Monday, May 21, 2007

Break Time

For those who read this blog, if any at all, I have decided to take a little break for awhile. I need to work on my relationship with God a little bit. As I have I read and blogged/journaled about Isaiah, it has become more a thing done out of duty rather than because I am passionately in love with my Savior. I'll hopefully come back soon and continue going through Isaiah. In the meantime, keep trusting God and looking to him for everything.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Isaiah 25:1-5

As I read through Isaiah, and any other book of the Bible for that matter, I wonder sometimes just how much I miss in reading. For example, I read this passage yesterday morning. Today I read it again. But in reading this morning, I noticed something I was completely oblivious to yesterday.

As I have gone through Isaiah, I have learned and seen that God is all powerful, mighty, awesome, and holy. He is a being to be respected and feared above all other imaginable thing or person. He is full of grace and mercy and truth as well as anger and jealousy. Let me now direct you to verse 4. We see here, that through all his power and justice, wrath and punishment, God still has plenty of compassion for the hurting and needy.

I am reminded of part of the sermon on the mount. Matthew 6:25-35. God takes notice and feeds the birds of the air. "Are you not of more value than they?" (v.26, ESV). "If God so clothes the grass of the field. . . will he not much more clothe you?" (v.30, ESV).

God doesn't forget those who are in need, who are poor, who are in distress. Rather He comes through for them. He is their stronghold. He is "a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat" (v.4, ESV).

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Isaiah 24:17-23

Nothing, not people or any other creation of God, can withstand his full glory, "For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble" (v.18b, ESV). This passages shows that quite well. It's a prophesy of the future--future to Isaiah and future to us. It is a prophesy of the Judgment Day.

But the verse that stood out to me, more than any other, was the last verse: "Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders" (v.23, ESV, emphasis added).

If there is only one reason, one motivation for doing anything, it should be to bring God as much glory as possible. This should be the reason why we seek to improve, why we strive to be the best that we can be in whatever it is we do.

As I seek to apply this to my life, I realize that it will not be easy. It will take constant reminders that what I am doing is ultimately to bring as much glory to my creator as possible. This alone should be the driving force, the ultimate motivation behind everything I do!

I Corinthians 10:31-- "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (See also, Romans 16:27, Philippians 4:20, Jude 1:25, Revelation 14:7).

Monday, May 14, 2007

Isaiah 24:14-16

Questions, questions, questions. I am once more left with more questions than answers.

As I read these three verses, I get the feeling that Isaiah knows something I do not. Verses 14-16a give me the impression that people are turning back God and giving him the glory and honor he deserves. But why does Isaiah "waste away"? He says it's because the traitors have betrayed. But why have they done this? When did they do it? What is Isaiah talking about?

Whatever it is, it is important because he repeats it twice.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Isaiah 24: 4-13

Imagine, for a moment, the aftermath of a bomb out city. It is desolate, destroyed. Here and there are piles of rubble still smoldering. The smell of sulfur lingers in the air. A deathly quiet hangs heavy over what remains of buildings, apartments, banks. The roads are now eighty percent pot holes. Most of the people are gone, but some still remain, beaten and battered, but alive.

Now magnify this picture to include the whole world. This is similar to what Isaiah is describing here in verses 4-13, I think. But as I read these verses, I paused at verse 5. And when I finished reading, I was drawn back to verse 5:

"The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant."


"Laws" and "statutes" are plural. The "everlasting covenant" is singular. But what exactly is the everlasting covenant? It is basically a covenant between God and Jesus Christ, made before the foundations of the earth whereupon Christ agreed to be the mediator of mankind. Through Christ's death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave, he established a new covenant (Hebrews 9:15). (http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Divine_Covenants/divine_covenants_01.htm)

I am beginning to feel the weight of this passage. Perhaps I should meditate on this for awhile.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Isaiah 24:1-3

Sometimes I wonder how much it really matters what we do, that is, what career path we follow. It seems to me that as a society, and probably even throughout the world, we put too much value in what a person does. We assign worth based on what a person does for a living.

And then I read this passage and see that in God's eyes, we are all equal. It doesn't matter how much you make or what job you have. To compare yourself to other people is pointless really. Only from God do we gain true, lasting worth.

I am reminded of the parable from the New Testament of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). It doesn't matter so much how people see you. What matters is how God sees you, and he sees your heart.

Who then are you trying to please? God, or man (Psalm 19:14; Matthew 6:24)

Maybe our prayer this morning should be Psalm 139:23-24:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead my in the way everlasting!"

Friday, May 4, 2007

Isaiah 23

Whenever we learn that some one is a prostitute, we look down them with scorn and contempt. Prostitution is viewed as a disgrace, and, to some people, the sin of all sins. And yet, here in Isaiah 23, God says about Tyre that she "will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. Her merchandise will be holy to the LORD" (vv17b-18a, ESV).

There are many times, especially in the Old Testament, where punishes nations for disgracing themselves through prostitution. Prostitution is sinful. This has been made clear throughout scripture. But there are also instances where God has used prostitutes for his glory. Rahab is a prime example (Joshua 2). From the New Testament there are a couple interactions Christ had with a prostitute(John 4 & 8).

What I am gathering from this are a couple lessons. One, no sin is too great for God to forgive. He has compassion on all people, whether they be prostitutes, druggies, murderers, or morally good people. Second is that if God loves these people and is willing to forgive them, then I need to learn to do the same. Theres that old saying, love the sinner, hate the sin. That's what God does. Maybe I should start doing the same.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Isaiah 22:15-25

To better understand this passage, and perhaps the character of God and why he acted in such a troubling way, I would suggest to you reading 2Kings 18.

But what I was to focus on in this passage is verses 22-25. It was the analogy of the peg that really stood out to me. The main question I had here was who or what does the peg represent? The read this passage several times in the ESV, NIV, and finally in the NASB. (Of the three translations, my favorite one here is the NASB).

I am not sure if this is the correct interpretation, and if it is not, please correct me, but I am thinking the peg represents Christ. And if it does, then verse 25 describes the crucifixtion. When Christ died, he took on the burden of the world! every sin committed by every human being from the beginning to the Judgment Day.

Colossians 2:13-14 explains it well. And by conquering the cross through his resurrection, Christ proclaimed absolute and final victory over darkness, over sin.

As a Christian then, a follower of Christ, apprenticed to him, I have no reason at all for living and walking a defeated life. Christ has made me new!