July 2015 Bible Study Companion

The Bible Study Companion

Reflections, questions, and observations on God’s Holy Word

July

More than a Bible reading plan, the Bible Study Companion goes beyond a mere reading of the Word. The Bible Study Companion asks difficult questions about the text. It searches for a deeper meaning behind the stories and events in the Bible. In addition, it helps bring clarity to some confusing passages in the Bible.

The Bible Study Companion is a series of 365 daily readings that walks you through the Bible in Chronological order.

How to use the Bible Study Companion: Read the daily scripture using the translation of your choice.

For insight, observations and questions about each day’s passage refer to the study notes in this guide.

Make notes and ask questions as you study the Bible as well.

Presented by Gregory L. Jones, Pastor West York Church of the Brethren http://www.westyorkcob.org

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July July 1: 2 Chronicles 29-31 2 Chronicles 29 • 2 Chronicles 29:1-2 The Chronicler picks up on Hezekiah’s reign after Israel had fallen to the Assyrians (722 BC). You can read other reflections in 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 3639. The Chronicler points out that Hezekiah was one of the great kings of Judah; even though he did not always make the wisest decisions or at times would fail. The truth is, God is impressed with a person who strives to do what is right, even though they fail from time to time. He is looking for the desire within their heart. This means that when the desire of our heart is righteousness, God will still love us even when we mess up; even when we sin. God knows it wasn’t what we wanted to do.

• 2 Chronicles 29:3-11 Even Ahaz’s own son knew that his father had sinned against the Lord. One of the first things Hezekiah did when he began to reign was to undo all the mistakes of his father. He cleans out the Temple and calls the priests back to work.

Now, if Hezekiah wondered why his father was leading the nation into sin, why do you suppose he never spoke up while his father still ruled? If he had opposed his father, I’m sure someone would have recorded that event.

• 2 Chronicles 29:17 Can you imagine how much junk there was in this Temple; things representing foreign gods? 16 days to clear it all out! It’s pathetic that the Temple had become so defiled.

• 2 Chronicles 29:18-30 I am very thankful that the Chronicler recorded these events.

The account in 2 Kings gives us a more political view of things, but here we see the spiritual depth of King Hezekiah. It paints a different picture of this man than what we have read elsewhere. And no, it does not contradict what was written in Kings or in Isaiah. The Chronicler just wanted the remnant to see the spiritual difference between a godly king and one who was wicked. It was not necessarily their successful military careers that made them great. It was the depth of their commitment to God. 3

2 Chronicles 30 • 2 Chronicles 30:1-5 It has obviously been a while since the Passover was last celebrated, possibly not since Jotham had been king. By the time this event took place, Assyria had invaded Israel and taken most of the nation captive, but apparently some in Ephraim and Manasseh had escaped being captured.

• 2 Chronicles 30:6-9 Hezekiah’s message says that if the rest of the nation is obedient and humble before the Lord, those in captivity will be treated mercifully and be allowed to return. Now, I wonder how Hezekiah knew this to be true. Did God specifically tell him this, or is this an indication of how well Hezekiah knew God’s character? I believe he could make this claim because he knew the characteristics of God. He knew God would be merciful and gracious, for this is how God even described Himself. It’s no different than when I tell a person God will forgive their sin if they repent, and that they will find salvation in their confession of Jesus as Lord. I can say these things, not because God expressly told me that Joe or Bill would be granted forgiveness, but that when any person confesses their sin and confesses Jesus as Lord they will be forgiven and saved. I can assure someone of this truth because God has said this is what He will do. And because I know God is faithful and true, I can speak this truth to another person.

• 2 Chronicles 30:13-14 Removing sin from the city. I wonder if we need to do the same thing. The people had gathered to remove sin from their lives, but they also had to remove sin from their city. There were things in Jerusalem that were unholy; things that defiled. I can’t help but wonder if the same thing needs to happen in our own lives today.

We talk about getting right with God, and go through the process of having our sins forgiven, but what if there things in our lives that don’t belong. What if the cleansing process needs to happen within our homes? What might we have in our home that is unholy? What might surround us that does not honor God? If we are going to clean up our soul, we ought to clean up around us as well.

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• 2 Chronicles 30:18-20 Although some of the people were ceremonially unclean, Hezekiah asked the Lord to look at the attitude of their hearts. And it says here that God did listen to Hezekiah’s prayer. Even though a person had not followed the ritual of cleanliness, God took care of this for them. This is very significant. It almost seems to me that God has always looked at the heart of a person and not at their ritualistic practices. This, of course, make me question whether an individual with the wrong motives is truly cleansed, even though they went through all the steps and procedures.

• 2 Chronicles 30:21-27 The celebration lasted two weeks, and the Chronicler says that Jerusalem had not celebrated to this degree since the days of Solomon. There were other Passovers, but not ones filled with this much enthusiasm. I wonder, though, if the people actually were revived, or if they simply were caught up in the passion of the moment. I ask that question because it will not be long now before even Judah is disciplined by God. But that will come in another generation. If these people were actually revived, then it’s sad that they could not pass that renewed love for God along to the next generation; a problem too many of us are familiar with even today.

2 Chronicles 31 • 2 Chronicles 31:1 Is this a real sign that revival had taken place? It sure seems that way.

• 2 Chronicles 31:2-4 It says here that Hezekiah instituted these reforms. I expected them to come from the priests. But that’s because I live in a democracy where the government does not concern itself with spiritual matters. That responsibility is left to the church. But in Judah (and Israel) the King was also the spiritual director of the nation.

He was the one to call the people to worship and honor God. The priests and the Levites fulfilled the function and practices of their religion.

• 2 Chronicles 31:6 I find the reference here to be incredible. Some of the people living in Israel moved to Judah because Judah still worshiped God. Oh, they were not perfect at it, and often times would need to be rebuked and corrected, but they had not degraded to the point Israel had, at least not yet.

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• 2 Chronicles 31:6-10 It says here that the people brought their tithes to the Temple, and that there was more than enough for the priests and the Levites. There was so much left over that there were piles of stuff everywhere. Does this mean God blessed them because they tithed? No. It means the people were stirred enough to give the tithe. The blessing had happened before they gave, not after. The people of the nation had plenty; they just didn’t feel like giving before. There usually are enough resources for a church to do a tremendous ministry. The problem is most people do not feel compelled to give.

July 2: Proverbs 25-29 Proverbs 25 • Proverbs 25:1 About 250 years after Solomon wrote down these Proverbs, Hezekiah’s scribes grouped them together according to subject. They literally removed them from one book and placed them in another.

• Proverbs 25:18 Often times we will read Proverbs like this one and think, yeah, it does hurt when someone lies about me. Maybe we should keep that pain in mind when we are tempted to tell a lie about someone else.

• Proverbs 25:21-22 There is wisdom in returning love or showing grace to those who oppose you. I have found that by being gracious to those who attack me, I take fuel away from the fire.

Proverbs 26 • Proverbs 26:2 This passage is not talking about hurling insults or swearing at someone, but to call down God’s wrath upon those who are innocent. Consider the curse that Balaam was supposed to deliver against Israel (Numbers 23:8).

• Proverbs 26:4-5 These two sayings belong together; they complement each other.

Their point is that one should not be drawn down to a fool’s level (verse 4) but at times he must use the fool’s language to refute the fool so he does not become conceited (verse 5). Wisdom is needed to determine when to apply verse 4 and when to apply verse 5.

The Jewish Talmud suggests that verse 4 pertains to foolish comments that can be 6

ignored and that verse 5 refers to erroneous ideas that must be corrected. The Word “You” in verse 4 is emphatic and may be translated “you, even you.”

• Proverbs 26:11 The image in this Proverb is disgusting. However, just as disgusting is the fool who returns to his wicked habit or sin.

• Proverbs 26:18-19 Yeah, I think we’ve all seen this on the playground. They tease until it hurts, and only then do they exclaim that they were only joking. A wise teacher needs to keep this proverb in mind. “Yeah, the joke’s on you now, Mr. Smarty Pants. You thought you could get away with your abuse just by claiming it was only a joke. Well, I’ve got news for you.”

• Proverbs 26:20 The quarrels may stop, but I still think there is damage that will be difficult to undo.

• Proverbs 26:24-25 I’ve learned to be wary of those who sing my praise in one breath, and speak curses against someone else in the next. Trust me, if a person is willing to tear down the pastor at their former church, they’ll probably do the same thing to you.

They’ll speak as if they are your best friend until you make a decision they do not like.

Then watch out!

• Proverbs 26:27 Was Solomon watching the Coyote and the Roadrunner?

Proverbs 27 • Proverbs 27:14 I learned this the hard way. I once got called into the office for being too cheerful in the morning. I thought my supervisor was joking! He might as well said, “Why can’t you be a bit more lifeless in the morning like the rest of us? Stop being so jovial.” I couldn’t believe my ears.

• Proverbs 27:17 Think how valuable a friendship would be if time spent with that friend would help you become a better person. That’s a valuable friendship. Husbands and wives need to keep this in mind. At the end of our life, as we stand before God, what will we be able to say about the person we lived with? Would we be able to say that they were a better person because of us, or did we tear down what God was trying to build up?

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• Proverbs 27:21 Most people can take disappointment and failure. Few men can receive praise. Disappointments and failures make us stronger in the end. Praise can make us proud. It takes a strong man to keep praise from making him weak.

Proverbs 28 • Proverbs 28:1 The wicked are pursued by their conscience; their sin haunts them night and day. When I am told by someone who is living in sin that they hate coming to church because everyone there is so judgmental, I gently ask them if perhaps it’s their conscience that is bothering them. By being in the presence of the Lord, their behavior and conduct become revealed, and that bothers them. It is not Christians who judge (most of the time) but God. He is pursuing them, not to destroy them but to save them.

• Proverbs 28:2 I need not say anything more on this. I think we all would agree.

• Proverbs 28:9 Those who disobey God’s laws may have their prayers unanswered. It’s not that God can’t hear them; it’s just that He can’t stand them. Well, my friend, I could spend 5 or 6 pages talking about how a sinner’s prayer is answered by God. The simplest answer is that Jesus intercedes on our behalf. He has seen our repentant heart and becomes our advocate before God (1 John 2:1). God then sends the Spirit, who regenerates us.

• Proverbs 28:26 Here’s a tough proverb. The line between trusting in our own insight and trusting in the Lord’s wisdom is sometimes difficult to see. It becomes faint and indistinct because of personal desire or preference. Our zeal for serving the Lord can drown out the wisdom of God. We get ideas and become passionate about issues, but have not yet learned to listen to God’s still, small voice. Like the former demonpossessed man who lived among the tombs (Luke 8:38-39), our own insight would tell us to go with Jesus. But the Lord’s wisdom sends us to a place we do not want to go or to decisions we’d rather not make. God’s wisdom tells us to hold our tongue rather than argue – to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12).

Proverbs 29

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• Proverbs 29:5 The word “Flatter” here literally means “Smooth Talk”. A person who tries to deceive his friend while sounding like some used car salesman is the one who will get caught in the trap.

• Proverbs 29:8 Think about that for a moment. One godly person can have a calming influence on another person, on a whole family, and even on an entire community. But, that godly person cannot remain silent for this to happen. I believe our churches and our communities could be transformed if only more godly people would just speak up!

• Proverbs 29:22 Let’s look at this verse backward. If you find yourself in a lot of arguments and heated debates; if it seems that people are always opposing you, perhaps they are not the ones with the problem. Perhaps you are hot-tempered and angry.

Maybe there are things you need to address within your own heart.

July 3: Proverbs 30-31 Proverbs 30 • Proverbs 30:1 The identity of Agur is unknown. He seems to have been humble and observant and inquisitive. According to the Hebrew Bible, these oracles ( maśśā, which means a weighty message), were addressed to Ithiel and to Ucal, whose identities are also unknown.

• Proverbs 30:4 The only answer here is God. God is the only one who has done these things. Agur seems to imply that he is not wise, but I would disagree. He asks the question, “To whom has God given His divine attributes.” It almost sounds as if he is asking these questions to someone who thought they were smart; who thought they had life all figured out. At the end of this verse, Agur asks an interesting question. What is the name of God’s Son? In other words, did God impart His Divine attributes upon someone else (sarcastically pointing his finger at the one who thinks he is so wise). At the time, the answer was no. But when Christ walked this earth, we saw Him manifest the divine attributes of God. Jesus did everything we would expect God to do. He fed the

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hungry, cured the sick, and stopped natural disasters. He knew what people were thinking. He displayed wisdom and knowledge that outshined the best of the best.

• Proverbs 30:7-9 And Agur says he isn’t very wise? What an incredible prayer? That’s the prayer a person of God should be repeating, not the prayer of Jabez (see 1 Chronicles 4:10).

Proverbs 31 • Proverbs 31:1 Nothing is known about Lemuel other than he was probably a foreign king, possibly from Massa. It’s unusual that here the instructions come from his mother.

All the other proverbs have been from a father to a son. Massa was Ishmael’s seventh’s son (Genesis 25:14).

• Proverbs 31:5 Yes they do forget the law. They ignore the speed limit too.

• Proverbs 31:10-31 Each verse in this section forms a Hebrew acrostic poem, with each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Kind of like “Big A, Little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie’s Alligator. A…A…A. Big B little b, what begins with B? Barber, Baby, Bubbles and a Bumblebee (Thanks, Dr. Seuss).

• Proverbs 31:10 The writer is not saying a woman like this is non-existent, just hard to find. It’s difficult to find a woman like this. Ruth was described as this type of woman (Ruth 3:11).

• Proverbs 31:15 I like the idea of having someone cook my breakfast. But alas, in my home it's the husband’s duty (that’s because I enjoy making breakfast almost as much as I enjoy eating breakfast!).

• Proverbs 31:16 This verse actually causes some people to discredit its validity.

Women did not buy or sell property in those days. Well, apparently we don’t know all the facts. It seems in some circles women could do this.

• Proverbs 31:30-31 These two verses summarize what the writer was trying to say all along.

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July 4: Psalm 42-46 Psalm 42 • The Psalmist laments about the way things used to be. He used to walk among the crowd of worshipers and lead them to the house of God (Psalm 42:4). Although he was discouraged and although his heart was sad, the Psalmist would turn his heart to God, and there he would find peace and joy once again (psalm 42:5-6).

Psalm 43 • Psalm 43 reads as if it was a continuation of Psalm 42. There is the same countenance and rhythm. Even the theme feels the same. Even Psalm 43:5 is identical to Psalm 42:11. I really like author’s request in Psalm 43:3. Light and Truth become the rescue team for those facing trials. The reality is that to live in God’s light and cherish His truth is the true way through life’s difficulties.

Psalm 44 • Psalm 44 is a lament of the nation in a time of unequaled disaster. Because of God’s deliverance of the nation’s ancestors, and because of the people’s present faith, they prayed earnestly that God would give them victory. Their prayer was prompted by the fact that they were experiencing defeats which they did not understand. Unlike many other Psalms, this one is unique as the people claim that they have been faithful to God. • Psalm 44:3 This is something we haven’t heard before. The people actually admit that God was the one to bring them victory in the past.

• Psalm 44:4-8 This is a unique prayer. The psalmist will trust in God for victory, not in his own weapons of war. My, how things have changed. Today we believe it is our technology that will save us or make us the victor. Today’s soldier believes that the one with the biggest gun wins the battle. But if our victory comes through God and not our weapons, how might that change our attitude about war? If God is the one fighting our battles, then we had better be pretty confident that God has indeed directed us into battle.

Perhaps we would not treat war so casually if our hope is in Him and not the size of our bomb.

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• Psalm 44:9-16 Before we judge this person, it appears that much of the land had been overrun by invading forces. With their backs to the wall, they just might have been wondering when God was going to show up.

• Psalm 44:17-22 Here is Israel’s claim of innocence. And also their plea for help (Psalm 44:23-26).

Psalm 45 • As the heading points out, this is a love Psalm celebrating the wedding of a mighty king.

His bride apparently was from a distant place (Psalm 45:10), yet she was enamored by the power and strength of this man. She even called him a God (Psalm 45:7). This isn’t unusual (compare Exodus 22:8-9 where a judge is called God), but to me it seems to demonstrate an elementary understanding of the word. No one who knows God well would ever use the word “Elohim” to describe any person. “Like Elohim” seems to be more appropriate.

Psalm 46 • The descendants of Korah were those in charge of music within the Temple (see 2 Chronicles 20:19). Although Korah died because of the way he rebelled against God (see Numbers 16), his three sons, Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph did survive (Num. 26:11), and were given this priestly duty.

• Psalm 46:4-7 The Psalm makes a claim that where God is present, destruction will not come. And since God was present in Jerusalem, no nation can lay siege to the holy city.

Perhaps Hezekiah was singing this Psalm after so many Assyrian soldiers were destroyed.

• Psalm 46:10 This is an easy verse to quote but a difficult verse to live. When chaos and destruction surround us, it’s very, very difficult to be still. Actually, when troubles arise, we do everything in our power to overcome them. And only when we have exhausted all our strength and might do we finally turn to God. Is there a lesson for us to learn here? Should we first turn to God in a crisis, then respond after He has given

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instruction? Maybe we need to stop chanting “God helps those who help themselves” and start praying “God, help us in our time of trouble”.

July 5: Psalm 47-49, Psalm 84-85, 87 Psalm 47 • This Psalm could have been on the lips of all Judah as God delivered them from their enemies (the three nations that had gathered to attack, but who were defeated by God see 2 Chronicles 20:27-30).

Psalm 48 • This Psalm may have been in the minds and on the lips of all Judah as well, for it describes God’s protection against the nations that joined forces to overthrow Jerusalem.

As I read this Psalm, I thought to myself how easy it would be to sing God’s praise when He does deliver; when He does protect. But would we be willing to praise Him when He doesn’t? I think this is the mark of a true believer; someone who worships God and praises His name, not because of all the blessings He has given, but because of who He is.

Psalm 49 • This is a wisdom poem, dealing with the age-old problem of the prosperity of the wicked. The poet called his work a dark saying (riddle, verse 4) that is worth analyzing.

He had observed that the wicked are prosperous and wealthy, and filled with pride and a sense of security. But the wise psalmist stated that they are no better than the beasts of the field. In the final analysis, the hope of the righteous is better than the false security of the wicked.

• Psalm 49:6-7 Some people just have the natural ability to make money. I don’t believe it is this person the Psalmist is referring to. I think the passages of Scripture that refer to the foolishness of the rich are those who are driven by a desire for wealth. They fight feelings of insecurity with the pursuit of money, falsely assuming that excessive amounts of money will give them the sense of security they long for. It's a shame they don’t take 13

that passion for security and turn it toward God. God’s the only one who can redeem a lost soul.

• Psalm 49:15 If you’ve ever wondered if people in Old Testament times believed in eternal life, simply look at what this verse says. The Psalmist says this happens for those who place their faith in God, not money or possessions.

Psalm 84 • This is what is called a Pilgrimage Psalm; a Psalm to be sung as people made their way to the Temple. Now Israel knew that God did not just dwell in the Temple because no building could contain Him. So what did they mean by this song? Well, just as personal worship is essential in the heart of every believer, so too is a time when people can worship together. Oddly, people seem to take this to either extreme; they either worship in church but not at home alone or they only worship at home alone and not in church.

