Devotion For: December 17, 2016 Reading: Isaiah 33:1-24 Focus Verse: Isaiah 33:20 “Look Upon Zion, the City of Our Festivals;

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Devotion For: December 17, 2016 Reading: Isaiah 33:1-24 Focus Verse: Isaiah 33:20 “Look Upon Zion, the City of Our Festivals; Devotion for: December 17, 2016 Reading: Isaiah 33:1-24 Focus Verse: Isaiah 33:20 “Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up.” Devotion: If you have ever camped with a tent you know the importance of a good location. I have to admit that I’m not an expert. More than once while hiking as a youth, I thought I had found a suitable place to pitch my tent. A soft grassy area looked alluring. It promised me a comfortable foundation for the night’s sleep. The stakes and poles went up easily. The cords were extended to hold the tent in place, or so I thought. I discovered my mistake during the night when the wind loosened those cords. Worse still, the rains came and flooded that grassy area until my sleeping bag was soaked. Luke’s gospel tells us, “And there were shepherds in the hills keeping watch over their flocks by night.” I wonder if these shepherds, and other Bedouin Shepherds like them, ever suffered similar difficulties with their tents. In our reading for today from Isaiah 33 God gives a clear distinction between those who rely on God and those who pitch their tents elsewhere. Isaiah says that when the noise of the storm comes, one group flees and is scattered. Isaiah then speaks of the other group this way, “your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up.” (Isaiah 33:20) So, why all this talk about tents so close to Christmas? At Jesus’ birth the gospel writer John will say, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled (tented) among us.” (John 1:14) Even for tent-dwelling shepherds out on the hills keeping watch over their flocks by night, even for people like you and me, whose life too often seems caught in storms, God provides a secure tent whose stakes won’t be pulled up. We find such a tent in Jesus! Advent is a good time to reflect on where you pitch your tent. Our own tents will often be misplaced and turn out to be flimsy. In Jesus we have “a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its sakes will never be pulled up.” Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for “tabernacling among us.” Always be my secure tent. Amen .
Recommended publications
  • Sermons on the Old Testament of the Bible by Jesus of Nazareth
    Sermons on the Old Testament of the Bible by Jesus of Nazareth THROUGH DR. DANIEL G. SAMUELS This online version published by Divine Truth, USA http://www.divinetruth.com/ version 1.0 Introduction to the Online Edition For those already familiar with the messages received through James Padgett , the Samuels channelings are a blessing in that they provide continuity and integration between the teachings of the Bible and the revelations received through Mr. Padgett. Samuels’ mediumship differed from Padgett’s in that it is much more filled with detail and subtlety, which makes it a perfect supplement to the “broad strokes” that Padgett’s mediumship painted with. However, with this greater resolution of detail comes greater risk of error, and it is true that we have found factual as well as conceptual errors in some of Samuel’s writings. There are also a number of passages where the wording is perhaps not as clear as we would have wished – where it appears that there was something of a “tug-of-war” going on between Samuels’ and Jesus’ mind. In upcoming editions we will attempt to notate these passages, but for now the reader is advised (as always) to read these messages with a prayerful heart, asking that their Celestial guides assist them in understanding the true intended meaning of these passages. The following is an excerpt from a message received from Jesus regarding the accuracy and clarity of Dr. Samuels’ mediumship: Received through KS 6-10-92 I am here now to write...and we are working with what is known as a "catch 22" on earth at this time, which means that it's very difficult to convince someone about the accuracy and clarity of a medium -through the use of mediumistic means.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Isaiah Overview
    The Book of Isaiah Overview “When Scripture Speaks, God Speaks.” — Augustine Background and Genre: • Isaiah is one of the Major Prophets writing around 740 BC. • Isaiah is the third-largest written book, behind Jeremiah and the Psalms. • The book of Isaiah is itself the major source of its information. • Background material is contained in 2 Kings 15-21 and 2 Chronicles 26-33. • Contemporary prophets were Amos and Hosea, prophets to the Northern Kingdom. • Isaiah and Micah wrote to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. • He prophesied during the reign of Uzziah (or Azariah as noted in 2 Kings), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. • Jewish tradition informs us that Isaiah was probably an aristocrat because of his easy access to Kings. “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub.” Isaiah 7:3 Theology: “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46-48 God • Isaiah proclaims an awesome God, dwelling in a high and holy place. “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Isaiah 57:15 • He has a plan for the whole world, and is sovereign, even to the last detail of creation and the plan for redemption.
