Bible in a Year Blog

Isaiah 19:1-21:17 + Galatians 2:1-16 + Psalm 59:1-17 + Proverbs 23:13-14
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Old Testament – Today in Isaiah chapter 19 we read the message concerning Egypt!  You can gain further context on this chapter today by reading Jeremiah chapter 46 and Ezekiel chapters 29-32.  Both of these books we will be reading later this year, just after Isaiah.  Below is an image of the Egyptians in dismay, seeking counsel from their idolatrous priests per verse 3: “The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. They will plead with their idols for wisdom. They will call on spirits, mediums, and psychics to show them which way to turn.”

There are some really interesting verses at the end of chapter 19, beginning in verse 18 and going through the end of the chapter.  Verses 19 & 20 are awesome: “In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the LORD for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a savior who will rescue them.”  This reminds me of Joseph & Mary’s flight to Egypt with Jesus as an infant to be safe from Herod’s decree to kill all boys under the age of 2!  (see Matthew 2:13-21)  Our Savior was sent into Egypt for a brief period of His life!

New Testament – We have great readings today in Galatians chapter 2 as Paul confronts Peter!  I think this is a powerful lesson for us to learn.  It is okay – in fact good – to confront other Christians when they are out of line.  We should do so in the spirit of love.  Speak the truth in love to our brothers and sisters who step out of line.  But let us not be too meek in this area and let somebody we love slide by because we’re too scared to say anything.  Is there anybody in your life today that you are being led by God to speak the truth in love to?  (there is someone in my life I’m being led to do this… and I confess that I have been dragging my feet…)  Let us learn today from the example of Paul confronting Peter!

I have to tell you, for some reason the parenthetical point from Paul in verse 6 today really stood out to me – “(By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.)”  This is really a profound thing for each of us to realize!  No one is above you!  No one is below you!  God has no favorites!  I really really love thinking about this.  This means we should respect all, but fear none.  God is the only one we should fear.  You, your pastor, your president, the homeless person on the street corner are no more or no less favored by God comparatively.  God has no favorites!  And – if God has no favorites, what do you think this should mean to us.  Should we have favorites?  Should we give more respect to those who we think are in better social standing than others?  Should we love the pastor more than the homeless person?  Should we love the celebrity over the waiter?  This really is something for us to think about…  Paul said people’s reputation as great leaders made NO difference to him.  Should people’s reputations in our world today make any difference to us?

 

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Galatians titled “Was Paul a Man-Pleaser?” is at this link and “Peter’s Capitulation and Paul’s Correction” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 59 has some powerful imagery of the “night of danger” in verse 14 and the “morning of deliverance” in verse 16 – “But as for me, I will sing about your power. I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love.”  I like that thought – shouting for joy each morning because of God’s unfailing love.  I pray that in some way I “shout” for joy each morning because of God’s love.  How about you?  Do you in some way “shout” for joy each morning because of God?

Proverbs – We have a powerful Proverb in chapter 23 verses 13 & 14 today: “Don’t fail to correct your children. They won’t die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death.”  I can see how this Proverb applies to our own children, as long as we are disciplining in a godly manner with love – “tough love” though it may be at times.   I can also see how this Proverb applies to you and me from our Heavenly Father.  I honestly believe that God does not fail to correct us!  🙂  Really….  He’ll “spank” us if he needs to.  Because He loves us.  And when He disciplines us, he may very well be saving us from death…   Do you believe there is such a thing as positive discipline? 

Worship Video:  Psalm 59:16 reminded me of Chris Tomlin’s great song “Made to Worship!”

Are you made to worship?  Not sure?  Click here and be made to worship!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Psalm 59:16 (NIV)

Prayer Point: Pray that you praise and worship God every morning, whether in prayer or in song! Pray that God is truly your fortress and your refuge in times of trouble.

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

Isaiah 19-21:17
God is in control no matter how much we bully others to get what we want; no matter how aggressive we pursuer our wants or how many people we get to join our posse to demand by intimidation, God is still in charge. And the things we hold dear, the things that make us think we are powerful, God has this funny way of sweeping them away. Egypt relied on the Nile but God created the Nile so God controls its headwaters.
Of the nations that Isaiah is given messages about, most will not be completely destroyed, God seems to always leave a remnant. There are always a few left how have never “bowed their knew to Baal” (1 Kings 19:8) no matter how much we may think we are the only righteous ones left.
Galatians 2:1-16
I don’t know why, but as I read verse 15-16 [We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16 NET.)] the following thoughts came in my head and I wrote them down.
People loot and steal because they think and fear they will not get anything except by thievery. In truth they believe they are cursed and have been denied access to the God of grace and mercy so they demand and take from others the things they feel and believe they are locked out of. With a right relationship and fellowship with the God of mercy, through Jesus Christ all their needs would be met by asking, seeking and knocking.
Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!
(Luke 12:32 AMP)
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Jan:

Oh yes, I have had a “few” (ha ha) spankings from my Abba & He is so loving when He does it; but firm also. I praise God for those spankings, cause I would not grow without them!!!  : )
Jan

======= Douglas:

Just got a “HARD” spanking last October! My good freind fell asleep at the wheel of his Honda motor vehicle and hit a bridge abutment head on. No braking was involved, so you probably can imagine the impact. He escaped serious injury(by the Grace of GOD), but there was (1) problem…. I was in the passenger seat! Both of my legs were broken, broken right hip, broken Clavicle on my left side and broken bones in both my left foot and my right hand.
Take my words to heart. This has been the toughest year in my life, But I never once blamed GOD…I THANKED HIM! It surely has strengthened my faith in GOD.
I stopped going to church reguarly back in the early 80’s. I went back to the church of my youth this February and have not missed a sermon since! Praise GOD!!!!!
Through the Mercy and Grace of the most Holy Lord I was given another chance(choice) to follow the one and only living GOD.
When I pray, Instead of me,me,me, I tend to put others ahead myself(God gets his first). And when I pray for myself, I ask only for wisdom and for GOD to keep my face toward him (so I will never turn my back on him again)!
God Bless All!
Douglas

======= Ramona:

Ummm–Douglas you might want to rethink the accident as being from God. A spanking by the very essence doesn’t break bones, that would be abusive behavior. I don’t think God is an abusive God with His children.
Your friend chose to drive will impaired and being to tired to drive is a form of impairment, just like driving under the influence. Then you either not knowing how tired he was or knowing, made a decision to get into the car with him. The mercy of God protected your life but we do live in a cause and effect world. Except for miraculous events, God doing for us what we are unable to do for ourselves because of crises, and Divine intervention, which are not everyday events, I think the laws of physics had more to do with your condition then God “spanking” you.
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Jan:

Douglas, perhaps it was more of a Job thing – Job got more than he bargained for in his testing – some very awful things like happened to you – both of you were spared your lives by a loving God. I do think that God allows things to happen to us to get our attention & that all things that happen to his children are first sifted through His hands; with God’s blood bought saints nothing can touch us unles God allows it.
I praise God that He got your attention & brought you home & to your senses – He knew what would do the trick. There is no coincidence with God.
He just used a very big paddle this time; a sleeping friend.
Jan

======= Sue:

Douglas, I am on the same page with you.
God knew what it would take. He said to thank Him for ALL THINGS. We think we need to have “feelings” to back up our thankfulness, but that is not what He says. He says to thank Him, and He says in Romans 8:28 that ALL things work together toward good for those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose.
God bless you.
I believe when we thank Him in circumstances that others consider catastrophic, we have acknowledged His Sovereignty. He could prevent things from happening as well as allowing them to happen.
Another thing I have learned about the “sacrifice” of thanksgiving is: It neutralizes the enemy. The adversary wants all the glory that belongs to God. All the praise and honor belong to God, and when we thank Him, even when we do not feel thankful, but we do it out of obedience (the “sacrifice of thanksgiving”), the enemy does not get the attention he seeks and cannot distract us from our allegiance to God. Instead we give God the glory and honor and praise.
So many times I have experienced first hand, that He reveals to us the “reason” it had to occur.
I will share one of those times: In 1992 I ran out of gas on the way to work (I commuted one hour each way from home to work). I thanked God. I managed to get a ride to get a 5-gallon gas can, got gas, had enough put in it to get to work (figuring I would fill it after work as I was already late). When I got off work at 11PM my vehicle was gone. (I am giving you the short story–much more occurred). My coworker offered to take me home, but I asked her instead to drive me to my the store my brother managed so she would not have so far to go, and on the way there I prayed: “God, you know I do not FEEL thankful, but out of obedience, I am thanking you that my vehicle was stolen.” This was my only means of transportation to and from work, and I couldn’t take a bus from the rural area where I lived.
My brother closed up his store at 1AM and drove me home a different route from what I always drove to go to work as his store was in a different area of the city.
On the way home, about 20 minutes from my home, my vehicle was parked alongside the road! Apparently they RAN OUT OF GAS! hahaha.
As I said, this is the short version; there is much more that transpired.
I just want to share with you that I understand why you are expressing such thankfulness; when we recognize His sovereignty, we recognize how much for which we need to be thankful.
I am so pleased to see your response to His working in your life, and I pray that God will bless you richly.
God’s love and blessings.
Sue

======= Lindy:

Hi Mike,
I have been trying to follow your blog for a while but now Praise the Lord, finally have the opportunity to do so properly! What stood out for me is Psalm 59: v 9 & 10 – You are my strength, I wait for you to rescue me, for you O God are my fortress. In his unfailing love my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph over all my enemies.
What an awesome God we serve.
Thanks for the good work. God Bless
Lindy

======= Debi:

I know it isn’t fashionable now to discipline children…we might damage their self esteem! I was raised with heavy-duty discipline by two God fearing parents, and it didn’t kill me. My own children thought they were born into Marine Corps boot camp, and it didn’t hurt them. I really think that a lack of rules, limits and consistent correction is one of the biggest reasons so many young people are “lost” today. They are not given a foundation in God, nor any path to follow, and the total anarchy we are seeing in schools and in the world is the result. I have watched as my own grandchildren try to deal with the challenges of growing up without Jesus as their “backup”, and it simply doesn’t work!!! How can you face the terrors of this world without the wonderful, all-powerful God we serve???
Thank you for this site you work so diligently on…it has helped me tremendously! we live “on the road” in our motorhome, and go where the work takes us, which sometimes means we miss church…this is my lifeline to the Christian community every morning. If we can’t get a signal where we park at night, we keep driving till we do!God bless you real good!
Debi

