Fri.’s Devo - A Child is Born

Read: Isaiah 8:1-9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5

I heard that many believe that Jesus was born on September 11th which was why they chose that day to blow up our trade center. I don’t know if this is the actual birthday of Christ or not but how interesting that we would read on this day that the prophesied child was born to the prophetess on this day. This was Isaiah’s wife. Isaiah called the child Maher-shalal-hash-bazaar which means “the spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” Isaiah said that before this child would know right and wrong, Samaria and Syria would be sacked by Assyria. Because Israel refused to repent, they would be overtaken by the army of Assyria like a flood.

Israel and Syria will plot and get ready to defend themselves but it will not help. They fear the Assyrians, but who they need to fear is God. Isaiah says he will hope in the Lord. Israel would seek their sorcerers and witches but they should seek the Lord.

The land of Zebulun and Naphtali had been weakened with foreigners who came into their land. But, in times to come these Gentiles and Jews will be the ones that Jesus would come to and teach them of his salvation. This child will be Emanuel and his name will also be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and kingship will last forever. The people of Samaria boasted of rebuilding better but God says they are boasting in vain. (Reminds me of Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan. God will use the Assyrians to devour them because they refused to turn to him. God would cut off the wisdom of the aged and the lies of the prophets in one day. Both of them had led Israel astray and both would die. No one would be spared young and old. They were all wicked.

In Corinthians, Paul then tells then of the visions he has seen. (Obviously these false prophets and apostles had told their stories of visions, so Paul is sharing his.) In Paul’s vision he was caught up to heaven and was told things he cannot share. To keep him from being conceited because of his visions, he was given a thorn in his flesh who harasses him. He calls him a messenger from Satan. He keeps him humble. He asked the Lord to take this demon away, but the Lord told him that his grace is sufficient for him. Paul knew that humility brings God’s power. When we are weak, we can depend upon God’s strength because it is great.

Lord, thank you for sending us your son. Thank you that you live in each of us making us strong in the midst of our weaknesses. 

Thurs.’s Devo - Isaiah’s Vision

Read: Isaiah 6:1-7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3

Isaiah had one vision in his lifetime and this was it. He saw the Lord on his throne which the seraphim around him that cried out “Holy, holy, holy is he Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” When they did, the foundation of the temple shook and Isaiah was filled with awe and shame. He felt the depths of his sin and the sin of his nation. An angel took a coal from the altar and touched his mouth to cleanse him. 

The Lord asked Isaiah who he could send to the people and Isaiah volunteered.  God sent him to dull the ears and blind the eyes of the people until their cities were destroyed and the land desolate. The people would be led into exile and only a small remnant would be left.

At that time Ahaz was the king of Judah, Rezin was the king of Syria and Pekah was the king of Israel. Rezin and Pekah had come to attack Jerusalem which caused Ahaz to shake in fear. 

God sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz not to be afraid of Rezin and Pekah because their plan will not prosper. Israel would be the one to be conquered. God asked Ahaz to ask him to give him any sign he chose to prove that what he was saying was true. Ahaz refused to ask for a sign so God chose the sign. He said that the virgin would have a son and his name would be Emanuel which means “God is with you.” This sign was for then and prophetic of the birth of Christ. 

We will read tomorrow that the prophetess became pregnant and had a son which was one of the fulfillments of the prophecy. The prophecy went on to say that the child would be a son and before he was old enough to choose good or evil, the land of their two adversaries, Syria and Israel, would be deserted. 

In Corinthians, Paul compares his life to those of the super apostles who were leading them astray. Instead of telling them how great he is, Paul told them of all of the suffering and danger he had endured to bring them the truth. He doesn’t boast in his strength, but in his weaknesses. 

Lord, may we take the advise of our Proverbs today and not be deceived by what we see, but have discernment and only ingest what is holy and of you.  

Wed.’s Devo - Woe to Judah

Read: Isaiah 3:1-5:30; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 22:28-29

God said he was taking away all support and supplies from Judah. The support and supply were their people. God was going to take away their soldiers and armies, their judges and prophets, their elders and leaders and their charmers and sorcerers. Instead of their wise and elderly as leaders, they would be led by immature boys. The people would not be united but filled with hatred towards one another. (Sounds like what they tried to do to America.) They would beg anyone to lead them and no one would feel qualified or equipped to lead. 

They will be proud of their sins and not even try to hide them. But, he told the righteous that it would go well with them. They will eat the fruit of their righteousness. The wicked will receive what they dealt out to others. God will judge the elders and the princes who devoured the people and taxed them to poverty while they enjoyed the spoil. The wicked women of the land would be exposed for their sin and all their finery will be taken from them. 

The men will fall in war and there will be no men left to marry. Women will beg men to marry them just to take away their reproach of singleness. 

But, it will be a great day for the children of God. They will remain and be called holy. God will cleanse Jerusalem with his fire and cover his righteous with a cloud by day and fire by night just like he did for the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. 

