Year 6, Day 50: Isaiah 66

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Approval

• Approval: We all need to feel as though we are accepted.  When we seek the approval of God, our Up is in the right place.  But when we seek the approval of other people besides God, we open the door to pursuing false gods and risk putting someone or something other than God in our Up position.

I think that this last chapter of Isaiah is a really neat portal through which we can view the idea of approval.  I’m going to talk specifically to the people who know of God, too.  I’m not going to look at anyone who is seeking approval and denying God at the same time.  I’m going to talk about people who know about God and are specifically seeking His approval.

If we remember where we’ve come in the book of Isaiah, we understand that Isaiah is a book that brings us from sin and rebellion into judgment.  From judgment Isaiah takes us into repentance.  Repentance brings us to forgiveness and restoration.  Restoration brings us back into life with God, our Creator and Father.  It is upon this pattern that the book of Isaiah is written.

The question for this last chapter, then, is what we do with this.  Isaiah has some very harsh words about this topic.  His words at the beginning of this chapter belong up with some of my favorite verses of all time: Psalm 51:15-17, Joel 2:13, Hosea 6:6.  Upon whom does the Lord look?  He looks upon the humble and the contrite in spirit.  He looks upon the one who trembles at the Word of God.  See Isaiah 66:2 for confirmation.

So often we think that by attending church on Sunday morning and putting our check in the offering plate that we are getting God’s approval.  So often we think that by doing our weekly duty in the worship of God that we are getting God’s approval.  So often we think that by teaching Sunday, mowing the church lawn, and making the church pretty that we are getting God’s approval.  Don’t get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with any of those things so long as God has asked you to do them.  But that’s God’s point.  God approves of the one who is humble before Him.  God approves of the one who seeks His will first and then accomplishes the will of the Lord.  God approves of the one who is content in God trembles before His Word.

I think so often we get God wrong.  We try to buy His love.  We try to do the right things to compensate for our sinfulness.  But all God wants is for us to stop, humble ourselves, and align ourselves with His will.  We do so much, but He really just asks us for so little.

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