Bible Musings

Matthew 21:28-33 - It is how you finish that counts

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000Z

There is a common saying "slow obedience is no obedience, is disobedience". Now it is absolutely right that the quicker we obey the better, and here are times when it is imperative that we obey at once without question. However, this parable shows that this is not the whole story.

Two sons are told to go to work in the vineyard. One initially refuses, but then later on does as his father requested. The second said he would go, but then failed to do so.

This is a pattern we often observe in life. When there is a call to do something, initially many will show great enthusiasm, but will actually end up doing very little. Whereas people who seem the most reluctant can end up being the best servants.

This answer is a continuation of Jesus' encounter with the temple authorities. It was a rebuke to them, that although outwardly they seemed to be the obedient ones, they were actually failing to do God's will. Conversely, the prostitutes and tax collectors, people the religious types despised, were responding to the Lord. In fact this is a parable that is analogous to the theology that Paul gives in many of his letters. Those who had the Law gave the impression of being committed to God, but were in fact disobedient. Whereas the Gentile "sinners" were the ones who by believing in Christ were actually the obedient ones.

Matthew 21:23-27 - Questions

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000Z

The temple authorities were non too pleased about what Jesus was doing, so they sought to undermine His authority. First they wanted to know what authority He had, and who gave it to Him.

As was His practice, Jesus responded by asking them a question. He did this to get to the heart of the matter. So He asked where John's baptism came from, heaven or human origin. Now John had preached repentance, said he was preparing the way for someone greater, and had declared that Jesus was that person.

The temple leaders were in a bind. If they said John's authority came from heaven, then they themselves should have repented, and it meant that they should have believed in Jesus as the one John spoke about. If they said it was purely human, then the people would be against them.

The only way to avoid such dilemmas is to be devoted to God above all, and to be prepared to suffer if necessary. The temple leaders, however, were mere men-pleasers.

So they refused to answer, and Jesus refused to answer them.

Matthew 21:18-22 - Always fruitful

2012-01-25T04:00:00.000Z

We see more of the supernatural aspect with the cursing of the fig tree. At first this seems a rather capricious act on Jesus' behalf.

Should the fig tree have bore fruit at this time? The point is that God's people are always meant to produce fruit. Now we should not take this in a condemnatory way. We all go through rough patches when we just don't seem to be getting anywhere. But we should take it in a faith building way. Circumstances, experience, other people, ourselves, will tell us that in various situations it is unreasonable for us to bear fruit, or for good things to happen. We need to reject this. We are citizens of the kingdom of God and are linked in to the power of God. In any and every circumstance it is possible for us to be victorious.

In Romans 8:37 Paul tells us that we are more than conquerors. In Deuteronomy 28:13 it says we are the head and not the tail. Psalm 1:3 says a person who delights in the Lord will always bear fruit. I am not talking about some frothy triumphalism here, but the truth is that we can rise up in all situations. We should always be looking for victory in Christ.

The disciples were amazed at the trees sudden death. Jesus tells them that they should expect to receive answers to prayer. In whatever circumstances we find ourselves just now, we should pray with faith.

Matthew 21:12-17 - Clearing the temple

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000Z

Jesus enters the temple and clears it. Mark and Luke also record the same incident. John records another temple cleansing incident in John 2:13-17, so Jesus probably cleared the temple twice.

The temple was full of money changers and those selling doves. They were doing this because people came from far and wide, and the traders sold doves so that the worshipers could offer these as a sacrifice. So why did Jesus object to this practice which was there to help them worship God? Well perhaps the trading had become the focus rather than the worship. We need to be very careful that we do not fall into the same trap.

Immediately after this we see Jesus put into practice the true worship when He heals the sick. The church is to be a supernatural entity. This does not mean we ignore common sense and practicalities, but we should be marked by the presence of God. And when God is present things happen: people are healed, lives are changed.

The children shouted out praise to Jesus when they saw the healings, but the priests were indignant. Jesus quotes from Psalm 8:2. The religious authorities had lost all idea of what worship and life with God was all about.

Matthew 21:1-11 - Entering Jerusalem

2012-01-23T04:00:00.000Z

We are now approaching the final fateful week that was to change everything.

Two disciples were sent ahead to get a donkey. Everything was prepared in advance. The events of the cross were not a matter of things going out of control, but of God's plan coming to fruition. It was an event long prepared for, indeed prepared for before the beginning of time.

Matthew quotes from Zechariah 9:9. Israel's king was coming, but He was not coming as a mighty warrior, but gently. Jesus often does not come into our lives in the ways that we expect.

Having got the donkey and the colt, the disciples placed their cloaks upon the beasts for Jesus. The crowds spread their cloaks upon the ground for Jesus. They waved palm branches and hailed Him as king.

It is amazing that on this day they were welcoming Jesus as king, a short while later they would be crying out for Him to be crucified.

When were they right? When they hailed Him as king, or when they went along with the rest of the crowds crying out "crucify Him"? Clearly when they declared Him king. We can have mixed feelings towards God. There can be times when we are full of praise and expectation, there can be others when we feel He has abandoned us, or is against us. It is the times when we are full of praise that are the reliable times.

Matthew 20:29-34 - Ask for the really important things

2012-01-22T04:00:00.000Z

Mark and Luke's account of presumably the same incident records only one man. A possible explanation is that there were two, but one, Bartimaeus, was the vocal one who did all the talking. Matthew and Mark say the healing took place when they left Jericho, Luke when they approached. There were actually two Jericho's, and old and a new town.

However, leaving these details aside, let's get to the main point of the incident. It is significant that this is another incident where people tried to stop others coming to Jesus. The discipled rebuked the parents for bringing their children, here the crowd rebuke the blind men for shouting out to Jesus. In both cases Jesus welcomed those who wanted to come. Our God is a welcoming God.

They had obviously heard that Jesus was someone special, though they probably did not know the full extent of who He was. Jesus asked them what they wanted. Normally they would have asked for money, as presumably they spent most of the day begging. However, they sensed that Jesus could give them something more than money. So they asked for their sight.

Jesus touched them, they were healed, and they followed Jesus. All of us have many surface wants and needs, and God does care about these things. But He is able to do so much more, He can meet the deepest needs in our lives. So we should ask for the really important things.

Matthew 20:20-28 - Authority to serve

2012-01-21T04:00:00.000Z

In what is probably the same incident, Mark makes it clear that it is James and John themselves who are asking for the favour. So maybe they got their mother to ask on their behalf. Brave boys that they were!

The request was to be able to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in His kingdom. The good part of this is that at least they realised that Jesus would be the king of kings. The bad part is that they still had not grasped what the kingdom was about.

Jesus then speaks to James and John directly (adding weight to the view that the mother was just asking on their behalf). He asks them if they can drink the cup that He would drink. In saying this He is asking if they can go through what He has to go through, namely the cross.

Without having a clue what they are talking about, James and John say yes. Interestingly Jesus agrees with them, even though they do not understand what He is talking about. Shortly, James and John would, along with the rest of the disciples, desert Jesus. However, later on they would both indeed suffer for Christ. Jesus knows full well our weaknesses and shortcomings, but He also knows what the Holy Spirit is capable of doing within us, the way that He can transforms us into what we are meant to be.

The rest of the disciples are indignant about James and John's request, but Jesus knows that their attitude is no better. So He teaches all of them about the nature of the kingdom. It is not about gaining position or prestige, but about serving. In the kingdom the only authority we have is the authority to serve others.

Matthew 20:1-16 - A kingdom built on grace

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000Z

Now to the parable itself. The story is well known. A vineyard owner hires workers at various points in the day. At the end of the day those hired last were paid first, and they all received the same amount, even those who had been hired at the beginning of the day. Those who had been working all day were upset, thinking they deserved more than the latecomers.

A denarius was the normal rate for a day's work. So those hired at the outset were not being underpaid, rather those hired later were being treated generously. "are you envious" (v15) is literally "is your eye evil".

So what is the parable all about? Well it is a correction to the disciples thinking when they asked "we have left everything. What will there be for us?" (19:27). If we enter the kingdom and live in the kingdom thinking that there is a simple merit and reward system we will be disappointed.

The kingdom works on the principle of grace , and this grace often offends us! For we see undeserving people receiving good gifts from God (forgetting of course how undeserving we ourselves are).

There is a reward for what we do, for there are many parables which make this point, especially the parable of the talents. Indeed at the end of the last chapter Jesus assures them that their sacrifice will not be in vain. We need a whole new mindset in the kingdom, for God's kingdom works on such different principles from the world. We need to recognise when we find all world values cropping up in our minds, as they surely will.

Matthew 19:30-20:1 The First and the Last

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000Z

Sometimes it is useful to ignore chapter and verse numbers in the Bible. They were not there originally, and were only added later as a useful way of referencing various parts. This continues to be very useful, but sometimes they put false divisions in our mind as we read the Scriptures. At the end of chapter 19 Jesus has just told them that many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. The parable of the vineyard workers starts with "For the kingdom of God ...", and finishes with "so the last will be first and the first will be last". So one of the key purposes of the parable is to explain what Jesus meant when He talks about the first being last, and the last first.

If we look at the world today we see a certain order. We see some people with authority, some who seem to be doing well for themselves. Conversely we see some who are put upon, some who seem to be downtrodden. When the Kingdom of God establishes itself and God's order is established things may look very different, for God judges by different standards than the world, and has a different value system.

We should note also that at the end of chapter 19 Jesus "many" not "all". Not everyone who is rich or powerful is in for it when God's kingdom comes. There are some who have earned their wealth or power by righteous means and who use it well. Equally not everyone who is poor will be rewarded. There are some who are poor who are just as evil as the arrogant rich. The point is that we do not judge by wealth or power, but by obedience to and trust in God.

Matthew 19:13-30 - Salvation and the Kingdom

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000Z

After divorce we come to gentler ground. People brought their little children to Jesus for Him to pray for them and bless them. This annoyed the disciples. Maybe they felt somewhat chastened by Jesus response to them on their views on marriage and were trying to reassert themselves. When someone is acting officiously there is usually some issue behind it.

If they were trying to reassert themselves, it didn't work! Rather it just led to them getting another lesson from Jesus on how they needed to radically change their attitudes. For the kingdom of heaven belonged to the children.

Next we get the incident with the rich young man. He wanted to know how to inherit eternal life. Now we need to note that "eternal life" does not simply mean "going to heaven when I die". It is about a whole new way of life, which will indeed not end at death, but it is much more than just avoiding the unpleasant consequences of death. So when Jesus say "if you want to enter life ..." He is talking about living now, as well as in the future.

So Jesus tells the man to keep the commandments. The man then asks "which ones". Jesus quotes the ones that apply to human relationships, rather than the immediately God directed ones. We were created to be a blessing to other people, and this is what the man needed to deal with.

The man claims he had done these things, and there is no reason to doubt that he had fulfilled the letter of the law on these matters. So Jesus then told him to sell his possessions and give them to the poor. This would make him truly rich. The young man went away sad. It seemed that he was being asked to give things up. In reality he would have gained so much more (not necessarily financial).

Not for the first time the disciples were shocked. They thought that wealth meant God approved of you, and this man was a good man. So who then could be saved? Jesus' answer reminds us that salvation is the work of God, not the work of man. We cannot save ourselves by our own good deeds, it depends entirely upon the work of God.

The disciples are then concerned about the fact that they had left everything: homes, livelihoods etc. Maybe they had done this thinking it would earn them salvation. Was it now all for nothing? Jesus assures them that it will be all worthwhile. Jesus calls us to follow Him, and He is leading us to a much greater life. At the "renewal of all things" the transformation will be amazing. All the silly things we think and worry about just now will be seen for what they are.

The kingdom of God works on different principles than the world, and we need to readjust our lives to those principles.

Matthew 19:1-12 - Divorce

2012-01-17T04:00:00.000Z

We will take a short break from Isaiah for a while, and go back to Matthew. We start with a nice easy subject, divorce!

As was their habit, the Pharisees tried to trip Jesus up with a question about divorce. There is nothing new about people asking questions not in order to learn the truth, but to find an excuse to criticise the respondent. This happened many times to Jesus, and He always managed to turn the tables back on His questioners. So we should take heart from this and ask the Spirit to give us wisdom.

Now some people use Jesus' words here and elsewhere as grounds for saying that there should be no divorce except for adultery, and that it is wrong to remarry in any circumstances. However, I believe we need to look at the background to the question.

Behind the question was the fact that there were two schools of teaching on divorce. One was ultra strict, saying that there should be virtually no divorce at all, the other was ultra lax, allowing a man to divorce his wife for burning the toast.

So I believe Jesus is addressing this ultra lax school of thought and attacking their hypocrisy. For what they did if they fancied another woman was to find some excuse to divorce their current wife, marry the new one, and claim they were acting in accordance with the Law and were a very good Jew, thank you very much. Jesus is saying that this is nonsense, they were not being a good Jew at all, but an adulterer, no matter how they sought to dress up the matter.

Jesus points them right back to Genesis. Divorce should never happen. However, because we are evil there are times when it is the least worst option. That is why the Law allowed divorce. Not because divorce was a good lifestyle choice, but because sometimes, sadly, it is necessary. We should view divorce like having an arm or a leg amputated. Amputation is never a good thing in itself, but sometimes it is the only thing to do. Having said that, the high divorce rate is a clear symptom that something is wrong with society.