======= Lori:

wow how encouraging your blog is! My pastor just quoted Galatians 5:1 in the Sunday message and asked us to memorize it too – God is working through you- Thanks for blogging!
Lori

======= Julie:

Thanks so much for your blog. I have raised 5 children. I too am an easy going push over, but I had been raised with harsh overly zealous punishment (when it was handed out). So when I had children and had just reallly begun to understand God’s love, I had to pray at almost every interaction for His plan of action. One day when the Lord sends you children, he will also send the wisdom.
I also have immensely “enjoyed” reading “secrets of the Vine” … but I would say that it is proactive and more about God’s pruning for good developement of fruit production rather than punishment and pruning out sin. However, I am planning to read it again as my hubby just read it and I may have missed some major point! We both now want to plant grape vines to continue the lessons in three dimension!
Julie

======== Zenimah:

psalm 59:16-17
When I focus on God Beginning in the morning when I just get up and all day long put Him first by continuing to read the scriptures of the day in this blog and sing songs It takes the edge off the day and the troubles of the day have less impact on me.Like water off the ducks back as they say. some times if even forget that the boss just yelled at me for some thing I did or did not do. (No problem i say to myself).
Zenimah

======= Imja:

Isaiah 19-21
God says what He means and means what He says. His words are never wasted, always accurate and always have purpose to fulfill His design for all.
Gal. 2:1-16.
I love this passage of scripture. The followers of Jesus were real people who had real issues. Paul tells us what was going on and what he was feeling at that moment. His dramatic conversion to Christ really changed him. He now was calling out the disciples and helped them to remember Jesus.
Ps. 59
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
Proverbs 23:13-14 truth!
Shalom to all 
Imja

======= Dee:

I love how Paul spoke to Peter in love. I love how u stated is there someone we need to speak in love too? I have a coworker that even though I’m younger, I have knowledge that the supposed wise need and ergo I sometimes need to share even when they don’t want to hear bur out of love needs to be said. I drag on it too Mike. I love proverbs today about discipline and spanking won’t kill your child it just might save their life.true that! Coming from a 17 yr veteran teacher..children need structure and discipline. Absolutely.
Dee

======= Vance:

ISAIAH 19
21
In that day the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the LORD and will give their sacrifices and offerings to him. They will make promises to the LORD and keep them.
22
The LORD will strike Egypt in a way that will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them.
23
In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will worship the same God.
24
And Israel will be their ally. The three will be together, and Israel will be a blessing to them.
25
For the LORD Almighty will say, “Blessed be Egypt, my people. Blessed be Assyria, the land I have made. Blessed be Israel, my special possession!”
NOTE:
Notice verse 25 about the Assyrians. Endeavoring to see current history in light of Biblical reality can be very enlightening and stimulating. Think of what is happening in modern day Iraq, and the war on terror.
The Hebrew word for “Assyria” with its related meanings are:
Hebrew word: ‘Ashshuwr {ash-shoor’} or ‘Ashshur {ash-shoor’}
Outline of Biblical Usage: Asshur or Assyria = “a step”
1) the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians
2) the people of Assyria
3) the nation, Assyria
4) the land, Assyria or Asshur
I am no Hebrew expert, but it seems that the use of “a step” relates to being the second son of Shem (perhaps a step away from being the first son).
However, notice that those of the true Assyrian blood are part of the lineage of Shem. Who was Shem?
GENESIS 5:32
After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia and have a history spanning over 6700 years. Today, the Assyrians are the descendants of the ancient Assyrian Empire and one of the earliest civilizations emerging in Mesopotamia. Although the Assyrian empire ended in 612 BC, history is replete with recorded details of the continuous persistence of the Assyrian people till the present time. Assyrian civilization at one time incorporated the entire Near East most notably the area of the Fertile Crescent.
The heartland of Assyria lies in present day northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran. The remains of the ancient capital of Assyria, Nineveh, lie next to Mosul in northern Iraq.
** FROM THIS SHORT HISTORY, I HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING NEW!
Did you know:
* Jesus spoke the language of the Assyrians (called Syriac or Aramaic by some scholars)?.
* the Assyrians have been known as Christian?
* that they had a passion for sharing the Lord Jesus?]
* Chinese Christians owe part of their spiritual heritage to Assyrian Christians?
I did not. Consider the following:
Until today, the Assyrians speak a distinct Assyrian language (called Syriac or Aramaic by some scholars), the language spoken by Jesus Christ.
As a Semitic language, the Assyrian language is related to Hebrew and Arabic but predates both.
In addition, whereas most Arabs are Muslim, Assyrians are essentially Christian.
=> The Assyrians were among the first to accept Christianity in the first century AD through the Apostle St. Thomas.
Despite the subsequent Islamic conquest of the region in the seventh century AD,
=> the Assyrian Church of the East flourished and its adherents at one time numbered in the tens of millions.
=> Assyrian missionary zeal was unmatched and led to the first Christian missions to China, Japan, and the Philippines. The Church of the East stele in Ian, China bears testament to a thriving Assyrian Christian Church as early as in the seventh century AD.
There is also a clear link between “jihad” or terrorism and these early zealous Assyrian Christians:
A direct consequence of Assyrian adherence to the Christian faith and their missionary enterprise has been persecution, massacres, and ethnic cleansing by various waves of non-Christian neighbors which ultimately led to a decimation of the Assyrian Christian population.
Most recently and tragically, Great Britain invited the Assyrians as an ally in World War One.
The autonomous Assyrians were drawn into the conflict following successive massacres against the civilian population by forces of the Ottoman Empire consisting of Turks and Kurds.
=> Although many geopolitical and economic factors were involved in provoking the attacks against the Assyrian, a jihad or holy war was declared and served as the rallying cry and vehicle for marauding Turks, Kurds, and Persians.
Although the Muslim holy war against the Armenians is perhaps better known, over three-fourths, or 750,000 Assyrians were also killed between 1915–1918 during the Assyrian Holocaust.
***
I apologize if history is boring to you. However, the past is imbedded in the present, together in a continual weave.
I am reminded of the Iraqi Christian woman within the last 2 years who pleaded with President Bush on news portion of the THE 700 CLUB. In summary, her plea to Bush was “President Bush is our brother in Christ. Mr. President, please ensure your brothers and sisters in Christ in Iraq have their right to worship and live respected.”
Also, there are many Iraqi people who are coming to faith in Christ during this time. WE NEED TO PRAY FOR THEM!
WOW!
I am more motivated to pray for Iraq and for what God is doing in Iraq.
Finally, I read a wonderful story in a magazine called “Voice of the Martyrs”, a ministry which God started through a Romanian Jew who received Jesus as Lord. His name is Richard Wurmbrand. He is with Jesus now. This magazine highlights several true stories of persecuted Christians that Christians in the West have to obtain under cover because the governments do not approve of Christianity.
In this magazine article, a Muslim recounts how he trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Then, he was thrown into prison and beaten for his faith. Other Muslims in prison mocked him and asked him why he would forsake Allah. He said, “I follow Jesus because Mohammed is dead, but Jesus (Isa) is alive. I do not worship a dead God.”
Then the Iraqi Christian in prison assured the men that they would be free in the morning because Jesus had told him so. The Muslim men mocked him and did not believe it.
However, the next morning, the Muslim man was kissing the feet of the Iraqi Christian. The Lord Jesus appeared to them and said, “I am freeing you from prison.” This coincided with when the American soldiers were storming this particular prison to free the prisoners!
**
I am not trying to “politicize” Jesus by saying that everything Americans do must always be in the will of Jesus. However, it seems clear to me that there is a spiritual reality and a spiritual battle going on behind the political scenes.
I am motivated to pray that my faith would be as zealous as the early Assyrian Christians! I am motivated to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ in Iraq! May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven!
Vance

======= Vance:

Isaiah 19 (NKJV)
23
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will
come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with
the Assyrians.
24
In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the
midst of the land,
25
whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and
Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
NOTE:
Only through the Lord will there be peace in the world. This is God’s Word, and
it cannot fail. We have a great honor given to us through Christ, through
prayer and intercession, to join God in His work in the world.
Pray for peace! Pray for the peace of Israel! Pray for Truth and Righteousness
to rule!
Galatians 2 (NKJV)
12
for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when
they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the
circumcision.
13
And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even
Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
15
We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified
by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law
no flesh shall be justified.
NOTE:
We cannot separate from one another because we think we are “better” because of
our obedience and others are “not as good” or “bad” because we perceive them to
be disobedient.
We are all on the same level before God: Before Christ as humans, we are all
sinners. After Christ, all Christians are all equally made righteous before
God—never based on works (this can never be).
Since works or “acts of obedience” are not the basis of salvation, how can they
be the basis of determining who is “better” than another?
If we picture faith being like a “coin”, on the other side of the “coin of
faith”, Martin Luther said it well: “We are not justified (declared righteous)
by faith plus works. We are justified (declared righteous) by A FAITH THAT
WORKS”.
Faith without works is dead. Obedience will naturally issue out of a heart of a
person who wants to show extreme gratitude to God for saving him or her from sin
and death.
May we encourage one another by seeing where the other obeys, and pray for them?
Of course, if someone truly disobeys God’s Word, then we need to speak to them
in love, being careful that we do not fall because of pride.
Galatians 5 (NKJV)
1
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore
such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be
tempted.
2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
~~~
Psalm 59 (NKJV)
8
But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in
derision.
9
I will wait for You, O You his Strength [or my Strength]; for God is my defense.
10
My God of mercy [or… My God, His mercy / O God, my mercy / O God, Your mercy]
shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.
11
Do not slay them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring
them down, O Lord our shield.
12
For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken
in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak.
13
Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; and let them know
that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah
NOTE:
May we pray God’s Word to be fulfilled: that all may know that God will not
tolerate persistent sin. May we walk humbly before our God with fear and
trembling in joy that Jesus can work through us in our prayers and witness.
May the authority of Christ to rule over the nations find its expression through
our prayers. Truly, may those delight in wrongdoing and sin, and who delight in
terrorizing others come to know they are accountable to the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob!
May we pray for all leaders of nations and all countries.
I Timothy 2 (NKJV)
1
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks be made for all men,
2
for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and reverence.
3
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
~~~
Psalm 2 (NKJV)
10
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12
Kiss the Son, [Receive instruction] lest He [the Lord] be angry, and you perish
in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who
put their trust in Him.
~~~
Psalm 59 (NKJV)
16
But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the
morning; for You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
17
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of
mercy.
NOTE:
Praise is an excellent way to use our time and our minds. It is an excellent
spiritual discipline. Praise allows us to enter into God’s Presence. As we do
so, our sins become more evident, so they can be cleansed.
As we walk, live, and praise in the light, the Blood of Jesus continually
cleanses us from all our sins, and we have fellowship with one another.
Vance

Isaiah 15:1-18:7 + Galatians 1:1-24 + Psalm 58:1-11 + Proverbs 23:12
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Old Testament – This week is Isaiah we will read many prophecies against cities and kingdoms. I realize these can be tough to read in some ways.  As you read these prophecies, consider why these prophecies were written. Why were these prophecies proclaimed by Isaiah?   Bible.org’s excellent commentary on this section of the book of Isaiah titled “The Burdens Upon the Nations” is worth spending a few minutes reading at this link.

Today we read in Isaiah chapter 15 a message against Moab, or the Moabites!  You will recall the Moabites from Numbers 22 through 25, where the Moabites were first fearful of Israel (Num. 22) because of their size, and they realized they could not defeat them in open warfare.  So, they tried to get Balaam to curse the Israelites (Num 23 & 24), but Balaam wouldn’t do it because God was giving him messages of blessings upon the Israelites!  So, finally the Moabites decide to simply seduce the Israelites (Num 25) into worshiping their gods and this strategy worked!  To the point where God ended up killing 24,000 Israelites with a plague (Num 25:9) because of their disobedience! A very bright map that shows where Moab is located in comparison to Judah and Israel is below:

New Testament – Today we begin Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia!  Paul’s letter was sent from either point #1 to point #2 or from #3 to #4 in the image below:

~ Galatians ~
Author: Paul the apostle
Place: Unknown
Date: A.D. 48 or 49
Content: Paul had preached to the inhabitants of Galatia on his first missionary journey (Act 13:14-14:23). Shortly after his departure, a group of Jewish believers arrived to insist that the Gentile Christians submit to the laws of Moses in order to be saved. Paul writes to combat this error by showing that Abraham, who lived over four hundred years before the giving of the law, was saved by faith in the gospel – so how could it be argued that the law could either save a man or make a believer in Christ more perfect? Paul couples this with a vigorous defense of himself as an apostle and with a discussion of how a Christian ought to live.
Theme: Paul energetically defends the truth of the gospel, which is that man is saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ and nothing else. Any other teaching is a perversion of the truth of God (Galatians 1:7). We are made right in the sight of God by faith (Galatians 2:16) and become the people of God (sons of Abraham) in the same way, by faith (Galatians 3:7). Because we are free in Christ, we must never allow anyone to drag us back to the idea of working for our salvation, but must live out of the gospel. This involves submission to the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16) and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Galatians 5:14). (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 25-26) More great commentary on Galatians is at this link

Wow. I have to share with you that Paul’s words in Galatians chapter 1 verse 1 stopped me in my tracks today when reading them: “This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group or by human authority. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.”  The thing that struck me about this was Paul saying that he was not appointed by any group or by human authority to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.  His call was from Jesus Himself!  And this just made me think about our modern world today, where I am afraid that sometimes we will only maybe do bold things in our life for the Gospel – for the Kingdom of God – if we feel like we have been appointed by some group or by some human authority to do it.  When, in fact the important thing is if we have been called by Jesus to do it!  I hope humbly here I can share with you that there are probably a ton of reasons of why I “shouldn’t” be leading an online Bible study like this one.  I don’t have a Seminary degree.  I am not an ordained minister or pastor.  Yes, I have been in a Bible study before, and I do a lot of studying each day for this ministry.  But – no group or human authority has appointed me to do this.  I have just done it because I do feel very called to it!  And I share this with you not to pat myself on the back, but to encourage you.  Maybe you’ve never been to Seminary.  Maybe you’re not an ordained minister or pastor.  Maybe you’ve never done _____,  ____, or ____.  (fill in your blanks)  But, maybe God is calling you to do something bold for his Kingdom, and the question becomes when will you do it?  When will you stop relying on an old excuse of not being appointed by a group or human authority to do it? If God is calling you to something, please, please, do it!  Our time is short.  Your time is now.  The water is fine.  Please, dive in!

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Galatians Chapter 1 titled “Giving Up the Gospel” is at this link and “Was Paul a Man-Pleaser?” is at this link.

Bible Project:  Here is a terrific video overview of the book of Galatians!

Psalms – Psalm 58 verse 11 stood out to me today – “”There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.””  I think this is wise for us to remember that God indeed judges.  We don’t.  We shouldn’t.  But God indeed judges justly.  This verse also brings up the question – are we living for God?  If so, what will our reward be?  Are you looking forward to the reward?

Proverbs – Today in Proverbs 23:12 we read: “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.”  Does this describe your heart and your ears?  Are you open to instruction?  Do you have a “teachable heart”?  Are you listening for words of knowledge?  What are some specific things in your life that demonstrate this?

Worship Video:  Okay, with my comments above on Galatians 1:1 and the picture of the boy jumping into the pool, I want to share with you today Steven Curtis Chapman’s amazing song “Dive.”  What in your life is God calling you to dive into?  Dive in!

Have you dived into a relationship with God yet?  Click here and dive!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” Proverbs 23:12 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you are applying your heart to godly instruction. Pray that you are turning your ears to words of knowledge through your study of the Bible.

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

Isaiah 15:1-18:7
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
(Exodus 33:19 KJV)

For the past two days the above verse has been in my head as I read through the day’s readings. God chose Israel out of all the nations. In fact Israel was not Israel until after Abraham and Isaac. It was Jacob, the son and grandson of Abe and Isaac, who God chose to change his name from Jacob, supplanter, to Israel, “he will rule as God.”

Mercy is freely given, but Mercy must be paired with Truth. (Psalm 85:10) Reading the Prophets, as well as Israel’s history we can be tempted to think of God as being mean and vengeful in the Old Testament and loving and merciful in the New; but the scripture says that God doesn’t change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Mal. 3:6; Heb 13:8). Mercy is unmerited favor, it isn’t’ earned and we cannot buy it. Mercy is freely given. So if Mercy is freely given and is unearned, then no one deserves mercy and it can’t be demanded because then it is not given freely. It is a mystery to us, but not to God, why God chooses to show His grace, favor and mercy on some and not to others

I know that I have experienced and been the recipient of God’s Mercy and I thank God that He chose me, little sinful me, and called me by name.

Galatians 1:1-24

I have an e-mail signature that says, “Change is not change until it’s changed.” Paul also is a man of change and uses changed lives, specifically his changed life, to validate that he is indeed an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although trained under the great Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) to be an outstanding Pharisee, Paul does not use his “seminary” training to validate who he is and the authority he has to preach the gospel, but he uses his changed life and the changed lives of those he has ministered to.

Do others see a change in my life? Have I allowed the mercy that God showed toward me effect such a change in my life that others see Jesus in me. Am I a living epistle revealing the mercy and truth of Jesus Christ? Can I sing truthfully, “Jesus on the inside working on the outside, O, what a change in my life!”

Psalm 58:1-11

Justice–do you rulers know the meaning of the word?
Do you judge the people fairly?

This Psalm begins with an introduction, “For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune Do Not Destroy!” Hmmm, if this song was song in the temple, which it probably was, then those who sang it or heard it sung would include the rulers over Israel—priests, scribes, the Levites, and in Jesus’ day, Pharisees and Sadducees.