But Israel understood the value in both. For the person who picks one or the other, they are missing the full revelation of God. He reveals Himself to us, and He reveals Himself through us. God is felt within us, but God is seen through the Church.

Psalm 85 • One central theme stands out when reading this Psalm; God’s restoration once again.

As the writer looks back at God’s grace, he asked that He do the same this time as well.

Psalm 87 • The reference in the heading of this Psalm “to the descendants of Korah” refers to those who did not take part in the rebellion found in Number 16:1-3. One interesting piece of information I found, but not related to this Psalm, is that God instituted a great religious revolution by making Aaron High Priest. In the past, leaders of clans and families served as the individual religious leaders. However, by appointing Aaron, God was placing one man above the whole nation. This is partly why Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, along with 250 other leaders, complained that Moses and Aaron had gone too far. They demanded that the old system should be restored. They wrongly assumed that Moses and Aaron had conceived this new religious system on their own and had gone too far. God dealt 14

severely with this rebellion to demonstrate that He had designed this new system, not Moses or Aaron. From now on, one man will be the religious leader of the entire nation, instead of each individual clan having its own religious leader. And honestly I can understand why God instituted this new form of religious government. It would unite the nation as one. I know this insight doesn’t have anything to do with this Psalm, but I found this to be an interesting explanation of this event.

• This is an interesting Psalm. The author declares that one day these five nations will recognize that God sits on His throne in Jerusalem. Two things stand out here; first is that these nations will admit that Yahweh is God rather than the gods these nations often worshiped, and that instead of being jealous of Israel they will rejoice with Israel. Right now there are Christians living in all five of these nations that are mentioned, but I bet those Christians don’t acknowledge God’s favor toward Israel. I would venture a guess that most Christians in the world today don’t want God’s blessing to fall upon Israel. They want God to bless whatever nation they are living in. So for this Psalm to come true there must be a radical shift in people’s attitudes; even the attitudes of most Christians.

July 6: Psalm 1-2, 10, 33, 71, 91 Psalm 1 • Psalm 1 sets the stage for a central theme throughout all the Psalms; a contrast between the righteous and the wicked. This wisdom psalm compares the two different ways of living; either living a blessed life by following the laws of God or living a tarnished life filled with misery because of disobedience to God’s Laws. Humanity has been given only these two choices. The New Testament describes this as being a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:16).

Psalm 2 • This Psalm is a clear reference to Jesus, but in Old Testament times it was also used as a reference to the descendants of David. Only a descendant of King David was supposed to rule Israel. As the nations around Israel (later Judah) made plans to attack 15

and destroy her, this royal psalm becomes a plea for those nations to abandon their plans, and instead submit themselves to the chosen One of God. This Chosen One is called God’s Son, and God is called His Father (Psalm 2:7); again a clear reference to Jesus, but still used to reference the King in Old Testament times.

Psalm 10 • As the Psalmist contrasts the heart of the righteous against the deceit, arrogance, and pride of the wicked, he wonders why God seems not to be listening. He wonders why God has remained silent. As the righteous look upon the wicked, they watch them oppress the less fortunate, and in pride, sneer at God and mock His name. Arise O, God and help the afflicted; cries that men and women have been lifting to God almost since the dawn of time. Often it seems God is silent and uninterested in the affairs of those being oppressed and wrongly accused. He practices far more patience than we would against those who curse His name. Like the Psalmist, we too cry out “ Lord, you know the

hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them ”.

Psalm 33 • The Psalm writer proclaims that God is Righteous, Just, and Loyal. He points out that there is incredible power in the Word of God, for from His mouth all things came into existence. A man might be talented enough to make one thing from something else.

Evolutionist claim that something evolved into another thing. But only God could make something out of nothing. Considering that this is the power seen in God, what joy for the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). We need to be careful that we don’t automatically assume that just because we call America a Christian Nation that this proclamation will hold true for us. People need to be careful that they don’t read some promise made to Israel and automatically assume the promise can be transferred to America. Also, I think most Americans interpret the word “Joy” as meaning “Peace”, or “Happiness”. That’s not the meaning here. There is Joy in knowing that God is with us, but even Jesus warned that by being associated with Him, we will be hated by the world 16

(Matthew 10:22). There is not much happiness in that. Nor will it bring peace (Luke 12:51).

Psalm 71 • Another Psalm that pleads for help and deliverance from enemies, except this time it is written by an older man (Psalm 71:18). As this older man reflects back over his life, he is aware of the many timed God has been with him and delivered him from peril. He is also aware that these events have been the source of strength for many who experience the same things. At this stage, he desires that this part of his life become a testimony to God’s unfailing love as well (Psalm 71:7 and the second half of Psalm 71:18).

Psalm 91 • Here the Psalmist confessed that there is security in trusting God. Psalm 91:2 says it all: "He alone is my refuge, my place of safety". This Psalm is tied together with Psalm 92.

They seem to be a unit.

• Psalm 91:4 gives me the impression of sitting beneath the wings of the Cherubim on the Mercy Seat inside the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle.

• Psalm 91:9-10 sounds like the confession from a person who has seen these things; like back in Egypt, for example.

July 7: Psalm 92-97 Psalm 92 • Whatever the time and whatever the reason, this Psalm was written to praise the Lord for delivering His people from the hands of their enemies. Like their ancestors whom God had brought out of Egypt, Judah witnessed God’s deliverance, and the psalmist says that only a simpleton would not be able to understand that this was by the hand of God. However, I wonder how long these people will remember what the Lord had done. Will they remember it for at least 10 years?

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• Continuing his praise for God, the psalmist speaks of God’s rule, God’s glory, and God’s power. This “Theocratic Psalm” speaks of the eternal attributes of our God. It’s easy to sing this psalm of praise when God has just rescued you. It’s easy to speak of God’s everlasting power and rule when He has just delivered you from your enemies. But can we still sing this when God seems silent; when He seems distant? I know our hearts want to cry out these words in times of deliverance, but the Christian needs to keep these words in mind while we are in the midst of the storm. This is the kind of psalm we need to read in the dark times; in the times marked by trouble.

Psalm 94 • Reading through this Psalm made me wonder how a person can tell if they are being destroyed because of their wickedness or punished because of their wickedness. Judah, at the time this Psalm was written, was suffering under the oppression of Babylon. God had assured them that they would not be destroyed, just pressed down and refined. A foreign army had invaded and conquered their city. This army desecrated the Temple.

And Asaph says that this is just God’s punishment for their (Judah’s) wickedness. But then He says that this wicked army will be crushed by God. In all of this I keep wondering how a person can tell when God is judging and when God is punishing. Some Christians said that Hurricane Katrina was God’s judgment against New Orleans. But how do we know that it wasn’t just punishment? How do we know God “sent” the storm in the first place?

Psalm 95 • This Psalm sings of Leviticus 17:2-7. It gives us a glimpse into the reason all the laws and commands were given. They seem strict and confining when in reality they liberate the heart when they are obeyed. Who wouldn't want to know that God is pleased with them? Who wouldn't wish to know that they have honored God? Knowing that God has seen your righteousness and has allowed you to draw near, a person comes before Him with thanksgiving in his heart! Through honor and obedience to the Law, Israel pleased God. In the New Testament, God becomes pleased with those who honor and obey His Son: Jesus, our Savior, and our Lord.

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Psalm 96 • This Psalm speaks of God's reign and calls on people everywhere to shout in joyful praise. Tell the world about the things God has done. No other god in all the earth or in the sky above can compare with The Lord. Even all creation shouts praises to His name.

Just reading this Psalm makes you want to jump up and dance in praise of our God. Psalm 97 • This Psalm describes God in ways that we would naturally fear: dark, ominous clouds, a consuming fire, and flashes of lightning. And yet the person who wrote this psalm tells us that by seeing these things, we are to rejoice, for in this way heaven is proclaiming God's righteousness.

July 8: Psalm 98-100, Psalm 102, 104 Psalm 98 • As we have seen in Psalm 97, the things we see in nature become a testimony to the righteousness of God. And to the redeemed, seeing the thumbprint of God in nature actually causes them to rejoice. But to those who have rejected God or those who deny God, these ominous signs bring fear. Now when you think about all the terrible signs and frightening things we have seen recently in nature, can you imagine that anyone, even the redeemed, would rejoice to stand before God? I’d imagine anyone would stand trembling, even the redeemed. Surely even the righteous will face His wrath and judgment. Well, the Psalmist anticipated this question and answer by pointing out just what it will be like to stand in the presence of God. He will judge with justice and fairness. These two traits identify what God's judgment will be like.

Psalm 99 19

• I find the opening statement refreshing. The Psalmist testifies that the Lord is King and that he is merely His servant. This is the sign of a godly leader; one who realizes that they are nothing more than a Turtle on a Fencepost. If you ever see a turtle on a fencepost, you know that someone put him there. He even reminded the readers that as good and righteous as Moses and Aaron and Samuel were, they were not beyond the Lord’s discipline (Psalm 99:8).

Psalm 100 • This Psalm was to be sung in the Temple as a sacrifice of praise. Reading this, I am reminded of many worship songs we sing today that were inspired by this Psalm.

Psalm 102 • To the person who does not know God, their suffering and troubles seem pointless.

They find no hope except what they might find within themselves. They find no strength except in what they can muster on their own. They have no promise to cling to. But, to the faithful there is God. There is His presence within the trial. There is His Spirit to give strength and guidance. And there is His promise. This Psalm echoes the cries of the righteous, not the lost. In this psalm, we find where our help comes from. In this psalm, we find the promise of God. Many who faced trials and hardship have turned to this psalm for comfort and assurance.

Psalm 104 • The writer praises God in this Psalm for the marvels of His creation. In Psalm 104:2 he mentions the stretching out of the heavens like a tent curtain. According to an article at http://www.creationists.org/God-streched-out-the-universe-bible-verses.html, a tent curtain (or flap) only stretches so far. I’ll admit the author may have just spoken figuratively here, but the argument made at creationists.org make a good point. It certainly may have been an event that lasted 24 hours. This is the Almighty we’re talking about here. If He wanted it done in that amount of time, He certainly had it within His power to do so. The Psalmist marvels at the thumbprint of God in all creation and he proclaims things about God that God declared about Himself while He was talking to Job (See Job 38:4 for example).

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• Psalm 104:5 does not seem to speak about a flat earth (as some claim), but it appears to represent the Earth’s position in the solar system and its peculiar tilt that marks off the seasons. Other planets have either no tilt or an extreme tilt (like Uranus or Pluto). It is our exact position in the solar system and our slight angle that mark the seasons. See http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2011/03/22/a-little-tilt-is-all-it-takes/ for more information.

• Psalm 104:26 Interesting that the Psalmist mentions Leviathan. Do you think he had read the writings of Job and borrowed the name from there? Or maybe that was the Old Testament name given for the Dinosaur fossils people had found? Or perhaps this was their name for an animal that we call something else?

July 9: Psalm 105-106 Psalm 105 • The person who wrote this Psalm takes his readers on a journey. By looking back through the nation’s history, he reminds them of all the great and glorious ways that God had watched over His people. Moving forward through its history, the psalm takes Israel to the point where it was settled securely in the land of Canaan, but no farther than that.

So perhaps this was an older Psalm written to remind the nation not to abandon God when they would be living in a time of peace (Psalm 105:45).

• Psalm 105:18 Fetters are what we would call shackles. But it seems Jacob suffered more than just having his feet chained together. Either they bruised his feet literally because they were extremely tight or they bruised his feet figuratively (by being bound, Joseph's faith in where God was leading him was beginning to waver).

Psalm 106 • As the psalm writer continues to trace Israel's history, this time he mentions the nation's times of disobedience.

• Psalm 106:6 The psalmist confesses that just like their ancestors, they too have sinned. "We have done wrong; we have acted wickedly," he writes. I think it's important that a Christian remember to look inwardly at their own heart when they are in the middle 21

of a crisis. A mature Christian asks these questions; "Have I sinned, have I done something wrong, have I acted wickedly". It's true that God does not give us what we deserve. We are shown grace over and over again (see Romans 11:6). And it’s true that most times we have not done anything to deserve the trial we are facing, but what if we did. What if we did do something wrong or acted in disobedience to God? He may permit the trial in order to make us look inward at out behaviors and out thoughts.

• Psalm 106:17 Dathan and Abiram were two of the other men who joined with Korah to rebel against Moses (see Numbers 16:1 and Numbers 26:9).

• Psalm 106:30 Remember Phinehas? He thrust his spear through a man's body and into the Midianite prostitute he was having sex with (Numbers 25:6-9). The sexual activity with this woman was part of Baal worship.

• Psalm 106:47 It’s possible that this Psalm was written during the exile in Babylon.

However, it’s also likely that this Psalm addresses the lack of unity in the land. Even though they were one nation, their hearts were not one toward God.

July 10: Psalm 107, Psalm 111-114 Psalm 107 • The Psalmist praised God for multiple examples of His deliverance; most notably for deliverance from bondage, from exile, and from prison. He points out that no matter where people found themselves, they were never too far for God to rescue. This psalm seems a fitting reflection to what some people endured during the 50 to 70 years in Babylonian exile. This Psalm seems quite appropriate to give strength and hope to those who were born while in captivity, knowing nothing of freedom for their entire life. But then freedom came. And then began the long journey to a land they had never known.

Psalm 111

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• This Psalm, and Psalm 112, was probably written during the time Zerubbabel was governor over Jerusalem. It was probably written for the first Festival celebrated after the exile, and once the Altar was rebuilt. It has a certain freshness about it; speaking of God’s redemption from a personal perspective; about being ransomed forever.

Psalm 112 • As this small remnant of Jews rebuilt the altar and began observing the sacrifice once again, perhaps Joshua (or Jeshua) stood before the people and read this Psalm.

Remember that they were afraid of the foreigners living around them, so these words of encouragement would have strengthened their hearts. The Psalm speaks of blessings for the righteous, of light in the darkness (discernment?), of goodness because of generosity, of unshakable faith, and being honored by the Lord for giving to the poor. The wicked people living around Jerusalem will see these things and lose heart. Once again the world will see that God is with His people and watches over them and blesses them.

Psalm 113 • This was one of the Psalms sung during the great festivals of Israel (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles). Psalm 113 and Psalm 114 were sung before the meals.

Psalm 114 • Picture this Psalm being recited to the people once they return from Babylonian exile.

For some of the young people in the crowd, this might have been the first time they even heard these words, and perhaps didn’t see the significance. However, for the older men and women, tears would have fallen from hearts filled with joy. Hearing these words uttered in this way once again would have made their joy overflow. Now I’ll be honest, I’m not big on doing things just out of tradition. But there are times when I sing a hymn that I am reminded of a day long ago when I sat among the people of my church listening to their distinctive voices. Some of those people have been gone for a long time, but I am reminded of their faces and their voices when I sing a particular hymn. So it is not the song that stirs my heart, it is the memory of a time or a place that floods my soul. I 23

suspect this is what might have happened to this small remnant of Jews who sang this psalm for the first time in a long time.

July 11: Psalm 115-118 Psalm 115 • The Psalmist points to the actions of God as proof that He is real; actions like Judah had just seen in their recent deliverance. This is significant because at this point in Israel’s history, God could not be seen. Oh, the righteous knew that He was real and that He was sovereign over all creation, but God had never revealed Himself as an image.

And He did not present Himself in the likeness of any “thing” because He did not want the people to start worshiping that image. The unrighteous, however, did worship images; images of things that could be seen but remained lifeless. Not once did these images or “things” behave like something that was alive – like a living god. This is why it’s important for Christian’s today to not focus so much on what Jesus looked like, but rather in who He is. It makes no difference if some artist paints a picture of Jesus having dark skin or light skin; long hair or short hair. It is not the flesh and blood that is worshiped, but the fact that in that flesh and blood dwelt the soul of the living God.

Psalm 116 • The Psalm writer called the people together and told of the Lord’s deliverance. Now just about anyone could have told these stories, but can you image what it would have been like for one of the older exiles to speak these things to those born in captivity? I know it is unlikely, but I can just imagine Daniel saying these words to the younger people after he was delivered from the lion’s den. “It’s not an unusual thing” he might have said. “Let me tell you what the Lord has done in the past.”

Psalm 117 • Yes, shout praises to the Lord. His love endures forever. But just make sure you continue to praise the Lord when things are not going so well. When it seems the whole 24

world is against you, make sure you remember that nothing can separate you from the love of God that is found through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

Psalm 118 • This Psalm was possibly written for the Feast of Tabernacles – when Israel remembered the time they spend living in tents while wandering in the wilderness (see Deuteronomy 16:13 and Leviticus 23:43). Or, this Psalm may have been written for that celebration which took place as the people returned from exile. For whatever reason the Psalm was written, it's clear to see that it was a psalm to be sung during a festival procession to the Temple (Psalm 118:20), where a sacrifice was about to take place (Psalm 118:27). Perhaps this is why we heard Israel chanting Psalm 118:26 as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:9). Only, I doubt they knew what they were saying. Jesus would become the One bound so that the oppressed might be set free. He would be the stone that the builders rejected (Luke 20:17). Some have also suggested that this is the song that was sung in the Upper Room (Matthew 26:30).

July 12: Psalm 119 Psalm 119 • This psalm is an acrostic, meaning that each line of a paragraph begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (The Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters). Each section contains 8 lines, so verses 1-8 each begin with the first Hebrew letter, verses 9-16 each begin with the second letter, and so on. The person who wrote this psalm was speaking of persecution by men in authority who were trying to make him give up his faith. But the Psalmist found strength in meditating on the Word of the Lord. There are ten things that the Psalmist seemed to draw strength from; ten attributes of God’s Kingdom that are a recurring theme: Law (or Torah), Word (dabar), Saying (imrah), Commandment 25

(miswah), Statutes (ḥūqqîm), Judgment (mišpoṭ), Precepts (piqqûḏîm), Testimony (‘ēḏâh), Way (derek), and Path (’ōraḥ).

• When we look back at what Israel has had to endure for centuries - as we’ve witnessed in our study thus far - nation after nation has attempted to wipe the Hebrew People off the face of the earth. However, we find that Israel remains while those nations rise and fall.

Actually, in all the literature written about the history and events that took place over the pages of time, there has always been the Hebrew people. They have always been present in some way or in some place. From a historical perspective, it appears that there is a hand of protection upon these people. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this when studying history. And I suspect as the first group of Jews made that 900 mile trek back to Jerusalem, they too meditated on the events of history, and found that indeed, the hand of God was with them to guide, protect and comfort.

July 13: Psalm 120-121, 123, Psalm 125-126 Psalm 120 • The author of this Psalm certainly did not like war. He longed for peace. He would have been much happier if he could have raised his pen rather than his sword; if he could have sung songs of peace rather than songs of war. The author’s cry for peace becomes the longing of his heart. Yet it seems the people around him long for war. Sometimes we see this happening in personal relationships or within a church. There are some who go to great lengths to keep the battle alive. There are some that throw wood on the coals trying to rekindle the fire. There are people who will not be satisfied until they entice you to raise your fist. They long for a fight and become frustrated when they can’t seem to lure their adversary into battle.