We need to beware of legalistic interpretations here as they so easily lead to unrighteousness, hurt for people, and downright nonsense. The "get a new wife" scheme is an example of unrighteousness. I do not think we should treat Jesus' words as saying adultery is the only legitimate grounds for divorce. If a husband or wife is being abused by the other partner, then divorce may be the only action. To say otherwise may cause great harm (emotional and physical) and is not fulfilling the will of God. At the same time, if a partner does commit adultery it does not mean that divorce has to happen. There can be cases where grace and mercy can lead to a reestablishment of the relationship, but it is entirely up to the individual to choose this path, no one has the right to impose it upon them.

Remarriage is not mentioned directly here. However, I side with those who say that in Jewish culture divorce automatically included the possibility of remarriage. So if divorce is permitted, then remarriage cannot be ruled out.

We need to remember that in all this Jesus is pointing back to the basic principle that marriage is for life. Divorce and remarriage are a product of the fall. If we read this and see it as an excuse to get remarried we have missed the point entirely.

The disciples were taken aback by Jesus teaching, seeming to think that lifelong marriage is a very dodgy business. Jesus then speaks about not getting married at all. Sometimes in churches we place too much emphasis on marriage, giving the impression that to live a fulfilled life you have to get married. This is nonsense. The most fulfilled and successful human being in history (Jesus) was not married. The most effective apostle (Paul) was not married. To freely chose to remain single for the sake of the kingdom is a good and noble thing to do. At the same time there are those who will not get married, not through a direct choice, but through circumstances it just never happened, or could not happen. If this is you, you can still live a fulfilled life.

Isaiah 35 - The way of salvation

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000Z

This first part of Isaiah closes with further description of the effects of God's salvation. Again it opens with what will happen to wider creation. God created everything on the premise that mankind would have dominion over it (Genesis 1). When we sinned against God we lost the authority we were meant to have. When we are saved we start to regain that authority, and when Christ returns and the work is brought to completion all of creation will be as it should be.

So what are we to do in the meantime? Sit around waiting for the return of the Lord? No way. We have work to do. Whenever the Bible talks of the return of the Lord it is seen as an impetus for action today. So we are to strengthen the feeble hand. The prospect of the return of the Lord is an encouragement to work all the harder today. It is an assurance that we will overcome all obstacles and opposition. It is worth going on!

When he returns there will be miracles. The blind will see and the deaf will hear. Streams will flow in the desert. God's streams of refreshing will flow into all sorts of unlikely places. Note that these things happened when Jesus came the first time, and continue to happen through the work of the Spirit in the church.

There will be a highway. Remember Jesus said "I am the Way". It is a way of holiness. We need to walk along this way, then there will be great joy and we will see the victory of the Lord. When this happens all sorrow and pain will pass away.

Isaiah 34 - Judgement for All

2012-01-15T04:00:00.000Z

God is Lord of all the nations, and all people will have to give an account to Him. Everyone needs to hear. We need to appreciate what a radical message this was in Isaiah's day. For most nation they had "local" gods. the "gods" had power in certain areas. However, Israel's God claims to have dominion over all creation. Salvation is offered to all nations, and all nations are accountable to Him.

In today's world the dominant philosophy is one of pluralism, with all religions being the same, or being seen as mere cultural features. The God of the Bible is not like this. He is Lord of All, and all are called to worship Him.

All nations have sinned against God, and so all are subject to judgement. Whether they like it or not, every single person on the planet has to give an account to God. Richard Dawkins has to, every Muslim and Hindu has to, every atheist, secularist, and every Christian.

Edom is single out here. Why is that? And again there is talk that is similar to our concept of hell? Why is that? It is to make the judgement concrete and real. It is something that will happen, and the consequences will be very real. If someone is truly wise then they will do something about this judgement now.

At the end of the chapter there is reference to various animals. God is God of all creation. When mankind takes his proper role, all creation will benefit.

Isaiah 33:7-24 - We need to turn to God

2012-01-14T04:00:00.000Z

Neither fighting nor diplomacy would do any good. The war with Assyria meant that no trade could take place. Hezekiah had paid tribute to Assyria, but this proved equally worthless. War laid waste to the land.

At the point when it looked completely hopeless the Lord would arise. Why does God wait so long? Because the heart of the peoples needs to change. They do not need just to be rescued from the current situation, for they would only fall again. They needed to realise the reality of their sin, and to realise who God really is.

The people needed to learn to fear the Lord, to know that righteousness was more important than anything else. They needed to know that all injustice and exploitation had to be rejected. Trusting and obeying the Lord is the only way to true success.

When they do this all the proud and arrogant people who taunted them will be no more. When we trust God our enemies melt away.

Zion would become a place of peace and security, because it would be a place where the Lord dwells. Whatever our circumstances, we need to turn to God.

Isaiah 33:1-6 - The key to a secure future.

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000Z

"Woe to you destroyer ..." This is a reference to Assyria. Assyria was God's chosen instrument in executing judgement against Israel, but this did not mean she did not have responsibilities.

Isaiah then utters a prayer for help. He longs for a day when the Lord will be gracious to Israel. When we live under the grace of God everything is different. We experience His strength and His salvation. Everything we do is successful. Note that grace is a very active thing, it produces results and effectiveness.

Isaiah is convinced that this will happen at some point. For the Lord is exalted, He is Lord of all. A time will come when Zion (Jerusalem) is filled with justice and righteousness. In that time He will be a sure foundation for the nation. The key to this treasure is the fear of the Lord. The blessings of God always depend upon a response from us.

Isaiah 32:8-20 - From judgement to blessing

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000Z

Now it is time for the women to become the target of God's judgement. They had a false sense of security, but this security would not last. The women, as much as the men, needed to turn to God and trust in Him. No matter who we are or what we are, we need to trust in the Lord.

They were living in a time of opulence, but this would change in a moment. We have seen in our own time how quickly economic fortunes can changes. A few years ago everything looked rosy, but now there is nothing but unremitting economic gloom.

Everything would become a ruin, "until the Spirit is poured out". Then fruitfulness will return, then justice will abound. And this justice will begin in the desert, in the wasteland. Then a true confidence and security will come about.

So this section has seen a complete turnaround from judgement and disaster to blessings and peace. The key to the change is turning to God and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. In our times it is natural to want to see an end to the economic woes, but what we should be praying for most is that people will turn to God and that God will pour out His Spirit on mankind.

Isaiah 32:1-7 - Godly Rule

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000Z

Jesus Christ is the King, and He rules in righteousness. At the end of Matthew Jesus says that all power and authority has been given to Him, so this rule has already started. As Paul says in Ephesians, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and we are seated with Him in the heavenly places. So we rule with Him.

Now we need to be careful here, for Jesus' rule and earthly rulers are completely different. When we see human authorities we see corrupted and distorted pictures of authority. Moreover, while Jesus already has the highest place, His rule has not yet been consummated upon the earth. It takes time for decisions made in the eternal realm to become reality in the temporal realm.

However, these verse show us what we should be like. We are to be people who bring shelter and relief to others. As God said to Abraham, all nations will be blessed through you. And we can do this because of the authority that Jesus has.

When God called Isaiah He told him people would be ever hearing but never understanding. Now we read of an end to that time. The people will see when they see the kingdom in us. We are to let the kingdom of God flow through our lives.

This rule will also expose the folly of the world, and the wickedness of society.

Isaiah 31 - Return to the Lord for safety

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000Z

It was essential for Israel to realise the reality of her sin. Going to Egypt would be of no help. Logic might say that Egypt's horses and chariots would help her, but this would not be the case. Israel needed to look to the Lord for help.

Note that it says "but do not look ...". It is not wrong to consider the practicalities of situations, indeed it is foolish not to. but we need to look to the Lord first. Supposedly trusting God and acting like a wally is not supported by the Bible, but being wise and ignoring God is equally stupid.

Verses 2 and 3 give us the reason for this. God is God, men are mere mortals. We need to have the right perspective on things.

The Lord was going to rescue Jerusalem. It did not matter how many attacked, He would not be deterred. When the Lord is on our side we need fear nothing, for whatever is arrayed against us is as nothing compared to the Lord. So God calls on Israel to return to Him, for Assyria is a defeated enemey.

Isaiah 30:23-33 - Salvation and Hell

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000Z

Prosperity comes when a people live in harmony with God. It will be a day when the land yields its harvest and all is well, and the Lord heals the wounds of His people.

But this is also a day of judgement. Verse 25 talks of a day of great slaughter, and verses 27 onwards of God's wrath. There is a need to overturn the rebellion. The image of Torpeth is used at the end, which is like an image of the traditional view of hell.

At the same time there is great rejoicing on the part of God's people (verse 29). So what are we to make of these seemingly conflicting themes, for they do not sit easily with our normal view of things.

Well we need to understand that judgement is necessary. This is part of the reason why Jesus had to go to the cross. At the end we will see the judgement of God, and we will understand the judgement of God.

There is a lot of debate about whether the fire images of hell are real or just pictorial. Ie will there be a real hell or not? The short answer is yes. People sometimes talk of hell as being eternal separation from God, and this may well be true. But suppose you tell an atheist that he is going to be separated from God forever. Is this going to worry him or cause him to reconsider his life? Will it give him any idea of the likely consequences of his present choices? No, for he will have no conception of what complete separation from God would be like. The fire images of hell used here and by Jesus are far more useful, for everyone gets the message that hell is to be avoided at all costs. Whether they choose to take any action or not is up to them, but at least they have the opportunity to appreciate the seriousness of the matter.

Isaiah 30:15-22 - Quietness and Trust

2012-01-08T04:00:00.000Z

Yesterday we read about the futility of Judah's attempt to save herself. Now we learn what she should do. Repentance and rest, quietness and trust. We need to admit the error of our ways and turn to God. We need to still our hearts, and put our trust in Him. Human striving achieves nothing. But Israel would have none of it, instead she would continue to rely on her own efforts, and so would have to work and strive all the harder, and all for nothing.

The tragedy is that the Lord longed to be gracious to her. If only she would have responded to His word things would have been so different. We need to apply this to ourselves as well. When we sense anxiety and frantic action in ourselves it is almost certain that we are going down the wrong path. We need to turn to the Lord. Rest and quietness are the most unnatural things to do in a time of crisis, but we need to still our hearts before the Lord. Then we can learn from Him, and put into action the things that He tells us to do.

This is a lesson I had to learn myself many years ago. It was nearly the end of my time at Oxford, I did not know what I was going to do next and jobs were scarce. A Christian friend gave me these verses on quietness and trust. Over time I learnt to put them into practice, and things worked out in a way I could never have imagined, and which affected the rest of my life for good.

And there will come a time when men will trust the Lord. We will receive rapid answers to prayer, tears will be wiped away. We will know the Spirit's leading in our lives. Note that it is not a matter of never getting anything wrong, but of hearing and responding to the Spirit when He corrects us.

In that time we will get rid of all idols, of all false sources of security.

Isaiah 30 :1-14 - Be careful what you rely on

2012-01-07T04:00:00.000Z

Israel is the obstinate nation here. She sought to get out of the troubles she was in by making alliances with other nations, notably Egypt and Assyria at various times. This prophecy is directed particularly against Judah's plans to seek protection from Egypt. This would do nothing to help her and would heap sin upon sin. She was not living by the Spirit. In the current economic times we need to be careful that we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His ways.

Egypt had apparently sent envoys to Judah. It would have all the appearance that something was being done, but in the end it would be prove to be futile.

To make matters worse Judah would send riches to Egypt, sending it through dangerous territory, and all for nothing. All this was to be written down as a testament against Judah so that at some future time she might learn from her mistakes. The nation had no interest in listening to men of God. Instead she wanted nice pleasant prophecies and visions about how everything would turn out OK.

This did not stop at wishful thinking, but also involved oppression and deceit, but all her efforts would come crumbling down. Tomorrow we will get the solution.

Isaiah 29 - Judgement and Salvation

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000Z

Ariel is another name for Jerusalem. They just carried on as if nothing had really changed or was about to happen. They just continued going through the same cycle of festivals. This is a very human reaction. We assume things will always be as they have always been. This works both positively and negatively. We assume that good times will last forever, we assume that bad times will last forever. Neither is true. We are not in a constant loop of life, for there was a beginning and there is an end, and there are events that happen in-between. A time of judgement was coming upon Judah and she needed to respond to this. At the moment there are great economic changes happening in the West, but leaders seem oblivious to it all, or at least unwilling to face up to the reality of it.

Judah would be brought low, and it would be the Lord who was besieging the city of Jerusalem. However, this time her enemies would not triumph, but would be blown away like dust. This is a prophecy of what would happen when Assyria attacked. It would be like wakening from a bad dream.

Yet the real tragedy was that the people were blind to the word of God. They could not see or understand it. They had the form of religion, but not the reality, not the power. It was a mere set of human rules. They had religion without God.

God would reveal Himself to them in a way they could not deny. There human wisdom would come to nothing. "Shall what is formed say of the one who formed it..." This is the ultimate folly of all proud human thought. We forget that we did not form ourselves.

In the end it is God's will that will be done. A time will come when the humble will rejoice and the oppressed set free. The ruthless and the mockers will come to nothing.

A time of salvation will come, and this will involve a people who truly know, trust and obey the Lord.

Isaiah 28:16-29 - Preparation for Harvest

2012-01-05T04:00:00.001Z

In the midst of the judgement and the disintegrating human society we get another prophecy of the Messiah. When we see chaos and disintegration all around us we should also be looking to see how God will reveal Himself in the midst of it, and part of this is almost certainly to be through us living as His faithful people. In all circumstances our first priority should be to ask ourselves how we can live as God's people in this situation.