My pastor and many others will say at least once in his message, “Turn to your neighbor and say …” He does this, he says, because we become committed to and accountable for the words we speak out of our mouths. Using that same concept or truth the leaders and rulers over Israel were passing judgment on themselves every time they sang this song if they were not ruling the people with justice. Jesus said,

For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
(Matthew 12:37 NET.)

Proverbs 23:12

It takes hard work to gain knowledge. In truth we really don’t want to work for it we would rather someone just open our brains and poor the information in. But in God’s economy of scale we must work to get the key to knowledge. Ask, seek and knock.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====

Mike,

A comment regarding your comment about Psalm 58. Well, really not my comment but one from a commentary written by Albert Barnes and referrer to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1

>> Psalm 58 verse 11 stood out to me today – “”There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”” I think this is wise for us to remember that God indeed judges. We don’t. We shouldn’t. But God indeed judges justly.>>

Mat 7:1 –
Judge not … – This command refers to rash, censorious, and unjust judgment. See Rom_2:1. Luke Luk_6:37 explains it in the sense of “condemning.” Christ does not condemn judging as a magistrate, for that, when according to justice, is lawful and necessary. Nor does he condemn our “forming an opinion” of the conduct of others, for it is impossible “not” to form an opinion of conduct that we know to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating circumstance, and a habit of “expressing” such an opinion harshly and unnecessarily when formed. It rather refers to private judgment than “judicial,” and perhaps primarily to the customs of the scribes and Pharisees.
Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible; Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

I thought about writing this from my own thoughts but Albert Barnes said it best.
Grace and Peace,
Ramona

======== Vance:

Isaiah 12:1-14:32 + 2 Corinthians 13:1-14 + Psalm 57:1-11 + Proverbs 23:9-11
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

We wrap up the book of Second Corinthians today!  Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia begins tomorrow!

Old Testament – Today Isaiah chapter 12 is a very short chapter.  But it is a wonderful song of praise to God!  Verse 2 reads: “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” How does this verse resonate with you? Do you frequently sing songs of praise to the Lord? Do you trust in God? Are you not afraid? Is God your strength and your song?

In Isaiah chapter 13 we are beginning a new section of the book.  Chapters 1 through 12 were primarily chapters of judgment against the southern kingdom of Judah, as well as some mentions of the northern kingdom of Israel.  Chapter 13 begins 11 chapters of judgment on other nations, beginning with Babylon.  At this time in history (early 700’s B.C.) Babylon was still part of the Assyrian empire.  So this oracle from Isaiah was incredible in that it spoke of Babylon’s destruction even before Babylon became a world power!  Babylon brought about the downfall of Judah and Jerusalem later between the years of 605 and 586 B.C.   But then Babylon would be conquered by Cyrus the Persian in 539 B.C.  Below is a map of the Babylonian empire from the late 7th / early 6th centuries B.C.  You’ll note in this map below that the actual city of Babylon is located in modern day Iraq, about 90 kilometers south of Baghdad.

An interesting commentary I read on chapter 14 verses 12 through 15 is that some think Isaiah is giving a description of the fall of Satan from heaven in these verses.  However, most commentaries seem to say contextually that these verses are about the king of Babylon.  I do see how some could think that these 4 verses could apply to the fall of Satan – “”How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, `I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”  Below is an engraving titled “Satan Falls” by the artist Gustave Dore:

New Testament – I love Paul’s words today in Second Corinthians chapter 13 verse 11! “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.”   Imagine that these words were written to you.  Are you rejoicing?  Are you changing your ways?  Are you encouraging others?  Are you living in peace?  Is God’s love with you this very moment?  Is God’s peace with you now?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s (and yesterday’s) readings in Second Corinthians titled “Paul’s Closing Argument, Appeal, and Blessing” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 57 verse 8 is amazing – “Wake up, my soul!”  What 4 great words. . . wake up my soul!  Do you ever feel like you need to say this to your soul?  I know that I have in my past.  There have been times in my life where I have felt spiritually asleep.  Just completely slumbering. . .  and I have begged my soul to wake up!  Fortunately, I finally learned that I could not wake up my soul on it’s own.  I needed the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to wake up my soul. . .  and being in relationship with our Triune God keeps it awake today.  If you feel that you need your soul to wake up, will you prayer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to indwell your soul and to wake it up?

Proverbs – Proverbs 23 verse 9 is one of those verses in the Bible that really makes you think about your own life – “Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.”  This is very wise advice.  But it is hard advice at times.  I think each of us often will want to give advice to others.  But truly, some people do not want to hear what we have to say – no matter how wise the advice is.  I struggle with this.  I don’t want to ever think that I am “wasting my breath on fools”…  That seems so harsh.  But if we do persist in giving wise advice to those that absolutely don’t want to hear it, they will end up despising us as this Proverb says.  How does this proverb speak to you?  In any areas of your life, are you wasting your breath?

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Matt Redman and Tasha Cobbs Leonard song “Gracefully Broken:”

Are you broken?  Click here to be gracefully restored!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. “ Psalm 57:7 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that your heart is steadfast before the Lord. Pray that you are singing and making music in your life that brings glory to the Lord.

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Pat:

Good morning and it is a good morning for this is the day that the Lord has made!
I would like to make a few comments on both today’s readings from Isaiah and Psalms.
Starting with Isaiah, I don’t think when you compare the reading of Isaiah 14:12-15 with Revelation 12:7-9 that the commentaries are correct when they say the judgment just applies just to Babylon. Why? Because when Isaiah was written we didn’t have the gift of Revelation. I think when you read both Scriptures together you can see that these verses in Isaiah actually relate to BOTH Babylon and Satan. I believe that Satan and the demons are real. I believe that there was an actual battle in Heaven and Satan was defeated there and cast down to earth by our Lord God Almighty and that in the final judgment Satan will be cast from earth into the pit of fire for all of eternity and God will rule forever and ever. I believe that Satan is still here with us today and that he works diligently to draw people down his path and away from God. I believe that any person or any nation that follows the path that Satan will be judged and cast down to the pit. I think that the Book of Revelation actually explains the Scripture in Isaiah and allows us to see the consequences from following the path of Satan, consequences that existed from the beginning when Satan showed his true face in Heaven and still exist today and will continue to exist to the final Day of Judgment. I have put both Isaiah and Revelation verses here together to make it easy to compare them. (These are from the NIV translation but I think Lucifer is pointed out even clearer in the KJV translation.)
Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
Revelation 12:7-9
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Now for a short comment about our reading from Psalms 57. I dearly love Psalms 57:1! “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” Each of us will face a time of “disaster” when we feel there is no end in sight or no way out of the problems we are facing, but this passage assures us that the disaster will pass! If we hang on and have faith in God, God will open the right door for us, He will take the lemon life has handed us and turn it into lemonade, He will relieve us from the turmoil’s of life and replace them with the joys of life.
God Bless!
Pat

======= Anka:

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
A messianic jew once explained to me that the hebrew translation of “wings”here is Talith(a kind of shawl worn by Jews)During a jewish wedding,the bride goes under the talith sigifying she has accepted to submit to her husband and be protected by him.
I guess with all the free will and being believing in your strength concepts around,submitting and taking cover under God’s wings may be a daily battle.Sometimes being spiritually asleep feels kind of like being in the eye of a storm at sea…everything seems to be calm yet outside danger looms.May we all learn to let God be God in our lives.
God bless you all
Anka
P.S.the talith is worn by jewish men

======= Jeff:

thanks for that anka…I have often thought about GODs wings and that Talith sure makes a lot of sense… Oh that we would all submit, or say in our own mind… I am not in charge here… GOD is… That’s Ruthless Trust… That the way to peace…
ALMIGHTY KING OF GLORY, GOD KEEP US UNDER YOUR TALITH TODAY… HELP US BE WISE ENOUGH TO STAY UNDER YOUR PROTECTION.. IN JESUS NAME AMEN
Jeff

======= John:

Anka,
I want to expand on what you said regarding “talith” and wings.
For a messianic Jew:
It is true that symbolically in Hebrew the “wings” are thought of as regarding the “talith”. While wearing the prayer shawl, when the arms are outstretched as in prayer or a ceremony (marriage), the talith (a shawl) hangs down and from front or back resembles the “wings” of a bird.
Reminder, in Mal4:2a
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings….” NIV
2,000 years ago the people in Israel knew this – so it is no wonder that the sick (that believed Jesus was Messiah) tried to get near Jesus, touch his talith, and be in the protection of His garment.
For an orthodox Jew:
They may disagree. the literal translation of “wings” – Hb. “kanaph” – is wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt,hem of garment…”. So they may or may not agree with “talith” idea.
But it still fits. If we go back to Ruth and Boaz, what was Ruth doing in the threshing area? Ruth lay down at Boaz’s feet, and asked him to spread his garment (lower portion including “hem”)over her.
Ruth was seeking Boaz’s protection as the kinsmen-redeemer. Symbolically as the Gentile Church(Ruth)and Christ (Boaz) the Gentile would receive healing (from sin) by being under the garment (wing,hem) of Christ.
2,000 years ago the woman with “blood condition” touched Jesus’ garment in faith.
So either way it works – whether you think of it as a prayer shawl, or the hem of a garment – God provides protection and healing.  [- via submission].
John

======= Romayne:

Amen and amen to all of that. WOW is there some awesome teaching on this site today from everyone here. Sadly, I’m in the midst of a physical battle (no doubt with Satan!) in my health, and between the difficulties I’m experiencing and the volume of drugs I’m on makes it tough to think straight, so I’m appreciating receiving from the site more now than providing any thoughts of my own. Appreciate you all in the time you give to write your views. BLessings, Romayne
Romayne

======== Jan:

Regarding this verse:
Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen from heaven, O “morning star,” son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
I find it odd that satan is referred to as the morning star also (as Jesus is called the Morning Star too)!!!
jan

======= John:

Jan,
“I find it odd that satan is referred to as the morning star also (as Jesus is called the Morning Star too)!!!”
======================================================
Kind of complicated, but the Hebrew is:
“heylel ben shachar yalal”
1) “heylel” – occurs once and appears to be a label or name. I believe Jerome in the Latin translated it “Lucifer”. However when you take it to its Hebrew roots it has the essence of ‘shining (one), boastful praise, madness and fool’. This would certainly be appropriate for an angel created by God that rebelled against God with the sin of “pride”.
Applying “morning star” to satan in this verse seems a stretch for me. Morning stars (plural) are referred to in Job 38:7 and there is an appropriate Hebrew literal expression “boqer kowkab” (morning stars) that clearly refers to angels.
So “heylel” used only once would again seem to be a label (name) encompassing the characteristics of the root word – ergo – not “morning star”.
The idea of “shining or brightness” would be consistent with Paul’s description of satan as the “angel of light” in 2Cor.
2)”ben shachar yalal” is literally “son of the morning (dawn) howling”. Huh? I think it can be looked at as “son” being a characterization/existing from the morning (that is dawn or beginning) and “howling” describes his reaction when being thrown out of heaven to come and rule on earth until Christ comes back.
So the whole phrase can be paraphrased – ‘shining one, existing from the beginning (of creation) howling (when thrown out of heaven).’ It is just an elaborate (poetic) way of describing this “being”.
