Month: July 2021

The Book of Micah

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

It’s a 20-minute read (long). So I vow to keep this post short.

Samaria and Jerusalem:Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) - Wikipedia

The capitals should be the Holiest city!  Are they?

What is Jacob’s transgression?
    Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

There are 3 trials:

Ch 1 and 2-The Trials of the capitals: Samaria and Jerusalem. The Covenant is a “contract”.  The people broke their contract.  So now God brings His case against them. God tells them the consequence for their sins: their land will be a heap of rubble!

Here is a picture of Samaria today-

Samaria (city) - BibleWalks.com

Micah is the first one to weep over the verdict.

v10-16 -Micah used puns and plays on words to talk about the judgment coming upon the cities of Judah.  Names of cities and people were often their destiny  (LIke our character is often ours)

Chapter 2- As I was reading Chapter 2 I thought about the horrible Kings that made their “own” plan instead of God’s Plan.

v6-False prophets say what people “want” to hear…not “need” to hear.  Look at verse 11:

If a liar and deceiver comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’
    that would be just the prophet for this people!

(this is not a dig at drinking…this is sarcasm about “If a prophet  talked about beer and wine you would like him…they didn’t like Micah and his message)

BUT God’s “contract” is unconditional.  Regardless of this trial: v12

2 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
    I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
    they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”

I am a sheep!!  Jesus is the King!

Chapter 3 Trial #2- Trial of the Leaders.

Her leaders judge for a bribe,
    her priests teach for a price,
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.
Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?

WOW!

Chapter 4- (Hey I am doing good keeping it short!)  It’s killing me though!

“In the last days”:  We are split-screen…or watching 2 channels at once…we are looking at the 2nd Coming too….

In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and peoples will stream to it.

Chapter 5- Let’s do this!

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”

Let’s flip to Matthew Chapter 2

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Well we know he was a big fat liar and was going to have the baby killed but that is beside the point.  Back to Micah…

Chapter 6- Trial #3- Trial of the People.  (Arg!  This is us)

The trial: oh my stars!  God states in concluding arguments recounting just a moment of His provision for the people.  And ends with…and what small task did I ask back? v8:

And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

v9-16 is the verdict.

Therefore I will give you over to ruin
    and your people to derision;
    you will bear the scorn of the nations

BUT God is Love, and we have Hope!

7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear me.

 

How does it end.??? With a Savior:

18 Who is a God like you,
    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
    of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
    but delight to show mercy. ❤️
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.❤️
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
    in days long ago.

Micah Overview for tomorrow

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

The name Micah means “Who is like the Lord”.  He is from the town of Moresheth, about 25 miles outside Jerusalem.  He is speaking to the Southern Nation: Judah (his own nation).  Stop and think about that.  He is not talking to strangers or the other team.  He is giving the message to his OWN.   He spoke during the reign of 3 Judean Kings:

  1. Jotham,
  2. Ahaz,
  3. Hezekiah.

The period before his ministry both nations: Israel and Judah,  are experiencing economic prosperity but lack spiritual communion with God.  Micah’s prophecy predicts the destruction of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians (586 BC) and the restoration of Jerusalem after the 70-year captivity.

In summary, the nation of Judah has false security in the Lord (I think a lot of people do).  However, when we read these prophecy books we can’t help but look at only the judgment,  but we cannot overlook the message of Hope.  The book of Micah points us to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  Micah’s message has 3 key points to it:

  1. Sin
  2. Destruction
  3. Restoration

Micah preached in the walls of Jerusalem (gutsy).  His political platform was the unfair treatment of the poor from the rich.  Micah wanted the people to know that every cruel act to our fellow people was an insult directly to the Lord. 

The sins of this time were no different from the sins of today, idolatry, coveting, oppression of the poor, violence, false prophets, corruption of government, corruption in churches, and dishonesty of the people.

Ouch!

