"Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might.
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off."
Isaiah 33:13-17
This is talking about the Second Coming, and about who will be able to bear his presence and live there with him when he comes again. I think the devouring fire and everlasting burnings part sounds scary, but in this context, it also seems like part of the beauty of the king... like the pillar of fire that went with Moses and the Children of Israel in the wilderness.
The specific requirements here are good things to consider. Reading through this chapter I know I felt more corrupt than is required, so perhaps we should work on walking more righteously and speaking more uprightly, and the other things in this selection as well as before this... the first verse warns us not to deal treacherously.
Today, let's make sure we're on the same page with God... that we are ridding our lives of the things that will prevent us from being there with him... that we are learning how to let go of our bad habits and attitudes and open to God's help as he teaches us accept a change of heart and a new way of living and of thinking about other people... not as our adversaries, but as our friends. As we learn, we'll be closer to being able to see the beauty of our king and God, and to dwell with him.
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