Isaiah 14:27

For the LORD Almighty has purposed,
and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back?

I'm loving the bits of Isaiah that make sense to me. It's like anywhere else in the Bible, really, when you're reading and then suddenly, SNAP, understanding hits you or an idea just clicks in your brain. This verse is such a strong verse that it did that to me. Here are the thoughts that I have on it.

The LORD Almighty purposes to do something. It may be something we see as good, it may be something we see as bad. It may be something we can't understand. But since we serve a perfect God and He is good, he can't be bad. Here's the cool thing. The LORD GOD Almighty is ALL-MIGHTY. Nothing can change or stop what He intends to do.

Destruction we may look at with terror (as we should) but it is for the glory of GOD. If He is wiping out the Amalakites or the Philistines or some other nation of idolatry and wickedness it is to demonstrate how HOLY HE IS. And we should tremble at knowing how powerful and wonderful His destruction is. If He hates evil so much that He will make a nation extinct (with no one to stop Him) then we who have been saved from His own destruction by His grace (with no one to stop Him - praise the LORD) should be spurred on even more to live holy and blameless lives to honor Him. And if His destruction is so complete, then we should know from this example that the destruction of the evil in us will be completed in us as well before we enter His presence in heaven. It is through Jesus Christ's sacrifice that the LORD Almighty views us now, and through Jesus we are able to approach the throne of GOD in prayer, praise, and petition.

I am so glad that there is none to thwart the LORD and that none can turn back the hand of the LORD. If there were such a being, then we would be lost. Our hope of salvation would be gone. But since the Lord is Almighty, perfect, holy, blameless, and glorious, we can be assured that the grace that He gives through Jesus Christ, is rock solid. None can thwart the salvation of the LORD, no one can turn back the hand of grace extended to those who choose to accept it.

The last thing on my mind about this verse is that the power of God is overwhelming. His strength and love are unmovable, unchangable and all-powerful. He conquers death.