2 Chron 27 and Isaiah 9-12

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

OK, I just read 2 Chronicles and I thought “what could I say that you already don’t know”.  If I had randomly opened 2 Chron 27 on January 1 and read this short chapter most of us would say “Ummm,  what”.  You got this! But I will give you this (again) just because I love you. Jotham.

Isaiah 9-12- Now Isaiah, maybe you read and said “Yup, got it”.  If you did-you are taking over this blog! I needed help.  Let’s do this!  Let me start off by saying if we stick with the TV/Remote analogy- today is definitely split screen and they are all talking at once!  We have:

  • current time (735 BC),
  • Messiah time,
  • and End Times

all talking at once.  I am going to try to keep this simple.

Chapter 9 (if you have not noticed I have a pattern of starting with verse 1)

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.

Ummm what?  Wait for it…we are about to have a “Drop Mic” moment.  When Jesus BEGINS his ministry this prophecy is fulfilled:

Matthew 4:12

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Naphtali and Zebulun are 2 of the 10 tribes that formed the North.  He begins his preaching in Galilee of the Gentiles. Galilee (starts with G) that is how you are going to remember that when we say Gallilee: Jesus is with the Gentiles.

Jesus came to bring Light to the Darkness!

Isaiah continues with….

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Ok Ok…I won’t’ break down EVERY scripture…but I want to.  The rest of the chapter is a description of the Lord’s anger against the Northern Kingdom Israel.  Note the “attitude” of Israel (or should I say the complacency)…

“The bricks have fallen down,
    but WE will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
    but WE will replace them with cedars.”

Are they crazy…they said the same thing at the tower of Babel and we all know how that turned out!

Chapter 10- God uses Assyria as the instrument to discipline Israel (after 300 years of warning). But Assyria became prideful in the power God gave them.  When God is done with them, they too will witness God’s judgment on themselves. Verse 12:

12 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand I have done this,
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;
    like a mighty one I subdued their kings.
14 As one reaches into a nest,
    so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.’”

The next section can be summed up v21:

A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.

If you don’t know what the who, what, where, when, and why of the Remnant…let me know in the comments.  I will break it down.

Chapter 11: In Chapter 4 we talked about a Messianic Passage.  We can look at this with a split-screen of the Messiah Coming…or as the 2nd Coming (Millennial period).  Both are correct.  Remember, prophecy is both Near and Far messages.  You will read these scriptures and know it is Jesus in the prophecy BUT there are scriptures about Peace and Safety that will only occur during the Millennial period. (we will read about that in December)

If I start commenting on Chapter 11 we will be here all day.  Can you see the Messianic Prophecy?  For those who can, help those who cannot (in comments).  C’mon.  Be confident!

  • Shoot or Branch from Jesse?  Explain!
  • Give me an example of this being Near Prophecy (during OT time)
  • Give me an example of this being End Times Prophecy (Revelation)
  • Explain the animals lying with each other
  • Other?

The End.  You may Stop here.  I don’t want to make an assumption that everyone understands the Millenium (the time period following Christ’s return).  If you need a refresher course on that I posted it below.

Spoiler Alert: I am going to tell you how this Book Ends.  Chapter 11 will concentrate on the Millenial period.  For those who say “Revelation is confusing” it is not.  It actually might be one of the easiest books we read.  So here it is:

Pin by Shelly on an awesome God | End times timeline, Revelation ...

Read Left to Right.

  • We are currently in the Church Age (since Acts 2)
  • Then we will have the Rapture of the Church (if you believe in a Rapture (I do)but if you don’t ignore that-all good)(Thessalonians 4:13-18)
  • Then we begin a 7 year period of Tribulation
  • Then Jesus will return to earth (called the 2nd coming)  This will be the Battle of Armageddon.  Satan will be tied up (literally) for 1,000 years.
  • The 1,000 years of Peace is called the Millennial Reign
  • After 1,000 years Satan will be released and there will be one final rebellion-he will quickly be defeated
  • The final judgment will occur and a New Heaven and New Earth are created and we enter into eternity!