The stone is Christ. He is completely reliable and we can trust in Him completely. He is a sure foundation in times of trouble. He will rule with justice and righteousness, and no one will be able to hide from this.

The attempts of Israel to seek safety through her "covenant with death" (ie seeking to avoid calamity by making an deal with Assyria) would come to nothing.

When the people finally understood the message they would be filled with terror for they would realise that God was fighting against them. This is His "strange work".

The chapter finished with a poem proclaiming the wisdom of the Lord, it is similar in sentiment to Paul's words at the end of Roman 11:33-36. Somehow through all this the will of the Lord is established. When seeing the judgement ones natural reaction is that this is it forever, there will never be any change. But one does not sow seeds forever, nor break up ground for ever. One plants for a purpose, breaks up ground for a purpose. The planting and breaking comes to an end, and then there is a time of harvest.

Isaiah 28:7-15 - Disintegration

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000Z

Drunkenness is a sign of a decadent and disintegrating society. We need to be in control of ourselves, not out of control.

Verses 9-10 record the response of Isaiah's hearers. They thought they had nothing to learn, and they objected to being "told what to do". Today there is a very similar attitude.

So God takes them at their word and will speak to them in a foreign language. He would do this by sending the Assyrian army.

God offered peace and security, but the people would have none of it. And the word of God would become nonsense to them. The people thought they had made a pact that would keep them safe from attack, safe from death. This refuge would prove to be false. The Lord is the only place of security.

Isaiah 28:1-6 - A source of strength in times of trouble

2012-01-03T04:00:00.000Z

We get more judgement now for the current state of the nation. We see in Isaiah constant flipping from material of immediate relevance, to prophecies looking ahead to future times, sometimes right to the end of time. There is an important lesson here. The best way to prepare for the future is to obey God today. And whatever God may or may not tell us about the future, He is looking for a response from us, a response of faith and obedience.

The people of Ephraim were very pleased with themselves, but they had no reason to be so, for God's judgement was about to come upon them, and Ephraim would not be able to do anything about it.

There were some who trusted in the Lord, and in the day of trouble He would be a beautiful wreath for them. In days of trouble the strength of the Lord will be a garland upon our lives. The righteous will act in justice and will turn back the enemy. Note that the promise of God is not that there will be no trouble, but that He will be a source of strength to us in the midst of the trouble.

Isaiah 27 - Judgement and salvation

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000Z

We are back to judgement. We need always to remember that the coming of the Lord involves judgement, we find this in all of Jesus' teaching and the New Testament teaching.

Leviathan is a monster drawn from Canaanite mythology, and it represents wicked nations such as Egypt.

Then there is a second vineyard song, reflecting the first one in chapter 5. Verse 4 has echoes of the words in the seventh letter in Revelation, "if only you were hot or cold ...". Judah was neither completely rebellious at this point, nor was she trusting properly in the Lord.

Next we get another prophecy of fruitfulness for all the world through Israel and Judah. Israel will bear the fruit she is meant to bear only when she trusts fully in the Lord. Until she does that everything else is hot air.

Until that time Israel will suffer much judgement from the Lord. This happened through Assyria and then Babylon, and she has continued to suffer throughout history. However, the end result will be Israel's restoration. All her sin will be atoned for, she will be cleansed of all idolatry.

New Year Message 2012 - Purpose and Knowing

2012-01-01T08:36:00.003Z

Have you noticed that whenever God met someone He gave them a purpose? When He met Abraham He told him to leave his land and that all nations would be blessed through him. When He met Moses He told Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. When He met Gideon He gave him the task of toppling the idol and defeating the Midianites. When Jesus met the disciples He told them to follow Him. When Jesus met Peter after the resurrection He told him to feed His sheep. When He met Paul (or Saul as he then was) He gave him the task of taking the gospel to the Gentiles.

In His last words in Matthew Jesus gave us all the task of making disciples of all peoples, and promised He would be with us to the end of the age.

Knowing God is intimately linked with knowing and fulfilling His purpose for us.

May this be a year when we know God and His purpose for our lives.

No matter what your circumstances or situation you are one of the most important people on the planet.

Knowing God is the way to discover your purpose, and in fulfilling your purpose you can get to know God better.

Happy New Year

Isaiah 26:12-21 - Salvation will come

2012-01-01T04:00:00.000Z

It is the Lord who establishes peace for us. He does this be defeating our enemies, forgiving our sins, and bringing changes within the heart of our being. Things that we accomplish are accomplished because of the goodness of God.

Other "lords" ruled over Israel, but they honoured only God. This is how to react in difficult circumstances. We go through times when ungodly forces (whether difficult circumstance, eg sickness, or human powers) seem to hold the upper hand, but in those times we must honour only God. Indeed in doing this we gain victory over the enemy, and we will stand victorious over them.

The Lord brings increase to His people. This is the only plan He ever has for His people: increase.

Verses16 and 17 are an amazing statement of the failure of Israel, and the purpose it was meant to fulfil. Instead of giving birth to salvation for the world, they give birth to wind. They were meant to bring salvation to the earth, as fulfilment of the promise given to Abraham. A key element of Paul's theology is the fulfilment of this promise in Christ.

Yet all was not lost. Although there seemed no way the promise could be fulfilled, fulfilled it would be. God would give life to the dead, but spiritually and physically. There are times of difficulty, and sometimes we just have to accept that we have to go through them, but they will last only for a moment.

Let's take this message to heart for the New Year.

Isaiah 26:4-11 - Learn the ways of the Lord

2011-12-31T04:00:00.000Z

We are to trust in the Lord at all times. He is the rock eternal, He is a sure foundation on which to base our lives. There are proud things that seek to intimidate us, but they will all be brought low by the Lord. Indeed it is the oppressed and poor who will trample on the proud and haughty.

If we want to have a straight and level path we need too follow God's ways. When we adopt human schemes life inevitably gets complicated.

There is a longing in our innermost being for the Lord. His judgements bring clarity. However, there are those who do not benefit from God's grace. He shows them mercy, but they refuse to learn from it. For such people the judgement of God is the only answer.

Isaiah 26:1-3 - The fruits of salvation

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000Z

Here we get another song of praise. This is a song for what will happen when the people live in the fullness of God's salvation.

When we live in doubt we live in fear, everything seems fragile, but when we live in faith we realise that we are completely secure in the Lord. His salvation is our protection. How does this work out? Well the blood of Jesus has secured forgiveness for all our sins. We are no longer under judgement, and we need to realise that the root cause of man's problems is sin and the judgement upon sin. Moreover, the cross has over come death, it has removed all curse from our lives.

This salvation is not exclusive, but is open to all who believe. In Acts 15 and in many of his letters Paul ardently defended the universality of salvation in Jesus. The sign of salvation is living by faith.

Those who trust in the Lord will be kept in perfect peace. Men are always looking for peace, only in Christ can we find it. Note that it says He will keep us in perfect peace. Many things will happen in our lives, circumstances will change. Our security does not come from finding a set of circumstances, but from finding the Lord.

Isaiah 25:8-12 - Salvation

2011-12-29T04:00:00.000Z

Death will be defeated on the day of God's victory. The resurrection represents the start of that victory. Jesus is the first-born among many. What happened to Jesus is what will happen to us. There will also be a complete healing of all tears and pain.

In that day... We will proclaim that we trusted in Him and He saved us. We need to trust in God. Faith is a way of life, living by faith is the sign that we belong to God. There is joy in trusting God in the waiting times, but there is an even greater joy when the trusting is proved justified.

The chapter closes with words about Moab's destruction. At first glance this might seem a little out of place here, but the price of living under sin shows itself in very mundane ways. Moab was a continual thorn in the flesh for Israel. In each of our lives there are no doubt things that are signs of the fact that our salvation is not complete yet (in the sense that we have not yet received the full benefits of our salvation). We can be sure that all these things will one day be done away with.

Isaiah 25:1-8 - Salvation for all who believe

2011-12-28T04:00:00.000Z

Isaiah breaks out in a song of praise to God. Why does he do this? It is because he sees how God's plans are going to work out. It looks as though all is lost. Israel and every other nation is lost in sin and judgement is the only thing coming their way. Yet this is not how things work out. There is judgement, but there is also salvation, and the glory of the Lord fills the earth.

The key phrase is "in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things. things planned long ago". This is a theme that lies behind much of the apostle Paul's writings.

The strong will be brought low, and God will look after the poor and needy.

Verses 6-8 are looking forward to the cross. A banquet is prepared for all nations. All nations are worthy of judgement and condemnation, but likewise the salvation offered by God in Christ is available for all. Through the cross He destroys the shroud that envelops all peoples, and He removes all disgrace.

See how this salvation comes out of seeming disaster. When we look at events around us we often see disaster. We need to know that disaster is not the last word, salvation is the last word.

Isaiah 24 - Devastation on the earth

2011-12-27T04:00:00.000Z

After various nations being mentioned, Israel and her neighbours, the prophecy is now directed at the whole earth. This devastation is global. All the earth will be affected, and every sector of society will be affected.

Why is all this going to happen? Because of the sins of the people. The people have defiled the earth by not following the ways of the Lord.There will be no respite and no joy left on the earth.

Then in the middle of this destruction we get verses 14-16 which talk of the Lord being praised from west to east. The outcome of all this will be the glory of the Lord.

Isaiah can see nothing but destruction. Both earthly and spiritual rulers come under judgement, and the Lord will reign from Zion.

Times of devastation will come, but the final outcome will be the reign of the Lord in glory.

Isaiah 23 - Tyre & Sidon

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000Z

Attention turns again to other nations, this time Tyre. Tyre was a great maritime trading city, as was Sidon. Both were part of Phoenicia. She depended upon Egypt for trade, and her wealth was built upon it. But Egypt was about to fall, and this would spell disaster for Tyre and Sidon.

Nations become proud for all sorts of reasons. Assyria became proud because of her military strength. Israel became proud because she had the Law, Tyre and Sidon became proud because of their economic strength. All pride is built upon an illusion. At the moment we see proud EU leaders being humbled as the Euro stumbles from crisis to crisis. All pride is built upon sand. The only secure foundation is to build upon the Lord, build a life consisting of trust and obedience in Him.

Tyre and Sidon may have been tempted to flee to Cyprus for refuge, but this would provide no respite.

Tyre would indeed start trading again after many years, but her earnings would go to help Israel.

Isaiah 22 - Jerusalem

2011-12-25T04:00:00.000Z

"Valley of vision" refers to Jerusalem, though it is not clear why Isaiah uses this term here, as it is used nowhere else. There is debate about exactly how this chapter should be interpreted. Some see it as referring to some Assyrian invasion, but Elam (verse 6) was an ally of Babylon who fought against Assyria. So it is maybe better to see it as Isaiah seeing ahead to the Babylonian invasion. This makes better sense of the reference to leaders deserting the city, as this happened prior to the Babylonian invasion.

Many people died of starvation rather than war during the Babylonian seige. Isaiah saw the destruction that was coming upon his people. All Judah's attempts to stave off defeat would come to nothing. They did everything they could except look to the Lord Himself.

Instead of repenting they carried on partying. "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die", but there was no need for them to die. They could have turned to the Lord instead.

The destruction of Jerusalem would be inevitable and unavoidable.

Happy Christmas!

Isaiah 21 - More judgement

2011-12-24T04:00:00.000Z

It is significant that there is a prophecy against Babylon in the first part of Isaiah, for this was written well before the fall of Babylon. Media was the nation that eventually defeated Babylon. Babylon would defeat Jerusalem and carry many captives off in to exile, and they would spend many years there. This captivity would come to an end. The Lord enabled Isaiah to see what was going to happen in the distant future.

The prophecy against Edom is strange, not really seeming to say a lot. However, we can safely assume it was not good news for Edom.

Next it is Arabia's turn. A range of nations are subject to judgement. Might powers, trading nations, upstart nations. None of them would escape God's judgement.Arabia may have thought here economic strength would save her, but it would not be so.

Isaiah 20 - Naked Prophecy

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000Z

Well here we go, the naked prophet! Isaiah had presumably been going around in sackcloth as befitting the nature of the message he was delivering thus far. Now God tells him to strip naked. This should serve as a warning to how we treat Scripture. I do not think any rational person would treat this verse as a guide that prophets should normally go around naked. We need to read Scripture within its context. It was a dramatic demonstration of what Assyria was going to do to Egypt and Cush. Many would be carried off naked and in chains.

Note the specific historical details given here. Saragon the Assyrian king sent his supreme commander to attack Egypt. Histosical fulfilment of prophecy is a key element of Isaiah.

The defeat of Egypt and Cush would serve as a rebuke to those who trusted in them for deliverance. Salvation comes only from the Lord.

Isaiah 19 - Egypt

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000Z

Now it is Egypt's turn. As we know, Israel spent many years in captivity in Egypt, finally being released in the Exodus. Despite this she had a recurring hankering to go back there, the "security" of enslavement seeming preferable to the responsibility of freedom. This was evident almost from the moment she got out of Egypt. As soon as difficulties and threats were encountered she longed to go back to Egypt. Even when she obtained in her own homeland, Israel periodically made alliances with Egypt in an attempt to protect herself.

Egypt has a well established religious system, albeit one that worshipped false idols of various sorts. All these gods would prove to be useless in the attack that would ensue upon Egypt, coming from Assyria. The attack from Assyria would be coupled with natural disasters as well.

