ISAIAH 33
Assyria a destroyer verse 1
Woe to you that spoil – and you was not spoiled
and deal treacherously
they dealt not treacherously with you
When you shall cease to spoil – you shalt be spoiled
and when thou shalt make an end
to deal treacherously
they shall deal treacherously with you
Prayer for deliverance verse 2- 4
O LORD – be gracious to us
we waited for YOU
be YOU their arm every morning
our salvation also in the time of trouble
At the noise of the tumult the people fled
at the lifting up of YOURSELF the nations were scattered
and your spoil shall be gathered
like the gathering of the caterpillar
as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them
LORD at home in Jerusalem verse 5- 6
The LORD is exalted – for HE dwells on high
HE has filled Zion with
judgment – righteousness – wisdom – knowledge
shall be the stability of your times
and strength of salvation
the fear of the LORD is his treasure
Assyria breaks treaty with Israel verse 7- 9
Behold – their valiant ones shall cry without
the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly
the highways lie waste – the way faring man ceases
he hath broken the covenant
he has despised the cities
he regards no man
the earth mourns and languishes
Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down
Sharon is like a wilderness
and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits
LORD going to be exalted verse 10- 12
Now will I rise – says the LORD
now will I be exalted – now will I lift up MYSELF
You shall conceive chaff – you shall bring forth stubble
your breath – as a fire –shall devour you
the people shall be as the burnings of lime
as thorns cut up shall they
be burned in the fire
Conditions for dwelling on high verse 13- 16
Hear – you that are far off – what I have done
and you that are near – acknowledge MY might
The sinners in Zion are afraid
fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites
Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walks righteously – and speaks uprightly
he that despises the gain of oppressions
that shakes his hands from holding of bribes
that stops his ears from hearing of blood
and shuts his eyes from seeing evil
He shall dwell on high – his place of defense
shall be the munitions of rocks
bread shall be given him
his waters shall be sure
Assyria forgotten in future Israel verse 17- 19
Thine eyes shall see the king in HIS beauty
they shall behold the land that is very far off
Thine heart shall meditate terror
Where is the scribe? Where is the receiver?
Where is he that counted the towers?
You shall not see a fierce people
a people of a deeper speech than you can perceive
of a stammering tongue
that you can not understand
Millennial Reign of Christ verse 20- 24
Look upon Zion – the city of our solemnities
your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation
a tabernacle that shall not be taken down
not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed
neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken
But there the glorious LORD will be to us
a place of broad rivers and streams
wherein shall go no galley with oars
neither shall gallant ship pass thereby
For the LORD is our judge
the LORD is our lawgiver
the LORD is our king
HE will save us
You tacklings are loosed – they could not well strengthen their mast
they could not spread the sail
then is the prey of a great spoil divided
the lame take the prey
AND the inhabitant shall not say – I am sick
the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. (2220 “arm” [z@rowa] means power, strength, forearm, shoulder, mighty, or forces.)
DEVOTION: The book of Ecclesiastes instructs us in the fact that the LORD’S mercy is new every morning. The New Testament teaching of Jesus informs us that we are to take up our cross daily and follow HIM. Each morning we have a choice to make regarding our service to the King of Kings and LORD of LORD.
Isaiah prays for the people who are faithful to the LORD. Isaiah is pleading with the LORD to show them grace. Grace is giving us what we don’t deserve. Mercy is not giving us what we do deserve. We all need grace and mercy every day. The people of God have always been sinners and will continue to be sinners until they die or the LORD returns to call us to HIM. The people of God were looking to others for help instead of God.
However, there was a remnant that remained faithful to the LORD that turned to HIM for strength. They were waiting for HIM to act in their behalf. They wanted HIS strength. They wanted HIS salvation in their time of trouble.
There is noise all around us even today. We need to focus on righteousness and proper judgment. We need the wisdom from above that is given to those who ask for it on a daily basis. We need to learn more about who the LORD is and how HE acts in our world. When we practice these characteristics in our life we have the strength of the LORD working in our life.
There is the constant reminder that the “fear of the LORD” is the beginning of wisdom. Our reverence for the LORD and HIS work in our life shows who we are really following. The LORD sees our heart. HE knows our thoughts. If we truly worship HIM in spirit and in truth we can face any enemy with confidence.
We need to realize that we need the same strength in our times of trouble. The LORD told HIS disciples that in the world they would have tribulation with a little “t”. BUT HE also said that HE had overcome the world. We need to put our confidence in HIM as HE carries us through all of our life. HE is the one who can help us overcome all circumstances HE allows in our life for our good. We need this strength EVERY MORNING.
CHALLENGE: Mediating on the Word of God each morning gives us the strength to face each day. Each day can be a day of victory.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; The fear of the LORD is His treasure. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Recently I have begun to preach through the book of Revelation and to instruct the church on the truths that Revelation holds. I have taught that the Lord is a judge who will judge righteously and with wisdom. He is portrayed as a regal judge, a suffering judge and at the judge of eternity and here the prophet Isaiah is challenging the nation of Israel to remember that God is a great God who will adjudicate the wicked and also be a blessing to those who serve and love Him.
Through His wisdom and knowledge we can have a stability and proper perspective in chaotic times. With all that is happening in the United States with the breakdown of families, civil law and economic uncertainties we need the constancy of God’s salvation and the treasures of His word. People might desire to plunder, deal treacherously and be deceptive but the Lord is still in charge.
CHALLENGE: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. (2710 “lawgiver” [chaqaq] means governor, leader, inscribe, engrave, director, determine, or commander.)
DEVOTION: This is a verse that a lady in our second church had all the children memorize. She also thought that the pastor of the church should memorize the same verses as the children. So needless to say that Virginia checked me out on the verses right along with the other children of the church. She believed as I believe that children should memorize Scripture early and it will stay with them the rest of their life. It has stayed with me. She was a good worker.
Now the children of Israel had to learn that the Assyrians were no threat to the LORD. HE had their number. They were going to be defeated. All enemies of Israel were going to be defeated.
In the past it happened after the LORD was done using a nation to correct the bad behavior of HIS people. This is going to happen in the future for the same reason. HIS people still need correcting at the end of the world.
There was going to be a final judgment of Israel in the end times. Then the reign of Christ would take place. While Christ was reigning on this earth for the thousand years HE was going to be the one directing the people in the proper treatment of the law. HE was going to uphold the truth of the Word of God. HE was going to be the judge of those who broke HIS law. HE was the King.
Those who were able to enter the time period of the reign of Christ knew that HE had the power to save them from anything that could happen during HIS reign.
Earlier in the chapter we find a description of those who would enter the time period. They were going to walk, speak and act properly. They were going to act in accordance with the rules of the LORD.
We are not living in that time period yet. We still have to realize that HE is still our King. HE is still our director. HE is still our judge. Our actions will be revealed to HIM for either judgment or praise. We are here to glorify the LORD right now.
The timing of HIS return is unknown to everyone except the Father. Our responsibility is to obey until HE comes. HE wants to find us working for HIM. HE is coming with rewards for those who are using their spiritual gifts to bring honor and glory to HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Our gift needs to be used today for HIS glory. Don’t sit on your gift. Too many believers are sitting in the pews watching instead of using their gift where the action is happening.
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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)
Covenant verse 8
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 5, 6, 10, 22
Exalted verse 5, 10
Dwells on high verse 5
Fear of the LORD verse 6
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
King verse 17, 22
Glorious LORD verse 21
Judge verse 22
Lawgiver verse 22
Savior verse 22
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)
Nations verse 3
Valiant men verse 7
Ambassadors verse 7
Lebanon verse 9
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Deal treacherously verse 1
Sinners verse 14
Fearfulness verse 14
Hypocrites verse 14
Bribes verse 15
Killing [blood] verse 15
Evil verse 15
Iniquity verse 24
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Gracious verse 2
Waiting on the LORD verse 2
Salvation verse 2, 6
Times of trouble verse 2
Exalt the LORD verse 5, 10
Fear of the LORD verse 6
Hear the LORD verse 13
Acknowledge the LORD verse 13
Walks righteously verse 15
Speaks uprightly verse 15
Despises the gain of oppressions verse 15
Doesn’t take bribes verse 15
Stops his ears from hearing of blood verse 15
Shuts his eyes from seeing evil verse 15
Dwell on high verse 16
Save verse 22
Forgiven verse 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zion verse 5, 14, 20
Sharon verse 9
Bashan verse 9
Carmel verse 9
City of our solemnities verse 20
Jerusalem verse 20
Quiet habitation verse 20
Tabernacle verse 20
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Everlasting burning verse 14
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QUOTES regarding passage
leader, i.e., one who leads, rules, and governs his people, with a possible focus on the legal administration of his government (Dt 33:21; Jdg 5:14; Isa 33:22+) (Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
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This suits the explanation offered in verse 22: we have the Lord; what more do we need! He is judge, sufficient in leadership, victory and government as were the judges of old; lawgiver, sufficient in day-to-day guidance; but, unlike the episodic judges of old, he is king, permanent in office and able to save. This last function is now explained in a telling picture of a crippled ship which nevertheless carries off an abundance of spoil (23). As a ‘ship of state’, Zion is helpless, yet this limping hulk takes the spoil! Spoils … plunder: the battle is over and the victory has been won—surely by the Saviour King! (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 239). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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In 33:17–24, the prophet lifts his vision to the end times and sees Jerusalem ruled by King Messiah. God’s victory over Assyria was but a “dress rehearsal” for His victory over the whole Gentile world system that will one day assemble to destroy the holy city (Zech. 14:1–9). When our Lord was ministering on earth, the unbelieving Jews said, “There is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2). But when they see Him and believe, then they will perceive His great beauty (Zech. 12:3–13:1; Ps. 45).
In contrast to the ordeal of the Assyrian siege, the Jews in the messianic kingdom will experience no terror, see no arrogant military officers, and hear no foreign speech (Isa. 33:18–19). Jerusalem will be like a tent that will not be moved (see 54:1–3), pitched by a broad river that will never carry the vessels of invading armies. Jerusalem is one of the few great cities of antiquity that was not built near a river, but that will change during the millennial kingdom (Ezek. 47). Of course, the river symbolizes the peace that the Lord gives to His people (Isa. 48:18; 66:12; Ps. 46:4).
Jerusalem was a ship that almost sank (Isa. 33:23), but the Lord brought it through the storm (Ps. 107:23–32); and the weakest of the Jews was able to take spoils from the dead army. “All the functions of government—judicial, legislative, and executive—will be centered in the Messianic King,” says the note on Isaiah 33:22 in The New Scofield Reference Bible. No wonder His people can say, “He will save us!”
Both sickness and sin will be absent from the city. Messiah will be their Redeemer and Savior, and the nation “shall be forgiven their iniquity” (v. 24). In Isaiah’s day, the Jews were a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity” (1:4), just as lost sinners are today; but when they see Him and trust Him, their sins will be washed away. If you have never heeded the gracious invitation of Isaiah 1:18, do so today! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (pp. 85–86). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Glorious is the prospect here presented. Jerusalem, so long a city of strife and warfare, will become a peaceful habitation, for the Prince of Peace will dwell there and His law go forth to all the world. Isolated as Jerusalem has been, with no close seaport, in that day the Lord Himself will be its defense and will be to the people of the Holy City as a broad river, but a river wherein no enemy ship shall ever sail but where God will be the protector of His people. Sorrow and sickness will flee away and the weakest of the children of God will be stronger than the most powerful foes of the past. It is those who recognize their own lameness and insufficiency who overcome, because of their reliance on almighty power. While we should be careful not to take such a passage as this out of its setting and give it direct application to the Church of the present age, nevertheless, it has spiritual lessons for us from which we may well profit. It tells us what Scripture elsewhere ever emphasizes, that vain is the help of man but that he who relies upon the living God need fear no foe, whether human or demonic. Faith is ever the victory that overcomes the world, the flesh, and the devil. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 210–211). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 22. For the Lord is our Judge, &c.] The Lord Christ, who has all judgment committed to him by the Father, who will judge his people, right their wrongs, and avenge their injuries: the Lord is our Lawgiver; who has enacted wholesome laws for his church, writes them on their hearts, and puts his spirit within them, to enable them to keep them: the Lord is our King; King of saints, King of Zion, made so by his Father, owned by his church, under whose government it is in safety: he will save us; from all sin, and from all enemies, with an everlasting salvation. The church here speaks with great pleasure of her interest in Christ under every character, and of her safety as depending upon him. The Targum is, “the Lord is our Judge, who brought us by his power out of Egypt; the Lord is our teacher, who gave us the doctrine of the law from Sinai; the Lord is our King, he will redeem us, and take vengeance of judgment for us on the army of Gog;” which shews that the ancient Jews understood this prophecy as referring to times yet to come. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 192). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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To have dominant in our minds, and operative through our lives, the settled conviction that God in Christ is for us judge, lawgiver, and king, and that the purpose of all these offices or relationships is that ‘He will save us’ is the secret of tranquility, the fountain of courage, the talisman which makes life all different and us who live in it different. Fear cannot survive where that conviction rules and fortifies a heart. We shall not be slavish adherents of men if we are accustomed to take our orders from our Lawgiver. Earthly prizes or dignities will not dazzle eyes that have seen the King in His beauty. We shall pay little heed to men’s judgments if there flames ever before conscience the thought, ‘He that judgeth me is the Lord.’ ‘He will save us’; who can destroy what His hand is stretched out to preserve? ‘If God is for us, who is against us? It is God that justifieth;who is He that condemneth?’ (MacLaren, A. (2009). Expositions of Holy Scripture: Isaiah 1–48 (pp. 214–215). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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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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The priests restore the altar and worship of the Lord.
INSIGHT
The basis of most discontent is comparison. We could be happy with our cars if the neighbors didn’t have better ones. We would be satisfied with our houses if they were as nice as everyone else’s. Yet, were we to have our present possessions in Africa, we would be considered rich. Once our basic needs are met, the issue is not “how are we,” but rather, “how are we compared to how everyone else is.” When the foundation of the new temple is laid, the new generation rejoices at the work of God; but the older generation laments that the new temple is not as impressive as the old one. We should be content with what God has chosen to give us and not make comparisons. He is rich who rejoices in his portion (Quiet Walk)
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ANNOUNCING THE PLAN
We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7
Christian preaching announces a plan and a purpose. “Where do you find that?” asks someone. Well, look at Mark 1:14: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled.” The Bible says that God had made this plan even before the foundation of the world itself. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:7, “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.” That is it.
That is the essence of this proclamation that is being made, the essence of Christian preaching. It does not say to us, “There is truth in that uncharted ocean…get out onto it, take your soundings, try to get your bearings, try to find out. Yes, you have discovered a little bit! You may go for weeks and find nothing; months, years pass, then just another little glimmer. But at last..ah, it won’t happen in your time; it will happen perhaps in your grandchildren’s, or it may be even longer than that. But go on, it is marvelous, keep on.”
No! Christian preaching is the exact opposite to that. The message of the Bible is not to urge us to try to find truth; it is to ask us to listen to the truth, to God’s truth. For its whole point is to say that God, knowing Himself, knowing man, knowing everything, has devised and schemed a plan whereby men and women can be delivered out of their failure and si and can be made citizens and worthy citizens of God’s kingdom. This is God’s plan!
We are also told that God made this plan known. “God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
A Thought to Ponder
The message of the Bible is to ask us to listen to the truth, to God’s truth.
(From The Kingdom of God, pp. 14-15, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Always Rejoicing
“Rejoice evermore.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
Most people think that John 11:35 (“Jesus wept”) is the shortest verse in the Bible, but our text is actually even shorter in the original Greek. In one sense, these two two-word verses complement each other—because Jesus wept, we can rejoice evermore. Christ died that we might live. He became poor so that we could be eternally rich. When Christ rose from the dead and met the women returning from the empty tomb, He greeted them with the words “All hail” (Matthew 28:9). The actual Greek was the same word as “rejoice,” and surely His victory over sin and death provided the greatest of all reasons for the world to rejoice.
The contrast between suffering and rejoicing is present throughout the New Testament, with the former typically preceding and bringing in the latter. Its first occurrence is in the closing verse of the beatitudes: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you…for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). The final passage, when the sufferings of the saints are all past and Christ comes to reign, the multitude sings in heaven, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come” (Revelation 19:7). In that great day, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4), and all the redeemed will, indeed, rejoice evermore.
Therefore, we can live our present lives in the light of our future lives, “as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:10). The apostle Paul exhorts us to “rejoice in the Lord alway” (Philippians 4:4), and Peter says that, loving Christ, we “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Every difficulty in our relationship with God is always our fault.
It is never His. (p. 20)
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When we see things rightly, we’ll write His name in capital letter at the top of our list of friends and , with the angels, bow low before Him in adoration and awe. And hope. (p. 22)
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That’s the question: What does it mean to hope in God as we continue to live in a world where good dreams shatter and God seems to do nothing about it.? (p.31)
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But when we uncover the deepest motives that drive our actions, we discover a determination to feel now what no one will feel until heaven. (p. 31)
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Worship becomes utilitarian, part of a cunning strategy to get what we want rather htan a passionate abandonment ot someone more worthy than we. (p. 32)
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If we are to discover a hope that continues through shattered dreams, that hope must be available to everyone regardless of their circumstances. (p. 33)
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Shattered dreams are the truest blessings; they help us discover our true hope. (p. 33)
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Let me repeat the question one more time: How do we trust at sometimes disappointing, seemingly fickle God who fails to do for us what good friends, if they could, would do? (p. 34, (Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb)
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Genesis 44
Joseph’s older brothers are tested.
INSIGHT
Sometimes we get a second chance. When we do, it is important to seize the opportunity.
Judah did. When his brothers plotted to kill Joseph, Judah intervened. But he still fell short of rescuing Joseph. Judah’s second chance came when, from his perspective, Benjamin’s life was in danger. Judah put his own life on the line. Perhaps this commitment was taken into account in the blessings he passed on to his sons, resulting in the Messiah coming through the tribe of Judah.
Throughout life we are given second chances. We should take these chances and set things right. (Quiet Walk)
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JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God.Romans 5:1
Justification is opposed to condemnation, and nobody can bring an accusation because it is God who declares people just.
Justification is legal and forensic, and as you go on with the Scriptures you will find this in other places: “But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). And in Galatians 2:16 there is a statement that is parallel to those in Romans: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galatians is the great epistle that gave Martin Luther his liberty. His famous commentary on the epistle to the Galatians is a book that you should read, and the more you go on with it, the more you will enjoy it. Do not be put off by his polemic against the Roman Catholics. He had to do that because you must show what is wrong as well as what is right. People do not like t hat today, but Luther had to do it, and I think we must do it in our age and generation.
God makes a legal declaration that all the demands of the law upon us, as a condition of life, are fully satisfied with regard to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are no longer in a state of condemnation: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Romans 5:1). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Why? Because God has declared it. He is the Lawgiver, and He says that Christ has satisfied the law. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes” (Romans 10:4).
A Thought to Ponder: God is the Lawgiver, and He says that Christ has satisfied the law. (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 171-172, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Money Troubles
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. PROVERBS 22:7
Larry Burkett once told me that of all the couples who divorce in America, between 85 and 90 percent would say the number one problem in their marriage is money. They are unable to agree on how to handle it, save it, spend it, give it, budget it, account for it and keep from arguing about it. In many cases, it’s the heavy debt and the pressure of watching it compound ever higher—with no easy
solution for bringing it down—that causes a marriage to fall apart.
A number of years ago, I was mentoring a young married man who admitted he was carrying more than $35,000 worth of high-interest credit-card debt. He asked me what he should do about it. I responded, “The same way you’d eat an elephant—one bite at a time. But in order to keep the elephant from growing, I’d strongly encourage you to set all your cards on a cookie sheet, put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and melt them down.” Easy credit is not just a mammoth monster. It’s a marriage eater.
If you’re in the beginning years of marriage, you need to have frequent and honest conversations about managing your money and specifically your attitude toward debt as a couple. Learn to deny immediate gratification of your wants, until you can actually afford them. Better yet, learn to resist the desire to accumulate stuff for stuff ‘s sake, even if you can afford it. Discuss your spending tendencies with each other. As a couple, fiercely avoid buying things on credit. Create a budget and hold each other accountable for how you manage what God has entrusted to you (see Psalm 24:1).
The bottom line? Debt kills marriages. How you manage money as a couple will have an impact on your marriage, your family and your legacy.
DISCUSS: What financial example was set before you growing up? How has that affected your attitude toward money? How are you and your spouse similar to one another? Different? (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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