Amos 6-9

~ Patricia ~ 4 Comments

(This is a good one to listen to)

Chapter 6 (hard chapter…at least I thought so)

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,

Woe…Lookout! Beware! Those that are complacent. Remember, this message was brought during a time of prosperity.  All of chapter 6 is talking about those who had their own “house”. (wait…I have a house!)To summarize, the sins of the Israelites were excessive entertainment, relaxation, food, music, drinking, and cosmetics.  Interesting isn’t it!

You drink wine by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

I know we talked about this is Psalms: We ask the Lord to break our hearts for what breaks His.  In James 4:8 it says:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  

We should be weeping over the sin of the nation, we should mourn for the lost that act lost…they are lost!  Instead, we throw stones or laugh when they fall.  (Gosh am I a Debbie Downer today).  We need to pray that our hearts soften to those around us and grieve over their ruin.  Not rejoice. Sorry…I watched the news last night…it’s a mess out there.

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.”

Spoiler Alert: We know that nation will be Assyria.  Lebo Hammath and Arabah are the northern and southern boundaries of Israel.  God will raise up Assyria as an instrument to discipline the prideful nation-Israel. (Eventually, Judah will be disciplined too)

Chapter 7.

-Amos next recorded visions that he received from the Lord that described the results of the coming judgment of Israel.  Let’s put the remote back in our hand:

The first channel is a swarm of locusts that will devour the crops.  This is like a “movie trailer”.  Totally a split-screen (picture in picture).

  • We see Assyria could be the locusts that will devour the land
  • and we can also see the vision referring to the Second Coming of Christ and the Tribulation.
  • Amos prayed and God relented!  What?? Are you saying that if we pray as a nation we can actually make a difference?

Change the Channel.  Now we see a vision of fire.

  • We know that fire represents God’s judgment and He uses nature (drought) as an instrument (by the way can I share that I hate the term “Mother Nature”, I prefer “Father God”)  Next time you hear that phrase you are going to think “Ohhh that crazy Trish would roll her eyes right now”.  Anyway, God will usher in a drought/famine as a means to discipline.
  • again split screen-Near and Far prophecy at the same time.  (I CANNOT WAIT TO READ REVELATION WITH YOU!!  IT”S AWESOME AND NOT HARD!).
  • Amos prays…and God relents.  What??? God actually hears prayers and they matter??  News to many people.

Then the mic drops.  A plumbline.  Now, for you whippersnappers who don’t know what a plumbline is…back in my day, we hung wallpaper.  We tied a weight to the end of a string and hung it down the wall to give us a straight line…if you were fancy you dipped it in chalk and when you hung it, it left a mark on the wall.  Here is the deal: it was a perfect upright line.  Without it, everything was off-centered, crooked and eventually, when you got to the end it didn’t match at all!Plumb Line

What is the plumbline THEN and STILL is today?  God’s Word.  It is the straight line that everything should be measured from.  By comparing where Israel is to God’s plumbline there is only 1 thing left to do since they are so crooked now:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
    and Israel will surely go into exile,
    away from their native land.’”

Do you think a pagan priest from Bethel is going to take this message of doom sitting down?  NO!  He kicks Amos out but Amos get the last word:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,
    and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
    and you yourself will die in a pagan country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,
    away from their native land.’”

Chapter 8-The Lord showed Amos a basket of summer fruit. The Lord asked him what he saw, he replied that he saw a basket of ripe summer fruit. Normally this would have been good associated with a harvest. Then God told him that Israel was also ripe, but ripe for judgment. The time would come to consume the fruit. Just as the final fruit of the summer signaled the end of the harvest season, so God’s ‘end’ for Israel was now at hand. God would judge the religious hypocrisy and greed of the people.

There is a lot of detail in this chapter and we can spend all day talking about it (but I am sure you are ready to move on with your day) but God does hone in on Dan: (memory recall: Who is Dan?)- put in comments.

