Isaiah 22
Vision of death in Jerusalem verse 1- 5
The burden of the valley of vision
What ails thee now that you are wholly gone
up to the housetops?
You that are full of stirs – a tumultuous city – a joyous city
your slain men are not slain with the sword
nor dead in battle
All your rulers are fled together
they are bound by the archers
all that are found in you are bound together
which have fled from far
THEREFORE said I
Look away from me – I will weep bitterly
labor not to comfort me
BECAUSE of the spoiling of the daughter of my people
For it is a day of trouble – treading down
perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts
in the valley of vision
breaking down the walls
and of crying to the mountains
Elamites are conquering Jerusalem verse 6- 7
AND Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen
and Kir uncovered the shield
AND it shall come to pass – that your choicest valleys
shall be full of chariots and the horsemen shall
set themselves in array at the gate
Israelites never look to the LORD verse 8- 11
AND he discovered the covering of Judah
and you did look in that day
to the armor of the house of the forest
You have seen also the breaches of the city of David
that they are many and you gathered together
the waters of the lower pool
And you have numbered the houses of Jerusalem
and the houses have you broken down to fortify the wall
You made also a ditch between the two walls
for the water of the old pool
BUT you have not looked unto the MAKER thereof
neither had respect unto HIM that fashioned it long ago
LORD asks for repentance verse 12- 13
AND IN THAT DAY
did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping
and to mourning – baldness
girding with sackcloth
and behold joy and gladness – slaying oxen
killing sheep – eating flesh – drinking wine
let us eat and drink for tomorrow
we shall die
LORD states no forgiveness verse 14
AND it was revealed in mine ears
by the LORD of hosts
Surely this iniquity shall not be purged
from you till you die
says the Lord GOD of hosts
Isaiah’s message to Shebna verse 15- 19
Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts
Go – get the unto this treasurer – even unto Shebna
which is over the house – and say
What have you here? and whom has you here
that have hewed you out a out a sepulcher here
as he that hews him out a sepulcher on high
and that graves an habitation for
himself in a rock?
Behold the LORD will carry
you away with a mighty captivity
and will surely cover you
HE will surely violently turn and toss you
like a ball into a large country
there shall you die
and there the chariots of your glory shall be
the shame of your lord’s house
And I will drive you from your station
and from your state shall HE pull you down
Isaiah’s message continues with Eliakim verse 20- 24
And it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY
that I will call MY servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah
and I will clothe him with your robe
and strengthen him with your girdle
and I will commit your government into his hand
and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem – to the house of Judah
And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder
so he shall open – and none shall shut
and he shall shut – and none shall open
And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place
and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house
And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house
the offspring and the issue – all vessels of small quantity
all vessels of small quantity – from the vessels of cups
even to all the vessels of flagons
LORD predicts the fall verse 25
IN THAT DAY – says the LORD of hosts
shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed
and be cut down – and fall
AND the burden that was upon it shall be cut off
for the LORD hath spoken it
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 13 Ad behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink: for tomorrow we shall die. (8057 “gladness” [simchah] means mirth, joy, jubilation, pleasure, gaiety, or hold a feast.)
DEVOTION: We have all heard that one of the rulers of Rome fiddled while Rome burned. It seems that here we have the children of Israel having a party while the enemy was coming. They thought they were going to die. They were not counting on God or anyone else they were only thinking of having a good time until they were killed.
What was the alterative? They could have repented and prayed and the LORD would have delivered them. This didn’t happen. They were thinking only of themselves and not the God who had helped them in the past.
This is happening even today. We find that people who call themselves Christians are not concerned with obeying the LORD as HE reveals HIS will in the Bible but they are more concerned with being accepted by society. The Israelites were thinking the same thoughts.
We need to take a stand for the LORD. If we are living with a group of sinners who are thinking only of themselves even when they attend church or are religious we need to step out in faith like Isaiah and some other true believers.
Our attitude affects our faith. If we think there is no hope and we don’t believe in prayer then failure is sure. If we realize that God is still willing to forgive a repentant sinner and we repent and ask the LORD for deliverance not only an individual can be effected but a whole nation.
Where are we today? Do we need men and women to step out in faith and confess their sin and ask the LORD to deliver our nation? Can the LORD still give deliverance even today?
CHALLENGE: Faith is believing that God can still do the impossible. There is no impossible situation with God.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 12-13 “And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982)
DEVOTION: The Israelites were being besieged and the impending destruction was evident. Isaiah had been warning the people but they refused to listen and to repent. Instead of repenting in weeping and mourning, expressed by sackcloth and shaving of the head, the people were partying and preparing to die. They had completely turned away from God and Isaiah’s message.
When the impossible situation occurs in our lives we have choices we must make as well. Are we going to trust the Lord regardless of the circumstances or eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die?
Recently a family was given a choice like what Israel was facing. The father had been ill for a long period of time and not regaining his health. The team of doctors sat down with the family and gave them two options: take him home and begin long term care or face life threatening surgery to remove and repair damaged tissue. The doctors were not optimistic and the family wavered in their decision. Finally the father spoke and said he desired to see his children graduate so the surgery was scheduled.
Choices are not easy and decisions at times are life threatening but God will direct the paths as we trust Him. Isaiah was the spokesman for Israel and God places people in our lives to speak to us and assure us of His presence. Are you willing to listen to God’s spokesman even when it is not what you desire to hear?
CHALLENGE: When no choice looks appealing or beneficial trust the person of God that has consistently been faithful in telling you the whole counsel of God! Knowing when God is punishing and when He is moving to demonstrate His power and judgment upon people can be difficult initially to recognize. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (4668 “key” [maphteach] means a medal instrument to turn and so unlock a bolt or lock, an opener, or opening instrument.)
DEVOTION: Repentance is a key word in the work of God in the lives of HIS people. Repentance is a turning from one direction to the opposite direction.
This chapter is communicating of a time when the LORD was calling for repentance because judgment was coming. The LORD wanted them to weep, mourn, pull out their hair and wear sackcloth. They did just the opposite.
They said to themselves that they needed to eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow they would die. They had no regard for the LORD. They wanted nothing to do with repentance. They didn’t want to change their ways, even with an enemy at the doorway.
The Assyrians were an enemy. The Babylonians were an enemy. They tried to trust in their own defenses against these enemies. They planned to get themselves ready for the attacks. They left God out of their plans.
This chapter gives us two types of leaders. Shebna was only thinking of himself and his future glory. He wanted to build himself a sepulcher that would honor him in his death. He thought a large sepulcher would make him famous for generations to come. However, Isaiah told him that he would die without glory in a foreign land.
The second leader was Eliakim. He was called a servant of God. He was given a key, which symbolized authority. It was basically something that was used to open doors or lock doors. He was going to open doors of peace for the people. He was going to have the authority of David behind him. He was going to honor the LORD. He was going to be a sure foundation for the people to look up too.
We know that the one who has the key of the house of David now is the LORD. HE is the one who opens and closes doors for us now. The book of Revelation, we have the key of David given to the church of Philadelphia. This is the missionary church.
This is a church that the LORD has no complaints against. Our churches today should be missionary churches. We need to realize that there are still open doors available to us for witness. There is only one way to heaven and that is through the LORD Jesus Christ.
Are we sharing our faith? Do we believe that there is only one way to heaven? Do all religions lead to the heaven of the Bible? The answer to the last question is NO! Only Biblical churches with the message of salvation have the way to heaven that is found in the Bible. We have to sensitive to HIS leading in our lives.
CHALLENGE: Be a missionary right where you are now. If you are faithful in your neighborhood the LORD might use you in HIS service in other places. There are open doors around you NOW!!! Start knocking!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it. (3489 “nail” [yathed] means peg, an image of a firm and stable abode, prince, security or support.)
DEVOTION: Leadership is important in any organization or nation. Leaders are necessary if there is going to be growth. A good leader will honor the LORD. The nation of Israel had many leaders who didn’t love the LORD.
Here we have an example of someone the LORD has picked for leadership but he was going to fail. The people need to follow their leader. If there are no followers than the person in front is not leading very well.
In verse 20 we find Isaiah relaying what the LORD had told him to say regarding a man named Eliakim. The LORD was going to strengthen him. The LORD was going to commit the government to him. The LORD was even going to give him the key to the house of David. He was going to be able to open door that no one could shut and close doors that no one could open.
Isaiah continues to relay what the LORD states by telling of HIS placing him as a peg in a sure place. He was going to be a leader with stability. He was going to reign on the throne of David. On him was all the glory of David’s house going to fall.
However, there was coming a day when he would be removed from office. All of the security of the nation was going to be gone. The LORD was going to cut him off. Why? It was because of their disobedience to the LORD. Jerusalem had turned into a party town. They were only interested in eating, drinking and living life to the fullest. There was no interest in serving the LORD.
We need leaders who will lead people in the path that the LORD wants them to follow. But we also need people to follow such leaders. If the people will not follow leaders who are true to the LORD then it will be a problem. What is the LORD going to do? HE is going to judge the people for not following a faithful leader.
CHALLENGE: If you are not a leader find one who is a Biblical leader and follow him. If you are a leader only lead the people following you to Biblical truth.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 5, 12, 14, 15
GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 5, 12, 14, 15
Lord GOD of hosts verse 5, 12, 14, 15
Maker verse 11
LORD – Jehovah verse 14, 17, 25
LORD of hosts verse 14, 25
HE will violently turn and toss Israel verse 18
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Rulers verse 3
Archers verse 3
Elam verse 6
Chariots of men verse 6, 7
Kir verse 6
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Spoiling verse 4
Not looked to Maker verse 11
No respect for God verse 11
Wrong philosophy verse 13
Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die verse 13
Iniquity verse 14
Shame verse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Comfort verse 4
Day of weeping and mourning verse 12
Servant verse 20
Strength verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Valley of Vision verse 1, 5
Tumultuous city verse 2
Joyous city verse 2
Daughter of my people verse 4
Day of trouble verse 5
Judah verse 8, 21
Breaches in City of David verse 9
Jerusalem verse 10, 21
Houses broken down to fortify the wall verse 10
Weeping, mourning, and baldness
and girding with sackcloth verse 12
Shebna – treasurer verse 15- 19
Captivity verse 17
lord’s house verse 18
Eliakim – God’s servant verse 20- 25
Cloth him with robe
Strengthen
He shall open and none shall shut
He shall shut and none shall open
LORD will fasten him in a sure place
Have a glorious throne to his father’s house
Hang on him glory
House of David verse 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
In that day verse 12, 25
Sepulchre verse 16
Die verse 18
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QUOTES regarding passage
Regarding the verbs in verse 3 we need to bear in mind that, in Hebrew, ‘tenses’ represent types rather than times of action. The ‘perfect tense’ (used here) stands for certainty or completedness and can therefore refer to the past (an action already completed), or the present (action ‘this day’, done decisively) or the future (an action so settled that its certainty can be assumed). (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Vol. 20: Isaiah: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (173). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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The certainty and stability of David’s throne is pictured as a nail fastened in a sure place (Isa 22:23, cf. Zech 10:4). However, before God establishes the true kingdom, the false rulership, as a securely fastened peg, and all that relies on it will give way (Isa 22:25). (Hartley, J. E. (1999). 932 יתד. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (419). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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13. Isaiah returns to the theme of verse 2 and reveals why he found their jollity so offensive: they were applauding human works (8–11) and contradicting the mind of God (12). For tomorrow we die: it is most unlikely that they said these words for, with their walls and water, this was the very thing they thought they had secured themselves against. The prophet is not reporting their words but verbalizing their attitudes (see on 28:14–15). In their denial of the significance of the spiritual dimension of life, they were in fact affirming that if what they had done did not save them, nothing could. (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 176). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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12–14 In commenting on 17:10, we noted Isaiah’s inspired sense of appropriateness in his choice of titles for God. In view of this, there is something ominous about the use (v.12) of a title of power—the Lord Almighty,—instead of one of relationship, like “the God of Israel.” The same title is repeated twice in v.14. If the people would not seek his grace in repentance, they would feel his power (cf. 1 Cor 4:21) in a terrifying act of his judgment on their city. The prophet’s sense of fitness is outraged by the scene that presents itself to him as he walks through Jerusalem’s streets (v.13). They should have been thronged with its people, contrite in spirit, making their way to the temple in a corporate act of penitence. He probably has in mind some time during the siege when all that could be done to prepare for an onslaught by the enemy had been done, and when the people used their leisure in the spirit of the modern saying “You are a long time dead!”
Verse 14 contains one of the Bible’s most terrifying sentences, comparable perhaps to the words of Revelation 22:11. The revelers had probably slaughtered the animals used by them for their feasts at Jerusalem’s temple. Let them not think though that any sacrifice could be offered to atone for this sin. At the very time when God’s promises to protect Jerusalem were being so wonderfully fulfilled, the threat was given that the city would most certainly fall one day before its enemies and that nothing, just nothing, could avert the judgment of God on it. (Grogan, G. W. (1986). Isaiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 142). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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22:12–14. When the people saw the enemy they should have repented, realizing they were helpless before the Assyrians. Pulling out their hair (cf. Ezra 9:3; Neh. 13:25) and wearing sackcloth (cf. comments on Isa. 3:24) were signs of mourning. But instead of mourning (22:12) the Jerusalemites “lived it up” in revelry (cf. v. 2), banqueting, and wine-drinking in the face of their impending death (tomorrow we die, v. 13). They did not believe God was powerful enough to save them and to follow through on His promises. Therefore a pronouncement of woe came to the people through Isaiah: this sin of lack of trust in the Lord would not be atoned for. Eventually the curses of the Mosaic Covenant (Lev. 26:14–39; Deut. 27:15–26; 28:15–68) would come on the nation of Judah. (Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1070). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The people of Judah were behaving like their pagan neighbors, so it was only right that Isaiah should include them in the list of nations God would judge. Yes, in His mercy, the Lord would deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrian army; but He would not deliver them from Babylon. Isaiah pointed out two particular sins that would cause Judah to decline and ultimately go into Captivity in Babylon.
The unbelief of the people (Isa. 22:1–14). While some parts of this description may seem to apply to the Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah’s day (chaps. 36–37; 2 Kings 18–19; 2 Chron. 32), the primary reference is to the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. In Isaiah’s day, Jerusalem was a “joyous city” as people engaged in all kinds of celebrations (Isa. 5:11–13; 32:12–13). The popular philosophy was, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die” (22:13; 56:12; 1 Cor. 15:32). But the prophet did not participate in the parties, for he saw a day coming when death and destruction would reign in the City of David. The people went up to the housetops, but the prophet went down into one of the three valleys around Jerusalem; and there God gave him a vision. Visions and valleys often go together.
He saw people dying, not from battle wounds, but from famine and disease (Isa. 22:2). He saw the nation’s rulers fleeing in fear as the enemy army approached (vv. 3–7; 2 Kings 25:1–10). The people would do everything possible to prepare for a long siege (Isa. 22:8–11): collecting armor (1 Kings 7:2; 10:17), fortifying the walls (Isa. 22:9–10), servicing the water supply (v. 9; 2 Chron. 32:1–4, 30; 2 Kings 20:20), and building a reservoir between the walls (Isa. 22:11). But all of this frantic preparation would not deliver them from the enemy. “The defenses of Judah are stripped away” (v. 8, NIV). In their false confidence, they said, “Just as the Lord delivered Jerusalem from Assyria, so He will deliver us from Babylon.”
The people did everything but trust the Lord (v. 11). Instead of feasting, they should have been fasting, weeping, putting on sackcloth, and pulling out their hair in grief (v. 12; Ezra 9:3; James 4:8–10). God had sent the nation many prophets to warn them, but the people would not listen. Now it was too late; their sins could not be forgiven because their hearts were hard. Judah would go into captivity, and God’s word to Isaiah would be fulfilled (Isa. 6:9–13). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (pp. 53–55). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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22:13 Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die. Paul cites the same philosophy (1Co 15:32): If there is no resurrection, enjoyment in this life is all that matters. It utterly disregards God’s eternal values. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 22:13). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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There seemed to be no true realization either of their danger nor of their lamentably low spiritual condition. When they should have been humbled before the Lord, waiting upon Him with fasting and prayer and other evidences of repentance, they were feasting and rejoicing, living as though life was only intended for merriment and frivolity. Their motto seemed to be “let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.” It will be remembered that the Apostle Paul quotes these words when, in the fifteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, he demonstrates the folly of those who, while professing to be saved through faith in Christ, yet denied the Resurrection. This would leave Christians absolutely hopeless. For Christ’s name’s sake they gave up the pleasures of the world and yet they would have nothing to look forward to in eternity. Why not then take the ground of the Epicurean poets, Aratus and Cleanthes, who also expressed exactly the same sentiment as that of the careless, materialistic Jews of Isaiah’s day?—for they too wrote, “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” To every thoughtful person this is the height of folly. It is a tremendously serious thing to be alive in a world like this and to know that an eternity of either happiness or misery lies beyond. Surely then every sensible man would recognize the fact that life is not given to be frittered away in pleasure-seeking, but to be used sensibly and in the fear of God, “with eternity’s values in view.”…..
Eliakim was a trustworthy man, a true statesman, and loyal servant of Hezekiah. He was a statesman, not a mere politician. He was motivated by sincere love for his country and characterized by the fear of God. He was to take the office vacated by Shebna. To him was to be committed the key of David, that is, the key to the royal treasury, over which he was given authority to open and close as he saw fit. In this we see a very clear type of our blessed Lord, who uses the very expressions which we have here when He addresses the church in Philadelphia, Revelation 3:7: “These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” To those who look up to Him as their divinely-given Guide and Protector, He opens the treasure-house of divine truth, revealing to them the precious things which God has stored away in His Word. Eliakim was to be as a nail, fastened in a sure place. The reference is to the wooden peg, driven into the supporting post of a tent. Upon this peg were hung vessels used in camp-life and the garments of those dwelling in the tent. So upon Eliakim would depend the means of refreshment and comfort which God had provided for His people.
We may see in this figure an illustration of the security of those who have put their trust in Christ for salvation. He is, indeed, a nail fastened in a sure place, and upon Him may be hung the various vessels, from the little cups to the large flagons. Their safe-keeping consists not in their own ability to cling to the nail, but in the fact that they are hung upon that nail so that they remain in security so long as the nail itself abides in its place, and for our blessed Lord there will never be any failure. While the old creation fell in Adam, the new creation stands in Christ, upon whom all the glory of the house of God is suspended. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 128–129). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 13. Behold joy and gladness, &c.] As if it was a time of rejoicing, rather than of weeping and mourning; and as if they were at a festival, and in the greatest prosperity and liberty, and not besieged by a powerful army: slaying oxen, and killing sheep; not for sacrifice, to make atonement for sin, as typical of the great sacrifice; but to eat, and that not as at ordinary meals, or merely for the support of life, but as at feasts, where, as there was great plenty, so luxury and intemperance were indulged; just as Belshazzar did, at the same time that Babylon was beset by the army of the Medes and Persians, Dan. 5:1, 30 so the Jews here, having taken the armour out of the treasury, and furnished the soldiers with them, and took care of provisions of bread and water, and having repaired and fortified the walls of the city, thought themselves secure, and gave up themselves to feasting, mirth, and pleasure: saying, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die; which they said, not as believing their case to be desperate; that the next day, or in a few days, their city would be taken by the Assyrians, and they should be put to the sword, and therefore, since they had but a short life to live, they would live a merry one; but rather as not believing it, but scoffing at the prophet, and at the word of the Lord by him; as if they should say, the prophet says we shall die tomorrow, or we are in great danger of being suddenly destroyed; but let us not be dismayed at such words, and to shew that we don’t believe them, or if this is our case, let us take our fill of pleasure, whilst we may have it. This is the language of epicures, and of such that disbelieve the resurrection of the dead, and a future state, to whom the apostle applies the words in 1 Cor. 15:32. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 123). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Many are content to sit around in the pews singing, “ Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” They are resigned to this interpretation of the will of God: “Whatever God wants to do is fine with me.” They are passively resigned.
