Dr Paul Allen

The Reformed Church of France, Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; and you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!  (Isa. 33:1a) When God destroys a nation, He is doing two things: He is exercising judgment on a sinful people and He is displaying His love for His church by showing that even the greatest nations cannot keep Him from caring for His people. In this first part of chapter 33, Isaiah is proclaiming judgment against the Assyrians and perhaps the Babylonians , for these were great nations that exercised power throughout the known world and were considered by many to be invincible. They believed their boundaries marked, their strongholds secure, and their prominence in the world eternal. But God had another plan. They would be brought down in a great display of God’s justice toward His enemies and mercy toward His most cherished people. Interpreters are not certain wh...

Jesus Christ Crucifix (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever ( Isa. 32:17). Isaiah proclaimed to the Jewish nation that the effect of righteousness would be peace. If they wanted real peace—not the transitory peace of easy living and prosperity, but peace that would fill their hearts and set their souls at rest—then they would need to be righteous. When righteousness reigns in the life of an individual, he is living according to the laws of Christ by the grace of God . Righteousness means justice and judgment. The truly peaceful person is the one who lives before the tribunal of God, not as one condemned but as one who recognizes that he is a sinner deserving God’s wrath and that he lives solely by the mercy of God. The same can be said for an entire nation. If a country lives in accordance with the laws of God, if its governors rule in truth, then it will be a peaceful nation. W...