Burunche’s Blog

Restoration for Israel For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and choose Israel once again. He will settle them on their own land. The foreigner will join them and be united with the house of Jacob. The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.

The Fall of the King of Babylon On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced, you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended! The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution.

All the earth is at peace and at rest; they break out in song. Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon exult over you: “Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes against us.” Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you— all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones. They will all respond to you, saying, “You too have become weak, as we are; you have become like us!” Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket.”

How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! (Day Star or shining one) You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. (in the remote parts of Zaphon or on the heights of Zaphon) I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?”

All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot. You will not join them in burial, since you have destroyed your land and slaughtered your own people. The offspring of the wicked will never again be mentioned. Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities. “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon her name and her remnant, her offspring and her posterity,” declares the LORD. “I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

God’s Purpose against Assyria The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand. I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” This is the plan devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the nations. The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?

Philistia Will Be Destroyed In the year that King Ahaz died, this burden was received: Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken. For a viper will spring from the root of the snake, and a flying serpent from its egg. Then the firstborn of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety, but I will kill your root by famine, and your remnant will be slain. Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks. What answer will be given to the envoys of that nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, where His afflicted people will find refuge.”

At first, this passage seems confusing. Isaiah begins with a comforting assurance to the Israelites. God will again favor Israel. Not only will the Israelites live in their own land, but foreigners will come to join them and they will rule over these foreigners. This prophecy has been largely fulfilled by the establishment of the State of Israel.

Next, Isaiah prophesies against the human King of Babylon, predicting that the Jews will sing songs mocking him and describing his entry into Sheol. Isaiah says that dead kings will ridicule the King of Babylon. “Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket.”

So far, so good. But now Isaiah continues with a prophecy intended for someone far greater than a human king. “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! (Day Star or shining one) You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations.” About whom is Isaiah speaking?

 Prophecy always works on several different levels. Here Isaiah is prophesying about the King of Babylon; however, some people feel that this passage also refers to Satan. Originally, Satan was in heaven and his name may have been Lucifer, or “light bearer.” But Satan rebelled and fell from heaven, taking one third of the angels with him. (Revelation 12:4)

Why would God link the human King of Babylon with Satan? Whatever a nation worships becomes its guiding spirit. The Babylonians worshiped a host of demons; therefore, Satan was their ruling spirit, inspiring the King of Babylon. There was always a remnant of the Israelites who worshiped the One True Living God; therefore, God’s spirit remained with Israel throughout all its trials. Now God is repeating his prophecies over Babylon, that once Babylon is destroyed, it will become a desolate swamp and will never be inhabited again by anything other than creatures of darkness.

Finally, Isaiah prophesies against Philistia, predicting that Philistia will be destroyed completely and its people scattered. These prophecies were later fulfilled and Philistia as an entity disappeared. The “cloud of smoke from the north” was likely the Assyrians, who would conquer all the land as far as the Mediterranean Sea.

APPLICATION: Those who worship demons will eventually be destroyed by them, earning a place in hell. Those who worship the One True Living God will eventually be with Him in heaven. We become what we worship. Matthew 6:19 – 21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We are concluding the year of 2022, a year that has brought turmoil and war to Ukraine and social upheaval and hardship to untold numbers of people around the world. As we enter a new year, we must ask ourselves this question: WHERE ARE OUR HEARTS? WHERE ARE OUR TREASURES? WHOM ARE WE TRUSTING? Are we trusting in ourselves, in our own ability to provide and protect? Are we trusting in some religious or social group? Are we relying on our wealth or social position? All of these things can fail us, leaving us destitute with no hope.

But if we will trust in God, He will never fail us. God has promised in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us or forsake us. If we fear the evil in the world, we must remember that God has overcome that evil. When Jesus was born as a man and lived and died as a perfect sinless man, he conquered death and hell and rose from the grave. Why trust in things that cannot help? As we enter 2023, let us make God our helper! Let’s remember Isaiah’s assurance in Isaiah 14:27 “27The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back? Truly, all the forces of darkness cannot stop what God has ordained!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust our yesterdays, our todays, and our tomorrows to You, knowing that You are the One True Living God and that You are always on the side of righteousness, justice and peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Burden against Babylon

“This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received: Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles. I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph.