Psalm 121 • Psalm 122:1 This passage is often quoted as a reference to going to church. But both you and I know (I hope) that God does not dwell in a place today, but in the hearts of the believer. So wherever two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, He is there among 26

them. Even Solomon confessed that the Temple was an insufficient place for God to dwell (1 Kings 8:27). So what did the Psalmist mean here? The Hebrew word Bayith (Bah-Yith), can mean house, but can also mean household. So an alternate reading of this could say “I was glad when they said to me “Let us go to the household (or family) of God.” The Psalmist was not glad that he had come to church. He was pleased that he was among the body of believers. And one can be among other believers even in a basement or around a campfire.

• Psalm 122:6-9 But to be among the household (or family) is to be among a people who seek peace and harmony among themselves. If they are all God’s holy people, then they should all act like God’s hold people. Actually, if someone wants to start quoting from this psalm about the church, these 4 verses should be the ones they mention. For the sake of the church, let those who call themselves Christian be at peace with one another. Then a person will be glad when they are among the brethren.

Psalm 123 • The psalmist was watching and waiting expectantly for God. He waited expectantly for His mercy. In this case, the Psalmist was weary of those who scoffed at lowly Israel. For us today we wait expectantly for the Lord to return. We do deal with those who scoff though; those who doubt the Lord will return. But we are diligent because He has given us His word (Matthew 24:42-44).

Psalm 125 • There are actually three different kinds of individuals mentioned here; the righteous, the wicked, and those who turn aside to unbelief. The righteous will be protected by God and the wicked will be banished from the land. But then the psalmist asks God to banish those who chose to no longer believe; those who reject God and His commands. I find it significant that the psalm writer understood the difference between a wicked person and someone who has fallen away from the faith. I also find it significant that those two groups would receive the same punishment. I know some who have rejected the things of God yet still feel they will somehow receive His blessing in the end. I know people who figure they are going to heaven simply because they were baptized when they were 27

younger, even though they live a life in total contrast to the Lord’s command. Unless they turn from their wickedness and repent, they will face the same fate as those who heard the Gospel yet rejected it. However, unlike the Psalmist, I ask God to bring this person to repentance, not cast him aside like trash.

Psalm 126 • This Psalm is credited to the time Israel returned from exile. This return becomes a testimony of God’s faithfulness both to Israel and to her neighbors. And the tears in verse 5 may not be tears of sadness. They could be tears of guilt. As we stand before our God, who has shown us unmerited grace, our sin becomes so clear. It’s difficult not to cry for the things we have done and the sins we have committed.

July 14: Psalm 128-130, 132, Psalm 134-135 Psalm 128 • Unlike the gods of the nations around Israel, Jehovah reaches down and touches our lives with tenderness and care. The God of the Hebrew people pours Himself into the lives of those who love Him. The god Molech was always angry and needed to be appeased by a child sacrifice. Baal just wanted to have sex. He could care less about the affairs of pathetic humans. This imagery of a dispassionate, angry, inconsolable god continues into Greek and Roman mythology. None of the gods created by the fanciful imaginations of men ever demonstrated such compassion and love as seen in the God of Israel. Think about it; a person would worship Baal or Ashtoreth just so the rains might come (they were fertility gods). That was the best they could do. But God would do far more than just provide the basic needs. He will make our lives rich with abundant blessings.

Psalm 129 • I appreciate the openness and honesty of the psalms. Sometimes I wish God would do this today. I want God to withhold rain for those who reject Him and despise His name. I want God to show wrath upon those who blaspheme His character and those who twist 28

His teachings. Deep down in my heart I wish those who hate God would just go away, as the Psalmist has said. But, being a follower of Christ I have been called to pray for my enemies and to love those who hate me or my God. When I find myself feeling like this Psalmist, I find the yoke of Jesus much heavier than when my heart is filled with grace.

It’s not easy to follow Christ’s commands when my heart desires to see the wicked punished. It is then that the depth of my faith is really put to the test; it is then Christ’s teachings become burdensome.

Psalm 130 • The psalmist reminds us that God will forgive our sins. Yes, we will sometimes be punished because of our sin, but that sin will not be held against us once the debt has been paid; once our trespass against God has been forgiven. In this truth, the psalm writer urges Israel to find their hope. When her punishment is over, Israel will be made anew.

Psalm 132 • This Psalm looks back a point in time when David began to imagine a royal place that was also a holy place; a place where all Israel could come and worship the Lord. It's clear that this Psalm was written at a later time after David had died. But the nation remembered his passionate zeal to see a permanent place built to honor the Lord. The world would never be the same because of this. Although Muslims stormed Jerusalem and built their Mosque where the Temple use to sit (in 691 AD), the heart of Jewish worship is still upon Mt. Moriah today.

Psalm 134 • This is a prayer offered for the Priests and Levites who serve in the Temple. Maybe the returned exiles were actually doing this. If so, that’s encouraging.

Psalm 135 • In this history lesson, it’s easy to see a lesson learned. The Psalmist looks back over history and points to God as the One who rescues and delivers. I think that as the remnant stood before their new Temple and celebrated the first Passover in at least 70 29

years, Psalm 135:15-18 would have had special meaning. Considering that it was this very Idol Worship that got them into trouble in the first place, I just bet the hearts of the people were pricked when they heard these verses read.

July 15: Psalm 136, Psalm 146-150 Psalm 136 • In this liturgical Psalm, God’s intervention on Israel’s behalf is being taught. As a child stood with parents, they would hear these words repeated over and over. And the lesson would be learned. God’s faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 146 • I read Psalms like this one and find hope. You see, the same God who did all these things for Israel; who rescued, protected, cared, and provided for His people, is the same God I worship all the days of my life. “Joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,” says the Psalmist. And that joy is not just for those who lived back then or for those who trace their national heritage back to Jacob. Because of my faith in Christ as Redeemer, I have become adopted into the family of God. And Israel’s God has become my God. Just as He watched over Israel, so too does He watch over me. These Psalms are not archaic words that apply to some people long gone and forgotten, but to anyone today who repents and is baptized in the name of God’s Son. Psalm 147 • The Psalmist gives praise to God because He is the one who is in control of all things.

God is the One who brought Israel home. God is the One who rebuilt the city’s walls, an explicit reference to the work God accomplished through Nehemiah. These are words designed to encourage and strengthen the people of Israel; to point out all the ways God provides and cares for them. Israel is the nation God chose, and for that, God is to be praised. The Psalmist is truly an encourager, for he builds up the people of Jerusalem rather than tear down those who criticize. Here we see the best way to silence a bully; not to remove them from our lives, but to disregard their words altogether.

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Psalm 148 • Continuing from Psalm 147, the Psalmist calls all of creation to give praise to God, for this is why they were created. God created all that is in this world to be the reflection of His glory. And the way God worked for His people honors His name. By God’s command, Israel was sent away because of her sin. By God’s command, Israel was called home; not because of Israel’s righteousness, but because of God’s faithfulness to His word. By God’s command, the nations helped supply the things necessary for the sacrifice once the Temple was rebuilt. By God’s command, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. All things, even kings and kingdoms, exist according to His command.

Psalm 149 • Once more the Psalmist calls his people (Israel) to sing praise (the Hebrew word halelû-

yāh) to God. In this instance he says the Hallelujah comes because the Lord takes delight in His people. But the Hallelujah also will come because the nation refused to be silenced even when critics sneered and ridiculed the people. Even in today’s world, don’t we find this to be true? The best way to execute vengeance against the church’s critics is to continually praise God even through persecution. For all of those who have spoken about the church’s demise, God is exalted because these men and women have come and gone, yet the praise of the Church continues.

Psalm 150 • Truly this is the Psalm of someone deeply moved by God’s love. In spite of external circumstances, this individual fixed their eyes on God. He alone sustained them and provided for them and cared for them. I don’t believe this person was unrealistically oblivious to the problems around them. Instead, they didn’t allow external circumstances to distract their eyes off of God; something that many depressed and grumbling Christians need to learn.

July 16: Isaiah 18-23 Isaiah 18 31

• Isaiah 18:1 Make sure you read this correctly. The Hebrew calls this “the Land of whirring wings.” Some Bible translations call it “the land of fluttering sails.” It sounds like this is a reference to the Locusts that swarm across the land; the land at the headwaters of the Nile which included southern Egypt, Sudan, and northern Ethiopia.

• Isaiah 18:3-6 It seems that Israel had asked for help in confronting Assyria, and God was telling the people of Cush to just stay home. He would defeat this enemy in due time, and the whole world would know it.

• Isaiah 18:7 History does not record that the people of Cush brought gifts to Israel when the Assyrians were defeated. Perhaps Isaiah was referring to the millennial kingdom when all the nations of the world would pay tribute to Israel Isaiah 19 • Isaiah 19:1-5 Egypt, who had been a cruel and hard master of Israel, would one day be conquered and ruled by a cruel master of her own. The Assyrian King Esarhaddon (Sennacherib’s son) would storm Egypt in 671 BC. And not one of Egypt’s gods could save them. I find it interesting that not one god was able to save any of the nations conquered by Assyria, except the God of Jerusalem. Of all the cities Assyria attacked, Jerusalem was spared.

• Isaiah was an amazing prophet. He spoke clearly and precisely about events that would not happen for many years. Remember the 185,000 troops that were killed overnight (see 2 Kings 19:35)? This event does not get mentioned until Isaiah 37:36-37.

All of these prophecies about Israel, Edom, Moab, Cush, Egypt, and even Assyria were spoken by Isaiah possibly just after Israel had fallen to Assyria.

• Isaiah 19:16-25 The religious reforms that take place in Egypt On That Day will even affect Heliopolis, a city known for its worship of the sun. But the big question here is when will this happen. When will Egypt become such an important center for the worship of the Lord? We might say that this will come during the millennial kingdom of Christ. Or we could point to the time when Christianity became popular in the Roman Empire. Even Egypt would become a center for Christian worship, at least until the Muslims took control in 630 AD. However, considering that Isaiah says there will be peace in the region (which 32

there is not even today) it probably does refer to the time when Christ returns to reign in power for 1000 years (the Millennial Kingdom).

Isaiah 20 • Isaiah 20:1 Isaiah had been making all these predictions about how the nations around Judah will fall to the Assyrians. He had spoken about future events. By the time we get to chapter 20, it is 711 BC. So the prophecies Isaiah spoke in the previous chapters were given before this time. Sennacherib would lay siege against Jerusalem 10 years from now.

• Isaiah 20:2-6 Okay, Isaiah was not completely naked. God told him to remove his outer garment of sackcloth and take off his sandals. He still would have been wearing his undergarment. This sackcloth would have been woven of goat hair, possibly black, and not necessarily uncomfortable. Its purpose was to show mourning or distress. The lesson here is for Judah. If Egypt and Cush could be captured by Assyria, they should not turn to them for help. They should trust in their God to save them.

Isaiah 21 • Isaiah 21:1-2 In a terrifying vision, Isaiah saw the rise of a warrior against Assyria. This was probably Marduk-apal-iddina (Merodach-Baladan as he is known in the Bible), who arose from the desert regions to attack Assyria and tried to recapture Babylon. Assyria had been causing a lot of devastation in the area, making people “groan” under its oppression.

• Isaiah 21:3-10 But Isaiah saw that even when this happens, even when someone would try to overthrow Assyria, even someone from Babylon, they would not succeed.

Sennacherib would crush Merodach-Baladan and drive him out of Babylon. Sennacherib would utterly destroy the city in 689 BC. Judah should not place her hope in the Babylonians. They must put their trust in God, and God alone.

• Isaiah 21:11-17 There will be no peace for Edom nor for Arabia. Both had suffered in the past because of Assyria (Arabia in 715 BC and Edom in 711 BC). Things would not change in the near future as well.

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• By now Isaiah was probably very popular on the speaking circuit. He was in demand at all the political rallies and religious gatherings. Everyone loved his “Words of the Lord”.

Yeah, right. That’s what happens when you speak the truth of God’s word. People don’t want to hear what God is really trying to say. They want words that tickle their ears and boost their moral. They don’t want to hear about sin or righteousness. Do you think this bothered Isaiah much? Do you think he stopped for a moment and asked God, “You want me to say what?” I wonder what his wife and children thought about all this.

Isaiah 22 • Isaiah 22:1-11 As Sennacherib invaded Judah, the people living in Jerusalem took refuge within their city. They watched the destruction of these towns from their rooftops.

In preparation for the attack against their city, Hezekiah began to fortify Jerusalem, and he armed the people with weapons that had been stored in the armory Solomon had built – the Palace of Lebanon. Several homes were demolished to fortify the walls. It seems he even connected the Pool of Siloam and the Gihon spring with a 1,777-foot underground tunnel (2 Chronicles 32:30). All of these efforts were ways to defend against Assyria. But instead, God was hoping that they would turn to Him for help.

• Isaiah 22:12-14 Truly God was looking for a spirit of repentance here. He was looking for just a tiny spark within the hearts of these people that would consider turning to God. But God was so far from their hearts that even in Jerusalem this national calamity didn’t make them think of Him even once. They didn’t consider this was His discipline, and they didn’t consider praying to God for deliverance. This raises an interesting question. At what point in a crisis do we finally pray? At what point should we do the unnatural thing?

When facing a crisis, it seems almost stupid to not take measures to assure our safety.

Should we pray or should we work?. Would God be upset if we did both? When should we be still and let God handle things?

• Isaiah 22:15-18 It’s unclear exactly what Shebna did to anger the Lord. He was a highranking official in Jerusalem and was involved with the negotiations with Sennacherib’s officials (2 Kings 18:18). Perhaps he argued against Isaiah’s counsel to King Hezekiah.

Regardless, we do know that he thought more highly of himself than he should. He was 34

building a monumental grave for himself that would keep his name before the people as someone who was great and powerful in Jerusalem. It could have been his arrogance and pride which caused God to speak against him this way.

• Isaiah 22:19-25 Shebna, thrown away like a ball into a foreign country, would be replaced with Eliakim. But even this man will one day be pulled from office, a clear sign that one day even Judah would be overthrown and taken into captivity.

Isaiah 23 • Isaiah 23:1 The fleet of ships were docked at the island of Cyprus, 150 miles northwest of Tyre when news of the cities destruction reached them. th

• Isaiah 23:7 Tyre was an old city. According to Herodotus (5 century BC Greek historian) Tyre was founded in 2700 BC. The city exported and imported goods from all around the Mediterranean. From southern Spain (Tarshish) to the Nile, and east all the way to Cyprus, Tyre was the center of all this trade. It’s no wonder the entire region mourned that the city had fallen to the Assyrians.

• Isaiah 23:15 The 70 years mentioned here were probably from about 700 to 630 BC when Phoenicia’s trading was greatly restricted by the Assyrians. In 701, Assyria installed

Tubu‘alu (Ethbaal III) over Tyre. But around 630 Assyria declined in power, enabling Tyre to regain its autonomy and restore its trade.

• Isaiah 23:18 Much later, when Israel returns to Jerusalem, material from Tyre will be used to rebuild the Temple after the exile.

July 17: Isaiah 24-27, Isaiah 29 Isaiah 24 • Isaiah 24:1-13 Unlike the destruction the earth saw in Noah’s day, this time it seems God is bringing specific damage to particular places. And this time it is done for a specific reason. The arrogance of the world - their indifference toward God - was being addressed. It’s tempting to think that this destruction through the Assyrian Empire came only because of Israel and Judah’s apostasy (walking away from God), but here it is clear that the entire region is being punished, not just the Hebrew people.

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• Isaiah 24:14-20 The rest of the world will rejoice that the nations in and around Israel have fallen. There will be dancing and celebrating. This brings to mind the images we see coming from the Muslim extremist when America is wounded; when they prick our hearts through their violence. But they really should heed Isaiah’s warning here. Just as the nations that rejoiced over Israel’s destruction would one day be destroyed, so too will today’s nations fall; nations who rejoice when God’s people are wounded.

• Isaiah 24:21-23 As a matter of fact, a day is coming when all the unrighteous, both in heaven and on earth, will stand before the great white throne of God. And they will be held accountable for all they have done. It’s sad to think that many who have been created by God will one day suffer; not because God has condemned them, but because they have condemned themselves. The unrighteous bring condemnation upon themselves because they choose to turn their backs to God. Isaiah 25 • Isaiah 25:1-5 It would be difficult to write these things when Isaiah knew even his own people would be suffering very soon. But to see God’s power and glory displayed will make those with righteous hearts honor and praise His name. I confess that I would have a hard time finding joy if America were to fall through the hand of God, but it would feel good to know that all those who mocked and scoffed might now see the truth.

Catastrophe is often a prime opportunity for the righteous to speak out about the reality of God’s power and grace.

• Isaiah 25:6-8 Again Isaiah looks ahead to a time following the 1000 year reign of Christ.

Can you imagine how confusing these words must have been for Isaiah to receive? At times, he is speaking about earthly events and earthly kingdoms, and then he talks of a heavenly kingdom with eternity in mind. As he would reflect on these words, can you imagine how confusing they must have sounded. Yet these were the words God laid on his heart.

• Isaiah 25:10-12 Moab here represents all who oppose God and who will one day face His judgment.

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• Isaiah 26:1-6 The Lord gives us a picture here of a well-fortified city where all dwell in peace and security. Those who live inside this city are the ones who trust in the Lord. It’s a picture of people who live their lives believing in God. Contrast this with those who place their hope in the craftiness and cleverness of Man. These people, described as living in the unassailable city in verse 5, will find all their hope and security trampled to the ground. Hope and peace in this life will not come through the might and power of Man, but only in the Lord. Truly nothing has changed. No creation of human ingenuity nor any human institution is infallible and unbreakable. Our hope rests only in the Lord.

• Isaiah 26:7-10 This has always been an amazing section for me. Even though the wicked is shown favor (verse 10). Do you see the significance in this? God first tries to reach the wicked by showing them favor. God reaches out to the wicked first with a hand of grace; a hand full blessings and favor. Only after they reject Him does God raise His fist (verse 11). I think the Church needs to learn this lesson. When reaching out to the World, the Church needs to begin with Grace, Love, and Kindness, not Wrath and Judgment. Unfortunatly, some churches insist God stands with a fist raised in anger.

Somehow these churches have painted an image of God that is swift to judge and quick to discipline; a God who is continually angry at all the apostasy in this world (picture the red-faced preacher pounding the pulpit in anger). Somehow these churches need to learn what is really in the hand of God. • Isaiah 26:11-19 The wicked were shown favor, yet did not learn righteousness. And those who have placed their trust in human ingenuity and human institutions will not live; their spirits will not rise. They are destroyed (verse 14). However, those that do place their trust in the Lord, who dwell in the city of righteousness, these will live. Their corpses will rise from the dust. They will rise to shout praises of joy. The image of a resurrection is quite clear in this section. How futile are the attempts of Men who try to leave an everlasting legacy in this world. To work and labor for an earthly kingdom is like giving birth to air. And in a society that does not embrace eternity with God, a lasting human legacy is all that remains. To build monuments to ourselves is to believe that this World is there is; there is nothing beyond this life. The memory of a man is all they will have in the 37

end. But for the righteous, we are living for an everlasting kingdom. And although we pass from this life, we will still be known.

