tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91357445660536629022024-03-05T08:38:48.025-06:00The Daily JournalThe Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-35413627962835647352008-09-24T06:34:00.003-05:002008-09-24T07:03:19.941-05:00Isaiah 54:9-17<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 54:9-17<br />9 "This is like the days of Noah to me: <br />as I swore that the waters of Noah <br />should no more go over the earth,<br />so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, <br />and will not rebuke you.<br />10 For the mountains may depart <br />and the hills be removed,<br />but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, <br />and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," <br />says the LORD, who has compassion on you.<br />11 "O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, <br />behold, I will set your stones in antimony,<br />and lay your foundations with sapphires.<br />12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,<br />your gates of carbuncles,<br />and all your wall of precious stones.<br />13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD,<br />and great shall be the peace of your children.<br />14 In righteousness you shall be established; <br />you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; <br />and from terror, for it shall not come near you.<br />15 If anyone stirs up strife, <br />it is not from me;<br />whoever stirs up strife with you <br />shall fall because of you.<br />16 Behold, I have created the smith <br />who blows the fire of coals <br />and produces a weapon for its purpose.<br />I have also created the ravager to destroy;<br />17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, <br />and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.<br />This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD<br />and their vindication from me, declares the LORD."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u>:</strong> There is nothing that comes with a greater guarantee than a covenant proclaimed by God. He reminds Judah of the covenant that He made with Noah when He promised never to show His wrath again in the form of enveloping water. [v. 9a -- ". . . <em>as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth</em> . . ."] Here, He proclaims to Judah [as well as His children] that His compassionate love and peace will never leave His people regardless of the circumstance of the day. [v. 10 -- "<em>For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you</em>."] That is, much like the waters of His wrath, His love and peace will envelope His people. <br /><br />Further, not only will His love envelope His people in their human exile and struggle, but heaven awaits in all its glory, studded with brilliant gems. [v. 11-12 -- "<em>O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones</em>."] [See also Revelation 21.] The foundation of the peace of the redeemed child of God is laid by and in Christ. He is our great warrior, and in Him we cannot fail. [v. 17 -- "<em>no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD</em>."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-22703320191301232052008-09-17T06:39:00.003-05:002008-09-17T07:21:09.101-05:00Isaiah 54:4-8<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 54:4-8<br />4 "Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; <br />be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;<br />for you will forget the shame of your youth, <br />and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.<br />5 For your Maker is your husband, <br />the LORD of hosts is his name;<br />and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,<br />the God of the whole earth he is called.<br />6 For the LORD has called you <br />like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,<br />like a wife of youth when she is cast off, <br />says your God.<br />7 For a brief moment I deserted you, <br />but with great compassion I will gather you.<br />8 In overflowing anger for a moment <br />I hid my face from you,<br />but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," <br />says the LORD, your Redeemer.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Isaiah often speaks of the compassion of God. Today's verses point to His grace once again. [v. 8 -- "<em>In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer</em>."] Note that the anger of God towards His children is for only a season, but that the love of God is everlasting. [v. 7 -- "<em>For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you</em>."] However, these relational postures are not by happenstance, for it would have been within God's perfect justice to allow His anger with a sinful people to be everlasting and His love to be severed as a sinful consequence. Yet, His grace has allowed for a redeemer that has given His children a positional standing with and for Him. [v. 5-6 -- "<em>For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God</em>."] The "cast off" wife illustrates our positional standing as a sinful people; yet, He has "called" us as a husband to the wife of His youth. A reconciliation which is made possible only by our Lord and Savior. "<em>Fear not, for you will not be ashamed</em> . . ."<br /><br /><strong><u>Heard 'Round the House</u></strong>:<br />This "highbrow" conversation occurred last night. I had been invited to a dinner for Sarah Palin that would cost a mere $1,000 per plate and Jill had suggested [tongue in cheek] that I go and take the whole family since it would only be $9,000 --<br />Alex: "We are going somewhere?<br />Song: "What dinner?"<br />Luke: "Who is Sarah Palin?<br />Mom: "She is running for vice president?"<br />Luke: "Why was dad invited to that?"<br />Mom: "A friend of his asked him."<br />Luke: "Is he going?"<br />Mom: "It would cost a $1,000 for just daddy to go. So, I don't think he will be going.<br />Song: "Is the food really good or something?"The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-92165676006812522172008-09-15T06:35:00.003-05:002008-09-15T06:53:47.647-05:00Isaiah 54:1-3<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 54:1-3<br />1 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; <br />break forth into singing and cry aloud, <br />you who have not been in labor!<br />For the children of the desolate one will be more <br />than the children of her who is married," says the LORD.<br />2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, <br />and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;<br />do not hold back; lengthen your cords <br />and strengthen your stakes.<br />3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, <br />and your offspring will possess the nations <br />and will people the desolate cities.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: This is a message of encouragement for Judah as she faces the coming enslavement by Babylon. That is, some day the new Israel, the spiritual Israel, will spring forth from a remnant and spread to the far corners of the earth. The enslavement to Babylon is tantamount to the enslavement to sin. Yet, the desolation will not be permanent, for Christ has remedied the bondage and has secured the freedom of His brothers and sisters. God is our refuge, and spreads forth as our perfect and complete canopy. His faithfulness allows us to "<em>lengthen [our] cords and strengthen [our] stakes</em>."The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-68650817245374598002008-09-11T06:27:00.006-05:002008-09-11T07:05:33.871-05:00Isaiah 53:10-12<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 53:10-12<br />10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; <br />he has put him to grief;<br />when his soul makes an offering for guilt, <br />he shall see his offspring;<br />he shall prolong his days;<br />the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.<br />11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;<br />by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, <br />make many to be accounted righteous, <br />and he shall bear their iniquities.<br />12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,<br />and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,<br />because he poured out his soul to death <br />and was numbered with the transgressors;<br />yet he bore the sin of many, <br />and makes intercession for the transgressors.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: The sin of Adam became the sin of all people. The sin of God's children became the sin of Christ. The righteousness of Christ became the righteousness of God's children. This threefold imputation is at the heart of the Gospel, and the heart of the Gospel is penned by Isaiah in Chapter 53. Our verses today indicate that God Himself is at the heart of the Gospel, pulsating with each heartbeat. [v. 10 -- "<em>Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand</em>."] He has saved "many," and the guilt of the many intersected on the cross with the righteousness of the One. The ugliness of the many necessitated that the Father turn His back on the beauty of the Son. This was double anguish, for our Savior bore our sins in both agony and in complete isolation. He became our Hell, and brandished Hell for us bearing our great transgression [speaking, of course, of His separation from the Father]. Yet, this separation and isolation could not hold His righteousness and innocence, and He has returned to the Father triumphant, carrying us along in His righteous perfection. [v. 11 -- "<em>Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities</em>."] He intercedes today on our behalf - the perfect for the imperfect, the righteous for the unrighteous. [v. 12b -- ". . . <em>because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors</em>."] Without Him, we are nothing. Without Him, life has no meaning. He is all that we need, for He became everything that we are.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-82185840236952873012008-09-01T06:26:00.003-05:002008-09-01T06:52:42.703-05:00Isaiah 53:7-9<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 53:7-9<br />7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,<br />yet he opened not his mouth;<br />like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,<br />and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,<br />so he opened not his mouth.