Isaiah 29:13-14
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And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
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therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
“Too good to be true” is something that we recognize very quickly. Whether it is a sale price on an item that seems very low, or a promise that seems to hard to keep. But, in this case, we have something else.
Here, God describes the reality of human unfaithfulness.
“…This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.”
It is clear from the Scriptures that this behavior is true! People do have false motives when it comes to the Lord. Here is the proof, according to the Bible. If they produce rules to follow, the rules are their own ideas, and they replace God’s teachings.
We would expect that God would wash His hands of such a people. But, here is where we meet the “too good, but still true” part of this scripture from Isaiah 29:14.
“therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
See the great wonder! God chose to be gracious towards sinful humanity. He does not return to us as we deserve. Instead, He has mercy on us in our misery and has come to save us.
Jesus, suffered on the cross for the sins of the world, and wonder upon wonder, through faith in Jesus our sins are forgiven. The wisdom of this world is replaced by Jesus, the wisdom of God. He baptizes us, forgives our sins and gives us a share in His resurrection and eternal life.
Behold, God has done wonderful things in Jesus. He who forgave our sins, allows us to walk in the ways of our Savior. May God bless you today through faith in this seemingly “too good”, “but still true” hope through faith in Jesus.
Let us pray,
I thank you Lord for the great wonder of your gracious response to my need. Lord Jesus you came to save me from sin, death, and the devil. Be with all your people who hear your Word today, so that they will rejoice in Your salvation and joyfully speak words of faith in their prayers and actions of your loving will in their lives. In your name I pray, AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.