- Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the Lord. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the Lord. Isaiah 23:18- What we see happening here is that once God would restore Tyre back to its glory the people would repent and give God their offerings instead of giving their abundance to false gods. Maybe then you are thinking, “Well if I ever was rich, and if then God ever humbled me, and if then God ever restored me after that, then of course I would give Him my riches like this.” Sure that’s one literal way of taking this passage, but maybe you’ll never find yourself rich, then humbled, then restored, then faced with what to do now with your wealth. What about asking the question of what are you doing with the things you do have? How about what are you doing with this extra time now since you’re stuck at home? How about what are you doing with the growing fear inside you about all that’s going on? How about what are you doing for the church family you still have and someday hopefully soon will see them again like normal? Let this passage today be a check for us as to if the things in our life would be considered being used in a Holy way that’s honoring to God. Maybe wealth isn’t something you have, but you do have an abundance all around you of things God has blessed you with. Use then those things for His glory. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1224
- Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth. Isaiah 23:8-9 – Isaiah is now directing his prophecies towards Tyre. Tyre was a harbor city that was extremely important for shipping trade in that time. Because it was such a hub for trade, Tyre became a massively wealthy city. Merchants were considered princes and leaders, traders were considered honored in their midst. This fed into a deep sin for the people of Trye, pride. With more and more wealth coming their way, and more eyes looking to them as they grew successful, “pompous pride” grew. From Isaiah though we hear of a coming destruction of Tyre, of all this wealth being gone and the glory being stripped from Tyre. Who was the one to do such a thing? Who purposed this to happen? Who defiled such pride? It was the Lord. Our God will defile what defiles. For sin in our life defiles us, it makes us unclean and unholy. Yet God, when His righteousness comes into the mix, takes what defiles, and defiles it’s efforts. Know whether it’s pride like we see in our passage, or some other sin, God’s command is for us to live apart from such sin. He has spoken of sin’s defiling nature in our life, so Jesus came to defile the efforts of sin. While the enemy’s ultimate goal with sin of our eternal death has been forever “defiled,” let us not continue in the sin our Savior has defeated. Let us live holy and humbly before the Lord, and let us instead be tools God uses to defile the efforts of our enemy in our brother’s life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2690
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