Isaiah 27 • Isaiah 27:1 When God mentions Leviathan to Job, He was speaking of an actual creature. Here, God is referring to the mythological creature that was a part of Syrian legend. This 7 headed creature represented all that was indestructible. Yet even this creature would fall by God’s sword.

• Isaiah 27:2-6 The vineyard is Israel. Here God speaks of His protection, unlike His words in Isaiah 5:1-7.

• Isaiah 27:7-11 Israel will be punished, but not the same way God punished other nations. Isaiah says Israel will be exiled on account of her sin. And this punishment will work. Israel’s apostasy will end. Those gods she worshiped instead of the Lord will be purged from the land. Many good kings instituted religious reforms in the land, but they did not take down the Asherah poles or the other sacred places (see 1 Kings 22:43 for example). Eventually, they would all be destroyed. We see this happening in Israel once they return from exile. Their adherence to God’s Laws takes on a whole new perspective.

Isaiah 29 • Isaiah 29:1 Some translate Ariel as “Lion of God”. Others translate it as “Altar”; the place where the sacrifice was made. This describes a place of blood.

• Isaiah 29:2-8 These verses describe the very scene which unfolded in 701 BC. Poised to destroy Jerusalem, the Assyrian army is driven away like chaff in the wind.

• Isaiah 29:9-12 Its surprising that even the prophets (those who supposedly could see and hear from God) were made blind by God. And this blindness was part of God’s judgment against Jerusalem. Only Isaiah had eyes to see and ears to hear. Is this not what God had said would happen when He called Isaiah (see Isaiah 6:9-10).

• Isaiah 29:13-14 In light of those who interpret scripture through worldly eyes even today, I think it would be prudent for them to read verses like these. Those who try and understand the things of God’s Kingdom through the latest scientific discoveries will one 38

day be surprised to learn that all they thought they knew and understood will soon disappear. One who is finite cannot possibly understand the works of the infinite.

• Isaiah 29:17-21 We might be able to point to the Millennial Kingdom here, but we could also point to our present time. This passage makes me think of what God says through Jeremiah 31:33-34.

July 18: Isaiah 30-33 Isaiah 30 • Isaiah 30:1-5 Apparently a delegation from Jerusalem went to Egypt looking for help.

This, of course, was clearly against God’s counsel.

• Isaiah 30:6-7 Jerusalem sent a delegation to Egypt carrying gifts and treasures to pay for their help. But God calls Egypt Rahab. Rahab is a reference to a sea creature similar to Leviathan. However, unlike Leviathan, Ugaritic writings describe Rahab as a donothing creature that simply lays in the Nile doing nothing. So Rahab became symbolic of Egypt. It also became known as the creature that destroyed Pharaoh’s army which perished in the sea during Israel’s Exodus.

• Isaiah 30:8-11 This passage of scripture breaks my heart. Judah didn’t want to hear the truth; they wanted to hear words that made them happy. They wanted to hear words that comforted and strengthened, not words that convict and correct. So Isaiah was supposed to write these truths into a scroll, and every time this scroll was read, those words would be the standard by which these people were condemned. Has anything really changed? People today don’t like it when the Scroll is read; when God’s word is spoken before them. They want to talk about a God who loves, who comforts, and who never expects a person to change. Yet His Word says otherwise. Today we discredit the Word just like Judah did in Isaiah’s time. And the diagnosis remains the same; they don’t want to hear God’s word for they are blind and deaf to the truth, they have truly turned their backs to God.

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• Isaiah 30:12-17 I have to keep reminding myself that this is prophecy against Judah, not Israel. Like their brothers to the north, Judah has turned away from God. Oh, they go through the motions, but theirs is a worship devoid of brokenness and repentance. Theirs is a worship not in what God can do and who He is, but a worship of rituals and traditions.

“In repentance and rest you will be saved. In quietness and trust is your strength”. But the people of Judah will not listen. They will not place themselves in the mighty hands of God. No, they’d rather place themselves in the worthless army of Egypt. This is why Judah will fall quickly and thoroughly.

• Isaiah 30:20-21 This reference to a Teacher is capitalized in the NASB, a clear indication that this is part of the Trinity. A day is coming when this Teacher will whisper into the ears of God’s people, telling them the way they should live, and guide them along the path to righteousness. Was Isaiah speaking about the Millennial Kingdom here?

Perhaps. But perhaps he was also talking about how righteous living will lead to God’s blessings.

• Isaiah 30:27-33 The wicked will be destroyed by God’s mighty hand. However, the righteous will be spared. Now before we get ready to rejoice with dancing and music, remember that this prophecy spoke directly to Judah and Assyria, not to America and her enemies. Although these words might comfort those who are in the midst of war, they cannot read these verses and claim them for themselves. This demonstrates what God intended to do with Judah and Assyria.

• Isaiah 30:33 Topheth is an area in the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem where children were sometimes sacrificed to the false Ammonite god Molech (see 2 Kings 23:10).

Isaiah 31 • Isaiah 31:1-7 Again God reminds Judah that He will be the one to rescue them from their enemies, certainly not mere humans. Although they had been warned not to look for 40

human help, Judah still went to Egypt loaded down with lots of money to buy their help. It was pointless. And although Judah did these things in rebellion to God’s clear command, He would still protect them. He would not hand them over to destruction. That’s the sign of a merciful God. It’s important to learn here that even though God would show them mercy and grace, He did not condone their behavior. Yes, God is a God of grace, mercy, and love, but that does not negate the fact that He disapproves of our behavior. Sure God shows grace to the practicing homosexual, but that does not mean he approves of their sin.

• Isaiah 31:8-9 It seems these verses reference the overnight destruction of the Assyrian Army in 2 Kings 19. So these words from Isaiah must have come from God at a time earlier. The Assyrian Army was destroyed in 701 BC, so it’s my guess that these promises from God came weeks or even months before the event took place. That would place this section of Isaiah somewhere within 2 Kings 17-18. In that time frame, God’s commands to rest and relax would be even more difficult. The region around Galilee had fallen. Samaria had fallen. Philistia had fallen. Many fortified cities in Judah had fallen.

And God is telling Hezekiah to do nothing? It would have been hard for me to obey that command as well.

Isaiah 32 • Isaiah 32:1-8 A righteous king will make a difference within his kingdom. I know these verses are commonly viewed as a promise of the Millennial Kingdom, but truthfully they can be viewed as part of an earthly kingdom as well. A righteous leader does have a strong influence upon the people he leads. Now, although Hezekiah made many reforms in Judah, he did have difficulty putting his trust in God. He had a tendency to trust in the power of Man, as seen later by showing off the Royal Treasury to the delegation from Babylon (see Isaiah 39).

• Isaiah 32:9-14 If Jerusalem is the city referenced here (specifically, see Isaiah 32:1314), then he is, in fact, saying that the Assyrian invasion will be the beginning of the end.

In one year, they will receive a wake-up call. In one year, they will start to care about

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everything they took for granted. And what Jerusalem will avoid in one year (701 BC), they will experience 115 years later in 586 BC. • Isaiah 32:15-20 But the time of blessing will return one day. It will not just be an earthly blessing but a Spiritual blessing as well. God’s Spirit, when it is poured out upon the earth, will change the people, and they will bring peace upon this earth. Isn’t it interesting that Isaiah spends so much time speaking about the “Day After Tomorrow”? Tomorrow will bring suffering and hardship. Tomorrow will bring God’s discipline. But the day after tomorrow will bring blessing and peace and security. Through Isaiah, God is trying to get His people to look past what is happening and instead focus on what is to come; advice I need to hear every now and then as well.

Isaiah 33 • Isaiah 33:1-6 Isaiah now speaks for his people, not against them. In his words, we can hear the love and comfort of God. Assyria will be betrayed and destroyed, but not Jerusalem; not Israel. For those in Jerusalem who remained faithful and true to their God, they will find that He is their foundation. He provides them with salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.

• Isaiah 33:7-12. Those in Judah, who thought they could achieve peace through an alliance (compare their envoys in Isaiah 30:4-6), would weep bitterly. Assyrian terror would be everywhere and people would be unable to travel the roads because of lurking danger. Lebanon, north of Israel and well known for its cedar forests, would wither.

Sharon was the coastal plain south of Mount Carmel extending inland to the hill country of Ephraim. A fertile area, Sharon would become a desert like the Arabah (which means “arid” or “dry”), the desolate rift valley extending from the Dead Sea south to the Gulf of Aqabah. Bashan (“fertile plain”), east of the Sea of Galilee, was productive agriculturally and known for its oak trees. Carmel (“fruitful land”) was a mountain range thickly forested and well watered at that time. This destruction would show that the people could not save themselves. When the Lord would use the Assyrians against Judah, Judah’s plans for peace would come to nothing. It was as if the people gave birth to nothing but chaff and straw, which can easily be burned up.

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• Isaiah 33:14-16 There is a message here for people today. The ability to who walk righteously, speak with sincerity, deal justly with others, live honorably, and embrace holiness even through hardships and trials is a testimony to God’s Spirit within us. Living this way was difficult back in Isaiah’s time, but it should not be for us today. We are living in a time when God’s Spirit has been given to us. Through the power of the Spirit, we should be able to live according to God’s commands. However, if Jews could lllive this way in Isaiah’s time, we certainly should be able to live this way. We’ve been given the Spirit of God to assist us. So when we don’t, it’s not a question of our ability, but of our desire. When a Christian refuses to live this way, it is a choice they have made to ignore the presence of the Spirit in their lives.

• Isaiah 33:17-24 Isaiah says that although the boastful Assyrians flog the land today, tomorrow they will be crushed and forgotten. And when the Great King (the Messiah) reigns, the people will no longer feel helpless. Zion will rest in the assurance that God is not against them, but that He is with them. And this King will be proof that there is no condemnation from God; the people have been forgiven of their sins.

July 19: Isaiah 34-35, Micah 2-5 Isaiah 34 • All this discussion about judgment against Assyria naturally led to a discussion about God’s judgment on the whole world. In this section, God addresses His judgment against Edom, a nation born from Isaac’s son Esau. Israel, of course, is a nation born from Isaac’s son Jacob. Even at birth these two brothers were set against one another (see Genesis 25:26). Eventually, the two nations become perpetual enemies. This is why God uses Edom figuratively as those nations which oppose Israel. The wording of this section seems to point to End Times, with catastrophic signs in the heavens. Or, Isaiah may be speaking here about the Sixth Seal in the Tribulation (Revelation 6:12-13). Either way, it seems that God is trying to remind everyone that those who have been or who someday will be against Israel will find themselves facing God’s wrath.

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Isaiah 35 • Following the events that will happen in chapter 34, Isaiah then says that there will be restoration. What we read in this section is, of course, the promise all of humanity longs for - a utopia in which peace and fertility prevail. This condition will not come, however, until God passes judgment upon the world. Of course, the way these events are described here throws a wrench into those who preach postmillennialism (a teaching that says the world will get increasingly better, ushering in the kingdom, which will be followed by the Messiah’s return). Also, amillennial teaching doesn’t work as well (which says that there will be no earthly kingdom at all because the Old Testament promises to Israel are being fulfilled in the church today). Isaiah clearly says that the Lord will regather believing Israel, Abraham’s physical descendants, and will establish God’s long-awaited kingdom on earth. That promised restoration is not being fulfilled in the church today in any way.

Micah 2 • Micah 2:1-5 To keep the entire nation of Israel from becoming greedy, God had allotted each family a parcel of land. Everyone received a share. And the command from God was clear. There was to be no greed or theft. But these things were happening in the entire nation. Remember how Jezebel used her power to get the land her husband Ahab wanted (see 1 Kings 21:5-15)? This must have become standard practice.

• Micah 2:6-11 Apparently Israel didn’t like what Micah was saying. Either they couldn’t believe that God would judge them or they wouldn’t believe it. Just as they said to Isaiah, they said to Micah; preach to us words we want to hear; words that make us feel good about ourselves and bring us happiness. The same thing happens today. Everyone wants to hear that God is just anxiously waiting to give them their best life right now; they only need to believe. Is it any wonder that this prosperity gospel is so popular? No one wants to hear about repentance and Christian obligation or righteous living.

• Micah 2:12-13 Just like Isaiah, Micah reminds the nation that not all will be driven away. Those who remained righteous and those who repent because of the punishment will be allowed to return. They will become the remnant.

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Micah 3 • Micah 3:1-4 This chapter begins Micah’s second message; a message for the nation’s leaders. The conduct of the leaders has a direct influence on the conduct of the nation.

Leaders who see their people as a means to an end will not find God working with them.

He will actually be working against them. Do you think we should tell this to our government? Actually, I doubt they care. I seriously doubt that our government gives God a second thought. But, you can be sure that God is thinking about them, and what He might be thinking right now probably isn’t pleasant thoughts.

• Micah 3:6-7 The prophets had been counseling the people to go on living just as they had been for years. Nothing’s wrong with us. We are God’s holy people. But when God did bring judgment, the people would turn to these false prophets for help, who would not be able to explain things. They would be left in the dark.

• Micah 3:8-12 Against all those who would speak otherwise, Micah stands and speaks of Israel’s doom. Talk about a lone voice crying in the wilderness! He points out the wickedness and the lies being sold to the people. Yet he alone stands and speaks the truth. Some days I feel just like Micah. Some days it seems that ministers and theologians and seminary professors are proclaiming one thing, yet the Lord speaks in my heart something else. I watch this happen in my own denomination. Those who are “enlightened” want the church to become more relevant to the modern age; to embrace what science is telling us; to allow “current” research to become the authority on what is acceptable, not the Word of God. Call me stubborn, but if God actually wanted me to accept this new theology, I believe the Spirit would be at work in my heart to do this. The fact that the Spirit calls me to remain steadfast in my belief kind of tells me not to embrace every new scientific finding that comes along.

Micah 4 • Micah 4:1-8 This section begins a promised blessing for the nation; those who were not swayed and those who repent because of God’s punishment. This remnant will actually be a source of blessing to the rest of the world. Because of this remnant, and God being present among them, the rest of the world will be drawn to Mt. Zion to worship. There, all 45

people will be taught by the Lord. The Lord will judge between people in this Holy City, settling disputes (which is quite a change for that region right now). Peace will flow out into the rest of the world as people are united under the righteous rule of Christ.

• Micah 4:10 As a contemporary of Isaiah, Micah wrote these words sometime between 750 and 686 BC, during the reign of the kings mentioned in Micah 1:1. The Babylonian exile didn’t begin until 598 BC. This is a significant verse. It speaks of the exile, about who will take Judah captive, and about the return.

• Micah 4:11-13 Micah did not mention when this event would take place. It could have even been in Micah’s day since Israel has had many enemies throughout the ages. If, however, it refers to a future time then it may point to our time today. Israel certainly has had many enemies after returning to become a nation once again (1948). It didn’t take long for the Arab nations around her to rise to battle. But history tells us who succeeded and who failed. Or perhaps this point’s ahead to Armageddon, the great battle of the righteous against the wicked. Whatever the dating of this verse, governments and countries would be wise to keep this in mind; those who go against Israel will be crushed.

Micah 5 • Micah 5:1 This ruler was probably Zedekiah, who was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and tortured (2 Kings 25:1-7).

• Micah 5:2 Ephrathah is an older name for Bethlehem (see Genesis 35:16-19), a town located just 5 miles from Jerusalem. David was born in Bethlehem as well. The Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law understood this text to refer to the Messiah (Matthew 2:3-6), which is why some were confused about Jesus. Although He was born in Bethlehem, He was raised in Nazareth. Too bad they didn’t issue birth certificates back then.

• Micah 5:3 Micah concludes that Israel will be abandoned without a human king until

she who is in labor gives birth to the Messiah. When Cyrus freed the Jews, they returned to Jerusalem but were ruled by a foreign king. It wasn’t until Jesus was born about 700 years after Micah wrote these words that Israel had a King of her own again. Only this time Christ would unite the kingdom in a spiritual sense. This is why Paul argues that the 46

family of God (His elect) consist of both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, man and woman (Galatians 3:28).

• Micah 5:5-6 Perhaps Micah is looking ahead to a time after the advent of the Messiah.

If so, he might be using Assyria figuratively; a reference to any nation that tries to lay siege to Israel. It’s tempting to think that he is speaking about the coming Assyrian invasion, and then the Babylonian invasion, but this sections falls after he has just mentioned the birth of Israel’s final king.

• Isaiah 5:10-15 “In the day” refers to the permanent reign of Israel’s King. In language similar to Isaiah, Micah speaks of the cleansing the Messiah will do in this world.

July 20: Micah 6-7, 2 Chronicles 32, Isaiah 36 Micah 6 • Micah 6:1-5 God asks Israel what more He could have done for them. He asked them to consider everything He had done in the past. Truthfully, God had done amazing things for His people; things no other nation could ever boast about. God had stepped in miraculously time and time again. But what did He get in return; a group of grumbling, indifferent, lazy people who worshiped lifeless idols instead.

• Micah 6:6-8 What was it that God really desired from His people? Did He really desire repetitious offering? No, what He really wanted is their hearts. If we were to summarize the Bible into one sentence, Micah 6:8 would be the one to pick. God wants to be with us. And He wants us to live according to His laws, not according to our depraved human nature.

• Micah 6:10-12 Take a close look at these three verses. This is the sin found within a nation that God had been holding in His hand for generations. This is the offering Israel gave back to God for all His love and tender care. Okay, so this really makes me stop and think about my own life. Considering all that God as done for me, what is in my hand that should not be? What is in my heart that doesn’t belong? What words should never

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leave my lips? All of us need to consider that our lives become an offering to God, and to ask ourselves if it is something we would be proud to give.

• Micah 6:13-15 Long ago God warned Israel about this. Long ago He said this is what would happen if they failed to follow His decrees (Leviticus 26:16-17; Deuteronomy 28:33).

• Micah 6:16 Omri and Ahab; two kings whose wickedness is legendary. What a shame to be remembered for wickedness instead of righteousness. That’s a branch someone would rather prune at ancestry.com.

Micah 7 • Micah 7:1-6 The only thing Israel could do well was sin! They failed at dignity and love.

They failed at righteousness and godliness. Treachery was so rampant that a person’s own family members were his enemies.

• Micah 7:7-10 The rebuilding of Israel must have certainly been something to see. And actually, who ever heard of a nation being conquered that would rise again? Although Israel has not yet regained her place of prominence in this world, a day is coming when she will. From her, the world will find God. From her, the world will know God. From her, the world will embrace and worship God. This can be said today about Israel, for from her came the Savior of Mankind. But God promises to not stop there.

• Micah 7:18-20 This is the ultimate restoration God will grant Israel. He will forgive her sins and remove her guilt; a gift far superior to any earthly restoration. God does the same for you and me. And He does it in a way unlike any other religion or any other god.

