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SM1151: On-Line
Teaching Notes
ISAIAH 15:1-9
Several years ago a plane crashed and burned on a runway in Philadelphia. One of the stewardess' aboard the plane was Mary Frances Hausley. As the plane stood motionless and burning on the runway, she stood at the door assisting passengers to safety. Just when she thought all were safe, she heard a woman screaming, "My baby, by baby!" With this prompting she returned to the flaming plane, never to be seen alive again.
When the flames were finally extinguished and the burned wreckage unsnarled, they found the body of Miss Hausley draped over the child she tried to save. The caption of Time's story read, "She could have jumped."
As I read that story it brought to mind what many people really do, they jump! Or, even worse, they rejoice over their enemies destruction! By ignoring a situation or celebrating over someone else's defeat, making you look good and making them look bad, it just shows where your heart is at.
Now we can also turn that around and we can be the one put in a difficult situation while those around us have jumped ship or are starting their celebration. As one person said, and rightly so, "If you really want to know who your friends are, just make a mistake!"
This morning, as we look at Isaiah chapter 15 and the destruction of Moab, we are going to see a man who has the heart of God. And my prayer, as we study this together this morning, is that God would make our hearts like His heart. And so lets begin reading in verse 1 of Isaiah chapter 15.
ISAIAH 15:1-9
In reading this portion of Scripture you can see the devastation the Assyrians brought upon the Moabites. For the Assyrians, the Moabites were just their warm up for another battle, as they came against Arabia. And then, on their way back from defeating Arabia, they once again attacked the Moabites, I guess just to cool down.
Things were so bad, from the north to the south, that they shaved their heads and wore sack cloth as they mourned over their loses. All their land was devastated by the Assyrians. People were fleeing for their lives and those that escaped, many were killed by lions.
And as Isaiah gives this devastating judgment that is coming upon Moab, he breaks down and says "My heart will cry out for Moab..." Isaiah 15:5. Isaiah is overwhelmed at what he sees and he begins to cry for the people of Moab. The Hebrew word for "cry" is ZAAQ, which means "to shriek, a cry for help." And what we see here is a man who is crying out from his heart, his inner most being for these people. Why would he do that?
Some might say that it is because they were family. The Moabites were the descendants of Lot, who was the nephew of Abraham. And because of that he felt a closeness to them, that they were family and it was very difficult for him to watch his family destroyed by the Assyrians. It sounds good, but I don't believe that was the reason!
You see, the Moabites were a perennial enemy of the Jews. When the children of Israel were traveling towards the promise land, they wanted to pass through this area of Moab, but they were refused permission to do so. (Deuteronomy 23:4, Judges 11:17-18). The Moabites hired Balaam to curse Israel. (Numbers 22:4). In II Kings chapter 3 we see Moab making war with Israel. You see, they may have been family, but there was not a lot of love between them!
Then why did Isaiah respond like he did? Because he put aside his ego, he put aside the differences they had with each other, and saw the destruction of people, human lives were lost, and instead of rejoicing over the death of an enemy, he mourned. I think what we see expressed through the words and emotions of Isaiah, is the love of God towards man. God gets no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and neither did Isaiah! As we have said before, in Ezekiel 18:23, 32 we read, "'Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?' says the Lord GOD, 'and not that he should turn from his ways and live?'...'For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,' says the Lord GOD. 'Therefore turn and live!'"
Let me ask you this, and take a minute to think about it. Out of all that we posses as Christians, what is the one thing that sets us apart or shows others we are Christians? Is it the power of God's Spirit in our lives? Is it speaking in tongues? Is it having the gift of healing or miracles or prophecy? Is it being able to quote as many passages from the Bible as you can before the person you are talking with runs away? Is it going to church more than once a week? Is it being good, doing what is right?
Interestingly enough, none of these did Jesus list as the one true Characteristic that the world would see in us and recognize that we are Christians, a disciple of Jesus. Isn't that amazing! There are some who believe that unless you speak in tongues you are not even saved. Of course that is ridiculous for the Scriptures don't support that.
But there is one thing that makes us different, and Jesus, as He was preparing His men for His departure, His death, said to them in John chapter 13, beginning in verse 31, "...'Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.'" John 13:31-35.
And so, the distinguishing characteristic in a disciple of Jesus Christ is LOVE! And again it is that Greek word AGAPE or unconditional love. Now I think we understand the concept, that is not to difficult. Where things get a little tough is when we try to put into practice that concept of unconditional love. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
Lets think spring, even though fall has just begun. And you are out in your garden and have just planted many beautiful flowers. You spent days preparing the soil, removing the weeds, and now you have planted your prize possessions, and it looks beautiful. And as you go to bed that night you can't wait to get up and sit on the porch with your morning cup of coffee and just enjoy the beauty of God's creation, that you just happened to plant the night before.
But as you get up and look out the window your heart begins to sink to the floor. All your flowers were dug up, the place was a mess, and then you begin to get angry. As you look out your window you see the reason for this destruction, the neighbors dog who has this goofy looking smile on his face as he is tossing your flowers up in the air, having a grand old time. What would you do? You seem to have every right to explode over this!