Chapter 5 is a song about a vineyard that God established on the earth. It was supposed to be his testimony on the earth of who he was but it produced wild grapes. This vineyard was Jerusalem. God had done all he knew to prune them but they refused to yield good grapes. So now he was going to get rid of it and it will be hard for them to make a living there. They will go into exile because they refused to know the Lord and be taught by him. They will be humbled, but God will be exalted. God’s chosen remnant will receive the ruins of the wicked. 

Isaiah gives many woes to the wicked who called good evil and evil good. They were wise in their own eyes, took bribes and drank themselves into stupidity. They despised the Lord and will reap the reward of sin. God will send nations from afar to destroy them. 

In Corinthians Paul explains how he married them to Christ and is afraid they have strayed away from their devotion to Christ. They were quick to receive a different Jesus than the one he told them about. Their deceivers were what he called “super apostles” who charged them money to hear what they had to say. He reminded them that he taught them free of charge and came to serve them. Paul called these men false apostles and deceivers. He said that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light just like these men have done. 

Lord, we are nearing the day when you are going to do again what you did in Isaiah’s day. You are coming to judge the unrighteous and set the captives free. Thank you that You are our deliverer and our strong tower. We trust in your loving care.

Tues.’s Devo - Isaiah’s Prophesies Begin

Read: Isaiah 1:1-2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 22:26-27

Isaiah prophesied during the most critical time in Israel and Judah’s history. They had both experienced 50 years of natural prosperity, but spiritual decline. Jeroboam had led Israel to worship pagan gods while Judah had began in faith but had fallen into private idolatry while maintaining the outward show of piety. The wealthy oppressed the poor, women neglected their families in search of pleasure, and the priests and prophets became drunk and pleasers of man. 

In the world, Rome was founded and the Greeks were having their first Olympic games. Assyria was looking at conquering the south and the west and Asia was looking beyond their borders. Isaiah was a student of world affairs and could see what was happening. Then, Assyria took Samaria, the capital of Israel. 

Isaiah was sent to declare how displeased God was with the sin of his people and the nations. He called God’s people back to God. He began with calling out the sins of Judah. They had forgotten their creator and God. They were like an open sore that had not been cared for. 

Their cities had been burned, their borders had been breached, and they were overcome with strangers. (Sounds like America.) Isaiah says that unless God had left them a remnant they would be like Sodom and Gomorrah. 

God had grown tired of their fake worship and mixture of pagan with the holy. They went through the motions of worship, but their hearts were far from him. He begs them to turn back to the Lord an put away their sins and seek to do good to one another and to him. 

He tells them that God can forgive their sins and purify them if they return to the Lord. 

Because they had become such a sinful place with unrighteous leaders, God would take out the ones who judged wrongly and replace them with righteous judges. He will clean up their city and Jerusalem will one day be called the city of righteousness, justice and faithfulness. 

In the last days, which we are in, the Lord will be exalted and many will come to worship him and want to walk in his ways. God will judge the nations with his word. They will take their weapons of war and use them as instruments of harvest. War will be a thing of the past. 

The Day of the Lord will be an awesome day when they will turn from the desire to be like the pagan nations of the east and be humbled under the glory of God. In that day all the proud will be humbled. Everything man had esteemed as precious will pass away and every knee will bow before the terror of the Lord and his majesty. People will throw away their idols and stop worshiping man. 

Paul is experiencing his own war with man’s opinion. He was being accused of walking in the flesh. He said he did walk in the flesh because he was flesh and blood, but he did not fight according to his flesh. Paul wrote that his weapons and our weapons are not fleshly but spiritual and they destroy strongholds of the enemy.  They destroy every argument and opinion that is against who God is. Paul explains that he takes every thought he has and puts it under Christ’s authority and is ready to punish his own disobedience. 

He claims that the authority Christ gave him as their leader was to build them up, and not destroy them. He was accused of being hard and strong in his letters, but weak in presence. He told them that he was the same in the flesh as in his letters. He had brought them the gospel and his only hope is that they grow in their faith and that they spread the gospel he had give them. 

Lord, may we not glory in our flesh but use our weapons you have given us to fight and destroy the strongholds of the enemy. We trust in what you are doing in the earth and know that you are our stronghold. 

Mon.’s Devo - The Pursuit of Love

Read: Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 22:24-25

Chapter 5 begins with Christ’s invitation to come and fellowship with him. He is more than willing to give us all he has.

In the second verse, the response of the bride is to fall asleep. She is awakened by a sound of Jesus knocking on the door of her heart, but by the time she gets herself all cleaned up to answer, he is gone. Jesus doesn’t call us in our righteous state, he calls us as sinners and we are to respond to him in that state. He cleanse us up after we answer the door.

