God Will Not Be Mocked!

Reading:  Isaiah 35, 36, 37
My Verse:  "Whom have you mocked and reviled?
                      Against whom have your raised your voice
                    and lifted your eyes to the heights?
                      Against the Holy One of Israel!" (Isaiah 37:23)

Poor Sennacherib!  He became proud of what he thought of as his own accomplishments - the conquering of many nations.  You, LORD God had to remind him that . . .

"Have you not heard
   that I determined it long ago?
 I planned from days of old
   what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities 
   crash into heaps of ruins . . ." (37:26).

Sennacherib became boastful and proud.  He mocked, reviled, insulted and blasphemed!  He dared to haughtily lift his eyes against You, LORD God.  He defied You!

You had to remind him as You remind us everyday.

"I know your sitting down
     and your going out 
     and coming in,
    and your raging against me" (37:28)

You, LORD God, gave us a most wonderful thing - free will.  You want us to love You freely, willingly, intentionally.  If we do not; if we continue to lift our eyes to You haughtily; if we continue to defy You - You will bring us to answer for our wrong choices.

"Because you have raged against me
     and your complacency has come to my ears,
 I will put a hook in your nose
     and a bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
     by which you came" (37:29).

Does it mean that we can go too far, too long in our resistance to You?  Is that what happened to the king of Egypt when it is said You hardened his heart? (Exodus 9:12)

This story is amazing in so many ways.  It speaks of pride, defiance, folly, , the power of prayer, love, faith - but most wonderfully of Your divine providence!

Kind Hezekiah pleaded with You to save him.  You told him that Sennacherib would not enter Jerusalem, he would return to his own land where he would die.  In fact, You sent an angel to strike down 185,000 of Sennacherib's soldiers.  Sennacherib returned to his  own city where his own sons killed him.  You, LORD God will not be mocked.  And what You say You will do You do.

I like what a footnote in the ESV Study Bible states.  "The ancient plan of God means that he is not responding to unfolding events, but that events reveal his own long-intended purpose."  This can be so reassuring as the world around us seems to be in such chaos.  The recent terrorist attacks in Paris chillingly puts a spotlight on this - the continual breaking down of our society.

You, LORD God, show in this story that You will not be mocked.  You show You are God of the entire universe.  You show that You know exactly what is happening.  You show that all events are working toward Your purposes.

 "Great is our LORD and mighty in power, 
     His understanding has no limit" (Psalm 147:5).

"His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. 
     Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?" (Job 9:4).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Seek and Read!

Reading:  Isaiah 33, 34

My Verse:  "Seek and read from the book of the LORD

                        Not one of these shall be missing;

                        none shall be without her mate.

                   For the mouth of the LORD has commanded,

                        and his Spirit has gathered them" (Isaiah 34:16).

What an amazing verse!  We are to "seek and read from the book of the LORD!"  I love this - the clarity of it!  There is this man from India that comes to our church often - he travels out to the villages and back to India, quite an amazing preacher and teacher.  When he speaks to our congregation he almost always starts off with, "Read your Bible!  Read your Bible!  Read your Bible!"   

I remember hearing people say how the more they read the Bible the more they wanted to read it.  I found this puzzling as I struggled to be consistent with my reading.  There were times when it was actually difficult for me to sit and focus on my Bible reading.   Finally, finally, I am beginning to understand this need, this growing desire for more and more of the Word of You LORD God!  Thank you.  Thank you for this verse.

We are to seek Your Word.  It really is an amazing book - the Bible.  How it came to be, how it has survived through the ages.  This can only have been of You, LORD God.  This also speaks to the importance You place on it - as You have preserved it for us, Your followers.  It is our guide to You.  Thank You.

Then we are to read it.  As I read it I love the anticipation of what it is You have for me in the pages and words.  I read until something speaks to my spirit.  Sometimes it is vague and I have to reread, but when and if I pursue that thought that spoke to me it will become more clarified.  Sometimes I need to spend some time just thinking on it before I really get it.  Sometimes it is just a wonder, a question for me to think on.  I am at a bit of a loss for words to fully describe the complete process - but it is definitely a drawing in - drawing me closer to You, LORD God.  Thank you for that!

