Tag Archive - Isaiah

Proverbs 31

March 19, 2009 in Proverbs with 0 Comments

The last chapter of Proverbs is best-known for its section on the “virtuous wife” – that ideal woman of dreams. But she is actually the third of three sections in chapter 31.

Like in chapter 30, we know nothing of Lemuel or his mother, except that he was a king and that God’s people recognized him/them as speaking God’s truth here and kept this together with the rest of God’s Word.

Lemuel’s mother taught him three things that he would find necessary when he became king (and we find necessary in our lives, too):

1 – Keep your mind strong (31:3-7)

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink, lest they drink and forget what is decreed,and remove from all the poor their legal rights. (31:3-4)

Whether they will admit it or not, everyone knows that alcohol is a mind-altering drug. No doubt it affects people in different ways – some more, some less. But those who say, “It doesn’t affect me” don’t realize the power that it has. Just ask the guy who’s 24 years sober, yet still going to AA meetings religiously.

Lemuel’s mother’s advice is right on – drink affects your mind, so don’t drink when you’re going to be needing your mind. In a king’s case (or president, governor, etc.), that could be at any time, so he shouldn’t drink at all.

Who should drink according to Lemuel’s mom? “The one who is perishing…those who are bitterly distressed” specifically for the purpose of forgetting their current troubles.

But before you go get drunk to forget your troubles, ask the guy in AA why he stopped 24 years ago.

 

2 – Stick up for the little guy (31:8-9)

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak, for the legal rights of all the dying. Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

This is a recurring theme in God’s Word. In the Old Testament Law, he set up very specific guidelines for taking care of “the poor and needy” (Leviticus 19:9-10) and the prophets took up the cause as well (Isaiah 1:17). The apostles practiced it in the early days of the church (Acts 4:34-35), and Paul commanded that it continue to be done through the church (1 Timothy 5:3-16). James even went so far to say that is the true meaning and purpose of religion as far as God is concerned (James 1:27).

What are you doing to stick up for the little guy? Need some ideas? Check out Hope Ministries and see how you can volunteer.

 

3 – Marry wisely (31:10-31)

Here’s the section we all know and love. Let’s spend some time together on it in my next post.

Proverbs 21

February 26, 2009 in Proverbs with 0 Comments

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants. (21:1)

I think this concept is giving a lot of people hope right now in the middle of our current government situation. Part of God’s sovereignty is that even human government (established by God in Genesis 9:5-6) is still ultimately subject to him – even those that refuse to acknowledge him.

There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,and there is no counsel against the Lord. (21:30)

The NET Bible study note puts this very succinctly:

The verse uses a single sentence to state that all wisdom, understanding, and advice must be in conformity to the will of God to be successful. It states it negatively – these things cannot be in defiance of God (e.g., Job 5:12-13; Isaiah 40:13-14).

Isaiah 1:4

February 7, 2008 in Other with 0 Comments

Working steadily through Isaiah we come to 1:4 – “Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity.” (NASB)

Under the crushing weight of accumulated iniquities the whole nation is pictured as bowed and weighted down. … How can iniquity rest heavily upon a person or nation? Iniquity itself is something intangible, and hence cannot be a burden in a physical sense. But iniquity brings evil results with it. The people had dealt iniquitously, and the fruits of their actions were not with them. More than that, iniquity involves guilt; indeed, the word signifies the perversity and crookedness of sin. Thus it is not a sense of iniquity that weighs the nation down – would that it were – then there might be some desire for repentance. It is rather the bondage and guilt of their iniquity that lies upon the people like a pressing burden. From that guilt and bondage they cannot free themselves. They have not the strength – they are slaves. (Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, Vol. 1, 45)

Young’s reminded me of our last message series at OTCC, “Move Along”. We saw that one of the things that tries to hold us back from moving along and beginning again is guilt from past sins.

Here God, through Isaiah, confronts Israel with her sin and calls for her to repent. This is necessary with all of us if we want to get a fresh start with God.

If you missed the messages in the last series, you can listen to them online here.

A new study

January 31, 2008 in Other with 0 Comments

I started today a new personal study that I have wanted to undertake for several years – a comprehensive work through the book of Isaiah. Unfortunately, because I don’t know Hebrew, I can’t make my own translation of the book (like I am of Ephesians). However, I’m excited to read Edward J. Young’s commentary, The Book of Isaiah – one of the best out there. Just the introduction this morning makes me glad that he is helping guide me in this study.

Here is a sample of the introduction and then a thought about why this is important to us today:

The name Isaiah means “The Lord is salvation,” that is, “the Lord is the source of salvation.” … Isaiah exercised his prophetic ministry at a time of unique significance, a time in which it was of utmost importance to realize that salvation could not be obtained by reliance upon man but only from God Himself. For Israel it was the central or pivotal point of history between Moses and Christ. The old world was passing and an entirely new order of things was beginning to make its appearance. Where would Israel stand in that new world? Would she be the true theocracy, the light to lighten the Gentiles, or would she fall into the shadow by turning for help to the nations which were about her?

…

[Because of the Flood and Tower of Babel] sin could not be concentrated in one place; mankind as a unit could no longer boast itself against God. A new order therefore set in. Mankind was scattered with the result that individual nations and peoples arose. From among them in the time of Moses God chose one people to be a nation for His name. It was to be a nation among nations, but one in which the righteousness of the righteous God would be justly exhibited in the judicial proceedings of the people and in their daily life.

Israel, however, in actual fact, showed herself to be little different from the other nations…

(Young, Vol. 1, pp. 1, 4-5)

Israel was in the perfect position to change the world. Instead, she let the world change her. This reminds me of Ephesians 3:8-10 (my trans.):

To me – the least of all saints – this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the incomprehensible riches of Christ and to enlighten each one about the secret plan which has been hidden for ages in God, the creator of all things, so that, through the church, the multi-faceted wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavens.

Israel didn’t do it, and now we are given the chance – to show the world the real, living, life-changing God! Can we do it? Yes! Will we?