She looks for him everywhere. Think of all the places we have looked for love and acceptance only to be disappointed. She prays but doesn’t get an answer. She goes to the ones who are supposed to be able to help her - the watchmen on the wall and they only hurt her more. This is a great picture of people who have gone to the church for help, only to be hurt more. 

When she is asked to describe her beloved, she gives a beautiful description of Jesus. It makes others want him also. He returns the complement to her and expresses his love for her. 

When Jesus describes her in Chapter 7, she has become a mature woman of God ready to become his bride. She comes out of the wilderness completely leaning on Jesus, her Christ. 

Solomon describes us all as immature babies in the beginning but God does what we need him to do to grow its into  the mature bride who is ready for the bridegroom. 

In Corinthians, Paul brags on the church of Corinth telling them that their willingness to give early on has been an inspirations to the other churches. Paul is sending some men ahead of him to make sure they still feel the same way about giving their gift to the church in Jerusalem and make sure that they are not just giving to get something in return. 

Paul urges them to give cheerfully, not reluctantly or because they feel they are being coerced. He points out that those who give abundantly will reap abundantly. Their giving heart will reap a harvest of righteousness. Supplying others needs causes the ones they help to be thankful to God. God gets the glory and praise. 

Lord, may we be good stewards of all you have given us. May we be cheerful givers. Thank you that you pursue us with your passionate love and grace. Thank you that you can be found when we seek you with all our hearts.

Sun.’s Devo - The Song of Solomon

Read: Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Proverbs 22:22-23

Song of Songs or Song of Solomon is a beautiful love story. To Christians it is an allegory of Christ’s love for us his bride and our love for him as our bridegroom. To the Jew, it is an allegory of God’s love for his chosen people. 

It begins as the woman describes the favor of his pardon as kisses from his mouth. His name is like anointing oil being poured out on us. She speaks of the great fellowship she has with the Lord since she has brought him into her heart. In verse 5 she speaks of her darkness and sin she is subjected to in the world and wants to dwell in her Savior’s house instead. 

The Savior tells her to follow him and he would array her in his beauty with his ornaments of glory. She can smell the aroma of his presence. She keeps declaring her weaknesses and he keeps turning them to beauty. 

In 2:3-17 the woman describes what Jesus is to her. He is the lover of her soul, her present help in times of need, her comfort and her joy. He hides her in the cleft of the rock and she is his beloved. 

Chapter three gives us a picture of the dark night of the soul - the times in our lives when we go through difficult times and feel alone. It is the time of deep searching for God and his presence. But, God has promised that all who seek the Lord will find him and she is met with his whole army and then the king himself. God never leaves us or forsakes us. 

In Chapter 4, Jesus comforts his bride, commends her of her beauty, and expresses his great love for her. He compares her to a garden full of beauty and the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

In Corinthians, Paul writes that Titus has volunteered to come visit them. He has a deep love for the body of Christ. He is coming to Corinth and is bringing someone they are well acquainted with who most likely is Luke. He will make sure their contribution to the church in Jerusalem gets to them safely. Paul prays that they live up to his great expectations and are generous with their gift and accept Titus and Luke with love. 

Lord, you are the lover of our soul, mind and heart. May we seek after you above all else. May we find you and your Spirit as we seek for you with all our hearts. Thank you that you do not hide your face from us but freely accept us with love and forgiveness. 

Sat.’s Devo - The End of Solomon’s Sermon

Read: Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 22:20-21

Solomon warns that there is no way to cover for a fool or camouflage evil. It doesn’t matter if the person is a king or a fool his nature will expose him and show if he is a fool or wise. Solomon had observed many poor men with more wisdom than some foolish and evil kings. A man’s mouth is what exposes what is in his soul. 

The nation is blessed when it has a king with discretion and wisdom and is cursed when its leader is a drunken fool. He warns the people of not ever cursing the king even in their heart because he might find out and then it would not go well for that person.

Solomon advises his people to be generous with their wealth because a person will reap what he sows. He warns man against living in such fear that he doesn’t take risks and hoards all he has. It is better to always be sowing so you have many possibilities of reaping in various places. 

Solomon encourages us to remember God while we are young and not wait till our bodies are wasting away before we decide to serve the Lord. 

Solomon wrote many other proverbs and sayings to teach the people how to live and teach them about life and encourage them to have peace and joy. He reminds us that everything we do is known and judged by God. He concludes to fear God and keep his commandments so all will go well in the end.

In Corinthians, Paul commends the churches of Macedonia because in the midst of their hard times, they gave to the fund for the suffering church in Jerusalem. He reminded them of Jesus love and grace. He gave us heaven to come to earth and be poor so that we might have the abundance of God’s grace. 

Paul encourages the church in Corinth to give of their wealth to this fund also. He reminds them of the saying, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” He was referring to the children of Israel who gathered manna every morning and had just what they needed. Though the church in Corinth had abundance, they may one day be the ones who need help.

Lord, may we remember that we are just stewards of your money. May we give as we are led to give and not hold back. You are our source of supply.