14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria—
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’
    or, ‘As surely as the god of Beersheba lives’—
    they will fall, never to rise again.”

If you can’t remember what was in Dan click here if you are interested.

Chapter 9. If you are having a hard time picturing the captivity, Chapter 9 is a pretty good description.  As we read we need to always look for the Covenant.  Will there be a survivor from the Line of David to bring the promised Messiah???

8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
    are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it
    from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
    the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.

I end on a triple split-screen.  (Like Fox news likes to do)

  • 1 message is the remnant people who will be released from captivity after 70 years to rebuild the Temple.
  • The second screen will be the restoration of the Jews at the time of the Tribulation in Revelation.
  • But what is the 3rd screen?  Could it be the restoration of Israel in the present day?  This is high-order thinking so if you get lost on this it is ok.  Israel was RESTORED and considered a nation not to be uprooted.

15 I will plant Israel in their own land,
    never again to be uprooted
    from the land I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.

The short story is: Israel was not a nation for 2000 years until May 14th, 1948.  We will definitely talk about this when we get to Ezekial.  BUT President Truman, a man that read his Bible was given an opportunity to recognize Israel as a state,  AND DID (against Roosevelt’s recommendation not to get involved (not sure he has a Bible).  However, I find it ironic that our county’s prosperity has grown ever since Truman signed this:

Pretty cool huh!!

Amos 1-5

~ Patricia ~ 3 Comments

Amos was from Judah (southern)  and he goes to Israel (northern) to give them a message from the Lord.   At this time Israel was very prosperous.  He was sent to bring a message regarding their social, political, and spiritual corruption. Why would they listen, they were feeling “blessed”.  Everything was GREAT!  He is smart and begins his message with the judgment of the surrounding nations.  Smart!  I can literally see the crowds gathering as they get excited about this news. “Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd”. (extra credit if you can tell me the movie) 😁  He even tells them why they will be judged:

  • Damascus (capital of Aram), attacked Israel
  • Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron are major cities in the Philistia, thus the verse about the Philistines
  • Tyre (Phoenicia) several treaties were made there, as allies, and they broke their word.
  • Edom (Edomites, Esau’s descendants) need I say more
  • Ammon and Moab.  (Lot’s children with his daughter)  These wicked nations have been the center of idol worship and idolatry.  Even though Israel has followed their culture, they never missed an opportunity to attack them
  • Judah (south) for rejecting the Lord and neglecting God’s law.  I bet they were most excited about hearing this!

So now that he has their attention, he tells them a message regarding their own judgment. Ouch. Chapter 2:6 the message turns on a dime: He will judge Israel for their greed, unjust ways, and their fake worship to the Lord.  God reminds them:

10 I brought you up out of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness
    to give you the land of the Amorites.

11 “I also raised up prophets from among your children
    and Nazirites from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”

He continues with how they will be crushed.

Chapter 3:

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

2 “You only have I chosen
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your sins.”

They were the only nation that was chosen.  God was with them the whole way providing for them and winning their battles for them, yet they ignored God.  Therefore, they will be taken into captivity!

11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
    pull down your strongholds
    and plunder your fortresses.”

Sarcasm is my love language so when God speaks it I laugh…

4 “Go to Bethel and sin;
    go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
    your tithes every three years.
5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

v6-13 is a great summary of how God provided and protected them and ends with a reminder to the people that HE IS THE LORD ALMIGHTY.

One verse that stood out (and I would love to put it on Facebook every time I see people weave scripture into their opinionated hateful message….but I won’t throw a stone)

Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.

THEN chapter 5.  Hear this Word!  Seek me and Live!!!  He begs us to return to Him!

Let’s go back to the TV analogy.  Split-screen for sure. Then, Future, and I believe very much today.  If you skimmed Ch 5 because the reading was long. Take a minute to read it (IN Green after this). When God looks down upon his people does He see the people like this today?