“Morning star” for Lucifer just does not work for me.
======================================================
Jesus on the other hand is not of the group of morning stars – but the Bright Morning Star or “the” Morning star” as in being pre-eminent. He was not created but existed in the Trintiy with God always.
I believe you know enough Scripture to know this is supported in the biblical text.
So “morning star” is a descriptive name or title for Jesus, but as a singular name – I do not believe it is ever correctly applied to satan, other than in the beginning he was in the group of “morning stars” found in Job 36:7.
John

======= Pat:

I believe that Isaiah 14:12-15 refers both to the fall of Satan and the fall of Babylon, it is not an either/or situation. When you read the scripture in Isaiah and compare it to Luke 10:17-18 and Revelation 12:7-9 when the scripture was definitely talking about Satan, then it appears that Isaiah is saying that Babylon followed the pattern establish Satan and just as Satan was and will be forever cast down so will Babylon be cast down.
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.”
Luke 10:17-18 “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. He (Jesus) replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Revelation 12:7-9 “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
The lesson we learn from our study is Isaiah is that any person or any nation who patterns their inner being after that of Satan instead of Christ is going to fall just as Satan is going to fall.
God Bless!
Pat

======= Sharon:

Proverbs 23 reading really spoke to me yesterday,I always want to help or offer a suggestion that might or would help someone. I really enjoy your post each morning since i requested your add as a myspace friend. I am praying and seeking God for His leading as to what He would like me to do with the rest of my life. I am at the “crossroads of my life” so to speak,I am 49 years old,my 3 daughters are grown now and i get such joy from helping other people. May God continue to use you to bless others.
Sharon

======= Cheryl:

” with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”. I just think this is a beautiful verse. I have been pondering it all day- every sip of water i have taken all day has had me thinking about the miracle of water and baptism(we had a baptism in church on sunday too) and drinking from the “well of salvation.”
Cheryl

======= Ray:

Isaiah14:12 applies to the fall of satan not the king of babylon
Ray

======= Virginia:

Paul’s admonitions to the church in Corinth could very well apply today as each individual seems to want to take the written word and apply his/her own interpretation to it. That is how humans can get confused and risk straying from God’s intent for us. The different translations of the Bible can also give us different meanings of a word or phrase. Read the Bible – pray over the word and join a Bible study group. Ask God for guidance in all that you do. Above all don’t just read it “Live” it. Probably the closest thing to perfection in our own lives is to follow the “Golden Rule” whenever possible.
Virginia

======= Jason:

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense[a];
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Interesting to note that the Hebrew word for “Salvation” is “Yeshua” – the Hebrew name for Jesus, which means salvation.
If we substitute the word “Yeshua” in the above verse in Isaiah for “salvation”
it becomes abundantly clear that God (the Holy One of Israel) has become our Yeshua (made manifest in Jesus).
Jason

======= Joyce:

Mike and everyone,
Isaiah 12:3 Amplified Bible –
“Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the springs of salvation.”
Elizabeth Webb’s Commentary on Isaiah 12:2-6 says:
“The wells of salvation, the water of God’s gracious presence, are bottomless, endless. These are the waters that give life, restoring vibrancy to a world that is dying of thirst, and seeking wholeness for those overwhelmed by the floods of destruction….
Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well: “those who drink of the water I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (John 4:14).”
May we all with joy, draw water from the springs of salvation!
Blessings,
Joyce

======= Dee:

I truly believe the scripture speaks of Satan as well. I sometimes feel like I need revival of my soul and be woke up! Yes!! Love that!
I can’t believe 2nd Corinthians is complete today. Such good jewels. All in all His grace us sufficient..nothing goes undone..God is so good
I love the closing of Paul..we need to take heart and be humble and love the Lord and seek his refuge always. When we are weak he is strong 
David was running from Saul but he knew who could deliver him! He trusted in the Lord
Proverbs..fools don’t listen to the wise. We waste our breath
Dee

======= John:

Is 11
I thought about it and I am going to pass until next year posting on some of the “neat” things I think I see here in IS 11. I want to study Hebrew idioms more and go back and look at the symbolism of the layout of temple and tabernacle.
======================================================
Two things that I did want to mention:
1) I see vs. 4-9 as the correction of the problem of sin. Jesus corrects the problem in both the “earth” and “man”.
To me this is a picture of the millenium and the earthly rule of Christ. This is not heaven. I say that because of the Hebrew word used for “earth” and the context of,
“.. for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea…”
The animals are literally at peace with each other, becaus of Christ’s return and rule for 1,000 years. That is how complete that time of peace will be, yet there will still be rebellion in the heart of some. {more on that in “Revelation”)
NOTE: Pat and I disagree on this, but we have different interpretations of the verses. This is one of those non-essential things – and each should be convinced in his/her own mind.
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2) What is not ambiguous in any Hebrew text I can find is Is 11:11a
“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people…”NIV
Two times God will reclaim the remnant of his people.
1)The first was from the Babylonian Exile.
2) The second was May 14th 1948. Not many argue this point.
” he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.” NIV
Israel became a state in 1948 populated by Jews from all over the world. And remember because of the migration of non-idol worshiping Jews from the North to Judah (south)- in Chronicles and Kings – all twelve tribes are represented in Judah.
Now you could say, ‘but John – this nation is secular, and the religious portion of the nation is mostly some form of orthodox Judaism.’
But nowhere in Isaiah does it say the “people” have to believe in Christ to be returned to Israel. In fact in Ezekiel 36 God says He is returning them despite their unbelief.
Ezek36:22-24
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
” ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.”NIV
Once they are back, God will take the steps to bring Israel (the nation) back into the fold. That is what will make Him Holy in the eyes of the nations of the world.
THE POINT: God keeps his word. The second time has occured for the people of Israel. What is next? What does this mean for the Christian?
Are you living to please Christ? Are you sharing the gospel with a sense of urgency? Are you praying everday for the salvation of loved ones and friends?
The process has begun. Judgment time is coming. The part of God that many try to ignore – or hide in “peace and love” messages – is near. Will it be tomorrow or a hundred years from now? Who knows? But when you see the fulfillment of prophecy as in Is11:11a as a reader (and hopefully student) of the Bible – we must be ready, and help others to get ready – that is our purpose in being here on earth.
John

======= John:

Is 13-14
Two pre-points:
Is14:9-10 Whether symbolic or literal – God speaking through Isaiah refutes idea of “soul-sleep” or “annihilation” in afterlife.
Is14:12 “O morning star” (NIV) and “Lucifer”(KJV) is literally “light-bearer” or “shining one”. From a Hebrew Root word “to shine”. Oh really???? Gives legs to the translation of serpent in Gen 3 being “shining one” and Paul’s observation in 2Cor of Satan masquerading as the “angel of light”.
======================================================
Babylon, Assyria, Philistines
Pat mentioned some differing views by commentators, and there are many. Here are some observations I had:
Babylon:
I do not believe Isaiah is refering to a historical (as we see it) destruction of Babylon. I believe it is to come. the question is: is it literal or symbolic?
Is13:19-20
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory of the Babylonians’ pride,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there,
no shepherd will rest his flocks there. NIV
Babylon was captured and destroyed by man’s subterfuge – nothing like fiery demise of Sodom and Gomorrah. People still live in the area,animals are still around, etc.
In fact, and this really irks the “metaphor” prophecy people, there are big plans to rebuild Babylon and make it a tourist center. And surprise surprise – The U.N. is involved!!!!
[“Ancient Babylon, celebrated as a fount of law, writing and urban living, sits just outside the modern city of Hilla, about 100 kilometers, or 60 miles, south of Baghdad. Hilla is neither haunted by Sunni insurgents nor overwhelmed by Shiite militia and, while it is home to both Shiites and Sunnis, it has not been afflicted by the sectarian violence that has paralyzed so many other parts of Iraq.
Emad Lafta al-Bayati, Hilla’s mayor, has big plans for Babylon. “I want restaurants, gift shops, long parking lots,” he said. God willing, he added, maybe even a Holiday Inn.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is pumping millions of dollars into Babylon and a handful of other sites. It has even printed a snazzy brochure to give to wealthy donors. “Cultural tourism could become Iraq’s second biggest industry, after oil,” explained Philippe Delanghe, a United Nations official helping with the project.”]
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/13/news/babylon.php
(reprint of original article in NYTimes that requires login/password)
So maybe Babylon will eventually be the center of the AntiChrist’s operations in Tribulation, and Isaiah is referring to its literal final destruction. (Put me in this camp:)
Combine this with the idea of:
Symbolically it would represent the world’s political and religious structure – thus satan would be its titular head. This might be why God through Isaiah included the verses that Pat accurately refered to as being about satan (IS14:12-15). So that God would totally (and literally) destroy the “world” (represented by the HQ of Babylon)that satan had developed??????
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Assyria
Fulfilled in near-term of Isaiah.
Tougher to explain in long term, because the empire no longer exists. Unless you look at “the Assyrian” as being symbolically the “anti-christ”. Quite a few bible scholars make this association. I am just throwing it out there but notice the pronoun references to Assyria in IS14 are in the singular.
So while it may symbolically refer to anti-christ there will be a literal defeat of “same” in the tribulation.
======================================================
Philistines
Fulfilled in near-term.
Not even going to attempt a long-term here, will do it later in Isaiah.
John

====== Vance:

ISAIAH 12
2
See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
3
With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! 4In that wonderful day you will sing:
“Thank the LORD!
Praise his name!
Tell the world what he has done.
Oh, how mighty he is!
5
Sing to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful things.
Make known his praise around the world.
6
Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!
For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”
ISAIAH 14
12
“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.
13
For you said to yourself, `I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.
14
I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’
15
But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.
16
Everyone there will stare at you and ask, `Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world? 17
Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wilderness? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’
** MY COMMENT:
These verses in Isaiah 14 remind me of Ezekiel 28:11 – 17 (Amplified). In my studies, both of these passages are referring to the fall of the devil, Satan:
Ezekiel 28:11 – 17 (Amplified)
** NOTE in these verses in Ezekiel how the prophet is speaking about the human king of Tyre, and then shifts to speaking about a heavenly being.
11
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12
Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You are the full measure and pattern of exactness [giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, topaz, jasper, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and your settings and your sockets and engravings were wrought in gold. On the day that you were created they were prepared.
14
You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].
15
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity and guilt were found in you.
16
Through the abundance of your commerce you were filled with lawlessness and violence, and you sinned; therefore I cast you out as a profane thing from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire.
17
Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, that they might gaze at you.
Pride is such a deceiving attitude. I have heard it said, and I agree with it: “People who are deceived do not know they are deceived—because they are deceived.”
