February 26, 2010 (Ezekiel 1-8)

Ezekiel uses prophecies, parables, signs, and symbols to dramatize God's message to His exiled people. He again, is a prophet, sent to warn God's people. He had a vision of God and God spoke to him. Here is what God said:

^{Ezekiel 2:3} “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. ⁴ They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ ⁵ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them. ⁶ “Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. ⁷ You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious! ⁸ Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion.

^{Ezekiel 3:4} Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. ⁵ I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand. ⁶ No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! ⁷ But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. ⁸ But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. ⁹ I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.”

¹⁰ Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. ¹¹ Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”

Ezekiel was God's spokesperson, but he was not to speak as an "authority" without first internalizing God's message. I think it's the same today. People don't want to hear what we have to say, they want to see that the message has been internalized in us first, resulting in a changed life.

This following passage is used to teach us that we have a responsibility to proclaim God's message to others....that we are responsible to get God's message out. There are quite serious repercussions if we don't:

^{Ezekiel 3:17} “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. ¹⁸ If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ¹⁹ If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

²⁰ “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ²¹ But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

February 25, 2010 (Jeremiah 46-52, Lamentations 1-5)

Jeremiah ends with the capture and destruction of Jerusalem, which included Jeremiah being taken captive. Lamentations is written by Jeremiah and has three themes:

1. the theme of mourning of Jerusalem's holocaust
2. the theme of confession of sin and acknowledgment of God's righteous and holy judgment
3. the them of hope in God's future restoration of His people

I'm going to dwell on the third theme, just because I am so sick of judgment. I want to be reminded of God's mercies and unfailing love.

^{Lamentations 3:21} Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

²² The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
²³ Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
²⁶ So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
²⁷ And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline.

³¹ For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.

³⁷ Who can command things to happen
without the Lord’s permission?
³⁸ Does not the Most High
send both calamity and good?
³⁹ Then why should we, mere humans, complain
when we are punished for our sins?

⁴⁰ Instead, let us test and examine our ways.
Let us turn back to the Lord.
⁴¹ Let us lift our hearts and hands
to God in heaven and say,
⁴² “We have sinned and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven us.

⁵⁴ The water rose over my head,
and I cried out, “This is the end!”

⁵⁵ But I called on your name, Lord,
from deep within the pit.
⁵⁶ You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!
Hear my cry for help!”
⁵⁷ Yes, you came when I called;
you told me, “Do not fear.”

So, the bottom line is this: God loves us. He wants to bless us, for His name's sake. We have the privilege of seeing 'the end of the story'. We know that it is only through Christ that we can be blessed. Yet we are still responsible for our choices. We can choose to submit to His authority in our lives, or we choose to 'run the ship ourselves'. What choice will I make today?

February 23, 2010 (Jeremiah 41-45, Habakkuk 1-3)

The Judean officials went to Jeremiah and asked him to "Beg the Lord your God to show us what to do and where to go." Jeremiah told them he would, and said that he would tell them everything God told him and would hide nothing from them. Here was there response:

^{Jeremiah 42:5} Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do! ⁶ Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.”

Remember that response from them....

The Bible goes on to say that ten days later, God gave his response to Jeremiah. That was a reminder that God does not always answer us right away. And God's response was to tell them that they were to stay right where they were. They were not to flee to Egypt to escape the Babylonians, but they were to stay put and God would be merciful to them by making the Babylonian king kind. He would make it so that the Babylonian king would let them stay there in their land.

Remember, they said they would do whatever God said? Well, here is their response now:

Jeremiah 43:¹ When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from the Lord their God to all the people, ² Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! The Lord our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt! ³ Baruch son of Neriah has convinced you to say this, because he wants us to stay here and be killed by the Babylonians or be carried off into exile.” ⁴ So Johanan and the other guerrilla leaders and all the people refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah. ⁵ Johanan and the other leaders took with them all the people who had returned from the nearby countries to which they had fled. ⁶ In the crowd were men, women, and children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah. The prophet Jeremiah and Baruch were also included. ⁷ The people refused to obey the voice of the Lord and went to Egypt, going as far as the city of Tahpanhes.

So, you can imagine how that turned out for them. God again speaks through Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 44:10 To this very hour you have shown no remorse or reverence. No one has chosen to follow my word and the decrees I gave to you and your ancestors before you.