"None shall of these shall be missing" - I like how the Amplified states this.  "Not one of these [details of prophesy] shall fail."  So many doubt this - but I think that speaks to their lack of knowledge of Your Word, LORD God.  As I read it, comparing scripture to scripture,  and reading other scholarly works on the validity and reliability of the Bible  - I am constantly amazed as it truly is a miraculous  book!

"The entirety of Your word is truth, 

   And every one of  Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160).

"Sanctify them by Your truth.

   Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

All scripture is given by inspiration of God,

   and is profitable for doctrine,

   for reproof,

   for correction,

   for instruction in righteousness,

   that the man of God may be complete,

   thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy3:16).

We must, we need to "seek and read" Your Word, LORD God!  For only then can we even begin to draw near to You, to have even an inkling of what we are about!

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,

   teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

   singing with grace in your hearts to the LORD.

And whatever you do in word or deed,

   do all in the name of the LORD Jesus, 

   giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:16).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

What Is It To Be Noble?

Reading:  Isaiah 32

My Verse:  "The fool will no more be called noble,

                      nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.

                    

                    For the fool speaks folly,

                      and his heart is busy with iniquity,

                    to practice ungodliness,

                    to utter error concerning the LORD,

                    to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,

                       and to deprive the thirsty of drink.

                    As for the scoundrel - his devices are evil;

                       he plans wicked schemes

                    to ruin the poor with lying words,

                       even when the plea of the needy is right

                    But he who is noble plans noble things,
                       and on noble things he stands" (32:5-7)

Recently a respected police officer's secret life was exposed.  His death had shocked and upset his community, then the exposure of who he really was and the things he had done again shocked the community that thought him to be a noble man, only to find he was a scoundrel.  One wonders how many live a double life?  Trying desperately to appear to be "good" and yet secretly doing things that are either foolish or downright wicked.

The first part of this verse tells us "the fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honorable."  You tell us in Your Word LORD God that in the end all will be exposed.  All the deeds done will come to light - your exposing, righteous light.

"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open" (Luke 8:17)

The dictionary says a fool is "a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgement or sense."  You LORD God tell us here that a fool's heart is "busy with iniquity."  That to be "busy with iniquity" is to "practice ungodliness", "to utter error concerning the LORD", "to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied", and "to deprive the thirsty of drink."  It seems a fool lives a very careless, thoughtless life.

The scoundrel on the other hand lives intentionally - he knows exactly what he is about.  The dictionary states that a scoundrel is:  "an unprincipled, dishonorable person, villain." You, LORD God, tell us a scoundrel actually "plans wicked schemes" by lying to ruin those in need of help.        

From this we know what a noble person is not:  neither a fool nor a scoundrel.  How then is it possible that so many fools and scoundrels are mistaken by people to be noble like the police officer? Why are we so easily taken in by these characters?

This makes me think about how bankers are trained to know a real bill of currency - by constantly handling it, looking at it, feeling it, etc.  By knowing the real thing they will then know that which is fake.  And so it must be with me - I need to know You, LORD God.  You are all that is good and noble.  I need to know You in order to know what it is to be good and noble.  And to get to know You, I need to read and study Your world, talk to You, spend time with You!  I need to immerse myself in You!

I have heard people say they needed to figure out who they were - they needed to truly understand themselves.  I recall a quote, I think it was CSLewis, saying - and I paraphrase, "we need to be careful with the self searching as we will in that search find a self we do not like."  To those wanting a life that is noble - You, LORD God need to be the focus.  For it is only You who can enable us to live a noble life.  A life  that "plans noble things" and "on noble things stands."

It is a wonderful thing to know that You love fools and scoundrels.  You are willing to forgive them their waywardness and wipe away their sins "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12).  With You we can find love and forgiveness and the ability to live the noble life  You would have us to live!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!