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Daily Devotion: Isaiah 8:17-20

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Isaiah 8:17-20    "And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.  (18)  Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.  (19)  And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?  (20)  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

As a reminder, so far in the past couple chapters, we have seen the Lord made a promise and instructed the people to believe Him. Even though they would not ask, God gave them a sign which would come to pass 700 years later. As they were waiting, they were instructed not to make an alliance with the world. And now they are making a commitment: "I will wait upon the Lord ... and I will look for Him." But while waiting, the people were to live their lives in such a way that their actions would serve as "signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts." In other words, they were to walk and show belief and trust in the Lord by the manner in which they lived.  Even then, the world would still try to influence them to seek wisdom and direction from familiar spirits (witchcraft) and wizards (fortune tellers).

"Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Why would God's people seek to please the world, in which there is no light, by following them instead of looking to the Lord? Why would we want to walk in darkness when we have the Word of God and His Holy Spirit to guide us?  May our actions back up our words. We say we believe God and we trust Him; yet, we want to look like the world. I go back several chapters to those 7 women who wanted to be called by God's name but wear their own apparel. We can't have it both ways. "I will wait upon the LORD." I want my life to be a sign from the Lord of  hosts, that He is indeed alive and active still today. How about you?

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