For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
It is futile to exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of wealth. What good will it do us to acquire large amounts of money, if we spend all of our time getting it and have no time to spend it (whether on ourselves or others)? We may think that we are clever enough to know when we have “made it”, but wealth is fleeting. No sooner do you think that you have a fortune than it will disappear. Let us focus on doing God’s work rather than on acquiring wealth.
The psalmist was troubled and worried about many problems. He could not get his fears and worries out of his mind. So, he called upon the Lord, and not just once, but persistently. He called upon the Lord morning, noon, and night. Let us follow the psalmist’s example. When troubles and worries are filling our minds, let us call upon the Lord morning, noon, and night. In verse 22 the psalmist tells us how to deal with whatever it is that is worrying us. For this I prefer the NIV:
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
“Cast” is so much more expressive of how we are to do this than “Give”. The word cast expresses an action where it is harder to take it back than that expressed by “give”. It is not easy to follow this advice, but it is sure. Morning, noon, and night let us call out to the Lord and give over to Him the worries of this life which fill our minds. Once we have cast our cares upon Him, let us turn our minds to doing His will.
Paul tells us that despite the many things he experienced which could be the basis of boasting, he has chosen not to do so. Part of what kept him from doing so was his knowledge of what he referred to as “thorn in his flesh”. He never tells us what that “thorn” was. He tells us that he begged God to take it from him, but that God told him that God’s grace would allow him to live with it. Some have suggested that the “thorn” was a vision problem, others have suggested it was some other physical disability. Reading this today, the context seems to imply some sort of temptation which Paul found impossible to resist, yet Paul’s writings, as I understand them, teach that if we fully turn ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength to resist all temptation. Ultimately, the key to remember from this passage is that God’s power works best in our weakness.
Isaiah prophesied that Judah would be delivered from the alliance of Syria and Israel. Rather than feel sorrow for the suffering the people of Syria and Israel experienced, the people of Judah rejoiced at their misfortune. Therefore God told Isaiah that they would experience a measure of that same suffering. Let us never rejoice over the suffering of others, not even those who wish us ill. God condemns such behavior in the strongest terms. God calls us to love all people, even those whose actions will lead them to suffering, even those whose actions wrong us or others.
God instructed Isaiah not to think like everyone else does. That instruction is intended for us as well. Do not believe conspiracy theories and do not be afraid of the things which frighten those who do not fear the Lord. Rather it is God whom we should fear. We should tremble at the thought of making God angry. If we fear the Lord, He will keep us safe. Isaiah warns us against getting caught up with those who seek guidance from the dead and other paranormal means. We see the sort of thing he was warning about in the popularity of shows such as Ghost Hunters. As people have less and less trust in God, they become more susceptible to conspiracy theories, superstition, and paranormal explanations for what is happening. They refuse to accept or follow God’s instruction, then become angry when bad things result.
Despite the great anger which God expressed against the people of Judah through Isaiah, He still promised that there would be an end to the darkness. He promised through Isaiah that Jesus would come and shine the light of deliverance upon God’s people. Even today, as people turn from God to superstition and conspiracy theories, God is preparing once more to cause His light to shine out among them. I believe a great darkness is descending upon the world once more. However, I also believe that the darkness is but a prelude to God’s light once more bursting forth for all people to see. As I think about that I feel inspired to call out to God, “Here I am. Send me.” (Of course, just thinking that frightens me a bit, where will He send me?)