He does not forgive our sin because we have earned it. We did not pay a sufficient price.

We did not suffer the prescribed amount of time. We did not chant the right words or purge ourselves of our humanity. He did this for us because He is a God who is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love (Exodus 34:6). We need to merely accept the One He sent to be the sacrifice for our sins.

2 Chronicles 32

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• 2 Chronicles 32:1 Once the nation began to reunite with God, Hezekiah decided to break free from the Assyrians (see 2 Kings 16:7).

• 2 Chronicles 32:2-8 This probably happened while Sargon II was back in Babylon dealing with the rebellion there (722-705 BC). Not mentioned here is that Hezekiah tried to stave off Sennacherib’s attack by giving him massive amounts of gold and silver (see 2 Kings 18:14-16).

• 2 Chronicles 32:9-15 This is the taunt from Sennacherib found in 2 Kings 19:10-13.

What’s interesting is that the Chronicler points out that Sennacherib’s insult took place after Judah had recently celebrated a moving and meaningful time worshiping God. One has to wonder what went through the minds of Judah after this event. They had just celebrated the Passover. God had heard their prayers and healed the people. So, why allow Sennacherib to taunt the people like this? Why allow Assyria to attack in the first place? I’m sure the people of Judah must have thought these things because you and I would have thought them as well. Somehow we believe that our righteousness qualifies us for God’s blessing and His protection. Sure, God will deliver and protect, but in His time and according to His will.

• 2 Chronicles 32:16-23 When God was ready, He answered Sennacherib’s taunt; first with assurance for Judah (as recorded in 2 Kings 19:20-34), then with deliverance of Jerusalem (as recorded in 2 Kings 19:35), and finally with vengeance against Sennacherib (see 2 Kings 19:37).

• 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 The Chronicler gives a rather abbreviated account of Hezekiah’s illness, recovery, and longer years. For a more detailed account see 2 Kings 20:1-11.

But the Chronicler does give us a glimpse into the possible reason Hezekiah took sick in the first place; he became prideful, probably because of all he had accomplished.

• 2 Chronicles 32:27-31 These accomplishments possibly led to Hezekiah’s pride problem. And this list is really amazing. The 1,700-foot tunnel he dug under the city through solid rock was an amazing feat all its own. Workers began at either end, one at the Gihon spring and the other at the Pool of Siloam, and connected the whole underground aqueduct quite precisely. The Chronicler adds that when the delegation 49

arrived from Babylon, God withdrew to see what was really in Hezekiah’s heart. When you read 2 Kings 20:12-19, it’s easy to see that he still suffered from prideful moments.

Isaiah 36 • This section from Isaiah now takes us back to the point we left Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:13. Sennacherib captured Lachish, and from there set the stage for his siege of Jerusalem. His field commander (perhaps Rabshakeh, as mentioned in the NASB), stops at the aqueduct and begins to shoot off. We heard this boasting before, back in 2 Kings 18. Yeah, go ahead Rabshakeh, shoot off your mouth. You’re in for a big surprise. Just wait until God gets through with you. While you’re at it God, I know some loud mouth people today that could use a good smack alongside the head as well. When you read things like this, Isaiah 40 seems so much sweeter.

July 21: 2 Kings 19, Isaiah 37 2 Kings 19 • 2 Kings 19:2 Isaiah had already been speaking for God. He received his call the year Uzziah had died (739 BC – see Isaiah 6:1). At this time, there was mutual respect between the two men.

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• 2 Kings 19:8 Apparently Sennacherib’s field commander had pitched a tent near Jerusalem to await Hezekiah’s surrender. That’s how arrogant the Assyrian people had become. Sennacherib had been in Lachish, about 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem but had decided to attack Libnah.

• 2 Kings 19:9 Somehow Sennacherib knew what Isaiah had said to his king, so he sends Hezekiah a very blasphemous letter. Sennacherib had no regard for the God of the universe. In his arrogance, he set himself up as greater than the gods, which he probably was. I mean, even I am greater than any wooden stick or stone statue. You and I, created in the image of God, are greater and more powerful than the fanciful imaginations of humanity. That’s because we are real. The gods created by the minds of men are false. They do not exist.

• 2 Kings 19:14-19 There have been many throughout time who claim that God either does not exist or that He is dead. There are many today who think too highly of themselves, who claim, quite mater-or-fact, that there is no God. The sad thing is that they will come and go, but God will endure. I say that this is sad because these people are very hard to turn toward God. And when they die they will find that the only one who could have saved them has now become their judge. I wonder if the mindless assertions made here by Sennacherib caused Isaiah to write things like “The grass withers; the flowers fade. But the word of our Lord stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). But although Sennacherib felt he was more powerful than God, Hezekiah proclaims the eternal truths of God while he prayed in the Temple.

• 2 Kings 19:25 Here God claims that He permitted Sennacherib and Assyria to rise to power. God was the one in control all along. God withdrew His hand of restraint and allowed Assyria this period of triumph. In the same way, do you think the mighty nations that exist today are in place only because God has granted them a time of power? If this is true, then America needs to start acting a whole lot more humble. We American’s need to keep in mind that we exist as a nation only because of the mercy of God. We need to stop acting with such arrogance and supremacy. Who knows how long God will allow us to be a superpower.

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• 2 Kings 19:35 That very night is the same day that Hezekiah received the blasphemous letter from Sennacherib, the same day that he went to the Temple to pray, the same day Isaiah sent the Lord’s reply. That very night 185,000 Assyrian soldiers die. Now, I’m not one to celebrate the senseless death of a person, but reading this makes me want to look at Sennacherib and say, “Now shoot off!” Was all his power able to stop just one soldier from dying? Did his mighty sword and military skill keep just one man from falling? Not at all. Today, when the world comes against the church with sword and spear, Christians need to remember that our Lord is mighty enough to say “What sword; what spear.” The church needs to be reminded of stories like this when the world tells us to sit down and shut up. It is then that we need a dose of courage and faith. The church needs to rise with confidence to those who would silence her and say, “Try and stop us.”

• 2 Kings 19:37 Years later (681 BC), Sennacherib is assassinated by his own sons.

The irony here is that Sennacherib’s god Nisroch (who was represented as being part eagle and part human) was not able to protect him in this god’s own temple. Yet the God he mocked was able to protect an entire city with just a simple word of his mouth. The two murdering sons flee to the land of Ararat (which is now divided among Russia, Turkey, and Iran), and the remaining brother Esarhaddon becomes king of Assyria (681669 BC).

Isaiah 37 • Isaiah 37:1 Hezekiah dressed in mourning clothes and went into the Temple to pray.

Yes, this was good, but remember that Isaiah had been telling him to just relax for several weeks. God would take care of everything. But before we get too critical of Hezekiah we need to keep in mind that we are on the back side of this event; we know what happens.

We are most often just like Hezekiah when facing a crisis. We worry just as much as he did.

• Isaiah 37:2-4 This whole situation, with the King of Judah concerned about a coming invasion, reminds me of what happened 33 years earlier. If you’ll recall, King Ahaz of Judah had learned that the King of Israel and the King of Syria had plotted to attack Judah. Isaiah went out to that same Upper Pool to speak to Ahaz (Isaiah 7:3-4). Of 52

course, Ahaz didn’t believe, yet God still protected Jerusalem. I wonder if Hezekiah learned anything from his father’s mistake.

• Isaiah 37:9 At the time of this event (701 BC) Tirhakah was only a field commander, not king. He didn’t become king until 690 BC. The big question here is whether or not Tirhakah actually was coming to Judah’s aid or if was this was a false report placed into their minds by an angel of the Lord.

• Isaiah 37:12 About 100 years earlier, Assyria captured these cities, possibly under the rule of Tiglath-Pileser or perhaps Adad-Nirari III. See chart at http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_time_assyriakings.htm • Isaiah 37:14-20 Indeed, Hezekiah did learn from his father’s mistake. This is the prayer of a righteous man. Considering that he was king of Judah, we can conclude that this was the prayer of a humble man. The question is, will Hezekiah remain righteous and humble? Or will God’s deliverance make him overconfident and proud? Time will tell.

• Isaiah 37:22-29 Every time I read God’s reply to boastful Sennacherib (count how many times the word “I” appears in verses 24-25), I want God to say the same thing to those today who boast confidently that there is no God. • Isaiah 37:30-32 Isaiah told Hezekiah that a remnant would remain, but that it would take two years for life to return to normal. That shows the extent of Assyrian destruction to the countryside.

• Isaiah 37:36-38 And with that, it’s done. I can’t imagine what the camp must have looked like; 185,000 dead soldiers just lying there rotting in the sun. Now that they were completely dead, the best thing to do was go through their pockets looking for loose change. I suppose the easiest thing to do is burn the bodies. With no backhoes, it would take a long time to dig their graves. I wonder how many survived? I wonder what stories they would have told? I think it’s odd that many history books exclude this portion of Assyria’s defeat. They merely mention the Assyrian victory over Israel in 722 BC.

July 22: 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-39 53

2 Kings 20 • 2Kings 20:1 Hezekiah died in 686 BC., which would place this incident in 701 BC., the year of Sennacherib’s invasion.

• 2 Kings 20:2-3 Before we pass judgment on King Hezekiah, we must think how we would feel if the doctor came into the room and said we had two weeks to live. Our emotions would be just as fragile as this man, even if we had the assurance of Heaven.

• 2 Kings 20:4-7 So did Hezekiah’s prayer change God’s mind? And why give the King this boil in the first place? Truthfully the most significant thing here is not the healing, but the promise. Think about how open God was with Hezekiah. He seldom speaks this way to a person. It’s not very often a person is told that they're going to die, then told that they are going to be healed, and then live for the prescribed amount of years. Actually, the allegory here should be obvious. Hezekiah had some sort of infectious boil that was threatening his life. He was about to die, but after a time of prayer he was granted a reprieve; 15 more years. In the same way, Judah was infected with sin. Sennacherib was knocking on her door. Jerusalem was about to fall. If she prayed, she would be granted a reprieve; a few more years would be added. King Hezekiah’s illness and healing become an example for the nation.

• 2 Kings 20:10-11 Ahaz apparently built a stairwell as a timing device. As the sun moved through the sky, a shadow would descend a set of steps against one wall, pass across the room at noon, then ascend a second set of steps against the other wall. Ahaz rejected a sign from God (Isaiah 7:14). But upon a stairwell bearing his name, his son Hezekiah will receive a sign. So, did the earth stop rotating AND begin turning backward? That’s what would have had to happen for this sign to unfold. I seriously doubt it, although if anyone could accomplish this it would be God. Actually, the sun may have simply been refracted. That would not put the whole planet in peril. th

• 2 King 20:12-13 This is what we read in Isaiah 39 (see a post from June 30 ).

• 2 Kings 20:15 Notice the word “my” in this verse. Hezekiah was an excellent king. He was significantly more Godly than many of the kings before him. But pride and possessiveness were his weaknesses. Perhaps the envoys came looking for financial 54

support in their help to overthrow Assyria, and Hezekiah simply showed them that they could finance the rebel alliance. But it seems from the way he talked here that he got some sort of satisfaction out of showing off his wealth. That’s pride. And how much of it was really his? Did these things not belong to the nation; to God? • 2 Kings 20:19 Hezekiah’s pride is showing again. And his selfishness. I wonder if these traits were present all the time, or if they surfaced after God showed him kindness and favor.

Isaiah 38 • Isaiah 38:1-7 It’s clear from verse 6 that Hezekiah’s illness came before Sennacherib’s siege against Jerusalem. So why are these events mentioned now? The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “Merodach-Baladan, mentioned in Isaiah 39:1, ruled from

721 to 710 and nine months in 703-702 BC (he ruled before Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701). Though chapters 38-39 precede chapters 36-37 chronologically, they follow them here because Hezekiah’s folly led to the prophecy of the Babylonian Captivity, and because chapters 38-39 prepare the way for chapters 40-66 ”.1 • Isaiah 38:8 Ahaz apparently built a stairwell as a timing device. As the sun moved through the sky, a shadow would descend the steps against one wall, pass across the steps at noon, then ascend the steps against the other wall as the sun set in the west.

Ahaz rejected a sign from God (Isaiah 7:14). But upon a stairwell bearing his name, his son Hezekiah will receive a sign. I have no idea what actually happened here. Like the miracle of the sun standing still (Joshua 10:13) by having the earth stop rotating, or here, having the earth start turning backward, is a tall order. It would not just be a simple task.

But, it is not outside of God’s ability. Maybe the sun was merely refracted in some way. I just don’t know. The point was the sign, not the logistics on how God accomplished the sign.

Isaiah 39

1 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Is 38:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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• Isaiah 39:1 Merodach-Baladan was Marduk-apal-iddina, the invader. Twice he had tried to break away from the Assyrian Empire, and once had succeeded in taking the city of Babylon. After his second reign (of nine months in 703-702 BC) he was deposed by Sennacherib and went to Elam. While there (and while still known as the king of Babylon) he tried to form an alliance with other nations to throw off the Assyrian yoke. Undoubtedly his friendly visit after Hezekiah’s illness was intended to persuade the king of Judah to join the rebel alliance in the fight against Assyria.

• Isaiah 39:2-4 Apparently Hezekiah was acting as if those riches all belonged to him and not to God (see Isaiah 39:4). Undoubtedly Hezekiah thought he could impress the Babylonian emissaries, but they probably were thinking more of his ability to pay enormous sums of money to aid in the fight against Assyria. Whatever their reasons for the visit, you can be sure they didn’t forget all that wealth.

• Isaiah 39:5-7 Hezekiah is told that all this wealth and even some of his own sons will be carried off to Babylon. This statement is astounding, especially considering that Assyria was the political superpower. Babylon, at this time, was even being controlled by Assyria.

The second prophecy is fulfilled in 605 BC when Daniel and some other royal sons were taken to Babylon (see Daniel 1:1-7).

July 23: Isaiah 40-43 Isaiah 40 • Isaiah 40:1-2 Because of her sin Jerusalem was to be punished, however, that punishment would only be equal to her sin. It would not be greater. But the bigger question here is who is to be comforted. Is this addressed to the entire nation, only Judah, or to Jerusalem? God is looking to reassure those who respond to the discipline and who repent; those who cleanse themselves of their sin. Unfortunately, not every person of Israel will repent because of this punishment. Some will remain hard-hearted.

Their eyes and ears will continue to be closed. And even though they are descendants of Israel, they will still be cut off (see Romans 11:17). This is a call for those who respond to God’s discipline to find comfort in the fact that God was not seeking to destroy them. He 56

was merely punishing them because of their sin. He was fulfilling His warning spoken long ago in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

• Isaiah 40:3-5 God was using this time of discipline to prepare the faithful remnant for the Lord’s appearing. The smoothing out of the land is Old Testament slang for “Roll out the Red Carpet”. A dignitary was coming, and the nation needed to be ready for when He appears.

• Isaiah 40:6-8 Now God speaks for Himself. He says that even though people fade away, He endures forever, and His word will not wither and die. I like these verses simply because they are true. We’ve seen this happen time, and time again. Throughout history, people have come up with all kinds of moral ineptitudes, but God’s Law has remained faithful and true. It is a truth that has withstood the strongest of criticisms.

Those who spoke of its demise are long gone, soon to be forgotten. But God’s word is still with us. That’s how these words speak to me, but I’m sure they spoke to the remnant in a different way. Consider the boasting these people had just heard by Sennacherib.

He made all kinds of claims about God. At the end, whose word won out? Also, consider that in time all of Israel will be in bondage, many carried off to a foreign land. Here, God has promised that their time of punishment will be short and that they will not be forgotten.

Since God’s word endures, those in exile could find courage in knowing that one day they would be set free.

• Isaiah 40:9-12 Yes the Lord was coming. This is why God’s people needed to be purged of their sin. In truth, the exile has the desired effect upon Israel. When they return from Babylon, a more pure form of Religion emerges in Israel, although some will carry that religion a bit too far (the legalism of the Pharisees). The point in this section is that for some people the Lord will appear in power and in might, but to His flock He will appear as a gentle Shepherd, gathering His sheep in His arms. There is an enormous difference between the two, and God promises to deal gently with His flock. This theme will be played out in the rest of this chapter (God of Might, and God of Tenderness).

• Isaiah 40:12-14 In talking about the mighty powerful arm of God, Isaiah asks five rhetorical questions here. 912,500 cubic miles. That’s the volume of water in our world, 57

which God can hold it in the palm of His hand. And with the other hand He says, “Oh, look! It’s the Universe. Quick, get a picture!” And I have yet to see a set of scales that could possible weigh out the earth. When is the last time God called and wondered how to handle a problem? When has God said, “Wait a minute, listen to Bill. He’s got some great insight that I’ve never thought of before.”

• Isaiah 40:15-17 The nations, they believe the world revolves around them. Tell me, what’s become of Assyria? What kind of power is Babylon, Greece, Rome, France, Spain, England, Germany, and Russia? They all felt so big and powerful, well yeah, for a while. But to God they’re just a drop in the bucket, a speck of dust. Listen, we’re not on some performance basis with God, and I’m thankful that God is not changed by what I do.

If I had all the trees in Lebanon and brought all the animals for a sacrifice, it still wouldn’t be enough for a burnt offering. Why? God cares for us because He chooses to care, not because I deserve it or have earned it. The point is that God chose to reveal Himself to Israel. He chose Israel to be the nation through whom the whole world might be redeemed.

• Isaiah 40:18-20 You can hear the frustration in Isaiah’s voice here. How stupid it is to take the things God has made and craft them through human hands into something called god. Were the people of this time really this stupid? “Hey Martha, I’ll be home late, I have to make god. Not just a regular god, but this one will be covered in gold. Oh, I know some people have gold gods, but get this, we’ll cover ours with a silver chain.” Are we really any different? “Hey Martha, I’ll be home late. I have to work overtime so we can pay for the new Lexus. I figure if I work like this for three more weeks we can upgrade to the luxury edition”. Someone save us from this stupidity now!

• Isaiah 40:22-25 In 2006 a Space Probe blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Its destination is the planet Pluto. Traveling at 36,256 miles an hour, you’d think it would be there next week. But just in case you were NOT paying attention in science class, Pluto is about 3 billion miles from earth. NASA Scientists hope the probe will arrive in July of 2015. That distance is almost inconceivable. The immensity of our Solar System is mind boggling. Now if you’d like some help coming to grips with just how BIG space really is, let me help put this into perspective. Let’s say that the distance from the Earth to the 58

Sun, which is 93 million miles, is represented by the thickness of a sheet of paper. The nearest star would be a stack of paper 71 feet high. Each sheet of paper in that stack represents 93 MILLION miles! Our Galaxy, the Milky Way, would be a stack of paper 310 miles high. Our known Universe would be a stack of paper 31 million miles high.

