be.” I love this thought. There is nothing I can do to make God love me any more or any less than He already does. He is always the loving Father standing on the porch watching for His prodigal children to come back home.
Katalina, what a sweet reminder. Thank you for your words this morning. Grateful for you!
– Stormye
I love these devotionals! A companion book with these would be a treasure to keep alongside the beautiful workbook
Paula, I agree!
This reminds me of the John Mark Macmillan song, “Heart Won’t Stop.” I’ll be jamming to it on my way to work :)
I love the idea that God hasn’t gone anywhere or drifted from us, we need only to return to him.
Also, I absolutely LOVE that movie so I’m glad to see someone else does too :)
When I was a teen there was a place I would go for peace. I didn’t know what I was seeking but I know that I enjoyed the view, and sitting alone and thinking was an exercise in self preservation then. When I came to Christ, I still enjoyed the journey to a simple spot and the meaning of those spots became greater as I would appreciate the scenery more because I knew its maker. And with every move over the course of years, every frightening season, I would find a special place that resonated with me, a kind of refuge for my heart in a busy world. In Kentucky, there was an away place in the woods with a small lake, New York, a quite spot in a large field near the Erie Canal, California, a sloping hill on a low travelled beach, North Carolina, an old Moravian Cemetery and the list goes on in my mind. I haunted these places day and night, depending on the need because sometimes the quiet I needed couldn’t be found at home and boy did those places produce. I can not tell you the number of tears that fell in those spots. As I have gotten older and my responsibilities even greater, I have had less and less time to escape away to favorite spots alone and seek this special kind of quiet. I miss it, I do, greatly, though I know it will come again BUT what I know most now is that God is where I am and HE is my refuge. Free lands will become occupied, walls will crumble, forests will burn, lakes will dry up but God will always be, so peace will always be, even in the midst of chaos. I’m so thankful that Zion is real, truly it is but it isn’t just a distant place that has profound religious meaning, Zion is God’s heart too … and so it exists here, for me, because God is for me. Even in the madness that has me feeling that there is no time for me, I don’t have to escape away to find Him, to be with Him … even in my own home, my kitchen, my car … He is there. He is a very present refuge in my every situation. So incredibly thankful for a Father, a Savior who would make Himself so available to me, whenever and wherever. Prayerful that I remember Zion, remember God’s heart in it and that I live out each day feeling His profound love for me. ~ Betsy
Betsy,
I LOVE your comment! I often feel this way too, that taking time for peace and quiet and reflection is so difficult in this stage of life! I work full time and I am married with 2 little boys, so taking time for myself seems nearly impossible anymore! It is so awesome that God can give us those times of peace no matter how chaotic life can be.
Cassie, Agreed. I find it amazing that God loves us so greatly that even in our “busy” He provides moments of peace. To have a Father so after our heart is overwhelmingly wonderful. Enjoy those sweet littles. They grow so fast!
Your words spoke so well to me this morning…thank you and have a blessed day!
Thank you, Rhonda! I hope that you have a beautiful day today. Prayerful that you feel God in it! :)
This is me too. And I know God is trying to teach me about doing all of life from a place of rest. So I don’t NEED to go somewhere alone to find that rest. The rest I long for is IN CHRIST.
Cecelia, what a sweet reminder. Thank you for sharing this!
– Stormye
So true!
“…doing all of life from a place of rest.” Love that. It is a hard thing to master in this crazy loud world of ours but I agree wholeheartedly … life from a place of rest is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
Thank you for your words today! So thankful that he doesn’t need a sloping hill or peaceful scene to be our God of peace and love
Me too, Olivia! Thankful that even on my corner of the couch He is here, my God of peace and love! :)
Betsy, thank you for sharing this morning. What a beautiful thing that can always find our refuge in God. Grateful for you.
– Stormye
Thank you, Stormye! Grateful for SRT and all of you wonderful folks!
B please always continue to share your thoughts with us. You give me such a personal powerful understanding on what ever we are studying. Such a gift. Thank you so much for sharing!! God bless you!
