Month: September 2016

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ISAIAH 43:14-45:10 | EPHESIANS 3:1-21 | PSALM 68:1-18 | PROVERBS 24:1-2

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Isaiah records a long monologue on behalf of the Lord Almighty and his people, the children of Israel.  It is an account of the many mercies of the Almighty toward an erring and sinful people—who have time and time again turned away from their God.  These words are striking for the plaintive style in which God lays down the facts.  He says:

²³ You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,
nor honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands for incense.
²⁴ You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,
or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your offenses.

There’s not much that Israel can say in her defense.  And yet, Israel is not to despair, because this is a God who is not giving up on her.  God says:

²⁵ “I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.
²⁶ Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;
state the case for your innocence.

Idolatry is the mother of all sins, and God is reminding his chosen people of the error of their ways when they resorted to worshiping idols.  Referring to a block of wood, God says:

¹⁹ No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
²⁰ Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

One can only imagine the sense of gratitude that the children of Israel must feel when they read these words:

Israel, I will not forget you.
²² I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”

And to the ones who might be in an argumentative frame of mind, and even have the audacity to question the ways of the Almighty, this is what the Lord God says:

⁹ “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,
those who are nothing but potsherds
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
‘What are you making?’
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?
¹⁰ Woe to the one who says to a father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
‘What have you brought to birth?’

Turning now to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we come across a passage that appears to complement the previous reading in Isaiah.  In the old covenant, Israel was the only “chosen one” — the only people who were privileged to receive the forgiveness of sins and the many blessings that followed. 

But we are no longer in the era of the old covenant, Paul is telling the young church at Ephesus.  We are under a new covenant that came into effect with the occurrence of God incarnate in the form of Jesus Christ and by the blood that this man, i.e., God himself has shed on the cross.  And because of the resurrection from the dead that followed, everyone who believes in the saving power of this supernatural act is now entitled to enter into the new covenant with God. 

The gates have been thrown open—there is no special treatment for the Jew, and no discrimination toward the Gentile. 

Paul says, ⁶ This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Paul goes on to say to them:   ⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸ Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

The people in the church of Ephesus must have been very dear to Paul, because what he says next to them is indeed the most affectionate and sincere wishes for them.  He says:  ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

And finally, one of the most sublime of all ways to end a letter, Paul writes these words—which for generations have been used as a benediction:   ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Turning now to our reading of the psalms, we find David extolling the greatness and the mercies of the Lord Almighty.  These verses capture the pure essence of David’s gratitude:

⁹ You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
¹⁰ Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

Finally, one “saying” from the book of Proverbs, authored by none other than Solomon, the Wise:

¹ Do not envy the wicked,
do not desire their company;
² for their hearts plot violence,
and their lips talk about making trouble.

May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.

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ISAIAH 41:17-43:13 | EPHESIANS 2:1-22 | PSALM 67:1-7 | PROVERBS 23:29-35

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Isaiah continues to serve as the Lord’s mouthpiece, and in these lines we can’t help but see the realization of these conditions in modern Israel when soon after the creation of the state of Israel, there was an agricultural explosion across the land.

It is astounding to think that these are recent historical facts from as recently as a half century, but Isaiah predicted them several centuries ago:

¹⁸ I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
¹⁹ I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
²⁰ so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Isaiah goes on to offer more promises where the last came from.  He says of the Lord:

⁶ “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

One can’t help but marvel at how these prophetic words seem to have already come to pass:

⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Turning now to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we find Paul carefully expostulating on a theme dear to his heart.  He starts with pointing to the great love that God has toward his creation—both Jew and Gentile, and speaks of God’s great plan of reconciliation with all creation by way of the coming of God incarnate in the form of Jesus Christ and the redemptive work on the cross. 

Paul says:  ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

And then he spells it out even more clearly in these lines:  ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

Paul is vehement to ensure that there is no misunderstanding among these young Greeks who have newly adopted this novel faith in Christ to not become confused about observances of the old Mosaic Law. 

To this end, Paul says: ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Paul ends this chapter by using the analogy of a building.  He says:  ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

We now turn to our psalm for the day, and find the psalmist offering up wonderful words of praise and thanksgiving that are timeless in appeal.  David says:

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
² so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

Finally, a few verses from Solomon, the wise king of Israel, who speaks to the dangers of imbibing a little too much and a little too long.  He says:

³¹ Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
   when it sparkles in the cup,
   when it goes down smoothly!
³² In the end it bites like a snake
   and poisons like a viper.
³³ Your eyes will see strange sights,
   and your mind will imagine confusing things.

May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.

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ISAIAH 39:1-41:16 | EPHESIANS 1:1-23 | PSALM 66:1-20 | PROVERBS 23:25-28

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Hezekiah’s health is restored, and in time his kingdom flourishes, as can be seen from his own accounts of how he receives envoys from Babylon in times of peace.  Isaiah, however, foretells of a time when the kings of Babylon will take captive all the children of Israel, but it will not be during Hezekiah’s reign. 

Isaiah also foretells of the first coming of the Messiah in these words that are many hundreds of years later, repeated by John the Baptist when he sees Jesus approaching him. Isaiah says:

³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Isaiah continues to speak of the Lord’s promise to the nation of Israel, and in due course, to all mankind.  He says this of the Lord Almighty:

¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

And in these questions, Isaiah reveals the great majesty and power of the Lord Almighty:

¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
¹³ Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
¹⁴ Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?

