ISAIAH 54
Future promise of blessing verse 1- 3
Sing – O barren – you that did not bear
break forth into singing – and cry aloud
you that did not travail with child
for more are the children of the desolate
THAN the children of the married wife – says the LORD
Enlarge the place of your tent
and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations
spare not – lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes
For you shall break forth on the right hand and on the left
and your seed shall inherit the Gentiles
and make the desolate cities to be inhabited
Present sorrow will end verse 4- 5
Fear not – for you shall not be ashamed – neither be not confounded
for you shall not be put to shame
for you shall forget the shame of your youth
and shall not remember the reproach
of your widowhood any more
For your Maker is your husband
the LORD of hosts is HIS name
and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel
the God of the WHOLE earth
shall HE be called
LORD will restore peace verse 6- 8
For the LORD has called you as a woman forsaken
and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth
when you were refused – says your God
For a small moment have I forsaken you
BUT with GREAT MERCIES will I gather you
In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a MOMENT
BUT with EVERLASTING KINDNESS
will I have mercy on you
says the LORD your Redeemer
LORD makes covenant of kindness verse 9- 10
For this is as the waters of Noah to ME
for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth
SO have I sworn that I would not be wroth with you
nor rebuke you
for the mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed
BUT MY KINDNESS shall not depart from you
neither shall the covenant of MY PEACE be removed
says the LORD that has mercy on you
LORD promises rebuilding of Jerusalem verse 11- 12
O you afflicted – tossed with tempest
and not comforted
BEHOLD
I will lay thy stones with fair colors
and lay thy foundations with sapphires
And I will make your windows of agates
and your gates of carbuncles
and all your borders of pleasant stones
Future peace and prosperity verse 13- 15
And all your children shall be taught of the LORD
and great shall be the peace of your children
In righteousness shall you be established
you shall be far from oppression
for you shall not fear – and from terror
for it shall not come near you
BEHOLD – they shall surely gather together
BUT not by ME
whosoever shall gather together against you
shall fall for your sake
Future benefits of God’s people verse 16- 17
BEHOLD
I have created the smith that blows the coals in the fire
and that brings forth an instrument for his work
and I have created the waster to destroy
NO weapon that is formed against you shall prosper
and EVERY tongue that shall rise
against you in judgment you shall condemn
THIS IS the heritage of the servants of the LORD
and their righteousness is of ME
says the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 Fear not; for you shall not be ashamed: neither be you confounded; for you shall not be put to shame: for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and shall not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more. (3637 “confounded” [kalam] means to be humiliated, be ashamed. to be put to shame, be dishonored, or be confounded)
DEVOTION: Once we become a follower of the LORD we have nothing to fear regarding our eternal state. We are promised a place in heaven. All those who are genuine followers of the LORD will be in heaven for eternity.
The LORD wants us to realize that HE is going to guide and direct us now as HE did through the Old Testament through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament they were given instructions on what it meant to be a follower of the LORD.
The nation of Israel had different commands than we do today. In the Old Testament there was a worship system that went through the tent in the wilderness and in the Temple after the nation was established.
The nation of Israel obeyed the LORD at times and at other times they had to be judged of the LORD for their actions. They even went into captivity at times to help them return to genuine worship of the LORD.
Today we find that many churches are not preaching the Word of God correctly and the LORD is going to have to deal with them. Those that genuinely preach and believe the Word of God will produce disciples that will honor the LORD with their words and actions. When they sin they will confess their sins and the LORD will restore them to blessings.
The nation of Israel in the Old Testament when through many trials because of their disobedience. Captivity by other nations was one of those trials. They are given promises that will happen in the future.
CHALLENGE: The people of God today are those who have genuinely accepted and follow the LORD in spirit and in truth. Those who are not following the LORD correctly will be judged for eternity. Genuine followers have nothing to fear today!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 For a small moment have I forsaken you, but with great mercies will I gather you. (5800 “forsaken” [‘azab] means leave, leave off, leave behind, abandoned, to depart from, neglect, or let alone.)