“I hate, I despise your religious festivals;

    your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
    righteousness like a never-failing stream!

25 “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,
    the star of your god[b]—
    which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.

Amos Overview for tomorrow

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

The Book of Amos addresses:

  •  the excessive pursuit of luxury,
  • self-indulgence
  • oppression of the poor which characterized the period of prosperity and success in the Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II.Picture

This book is basically a message of judgment: prophecies of judgment on the nations AND  against Israel. Amos begins with a series of indictments against the seven neighbors of Israel, then Israel itself. The rich are condemned because of their oppression of the poor and for their religious hypocrisy.

True religion demands righteous living, and the way people treat others reveals their relationship with God.  (re-read that)

Amos was a prophet from Judah (southern) with a message to Israel (northern) during the reign of Uzziah (south) and Jeroboam (north). Imagine giving a message of doom to the other team? Ugg. Amos was not a prophet before this, a son of a prophet, or even a priest like Samuel. He was just a sheepherder, however, from his writing, we can assume he was educated.

The two kingdoms during this time are at an all-time high. Peace with neighbors, Assyria was not as powerful, and prosperity was growing. Listen, God is not against prosperity, God is against sin. Unfortunately usually with increased prosperity comes increased sin. Amos goes to Bethel because Bethel was the capital of the Northern Kingdom. Idolatry was everywhere. As you may recall from reading 2 Kings they were worshipping a golden calf and going through the ‘religious motions’. Since the division of the nation into North and South 200 years has passed. God has already sent Elijah, Elisha, and Jonah. With not a single degree of the nation turning from their sinful ways, God now sends people like Amos and Hosea at the same time to warn them. This time the Lord wants the message delivered courageously and directly, and Amos will do just that.

People who think that God is all about wrath and punishment need to dig into the Prophecy books. He loves His people so much that He is giving them opportunity after opportunity of warning to repent! And He is IGNORED.

I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jonah 4:2)

I sat in a canoe today in the foothills of South Carolina with my earbuds in and did a “listen through” of the book of Amos.  It was an easy read but I will tell you it rocked my world!  I can’t wait for you to read it. (Honestly, I don’t think you will need to read the blog the next 2 days….you got this!)

Isaiah 5-8

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

This is post #2.  Under this post is a post about  The Captivity.  Even though it is coming up in our reading, it will make the prophecy books more “readable” if you understand what WILL happen eventualy.

Chapter 5- We begin with a parable.  It may actually sound familiar if you have read the New Testament.

My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.

The vineyard is His chosen people.  God provided all the means for them to prosper (fertile hillside).  But when the crops Israelites grew, they grew bad fruit.

What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?

So what is the consequence?

He takes his hand off of them.  He will not tend to them and he will allow the border to be open.  After the parable is given Isaiah shocks the audience by letting them know He is talking about them!

Verse 8 we add some more “Woes”- Beware.

v8-10-He is calling out those who accumulate- but lets them know that when the captivity happens…their mansions will be empty.

v11-17-He is talking to the “party crowd”, those that ignore God.  He specifically says in verse 13-

Therefore my people will go into exile
for lack of understanding;

v18-19-Those that are hitched to sin.  Not only do they disregard God but they defy Him, they don’t believe His warning and challenge Him to show up!  Verse 19-

“Let God hurry;
let him hasten his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”

v20-those who think they are wiser than God

v21-to the corrupt.  He is detailed to tell them exactly what the captivity will look like.  V26-30 He tells them he will rise up nations around them, the enemies will not grow weary.  They will not break a sweat when they capture them.

Chapter 6 Isaiah’s Commission- We change the channel and it is dated for us so we know exactly when this happens.

kings for Isaiah.png

This vision occurs during the reign of Uzziah.  He sees God!