That sounds humorous, but it brings up a sobering reality: How can we know truth?
May that question shake us out of complacency! We have SO MUCH to be thankful for here in America! However, I ask myself this question today: Am I ardently seeking the Lord… or am I depending on my own limited human wisdom?
2 CORINTHIANS 13
5
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.
6
I hope you recognize that we have passed the test and are approved by God.
7
We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. We pray this, not to show that our ministry to you has been successful, but because we want you to do right even if we ourselves seem to have failed.
8
Our responsibility is never to oppose the truth, but to stand for the truth at all times.
9
We are glad to be weak, if you are really strong. What we pray for is your restoration to maturity.
12
Greet each other in Christian love. All the Christians here send you their greetings.
13
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
MY COMMENT:
These verses fit well within making sure that we are not deceived. Believe me, an angel, directly in the Manifest Presence of God, can fall from the Lord as in Ezekiel 28:17 (Amplified): “…Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.”
If that is so, we who are a little lower than God
** (Psalm 8:5, Amplified
below)
and who are created to bear His image on the earth can be deceived. We MUST guard our hearts!
PSALM 8:5 (AMPLIFIED)
5
Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
NOTE: Without grace, all our strivings are worthless! It is grace that leads us, equips us, and strengthens us in HOLINESS.
Titus 2:11, 12 (Amplified)
11
For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind.
12
It has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world,
What a calling! May we truly enter into the SUBSTANCE of the GLORY of God!
Vance

Isaiah 10:1-11:16 + 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 + Psalm 56:1-13 + Proverbs 23:6-8
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Old Testament – Isaiah chapter 11 in today’s readings is an incredible Messianic chapter of the Old Testament! The life and character of Jesus is so clear in chapter 1 verses 1 through 5 today: “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot–yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. He will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of his mouth. He will be clothed with fairness and truth.”  Does this sound like anyone you personally know?  I pray so.

Then, verses 6 through 9 are such a beautiful reflection on the peace and safety of the coming Messianic age when Jesus returns: “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.”  Can you imagine all of this?  Can you imagine all of this ever taking place, apart from Jesus coming into our world?  Do you look forward to experiencing the day of the lion and the lamb living together in peace!  (Or as I heard a pastor quip once, the dog and the cat eating out of the same bowl! 🙂

New Testament – Paul’s words in Second Corinthians chapter 12 verses 20 and 21 were written for the church in Corinth.  But, imagine if you will that these words were written to you and me today… “For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won’t like what I find, and then you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, and disorderly behavior. Yes, I am afraid that when I come, God will humble me again because of you. And I will have to grieve because many of you who sinned earlier have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.”  What would Paul find if he came to visit our lives today?  Would he find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, or disorderly behavior?  Impurity?  Sexual immorality?  Eagerness for lustful pleasure?  Or – instead, would Paul find peace, joy, love, giving, and purity in our lives?  Would we grieve Paul or make him joyful?  Better yet, let us reflect upon what Jesus would find in our lives if He came back today?  Would our lives grieve Jesus in any way?

Bible.org’s commentary on today and tomorrow’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Paul’s Closing Argument, Appeal, and Blessing” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 56 verse 10 makes a One Year Bible blogger quite happy 🙂 “O God, I praise your word. Yes, LORD, I praise your word.”  Does this verse make you happy?  Do you praise God for the gift of the Bible?  Do you praise God’s very Word, the Bible?

Proverbs – Today’s Proverbs 23 verses 6 through 8 teach us: “Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. They are always thinking about how much it costs. You will vomit up the delicious food they serve, and you will have to take back your words of appreciation for their “kindness.”” This is a great teaching on not eating with people who are stingy.  I hope in turn we can reflect upon whether or not we ourselves are stingy?  If so, God is instructing people not to eat with us!  🙂

Worship Video: Today’s readings in Isaiah 11 reminded me of Brandon Heath’s song “Your Love:”

Do you need God’s Love? Click here for Love!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:4 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you praise God for his Word, the Bible. Pray that you trust God. Pray that you are not afraid of mortal men, because of your saving and eternal relationship with Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior.

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

Isaiah 10-11:16
I can’t seem to get verse 5-7 in the 10th chapter out of my head.
Isaiah 10:5-7 AMP Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of My anger, the staff in whose hand is My indignation and fury [against Israel’s disobedience]! (6) I send [the Assyrian] against a hypocritical and godless nation and against the people of My wrath; I command him to take the spoil and to seize the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the streets. (7) However, this is not his intention [nor is the Assyrian aware that he is doing this at My bidding], neither does his mind so think and plan; but it is in his mind to destroy and cut off many nations.
It is so hard for us to think that God would use a godless nation to discipline another godless nation. However, when that godless nation is Israel, God’s chosen, then the one appointed by God to discipline His people surely must understand that what they are bringing about is not of their hands but is of God. Taking up another agenda other than the one God gives us is dangerous business.
Everything that happens, though it seems totally against the nature and character of God, will be used by God to bring about His purposes. We may be outside of God’s will and do things that are not of His will, yet God does not allow anything that is not part of His will.
II Corinthians 12:11-21
There is something in our nature that desires to struggle, yet not struggle. We love to tell others of our struggles, but we hate to struggle. We love to present our laundry list of abuses that has been heaped upon us, not as a testimony to encourage others, but as a badge to flaunt in front of others. “Look what I went through to do this for you.” Here we have Paul, who would not allow the church at Corinth to take care of his needs so he wouldn’t be a burden to them yet because of that he was shown disrespect. Yet those false teachers who abused them, they respected.
This does not and is not just an anomaly of the Church at Corinth; we can find this in our churches and in our homes. Why do we do it? Whatever it is that we humans have going on inside of us is probably the number one reason why people reject the Gospel as God has given it to us, freely as a gift. We feel we have to work for it and make us a long list of things we must do to earn it.
Matthew 11:28-30 KJVR Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
We seem to have a problem with accepting an easy yoke and a light burden.
Psalm 56:1-13
3
But when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4
O God, I praise your word.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
To learn, really learn and know deep within ourselves that other than God we should fear no man. Fear is a consequence of the Fall of man. “I was afraid…I hid (Gen 3:10). But God, who is perfect love, cast out all fear. O, how I long to deepen my faith and trust so that I can leave fear back there in that garden.
Proverbs 22:6-8
Stay away from greedy people and don’t be greedy.
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Pat:

A thought to share with you on Isaiah 11:6-9: Speaking as a mom, a grandmother, and one with years of experience with children – these are wonderful verses to have in your heart to discuss with children. Normally a child’s first experience with death comes from the death of a pet or another animal. If you haven’t already, then you will surely be asked sometime in the future if there are animals in Heaven. The answer is definitely YES! Everything that God created in Genesis that “was good” will be recreated in Heaven. It gives a child great comfort to know that their dog or cat or other pet goes to be with Jesus when they die and that in Heaven all the animals love each other and play together. Dogs won’t be chasing cats and cats won’t be stalking birds but they will all be friends and living and playing together. These verses bring us great joy as adults because we realize the beauty of peaceful living that awaits us. These verses bring great joy to children because they give a child their first glimpse of Heaven, and the safety provided by Jesus. Even though they are not old enough to understand salvation, they can understand from the earliest of years a Heaven that is filled with animals that love each other and take care of each other.
God Bless!
Pat

======= Chaplain Nancy:

In response to Pat’s comment: For those who are interested, please check out our website of the International Association of Animal Chaplains. You will find a wealth of articles, references, stories and other comforting words about animals and religion.
Yours in peace,
Chaplain Nancy
http://www.AnimalChaplains.com

======= Anka:

In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be broken
because you have grown so fat……….
This verse kept coming to mind through out today…and just now another one “the truth will set us free”.I guess as we watch the world around us it becomes more and more obvious even to non christians these are end times…we’re in the heat of battle.Sometimes we see our fellow soldiers(christians)wounded…sometimes we see them go down…I guess for us in the heat of the battle we have to keep getting spiritually fat(with the Truth)so we don’t get so overwhelmed by what’s happening around us,in our lives etc.
God bless you all
Anka

======= John:

Anka,
So cool that you got that concept of “fat” without going to Hebrew.
“In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be broken
because you have grown so fat.” NIV
Hebrew word for “fat” is “shemen” meaning fat or oil. Of course oil is used in OT to refer to an anointing. So some translations translate the last part of Is10:27 as:
‘the yoke will be broken because of the anointing (or the anointed one)’.
I missed early Isaiah, but a concept(that I embrace) regarding prohecy is that God works in bookends to complete things (ex: 1st Adam – 2nd Adam (Jesus)). So there are near term fulfillments of prophecies and long-term (perhaps unfulfilled)aspects of prophecies.
Here in the near term, Assyria is rebuffed by the actions of the King (Hezekiah) the anointed ruler of Judah, and the anointed prophet Isaiah.
In the long term, in the end times the enemy (whoever that may be – russia, syria, confederation, etc.) that will be retracing this same path to Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Anointed One – Jesus Christ (at the Second Coming).
Of course Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Word, with which we are to get fat on (daily). Not only will that be the “fat” that will prevail in end times, but the daily “truth” should be setting us free here and now on earth.
There is some cool symbolism and word plays in Is 11, but it will have to wait until later tonight – as I am off to an engagement.
John

======= Anka:

John,
I guess the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me that no matter what comes up or how busy my schedule is…my priority should be the word.I had less and less time so I went from reading the bible (cos I thought rushing through the passges isn’t good)to reading through a devotional I could read in less than 3mins:(
Kinda like only eating fast food instead of a well balanced meal:(
God bless you all
Anka

======== John:

2Cor12:21
[Missed a lot the last week, some things to comment on, but will have to wait until next year – gives me a reason to stick around :)]
“I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.” NIV
Thought for a while regarding Ramona’s comment on “thorn” – and I concur – as usual : )
Thorn can be a physical ailment, or individual thing – but what is the danger for Paul? If Paul were to walk into a city, preach the gospel, and everyone fell down and converted – Paul might think himself a pretty good evangelist. Might be subject to Pride/Hubris.
Instead, Paul is met with opposition at every turn. From fake apostles, to super saints, to people just refusing to walk in the Spirit. It is a constant battle. The reminder to Paul is the successes come from God – not from our abilities to persuade. Paul is kept humble by opposition both external to the church and internal (of the church).
By God being in control the glory is His – not Paul’s. The credit is God’s, not Paul’s.
John

======= Luch:

There is a great connection between Isaiah 11 and the amazing grace story with wilberforce and newton. After having seen the movie THREE TIME, and weeping my eyes out, I realize the work these men and women did could never have been done without the daily empowring of the Spirit of God. In Isaiah 11:2 among other things, it says, He is the spirit of counsel and might. Wilberforce and Newton and their band of revoluntionaries paid a huge price in their own lives to see this bane of slavery brought to an end.
thanks mike for the beautiful inspiration of blending tomlin’s song with the images. They will stay with me throughout the day as I go about to ‘do the work’ God has given me to do. i love how newton says to william “You have work to do.” We all do, and by the grace of God, let’s be about our Father’s work.
Luch

======= Harry:

For me profet Isaiah has been very personal for some years after on one winter day passing the local church I just happened to open the bible on the church bench and coming into middle of Chapter 33. Since that day the bible has been even stronger guidance in my daily life and recently even in our working issues we are heading to make the mission more true and a part of our daily work. It has been a true joy to follow One Year Bible Blog for the daily inspiration. Kind regards for all of you.
Harry

======== Janice:

thank you ramona for always giving some more light to the shared word….fear and distrust of the true meaning of the words of god keep people ignorant of what the writings are truly about….do not fear the unknown…trust in god for the lord is Gracious and Compassionate, slow to anger and Rich in LOve..
have a blessed day
janice

====== Reuben:

Paul Wilbur has an (old but) enjoyable praise song based on Isaiah 11, called “He Shall Reign.” It’s on YouTube.
Reuben

======= Joyce:

Mike and everyone,
Isaiah 11:2,3 Amplified-
“2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and strength,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the [reverential and obedient] fear of the Lord—
3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make decisions by what His ears hear.”
Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord.
What is “fear of the Lord”?
How does one delight in the fear of the Lord?
i like what Pastor Harold Martin said in “The fear of the Lord”, Friday sermon, August 23, 2013, The TandD.com:
“We have often tried to define the fear of the Lord, but the more I learn about it, the more I realize it is something we learn by experience, not by definition. It’s an experience we all need to diligently pursue. If you have it, you will know it, and your life will reflect it.”
In his sermon he provide these scripture references. i appreciate them in the Amplified Bible version-
Proverbs 1:7 Amplified-
“The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence];
But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.”
Proverbs 9:10 Amplified-
“The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence],
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.”
Proverbs 14:27 Amplified-
“The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.”
Proverbs 22:4 Amplified-
“The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord
Is riches, honor, and life.”
Brothers and sisters, and seekers of the Truth,
may we diligently pursue the fear of the Lord!
God bless you!
Sincerely,
Joyce

======= Robert:

Isaiah 10 and 11
Today as an exercise I substituted the word Assyrian for the word Covid. It makes a lot of sense that God’s Hand is very much involved in this deadly disease. I see a lot of parallels in these readings to a sort of war we are having with this pandemic and I started thinking why it is happening and how it would serve God’s purpose. Then…..
I read 2 Corinthians 12: 11- 13-10
God’s concern for us is similar to Paul’s in 12: 20. “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. “
Have we repented? Have we examined ourselves? What are my weaknesses? Do I delight in difficulties? I hope and pray that the up and coming readings in Galatians, I will find a new light in some of the “freedom” that comes from Jesus Christ.
Robert

======= John:

Is 11
I thought about it and I am going to pass until next year posting on some of the “neat” things I think I see here in IS 11. I want to study Hebrew idioms more and go back and look at the symbolism of the layout of temple and tabernacle.
======================================================
Two things that I did want to mention:
1) I see vs. 4-9 as the correction of the problem of sin. Jesus corrects the problem in both the “earth” and “man”.
To me this is a picture of the millenium and the earthly rule of Christ. This is not heaven. I say that because of the Hebrew word used for “earth” and the context of,
“.. for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea…”
The animals are literally at peace with each other, becaus of Christ’s return and rule for 1,000 years. That is how complete that time of peace will be, yet there will still be rebellion in the heart of some. {more on that in “Revelation”)
NOTE: Pat and I disagree on this, but we have different interpretations of the verses. This is one of those non-essential things – and each should be convinced in his/her own mind.
======================================================
2) What is not ambiguous in any Hebrew text I can find is Is 11:11a
“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people…”NIV
Two times God will reclaim the remnant of his people.
1)The first was from the Babylonian Exile.
2) The second was May 14th 1948. Not many argue this point.
” he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.” NIV
Israel became a state in 1948 populated by Jews from all over the world. And remember because of the migration of non-idol worshiping Jews from the North to Judah (south)- in Chronicles and Kings – all twelve tribes are represented in Judah.
Now you could say, ‘but John – this nation is secular, and the religious portion of the nation is mostly some form of orthodox Judaism.’
But nowhere in Isaiah does it say the “people” have to believe in Christ to be returned to Israel. In fact in Ezekiel 36 God says He is returning them despite their unbelief.
Ezek36:22-24
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
” ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.”NIV
Once they are back, God will take the steps to bring Israel (the nation) back into the fold. That is what will make Him Holy in the eyes of the nations of the world.
THE POINT: God keeps his word. The second time has occured for the people of Israel. What is next? What does this mean for the Christian?
Are you living to please Christ? Are you sharing the gospel with a sense of urgency? Are you praying everday for the salvation of loved ones and friends?
The process has begun. Judgment time is coming. The part of God that many try to ignore – or hide in “peace and love” messages – is near. Will it be tomorrow or a hundred years from now? Who knows? But when you see the fulfillment of prophecy as in Is11:11a as a reader (and hopefully student) of the Bible – we must be ready, and help others to get ready – that is our purpose in being here on earth.
John

======= Pat:

John, I love this statement you made, “NOTE: Pat and I disagree on this, but we have different interpretations of the verses. This is one of those non-essential things – and each should be convinced in his/her own mind.” How right you are and wonderful is our Lord for speaking to each of us individually! That is what sets our religion aside from all the other religions in the world and even from the cults that claim to be Christian. We can all read the same verses and get something different from the reading because we are reading from the Living Word of the Living God, and He gives to us the interpretation that we need for the experiences that each of us face in life. That is what sets us apart from other religions in the world and even from the cults that seem to spring up within the Christian religion. Our faith is personal and one-on-one with God. It is not dictated by a ruler, it is not one-dimensional and it is not impersonal. We have found and serve a living Savior and He walks with each of us and talks with each of us and services all of our needs!
God Bless!
Pat

======= Vance:

ISAIAH 10 (NLT)
27
In that day the LORD will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders.[d]
[d] Isaiah 10:27 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads The yoke will be broken, for you have grown so fat.
ISAIAH 11 (NKJV)
27
It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
I THANK GOD that God WILL always fulfill His Word. He WILL break the yoke of slavery and lift it from our shoulders.
Note the New Living Translation (NLT) note: The yoke will be broken, for you have grown so fat. Also note the translation in the New King James Version: And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. I do not know what the connection is between “fatness” and “anointing oil”, but there must be a connection of clear understanding in the Hebrew meaning of the words “fat” or “fatness” and “anointing”
We have all we need in Christ. However, I was challenged yesterday: Are we willing to do whatever it takes to walk in the freedom Christ has purchased for us? Or… are we complacent? Are we saying we are content when, in reality, we are complacent?
GALATIANS 5 (The Message)
1
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.
GALATIANS 5 (Amplified)\
1
IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].
PSALM 56
11
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
This makes me think of Joshua 1:5 which was quoted by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified)
Second part of verse
“…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!].”
NOTICE HOW EMPHATIC AND ENERGETIC the Lord is in keeping His hold of LOVE on us!
Once we fully realize this with the eyes of our inner self, we will be completely free to live the FIRST PART OF Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified):
“Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]…”
MONEY IS NOT EVIL. It is amoral: neither good or bad.
THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of evil. If our hearts are faithful, God can entrust us with resources to build His Kingdom?
Did you know that God needs us to invest in His Kingdom?
Do we realize – REALLY – that we are stewards and NOT owners? Once this is realized, this truly sets us free from greed. And we know that we CAN BE stewards when we are TRULY ESTABLISHED in the SECURITY OF GOD’S LOVE – because He is ALWAYS WITH US
Vance

Isaiah 8:1-9:21 + 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 + Psalm 55:1-23 + Proverbs 23:4-5
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Old Testament – I got chills today when reading Isaiah chapter 9 about the hope in our Messiah, Jesus Christ!  Keep in mind that the book of the prophet Isaiah was written in the 8th century B.C….  800 years before Jesus walked this earth!  Verses 1 & 2 start off this chapter in such a beautiful way:  “Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light–a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow.”  Compare these verses to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 4 verses 12 through 17 at this link when Jesus begins his public ministry.  Amazing eh?  Jesus Christ is the great light!  The light of the world!  And indeed, a light to the Gentiles!

Verses 6 & 7 continued the chills for me as I read them – and reminded me of an incredibly beautiful song that is sung at my parent’s church every Christmas: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this!”  Do you believe that these verses were prophesying the coming of Jesus Christ 800 years later?  Do you believe that Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor?  Mighty God?  Prince of Peace?  Do you believe that Jesus rules forever with fairness and justice?  Praise God for this prophecy in Isaiah that a child would be born to us!  Though we are a few months out from Christmas, now feels like a good time for all of us to reflect upon these words below from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2 verses 8-14 (from the King James Version):

^“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Isaiah chapter 9 titled “The Glorious Messiah and the Messianic Age” is at this link.  Below is a great image for Isaiah chapter 9 verse 2 from today’s readings:

New Testament – Paul’s words in Second Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 through 10 about the thorn in Paul’s flesh are so powerful for each of us to consider for our lives today as well! “But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  Biblical commentaries can basically all agree that we do not know what Paul’s “thorn” was.  There is some interesting speculation out there.  Some think that the thorn is Paul’s flesh was perhaps something that literally affected his flesh – a health issue of some sort.  Some think it could have been a disease of the eyes, epilepsy, or even malaria.  Whatever the thorn was, it was something that affected him very seriously.  And it kept Paul humble in the midst of his incredible ministry.  Why do you suppose that Paul was given a thorn in his flesh?  Do you suppose you or I might have thorns in our flesh today?  What might those thorns be in your life today?  And why might those thorns be there?  Is there anything you can learn from Paul about your thorns?  Can you learn to live with the thorn in your flesh realizing that God’s power in your life actually works strongest when you are weak?  Do you believe that God’s power can actually work through the thorn in your flesh for God’s glory?  Will you accept where you are weak, so that in that area of your life God will be strong?

