Text: Isaiah 18:1-7, Isaiah 19:1-25, Isaiah 20:1-6, Matthew 10:16-23, Romans 9:14-18
When my kids were younger, they would sometimes hide. I’m not talking about hiding in the peek-a-boo or hide-n-seek sense—though those were games we all loved to play together. No, they hid because they didn’t want to be found. If you’ve been around kids at all, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Kids often try to hide, however poorly, what they don’t want others to see.
I’ve been tempted to do the same in the face of being found out, when the Lord reveals my sin to me. But as today’s readings remind me, God is a righteous judge who will not be mocked. One day, we will all give account for what we’ve done (Romans 14:12), but it won’t be a time to impart information to the Lord—He already knows all things (Psalm 139). Rather than send us into hiding, these truths should lead us to confession, repentance, and ultimately worship.
The good news for you and me—for all who believe—is that though God is just, He is also merciful. He knows judgment is coming, and so it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). In His extravagant mercy, He seeks us out to make Himself known, even if we refuse to acknowledge Him (Romans 1:20). But when we do turn to Him and pray to receive His mercy, we recognize, as Paul did, that our righteousness is completely in the hands of the Lord:
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
– Romans 9:14-15
Redemption depends not on our human will or exertion, but on our kind and merciful God. In His redeeming us He displays His power in us, so that His name might be proclaimed in all the earth, to those who have yet to turn to Him (Romans 9:17).
The Lord is active and present, working in so many ways and in so many places (John 5:17). But we can easily miss Him. We can drown Him out with distractions and busyness. We can tune Him out like Adam and Eve did, then run and hide from Him in our sin, instead of running into His arms for forgiveness. Even so, He pursues us—working both broadly in the world and intimately in our hearts—to bring us back to where we belong: in His presence. Though we were once far off and lost, the blood of Jesus has brought us close (Ephesians 2:13).
We were made to be found. So look for Him. Listen. Pay attention. Count the ways you see the Lord’s hand at work. Draw near to Him. Seek Him with all your heart, and rest assured, He will be found by you (Jeremiah 29:12-14).
This is the Lord’s mercy to you and me—not by our might, but by His.
Trillia Newbell is the author of Enjoy: Finding the Freedom to Delight Daily in God’s Good Gifts, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves (2015) and United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity (2014). Trillia is married to her best friend, Thern, they reside with their two children near Nashville, TN. You can find her at trillianewbell.com and follow her on twitter at @trillianewbell.
I’m guilty of hiding from the Lord and this just brought it back to me, I can’t hide and need to be in the presence of the Lord.
Disappointed in today’s devotional as it did not reference Isaiah. And there are so many questions: buzzing insect wings, smooth skinned people, five cities in Egypt speaking the language of Canaan… whaaat?! When will Egypt know the Lord? Uggghhh
I had some of the same questions!
I completely agree -and I struggle with this one
I agree as well! Can anyone provide clarity? I’d love for the synopsis to reference back to our specific passages more.
Still love this study so far.
I am struggling with this series & understanding Isaiah. Usually, SRT is so good about walking you through the scriptures, but with what we are reading in Isaiah I feel like the scripture is so over my head but the devotionals aren’t explaining the text. Each day is covering 3 chapters, which is a ton, and not explaining it at all. Maybe it’s just me, but the devotions and the scripture readings don’t even seem connected. Maybe the study guide they sell has more of what I’m looking for? I bought the study guide for Hosea and it really didn’t have much additional information, it was basically just straight scripture. What am I missing?
I feel the exact same way!! We are reading tons of really difficult information in Isaiah without help. This study has been hard.
Yes!!
I’ve found that biblegateway.com has some great study tools that really help make the context of difficult passages like the ones we’ve been studying in Isaiah clearer–and they are all free! There is even a free app you can download on your phone, too. To find the commentaries on biblegateway, go to “Study” and then “More Resources.” From there, you’ll find dictionaries and concordances, commentaries, etc. I personally enjoy the Reformation Study Bible as it gives verse-by-verse insight. For the SRT studies, I will first read the passages on my own and mark areas of confusion/interest. Then, I will go through the commentaries and make notes on the history and context. Lastly, I will read the posted devotional here on SRT and personally reflect. I have found that this really helps me understand what I am reading and encourages me to ask questions and think about the passage on my own :)
So thankful we are pursued by someone so loving while we are so lost. He always brings us home. ❤
“It’s His kindness that leads us to repentance.” What a merciful God we serve!
https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide_Isa/Isa_19.cfm for those interested in a study guide.
Thank you for sharing this.
Wow. That commentary was super helpful. Will continue to use the site alongside of this study. Thanks
Thank you for this! I was also wanting to go deeper than today’s commentary goes for this scripture. This is very helpful.
I really liked today’s reading, I will admit that last week was a major fail for me to take time for this devotional but Monday is a new week and a new beginning to try again, so I am beginng with this scripture and I just loved that it was saying to not hide from our sins. He isn’t going to be mad, He wants us to admit to our flaws, He wants us to keep coming back no matter how bad we think we’ve done because we are continuing to trust Him.
So grateful for these words! They are such a sweet reminder for us all. Thankful for you!
– Stormye
Like the other ladies above, I too wish the devotional reflection had tied in with even one of today’s readings. I was struggling to find a meaning of it all today and was disappointed that the reflection seemed off-topic and lacking depth. I love how these other readers have found their own interpretation and meanings in the readings, and I too would like to go back to the Scriptures and spend time in reflection on what God is revealing about Himself through these stories of Cush and Egypt.
Ditto :/
Amen!!