 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah immediately confesses he is unworthy to be in His presence.   Because of this God forgives him of his unclean lips and purifies Isaiah with the coal.  He then proceeds to tell him that the message you bring will fall on deaf ears.  They will ignore him.  When Isaiah asks “How long will they ignore me”? God tells him until they are put in captivity.  BUT…and don’t miss is…

And though a tenth remains in the land,
    it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
    leave stumps when they are cut down,
    so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”

He preserves a remnant of people to survive!

How were details of Christ's death prophesied? - Consider the Gospel

Chapter 7- This is 700 years BEFOE the birth of Christ…Now when you read this you have to use context clues.

  • “The line of David” is the tribe of Judah. 
  • Ephraim is the tribe of Israel.

8:Within sixty-five years
    Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
    and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
    you will not stand at all.’”

The captivity will begin shortly for the northern tribe.  It will happen in waves, but within 65 years it will be complete destruction.

God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, and Ahaz declines.  God gives him one anyway! (Look at your prophecy list of the Messiah)

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (700 years before Christ this is said)

18-25 Isaiah prophesied that Assyria will be the nation God will use for this first invasion.

In Chapter 8 Isaiah gives a description of the captivity but reminds Isaiah not to follow in Israel’s footsteps either.  It is NOT the enemy nations that will bring destruction on America Israel, it will be at the arm of the Lord to discipline their sins.  We They must not fear other nations, they must fear the Lord and obey his commands.

“Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
    he is the one you are to fear,
    he is the one you are to dread.
14 He will be a holy place;
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

 

Understanding the CAPTIVITY and Messianic Prophecy

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

Before we go any further I want to take a moment to explain what is going to happen.  As we read through Isaiah and other prophet books, they just won’t make sense unless you understand the big picture.  Tomorrow we are going to read some detailed prophecies about “a Captivity” or “an Exile”.  The way I explain this when I do a study with teenagers is: God says to his children…I put you in this land, shape up and start obeying me or I will take you out of this land”.

My adult answer would be-The captivity or exile refers to the time period in Israel’s history when Jews were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. It is an important period of biblical history because both the captivity/exile and the return and restoration of the Jewish nation were fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies.

God used foreign nations to bring judgment against Israel for their sins of idolatry and rebellion against Him. There were actually several different times during this period when the Jews were taken captivity.  During the captivity, the enemy nations would kill many people, destroy the Jewish temple, take captive many thousands of Jews, and left Jerusalem in ruins.

Assyrian & Babylonian Captivity & Exile of Israel & Judah Map

If you look at this map you will see that Israel (purple) will fall (captivity)to Assyria in 722.  But remember when Jeroboam and Rehenboam split the kingdom I told you to remember the “J” and the “R”.  Rehoboam comes from the line of David-the line with the Covenant to bring the Messiah.  Jereboam does not.  So when the Assyrians take Israel they do not come back.  However…Judah (who the scepter will not depart from) has to survive it. They are taken into Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. The few that survive it are called the “Remnant”.  As prophesied in Scripture, the Jewish people would be allowed to return to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile. That prophecy was fulfilled in 537 B.C., and the Jews were allowed by King Cyrus of Persia to return to Israel and begin rebuilding the city and temple. The return under the direction of Ezra led to a revival among the Jewish people and the rebuilding of the temple. This might help:

30. Understanding the Writing Prophets

In the overview, I talked about Isaiah being the most quoted prophecies in the New Testament.  Example: Matthew 1 says: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). The prophecy of this will be in today’s read.  Here is a list of the fulfilled prophecies from Isaiah.  At the bottom of this post, I will attach all 3 visuals in a printable format just in case you like them as much as I do.