Well, some of the options you have might be, and you can pick which one fits you best:
A. GET OUT YOUR SHOT GUN AND SEE TO IT THAT THESE ARE THE LASTDAISY'S THIS DOG WOULD EVER PUSH UP!
B. AFTER DEALING WITH THE DOG, YOU THEN TEACH THE OWNER ALESSON BY PULLING UP ALL HIS FLOWERS AND PLANTING HIS DOG INSTEAD!
C. BUILD A TEN FOOT WALL AROUND YOUR HOUSE PROTECTING YOU AND YOUR FLOWERS FROM THE HEATHENS OF THIS WORLD THAT ARE GOING TO BURN IN HELL ANYWAY!
D. ALL OF THE ABOVE!
Now obviously these are extremes but we can allow something like this to change us from Chester the Charming Christian to Ted the Terminator! And this transformation can take place very quickly, you don't even need a full moon. All it takes is one little incident that rubs us the wrong way, and they transformation begins.
The problem is, that is not the way we are to deal with various situations. As right as you may be, as much as you may have been taken advantage of, as unfair a situation it may be, love must be the characteristic that flows from our hearts and is manifested in our lives. You may disagree with me, but I will let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
In Acts chapter 7 we see Stephen brought before the Sanhedrin for his faith in Christ. And as Stephen speaks he does not try to defend himself, even though he was accused of blasphemy and could be put to death, but he points them to Christ instead.
Stephen launches into a scathing attack all based on Israel's past history. How they resisted the Holy Spirit, how they were spiritually blind, rejecting both Joseph and Moses the first time, Joseph sold into slavery and Moses fleeing to the mountains, and now they have also rejected Jesus, and murdered the Righteous One of God. Obviously they were not happy with what they heard, even though it was the truth!
And as Stephen hit the climax of his message, he gazed up into heaven and pointed them to Jesus who was standing at the right hand of God. It was at this point we read of their reaction beginning in verse 57 of Acts chapter 7. It says "Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul." Acts 7:57-58.
They did not want to hear anymore of what Stephen was saying and they brought him out of the city to stone him to death. Now look at the anger, the bitterness, the hatred that had filled the hearts of the people. They were out of control.
Now Stephen had every right to scream and yell and curse at these unsaved heathens that were going to burn in hell for eternity because of their sins! But Stephen is filled with peace and tranquillity. There is no anger, no bitterness at what was going to happen to him.
In fact, we see exactly what took place, as we read in Acts chapter 7, beginning in verse 59, "And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:59-60.
Can you imagine a spirit like that? I don't know about you but when someone cuts me off the road and I am ready to kill them many times! And yet Stephen reflected the nature of Jesus. You see, as Stephen was murdered by these men, he echoed the words that His Lord and Savior spoke from the cross of Calvary. In Luke 23:34, 46 we see Jesus say these words from the cross, "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.'...And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last."
Now some have a hard time understanding why God would allow this to happen to Stephen. They don't understand why God did not rescue him. There is a true story of a heckler who shouted to a street preacher, "Why didn't God do something for Stephen when they were stoning him?" The preacher replied back, "God did do something for Stephen. He gave him the grace to forgive his murderers and to pray for them!"
Wow! All you can say is that Stephen was not just filled with the Spirit of God, but it came gushing forth like torrents of living water from his life. In fact Stephen reflected the nature of God so much, he was so different than those around him, that this was noticed by those who where going to murder him. In Acts 6:15 we read "And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel."
Again, some see this as a tragedy, but for Christians, it really isn't! In 1948 Jim Elliot wrote in his journal "I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you Lord Jesus." Then, 2 years later he wrote in his journal "I must not think it strange if God takes in youth those whom I would have kept on earth till they were older. God is peopling eternity, and I must not restrict Him to old men and women."
Then on January 8, 1956, Jim Elliot and his 4 comrades were martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ by the same people they sought to reach, the Auca Indians. These men are with the Lord, their life is not over, it has just begun! As Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose!" And understand this, through his witness, in life and in death, many of the people he sought to reach turned to Christ!
The same is true with the death of Stephen. You see, there was a young man there named Saul who not only consented to the death of Stephen, but was persecuting Christians for their faith. And the words of Stephen, his forgiving spirit, his love, must have eaten away at Saul till one day he had an encounter with God, and become one of the strongest advocates for Christ. We know him as Paul the apostle!
I think a word that we as Christians need to apply to our life is, COMPASSION. I think it is easy to forget where we came from, we were born in sin, and we can easily then become self righteous towards others. We can become hateful in our actions towards people. And yet God wants us to have a heart like His, full of compassion!
A few weeks ago Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old college student was tied to a fence, pistol-whipped and left for dead in the cold air of Laramie, Wyoming by 2 men who were angry because Matthew Shepard was gay. This young man died in the cold room of a hospital a short time after this incident. Now as tragic as this story is, murdering someone because you don't like their lifestyle, what I saw and heard so-called Christians do was even more alarming to me!