¹¹ “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to destroy every one of you! ¹² I will take this remnant of Judah—those who were determined to come here and live in Egypt—and I will consume them. They will fall here in Egypt, killed by war and famine. All will die, from the least to the greatest. They will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. ¹³ I will punish them in Egypt just as I punished them in Jerusalem, by war, famine, and disease. ¹⁴ Of that remnant who fled to Egypt, hoping someday to return to Judah, there will be no survivors. Even though they long to return home, only a handful will do so.”

So now, surely, they will repent and do what God says, right?

^{Jeremiah 44:16} “We will not listen to your messages from the Lord! ¹⁷ We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.

And although I haven't read far enough to find out about their punishment, I know it is coming. God always does what He says He will do, unless they decide to repent.

Habbakuk is another prophecy about how God will raise up the Babylonians to destroy his people for their sin. Habbakuk can't understand it, because the Babylonians are known for their cruelty and evil. He asks:

Should you be silent while the wicked
swallow up people more righteous than they?

Why would He allow these evil barbarians destroy His own people who are more righteous than they? He asked these questions of God and then waited for His answer. God gave him a lengthy answer, but it can all be summed up in this:

^{Habbakuk 2:20} But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”

God will do what He sees fit. If He chooses a people more wicked than His own to bring discipline to His people, so be it. And who is to say He will not bring al-Qaeda to get our attention?

February 22, 2010 (Jeremiah 26-40, Psalm 74, 79, 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36)

Well, when I skip a few days readings, it requires a lot to catch up. But fortunately, I guess, the ending of 2 Chronicles pretty much sums up all of my reading today:

^{2 Chronicles 36:11} Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.¹⁴ Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. ¹⁶ But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

¹⁷ So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians killed Judah’s young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁸ The king took home to Babylon all the articles, large and small, used in the Temple of God, and the treasures from both the Lord’s Temple and from the palace of the king and his officials. ¹⁹ Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value. ²⁰ The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon, and they became servants to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

²¹ So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.

So all the prophecies spoken by Jeremiah came true. The people hated to hear what he had to say. He was imprisoned, put into a cistern to die before being rescued and was hidden by God so that he would not be killed. He kept telling the people the message was not his own, but was from God, and that if they would only obey and surrender they would not be killed. But as we read above, they were stubborn and would not listen and so God finally gave up on them and had the Babylonians destroy them. And from verse 21 above, we see that they were banished for seventy years. But in Jeremiah 29, he prophesied that after those seventy years God would again restore them. Verse 11 is a 'famous' verse, quoted time and time again about God's faithfulness:

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

February 19, 2010 (Jeremiah 4-25)

Lots of chapters to catch up on today...Jeremiah was a prophet who heard from God and spoke His words, but the people would not listen. As I read the following verses I thought of the oceans and the realities of verse 22 - His creation is wonderful. The design shows a Master architect - a Master builder. And then is verse 23 I thought of us today. When we experience a drought, do we realize it is a punishment from God, or do we just assume it is because of certain weather patterns. Jesus showed us that He controls the weather, but calming the wind and the waves.

^{Jeremiah 5:21} Listen, you foolish and senseless people,
with eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear.
²² Have you no respect for me?
Why don’t you tremble in my presence?
I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline
as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.
The waves may toss and roar,
but they can never pass the boundaries I set.
²³ But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned away and abandoned me.
²⁴ They do not say from the heart,
‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God,
for he gives us rain each spring and fall,
assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’
²⁵ Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings.
Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a guest speaker we had at church - the President of Children's Hope Chest here in Colorado Springs. Their mission statement, and also Compassion International's, affirms they are dealing not only with the physical needs of orphans and children, but also the spiritual. And I would have to say that it is because of their desire to see the spiritual needs met that they try to accomplish that through first meeting the physical needs. I thought of that as I read:

^{Jeremiah 8:11} They offer superficial treatments
for my people’s mortal wound.

Those ministries (and others) are not trying to provide superficial treatments, but are dealing with the 'mortal wounds' - namely a life without Christ.

What is it we should be proud of?

^{Jeremiah 9:23} This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
²⁴ But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

I liked the following word picture. God commanded Jeremiah to wear a linen belt around his waist, and then told him to hide it in a hole in the rocks of the Euphrates River. After a while he was told to dig it up and discovered it was mildewed and falling apart. Now it was useless. This was what God said about that illustration:

^{Jeremiah 13:9} “This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this linen belt—good for nothing! ¹¹ As a belt clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.