Fulfilled  Prophecies From Isaiah

The Prophecy The Fulfillment
The Messiah… Jesus Christ…
will be born of a virgin (Is. 7:14) was born a virgin named Mary (Luke 1:26-31)
will have a Galilean ministry (Is. 9:1,2) ministered in the Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt. 4:13-16)
will be an heir to the throne of David (Is. 9:7) was given the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32,33)
will have His way prepared (Is. 40:3-5) was announced by John the Baptist (John 1:19-28)
will be spat on and struck (Is. 50:6) was spat on and beaten (Matt. 26:67)
will be exalted (Is. 52:13) was highly exalted by God and the people (Phil. 2:9,10)
will be disfigured by suffering (Is. 52:14; 53:2) was scourged by the soldiers who gave Him a crown of thorns (Mark 15:15-19)
will make a blood atonement (Is. 53:5) shed His blood to atone for our sins (1 Peter 1:2)
will be widely rejected (Is. 53:1,3) was accepted by many (John 12:37,38)
will bear our sins in sorry (Is. 53:4,5) died because of our sins (Rom. 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24
will be our substitute (Is. 53:6,8) died in our place (Rom. 5:6, 8; 2 Cor. 5:21)
will voluntarily accept our guilt and punishment (Is. 53:7,8) was silent about our sin (Mark 15:4; John 10:11; 19:30)
will be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Is. 53:9) was buried in the tomb of Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea (Matt. 27:57-60; John 19:38-42)
will save us who believe in Him (Is. 53:10,11) provided salvation for all who believed (John 3:16; Acts 16:31)
will die with transgressors (Is. 53:12) was numbered with the transgressors (Mark 15:27; Luke 22:37)
will heal the brokenhearted (Is. 61:1,2) healed the brokenhearted (Luke 4:18)

Isaiah 1-4

~ Patricia ~ 3 Comments

kings for Isaiah.png

First, I want you to take a moment to look at the visual.  I have never posted it before.  If a stranger asked you to explain it could you?  I am not talking about pronouncing names or memorizing which kings were good or bad-just overall would you be able to talk about how the kingdom divided?  Who is Judah and Israel?  Which one has the Covenant that will bring a Messiah? Is this a dark period in Bible History?  If you cannot let me know…I want you to be able to.

Now the new information on this visual is the time span Isaiah was a prophet.  He was a prophet that brought a message spanning 4 Kings in Judah.  Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Chapter 1- Verse 1 says: The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

I want you to think of this book like a TV (vision)- and Isaiah has a remote control in his hand and we are going to channel surf a lot.  We are going to see a vision of what will happen in the present time of the kings, what will happen when Jesus comes, the 2nd coming (Revelation), and often times it will look like a split screen-pertaining to more than one.  (I hope that helps)

ok, back to Chapter 1-Clearly I could talk about each and every verse but you would kill me.  So overall we know that the kingdoms have been oppressing the poor, idol-worshipping, making alliances with enemies, and perverting justice.  That’s our view.  Chapter 1 is how the nation looks from God’s view.

I want to point out verses 10-15. God instituted the proper way to approach and worship Him.  He is not deleting the system He created-he is disgusted with the hearts/attitude when they do it:

Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me…


When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.

However, God is Love.  Even at our worst, He craves to have us close.  He begs to forgive us!

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

Chapter 2 “in the last days”-We changed the channel- We can read this and know God is talking about Revelation 21, the New Heaven and New Earth.

by verse 6 we are definitely on a split-screen (think of a newscast, 2 pictures showing at once). We can see “the day the Lord: God will allow the Babylonians to capture them and take them out of the land as well as the Tribulation for the Church age.

Chapter 3- This was taken off of the Evening news last night! Just kidding.

9 The look on their faces testifies against them;
    they parade their sin like Sodom;
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    They have brought disaster upon themselves.

We begin to see the word “Woe”.  It is a serious word.  In my head when I read it I say “Beware”. It means ruinous trouble: calamity,

Chapter 4- The Branch of the Lord- THIS is a  “Messianic Passage” (pertaining to Jesus the Messiah)

  • I haven’t pointed it out but do note that he has referenced several times “those who remain”- he is talking about the remnant people that will survive in the Line of Judah (not Israel) in the Old Testament to fulfill many prophecies.
    • and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.-Genesis 12
    • The scepter will not depart from Judah,-Genesis 49
    • Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. 2 Sam 7

As you read this paragraph about the Branch of the Lord hang on every word “Beautiful” “Glorious” but my favorite sentence was “ It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.”