And you math people are saying, “Yea, I got it.” Oh really? In one mile, there are 10.4 million pieces of paper. So what we have is a stack of paper 31 million miles high with 10.4 million pieces of paper in each mile and each piece of paper representing 93 million miles. The vastness of our universe is indeed inconceivable. And in the beginning God created this by speaking it into existence. God said it and there it was. It is God who sits above the circle of the earth (2200 years before Columbus, Isaiah indicated that the earth was round). It is He who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent. It is God who took hold of nothing, pulled it apart, and in a moment created this vastness of space which we can hardly conceive. My friend, God is more powerful and mightier than we have ever imagined. What we have witnessed of God here on this earth is but a shadow of who He really is. "To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One in Isaiah 40:25. Indeed, the power of our God is inconceivable.

• Isaiah 40:26-31 When facing the Babylonian exile (and those currently in Assyrian exile), Israel needed to be reminded that God is above those nations and their gods. In His power and might, the righteous can find the strength to endure. They will not grow weary of living holy, righteous lives while living among a pagan people. In God, they will rise above the situation and remain faithful to God and His commands.

Isaiah 41 • Isaiah 41:1-4 God asks the nations of the world to keep in mind that He is the one who is control of their future. He is the One who uses wicked nations to accomplish His will.

This raises an interesting debate. Think back to what God said about the Pharaoh, who Moses confronted. God said that He would use Pharaoh’s stubborn heart to display His (God’s) glory (Exodus 14:4). Here God says that He will stir up a King from the east to accomplish His (God’s) righteous plan. Did God create Pharaoh’s hard heart? Did God create this warrior of a King? It almost seems as if God was the creator of the evil these 59

men did. But an explanation more true to God’s character is that even though these men chose unrighteousness; even though they lived lives filled with wickedness, God would use that wickedness to accomplish His will. When presented with an opportunity to be a person who was good or a person who was bad, they chose freely to be bad. But God used what was bad to accomplish something that was good. I see this argument often on other blogs; that God made these people evil to accomplish His goals. Not so. If anyone made us evil it is ourselves. We made the choice to do what was wrong. God just used our wrong choices for His benefit.

• Isaiah 41:5-7 It can only be assumed that the Warrior King from the east is Cyrus of the Medes. It could not be anyone from Assyria because they had been in Israel before. Nor could it be Babylon because they were just in Hezekiah’s Palace. So when Cyrus rises to power, the nations of the world will tremble with fear. Out of fear, they’ll even create new idols to help protect them. However, the only people protected will be the people already in captivity – Israel. Do you think Cyrus would have attacked Israel had they still been a nation in power? Would Cyrus have marched against Jerusalem if it were still an independent state? Is it possible that God spared Israel by taking her captive before Cyrus rose to power?

• Isaiah 41:8-10 Here God promises to regather His flock even before they are taken captive. I wonder if it was these words Daniel remembered as he remained steadfast and immovable while facing exile. Did these words strengthen Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

• Isaiah 41:21-24 You know, it’s terribly hard for me to make a connection with someone who placed their hope and trust in a statue. A statue just sits there, mute and unchanging, doing nothing more than collecting dust. The people who put their trust in them were morons. Nothing ever happened. Nothing. They didn’t move or fall over.

They didn’t bring the rain or plant trees in the desert. They certainly could not predict the future. But today people are much more refined. Today people are not so naïve. Today people only worship real gods, not sticks or stones. But the test God demands still remains the same. Can the gods of any of today’s religions do anything that will amaze the world? Can they even predict the future? Read the religious writings of these 60

modern day gods sometime. They often speak about how a person is supposed to live or what a person is supposed to do, but they do not speak about what their god has done for humanity.

Isaiah 42 • Isaiah 42:1-4 The Messiah will accomplish what Israel could not; He will bring hope to people everywhere. God’s righteousness was not contagious because of Israel. Actually, they let the world corrupt them. But things will be different with the Messiah. A dimly burning candle or a broken reed can be applied to those nations with just a hint of righteousness. The Messiah will actually strengthen the righteousness and holiness of those nations far from God. • Isaiah 42:5-7 Although Cyrus will free Israel from physical captivity, the Messiah will free them from Spiritual captivity. He will be a sign for them and a source of light to those in the rest of the world living in spiritual darkness.

• Isaiah 42:8 There will only be one that will receive God’s glory, and that One will be the Messiah. There will only be one Messiah, and the world will know that He is the Messiah because the glory of the Lord resides in Him. There is a difference between the Spirit of the Lord living in Him and the Glory of the Lord. You and I have received the Spirit of the Lord, but you and I are nothing like Jesus. There never has been nor will there ever be one like Jesus, who manifested the glory of God upon this earth. Wherever Jesus walked, the world was changed. Even the wind and the waves obeyed Him. We do not possess the ability to do these things because it was not through the Spirit Jesus changed the earth, it was because He is God. • Isaiah 42:16 In the days of the Messiah, Israel will no longer be spiritually blind. They will suddenly realize what God truly desires from them. But for now . . .

• They seem blind to the truth (Isaiah 42:18-20). They don’t appear to understand what God has been trying to say to them for many generations. From one generation to the next, God attempted to open their eyes. He allowed her to be robbed and hurt. That’s why Israel needs the Messiah. She needs her Redeemer to help open her eyes.

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Isaiah 43 • Isaiah 43:1-4 “Do not be afraid”, says God, “for I have ransomed you.” Once before Israel had been ransomed (literally “bought out of slavery”), and here God promises to do it again. Again, I wonder if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had read Isaiah’s words and drew strength from what the Lord said here, specifically about not being burned up.

Every time I read the word Ransom, I am reminded of the character by that name in C. S. Lewis’ science fiction series. If you’ve not read them, they are quite interesting: Out of

the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. “There is a reason I named you Ransom.”

• Isaiah 43:8-13 There is a reason God ransomed Israel; He ransomed them so they might be a witness to the rest of the world. A Christian needs to keep this in mind as well.

Christ did not die for our sins just so we could go to heaven. He also died so that through us and because of us, the world might know that He alone is God. This is what irks me about some Christians who are no different than the people of this world. This is what upset the Apostle Paul about the church in Corinth. If we truly are believers, we should act like believers, for it is through those who have been transformed that the world will know that there is no other Savior.

• Isaiah 43:14-21 Babylon is expressly mentioned here, and an invading army is mentioned. So, long before Babylon becomes a world power, they are mentioned as a threat. An even greater power is mentioned arising after Babylon. They are yet to be named, but just give God some time, He’ll mention quite precisely who, what, when, and where. That’s what makes God’s prophecies different that people like Nostradamus or Madam Zoroni.

• Isaiah 43:22-28 If you think about it, while the descendants of Israel are in exile (presently the northern tribe of Israel and soon the southern tribe of Judah), and when the Temple is destroyed, how would an Israelite have their sins forgiven? In a foreign land, and with no Temple, how would the people offer a sacrifice? This should have been an incredible lesson for the descendants of Jacob; that God would be the one to blot out their sins. But it seems this fact was overlooked.

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July 24: Isaiah 44-48 Isaiah 44 • Isaiah 44:1-5 However, a day is coming when the people of Jacob (Israel) will finally have their eyes opened. They will finally understand what God has been trying to say all along. Truthfully, the sacrificial system was never intended as a means to have a sin forgiven. The forgiveness of sin has always come from God. The sacrificial system was put in place as a way for a person to pay the penalty for the sin; so the sin is not held against them. It’s no different than how a Christian today calls upon the name of Jesus to have their sin’s forgiven. God considers the debt paid because of Christ’s death upon the cross. And because of His sacrifice, God forgives our sin. Back in Old Testament times the offering was a bull or a lamb. In New Testament times, the offering is Jesus. But in both cases it is God who forgives the sin.

• Isaiah 44:6-20 This section would be quite funny if it were not sadly true. And before we start dismissing ourselves from this rebuke, humanity today is no better. As I read and study the world’s many religions, it seems we have been evolving, but never transforming, our understanding of God (or gods). In Old Testament times people would worship the forces of nature they did not fully understand. With advancements in science, we’ve learned a thing or two, so we stopped worshiping the sun or the moon or the stars.

We’ve learned that if there is a deity watching over us, he (or they) would have invisible attributes. So today we listen to those who claim a connection to that deity, or who claim this deity has enlightened them in some way. But truthfully it’s still all a bunch of foolishness. We’ve moved from worshiping lifeless idols to worshiping religion. Today we worship the WAY we worship. People argue that the way to god is through “such and such” practice, or by doing a certain set of rituals. Even within Christianity there is a tendency to worship the method instead of the Maker. Christians divide over the form of worship. Sadly, we never give any thought about WHO we are worshiping.

• Isaiah 44:28 There it is. God has finally announced who He will work through to bring Israel back home. No longer is he an unnamed person from the east. Now remember 63

these words were given to Isaiah shortly after Sennacherib’s defeat in 701 BC. In 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar and his forces broke through Jerusalem’s walls, burned the houses and the temple, and carried many captives into exile. Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, first came to the throne of Anshan in Eastern Elam in 559. In 549, he conquered the Medes and became the ruler of the combined Persian and Median Empire. In 539 he conquered Babylon (Daniel 5:30) and the very next year issued a decree that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4). In doing this Cyrus was serving God’s purposes as if he were God’s shepherd. Those who returned built the temple, completing it in 515 BC, and years later (in 444 BC) Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls (see comments on Nehemiah 1-2; Daniel 9:25).

The prophecies of God are amazing. In them, we see such detail. This is Isaiah’s argument against the false gods worshiped in the land; against these lifeless idols. This is my argument against psychics. Call the Psychic Hotline one you’ll discover they don’t even have the clairvoyance to know your name.

Isaiah 45 • Isaiah 45:1-7 Notice here that even though God would choose Cyrus to do His anointed work, Cyrus did not know God, nor did he acknowledge God. Cyrus would be used by God to accomplish His task so that the world might know there is no other God. • Isaiah 45:8-13 Again God reminds the people of His power and authority. Taking us back to the image we saw in chapter 40, God again asserts His authority to do as He pleases with the earth and the people on the earth. We are His creation that lives within His creation. He is in control. I read this chapter shortly after hearing another sob story about climate change. As a human being, I am being blamed for contributing to the demise of our planet. Anyway, I read this chapter and it suddenly occurred to me that if God did not want the climate to change, he certainly could do something about it. He could put an end to whatever or whoever is causing it to happen. Now I’m not saying I stop being conscientious about the environment, but I am saying that it is certainly within God’s power and God’s prerogative to keep it from happening if He wanted to.

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• Isaiah 45:14-17 Eventually Egypt will become a strong Christian nation. Traditionally it is believed the Mark brought the Christian message to Egypt between 41 and 44 AD. According to Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, Mark’s first convert in Alexandria was Anianus, a shoemaker who later was consecrated a bishop and became Patriarch of Alexandria after Mark was martyred. However, followers of Muhammad conquered Egypt in 640 AD. • Isaiah 45:20-25 Many Gentile nations will embrace God and realize that the Lord is the source of righteousness and strength. However, there will still be some who reject God. In the end, they will be ashamed. I’d like to remind my unbelieving friends that when I tell them that there is no other God, I am only repeating what He has said about Himself. I didn’t make these words up myself. When I ask you not to reject God, I am only doing this so you will not be ashamed of yourself later on. I am not asking you to follow my enlightened revelation of God, I am asking you to meet God for yourself; to open your eyes and see Him for yourself.

Isaiah 46 • Isaiah 46:1-4 Bel was another name for Marduk, god of the sun. Nebo, son of Marduk, was the god of learning, writing, and astronomy. Large statues of those gods were carried around the great city on Babylon’s New Year’s Day festival. They were cumbersome and burdensome, so how could those idols relieve Babylon’s burden. In striking contrast, the God of Israel sustains and carries His people (Isaiah 46:3-4).

• Isaiah 46:5-7 Imagine worshiping something that needed to be carried from place to place. How foolish. Just as foolish is to worship someone who is just like us. Why would anyone worship another human being? Ah yes (I know what you’re thinking), but Jesus was NOT like us. He looked like us. He had the same human body like us. But within that body He was not like us. Within that body lived the Holy One of Israel. Wherever He walked, this bent and twisted world was straightened. Wherever you and I walk, the world remains the same.

Isaiah 47

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• Isaiah 47:1-11 Israel was being punished through Assyria because of her sin. Assyria would be punished through Babylon because of her arrogance. Babylon would punish Judah because of her sin. Babylon would be punished through the Medes (Cyrus) because of her cruelty toward Judah. In the end, Israel will be redeemed, these other nations would not. And there was nothing any of them could do to stop the chain of events God had ordained from Heaven. The imagery that began in chapter 40 is still present here; to the wicked, God presents Himself with power and might, to the righteous, God presents Himself with love and tenderness.

Isaiah 48 • Isaiah 48:1-11 Even Israel was notorious for worshiping wooden idols. How pathetic is that! Had they forgotten all the wondrous things God had done? It’s sad that even when God did something wondrous, the people (even Israel) would give the credit to some false god. However, this time God was going to do something that no one expected. This time God would do something so unusual that Israel would have to acknowledge that it was God who was working in their lives. What New Thing is God talking about?

• Isaiah 48:14-15 God named Cyrus as Israel’s Redeemer. God will rescue His people from a man who was named even before he was born. Isaiah spoke God’s words sometime around 700 BC, perhaps even later. Even if it was spoken in 690 BC, that’s still a full 104 years before Nebuchadnezzar would conquer Jerusalem. The people alive at this time would not live to see Cyrus deliver them, but you can be sure that the Isaiah scroll gained popularity when Israel went into captivity. One a side note: isn’t that just like people today? When we are facing a crisis, we suddenly become quite interested in what the Bible says. Too bad we don’t show the same interest in times of calm.

• Isaiah 48:19 It seems Israel’s discipline saddens God. It’s not like God wanted to punish Israel, but He knew this had to happen. And, as I said in the past, this discipline does make a huge difference in the nation. They do gain a whole new respect for God. The Israel we see in New Testament times is nothing like the Israel we see now. Israel hated the Romans, not just for their oppression, but because of their lack of reverence for God. A good Jew would not even associate with someone of the world (a Gentile). They 66

had become a people set apart and different. This is part of the reason many had a hard time embracing Jesus. He came along and said He was their God in human flesh. His claim appalled many Jews because they had learned (through their time of discipline) that there was only One God. And He was unlike any other god. He was infinite and above all creation. Jesus, on the other hand, looked like creation. So He pointed to the signs and wonders as evidence that He was the Son of God.

July 25: Isaiah 49-52 Isaiah 49 • Isaiah 49:3 The Servant is, of course, the Messiah. But why is He called Israel? It’s because the Servant will fulfill what Israel was supposed to do; to be a light to the nations, to be a shining witness of righteousness in this dark and wicked world. Israel, on the other hand, was no different than the world and had failed to be a witness.

• Isaiah 49:4 It’s like we are listening to a conversation between God and Jesus. And Jesus looks ahead to His time here on earth. In light of the few short years He actually ministered, it might seem that Jesus accomplished very little. But in a Spiritual sense, He changed everything. I have read where some people claim Jesus’ ministry was cut short, echoing the words of this verse. If that is true, then they must have been three incredible years to have touched so many people and changed so many lives.

• Isaiah 49:5-6 There is a big difference between Jesus, who attracts the people of this world by being a light of hope, than those who force people to convert to their religion.

That is the beauty of Christianity. In its purest form, we need only help people see Jesus.

In Him, they will find what they have been looking for.

• Isaiah 49:8 Israel was told that God would send His Servant as a sign to the people of Israel. The first time He came, many rejected Him. The next time He comes, many will embrace Him. But when He comes the second time He will come as a Judge, not as a Savior. It’s pretty clear that this is not talking about the first appearance of Jesus because there certainly wasn’t much peace in the land at that time, and there still isn’t. So it must 67

be a future event. The point most people miss is that when Christ comes to judge, some will be rewarded salvation and others will be rewarded condemnation. Judgment is not always a bad thing. A Christian need not fear the coming judgment of Christ. It’s actually a time of rejoicing!

• Isaiah 49:20-21 Just like the Egyptian bondage, the Babylonian exile will cause Israel to grow. The nation will flourish when reason would have said otherwise.

• Isaiah 49:24-26 Reason would also say that Israel would return limping and wounded.

But God assured them that they will return with strength and abundance; something particularly unusual during warfare. But with God as their warrior, you kind of figure that things will not be as expected.

Isaiah 50 • Isaiah 50:2 Israel was acting like the adulterer here. She played the harlot with false gods. Because of her unfaithfulness, Israel was being sent away, just like what was permitted by a husband whose wife was unfaithful. However, almost jokingly God asks, “But where was the man?” Israel flirted with gods that did not exist, who could not respond when “God came home” looking for the other man who was hiding somewhere in the house. How foolish Israel had been. They allowed themselves to be deceived, so the Lord will reach out and ransom them. He will bring them back home (see Hosea 3:1-3).

• Isaiah 50:4-7 Unlike Israel who ignored her calling, God’s Servant will be obedient day by day. The words the Lord gives Him, He will speak to the people. Some will find these words comforting. Even when the Servant is tortured, He will not stop being obedient to the Lord (compare Mark 14:65 and Mark 15:16-20).

• Isaiah 50:10-11 I like these two verses. They seem to actually speak to the new spiritualism in this world today. People look inwardly for their own light and claim they have found it. But they are finding only what they had hoped to find. Jesus, on the other hand, calls us to look within ourselves and find the darkness lurking there. And He will pierce that darkness, driving it out of our lives. This new spirituality is what causes a person to call themselves a Christian even though they continue to live in sin. It causes them to deny certain sins even mentioned in God’s Word. Israel suffered from this and 68

was punished. It’s hard to imagine that God would do differently today. Beware, those of you who ignore God’s call to holiness. One day you will fall down in great torment.

Isaiah 51 • Isaiah 51:1-8 Speaking to those who embrace righteousness; those who have seen the darkness of their heart and then cried out to God for mercy, The Lord promises to be with them. Though the entire fabric of the earth will pass away, God’s salvation for the righteous will endure forever.

• Isaiah 51:9-11 I admit that there are times I would love for God to display some of this same deliverance today. I’d love to look at those who mock God and watch Him smack them alongside the head. I know it’s not good Christian behavior, but every now and then I’d like for God to announce to the world that we Christians got it right. Someday that will happen, and I know when I see it I will feel sadness and sorrow for those who rejected God. • Isaiah 51:12-13 So I turn my heart around, and instead of being angered (or afraid) at those who reject God, I become obedient to His commands.

• Isaiah 51:22-23 I like the image of the cup in these verses. In the cup were desolation, destruction, famine, and war (see Isaiah 51:19). This is the cup of God’s punishment.

But God will take that from Israel only after they had just a sip, and give the rest to her tormenters. I see this same imagery played out in the Upper Room. Christ takes a cup which represents His blood. He endures the hardship, the suffering, and the punishment.

He takes that cup from our lips and presses it to His own. The cup of God’s punishment is snatched from our hands even before we can drink from it, and Christ brings it to the garden. Hands trembling, He obeys God’s will and drinks from the cup that belonged to us; the cup of God’s discipline (Luke 22:42).