DEVOTION: The relationship that the LORD has with HIS people is unique. HE gives HIS commandment to be followed and throughout the history of those who have been followers of HIM there have been times when each generation thinks they can go their own way without regard for the commands of the LORD.
When this happens the LORD allows even HIS people to face the consequences of their actions. Sometimes these consequences last for a short time or a long time from our human perspective.
Here we find that the LORD is allowing HIS people to go through a time period of chastening because of their disobedience. Those of us who read through the Scriptures see that the children of Israel were judged for forty years for rejecting the command to enter the Promised Land after they left Egypt. One whole generation except two individuals had to die before they could enter the Promised Land. To us it seems like a long time but to the LORD it is only a moment.
Our take on time periods when the LORD is chastening us seems to be so long but the LORD knows how long it will take for us to get back on the right path to follow HIM more closely.
HE never abandons HIS people forever. HE restores them at just the right time for them to have learned their lesson. Do you think that the LORD has abandon us during this time period in history? Does it seem that we are heading in the wrong direction as a nation? Could the LORD be judging us because of our attitude toward HIM?
There is going to be a gathering time in the future for the true followers of Jesus Christ. We need to live in the hope of the eternal life that is promised us in the Bible. We need to live with the facts that we deserve punishment for our sins. Christ paid the ultimate price for the sins of those who are HIS followers. We are still in this world to witness for HIM even during seeming bad times in our nation and world.
HE is a God of great mercy. We all deserve to be in the lake of fire for eternity but because of HIS love and sacrifice we can spend eternity with HIM in heaven. There is a gathering coming. Will you be one of those HE will gather to be with HIM in heaven? What is your present relationship with Jesus?
CHALLENGE: Obedience brings blessing. Are we obedient today?
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: 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the LORD your Redeemer. (2617 “kindness” [hesed] means loving-kindness, mercy, goodness, favor, loyalty, loyal love, or devotion.
DEVOTION: Throughout the Word of God we find that the LORD loves HIS people. It is not just an emotional love that some people show each other for a short time period. HE has a love for the children of Israel that lasts into eternity. HE will chasten them at times because of their sin but HE always promises that HE will restore them in the end.
Isaiah states this fact well in this verse. He conveys the fact that the wrath of God toward Israel is short lived. It is true Even though from a human perspective it lasted longer than we would like HIS wrath to come on us.
What we have to remember is that God lives in eternity and we live in time. Time seems to go on and on when we are in a time of chastening. Remember whom the LORD loves HE chastens. We are like children to HIM. HE believes that children should be disciplined by their parents. If the children don’t obey the parents they even have the right in the Old Testament to take them to the elders of the city they live in to stone them. That is harsh punishment but necessary to keep the rest of the children in line with obedience to their parents.
If children are not obeying their parents that they see, how will they obey a God that they don’t see? Obedient followers of the LORD will follow their human leaders who have been gifted by the Holy Spirit to move a church forward.
Yes, there are church leaders who are not obedient to the LORD. The LORD will deal with them. HE wants us to use HIS model that is presented in the New Testament to work through the local church for the glory of HIMSELF.
HE is our redeemer. HE paid the price necessary for us to be willing to be obedient servants of HIM. HE first loved us.
CHALLENGE: Face the fact that everyone is part of the family of God who repent and follow HIM. HE has an everlasting relationship with us.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. (5159 “heritage” [nachalah] means inherited, heirloom, estate, or possession.
DEVOTION: Earlier in Isaiah we are told that the LORD wants to divorce HIS people because of their sin. HE is sending them into captivity because of their sin. HE also promises to restore them to their original position because HIS chosen SERVANT [Messiah] has come to take away their sin.
In this chapter we are told that their MAKER is their HUSBAND. Also they are told that HIS name is the LORD of hosts. HE is their REDEEMER. HE is the HOLY ONE of Israel. HE is the God of the whole earth. There is a restoration coming for HIS people.
