Isaiah 48:17-19 “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants also would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; his name would not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me.’”
The heart of God for His people is revealed in today’s devotional. Several things worthy of note: 1) God teaches us to profit. The word “profit” means to ascend, be valuable, and be useful. God will instruct us how to increase our value. 2) God leads us in the way we should go. How many times have you needed direction? Thank God for His faithfulness! 3) God will give us peace like a river. Not just a dose of it, but a flowing river full of it! 4) God causes our righteousness to be like the waves of the sea. Waves keep coming and they are endless. 5) God will bless our descendants. What we do affects our children.
All of this is predicated upon the beginning of verse 18 – “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!” This means that if we would pay close attention to God’s commandments we would experience all that today’s passage promises. You are doing yourself a favor when you read the word of the Lord and fill your heart with devotionals such as this. God will respond and will do more for you than you could imagine!