Isaiah offers answers to the questions above in these lines:

¹⁵ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷ Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

And to leave no doubt to the omnipotence of God Almighty, Isaiah reminds the people with these words:

¹⁸ With whom, then, will you compare God?
To what image will you liken him?
¹⁹ As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
²⁰ A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol that will not topple.

Next, in these oft-quoted lines, Isaiah has forever set forth the most fundamental of questions, albeit rhetorical, that serve to allow for deep reflection:

²¹ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
²³ He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
²⁴ No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

And again, Isaiah reaffirms the inconceivable power and might of God’s provision to those that trust in him.  He says:

²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

These next verses are some that most likely are held very dear by the Jewish people from time immemorial, even to the present day.  They speak of the everlasting covenant between the Lord God and the people named Israel who descended from this one man called Abraham.  What a long love and promise that to this day has been evidenced in the manner in which the state of affairs of mankind have unfolded over time. 

The Lord God’s promise to these people is a most wondrous thing in that just as a parent might tell a child to not fear, God Almighty is likewise reassuring Israel in these verses:

⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
¹¹ “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
¹² Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
¹³ For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

Turning now to our second reading of the day, we commence a new book titled Ephesians, which is, in essence, an epistle or letter written by Paul to the young church in Ephesus, a city in modern Turkey.  Paul opens with warm greetings and then wastes no time in getting to the meat of the matter. 

Referring to the great work of Jesus Christ on the cross, Paul presents the entire gospel in these lines:  ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 

There is no longer any distinction between Jew and non-Jew, i.e., Gentile because this is a redemption that is available to one and all without reservation.

The only requirement is faith or belief in this great gift of redemption.  Paul says, When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 

Paul goes on to offer praise and thanksgiving to this young church, and so sincere are his words in building up this group in love and encouragement, they are in fact, words that we might wish to offer up to one another in uplifting our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul’s exhortation and words of encouragement are as follows—reproduced in their entirety, because I cannot bear to omit even a single sentence! 

He says this:  ¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Next, we turn to our psalm for the day, and find that the Psalmist is offering up thanksgiving and praises to the Lord Almighty for the many instances of help and deliverance during the course of the checkered history of the people of Israel. 

May it be that we also lift our own voices in offering up similar offerings of thanksgiving and praise to a God who is no longer only a God of the children of Israel, but a God to everyone who believes in him.  David says this:

⁸ Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
⁹ he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.

Finally, two sets of wise verses from Solomon, the wise king of Israel as recorded in the book of Proverbs.  The first verse is indeed one that one hopes would be said of ever person:

²⁵ May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!

This second set of verses are part of a series of “sayings”, and this one concerns the value of a good wife:

²⁶ My son, give me your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,
²⁷ for an adulterous woman is a deep pit,
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
²⁸ Like a bandit she lies in wait
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.

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ISAIAH 37:1-38:22 | GALATIANS 6:1-18 | PSALM 65:1-13 | PROVERBS 23:24

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Sennacherib’s threat to Israel has reached the ears of King Hezekiah, and Hezekiah takes this matter to the Lord.  Evidently, the strength of Sennacherib’s forces are to be reckoned with, and Hezekiah knows that he, in and of himself does not have the power to stay the decimation that is sure to come upon him and the kingdom of Israel.  And so, Hezekiah goes to the Lord, who sends Isaiah with these words:

³¹ Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
will take root below and bear fruit above.
³² For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Which is exactly what happens:  Hezekiah does not need to lift a finger to defend his people, for an angel of the Lord wipes out all the forces of Sennacherib, and Sennacherib retreats.  Some years later, Sennacherib meets a most despicable death at the hands of his own two sons while he is in the temple of his god.  Yet another example of how the mighty have fallen! 

Also, some years later, Hezekiah is taken ill, but his faith is stronger than his body, and he cries out to the Lord yet again for help.  So confident is he that God will hear his plea yet again, it is truly remarkable a lesson in perseverance and faith.  Hezekiah cries out to God with these words:

In your love you kept me
from the pit of destruction;
you have put all my sins
behind your back.
¹⁸ For the grave cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;
those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
¹⁹ The living, the living—they praise you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children
about your faithfulness.

He is confidenct of deliverance from the Lord. And finally, he says with the uttermost confidence:

²⁰ The LORD will save me,
and we will sing with stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
in the temple of the LORD.

Turning now to our reading of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we find Paul continuing to encourage and exhort his readers to be the best they can be. 

He says:  ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. 

And he also has some very clear words of advice to all.  He says, ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Also, Paul says once more what he has already said more than once:  do not be concerned about observances of the Law such as practicing circumcision and such because these matters are not important.  Instead, focus on the more important business of understanding the magnitude of this great gift of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross.  Being circumcised is no reason to boast about one’s good works, he says. 

Paul’s own words are:  ¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. ¹⁶ Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

Turning  now to our psalm for the day, we find one in which David is extolling the incredible might of the Almighty in how the earth is made to be fertile and brings forth in abundance:

⁹ You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
¹⁰ You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
¹² The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
¹³ The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.

Finally, one verse from the book of Proverbs which contains a most profound verse:

²⁴ The father of a righteous child has great joy;
   a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.

May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.