Candy, you are so wonderful to me. I can’t express how grateful I am for your encouragement and kindness over me. Thank you, very much! ~ Betsy
Thank you for your words. They resonate with me. I love those quiet spots but never linked it as you have. Thank you for the image and the vision of why those spots were important to you, and how you find God wherever you are. Blessings to you. Jennie
Psalm 48:9…within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love…
I love the definition of unfailing: not giving way; not falling short of expectation; completely dependable. That is the love of our God! How often do I truly stop and meditate (thoughtfully reflect and contemplate) God’s love for me…His dependable, never falling short of expectation love for ME? How often do I actually stop and realize that I am in fact His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16)…that He would choose to dwell within ME? What in the world?!? We don’t have to run to a physical town or temple. Our refuge dwells within us. We take our temple with us into every moment of our day…the good and the bad. When I do stop to meditate, which I plan to do much more of today, on God’s unfailing love I realize how insanely ridiculous and marvelous His love story really is. I think the verse that meant the most to me out of Isaiah this morning is when he says in 14:2 that foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob. What a beautiful picture of the Gentiles…US!….being invited into the fold of God. Without this verse and promise, we wouldn’t be able to say that our God dwells within us. Basically this morning I’m struck by the craziness of our God and rejoice that He would love me with an unfailing love.
Audrey – rejoicing with you! Thank you for sharing this morning!
– Stormye
My husband and I have just bought land on Mount Zion Road and we’re getting ready to build our dream home there. This spoke volumes to me, especially, ” He was the place where they could find hope, their only true refuge and strength. He was their Promised Land.” I try so hard to live a Christ filled life but often times I fail. This is just a reminder that there are no coincidences where God is concerned but only His true love and provisions. We always wanted to build a home of our own and live on land but we weren’t quite ready for that step until something changed in our lives that forced us to move on sooner than we were ready but it was in God’s plan all along. He knew our needs and lead us to the place we will soon call home. A home that will always be filled with love and a place of “rest from the invasions and distractions of this world.” A place where our family and friends will always be welcomed like God welcomes His people, unconditionally. My house is God’s house and it is here I find refuge.
It is fascinating to look at a modern day map over-laid with ancient cities. Babylon is in the heart of Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in modern day Iraq. I was struck at seeing the city of Mosul North/Northwest of Babylon. I’m not a huge news watcher, but just the other day I saw a piece about how the Iraqi “good guys” are closing in on re-taking Mosul from ISIS. And I know many of us have read some of the horrific stories of what ISIS does to women and children.
There are so many layers to Isaiah’s prophecy, from how it partially applied to ancient Israel to its partial and potential fulfillment at the return of Christ. And, just like yesterday, the idea that speaks to me most (and that I haven’t quite figured out why it does speak to me so strongly) is that God is just in visiting His wrath upon the unrepentant. He is just in raising up whomever He chooses to use to visit His wrath upon the ones who should know better but choose to turn away. And He is just in punishing whomever comes against His chosen ones, even though He was the One to raise them up against His people in the first place. This, to me, is mind-boggling, comforting, strength-giving….. and a bit scary, if I’m honest. Thank you, God, that I don’t have to understand, and that You’ve promised me the power to believe and obey. In Jesus’ Name.
Amen
Amen. God’s sovereignty is exactly as you said – “mind-boggling, comforting, strength-giving and a bit scary.” I’m like you, just thankful that I don’t have to understand it all. I just have to trust Him and believe His Word.
Same!
A place to find rest and hope – Zion – the Lord God. This reading was hard for me – Gods anger feels so big. Focusing on the need for refuge helps me and maybe these intense words point us to his knowledge of how hard life can truly be.
I want to share with you part of a prayer from the “The Valley of Vision”.
“O God of Grace,
I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for thou dost always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, Father, forgive me, and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.
Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day’s work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.
Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.”
Amen and amen. Have a blessed day.
❤️
You’ve imessrped us all with that posting!
WOW. this is powerful! Thanks for sharing!
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for sharing this. Amen!
❤
So beautiful.
Yes!
The Revelation verses were like a healing salve for my heart’s wounds.
I have been feeling confused and discouraged these past couple of days and my discomfort made it seem as if God was distant. But that passage was like a fairy tale. He slayed the dragon to rescue the princess (His church).
I’m in such awe this morning that He’s the only one worthy of owning my heart.
I pray that His love will heal and inspire me, and that He protects me from having Stockholm’s syndrome with my former master —sin.
Love this analogy of sin being like Stockholm’s syndrome! Have never thought of it this way before.
As gruesome as God’s plans with the people that hurt His people are, somehow I always find comfort in them. God always, always had and has His people’s best interest at heart. For us, right now, that may not mean people (but only the people who would not bow down to Him, people who hurt His children) will be destroyed by God Almighty. But then I remember Paul’s words: we do not fight against flesh and blood, but to the spirits and powers in the heavenly realms… And God is waging war against those powers. For us! To me, Isaiah’s prophecies explain so much about God’s righteous anger and I find comfort in the fact that He still shakes the earth and lets His enemies tremble because of His beloved people, which we are a part of.
Thank you Stacey, I have never had a clear understanding of Mount Zion before, this is so helpful. He truly is our safe refuge, our hiding place.