Jeremiah gives the same message as Isaiah did. What does it mean to know God? Again, we are told that knowing Him means giving justice and help to the poor and needy.

^{Jeremiah 22:15} But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king!
Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink.
But he was just and right in all his dealings.
That is why God blessed him.
¹⁶ He gave justice and help to the poor and needy,
and everything went well for him.
Isn’t that what it means to know me?”
says the Lord.

February 16, 2020 (Zephaniah 1-3, Jeremiah 1-3)

I don't think I'll be out of the 'judgment/prophecy of destruction' books anytime soon. It's repeated over and over and over. It's as if God is saying, "Maybe if they keep hearing it, they will finally obey". As I write that, I think of parenting, and over and over we keep 'admonishing' about certain things, thinking it if they 'keep hearing it', maybe they will obey. But at some point, we get tired of that and say, "Live however you want. We're not going to keep nagging". But then, when we see wrong choices, we get back to 'admonishing' for their own good. Is God like that? At some point, does He say, "I've told them enough. They know how to live.", and then 'test us' to see what we will do? I think He does.....If only we would heed His calls to obedience....

^{Zephaniah 1:6} And I will destroy those who used to worship me
but now no longer do.
They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance
or seek my blessings.” ⁷ Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord,
for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near.

^{Zephaniah 2:3} Seek the Lord, all who are humble,
and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right
and to live humbly.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you—
protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.

^{Zephaniah 3:2} No one can tell it anything;
it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord
or draw near to its God.

⁷ I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!
Surely they will listen to my warnings.
Then I won’t need to strike again,
destroying their homes.’
But no, they get up early
to continue their evil deeds.

And here's a verse that shows that life is even planned out before conception:

^{Jeremiah 1:4} The Lord gave me this message:

⁵ “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

And then a rebuttal for giving God excuses about what we can and can't do:

⁶ “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

⁷ The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸ And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

¹⁷ “Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them,
or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
¹⁸ For see, today I have made you strong
like a fortified city that cannot be captured,
like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—
the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
¹⁹ They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

That all reminds me of the verse in Romans that says, "If God is with us, who can be against us?"

And then in this following section, it's as if God is incredulous over the way His people were so close to Him, and then forgot Him to follow their own ways:

This is what the Lord says: “I remember how eager you were to please me
as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
even through the barren wilderness.

⁵ This is what the Lord says: “What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
⁶ They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—

Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols!
¹² The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says the Lord.
¹³ “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all!

I love the visual pictures that God creates....Him being the fountain of living waters - I envision it bubbling with pure, fresh water - overflowing and springing up. He says we do evil when we reject this "living water". Jesus also talks of "living water" in John 4 & 7:


^{John 4:5} Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. ⁷ Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” ⁸ He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

⁹ The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

¹¹ “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? ¹² And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

¹³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

^{John 7:37} On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! ³⁸ Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” ³⁹ (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

And then God talks about our own efforts....living this life on our own and the futility of it all. A cistern is not a spring - it is a container used to hold water. So the water doesn't get there on it's own...it has to be supplied. So there is effort to get the water in, and then God says our efforts are like putting water into a cracked cistern...wasted efforts. Why do we reject this "living water"?

February 15, 2010 (Nahum 1-3, 2 Kings 22-23, 2 Chronicles 34-35)

There was one verse in Nahum that jumped out to me. Just one simple little verse that has major implications:

^{Nahum 1:3} The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great,
and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.

The phrase 'and he never lets the guilty go unpunished'. Who are the 'guilty ones'? We are all. So all the guilty will be punished. As I read this, I again thought of Christ and what He has done for us. He is the one who took our punishment so that we could go free. Another reminder of the amazing grace of God.

The Kings and Chronicles accounts are about Josiah, who became King at the age of eight.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. ² He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right. ³ During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David.

During the eighth year of his reign, when he was 16 he began to see God. And it looks as if he found Him, since it says he did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight.

Someone found "the book of the law" in the temple and King Josiah read it to all the people. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all His commands, regulations and laws with all his heart and soul. He made all the people to make a similar pledge. So Josiah removed all the idols from the entire land and throughout his lifetime they did not turn away from the Lord. The phrase "throughout his lifetime" they did not turn away. Was that because they were only doing what he had required them to do? And once he was dead, they turned back to their own ways? That is why obedience has to be a "heart" issue, and not an "authority" issue.

After King Josiah had finished restoring the temple, the King Neco of Egypt led his army to do battle with his enemy at the Euphrates River, but Josiah and his army marched out to fight him. King Neco told Josiah to leave him alone, as he had no quarrel with him, but Josiah would not listen. Long story short, Josiah was killed in battle. What happened to the king who "always did what was pleasing in His sight"? This account makes no reference to Josiah inquiring of God as to what he should do, but King Neco told Josiah that God had told him to fight this battle, and that he should not interfere with him, or God would destroy him. This has to make you stop and think about life and seeking God's will. How often do we really lay our plans before Him and wait for an answer? And without doing further study, I would have to think the Egyptians were not a 'God fearing' nation. So Josiah probably also questioned the King's claim that God had spoken to him.

After Josiah was buried, his son, Jehoahaz, became king. The short account of Jehoahaz is that he was twenty-three when he became king and he reigned for three months. It says "He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord". So sad that his father chose one path, to serve God, and he chose another.

February 14, 2010 (2 Kings 20-21, 2 Chronicles 32-33)

Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became king. Here is how his reign started:

2 Chronicles 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. ² He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. ³ He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.

And what did that get him?

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. ¹¹ So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.


Unfortunately, that is what has to happen to us sometimes, before we will turn to God. We are 'taken captive' by our sins and become 'bound by chains of addiction'. And for some, it is only through experiencing this 'dead end' path of existence that we realize that there must be something better out there for us. For Manasseh, that was what it took for him to take stock of his life and realize he was on the wrong path.


¹² But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!

God knows our hearts, and he knew that Manasseh meant business. I think as parents, this is what we want for our children. God uses us to speak on His behalf, as well as He speaks to them through His word, and our children can either heed the warnings, or ignore them. Just as God wants to spare us the pain and suffering of wrong choices because of His love for us, that is what we want for our children. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way. May God give our children the grace to humbly accept His word, given through parents and others, and obviously through the Bible.

Manasseh had a 'salvation experience'. Here are a few things he did after this encounter with God:

¹⁴ After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David.
¹⁵ Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the Lord’s Temple.
He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.
¹⁶ Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.
¹⁷ However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to the Lord their God.

When we realize there is more to life than living for ourselves, and give our lives to Christ, there are changes. We are different people. There should be evidence of this changed life to others.

Following is the 'end of the story' for Manasseh:

¹⁸ The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, his prayer to God, and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁹ Manasseh’s prayer, the account of the way God answered him, and an account of all his sins and unfaithfulness are recorded in The Record of the Seers.

How would you like it if all your sins were recorded? I know I wouldn't. And that's the problem when we don't live for God. Someone, somewhere notices. I don't know that anyone is writing an account of our lives, but it gives us something to think about. If God was writing a 'modern day' Bible, with the accounts of our lives in it, is it something we would want shared? Or would we hope that no one ever saw it.

February 13, 2010 (Isaiah 59-66)

Today finishes Isaiah. And today finishes the prophet's constant prodding about obedience. Chapter 59 starts out this way:

¹ Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
² It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
Because of your sins, he has turned away
and will not listen anymore.

And as I read the following section I thought of the ACLU and their constant attacks against those who want to proclaim God's name and living for Him. I also thought of the court ruling mentioned earlier about the Ten Commandments having to be removed from Montgomery Alabama:

Isaiah 59:¹⁴ Our courts oppose the righteous,
and justice is nowhere to be found.
Truth falls dead in the streets,
and fairness has been outlawed.
¹⁵ Yes, truth is gone,
and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked.
The Lord looked and was displeased
to find there was no justice.

What does God love? What does He hate?

^{Isaiah 61:8} “For I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
and make an everlasting covenant with them.

And again, I think we get a glimpse of the attitude that those of us who know the Lord, who have been saved by His grace, should have:

^{Isaiah 61:10} I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
or a bride with her jewels.

I think God is trying to get our focus 'heavenward' instead of 'earthward'. He wants us to be overwhelmed with joy in Him because of what He has done for us. In the New Testament we are admonished to set our sights on heaven:

^{Colossians 3:1} Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ² Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. ³ For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

I'm finding it is exciting to see how the Old Testament compliments the New. And the New references back to the Old time and time again.

And now, back to the same struggle of His people:

^{Isaiah 63:7} I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love.
I will praise the Lord for all he has done.
I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,
which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
⁸ He said, “They are my very own people.
Surely they will not betray me again.”
And he became their Savior.
⁹ In all their suffering he also suffered,
and he personally rescued them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
He lifted them up and carried them
through all the years.
¹⁰ But they rebelled against him
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy
and fought against them.

And now, without commentary I guess, a few more verses I highlighted:

^{Isaiah 64:4} For since the world began,
no ear has heard,
and no eye has seen a God like you,
who works for those who wait for him!
⁵ You welcome those who gladly do good,
who follow godly ways.

^{Isaiah 65:1} The Lord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’
to a nation that did not call on my name.
² All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people.
But they follow their own evil paths
and their own crooked schemes.


¹⁰ The plain of Sharon will again be filled with flocks
for my people who have searched for me,
and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds.

¹¹ “But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord
and have forgotten his Temple,
and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate
and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny,
¹² now I will ‘destine’ you for the sword.
All of you will bow down before the executioner.
For when I called, you did not answer.
When I spoke, you did not listen.
You deliberately sinned—before my very eyes—
and chose to do what you know I despise.”

¹⁷ “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,
and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
¹⁸ Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!


^{Isaiah 66:1} This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Could you build me a temple as good as that?
Could you build me such a resting place?
² My hands have made both heaven and earth;
they and everything in them are mine.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts,
who tremble at my word.
³ But those who choose their own ways—
delighting in their detestable sins—
will not have their offerings accepted.

¹⁵ See, the Lord is coming with fire,
and his swift chariots roar like a whirlwind.
He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger
and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke.
¹⁶ The Lord will punish the world by fire
and by his sword.
He will judge the earth,
and many will be killed by him.

And then the book of Isaiah ends with the following words:

²² “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain,
so will you always be my people,
with a name that will never disappear,”
says the Lord.
²³ “All humanity will come to worship me
from week to week
and from month to month.
²⁴ And as they go out, they will see
the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me.
For the worms that devour them will never die,
and the fire that burns them will never go out.
All who pass by
will view them with utter horror.”

My footnote says of verse 24: God never intends his last word to be judgment, but this does not mean there will be some universal amnesty at the end of the world. Cause and effect will still be in force. Those who have refused to avail themselves of God's provision in Christ, who have insisted on their won ways and have rebelled against God's ways, will face eternal judgment. The figures here are later used to describe hell.

February 12, 2010 (Isaiah 49-58)

Kind of a "mixed bag" of thoughts today. Here's one of the first things I read:

^{Isaiah 49:3} He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”

⁴ I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”

You know, it's easy to feel that way. "What's the use? Why am I expending all this energy for God's work? It's amounting to nothing." But that's just what the enemy of our souls wants us to think. And we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. And so we must leave it in God's hand, and just trust Him for our reward.

In this next section, I had always thought it was a Messianic prophecy, but my footnotes make no mention of that.

^{Isaiah 50:4} The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
⁵ The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,
and I have listened.
I have not rebelled or turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
I did not hide my face
from mockery and spitting.

⁷ Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.
⁸ He who gives me justice is near.
Who will dare to bring charges against me now?
Where are my accusers?
Let them appear!
⁹ See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side!
Who will declare me guilty?
All my enemies will be destroyed
like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!

¹⁰ Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
¹¹ But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.

My reading for today encompassed Isaiah 53. This chapter is referenced as a 'Major Messianic Passage'. As I read a certain section of this, I again thought of David Hames, our acquaintance (I would call him friend, and he was, just not a close friend) that was killed in Haiti. Here are the verses that stuck out to me:

^{Isaiah 53:10} But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.

This is obviously pointing to Christ, but I thought of the similarities. Our friend was 'crushed' in the rubble, but his life was lived in such a way that his funeral will speak volumes to our city. I have a feeling that many will come to Christ as they attend his funeral. His life was one of purpose. He was a Messianic Jew, coming to Christ about seven years ago. As I thought of the above verses and their pointing to Christ, I thought "Christ didn't live a long life. He died at the age of 33". But, Christ is not dead, and neither is David. He is more alive than he has ever been and he is now experiencing the reality of his faith. And I think of verse 11 - and knowing him and his heart for orphans and children, if he sees people come to Christ because of his anguish, he will be satisfied. That is my opinion, at least.