<br />8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;<br />and as for his generation, who considered<br />that he was cut off out of the land of the living,<br />stricken for the transgression of my people?<br />9 And they made his grave with the wicked<br />and with a rich man in his death,<br />although he had done no violence,<br />and there was no deceit in his mouth.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Isaiah foretells the trial, death and burial of Christ. The prophecy is with definitive precision, as he references that Christ was "with a rich man in his death." [Matthew 27:57-60 --<em>When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away</em>."]<br /><br />The abuse of the slain lamb is evident in the words of Isaiah -- "oppressed;" "afflicted;" "slaughter;" and "stricken." Yet, in the midst of it all, our atoning savior went to the sacrificial table in resolute and focused solitude - the "silence of the lamb." [v. 7 -- "<em>He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth</em>."] His perfection [v. 9b -- ". . . <em>although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth</em>."] became our perfection. His holiness became our holiness. He suffered so that we might escape our torment.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-72661693424814873902008-08-28T06:26:00.005-05:002008-08-28T07:07:36.818-05:00Isaiah 53:4-6<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xlEaPjdoLwVgxF9fgWtH2XWSjP1Mw3rQ3ZsOcsKJsFqUU3E-ImitlSquMgPzR9iuBiQaSybIKUPjDnV5ZXZTwdQFlNJnZtHmiUQjiImk2R-_0dgPASu9hTtzswPxZSz4AozsLJd6DLfs/s1600-h/DSC00780.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239537686328142946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xlEaPjdoLwVgxF9fgWtH2XWSjP1Mw3rQ3ZsOcsKJsFqUU3E-ImitlSquMgPzR9iuBiQaSybIKUPjDnV5ZXZTwdQFlNJnZtHmiUQjiImk2R-_0dgPASu9hTtzswPxZSz4AozsLJd6DLfs/s400/DSC00780.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 53:4-6<br />4 Surely he has borne our griefs<br />and carried our sorrows;<br />yet we esteemed him stricken,<br />smitten by God, and afflicted.<br />5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;<br />he was crushed for our iniquities;<br />upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,<br />and with his stripes we are healed.<br />6 All we like sheep have gone astray;<br />we have turned—every one—to his own way;<br />and the LORD has laid on him<br />the iniquity of us all.<br /><br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: A priest performs sacrificial work for the sinner. Christ, the ultimate and final priest, was the ultimate and final atonement for the sin of His brothers and sisters, the children of God. He suffered not for His own sin but, instead, for my sin. As I sin now, His suffering increases. As I stumble and fall, His knees and elbows are bruised. As I cry out in rebellion, He screams out in anguish. [v. 4-5 -- "<em>Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed</em>."]<br /><br /><br /><br />While God's grace prevailed upon sin to be forgiven, God's justice demands that sin be punished. Thus, our punishment became Christ's punishment. It is one of the three great imputations [transfers] revealed in God's word. Adam's sin was imputed to us all. The sin of God's children was imputed to Christ on the cross. The righteousness of Christ was imputed to God's children. Thus, both the grace of God and the justice of God are preserved. It must be, for God can only be God, and He is never something less than what He is and what He will always be. [v. 6 -- "<em>All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all</em>."]<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><u>Heard 'Round the House</u></strong>: Last night I was bombarded with riddles. It started with Anna telling me a couple of zingers and then Luke joined in with one of his own. It went something like this . . .<br /><br /><br />Luke [age 12]: A crime happened in the house one Sunday evening. The Dad was getting the paper. The Mom was cooking. The daughter was watching TV. The son was playing video games. Who did it?<br /><br /><br />Daddy [pondering]: Well, I am wondering why the Dad would be going to get the paper in the evening.<br /><br /><br />Luke: You're close , but that's not it. There is no paper on Sunday.<br /><br /><br />Dad: What do you mean? There is a paper every day of the week.<br /><br /><br />Song [age 10]: The Sunday paper is the most important paper Luke - it's the biggest.<br /><br /><br />Anna [age 8]: Luke, it's the mail that doesn't come on Sunday.<br /><br /><br />Luke: Oh yeah. OK, I meant Dad was getting the mail . . .The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-31260897165616978262008-08-26T06:08:00.004-05:002008-08-26T06:58:39.363-05:00Isaiah 53:1-3<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 53:1-3<br />1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?<br />And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?<br />2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,<br />and like a root out of dry ground;<br />he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,<br />and no beauty that we should desire him.<br />3 He was despised and rejected by men;<br />a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;<br />and as one from whom men hide their faces<br />he was despised, and we esteemed him not.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Isaiah 53 is quoted extensively in the New Testament, even by Jesus Himself. John referenced Isaiah 53:1 [John 12:38] -- "so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 'Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?'" In fact, it has been pointed out that the entire ministry of Jesus, from His baptism, to His teaching, to His suffering, to His death, to His resurrection, and to His ascension is laid out in Isaiah 53. The chapter also evidences His roles as Prophet, Priest and King.<br /><br />These first three verses point to His role as Priest and the sufferings He endured to fulfill that role. The physical suffering of Christ, painful and traumatic as it was, it was only a portion of the suffering He undertook on behalf of His brothers and sisters. There was great mental anguish as well, as He endured disappointment, anxiety, loneliness and rejection. [v. 3 -- "<em>He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not</em>."]<br /><br />He was a man of sorrows. The human perspective views the cross as His great defeat. That is, even the symbol of the cross itself was associated with a curse. Yet, the glory of God was not defeated at the cross, for the redemption of man, for whatever reason, brings Him immeasurable glory. Satan could not help himself, as if eating delicious fruit juiced with poison. He was there, screaming into the ears of his children to "crucify Him, crucify Him." [Luke 23:21] His own rebellion was leading to his own destruction. The Son of man, and His ascension from death, reclaimed the redeemed from the clutches of Satan. There is no greater picture of sin getting bound within itself, like a rope caught in a propeller until the motor freezes from the restriction. Christ was a man of sorrows. We are children of hope.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-3924823583721778412008-08-18T06:42:00.003-05:002008-08-18T07:16:03.217-05:00Isaiah 51:12-23<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 51:12-23<br />12 "I, I am he who comforts you; <br />who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, <br />of the son of man who is made like grass,<br />13 and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker,<br />who stretched out the heavens <br />and laid the foundations of the earth,<br />and you fear continually all the day <br />because of the wrath of the oppressor,<br />when he sets himself to destroy? <br />And where is the wrath of the oppressor?<br />14 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; <br />he shall not die and go down to the pit, <br />neither shall his bread be lacking.<br />15 I am the LORD your God,<br />who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— <br />the LORD of hosts is his name.<br />16 And I have put my words in your mouth<br />and covered you in the shadow of my hand,<br />establishing the heavens <br />and laying the foundations of the earth, <br />and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'"<br />17 Wake yourself, wake yourself, <br />stand up, O Jerusalem,<br />you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD <br />the cup of his wrath,<br />who have drunk to the dregs <br />the bowl, the cup of staggering.<br />18 There is none to guide her <br />among all the sons she has borne;<br />there is none to take her by the hand <br />among all the sons she has brought up.<br />19 These two things have happened to you— <br />who will console you?<br />—devastation and destruction, famine and sword; <br />who will comfort you?<br />20 Your sons have fainted; <br />they lie at the head of every street <br />like an antelope in a net;<br />they are full of the wrath of the LORD, <br />the rebuke of your God.<br />21 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, <br />who are drunk, but not with wine:<br />22 Thus says your Lord, the LORD, <br />your God who pleads the cause of his people:<br />"Behold, I have taken from your hand<br />the cup of staggering;<br />the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;<br />23 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,<br />who have said to you, <br />'Bow down, that we may pass over';<br />and you have made your back like the ground <br />and like the street for them to pass over."