Month: April 2018

“Before [Zion] travailed, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her, she was delivered of a male child. Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Or shall a nation be brought forth in a moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children.” Isaiah 66:7-8 ->me: I believe this whole passage (Isaiah 66:7-10) is talking about the sudden addition of the Gentile converts through the death and resurrection of the Messiah to God’s city of Zion. Normally the growth of a nation would take multiple generations of child rearing and maturing through defending it sovereignty and position…but here God is saying He is going to add to that nation without the normal birth pains of a growing nation. The work of Jesus will, in a moment, cause the city of Zion to grow in population quickly ; in some cases in numbers of 3000 at a time (Acts 2). How blessed am I to only have to simply believe in the person and deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work to be added to the City of God. How can I not be humble, of a broken and contrite spirit, in fear of the reverent word of God? These attributed of the man who God regards is really resonating with me this week.

“Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word: “Your brethren who hate you, who cast you out for My name’s sake, have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy!’ But it is they who shall be put to shame.” Isaiah 66:5 ->me: In the previous 2 verses Isaiah gets done explaining how the Lord sees the religious hypocrites and how He feels about the abomination of their misplaced sacrifices. Now he says that those some religious zealots will brow-beat those who truly fear the word of the Lord but to not be dismayed for the Lord will chose their afflictions, delusions, calamities, and mocking’s; because when He called none of them answered. They answered with appeasing their own sense of what is right delighted in their own abominations. Now we hear the instruction to those from yesterday’s QTVOTD (those who are humble, of contrite/broken spirit, and fear the word of the Lord reverently). When ‘you’ hear the put downs from those who love their own spirituality, do not lose heart; for they will reap the wrath of the Lord. The New testament also speaks of this in 2 Peter 3:3 “To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, [people who] walk after their own fleshly desires.” In other words: I should take heart in my own humble nature and obedience in the Lord…just make sure that my heart is in the right place and the Lord will have my back.

“THUS SAYS the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place? For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.” Isaiah 66:1-2 ->me: I kind of have to let this one stand on it’s own. The Lord God has created everything for Him and by Him so what in the world do we think we could ever offer this Maker of the Universe that He does not have or could not call into existence with just a word. However, even as powerful as He is, He will look on with regard the humble man, with a contrite heart, and a fear for the Lord that is reverent before His word. Wow… Then John Piper this morning had a great point -> a river is not a river unless it has banks; otherwise it just runs everywhere and has no direction. Humbleness, repentant heart, fear of God, and respect for His word are my banks.

“And it shall be that before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy Mount [Zion], says the Lord.” Isaiah 65:24-25 ->me: The thought in these verses is oneness. 1) Oneness with the Lord, as he anticipates their needs and because they are in such harmony with His will, the words they use join themselves to Him for immediate action. 2) Harmony prevails throughout creation, as Eden is brought back, old opposing foes are gone (wolf), fears removed (lamb), and natures changed (lion … eat straw). There is a point in the new creation where nothing changes: the curse upon sin still stands…The Lord is still the Holy God.   These pictures in Isaiah of the new Jerusalem and the experience it will be for its inhabitants gives so much hope. Lord, can you just take me there now? I am so done with the evil and wicked world we live in…but my purpose is clear -> build His kingdom while I am here on earth and don’t stop until He takes me home.

“So [it shall be] that he who invokes a blessing on himself in the land shall do so by saying, May the God of truth and fidelity [the Amen] bless me; and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth and faithfulness to His promises [the Amen], because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hidden from My eyes.” Isaiah 65:16 ->me: Yesterday was all about being given a new name much greater than our old name. Now see the effect of having a new name, given by our Lord -> we have new potentialities and prospects! The idea of the blessing discussed in this verse is entering into the blessing appropriate to one’s needs. Could be said “invokes on himself the blessing he needs”. The God of Truth is both the source of the blessing and the great object of devotion. The God of Truth is literally “The God of (the) Amen”. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says “For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.” I believe in the God Who says ‘Amen’ to all His promises, affirming their reality and His trustworthiness to keep them. Finally -> Forgotten…Hidden from My eyes: What no longer has a place in God’s mind (forgotten) or presence (eyes) no longer has any ground of being – THANK GOODNESS!!

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry out for pain and sorrow of heart and shall wail and howl for anguish, vexation, and breaking of spirit and you will leave your name to My chosen [to those who will use it] for a curse; and the Lord God will slay you, but He will call His servants by another name [as much greater than the former name as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob].” Isaiah 65:15 This passage is talking to the ones discussed in my QT yesterday – Those who forsake the Lord, who forget and ignore who God is; those who serve idols. However, what jumped out at me is the contrast God is making to those who do follow Him -> they eat, they drink, they rejoice, and they sing for joy of heart…essentially God provides everything for those who cling to Him. Lastly He says that He will give them a new name, and I like how the AMPLIFIED version calls out that this name will be greater than the former name just like the name Israel [Triumphant with God] is greater than the name Jacob [Trickster]. Is this new name Christian? What name God is talking about here we don’t know…however, how awesome to know that not only has God forgotten my sin but He has given me a new name so that the old name and nature can truly be left behind.