Year 6, Day 3: Isaiah 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Calling

• Calling asks whether or not God has called the person to the particular work at this point in their life.

Isaiah 18 is such a great place to talk about calling.  Let’s start with a place that we already know.  Within this chapter God makes it clear that the Assyrians are doing His will.  They are called by God to be a judgment upon the nation of Israel and to be a warning to the people of Judah.  Of course we know that they go about their calling from God in a wrong manner and take it way too far.  For that, the Assyrians themselves will be judged.  So we learn that we need to hear God’s calling and obey without taking it too far and going about it in the wrong way.

Of course, we are also familiar with the Hebrew people.  They are being called into a time of judgment.  Of course they will resist.  But we also hear that in God’s compassion this time of judgment will not last very long.  They are called into judgment now, but not for forever.

However, what I really find inspiring today is the calling of the Cushites.  The Cushites are told in this passage to not get involved in this area of the world.  They are called to go back home and not worry about the Assyrians.

I find this interesting.  Often we look for places to which we are called.  But how often do we acknowledge the places to which we are not called?  How often do we acknowledge that God does not want us to go down a particular path?  How quick are we to consider the process of determining where we are not being called as a legitimate part of the calling process?

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