Zoan was a major city in the Egyptian dynasty of the time, hence the home of the nation's advisers and experts. Their advice would be useless and futile. Egypt would be at a total loss as to what to do about the onslaught.

When they came out of Egypt and through the Red Sea God said the Egyptians would know that He is the Lord (Exodus 14). In the days spoken of here the Egyptians would fear the mere mention of Judah, perhaps associating it with the Lord. Then we get the remarkable outcome of all this, a time when the Egyptians call upon the name of the Lord, and He rescues them.

Then it gets even better. Assyria would be united with Egypt in praising God, and they together with Israel will live under the Lord's blessing. This is an amazing prophecy and one we do well to remember. We also need to see how it works out. First there is enormous turmoil and the eventual outcome is nowhere in sight. Then salvation comes to all when they turn to the Lord. Peace between nations will come only when they turn to God.

Isaiah 18 - Cush

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000Z

Cush was Nubia or ancient Ethiopia ( a bit further north than modern Ethiopia). In 715 BC a Cushite named Shabako gained control of Egypt. So Cush had designs on being a super power.

The prophecy applies to nations beyond Cush itself. The Lord will do things in public so that all can see. The way the Lord works is that for a long time nothing much seems to be happening, but He is doing things in secret. Then His work is put on display for all to see.

For a time the Lord would seem to be doing nothing against the raging nations, but when they seemed to be at the peak of their powers He would act. Just when they seemed about to come into full bloom they would be cut down. And this is indeed what did happen to Assyria.

The end result would be that the Cushites would bring offerings to the Lord. As it says in Philippians, every knee will bow and every tongue confess.

Isaiah 17 - Damascus

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000Z

Damascus was the capital of Aram (modern day Syria). This was a busy trading city and Aram had been enemies with Israel. The modern day situation where most of the nations surrounding Israel are at odds with Israel to varying degrees is nothing new.

Aroer was on the southern border of Aram. Ephraim had made an alliance with Aram against Judah, hence its mention in these verses, and the prophecy then changes its attention and focuses on Israel (probably just the northern kingdom here). "The fat if his body will fade", now some may see this as a blessing! However, it meant that the years of plenty would vanish to be replaced by lack. The nation would be severely cut back, but not destroyed completely.

Verses 7 and 8 outline the purpose of all this, it is that men will stop looking to worthless idols and instead turn to the Lord who created them. When a people turn away from God waste and decay soon comes in. Even though they made the best plans to grow crops, the harvest would come to nothing.

People and nations boast, they pretend to be strong, but in reality are as weak as nothing. When the wrath of God is turned upon they become nothing.

Isaiah 15, 16 - Destruction of Moab

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000Z

Chapter 14 ended with a prophecy against the Philistines. Up to this point the emphasis has been on Israel and Assyria, the main players in the drama, now it turns to various other nations.

The destruction of Moab would be swift, with Assyria quickly overrunning a number of cities. There would be great mourning and wailing in the land. The hearts of previously brave men would melt. The destruction would be relentless.

In chapter 16 verse 4 we get more hope. The destruction will come to an end, both for Israel and for Moab. "In love a throne will be established". One will sit on the throne who judges with justice and righteousness. This undoubtedly points forward to Christ. "In faithfulness" - the coming of Christ was a demonstration of the faithfulness of God.

Moab had been a very proud nation. There are always nations who boast, and always people who boast. We should never fear them, for they will all eventually come to nothing. Moab would call upon her false gods, but to no avail.

Isaiah 14:5-32 - The Mighty are Fallen

2011-12-18T04:00:00.000Z

The rod of the oppressors will be broken, and turmoil will be replaced by peace. Even creation will be affected by this (as an aside, is Lord of the Rings alluding to verse 8 in its bits on the trees?).

The king of Assyria boasted of his strength and might, but he would be laid low. He would fall like every other leader has fallen. In fact it is amazing that we never learn. No one has ever managed to rule forever! No human kingdom has ever lasted for ever. Every single one has fallen, yet men still persist in thinking this time things will be different.

Verses 12-15 are sometime seen as talking about Satan. This may be so, but their primary reference is to human pride. Men can seem to be so powerful and all-conquering, but for all there comes a time when they are reduced to nothing.

The Assyrian's would be utterly crushed. It is God's plans that succeed, and no one can do anything about it.

Isaiah 14:1-4 - Restoration

2011-12-17T04:00:00.000Z

While the Lord would reject Israel for a time, ultimately He will have compassion upon them. They will be resettled in their own land. Then we get a crucial development: foreigners will join them and unite with them. It had always been God's plan that the whole of humanity would be blessed by God through Abraham (Gen 12:1-3). In Christ we see this starting to happen as the good news breaks out into the Gentile world.

Israel instead of being a slave nation will be a dominant nation. Now some might react to this concept, but we need to look at Jesus. He showed us how Godly authority works when He washed His disciples feet. We react because we picture things in terms of the sorts of authority that we know, instead of the Christlike authority that will operate at this time.

Israel had been humiliated and oppressed, but the Lord would give them relief from this. This is not just a matter of being set free, but of being healed of the wounds of oppression as well.

Isaiah 13 - Prophecy against Assyria and Babylon

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000Z

At the time Babylon was part of the Assyrian empire, and Babylon was its most important city. Indeed the kings of Assyria were also called "king of Babylon".

This is a prophecy which Isaiah saw. Maybe he saw a vision of what was going to happen, or he saw in his mind what was going to happen.

Men think they are making history, or are in control of history. In reality it is God who is in control and who directs history. He had set Assyria apart for a purpose.

A vast army from various lands would gather for the Lord's purpose. The great battle of Armageddon perhaps alludes to this.

The great day of the Lord will come and all men will be seized with fear. Man has rebelled against God, but a day will come when the foolishness of this will be evident to all. At the Name of Jesus every knee will bow. We should consider this carefully, for the mind of man would say "why should we bow down to God? What right has He to be angry?". Well consider this. What say did you have in your birth? You do not determine whether or not you will be able to live tomorrow. You cannot chose the day of your death. You cannot make the weather. The truth is that we are utterly dependent upon God for every moment of our being. In rebelling against God we are living a lie.

Then we get further talk of the destruction to come, and this is given with cosmic descriptions of stars not shining and so on. We find similar allusions in Joel, the gospels and Revelation.

Utter destruction will come upon the Assyrian army.

There was conflict between the Medes and Assyria, and Media was also responsible for Babylon's downfall many years later. There is perhaps in the latter part of this chapter a mixing of prophecies against Assyria and those concerning the future downfall of Babylon. The Assyrian attack and Babylonian exile were all part of a single act of God concerning the nation of Israel.

Isaiah 12:1-6 - Praise for Salvation

2011-12-15T04:00:00.000Z

Now we get a song of praise to God. This song will be sung "in that day", ie when God's plans come to fruition. As well as this having an ultimate fulfilment in the completion of all His plans, we can also apply to "mini-fulfilments" in our own lives.

"You were angry with me". We need to realise that there were times when God was angry with us. In our keenness to emphasise the mercy of God we can forget the seriousness of sin.

On the cross God dealt with our sin in Christ. So our response is to trust in God, and not be afraid. Through the cross God is on our side, He is for us and not against us, so we can be confident. God is our strength and defence. Instead of relying on our own strength, or on the strength of others, we rely upon the strength of the Lord.

We draw water from the wells of salvation with joy. Particularly in times of trouble we need to draw deep on the wells of salvation. The effects of God's salvation go much deeper than we realise. No matter what we face we can be confident that God's well's of salvation will not run out.

Then the chapter closes with Israel declaring the praises and goodness of God to the world. This is the pattern of how things are meant to be. We experience God's salvation for ourselves, then we declare that salvation to others.

Isaiah 11:6-16 - Victory and Peace

2011-12-14T04:00:00.000Z

"The wolf will live with the lamb". These words could be taken purely metaphorically, ie talking about peace coming between human enemies. Or they could be taken as having a natural interpretation as well. I favour the latter. In Genesis we were commanded to subdue creation, and in Romans 8 we are told that all of creation is waiting for the people of God to be revealed. When we assume our proper place there will be a dramatic effect on all of creation.

"They will neither harm nor destroy .. for the earth". True peace comes when the earth is filled with the knowledge of God.

This will happen when the name of Jesus is lifted high for all the people to see. The Lord will bring many people into His kingdom. The banner is for Israel and for the nations. There will be peace between Ephraim and Judah, ie between the then divided kingdoms of Israel, and they will be victorious. We need to note that this has not happened yet. Yes, Israel was set free from Babylon, but she has never really been a victorious nation since.

Isaiah 11:2-5 - The Spirit of the Lord

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000Z

So what are these qualities in the new Branch?

The first is that the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. After His baptism the Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove. The presence of the Holy Spirit gives wisdom and understanding. This is something that is sadly lacking in our world, but if we look at the gospel accounts of Jesus we see that He had amazing wisdom.

The Spirit gives counsel and might. He directs in the ways of the Lord, and gives the power of the Lord. Jesus lived His life in complete obedience to the Father, He also exercised amazing power, calming the storm, healing people etc.

Then we have knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom. When we forget God we quickly become foolish. When we give God His proper place we become truly wise.

Man exalts himself and despises God, but the Branch would delight in the fear of the Lord. It is a joy to put the Lord first in all things. Man is so superficial in the way he judges things, but Jesus saw into the hearts of men.

He would judge with righteousness and justice, caring for the needy, striking with iron when necessary. Verse 5 reminds us of the armour of God referred to by Paul in Ephesians.

Isaiah 11:1 - A new branch

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000Z

Jesse was David's father. Assyria would almost destroy Judah. Babylon would then succeed in doing so, taking many off to exile. It would look as though the nation was completely done for, but out of the remnant of the nation would come a shoot. This is another prophecy of Jesus. This branch (a term also used by Jeremiah) would bear fruit.

Now we read of what the characteristics of this branch will be. These are the characteristics that Israel should have had. They are the characteristics that Jesus did have, and they are the characteristics that the Holy Spirit is building into our lives.

You see, Jesus came as the man we were meant to be, and the man that we will be. Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers. He is not some distant figure, but the first of many. We will be raised with a body like His resurrection body, the Spirit is already at work in us to destroy the sin and replace it with His goodness.

Isaiah 10:20-34 - Look to the Lord

2011-12-11T04:00:00.000Z

Judah had relied upon Assyria (see 2 Chronicles 28:16), yet Assyria was going to strike her down. Part of the tragedy of the human condition is that we have a terrible tendency to rely on those who will hurt us. Nations make alliances with those who will overrun them, women have relationships with men who will abuse them (and vice versa in some cases). We trust in financial institutions that will exploit us. The One we should rely upon is the Lord, and Him alone.

Everything God does is geared towards teaching us to trust in Him. Many Israelites would die, but a remnant would return and trust in Him.

God then instructs the people not to fear the Assyrians. Remember earlier that God had told Isaiah (chapter 8) not to "fear what they fear". Isaiah needed to have this himself before he could teach the people not to fear Assyria. The disaster would end when the Lord's anger came to an end. We need to remind ourselves here that the anger spoken of here is not uncontrolled rage, but God's righteous judgment upon Israel's sin.

Assyria would seem to be on the verge of victory, having conquered much of the land. She would seem to be a mighty nation, but then she would be defeated. We will read of this later in chapters 36-39.

If we want to truly understand a situation we need to look to the Lord, if we want to find a way through a situation we need to trust in Him.

Isaiah 10:1-19 - More Judgement and Woe to Assyria

2011-12-10T04:00:00.000Z

The judgement on Israel continues. Unjust laws and oppressive decrees are singled out. A government should make it a priority to look after the needy.

People oppress the poor because they think they are more powerful and so can get away with it. However, there comes a point where God demonstrates to them in no uncertain terms that they cannot get away with it.

Again we are told that God's anger is not turned away, He still has more against Israel. However, for now, attention turns to Assyria.

Assyria was God's chosen instrument of judgement on Israel, but this did not mean that Assyria was right in what she did. Assyria had her own plans and goals and was proud of her own prowess. She thought that Jerusalem would crumble before her.

Assyria did not realise that she was only an instrument in God's hand, in the same way that Pilate was an instrument in God's hand. She had power only because God gave her the power, and He would take it away from her before she conquered Jerusalem.

Now if someone looked at Assyria at the time they would largely agree with Assyria's assessment of herself, but things would not turn out that way. When we view world events we need to look at God's agenda as well as the military, economic and political facts.

Assyria would be defeated when she thought she was on the verge of victory.

Isaiah 9:8-21 - Judgement upon Israel

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000Z

Again we have a sudden change of mood. After the great section on "unto us a son is given" we are back to judgement upon Israel. This happens because the book reflects the real situation. It reflects the awfulness of Israel's sin and its consequences, and it reflects the unswerving love of God and His determination to do something about it.

We sometimes talk admiringly of the indomitableness of the human spirit, but here God criticises Ephraim. She suffered greatly at the hands of Assyria, but reacted by declaring proudly that she would rebuild an even better land. What she should have done is to repent and turn back to God. So she will find all her efforts are futile. Indeed God's anger against Israel remained.

The whole nation was guilty. Verse 17 declares that God is even against the widow and the fatherless. Now these are two groups that the Bible consistently says God supports. So why the change? It is because they too were guilty. Just because you are in need does not mean that you do not still have moral responsibility. We always have responsibility.

In the final section of this chapter we read of how evil consumes. The wrath of the Lord is to let man take the full consequences of his actions and decisions. For the people turn on each other.

Isaiah 9:1-7 - A child is given

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000Z

Isaiah is the book in the Old Testament that is most full of prophecies about Jesus. We have already seen the prophecy of the virgin birth, now we get another one.

Zebulun and Naphtali were not considered to be great, and had been conquered by Assyria. In the future they would be honoured, and Jesus spent a significant amount of His time in Galilee. The people of the time were somewhat derogatory about this, asking if anything good could come out of Galilee.

Those walking in darkness have seen a great light. God brings His light to shine in dark places. The key question for all of us is not the circumstances we are in, but how we respond to God. Our God is a God who transforms situations.

The prophet is looking forward to victorious times. He sees a time of victory, fruitfulness and increase. In fact , if you look at God's plans for people, whether individuals or nations, it is always the same: victory, fruitfulness, increase.

Then there is an allusion to the defeat of Midian. This was carried out by Gideon. God chose an unlikely fellow and won the victory in an unlikely manner. No one can work out God's plans. All the forces that tore the nation apart would come to nothing.

We then come to how this would come about. "Unto us a child is born", Jesus Christ. The government would be upon His shoulders, there will be no end to the increase of His government, and the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.

Isaiah 8:1-22 - Fear the Lord

2011-12-07T04:00:00.000Z

Isaiah was to name his children as signs of what would happen. A key theme of the whole of Isaiah is that God knows the end from the beginning, He can tell them what will happen. Now we need to beware here, this is not the same as fatalism. When God tells us that something is going to happen the key thing is our response. It does not mean that there is nothing we can do, nor does it mean that what we do does not matter. God is eternal, meaning He is beyond time.

The first child is called Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, meaning "quick to the plunder". Isaiah calls the priests as witnesses to this. The prophetess of verse 3 is probably the young woman of chapter 7, and became Isaiah's wife. Samaria and Damascus would fall before the boy was able to speak.

Israel had rejected God. In so doing they had rejected peace. So Assyria would swarm over the land. It would also carry on to Judah as well.

God challenges the nations to devise their plans, knowing that they would come to nothing.

Isaiah is then warned not to be carried along by the tide of public opinion or the general wisdom of the day. He is not to fear what they fear, and not to call conspiracy what they call conspiracy. When situations get difficult men have all sorts of ideas about what is happening, why it is happening and what can be done. None of their wisdom will take God into the reckoning. Isaiah is to look to the Lord, he is to fear the Lord.

Israel would fall because she did not turn to the Lord, not because of any military, diplomatic or economic failing.

The people would turn anywhere but to the Lord who could save them.

Isaiah 7:1-25 - Assyrian attack predicted

2011-12-06T04:00:00.000Z

In 735 or 743BC the Syro-Ephraimite war took place, and Aram (Syria) and the northern kingdom (Israel, or Ephraim) joined forces to attack Judah. They wanted Ahaz, king of Judah, to join them in an alliance against Assyria. Judah was making overtures to Assyria. This alliance against Judah put fear in their hearts.

Events and circumstances can make us afraid, and fear leads us to make wrong decisions. Isaiah goes to the king and says "be careful, keep calm and do not be afraid". Although Aram and Israel had joined forces against them, neither of these nations was strong. Many of the things that seek to put fear in our hearts are actually weak. Both Aram and Israel would be defeated.

Verse 9b is crucial: "if you do stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all". In all circumstances we need to live by faith. Living by faith is God's chosen way.

God then told Ahaz to ask for a sign. He appreciated the difficulty of the situation for Ahaz and sought to encourage him. Ahaz, however, refused to ask for a sign. We can be very perverse. In Jesus' time the people were forever asking for signs when they had actually seen quite enough. Here Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign, despite being told to ask for one.

So Isaiah tells Ahaz that God will give him a sign, and we get the promise of the virgin birth. This prophecy would have both an immediate fulfilment in Isaiah's time, and a complete fulfilment in Jesus. The immediate outcome would be that Aram and Ephraim would be defeated, and Assyria would attack Jerusalem.

Assyria would be the Lord's instrument. Note that the prophecies do not talk about complete defeat. Much of the land would be taken, but Jerusalem itself would not in the end fall.

Isaiah 6:11-13 - A hard road

2011-12-05T04:00:00.000Z

In the previous verses it says "be never understanding". Now thankfully there will come a time when they do perceive. So we must beware of reading these verses with excessive literalness. God is describing there current state, not their permanent state.

Isaiah asks how long, and who can blame him! It is not much fun preaching a message and no one understanding what you are saying.

God's answer is not too comforting. "Until the cities lie ruined ..." Israel was truly hard-hearted. Exile was inevitable. Israel is in a sense representative of all mankind. God could have chosen any nation, any individual out which to make His nation. The result would have been the same because of the root of sin in all mankind.

It would look as though all was lost, but a stump would be left and the nation of God would arise from this stump. There is no easy way forward, but there is a way forward.

Isaiah 6:8-10 - Give up your bitterness

2011-12-04T04:00:00.000Z

God wants to communicate a message to the world. A few moments ago Isaiah thought he was done for, now he is as keen as mustard to be God's messenger. Why the change? It is the forgiveness of his sins. Sin makes us unsure of ourselves. We might try and hide it, ignore our sin, or excuse our sin, but deep down we know it makes us unworthy. Forgiveness from God cleanses us from all guilt, so we are now free.

Next God gives Isaiah the message he has to take, and it does not sound promising! The message declares that the people will be never understanding, never perceiving. They can hear all they like, see all they like, but they will never understand. Before we consider why this was the case, we can see first of all that it definitely was the case. They had the law, they had the prophets, but they never truly understood or responded. They saw great miracles when they came out of Egypt, when they went through the desert, when they entered the Promised Land, and at various points thereafter. Yet they never really knew God, they did not understand His ways. Then God came in person as Jesus Christ. Again they heard many wonderful things and saw numerous miracles, but understood nothing.

So, whatever else we may say about these verse, they are definitely true.

When a people are rebellious hearing the word of God will only make their hearts harder. Isaiah spoke with clarity and simplicity, but the people rejected his message. The tragedy is that if would only turn to God they would be healed. Indeed this is the tragedy of all who refuse to believe. Often there can be deep emotional wounds that contribute to their rebellion, they become bitter and angry against God for things that have happened. Yet, if they would only turn to God they would receive healing for their wounds. This does not mean pretending we have not been hurt. The book of Job is an excellent example. He suffered great tragedy, he did not hold back in voicing his complaints, yet in the end he had to submit to God, then he was healed and restored.

Isaiah 6:5-7 - Forgiven for a Purpose

2011-12-03T04:00:00.000Z

Having seen the Lord, Isaiah is full of horror. After the miraculous catch of fish Peter asked Jesus to get away from him because he was a sinner (Luke 5:8). Seeing the glory of the Lord shows us how sinful we are, there is no longer any room for boasting or pretense. Isaiah knew that all his failings and sins were open to the Lord. So it seemed that he was without hope.

Then one of the seraphim touched his lips with a live coal and announced that his sin had been taken away and atoned for. Before we can be fully used by the Lord we need to understand our sinfulness and the Lord's forgiveness. This can be painful, but the result is glorious.

We see here too a vital pattern. We are forgiven for a purpose. Isaiah was forgiven so that he could become the Lord's messenger. We are not forgiven merely so that we will not go to hell, but so that we can live Christlike lives and bring glory to God.

Paul in Athens - The Risen Lord

2011-12-02T18:00:00.000Z

The Risen Christ

Finally in Acts 17:29-34 Paul calls on them to repent and turn to God. The call to believe in Christ is not an option, it is a command, for one day everyone will be called to give an account to Him.

The evidence for the Lordship of Christ is the resurrection. The resurrection was the focus of all the New Testament preaching. At this point we come to the final myth of atheism that we will consider in this series of essays. This myth is that faith is not based on evidence. Time and time again you will hear in the media the notion that faith means believing something when there is no evidence, or despite the evidence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The resurrection is based on solid evidence. The gospels record several incidents of Jesus appearing to men and women, and in various circumstances. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, tells us that on one occasion Jesus appeared to over 500 hundred people. Paul also pointed out that many of these people were still alive, so they could be asked.

There are various arguments given against the resurrection, we will look at a few of these:

It was just all nonsense

This is based on the idea that 1st century people were gullible. They knew full well that when someone died, they stayed dead. Remember also that whenever Jesus spoke about the resurrection His disciples never had a clue what He was on about. As mentioned above, the resurrection was based on evidence.

They made it up

If it was all made up, why then did the disciples risk their lives for a lie? Most, possible all, of the apostles died because of their faith. Note also that the first witnesses were women.

In the culture of their time you would not have women as the first witnesses if you were making something up.

Both the “made it up” and “nonsense” arguments run into the problem, that if Jesus was dead why did the Roman or the Jews not just point to the tomb? This would have put an end to all the talk of the risen Lord. But they did not do this because they could not do this because there was no body.

Jesus never died

This is a very weak argument. The Romans were very skilled at two things, building roads and killing people. They checked the bodies on the cross to make sure they were dead.

Even if Jesus had just “swooned”, then He would have been in a very weak state to say the least. Hardly someone to start a new movement. And it again runs into the same arguments as the “made it up” theory.

Disciples stole the body

This is equally unlikely, and again runs into the “made it up” arguments. Moreover, the Romans had guards on the tomb who risked their lives if the body was stolen.

Hallucination

This is the idea that the disciples suffered from hallucinations. This is psychological nonsenses. First there was no expectation of Jesus rising from the dead. Secondly, there were multiple appearances, in different situations, to different people.

One of the strongest arguments for the resurrection is the church itself, for otherwise it is difficult to explain the rise of the church. Remember the apostles paid a great price for following Jesus, and received little in the way of earthly gain.

One final important point is that because Jesus is the risen Lord we can know and experience Him for ourselves.

So the resurrection is not “blind faith”, but faith based on very strong evidence.

Isaiah 6:1-4 - Isaiah's vision

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000Z

The first five chapters have set the scene. Most of it has been an indictment of Israel, but mixed in has been the odd promise of redemption. God has let Isaiah see what the situation is, now He give Isaiah his commission. (It should be noted that many think the commission preceded the stuff we have already read.)

Isaiah now sees a vision of the Lord. The Lord was high and exalted. When we look at what is happening in the world we often see a sordid mess. We need to look to the Lord and His greatness. Now the Lord does not stand aloof in His greatness. We see this supremely in Jesus coming to earth and living among us.

Seraphs are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, though the living creatures in Rev 4:6-9 are similar. They did not seem to be able to look upon the glory of God, but they sand a song of praise to God.

"The whole earth is full of His glory". This can be seen in various ways. On the one hand creation reflects the glory of the Lord. Despite all the goings on, it is the will of the Lord that will prevail. And finally it can be seen as prophetic. The final outcome is that the Lord will return to reign upon the earth.

Isaiah 5:8-30 - Judgement

2011-12-01T04:00:00.000Z

There were some who accumulated land just for themselves, taking land from other people. Under the Law there was a vital concern with people having a right to land. This was an important part of the allocation of land when they entered the Promised Land.

When people get great wealth they start to boast of their wealth, and start trusting in it. All this boasting and trusting will come to nothing.

Then they indulge themselves in ever more trivial pursuits. So God says His people will go into exile for lack of understanding". Lack of understanding of what? Of our true place in the world, the true value of things, and our true purpose.So the proud and arrogant will be consumed, and the sheep will once again have pasture to dwell in.

Then we get a whole series of woes. This means that people who think or act in the ways delineated are in for a big shock.

First there are those who take pride in their own wisdom, calling good bad, and bad good. Surely we see this all around us today. In the debates on homosexuality the moral climate now is that it is good to support homosexuality and evil to even question its merits in the mildest possible terms. This is the opposite of what the Bible teaches.

Then there are those who indulge in excess drinking, and those who acquit the guilty. The nation had turned away from God. So God would summon the nations to expel them from the land. This is in line with what God said He would do in Deuteronomy.

Paul in Athens - Turbo Charged Chimps

2011-11-30T20:05:00.001Z

A Better Way of Life

In Acts 17:24-28 Paul seeks to expand their thinking. Athens was full of temples, and if you go there today you can still see some of them. Paul tells them that God does not need man-made temples. Rather, God created us, and did so with the intention that we should get to know Him. Paul uses the words of one of their own poets to point to the true aim of God’s plan for us, namely to be His children.

The truth is that God’s goodness is greater than we ever imagine, and His plans for us are greater than we conceive them to be.

Atheism tries to pain a picture of a God who seeks to constrict and constrain. Nothing could be further from the truth, for He is a God who gives freedom. Indeed it is atheism that has a poverty of thinking.

The materialist view of the world says that we are nothing more than biochemical machines that came about by random chance. That is what atheism says you are. Consider the implications of this. If you are in love, it has no real meaning, it is just a biochemical response. If you achieve something, whether academically, in sport or whatever, it doesn’t mean anything. It just came about by chance. If you are artistic, whether it be dance, music, literature or art, it is all meaningless. The deep pain and anguish we feel when someone love dies is just an illusion, there is no real loss, no real pain. This is the consequence of the materialist viewpoint.

Indeed, if we are just biochemical machines that came about by blind chance, then any pronouncements we make have no value, no meaning. This, of course, includes the statement that there is no God. As with all contentions of atheism, materialism contains the seeds of its own destruction.

Thankfully the truth is that life does have meaning. There is a God who cares. He created us to achieve things. Just as we feel joy when our own children achieve things, so God rejoices when we achieve things. He also shares in our pain. The loss of someone we love are times when we feel deep pain and loss, but they can also be times when we are supremely aware of the closeness of God, and the cross is the primary demonstration of the depths of God’s love.

