Isaiah 40 - Day 526 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 40:25-26 Commentary: God, who cannot be compared to anyone or anything (cf. v. 18; 46:5) knows everything about His Creation and sustains it. In His strength He created and also controls and sustains millions upon millions of stars, each one of which He, amazingly, has named (cf. Ps. 147:4). In Isaiah 40–66, God is frequently referred to as Creator and Maker, probably as a polemic against the lifeless idols of Babylon. He created the heavens, the earth, people, Israel, and darkness, and will create the new heavens and new earth. Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1093). Victor Books Application: Nothing and no one compares to the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Take the time to appreciate the complexity of life and it's overwhelming. Prayer: Lord, You alone are worthy to be praised... Isaiah 38 & 39 - Day 525 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 39:1-8 Commentary (enduringword.com): We can imagine that this was flattering for King Hezekiah. After all, Judah was a lowly nation with little power, and Babylon was a junior superpower. To receive this notice and recognition from the king of Babylon must have really made Hezekiah feel he was important. Application: Naked we came and naked we will return to the dust of the earth. Why is it so hard for us to remember that everything we have is a gift from God, that we are to steward and care for. Prayer: Lord, please remind me again, "why" You love me... Isaiah 37 - Day 524 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 37:36-37 Commentary (enduringword.com): The angel of the LORD went out: Simply and powerfully, God destroys this mighty nation in one night. 185,000 died at the hand of the angel of the LORD. Against all odds, and against every expectation except the expectation of faith, the Assyrian army was turned back without having even shot an arrow into Jerusalem. The unstoppable was stopped, the undefeated was defeated. Application: I know that these kinds of stories in the bible are intended to help Christians believe that nothing is impossible for God. For whatever reason, this morning I'm troubled by the fact that the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Was there not one among the 185,000 that questioned his existence and sought to know the Creator of the Universe? Prayer: Lord, have mercy on me a sinner... Isaiah 36 - Day 523 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 36:4-10 Commentary: In trying to break down the people’s confidence in Hezekiah and in Yahweh, the commander ridicules the ability of Hezekiah (36:14) and of Yahweh (36:18–20). Instead he suggests that the king of Assyria is the true “deliverer,” the only one who can provide peace and prosperity for the city and its refugees (36:16–17)...However, the field commander overplays his hand. When he asserts that no god can deliver a people from him, not even Yahweh (36:18–20), he has blasphemed the very God that he had claimed to obey (36:10). From this point on, no case could be made for Yahweh’s support of the Assyrian in Judah. The Vision had already noted this characteristic of the Assyrians and the way that Yahweh will deal with them (cf. 10:5–19; 14:24–27; 30:31–33; 31:8–9). Yahweh will not tolerate arrogant insubordination and blasphemy from any servant. Watts, J. D. W. (1987). Isaiah 34–66 (Vol. 25, p. 30). Word, Incorporated. Application: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Prayer: Lord, we worship You alone... Isaiah 35 - Day 522 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10 Commentary (preceptaustin.org): A garden blooming in the desert is one of Isaiah’s metaphors for God’s plan for Israel: Though a time of judgment is coming (the desert), redemption will follow (flowers blooming, water gushing) (35:1–7). The twin themes of judgment and joy, under the umbrella of divine sovereignty and throughout various future times, permeate today’s reading in Isaiah. The judgment emphasis of chapter 34, filled as it is with bloody imagery typical of the literary devices of that day, gives way to the joy of the redeemed in chapter 35. Application: The Israelite's hope in God sustained them through their dire circumstances. Our hope in Christ and his second coming should do the same for us. Prayer: Come Lord Jesus...rescue and redeem us. |
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