Passage: When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.
Journal: In Isaiah’s day, God’s Word (through His prophet) was received casually if not outright rejected. So it is with our popular culture today. While “mediums and spiritists” may not be quite as in vogue today, there is a great tendency to scour the world for truth. There is even a greater tendency to promote the false belief that there is no ultimate truth. This relativism is a breeding ground for justifying all types of rebellious behavior.
God has a response to relativism. It is blunt, and thus considered obtuse by a sinful generation. But, it is what it is – “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” That response is certainly straight forward, and gives the child of God great hope and comfort. That is, life is indeed meaningful and there is indeed absolute truth. This is why God’s Word is such a precious gift. This is why God’s Word is an abundant commodity and a precious resource that we must explore and mine each day.
Contrary to popular culture, there is a heaven and there is but one path to heaven. It is the Word of God. (John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”) Outside of the Word of God, there is distress. The child of God has been brought into the light, and the “light of the world” shines forth hope. (John 8:12 – “When Jesus spoke to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”) It is in the light of hope that distress can cast no shadow.
Heard ‘Round the House:
As I’ve mentioned before, ever since Vera’s (age 8; down syndrome) birthday last February she has considered every day to be her birthday. It is constantly in her conversation. Well, Monday we celebrated Vera’s third anniversary of being adopted from Russia (with a feast at IHOP and a three candle cake at the house). To say that she was pleased would be a vast understatement. I am anticipating that we will now be celebrating her anniversary each and every day. Or, perhaps we will be hearing about both her birthday and her anniversary each and every day . . .
Journal: In Isaiah’s day, God’s Word (through His prophet) was received casually if not outright rejected. So it is with our popular culture today. While “mediums and spiritists” may not be quite as in vogue today, there is a great tendency to scour the world for truth. There is even a greater tendency to promote the false belief that there is no ultimate truth. This relativism is a breeding ground for justifying all types of rebellious behavior.
God has a response to relativism. It is blunt, and thus considered obtuse by a sinful generation. But, it is what it is – “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” That response is certainly straight forward, and gives the child of God great hope and comfort. That is, life is indeed meaningful and there is indeed absolute truth. This is why God’s Word is such a precious gift. This is why God’s Word is an abundant commodity and a precious resource that we must explore and mine each day.
Contrary to popular culture, there is a heaven and there is but one path to heaven. It is the Word of God. (John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”) Outside of the Word of God, there is distress. The child of God has been brought into the light, and the “light of the world” shines forth hope. (John 8:12 – “When Jesus spoke to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”) It is in the light of hope that distress can cast no shadow.
Heard ‘Round the House:
As I’ve mentioned before, ever since Vera’s (age 8; down syndrome) birthday last February she has considered every day to be her birthday. It is constantly in her conversation. Well, Monday we celebrated Vera’s third anniversary of being adopted from Russia (with a feast at IHOP and a three candle cake at the house). To say that she was pleased would be a vast understatement. I am anticipating that we will now be celebrating her anniversary each and every day. Or, perhaps we will be hearing about both her birthday and her anniversary each and every day . . .