More than a turbo-charged chimp

If you want to know what life is about, then Genesis 1-3 is the best place to go. It tells us that we were created in the image of God. We are more than turbo-charged chimps. We are not just more intelligent creatures, we are radically different from every other creature on the planet. And there are seven billion experiments going on in the world today that prove it.

There is no creature on earth that is as self-aware as we are. There is no other creature that seeks to explain, understand or explore as we do. There is no other creature that invents and creates like we do. There is no creature that produces works of art like we do. We are not just monkeys with over-developed brains, but are unique. We are the only creature that was made in the image of God.

If we look at mankind we see two conflicting pictures. On the one hand we see the wonder of humanity. We have already mentioned the creativity and achievements, but we see moral goodness as well. There are famously people who have achieved great things like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Ghandi, Mother Theresa. In times of war or great suffering, ordinary people will make extraordinary sacrifices, they will put their own lives or well-being at risk in order to help others. In all sorts of mundane ways we see people doing good things. Parents looking after disabled children, children looking after elderly parents. Even in your own life you there will be times when you do genuinely good things.

But then on the other hand we can be appalled at what we see in humanity, There are the infamous monsters like Hitler, Stalin and Mao-Tse-Tung who must have been responsible for about 100 million deaths or so between them. In times of war and hardship while some will be amazingly selfless, others will be horrendously selfish. There are parents who abuse their children, children who neglect their elderly parents. Again, if we are honest, there are times when do, or at least think, appalling things.

To say that humanity is wonderful is only part of the story, but to say that humanity is a complete disaster is equal nonsense. This is exactly what Genesis 1-3 tells us. It explains the good and wonderful side of humanity, because we are made in the image of God. We get all the bad stuff because we have rebelled against God, and the rest of the Bible is God’s plan to sort out the problem.

Isaiah 5:1-7 - Vineyard Gone Bad

2011-11-30T04:00:00.000Z

The vineyard is a common analogy used of Israel. The parable of the tenants (Matt 21:33-44) probably alludes to this passage, and in John's gospel Jesus talks about the vine and His father being the gardener. Paul, too, uses the vine analogy in Romans.

"The one I love" is God, and Israel is His vineyard. The Lord cleared the land of its inhabitants when Israel entered the Promised Land. He planted the nation of Israel there, and she had the Law. The land should have produced good fruit. It should have been a light to the nations, indeed it should have been the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him. Instead it produced only bad fruit.

The Lord then calls on Israel to consider the situation, basically whose fault was it? There is nothing else the Lord could have done, so the fault lay with Israel. So the Lord was going to remove the hedge of protection around the land, it would be open to foreign invaders. Natural disasters too would befall the land.

In verse 7 Isaiah makes clear the meaning of the parable. Israel and Judah were the vineyard, justice and righteousness were the good fruit He looked for, instead He found bloodshed and oppression of the poor.

Paul in Athens - Science's Altars to an Unknown God

2011-11-29T20:18:00.001Z

Meeting them in their own ground

Paul went to the meeting of the Aeropagus, where the philosophers of the Athens discussed the latest ideas. Now in Acts 17:16 we read that Paul was greatly troubled by the number of idols he saw. So we might expect him to have condemned them for their idol worship, but instead he complements them on their religiosity, and points to one altar with the inscription “To an Unknown God”. Paul met them on their own ground, and took that as a starting point for what he was going to teach them.
Science has its own “altars to unknown Gods”. Let me give you three of them: one from quantum mechanics, one from cosmology, and one from mathematics.

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics is an amazing and complex subject. The Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman said no one understands quantum mechanics, so we can count ourselves in good company. Indeed, one can summarise quantum mechanics in three words: “life is weird”.

One of the better known aspects of quantum physics is Heisenberg’s Uncertainty principle. This states that it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of a fundamental particle with perfect accuracy. So you can know where a particle is, but not what its doing. Or you can know what it is doing, but not where it is doing it.

Cosmology

We have very complex and sophisticated models of the universe. However, there is a big problem. In order for them to work there has to be more energy and mass in the universe than we can detect. In the wordx of Nasa, “more is unknown than is known”. In fact, it is reckoned that 70% of the universe is dark energy and 25% dark matter. This dark matter and dark energy cannot be directly detected.

Mathematics

In the 1930’s the Austrian mathematician Kurt Godel proved his “incompleteness theorems”. These say that in any logically consistent system there will be some things that are true, but that cannot be proved to be true. This came as a great shock, as it had been expected that we could develop mathematical systems that could explain everything, Godel annoyingly demonstrated that this would never be possible!

So we see that science keeps coming up with limits to knowledge. Now this is not just things that we do not know yet. It could be argued, and I would expect this to be the case, that eventually we will either work out exactly what dark matter and energy are, or we will advance our theories so that the concepts are no longer needed. However, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle is a solid fact, or at least as solid as anything can be in quantum mechanics, and the laws of logic are not likely to change anytime soon.

You see, men are always trying to run away from God, but every attempt is doomed to failure, because the fundamental fact is that there is a God. Far from doing away with the need for God, God is in fact the foundation of all science. It is because the universe is the creation of an intelligent being that science can make sense of it. And it is because we were made in the image of God that we are able to be good scientists.

If you want to read more about God and Science, can I recommend the book God’s Undertaker by John Lennox.

Paul in Athens - Intro

2011-11-29T20:13:00.001Z

This is a series of essays based on a sermon on Acts 17:16-34 I preached at Gate Church International on Sunday 27th November 2011. An MP3 of the sermon itself may appear on the Gate website in the near future.

In this section we see Paul going to the intellectual heart of Greek culture in Athens. Here we see that there were three key elements to Paul’s approach:

He met his opponents on their own ground, both physically and intellectually
He pointed them to a better way of life
He led them to the risen Christ

We will see how he did this, and apply the lessons to our own age. Today there is a common notion that science had done away with the need for God. This view is advanced by people like Richard Dawkins and others, but there is a very common belief that now we have scientific understanding we do not need God. This notion is complete nonsense.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul says “we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God”. There are many arguments made against God, but everyone of them contains the seeds of its own destruction. Let’s apply this to the notion that science has done away with the need for God.

I’ll release the essays in three parts over the next few days:

1. Science's altars to an unknown God

2. More than turbo-charged chimpanzees

3. Raised from the dead

Isaiah 4:2-6 - Redemption

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000Z

"In that day", this phrase repeats what was said in 3:18. This oracle of redemption comes in-between the condemnation of the superficiality of society and a longer indictment of Israel. It is a reminder that in the midst of God's firm dealings with sin, salvation is always the ultimate goal. The branch is a term referring to the Messiah, and was used by Jeremiah as well (Jer 23:5,6; 33:15,16).

In that day when the Branch is exalted the land will bear its fruit. If we want to bear fruit we need to exalt the name of Jesus. The sins of the land will be washed away and the people will be called holy. This will be achieved through a spirit of judgement and fire. Remember that John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptise with fire. We need to remember that Jesus brings a judgement upon our ways, He demands change in our lives.

The cloud of smoke and flaming fire point back to the protection that God gave the Israelites when He took them out of Egypt. This offers both guidance and protection.

Isaiah 3:16-4:1 - Fall of celebrity

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000Z

Verse 16 reads like a description of our celebrity culture with its obsession with looks and fashion. Such women would be brought low. The superficiality of it all would be exposed by catastrophe. All their beauty, jewellery and perfumes would be taken away, along with all the accessories.

Instead they would wear the garments of disaster. All the things mentioned in verse 24 are associated with being taken captive. And the men they fawned over would be killed by the sword.

In those circumstances any man would do!

We need to be careful not to be taken in by the culture of our times. The world's culture favours those who are "in", but despises those who are "out". It is marked by exploitation, dehumanisation and superficiality.

Isaiah 3:10-15 - Judgement

2011-11-27T04:00:00.000Z

Verse 10 is thrown in in the middle of all this judgement, "tell the righteous it will be well with them". It is always worth obeying the Lord, even if it seems that no one else is. We will reap the fruit of our deeds.

Then we get back to the deeds of the wicked, and disaster lies in store for them. In middle eastern culture to be ruled by youths or women was a sign of disfavour.

Then we get the picture of the Lord taking His place to judge. One day we will all have to give an account for what we have and have not done. First He takes judgement against the leaders. They should have taken care of God's vineyard, instead they ruined it. The things we look after, the things we have authority over, are not ours. We are only stewards. In particular leaders are meant to look after the poor, not grind them in the dirt. Now this should not be taken as support for socialism. Both socialism and capitalism in their different ways are guilty of oppressing the poor.

Unbelievable - Origins of the Universe

2011-11-26T21:10:00.001Z

Another interesting debate on Premier Christian Radio, this time on the origin of the universe.
Edgar Andrews v Robert Stovold.
See Unbelievable for more info on the programme.

PS the end of the podcast has feedback on last weeks programme and includes a letter from yours truly.

Isaiah 3:1-9 - A society in collapse

2011-11-26T04:00:00.000Z

Judah and Jerusalem would be left utterly helpless, they would have nowhere to turn but to the Lord Himself.

Food and water would be cut-off. The human resources of leaders of various sorts would be cut-off. Skilled people of all sorts would be in short supply. This happens when a society starts to collapse, no one wants to take responsibility. In the case of war there is no left to take responsibility. In the last days of Berlin at the end of the second world war mere youths were being captains in the army.

People will turn against each other, yet at the same time will long for some leader to come along and rescue them. This is one of the reasons why collapsing societies are so prone to dictatorship: almost anything is better than the mess they are in.

Verses 8 and 9 paint a sorry picture. They parade their sins like Sodom did. This is sadly true of our society today. If we do not change course we too will bring calamity upon ourselves.

Isaiah 2:6-22 - Remember the last day

2011-11-25T04:00:00.000Z

I think it was G K Chesterton who said "when people stop believing in God they don't believe nothing, they believe anything". Now here it says that God had abandoned His people, but this was only in response to their abandonment of Him. As a result they became full of all sorts of superstitions.

Deuteronomy 17:16,17 forbid the accumulation of excess wealth and horses by the king, but this was what had happened. The land was also full of idols, and the people bowed down to the work of their hands. You see, an idol is something we make, so it is senseless to worship it. When we put God first we become truly wise, when we abandon God we become fools. He is the bedrock of all wisdom. So the end result of abandoning God is humiliation.

Verse 10 is echoed in Revelation 6:15,16. The splendour of the Lord will come, and then all human pride will be brought low, it will be shown up for what it is.

The Lord has a day in store. There is a day of reckoning, it is already in the diary. We need to live our lives with this day in view. On that day only God's wisdom and splendour will remain. All the things that people glory in today will become worthless and they will want to get rid of them.

The chapter closes with an exhortation: "stop trusting in human beings". We can sometimes be intimidated by the apparent strength and power of men, we need to look at all things in the light of the Lord, then we will see all things in their true perspective. When we consider our lives and our actions we need to ask ourselves ,"how will this look at the last day?"

Isaiah 2:1-5 - The final outcome

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000Z

In the last days, this is looking forward to the final outcome. God is eternal, this means not just that He goes on forever, but that He is beyond time, outside of time. He knows the end from the beginning, and everything in-between. Having described the position of Israel in the present, Isaiah now goes right to the end. Mountains signified government, and Isaiah is saying that the Lord's temple will be exalted over all the earth, and the nations will stream to it.

In Isaiah's day this would seem a very strange and unlikely outcome, for most of the nations despised Israel. Today, western society despises the church and all things to do with God. Yet a time will come when they will long to know what the Lord has to say.

Hoards will come to God wanting to learn His ways. The law will go out from Jerusalem. This has already happened to some extent with the gospel going out from Jerusalem to the Gentiles, and has now reached most parts of the earth. But so far we have seen only a partial fulfilment, there is a much greater fulfilment to come. Christ will even settle disputes between nations and bring an end to war.

The final fulfilment of this is probably the millennium. The final verse (6) of this section, reminds us of what our response should be. We are to walk in the light of the Lord. We can argue and debate about precisely how much has already happened, exactly what the thousand year rule of Revelation means etc, but the most important thing is that we walk in the light of the Lord today.

If we trust and obey God today we will be ready for whatever happens tomorrow.

Isaiah 1:27-31 - Heaven or Hell?

2011-11-23T04:00:00.000Z

Having had all the condemnation of Jerusalem, there comes the certain promise of deliverance. We see this pattern again and again in the Bible. The problem of sin is absolutely real, the effects of sin are terrible, the salvation is certain. How can this be? We know that the solution to this lies in Jesus, and the prophet Isaiah reveals a lot about how this would come about.

The most common, and probably most powerful, arguments against God are based on the suffering and evil in the world. They essence of the arguments are: there is terrible suffering and evil in the world, if there was an all powerful good God He would not allow this; therefore there cannot be an all powerful good God. But stop for a moment, and suppose we accept the conclusion, suppose we accept that there is no God, where does that get us? The evil and suffering still exists. So do we just despair at the situation? Do we just shrug our shoulders, hope not too much of the suffering comes our way, and get on with life? We still have no answer to the problem, the problem has not gone away. It is only in the cross that we find the solution. The cross faces up fully to the problem of suffering and evil.

The penitent ones are the ones who will be delivered. Repentance is crucial to salvation. Unless we are willing to humble ourselves before God we cannot be saved.

