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Isaiah 65 - Day 551 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 65:1-9 Commentary (workingpreacher.org): This text has three major movements: God’s patient suffering at the hands of a recalcitrant people (Isaiah 65:1-5), God’s decision to judge (Isaiah 65:6-7), and the merciful promise to save a remnant (Isaiah 65:8-9). Or, seen from the perspective of God, the speaker, the text moves from grief to judgment to mercy. The first movement is marked by a kind of absurdity. The God of Isaiah 65 proves to be the kind of God who places God’s self directly into the hands of enemies... The phrase, “Here I am” (hinneniy) is most often associated with God’s obedient servants, not with God (cf. Genesis 22:1; 2 Samuel 3:5, 6, 8; Isaiah 6:8). But the tone of divine humility struck in Isaiah 65:1-9 is entirely appropriate to the context. With each verse, it becomes increasingly apparent that God was paying a profound price to be in relationship with this people: “those who did not ask . . . a nation that did not call on my name … a rebellious people … who provoke me to my face … who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me … They are a smoke in my nostrils.” The responses of the people to God begin with indifference and end in a crescendo of rejection. And yet, even while being rejected and scorned, God still says, “Here I am,” with arms wide open. Despite God’s welcoming posture and willingness to suffer for the relationship, the people continue to inflict harm on their God: Application: Why do I/we wander and stray from the love of God? Prayer: Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner...
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Isaiah 64 - Day 550 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-4 Commentary (bethmelekh.com): Isaiah continues his plea on behalf of his people Israel and according to the prompting of the Spirit of God. His cry is the cry of the Living Word of God in him. Like Moses and later Rav Shaul the Shaliach (Paul the Apostle), Isaiah cries out for the redemption of Israel (ethnic, religious, chosen). Therefore, ultimately, Isaiah’s words are the words of the Son (Yeshua) pleading with the Father...Does God hear and respond to Isaiah’s plea on behalf of his people Israel and indeed the entire human race? The answer is a resounding yes! God Himself, manifest in the Person of His Son the promised Servant King Messiah Yeshua, does indeed come down, rending the heavenly curtain of separation even as the earthly curtain is torn, revealing the Holy of Holies and an opportunity for all who would receive His loving vicarious sacrifice and resurrection life to enter into the intimate and everlasting relationship which humanity had in the beginning, when YHVH created the heavens and the earth. Application: Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ, so like those who have gone before us, cry out and beseech him to return quickly. Prayer: Come Lord Jesus, come... Isaiah 63 - Day 549 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 63:15-19 Commentary (enduringword.com): In all their affliction He was afflicted: Isaiah knows the nature of God; that in the afflictions of His people, He is afflicted also. God is not a dispassionate, unfeeling observer when His people suffer. He suffers with them when they are afflicted. Application: In our denial and disillusionment, we blame God for abandoning us. However inaccurate our theology may be, God hears our desperate cries. Prayer: Lord have mercy on me, a sinner... Isaiah 62 - Day 548 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 62:1-12 Commentary (bethmelekh.com): A location is personified as a representation of the sum of its inhabitants. Thus, Zion, which is a title given to the Jewish people, the land, the mount in Jerusalem and so on, is the sum of all Israel (ethnic, religious) and her land. She is a parched land, a people in need of redemption, and for her sake God will not keep silent. Application: Although we are not Zion (of Jewish descent), we are Jesus' bride. Take comfort in knowing that our Lord loves us. Prayer: Lord, please tell me again why You love me... Isaiah 61 - Day 547 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-11 Commentary (melissabeaty.com): God has a plan of salvation. These eleven verses follow the entire process. First, God sends His anointed (Christ). This person preaches to the meek, heals hearts, frees those who are captive in sin, teaches what is acceptable to God, and comforts those who are filled with sorrow. These address the spiritual, mental, and emotional needs of people. Second, God sends His anointed to change what is dirty into what is beautiful, to turn sorrow into joy, to replace burdens with praise, to rebuild what is desolate, to exalt His people above others, to give people an official office of ministry in His presence, and to give an inheritance for laboring for the Lord despite ridicule. All these point to a social change and result in physical and political changes. Third, we see the result of the first two actions by God; extreme praise by the believer. Acknowledging that God is the one who is working salvation, the saints become like a beloved bride; showered with gifts of love by God. In this final stage of salvation, all the world be filled with righteousness. Application: Despite our circumstances, we get to praise God as He fulfills His plan of salvation. Prayer: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.... |
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