07.30.09
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| 20:19
Scripture: Isaiah 18:1 (NIV): "Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush,"
Thought: To me, Israel is surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Question: Will woe come against me for the stand I make concerning God's people, Israel?
So far in Isaiah we have studied God's warnings against several different nations or "peoples". We began in Isaiah chapter 1 with His prophecies against His own people, Israel. This carried through seven chapters. Chapter 8 began the warning that God would use Assyria to punish Israel for her sins, (verses 6 -10). Chapters 9, 10, 11 and 12 deal with Israel again: how they respond to Assyrian pressure and the advance of other enemies, how God will turn to judge Assyria for its assaults on Israel, how a remnant of Israel will be saved, and how God will rescue Israel and establish her in the Millenial Age. Chapter 13 begins a prophecy against Babylon which carries on into chapter 14. Assyria is mentioned again, as is Philistia. Chapters 15 and 16 tell of Moab's ruination, another of Israel's enemies. Damascus, a great city originally conquered by King david, is discussed in chapter 17, as are "many nations"--all of them "raging" and "roaring" against Israel. Now we come to chapter 18 and the land of "Cush."
In Ezekiel 29:9 and 10 we find indicators that help locate the land of Cush. "Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said 'The Nile is mine; I made it', therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush." Therefore we can safely gauge Cush to lie just south of the current day's southern border of Egypt. In other words, into today's country of Sudan. In these Ezekiel verses, Migdol's location is in the north of Egypt and Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city on the Nile River, is approximately 175 miles from the border of Sudan.
"Woe to the land of whirring wings..." This is a reference to locusts, I believe, which are plentiful in this area of the world and often gather into giant swarms there. God prophesies "woe" to the inhabitants in this land--why? Because they are characterized by "aggression" (verses 2 and 7 of this chapter.) Aggressive against whom? Israel--God's chosen people.
"...along the rivers of Cush." A look at the geography of Sudan shows the great Nile of Egypt is actually the product of two rivers in Sudan that join forces on their way to the Nile Delta in Egypt and then on into the Mediterranean Sea. These two rivers are The White Nile and The Blue Nile. The land is famous for its rivers--rivers that divide the land into sections and join near the center of the country (at today's city of Khartoum, the nations's capital.) The land of Cush was pretty much the "farthest reach" of biblical lands, and of known civilization to the south of Israel during Isaiah's day.
It seems that Israel is surrounded by enemies no matter which direction one turns. Has anything changed that today? (We, as Christians today, are like Israel, in that we are surrounded on all sides by the various enemies Satan conjures up to come against us. Though the entire "world" may seem to come against us, God is for us and will bring us to glory in the end, even as He will "save" Israel!)
Prayer: Lord, when You come in the last day to vindicate Israel, may my faith still be holding strong (if I am still alive!)--my faith in You, in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and in Your ability to "save" Israel. I pray for Israel--a nation beseiged by enemies. May I not be among them! I also pray for Christians under the attack of our great enemy, Satan. Lord, protect us and give us the victory through Christ! Amen.
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07.29.09
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| 18:08
Scripture: Isaiah 17:14 (NIV): "In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us."
Thought: To me, the "night" of God's judgment comes very suddenly.
Question: Whose side am I on? God's or those who plunder Israel?
Our context is an oracle (Divine message) of warning to gentile, or heathen nations, including the Assyrians and residents of the city of Damascus (verse 1), who have attacked Israel. In yesterdays verse, and the day before, the nations, or "peoples", are on record as having "raged" and "roared" against Israel. Now we see the fate of those who do such victimizing.
"In the evening, sudden terror!" God allows these nations, or "peoples", all "day", as it were, and the freedom to do with their "day" what they will. But all too soon "evening" comes! And when it comes it brings "terror" with it--"sudden terror". As surely as God's Word is true, these peoples will find themselves judged severely. It is the end of their day and the beginning of God's day of judgment. (See references in this chapter to "God's day" in verses 4, 7 and 9.) It seems that godless people are never ready for their "day" to end, are they? And so, the terror of God bringing His judgments seems to strike "suddenly." The truth, however, is that God has given them a great deal of time to decide.
