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 . 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: Today's readings in Isaiah 11 reminded me of Brandon Heath's song "Your Love:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74HXKSYyPKg
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 by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
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
Posted by: Ramona | September 11, 2012 at 07:34 PM