Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 27, 2020

How’s That Working out for You?

Isaiah 23:1-18

1. Background/Setting

• last in a series of judgments pronounced against the nations
• note the inclusion of Israel in the previous chapter
• a few facts about the Phoenicians

2. A poem of ruin (1-14)

• downfall of Tyre and Sidon
• representative of man’s attempts to live without God (Rev. 17-18)
• loss of commercial influence
• silence in contrast to the buzz
• the past as though it never happened
• losses: joy, peace, rest and security

3. A prediction of restoration (15-18)

• recovery after 70 years
• unflattering portrayal
• invincibly appropriated
• brought down and raised up
• making even the enemy a servant

4. So what?

• Because God is sovereign and you are accountable to Him, live for His glory now!
• Recognize that opposition to God’s reign is the ultimate exercise in futility. He always has the last word!
• Reject the foolishness of a presumed invulnerability.
• See the NT connection and the wideness of God’s mercy (Matt. 15:21-28)
• “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea; There’s a kindness in His justice, which is more than liberty.” (Faber)
• Revel in the sovereign grace of the LORD!