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Jerusalem [Judah] is experiencing God's wrath as His judgment against her rebellion. Yet, this judgment is for her good, for her righteous upbringing, as a loving father deals with a child gone astray. Once the discipline has run its course, the child returns to the path that does not lead to destruction. [v. 22 -- "<em>Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: 'Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more . . </em>.'"] He also promises once again that the rod of His discipline [whether Assyria or Babylon] will itself be disciplined. [v. 22 - 23a -- "<em>Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors</em> . . ."] <br /><br />A rebellious child who has returned to a loving father is redeemed and forgiven. The child finds that what was once abandoned is in reality a place of security. There is no security quite like the outstretched arms of a loving father. This security is exacerbated when that loving father is perfect and holy and righteous in every way. [v. 12 - 13a -- ""<em>I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth</em> . . ."] The approach of this security, this place of refuge, leaves no room for pride, for it is always approached in prostrate humility. [v. 14 -- <em>He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking</em>."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-473876318339989282008-08-13T06:18:00.006-05:002008-08-18T07:18:52.935-05:00Isaiah 51:1-11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQdbDR-nyzmP2oDijE_JPUK18EbQlfnJsrP5R_dDwxOBXoca9nlVpaxHxQz-CBerZH0u43osPWsSs61oEkRpAMcooYc3d5kbtz8vx9rhIGtKyoL60hWiaV4ScsD_tv_6Y5tTfQVhac3o8/s1600-h/DSCN1155.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233975333957378290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQdbDR-nyzmP2oDijE_JPUK18EbQlfnJsrP5R_dDwxOBXoca9nlVpaxHxQz-CBerZH0u43osPWsSs61oEkRpAMcooYc3d5kbtz8vx9rhIGtKyoL60hWiaV4ScsD_tv_6Y5tTfQVhac3o8/s400/DSCN1155.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Passage: Isaiah 51:1-11<br /><u>The LORD’s Comfort for Zion</u><br />1 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,<br />you who seek the LORD:<br />look to the rock from which you were hewn,<br />and to the quarry from which you were dug.<br />2 Look to Abraham your father<br />and to Sarah who bore you;<br />for he was but one when I called him,<br />that I might bless him and multiply him.<br />3 For the LORD comforts Zion;<br />he comforts all her waste places<br />and makes her wilderness like Eden,<br />her desert like the garden of the LORD;<br />joy and gladness will be found in her,<br />thanksgiving and the voice of song.<br />4 "Give attention to me, my people,<br />and give ear to me, my nation;<br />for a law will go out from me,<br />and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.<br />5 My righteousness draws near,<br />my salvation has gone out,<br />and my arms will judge the peoples;<br />the coastlands hope for me,<br />and for my arm they wait.<br />6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,<br />and look at the earth beneath;<br />for the heavens vanish like smoke,<br />the earth will wear out like a garment,<br />and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;<br />but my salvation will be forever,<br />and my righteousness will never be dismayed.<br />7 "Listen to me, you who know righteousness,<br />the people in whose heart is my law;<br />fear not the reproach of man,<br />nor be dismayed at their revilings.<br />8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,<br />and the worm will eat them like wool;<br />but my righteousness will be forever,<br />and my salvation to all generations."<br />9 Awake, awake, put on strength,<br />O arm of the LORD;<br />awake, as in days of old,<br />the generations of long ago.<br />Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,<br />who pierced the dragon?<br />10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,<br />the waters of the great deep,<br />who made the depths of the sea a way<br />for the redeemed to pass over?<br />11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return<br />and come to Zion with singing;<br />everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;<br />they shall obtain gladness and joy,<br />and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.<br /><br />Journal: The facade of our home is stone. We have a stone bench built into the retaining wall at the front of the house. We have a couple of Bible verses etched into granite and placed on the back rest of the stone bench. One of the verses is Isaiah 51:1, to remind us that we are God's children, that He has saved us from our sinful nature, and that we now are to reflect His glorious image. [v. 1 -- "<em>Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug</em>."] The quarry from which we were dug is dark and desolate, for it is the outcropping of our sinful nature and the stone found there is cold and rough. He has exhumed the cold stone, our very souls, and placed it in a warm garden, full of new life and hope. [v. 3 -- "<em>For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song</em>."]<br /><br />The warmth of God's garden allows His children to look forward to the consummation of our faith, a faith that He has so lovingly gifted. [v. 6 -- "<em>Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed</em>."] The cold and rough rock has been shaped and crafted, and is mortared into a wall of His garden that will stand for eternity. Each stone has a place, and the stones fit together in perfect scope and structure. The fallen world becomes the rebuilt paradise.<br /><br />We have seen the "quarry from which [we] were dug" and the "salvation [that] will be forever." This past and future must impact our present. The darkest circumstances in our present, those difficulties that are sure to come, still cast a shadow over the complete blackness of our past, and are illuminated and endured by our future hope. [v. 7 -- "<em>Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings</em>."] Our sadness will soon turn into singing. [v. 11 -- "<em>And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away</em>."]</div>The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-1972316862847809542008-08-12T06:33:00.002-05:002008-08-12T07:10:34.594-05:00Isaiah 50:4-9<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 50:4-9<br />4 The Lord GOD has given me <br />the tongue of those who are taught,<br />that I may know how to sustain with a word<br />him who is weary.<br />Morning by morning he awakens; <br />he awakens my ear <br />to hear as those who are taught.<br />5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear,<br />and I was not rebellious; <br />I turned not backward.<br />6 I gave my back to those who strike, <br />and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;<br />I hid not my face <br />from disgrace and spitting.<br />7 But the Lord GOD helps me; <br />therefore I have not been disgraced;<br />therefore I have set my face like a flint, <br />and I know that I shall not be put to shame.<br />8 He who vindicates me is near.<br />Who will contend with me? <br />Let us stand up together.<br />Who is my adversary? <br />Let him come near to me.<br />9 Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; <br />who will declare me guilty?<br />Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; <br />the moth will eat them up.<br />10 Who among you fears the LORD <br />and obeys the voice of his servant?<br />Let him who walks in darkness <br />and has no light<br />trust in the name of the LORD <br />and rely on his God.<br />11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, <br />who equip yourselves with burning torches!<br />Walk by the light of your fire, <br />and by the torches that you have kindled!<br />This you have from my hand: <br />you shall lie down in torment.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: It is Isaiah speaking to Judah on its way to captivity, and yet it is Christ speaking to us on His way to Calvary. His voice is clear. He is telling us that He will sustain us in our weariness. [v. 4 -- ". . . <em>that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary</em>."] He is telling us that He is resolute on our behalf. [v. 4 -- "<em>Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear</em> . . ."] He is telling us that He is faithful and true. [v. 5 -- "T<em>he Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious</em> . . ."] He is telling us that He is a humble servant, standing strong against enemies intending to disgrace Him and us; enemies that would otherwise render us powerless. [v. 6 -- "<em>I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting</em>."] He is telling us that what the enemy intended as disgraceful He has instead made glorious, and that it is glorious because He is God. [v. 7 -- "<em>But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame</em>."] He is telling us that our enemy is vanquished because we, as children of God, stand with Him. [v. 8 -- "<em>Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me</em>."] He is telling us that we have an eternal reprieve because He is found guiltless. [v. 9 -- "<em>Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up</em>."] He is telling us that our reprieve takes us from the darkness of guilt to the light of forgiveness. [v. 10 -- "<em>Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God</em>."] He is telling us that those who remain in a state of rebellion, seeking to create their own light in the midst of their perpetual darkness, will be tormented forever. [v. 11 -- "<em>Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment</em>."] He is telling us that He is the Son of God, and that He has come to save His own.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-3622161580009848652008-08-07T06:22:00.003-05:002008-08-07T07:02:41.461-05:00Isaiah 49:24 - 50:3<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 49:24 - 50:3<br />24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty,<br />or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?<br />25 For thus says the LORD:<br />"Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,<br />and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,<br />for I will contend with those who contend with you,<br />and I will save your children.<br />26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,<br />and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.<br />Then all flesh shall know<br />that I am the LORD your Savior,<br />and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."<br />Isaiah 50<br /><u>Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience</u>.<br />1 Thus says the LORD:<br />"Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce,<br />with which I sent her away?<br />Or which of my creditors is it<br />to whom I have sold you?<br />Behold, for your iniquities you were sold,<br />and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.<br />2 Why, when I came, was there no man;<br />why, when I called, was there no one to answer?<br />Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?<br />Or have I no power to deliver?<br />Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea,<br />I make the rivers a desert;<br />their fish stink for lack of water<br />and die of thirst.<br />3 I clothe the heavens with blackness<br />and make sackcloth their covering."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Judah is to be given over to Babylon as a consequence of its rebellion. This captor is a tyrant. [v. 24 -- "<em>Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued</em>?"] Yet, God is faithful even in the midst of His children's unfaithfulness. He is adamant that this captivity will not be the end of the story. He compares it to a divorce, where the husband is required to give the wife a certificate evidencing the termination of the marriage and the relationship. Here, God points out that there is no certificate of divorce between He and His people. [v. 1a -- "<em>Thus says the LORD: "Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away</em>?"] He also compares it to a debtor / creditor relationship, emphasizing that His children have not been bargained away in payment of a debt. [v. 1b -- "<em>Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you</em>?"]<br /><br />In other words, it is not God's action that has consequential repercussions. Rather, it is the sins of the people of Judah that have created a liability against God's justice. [v. 1c -- "<em>Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away</em>."] Yet, God will redeem His people and take them out of their self imposed bondage. He is the creator of all things and there is no act that is beyond His redemptive powers. [v. 2b -- "<em>Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert</em> . . ."]<br /><br />We often find ourselves in our own captivity; imprisoned by our own sinful rebellion. Our imprisonment may seem like it has no hope of freedom. Yet, God is forever faithful to His children and will never terminate the relationship His children have with Him through Christ. We will never be given a certificate of divorce or be sold into slavery. [v. 25a -- "<em>For thus says the LORD: "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued</em> . . ."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-50590993094177124642008-08-05T06:20:00.003-05:002008-08-05T07:02:58.417-05:00Isaiah 49:19-23<strong><u>Passage:</u></strong> Isaiah 49:19-23<br />19 "Surely your waste and your desolate places <br />and your devastated land— surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, <br />and those who swallowed you up will be far away.<br />20 The children of your bereavement <br />will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me; <br />make room for me to dwell in.'<br />21 Then you will say in your heart: <br />'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, <br />exiled and put away, <br />but who has brought up these?<br />Behold, I was left alone; <br />from where have these come?'"<br />22 Thus says the Lord GOD:<br />"Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, <br />and raise my signal to the peoples;<br />and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, <br />and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.<br />23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, <br />and their queens your nursing mothers.<br />With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, <br />and lick the dust of your feet.<br />Then you will know that I am the LORD;<br />those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal:</u></strong> Yesterday we discussed how God never forgets us or abandons us. He hears our plea and brings passion with his compassion. What we have in view here, in today's verses, is heaven itself. He has taken us from the pit and brought us to glory. [Psalm 103:1-5 -- "<em>Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's</em>."] <br /><br />Heaven awaits the children of God, and a family reunion will occur for all eternity. It will be so enthralling and wonderful that His children will desire more of it. [v. 20 -- "<em>The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in</em>.'"] It will finally be a place and thing concerning which we can never get enough -- it was glorious yesterday, it is glorious today, and it will be glorious tomorrow. Heaven awaits His children, and His children await heaven. [v. 23 -- "<em>Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame</em>."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-38777797594312883312008-08-04T06:58:00.003-05:002008-08-04T07:30:32.324-05:00Isaiah 49:14-18<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 49:14-18<br />14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; <br />my Lord has forgotten me."<br />15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, <br />that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?<br />Even these may forget, <br />yet I will not forget you.<br />16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; <br />your walls are continually before me.<br />17 Your builders make haste;<br />your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.<br />18 Lift up your eyes around and see; <br />they all gather, they come to you.<br />As I live, declares the LORD,<br />you shall put them all on as an ornament; <br />you shall bind them on as a bride does.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: As problems and challenges bubble up and boil over, a residue often is left behind. It is a crusty layer of fear and doubt. It is the hardened drippings of loneliness and insecurity. It is the sense that God has forgotten us; that our plight is hidden and obscured. After all, since we have so often rebelled against God, why would He be cognizant of our needs or compassionate toward our sorrows?<br /><br />This seems to be the emotion of Judah as the surrounding nations close in and squeeze its national sovereignty. God, through His prophet Isaiah, constantly has been admonishing His people and announcing consequences to their rebellion. Yet here, He seems to be matching His righteous indignation with His boundless mercy. He assures His people that He has not forgotten them, that He could never forget them, and that His relational engagement exceeds that of even a mother and her nursing child. [v. 14-15 -- "<em>But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; <br />my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you</em>.'"]<br /><br />We love our children. Yet, this great love is only a glimpse of the love that God has for His children. It is truly incomprehensible. His love wipes clean the residue of fear, doubt, loneliness and insecurity. He knows us intimately and provides for us completely. [v. 16 -- "<em>Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands</em> . . ."] When we miss this, it is because we have our eyes on our circumstances rather than gazing upon Him. [v. 18a -- "<em>Lift up your eyes around and see</em> . . ."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-8602471949673286232008-07-24T06:03:00.003-05:002008-07-24T06:38:48.302-05:00Isaiah 49:8-13<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 49:8-13<br />8 Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favor I have answered you; <br />in a day of salvation I have helped you;<br />I will keep you and give you <br />as a covenant to the people,<br />to establish the land, <br />to apportion the desolate heritages,<br />9 saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,' <br />to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.'<br />They shall feed along the ways; <br />on all bare heights shall be their pasture;<br />10 they shall not hunger or thirst, <br />neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,<br />for he who has pity on them will lead them, <br />and by springs of water will guide them.<br />11 And I will make all my mountains a road, <br />and my highways shall be raised up.<br />12 Behold, these shall come from afar, <br />and behold, these from the north and from the west, <br />and these from the land of Syene."<br /><br />13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; <br />break forth, O mountains, into singing!<br />For the LORD has comforted his people <br />and will have compassion on his afflicted.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Judah can look back to its previous bondage, and its centuries of slavery in Egypt. Judah has been given a glimpse of its future bondage, as Isaiah has foretold of the coming captivity in Babylon. Judah is also promised a deliverance from this bondage for a remnant of its people. <br /><br />Our sinful state, our personal bondage, parallels the bondage of Judah. That is, we look back on our sin, for our sinful nature is inherited from Adam and each generation thereafter. We also look prospectively to our coming sin, for our redemption does not remove our sinful nature but instead provides forgiveness from it. Finally, we are promised deliverance from our bondage, as the new heaven and the new earth will reinstate our glorified relational existence with God.<br /><br />The way, for now, is perilous. The evil one lurks in his temporary kingdom. Yet, our salvation is sure and our way is set out before us. We must not look to the right or to the left, for our God is before us and answers our calling in His "<em>time of favor</em>." [v. 8-9a -- "<em>Thus says the LORD: 'In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Appear'</em> . . ."] <br /><br />This covenant ensures that we have light while "<em>in darkness</em>," that we are fed even in times that are "<em>bare</em>," that we shall not "<em>thirst</em>," that we shall not succumb to "<em>scorching wind or sun</em>," that no "<em>mountain</em>" shall impede our progress, and that the valleys "<em>shall be raised up</em>." This is our "day of salvation," and we have no reason to not rejoice in it. [v. 13 -- "<em>Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted</em>."] Thus says the LORD.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-92154573139521014922008-07-23T07:02:00.004-05:002008-07-23T07:40:19.015-05:00Isaiah 49:1-7<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 49:1-7<br /><u>The Servant of the LORD</u>.<br />1 Listen to me, O coastlands,<br />and give attention, you peoples from afar.<br />The LORD called me from the womb,<br />from the body of my mother he named my name.<br />2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;<br />in the shadow of his hand he hid me;<br />he made me a polished arrow;<br />in his quiver he hid me away.<br />3 And he said to me, "You are my servant,<br />Israel, in whom I will be glorified."<br />4 But I said, "I have labored in vain;<br />I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;<br />yet surely my right is with the LORD,<br />and my recompense with my God."<br />5 And now the LORD says,<br />he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,<br />to bring Jacob back to him;<br />and that Israel might be gathered to him—<br />for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD,<br />and my God has become my strength—<br />6 he says:"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant<br />to raise up the tribes of Jacob<br />and to bring back the preserved of Israel;<br />I will make you as a light for the nations,<br />that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."<br />7 Thus says the LORD,<br />the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,<br />to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,<br />the servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise;<br />princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;<br />because of the LORD, who is faithful,<br />the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Christ is being discussed here, and His mission and purpose has been established from the foundation of the earth. [v. 1b -- "<em>The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name</em>."] Yet, this mission and purpose will be opposed because He is being hailed as a savior and redeemer. [v. 7 -- "<em>Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One</em> . . ."] He will be up to the opposition. [v. 2 -- "<em>He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away</em>."] Further, this mission and purpose is being expanded beyond "<em>the tribes of Jacob</em>" to "<em>you peoples from afar</em>." [v. 6 -- "<em>He says:"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth</em>.'"] The remnant of Israel is being expanded to the remnant of the world.<br /><br />This is something that should bring wonder to us, for our salvation was not "<em>too light a thing</em>" for our God to ignore. He found us where we were, and saved us from who we are. His perfect One became our perfection. His redeemed One became our redemption. It is a precious thing to not be taken too lightly by our God. Thus, because we were not taken lightly, His "light" has found us for He was made "<em>as a light for the nations</em>." [v. 7 -- ". . . <em>because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you</em>."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-40415200182016288862008-07-22T06:50:00.004-05:002008-07-22T07:27:24.296-05:00Isaiah 48:12-22<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 48:12-22<br />The LORD’s Call to Israel.<br />12 "Listen to me, O Jacob, <br />and Israel, whom I called!<br />I am he; I am the first, <br />and I am the last.<br />13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth, <br />and my right hand spread out the heavens;<br />when I call to them, <br />they stand forth together.<br />14 "Assemble, all of you, and listen!<br />Who among them has declared these things?<br />The LORD loves him; <br />he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, <br />and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.<br />15 I, even I, have spoken and called him; <br />I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.<br />16 Draw near to me, hear this: <br />from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, <br />from the time it came to be I have been there.<br />"And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.<br />17 Thus says the LORD, <br />your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:<br />"I am the LORD your God, <br />who teaches you to profit, <br />who leads you in the way you should go.<br />18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! <br />Then your peace would have been like a river, <br />and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;<br />19 your offspring would have been like the sand, <br />and your descendants like its grains;<br />their name would never be cut off <br />or destroyed from before me."<br />20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, <br />declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,<br />send it out to the end of the earth; <br />say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!"<br />21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; <br />he made water flow for them from the rock; <br />he split the rock and the water gushed out.<br />22 "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: There is both everlasting elation and serious sombre reflected in these verses. The hope, the elation, is found in the redemption of God's people. The mighty Babylon, the one that will take God's people captive in the coming days, will thereafter fall. [v. 20 -- <em>Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, 'The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob</em>!'"] This escape from bondage, similar to the escape from the captivity of Egypt centuries earlier, is a picture of the redemption of our souls from the bondage of sin. This freedom is made possible by God providing a redeemer. [v. 15 - 17 -- "<em>I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way. Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there. 'And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go</em>.'"] This redeemer, the Christ, who is filled with God's Holy Spirit, and will be a refuge for those "<em>[whom] He called</em>."<br /><br />To the contrary, a somber tone is struck for those that despise His chosen redeemer; thereby despising the peace and righteousness He so graciously offers. This defiance can be outward and direct, or it can be inward; masked in hypocritical tones. This is a defiance for the ages, and makes the ages fraught with agony and despair. There is nothing as sad or hopeless as the eternal separation from the creator of all things. [v. 18 -19; 21 -- "<em>Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me." . . . 'There is no peace,' says the LORD, 'for the wicked'</em>."] One must consider soberly and deeply a place where peace finds no foothold.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-81244409408442317742008-07-14T07:24:00.003-05:002008-07-14T07:46:53.163-05:00Isaiah 48:1-11<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 48:1-11<br />Israel Refined for God’s Glory.<br />1 Hear this, O house of Jacob, <br />who are called by the name of Israel, <br />and who came from the waters of Judah,<br />who swear by the name of the LORD <br />and confess the God of Israel, <br />but not in truth or right.<br />2 For they call themselves after the holy city, <br />and stay themselves on the God of Israel; <br />the LORD of hosts is his name.<br />3 "The former things I declared of old; <br />they went out from my mouth, and I announced them; <br />then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.<br />4 Because I know that you are obstinate, <br />and your neck is an iron sinew <br />and your forehead brass,<br />5 I declared them to you from of old, <br />before they came to pass I announced them to you,<br />lest you should say, 'My idol did them, <br />my carved image and my metal image commanded them.'<br />6 "You have heard; now see all this; <br />and will you not declare it?<br />From this time forth I announce to you new things, <br />hidden things that you have not known.<br />7 They are created now, not long ago; <br />before today you have never heard of them, <br />lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.'<br />8 You have never heard, you have never known, <br />from of old your ear has not been opened.<br />For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, <br />and that from before birth you were called a rebel.<br />9 "For my name’s sake I defer my anger, <br />for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, <br />that I may not cut you off.<br />10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; <br />I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.<br />11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, <br />for how should my name be profaned? <br />My glory I will not give to another.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: God refines us in the fire. His great testing is our great discipline. This is how a child moves from adolescence to adulthood. This is how a child of God becomes holy; becomes sanctified. [v. 10 -- "<em>Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction</em>."] A loving father would never leave a child to himself or to herself. Rather, a loving father teaches, tests and disciplines. So it is with the perfect Father, and His "furnace of affliction," intended to bring us to righteousness. This is not a righteousness for our own glory, but rather a righteousness for His glory. [v. 11 -- "<em>For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another</em>."] He is not to be crowded in with other possessions. He is to be our only possession; our only pursuit. Otherwise, His name will be "profaned," and our intent will be to make Him ordinary and subordinate. His fire hardens the unbelief of the unbeliever. His fire brings the believer to a deeper and more intimate level of belief. His fire melts away the exterior and exposes the condition of the heart.<br /><br />Note: I was on vacation last week . . .The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-85584914932376088772008-07-02T06:19:00.006-05:002008-07-02T07:18:08.422-05:00Isaiah 47<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_N2AOft92nlHRezj_VIpfVuskFwGklAjDUf0pFg0KkvEKrzBrw6w89H-upCnoxvsMnG_Xn55YIs6dC7yRNiUE6LPNtWPHCrHUqLUgVrUh4tty-UAlfGLYpV-UtitNC0QLlwHbZTVH-qxj/s1600-h/DSCN1159.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218387568078349042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_N2AOft92nlHRezj_VIpfVuskFwGklAjDUf0pFg0KkvEKrzBrw6w89H-upCnoxvsMnG_Xn55YIs6dC7yRNiUE6LPNtWPHCrHUqLUgVrUh4tty-UAlfGLYpV-UtitNC0QLlwHbZTVH-qxj/s400/DSCN1159.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 47<br /><div><u></u> </div><div><u>The Humiliation of Babylon</u>. </div><div>1 Come down and sit in the dust, </div><div>O virgin daughter of Babylon; </div><div>sit on the ground without a throne, </div><div>O daughter of the Chaldeans! </div><div>For you shall no more be called </div><div>tender and delicate.</div><div>2 Take the millstones and grind flour, </div><div>put off your veil,</div><div>strip off your robe, uncover your legs, </div><div>pass through the rivers.</div><div>3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, </div><div>and your disgrace shall be seen.</div><div>I will take vengeance, </div><div>and I will spare no one.</div><div>4 Our Redeemer—the LORD of hosts is his name— </div><div>is the Holy One of Israel.<br />5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, </div><div>O daughter of the Chaldeans;</div><div>for you shall no more be called </div><div>the mistress of kingdoms.</div><div>6 I was angry with my people; </div><div>I profaned my heritage;</div><div>I gave them into your hand;</div><div>you showed them no mercy;</div><div>on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy. </div><div>7 You said, "I shall be mistress forever," </div><div>so that you did not lay these things to heart </div><div>or remember their end.<br />8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, </div><div>who sit securely,</div><div>who say in your heart, </div><div>"I am, and there is no one besides me;</div><div>I shall not sit as a widow </div><div>or know the loss of children":</div><div>9 These two things shall come to you </div><div>in a moment, in one day;</div><div>the loss of children and widowhood </div><div>shall come upon you in full measure,</div><div>in spite of your many sorceries </div><div>and the great power of your enchantments.<br />10 You felt secure in your wickedness, </div><div>you said, "No one sees me";</div><div>your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,</div><div>and you said in your heart, </div><div>"I am, and there is no one besides me."</div><div>11 But evil shall come upon you, </div><div>which you will not know how to charm away;</div><div>disaster shall fall upon you, </div><div>for which you will not be able to atone;</div><div>and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, </div><div>of which you know nothing.<br />12 Stand fast in your enchantments </div><div>and your many sorceries, </div><div>with which you have labored from your youth;</div><div>perhaps you may be able to succeed; </div><div>perhaps you may inspire terror.</div><div>13 You are wearied with your many counsels; </div><div>let them stand forth and save you,</div><div>those who divide the heavens, </div><div>who gaze at the stars,</div><div>who at the new moons make known </div><div>what shall come upon you.<br />14 Behold, they are like stubble; </div><div>the fire consumes them;</div><div>they cannot deliver themselves </div><div>from the power of the flame.</div><div>No coal for warming oneself is this, </div><div>no fire to sit before!</div><div>15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, </div><div>who have done business with you from your youth;</div><div>they wander about, each in his own direction; </div><div>there is no one to save you.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Babylon will be given rule over Judah for a season. The "reason for the season" is the discipline of God's people for its rebellion and pride. Yet, Babylon was full of its own pride, and ruthless while in its conquering posture. For this, God will give Babylon some of its own medicine - dust, toil, nakedness, shame, silence and darkness. [v. 1-3 -- "<em>Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one</em>."] God is just, and His justice is never compromised. [v. 10 - 11 -- "<em>You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing</em>."]</div><br /><div></div><div>The plight of the Babylonians would be our plight as well. That is, God's justice demands that "disaster shall fall upon [us], for which [we] will not be able to atone." This is our sin, the sin we will commit even today, that will be exposed in nakedness and darkness before our God. However, the incredible grace of God has pacified His justifiable wrath [His justice] through the "atonement" of Christ Jesus. It is this atonement for God's children that allows us to escape the wandering way the Babylonians. [v. 15 -- "<em>Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you</em>."]</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Heard 'Round the House</u></strong>: We can put this under the index of "Willy Wonka." </div><br /><div></div><div>I got up this morning at 5:30 am, turned on the shower and, while waiting for the water to warm up, was groggily reading by the light of the shower a flier from a local nursery. It was advertising an auction that it has on a quarterly basis. I am a regular attendee and have landscaped my home primarily from stuff [plants and landscaping material] bought at these auctions over the past few years.</div><br /><div></div><div>Jill stumbles in about this time to go to the bathroom [she wanted me to share that]. She sleepily asks what in the world I am doing as I have this flier up in the air to catch the light of the shower. I told her what it was. She asked what I was targeting this go round for my purchases. I reply chocolate covered rock. Of course, I meant to say chocolate colored rock, since this is the rock with which I have been lining my flower beds. Even in my eyes half opened state, I quickly corrected myself to say "chocolate colored" rock. I don't know if it was funnier that I said what I said, or that Jill didn't even catch it as being somewhat of an unusual targeted purchase category. I did note that people would be looking forward to coming to our house for parties since it would be such a "yummy" place to hang out . . .</div>The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-22218232830782922008-07-01T06:26:00.002-05:002008-07-01T07:05:41.571-05:00Isaiah 46<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 46<br /><u>The Idols of Babylon and the One True God.</u><br />1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; <br />their idols are on beasts and livestock;<br />these things you carry are borne <br />as burdens on weary beasts.<br />2 They stoop; they bow down together; <br />they cannot save the burden, <br />but themselves go into captivity.<br />3 "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, <br />all the remnant of the house of Israel,<br />who have been borne by me from before your birth, <br />carried from the womb;<br />4 even to your old age I am he, <br />and to gray hairs I will carry you.<br />I have made, and I will bear; <br />I will carry and will save.<br />5 "To whom will you liken me and make me equal, <br />and compare me, that we may be alike?<br />6 Those who lavish gold from the purse, <br />and weigh out silver in the scales,<br />hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; <br />then they fall down and worship!<br />7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, <br />they set it in its place, and it stands there;<br />it cannot move from its place.<br />If one cries to it, it does not answer <br />or save him from his trouble.<br />8"Remember this and stand firm, <br />recall it to mind, you transgressors,<br />9 remember the former things of old;<br />for I am God, and there is no other; <br />I am God, and there is none like me,<br />10 declaring the end from the beginning <br />and from ancient times things not yet done,<br />saying, 'My counsel shall stand, <br />and I will accomplish all my purpose,'<br />11 calling a bird of prey from the east, <br />the man of my counsel from a far country.<br />I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; <br />I have purposed, and I will do it.<br />12 "Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, <br />you who are far from righteousness:<br />13 I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, <br />and my salvation will not delay;<br />I will put salvation in Zion, <br />for Israel my glory."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Idolatry is an affront to the glory of God. It is no wonder that idolatry is the subject matter of the very first of the 10 commandments. Babylon was arrogant and ruthless, steeped in idolatrous worship. God will use Babylon to discipline Judah. However, their rise to power lasted only as long as His sovereign will allowed. God gives a telling comparison. These gods of Babylon were only a lifeless burden; a burden even to the animals that would transport them from place to place. [v. 1 -- "<em>Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts</em>."] As a complete contrast, the true God is the bearer of burdens and transports the soul of His children to redemption and reconciliation. [v. 4-5 -- "<em>Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save</em>."] <br /><br />Jesus is the means to lessen the burden of life, and Isaiah points specifically to the salvation of the coming Messiah. [v. 13 -- "<em>I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory</em>."] It is far too often that we lug around our heavy idols, placing our hope in the counsel of men. It is the counsel of God that will lessen our load, for Christ has become the bearer of our burdens. [Psalm 55:22 -- "<em>Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved</em>."]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-46503346189537665042008-06-30T06:48:00.005-05:002008-06-30T07:30:29.811-05:00Isaiah 45:15-25<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 45:15-25<br />15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,<br />O God of Israel, the Savior.<br />16 All of them are put to shame and confounded;<br />the makers of idols go in confusion together.<br />17 But Israel is saved by the LORD<br />with everlasting salvation;<br />you shall not be put to shame or confounded<br />to all eternity.<br />18 For thus says the LORD,<br />who created the heavens<br />(he is God!),<br />who formed the earth and made it<br />(he established it;<br />he did not create it empty,<br />he formed it to be inhabited!):<br />"I am the LORD, and there is no other.<br />19 I did not speak in secret,<br />in a land of darkness;<br />I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,<br />'Seek me in vain.'<br />I the LORD speak the truth;<br />I declare what is right.<br />20 "Assemble yourselves and come;<br />draw near together,<br />you survivors of the nations!<br />They have no knowledge<br />who carry about their wooden idols,<br />and keep on praying to a god<br />that cannot save.<br />21 Declare and present your case;<br />let them take counsel together!<br />Who told this long ago?<br />Who declared it of old?<br />Was it not I, the LORD?<br />And there is no other god besides me,<br />a righteous God and a Savior;<br />there is none besides me.<br />22 "Turn to me and be saved,<br />all the ends of the earth!<br />For I am God, and there is no other.<br />23 By myself I have sworn;<br />from my mouth has gone out in righteousness<br />a word that shall not return:<br />'To me every knee shall bow,<br />every tongue shall swear allegiance.'<br />24 "Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me,<br />are righteousness and strength;<br />to him shall come and be ashamed<br />all who were incensed against him.<br />25 In the LORD all the offspring of Israel<br />shall be justified and shall glory."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: The ways of God are not for us to fully understand, for we are limited in our own ability to comprehend He who created us. He reveals Himself to us in the way He deems proper. [v. 15 -- "Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior."] Yet, He is making it clear that His revelation of Himself is for both the Jew and for the Gentile. Today's passage addresses the Jewish nation in verses 15-19, and the Gentile nations in verses 20-25. [v.17 -- "<em>But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation</em>; v. 22 - "<em>Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other</em>."] The result of this universal offer of salvation is that there will be a universal reckoning of man to God. [v. 23 -- "<em>By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance</em>.'"] This is great evidence that "He hides Himself," for He declares that it is His sovereign will both that all be saved and that He will save only the elect in Christ. His unsearchable and rich character are fully formed beyond where I mind can gaze. Yet, what we can know is worthy of grasping and embracing and enjoying today and for all eternity. [v. 25 -- "I<em>n the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory</em>."]<br /><br />Note: Jill and the kids [and the laptop] were all at the beach last week, and therefore the Daily Journal was also on vacation . . .The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-26283756120083957212008-06-18T06:51:00.003-05:002008-06-18T07:32:20.471-05:00Isaiah 45:9-15<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 45:9-15<br />9 "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, <br />a pot among earthen pots!<br />Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' <br />or 'Your work has no handles'?<br />10 Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' <br />or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'"<br />11 Thus says the LORD, <br />the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:<br />"Ask me of things to come; <br />will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?<br />12 I made the earth <br />and created man on it;<br />it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, <br />and I commanded all their host.<br />13 I have stirred him up in righteousness, <br />and I will make all his ways level;<br />he shall build my city <br />and set my exiles free,<br />not for price or reward," <br />says the LORD of hosts.<br />14 Thus says the LORD: "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, <br />and the Sabeans, men of stature,<br />shall come over to you and be yours; <br />they shall follow you; <br />they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.<br />They will plead with you, saying: <br />'Surely God is in you, and there is no other, <br />no god besides him.'"<br />15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself, <br />O God of Israel, the Savior.<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: God is reminding His children that He is in control of all things, and that a fear that God is blind, apathetic or unwise is tantamount to faithlessness. [v.9 -- "<em>Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no</em> handles'?"] Paul strikes up a similar dialogue in the Book of Romans in his discussion of the sovereignty of God and the election of His children. [Romans 9:19-23 -- "<em>You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory</em> . . ."]<br /><br />Judah looked around the world and saw chaos. Assyria was advancing, and Israel and Syria could not be trusted. Babylon was gaining power. The economy was at risk from all sides. We are no different as we view our apparent chaos. The price of oil is advancing unchecked. Men around the world desire to stamp out our way of life and economic structure. The family is under attack by our own government. There are earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tsunamis. The moral fabric of the culture appears to be digressing with each decade. <br /><br />Yet, the same God speaking through Isaiah almost 3,000 years ago remains at our side today. He still speaks and has revealed His glory to us. [v. 12 -- "<em>I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host."]</em> He is not asleep or disinterested. Instead, He is refining us for His great glory and for our great joy. He has freed us from eternal bondage and reserved for us a mansion in His kingdom. He brought Cyrus to rebuild His temple in Judah, and He has brought Christ to rebuild His temple in us. [v. 13 --"'<em>I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,' says the LORD of hosts</em>."] Our life should point others to Him, even in the midst of apparent chaos. [v. 14b -- "<em>They will plead with you, saying: 'Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him</em>.'"]The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-18096143242805268442008-06-17T06:37:00.004-05:002008-06-17T07:24:56.931-05:00Isaiah 45:1-8<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_coBGrifZ1b4uKWFazTqu2f8GYe4QmCHIhrrXpgcQBCT14-VAYdAc1cxTw6diHXPrL4yMGVz4DWD6RACr6Qz94hr-owtBUE7jfKDE5vcTUGxyk7IL8kE30hPlMvzPsJzbM-mj52H5Yz0J/s1600-h/DSCN1092.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212824888985695058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_coBGrifZ1b4uKWFazTqu2f8GYe4QmCHIhrrXpgcQBCT14-VAYdAc1cxTw6diHXPrL4yMGVz4DWD6RACr6Qz94hr-owtBUE7jfKDE5vcTUGxyk7IL8kE30hPlMvzPsJzbM-mj52H5Yz0J/s400/DSCN1092.JPG" border="0" /></a> <strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 45:1-8<br /><u>Cyrus, God’s Instrument</u>. <div> </div><div> Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, </div><div>whose right hand I have grasped,</div><div>to subdue nations before him </div><div>and to loose the belts of kings,</div><div>to open doors before him </div><div>that gates may not be closed:</div><br /><div>2 "I will go before you </div><div>and level the exalted places,</div><div>I will break in pieces the doors of bronze </div><div>and cut through the bars of iron,</div><br /><div>3 I will give you the treasures of darkness </div><div>and the hoards in secret places,</div><div>that you may know that it is I, the LORD, </div><div>the God of Israel, who call you by your name.</div><br /><div>4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, </div><div>and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, </div><div>I name you, though you do not know me.</div><br /><div>5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, </div><div>besides me there is no God; </div><div>I equip you, though you do not know me,</div><br /><div>6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun </div><div>and from the west, that there is none besides me; </div><div>I am the LORD, and there is no other.</div><br /><div>7 I form light and create darkness, </div><div>I make well-being and create calamity, </div><div>I am the LORD, who does all these things.<br /></div><div>8 "Shower, O heavens, from above, </div><div>and let the clouds rain down righteousness;</div><div>let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; </div><div>let the earth cause them both to sprout; </div><div>I the LORD have created it.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: Who is this Cyrus? He would reign as the king of Persia about 150 years after these prophetic words were written by Isaiah. Judah in the years to come would fall to Babylon and is carried off into captivity. Babylon thereafter would fall to Persia, and Judah therefore would become subject to Persian rule, and to King Cyrus. </div><br /><div></div><div>The calling of Cyrus evidences the sovereignty of God. That is, he was "anointed" by God though he did not "know" God. [v. 1a -- "<em>Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him</em> . . ."; v. 4-5 -- "<em>For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me</em> . . ."] </div><br /><div></div><div>There is no event, international or otherwise, that occurs outside the counsel of our sovereign God. Here, Isaiah writes of a man that lives at least 100 years after him, and even calls him by name. God leaves the idea of His great intervention with no doubt or wavering -- "<em>I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things. Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it</em>." [v.7-8] His most excellent sovereign ways produce "clouds that rain down righteousness."