"Before the morning, they are gone!" Apparently God's hand is not only terrible and sudden, but it is also swift and thorough. In only a few "hours", "they are gone". Not one is left! In verse 13 (yesterday's blog), we see that "they flee far away". They were "rebuked" by God.
"This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us." If you want to know the fate of any who would accuse, come against, speak against, attack or steal from Israel, read these verses. Here God makes Himself clear: those who harm His chosen ones will be, (at least and possibly more), rebuked and driven far away.
Let us choose our "side" carefully. Now, during "the day", is our opportunity: what will we decide? Herein is written the future "terror" of any who elect to stand with those who ally themselves against Israel. Be forewarned: God's Word is true--the "evening" of His judgment comes suddenly and soon.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray, that in contrast to hating Israel, You would move me to pray for her, especially for Jerusalem. May Your will be done there, Father, and may those who carry Your gospel to her people be blessed along their way. May You prepare Israelis to receive Your true Word. May many there acknowledge their need for Jesus and receive Him--even today! In Christ's Name I pray, Amen.
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07.28.09
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General
| 18:01
Scripture: Isaiah 17:13 (NIV): "Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale."
Thought: To me, God's defense of Israel is strong, "jealous" and timely.
Question: Whose side am I on: Israel's or those who "roar" against Israel?
Isaiah's imagery and chosen symbols of the powerful sea with its surging swells and waves bring to mind some of the stronger forces of the known world of his day. The use, also, of the words "chaff" and "tumbleweed" is taking the commonly understood elements of the day and causing the reader to more easily understand what relationship these elements have against the higher power of God Almighty. "Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters" is referring back to verse 12. There, the heathen, or gentile, unbelieving nations, had been put on record as "raging" against Israel. But "although" their words are many and loud, "although" it swells with force against Israel, "although" it may go on and on, yet God is more powerful in comparison.
"...when he rebukes them they flee far away..." To "rebuke" someone is to speak strongly against them, or issue a sharp disapproval of their behaviors. When GodHis disapproval, it is as though no one or nothing can even remain in His presence. "...they flee far away..." I am reminded of the stormy surges in the Sea of Galilee that "fled" at the word of Christ as He stood in the boat with his disciples. (Matthew 8:23 - 27.) Jesus actually "rebuked" the waves; He spoke sharply to them, voicing disapproval. How dare those stormy waves bring anxiety to His beloved disciples! (This is the weight carried in the word "rebuke".) Similarly, here in Isaiah, how dare the heathen nations bring trouble to His chosen people, Israel! issues
"...driven before the wind like chaff on the hills," And so we have the "breath of God", as it were, blowing up a strong wind, and forcing all those nations to flee. Against God's "wind" they are as weak as chaff and just as "substanceless"! They need to learn exactly Who they're dealing with, don't they? Any who threaten Israel are treading on God Almighty's toes!
"...like tumbleweed before a gale." Tumbleweeds are a bit comical, are they not? In the wind they show themselves to be completely helpless! They roll uncontrollably. Their course if totally directionless. They are fully at the mercy of the wind. To me, it even seems that tumbleweeds, named not for their attributes as a living, growing plant but as a rolling relic, were made just for this purpose! They are well-rounded, lightweight and seemingly quite at home in a good gale. Could the gentile nations, whom God in His foreknowledge realized would remain wicked, be "designed" to come temporarily against Israel just so God could display His great power against them in His rebuke of them? Something to think about, isn't it?
Prayer: Father, teach us all just exactly how powerful You are! We need to realize Your force of strength lest we believe the lie that says we can dare to oppose You. Lord, in Your mercy, do not let me become the object of Your rebuke! I am thankful that through Christ's blood I am sheltered from Your wrath. Amen.
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07.27.09
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General
| 18:10
Scripture: Isaiah 17:12 (NIV): "Oh, the raging of many nations--they rage like the raging sea! Oh, the uproar of the peoples--they roar like the roaring of great waters!"
Thought: To me, rebellion against God feeds the angry hatred of the gentile nations against the Jews.