I am not condoning homosexuality, nor adultery, nor lying, nor any other sin that the Bible speaks of. But to murder someone or to say the things that Christians said at his funeral was not from the heart of God but from their own self righteous hearts. If you don't agree, then I do feel sorry for you, for then you are agreeing with what was said by these people.
In an article from Time magazine, dated October 26, 1998 we read "While his family prepared for his burial and spoke of Shepard's gentleness and tolerant ways, a Kansas minister with a web-site called godhatesfags.com made plans to dance at the funeral." At the funeral a follower of Jesus held up a sign that read "AIDS CURES FAGS".
That kind of talk and that kind of behavior makes me sick to my stomach, and to see people proud of this kind of activity, letting people know they are Christians, is very disturbing. My how we forget where we came from and the compassion that God had towards us in our sin. And yet we are unwilling to have compassion on others! Can you imagine if God destroyed all sinners, NONE OF US WOULD BE LEFT! It is only by the grace of God we do stand at all!
This kind of hateful activity very much reminds me of what Jonah did. He was suppose to go to Nineveh and tell the Assyrian people that within 40 days God's judgment would be poured out upon them unless they repented. And Jonah tried to run from God but God got his attention and delivered him to Nineveh in the belly of a whale. And reluctant Jonah delivered the message to the people he wanted to see destroyed. But he did not have much love in what he had to say to them.
Now you do have to understand where Jonah was coming from. The Assyrian people were very wicked and very powerful. When they would capture a people, they would many times torture them, remove their clothes, and lead them to their captivity with a hook in their nose to pull them there. And so Jonah, as well I'm sure as many others, wanted these wicked people dead, and not spared God's judgment!
But the people of Nineveh did repent and God did spare them for a time. And in that, notice the response of Jonah in chapter 4, starting in verse 1. We read, "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, 'Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!'" Jonah 4:1-3.
He knew of God's grace and mercy and love, thus, as the people repented, God forgave them. Jonah's response to all this is he just wanted to die. But, in verse 11, notice the heart of God, "And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left; and much livestock?" Jonah 4:11. GOD HAD COMPASSION UPON THE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND HE FORGAVE THEM AS THEY REPENTED!
With the remainder of our time here this morning, I want to look at the compassion of Jesus towards people, towards sinners, and the result of that compassion. And then we will look at what our response is to all of this, what we should do.
In Matthew 9:36 we are told that when Jesus "...saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." Jesus saw the people hopeless, helpless, walking aimlessly through life, lost in their sins because they had no one to lead them, no one to point them in the right direction. So Jesus came to them full of compassion.
Not only did Jesus go out to them, but he touched them and healed them as Matthew 14:14 tells us. We read "And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick." Yes Jesus healed many physically, but that was not what was ultimately needed, it just testified to the fact that Jesus was the one the prophets spoke of. You see, in physical healing there is still going to be death at some point. And sin, no matter how you try to categorize it, is still sin and it separates us from God. So Jesus came to them and also healed them spiritually by forgiving them their sins, by paying the penalty for their sins.
Now when a person is touched by Jesus, and healed by Jesus, they will follow Jesus. That is what we see in Matthew 20:34, as we read "So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him."
That should be our hearts desire, to reach out and touch peoples lives, point them to Jesus so they may be healed, and as they come to Him they will follow Him. The end result is there will be rejoicing in heaven as a sinner has been set free and has become a child of God.
Paul, in Philippians chapter 2, makes it very clear the mind we are to have, and then what flows from that mind set. He said beginning in verse 1, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:1-4.
When you put on the mind of Christ, being guided by His Spirit, you will be full of compassion for the lost, desiring to do whatever it takes to touch them for Christ, to see them enter the family of God. You won't be yelling out or holding up signs that say "AIDS CURES FAGS".
The reason is simple if you are really honest with yourself. You were heading down the same path as homosexuals, as well as ALL the others sinners that are separated from God. You were going to hell and no one killed you, held up signs with hateful messages that caused you to embrace the God they said they served. In fact I would move away instead of being drawn to God through that. But by God's grace, by His mercy, by His love, you have become a child of His because someone cared for you to share the truth of God with you.
It is as Paul said in Ephesians 4:30-32, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."
If you really believe that we are living in the last days, then what are you doing about it? Are you going to climb on top of your pedestal and look down upon others? Or are you going to reach out and touch someone for Jesus, no matter what their background, or lifestyle is?
Listen to the words of David in Psalm 103, as he said beginning in verse 8 "The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:8-12.
As much as God has been gracious and merciful to us, let us do the same to others! Isaiah was broken over the destruction that he saw coming upon his enemies. He saw the destruction that this judgment would have upon peoples lives. Are we preparing to rejoice and dance over the judgment that is coming, or are we mourning over the lost and their fate outside of Christ? I think having a proper perspective of the situation will lead us to a proper response if our eyes our focused on Jesus. Instead of showing the ugliness of the human heart, let us show the love of Christ to a world that is hurting and lost!
Let me leave you with these words of David to meditate upon. Let God show you what He would have you do as you encounter various difficult situations. In Psalm 145, beginning in verse 8, we read "The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works."