Continuing along this point about having a thorn in our flesh.  I do think this is a powerful thing for each of us to really meditate upon.  I believe that all of us have some sort of thorn in our flesh! (or we will…)  All of us are human with various frailties.  None of us are Superman or Wonderwoman.  We will all grow older – God-willing – and will eventually have health issues that will eventually lead to our death.  As Christians we have eternal life after death where all of our thorns will be removed forever!  But this side of heaven we will have thorns in our flesh.  Perhaps many thorns.  But, this is the beauty of the thorns…  if we will accept them and give them over to God, God’s power will work in our weakness!  If we will give all that we have over to God – the good, the bad, and the ugly, God will show up and move through it.  It’s tough I know to really put this into practice – if we lose a loved one, or get diagnosed with a serious illness, or are struggling with an addiction, we can often think “where is God in this??”  Well, yes, where is He?  Have you opened the door to let Him in the room of that weakness?  Will you let his power in?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Boasting in our Weakness” is at this link.  Below is a great image from Second Corinthians 12 verse 9 from today’s readings:

Psalms – Today we read Psalm 55 verse 22, which is a beautiful reminder to all who believe in the risen Lord! “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Please do meditate on this verse a bit.  Do you make it a habit of giving your burdens to the Lord?  Or do you try to carry your burdens on your own strength?  Is there a burden you are carrying today that you can give to the Lord?  Will you?  And do you trust that he will take care of you and not permit you to slip and fall?

Proverbs – Proverbs 23 verses 4 & 5 today are a great teaching on the futility of pursuing worldly wealth – “Don’t weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!”  Have you ever tried to get rich?  Did it ever seem like perhaps that goal in and of itself was perhaps a waste of time?  What else in life do you miss out on when you pursue nothing but riches?   Is it possible that you miss out on God when you wholeheartedly pursue riches?  I do want to share with you a personal conversion of heart story here.  When I graduated from college my one goal in life was “to make one million dollars by the age of 30.”  Seriously.  And what a sad goal that turned out to be!  I did go through a period of about 4 years of really pursuing that goal – and it led me into a job that was leading me down the path of being rich, but it was a job that I absolutely hated.  The pursuit of that monetary goal was literally killing my soul.  Fortunately God can redeem dumb goals like this and save us from our self-destructive habits.  During that quest for riches God led me into a homeless shelter for teenagers where I finally had a conversion of heart experience to realize that there are people really struggling in our world – teenagers that have been physically, mentally, and sexually abused by their own parents in this case.  And I realized in that homeless shelter that I was doing absolutely nothing for these hurting teens in my pursuit of cold hard cash.  I was the one becoming cold!  Well, praise God that he led me to eventually quit that high profile job and begin working for jobs that paid much less, but which have given me a great opportunity to have work / life balance.  Jobs that have given me enough breathing room to grow in my relationship with God and others!  So, back to you and your life today.  Have you grown weary pursuing riches yet…?  🙂

Worship Video: Today’s readings in Psalm 55 reminded me of Britt Nicole’s song “Walk on The Water:”

Do you want to walk on the water? Click here and Walk On!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” Proverbs 23:4 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you are not pursuing riches. Pray that you don’t love money. Pray that you are pursuing God. Pray that you are pursuing righteousness.

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
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======= Ramona:

Isaiah 8:1-9:21

Isaiah is in the midst of his people, God’s people, and is given a name to give to his child, a son, yet conceived, much less born. His two son’s names as well as his name, Isaiah, are prophetic reminders of what God will do. Yet despite all the destruction and despite Ahaz’s paying off of Assyria to chase away or stop Rezin, king of Syria and Pekah, king of Samaria—the Northern Kingdom, Judah and Jerusalem will be overtaken like a flood by the empire, Assyria, which she has paid handsomely to be her ally. Instead of turning to God, which Isaiah had previously told Ahaz to do and which was confirmed by a prophetic Word back in chapter seven, Ahaz turned to the Arm of Man, Assyria.

Immanuel, God with us, is something we think about as happening when Jesus was born, but Immanuel was back there when evil king Ahaz was on the throne with Rezin and Pekah breathing down his neck. Immanuel was back there when Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt hidden in the Pillar of Fire by night and the Pillar of Cloud by day.

Just like Immanuel was with Israel and Judah even when Assyria was flooding their land, he is with us today through natural disasters and manmade wars. . Are we bold enough to see Him in that Cloud and in the Fire? Are we perceptive to see him in the names of the children God has given to the prophet, as well as in the name of that prophet? We cry out, “Where is God?” when we experience pain, destruction and confusion, yet Immanuel is all around us. Open your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear Him.

II Corinthians 12:1-10

It is usually preached that Paul’s thorn-in-the-flesh was some kind of illness and disability whether from actual sickness or from the myriad of beatings and stonings that happened to him because of his boldness in spreading the gospel but I’m not a firm believer in that line of thinking. Paul had been beat up a lot, so he probably looked like a train wreck in search of an accident. Even if Paul was funny looking and repulsed people at that time, we humans have this funny thing about us when we are around someone who is exuding love and kindness, we don’t see that “funny looking stuff.”

A pretty face and a “cut” body may first draw our eyes to look upon such a gorgeous vision, but if the person has an “ugly” personality then pretty gets ugly very quick. No, I think, this messenger of Satan was a person, or a person that had a pretty ugly spirit. Maybe it was those folks that followed behind after him trying to undo the freeing work of the Gospel. Again, I repeat, this is my opinion.

It is when I have tried everything to reason with an unreasonable person making sure and checking myself that there was not anything I did to cause animosity that I put that person, and myself, in God’s hands.

Psalm 55:1-23

Not only can we understand when our enemies come against us, well after all they are enemies, but it is our friends, or loved ones that caused the most damage and pain when they come against us. That is the time we need to call on God for our protection. An enemy does because he is our enemy; but when those who are suppose to “have our backs” turn on us that is the unkindest “cut” of all. And just like there are those who turn on us, I’m surer than sure that we have turned on those who we are suppose to be in a loving relationship with.

Proverbs 23:4-5

If we were to make a study of people who acquired wealth by working for it, we will find that the wealth, the wealth that lasts, did not come by way of get-quick-rich schemes. Most wealth earned legitimately was earned by ordinary people doing ordinary things extraordinary well. Besides there are other wisdom Proverbs that speak of wealth earned wrongly,

Proverbs 13:11 NET. Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.

Proverbs 10:2 NET. Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from mortal danger.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Sammy:

Isaiah 6:1-7:25 + 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 + Psalm 54:1-7 + Proverbs 23:1-3
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – Wonderful readings today in Isaiah chapter 6 as Isaiah is commissioned as a prophet by the Lord!  Great stuff!

The seraphim mentioned in this chapter are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible by name, though they do seem similar to the “living creatures” described in Revelation 4:6-9.  It is intriguing to note that even the seraphim with two of their wings “covered their faces” (verse 2) before God.  No wonder Isaiah got very scared in verse 5 because he saw the Lord with his own eyes in this vision!  It is thought by some commentaries that this vision of Isaiah’s may have taken place in the Temple in Jerusalem.  Below are two pieces of artwork depicting the seraphim and verse 3: “In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”” Amen…

In Isaiah chapter 7 today we read about the sign of Immanuel in verses 14 through 16!  “All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel–`God is with us.’ By the time this child is old enough to eat curds and honey, he will know enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong. But before he knows right from wrong, the two kings you fear so much–the kings of Israel and Aram–will both be dead.”  I don’t know about you, but when I read this today I immediately thought of the virgin Mary and Jesus.  With good reason, as we’ll recall from the gospel of Matthew chapter 1 verse 23: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” Commentaries suggest that yes, indeed, these passages in Isaiah are ultimately wholly fulfilled in Jesus, who truly is “God with us.”  But, commentaries also suggest that this prophecy in Isaiah had a double fulfillment – first in a young woman from the house of Ahaz who was not married, but would marry and then have a son – and by the time the son was the age 2, the two invading kings would be destroyed.  Then, the second fulfillment of this prophecy was indeed in the One we now celebrate as the true Immanuel, Jesus Christ, God with us!

New Testament – Amazing words from Paul today in Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 30! “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.”  Why would Paul say he would rather boast about things that show how weak he is?  Why would Paul want to be weak in any way?  Why would you or I want to be weak in any way?  If you must boast, what are you boasting about these days?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “The Reluctant ‘Fool'” is at this link and “Boasting in our Weakness” is at this link.

Psalms –  I like Psalm 54 verse 4 a lot – “But God is my helper. The Lord is the one who keeps me alive!”  Is this true in your life?  Is God the one who keeps you alive?  Or are you trying to lean on other things as your source of life?  I believe it is such a blessing to surrender more and more to God until we get to the point where truly this true for us – God is the one – and only – who keeps us alive.  I am not saying I am there yet – but I’m trying to get there.  I’m trying to surrender more and more each day to God and to Jesus – all that I am – all that I am living for.  I pray that in your life and in mine God will be the one who keeps us alive!

Proverbs – Proverbs 23 verses 1 through 3 today teach us: “When dining with a ruler, pay attention to what is put before you. If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat, and don’t desire all the delicacies–deception may be involved.”  This is a fascinating Proverb.  I think the key to remember here is that if you are dining with a ruler that you really need to be very well prayed-up!  Seriously.  Rulers don’t just mean presidents or politicians.  I think of rulers as perhaps our bosses or key people in our community who are well known, but whom perhaps we don’t know that well. If one of these people invites you to dinner, very simply put – beware.  Why?  Because… deception may be involved.  It may not be involved – it may be a very innocent invite to dinner – but you should be cautious.  If you are a woman and a well-known man invites you to a one-on-one dinner, and it seems out of context or strange in some way, my first inclination would be to not go.  We all obviously know the risk in a situation like this.  But men being invited to dinner by men, or men being invited to dinner by women, or women being invited to dinner by women all need to be careful too.  One-on-one dinners with someone other than your spouse, someone you are courting, or a good friend could be risky business.  I’ll briefly share with you that I got put into a crazy bad situation once being invited to a dinner by a “ruler” in my community.  I didn’t see at all what was coming.  (I’ll spare you the details…) By the grace of God it all turned out fine in the end – in fact, in some ways I have never felt the Spirit of God rushing through me as powerfully as when I was in that horrible situation over dinner.  But, it was a lesson learned!  When dining with a ruler – pay attention to what is before you!  Not only the food & drink… but the psychological game of deception that may very be before you as well… 

Worship Video: Today’s video was a slam-dunk with Isaiah 6:8 in today’s readings: “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.””  Here’s Mercy Me’s great song “Here I Am” based on this verse:

Are you in a relationship with God such that you could reply like Isaiah did, “Here I Am, Send Me?” Click here and get sent!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you will go wherever God calls you to go. Pray that you will serve wherever Jesus asks you to serve. Pray that you will be sent wherever the Holy Spirit sends you!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up in the “Comments” below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona: