From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Jul 1 20:47:27 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:47:27 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - Isaiah 11 - 12 Message-ID: <4E0E6A9F.8090501@bibleseven.com> Saturday Isaiah 11 - 12 An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace 11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse's root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots. 11:2 The Lord's spirit will rest on him -- a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. 11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by mere appearances, or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and order the wicked to be executed. 11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist, integrity will be like a belt around his hips. 11:6 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along. 11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A lion, like an ox, will eat straw. 11:8 A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand. 11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the Lord's sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea. Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited 11:10 At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic. 11:11 At that time the sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts. 11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations; he will gather Israel's dispersed people and assemble Judah's scattered people from the four corners of the earth. 11:13 Ephraim's jealousy will end, and Judah's hostility will be eliminated. Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim. 11:14 They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects. 11:15 The Lord will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind, he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, and enable them to walk across in their sandals. 11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria for the remnant of his people, just as there was for Israel, when they went up from the land of Egypt. 12:1 At that time you will say: "I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me. 12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer." 12:3 Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance. 12:4 At that time you will say: "Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique! 12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things, let this be known throughout the earth! 12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel acts mightily among you!" Prayer Lord, when You return -- in the form of a glorified Jesus the Christ -- it will be to restore the earth and all that is on and in and above it to essentially what was the pre-Fall Edenic condition. Commentary The prophesy of the Lord God, as delivered through Isaiah, elaborated upon the coming Messiah, describing the pre-Fall Edenic peace that would come to all people and to every creature because "... there will be universal submission to the Lord's sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea. He promised to gather-in all of the dispersed people of Israel, indeed to even dry-up the Euphrates so that the path of their travel home would be eased. Praise and thanks and worship would flow like a river "At that time you will say: "I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me. Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer." Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance. At that time you will say: "Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique! Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things, let this be known throughout the earth! Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel acts mightily among you!"" Interaction Consider No room is left in this prophesy of the coming Messiah that He is anything short of a member of the unique trinitarian God, as it is written "At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic. At that time the sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people ..." The Messiah, Jesus the Christ, is also "The Sovereign Master". Discuss Is there any doubt that this section of text describes the return of Jesus "... universal submission to the Lord's sovereignty ...", since such a submission has never before occurred? Reflect The natural response of a freed people is praise and thanks. Share When have you imagine what the 'restored Eden' might be and look like? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a renewed desire to be absolutely surrendered to the Lordship of Christ in your life. Action: Today I will prayerfully contemplate and then submit to partner with the Holy Spirit one more part of my life, which I have withheld from Him, and then keeping that one under His Lordship to add another and another ... continuing until my days on this temporary earth have ended. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: Isaiah 13 - 24:20 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Jul 2 21:38:04 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 02 Jul 2011 21:38:04 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Sunday_-_Isaiah_13_=96_24=3A2?= =?windows-1252?q?0?= Message-ID: <4E0FC7FC.2050705@bibleseven.com> Sunday Isaiah 13 ? 24:20 13:1 The Lord Will Judge Babylon This is a message about Babylon that God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz: 13:2 On a bare hill raise a signal flag, shout to them, wave your hand, so they might enter the gates of the princes! 13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones. 13:4 There is a loud noise on the mountains ? it sounds like a large army! There is great commotion among the kingdoms ? nations are being assembled! The Lord who commands armies is mustering forces for battle. 13:5 They come from a distant land, from the horizon. It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, coming to destroy the whole earth. 13:6 Wail, for the Lord?s day of judgment is near; it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. 13:7 For this reason all hands hang limp, every human heart loses its courage. 13:8 They panic ? cramps and pain seize hold of them like those of a woman who is straining to give birth. They look at one another in astonishment; their faces are flushed red. 13:9 Look, the Lord?s day of judgment is coming; it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger, destroying the earth and annihilating its sinners. 13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations no longer give out their light; the sun is darkened as soon as it rises, and the moon does not shine. 13:11 I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their sin. I will put an end to the pride of the insolent, I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. 13:12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold, and people more scarce than gold from Ophir. 13:13 So I will shake the heavens, and the earth will shake loose from its foundation, because of the fury of the Lord who commands armies, in the day he vents his raging anger. 13:14 Like a frightened gazelle or a sheep with no shepherd, each will turn toward home, each will run to his homeland. 13:15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed; everyone who is seized will die by the sword. 13:16 Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives raped. 13:17 Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; they are not concerned about silver, nor are they interested in gold. 13:18 Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons; they have no compassion on a person?s offspring, they will not look with pity on children. 13:19 Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the Chaldeans? source of honor and pride, will be destroyed by God just as Sodom and Gomorrah were. 13:20 No one will live there again; no one will ever reside there again. No bedouin will camp there, no shepherds will rest their flocks there. 13:21 Wild animals will rest there, the ruined houses will be full of hyenas. Ostriches will live there, wild goats will skip among the ruins. 13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses, jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces. Her time is almost up, her days will not be prolonged. 14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family of Jacob. 14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord?s land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, 14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: ?Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased! 14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers. 14:6 It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint. 14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song. 14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ?Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!? 14:9 Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones. 14:10 All of them respond to you, saying: ?You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us! 14:11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you. 14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! 14:13 You said to yourself, ?I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 14:14 I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!? 14:15 But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the pit. 14:16 Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: ?Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble? 14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert, who ruined its cities, and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home??? 14:18 As for all the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in splendor, each in his own tomb. 14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave like a shoot that is thrown away. You lie among the slain, among those who have been slashed by the sword, among those headed for the stones of the pit, as if you were a mangled corpse. 14:20 You will not be buried with them, because you destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again. 14:21 Prepare to execute his sons for the sins their ancestors have committed. They must not rise up and take possession of the earth, or fill the surface of the world with cities.? 14:22 ?I will rise up against them,? says the Lord who commands armies. ?I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, including the offspring she produces,? says the Lord. 14:23 ?I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals and covered with pools of stagnant water. I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,? says the Lord who commands armies. 14:24 The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow: ?Be sure of this: Just as I have intended, so it will be; just as I have planned, it will happen. 14:25 I will break Assyria in my land, I will trample them underfoot on my hills. Their yoke will be removed from my people, the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. 14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth; my hand is ready to strike all the nations.? 14:27 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has a plan, and who can possibly frustrate it? His hand is ready to strike, and who can possibly stop it? The Lord Will Judge the Philistines 14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, this message was revealed: 14:29 Don?t be so happy, all you Philistines, just because the club that beat you has been broken! For a viper will grow out of the serpent?s root, and its fruit will be a darting adder. 14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; the needy will rest securely. But I will kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors. 14:31 Wail, O city gate! Cry out, O city! Melt with fear, all you Philistines! For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her. The Lord Will Judge Moab 15:1 Here is a message about Moab: Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Ar of Moab is destroyed! Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Kir of Moab is destroyed! 15:2 They went up to the temple, the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off. 15:3 In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their roofs and in their town squares all of them wail, they fall down weeping. 15:4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. For this reason Moab?s soldiers shout in distress; their courage wavers. 15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab?s plight, and for the fugitives stretched out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim are gone; the grass is dried up, the vegetation has disappeared, and there are no plants. 15:7 For this reason what they have made and stored up, they carry over the Stream of the Poplars. 15:8 Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory; their wailing can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim. 15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon are full of blood! Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. A lion will attack the Moabite fugitives and the people left in the land. 16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the hill of Daughter Zion. 16:2 At the fords of the Arnon the Moabite women are like a bird that flies about when forced from its nest. 16:3 ?Bring a plan, make a decision! Provide some shade in the middle of the day! Hide the fugitives! Do not betray the one who tries to escape! 16:4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live among you. Hide them from the destroyer!? Certainly the one who applies pressure will cease, the destroyer will come to an end, those who trample will disappear from the earth. 16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established; he will rule in a reliable manner, this one from David?s family. He will be sure to make just decisions and will be experienced in executing justice. 16:6 We have heard about Moab?s pride, their great arrogance, their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty! 16:7 So Moab wails over its demise ? they all wail! Completely devastated, they moan about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. 16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up, as well as the vines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines, which reach Jazer and spread to the desert; their shoots spread out and cross the sea. 16:9 So I weep along with Jazer over the vines of Sibmah. I will saturate you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh, for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly over your fruit and crops. 16:10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards, and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts; no one treads out juice in the wine vats ? I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 16:11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, my inner being sighs for Kir Hareseth. 16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! 16:13 This is the message the Lord previously announced about Moab. 16:14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: ?Within exactly three years Moab?s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left.? The Lord Will Judge Damascus 17:1 Here is a message about Damascus: ?Look, Damascus is no longer a city, it is a heap of ruins! 17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. They will be used for herds, which will lie down there in peace. 17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim, and Damascus will lose its kingdom. The survivors in Syria will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,? says the Lord who commands armies. 17:4 ?At that time Jacob?s splendor will be greatly diminished, and he will become skin and bones. 17:5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest, and his hand gleans the ear of grain. It will be like one gathering the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. 17:6 There will be some left behind, like when an olive tree is beaten ? two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top, four or five on its fruitful branches,? says the Lord God of Israel. 17:7 At that time men will trust in their creator; they will depend on the Holy One of Israel. 17:8 They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. 17:9 At that time their fortified cities will be like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, which they abandoned because of the Israelites; there will be desolation. 17:10 For you ignore the God who rescues you; you pay no attention to your strong protector. So this is what happens: You cultivate beautiful plants and plant exotic vines. 17:11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout. Yet the harvest will disappear in the day of disease and incurable pain. 17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea?s waves. The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. 17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, when he shouts at them, they will flee to a distant land, driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills, or like dead thistles before a strong gale. 17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; by morning they vanish. This is the fate of those who try to plunder us, the destiny of those who try to loot us! The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South 18:1 The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, the one beyond the rivers of Cush, 18:2 that sends messengers by sea, who glide over the water?s surface in boats made of papyrus. Go, you swift messengers, to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, to a people that are feared far and wide, to a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide. 18:3 All you who live in the world, who reside on the earth, you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown. 18:4 For this is what the Lord has told me: ?I will wait and watch from my place, like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.? 18:5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted, and the ripening fruit appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will prune the tendrils. 18:6 They will all be left for the birds of the hills and the wild animals; the birds will eat them during the summer, and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter. 18:7 At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies, by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned, a people that are feared far and wide, a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide. The tribute will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. The Lord Will Judge Egypt 19:1 Here is a message about Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud and approaches Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the Egyptians lose their courage. 19:2 ?I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, brothers will fight with each other, as will neighbors, cities, and kingdoms. 19:3 The Egyptians will panic, and I will confuse their strategy. They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead, from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. 19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master; a powerful king will rule over them,? says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies. 19:5 The water of the sea will be dried up, and the river will dry up and be empty. 19:6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up; the bulrushes and reeds will decay, 19:7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. All the cultivated land near the river will turn to dust and be blown away. 19:8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all those who cast a fishhook into the river, and those who spread out a net on the water?s surface will grieve. 19:9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed; those who weave will turn pale. 19:10 Those who make cloth will be demoralized; all the hired workers will be depressed. 19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; Pharaoh?s wise advisers give stupid advice. How dare you say to Pharaoh, ?I am one of the sages, one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?? 19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? Let them tell you, let them find out what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt. 19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools, the officials of Memphis are misled; the rulers of her tribes lead Egypt astray. 19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; they lead Egypt astray in all she does, so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 19:15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing, head or tail, shoots and stalk. 19:16 At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them. 19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. 19:18 At that time five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. 19:19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar dedicated to the Lord at its border. 19:20 It will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender who will rescue them. 19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they will acknowledge the Lord?s authority at that time. They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 19:22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers and heal them. 19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing in the earth. 19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, ?Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!? 20:1 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it. 20:2 At that time the Lord announced through Isaiah son of Amoz: ?Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.? He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments and barefoot. 20:3 Later the Lord explained, ?In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated. 20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed. 20:6 At that time those who live on this coast will say, ?Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now??? The Lord Will Judge Babylon 21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the desert, from a land that is feared. 21:2 I have received a distressing message: ?The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!? 21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see. 21:4 My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror. 21:5 Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers, smear oil on the shields! 21:6 For this is what the sovereign master has told me: ?Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees. 21:7 When he sees chariots, teams of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, very alert.? 21:8 Then the guard cries out: ?On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night. 21:9 Look what?s coming! A charioteer, a team of horses.? When questioned, he replies, ?Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!? 21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I have heard from the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel, I have reported to you. Bad News for Seir 21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, ?Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?? 21:12 The watchman replies, ?Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again.? The Lord Will Judge Arabia 21:13 Here is a message about Arabia: In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night, you Dedanite caravans. 21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring some food for the fugitives. 21:15 For they flee from the swords ? from the drawn sword and from the battle-ready bow and from the severity of the battle. 21:16 For this is what the sovereign master has told me: ?Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.? Indeed, the Lord God of Israel has spoken. The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem 22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops? 22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds; the town is filled with revelry. Your slain were not cut down by the sword; they did not die in battle. 22:3 All your leaders ran away together ? they fled to a distant place; all your refugees were captured together ? they were captured without a single arrow being shot. 22:4 So I say: ?Don?t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don?t try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.? 22:5 For the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the hill. 22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver, and came with chariots and horsemen; the men of Kir prepared the shield. 22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; horsemen confidently took their positions at the gate. 22:8 They removed the defenses of Judah. At that time you looked for the weapons in the House of the Forest. 22:9 You saw the many breaks in the walls of the city of David; you stored up water in the lower pool. 22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. 22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool ? but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago! 22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth. 22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! You say, ?Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!? 22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: ?Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,? says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies. 22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: ?Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him: 22:16 ?What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff. 22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly. 22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 22:19 I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position. 22:20 ?At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father?s family. 22:24 His father?s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.? 22:25 ?At that time,? says the Lord who commands armies, ?the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.? Indeed, the Lord has spoken. The Lord Will Judge Tyre 23:1 Here is a message about Tyre: Wail, you large ships, for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is announced to them. 23:2 Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea, whose agents sail over 23:3 the deep waters! Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she receives; she is the trade center of the nations. 23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea: ?I have not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women.? 23:5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre. 23:6 Travel to Tarshish! Wail, you residents of the coast! 23:7 Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside? 23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the dignitaries of the earth? 23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it ? to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth. 23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre. 23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook kingdoms; he gave the order to destroy Canaan?s fortresses. 23:12 He said, ?You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.? 23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity! The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins. 23:14 Wail, you large ships, for your fortress is destroyed! 23:15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 23:16 ?Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you?ll be noticed!? 23:17 At the end of seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth?s kingdoms. 23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord?s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. The Lord Will Judge the Earth 24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth and leave it in ruins; he will mar its surface and scatter its inhabitants. 24:2 Everyone will suffer ? the priest as well as the people, the master as well as the servant, the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, the seller as well as the buyer, the borrower as well as the lender, the creditor as well as the debtor. 24:3 The earth will be completely devastated and thoroughly ransacked. For the Lord has decreed this judgment. 24:4 The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and withers; the prominent people of the earth fade away. 24:5 The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have violated laws, disregarded the regulation, and broken the permanent treaty. 24:6 So a treaty curse devours the earth; its inhabitants pay for their guilt. This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, and are reduced to just a handful of people. 24:7 The new wine dries up, the vines shrivel up, all those who like to celebrate groan. 24:8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt, the happy sound of the harp ceases. 24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it. 24:10 The ruined town is shattered; all of the houses are shut up tight. 24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; all joy turns to sorrow; celebrations disappear from the earth. 24:12 The city is left in ruins; the gate is reduced to rubble. 24:13 This is what will happen throughout the earth, among the nations. It will be like when they beat an olive tree, and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. 24:14 They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the Lord in the west. 24:15 So in the east extol the Lord, along the seacoasts extol the fame of the Lord God of Israel. 24:16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs ? the Just One is majestic. But I say, ?I?m wasting away! I?m wasting away! I?m doomed! Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!? 24:17 Terror, pit, and snare are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth! 24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit; the one who climbs out of the pit, will be trapped by the snare. For the floodgates of the heavens are opened up and the foundations of the earth shake. 24:19 The earth is broken in pieces, the earth is ripped to shreds, the earth shakes violently. 24:20 The earth will stagger around like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get up again. Prayer Lord, You declared Your sovereign intent to punish the Israelite rebels and also the pagans who far-over-stepped their reasonable purpose in punishing Israel; not only bragging that they and their false pagan gods accomplished their empire-building alone, but also blaspheming You. At the end of these eleven chapters of Your judgment may I remember that every choice has a consequence, sometimes not immediately obvious, and sometimes terrible. Commentary Isaiah recorded the detailed proclamation of the Lord God's judgment of the nations, Israel and her enemies alike, and for each it was to be terrible. The detailed nature of the actions of the pagan nations whom the Lord God allowed to serve as His bludgeon against Israel is representative of their free will and of their heart-condition apart from Him. He neither desired nor did He cause them to choose to murder babies nor rape women but because Israel had insisted upon driving Him away He chose to stand by and allow the hellish-consequences of a fallen world without His presence to be their experience. As he addressed each Isaiah presented the Lord God's charges against each nation and then His judgment against them. As He deemed appropriate the Lord God led Isaiah to share a message of hope for some of the nations, e.g. Tyre, though their renewal was in the context of service to Him rather than themselves. Interaction Consider The magnitude of the devastation was to be massive, yet the process may remind one of the Great White Throne Judgment wherein which each individual will be called to account, charges laid against them, and Judgment (or freedom via Christ) meted out. Discuss Why might the Lord God have chosen to treat Tyre as He did? Reflect The heart-attitude that brought the nations into conflict with the Lord God is much the same as that which plagues people even today; arrogance, lust, spiritual rebellion, and violence. Share When have you experienced or observed a process of justice where charges were brought, considered, and then a decision and consequences rendered? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that the Lord God holds against you as not reconcilable with the ?fruits of the Spirit? and therefore not appropriate to a Biblical Christian. Action: Today I will confess and repent, ask and accept forgiveness from the Lord, and make the necessary changes to assure that I will not drift backwards into that sin. As appropriate, which is very likely, I will ask at least one fellow believer to pray in-agreement with me and at least one to be an accountability-partner. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: Isaiah 24:21 - 26 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From member at linkedin.com Sun Jul 3 14:22:17 2011 From: member at linkedin.com (Sergio Belkin via LinkedIn) Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 18:22:17 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Linux4christians] Invitation to connect on LinkedIn Message-ID: <83049264.7174632.1309717337575.JavaMail.app@ela4-bed83.prod> LinkedIn ------------ Sergio Belkin requested to add you as a connection on LinkedIn: ------------------------------------------ Linc, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Sergio Accept invitation from Sergio Belkin http://www.linkedin.com/e/-j0ewem-gpobvxes-21/uN_60zL0hTomBZ4lue_6gUdZKVmv4axfuQN76UhZQVrv-jOngs/blk/I2934362061_2/1BpC5vrmRLoRZcjkkZt5YCpnlOt3RApnhMpmdzgmhxrSNBszYOnP4Sc38ScPgPej99bR5Oi3d4uBZUbPkTc3wQejoNd3cLrCBxbOYWrSlI/EML_comm_afe/ View invitation from Sergio Belkin http://www.linkedin.com/e/-j0ewem-gpobvxes-21/uN_60zL0hTomBZ4lue_6gUdZKVmv4axfuQN76UhZQVrv-jOngs/blk/I2934362061_2/39vcjoMczoPd3cVcAALqnpPbOYWrSlI/svi/ ------------------------------------------ DID YOU KNOW you can be the first to know when a trusted member of your network changes jobs? With Network Updates on your LinkedIn home page, you'll be notified as members of your network change their current position. Be the first to know and reach out! http://www.linkedin.com/ -- (c) 2011, LinkedIn Corporation -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Jul 3 22:58:52 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:58:52 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - Isaiah 24:21 - 26 Message-ID: <4E112C6C.207@bibleseven.com> Monday Isaiah 24:21 - 26 The Lord Will Become King 24:21 At that time the Lord will punish the heavenly forces in the heavens and the earthly kings on the earth. 24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, locked up in a prison, and after staying there for a long time, they will be punished. 24:23 The full moon will be covered up, the bright sun will be darkened; for the Lord who commands armies will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 25:1 O Lord, you are my God! I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. For you have done extraordinary things, and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 25:2 Indeed, you have made the city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into a heap of ruins; the fortress of foreigners is no longer a city, it will never be rebuilt. 25:3 So a strong nation will extol you; the towns of powerful nations will fear you. 25:4 For you are a protector for the poor, a protector for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm, a shade from the heat. Though the breath of tyrants is like a winter rainstorm, 25:5 like heat in a dry land, you humble the boasting foreigners. Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. 25:6 The Lord who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine -- tender meat and choicest wine. 25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up the shroud that is over all the peoples, the woven covering that is over all the nations; 25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it! 25:9 At that time they will say, "Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let's rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!" 25:10 For the Lord's power will make this mountain secure. Moab will be trampled down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile. 25:11 Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; the Lord will bring down Moab's pride as it spreads its hands. 25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your walls) he will knock down, he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. Judah Will Celebrate 26:1 At that time this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city! The Lord's deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. 26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter -- one that remains trustworthy. 26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith, for they trust in you. 26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector! 26:5 Indeed, the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place, he brings down an elevated town; he brings it down to the ground, he throws it down to the dust. 26:6 It is trampled underfoot by the feet of the oppressed, by the soles of the poor." 26:7 God's People Anticipate Vindication The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight. 26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow. 26:9 I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice. 26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord's majesty revealed. 26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, but they don't even notice. They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, yes, fire will consume your enemies. 26:12 O Lord, you make us secure, for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us. 26:13 O Lord, our God, masters other than you have ruled us, but we praise your name alone. 26:14 The dead do not come back to life, the spirits of the dead do not rise. That is because you came in judgment and destroyed them, you wiped out all memory of them. 26:15 You have made the nation larger, O Lord, you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, you have extended all the borders of the land. 26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline. 26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready t o deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord. 26:18 We were pregnant, we strained, we gave birth, as it were, to wind. We cannot produce deliverance on the earth; people to populate the world are not born. 26:19 Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits. 26:20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms! Close your doors behind you! Hide for a little while, until his angry judgment is over! 26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, to punish the sin of those who live on the earth. The earth will display the blood shed on it; it will no longer cover up its slain. Prayer Lord, Your will judge those who are Your enemies and bring deliverance to those who belong to You. May I pray "Come soon Lord!" Commentary Isaiah continued the last days of the end times prophesy of the Lord God, describing the imprisonment of the enemies of the Lord God from both the spiritual and physical world where they would be held in the darkness they have chosen, eventually to be released -- but into a world that is equally dark -- while those with the Lord God would bask in the light of His presence. He then launched into praise "O Lord, you are my God! I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. For you have done extraordinary things, and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed ... [He] ... will swallow up death permanently. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it! At that time they will say, "Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let's rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!" Isaiah declared the character of the Lord God "The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight." He shared some wisdom "If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord's majesty revealed." He noted the propensity of the rebels to turn to witchcraft "O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline." Isaiah explained the powerlessness of Israel to alter the condition of things in this fallen world and to cause deliverance through human action "As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord. We were pregnant, we strained, we gave birth, as it were, to wind. We cannot produce deliverance on the earth; people to populate the world are not born." He then explained that it will be the Lord God Who will deliver the world by populating the world with His people "Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits. Interaction Consider Those who push away the light of truth of the Lord God will get what they demand -- an existence without the Lord -- and it will be darker than anything they could imagine. Discuss After the long history of disaster, why would people still turn to witchcraft? Reflect Isaiah explained what many still fail to comprehend, that man-alone can never fix what is broken. Share When have you experienced or observed this? "If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord's majesty revealed." Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where He desires to make "The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight." Action: Today I will prayerfully submit my life to the leadership of the Holy Spirit so that the Lord God may make "The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight." Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: Isaiah 27 -- 28:13 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Jul 4 23:21:39 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:21:39 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Tuesday_-_Isaiah_27_=96_28=3A?= =?windows-1252?q?13?= Message-ID: <4E128343.4090902@bibleseven.com> Tuesday Isaiah 27 ? 28:13 27:1 At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster. 27:2 When that time comes, sing about a delightful vineyard! 27:3 I, the Lord, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no one can harm it. 27:4 I am not angry. I wish I could confront some thorns and briers! Then I would march against them for battle; I would set them all on fire, 27:5 unless they became my subjects and made peace with me; let them make peace with me. 27:6 The time is coming when Jacob will take root; Israel will blossom and grow branches. The produce will fill the surface of the world. 27:7 Has the Lord struck down Israel like he did their oppressors? Has Israel been killed like their enemies? 27:8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; he drives her away with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. 27:9 So in this way Jacob?s sin will be forgiven, and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: They will make all the stones of the altars like crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand. 27:10 For the fortified city is left alone; it is a deserted settlement and abandoned like the desert. Calves graze there; they lie down there and eat its branches bare. 27:11 When its branches get brittle, they break; women come and use them for kindling. For these people lack understanding, therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them; the one who formed them has no mercy on them. 27:12 At that time the Lord will shake the tree, from the Euphrates River to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. 27:13 At that time a large trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. The Lord Will Judge Samaria 28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim?s drunkards is doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, the crown of those overcome with wine. 28:2 Look, the sovereign master sends a strong, powerful one. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand. 28:3 The splendid crown of Ephraim?s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. 28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest ? as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it. 28:5 At that time the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people. 28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. 28:7 Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer ? priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions. 28:8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched. 28:9 Who is the Lord trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother?s breast! 28:10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. 28:11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people. 28:12 In the past he said to them, ?This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found.? But they refused to listen. 28:13 So the Lord?s word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured. Prayer Lord, even though You ended the earthly kingdom of Israel, You still loved them and remained at the line of reconciliation. May I never forget that You love all who have surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and that You will welcome us home should we go astray for a time. Commentary Isaiah's report of the Lord God's prophesy continued with the symbolic imagery of ?Leviathan?, a mythological creature known from ancient texts to represent chaos, especially the often unpredictable and devastating power of the sea. In this case the Lord God was to bring peace, illustrated by the ?vineyard? that He would ?water?, and the peace He would offer to those who had been His enemies. Isaiah observed that while the Lord God destroyed the enemies of Israel He functionally-divorced Israel. He explained what the Lord God expected of those who wished to reconcile ?They will make all the stones of the altars like crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand.? Then He will gather-up those Who are His from wherever they were dispersed. Isaiah announced the prophesy of the Lord God's intended judgment of Ephraim, referring to it's favorite city ? Samaria ? as filled with drunkards, and then His intent to destroy it. Interaction Consider The Lord God uses imagery with which His 'audience' would be familiar. In the ancient times of Isaiah's ministry the mythological stories of Leviathan, and others, would have been useful for illustration. Discuss Why would the Lord God have bothered to preserve and seek to restore the chronically-rebellious Israelites? Or could ?Israel? in this context have been as symbolic as ?Leviathan?? Reflect The arrogant leaders of Ephraim should have known better than to thumb their noses at the Lord God. Share When have you experienced or observed a situation where a wrong choice was likely to lead to trouble but was pursued anyhow? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you have the authority to purge symbols and tools of false worship and idolatry. Action: Today I will destroy and remove every symbol and tool of false worship or idolatry which the Holy Spirit makes obvious to me. They may be things of the occult, no matter how seemingly 'harmless' (e.g. Tarot cards, horoscopes, magic 8-balls, etc.), objects from pagan religions (e.g. so-called dream-catchers), or worldly things that motivate you to take your eyes of the Lord God and to divert them to lesser priorities (e.g. magazines and movies containing non-edifying images and texts, incitements to lust for money or power or prestige, an obsession with appearance or other worldly standards of artificial and momentary value). Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: Isaiah 28:14 ? 29:16 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Jul 5 19:55:28 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:55:28 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Wednesday_-_Isaiah_28=3A14_?= =?windows-1252?q?=96_29=3A16?= Message-ID: <4E13A470.2010704@bibleseven.com> Wednesday Isaiah 28:14 ? 29:16 The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem 28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord?s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem! 28:15 For you say, ?We have made a treaty with death, with Sheol we have made an agreement. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.? 28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says: ?Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 28:17 I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place. 28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, you will be overrun by it. 28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you; indeed, every morning it will sweep by, it will come through during the day and the night.? When this announcement is understood, it will cause nothing but terror. 28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, to accomplish his work, his peculiar work, to perform his task, his strange task. 28:22 So now, do not mock, or your chains will become heavier! For I have heard a message about decreed destruction, from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. 28:23 Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! 28:24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground? 28:25 Once he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant, sow the seed of the cumin plant, and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? 28:26 His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture. 28:27 Certainly caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick, and cumin seed with a flail. 28:28 Grain is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever. The wheel of one?s wagon rolls over it, but his horses do not crush it. 28:29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. Ariel is Besieged 29:1 Ariel is as good as dead ? Ariel, the town David besieged! Keep observing your annual rituals, celebrate your festivals on schedule. 29:2 I will threaten Ariel, and she will mourn intensely and become like an altar hearth before me. 29:3 I will lay siege to you on all sides; I will besiege you with troops; I will raise siege works against you. 29:4 You will fall; while lying on the ground you will speak; from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard. Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld; from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation. 29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust, the horde of tyrants like chaff that is blown away. It will happen suddenly, in a flash. 29:6 Judgment will come from the Lord who commands armies, accompanied by thunder, earthquake, and a loud noise, by a strong gale, a windstorm, and a consuming flame of fire. 29:7 It will be like a dream, a night vision. There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel, those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her. 29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating, only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking, only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. So it will be for the horde from all the nations that fight against Mount Zion. God?s People are Spiritually Insensitive 29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! You are totally blind! They are drunk, but not because of wine; they stagger, but not because of beer. 29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you a strong urge to sleep deeply. He has shut your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers). 29:11 To you this entire prophetic revelation is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read and say, ?Read this,? he responds, ?I can?t, because it is sealed.? 29:12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can?t read and say, ?Read this,? he says, ?I can?t read.? 29:13 The sovereign master says, ?These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual. 29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people ? an absolutely extraordinary deed. Wise men will have nothing to say, the sages will have no explanations.? 29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, who do their work in secret and boast, ?Who sees us? Who knows what we?re doing?? 29:16 Your thinking is perverse! Should the potter be regarded as clay? Should the thing made say about its maker, ?He didn?t make me?? Or should the pottery say about the potter, ?He doesn?t understand?? Prayer Lord, hope in You is grounded in Jesus the Christ, our Messiah. May I always look to Jesus as the fulfillment of Your promise and then cling to Him as my only hope. Commentary Isaiah delivered the Lord God's prophesy to the foreign rulers of Jerusalem that their arrogant assertion that their deal with the devil would protect them will be nullified by Him and that they would be swept from power and even from life itself. He delivered a prophesy of hope, the hope of the coming Messiah, to believers ?... the Lord, says: ?Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic.? He also used agriculture illustrations in which plowing, planting, harvesting, and threshing are synonyms for the Lord God's planned-process to redeem His people. The synonym ?Ariel? was used [according to the NET Translator's Notes] to describe Israel/Jerusalem as Isaiah described the conquering a devastation of Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The people were described as ?blind? to the Lord and their worship belittled because it ?... consists of nothing but man-made ritual.? He concluded with the announcement that He would do something that the sages and the wise men could not explain and that it would cause the to cease from doubting Him. Interaction Consider Any covenant or deal in which the Lord God was not a participant is not binding upon Him. Discuss Why would the people be indulging in ?worship? that was, in the eyes of God, ?... nothing but man-made ritual.? Reflect The coming Messiah would be so extraordinary that the ?sages? and ?wise men? would be speechless. Share When have you experienced or observed empty worship that was ?... nothing but man-made ritual.?? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of the incredible details of the works of Jesus the Christ. Action: Today I will pause and give thanks as I am again amazed by all the the Lord has done. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: Isaiah 29:17 - 31 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Tue Jul 5 22:52:10 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:52:10 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wet Pants Message-ID: <4E13CDDA.6040401@lightlink.com> *WET PANTS* Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives. The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.' He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!' Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!' Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.' May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.. Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith. -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Jul 6 23:18:09 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:18:09 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - Isaiah 29:17 - 31 Message-ID: <4E152571.4070105@bibleseven.com> Thursday Isaiah 29:17 - 31 Changes are Coming 29:17 In just a very short time Lebanon will turn into an orchard, and the orchard will be considered a forest. 29:18 At that time the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll, and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness. 29:19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord; the poor among humankind will take delight in the Holy One of Israel. 29:20 For tyrants will disappear, those who taunt will vanish, and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated -- 29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. 29:22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: "Jacob will no longer be ashamed; their faces will no longer show their embarrassment. 29:23 For when they see their children, whom I will produce among them, they will honor my name. They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; they will respect the God of Israel. 29:24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding; those who complain will acquire insight. Egypt Will Prove Unreliable 30:1 "The rebellious children are as good as dead," says the Lord, "those who make plans without consulting me, who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, and thereby compound their sin. 30:2 They travel down to Egypt without seeking my will, seeking Pharaoh's protection, and looking for safety in Egypt's protective shade. 30:3 But Pharaoh's protection will bring you nothing but shame, and the safety of Egypt's protective shade nothing but humiliation. 30:4 Though his officials are in Zoan and his messengers arrive at Hanes, 30:5 all will be put to shame because of a nation that cannot help them, who cannot give them aid or help, but only shame and disgrace." 30:6 This is a message about the animals in the Negev: Through a land of distress and danger, inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, by snakes and darting adders, they transport their wealth on the backs of donkeys, their riches on the humps of camels, to a nation that cannot help them. 30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. For this reason I call her 'Proud one who is silenced.'" 30:8 Now go, write it down on a tablet in their presence, inscribe it on a scroll, so that it might be preserved for a future time as an enduring witness. 30:9 For these are rebellious people -- they are lying children, children unwilling to obey the Lord's law. 30:10 They say to the visionaries, "See no more visions!" and to the seers, "Don't relate messages to us about what is right! Tell us nice things, relate deceptive messages. 30:11 Turn aside from the way, stray off the path. Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel." 30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "You have rejected this message; you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, and rely on that kind of behavior. 30:13 So this sin will become your downfall. You will be like a high wall that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse; it crumbles suddenly, in a flash. 30:14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar, so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough to scoop a hot coal from a fire or to skim off water from a cistern." 30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: "If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling. 30:16 You say, 'No, we will flee on horses,' so you will indeed flee. You say, 'We will ride on fast horses,' so your pursuers will be fast. 30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill." The Lord Will Not Abandon His People 30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 30:19 For people will live in Zion; in Jerusalem you will weep no more. When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy; when he hears it, he will respond to you. 30:20 The sovereign master will give you distress to eat and suffering to drink; but your teachers will no longer be hidden; your eyes will see them. 30:21 You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, "This is the correct way, walk in it," whether you are heading to the right or the left. 30:22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag, saying to them, "Get out!" 30:23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground, and the ground will produce crops in abundance. At that time your cattle will graze in wide pastures. 30:24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork. 30:25 On every high mountain and every high hill there will be streams flowing with water, at the time of great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse. 30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun's glare and the sun's glare will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, when the Lord binds up his people's fractured bones and heals their severe wound. 30:27 Look, the name of the Lord comes from a distant place in raging anger and awesome splendor. He speaks angrily and his word is like destructive fire. 30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river that reaches one's neck. He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction. 30:29 You will sing as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival. You will be happy like one who plays a flute as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel. 30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout and intervene in power, with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, with a driving rainstorm and hailstones. 30:31 Indeed, the Lord's shout will shatter Assyria; he will beat them with a club. 30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, with which the Lord will beat them, will be accompanied by music from the tambourine and harp, and he will attack them with his weapons. 30:33 For the burial place is already prepared; it has been made deep and wide for the king. The firewood is piled high on it. The Lord's breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone, will ignite it. Egypt Will Disappoint 31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, those who rely on war horses, and trust in Egypt's many chariots and in their many, many horsemen. But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel and do not seek help from the Lord. 31:2 Yet he too is wise and he will bring disaster; he does not retract his decree. He will attack the wicked nation, and the nation that helps those who commit sin. 31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God; their horses are made of flesh, not spirit. The Lord will strike with his hand; the one who helps will stumble and the one being helped will fall. Together they will perish. The Lord Will Defend Zion 31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me: "The Lord will be like a growling lion, like a young lion growling over its prey. Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it, it is not afraid of their shouts or intimidated by their yelling. In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill. 31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest, so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; as he passes over he will rescue it. 31:6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled! 31:7 For at that time everyone will get rid of the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made. 31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. They will run away from this sword and their young men will be forced to do hard labor. 31:9 They will surrender their stronghold because of fear; their officers will be afraid of the Lord's battle flag." This is what the Lord says -- the one whose fire is in Zion, whose firepot is in Jerusalem. Prayer Lord, You prophesied in increasing detail Your coming in human form as our Messiah and Your gift of Your indwelling presence through Your Holy Spirit. May I praise You constantly for Your faithfulness and provision. Commentary In the final verses of Chapter Twenty-Nine Isaiah brought the prophesy of the healing and enlightening ministry of Jesus the Christ -- the Messiah -- Whose ministry would bring a new covenant, the sending of the indwelling Holy Spirit upon His children, and would bring an end to the power of the slavery and eternal destruction of sin. He pronounced the Lord God's judgment upon the religious and political leaders who rejected Him and His law and instead turned to the pagan Egypt for help -- that no help would come from them -- and that they would find themselves condemned for this final act of rebellion. Isaiah reported the promise of the Lord's active presence and guiding hand, through the indwelling Holy Spirit to come, in the lives of His children "You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, "This is the correct way, walk in it," whether you are heading to the right or the left. " He also encouraged them to know that the Lord God would obliterate their enemies [ultimately, the Enemy, Satan -- who would be vanquished]. He encouraged the remnant of Israel to return to Him. Interaction Consider There was no hope in the law, only in the promised Messiah. Discuss Why would the political and religious leaders choose Egypt as a source of rescue rather than the Lord God? Reflect Way back in the time of Isaiah the role of the Holy Spirit was prophesied. Share When have you experienced of observed individuals or leaders turning for help to sources that are certain to fail them? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to you in a new way which makes His presence significantly more powerful and real. Action: Today I will prayerfully welcome the Holy Spirit into a more powerful place in my life -- to listen and watch for His working -- and to respond "Yes Lord" when He chastises or encourages, directs or redirects. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: Isaiah 32 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Jul 7 22:40:56 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:40:56 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - Isaiah 32 Message-ID: <4E166E38.9040005@bibleseven.com> Friday Isaiah 32 Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail 32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; officials will promote justice. 32:2 Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from a rainstorm; like streams of water in a dry region and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land. 32:3 Eyes will no longer be blind and ears will be attentive. 32:4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment and the tongue that stutters will speak with ease and clarity. 32:5 A fool will no longer be called honorable; a deceiver will no longer be called principled. 32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; his mind plans out sinful deeds. He commits godless deeds and says misleading things about the Lord; he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 32:7 A deceiver's methods are evil; he dreams up evil plans to ruin the poor with lies, even when the needy are in the right. 32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans; his honorable character gives him security. The Lord Will Give True Security 32:9 You complacent women, get up and listen to me! You carefree daughters, pay attention to what I say! 32:10 In a year's time you carefree ones will shake with fear, for the grape harvest will fail, and the fruit harvest will not arrive. 32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones! Shake with fear, you carefree ones! Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves -- put sackcloth on your waist! 32:12 Mourn over the field, over the delightful fields and the fruitful vine! 32:13 Mourn over the land of my people, which is overgrown with thorns and briers, and over all the once-happy houses in the city filled with revelry. 32:14 For the fortress is neglected; the once-crowded city is abandoned. Hill and watchtower are permanently uninhabited. Wild donkeys love to go there, and flocks graze there. 32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. Then the desert will become an orchard and the orchard will be considered a forest. 32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert and fairness will live in the orchard. 32:17 Fairness will produce peace and result in lasting security. 32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements, in secure homes, and in safe, quiet places. 32:19 Even if the forest is destroyed and the city is annihilated, 32:20 you will be blessed, you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, you who let your ox and donkey graze. Prayer Lord, You have always been clear that choices have consequences; whether the choices of Adam and Eve, or the choices of the billions of rebels who have followed them. May I take care to hold my choices up to the scrutiny of Your preferences so that they may be blessed by the Holy Spirit's perfect wisdom-driven discernment. Commentary Isaiah continued his fore-telling prophesy of the coming Messiah "Look, a king will promote fairness; officials will promote justice." He elaborated as to the way that people of integrity would be set free from the affects of the Fall and deceit and foolishness (and those who practiced them) would be no more. He then jumped back from the future to the present, warning the complacent people to be aware that calamity was about to fall upon them. The Isaiah returned to the future to assure them that those who belonged to the Lord God would know peace and security. Interaction Consider The term "fairness" in the Bible is not the emotional and selfish concept of mere humans but the perfectly just and righteous concept of the Lord God. Discuss With all that had happened and the constant prophesies of warning how could people still have been "complacent"? Reflect When the Messiah returns He will no longer tolerate the sin that He bore for us on the Cross. Share When have you experienced or observed complacency in the face of obvious danger? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have feared the future but where He has for you an assurance of peace and security. Action: Today I will praise the Lord for the certainty I have of an eternity of peace and security with Him. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: Isaiah 33 - 34 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Jul 8 22:40:22 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:40:22 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - Isaiah 33 - 34 Message-ID: <4E17BF96.20903@bibleseven.com> Saturday Isaiah 33 - 34 The Lord Will Restore Zion 33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, you who have not been destroyed! The deceitful one is as good as dead, the one whom others have not deceived! When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed; when you finish deceiving, others will deceive you! 33:2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning! Deliver us when distress comes. 33:3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; the nations scatter when you spring into action! 33:4 Your plunder disappears as if locusts were eating it; they swarm over it like locusts! 33:5 The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness. 33:6 He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him. 33:7 Look, ambassadors cry out in the streets; messengers sent to make peace weep bitterly. 33:8 Highways are empty, there are no travelers. Treaties are broken, witnesses are despised, human life is treated with disrespect. 33:9 The land dries up and withers away; the forest of Lebanon shrivels up and decays. Sharon is like the desert; Bashan and Carmel are parched. 33:10 "Now I will rise up," says the Lord. "Now I will exalt myself; now I will magnify myself. 33:11 You conceive straw, you give birth to chaff; your breath is a fire that destroys you. 33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire. 33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done! You who are close by, recognize my strength!" 33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion; panic grips the godless. They say, 'Who among us can coexist with destructive fire? Who among us can coexist with unquenchable fire?' 33:15 The one who lives uprightly and speaks honestly; the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures and rejects a bribe; the one who does not plot violent crimes and does not seek to harm others -- 33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; he will have food and a constant supply of water. 33:17 You will see a king in his splendor; you will see a wide land. 33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, and you will ask yourselves, "Where is the scribe? Where is the one who weighs the money? Where is the one who counts the towers?" 33:19 You will no longer see a defiant people whose language you do not comprehend, whose derisive speech you do not understand. 33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals! You will see Jerusalem, a peaceful settlement, a tent that stays put; its stakes will never be pulled up; none of its ropes will snap in two. 33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; no war galley will enter; no large ships will sail through. 33:22 For the Lord, our ruler, the Lord, our commander, the Lord, our king -- he will deliver us. 33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, the mast is not secured, and the sail is not unfurled, at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; even the lame will drag off plunder. 33:24 No resident of Zion will say, "I am ill"; the people who live there will have their sin forgiven. The Lord Will Judge Edom 34:1 Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention, you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and everything that lives in it. 34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will annihilate them and slaughter them. 34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, their corpses will stink; the hills will soak up their blood. 34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, the sky will roll up like a scroll; all its stars will wither, like a leaf withers and falls from a vine or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 34:5 He says, "Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment." 34:6 The Lord's sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams' kidneys. For the Lord is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in the land of Edom. 34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat. 34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 34:9 Edom's streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch. 34:10 Night and day it will burn; its smoke will ascend continually. Generation after generation it will be a wasteland and no one will ever pass through it again. 34:11 Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction. 34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom and all her officials will disappear. 34:13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there. 34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; wild goats will bleat to one another. Yes, nocturnal animals will rest there and make for themselves a nest. 34:15 Owls will make nests and lay eggs there; they will hatch them and protect them. Yes, hawks will gather there, each with its mate. 34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! Not one of these creatures will be missing, none will lack a mate. For the Lord has issued the decree, and his own spirit gathers them. 34:17 He assigns them their allotment; he measures out their assigned place. They will live there permanently; they will settle in it through successive generations. Prayer Lord, as angry as You became with the apostasy of Your people and the demonic hatred of them by other nations, You preserved a remnant of them as you obliterated their enemies -- and Your enemies among them. May I remember that You have decided that those who are in Your eternal family will be preserved despite the efforts of the enemy -- and that I need not fear anything the world can do. Commentary Isaiah prophesied the end of the era of deceivers and destroyers as he and his people cried out to the Lord for protection and strength as they endured severe oppression. In contrast He proclaimed "The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness. He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him ... For the Lord, our ruler, the Lord, our commander, the Lord, our king -- he will deliver us." Isaiah concluded with a prophesy of the destruction of Edom, a symbolic representation of the nations who have opposed Israel [which in a pure sense includes the physical nations of Judah and Israel since they have been in rebellion against His preferential-state of Israel for most of their existence] "Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention, you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and everything that lives in it. For the Lord is angry at all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will annihilate them and slaughter them." Interaction Consider The Lord God's anger is perfectly just and His revenge perfectly righteous -- unlike that of man. Discuss How much like the modern nation of Israel, surrounded by enemies, must have been ancient Israel? Reflect How many times had Israel rejected the Lord God and still He desired to preserve a thread of their existence -- for the sake of His promises to their more-faithful forefathers. Share When have you felt surrounded by those who disapproved of you, yet sensed a big-picture comfort and safety because of your relationship with the Lord God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you are more-anxious than you should be -- because he is in control. Action: Today I will give Him thanks and rest in His assurance of loving-care. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: Isaiah 35 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Jul 9 21:31:24 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2011 21:31:24 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - Isaiah 35 Message-ID: <4E1900EC.1060605@bibleseven.com> Sunday Isaiah 35 The Land and Its People Are Transformed 35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; let the wilderness rejoice and bloom like a lily! 35:2 Let it richly bloom; let it rejoice and shout with delight! It is given the grandeur of Lebanon, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the grandeur of the Lord, the splendor of our God. 35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp, steady the knees that shake! 35:4 Tell those who panic, "Be strong! Do not fear! Look, your God comes to avenge! With divine retribution he comes to deliver you." 35:5 Then blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear. 35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, the mute tongue will shout for joy; for water will flow in the desert, streams in the wilderness. 35:7 The dry soil will become a pool of water, the parched ground springs of water. Where jackals once lived and sprawled out, grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow. 35:8 A thoroughfare will be there -- it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it; it is reserved for those authorized to use it -- fools will not stray into it. 35:9 No lions will be there, no ferocious wild animals will be on it -- they will not be found there. Those delivered from bondage will travel on it, 35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. They will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear. Prayer Lord, when You return to restore Your Creation You will remove all who have refused to surrender to You and will bless those who have. May I be certain of my eternally-right standing in relationship to the Lord God through surrender to the Lord Jesus and receipt of the Holy Spirit. Commentary Isaiah delivered the prophesy of the Lord God's restoration of both the land and the people to what is described alike a pre-Fall Edenic condition. Although the Lord allowed the enemies of Israel to over-run and displace them, it was because their predisposition to invade and conquer was useful to Him, not because He was at all fond of them -- indeed He despised their pagan and vile ways -- and now Isaiah prophesied their destruction as the Lord God redeemed those who belonged to him. He described "A thoroughfare ... it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it; it is reserved for those authorized to use it -- fools will not stray into it ... Those delivered from bondage will travel on it, those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. They will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear." Fools who reject the Lord God's wisdom, and therefore the Messiah, will not be allowed there -- only those who have received the indwelling Holy Spirit Who enables them to walk rightly. Interaction Consider The Lord God has not forgotten His original plan, sabotaged by the foolish Adam and Eve, and He intends to restore things to their righteously-rightful condition. Discuss Given the history of the Lord God's prior interventions, with devastating consequences, is it possible that the enemies of Israel ever hesitated and worried as they attacked and deported the Israelites? Reflect Imagine walking that "Way of Holiness" with so many others -- freed of sin -- blessed with the presence of the Lord God. Share When have you transitioned from 'dry time' in your relationship with the Lord into a rich one? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a small sample of the pure joy that will be yours when you walk the "Way of Holiness". Action: Today I will praise the Lord God for His love and will prayerfully partner with the Holy Spirit to be more teachable and more surrendered to His leadership of my life. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: Isaiah 36 - 37 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Jul 10 21:17:08 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:17:08 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - Isaiah 36 - 37 Message-ID: <4E1A4F14.3020301@bibleseven.com> Monday Isaiah 36 - 37 Sennacherib Invades Judah 36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. The chief adviser stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him. 36:4 The chief adviser said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: "What is your source of confidence? 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, 'We are trusting in the Lord our God.' But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 'You must worship at this altar.' 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master's minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, 'March up against this land and destroy it!'"'" 36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, "Speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don't speak with us in the Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall." 36:12 But the chief adviser said, "My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!" 36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, "Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: 'Don't let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, "The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." 36:16 Don't listen to Hezekiah!' For this is what the king of Assyria says, 'Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own -- a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, "The Lord will rescue us." Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power? 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?'" 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, "Don't respond to him." 36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord's temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 "This is what Hezekiah says: 'This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.'" 37:5 When King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master this: 'This is what the Lord says: "Don't be afraid because of the things you have heard -- these insults the king of Assyria's servants have hurled against me. 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land."'" 37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 37:9 The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 "Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: 'Don't let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, "Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued? 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed -- the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar -- rescued by their gods? 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?'" 37:14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord's temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 "O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord." 37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: 'Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: "The virgin daughter Zion despises you -- she makes fun of you; daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you. 37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted and looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel! 37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 'With my many chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods. 37:25 I dug wells and drank water. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.' 37:26 Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, in ancient times I planned it, and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities will crash into heaps of ruins. 37:27 Their residents are powerless; they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind. 37:28 I know where you live and everything you do and how you rage against me. 37:29 Because you rage against me and the uproar you create has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead you back the way you came." 37:30 "This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: This year you will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own. But the year after that you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 37:32 "For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies will accomplish this. 37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: 'He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it. 37:34 He will go back the way he came -- he will not enter this city,' says the Lord. 37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant."'" 37:36 The Lord's messenger went out and killed 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 37:38 One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king. Prayer Lord, You decide who will be the instrument of Your discipline, and if they over-step Your boundaries You will punish them, You will not be mocked. May I trust You for perfect justice and when You discipline me I will be certain of lovingly-perfect proportion to the need. Commentary The Assyrians came against King Hezekiah with a challenge to surrender. They doubted the source of their confidence since they had no meaningful army and had destroyed all of the other (pagan) altars and focused only on the altar of the Lord God -- which the Assyrians viewed as the same as the rest. The Assyrians also claimed that God had told them to come against Jerusalem. The Chief Adviser to the Assyrian king challenged Hezekiah to the people as a misleader who did not understand that no other nation's 'gods' had saved them from Assyria and that surely Egypt would be unable to save them either. He offered to reward them for surrendering with local peace and provision -- until he returned to take them to another place -- which he assured them was just as nice. He challenged them to reject the Lord God and king Hezekiah but according to Hezekiah's instructions the people remained silent. Hezekiah's representatives returned to him with a report of what had happened and together they cried out to the Lord God through Isaiah. The Lord's reply was to not fear the Assyrian king for his insults to God would result in his own death -- after he was tricked into returning home by a false story of an attack from the king of Ethiopia. The Lord declared "'He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it. He will go back the way he came -- he will not enter this city,' says the Lord. I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant."'" The Lord sent out an angel to kill 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp as they slept and so in the morning they discovered their dead and fled Jerusalem. When the king returned home his sons murdered him. Interaction Consider The Lord God had sent the Assyrians, but when they mocked Him they made themselves the object of His wrath. Discuss Why did the people trust Hezekiah? Reflect The Assyrians could not discern the difference between the false gods and the one true Lord God -- and they paid for their foolishness with lives and lost power. Share When have you observed what appeared to be an individual or group with overwhelming power become mired in their own arrogance and pride and fall? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you fear a false enemy, one that mocks the Lord, more than you trust the Lord God. Action: Today I will confess and repent of my fear of a false enemy, seek and receive His forgiveness, and trust the Lord God completely. (My fear may be about a lack of money, and absence of approval of worldly peers, potential threats to my physical appearance from age, or may be a fear of unemployment, theoretical health problems, violence in the world, etc.) Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: Isaiah 38 - 39 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Jul 11 22:27:17 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:27:17 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tuesday - Isaiah 38 - 39 Message-ID: <4E1BB105.5000807@bibleseven.com> Tuesday Isaiah 38 - 39 The Lord Hears Hezekiah's Prayer 38:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, "This is what the Lord says, 'Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.'" 38:2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 38:3 "Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will." Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 38:4 The Lord told Isaiah, 38:5 "Go and tell Hezekiah: 'This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life, 38:6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city."'" 38:7 Isaiah replied, "This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said: 38:8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz." And then the shadow went back ten steps. Hezekiah's Song of Thanks 38:9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness: 38:10 "I thought, 'In the middle of my life I must walk through the gates of Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.' 38:11 "I thought, 'I will no longer see the Lord in the land of the living, I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. 38:12 My dwelling place is removed and taken away from me like a shepherd's tent. I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; from the loom he cuts me off. You turn day into night and end my life. 38:13 I cry out until morning; like a lion he shatters all my bones; you turn day into night and end my life. 38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. O sovereign master, I am oppressed; help me! 38:15 What can I say? He has decreed and acted. I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 38:16 O sovereign master, your decrees can give men life; may years of life be restored to me. Restore my health and preserve my life.' 38:17 "Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from the pit of oblivion. For you removed all my sins from your sight. 38:18 Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness. 38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks, as I do today. A father tells his sons about your faithfulness. 38:20 The Lord is about to deliver me, and we will celebrate with music for the rest of our lives in the Lord's temple." 38:21 Isaiah ordered, "Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well." 38:22 Hezekiah said, "What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord's temple?" Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah 39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered. 39:2 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 39:3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say? Where do they come from?" Hezekiah replied, "They come from the distant land of Babylon." 39:4 Isaiah asked, "What have they seen in your palace?" Hezekiah replied, "They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries." 39:5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of the Lord who commands armies: 39:6 'Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the Lord. 39:7 'Some of your very own descendants whom you father will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" 39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The Lord's word which you have announced is appropriate." Then he thought, "For there will be peace and stability during my lifetime." Prayer Lord, sometimes we squander Your gifts, yet in the big picture your grace and justice are always in perfect balance. May I be intentional in using Your gifts for Your intended purposes. Commentary Hezekiah was mortally ill and Isaiah told him to prepare for death. He cried-out to the Lord, asking for more time, appealing for 'credit' for his faithfulness as king. The Lord God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that He heard his cries and would grant him an additional 15 years of life, that He would protect the city from attackers, and that He would affirm His promise by causing the shadow on the step to reverse itself ten steps.. Hezekiah recited his angst at an early death and then his exuberant praise and thanks to the Lord for granting him another 15 years and protection from enemies. Hezekiah then welcomed the visit of the king of Babylon, who had sent a message and gift when he recovered, and pridefully showed-off all of his treasuries and other fine things and palaces. Isaiah prophesied the Lord God's judgment, withheld due to Hezekiah's prior faithfulness, that after he died the kingdom would fall -- even some of his immediate descendants would be carried-off and made eunuchs in the service of Babylon. Hezekiah acknowledged that the Lord's judgment was fair and then, again self-focused, noted with satisfaction that he would not experience or see the judgment in his lifetime. Interaction Consider Hezekiah was blessed by the Lord God for his faithfulness, because he asked, yet he was careless with the gift -- and due to his position -- brought immediate tragedy to those who followed. Discuss Why would Hezekiah think it was wise to show a foreign king all of the riches of Israel? Reflect Hezekiah was astoundingly self-focused when informed of the terrible consequences coming to his immediate descendants. He seems to have be puffed-up from God's blessings that he lost a sense of love for others. Share When have you experienced or observed someone turning a blessing into a curse? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have been faithful and for which He has, is, or is about to bless you. Action: Today I will praise the Lord God for teaching me to be faithful and for His love which causes His blessing to come to me. I will prayerfully seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit as to how I might turn His gift into a blessing for others and how I might continue, and grow, my walk of faithfulness before Him. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: Isaiah 40 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Jul 12 22:26:45 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:26:45 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - Isaiah 40 Message-ID: <4E1D0265.70307@bibleseven.com> Wednesday Isaiah 40 The Lord Returns to Jerusalem 40:1 "Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. 40:2 "Speak kindly to Jerusalem, and tell her that her time of warfare is over, that her punishment is completed. For the Lord has made her pay double for all her sins." 40:3 A voice cries out, "In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord; construct in the desert a road for our God. 40:4 Every valley must be elevated, and every mountain and hill leveled. The rough terrain will become a level plain, the rugged landscape a wide valley. 40:5 The splendor of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it at the same time. For the Lord has decreed it." 40:6 A voice says, "Cry out!" Another asks, "What should I cry out?" The first voice responds: "All people are like grass, and all their promises are like the flowers in the field. 40:7 The grass dries up, the flowers wither, when the wind sent by the Lord blows on them. Surely humanity is like grass. 40:8 The grass dries up, the flowers wither, but the decree of our God is forever reliable." 40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion! Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! Shout, don't be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 40:10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; his military power establishes his rule. Look, his reward is with him; his prize goes before him. 40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along. The Lord is Incomparable 40:12 Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand, or carefully measured the sky, or carefully weighed the soil of the earth, or weighed the mountains in a balance, or the hills on scales? 40:13 Who comprehends the mind of the Lord, or gives him instruction as his counselor? 40:14 From whom does he receive directions? Who teaches him the correct way to do things, or imparts knowledge to him, or instructs him in skillful design? 40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales. He lifts the coastlands as if they were dust. 40:16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings. 40:17 All the nations are insignificant before him; they are regarded as absolutely nothing. 40:18 To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him? 40:19 A craftsman casts an idol; a metalsmith overlays it with gold and forges silver chains for it. 40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; he then seeks a skilled craftsman to make an idol that will not fall over. 40:21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told to you since the very beginning? Have you not understood from the time the earth's foundations were made? 40:22 He is the one who sits on the earth's horizon; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, and spreads it out like a pitched tent. 40:23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing; he makes the earth's leaders insignificant. 40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted; yes, they are barely sown; yes, they barely take root in the earth, and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up, and the wind carries them away like straw. 40:25 "To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?" says the Holy One. 40:26 Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing. 40:27 Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, "The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication"? 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. 40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. 40:30 Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. 40:31 But those who wait for the Lord's help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. Prayer Lord, You assure us that You will one day return and make things right. May I praise You daily and rest in the certainty that my eternity is safe in Your hands. Commentary Isaiah continued the prophesy of the final return of the Lord as He redeems those who are His. He used the phrase "Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; his military power establishes his rule ..." which may have been what some religious leaders later misunderstood as defining the nature of the Messiah. Isaiah shared a series of declarations about the exceptional characteristics of the Lord God, summarizing "To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him?" He observed the foolish thinking even of the fathers of the faith "Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, "The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication"?" Isaiah concluded with a praise for the mercy and provision of the Lord God to His children "But those who wait for the Lord's help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired." Interaction Consider There is no doubt whatsoever that the Lord God will one day return and restore the earth to pre-Fall conditions, but without any possibility for sin ever again. Discuss Why would Jacob or Israel not have known better than to doubt the presence and caring of the Lord God? Reflect When one reviews the amazing characteristics of the Lord God one is struck with awe. Share When have you been exhausted emotionally and/or spiritually and the Lord God breathed new strength into you? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where He has, or He is, or He is going to bless you with "... renewed strength ... to run without growing weary ... walk without getting tired." Action: Today I will praise the Lord and share my awe and love and trust with a fellow believer. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: Isaiah 41 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Jul 13 23:10:07 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:10:07 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - Isaiah 41 Message-ID: <4E1E5E0F.4040301@bibleseven.com> Thursday Isaiah 41 The Lord Challenges the Nations 41:1 "Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! Let the nations find renewed strength! Let them approach and then speak; let us come together for debate! 41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? Who officially commissions him for service? He hands nations over to him, and enables him to subdue kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like windblown straw with his bow. 41:3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed; he advances with great speed. 41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? Who summons the successive generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning, and at the very end -- I am the one. 41:5 The coastlands see and are afraid; the whole earth trembles; they approach and come. 41:6 They help one another; one says to the other, 'Be strong!' 41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil. He approves the quality of the welding, and nails it down so it won't fall over." The Lord Encourages His People 41:8 "You, my servant Israel, Jacob whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend, 41:9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth's extremities, and have summoned from the remote regions -- I told you, "You are my servant." I have chosen you and not rejected you. 41:10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you! Don't be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you -- yes, I help you -- yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated; your adversaries will be reduced to nothing and perish. 41:12 When you will look for your opponents, you will not find them; your enemies will be reduced to absolutely nothing. 41:13 For I am the Lord your God, the one who takes hold of your right hand, who says to you, 'Don't be afraid, I am helping you.' 41:14 Don't be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, men of Israel. I am helping you," says the Lord, your protector, the Holy One of Israel. 41:15 "Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge, new and double-edged. You will thresh the mountains and crush them; you will make the hills like straw. 41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away; the wind will scatter them. You will rejoice in the Lord; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel. 41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched from thirst. I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them. 41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes and produce springs in the middle of the valleys. I will turn the desert into a pool of water and the arid land into springs. 41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness; I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert. 41:20 I will do this so people will observe and recognize, so they will pay attention and understand that the Lord's power has accomplished this, and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being." The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods 41:21 "Present your argument," says the Lord. "Produce your evidence," says Jacob's king. 41:22 "Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen! Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, so we may examine them and see how they were fulfilled. Or decree for us some future events! 41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, so we might know you are gods. Yes, do something good or bad, so we might be frightened and in awe. 41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent; the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. 41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north and he advances, one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. He steps on rulers as if they were clay, like a potter treading the clay. 41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know? Who announced it ahead of time, so we could say, 'He's correct'? Indeed, none of them decreed it! Indeed, none of them announced it! Indeed, no one heard you say anything! 41:27 I first decreed to Zion, 'Look, here's what will happen!' I sent a herald to Jerusalem. 41:28 I look, but there is no one, among them there is no one who serves as an adviser, that I might ask questions and receive answers. 41:29 Look, all of them are nothing, their accomplishments are nonexistent; their metal images lack any real substance. Prayer Lord, You are omnipotent and holy, and You are perfectly righteous in being disgusted with false gods and those who follow them -- as they are the inventions of Satan. May I be careful to avoid anything like an idol or a superstition or that otherwise displaces You in my life. Commentary Isaiah shared the Lord God's challenge to the nations to recognize that it was He who allowed, and even summoned, them to rise and fall "Who acts and carries out decrees? Who summons the successive generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning, and at the very end -- I am the one." He then shared what the Lord God said about how He would gather His people together, empower them to remove all of their enemies, and provide for them all that they needed. And again, it would draw people's attention to Him "I will do this so people will observe and recognize, so they will pay attention and understand that the Lord's power has accomplished this, and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being." Isaiah, continuing His service to the Lord, then rhetorically-challenged the false gods to display their histories of accurate fore-telling prophesy, or to make some right then and there. Then summarizing, said "Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent; the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting." Interaction Consider The nations, even rebellious Israel, often forgot the all-powerful Lord God and pridefully imagined that they were purely the makers of their own destiny -- when it had often been obvious that the hand of God was upon history. Discuss What is the value of causing people to recognize both the nature and involvement of the Lord God? Reflect Ridiculing the false gods, and those who followed them, was a powerful way to illustrate their powerlessness and absence of positive value. Share When have you experienced an event which caused you to pause and to recognize the Lord's hand in things? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone He wants you to pray for, and perhaps to evangelize/disciple, who is looking to a false idol instead of the One True Lord God. Action: Today I will faithfully pray, and as He leads, personally-connect with the one to whom He has led me. As is appropriate I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement with me. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: Isaiah 42 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Jul 14 21:12:19 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:12:19 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - Isaiah 42 Message-ID: <4E1F93F3.8010905@bibleseven.com> Friday Isaiah 42 42:1 The Lord Commissions His Special Servant "Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my spirit on him; he will make just decrees for the nations. 42:2 He will not cry out or shout; he will not publicize himself in the streets. 42:3 A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will faithfully make just decrees. 42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees." 42:5 This is what the true God, the Lord, says -- the one who created the sky and stretched it out, the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, the one who gives breath to the people on it, and life to those who live on it: 42:6 "I, the Lord, officially commission you; I take hold of your hand. I protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people, and a light to the nations, 42:7 to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from dungeons, those who live in darkness from prisons. The Lord Intervenes 42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols. 42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; now I announce new events. Before they begin to occur, I reveal them to you." 42:10 Sing to the Lord a brand new song! Praise him from the horizon of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it, you coastlands and those who live there! 42:11 Let the desert and its cit ies shout out, the towns where the nomads of Kedar live! Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully; let them shout loudly from the mountaintops. 42:12 Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; let them praise his deeds in the coastlands. 42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero, like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; he shouts, yes, he yells, he shows his enemies his power. 42:14 "I have been inactive for a long time; I kept quiet and held back. Like a woman in labor I groan; I pant and gasp. 42:15 I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up; I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn streams into islands, and dry up pools of water. 42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. I will turn the darkness in front of them into light, and level out the rough ground. This is what I will do for them. I will not abandon them. 42:17 Those who trust in idols will turn back and be utterly humiliated, those who say to metal images, 'You are our gods.'" The Lord Reasons with His People 42:18 "Listen, you deaf ones! Take notice, you blind ones! 42:19 My servant is truly blind, my messenger is truly deaf. My covenant partner, the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. 42:20 You see many things, but don't comprehend; their ears are open, but do not hear." 42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice by magnifying his law and displaying it. 42:22 But these people are looted and plundered; all of them are trapped in pits and held captive in prisons. They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them; they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, "Bring that back!" 42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen attentively in the future? 42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber? Who handed Israel over to the looters? Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned? They refused to follow his commands; they disobeyed his law. 42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them, along with the devastation of war. Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; it burned against them, but they did notice. Prayer Lord, You love Your children but You do not tolerate disobedience and rebellion. May I be careful to list closely to Your Holy Spirit and to follow and to live as He leads. Commentary Isaiah delivered the Lord God's prophesy of commissioning an ideal king [to become the Lord Jesus, because no other could meet the standard]. He delivered the proclamation of the Lord God that He would one day return and would make things right again on earth "I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols." Isaiah proclaimed the Lord's observation that His people had become unable to hear of see Him due to their chronic rebellion and status of punishment-exile "My covenant partner, the servant of the Lord, is truly blind." Interaction Consider The ideal perfect king for Israel could not be anyone lesser than the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Discuss Why would it be important for the Lord God to clear the field of all alternative false gods and idols? Reflect Despite the terrible conduct of His chosen people the Lord God desired a way to redeem them, even a remnant. Share When have you discovered that some worldly thing was a distraction from your relationship with the Lord God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something He desires you to purge from your life because it is interfering with the quality of and growth of your relationship with Him. Action: Today I will confess and repent, seek and receive forgiveness of, that which the Holy Spirit has shown me is harming my relationship with the Lord God. I will then be intentional about keeping that distraction out of my life. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: Isaiah 43 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Jul 15 21:45:39 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:45:39 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - Isaiah 43 Message-ID: <4E20ED43.1040306@bibleseven.com> Saturday Isaiah 43 The Lord Will Rescue His People 43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: "Don't be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. 43:3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you. 43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life. 43:5 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. From the east I will bring your descendants; from the west I will gather you. 43:6 I will say to the north, 'Hand them over!' and to the south, 'Don't hold any back!' Bring my sons from distant lands, and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth, 43:7 everyone who belongs to me, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed -- yes, whom I made! The Lord Declares His Sovereignty 43:8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears! 43:9 All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm, 'It is true.' 43:10 You are my witnesses," says the Lord, "my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me. 43:11 I, I am the Lord, and there is no deliverer besides me. 43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you. You are my witnesses," says the Lord, "that I am God. 43:13 From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act, and who can prevent it?" The Lord Will Do Something New 43:14 This is what the Lord says, your protector, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians' joyful shouts into mourning songs. 43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the one who created Israel, your king." 43:16 This is what the Lord says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters, 43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, together with a mighty army. They fell down, never to rise again; they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick: 43:18 "Don't remember these earlier events; don't recall these former events. 43:19 "Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness. 43:20 The wild animals of the desert honor me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness, to quench the thirst of my chosen people, 43:21 the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me." The Lord Rebukes His People 43:22 "But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel. 43:23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense. 43:24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds. 43:25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember. 43:26 Remind me of what happened! Let's debate! You, prove to me that you are right! 43:27 The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. 43:28 So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected Israel to humiliating abuse." Prayer Lord, You are so faithful even as we are unfaithful. You ask that we repent and be restored. May I recognize and honor Your grace through a humble heart that repents of sin and cries-out for Your reconciliation and restoration of my relationship with You. Commentary Isaiah delivered the Lord God's promise that He would recall His people from bondage and to displace those who reject Him to those nations-of-bondage "Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life." The Lord God proclaimed through Isaiah that He would restore Himself as their king, then He instructed them that what was to come was completely separate from the past and that none of those time and place-specific miracles were relevant to what He was about to do "Don't remember these earlier events; don't recall these former events. "Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it?" He then challenged them, much as He previously challenged Job, to show how they were right and He was wrong "Remind me of what happened! Let's debate! You, prove to me that you are right!" and that His desire is repentance, reconciliation, and restoration "I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember." Interaction Consider The Lord God did not want the people to obsess about the past and to impose that upon their expectations of the future -- which is what the religious leaders of Jesus' day were doing -- and what many religious leaders do even today. Discuss Why would anyone have even considered doubting the Lord God's right representation of history or their need to repent and to be reconciled and restored? Reflect How amazing is the grace of the Lord God that He continues to desire our repentance so that He may reconcile and restore us? Share When have you experienced a sense of the Lord God's remarkably special love for you? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a new clarity as to His new relationship and His new era in His unfolding plan for all of His creation. Action: Today I will pause and pray in praise and thanksgiving for a loving God whose great desire is to reconcile and restore all who will repent of their rebellion against His Lordship of their lives -- and most specifically of my life. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: Isaiah 44 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sat Jul 16 21:49:57 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:49:57 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: Statement on the antichrist | Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) Message-ID: <4E223FC5.2020604@lightlink.com> Interesting. Fred http://www.wels.net/about-wels/doctrinal-statements/antichrist?page=0,8 -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Jul 16 22:13:25 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:13:25 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - Isaiah 44 Message-ID: <4E224545.80300@bibleseven.com> Sunday Isaiah 44 The Lord Will Renew Israel 44:1 "Now, listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!" 44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says -- the one who formed you in the womb and helps you: "Don't be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen! 44:3 For I will pour water on the parched ground and cause streams to flow on the dry land. I will pour my spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your children. 44:4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, like poplars beside channels of water. 44:5 One will say, 'I belong to the Lord,' and another will use the name 'Jacob.' One will write on his hand, 'The Lord's,' and use the name 'Israel.'" The Absurdity of Idolatry 44:6 This is what the Lord, Israel's king, says, their protector, the Lord who commands armies: "I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me. 44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to me -- since I established an ancient people -- let them announce future events! 44:8 Don't panic! Don't be afraid! Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other sheltering rock; I know of none. 44:9 All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame. 44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless? 44:11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere humans. Let them all assemble and take their stand! They will panic and be put to shame. 44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his energy; he drinks no water and gets tired. 44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; he marks out an outline of its form; he scrapes it with chisels, and marks it with a compass. He patterns it after the human form, like a well-built human being, and puts it in a shrine. 44:14 He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress or an oak. He gets trees from the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow. 44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire -- over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says, 'Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.' 44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying, 'Rescue me, for you are my god!' 44:18 They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern. 44:19 No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves: 'I burned half of it in the fire -- yes, I baked bread over the coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?' 44:20 He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, 'Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?' 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, O Israel, for you are my servant. I formed you to be my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you! 44:22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. Come back to me, for I protect you." 44:23 Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes; shout out, you subterranean regions of the earth. O mountains, give a joyful shout; you too, O forest and all your trees! For the Lord protects Jacob; he reveals his splendor through Israel. The Lord Empowers Cyrus 44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, says, the one who formed you in the womb: "I am the Lord, who made everything, who alone stretched out the sky, who fashioned the earth all by myself, 44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers and humiliates the omen readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men and makes their advice seem foolish, 44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants and brings to pass the announcements of his messengers, who says about Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited,' and about the towns of Judah, 'They will be rebuilt, her ruins I will raise up,' 44:27 who says to the deep sea, 'Be dry! I will dry up your sea currents,' 44:28 who commissions Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd to carry out all my wishes and to decree concerning Jerusalem, 'She will be rebuilt,' and concerning the temple, 'It will be reconstructed.'" Prayer Lord, You alone are God, there is no other. May I praise You for Your lovingkindness, Your unchanging justice, and Your promise of eternity to Your children. Commentary Once again, via Isaiah, the Lord God affirmed that He intended to one day restore Israel -- not the rebellious Israel -- but the Israel He had always desired. He addresses Israel as like a child "This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says -- the one who formed you in the womb and helps you: "Don't be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen!" Isaiah introduced the challenge of the Lord God to the absurdity of idolatry "This is what the Lord, Israel's king, says, their protector, the Lord who commands armies: "I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me." He described the process of creating a physical image of a false idol, explaining how the tree is cut down then part of the wood used to carve the idol and the rest used as firewood to good a meal, explaining that the wood remained as powerless as when it was a tree or firewood, nor were their mere human 'creators' capable of adding spiritual value to them "All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame." The Lord God calls to Israel "I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. Come back to me, for I protect you ..." and encourages them to recognize Him "Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes; shout out, you subterranean regions of the earth. O mountains, give a joyful shout; you too, O forest and all your trees! For the Lord protects Jacob; he reveals his splendor through Israel." Isaiah concluded with the Lord's declaration of the commissioning of Cyrus "... the one I appointed as shepherd to carry out all my wishes and to decree concerning Jerusalem, 'She will be rebuilt,' and concerning the temple, 'It will be reconstructed.'" Interaction Consider The phrase in these texts "I formed you in the womb" is interesting since it describes both the nation of Israel and Cyrus the man, therefore it is not a literal but a figurative illustration. It does not mean that the Lord God is not involved in the formation of a human life, that is made clear elsewhere; He breathes a human soul into the otherwise non-human 'blob of protoplasm', thereby making conception a miraculous event, every time it occurs. Discuss How could a man use the same wood to carve an idol, which he then worships, and then use the leftovers as firewood -- and not be aware of the absurdity? Reflect Is the deception around idols not clearly of the same kind of deception of Adam and Eve in the Garden? Share When have you become aware of something in your life which you had allowed to come between you and the Lord God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that remains an idol in your life; overvalued by you, and interfering with your relationship with Him. Action: Today I will partner with the Holy Spirit, and a fellow believer who meets the Biblical definition of an 'elder', as I purge the idol -- great or small -- from my life. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: Isaiah 45 - 49 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Jul 17 22:47:10 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2011 22:47:10 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - Isaiah 45 - 49 Message-ID: <4E239EAE.6000801@bibleseven.com> Monday Isaiah 45 - 49 45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold in order to subdue nations before him, and disarm kings, to open doors before him, so gates remain unclosed: 45:2 "I will go before you and level mountains. Bronze doors I will shatter and iron bars I will hack through. 45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stashed away in secret places, so you may recognize that I am the Lord, the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel. 45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one, I call you by name and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize me. 45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer, there is no God but me. I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me. 45:6 I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but me; I am the Lord, I have no peer. 45:7 I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things. 45:8 O sky, rain down from above! Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance! Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow, and deliverance may sprout up along with it. I, the Lord, create it. The Lord Gives a Warning 45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground! The clay should not say to the potter, "What in the world are you doing? Your work lacks skill!" 45:10 Danger awaits one who says to his father, "What in the world are you fathering?" and to his mother, "What in the world are you bringing forth?" 45:11 This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel, the one who formed him, concerning things to come: "How dare you question me about my children! How dare you tell me what to do with the work of my own hands! 45:12 I made the earth, I created the people who live on it. It was me -- my hands stretched out the sky, I give orders to all the heavenly lights. 45:13 It is me -- I stir him up and commission him; I will make all his ways level. He will rebuild my city; he will send my exiled people home, but not for a price or a bribe," says the Lord who commands armies. The Lord is the Nations' Only Hope 45:14 This is what the Lord says: "The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia, along with the Sabeans, those tall men, will be brought to you and become yours. They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down to you and pray to you: 'Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!'" 45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer! 45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed; those who fashion idols will all be humiliated. 45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by t he Lord; you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. 45:18 For this is what the Lord says, the one who created the sky -- he is the true God, the one who formed the earth and made it; he established it, he did not create it without order, he formed it to be inhabited -- "I am the Lord, I have no peer. 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, in some hidden place. I did not tell Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain!' I am the Lord, the one who speaks honestly, who makes reliable announcements. 45:20 Gather together and come! Approach together, you refugees from the nations! Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a god that cannot deliver. 45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! Let them consult with one another! Who predicted this in the past? Who announced it beforehand? Was it not I, the Lord? I have no peer, there is no God but me, a God who vindicates and delivers; there is none but me. 45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth's remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer. 45:23 I solemnly make this oath -- what I say is true and reliable: 'Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; 45:24 they will say about me, "Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer."'" All who are angry at him will cower before him. 45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord and will boast in him. The Lord Carries His People 46:1 Bel kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down; they are unable to rescue the images; they themselves head off into captivity. 46:3 "Listen to me, O family of Jacob, all you who are left from the family of Israel, you who have been carried from birth, you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, even when you have gray hair, I will carry you. I made you and I will support you; I will carry you and rescue you. 46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me? Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared! 46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse and weigh out silver on the scale hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god. They then bow down and worship it. 46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress. 46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! Think about it, you rebels! 46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! Truly I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like me, 46:10 who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred, who says, 'My plan will be realized, I will accomplish what I desire,' 46:11 who summons an eagle from the east, from a distant land, one who carries out my plan. Yes, I have decreed, yes, I will bring it to pass; I have formulated a plan, yes, I will carry it out. 46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, you who distance yourself from doing what is right. 46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away; I am bringing my salvation near, it does not wait. I will save Zion; I will adorn Israel with my splendor." Babylon Will Fall 47:1 "Fall down! Sit in the dirt, O virgin daughter Babylon! Sit on the ground, not on a throne, O daughter of the Babylonians! Indeed, you will no longer be called delicate and pampered. 47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour! Remove your veil, strip off your skirt, expose your legs, cross the streams! 47:3 Let your private parts be exposed! Your genitals will be on display! I will get revenge; I will not have pity on anyone," 47:4 says our protector -- the Lord who commands armies is his name, the Holy One of Israel. 47:5 "Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, O daughter of the Babylonians! Indeed, you will no longer be called 'Queen of kingdoms.' 47:6 I was angry at my people; I defiled my special possession and handed them over to you. You showed them no mercy; you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. 47:7 You said, 'I will rule forever as permanent queen!' You did not think about these things; you did not consider how it would turn out. 47:8 So now, listen to this, O one who lives so lavishly, who lives securely, who says to herself, 'I am unique! No one can compare to me! I will never have to live as a widow; I will never lose my children.' 47:9 Both of these will come upon you suddenly, in one day! You will lose your children and be widowed. You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, despite your many incantations and your numerous amulets. 47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; you thought, 'No one sees me.' Your self-professed wisdom and knowledge lead you astray, when you say, 'I am unique! No one can compare to me!' 47:11 Disaster will overtake you; you will not know how to charm it away. Destruction will fall on you; you will not be able to appease it. Calamity will strike you suddenly, before you recognize it. 47:12 Persist in trusting your amulets and your many incantations, which you have faithfully recited since your youth! Maybe you will be successful -- maybe you will scare away disaster. 47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. Let them take their stand -- the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make monthly predictions -- let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 47:14 Look, they are like straw, which the fire burns up; they cannot rescue themselves from the heat of the flames. There are no coals to warm them, no firelight to enjoy. 47:15 They will disappoint you, those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. Each strays off in his own direction, leaving no one to rescue you." The Lord Appeals to the Exiles 48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name 'Israel,' and are descended from Judah, who take oaths in the name of the Lord, and invoke the God of Israel -- but not in an honest and just manner. 48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; they trust in the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord who commands armies. 48:3 "I announced events beforehand, I issued the decrees and made the predictions; suddenly I acted and they came to pass. 48:4 I did this because I know how stubborn you are. Your neck muscles are like iron and your forehead like bronze. 48:5 I announced them to you beforehand; before they happened, I predicted them for you, so you could never say, 'My image did these things, my idol, my cast image, decreed them.' 48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! Will you not admit that what I say is true? From this point on I am announcing to you new events that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. 48:7 Now they come into being, not in the past; before today you did not hear about them, so you could not say, 'Yes, I know about them.' 48:8 You did not hear, you do not know, you were not told beforehand. For I know that you are very deceitful; you were labeled a rebel from birth. 48:9 For the sake of my reputation I hold back my anger; for the sake of my prestige I restrain myself from destroying you. 48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have purified you in the furnace of misery. 48:11 For my sake alone I will act, for how can I allow my name to be defiled? I will not share my glory with anyone else! 48:12 Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I summoned! I am the one; I am present at the very beginning and at the very end. 48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth; my right hand spread out the sky. I summon them; they stand together. 48:14 All of you, gather together and listen! Who among them announced these things? The Lord's ally will carry out his desire against Babylon; he will exert his power against the Babylonians. 48:15 I, I have spoken -- yes, I have summoned him; I lead him and he will succeed. 48:16 Approach me! Listen to this! From the very first I have not spoken in secret; when it happens, I am there." So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. 48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, says, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you how to succeed, who leads you in the way you should go. 48:18 If only you had obeyed my commandments, prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. 48:19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand, and your children like its granules. Their name would not have been cut off and eliminated from my presence. 48:20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the Babylonians! Announce it with a shout of joy! Make this known! Proclaim it throughout the earth! Say, 'The Lord protects his servant Jacob. 48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions; he makes water flow out of a rock for them; he splits open a rock and water flows out.' 48:22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked," says the Lord. Ideal Israel Delivers the Exiles 49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! Pay attention, you people who live far away! The Lord summoned me from birth; he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. 49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in the hollow of his hand; he made me like a sharpened arrow, he hid me in his quiver. 49:3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor." 49:4 But I thought, "I have worked in vain; I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing." But the Lord will vindicate me; my God will reward me. 49:5 So now the Lord says, the one who formed me from birth to be his servant -- he did this to restore Jacob to himself, so that Israel might be gathered to him; and I will be honored in the Lord's sight, for my God is my source of strength -- 49:6 he says, "Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth." 49:7 This is what the Lord, the protector of Israel, their Holy One, says to the one who is despised and rejected by nations, a servant of rulers: "Kings will see and rise in respect, princes will bow down, because of the faithful Lord, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you." 49:8 This is what the Lord says: "At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you; in the day of deliverance I will help you; I will protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people, to rebuild the land and to reassign the desolate property. 49:9 You will say to the prisoners, 'Come out,' and to those who are in dark dungeons, 'Emerge.' They will graze beside the roads; on all the slopes they will find pasture. 49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty; the sun's oppressive heat will not beat down on them, for one who has compassion on them will guide them; he will lead them to springs of water. 49:11 I will make all my mountains into a road; I will construct my roadways." 49:12 Look, they come from far away! Look, some come from the north and west, and others from the land of Sinim! 49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! Rejoice, O earth! Let the mountains give a joyful shout! For the Lord consoles his people and shows compassion to the oppressed. The Lord Remembers Zion 49:14 "Zion said, 'The Lord has abandoned me, the sovereign master has forgotten me.' 49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you! 49:16 Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are constantly before me. 49:17 Your children hurry back, while those who destroyed and devastated you depart. 49:18 Look all around you! All of them gather to you. As surely as I live," says the Lord, "you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry; you will put them on as if you were a bride. 49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins; it is desolate and devastated. But now you will be too small to hold your residents, and those who devoured you will be far away. 49:20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement will say within your hearing, 'This place is too cramped for us, make room for us so we can live here.' 49:21 Then you will think to yourself, 'Who bore these children for me? I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Who raised these children? Look, I was left all alone; where did these children come from?'" 49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says: "Look I will raise my hand to the nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. 49:23 Kings will be your children's guardians; their princesses will nurse your children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you and they will lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the Lord; those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame. 49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 49:25 Indeed," says the Lord, "captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children. 49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. Then all humankind will recognize that I am the Lord, your deliverer, your protector, the powerful ruler of Jacob." Prayer Lord, You decide who You will rescue and who You will punish; Your justice is perfect and your power irresistible. You require of us that we repent, be reconciled to You, and then our relationship restored to pre-Fall purity. May I praise You for Your enduring love. Commentary Isaiah reported the Lord God's calling and equipping of Persian king Cyrus, neither an Israelite nor a gentile believer in Him "For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one, I call you by name and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize me." He announced the Lord's warning against anyone who would question His sovereign commissioning of Cyrus. He then described how He would give riches and success to Cyrus to assure him success in liberating Israel. Isaiah declared the Lord's solitary power to accomplish the liberation of Israel and His intention to do so despite any mere human resistance. He prophesied the fall of the Babylonian empire. He then appealed to the Israelites to repent of their rebellion and to turn to Him, their only redeemer and renewed His promise to redeem "Zion". Interaction Consider "Israel" and "Zion" became Biblical-metaphors for those who have a saving relationship through the Messiah. Discuss Why would people later confuse Cyrus with the Messiah, given Isaiah's clear description of the nature of the unique missions of the two? Reflect Cyrus would not come to liberate Israel for 250 years after Isaiah's prophesy, he would be misunderstood by some to be the Messiah, and neither he nor the people would rise to the desired state of righteousness required of the Lord's proclamation -- therefore much more time would come prior to the arrival of the Messiah and even more until His second coming. Share When have you been 'rescued' by an unlikely person, someone clearly sent by the Lord, but not a fellow believer? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where He wants you to surrender and then partner with Him to move towards righteousness -- in anticipation of the return of Jesus. Action: Today I will joyfully surrender that place in my life that is not right before the Lord. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement, and to be my accountability partner, and I walk with the Holy Spirit to greater maturity. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: Isaiah 50 -- 52:12 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Jul 18 22:11:26 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:11:26 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Tuesday_-_Isaiah_50_=96_52=3A?= =?windows-1252?q?12?= Message-ID: <4E24E7CE.60103@bibleseven.com> Tuesday Isaiah 50 ? 52:12 50:1 This is what the Lord says: ?Where is your mother?s divorce certificate by which I divorced her? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Look, you were sold because of your sins; because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. 50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come? Why does no one respond when I call? Is my hand too weak to deliver you? Do I lack the power to rescue you? Look, with a mere shout I can dry up the sea; I can turn streams into a desert, so the fish rot away and die from lack of water. 50:3 I can clothe the sky in darkness; I can cover it with sackcloth.? The Servant Perseveres 50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, so that I know how to help the weary. He wakes me up every morning; he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. 50:5 The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly; I have not rebelled, I have not turned back. 50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, my jaws to those who tore out my beard; I did not hide my face from insults and spitting. 50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me, so I am not humiliated. For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; I know I will not be put to shame. 50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by. Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! Who is my accuser? Let him challenge me! 50:9 Look, the sovereign Lord helps me. Who dares to condemn me? Look, all of them will wear out like clothes; a moth will eat away at them. 50:10 Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys his servant? Whoever walks in deep darkness, without light, should trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. 50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire and who equip yourselves with flaming arrows, walk in the light of the fire you started and among the flaming arrows you ignited! This is what you will receive from me: you will lie down in a place of pain. There is Hope for the Future 51:1 ?Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, who seek the Lord! Look at the rock from which you were chiseled, at the quarry from which you were dug! 51:2 Look at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, but I blessed him and gave him numerous descendants. 51:3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion; he will console all her ruins. He will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the Garden of the Lord. Happiness and joy will be restored to her, thanksgiving and the sound of music. 51:4 Pay attention to me, my people! Listen to me, my people! For I will issue a decree, I will make my justice a light to the nations. 51:5 I am ready to vindicate, I am ready to deliver, I will establish justice among the nations. The coastlands wait patiently for me; they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power. 51:6 Look up at the sky! Look at the earth below! For the sky will dissipate like smoke, and the earth will wear out like clothes; its residents will die like gnats. But the deliverance I give is permanent; the vindication I provide will not disappear. 51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right, you people who are aware of my law! Don?t be afraid of the insults of men; don?t be discouraged because of their abuse! 51:8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes; a clothes moth will devour them like wool. But the vindication I provide will be permanent; the deliverance I give will last.? 51:9 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity! Did you not smash the Proud One? Did you not wound the sea monster? 51:10 Did you not dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep? Did you not make a path through the depths of the sea, so those delivered from bondage could cross over? 51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return; they will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear. 51:12 ?I, I am the one who consoles you. Why are you afraid of mortal men, of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? 51:13 Why do you forget the Lord, who made you, who stretched out the sky and founded the earth? Why do you constantly tremble all day long at the anger of the oppressor, when he makes plans to destroy? Where is the anger of the oppressor? 51:14 The one who suffers will soon be released; he will not die in prison, he will not go hungry. 51:15 I am the Lord your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves surge. The Lord who commands armies is his name! Zion?s Time to Celebrate 51:16 I commission you as my spokesman; I cover you with the palm of my hand, to establish the sky and to found the earth, to say to Zion, ?You are my people.?? 51:17 Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you, which was full of his anger! You drained dry the goblet full of intoxicating wine. 51:18 There was no one to lead her among all the children she bore; there was no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised. 51:19 These double disasters confronted you. But who feels sorry for you? Destruction and devastation, famine and sword. But who consoles you? 51:20 Your children faint; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a snare. They are left in a stupor by the Lord?s anger, by the battle cry of your God. 51:21 So listen to this, oppressed one, who is drunk, but not from wine! 51:22 This is what your sovereign master, the Lord your God, says: ?Look, I have removed from your hand the cup of intoxicating wine, the goblet full of my anger. You will no longer have to drink it. 51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors who said to you, ?Lie down, so we can walk over you.? You made your back like the ground, and like the street for those who walked over you.? 52:1 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city! For uncircumcised and unclean pagans will no longer invade you. 52:2 Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem! Take off the iron chains around your neck, O captive daughter Zion! 52:3 For this is what the Lord says: ?You were sold for nothing, and you will not be redeemed for money.? 52:4 For this is what the sovereign Lord says: ?In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason. 52:5 And now, what do we have here?? says the Lord. ?Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing, those who rule over them taunt,? says the Lord, ?and my name is constantly slandered all day long. 52:6 For this reason my people will know my name, for this reason they will know at that time that I am the one who says, ?Here I am.?? 52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains the feet of a messenger who announces peace, a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance, who says to Zion, ?Your God reigns!? 52:8 Listen, your watchmen shout; in unison they shout for joy, for they see with their very own eyes the Lord?s return to Zion. 52:9 In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord consoles his people; he protects Jerusalem. 52:10 The Lord reveals his royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire earth sees our God deliver. 52:11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don?t touch anything unclean! Get out of it! Stay pure, you who carry the Lord?s holy items! 52:12 Yet do not depart quickly or leave in a panic. For the Lord goes before you; the God of Israel is your rear guard. Prayer Lord, when we act against You, we harm our relationship with you. May I nurture my relationship with You through honor given to Your holiness and obedience to Your teaching. Commentary The Lord God, continuing to speak through Isaiah, questioned the lack of understanding of the Israelites. Speaking rhetorically He asked them to what creditor sold them or in what worldly divorce certificate was His divorce of their mother [the prior generation] recorded. He then answered His question ?... you were sold because of your sins; because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother.? Isaiah presented a defense of himself to those who attacked and ridiculed him ?The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, so that I know how to help the weary. He wakes me up every morning; he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly; I have not rebelled, I have not turned back. I offered my back to those who attacked, my jaws to those who tore out my beard; I did not hide my face from insults and spitting. But the sovereign Lord helps me, so I am not humiliated. For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; I know I will not be put to shame.? The he warned them ?Look, all of you who start a fire and who equip yourselves with flaming arrows, walk in the light of the fire you started and among the flaming arrows you ignited! This is what you will receive from me: you will lie down in a place of pain.? Isaiah delivered the Lord God's reminder ?Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, who seek the Lord! Look at the rock from which you were chiseled, at the quarry from which you were dug! Look at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, but I blessed him and gave him numerous descendants.? He then shared His promise ?Certainly the Lord will console Zion; he will console all her ruins. He will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the Garden of the Lord. Happiness and joy will be restored to her, thanksgiving and the sound of music.? Isaiah concluded with the message that Israel should celebrate and then act without fear to return home ?The Lord reveals his royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire earth sees our God deliver. Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don?t touch anything unclean! Get out of it! Stay pure, you who carry the Lord?s holy items! Yet do not depart quickly or leave in a panic. For the Lord goes before you; the God of Israel is your rear guard.? Interaction Consider The Israelites were confused as to why the Lord God had allowed them into captivity. Discuss Why would Israelites have attacked and ridiculed Isaiah? Reflect The Lord God promised Israel redemption, but they were to be righteous along the way. Share When have you been puzzled as to why you were struggling and only later realized that it was because you had broken-fellowship with the Lord? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an opportunity He is creating to draw you nearer to Him. Action: Today I will joyfully celebrate the opportunity to draw nearer to the Lord God and will follow where He leads me in prayer and study, praise and service. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: Isaiah 52:13 - 55 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Jul 19 22:20:21 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:20:21 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - Isaiah 52:13 - 55 Message-ID: <4E263B65.30308@bibleseven.com> Wednesday Isaiah 52:13 - 55 The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant 52:13 "Look, my servant will succeed! He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted -- 52:14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man; 52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human -- so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about. 