"The way of the just is uprightness: thou, Most Upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."
Isaiah 26:7-9
Part 1
For her ongoing sin, Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians, as God had promised.
“Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 39:5-6).[1]
These were horrible days for the people of Judah. Her captivity took place in parts or in three different invasions by the Babylonians.[2]
In 607 B.C., the first was when Daniel and his friends were taken (2 Kings 24:1; Jeremiah 25:1; Daniel 1:1-7).
In 597 B.C., the second was when king Jehoiakim and 10,000 people were taken, including Ezekiel the prophet, and an ancestor of Mordechai, Queen Esther’s cousin (2 Kings 24:10-16; Ezekiel 1:1-2; Esther 2:5-6).
The third invasion was in 587 B.C., and this was when the city of Jerusalem, the city walls, the palaces, and the Temple were destroyed (2 Kings 24:18; 2 Chronicles 36:11-21; Jeremiah 52:1-11). This was the end of the southern kingdom (Judah).
Unlike Israel, the northern kingdom, the people of Judah did not turn to idolatry but remained faithful to Jehovah throughout her captivity. Through their days in Babylon, the lessons learned were many and produced faithfulness, if only for that generation.
The words that Judah is said to have sung at the end of their captivity are found in Isaiah 26. We are looking at verses 7-9 because they tell of her desires. The affections of the people’s hearts are laid bare.
Today: The Path of the Upright
“The way of the just is uprightness.”
The path, the “wagon ruts” [3] of the just, that man or woman who is “upright.” This is how they live who inhabit God’s Kingdom. They travel on the right path. This well-worn path also leads to those who are upright. Here is where they may be found. The man or woman that is genuinely “upright” is so because of a relationship with the LORD that makes them “just.” It is by faith and trust in their God that they can “walk in the way of uprightness.”
“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isaiah 35:8).
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him” (Proverbs 20:7).
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Our walk with the Lord is most important. Believers, we walk with Him daily as He guides us in the upright paths. This means that we dare not run ahead of God, nor lag behind, dragging our feet. We need to keep pace with Him.
How is it possible for sinful people (sinners saved by grace) to walk with the holy God? How can we know our path is the right one? Tomorrow we will dig into this more. See you then.
Quote: “If I walk with the world, I can’t walk with God”[4] (Dwight L. Moody).
[1] For the promise of Judah’s captivity see also, Jeremiah 13:9; 13:19; 20:4; 25:2-11; 32:28.
[2] Information of Judah’s captivity was gleaned from the article “The Captivity of Judah,” by Josiah Blake Tidwell, in the Bible Hub site. Downloaded: Saturday, January 23, 2021. From: https://biblehub.com/library/tidwell/the_bible_period_by_period/chapter_xv_the_captivity_of.
[3] The Hebrew word “way” comes from the word that means, “way, path,… road, passing of life (figuratively), way of living (figuratively),… traveler, wayfarer” (BDB). Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword. Isaiah 26:7.
[4] Moody’s quote Downloaded: Monday, January 25, 2021. From: https://www.preceptaustin.org/1john_215_commentary.