Can God really redeem His enemies?

In today's episode of The Dwelling Place, we're reading Isaiah 15–20, where God pronounces judgment on Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Cush, and Assyria—but these chapters reveal far more than judgment. They unveil the astonishing heart of God for every tribe, nation, and people.

One of the most surprising prophecies in the Old Testament declares that Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will one day worship the Lord together. The nations that once opposed God's people will become recipients of His mercy, proving that God's ultimate desire has always been redemption.

As Stephanie walks through these often-overlooked chapters, she also shares a vulnerable glimpse into a difficult season of parenting and the comfort of remembering that God remains faithful even when family life feels exhausting and messy.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why God's judgment always serves His greater purpose of redemption
• The remarkable prophecy that Egypt and Assyria will worship alongside Israel
• What Isaiah 19 teaches about God's love for every nation
• Why Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman fulfills this beautiful promise
• How God transforms hearts that have forgotten Him
• What it means to worship God in spirit and truth
• Why overwhelmed Christian moms need an eternal perspective during difficult parenting days
• The surprising assignment God gave Isaiah—and what it teaches us about faithful obedience

If you've ever wondered whether God truly cares about every people group—or you've questioned His work during hard seasons of parenting—this episode offers fresh encouragement to trust His sovereign plan.

Scripture Covered

• Isaiah 15–20
• John 4:19–24
• Genesis 19

Key Takeaways

Throughout Isaiah's prophecies, God's heart shines through: He opposes pride, idolatry, and self-reliance, but He delights to rescue those who humbly turn to Him.

These chapters remind us that our greatest hope isn't found in peaceful circumstances but in the coming King who will unite people from every nation in joyful worship.

As moms, it's easy to become consumed by today's struggles, but God's Word continually lifts our eyes to His eternal purposes. His character is our steady anchor when parenting feels discouraging, and His faithfulness gives us hope for our children, our homes, and the nations.

Today's Prayer

Father, give us Your heart for the nations. Help us to remain faithful in our homes while never losing sight of Your mission to draw people from every tribe and tongue to Yourself. Make our families quick to walk in righteousness, and teach us to worship You in spirit and truth.

If This Episode Encouraged You...

If The Dwelling Place is helping you grow in God's Word, would you consider subscribing, leaving a five-star review, and sharing this episode with another mom? Your support helps more women discover daily Bible teaching that points families to Christ.

For additional biblical parenting resources and free encouragement for Christian moms, visit Entrusted Ministries.

Resources Mentioned

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources
• Jesus Storybook Bible

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox, and today we'll be

looking at Isaiah chapters 15 through 20

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God's heart for the nations and to restore

all people to Him is on full display, and

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He asks Isaiah to do something that I hope

He never asks me to do I'll let you see

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a little bit behind the curtain today.

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It has been a rough

twenty-four hours of parenting.

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Not one situation, but

several and relentlessly.

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It's felt really defeating, and I

wonder, how can I pray so hard and

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work so diligently and still experience

such brokenness and sin in my own home?

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But as I continue reading these

prophecies of judgment on the nations

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And the ways that all of these people

groups have rebelled against the Lord.

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Should I be surprised when my own kids

don't want to do what I want them to do

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or be surprised that my own sin

is triggered in these moments?

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I'm probably making it sound

way more dramatic than it has

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been, and I'm certainly not

trying to make the word about me.

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Instead, I'm aiming for the word to

provide me with an eternal perspective, to

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not focus on the day-to-day, but to look

forward to the glory of the King of Kings

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There are just some days when we're

reading in Scripture, and it's

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really evident these chapters are

not about us, but it's good Because

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it keeps our focus on the Lord and

what he has been doing in the hearts

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of people for thousands of years.

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And his character, is a steadfast

anchor for us to cling to when we feel

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tossed to and fro by the waves of today.

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in chapter 15, we're

reading the oracle against

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Moab.

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As a reminder, the Moabites came

from Lot and his daughter after the

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Lord spared them from destruction

in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.

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And they've been an

enemy to the Israelites.

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But still, in verse five, it says of the

Lord, " My heart cries out for Moab."

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God has compassion on this nation.

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And the oracle continues,

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When the oppressor is no more and

destruction has ceased and he who

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tramples underfoot has vanished

from the land, then a throne will

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be established in steadfast love

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And it will sit in faithfulness in the

tent of David, one who judges and seeks

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justice and is swift to do righteousness.

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I love that description of the

way Jesus will rule, that He will

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be swift to do righteousness.

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In Entrusted, we say obedience is right

away, all the way, and with a happy heart.

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And that means as soon as we know what

the right thing is to do, we should do it.

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we can become more like Christ in this

as moms, not just expect our kids to.

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Chapter 17 is an oracle in which

Damascus and Israel are grouped.

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This is interesting because Damascus

is in Syria, but it was quite near the

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border And as Israel strayed farther

and farther from the Lord, it became

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more like the surrounding nations After

describing their judgment, in 17:7

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through 8 it says, " In that day man

will look to his Maker, and his eyes

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will look on the Holy One of Israel.

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He will not look to the altars, the work

of his hands, and he will not look on

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what his own fingers have made, either

the Asherim or the altars of incense."

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God will be faithful to purify them.

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He doesn't give up

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Speaker 19: verse 10 reminds

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Steph: Us of why this judgment has

been so necessary in the first place.

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For you have forgotten the God

of your salvation, and have not

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remembered the rock of your refuge.

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Next, I'm going to read the oracle against

Egypt that Isaiah records in chapter 19.

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Every time we've read about

Egypt thus far, it's been

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presented in a negative manner.

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This is the nation God used to judge

and show Himself mighty against.

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And I still confidently claim that

this is one of God's proudest moments

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but this chapter reveals that Egypt

itself is not an enemy of the Lord.

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Pride is.

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False gods are.

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So listen to this chapter of what

will come in the future of Egypt

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and then be listening where

this oracle turns to hope

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An oracle concerning Egypt: Behold, the

Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes

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to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will

tremble at his presence, and the heart

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of the Egyptians will melt within them.

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And I will stir up Egyptians

against Egyptians, and they will

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fight each against another and each

against his neighbor, city against

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city, kingdom against kingdom.

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And the spirit of the Egyptians within

them will be emptied out, and I will

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confound their counsel; and they will

inquire of the idols and the sorcerers,

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and the mediums and the necromancers,

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And I will give over the Egyptians

into the hand of a hard master, And

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a fierce king will rule over them,

declares the Lord God of hosts.

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And the waters of the sea will be

dried up, and the river will be dry

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and parched, and its canals will

become foul, and the branches of

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Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up.

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Reeds and rushes will rot away.

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There will be bare places by the Nile,

on the brink of the Nile, and all that

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is sown by the Nile will be parched,

will be driven away and will be no more.

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The fishermen will mourn and lament, all

who cast a hook in the Nile, and they will

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languish, who spread nets on the water.

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The workers in combed flax will be in

despair, and the weavers of white cotton.

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Those who are the pillars of the

land will be crushed, and all

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who work for pay will be grieved.

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The princes of Zion are utterly foolish.

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The wisest counselors of

Pharaoh give stupid counsel.

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How can you say to Pharaoh, " I am a son

of the wise, a son of ancient kings"?

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Where then are your wise men?

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Let them tell you that they

might know what the Lord of

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hosts has purposed against Egypt.

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The princes of Zoan have become fools,

and the princes of Memphis are deluded.

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Those who are the cornerstones of

her tribes have made Egypt stagger.

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The Lord has mingled within her a

spirit of confusion, and they will

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make Egypt stagger in all its deeds,

as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

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And there will be nothing for Egypt that

head or tail, palm branch or reed may do.

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In that day the Egyptians will

be like women, and tremble with

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fear before the hand that the

Lord of hosts strikes over them.

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And the land of Judah will

become a terror to the Egyptians.

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Everyone to whom it is mentioned will

fear because of the purpose that the

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Lord of hosts has purposed against them.

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In that day there will be five cities

in the land of Egypt that speak

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the language of Canaan and swear

allegiance to the Lord of hosts.

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One of these will be called

the City of Destruction.

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In that day there will be an altar to the

Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt,

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and a pillar to the Lord as its border.

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It will be a sign and a witness to the

Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt.

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When they cry to the Lord

because of oppressors,

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he will send them a savior

and defender and deliver them.

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And the Lord will make himself

known to the Egyptians.

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and the Egyptians will know the

Lord in that day and worship

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with sacrifice and offering.

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And they will make vows to

the Lord and perform them.

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And the Lord will strike

Egypt, striking and healing.

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And they will return to the

Lord, and he will listen to their

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pleas for mercy and heal them.

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In that day, there will be a highway

from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will

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come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria,

and the Egyptians will worship with the

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In that day, Israel will be the third

with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in

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the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of

Hosts has blessed, saying, " Blessed be

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Egypt, my people, and Assyria, the work

of my hands, and Israel, my inheritance."

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Okay, wow, right?

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As I said, God is not set

against the nation of Egypt.

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He was set against their pride and their

reliance on their panoply of pagan gods.

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He was determined to devote their false

gods to destruction, but He sacrificially

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saves all whose hearts are humble.

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He longs to be a savior and a

defender for those who turn to Him.

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And one day, Jesus will bring such

peace on the earth that Israel will

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worship with her former enemies

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Think about the headlines of today

and the constant tension that Israel

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has with her neighboring enemies but

this scripture shows that even enemies

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will worship alongside Israel someday

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Most scholars agree that this chapter

is eschatological, which means it's

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referring to the end times, and it

seems pretty obvious because there

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hasn't been a point yet in history where

the Nile has dried up we're waiting

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for these prophecies to be fulfilled

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Throughout the Old Testament, Jerusalem

and Zion have been pointed to as the place

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of worship, but this chapter told us that

there would be an altar set up in Egypt.

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It reminds me of when Jesus met the

woman at the well in John 4 And he said

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to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is

coming when neither on this mountain nor

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in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

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You worship what you do not know.

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We worship what we know, for

salvation is from the Jews.

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But the hour is coming and is now here,

when the true worshipers will worship the

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Father in spirit and truth, for the Father

is seeking such people to worship him.

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God is spirit, and those who worship

him must worship in spirit and truth."

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Amen, right?

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Jesus affirms that the Lord looks

at the heart, not your nationality.

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And although it is good that we go to

the house of the Lord regularly, and it's

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entirely biblical that we do so, praise

the Lord that we have a God that longs

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to dwell with us no matter where we are.

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before we approach Him in spirit and in

truth, we have to touch on chapter 20 as

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God asks Isaiah to do something that I

would be mortified if he requested of me.

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Chapter 20 verse two tells us, " At

that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the

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son of Amoz saying, Go and loose the

sackcloth from your waist, and take

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off your sandals from your feet And

he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

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Then the Lord said, " As my servant Isaiah

has walked naked and barefoot for three

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years, as a sign and a portent against

Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of

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Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives

and the Cushite exiles, both the young and

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the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks

uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt.

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God often calls prophets to do

unconventional things to get

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the attention of people, and the

unfortunate lot of walking around

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naked for three years fell to Isaiah.

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Now, all of the commentaries I read

agree that it's most probable that

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Isaiah only had to rid himself of his

outer garment, which would have been

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publicly shameful, but it doesn't

necessarily mean that his buttocks were

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exposed, even though that was indicated

it would happen to the people later.

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still, to that I say, thank you,

Lord, that although this podcast

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has been a lot of work, you have

allowed me to do it fully clothed

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in the comfort of my own home

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And with that in mind, I thought

I'd take a moment to ask you

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once again to leave a review

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In my heart of hearts,

I want overwhelmed moms

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To be able to find hope and

encouragement through the Word of God.

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And when you leave a

five-star rating and a review

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you increase the likelihood

that another mom can find us

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Let's move forward knowing that you and

I have a mandate to be faithful at home.

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But let's never neglect the

call to be Christ's witnesses

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to the end of the earth.

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Heavenly Father, we delight that you

are Lord of all creation, that you

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love every tribe, nation, and tongue,

and one day, you will be rightfully

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worshiped by representatives from each.

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Give us your heart That we could have

the honor of introducing others to

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the name that is above every name

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When we see the lack of peace on this

earth, I pray we would find comfort

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knowing you're sovereign and the power of

peace is in your hands we pray for peace

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and joy to reign in our homes as well.

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But when it doesn't, would you teach

us to follow in your example by

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loving deeply, teaching diligently,

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And also walking faithfully

with our families.

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We pray for our kids and the

witness that they are, whether

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they're meeting strangers at the

park and in the grocery store

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going to school or in the workplace,

may they have your heart for

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the nations, and may they be

swift to walk in righteousness,

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Jesus, you are a savior, defender, and

deliverer it's our greatest desire that

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they worship you in spirit and in truth,

and it's in your mighty name that we pray.

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Amen