    [Show full text]
  • Symbols in the Book of Revelation and Their Literal Meaning According to Other Passages of Scripture
    Symbols in the Book of Revelation and Their Literal Meaning According to Other Passages of Scripture One vital basic rule of bible study is to compare Scripture with In the Footsteps of John: Scripture. Isaiah 28:9-10 “Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall Walking through the Book of Revelation He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept with John the Revelator upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little”. www.lrhartley.com/john 1 Corinthians 2:13 “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual”. The prophecies of the book of Revelation have only 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and one correct interpretation, and there is only one way to is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in discover it: allow the bible to interpret itself. righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”. Angel Messenger ........................................................................ Daniel 8:16, 9:21; Luke 1:19,26; Hebrews 1:14 Ark of Testimony Ark of covenant; The mercy seat where God dwells ....... Exodus 25:10-22; Psalm 80:1 Babylon Religious apostasy; confusion ......................................... Genesis 10:8-10, 11:6-9: Revelation 18:2,3; 17:1-5 Balaam, Doctrine of Balaam Advancing our own interests, compromise, idolatry ....... Numbers 22:5-25 Beast Kingdom, government, political power ..........................
    [Show full text]
  • Manifestations of God: Theophanies in the Hebrew Prophets and the Revelation of John Kyle Ronchetto Macalester College, [email protected]
    Macalester College DigitalCommons@Macalester College Classics Honors Projects Classics Department 2017 Manifestations of God: Theophanies in the Hebrew Prophets and the Revelation of John Kyle Ronchetto Macalester College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/classics_honors Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Classics Commons Recommended Citation Ronchetto, Kyle, "Manifestations of God: Theophanies in the Hebrew Prophets and the Revelation of John" (2017). Classics Honors Projects. 24. http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/classics_honors/24 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Classics Department at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Classics Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD: THEOPHANIES IN THE HEBREW PROPHETS AND THE REVELATION OF JOHN Kyle Ronchetto Advisor: Nanette Goldman Department: Classics March 30, 2017 Table of Contents Introduction........................................................................................................................1 Chapter I – God in the Hebrew Bible..............................................................................4 Introduction to Hebrew Biblical Literature...............................................................4 Ideas and Images of God..........................................................................................4
    [Show full text]
  • "Who Shall Ascend Into the Mountain of the Lord?": Three Biblical Temple Entrance Hymns
    "Who Shall Ascend into the Mountain of the Lord?": Three Biblical Temple Entrance Hymns Donald W. Parry A number of the psalms in the biblical Psalter1 pertain directly to the temple2 and its worshipers. For instance, Psalms 29, 95, and 100 pertain to worshipers who praise the Lord as he sits enthroned in his temple; Psalm 30 is a hymn that was presumably sung at the dedication of Solomon’s temple; Psalms 47, 93, and 96 through 99 are kingship and enthronement psalms that celebrate God’s glory as king over all his creations; Psalms 48, 76, 87, and 122 are hymns that relate to Zion and her temple; Psalm 84 is a pilgrim’s song, which was perhaps sung by temple visitors as soon as they “came within sight of the Holy City”;3 Psalm 118 is a thanksgiving hymn with temple themes; Psalms 120 through 134 are ascension texts with themes pertaining to Zion and her temple, which may have been sung by pilgrims as they approached the temple; and Psalm 150, with its thirteen attestations of “praise,” lists the musical instruments used by temple musicians, including the trumpet, lute, harp, strings, pipe, and cymbals. In all, perhaps a total of one-third of the biblical psalms have temple themes. It is well known that during the days of the temple of Jerusalem temple priests were required to heed certain threshold laws, or gestures of approach, such as anointings, ablutions, vesting with sacred clothing, and sacrices.4 What is less known, however, is the requirement placed on temple visitors to subscribe to strict moral qualities.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah Commentaries & Sermons
    Isaiah Commentaries & Sermons SONG OF SOLOMON JEREMIAH NEWEST ADDITIONS: Verse by verse Commentary on Isaiah 53 (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) - Bruce Hurt Verse by verse Commentary on Isaiah 35 - Bruce Hurt ISAIAH RESOURCES Commentaries, Sermons, Illustrations, Devotionals Click chart to enlarge Click chart to enlarge Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission Another Isaiah Chart see on right side Caveat: Some of the commentaries below have "jettisoned" a literal approach to the interpretation of Scripture and have "replaced" Israel with the Church, effectively taking God's promises given to the literal nation of Israel and "transferring" them to the Church. Be a Berean Acts 17:11-note! ISAIAH ("Jehovah is Salvation") See Excellent Timeline for Isaiah - page 39 JEHOVAH'S JEHOVAH'S Judgment & Character Comfort & Redemption (Isaiah 1-39) (Isaiah 40-66) Uzziah Hezekiah's True Suffering Reigning Jotham Salvation & God Messiah Lord Ahaz Blessing 1-12 13-27 28-35 36-39 40-48 49-57 58-66 Prophecies Prophecies Warnings Historical Redemption Redemption Redemption Regarding Against & Promises Section Promised: Provided: Realized: Judah & the Nations Israel's Israel's Israel's Jerusalem Deliverance Deliverer Glorious Is 1:1-12:6 Future Prophetic Historic Messianic Holiness, Righteousness & Justice of Jehovah Grace, Compassion & Glory of Jehovah God's Government God's Grace "A throne" Is 6:1 "A Lamb" Is 53:7 Time 740-680BC OTHER BOOK CHARTS ON ISAIAH Interesting Facts About Isaiah Isaiah Chart The Book of Isaiah Isaiah Overview Chart by Charles Swindoll Visual Overview Introduction to Isaiah by Dr John MacArthur: Title, Author, Date, Background, Setting, Historical, Theological Themes, Interpretive Challenges, Outline by Chapter/Verse.