53:1 Who would have believed what we just heard? When was the Lord's power revealed through him? 53:2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him. 53:3 He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. 53:4 But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. 53:5 He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed. 53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path, but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. 53:7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth. 53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial -- but who even cared? Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded. 53:9 They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man's tomb, because he had committed no violent deeds, nor had he spoken deceitfully. 53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill, once restitution is made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the Lord's purpose will be accomplished through him. 53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. "My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins. 53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death and was numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels." Zion Will Be Secure 54:1 "Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one are more numerous than the children of the married woman," says the Lord. 54:2 Make your tent larger, stretch your tent curtains farther out! Spare no effort, lengthen your ropes, and pound your stakes deep. 54:3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your children will conquer nations and will resettle desolate cities. 54:4 Don't be afraid, for you will not be put to shame! Don't be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated! You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment. 54:5 For your husband is the one who made you -- the Lord who commands armies is his name. He is your protector, the Holy One of Israel. He is called "God of the entire earth." 54:6 "Indeed, the Lord will call you back like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, like a young wife when she has been rejected," says your God. 54:7 "For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 54:8 In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you," says your protector, the Lord. 54:9 "As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah's time, when I vowed that the waters of Noah's flood would never again cover the earth. In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you. 54:10 Even if the mountains are removed and the hills displaced, my devotion will not be removed from you, nor will my covenant of friendship be displaced," says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you. 54:11 "O afflicted one, driven away, and unconsoled! Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli. 54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, your gates out of beryl, and your outer wall out of beautiful stones. 54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord, and your children will enjoy great prosperity. 54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. You will not experience oppression; indeed, you will not be afraid. You will not be terrified, for nothing frightening will come near you. 54:15 If anyone dares to challenge you, it will not be my doing! Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated. 54:16 Look, I create the craftsman, who fans the coals into a fire and forges a weapon. I create the destroyer so he might devastate. 54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed; you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. This is what the Lord will do for his servants -- I will vindicate them," says the Lord. The Lord Gives an Invitation 55:1 "Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! 55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! 55:3 Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. 55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations." 55:5 Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you. 55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! 55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. 55:8 "Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, 55:9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. 55:10 The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. 55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend." 55:12 Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands. 55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the Lord, a permanent reminder that will remain. Prayer Lord, You desire reconciliation and restoration but we must come to You with genuine repentance. May I never believe nor tolerate the belief that there is anything remotely like a "cheap and easy grace". There is no eternal grace absent genuine repentance; an honest confession, turning away from sin/rebellion, requesting and receiving forgiveness, and surrendering everything to the Lordship of Christ. Commentary Jesus is prophesied, first in the moments following His false trial, conviction, and abuse "... his form was so marred he no longer looked human ..." And then, upon His return ... so now he will startle many nations ... Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about." Isaiah proclaimed the ministry of propitiation of Jesus, beginning with the origins of His human form "He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him." Then the nature of His ministry which challenged religious traditions and worldly expectations "He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant." The His assumption of our sin on to Himself, One Who had lived without any sin of His own "But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed. All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path, but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him." He continued the prophesy of His final moments prior to the Cross "He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth. He was led away after an unjust trial -- but who even cared?" Then on to the consequence of assuming our sin "Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded." Isaiah prophesied the post-Cross expectations of those who failed to understand "They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man's tomb, because he had committed no violent deeds, nor had he spoken deceitfully." He described the demands of perfect justice "Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill, once restitution is made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the Lord's purpose will be accomplished through him." And the consequence of Him meeting the demands of justice in our place "Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. "My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins." And finally His exalted standing among the multitudes and powerful "So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death and was numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels." The redemption made possible by Jesus was likened to a temporarily fractured marriage "... your husband is the one who made you -- the Lord who commands armies is his name. He is your protector, the Holy One of Israel. He is called "God of the entire earth." "Indeed, the Lord will call you back like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, like a young wife when she has been rejected," says your God. "For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you," says your protector, the Lord." Isaiah concluded this section of text with the Lord God's reminder that His reconciliation and restoration was conditional -- based upon their genuine repentance "Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them." Interaction Consider Jesus, God in a temporary glory-free human form, came to be our sacrifice -- because no fallen human -- however imperfectly righteous, could meet the demand of justice for a perfectly sin-free substitute. Discuss Why was it important the Jesus in human form be lacking the sort of "Saul" or "David" physically-attractive appearance? Reflect The Lord God saw His covenant with Israel like a marriage where the wife strayed and the husband chose a temporary separation as she was punished. He remained ready to reconcile and restore, and He created a process by which the relationship could be restored, then invited "her" to join Him when she was ready to repent and to surrender again to the covenant. Share When have you experienced or observed a Christian leader whose physically-attractive appearance became an impediment to focus on Jesus? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of something in your life, a distraction from your relational intimacy with Him, which He has overcome in order to improve your relationship. Action: Today I will give Him all the praise and will prayerfully seek-out other areas where I may partner with the Holy Spirit to continue the process of improving my relationship with the Lord God. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: Isaiah 56 - 57 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Jul 20 22:06:00 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 22:06:00 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - Isaiah 56 - 57 Message-ID: <4E278988.4080409@bibleseven.com> Thursday Isaiah 56 - 57 The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter 56:1 This is what the Lord says, "Promote justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly. 56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. 56:3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of the Lord should say, 'The Lord will certainly exclude me from his people.' The eunuch should not say, 'Look, I am like a dried-up tree.'" 56:4 For this is what the Lord says: "For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me and are faithful to my covenant, 56:5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument that will be better than sons and daughters. I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain. 56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him, who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants -- all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, and who are faithful to my covenant -- 56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray." 56:8 The sovereign Lord says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel: "I will still gather them up." The Lord Denounces Israel's Paganism 56:9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest! 56:10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze. 56:11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. 56:12 Each one says, 'Come on, I'll get some wine! Let's guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We'll have everything we want!' 57:1 The godly perish, but no one cares. Honest people disappear, when no one minds that the godly disappear because of evil. 57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace; they rest on their beds. 57:3 But approach, you sons of omen readers, you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes! 57:4 At whom are you laughing? At whom are you opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue? You are the children of rebels, the offspring of liars, 57:5 you who practice ritual sex under the oaks and every green tree, who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs. 57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love; they, they are the object of your devotion. You pour out liquid offerings to them, you make an offering. Because of these things I will seek vengeance. 57:7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed; you go up there to offer sacrifices. 57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols. Indeed, you depart from me and go up and invite them into bed with you. You purchase favors from them, you love their bed, and gaze longingly on their genitals. 57:9 You take olive oil as tribute to your king, along with many perfumes. You send your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol. 57:10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, but you do not say, 'I give up.' You get renewed energy, so you don't collapse. 57:11 Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent for so long, you are not afraid of me. 57:12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds, but they will not help you. 57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols help you! The wind blows them all away, a breeze carries them away. But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land and will have access to my holy mountain." 57:14 He says, "Build it! Build it! Clear a way! Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!" 57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says, the one who rules forever, whose name is holy: "I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the discouraged and humiliated, in order to cheer up the humiliated and to encourage the discouraged. 57:16 For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man's spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created. 57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed; I attacked them and angrily rejected them, yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. 57:18 I have seen their behavior, but I will heal them and give them rest, and I will once again console those who mourn. 57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. Complete prosperity is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby," says the Lord, "and I will heal them. 57:20 But the wicked are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand. 57:21 There will be no prosperity," says my God, "for the wicked." Prayer Lord, You are our hope and our accountability; our relationship with You is on Your terms and not ours. May I learn to know you better so that I may live rightly before You. Commentary Isaiah continued the proclamation of the Lord God, beginning with a reminder that His offer of reconciliation and restoration was conditioned on repentant-obedience "Promote justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly." He then addressed the non-Jew among the Israelites who surrendered themselves to the Lord God, making it clear that they had equal standing before Him, and that He would honor the faith of the eunuch (generically, a single and/or childless person) as well. Isaiah delivered the challenge of the Lord God against those who worshiped idols "Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent for so long, you are not afraid of me. I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds, but they will not help you. When you cry out for help, let your idols help you! The wind blows them all away, a breeze carries them away. But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land and will have access to my holy mountain."" He declared the hope that came from the Lord God "I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the discouraged and humiliated, in order to cheer up the humiliated and to encourage the discouraged. For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man's spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created." He concluded with the consequences to those who remain rebellious "... the wicked are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand. There will be no prosperity," says my God, "for the wicked."" Interaction Consider The Lord God loves singles and the childless and even in Isaiah's time made a special effort to affirm and to honor them - in the face of a culture that was obsessed with marriage and children. In the NT the apostle Paul re-affirmed the Lord God's love for those who are single and/or childless. Discuss Why would people think that they could pretend to honor the Lord God and still continue their disgusting practices in the temples to false pagan idols? Reflect Reconciliation and restoration are possible when we repent and surrender. Share When have you experienced or observed the double-mindedness of claiming to be a true child of God through Jesus while still living in many worldly ways? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you are still living outside of His moral will for your righteousness; essentially making that thing which He finds disgusting an idol -- separating you and Him. Action: Today I will repent, seek and receive His forgiveness, and surrender to the Holy Spirit as He leads me to a more-righteous walk with Him. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: Isaiah 58 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Jul 21 23:09:26 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:09:26 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - Isaiah 58 Message-ID: <4E28E9E6.8020306@bibleseven.com> Friday Isaiah 58 The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion 58:1 "Shout loudly! Don't be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob's family with their sin! 58:2 They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God. 58:3 They lament, 'Why don't you notice when we fast? Why don't you pay attention when we humble ourselves?' Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. 58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven. 58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the Lord? 58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. 58:7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord's splendor will be your rear guard. 58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, 'Here I am.' You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. 58:10 You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. 58:11 The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water. 58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish the ancient foundations. You will be called, 'The one who repairs broken walls, the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.' 58:13 You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the Lord's holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. 58:14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord, and I will give you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob." Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. Prayer Lord, You hold us accountable and expect us to hold one-another accountable. You want a real relationship with You, and You want us to have real relationships with one-another, relationships characterized by love and not legalistic rituals and selfish expectations. May I reflect daily on my progress toward maturity in a life that is lived as You would have it, not as the world teaches. Commentary Isaiah began with the Lord God's call for accountability "Shout loudly! Don't be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob's family with their sin!" He then declared God's disgust with the hypocrisy of people who complained the He did not respond to their cries for help but who fasted, argued, and fought all at the same time. Even a peaceful ritual was not acceptable "Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the Lord?" Isaiah then described what the Lord God wanted "... this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood!" The result of obedient behavior from hearts inclined toward the Lord God would be " Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord's splendor will be your rear guard. Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond ..." Interaction Consider Unloving legalism and heartless rituals are not Biblically acceptable. Discuss How could the people have drifted so far that they imagined such vile behavior during their fasts and other gatherings, and their improper behavior on the Sabbath, could be acceptable to the Lord God? Reflect Caring for "the least of these" has been a long-standing expectation of the Lord God. Notice that He is speaking of believers, He is specific in the use of the phrase "Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood!" Share When have you discovered that you were at one extreme or another in your practice of the religious elements of your faith, either imbalanced on the emotional side, or imbalanced on the intellectual/legalistic side? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you and opportunity to "... share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don't turn your back on your own flesh and blood!" Action: Today I will obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit and either join with others in the efforts of an existing ministry, or else I will start my own, perhaps serving the person who sits next to me in Sunday fellowship or another fellow Christian of whose need I am made aware. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: Isaiah 59 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Jul 22 20:30:46 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:30:46 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - Isaiah 59 Message-ID: <4E2A1636.2000600@bibleseven.com> Saturday Isaiah 59 Injustice Brings Alienation from God 59:1 Look, the Lord's hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you. 59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. 59:3 For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words. 59:4 No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin. 59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched. 59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes. 59:7 They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; they crush and destroy. 59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. Israel Confesses its Sin 59:9 For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness. 59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind, we grope like those who cannot see; we stumble at noontime as if it were evening. Though others are strong, we are like dead men. 59:11 We all growl like bears, we coo mournfully like doves; we wait for deliverance, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us. 59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, and our sins testify against us; indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds; we know our sins all too well. 59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds. 59:14 Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter. 59:15 Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The Lord watches and is displeased, for there is no justice. The Lord Intervenes 59:16 He sees there is no advocate; he is shocked that no one intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands; his desire for justice drives him on. 59:17 He wears his desire for justice like body armor, and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. He puts on the garments of vengeance and wears zeal like a robe. 59:18 He repays them for what they have done, dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries and punishing his enemies. He repays the coastlands. 59:19 In the west, people respect the Lord's reputation; in the east they recognize his splendor. For he comes like a rushing stream driven on by wind sent from the Lord. 59:20 "A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds," says the Lord. 59:21 "As for me, this is my promise to them," says the Lord. "My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward," says the Lord. Prayer Lord, when humankind could not provide a champion to meet the demands of Your perfect and holy justice, You came down from Heaven and provided Your way for us. Although it is impossible for me to ever properly thank You, may my heart be broken with gratitude every time Your Holy Spirit reminds me of what You have done. Commentary Isaiah delivered the wisdom teaching "... your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers ... They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace." Distance from the Lord God is always our fault, He stands ready and willing to reconcile and to restore, but "For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness." The consequence of rebellion is always apparent in the form of a troubled civilization "We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds. Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter. Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The Lord watches and is displeased, for there is no justice." Isaiah prophesies the coming of the Messiah and His later return to purge evils and to restore an Edenic-like environment for His children "He sees there is no advocate; he is shocked that no one intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands; his desire for justice drives him on ... "A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds," says the Lord. "As for me, this is my promise to them," says the Lord. "My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward," says the Lord." Interaction Consider The Lord God does not move away from us, though our choice to push Him away, to build walls, and/or to engage in reprehensible conduct repels Him in His perfect holiness. Discuss When the consequence of rebellion against the Lord God is so obviously negative why is humankind so quick to offend Him in the pursuit of temporary fleshly lusts? Reflect The Lord God is unwilling to allow those whose hearts are inclined toward Him to perish eternally. Share When have you been in an environment suffering from many troubles and discovered that those at the heart of the troubles were estranged from the Lord God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a renewed sense of the Lord God's provision to rescue you from a hopeless eternity apart from a redeemer. Action: Today I will pause to give thanks, then throughout the day I will seek an opportunities to share Him with others, and to again give thanks. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: Isaiah 60 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Jul 23 20:58:51 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 20:58:51 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Sunday - Isaiah 60 Message-ID: <4E2B6E4B.7000603@bibleseven.com> Sunday Isaiah 60 Zion's Future Splendor 60:1 "Arise! Shine! For your light arrives! The splendor of the Lord shines on you! 60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth and deep darkness covers the nations, but the Lord shines on you; his splendor appears over you. 60:3 Nations come to your light, kings to your bright light. 60:4 Look all around you! They all gather and come to you -- your sons come from far away and your daughters are escorted by guardians. 60:5 Then you will look and smile, you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. For the riches of distant lands will belong to you and the wealth of nations will come to you. 60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, young camels from Midian and Ephah. All the merchants of Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing praises to the Lord. 60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. They will go up on my altar acceptably, and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple. 60:8 Who are these who float along like a cloud, who fly like doves to their shelters? 60:9 Indeed, the coastlands look eagerly for me, the large ships are in the lead, bringing your sons from far away, along with their silver and gold, to honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has bestowed honor on you. 60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls; their kings will serve you. Even though I struck you down in my anger, I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. 60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times; they will not be shut during the day or at night, so that the wealth of nations may be delivered, with their kings leading the way. 60:12 Indeed, nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish; such nations will be totally destroyed. 60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you, its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together, to beautify my palace; I will bestow honor on my throne room. 60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you; all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet. They will call you, 'The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.' 60:15 You were once abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, but I will make you a permanent source of pride and joy to coming generations. 60:16 You will drink the milk of nations; you will nurse at the breasts of kings. Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer, your protector, the powerful ruler of Jacob. 60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold, instead of iron, I will bring you silver, instead of wood, I will bring you bronze, instead of stones, I will bring you iron. I will make prosperity your overseer, and vindication your sovereign ruler. 60:18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land, or the sounds of destruction and devastation within your borders. You will name your walls, 'Deliverance,' and your gates, 'Praise.' 60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day, nor will the moon's brightness shine on you; the Lord will be your permanent source of light -- the splendor of your God will shine upon you. 60:20 Your sun will no longer set; your moon will not disappear; the Lord will be your permanent source of light; your time of sorrow will be over. 60:21 All of your people will be godly; they will possess the land permanently. I will plant them like a shoot; they will be the product of my labor, through whom I reveal my splendor. 60:22 The least of you will multiply into a thousand; the smallest of you will become a large nation. When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!" Prayer Lord, You exist as a Trinity of persons, yet are One. Mere humankind cannot fully understand this, just as humankind cannot comprehend other things about God. Yet You desire to make the willing whole and to then welcome us to dwell with You. May I give You praise! Commentary Isaiah encouraged his listeners to see themselves in a promised but not yet actualized state of presence with the Lord God "... look, darkness covers the earth and deep darkness covers the nations, but the Lord shines on you; his splendor appears over you." He spoke of the coming Messiah and His later return, and in his phraseology he bonds his current reference to the Messiah ("my") and the prior reference to the Lord God ("he") together as an essential unity (the Son and the Father and the Holy Spirit are One) "They will go up on my altar acceptably, and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple ... the coastlands look eagerly for me, the large ships are in the lead, bringing your sons from far away, along with their silver and gold, to honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has bestowed honor on you." Isaiah's prophesy "The sun will no longer supply light for you by day, nor will the moon's brightness shine on you; the Lord will be your permanent source of light -- the splendor of your God will shine upon you." was later echoed in John's Revelation as Heaven was described. The promised redemption, in a perfect state "All of your people will be godly; they will possess the land permanently. I will plant them like a shoot; they will be the product of my labor, through whom I reveal my splendor. The least of you will multiply into a thousand; the smallest of you will become a large nation. When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!" Interaction Consider The children of the Lord God have been called by Him to see themselves as He does -- made holy and in His presence -- after the return of Jesus the Christ. Discuss Why was it important that people visualize themselves in the presence of the Lord God? Reflect While the world was a dark place the people could know that the spiritual light of the Lord shined on them. Share When have you sensed the light of the Lord on you, despite a sense of the oppressing darkness of the world? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a more powerful assurance of the Lord God's promise and of the awesome wonder that being in His presence will be. Action: Today I will make some time to pause and to read this text to pray in thanks, and to rest in His promise and presence. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: Isaiah 61 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sun Jul 24 10:58:00 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:58:00 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: Law of the Garbage Truck Message-ID: <4E2C32F8.3040401@lightlink.com> Law of the Garbage Truck One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! Have a garbage-free day! "Faith is not believing God can, it is knowing that God will." -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sun Jul 24 14:46:18 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:46:18 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] vSphere 5's licensing opens the door for open source | Open Source Software - InfoWorld Message-ID: <4E2C687A.4030504@lightlink.com> http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source-software/vsphere-5-licensing-opens-door-open-source-037?page=0,1&source=IFWNLE_nlt_openenterprise_2011-07-20 -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sun Jul 24 16:49:57 2011 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:49:57 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?utf-8?q?OT=3A_=E2=80=AADrinking_from_my_sauc?= =?utf-8?b?ZXLigKzigI8=?= Message-ID: <4E2C8575.2090208@lightlink.com> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwjbpxPibu4 -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Jul 24 22:36:08 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:36:08 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - Isaiah 61 Message-ID: <4E2CD698.6060504@bibleseven.com> Monday Isaiah 61 The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People 61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners, 61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn, 61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. 61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins and restore the places that were desolate; they will reestablish the ruined cities, the places that have been desolate since ancient times. 61:5 "Foreigners will take care of your sheep; foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards. 61:6 You will be called, 'the Lord's priests, servants of our God.' You will enjoy the wealth of nations and boast about the riches you receive from them. 61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land and experience lasting joy. 61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them. 61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations, their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will recognize that the Lord has blessed them." 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; I will be overjoyed because of my God. For he clothes me in garments of deliverance; he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would; I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. 61:11 For just as the ground produces its crops and a garden yields its produce, so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance to grow, and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations. Prayer Lord, You desired repentance for reconciliation and restoration, but it was not to be. I I learn and be wise and choose the path shown me by the Holy Spirit so that You, in perfect justice, may pour-out your love-empowered grace and mercy in and through me. Commentary Isaiah appeared to revisit the process and purpose of his calling as a prophet "The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me." He described the idyllic outcome of a repentant Israel should they meet their part of the Lord God's offered reconciliation and restoration "They will rebuild the perpetual ruins and restore the places that were desolate; they will reestablish the ruined cities, the places that have been desolate since ancient times." Isaiah declared the Lord God's promise should His offered covenant be honored by Israel "For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them." He concluded with a summary of his reaction should the covenant be realized "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; I will be overjoyed because of my God. For he clothes me in garments of deliverance; he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would; I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. For just as the ground produces its crops and a garden yields its produce, so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance to grow, and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations." Interaction Consider The Lord God wanted to bless and restore His people. Discuss Why would Isaiah have felt it necessary to restate his credentials? (The apostle Paul did the same thing repeatedly.) Reflect The idyllic consequences could only come if the people repented, otherwise they would wait until after the Messiah came, departed and then returned. Share When have you experienced or observed an individual with an opportunity to be blessed but who threw it all away because they refused to repent of their poor life choices? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a specific way that He intends to bless you. Action: Today I will give praise to the Lord and I will be careful to live according to the direction of the Holy Spirit so that I do not frustrate the Lord and lose His intended blessing. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: Isaiah 62 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Mon Jul 25 21:39:20 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:39:20 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tuesday - Isaiah 62 Message-ID: <4E2E1AC8.80707@bibleseven.com> Tuesday Isaiah 62 The Lord Takes Delight in Zion 62:1 "For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines brightly and her deliverance burns like a torch." 62:2 Nations will see your vindication, and all kings your splendor. You will be called by a new name that the Lord himself will give you. 62:3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal turban in the hand of your God. 62:4 You will no longer be called, "Abandoned," and your land will no longer be called "Desolate." Indeed, you will be called "My Delight is in Her," and your land "Married." For the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married to him. 62:5 As a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you. 62:6 I post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they should keep praying all day and all night. You who pray to the Lord, don't be silent! 62:7 Don't allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth. 62:8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand, by his strong arm: "I will never again give your grain to your enemies as food, and foreigners will not drink your wine, which you worked hard to produce. 62:9 But those who harvest the grain will eat it, and will praise the Lord. Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine in the courts of my holy sanctuary." 62:10 Come through! Come through the gates! Prepare the way for the people! Build it! Build the roadway! Remove the stones! Lift a signal flag for the nations! 62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: "Say to Daughter Zion, 'Look, your deliverer comes! Look, his reward is with him and his reward goes before him!'" 62:12 They will be called, "The Holy People, the Ones Protected by the Lord." You will be called, "Sought After, City Not Abandoned." Prayer Lord, You have always seen Your purposes and Your people through eyes that saw beyond anything mere humankind could comprehend -- You saw us gathered to Yourself, made pure and holy, and blessed with the blessings You have longed to pour-out upon Your children. May I grow in a spiritual sense of Your vision for my future, and that of Your other children, that I may be strengthened for service. Commentary Isaiah declared the Lord God's intention to advocate for a repentant Israel "For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines brightly and her deliverance burns like a torch." The term "Israel" had been moving from literal to figurative in the Lord God's communication through His prophets for many decades and here it shifts completely to the figurative "You will no longer be called, "Abandoned," and your land will no longer be called "Desolate." Indeed, you will be called "My Delight is in Her," and your land "Married." For the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married to him. As a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you." Well before the Messiah descents to earth in human form Isaiah uses the symbolism of agriculture for a spiritual purpose "The Lord swears an oath by his right hand, by his strong arm: "I will never again give your grain to your enemies as food, and foreigners will not drink your wine, which you worked hard to produce. But those who harvest the grain will eat it, and will praise the Lord. Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine in the courts of my holy sanctuary." He continued with additional symbolism "Come through! Come through the gates! Prepare the way for the people! Build it! Build the roadway! Remove the stones! Lift a signal flag for the nations!" And finally, the fore-telling prophesy of the Messiah "Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: "Say to Daughter Zion, 'Look, your deliverer comes! Look, his reward is with him and his reward goes before him!'" They will be called, "The Holy People, the Ones Protected by the Lord."" Interaction Consider Israel was never going to repent and therefore national reconciliation and restoration was impossible; it was rather to be a individual relationship of any member of humankind and their Lord God which would define spiritual "Israel". Discuss Why was it important to give the people of Israel and believing Gentiles, new names or titles e.g. "My Delight is in Her," and your land "Married."? Reflect The Lord God's promise of redemption via a Messiah began in the Garden, long before the formation of Israel, so it was a promise and a prophesy made to all humankind and not only Israel. Share When have you pondered the consistency of the Lord God in His promise of a Messiah from the moments following the Fall of Adam and Eve through the entirety of OT history? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you ways that He would like you to "Prepare the way for the people! Build it! Build the roadway! Remove the stones! Lift a signal flag for the nations!" Action: Today I will tell His story, encourage the unsaved to consider-Christ, remove legalism and traditionalism and other sociological impediments to those considering-Christ, walk honorably before the Lord God and partner with the Holy Spirit to make my life a light in the darkness. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Wednesday's text will be: Isaiah 63 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Tue Jul 26 23:31:38 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:31:38 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Wednesday - Isaiah 63 Message-ID: <4E2F869A.7050408@bibleseven.com> Wednesday Isaiah 63 The Victorious Divine Warrior 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? Who is this one wearing royal attire, who marches confidently because of his great strength? "It is I, the one who announces vindication, and who is able to deliver!" 63:2 Why are your clothes red? Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat? 63:3 "I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself; no one from the nations joined me. I stomped on them in my anger; I trampled them down in my rage. Their juice splashed on my garments, and stained all my clothes. 63:4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance, and then payback time arrived. 63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was shocked because there was no one offering support. So my right arm accomplished deliverance; my raging anger drove me on. 63:6 I trampled nations in my anger, I made them drunk in my rage, I splashed their blood on the ground." A Prayer for Divine Intervention 63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord, of the Lord's praiseworthy deeds. I will tell about all the Lord did for us, the many good things he did for the family of Israel, because of his compassion and great faithfulness. 63:8 He said, "Certainly they will be my people, children who are not disloyal." He became their deliverer. 63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. The messenger sent from his very presence delivered them. In his love and mercy he protected them; he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. 63:10 But they rebelled and offended his holy Spirit, so he turned into an enemy and fought against them. 63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea, along with the shepherd of his flock? Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, 63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, who divided the water before them, gaining for himself a lasting reputation, 63:13 who led them through the deep water? Like a horse running on flat land they did not stumble. 63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest. In this way you guided your people, gaining for yourself an honored reputation. 63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice, from your holy, majestic palace! Where are your zeal and power? Do not hold back your tender compassion! 63:16 For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times. 63:17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance! 63:18 For a short time your special nation possessed a land, but then our adversaries knocked down your holy sanctuary. 63:19 We existed from ancient times, but you did not rule over them, they were not your subjects. Prayer Lord, You are always faithful, and humankind has often been unfaithful. You are never the author of sin but humankind has endlessly invented ways to indulge the sin-ridden flesh. May I look to You and not fellow fallen humans for my priorities. Commentary Isaiah began with a description of the Messiah, drenched in blood from absorbing the sin of the world. [According to the NET Translator's Notes he used Edom as "... an archetype for the Lord's enemies. See verse 34:5.] Sin is our mortal enemy. He then revisited the relationship of the Lord God to His people "I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord, of the Lord's praiseworthy deeds. I will tell about all the Lord did for us, the many good things he did for the family of Israel, because of his compassion and great faithfulness. He said, "Certainly they will be my people, children who are not disloyal." He became their deliverer. Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. The messenger sent from his very presence delivered them. In his love and mercy he protected them; he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. But they rebelled and offended his holy Spirit, so he turned into an enemy and fought against them." Isaiah then raised a plea on behalf of the people "Look down from heaven and take notice, from your holy, majestic palace! Where are your zeal and power? Do not hold back your tender compassion! For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times." He concluded with an odd divergence from clarity and perspective, suggesting that the sinful lifestyle and spiritual rebellion of Israel was somehow the fault of the Lord God "Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance! For a short time your special nation possessed a land, but then our adversaries knocked down your holy sanctuary. We existed from ancient times, but you did not rule over them, they were not your subjects." Interaction Consider The Messiah came to rescue us from our mortal enemy, sin, and did so in a spiritual battle which was played-out on the battlefield of His temporarily-assumed human body -- apart from His eternal heavenly glory. Discuss Why would Isaiah have imagined he had any standing to blame the Lord God for mans sin? Reflect The Lord God desired to pour-out blessings on "... children who are not disloyal." - but He would not have that opportunity until the return of Christ and the great purge. Share When have you experienced or observed someone blaming the Lord God for their failures? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a renewed understanding of the battle that Jesus waged on your behalf, one which was fought upon his human form. Action: Today I will praise and thank my Lord Jesus for His sacrifice for me. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Thursday's text will be: Isaiah 64 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Wed Jul 27 21:29:19 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:29:19 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Thursday - Isaiah 64 Message-ID: <4E30BB6F.5050306@bibleseven.com> Thursday Isaiah 64 64:1 If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains would tremble before you! 64:2 As when fire ignites dry wood, or fire makes water boil, let your adversaries know who you are, and may the nations shake at your presence! 64:3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him. 64:5 You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How then can we be saved? 64:6 We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind. 64:7 No one invokes your name, or makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have rejected us and handed us over to our own sins. 64:8 Yet, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor. 64:9 Lord, do not be too angry! Do not hold our sins against us continually! Take a good look at your people, at all of us! 64:10 Your chosen cities have become a desert; Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin. 64:11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, the place where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire; all our prized possessions have been destroyed. 64:12 In light of all this, how can you still hold back, Lord? How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us? Prayer Lord, You don't move, we do -- and when we insist upon distance from You it may be Your choice to allow us the consequences of our rebellion as an educational opportunity. May I access the wisdom of Your indwelling Holy Spirit so that I do not make foolishly-rebellious choices. Commentary Isaiah continued to plead for the intervention of the Lord God. He testified to the exceptionalism of the Lord God "Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him." Isaiah confessed that there was nothing the people could do to cause their own salvation "You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How then can we be saved?" He lamented that the Lord God had allowed the people to dwell in the consequences of their rebellion such that "No one invokes your name, or makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have rejected us and handed us over to our own sins." Isaiah leaned upon the identity of Israel as defined by their relationship with the Lord God "Yet, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the product of your labor. Lord, do not be too angry! Do not hold our sins against us continually! Take a good look at your people, at all of us!" He then concluded with a plea "In light of all this, how can you still hold back, Lord? How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us?" Interaction Consider Israel remained in exile from the Promised Land, they remained trapped in their lifestyles of sin and their attitude of rebellion, and Isaiah was heartsick. Discuss Knowing that they were hopelessly-lost in their sin, why would the Israelites continue in their sin and rebellion against the only One Who could save them? Reflect Isaiah, on behalf of Israel, leaned on the faithfulness and loyalty of the Lord God -- despite the disloyalty and faithlessness of the people. Share When have you considered the history of mankind and been amazed as to the exceptionalism of the Lord God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where you are holding the Lord God at a distance. Action: Today I will confess and repent, seek and accept the Lord God's forgiveness, and act to bring that place of distance under the Lordship of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Friday's text will be: Isaiah 65 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Thu Jul 28 20:53:07 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:53:07 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Friday - Isaiah 65 Message-ID: <4E320473.3070407@bibleseven.com> Friday Isaiah 65 The Lord Will Distinguish Between Sinners and the Godly 65:1 "I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; I appeared to those who did not look for me. I said, 'Here I am! Here I am!' to a nation that did not invoke my name. 65:2 I spread out my hands all day long to my rebellious people, who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable, and who did what they desired. 65:3 These people continually and blatantly offend me as they sacrifice in their sacred orchards and burn incense on brick altars. 65:4 They sit among the tombs and keep watch all night long. They eat pork, and broth from unclean sacrificial meat is in their pans. 65:5 They say, 'Keep to yourself! Don't get near me, for I am holier than you!' These people are like smoke in my nostrils, like a fire that keeps burning all day long. 65:6 Look, I have decreed: I will not keep silent, but will pay them back; I will pay them back exactly what they deserve, 65:7 for your sins and your ancestors' sins," says the Lord. "Because they burned incense on the mountains and offended me on the hills, I will punish them in full measure." 65:8 This is what the Lord says: "When juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes, someone says, 'Don't destroy it, for it contains juice.' So I will do for the sake of my servants -- I will not destroy everyone. 65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains. My chosen ones will take possession of the land; my servants will live there. 65:10 Sharon will become a pasture for sheep, and the Valley of Achor a place where cattle graze; they will belong to my people, who seek me. 65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord and forget about worshiping at my holy mountain, who prepare a feast for the god called 'Fortune,' and fill up wine jugs for the god called 'Destiny' -- 65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, because I called to you, and you did not respond, I spoke and you did not listen. You did evil before me; you chose to do what displeases me." 65:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says: "Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry! Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty! Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated! 65:14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts! But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; you will wail because your spirits will be crushed. 65:15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. The sovereign Lord will kill you, but he will give his servants another name. 65:16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth will do so in the name of the faithful God; whoever makes an oath in the earth will do so in the name of the faithful God. For past problems will be forgotten; I will no longer think about them. 65:17 For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore. 65:18 But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness. 65:19 Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again. 65:20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days or an old man die before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, anyone who fails to reach the age of a hundred will be considered cursed. 65:21 They will build houses and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 65:22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, for my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced. 65:23 They will not work in vain, or give birth to children that will experience disaster. For the Lord will bless their children and their descendants. 65:24 Before they even call out, I will respond; while they are still speaking, I will hear. 65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, and a snake's food will be dirt. They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain," says the Lord. Prayer Lord, You decide when You will bring things to conclusion, You decide who has responded to You and who has rebelled, and You decide what Your "new creation" will be like. May I be constantly-encouraged by the certainty that You are in control. Commentary Isaiah reported the challenge of the Lord God "I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; I appeared to those who did not look for me. I said, 'Here I am! Here I am!' to a nation that did not invoke my name. I spread out my hands all day long to my rebellious people, who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable, and who did what they desired." He then continued with a report of the arrogance of the people toward the Lord God "They say, 'Keep to yourself! Don't get near me, for I am holier than you!' These people are like smoke in my nostrils, like a fire that keeps burning all day long. Look, I have decreed: I will not keep silent, but will pay them back; I will pay them back exactly what they deserve ..." Isaiah shared the grace of the Lord God toward a remnant of His people "This is what the Lord says: "When juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes, someone says, 'Don't destroy it, for it contains juice.' So I will do for the sake of my servants -- I will not destroy everyone. I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains. My chosen ones will take possession of the land; my servants will live there." He observed that the Lord God would "choose" those who responded to Him and would reject those who rejected Him "But as for you who abandon the Lord and forget about worshiping at my holy mountain, who prepare a feast for the god called 'Fortune,' and fill up wine jugs for the god called 'Destiny' -- I predestine you to die by the sword, all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, because I called to you, and you did not respond, I spoke and you did not listen. You did evil before me; you chose to do what displeases me." Isaiah then brought the Lord God's vision of His restored Creation "Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth will do so in the name of the faithful God; whoever makes an oath in the earth will do so in the name of the faithful God. For past problems will be forgotten; I will no longer think about them. For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore. But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness. Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again." He concluded his symbolic representation, using concepts and images that would be understood in his time "Before they even call out, I will respond; while they are still speaking, I will hear. A wolf and a lamb will graze together; a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, and a snake's food will be dirt. They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain," says the Lord." Interaction Consider The Lord God reaches out to everyone but "... because I called to you, and you did not respond" those who refuse Him miss out on the eternal blessings He has ready for them. Discuss Is it not amazing that the Lord God of all Creation persisted in seeking-after humankind, beseeching them to accept Him, and blessing those who did (and who do)? Reflect The Lord "predestined" those who made a choice to ignore His call, He did not cause them to reject Him. Share When have you pondered "... new heavens and a new earth" where "The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore." and "The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her [rhetorical Israel] again."? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a dream about the "... new heavens and a new earth" where "A wolf and a lamb will graze together; a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, and a snake's food will be dirt. They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain," says the Lord." Action: Today I will pause and praise the Lord in prayer and perhaps in song, a new song, more deeply-felt than ever before -- because He has touched me in a new way as my heart has moved nearer to Him. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Saturday's text will be: Isaiah 66 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Fri Jul 29 22:22:12 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:22:12 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Saturday - Isaiah 66 Message-ID: <4E336AD4.20406@bibleseven.com> Saturday Isaiah 66 66:1 This is what the Lord says: "The heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where then is the house you will build for me? Where is the place where I will rest? 66:2 My hand made them; that is how they came to be," says the Lord. I show special favor to the humble and contrite, who respect what I have to say. 66:3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog's neck; the one who presents an offering includes pig's blood with it; the one who offers incense also praises an idol. They have decided to behave this way; they enjoy these disgusting practices. 66:4 So I will choose severe punishment for them; I will bring on them what they dread, because I called, and no one responded, I spoke and they did not listen. They did evil before me; they chose to do what displeases me." 66:5 Hear the word of the Lord, you who respect what he has to say! Your countrymen, who hate you and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name, say, "May the Lord be glorified, then we will witness your joy." But they will be put to shame. 