Question: Am I aware of the nations that rage against Israel?
Reading ahead and through to verse 14 of this portion gives us a better grasp of exactly "who" these raging nations are: they are those who "rage" against Israel. (Isaiah 17:14b: "...this is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.") Who would "us" be except Isaiah and his people, God's people, who are being assaulted by the Assyrians?
"Oh, the raging of many nations--they rage like the raging sea!" When the sea rages, its waves roll against itself. It is full of struggle and push and pull. So were the "many" enemies of Israel. They raged with anger against Israel. They are still angry with Israel today. Why? What has Israel done? To me, Israel's only "error", in the eyes of the world, is to be the object of God's love! Perhaps the pagan nations all around are jealous. Or perhaps they are angry to be continually reminded of God--His holiness, righteousness, purity and His desire to be the only God. They rage in some degree of confidence due to their numbers: they are "many."
"Oh, the uproar of the peoples--they roar like the roaring of great waters!" Psalm 2:1 and 2 (KJV) says: "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed..." From this reference in the Psalms we see the true object of their "uproar" and "rage": it is, first, "the LORD". then, it is secondly, "his anointed", which would refer to Christ, but also could refer to His chosen people, Israel. This kind of rebellious hatred runs deep. Rebellion against God can be noisy and complaint-ridden, as were so many of the verbal threats delivered to Israel as recorded in the scriptures. It can become like a wrestling match. There is no peace. The struggle is for independence from the rule of God. "...they roar like the roaring of great waters!" Sea water that is drawn one way by the force of the waves and then slammed into an obstacle creates an explosion of noise and confusion. Yet God holds back the edges of the sea to control it and keep it in place. Psalm 104:7 - 9: "But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth." And Job 38:8 and 11: "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?" God is in total control! The heathen rage in anger against Him and His people, but nevertheless, He is still in control. The "heathen" will rage, but God holds them in check; they cannot exceed the boundary God has in mind.
Prayer: Lord, there is so much voiced hatred in the world, and so much of it has come against your people, the Jews. But I am pleased that it will be only what You allow--for all Your mysterious purposes. I rest in confidence, Father, that all the anger in the world will finally end, but not before it serves Your plan! Have You way--may Your will be done. Amen.
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07.26.09
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| 21:58
Scripture: Isaiah 17:10 and 11 (NIV): "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain."
Thought: To me, God does not bless the work of those who ignore Him.
Question: Have I forgotten God?
"You have forgotten God your Savior," What an awful indictment! Any people, whether Israelite, Canaanite, Assyrian, Moabite, Aramite or what have you--and anyone of today's world, as well--who "forgets" God, has done a terrible, stupid and self-destructive thing! "You have not remembered the Rock, your fortress."
Forgetfulness and not remembering are synonymous, yes, but there are some minor differences between the two, I think. To forget God implies once knowing Him, then lapsing and letting that thought go. Failing to remember, to me, seems to be the next effect of having forgotten: soon no thought or remembrance of God enters the mind at all. Failing to ever remember is worse than a first, or occasional, forgetfulness.
Notice what, or Who, they have forgotten and not remembered: "God your Savior" and "the Rock, your fortress." In certain stages of sinfulness, people don't even realize they need a "Savior." A lot of Americans are in this "stage"! Christians may be out beating the streets with the gospel but so many of the people they contact have said, "Be saved? From what?" Life is too good to them--they see no need to change. And there is no belief in an after life, it seems. If enough time goes by in prosperity and comfort, people forget there is a hell awaiting them at the end of the road. And so, God brings "destruction" to their prosperity and comfort. People have been allowed to build their cities, create all manner of supports, aids, technologies, comforts, etc., so much so, that hardships become a thing of the distant past. Who needs a "Rock" or "fortress"? We have learned to hide from trouble differently: people run to their own devices. And so, God brings "destruction" to their places of retreat and hiding.
"Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines." Notice the important little connector word, "therefore". Whatever follows this word is due to the people forgetting God as Savior and failing to remember that He is the Rock and fortress. So, they are starting their livelihoods: they are beginning to "set out the finest plants" and beginning to "plant imported vines." They begin these tasks on their own and in their own strength. They pride themselves on wisdom: they choose only "the finest plants" and they go afar seeking better, "imported vines." I'm sure they imagine they will do very well. But another little word is inserted here: "though". "Though" they have done all this, God will yet have His say in the matter. Because God looks upon the heart, and in these cases sees their forgetfulness and failure at remembering Him, He acts accordingly.
"...though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud..." Again, "though" they have done everything their education and knowledge has taught them, though they have applied all experience and wisdom and cleverness to their task, yet God is in control. If God be in control, we ought to seek to obey Him, please Him, and, at the very least, remember Him! And though all their wisdom and clever timing, etc., appears to yield a quick benefit (budding the very morning they are planted!), yet, if God is not honored, God will not bless this good beginning.
"Yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain." This little word "yet" completely offsets all the peoples' efforts. "...the harvest will be as nothing..." Though they seemingly began well, it is what they have in hand at the end that matters. And God is the God of the harvest, truly. He is The One Who lets us have the fruit in the end. As I Corinthians 3:7 says: "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." And there we have the Creator--"their Maker" (Isaiah 17:7) at work! The growing power of every plant is God's power of life within it. How dare we forget our God! How dare He fade completely out of our remembrance!
"in the day of disease and incurable pain." And here we have mention again of "the day"--God's day of judgment. There will be no harvest in this case, no matter how well the planting began, because God is clamping down on the prople in judgment! That day will be a "day of disease and incurable pain." Do I want this? Do the people of Damascus want it? Does anyone want it? Of course not. Yet, it will come. Why? Because the people forgot God their Savior. And they would not remember that He was their Rock, their fortress. The "fruit" we produce is not the most important issue: God is--and what we think of Him.
Prayer: Lord, I cry for spiritual vision--for myself and for others! May none of us settle for more earthy rewards. Give us a hunger to know You, father! Give us a deep sense of emptiness until we seek and find You, Lord. I pray against the cold, insidious forgetting of You, father. I pray You would stir us up to remember You every day, every hour and every moment. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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07.25.09
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| 12:08
Scripture: Isaiah 17:9 (NIV): "In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation."
Thought: To me, a true "day of judgment" brings "all" to "desolation."
Question: Have I come to my "spiritual senses" and possessed God through Jesus Christ?
"In that day"; again, as the two previous verses discussed, this is God's day of judgment against those who were guilty of wicked idolatries and the like.
"...their strong cities..." this is a reference back to Damascus, Isaiah 17:1, which formerly was an exceedingly strong city, as were similar cities possessed by Israel's enemies. Under God's judgment, however, they were "ruined" (verse 1), "deserted" (verse 2) and caused to "disappear" (verse 3).
"...which they left because of the Israelites..." Yes, the Israelites were directly to blame for these leaving; these who dwelt in damascus, Aroer and other cities. But God, of course, was behind every "change," setting in motion the military events that shifted the people around. Judgment had its way of stirring things up, making changes, bringing in a season of suffering and refocusing peoples' viewpoints.
In fact, these cities, as God declares, "will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth." Apparently, to "see God" we have to lose our established comfort zones and places of lifestyle. God has to strip away the worldly dependencies that interfere with spiritual vision. And so, those formerly well-built, productive and metropolitan cities become empty--their occupants abandoned them, leaving them to be taken over by "thickets and undergrowth."
I am reminded of the prodigal son and his story in Luke 15:11 - 32. In verses 16, 17 and 18 of that story we see the prodigal's "awakening": "He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you." See the process? 1) No one sustains or enables the person who is away from God 2) Then he sees the truth 3) He willfully turns to return to his Father, and, 4) He is made fully aware of his sin--perhaps for the first time. Thank goodness God is not opposed to subjecting us to losses so that we might ultimately gain Him, (and see our true selves in the process.)
"And all will be desolation." Not "some" desolation, but "all will be desolation." Some people today think our country is experiencing the judgment of God. Some look at the economic downturn, the increase in regional disasters, the changes in the climate, the increased pollution and decrease of natural resources, and the rise of famine and disease worldwide as judgments from God. but I believe that when God truly begins to judge America, things will be much worse. These difficulties are real, and are, perhaps, "the beginning of sorrows" as mentioned in Matthew 24:7 and 8, but to me, are only the consequences of our own prideful and anti-Christian ways. We currently still cling to our idols and worldly ways, even under these above listed difficulties. Their occurrence is not enough to "awaken" us to spiritual vision. Apparently, "all" must become "desolation" before we will turn and return to God.
Prayer: Lord, God, have Your way! If it is time for us, as prodigal sons, to lose everything, then so be it! The end of that process is worth it! Then we will "see" our "Maker" and His "holiness". Let it be, Father, let it be. Amen.
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07.23.09
Posted in
General
| 18:09
Scripture: Isaiah 17:8 (NIV): "Tthey will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made."
Thought: To me, once we really "see" God, we have no use whatsoever for silly idols we used to know.
Question: Will we have to be stripped by the sufferings of judgment in order to give up our idols?
"They will not look to the altars..." who are "they"? As discussed in yesterday's blog, I believe it is both pagan "unbelievers" and "backslidden" Israelites who have been moved by God's judgments upon the land. Some will have their eyes opened and will turn away from their idolatry. These few, as described in Isaiah 17:6, and often referred to in scripture as "the remnant", will honor the Living God! Praise be to His Name that He is able to penetrate these hearts, though they be few. Yes, it is tragic that the numbers are so low, but God has often established Himself through small numbers in the scriptures.
These will be pleasing to the Lord. They will no longer look to the false altars--the altars of Baal and other pagan gods. Even though, in the recent past, they had constructed those very altars, "the work of their hands" as described here, they will choose to put all that away. And so should we. It is a willful choice--may we have the courage to make it. It entails breaking away from the popular course of the world and the opinions of the majority. It means turning away from societal trends and earthly influences, peer pressure and what may be currently politically correct.
"...and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles..." what were "Asherah poles"? "Asherah", was the name of a goddess. She was either the mother of Baal whom the Canaanites/Assyrians worshipped, or his consort (mate). An "Asherah pole" was a "sacred" tree or pole of wood standing near Canaanite/Assyrian religious locations, often next to images of Baal. (The word "Asherah" literally means "groves.") The pole became an object of Canaanite/Assyrian worship, and therefore, an idol. The poles were carved, but it is a matter of conjecture as to exactly how they were carved--some indicate they were designed as fertility symbols. In Deuteronomy 16:21 and 22 we read God's instructions regarding "Asherah poles": "Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the LORD your God, and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the LORD your God hates."
Thus we have an acceptable "trend" or religious object of Isaiah's day referred to in this verse. Since we no longer have Asherah poles as a "trend", we need to ask; what is an equivalent idol, religious object or "trend" today that God would have us avoid? If those who worshipped the Asherah poles looked to them for answers to prayer, for healing, for help, for wisdom, for guidance; what do we look to today for these things? Anything other than The True, Living God Jehovah, that may come to our mind, would comprise a modern-day idol. Astrology, cult religions, any religion other than authentic Christianity, the love and addiction to money, materialism, worshipping the human body, etc.--anything we pursue, look to and devotedly love more than God Almighty, is a modern-day idol.
In our context, a remnant, or small portion, of the people subject to God's day of judgment, finally give up their idolatry. "...they will have no regard..." for it. Why? Because, as yesterday's verse states: they have looked "to their Maker" instead. They have "looked" properly, I might add, because they have turned to His holiness, and seen it clearly. How? Through the stripping force of judgment--severe pain, war, loss, tears and suffering have finally separated them from their useless idols. When the idols did not rescue them, they finally gave up on them. And when they saw the majesty of "their Maker", and His power to bring all judgment against them in holiness, they knew He was The One True God. Praise the Lord!
