I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
The prophet tells us that God, and God alone, predicted that Cyrus would rise and overthrow the Babylonians. No one speaking on behalf of other gods had made such a prediction. Isaiah then goes on to report that God tells us that He gives us His commands because they are what is good for us. If we, as a people, listen to God’s commands, we will have peace. And even if we only obey God’s commands on an individual basis we will be better off than if we do not. God’s commands are for our own good, just as the rules laid down for a child by good parents are for the child’s own good. Yet even though we have disobeyed His commands, like a loving parent, God will extend His hand and rescue us from the trouble our disobedience has brought us.
This passage contains an important lesson for us. God’s commands are not arbitrary rules designed to prove that we will do as He instructs.Rather they are there for our own good. God does not want us to be hurt, so He tells us not to do the things which will cause us harm. He wants us to be happy, so He tells us to do the things which will bring us true joy.
Isaiah then proceeds to what has been quoted in the New Testament as a prophecy concerning Jesus. In that light, I find a statement in the middle of it interesting. Isaiah puts a statement in the mouth of the one who is prophesied to come. That statement says that His work seems so useless, that He spent His strength for nothing. God replies to this statement by telling Him that not only will He restore the people of Israel to God, He will bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.
When those who do not know God look at the crucifixion of Christ, it looks like failure. So too does many of the things which God calls us to do. Sometimes when we do what God has called us to do, it looks like failure. But that is because we stop looking at what He is doing too soon. If we stop reading the Gospels at Jesus’ death, it looks like He failed. But that is not the end of the story. There is still the resurrection to come. That is how it is in our lives, we may seem to have failed, but God tells us that the resurrection is going to come. He will bring about victory from what appears to all as complete defeat.
When conditions were right, God sent His Redeemer to redeem His people. He will free the captives and give sight to the blind. He will make level roads in the mountains and cause it to rain in the desert. He will bring the people He has chosen to Himself from the ends of the earth. God asks about rescuing captives from a tyrant and taking plunder from a warrior (the implication being that the captives will be killed and the plunder destroyed before they will be released). However, God tells us that He will free the captives and give them the plunder taken by the warriors.
Isaiah continues with what is certainly a Messianic prophecy, but I believe it is also a guide for our instruction. He tells us that he did not turn away from God’s commands. He was willing to be beaten and tortured to do as God instructed. He refused to hide from mockery. He was not put to shame because the Lord was his help. Now will bring charges against him because God stands as his advocate, his defense attorney. If we are walking in darkness and trust the Lord, He will give us light. But those who think that their own insight will get them through without needing to turn to God will stumble and fall.
Paul tells us that we must no longer live as unbelievers do, a lifestyle that is the product of futility and ignorance. They live for lustful pleasure, indulge in impurity, and are full of greed because they have refused to accept God’s instructions. However, this is not the life which we have learned to live since we accepted Christ and His truth. Let us throw off our old lives of deceitful desires which corrupt our entire being. Rather let us put on new selves as the Spirit transforms our minds into the likeness of the righteousness and holiness of God.
This means that we are to give up lies, deception, and falsehoods. We cannot allow our anger, no matter how justified, to control our actions. Those who had been stealing are to stop and take up productive work so that they have to share with those in need. We need to stop using foul and abusive language. Instead everything we say should be good and helpful so that those who hear us will be encouraged. Let us not bring sorrow to the Spirit in any way by the way we live.
Some time back I realized that my non-Christian friends tend to commit the sins which they do because they are attempting to distract themselves from the darkness and depression inherent in their world view. There is a certain emptiness to every non-Christian philosophy I have examined. For one reason or another, people have chosen to reject Christianity, which leaves them with no choice but one of these empty philosophies. As a result they spend much of their time trying to find ways to avoid looking into that emptiness.
As a Christian, we need to acknowledge the value of being productive in service to God. It is not enough to not tell lies, we must avoid being deceitful by selectively telling the truth. I cannot let anger control my actions, even when I believe that I have been wronged. Instead I need to imitate God, who forgave me even though He had much greater reason to be angry with me than I have with any person I have met. The last tow verses of today’s passage sum it all up:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
The psalmist cries out to God for rescue. He is exhausted from calling for God’s help. Yet, he still has faith that God will come to his aid. He admits that he is a sinner and that his sins are known to God. His first request is that his actions and troubles do not bring shame to those who trust in God. He has been mocked and ridiculed for his efforts to do God’s will. Nevertheless, he has faith that God will come to his aid.
The psalmist expresses a desire that his own failings and shortcomings not reflect poorly on others who are striving to do the Lord’s will. I, also, will strive to make it clear that my failings are despite my faith, not because of it.
Wisdom and knowledge allow one to make the best use of one’s strength. Someone who wisely deploys their forces will defeat a stronger opponent who does not do likewise. Knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the contest will give you an advantage over an uninformed opponent.