    [Show full text]
  • DAILY BREAD the WORD of GOD in a YEAR by the Late Rev
    DAILY BREAD THE WORD OF GOD IN A YEAR By the late Rev. R. M. M’Cheyne, M.A. THE ADVANTAGES • The whole Bible will be read through in an orderly manner in the course of a year. • Read the Old Testament once, the New Testament and Acts twice. Many of you may never have read the whole Bible, and yet it is all equally divine.“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect.” If we pass over some parts of Scripture, we will be incomplete Christians. • Time will not be wasted in choosing what portions to read. • Often believers are at a loss to determine towards which part of the mountains of spices they should bend their steps. Here the question will be solved at once in a very simple manner. • The pastor will know in which part of the pasture the flock are feeding. • He will thus be enabled to speak more suitably to them on the sabbath; and both pastor and elders will be able to drop a word of light and comfort in visiting from house to house, which will be more readily responded to. • The sweet bond of Christian unity will be strengthened. • We shall often be lead to think of those dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, who agree to join with us in reading these portions. We shall more often be led to agree on earth, touching something we shall ask of God.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 33 Lesson 23: a Magnificent Vision of the King in His Glorious Triump
    ISAIAH 33 LESSON 23: A MAGNIFICENT VISION OF THE KING IN HIS GLORIOUS TRIUMP I. MAIN IDEA This chapter gives a magnificent vision of the victory of King Jesus over all his foes, giving hope to all who trust in him (Davis). Isaiah 33 seems to anticipate an impending attack by the Assyrians, and this is a prayer by desperate people (Smallman). II. BACKGROUND Chapter 33 describes the last minute turning to the Lord which took place in Jerusalem, led by king Hezekiah, when Sennacherib’s envoys were at the gates (701 BC). Previously, Judah’s king Ahaz had made an alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16:7) but now Assyria is breaking it. This final ‘woe’ is directed toward Assyria because they are about to attack Jerusalem. At last, God’s people have learned their lesson and cast themselves on the Lord’s mercy. God responds and destroys the Assyrians and prophetically tells them of the future New Jerusalem where the inhabitants will never experience such dread. III. SUMMARY Figure 1 Chapter 33 sequence of events EVENT #1: WOE TO THE ASSYRIANS (33:1) Chapter 33 describes the last minute turning to the Lord which took place in Jerusalem, led by king Hezekiah, when Sennacherib’s envoys were at the gates (701 BC). Previously, Judah’s king Ahaz had made an alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16:7) but now Assyria is breaking it. This final ‘woe’ is directed toward Assyria because they are about to attack Jerusalem. 33:1. The destroyer is Assyria. Previously, King Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, foolishly made an alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16:7).
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Isaiah on the Gospel of John
    The Influence of Isaiah on the Gospel of John JAMES HAMILTON Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary ABSTRACT. This article seeks to catalogue the connections between the pro- phecy of Isaiah and the Gospel of John. The study is organized according to whom the Gospel presents as making the connection: the evangelist, the Baptist, and Jesus. Further, the connections between John and Isaiah are clas- sified as either !direct fulfillments," where citation formulas are used, or as !thematic connections," where the correspondence between Isaiah and John is broader. The article seeks to establish a foundation for further study of John#s use of Isaiah by establishing the extent to which Isaianic influence may be discerned in the Fourth Gospel. Introduction A professor of English Literature once related an anecdote a- bout an undergraduate student who expressed delight in read- ing Shakespeare, because, the student said, !Shakespeare uses so many cliches." The student, of course, had it backwards. Sha- kespeare gave countless turns of phrase to the common stock of English idiom. It might be suggested that the prophecy of Isaiah had a similar impact upon the theological and religious vocabu- lary of early Judaism.1 If Isaiah is the Shakespeare of early Juda- 1 H. S. Songer writes, !Isaiah possesses crucial significance for the New Tes- tament. The book is referred to more than four hundred times, making it a- long with Psalms the most popular Old Testament book. Every gospel writer quotes Isaiah in the very first chapter of his work, and nearly every writer of the New Testament refers to it".