"...and the incense altars their fingers have made." Here is another vain invention of man's own hand: "incense altars". These were simply another facet of the ritualistic idol worship. Incense was burned on an altar near Baal or near the Asherah pole. God detests this practice also: Isaiah 65:3: "a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;" But praise be to God, these men have put this practice aside! They have found it has no value. They have turned away from the work of "their [own] fingers" and looked correctly to "their Maker"! Will we turn away from our own works and devices? Will we look to God, our Creator?
Prayer: Lord God, reveal my idols to me! Open my eyes to their utter weakness, emptiness and vanity. May I, like these "few", with courage, turn away from idols and look only to You, my strong Creator, my Source. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
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07.22.09
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| 19:38
Scripture: Isaiah 17:7 (NIV): "In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel."
Thought: To me, we should not dread God's judgments if it makes us "see" Him more clearly.
Question: Have I arrived at the place where I see God as "Maker" and "Holy One"?
"In that day..." Still we continue studying "that day", the day of God's judgment upon Israel for their sin and rebellion. Yesterday we learned that in God's abundant mercy a few souls are spared the death of coming judgment. Today we learn that, because of God's decision to judge, "men will look to their Maker." This is a good thing! And if it takes judgment to turn their graze to where it ought to be looking, then so be it--may God's will be done! Thank goodness God has made a way for us to look to Him!
This "look" is a clear and proper one: God is finally seen in His true light. He is seen as "their Maker" and He is seen to be "the Holy One." These two insights are priceless! Any other estimate of who God is, aside from these, is not enough. Thus, if only the severity of judgment brings these realizations, then it is absolutely worth it to be so judged! And so, hidden even within God's judgments, is His far-reaching mercy.
Which "men", specifically, will look to God? If we look back to the beginning of this chapter, and ahead into the next few verses, we'll see that the context is still part of the "oracle concerning Damascus." Yes, we had a bit of a parenthetical insert concerning Israel in verses 4 through 6, but now we are back to a discussion of non-Israelites. We can clearly see this is true by looking to verse 8 of this chapter, (tomorrow's verse), where mention is made of these peoples' worship of "Asherah poles", a pagan idol, the supposed mother of Baal, who was of course, primarily the Assyrian's god.
Therefore, we can conclude that God has accomplished a great deal to have opened the eyes of such pagan idol-worshippers. His judgments unleashed over the land by allowing the Assyrians to conquer has born redemptive fruit: some will have their eyes opened and "will look to their Maker." Some of these may also have been Israelites: Israelites who had betrayed their God by taking up the worship of Asherah. They, too, apparently, have benefitted under judgment. Both "backslidden believers" and "unbelievers" can be made to see "their Maker"--Hallelujah!
For us today, the same is true. the harshness of life may bring us to a place where, whether we are a professing Christian, or a blatant non-believer, but both caught in the sin of modern-day idolatry, we can be made to "look" to our "Maker," and see His holiness. May God have His way!
Prayer: Holy God, thank You for causing us to see You! Have Your way, Father, and continue to open our eyes to the fact that only You are our Maker and only You are The Holy One. Amen.
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07.21.09
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| 19:23
Scripture: Isaiah 17: 5 and 6 (NIV): " 'It will be as when a reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the grain with his arm--as when a man gleans heads of grain in the valley of Rephaim. Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost brances, four or five on the fruitful boughs,' declares the LORD, the God of Israel."
Thought: To me, God never authors hopelessness.
Questiion: Have I made use of God's many opportunities to repent?
" 'It will be..." What will be? "That day" will be, as we look back to Isaiah 17:4. Again, "that day" is the Lord's day of judgment--the day He decides to bring the earned consequences of Israel's sin back upon them. Therefore, "that day will be as when a reaper gathers..." One needs to be a bit aware of how farmers in those days harvested their crops: "...as when a reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the grain with his arm..." Apparently before the use of scythes, a man would use his own arm to encircle a bunch of the grain and, perhaps, break it off to carry it away for threshing. "--as when a man gleans heads of grain in the valley of Rephaim." Now, "gleaning" is done after the harvesting. It is a kind of second-look at the fields, in search of grain left behind by the first going over. If a "man gleans heads of grain" he is stooping to pick up grains that were unintentionally broken off or accidently dropped or even simply overlooked and left standing upright.