Isaiah 52 • Isaiah 52:4 A word in this verse really caught my attention. In the New Living Translation, it says that “My people chose to live in Egypt.” The NASB reads “My people went down at the first into Egypt to reside there” (NASB). It almost sounds like Israel was 69

not supposed to take up permanent residence in Egypt, contrary to what I had thought for years. I thought God sent them there. Confused, I looked that the original Hebrew to get a better understanding of what Isaiah was trying to say. The Hebrew says that they were to sojourn there – reside temporarily. Here in Isaiah God seems to be implying that Israel should have stayed in Egypt only until the end of the famine, not take up permanent residence, which it seems she did. She stayed longer that she should have, and ended up in bondage. That shed’s a whole new light on the Egyptian bondage. Had Israel been obedient, perhaps she would not have ended up in slavery.

• Isaiah 52:7-10 Israel did experience joy in 536 BC when they returned from Babylon.

The remnant that remained in Jerusalem looked out across the land and saw the captives coming home. I wonder what impact this scene had on the surrounding nations that remained prisoners of the Persian Empire? However, these verses speak of a future time of joy as well; a joy that Isaiah speaks about in the next section.

• Isaiah 52:13-15 When the world last saw the Messiah, He was beaten disfigured, and despised, just like Israel when led into captivity. But when the world sees Him again it will be silent. In the same way, just as Israel returned in glory, so too will the Messiah. Then the world will finally see and understand who this Messiah is and what He came to do.

July 26: Isaiah 53-57 Isaiah 53 • Isaiah 53 describes the Servant; what the Messiah endured when He first appeared on earth. Creating a parallel between what Israel would experience, the Messiah would also be exposed to suffering to accomplish God’s great plan. In the Messiah’s first appearing, He remained silent. In His second appearing, Kings will remain silent (Isaiah 52:15). The description of the Suffering Servant in this section apparently points to Jesus. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to make the connection. So the theology in this chapter helps bring clarification to why Jesus came and what He accomplished on the cross. Truthfully,

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the crucifixion makes a whole lot more sense when you read this chapter first. I think this is what opened the eyes of many Jews when Peter preached on Pentecost (Acts 2).

Isaiah 54 • Isaiah 54:1-3 Israel will give birth to the Messiah, who will then become the hope of all nations. Those living in darkness will see a great light (the Messiah), and by their faith in Him, even a Gentile can become a member of God’s family (Galatians 3:29; Ephesians 3:6). Israel’s family grows because of the Suffering Servant.

• Isaiah 54:4-10 It’s clear here that God does not intend to crush Israel. This discipline will be for a short time, and then God’s abundant love will pour out upon His people once again. That being said, it would be difficult for a Jew to realize this truth when Rome destroyed the city in 70 AD. When Israel was dispersed, and Jews were scattered across the lands, I wonder if they felt they were being disciplined once again. Even after they returned home in 1948, did they feel God was with them? Do they feel this way today considering the Muslims still control Mt. Moriah?

• Isaiah 54:11-15 This section seems to point forward to the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

If that’s so, then verse 15 speaks of a time yet to come, not to present day Israel, although some like to attribute this verse to Israel in her present state. But I remind you that this is what the verses seem to be implying. I could be wrong. After all, once Israel became a nation again, has she suffered defeat? Has anyone been able to conquer God’s Holy nation?

• Isaiah 54:16-17 God says “You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you.” I know He is speaking to Israel here, but I wonder if He is speaking to anyone who belongs to His family. That would include those adopted through the Messiah; those called Christians.

Isaiah 55 • Isaiah 55:1-5 Unlike the pagan gods, the Lord God does not require special sacrifice or service in order to pour out His blessings upon people. As a matter of fact, God will provide for our needs simply out of His abundant love and grace. He is not a god whose 71

favor needs to be purchased. For the life of me, I cannot understand why people would follow any other god, or participate in any other religion that demands payment first. I pity Muslims who religiously follow their 5 creeds in hopes that it will earn them Allah’s favor. I pity those who follow any god who resides in some unreachable place and is unconcerned about the affairs of humanity. But the God of Heaven and Earth cares deeply for those who He has created. He is intimately involved in each of our lives; some realize this while others choose to ignore it.

• Isaiah 55:6-7 What we need to keep in mind is that these verses were spoken to Israel (all who were descended from Jacob), not the pagan nations around her. God was calling His chosen people to repent, something that even John the Baptist will do 700 years later. This is a reminder that there is no way to be born into the Kingdom of God. A person needs to experience a second birth; a birth within them that causes the heart to pursue righteousness and follow God’s commands by faith. Neither can a person ease their way into heaven through an inheritance they receive from an earthly father. Just because someone was or is Jewish, does not mean they automatically have received a “get out of jail free” card. People do the same thing today. They feel they are right with God because they go to church. But what God demands is repentance and confession.

He demanded it then and He demands in today. Back then, forgiveness was found by following God’s sacrificial system. Today, forgiveness is found through the sacrifice of Christ. And it is by faith that we believe we are forgiven.

• Isaiah 55:8-9 This system of righteousness and forgiveness stands in stark contrast to all other gods and all other religions. No craftiness of man could have imagined salvation in this way. Think about what you know of any other religion in this world. Which one of them is like God’s? Which religion in this world even comes close to God’s plan of salvation? Who could have imagined that salvation would come not by human effort or by following a strict set of practices, but merely by God’s grace alone? What other god came looking for us? What other god reached down to humanity instead of asking humanity to reach up to them? What other god offered to save us? Christianity stands apart from all other religions for the simple fact that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

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And I just can’t imagine why someone would reject Jesus as He stretches out His hand to rescue and redeem.

• Isaiah 55:10-13 This is what the Lord has promised. His words will NOT falter of fail to come to pass. When God says this is what He will do through Israel, you can be sure it will happen. I also believe that when God’s word is read today, it does not fail to have the desired effect upon those who are listening. To some, God’s word brings hope, to others it brings peace. Sometimes God’s word brings transformation. This is what happens when God’s word falls upon fertile soil. But to those whose eyes and ears are closed, God’s word brings condemnation, and the sad part is that they don’t even know it.

Isaiah 56 • Isaiah 56:1-5 Gentiles, those not born into the family of Israel, would be able to take part in God’s plan of salvation. Even a eunuch (a male whose testes have been cut off), is welcome, and he will find himself adopted into the family of God. This promise contrasts what is said in Deuteronomy 32:1. Why the change here? It’s because a day is coming when Israel will no longer be tempted to follow the ways of the world. God has been saying that when Israel returns from exile, she will return a different nation. She will reject the religious practices of those around her. In a way, her righteousness will infect those around her, and even those from pagan nations that practiced this ritual of castration would be intrigued by the God they see living in the hearts of His people.

• Isaiah 56:6-8 This is something that does not get mentioned very often. Pagan people will be so intrigued at this God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that they will come back to Jerusalem with God’s holy people. And there God will accept them. If Israel would not go out and be a light to other nations on her own, God would take them out of their land so others might see and learn of the Holy God of Israel.

• Isaiah 56:9-12 God points out here that much of the failure within Israel and Judah was caused by the lazy attitude of those in leadership. There was indifference toward God within the leadership (king, priests, and Levites). It’s no wonder the people were led astray. I’ve said the same things about the state of the church today. We point fingers of blame at the people of the church for their biblical ignorance and their heresies of belief.

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But the real culprit is the lack of sound leadership within the church today. Pastor’s give self-help lectures instead of preaching sermons. Scholars write books that turn people away from God’s word. Seminary professors begin questioning the deity of Christ. Is it any wonder the church is confused? Is it any wonder Christians grow up today without any foundational knowledge of God? Isaiah 57 • Isaiah 57:1-2 Because of this lack of sound leadership, Israel had become an apostate nation (drifting away from God). It was frustrating for the few who were godly. They watched their beloved people drift further and further away from their foundation. In their grief, they cried and cried for the people to return to God, but their cries fell on deaf ears and hard hearts. Their only relief came in death. In death the worries of this life ended, and the riches of being with God began.

• Isaiah 57:3-13 To those who have turned from God and who worship lifeless idols and impotent gods, they will find no peace. Even in death these apostate people will find remorse and anguish. Their gods could not save them in this life, and they will not be able to save them in the next.

• Isaiah 57:15 God dwells in heaven, but God also dwells within those who feel sorry for sin and who are humble. This truth is repeated by Jesus when he talks about the unpardonable sin (Mark 3:28-29). A person, who will not admit they have sinned, who denies the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, will not turn to God seeking forgiveness.

“Blessed are those who are poor in spirit,” says Jesus. Blessed are they whose spirits are contrite and humble, for God dwells in them. “Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

(Matthew 5:3).

July 27: Isaiah 58-63 Isaiah 58 • There is one word that stands out on this section – Act. Israel was acting righteously.

From the outside, they looked to be very religious, until you really got to know them. And it was this acting that God addresses here. What God desired from Israel and what He 74

desires today is for worship to be transformational, and that transformation begins by knowing God’s laws and His commands. Without understanding these, a person will merely act righteously. Of course, we all see this today. Someone comes to church and mimics what they see in the actions of those around them. However, righteousness is not found in the act but in the heart and the mind that has been changed. Actually, a person’s actions flow from a transformed heart. Righteousness is not found in the giving, but in the heart that deeply cares for the affairs of others.

Isaiah 59 • Isaiah 59:1-2 Israel didn’t need to worship more often, nor did she need to shout her praise more loudly. God had no problem hearing Israel; it’s just that He chose to ignore her. Israel’s sins had become stacked before her, and they cut her off from God. • Isaiah 59:3-10 Israel is no different than the world around her, as seen in this list of her many sins. But she was to be different. She was supposed to be a light to the nations living in darkness. Instead, she was in darkness as well. This is my biggest concern for the church today. Not every church is like this, but many are no different that the world around them. In the world, you find greed, gossip, lying, polarization, indifference, infidelity, and idolatry. Walk into just about any church today and see if you don’t find the same thing. Sit through any board meeting and watch the politics unfold. Stand and listen in the parking lot for the gossip and the lying. Watch greed motivate who and what receives financial support. Can you imagine what a person of this world would think when they walk through the doors of a church like this? It was from these things they were looking to escape. Yet, to their dismay, they find exactly the same thing within a community of “believers”. We Christians are supposed to be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). When a person of the world walks among us, they should feel that they have left the world. The rules of the world should not apply within a church. So when a church mimics the ways of the world it not only sins against God but it loses its privilege to even be called a church. This is why the world points to the church and calls us hypocrite. In us, they came looking for hope. In us, they came looking to escape the madness that fills the world. But in us they found the world. Is it any wonder then that the world walks away?

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• Isaiah 59:12-15 These are the sins that have been piled up before us. They testified against Israel and they testify against the church. Israel was beyond hope, so God stepped in Himself to save. Israel was rescued both physically and spiritually. God would send Cyrus to rescue them physically. God would come himself to rescue them spiritually.

• Isaiah 59:16-17 It’s interesting that some of the armor God would wear, we have been called to wear as well (Ephesians 6:14-17).

• Isaiah 59:20 Here is the explicit stipulation that some people miss. Those who are redeemed in Israel are those who have turned from their sins. This is an important verse.

Not all of Israel would be spared. Just because someone was a descendant of Jacob did not mean they would automatically be included in the remnant. The whole reason for this coming exile was to discipline Israel. Through this experience, God desired that the people would repent. The same is true today. The redeemed are those who repent of their sin; who confess that their sin is piled before them. Take away the confession and the repentance, and there is no redemption. Jesus did not come to save everyone, only those who repent.

Isaiah 60 • Some scholars claim that this “coming home” refers to the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (the Millennial Kingdom). This seems to be a correct interpretation, especially when we look at Isaiah 60:19-20. With Christ present on earth once again, and this time reigning in power and glory instead of humility and servitude, the world will know that He is Lord. The world will confess that He is their Savior. And He will live in Zion, the beautiful city of God. For those who live through the 7-year tribulation and survive the great battle on earth, this will be a glorious time. This also means that many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus during the Millennial Kingdom, not before. Just before the 7-year tribulation, God will withdraw the Church from the face of the earth (2 Thessalonians 2:5-8).

Isaiah 61

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• Isaiah 61:1-3 When Jesus read from this passage (Luke 4:18-19) He stopped halfway through verse 2. He did not mention the day of God’s anger against Israel’s enemies.

This part of Jesus’ ministry we have not seen played out, yet. When Christ first came to earth, it was to offer salvation. When Christ comes again it is in judgment (Micah 5:15).

However, during this time of judgment those who are repentant in Israel will be comforted.

The work of the Messiah is twofold, something many people miss. They warmly embrace His loving side but forget that one day He will come to judge. And those who do not mourn their sin (or admit that they do sin) will one day find themselves in a position they may not like.

• Isaiah 61:10-11 Notice in these verses that the Lord is the one who places these Holy Garments upon the remnant (again, those who confess their sin and repent). First He places the clothing of salvation upon us; our shame is covered by the Lord’s clothing. But not stopping there, He places a robe of righteousness upon us; we are identified as part of the Family of God. Just as Christ’s work upon this earth will be accomplished in two ways, so too is our salvation. Through a confession of our sin and a call to Christ for the forgiveness of that sin, our sin is covered by the blood of Jesus. But God doesn’t stop there. Not only are our sins forgiven, but we become a member of God’s family. God pours the Spirit into the redeemed (those whose sins have been forgiven) enabling us to live a life marked by righteousness. We are saved, and then God gives us what we need to live like we are saved.

Isaiah 62 • Isaiah 62:1-5 God’s love for Jerusalem is so great that He will not rest until Zion finally becomes a place that truly reflects God’s glory. Right now Israel is known to be a place of conflict and tension. One day she will be known as a place of peace. That day is coming, but only the Lord knows when. The character of Israel will be so different that she will be given a new name (Hephzibah - “My delight is in her” and Beulah - “Married one”).

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• Isaiah 62:8-9 It was this promise that caused many Jews to reject Jesus because they expected the Messiah to accomplish this. But when the Messiah did come, Rome did not leave. Israel was not brought to a place of honor. So how could Jesus have been the Messiah? What they are missing is the twofold work of Jesus. His second advent will accomplish these things. They will see these promises come true during the 1000 year reign following the tribulation.

Isaiah 63 • Isaiah 63:1-6 At the second advent of Christ He will come to Zion after defeating the Lord’s enemies. And He will do this alone. Why is Jesus the only one who can defeat God’s enemies? Why can’t the righteous and the redeemed stand before the wicked and place them under judgment? Because beneath those garments of salvation and that robe of righteousness we are still just as wicked as those around us. Only Christ is sinless.

Only the spotless Lamb of God is worthy. You and I can never present ourselves to the world as God. Only Jesus can do that. So the world is judged by the words He spoke.

• Isaiah 63:8-9 Surely the people would not reject God, would they? Surely they would accept His help just like they did in the past. But just like they did in the past, God’s people will rebel. Isaiah spoke of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah 700 years before it would happen.

• Isaiah 63:17 God gets blamed for their stubborn and hard hearts. God gets blamed for a lot of things, but a stubborn and hard heart is not His fault. God continually revealed Himself to these people who made a choice to ignore Him. If He had hardened their hearts, why would he continue to reach out to them? Why would He continue to cry out to them? Why call them to repentance? A hard heart and eyes that refuse to see and ears that refuse to hear are the result of our sin.

July 28: Isaiah 64-66 Isaiah 64

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• Isaiah 64:1-3 The remnant in Jerusalem would beg God to see their plight in the same way He saw what happened to them in the past. It’s interesting that Isaiah points out these pleas will come from Israel only after they suffer. Isaiah says that only after the exile comes will the people’s hearts turn to God. However, when all was well, they never gave Him the time of day. Isn’t it sad that people never change? Today we tell God to get out of our schools, to get out of our marriages, to get off our money, and to leave us alone. But the moment a disaster strikes we cry “God, where are you”?

• Isaiah 64:4 I like this verse. I just do. For a fellow who spent a lot of years reading all about the many different gods worshiped throughout history, there was something unique about God (Yahweh). The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did what no other legendary god ever did. He actually cared about people. He actually took an interest in humanity. Who ever heard of a god like that?

• Isaiah 64:6-7 God was angry with Israel because of her sin. It was piled up before her.

Israel’s sin stood between her and God. That fact is true. There certainly were a lot of unholy people living in Israel at the time. But I want you to notice something in this section. Isaiah includes himself in this condemnation. He says that our righteousness is like a soiled tampon compared to God’s righteousness. That’s the meaning of the Hebrew word translated as “filthy rags”. It would have been the cloth women used to receive their menstrual discharge. But in spite of knowing this, no one turned to God or reached out to find cleanliness in Him. The truth is that holiness and cleanliness can come only from God. We can do nothing to make ourselves sinless; spotless; a person pure and free of sin. That can only come from God. This, of course, makes the incident in Luke 8:43-48 all the more significant. Only by reaching out to the Lord did this woman find cleanliness.

• Isaiah 64:11 Did you catch that? Isaiah said here that the Temple was destroyed, or at least it will be destroyed. Remember that this section of Isaiah was written even before Babylon rose to power and conquered Assyria. It is statements like this that make some liberal theologians date Isaiah at a much later period, written perhaps after Judah is taken into exile. Me, I just figure God knew what would happen, and He gave these words to Isaiah. That’s why they call it prophecy, duh!

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Isaiah 65 • Isaiah 65:1 This verse can be read as if God was speaking about Israel. It can be translated to mean that God continually revealed Himself to Israel even though she did not call on the name of the Lord. It can also be translated to mean that God revealed Himself to a nation that did not bear His name, meaning the Gentile nations. When we consider the Apostle Paul’s interpretation, we should read this verse to mean that God permitted Himself to be found by the Gentile nations living around Israel (see Romans 10:20), or at least some of the people in those nations. Contrast that to the way Israel responded to God. • Isaiah 65:2-5 Israel completely turned her back to God. They disobeyed His laws and decrees. Yet they looked at the nations around them and felt they were so much more holy; so much more righteous. Truthfully, knowing the Law made them guilty when they ignored the Law. And this is what made God’s judgment against Israel so severe.

• Isaiah 65:8-10 This is the sign of a just and righteous God. He will spare those who deserve to be spared. He will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. This is how He judged during Isaiah’s time and how He will judge at a later time. The sheep will be separated from the goats (Matthew 25:32).

• Isaiah 65:11-16 Although God will spare the righteous remnant, the wicked will receive no such mercy. And the righteous will receive a new name (verse 15). The real question I ask is whether this applies to their return from exile, the birth of the church or after the Day of Judgment. It’s interesting to note that when Israel returned from Exile they began to be called Jews. When the church was birthed among the Jews, they became known as Christians. I’m not saying either of these is what God was referring to, but I just thought it to be interesting. A new name signifies a new character. And the character of Israel changed in both circumstances.

• Isaiah 65:17-25 With the description of the new heaven and the new earth, Isaiah seems to be talking of a time after the millennium. Revelation says these things will happen after judgment. Is Isaiah speaking that far ahead? It appears he must be, for none of these prophecies has come true yet. Jews do not live long lives. We do not see 80

this kind of peace on the earth. Although it seems hard to fathom, God was talking about the new heaven and the new earth even before Jesus walked the earth.

Isaiah 66 • Isaiah 66:1-2 As majestic as God is, what He values the most is a person who is humble and sorrowful before Him. In one way or another, this has been Isaiah’s message throughout this book. God wants His people to follow the truth He has revealed to them.

