Skip to main content

Isaiah 51:4 - Promise of future comfort is a comfort in the present - Day 170

Good morning fellow pilgrims,

As we continue in the comforting portion of Isaiah, the many facets of His promises are on display.  Since we are finite (bound by space and time), it is difficult to see beyond these limits.  Yet God graciously gives us a picture through Isaiah's words.  As believers, the present is not all we have.  We can live knowing that the future is secure.

Blessings,

Jeff

The future comfort of Zion. Isaiah is given a message for the future.  Listen to me, pay attention and similar statements throughout this chapter.  Like a letter written to a generation in the future. Somebody in Isaiah's time could read it but not really understand what he was talking about. The "immediate" application to post-exile which is 100 years in future and the advent of the Messiah even further off.  The Jews living when the messiah comes should see the fulfillment. 

God's Justice, righteousness and salvation are connected. "My" refers to God, not Isaiah.  This is a great comfort to all believers.  This is a reminder that these attributes have been true in the past, are true in the present and will be true in the future.  God does not change.  Regardless of circumstances, God justice, righteousness and salvation are sure.  I delight in Him, I take refuge in Him.

"Abide with me" is one of my favorite hymns

Verse 2

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day, 

Earth's joys grow dim and its glories pass away

Change and decay in all around I see

O thou who changest not, abide with me,

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

1 Chronicles 24:1-6 How about those Levites! Day 332

Good morning friends, Good foundations are important.  Our author turns to the religious life of the returning exiles. Blessings, Jeff We have seen the emphasis on the Davidic line in the  political life of Israel.  The other area of emphasis is the Aaronic priesthood and Levitical workers. In this passage we have a quick review of the somewhat sanitized picture of the start of Aaron's line.  The returning exiles would have known that Nadab and Abihu did not just "die before their father without children".  They rebelled against God by offering unauthorized fire and were themselves consumed by fire from the Lord. Leviticus 10.  The case of Abiathar  son of Ahitub son of Ahimelech, who was faithful to David, but later rebelled with Adonijah is also not mentioned. But the passage points to the importance of the Aaronic line to the rebuilding of the temple by the exiles.  The history of the northern kingdom which was without the Levites from the beginning could not be repeat

Leviticus 18:21 - Partial restoration of creation order

Dear Friends, Some times we forget that Moses wrote Genesis.  Obviously, he did not have first hand knowledge of the events of creation.  But God did and revealed them to Moses.  The "story arc" is clear to Moses despite the millenia of history between Genesis and Leviticus.  The plan for ultimate restoration is hazy, but God is at work repairing some of the damage. Blessings, Jeff What is the prohibition on child sacrifice doing in the list of prohibited sexual relations? Be fruitful and multiply - First commandment in Genesis.  God made the world to be inhabited.   Having children is how this  was to happen.  So child sacrifice was a direct violation of this first command to Adam and Eve. Marriage is one man and one woman is the creation order. Seems simple enough.  I can imagine men thinking, Yeah but God didn't say which woman.  I will do the one woman thing if she is my sister, or aunt or …..  So God gives all these examples of unlawful unions.  To this day, man stil

Matthew 22:23 - the danger of not knowing Scripture - Day 193

Yesterday's passage was not very theological.  Today's is very theological.  I have only scratched the surface, but hope this encourages us to question ourselves about "knowledge of Scripture and the power of God". Blessings  Jeff This is a fascinating dialogue between Sadducees and Jesus.  So let's interrogate the passage. What distinguishes the Sadducees from other Jewish doctrinal positions?  They deny that there is a resurrection.  They are absolutely committed to this doctrine. How does their commitment shape their thought and questions? Even though they don't believe in the resurrection, they formulate a question focused on showing the absurdity of the resurrection.  They are not pointing to a passage of scripture that supports them, but asking a hypothetical question to make resurrection look silly. What is the purpose of the "Levirate marriage"? Deuteronomy 5:5-8.  First this is not a violation of the 7th commandment (adultery).  Brothers wer