September 12th One Year Bible Readings

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!  Check out a webpage outlining the Messianic prophecies from Isaiah chapter 11 and then their fulfillment in the New Testament at this link .  Also, an overview of "121 Messianic Prophecies of Isaiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His Church" is at this link.  Surf down and you'll see today's Isaiah chapter 11 prophecies and fulfillments.   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 God: I heard this song on the radio today, and loved the add-on lyrics (My Chains Are Gone) to the original lyrics of "Amazing Grace."  I think this song works very well when considering the Messianic verses in Isaiah today.  God's new covenant of Grace through his son Jesus was clearly being foretold in the Old Testament through the prophet Isaiah!  The great thing about this video is that I didn't realize this song was in the movie "Amazing Grace," which is an incredible movie about the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce!  Have you seen this movie yet?  If not, please please please do!  (I can't beg you enough :) This is one of those movies with a message that I think can change your life if you'll let it.  The Amazing Grace movie website is here: http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/  And a powerful companion website called "The Amazing Change" about the staggering number of slaves still in our modern world today (an estimated 27 million - more than at any other time in history!!) is here:  http://www.theamazingchange.com/   Please take a few minutes to explore these 2 website links - particularly The Amazing Change's site.  Without further ado, here is Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace / My Chains Are Gone":

Have you experienced God's gift of Amazing Grace?  Click here and let your chains be gone!

YouTube #2:  Okay, it's pretty rare that I post up 2 YouTube's in one day.  But I just came across a movie trailer clip for the movie "Amazing Grace," which I will share with you to encourage you even more to please please please see this movie if you haven't yet!  :)

Hmm.... since I'm now way down this rabbit trail about "Amazing Grace" the movie and modern day slavery, let me give you a related book recommendation too.  This book was written by a 15 year old boy named Zach Hunter, who truly can be called a modern day abolitionist and activist who spends much of his time working to end slavery around the world.  If you have teenagers this could be a great book to get them inspired!  This book is definitely geared for teens, but I think adults or anyone in youth ministry can get a ton out of this book too.  The book is boldly titled "Be the Change: Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World!"  Check it out on Amazon.com here.  Here's the cover:

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

Comments

[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

[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

[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]

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.

[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

[R]

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.

[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

[luciano Del Monte]

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.

[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.

[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