“For thus, the Lord said to me, ‘Within a year, according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end, and the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be few. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.'”
– Isaiah 21:16-17
Isaiah 21:16-17 Reminds Us God’s Word Is a Firm Foundation
I love Isaiah 21:16-17. This is prophecy that Isaiah’s speaking, “Thus the Lord says to me that the glory of Kedar … the mighty men of the sons of Kedar are gonna come to an end and they’re gonna be few. And how do I know that? Because the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.” I read that and I just think, yes. God, whatever you speak, whatever you say, will stand. I look at these verses and I think, my life, my hope, is totally based on the surety, certainty, of God’s word. That what he has said will stand. That the word of God is a sure foundation. It is surer than anything else in this world. So many things are changing and shifting in the world around us, but God’s word is always sure.
Whatever God says in His Word will stand.
Isaiah 40:8 says: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” So we know that whatever God has spoken in his word will come to pass. We know that whatever God’s word says, we can stand on it. We can trust in it.
Isaiah 21:16-17 Reminds Us To Soak Up the Word
Oh, I just wanna encourage you. So yes, to a podcast like this, but then just in your life, just to be in the word, to soak in the word, to study the word, to read the word of God. It is the only sure thing to stand on … in the world. The word of God. So fill your mind with it. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Read it. Study it. Yes, pray according to it. This is a sure foundation for your life in a constantly changing world. Know that what God has said will be. Period.
Isaiah 21:16-17 Leads Us To Thank God For His Word
So, God we pray. We pray in gratefulness for your word. Thank you for giving us your word. It is a sure foundation to stand on. Oh God, I base my life, my hope, my future on your word. I pray for that on behalf of others who are listening to this: we base our lives, our hope, our future, our plans and dreams … Everything is based on your word. It is a sure foundation for us, and we thank you for it. Help us to read it. Help us to study it and to memorize it. God, help us to meditate on it. Help us to hide it in our hearts. Help us to do this, to pray according to it.
May our lives be tethered to your word in every way. And help us to trust in it, every. Single. Day. God, we praise you for your word. We praise you that you have spoken and that what you have said will come to pass. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
