Conditions in Judah had reached an all-time low when Isaiah
entered the temple in Jerusalem. The hostile Assyrians were eyeing Judah as a
vulture eyes a dying animal. To
make matters worse, Judah’s moral and spiritual strength had dissipated. Isaiah
depicted the nation as corrupt, hypocritical, rebellious, and ignorant. It
resembled a diseased body covered from head to heels with festering wounds,
welts, and open sores.
Where could Isaiah look for hope and change?
He couldn’t look to King Uzziah. He had recently died.
He couldn’t look to Israel, Judah’s neighbor to the north.
She was far down the slippery slope that would lead to destruction at the hands
of the Assyrians.
He couldn’t look to the people of Judah. They were helpless.
But he could look to the Lord; and that’s what he did. In
the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah glimpsed the Lord sitting on a throne,
“and the train of His robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). It was a
life-altering moment for Isaiah. The lord cleansed him of his sin and
commissioned him to carry His message to the nation—a message of hope and
change. The Lord promised to
pardon and restore all who would turn from their sin and trust in Him. He would
not abandon His people. Chapters 40—66 spill over with hope of a new day based
on the Messiah’s substitutionary suffering (Isa. 53).
The United States has entered an uncertain period of
history. Morally and spiritually we are adrift, and hostile nations would like
to see us collapse. So, where should we look for hope and change? If we look only
to the man who will occupy the White House for the next four years, we will be
disappointed. However, if we look to the Sovereign of heaven and earth, the One
to whom Isaiah looked, we will find hope and genuine change.
Soon, we will cast our ballots for the next President of the
United States. Let’s choose wisely and put our utmost confidence in the One who
holds the future in His hands.