    [Show full text]
  • Posted September 19, 2020 09–20–2020 Isaiah 33.1–24 Bible Study Read Isaiah 33:1–24
    Posted September 19, 2020 09–20–2020 Isaiah 33.1–24 Bible Study Read Isaiah 33:1–24. I will print the Net–2 translation. THE LORD WILL RESTORE ZION v. 1: The destroyer is as good as dead, you who have not been destroyed! The deceitful one is as good as dead, the one whom others have not deceived! When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed; when you finish deceiving, others will deceive you! 2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning. Deliver us when distress comes. 3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; the nations scatter when you spring into action! 4 Your plunder disappears as if locusts were eating it; they swarm over it like locusts. 5 The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness. 6 He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him. 7 Look, ambassadors cry out in the streets; messengers sent to make peace weep bitterly. 8 Highways are empty; there are no travelers. Treaties are broken; witnesses are despised, human life is treated with disrespect. 9 The land dries up and withers away; the forest of Lebanon shrivels up and decays. Sharon is like the arid rift valley; Bashan and Carmel are parched. 10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “Now I will exalt myself; now I will magnify myself. 11 You conceive straw, you give birth to chaff; your breath is a fire that destroys you.
    [Show full text]
  • Isaiah 202 1 Edition Dr
    Notes on Isaiah 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable TITLE AND WRITER The title of this book of the Bible, as is true of the other prophetical books, comes from its writer. The book claims to have come from Isaiah (1:1; 2:1; 7:3; 13:1; 20:2; 37:2, 6, 21; 38:1, 4, 21; 39:3, 5, 8), and Jesus Christ and the apostles quoted him as being the writer at least 21 times, more often than they quoted all the other writing prophets combined. There are also many more quotations and allusions to Isaiah in the New Testament without reference to Isaiah being the writer. Kenneth Hanna wrote that there are more than 400 quotations from or allusions to the Book of Isaiah in the New Testament.1 J. A. Alexander noted that 47 of the 66 chapters of Isaiah are either quoted or alluded to in the New Testament, and that the 21 quotations attributed directly to Isaiah were drawn from chapters 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 29, 40, 42, 53, 61, and 65.2 The only Old Testament book referred to more frequently than Isaiah in the New Testament is Psalms. "It would be difficult to overstate the importance of Isaiah for the Christology of the church."3 The name of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, is the only one connected with the book in any of the Hebrew manuscripts or ancient versions. Josephus, the Jewish historian who wrote at the end of the first century A.D., believed that Isaiah wrote this book.
    [Show full text]
  • Book of Isaiah by David E
    Bible Study Questions on The Book of Isaiah by David E. Pratte A workbook suitable for Bible classes, family studies, or personal Bible study Available in print at www.gospelway.com/sales Bible Study Questions on the Book of Isaiah: A workbook suitable for Bible classes, family studies, or personal Bible study © Copyright David E. Pratte, 2013, 2014 All rights reserved ISBN-13: 978-1499794298 ISBN-10: 1499794290 Printed books, booklets, and tracts available at www.gospelway.com/sales Free Bible study articles online at www.gospelway.com Free Bible courses online at www.biblestudylessons.com Free class books at www.biblestudylessons.com/classbooks Free commentaries on Bible books at www.gospelway.com/commentary Contact the author at www.gospelway.com/comments Note carefully: No teaching in any of our materials is intended or should ever be construed to justify or to in any way incite or encourage personal vengeance or physical violence against any person. “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” – 1 Corinthians 1:31 Front Page Photo Sennacherib Prism (housed in Oriental Institute) – A record of the annals of Sennacharib, king of Assyria, including his siege of Jerusalem under Hezekiah. The translation of the prism says: “As for Hezekiah, the Judean, who did not submit to my yoke, 46 of his strong, fortified cities, as well as small cities in their vicinity without number - I beseiged and captured ... Himself, like a caged bird I shut up in Jerusalem, his royal city ... and he sent rich tribute to me in Nineveh.” (Note that he did not
    [Show full text]