If you want more to read of the Branch look up Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 3:8-9, and Isaiah 11-1.

 

Isaiah overview for tomorrow

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. (I am not sure where Lamentations fits in yet). 

Prophecy has a “Near/Far” view.  The message may be talking about something that will happen in the near future BUT the same message might also happen in the future on a grander scale.  Make sense? So with each chapter, you might say is this talking about Israel, the Messiah, or Revelation.  The answer might be:  All.

Prophets were NOT liked because they brought words of consequence due to sin and lifestyle.  But their words were from God; the Prophet was just a messenger.   So feel free to read this book in the present day as well.

Isaiah means “Jehovah Saves”, the key to the book of Isaiah is Salvation

The book of Isaiah is a masterpiece in itself.  A Bible inside the Bible.  What do I mean by that??

  • This book has 66 chapters (the Bible has 66 Books). 
  • The book is clearly divided into two sections (just like the bible). 
    • The first section is 39 Chapters (just like the Bible) Those chapters talk about the Law and Condemnation (just like the Bible)
    • The first section will begin with the people’s sin, and ends with a prophecy of the coming Messiah (just like the Old Testament).
  •  The second section opens in Chapter 40 with the very words that John the Baptist will say in the beginning of the New Testament (Yes I am not kidding). 
    • The second section has 27 chapters (just like the Bible, NT)
    • The second section will talk about Salvation, Grace, and Love (just like the Bible)
  • The book of Isaiah will end with visions of heaven and a new earth, just as we will read in Revelations. 
  • Unbelievable!
  • Isaiah is the most quoted prophet in the New Testament (22 times)
  • Jesus will literally open the book of Isaiah during his ministry and say (paraphrase)  “People, they are talking about me here!
  • This book will explain to us who Lucifer is and where he came from and why he is here (ch 14)
  • The word Salvation is used 31 times!

The Messianic prophecies are so accurate that skeptics have said “this must have been written after Jesus came.

Jewish people memorized the scriptures in order to preserve God’s word.  When the Temple is destroyed in 70 AD many of the original writings were destroyed.  Traditionalists had memorized every scripture (side note: ever see the movie Book of Eli with Denzel Washington…must see).  Anyway, they wrote with accuracy the Jewish teachings.  “We” call it the Old Testament.  This is called the Masoretic Text, which was completed in the 9th Century.  So,  someone COULD argue “How do we know THIS TEXT is accurate?”  I mean c’mon who could memorize the Bible, I struggle to memorize single scripture??

In 1947 a Bedouin shepherd discovered seven scrolls housed in jars in a cave near what is now known as the Qumran site. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on planet earth.  It is 1,388 feet below sea level (to give you perspective Death Valley California is only 282 feet below sea level). Besides the topography used as preservation (from God), the salinity of the area is so salty that nothing lives there.  Not one fish. The salt in the area/cave kept these hidden scrolls preserved!

Dead Sea - Qumran    Water Topographic Cross Section

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the twentieth century is the defense. In a cave in Qumran, archaeologists discovered thousands of fragments of biblical manuscripts that predated the Masoretic Text.  They were pieced together and it included every book from the Hebrew Bible (except Esther).  These are the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, dating 1100 years before the Masoretic text,  and what do they tell us? The Masoretic Text is remarkably reliable.  What was different: 9 spelling words!!  So I say to the skeptics…put that in your pipe and smoke it.

So we will read the accurate words of Isaiah.  I am not going to lie: this won’t be easy.  This is a difficult book to chew on.

If you have a hot minute click here and read just the first chapter.  I read the first verse and it said a “vision”.  I immediately was excited to read it.  Here is what my warped brain said when I finished it: “If God was a news anchor today, this is what he would say to our nation”.  OH MY STARS!!