66:6 The sound of battle comes from the city; the sound comes from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies. 66:7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth! Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy! 66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen this? Can a country be brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons! 66:9 "Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?" asks the Lord. "Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?" asks your God. 66:10 Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her! Share in her great joy, all you who have mourned over her! 66:11 For you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished; you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts. 66:12 For this is what the Lord says: "Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river, the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. You will nurse from her breast and be carried at her side; you will play on her knees. 66:13 As a mother consoles a child, so I will console you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem." 66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, and you will be revived. The Lord will reveal his power to his servants and his anger to his enemies. 66:15 For look, the Lord comes with fire, his chariots come like a windstorm, to reveal his raging anger, his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. 66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity with fire and his sword; the Lord will kill many. 66:17 "As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice -- they will all be destroyed together," says the Lord. 66:18 "I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; they will come and witness my splendor. 66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain to the nations -- to Tarshish, Pul, Lud (known for its archers), Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. 66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels to my holy hill Jerusalem," says the Lord, "just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord's temple in ritually pure containers. 66:21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites," says the Lord. 66:22 "For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me," says the Lord, "so your descendants and your name will remain. 66:23 From one month to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people will come to worship me," says the Lord. 66:24 "They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, and the fire that consumes them will not die out. All people will find the sight abhorrent." Prayer Lord, You Created, You decided that You would pursue a relationship with humankind, and You have a perfect plan to make all of that happen. May I stand in awe of You. Commentary Isaiah began with the Lord God's challenge to the people to recognize His uniqueness as God "This is what the Lord says: "The heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where then is the house you will build for me? Where is the place where I will rest?" ... and their required heart-condition if they are to receive His blessing ... "My hand made them; that is how they came to be," says the Lord. I show special favor to the humble and contrite, who respect what I have to say." He then repeated the condemnation that the rebellious have brought upon themselves "I will bring on them what they dread, because I called, and no one responded, I spoke and they did not listen. They did evil before me; they chose to do what displeases me." Isaiah continues to use illustrations and word-pictures that were familiar to the people to explain how the Lord God intended to complete what He started "Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?" asks the Lord. "Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?" asks your God." He brings the reminder that the Lord God will cleanse His creation "For look, the Lord comes with fire, his chariots come like a windstorm, to reveal his raging anger, his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. For the Lord judges all humanity with fire and his sword; the Lord will kill many." Isaiah announced the prophesy "So I am coming to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; they will come and witness my splendor. I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain to the nations -- to Tarshish, Pul, Lud (known for its archers), Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. They will bring back all your countrymen from all the nations as an offering to the Lord ... For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me," says the Lord, "so your descendants and your name will remain. From one month to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people will come to worship me," says the Lord." Interaction Consider The need for a choice is repeated, those who persist in rebellion will be destroyed, those who come "... humble and contrite, who respect what I [the Lord God] have to say." will be blessed. Discuss How powerful an imagery must it have been for the people to envision the Lord God bringing the entire nation of Israel to a moment like childbirth; then to have the power to either allow it to never complete its purpose -- full relationship with Him -- or to bring it along? Reflect The missionary work of the New Testament was described by Isaiah way back then. Share When have you contemplated that the entire history of the world has been about gathering together a "... humble and contrite" people for relationship with the Lord God? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what He has planned for you in His plan to "... tell the nations of my splendor." Action: Today I will gratefully receive the calling of the Lord God and will prayerfully consider how He has already prepared me, and the path, to that end. It may be the children next door in an unsaved family, someone where I study or work, someone I reach through electronic communications, someone I reach through art or music of explaining science from the Lord God's perspective, or maybe it will literally be to travel a great distance. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Sunday's text will be: Jeremiah 1 - 3:11 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sat Jul 30 21:57:02 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:57:02 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] =?windows-1252?q?Sunday_-_Jeremiah_1_=96_3=3A1?= =?windows-1252?q?1?= Message-ID: <4E34B66E.7090001@bibleseven.com> Sunday Jeremiah 1 ? 3:11 The Superscription 1:1 The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied. He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. 1:2 The Lord began to speak to him in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah. 1:3 The Lord also spoke to him when Jehoiakim son of Josiah ruled over Judah, and he continued to speak to him until the fifth month of the eleventh year that Zedekiah son of Josiah ruled over Judah. That was when the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile. Jeremiah?s Call and Commission 1:4 The Lord said to me, 1:5 ?Before I formed you in your mother?s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.? 1:6 I answered, ?Oh, Lord God, I really do not know how to speak well enough for that, for I am too young.? 1:7 The Lord said to me, ?Do not say, ?I am too young.? But go to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 1:8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to protect you,? says the Lord. 1:9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ?I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me. 1:10 Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.? Visions Confirming Jeremiah?s Call and Commission 1:11 Later the Lord asked me, ?What do you see, Jeremiah?? I answered, ?I see a branch of an almond tree.? 1:12 Then the Lord said, ?You have observed correctly. This means I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.? 1:13 The Lord again asked me, ?What do you see?? I answered, ?I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped toward us from the north.? 1:14 Then the Lord said, ?This means destruction will break out from the north on all who live in the land. 1:15 For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,? says the Lord. ?They will come and their kings will set up their thrones near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding it, and all the towns in Judah. 1:16 In this way I will pass sentence on the people of Jerusalem and Judah because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.? 1:17 ?But you, Jeremiah, get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. 1:18 I, the Lord, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. 1:19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,? says the Lord. The Lord Recalls Israel?s Earlier Faithfulness 2:1 The Lord spoke to me. He said: 2:2 ?Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ?This is what the Lord says: ?I have fond memories of you, how devoted you were to me in your early years. I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 2:3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,? says the Lord.?? The Lord Reminds Them of the Unfaithfulness of Their Ancestors 2:4 Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants of Jacob, all you family groups from the nation of Israel. 2:5 This is what the Lord says: ?What fault could your ancestors have possibly found in me that they strayed so far from me? They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. 2:6 They did not ask: ?Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt, who brought us through the wilderness, through a land of desert sands and rift valleys, through a land of drought and deep darkness, through a land in which no one travels, and where no one lives?? 2:7 I brought you into a fertile land so you could enjoy its fruits and its rich bounty. But when you entered my land, you defiled it; you made the land I call my own loathsome to me. 2:8 Your priests did not ask, ?Where is the Lord?? Those responsible for teaching my law did not really know me. Your rulers rebelled against me. Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. They all worshiped idols that could not help them. The Lord Charges Contemporary Israel with Spiritual Adultery 2:9 ?So, once more I will state my case against you,? says the Lord. ?I will also state it against your children and grandchildren. 2:10 Go west across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus and see. Send someone east to Kedar and have them look carefully. See if such a thing as this has ever happened: 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods (even though they are not really gods at all)? But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, for a god that cannot help them at all! 2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,? says the Lord. 2:13 ?Do so because my people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.? Israel?s Reliance on Foreign Alliances (not on God) 2:14 ?Israel is not a slave, is he? He was not born into slavery, was he? If not, why then is he being carried off? 2:15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him; they raise their voices in triumph. They have laid his land waste; his cities have been burned down and deserted. 2:16 Even the soldiers from Memphis and Tahpanhes have cracked your skulls, people of Israel. 2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. 2:18 What good will it do you then to go down to Egypt to seek help from the Egyptians? What good will it do you to go over to Assyria to seek help from the Assyrians? 2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment. Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, to show no respect for me,? says the Lord God who rules over all. The Lord Expresses His Exasperation at Judah?s Persistent Idolat 2:20 ?Indeed, long ago you threw off my authority and refused to be subject to me. You said, ?I will not serve you.? Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill and under every green tree, like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers. 2:21 I planted you in the land like a special vine of the very best stock. Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? 2:22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent. You can use as much soap as you want. But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,? says the Lord God. 2:23 ?How can you say, ?I have not made myself unclean. I have not paid allegiance to the gods called Baal.? Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! Think about the things you have done there! You are like a flighty, young female camel that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. 2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness. In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. No one can hold her back when she is in heat. None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her. At mating time she is easy to find. 2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out and your throats become dry. But you say, ?It is useless for you to try and stop me because I love those foreign gods and want to pursue them!? 2:26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught, so the people of Israel will suffer dishonor for what they have done. So will their kings and officials, their priests and their prophets. 2:27 They say to a wooden idol, ?You are my father.? They say to a stone image, ?You gave birth to me.? Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ?Come and save us!? 2:28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them save you when you are in trouble. The sad fact is that you have as many gods as you have towns, Judah. 2:29 ?Why do you try to refute me? All of you have rebelled against me,? says the Lord. 2:30 ?It did no good for me to punish your people. They did not respond to such correction. You slaughtered your prophets like a voracious lion.? 2:31 You people of this generation, listen to what the Lord says. ?Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? Why then do you say, ?We are free to wander. We will not come to you any more?? 2:32 Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels? Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can even be counted. 2:33 ?My, how good you have become at chasing after your lovers! Why, you could even teach prostitutes a thing or two! 2:34 Even your clothes are stained with the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong; you did not catch them breaking into your homes. Yet, in spite of all these things you have done, 2:35 you say, ?I have not done anything wrong, so the Lord cannot really be angry with me any more.? But, watch out! I will bring down judgment on you because you say, ?I have not committed any sin.? 2:36 Why do you constantly go about changing your political allegiances? You will get no help from Egypt just as you got no help from Assyria. 2:37 Moreover, you will come away from Egypt with your hands covering your faces in sorrow and shame because the Lord will not allow your reliance on them to be successful and you will not gain any help from them. 3:1 ?If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man?s wife, he may not take her back again. Doing that would utterly defile the land. But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. So what makes you think you can return to me?? says the Lord. 3:2 ?Look up at the hilltops and consider this. You have had sex with other gods on every one of them. You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the desert. You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods. 3:3 That is why the rains have been withheld, and the spring rains have not come. Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done. 3:4 Even now you say to me, ?You are my father! You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young. 3:5 You will not always be angry with me, will you? You will not be mad at me forever, will you?? That is what you say, but you continually do all the evil that you can.? 3:6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, ?Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. 3:7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me. But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. 3:8 She also saw that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. 3:9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. 3:10 In spite of all this, Israel?s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,? says the Lord. 3:11 Then the Lord said to me, ?Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah. Prayer Lord, when You called Jeremiah You made it clear that he was to be fearless in his work for You. May I also, with Your indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit, also be fearless. Commentary Jeremiah was called to the prophetic ministry by the Lord God about 600BC. According to the text he was young, though no specific age was given, and was encouraged (as Paul later encouraged Timothy) to not to allow his age to be an impediment to ministry. His calling was a powerful one ?... get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. I, the Lord, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,? says the Lord. Jeremiah was instructed to remind the people of their early faithfulness, followed by unfaithfulness, then what the Lord God described as ?spiritual adultery?. He proclaimed the Lord God's challenge for seeking protection from pagan foreign governments and His ridicule for trusting pagan idols ?They say to a wooden idol, ?You are my father.? They say to a stone image, ?You gave birth to me.? Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ?Come and save us!? Jeremiah shared the frustration of the Lord God with their arrogant presumption ?Even now you say to me, ?You are my father! You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young. You will not always be angry with me, will you? You will not be mad at me forever, will you?? That is what you say, but you continually do all the evil that you can.? The heart of the Lord God, longing for His children to make a right choice, was exposed ?... wayward Israel ... went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me. But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. She also saw that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. In spite of all this, Israel?s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,? says the Lord He chastised Judah for their foolishness, which was bring them the Lord God's condemnation ?... wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.? because they had seen that had happened to Israel yet they followed the same path and merely pretended to be faithful. Interaction Consider Jeremiah received a 'no fear' commission from the Lord God. Discuss Why would the people of Judah have copied Israel when they saw the horrible things that happened to Israel as a result? Reflect The Lord God wanted Israel, and then Judah, to choose Him but they refused. Share When have you been confronted with a situation where you had an opportunity to stand for your faith in the face of physical or social danger? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a mission He has for you. Action: Today I will gratefully and humbly accept the mission of the Lord God and prayerfully search-out the details He has provided as to how I should proceed. I will be a ?good Berean?, consulting the Word, and will ask fellow believers to pray in-agreement for clarity and courage. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Monday's text will be: Jeremiah 3:12 - 4 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dcolburn at bibleseven.com Sun Jul 31 21:42:58 2011 From: dcolburn at bibleseven.com (dcolburn at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:42:58 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Monday - Jeremiah 3:12 - 4 Message-ID: <4E3604A2.9000000@bibleseven.com> Monday Jeremiah 3:12 - 4 The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent 3:12 "Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. Tell them, 'Come back to me, wayward Israel,' says the Lord. 'I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. For I am merciful,' says the Lord. 'I will not be angry with you forever. 3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my commands,' says the Lord. 3:14 "Come back to me, my wayward sons," says the Lord, "for I am your true master. If you do, I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion. 3:15 I will give you leaders who will be faithful to me. They will lead you with knowledge and insight. 3:16 In those days, your population will greatly increase in the land. At that time," says the Lord, "people will no longer talk about having the ark that contains the Lord's covenant with us. They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more! 3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the Lord's throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord's name. They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. 3:18 At that time the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. " 3:19 "I thought to myself, 'Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!' I thought you would call me, 'Father' and would never cease being loyal to me. 3:20 But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel, like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband," says the Lord. 3:21 "A noise is heard on the hilltops. It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods. Indeed they have followed sinful ways; they have forgotten to be true to the Lord their God. 3:22 Come back to me, you wayward people. I want to cure your waywardness. Say, 'Here we are. We come to you because you are the Lord our God. 3:23 We know our noisy worship of false gods on the hills and mountains did not help us. We know that the Lord our God is the only one who can deliver Israel. 3:24 From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal, has taken away all that our ancestors worked for. It has taken away our flocks and our herds, and even our sons and daughters. 3:25 Let us acknowledge our shame. Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors. From earliest times to this very day we have not obeyed the Lord our God.' 4:1 "If you, Israel, want to come back," says the Lord, "if you want to come back to me you must get those disgusting idols out of my sight and must no longer go astray. 4:2 You must be truthful, honest and upright when you take an oath saying, 'As surely as the Lord lives!' If you do, the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are and will make him the object of their boasting." 4:3 Yes, the Lord has this to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted, you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. 4:4 Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment, you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. If you do not, my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire against you that no one will be able to extinguish. That will happen because of the evil you have done." Warning of Coming Judgment 4:5 The Lord said, "Announce this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem: 'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!' Shout out loudly, 'Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!' 4:6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion. Run for safety! Do not delay! For I am about to bring disaster out of the north. It will bring great destruction. 4:7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base. He is coming out to lay your land waste. Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited. 4:8 So put on sackcloth! Mourn and wail, saying, 'The fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us!'" 4:9 "When this happens," says the Lord, "the king and his officials will lose their courage. The priests will be struck with horror, and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment." 4:10 In response to all this I said, "Ah, Lord God, you have surely allowed the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be deceived by those who say, 'You will be safe!' But in fact a sword is already at our throats." 4:11 "At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be told, 'A scorching wind will sweep down from the hilltops in the desert on my dear people. It will not be a gentle breeze for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. 4:12 No, a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding. Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.' 4:13 Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds. The roar of his chariots is like that of a whirlwind. His horses move more swiftly than eagles." I cry out, "We are doomed, for we will be destroyed!" 4:14 "Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil so that you may yet be delivered. How long will you continue to harbor up wicked schemes within you? 4:15 For messengers are coming, heralding disaster, from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim. 4:16 They are saying, 'Announce to the surrounding nations, "The enemy is coming!" Proclaim this message to Jerusalem: "Those who besiege cities are coming from a distant land. They are ready to raise the battle cry against the towns in Judah."' 4:17 They will surround Jerusalem like men guarding a field because they have rebelled against me," says the Lord. 4:18 "The way you have lived and the things you have done will bring this on you. This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed. The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart." 4:19 I said, "Oh, the feeling in the pit of my stomach! I writhe in anguish. Oh, the pain in my heart! My heart pounds within me. I cannot keep silent. For I hear the sound of the trumpet; the sound of the battle cry pierces my soul! 4:20 I see one destruction after another taking place, so that the whole land lies in ruins. I see our tents suddenly destroyed, their curtains torn down in a mere instant. 4:21 "How long must I see the enemy's battle flags and hear the military signals of their bugles?" 4:22 The Lord answered, "This will happen because my people are foolish. They do not know me. They are like children who have no sense. They have no understanding. They are skilled at doing evil. They do not know how to do good." 4:23 "I looked at the land and saw that it was an empty wasteland. I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished. 4:24 I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking. All the hills were swaying back and forth! 4:25 I looked and saw that there were no more people, and that all the birds in the sky had flown away. 4:26 I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert and that all of the cities had been laid in ruins. The Lord had brought this all about because of his blazing anger. 4:27 All this will happen because the Lord said, "The whole land will be desolate; however, I will not completely destroy it. 4:28 Because of this the land will mourn and the sky above will grow black. For I have made my purpose known and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out." 4:29 At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archers the people of every town will flee. Some of them will hide in the thickets. Others will climb up among the rocks. All the cities will be deserted. No one will remain in them. 4:30 And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction, you accomplish nothing by wearing a beautiful dress, decking yourself out in jewels of gold, and putting on eye shadow! You are making yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers spurn you. They want to kill you. 4:31 In fact, I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby. It is the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, reaching out for help, saying, "I am done in! My life is ebbing away before these murderers!" Prayer Lord, You long to bless Your people and have created many opportunities for them to respond, yet they chose godless-worldliness over their loving creator-God. May I learn from their error and choose You first and always. Commentary Jeremiah delivered the Lord God's plea to Israel to repent of their sinful rebellion so that he might forgive, reconcile, and restore them -- even reuniting them with Judah. He revealed the loving-heart of the Lord God "I thought to myself, 'Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!' I thought you would call me, 'Father' and would never cease being loyal to me." He longed for them to say "...'Here we are. We come to you because you are the Lord our God. We know our noisy worship of false gods on the hills and mountains did not help us. We know that the Lord our God is the only one who can deliver Israel. From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal, has taken away all that our ancestors worked for. It has taken away our flocks and our herds, and even our sons and daughters. Let us acknowledge our shame. Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our ancestors. From earliest times to this very day we have not obeyed the Lord our God.'" Jeremiah then presented the Lord God's terms for a truly repentant people "...the Lord has this to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted, you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment, you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. If you do not, my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire against you that no one will be able to extinguish. That will happen because of the evil you have done." He concluded with the Lord God's warning of impending disastrous-judgment. Interaction Consider Despite all of their sinful rebellion the Lord God still longed for them to make a new and right-choice to repent and to return home to Him. Discuss How was it that the people of Judah and Jerusalem could not comprehend that the path they were on would lead to the same nightmare as had befallen Israel? Reflect The Lord God said "What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land ..." Share When have you observed a group of people, whose poor choices had resulted in trouble, reject the counsel of the wise to change their ways? Faith in Action Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a path upon which you may "... dedicate yourselves to the Lord and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to ..." Him. Action: Today I will take the path identified to me by the Lord God. It may be the power of an intimate small group of fellow believers who are commonly-committed to a deeper walk in faith, it may a commitment to ministry-service that is sacrificial and scary, or it may be letting go of something that has dominated your life and time. Be Specific ______________________________________________________ Tuesday's text will be: Jeremiah 5 -6 -- Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you, Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org Teacher's Verse: John 7:16 Defend free speech or lose your freedom. I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: