Skip to main content

April 30 + Daily readings & notes

DAY 120

DAILY READINGS

Isaiah 45-48 & Psalm 119:33-64

DAILY NOTES

Isaiah 45

  • Cyrus does not know it, but he will be an instrument of the Lord.  He is the founder/leader of the Persian Empire.  "Cyrus is the only non-Israelite designated in the OT as God's anointed (messiah), a term usually reserved for Israel's kings or high priests."
  • What a message!  God says that it was never his intention for his people to live in chaos.  Did God ever say, "Seek me in chaos" (vs19)?  No!  
    • Another way it's thought God asks the question is: I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, "Seek me in vain."
Isaiah 46
  • Idols are made need to be carried.  God does not.  God says, "I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."
Isaiah 47
  • Babylon is illustrated as a princess who has been stripped of all things.  She was once a princess, but now she stands in disgrace.
  • The reason Babylon is punished by God is because they showed Israel "no mercy" (vs. 6).
    • Did God expect them to be nice to Israel?
Isaiah 48
  • God has told the people what to expect so that they would be ready and so that they would not give credit to their idols when it all happens.
  • God will save the people from Babylon.  It will be for his name's sake and for the sake of his praise (vs. 9).  

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

God has us figured out!

Why do we turn against God?  Why do we continually seek our own glory?  Put our trust in other things?  Forget God?  We're stubborn.  Specifically, we're stubborn of heart (Isaiah 46:12).

Everything has been spelled out for us.  But we still turn.  If there's one thing we're good at it's being stubborn minded.  It could be the one thing we could do in order to be more faithful to God is loosen our stiff necks.  Don't be so stubborn about our own way.  In doing so, we might find there's a whole other life God has for us.

Stay blessed...john
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

April 11 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 101 The great prophet Elijah leaves the scene (He'll appear again later.  Do you remember where?).  Elisha takes his place and immediately begins to act as prophet among the people.   DAILY READINGS 2 Kings 1-3 & Psalm 101 DAILY NOTES 2 Kings 1 King Ahaziah is injured and he wants to know if he'll live.  He seeks input from the prophets of Baal-zebub.  Elijah finds out and interrupts Ahaziah's men from going to the prophets.   Notice that Elijah, that hairy man, is divinely protected by the captain and his men.   Ahazia never hears from the prophets.  Elijah speaks directly to him to tell him that he will surely die. 2 Kings 2 Where did the idea of a whirlwind come from?  Did anyone expect that Elijah would be taken "to heaven by a whirlwind"?  Everyone seems to know that today Elijah will be gone. Elisha's command to the band of prophets seems to indicate his sense of loss but also a vigor...
Post a Comment
Read more

January 27 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 27 We'll be reading about atonement today.  T oday's video helps make sense of that biblical theme. DAILY READINGS Exodus 30-31 & Psalm 27 DAILY NOTES Exodus 30:6 Everything has its place.   Exodus 30:10 Once a year would be Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Exodus 12-15 The Lord's offering is required of everyone equally (of the appropriate age).  Strangely enough, there is a designation of rich and poor.  Everyone has just come from Egypt.  How has that distinction arisen?   Exodus 31:13 It's interesting to compare how the idea of sabbath here relates to previous mentions of it.   Exodus 31:18 Moses had written the words down.  Now, with merely his finger, God has provided the tablets for all to remember the covenant that has been made.   Psalm 27 Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed for something?  The psalmist seems to know the feeling.  His final adm...
Post a Comment
Read more

February 17 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 48 The Israelite population is about to decrease.  Consequently, a new generation of people, and a new leader, will take their place as those who will inherit the promise of God. DAILY READINGS Numbers 25-27 & Psalm 48 DAILY NOTES Numbers 25:1-5 The people (men) became sexually and, consequentially, religiously involved withe Moabite women.  We are to understand that these Israelites began to participate fully in the religious activities of the Moabites.  Numbers 25:4 The people guilty of spiritual idolatry are hanged.   "In the sun" is so that everyone will see them.  Numbers 26 A census is taken of the new generation of people.  No one who was counted in the old census is around to be counted in the new one.   The census, besides indicating military numbers, also provides an avenue to apportion the land the people will be given. Numbers 27:1-4 5 daughters seek to inherit their father's land.  Since h...
Post a Comment
Read more