At present there is a time of wrath. This time of wrath is just a little while from the LORD’S perspective. However, there is coming a time of everlasting kindness. This time HE will not depart again from the children of Israel. During this future time there will be teaching about the LORD. There will be a time of peace.
There still will be enemies against the people of God. They want to use any weapon in their arsenal to hurt the people of God. They will condemn every follower of God with every offence they can accuse them off in the world.
However, God has promised that anything they do will not prosper against them. Those that want to condemn the people of God will be judged. This is the possession of those who follow the LORD.
HIS servants are worshipers of HIM. As worshipers they have an inheritance of peace and prosperity in the future. During this time, they will demonstrate their relationship with the LORD by HIS righteousness being on them. We have no righteousness in ourselves. It all comes from the LORD. Let us honor HIM now.
CHALLENGE: Are you praying “Even so come LORD Jesus.” We should be. While we are waiting; we are serving.
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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)
Cry aloud verse 1
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sing verse 1
Cry aloud verse 1
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 17
Maker verse 5
Husband of Israel verse 5
LORD of hosts verse 5
Redeemer verse 5, 8
Holy One of Israel verse 5
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 5, 6
God of the whole earth = HE shall be called verse 5, 6
Wrath of the LORD verse 8
LORD hid HIS face from Israel verse 8
Everlasting kindness verse 8
Mercy verse 8, 10
LORD Israel’s Redeemer verse 8
Sworn not to be wroth with Israel verse 9
Sworn not to rebuke Israel verse 9
MY kindness verse 10
Covenant of peace verse 10
Promises to Israel verse 11- 13
I will lay your stones
I will lay your foundations with
Sapphires
I will make windows of agates
Gates of carbuncles
Borders of pleasant stones
Taught of the LORD
Great peace promised to their children
Creator of the smith that blows the coals of fire verse 16
Created waster to destroy verse 16
Promise: no weapon formed against Israel
shall prosper verse 17
Every tongue that shall rise against Israel
in judgment you shall condemn verse 17
Righteous verse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Redeemer verse 5, 8
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)
Children of the desolate verse 1
Children of the married wife verse 1
Gentiles verse 3
Waters of Noah verse 9
Enemies verse 15
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ashamed verse 4
Confounded verse 4
Refused verse 6
Forsaken verse 7
Rebuke verse 9
Judging believers verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Sing verse 1
Inherit verse 3
Fear not verse 4, 14
Not be ashamed verse 4
Not be confounded verse 4
Forsaken verse 7
Mercy verse 7, 8, 10
Everlasting kindness verse 8, 10
Covenant verse 10
Peace verse 10, 13
Afflicted verse 11
Comforted verse 11
Taught of the LORD verse 13
Righteousness verse 14, 17
Enemies defeated verse 15, 17
Heritage verse 17
Servant verse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Your seed shall inherit the Gentiles verse 3
Make the desolate cities to be inhabited verse 3
Forget the shame of your youth verse 4
Not remember the reproach of your widowhood verse 4
YOUR Maker is your husband verse 5
LORD called Israel as a woman forsaken verse 6
like one grieved in spirit
wife of youth
refined
Forsaken for a small moment by LORD verse 7
LORD gathered them again with great mercies verse 7
Afflicted verse 11
Tossed with tempest verse 11
Not comforted verse 11
Lay foundations with sapphires verse 11
Windows of agates verse 12
Gates of carbuncles verse 12
Borders of pleasant stones verse 12
Children will be taught of the LORD verse 13
Great peace of your children verse 13
In righteousness shall you be established verse 14
Far from oppression verse 14
Not fear verse 14
Terror shall not come near verse 14
Whoever gathers against you shall fall verse 15
Servants of the LORD verse 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Everlasting kindness verse 8
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QUOTES regarding passage
5–8. Maker (5), see 44:2; Lord Almighty, 1:9; Holy One of Israel, 1:4; Redeemer, 35:9–10. As God of all the earth he cannot be challenged, hindered or diverted from his promises by any opposing power. Your God (6) is, as always, not the God you chose but the God who has freely made himself yours. Behind the pictures of widowhood (4–5) and desertion (6) lies the reality of an angry God who turned away, hiding his face. This is the reason why sin is like bereavement and desertion, because it alienates the Holy One. Compassion (noun in 7, verb in 8) is the emotional love which makes the heart beat faster (1 Kgs 3:26). Kindness (8) is love as a commitment of will. A couple ‘fall in love’ (compassion) and in marriage they pledge their love (kindness). Redeemer: the ever-present Next-of-Kin, at hand to meet every need, bear every burden, pay every price. (Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, pp. 384–385). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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54:4–8. The Lord will regather Israel the way a man would take back his wife. The nation need have no fear (cf. 41:10, 14; 43:5; 44:2, 8) of disgrace, for she will no longer be desolate and helpless like a widow. God, like a husband (cf. Jer. 3:14; 31:32; Hosea 2:16), will take back Israel, His wife. He is the Lord Almighty … the Holy One of Israel, her Redeemer (cf. Isa. 54:8; see comments on 41:14), and in His uniqueness He is the God of all the earth, that is, its Creator and Sustainer. The Lord had deserted His people for a short while (a brief moment). Though not stated here, Isaiah had given the reason for it several times: because of the nation’s sins (cf. 50:1) and God’s commitment to His word. But because of His compassion (54:7) and kindness (ḥeseḏ, “loyal love,” v. 8, trans. “unfailing love” in v. 10), He will restore the nation to Himself. The short moment during which God hid His face (i.e., abandoned Israel because of His anger against her sin) contrasts with the everlasting nature of His covenant loyalty. (Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1109–1110). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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A third reason for confidence is the dependable promise of God (54:7–10). God had to show His anger at their sin; but now the chastening was over, and they were returning to their land. (On God’s anger, see 9:12, 17, and 21.) “With great mercies will I gather thee,” He promised. “With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee.”
Whenever we rebel against God and refuse to listen to His warnings, He must chasten us; and He does it in love (Heb. 12:1–11). Our Father cannot permit His children to sin and get away with it. But the purpose of His chastening is to bring us to repentance and enable us to produce “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (v. 11). When God “spanks” His erring children, He may hurt them; but He never harms them. It is always for our good and His glory.
God kept His promise concerning the Flood (Gen. 9:11–17), and He will keep His promises to His people Israel. They can depend on His love, His covenant, and His mercy.
Not only will the captives be set free and the nation restored, but also the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt (Isa. 54:11–17). If the language here seems extravagant, keep in mind that the prophet sees both an immediate fulfillment and an ultimate fulfillment (Rev. 21:18–21). The remnant rebuilt the temple and the city under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest, Ezra the scribe, Nehemiah the wall-builder, and the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah. But the restored Jerusalem was nothing like what Isaiah describes here! For that beautiful city, we must wait till the return of the Lord and the establishing of His kingdom. Then every citizen of Jerusalem will know the Lord (Isa. 54:13), and the city will be free from terror and war (v. 14).
Our Lord quoted the first part of verse 13 in John 6:45. When you read the context, beginning at verse 34, you see that Jesus was speaking about people coming to the Father. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me” (v. 37, NKJV) does not mean that the Father forces sinners to be saved. People come to Him because they are “taught of God,” and the Spirit draws them through the Word. Personal evangelism won’t be needed in the New Jerusalem, for all the citizens will know the Lord. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (pp. 143–144). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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What wonderful promises these are! This is God’s word to Israel. We Christians are such thieves—we steal so many things that belong to Israel and try to apply them to ourselves. At the head of many of these chapters in Isaiah, our old valued Bagster Bibles read, “Curses on the Jews,” “Punishment on the Jews,” “Judgment on the Jews.” And then when they come to the promises we saw, “Blessings of the Church,” “Joys of the Church.” All the judgment passages were definitely applied to the Jews but all the glory passages to the Church. But these headings were written by uninspired men, who did not profess to give them as the Word of God.
The promises here refer to Israel’s blessing, God will bring them back to Himself. He will not keep His fury forever. He says, “This is as the waters of Noah unto Me,” for He promised that never again should the earth be destroyed by a flood. Just as truly He has promised the nation Israel that they will never be utterly destroyed, that some day a remnant will be saved and become a great nation, and Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the whole earth with goodness. (Ironside, H. A. (1952). Expository notes on the prophet Isaiah. (pp. 308–309). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
For a small moment; for the space of some few years, as seventy years in Babylon, and some such intervals, which may well be called a small moment in comparison of God’s everlasting kindness mentioned in the next verse. Forsaken thee; withdrawn my favour and help from thee, and left thee in thine enemies’ hands. With great mercies, such as are most precious and sweet for quality, as is here said, and such as are of long continuance, as is said in the following verse, will I gather thee from all the places where thou art dispersed, from all the parts of the world. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 451). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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Ver. 7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, &c.] The people of God seem to be forsaken by him when he hides his face from them, as it is afterwards explained; when they are in distress, and he does not immediately appear for them; when they are afflicted in body and mind, though these afflictions are but for a moment; nor are they really forsaken, not as to things temporal or spiritual; God never forsakes the work of his own hands, nor his people, at least for ever, or so as that they shall perish. Some interpret this of the seventy-years’ captivity of the Jews in Babylon, which was but a very short time; others of the times of ignorance in the Gentile world before the coming of Christ, which God winked at, when he overlooked them, and took no notice of them; but I choose to understand it of the time and state of the Christian church, during the ten persecutions of Rome Pagan, when it seemed to be forsaken of God, and to be triumphed over by her enemies: but with great mercies will I gather thee; they had been scattered about by persecution, but now should be gathered together in bodies, and have their public assemblies, and worship God openly, none making them afraid; which was fulfilled in Constantine’s time, when Paganism was abolished, and Christianity established throughout the Roman empire; when public places for Christian worship were opened everywhere, the Gospel was freely preached, and multitudes were gathered by effectual calling, and brought into the Gospel church, which was now in a very flourishing condition; for this is not to be understood of the gathering of the captive Jews from Babylon, nor of the calling of the Gentiles by the ministry of the apostles, nor of the restoration and conversion of the Jews in the latter day, though this is more eligible than the former, and much less of the gathering of the saints at the last day. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 319). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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6–8. These words form a gracious continuation of the same soul-reviving promises; and all in Christ. Jesus was, and is, the husband of his church from everlasting, By the fall, a bill of divorcement was, as it were, written, and she was put away. By the interposition of his grace in redemption, she is again brought home; and now never more to be separated from her first love, but with everlasting kindness, nourished and cherished, in grace here, and glory to all eternity. Prov. 8:22–31. Hosea, 2 throughout. Jerem. 3:14. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Proverbs–Lamentations (Vol. 5, pp. 463–464). 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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“Whereby they have made thee glad.”—Psalm 45:8
And who are thus privileged to make the Saviour glad? His church—his people. But is it possible? He makes us glad, but how can we make him glad? By our love. Ah! we think it so cold, so faint; and so, indeed, we must sorrowfully confess it to be, but it is very sweet to Christ. Hear his own eulogy of that love in the golden Canticle: “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine!” See, loving heart, how he delights in you. When you lean your head on his bosom, you not only receive, but you give him joy; when you gaze with love upon his all-glorious face, you not only obtain comfort, but impart delight. Our praise, too, gives him joy—not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart’s deep gratitude. Our gifts, too, are very pleasant to him; he loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance upon the altar, not for the value of what we give, but for the sake of the motive from which the gift springs. To him the lowly offerings of his saints are more acceptable than the thousands of gold and silver. Holiness is like frankincense and myrrh to him. Forgive your enemy, and you make Christ glad; distribute of your substance to the poor, and he rejoices; be the means of saving souls, and you give him to see of the travail of his soul; proclaim his gospel, and you are a sweet savour unto him; go among the ignorant and lift up the cross, and you have given him honour. It is in your power even now to break the alabaster box, and pour the precious oil of joy upon his head, as did the woman of old, whose memorial is to this day set forth wherever the gospel is preached. Will you be backward then? Will you not perfume your beloved Lord with the myrrh and aloes, and cassia, of your heart’s praise? Yes, ye ivory palaces, ye shall hear the songs of the saints! (Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster.)
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Am I my brother’s keeper? None of us liveth to himself. Romans 14:7.
Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible for other souls spiritually before God? For instance, if I allow any private deflection from God in my life, everyone about me suffers. We “sit together in heavenly places.” “Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.” When once you allow physical selfishness, mental slovenliness, moral obtuseness, spiritual density, everyone belonging to your crowd will suffer. ‘But,’ you say, ‘who is sufficient for these things, if you erect a standard like that?’ Our sufficiency is of God, and of Him alone.
“Ye shall be My witnesses.” How many of us are willing to spend every ounce of nervous energy, of mental, moral and spiritual energy we have for Jesus Christ? That is the meaning of a witness in God’s sense of the word. It takes time, be patient with yourself. God has left us on the earth—what for? To be saved and sanctified? No, to be at it for Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured out wine for Him? To be spoilt for this age, for this life, to be spoilt from every standpoint but one—saving as I can disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life as a worker is the way I say ‘thank you’ to God for His unspeakable salvation. Remember it is quite possible for anyone of us to be flung out as reprobate silver—“… lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.)
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The United Nations is set to release a blacklist, warning international and Israeli companies against their business operations in Israeli settlements, which the UN identifies as occupied territory.
The UN Human Rights Council has warned companies such as Coca Cola, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Africa Israel Investments, Bank Leumi, Bank Hapoalim and Israel’s main transportation and utility companies, about their potential inclusion on the list of 206 businesses operating in the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and eastern Jerusalem, Ynet News reports.
“The UN began publishing the blacklist in 2016 when the body passed a resolution condemning companies that operate directly or indirectly in Israeli settlements. The list has been updated each year since then, CBN News writes.
The resolution passed 32-15, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accuse the UN Human Rights Council of being an “anti-Israel circus.”
Israel and the United States, who pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council last year, have opposed the publishing of the list, but it is scheduled to be released in March at the 40th UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, according to Ynet News.
Netanyahu called on “responsible governments not to honor the decisions of the Council that discriminate against Israel.”
CEO of Hot Telecommunications Tal Granot-Goldstein appealed for help from Netanyahu.
“We believe the inclusion of Israeli companies in the UN Human Rights Council’s blacklist might expose those companies to legal procedures, prompting international corporations to pull out of their investments in Israel,” she wrote in a letter. “Therefore, we request that the Israeli government and the Foreign Ministry intervene to prevent the publication of this list. Handling this matter is a national interest of the utmost importance.”
By releasing this blacklist, Granot-Goldstein claimed the UNHRC intends to “apply economic pressure on Israeli companies, while attempting to hurt their image and profits by shaming and threatening to expose them to legal procedures.”
The resolution of the UNHRC followed a fact-finding mission’s investigation, which reported in 2013 that business enterprises working in the territory had “directly and indirectly, enabled, facilitated and profited from the construction and growth of the settlements,” according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner.
“The violations of human rights associated with the settlements are pervasive and devastating, reaching every facet of Palestinian life,” the report said. “Owing to settlement development and infrastructure, Palestinians suffer from restrictions on freedom of religion, movement and education; their rights to land and water; access to livelihoods and their right to an adequate standard of living; their rights to family life; and many other fundamental human rights.”
The report explained that “Businesses play a central role in furthering the establishment, maintenance and expansion of Israeli settlements.” It called on business enterprises “to consider whether it is possible to engage in such an environment in a manner that respects human rights” if companies wish to maintain “due diligence process” in their operations in a complex territory.