And again, we are challenged to seek the Lord:

Isaiah 55:³ “Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

⁶ Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

And finally, this is the section that we used for "Mama Debra's" gravestone:

Isaiah 57:¹ Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
² For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.

There is so much more. God's word is rich with wisdom. But I will try to keep these fairly brief.

February 11, 2010 (Isaiah 40-48)

I found today's reading very interesting. As I saw it was more of Isaiah, I was actually dreading it, but I was wrong. It is helping me. We just found out this week that a wonderful man from our church, David Hames, has finally been found in the Hotel Montana. But he was not found alive. There were so many praying for his rescue. So many believing that God would do a miracle. So many KNOWING that God was able to do such a thing. But now, we are coming to grips with the fact that that was not His plan. Below are some verses that spoke to me about that very issue.

^{Isaiah 40:12} Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
¹³ Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
¹⁴ Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?

^{Isaiah 43:10} “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
there never has been, and there never will be.
¹¹ I, yes I, am the Lord,
and there is no other Savior.
¹² First I predicted your rescue,
then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.
No foreign god has ever done this.
You are witnesses that I am the only God,”
says the Lord.
¹³ “From eternity to eternity I am God.
No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
No one can undo what I have done.”

^{Isaiah 45:7} I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

⁹ “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
¹⁰ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”

¹¹ This is what the Lord says—
the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my children?
Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
¹² I am the one who made the earth
and created people to live on it.
With my hands I stretched out the heavens.
All the stars are at my command.

^{Isaiah 40:25} “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

²⁶ Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
not a single one is missing.
²⁷ O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
²⁸ Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

Who am I to say to God, "What you have done is wrong". But with the proclamations of His majesty and knowledge, also come declarations of His love and care:

^{Isaiah 40:29} He gives power to those who are tired and worn out.
He offers strength to the weak.
³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 41:⁹ I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
and will not throw you away.
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

^{Isaiah 43:1} But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Isaiah 46:3b I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
⁴ I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.

And then there were verses reaffirming what God is speaking into my heart about my relationship with Him, and about the state of our country.

^{Isaiah 40:6} A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”

“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”

^9b Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
¹⁰ Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.

^{Isaiah 42:18} “Listen, you who are deaf!
Look and see, you blind!
¹⁹ Who is as blind as my own people, my servant?
Who is as deaf as my messenger?
Who is as blind as my chosen people,
the servant of the Lord?
²⁰ You see and recognize what is right
but refuse to act on it.
You hear with your ears,
but you don’t really listen.”

²¹ Because he is righteous,
the Lord has exalted his glorious law.
²² But his own people have been robbed and plundered,
enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped.
They are fair game for anyone
and have no one to protect them,
no one to take them back home.

²³ Who will hear these lessons from the past
and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?
²⁴ Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt?
It was the Lord, against whom we sinned,
for the people would not walk in his path,
nor would they obey his law.
²⁵ Therefore, he poured out his fury on them
and destroyed them in battle.
They were enveloped in flames,
but they still refused to understand.
They were consumed by fire,
but they did not learn their lesson.

^{Isaiah 43:21} I have made Israel for myself,
and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

²² “But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.
You have grown tired of me, O Israel!
²³ You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings.
You have not honored me with sacrifices,
though I have not burdened and wearied you
with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.
²⁴ You have not brought me fragrant calamus
or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your faults.

^{Isaiah 44:20} The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”

²¹ “Pay attention, O Jacob,
for you are my servant, O Israel.
I, the Lord, made you,
and I will not forget you.
²² I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free.”

²³ Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done this wondrous thing.
Shout for joy, O depths of the earth!
Break into song,
O mountains and forests and every tree!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and is glorified in Israel.

And so, another long blog, and for the sake of time I haven't even included nearly all the verses that I could have. I think of the verse, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!" Look back at those last two verses. He has swept away our sins...He has paid the price to set us free! Break into song! I am convinced we take our salvation for granted. We have been deceived by the lies of this world into thinking that this world is our home. It is not. David is Home! He has received the reward for his faith, and he is Home. This life on earth is not to be lived for "the now", it is to be lived for eternity. But am I really doing that? What is God's Kingdom plan for me? Questions that are good for all of us.