In other words, the day of God's judgment of Israel, in which God's "arm" will "cut down" the people of Israel, some souls will not be "killed." A few, very few, will be spared. Always a few, that special "remnant", will escape and survive. God has His purposes in this, too: "Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs,..." A person can never quite pick or shake off all the fruit on a tree for one reason or another; neither will God completely wipe out (genocide) a people. Again I am reminded of Noah who "...found favor in the eys of the LORD." (Genesis 6:8). Though all humanity drowned in the flood, Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, a total of eight people, were "unjudged" by the water! So, according to this verse, will "two or three" or "four or five" remain untouched by God's judgment upon Israel at this time.
Now, lest anyone conclude that God is still too harsh to wipe out so many at one time, remember and realize this: God's "day of judgment" never comes by surprise. He give many warnings, many prophecies, many opportunities for repentance and turning and returning. This very verse, voiced to the people through Isaiah's faithful oracle, is one of those "advance warnings." Will Israel listen?
Prayer: Holy Father, You are all-knowing and all-wise. You purge out those which need to go, and You also leave those few who will form the framework, in hope and grace, for a new beginning. Before You judge, oh Father, You are merciful and kind to provide plenty of opportunity for repentance. I pray that I and others will ever hear and appreciate Your many mercies and kind graces to each of us. Help us heed and obey! Amen.
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07.20.09
Posted in
General
| 18:06
Scripture: Isaiah 17:4 (NIV): " 'In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.' "
Thought: To me, our "glory" is to know God. Our "health" is to walk daily with Him.
Question: Do I know if God has departed from me?
" 'In that day..." Which day? The "day of the Lord", the day God passes judgment, and, in this case, it is upon Israel.
We have previously looked at God's judgments being passed on some of Israel's enemies. In chapter 13 it was Babylon, with further reference to Babylon in chapter 14 as well. Also in chapter 14 the enemies are Assyria and Philistia. In chapters 15 and 16 it is Moab. And in the first three verses of chapter 17 it is Damascus.
But now we have a shift again. (Isaiah is often "shifting"--weaving different yet similarly applied truths together to complete the message of God's Word.) The prophecy here is about Israel once again.
"...the glory of Jacob will fade;" At first glance this phrase is a simple statement saying that "Jacob", (the original name of the son of Isaac from whom the nation of Israel sprang), will lose some status or power. Because the nation has chosen sin and idolatry, they will suffer the logical consequences of judgment and loss. And this is definitely true enough! But to look again, and to meditate a bit on what "the glory of Jacob" is, reveals another dimension. God is "the glory of Jacob." God's presence with them is their sole source of strength and greatness. If they have ever won a battle, possessed land, been prosperous, overcome their enemies, etc., it is only because God was with them, helping them, blessing them and going before them. So now, as they turn away from Him, their "glory" "will fade". as they have chosen to live on their own without Him, He will leave them to themselves! And their "glory"--the vitality of radiant "specialness" God gives when He is present--"will fade." What a loss! Will they be like Samson who did not even know God was no longer with him? (See Judges 17:20 and 21: "Then she [Delilah] called, 'Samson, the Philistines are upon you!' He awoke from his sleep and thought, 'I'll go out as before and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the LORD had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.") Well, if Israel is so steeped in willfulness that they cannot know their loss of glory, here is God's Word to set them straight! Will they listen?
"...the fat of his body will waste away." In biblical language, to be "fat" was to be prosperous and successful. The fact that the nation was out of fellowship with God causes their former prosperity and success to "waste away." Starvation, loss of muscle tissue and the beginnings of death are set in motion when one begins to "waste away" physically. The application here is made to Israel spiritually: without God, they are beginning to approach "death"--complete separation from God via spiritual starvation.
Prayer: God of glory, how I long to have and hold Your vital, radiant "specialness", Your glory, in my life always! To lose You would be a horrible fate--worse than death! I pray it would be very clear to me the moment I begin to ever turn from You, so that I may ask forgiveness, repent and return. I pray that others who have begun to "lose" You, would awaken to Your goodness and mercies, and return to Your strength and vitality. Amen.
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