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CHINA’S SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM – SOCIALISM IN ACTION (Friday Church News Notes, February 15, 2019,www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “China’s Social Credit System,” futurism.com, Dec. 2, 2017: “In a contentious world first, China plans to implement a social credit system (officially referred to as a Social Credit Score or SCS) by 2020. The idea first appeared in a document from the State Council of China published in June 2014. It is a technological advancement so shocking to modern-minded paradigms that many can do little but sit back in defeatist chagrin as science fiction shows us its darker side. The SCS seems relatively simple. Every citizen in China, which now has numbers swelling to well over 1.3 billion, would be given a score that, as a matter of public record, is available for all to see. This citizen score comes from monitoring an individual’s social behavior—from their spending habits and how regularly they pay bills, to their social interactions—and it’ll become the basis of that person’s trustworthiness, which would also be publicly ranked. This actually sounds worse than an Orwellian nightmare. A citizen’s score affects their eligibility for a number of services, including the kinds of jobs or mortgages they can get, and it also impacts what schools their children qualify for. … China’s SCS proves reality is darker than fiction. … The government also says that this will ‘allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step,’ according to The Wall Street Journal. … The major issue is this: the SCS goes well beyond just rating one’s ability to manage debt; in essence, it puts a number on a citizen rating their worth as a human being—and it forces others to respect that rating. ‘China’s proposed social score is an absolute reaffirmation of China continuing to push forward to be a complete police state,’ said Anurag Lal, former Director of the U.S. National Broadband Task Force for the FCC under the Obama administration and president and CEO of mobility solutions firm Infinite Convergence, in an email to Futurism. ‘They take it a step further by becoming not only an establishment of a totalitarian police state that monitors its people but one that completely evades users’ privacy. All forms of activity and interactions, online or otherwise, will be rated, available to view and stored as data.’ Ultimately, the problem is that ‘socially acceptable behavior’ will be defined by the Chinese government, not a democratic process or an objective panel. And punitive measures will certainly be taken when a person breaks this trust. With the SCS, the Chinese government will actually hit two birds with one stone: They will have a way of promoting and enforcing what they consider to be ‘socially acceptable behavior,’ and they will have a way of monitoring virtually all aspects of citizens’ lives.”
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Deuteronomy 1
Moses reminds the new generation of their parents’ disobedience.
INSIGHT
Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it. Moses reviews the history of the wanderings of Israel to the new generation poised on the plains of Moab-ready to enter the Promised Land.
Moses tells them that their fathers did not believe the promises of God. Therefore, they were not obedient to Him. Their fathers condemned themselves to a life of untold hardship. Their fathers made their own destiny; they sealed their own fate.
Learn from their history. Do not repeat it. (Daily Walk)
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The Incarnate Wisdom
“The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.” (Proverbs 8:22-23)
The book of Proverbs repeatedly extols the virtues of true wisdom, founded on the fear of the Lord. In the eighth chapter, however, beginning at verse 22, the theme changes, retreating far back in time to creation itself, and even before. The statements in the next ten verses, especially, must be of an actual divine Person. From the New Testament perspective, especially with John 1:1-14 as the definitive exposition, it becomes clear that the divine wisdom of Proverbs 8:22-31 is none other than the incarnate Word of John’s prologue.
The Lord Jesus Christ, indeed, fits perfectly all the statements in this particular section of Proverbs, which then gives marvelous new insight into the events of creation and the divine fellowship in the Godhead before the creation. Note that in these first two verses, the Lord’s “ways” were prior to His “works” and that He “possessed” His Son “from everlasting.” This is the profound doctrine of “eternal generations,” whereby the Son is “brought forth” continually from the Father, forever manifesting Him in His creation.
The New Testament makes it plain that Jesus Christ is, indeed, the incarnate wisdom of God. He is the “Word” by whom all things were made (John 1:1-3). He is “the truth” (John 14:6) and “the light” (John 8:12) by whom alone men can come to God and follow Him. He is called “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” in 1 Corinthians 1:24, and He called Himself “the wisdom of God” in Luke 11:49.
All of the vaunted knowledge of the world’s thinkers and scientists is empty and futile apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, for in Him alone are found “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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