Those who refuse to do so may boast and act proudly, but they will come to nothing, and will burn in ever lasting fire. You may object that this is harsh, but it is what we are warned will happen. Perhaps we would be wiser to heed the warning, than to argue about whether or not God has the right to do it.

Isaiah 1:21-26 - God requires Justice

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000Z

Jerusalem was meant to have been a faithful city, and city that honoured God. Instead she had sold herself to idols and to other nations. She had variously trusted in Egypt and Assyria for protection. She used to be full of justice, now she was full of murder. When a nation turns away from God moral decay will start to happen. We see this in our own country. This is not to say that the country was perfect, far from it, but as we have progressively rejected God, the social and moral fabric of the nations has weakened.

The good things in the land became worthless. The leaders became rebels, looking after themselves instead of the people, especially the poor. We see this all too often in our democracies.

So God would turn His wrath on His enemies. God's wrath is not uncontrollable anger, but a considered, careful act of judgement on those who have ignored all warnings.

Note the language here on enemies. Israel would expect God to use this language about the nations that surrounded her, but He was using it against them!

The goal of all this would be to return justice and righteousness to the city. We are mistaken if we thing "being saved" is only a matter of "going to heaven rather than hell". God's goal is always to produce a people who are truly made in His image.

Isaiah 1:16-20 - Forgiveness and obedience

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000Z

"Stop doing wrong, seek justice". All the religious observance of Israel was a waste of time and meaningless unless they acted justly. We too need to bear this in mind. Salvation by faith or by grace does not mean that it does not matter how we act. The Bible teaches from beginning to end that God cares passionately about how we live our lives, in particular how we treat each other. He longed for the Israelites to act justly and to care for the oppressed and needy.

God calls on the people to reason with Him. God has given us brains, intelligence. If we use our minds aright we can see the truth.

First there is the promise of forgiveness. This is a promise. Then comes a challenge. If they are willing and obedient they will enjoy the best. If not, they will be devoured. Here we can see a parallel in the cross. The cross offers unconditional forgiveness and cleansing, but we need to respond. If we continue to resist then we will go to hell.

Isaiah 1:7-15 - Worthless worship

2011-11-20T04:00:00.000Z

At the time this was given Assyria was threatening the nation. Jerusalem had not been taken, and indeed Assyria would fail to do so, but they were encroaching on the rest of the country. The place was in a desolate state.

"Hear the word of the Lord you rulers of Sodom, ..., you people of Gomorrah!" Well that is not a nice way to speak to them. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone for their sins against God. God calls on them to listen to Him.

What can we do? I know offer more sacrifices! Well that would not work, God had had enough of their sacrifices. Their various religious festivals were meaningless to God. We need to take care that our "religion" does not become meaningless. We might be very pleased with ourselves, but what matter is "is God pleased with us?".

God was utterly fed up with their worship services and had resolved not to listen to their prayers. Why was God acting like this? Because their hands were full of blood. They were guilty of bloodshed.

The quality of our lives matters to God. As we have been reading in James, faith without actions is dead.

Debate from Premier Christian Radio on ID

2011-11-19T20:33:00.001Z

An interesting debate on Intelligent Design

Unbelievable? 19 Nov 2011 - Signature in the Cell - Stephen Meyer vs Keith Fox

Isaiah 1:4-6 - What happens when we turn from God

2011-11-19T04:00:00.001Z

Remember this is Israel that God is speaking to when He calls them a brood of evildoers. John the Baptist referred to them as a brood of vipers, and Peter says that judgement begins with the house of God.

Verse 4 sets out the basic problem. The nation was sinful and had amassed great guilt. They were given to corruption, and had turned their back on the Lord. Now this is talking about Israel, but the very same criticisms could just as well be levelled at this country. We had a Christian heritage, but have now turned our back on God completely.

Yet all this rebellion did the people no good. Rather it had only brought pain and suffering to them. The reference to heart and head should not be understood in the sense of that we think of it today (ie emotions and mind). The heart was the centre of the will in Hebrew thinking. However, verses 5 and 6 make it clear that their whole being was affected, and all of it covered in sores. Justice in society was corrupt, and the nation was in imminent danger of defeat. Similarly our whole society is sick. Economically we are in a mess, socially we are in a mess. There is corruption and decay all over the place.

This is the result of turning away from God.

Isaiah 1:1-3 - A message to a sinful people

2011-11-18T04:00:00.002Z

The book is introduced as the "vision" that Isaiah saw. Clearly he saw many visions and received many words, but this emphasises that this majestic book gives a single unified vision of God's plan, and we need to see it as such, not as a disjointed series of words and visions.

Isaiah functioned during the reigns of four kings, these kings reigned from 792 to 686 BC. Isaiah worked in the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was about to be defeated by Assyria.

"Hear me you heavens! Listen you earth!" The word is addressed not just to people, but to the whole of creation.

Israel was a nation that owed its existence completely to the Lord. Without Him there would have been no nation. He gave them good instructions, but they rebelled against Him. Animals are better at obeying their masters than Israel was at obeying God. The place of Israel in God's plans is a controversial topic. It must be remembered that the Old Testament can be described as a record of the sins of Israel. It must also be remembered that every book that is clear on this fact, is also clear about the ultimate redemption of Israel. Any simplistic view of Israel's place in God's plans is almost certainly wrong.

The fact that God managed to raise rebellious children should bring some heart to parents who have rebellious children. It is easy to put blame on the parents, and parents can feel guilty. Now we need to be honest and admit that we and do sometimes get things wrong, sometimes badly so. However, you be a perfect parent, and this would be no guarantee of problem free children.

Isaiah - Introduction

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000Z

Isaiah is perhaps the greatest prophet in the Old Testament. Isaiah 53 contains the clearest prophecy of the suffering messiah dying for our sins and rising again. The whole book is majestic.

There is, however, great controversy over the authorship of the book. Many refer to deutero-Isaiah and even trito-Isaiah. They view the first 35 chapters has being written by the historical Isaiah. Chapters 36-39 are an historical interlude, with the material largely taken from 2 Kings. Then Isaiah 40 onwards is seen as being written after the Babylonian defeat of Judah. So what is the nature of this debate?

Well first let's look at the evidence for the Isaiah authorship of the whole book (which is what I believe to be the case). First and foremost, the book claims to be written by Isaiah, and no-one else. There is literary evidence that it is all the same author. For instance the term "the Holy One of Israel" occurs 12 times in chapters 1-39 and 14 times in chapters 40-66. The New Testament refers to the second part of the book being written by Isaiah (eg Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4, Romans 10:16,20; John 12:38-41).

So why is there a problem? Well it is because the second part is referring, at least to a large extent, to the period of the Babylonian exile and the release from exile, and even , mentions a particular ruler, Cyrus. All this about a hundred and fifty years before it happened.

The most straightforward answer is that God knows the future. Indeed, this point is made on several occasions in the book itself. Moreover, the prophet foretells the cross several hundred years before it happens.
Isaiah himself was married with two sons. He wrote a biography of King Hezekiah (2 Chron 32:32). Tradition has it that Isaiah was martyred by King Manasseh, being sawn in two (Hebrews 11:37).

James 5:13-20 - Prayers of faith

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000Z

Given what James has been saying earlier, it is nice to know you are allowed to be happy as he instructs anyone who is happy to praise the Lord (rather than to weep and wail instead!). If we are in trouble we should pray. Of someone is sick, they should call the elders, who will pray for them and anoint them with oil.

Throughout this letter James has been very blunt. Here he is equally blunt. If we are in trouble, pray. Our response to the situation is very simple. Following Jesus is actually very simple! We just need to do it.

If the elders pray for a person in faith the person will be made well. If they need forgiveness, they will also be forgiven. So we are to confess our sins and pray for each other. James is utterly convinced that prayer is effective.

Elijah is cited as an example. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain. He prayed for rain to come, and heavy rain fell.

If someone wanders from the truth they can be brought back. It does not matter how many sins they have committed. If they truly repent, then they will be saved from death and a multitude of sins will be covered over.

James 5:7-12 - Patience

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000Z

James calls on us to be patient. He has just castigated the rich. It can look as though others have it easier than us, particularly people who seem to show little regard for others. We are not to be envious of them.

James then draws an analogy with crops growing. When a seed is sown it takes time for it to bear fruit, but bear fruit it does. Now God is the creator of all things, so creation will reflect something of the nature of God and His ways. So just as things take time in nature, do do God's plans. We can be confident that they will come to fruition. Ultimately the Lord will return.

When we are struggling it is very easy for us to start grumbling about things and about each other. James warns us against doing this. Grumbling cuts off God's blessing and leaves us open to judgement.

James then reminds them of the prophets and cites the example of Job. Now we do not normally think of Job as a prophet, but this should broaden our concept of what a prophet is. It is not just someone who says "thus saith the Lord". Moses, David, and Job were all considered prophets.

Job is also cited as an example of patience. Now he spent a lot of time complaining to God! So our concept of patience maybe needs to change as well. In the end Job received a blessing from God.

James then condemns swearing by heaven or earth. Under pressure we can feel the need to over-justify ourselves and take God's name in vain. Instead we should remain calm and simply answer yes or no.

James 5:1-6 - Do not worship wealth

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000Z

James does not mince his words here! An earlier section of the letter indicated that some rich people were oppressing the church, so maybe this is a response to that. Whatever the case, the wealthy can easily become proud and arrogant. This is a warning against such attitudes. All material wealth will ultimately become worthless.

"You have hoarded wealth in the last days". In the US there are some silly groups which talk about hoarding gold in response to global crises. This is not biblical! The sensible response in all situations is to trust God, to continue to do good, to be merciful and generous. Ie to exhibit the fruit of the spirit.

Exploitation of workers is castigated as well. Jesus said things like woe to you who laugh now. We need to take these warnings seriously, and examine our attitudes and actions.

James 4:13-16 - No boasting

2011-11-13T04:00:00.000Z

Talking too much, judging others, boasting: all these things are a sign of pride, having a wring exalted view of ourselves. James now turns to a further symptom of this pride: boasting about tomorrow. Talking about the plans we have to make money here, make money there. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow!"

We need to recognise our true state. Think about it. We had no say whatsoever in when or even if we we would be born. We did not choose our parents. Moreover, our parents did not choose us. They may have chosen to have a child, but did not know what it would turn out like! One day we will die, and we have little choice in that either.

Think of the current financial crisis. Men had such big plans to make money, but look where it has got them (and where it has got us!). Bankers still seem to get paid astronomical amounts. We are told we need talented people to manage the financial system. Well recent events seem to show that they did not have a clue, and do not have a clue. They are not the gods they claim to be.

My little rant is over, but there is a crucial point here. Man tries to live as if he can have total control over things. This is simply not the case. We need to live as if God has total control over things. We then live our lives in humble obedience to Him. The paradox is that when we do this we will find that things go far better and we actually have more control than we had before.

James 4:11,12 - Know who is the Judge

2011-11-12T04:00:00.000Z

We need to be careful how we speak about each other. It is so easy to get sucked in to doing each other down. This is not a godly way to act. Worst of all it is possible, and happens frequently, for people who get some revelation of the truth to use this revelation to speak against other people, to use it as a platform from which to judge others. James tells them that if they do this far from keeping the law, they are sitting in judgement on it, and putting themselves in the place of judge. This is a complete misunderstanding of our position.

We are all prone to doing this. Charismatics have done it when they learnt about the role of the Holy Spirit, using this knowledge to judge others instead of living by the spirit. Evangelicals can do it. Whatever revelation or understanding we receive from God, He gives it to us so that we can live better lives, not so that we tell others that we are better than them.

We need to have right perspective on who is the only Judge and Law giver.

James 4:4-10 - Submit to God

2011-11-11T04:00:00.000Z

The word adulterous is used here in the sense of spiritual adultery. Adultery is often used as a metaphor for spiritual adultery in the Bible. Marital faithfulness and faithfulness to God are closely linked. A key part of being truly human is faithfulness, for we were created in the image of God and He is completely faithful. Conversely, unfaithfulness is a characteristic of a sinful people, and we see the evidence for this all around us. We need to root out this weed of unfaithfulness that still resides in us.

James accuses his readers of being friends with the world and enemies of God. The world system is opposed to God, it is fundamentally atheistic. The world system says "we can manage without God", this is going back to the first sin in the Garden of Eden.

It is also fundamentally proud, exalting itself over God, but God opposes the proud and exalts the humble.

So we should submit to God, and resist the devil. We see again here that the activity of the devil and demons is taken as commonplace, and again it shows itself up in mundane ways, namely in the proud and self-sufficient ways of the world. Moreover, we defeat the devil by humbling ourselves before the Lord. He will flee from us. The devil and his activity are to be recognised, but not to be feared. Yet again, the key weapon in spiritual warfare is trust and obedience.

The injunction to "grieve, mourn and wail" is a call to repent. Instead of glorying in the world and its ways, we are to repent of all involvement with its ways.

A message for today

2011-11-10T08:03:00.000Z

At the start of this year I urged you to pray for your government. With the current crisis in the Eurozone can I urge you again to pray for leaders.

It is clear that leaders are out of their depth. Pray that men and women in power will humble themselves before God.

In Isaiah 8, Isaiah was told not to fear what they fear, not to call conspiracy what they call conspiracy. Instead he was to fear the Lord. We need to people who fear the Lord, and do not get caught up by the spirit of the age. We need to be lights who shine in the darkness.