But are they willing to hear the voice of God and obey HIS bidding, and do what He wants them to do? That would become active participation and acceptance of the will of God. It would mean bringing th entire life into accord with New Testament teaching. (p.99)
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It is quite simple. God heard Elijah because Elijah had heard God. (p. 99)
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It is my conviction that one of the reasons we exhibit very little spiritual power is because we are unwilling to accept and experience the fellowship of the Savior’s sufferings, which means acceptance of His cross. (p. 100)
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The true saints of God have always borne witness that wholehearted obedience brings the cross into the light quicker than anything else. (p. 102) (I Talk Back to the Devil by A. W. Tozer)
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The Power of a Sound Mind
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
The gift spoken of in the previous verse is based on a transfer of authority from God, and we are exhorted to “stir up” that gift (2 Timothy 1:6) because God did not give us a “spirit of fear.” The word fear (deilia) stresses timidity or cowardice, not terror. The gift does not function well if we are too timid to use it.
The gift referred to is not power. That spiritual gift comes with dunamis—the innate ability to do the gift. Whatever the Holy Spirit has gifted us with upon our entrance into the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:11), that gift comes with the power necessary to implement and use that gift.
The gift also comes with love. Again, love is not the gift. It is only part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that comes with the gift. Were it not for the reflection in us of the unilateral and sacrificial love of our Redeemer, these supernatural gifts could well be misused, distorted, and abused for personal glory. Diotrephes misused his gift, failing to use the spirit of love (3 John 1:9).
Sophronismos (sound mind) is a unique Greek word that is a combination of the verbs “to save” and “to control.” Its basic meaning would be “safe control” or “wholesome control”— perhaps even “control that saves”—the perfect combination of abilities that empower the gift, the love that keeps the gift focused on others, and the “safety controls” to keep it from doing damage unwittingly.
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Genesis 21
Abraham and Sarah rejoice in the birth of the son of promise.
INSIGHT
Perhaps we do not celebrate enough — often enough or grandly enough. Perhaps we do not make enough out of the good things God does for us.
Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. Certainly that was a cultural event.
It would seem odd to celebrate the same event today. Yet there are other things we could celebrate within our culture, but we don’t.
When was the last time you made a big deal out of something important? Perhaps a high school or college graduation. A successful music recital. Climbing a mountain, or running a marathon.
God has created us with emotions that make life a richer experience for us. Perhaps we should celebrate more — in both quantity and quality. (Quiet Walk)
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THE HOUSE OF CORNELIUS
And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
Acts 11:15
You can say that the Day of Pentecost was the day of public inauguration of the Church as the Body of Christ. There was something new there that had never been before. There is a sense in which you can speak of the Church in the Old Testament, yes, but it is not the same as the Church was subsequent to the Day of Pentecost
Look at what happened in the house of Cornelius. Peter, of course, as a Jew would obviously have found it very difficult to believe that Gentiles could really come into this unity. That was why the vision was given to him as he was there on the top of the house. As he was praying he saw a great sheet coming down with clean and unclean animals and birds upon it, and he heard God’s voice telling him to kill and eat. God said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15).
But is there not a further suggestion that even that vision was not enough? Certainly it was enough to take Peter to the house of Cornelius and to preach as he did. But even while Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit descended upon Cornelius and his household. And Peter and the Jews were amazed at this. They could not quite understand it, but they had to face the facts as they heard these other people speak with tongues and magnify God. “They of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 10:45).
The thing that Peter later emphasized was that while he was speaking, the Holy Spirit descended upon them: “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). Now you see what was happening. God was declaring that the Church was to consist of Jews and Gentiles.
A Thought to Ponder: God was declaring that the Church was to consist of Jews and Gentiles. (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 36-37, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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Cindy writes (NY): – a message to parents of teenagers from your friendly neighborhood English teacher: I have spent the morning wiping tears while reading some personal narrative papers. One girl wrote about being so homesick the first time she went to camp, and when it was bed time she discovered that her pillow had been sprayed on one side with her mom’s perfume and the other with her dad’s cologne. So sweet, that reminder of home and love. So many special moments and conversations in these pages…steadfast love through divorce and death and disappointment and difficulties of all kinds…please know that even if your kid only looks up from her phone to scowl at you and only leaves his bedroom to get snacks…please know that they notice and will remember every gesture of love…they appreciate you for much more than laundry and taxi service…and someday I hope that they will share these beautiful thoughts with you! ❤️
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