For Israel that was primarily the Mosaic Covenant. Pointing the people back to the Word of God, Isaiah was indicating that they needed to obey it if they were to enjoy His blessings.

• Isaiah 66:3-6 Dare I say this; even if a person has attended church all their life, they are no better off than the person who stayed away, unless, of course, they humbled their hearts before God, admitted their sin, and asked Jesus to forgive that sin. I think I would even take this one step further. Even if they said the words and were baptized, there needs to be one thing more - evidence of that transformation. Just saying the words, jumping through the hoops, and going to church does not make one acceptable before God. A person’s life needs to be transformed, and spiritual growth is evidence that this transformation has taken place.

• Isaiah 66:7-11 Israel’s return to the land will be so remarkably quick that it will be like a woman giving birth before she has any labor pains.

• Isaiah 66:19 What is this sign that God will display? Quite possibly what He has been saying all along. It will be Cyrus, who rescues the nation from bondage.

• Isaiah 66:21 According to the law, only Israelites could serve in the temple, but Isaiah envisioned people from a list of pagan nations (see Isaiah 66:19) becoming priests and Levites in the Lord’s house. These people could be understood as faithful Israelites who had lived dispersed among the nations for many years (see Acts 2:5–11). More likely, Isaiah saw God giving the non-Israelites in His kingdom equality with Israelite believers.

That is certainly what the apostles believed and taught in the New Testament; Paul celebrated how Christ has broken down the division between Jew and non-Jew (Ephesians 2:13–16), who together make up the new temple of the Lord (Ephesians 81

2:19–21). Just as God took the Levites from among the Israelites and gave them as gifts to the Israelites (Numbers 8:6–19; 18:6) so God will choose non-Israelite believers in the future, taking them “into captivity” in Christ (see Ephesians 4:7–8).

July 29: 2 Kings 21-22, 2 Chronicles 33-34 2 Kings 21 • 2 Kings 21:1-8 Well, so much for the old adage “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree”. I can’t figure why God let Manasseh reign for so long. He even set up an Asherah pole right in the Temple courtyard. That would be like a church setting up places to worship different gods around the sanctuary. Oh, and on special Sunday’s the church will offer child sacrifice for those who want to get rid of their unwanted babies. Go ahead and give them to Molech. That’s how disgusting this king was.

• 2 Kings 21:9 This verse says it all. If you’ll recall, it was the wickedness of these nations that caused God to drive them out of the land. Why should Judah expect anything less?

• 2 Kings 21:15 That’s a long time for God to be angry at these people. Truly He has been patient.

• 2 Kings 21:16 This is the man that probably destroyed all the copies of God’s Law except the one found buried in the Temple Treasury (see 2 Chronicles 34:15). According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was put to death by Manasseh by being sawed in two (Hebrews 11:37 may refer to Isaiah). 2 Chronicles 33 states that Manasseh was taken captive to Babylon by the King of Assyria (probably Ashurbanipal 669-626 BC). While a prisoner, he repented of his sins and was allowed to return to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the damage had been done. His son Amon had learned the power of the Dark Side.

• 2 Kings 21:19-24 Amon reigned only two years (642-640 BC). He was assassinated by his own officials probably because he took the nation back to the practices of Manasseh before his epiphany.

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• 2 Kings 22:1-2 Josiah was one of the best kings Judah ever had. Although we are not given a complete history of his life, it seems his leadership was on par with King David’s.

He reigned for 31 years (640-609 BC), and may have been there even longer had it not been for Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt. While Josiah was king, the powers of the world changed dramatically. He witnessed the fall of Assyria (612 BC), and the rise of the Babylonian Empire.

• 2 Kings 22:3-7 The Temple had not only fallen into disrepair but had been desecrated

by Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh (see 2 Kings 21:7). But at age 26 Josiah decides to clean the land of anything that does not represent the God of Israel. Please note; this is not a revival. This was work to restore National Identity. Josiah was inquisitive about the God of his ancestors but did not know what it meant to worship this God. That would come later.

• 2 Kings 22:8-10 Apparently Manasseh or Amon had destroyed all other copies of these writings of Moses, either the book of Deuteronomy or more like the Pentateuch (the first 5 Books of the Bible). But buried beneath the money in the treasury a copy was found; possibly the only remaining copy. God preserved this for a particular purpose. He preserved it so it could be read; so that a life might be changed.

• 2 Kings 22:11 The fact that Josiah was convicted is an indication that he had not heard these words before. For the first time, he heard what God demanded from His people and from the King. Josiah didn’t just feel sorry that his father and grandfather had sinned against God. He was convicted because he was not living up to God’s expectations as well. In our own lives today we often talk about revival. Christians pray for this to happen in our homes, in our community and in our schools. But revival can only happen after the Word is spoken. Without the Word to instruct, a person is merely spiritual; thinking and pondering about God. They have no idea what God demands and what He requires of us. It frustrates me to hear a bunch of Christians praying for revival but never doing anything to help that revival happen. They pray as if God will swoop down in a mighty cloud and bring about revival. But the truth is that God told His followers to be the ones who go and tell and proclaim. The responsibility to herald the name of Jesus has been given to people like you and me. It is through us the world might know and hear and see 83

the Truth, be convicted, and be revived. Josiah would not have experienced revival if Shaphan had not spoken the Word. Your neighbor will not experience revival if you refuse to speak the Word. If we actually want revival in our communities, then we Christians will need to speak up.

• 2 Kings 22:14 This woman must have been highly respected by these court officials.

There were probably other prophets living in Jerusalem at this time including Jeremiah and Zephaniah (maybe even Nahum and Habakkuk).

• 2 Kings 22:15-20 Notice that God holds Josiah accountable after he knew the Law. I find it interesting that God waited to speak this judgment after Josiah had a chance to hear God’s commands. That’s God’s mercy we’ve just seen here. I wonder if we receive the same merciful treatment today as well. Are people held accountable even though they are ignorant of the Law? To punish someone without them knowing they were doing anything wrong seems merciless. And we all know that we serve a God full of mercy and grace. This is a tough question, one that has been confounding scholars for centuries.

By what standard will God judge someone in the Last Days? Anyone want to take up the debate?

2 Chronicles 33 • 2 Chronicles 33:1-9 Just as Hezekiah did the opposite of his father (Ahaz), Manasseh did the opposite of his (Hezekiah). Things go right back to the way they were, and even worse. Manasseh brought back all the things Ahaz had done and even introduced more.

He set up a shrine to the god’s of the heavens (stars, the sun, and the moon) right in the courtyard of the Temple. So wicked was Manasseh that the Chronicler points out that he led the people to be even more wicked than those people who had previously lived in the land; the very people God drove out of the land because they were detestable in His sight; the very people God destroyed because of their wickedness (2 Chronicles 33:9).

• 2 Chronicles 33:10-13 This repentance is not mentioned in 2 Kings. The Chronicler probably felt it was important to include because it demonstrates that no matter how wicked, and no matter how severe God’s punishment, there is always the hope for restitution; a lesson the remnant would need to know.

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• 2 Chronicles 33: 14 -20 One thing is for sure, Manasseh at least tried to make amends for his wickedness. But because of his general wickedness he was not buried among the other Kings of Judah.

• 2 Chronicles 33:21-25 Amon was just as wicked as his father, except he did not repent.

It doesn’t seem that he was even given an opportunity to repent. He was simply assassinated right on the spot. It has been suggested that either Manasseh or Amon destroyed every existing Book of the Law during their reign (except for the one hidden in the Temple Treasury). If it had been Manasseh, then that might explain why Amon didn’t seem to know any better. If it was Amon, then that might explain his short reign and quick death.

2 Chronicles 34 • 2 Chronicles 34:1-13 This history of Josiah is also recorded in 2 Kings 22:1-7 • 2 Chronicles 34:14-28 The discovery of the Book of the Law is also discussed in 2 Kings 22:8-20.

• 2 Chronicles 34:29-33 Josiah’s recommitment to the Lord can also be found in 2 Kings 23:1-20, where a more detailed account of the Temple Cleansing can be found.

July 30: Jeremiah 1-3 Jeremiah’s father, Hilkiah, was a member of the Levitical priesthood and lived in Anathoth, a small village about three miles northeast of Jerusalem. This city was one of those given to the descendants of Aaron by Joshua (see Joshua 21:15-19). Jeremiah’s ministry extended from “the 13th year of the reign of Josiah” (Jeremiah 1:2) until the Exile of the Jerusalemites (Jeremiah 1:3); from about 627 BC until at least 586 BC. In fact, later chapters indicate that Jeremiah’s ministry continued beyond the fall of Jerusalem to at least 582 BC. One important note to keep in mind as we study Jeremiah is that the book does not appear to be chronological. Some scholars believe Jeremiah grouped his prophecies according to subject while he was in prison. Chapters 2-45 speak of God’s judgment against Judah, and chapters 46-51 speak of God’s judgment against the Gentile nations.

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Jeremiah 1 • Jeremiah 1:1-3 Jeremiah’s father Hilkiah was probably not the same priest who discovered the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:2-14). Anathoth, a city about 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem, was allocated by Joshua to the priests (Joshua 21:15-19). This is where Solomon exiled Abiathar the priest for supporting Adonijah as David’s successor (1 Kings 2:26-27).

• Jeremiah 1:4-10 Regardless of what God had intended to happen through Jeremiah, he still could have refused the task. But, Jeremiah would have been miserable. God would not relent in His constant call of this man. I think Jeremiah would have eventually given in though. The beckoning call of God is not one that is harsh or even condemning.

Even when a person rejects the call, God continues to reach out to the person gently and with tenderness. Probably in his late teens to early twenties, Jeremiah gave God a few objections why he was not suited to the call (too young and inexperienced). Yet God assures him that he will go out with the Lord’s authority. Jeremiah would be speaking not his words and not his wisdom. His lips would be the instrument through which God would speak. As a pastor, I am so thankful that I don’t have to speak my words. I have nothing to say. All I do is point out the things God has already said.

• Jeremiah 1:11-12 The Almond Tree was called the “Awake Tree.” It was the first tree to blossom in Palestine. God assured Jeremiah that He was awake and watching over the world.

• Jeremiah 1:13-16 Babylon would follow the trade routes in her invasion of Judah, which would bring her from the north.

• Jeremiah 1:17-19 This is the difference between someone who desires to speak for God and someone who has been called by God. Those who have been called rely on that calling when times become difficult. I can’t tell you how many times I was ready to give up the pastorate. I would have, too, had it not been for my calling. It is the calling that keeps me in the service of the Lord. And Jeremiah’s struggles have been a source of strength for me and for many others who feel called to church leadership.

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• This chapter contains several excerpts from some of Jeremiah’s early sermons. The word pictures are wonderful.

• Jeremiah 2:1-13 Judah is described as a faithless bride, an ungrateful heir, and a speechless defendant.

• Jeremiah 2:10-13 Jeremiah was right. No other nation has abandoned their god (or gods). Pagan nations continued to worship things that were not gods at all. Yet Israel, who worshiped the One True God, exchanged Him in a heartbeat. This news shocked the heavens.

• Jeremiah 2:23 Faced with God’s accusations, Israel cries out that she didn’t do those things. How stupid it is to stand and lie before God. This is an indication that the nation needed punishment. She stood with the mud on her hands and claimed innocence to the mud stain on the carpet. The time-out chair was not enough this time. If only she had admitted her guilt, God would have been gracious. But to stand and lie awoke His wrath (see Jeremiah 2:35) • Jeremiah 2:27 This is even true today. Only when things are bad do we think of God, and we end up blaming Him for all our troubles; for not caring or loving us enough. Every time some catastrophe hits, He gets labeled as wicked or indifferent. But wait! If we say we don’t believe in God – if we claim science and technology is our future – why blame God for all our troubles? If we have put our faith in science and technology, and not God, why not blame science and technology for failing to save us? This is the point God is trying to make here.

Jeremiah 3 • Jeremiah 3:1-5 It’s not like Judah was lured away from God. No one whispered in her ear tempting her to abandon the God of her youth. She went looking for other gods. She played the harlot. She was the one that took the initiative to find the latest and the greatest god to worship. That’s sad. Judah divorced God, married another, yet when troubles come, she wants God to take her back. His own laws forbid this kind of “marriage” (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Would He ignore His own laws and instead take Judah back? That’s the question Jeremiah is asking here.

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• Jeremiah 3:6-10 Pointing to the idolatry found in Israel (northern tribes), God had hoped that Judah (southern tribes) would learn from Israel’s example. They abandoned God and worshiped idols, so God sent them into exile. Would Judah learn from this?

Unfortunately, they would not. Judah would follow her sister’s footsteps and fall into her own exile. Actually, Judah was even worse than Israel. Judah added hypocrisy to her many sins, pretending to return to the Lord. In that case, Israel actually was more righteous that Judah (see Jeremiah 3:11). At least Israel was honest about abandoning God. I think God has more patience for the person who rejects him outright than the person who merely pretends to be holy.

• Jeremiah 3:12-18 This is a message directed toward the Northern Kingdom. The promise here to the Northern Tribes is conditional on their repentance. If they admit their sin and repent, God will bring them home and restore them to glory. Most importantly God will make sure their leadership would guide them into righteousness and holiness. It was the wickedness of her leaders that led Israel into sin. The idolatrous leaders of Israel caused her to turn away from God. Godly leadership would direct her back to God. I’ve often thought that this promise can bring healing to a broken church as well. When leadership destroys a church, the church needs to admit its guilt. Then God will send them a leader who will guide them back to God. • Jeremiah 3:16 The Ark (we assume) had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar when he plundered Jerusalem.

• Jeremiah 3:18 The nation of Israel divided when Solomon died in 931 BC. They have been divided ever since that time. But one day God will reunite them, and they will worship the Lord in the new Temple in Jerusalem. This is thought to happen during the 1000 year reign of Christ. However, before any of this can happen, a new Temple needs to be built in Jerusalem. If one day we read about the construction of this new Temple, keep your eyes fixed on the sky. Your Lord will not be far behind.

• Jeremiah 3:21-25 This is the cry that God is looking for. He is looking for His people to admit their guilt; to feel remorse for what they have done. This is the humble and repentant heart that God is looking for in His people. This is what God looks for in you 88

and me. This is what God looks for in any person. If we do not admit our sin, He cannot forgive that sin.

July 31: Jeremiah 4-6 Jeremiah 4 • Jeremiah 4:1-2 Here we see the whole picture. God desires holiness and righteousness from His people not so they will be merely at peace with God, but so that others might come to see Him and know Him as Lord. Christians need to keep this truth in mind at all times. We were not saved simply for ourselves. We were saved so that we might become witnesses and workers in this world. Jesus did not die on a cross so that we might keep a pew warm. He died so that we might have life, and so that others might believe through us (John 17:20).

• Jeremiah 4:3-4 The exile of Israel and Judah was punishment for their sin, but God also desired that this punishment might soften the hearts of the people. Like the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-8), a heart needs to be prepared for the message to take root and grow. God was using this calamity to soften their hearts.

• Jeremiah 4:5-18 This is what the calamity would look like. This was a description of the coming destruction.

• Jeremiah 4:19-22 This image of his nation's destruction caused Jeremiah to weep. It saddened him that the people continued to rebel, forcing God to bring this punishment upon them. But before we pass judgment on Jerusalem for not listening, would we be willing to listen to someone who came along and spoke of our destruction? I fear that America has become too much like this Judah we have been reading about. We claim to be a Christian nation but give God lip service at best. We’ve come to depend on ourselves way too much; on our ingenuity and creativity. We’ve lifted ourselves above the other nations of this world and figure we are God’s unique treasure because we mention His name. And we play the harlot; worshiping just about any god you can imagine, even worshiping no god. How much longer do you think God will put up with our 89

arrogance? Have the current events in our nation been a warning sign from God, calling us to repent?

Jeremiah 5 • Jeremiah 5:1-3 This is sad, isn’t it. Jeremiah’s search apparently came up empty.

Jerusalem was worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:22-23).

• Jeremiah 5:13 This is an indication that these people had ears that would not hear and eyes that would not see. Just as Isaiah had problems with these people, so too did Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the other prophets who tried to speak to these hard-hearted people.

• Jeremiah 5:15 This is exactly what God said He would do back in Deuteronomy 28:49.

See how great the Father’s love is for these people. He warned them long ago to not behave this way or they will be punished. Look how long He waited before he finally disciplined this nation.

• Jeremiah 5:18-19 Like a good Father, God would explain why His children were being punished. And he gave His reasons before the discipline began. We see God doing the same thing with Josiah. After he had an opportunity to hear God’s law, only then did God speak about His discipline (see 2 Kings 22:18-20). When Christians today are trying to determine the difference between God’s discipline and a natural disaster, the lesson we can learn from this is that God will let us know beforehand why we are being disciplined.

Anything less would make Him a cruel and unjust God. • Jeremiah 5:31 Preachers stand in the pulpit and proclaim something other than the word of God. Students are taught by seminary professors to read the Bible as the memoirs of men, not the Word of God. And anyone who thinks otherwise is ridiculed as an unenlightened buffoon. People want to make God in their own image, and they will not tolerate someone who teachers anything less. The Christianity of today is strikingly similar to what we see in this period of Judah’s history. The question Jeremiah raises to this nation, God will raise to the people today. What will we do today when the end comes? What end will await those who twist and pervert the Word of God? 90

Jeremiah 6 • Jeremiah 6:1 Beth-hakkerem was a high ridge halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was to lure the people out of the city, apparently to Tekoa, 11 miles south.

• Jeremiah 6:2-9 Jerusalem’s destruction would be complete. It would be devastated.

Its destruction is confirmed in Nehemiah 1:3. Think about what God was willing to do to this city. This was the city that was supposed to reflect His glory. The Temple and the palaces were at one time dedicated to God. Yet God would allow them to be destroyed to discipline these people. True, God does not dwell in a place. But this place was supposed to reflect Him. It was to be His glory. With His glory removed, the area becomes desolate; a wild land. Is there an analogy here between the absence of the Lord in Jerusalem and the absence of the Lord in a person’s heart?

• Jeremiah 6:10-15 If you think back to God’s commands to Joshua, when they were supposed to drive the people out of the promised land, no one was to be spared. And God used Israel to bring His judgment upon the people living in Canaan. Now God would use another nation to drive Judah out of the land because of her wickedness.

• Jeremiah 6:16-21 Isn’t it interesting that God calls all the nations of the earth to watch Judah be punished. Why would he do that? That’s like inviting my neighbors over to watch me spank my children. Perhaps there is a lesson the other nations can learn from this. They might learn that God is above all other gods, for He warns of His discipline.

He is not a wrathful and vengeful God, but a God who justly punishes those He loves.

Perhaps someone might learn of God through this.

• Jeremiah 6:27-30 Although God repeatedly tried to purge the wickedness out of Israel through periods of refining, the dross still remained. The descendants of Jacob were still just as hard as they were when they left Egypt. And so, they will be rejected, tossed aside like something that could be valuable, but was too spoiled to be of any use.

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