James 4:1-3 - Asking Properly

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000Z

Sin is the root of our problems. The problems we see in our own lives, in the lives of those around us, and in the world as a whole are all a symptom of sin. Fights and quarrels are a result of wrong desires battling within people. In verse 2 James is using an extreme example, but it does happen. Or maybe he is harking back to what Jesus said about hating our brother being equivalent to murder. We hate someone when we see them as an obstacle to getting what we want. We quarrel and fight with each other because we want something that belongs to someone else.

Then James makes a very simple statement: we have not because we ask not. We need to ask God. We also need to ask with the right motives. The promises on prayer are all given in the context of a heart that is in line with God's heart. We need to align ourselves with God. Asking just so that we can fulfil our own pleasures is not supported.

James 3:13-18 - True Wisdom

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000Z

Closely linked to controlling our tongue is recognising true wisdom. Most of us are far too quick to think that we are wiser than we actually are, and this in turn can lead us to saying more than we really should. Or at least spouting a lot of nonsense. (I realise this is a risky thing to say when writing a blog!).

True wisdom demonstrates itself not in the cleverness of the words we utter, but in the quality of the life we live, and a good life is one that lived in humility. Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We need to recognise our position in relation to God, or else we have a completely wrong starting point.

Bitter envy and selfish ambition often show themselves in people spouting forth their "wisdom". A person who is bitter think they know exactly what is right and what is wrong, but in reality it warps our thinking. Indeed we need to be doubly careful, for the thoughts that result from envy, bitterness or selfish ambition are demonic. This should make us aware of how demonic activity most frequently manifest itself. It does not usually manifest itself with people frothing at the mouth. Though these things can happen, they are rare. Most demonic activity is much more mundane. Moreover, most demonic activity does not need exorcism to deal with it, rather it needs repentance and humility. Now I am not saying that we never come up against overt demonic activity, we do, but we need a Biblical approach to the matter. Demonic activity is far more prevalent than we imagine, and is far more mundane than we imagine.

Envy and selfish-ambition show themselves in disorder and evil behaviour. Godly wisdom could not be more different. It loves peace not strife, considers others instead of riding rough-shod over them, submits to God and to others instead of exalting itself, it is merciful instead of judgmental. It produces peace and righteousness.

James 3:1-12 - Hold your tongue

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000Z

There can be a temptation for people to want to become teachers for the wrong reasons. Now in Hebrews 5:12 its says "we ought to be teachers". So how do we square these two verses? Well all of us should become mature in faith, and as such should be able to help others in understanding the faith, and in living the faith. Teachers as it is used here by James probably refers to more formal positions of teaching. If we teach, we teach in the name of Christ and as servants of Christ. We will be judged more strictly than others, for what we do and say affects more people.

Now all of us do stumble, no one is perfect. Most of all no one is always perfect in speech. All of us sometimes say things we should not say. In fact James says if you have perfect control over our tongue, then we have perfect control over all of our lives.

Now we are not to take the fact that we do all sin as an excuse for not worrying about what we say. We need to seek to control our tongues more and more, for our tongue has a great effect. Words are powerful. They can destroy or build relationships, they can even start wars.

The same tongue that praises God can curse and do down other people. This is not the way things should be. So we need to guard our tongues, and seek to use it only for good.

James 2:14-26 : Time for Action

2011-11-07T04:00:00.000Z

NowJames addresses faith and deeds. It cannot be stressed to strongly that thereis absolutely no conflict between what James's says and Paul's teaching onsalvation by faith. It is clear from Paul's letters that any concept of a faiththat made no difference is completely alien to him. James is saying the same.

Faithmakes a difference. So if there is no difference in someone's life, then thereis no evidence of any useful faith either. Atheists are keen on caricaturingfaith as something that is independent of evidence. This is garbage, and theBible is the most realistic book there is.

Faithshows itself in deeds. Words that have nothing to back them up are worthless.Faith without works is dead. Biblical belief shows itself in actions, it is nota mere intellectual assent, nor saying a formula, nor an emotional response.All these things may be involved, but if the faith is genuine it will producefruit.

Thedemons know that there is one God, but it does them no good. Abraham is thefather of faith, the archetypal example of how faith works. His faith showed itselfin his willingness to sacrifice Isaac.

ThenJames quotes the example of Rahab. Her actions overcame her unrighteous lifestyle (that of a prostitute). Faith and deeds go together.

James 2:1-13 - No Favouritism

2011-11-06T04:00:00.000Z

Favouritism is forbidden. The reason is that Jesus does not show favouritism. James then uses the very practical example of a finely dressed man and a poor man dressed in rags.It is wrong to treat one as more important than the other. If we do this we have become judges with evil thoughts. We have made the judgement that the rich man is a better person than the poor man. This test surely poses serious questions to most of us, and calls on us to examine our own attitudes.

In the Old Testament God shows concern for the poor.Moreover, Jesus said blessed are the poor for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Now in Matthew this refers to the poor in spirit, in Luke it is just the poor. We must not dishonour the poor.

Moreover, to show preference to the rich is illogical. It is the rich who were exploiting the church. Apparently they were being dragged through the courts in James' time. The fact of the matter is that the poor are more likely to come to Christ than the rich, for they are less likely to be blinded by the deceptions of wealth.

We need to remember that we will be called to give an account to God, not to some human judge. So we need to act and live in the light of this.

James 1:26,27 - True Religion

2011-11-05T04:00:00.000Z

James has more to say about the tongue later in the letter. Here he says that control of the tongue is a sure sign of true religion. If we cannot control our tongue then we are deceiving ourselves. He then contrasts this "false" religion with "true" religion. True religion shows itself by taking care of widows and orphans.

It is noteworthy that James uses the phrase "Religion that God our Father accepts.." There many people who talk a good game, but actually do very little. Talk may impress others, may even impress ourselves, and in our society there is great emphasis on appearances. God is impressed by actions.

Along with looking after the poor is keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. It is very easy to infected or affected by the culture around us. We need to be on our guard against this.

James 1:22-25 - Do the Word

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000Z

Part of the tragedy of the nation of Israel was that they had all the benefits of the promise of God, the Covenant, the word of God (Romans 9:4,5), but they did nothing with it. They did not believe, they did not obey. James implores them not to deceive themselves again. It is so easy to deceive ourselves. We can think because we have had an experience of the presence of God we are saved. Well the Israelites who came out of Egypt had experiences of God greater than we have, and they all died in the desert. We can think because we hear a great sermon we are blessed. Well people heard Jesus, and most of them did nothing about it. We need to believe and act on the word.
The definitive sign that we truly do believe is the actions that we take. The word shows us what we are like, what God is like, what He has done. But we then need to respond to the word. Jesus called people to follow Him, and He still does that today. We need to repent, to change our ways, and to live life His way. Then we will be truly blessed. The blessing is in the doing, not the hearing.

James 1:19-21 - Beware of your anger

2011-11-03T04:00:00.000Z

"Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry". This is the antithesis of the caricature of the typical Jew. If we are honest, it is the antithesis of the typical human being! We are quick to speak, quick to become angry. Indeed, it is what our society encourages us to become. These are actions that exalt the self. Instead we are to exalt God above all, and to give proper respect to others.

Our anger does not produce God's righteousness. Sometimes we talk about righteous anger, but we need to recognise that most of the time our anger is anything but righteous, it is about exalting self. We need to be on our guard against our anger. It will usually achieve nothing good.

"Therefore get rid of ..." Why does he say this? Because moral filth and anger typically will produce angry reactions in us. We will become angry in an attempt to cover up our sin, or to avoid facing up to it.

Instead we should humbly accept the word planted in us. Our anger will not save us, but the word of God can and will save us.

Listen to God's word, and do God's word.

James 1:13-18 - Completely reliable

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000Z

Trials often bring temptation. We can be tempted to make bad decisions. We can be tempted to do wrong things because we feel depressed or in despair. These temptations do not come from God. The temptation exists because of evil desires that still reside in us. The trials can expose the presence of these desires.

It is easy for us to think "I cannot be bothered resisting this" and just give in. This is a mistake. If full reign is given to evil desires then in the end it leads o death. We need to be resolved not to give in. Trials are a time to prepare for battle.

God only give good things. All good things come from Him, and He is not capricious. He does not change. He is not kind one minute and cruel the next. God's character is utterly reliable and consistent. So we can rely on Him completely.

His purposes for us are entirely good. He gave us new birth through the word of truth. So we can be absolutely confident that He works through everything for the good of those who love Him.

James 1:9-12 - Persevering

2011-11-01T04:00:00.000Z

We will all be in different worldly circumstances, and at various times in our lives may experience different things. Here James talks about being lowly and rich. If we are poor, then we should rejoice in our exalted position in Christ. Even if things are difficult in our life just now, we are still in Christ, and as such have the capacity to have an amazing positive impact on the world.

If we are rich, then we need to recognise that all worldly wealth, whether material, or positional, is transitory. It will pass away. James then uses the analogy of wild flowers. They are beautiful, but this is only a passing beauty. We need to recognise the fickleness of earthly wealth.

Blessed are those who persevere under trial. If we are honest, our natural reaction is usually that we are blessed the sooner we get out of the trial! This is an illusion. If we stand up under the trial then we will receive a crown of life. This is not salvation by works, but if we stand up under trial we will be blessed, our character will develop, we will become more like Christ and will know God better. There is no greater reward. So how do we do this? Well somethings we can do under trial is to pray for others, still pray for people to get saved. Seek out things that we can do to help others.

James 1:3-8 - Perseverance

2011-10-31T04:00:00.000Z

Now we get to some of the reasons of why we should consider facing trials to be pure joy. We should remember that Paul (Romans 5:3-5) and Peter (1 Peter 1:6-9) said very similar things. So there is no getting away from this lesson!

Testing produces perseverance. Perseverance is a steadfast and unshakable conviction in the truth of what God says. Trials prove that what God says is right. So when we go through trials we will eventually learn that God is even more faithful than we imagined at the outset. We need to let perseverance complete its work in us if we are to be mature.

Trials test our wisdom, because we face situations and we simply do not know what to do. If we find ourselves in such situations we are to ask God. He will give us wisdom, and He does so without finding fault. Emotions common in trials are feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. So we then deduce that God will not help us because we do not deserve it. This is wrong. He gives without finding fault. He puts us through trials so that He can rectify faults within us, not so that He can condemn us for them.

We need to have faith in God.

James 1:1,2

2011-10-30T04:00:00.000Z

James refers to himself as "a servant of God". Now he was the brother of Jesus, but he makes no mention of this. His relationship to Christ was now one with Christ as Lord. The twelve tribes scattered among the nations indicates that the letter was written to Jewish Christians throughout the nations.

These people would be facing trials on two fronts. Christians anyway were likely to have a hard time, and Jewish Christians doubly so because they would also face opposition from the Jews who would consider them traitors. Now instead of showing sympathy, James says "consider it pure joy". We come against situations and circumstances in a different spirit. Look at the life of Jesus, He reacted differently to all sorts of situations. When there were five thousand needing fed and they had five loaves and two fish, He told His disciples to feed them. When He was the victim of a show trial He reacted with calmness, authority and mercy. We need to be on our guard against our natural human reaction to events and situations. Instead we need to look for the Jesus reaction.

Note also that it says "trials of many kinds", that means it includes the trials you and I might be going through just now. Every trial is an opportunity. This is because we do not live just in our own strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of God. Jesus came to make our lives different, to make us different. Trials are often the situations where this becomes most apparent.

James - Introduction

2011-10-29T04:00:00.000+01:00

This letter was called a "right strawy epistle" by Martin Luther. Clearly he failed to understand the letter! The reason for his remarks were that the letter is very practical in what it says. A very superficial reading may lead one to think James is at odds with Paul. James believed in action, Paul in faith, but in reality there is no conflict at all.

James is the brother of Jesus, probably the eldest brother. He is not the apostle James, for he was killed by about 44 AD (Acts 12:2). James was initially opposed to Jesus, or at least definitely not for Him, not understanding Him. Clearly he later did believe, and was one of those who Jesus appeared to (1 Cor 15:7). He was a very prominent leader in the Jerusalem church.

The letter was probably written to Jewish Christians, and is an intensely practical letter. For centuries the Jews had considered themselves saved by virtue of simply being Jews. James is perhaps at pains to make sure that they do not proceed to make the same mistake, thinking that giving themselves the label Christian is enough.

Anyone who believes in "salvation by faith alone" (among which I include myself) does well to pay close attention to this letter. Any notion of salvation that does not result in practical changes in our lives is seriously in error.

Psalm 84 - Made to be with God

2011-10-28T04:07:00.000+01:00

We were created to live in fellowship with God. This is an amazing truth. There is a longing within our souls to be with God and to know Him. This Psalm expresses that longing.

But it is not just an expression of the soul, he says "my heart and my flesh cry out". Our physical being as well as our spiritual being long for God. We are only complete when we live together with God.

More than that, all of creation longs for the presence of God. In Romans 8 Paul talks about creation waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.

The whole universe was created to be in harmony with God, but God made this dependent upon mankind fulfilling his proper role.

We are blessed if we make the Lord our strength. The Valley of Baka was a dry place. If we know God then we can bring refreshment to dry places. People who know God are people who transform situations. We need to realise this. We are not under the circumstances, but are people who can rise above them.

We will go from strength to strength until we reach our final destination. We need to realise this as well. Death should hold no fear for us if we know the Lord, but death is not an escape route from life. We will go from strength to strength until the day we die.

One day in God's presence is better than a thousand elsewhere. And we will be with God forever. And the Lord protects and blesses us.

Blessed indeed are those who trust in the Lord.