</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Heard 'Round the House</u></strong>: I received a nice Father's Day present from Jill and the kids [a couple of pecan trees planted in the front yard]. Alex [age 13] decided to go an extra step, and bought some things for me from the dollar store with his own money. Very sweet. Anna took notice apparently on Saturday, and decided that she wanted to get me something extra as well. A road trip to a store was impossible, so I received [literally] a bag of rocks from Anna. These rocks were special, because she had painstakingly gathered interesting selections from our yard and placed them into a clear baggy. I love my rocks. My rocks brought a tear to my eye as she pointed out certain selections that had special marks, crystals, and the like. Father's Day Rocked!</div>The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-15523893437249815522008-06-16T06:51:00.003-05:002008-06-16T07:19:08.701-05:00Isaiah 44:21-28<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 44:21-28<br /><u>The LORD Redeems Israel</u>.<br />21 Remember these things, O Jacob, <br />and Israel, for you are my servant;<br />I formed you; you are my servant; <br />O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.<br />22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud <br />and your sins like mist;<br />return to me, for I have redeemed you.<br />23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; <br />shout, O depths of the earth;<br />break forth into singing, O mountains, <br />O forest, and every tree in it!<br />For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, <br />and will be glorified in Israel.<br />24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, <br />who formed you from the womb:<br />"I am the LORD, who made all things, <br />who alone stretched out the heavens, <br />who spread out the earth by myself,<br />25 who frustrates the signs of liars <br />and makes fools of diviners,<br />who turns wise men back <br />and makes their knowledge foolish,<br />26 who confirms the word of his servant <br />and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,<br />who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited,' <br />and of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built, <br />and I will raise up their ruins';<br />27 who says to the deep, 'Be dry; <br />I will dry up your rivers';<br />28 who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, <br />and he shall fulfill all my purpose';<br />saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' <br />and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'"<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: The redemptive work of God is centered on a desire that His people repent of sin and turn to Him for forgiveness. He was not obligated to redeem us, He simply did so. Thus, there is a deep thanksgiving by creation itself for His redemptive work. [v. 22-23 -- "<em>I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel</em>."] I reflect on the great sin of my life and my tendency to be sinful, and I am amazed at the patience exhibited in the redemptive work of God. He must love me deeply to forgive and forget [blot out] my repeated transgressions. He is above all things, and humbled Himself to become all things for me. His redemptive work is unfathomable, and yet is the one purpose for life that endures and protects. ["<em>Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: 'I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself</em>, . . .'"] Our eternal purpose is to give glory to our redeemer.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-14789844641186272382008-06-12T06:51:00.003-05:002008-06-12T07:36:52.412-05:00Isaiah 44:6-20<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 44:6-20<br /><u>Besides Me There Is No God</u>.<br />6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel <br />and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:<br />"I am the first and I am the last; <br />besides me there is no god.<br />7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.<br />Let him declare and set it before me,<br />since I appointed an ancient people. <br />Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.<br />8 Fear not, nor be afraid; <br />have I not told you from of old and declared it? <br />And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? <br />There is no Rock; I know not any."<br /><br /><u>The Folly of Idolatry</u>.<br />9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.<br />10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?<br />11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.<br />12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.<br />13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.<br />14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.<br />15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.<br />16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!"<br />17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"<br />18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.<br />19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?"<br />20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: I find these verses quite telling. It is a narrative on the foolishness of worshiping idols. The rods of discipline to Israel and Judah were Assyria and Babylon, respectively. These nations were deep in idol worship, and God's chosen nation had repeatedly participated in the folly. There is great judgment awaiting the man that pursues idolatry. [v.11 -- "<em>Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together</em>."] Idolatry is at the center of the sinful heart, and is an affront to God's glory. Why?<br /><br />First, it is an affront to the uniqueness of God. That is, He is set apart and worthy of glory. He is the creator and the rest are merely the created. Therefore, to place a man made object as a replacement for His glory is especially tiresome and rebellious. [v. 6-8 -- "<em>Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any</em>.'"]<br /><br />Second, the hands of man can never fashion something to replace God, or even to aid in the worship of God. He is as He is, and the worship of Him needs no supplement. Therefore, any "aid" to the worship of Him is merely an act of deception and rebellion. [v. 10 -- "<em>Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing</em>?"] The answer to that question is that man does not see God clearly when man fashions worship that is an abomination to God.<br /><br />Finally, any attempt to replace or supplement God is sinful. Remember, God has been continually alluding to His great redemption of His people. This redemption is at great cost to Him. It is especially sinful to take this mercy from above and to fashion our own idea of redemption. It is ludicrous, and yet has been ongoing throughout human history. [v. 19-20 --"<em>No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, 'Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?' He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, 'Is there not a lie in my right hand?</em>'"] The ludicrous behavior continues because God must "deliver" the "deluded heart," for man is helpless to see clearly without eyes through which God has focused His great glory.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135744566053662902.post-85203418385634963932008-06-11T06:19:00.005-05:002008-06-11T07:07:04.437-05:00Isaiah 44:1-5<strong><u>Passage</u></strong>: Isaiah 44:1-5<br /><u>Israel the LORD’s Chosen</u>.<br />1"But now hear, O Jacob my servant,<br />Israel whom I have chosen!<br />2 Thus says the LORD who made you,<br />who formed you from the womb and will help you:<br />Fear not, O Jacob my servant,<br />Jeshurun whom I have chosen.<br />3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,<br />and streams on the dry ground;<br />I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,<br />and my blessing on your descendants.<br />4 They shall spring up among the grass<br />like willows by flowing streams.<br />5 This one will say, 'I am the LORD’s,'<br />another will call on the name of Jacob,<br />and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD’s,'<br />and name himself by the name of Israel."<br /><br /><strong><u>Journal</u></strong>: These passages are about a state of revival for God's people. God will rebuke His people for their pride and rebellion. Yet, God always leaves hope on the edges of the rebuke, and revival for His church perched resolutely on the horizon. It is like the cloud of rain in the never ending blue sky of draught that Elijah and his servant searched out in the distance. [1 Kings 18:41-45] In fact, God continually uses the picture of water to a parched land [or to a parched person] as a symbol for revival among His people. [v. 3 -- "<em>For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants</em>."]<br /><br />Failed government programs decades ago caused land filled with natural prairie grasses to be plowed up simply to garner subsidies. Thereafter, in the 30's, draught came causing the condition known as the "dust bowl." Still today, it doesn't take long traveling in the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma to see the impact of this condition. This is a picture of the condition of man, as failed attempts to plow up God for something different leaves the condition of man parched and dry. Yet, God doesn't leave His children dried and shriveled and, in His perfect timing, brings instead renewal and revival. [v. 3 -- "<em>For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants</em>."] It begins with the Holy Spirit convicting God's children of sin. It is not an easy prayer to pray; the prayer that asks God to convict. Yet, it is conviction and repentance that leads to revival, and this should be our prayer, beginning with us. It may begin with something as small as "a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea," but nothing God does is insignificant. [v. 5a -- "<em>This one will say, 'I am the LORD’s,</em>' . . ."]<br /><br />Cross Reference: 1 Kings 18:41-45<br />The LORD Sends Rain.<br />41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain."<br />42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.<br />43 And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go again," seven times.<br />44 And at the seventh time he said, "Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'"<br />45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.The Spicer Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231444247180474488noreply@blogger.com