23rd November
Read Psalm 136
If you don’t have a bible at home you can find the readings on a website such as www.biblegateway.com or an app such as YouVersion
This Psalm is a Psalm of reading and response such as a priest would read out and the congregation would respond with “His love endures forever”. It starts with “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good” and goes through the history of the Earth from Creation to the choosing and protection of his chosen people. Our times of worship are similar in that we come to remember God’s acts in Christ and are led into praising his love for us.
“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good”
As you read the Bible Stop; Read; Ponder; and Pray.
Monday Isaiah 8:1-10
Here we enter Isaiah’s family life with a n initial word from God. He was to write down on a large scroll the word Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz which means “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil;” and he had two witnesses to what he did. Next we see him making love to a prophetess, who is his wife, and she conceives and bears a son to whom the name “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz” is given. We begin to pick up the “virgin shall conceive” passage of the previous chapter because we are told before he is of an age to speak “Mummy” or “Daddy” (v4) the wealth of the two Kings who were warring against Judah would be carried off to Assyria. This is what God had said to Ahaz who didn’t want to ask for a sign to prove that this would happen.
Isaiah speaks prophetic words not just about Israel and Aram being swept away but that the Southern Kingdom of Judah will find the floodwaters of Assyria which will flow over the land (v7). No matter how the nations plan they will be swept away by Assyria (v9,10)
Tuesday Isaiah 8:11-18
In these verses God grabs Isaiah with both hands (see the Message) and tells him not to fall into the trap of the people. Don’t imagine everything is conspiracy against them and don’t fear what they fear, the Lord is the one to fear and then he personifies one (Christ, the Messiah) who will be a stone that causes people to stumble. He is the one to fear.
After telling him this he just tells him to bind up this testimony of warning and wait. Isaiah acknowledges what God has told him and says he will wait and put his trust in the Lord (v17). He and his children will be signs and symbols to the people from the Lord Almighty.
Sometimes our situations are not available for our input and we just have to wait for the Lord’s timing
Wednesday Isaiah 8:19-24
The land at the time had gone far away from godly worship and life and one of the things that had become common was turning to occult means of seeking the truth and seeking guidance for themselves. Isaiah says that when they hear people telling them to consult mediums and spirits they should ignore them for “why consult the dead on behalf of the living” (19). It is well said that when people stop believing in God it is not that they believe nothing but rather that they will believe anything. Scripture tells us to steer clear of any spiritual quests that do not go to Christ as “there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We may not always get answers about everything but we will be given what we require. Deuterenomy tells us that there are tings that only God knows but we are given his Word in scripture to heed, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29) Thos who disobey this word are destined to darkness.
This chapter will be well known to any who have heard or attended a Christmas service. It is a prophecy of the coming of Christ. It comes after the darkness of the people at the time of the invasion of the Assyrians who came from the North sweeping down the breadth of Israel. Verse 1 lets us know that it was the Northern lands of Zebulon and Naphtali which were at the forefront of the invasions and would be in darkness but in the future a light was coming – “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (v2)
The following verses speak of the defeat of enemies and the end of war and bloodshed (v5) and the reason is given is v6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” which we know as the coming of Jesus. He is given wonderful names, “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. This coming one will be at the seat of government and will reign on David’s throne establishing justice and righteousness for evermore.
Many will say but where have we seen all this? Where is the light, the wonderful government, the kingdom of justice and joy? Why do we read and sing these verses at Christmas year after year when it hasn’t come? The excitement and expectation was certainly there right at the time of Jesus, everything was going to change, this was why there were garments strown on the road and Hosanna to the King was shouted. So, did everything fail? The two disciples on the Road to Emmaus thought so (Luke 24:13-35).
But things changed after the resurrection of Jesus and after Pentecost because the truth of the gospel was that the Kingship of Jesus had already come but not in the way they thought. Remember Jesus before Pilate, “My Kingship is not of this world”, his Kingdom has come but is not fully realised in the sense of Earthly glory. That would come but a judgement awaits first on Christ’s second coming then the final scene is revealed.
By verse 8 the message is that the Lord has not turned his anger away from Israel and all the people will know it. The wealthier thought that if things were knocked down they would rebuild them with better (dressed) stone (v10) but the Lord says that he has strengthened their enemies (v11,12) and his anger against them continues because they have not turned back to him (V13). In a metaphor he says he will cut off the head and tail of the peaopl and they are the elders and dignitaries (the head) and the false prophets (the tail) who teach lies.
The land was going to be scorched and the people of Ephraim and Manasseh (two of the tribes of Israel) would turn against each other. Internal strife always tends to come to those who turn away from the Lord, love and comradeship only come where there is true obedience to the Lord.
“Woe to those who make unjust laws” begins chapter 10 as it goes on to degree all those who make their practices both personal and official that will crush the weak and powerless in favour of their own advancement. It is to those that the prophet asks, “to whom will you run for help?” (v3) when the enemy forces overrun the country. He pictures them cowering among those they have oppressed, fellow captives along with them (v4). Still God’s anger will not turn away from them
Next however he turns to the Assyrian invaders whom he is not going to let off the hook. “Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath” (v5). God says that he uses Assyria, that godless, vicious neighbour, in his punishment of Judah but that doesn’t mean that he approves of all its actions, to the contrary, and in time he will judge them too. In v12 he says that when he has finished all his work against Mount Zion (Jerusalem, the capital of Judah) he will punish the King of Assyria for his wilful pride and haughty look.
When we see things happening in the world where evil men and nations seem to get away with things it doesn’t mean that God approves but he sometimes uses godless nations to bring judgement on those who have departed from his ways.