Listen, a tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts musters an army for war. They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole country. Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.  Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt. Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look in astonishment at one another, their faces aflame with fear. Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming— cruel, with fury and burning anger— to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.

For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened when it rises, and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and humiliate the pride of tyrants. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts on the day of His burning anger.

Like a hunted gazelle, like a sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land. Whoever is caught will be stabbed, and whoever is captured will die by the sword. Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.

Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold. Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children.

And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. The owls will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.”

It’s a mistake to assume that prophesies only operate on one level. Ostensibly, this prophecy concerns the kingdom of Babylon, a kingdom that was not at all important when Isaiah was alive. At the same time, this prophecy also describes the end of time when the Lord will return to the earth to judge it. Those listening to Isaiah would recognize the descriptions of a vast implacable army that would swoop in, killing people of all ages, even ripping open the wombs of pregnant women. Murder, looting, burning, rape – these were all standard practices for invaders in those days.

But what about these phrases? “For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened when it rises, and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and humiliate the pride of tyrants. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts on the day of His burning anger.”

People might assume that these descriptions refer to clouds of smoke from a burning city that would obscure the sun, the moon, and the stars. But here God seems to be issuing a far greater warning. These verses appear to be warning mankind in general that God will judge them and that on that day all heavenly light will be extinguished. Part of this warning might have come because many people were worshiping the sun, the moon, and the stars. Here God is reminding them that He is the Creator and therefore he can extinguish the light of the heavenly beings at will.

APPLICATION: People who refuse to believe Biblical prophecy hate these passages. Isaiah began prophesying when King Uzziah died in 740 B.C. and continued until at least 686 B.C., a matter of 54 years.  Some sources even suggest that Isaiah prophesied for a total of 64 years, at which point wicked King Manasseh had him murdered. The important thing is this: Isaiah was predicting events that only took place many years after his death. Despite many attempts to claim that someone wrote parts of Isaiah after the events had taken place, many Jewish and Christian scholars firmly believe that Isaiah did write all of this book. (It is sad but true that some of the same people who refuse to believe in Isaiah as a prophet are willing to believe in UFO’s and all kinds of paranormal phenomena. Perhaps the problem is not the prophecies themselves but accepting the God behind the prophecies.)

Sennacherib of Assyria destroyed Babylon in 689 B. C. At that point, the Medes were not even a world power. After Sennacherib’s death, his son Esarhaddon began to rebuild Babylon. After Babylon rebelled against Assyria in 626 B.C., it became a separate kingdom that grew progressively in strength. The Medes and the Babylonians came together in 612 to defeat Nineveh and the rest of the Assyrian empire. The Babylonians took the former Assyrian lands while the Medes took the rest of the empire. Babylon grew to be an enormous city and a world power; however, in 539 B.C., Cyrus King of Persia conquered it, putting Darius the Mede in charge. Subsequently, Babylon rebelled and was eventually destroyed just as Isaiah had prophesied. Wild animals took over the ruins.

In modern times, there has been an attempt to rebuild Babylon. “ In 1978, the president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, began to rebuild some of the ancient buildings of Babylon. Some of the temples have been built again and also a palace, some walls and an amphitheater (Amatzia Baram, Culture, History, and Ideology in the Formation of Ba‘thist Iraq, 1968-89, 1991, p. 47). But today, Babylon is still an empty city. In times of peace tourists can go see the partially rebuilt ruins of Babylon that have remained empty for almost 2,000 years. The city is exactly like Isaiah predicted: “It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation” (Isaiah 13:20)” (https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/a-prophecy-about-babylon-confirms-the-accuracy-of-the-bible)

It is likely that Saddam Hussein attempted to rebuild Babylon to prove that the Biblical prophesies were wrong; however, Hussein himself wound up dying instead. Was Hussein trying to defy the God of Israel? Possibly. Unfortunately, Hussein failed to appreciate the power of the God whom he was attempting to flaunt.

The test of a prophet is whether or not his/her prophecies come true. Isaiah’s prophecies have stood the test of time. Now it is left for those of us who believe to consider the warnings about God’s wrath and God’s judgement. Jesus himself warned his disciples that he would return at a time that nobody could predict.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 says, “¹Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ² for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

At Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birth. But Jesus is no longer that cute little baby in the manger. Jesus is now King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Soon Coming One who will reign over the entire earth. When John the disciple who was closer to Jesus than anyone else saw Jesus in his vision on the Island of Patmos, he fell down in worship before Him. Let us also worship Jesus – not just a baby – but our Lord and our King!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to know You as You really are – King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Maker and Ruler of the Universe. We confess that we are sinners and that nothing we can do will make up for our sins. Lord, forgive our sins and heal our sin nature. Help us to worship You all the days of our lives. In Your mighty and precious Name, King Jesus. Amen.

Joyful Thanksgiving

“In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation, and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known in all the earth. Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”

We must remember that when Isaiah was writing his prophecies, he did not divide them into chapters. That division came thousands of years later. Sometimes the divisions make sense and sometimes they create unnecessary confusion. Chapter 12 is a continuation of the description of the coming of the Messiah.

I am writing this devotional on Christmas Day, and throughout the world, people are celebrating. But no matter how grand or wonderful or touching those celebrations are, they are only a pale shadow of the joy that those who believe in the Messiah will have when He returns.

Let’s look at this prayer. First comes acknowledgement of sin. ““In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.” When God called Isaiah to be His prophet, the first thing Isaiah realized was that he was a man of unclean lips and that he dwelled among people with unclean lips. In other words, Isaiah felt total unworthy to speak even a single word for a holy God from his sinful human mouth. It was then that a cherub took a coal from the sacrificial fire in the temple and touched Isaiah’s lips, cleansing them.

None of us is without sin. Before we can worship God, we must confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. But 1 John 1:8 – 10 tells us, “ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” God forgave Isaiah his sins, and God will equally forgive our sins when we confess them.

Once we have confessed our sins, we too can sing, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.” What does it mean to “draw water from the springs of salvation?” When we know that our sins have been forgiven, we can approach God with our needs, knowing that He will hear and will help us. This does not mean that life will be smooth and easy; sometimes God’s most advanced saints have been the ones who have suffered the most, even to the point of dying as martyrs. But we have the assurance that God will be with us in whatever we go through.

““Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known in all the earth. Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.” Sometimes we might read these words and think, “So what? I’m not Jewish. Does this stuff still apply to me?” But God only chose the Jews to be His people so that they could demonstrate to the rest of the world what could happen to a nation completely dedicated to Him. The failure of the ancient Jews to fulfill God’s plans for them did not nullify God’s desire that all the world should know Him, the One True Living God.

There is an earthly Zion, namely, Jerusalem. But there is also a heavenly Zion to which anyone may belong if he or she will follow Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is worthy of all praise and worship because He has already defeated death and the grave and lives and reigns forever. Jesus is with us, for one of His names is “Immanuel,” “God with us.”

APPLICATION: Sometimes we wonder if God is really “Immanuel!” Our Christmas Eve this year was anything but quiet! On the evening of December 23^rd, as we were passing slowly through a market day crowd in a nearby village, a motoking tricycle vehicle just like the one in the photo ran into our left rear bumper! With all those witnesses, it took a long time to sort out the owner of the vehicle and the driver. The driver proved to be a young man with a glazed look in his eyes, a Rasta hairstyle, and a necklace of cowrie shells.

We were not surprised to learn that the vehicle that hit us had no brakes and that it had been going way too fast. Where was God amid this problem? God used us to spare the lives of many people in the market day crowd as well as the lives of those riding in the open wagon of the motoking. Coming through the crowd from the other direction was an enormous articulated lorry. Had the motoking not run into us, it would have rushed on into the market day crowd, striking several innocent people and flattening itself on the front of the lorry. It’s likely that everyone riding in the motoking might also have been injured or killed. As it was, the only lasting casualty was our rear taillight cover that got broken.

But this accident proved to be a God – given opportunity. The following morning, the owner of the vehicle came to our home with a local dignitary. We were able to extend forgiveness to the family, encouraging them to get the vehicle repaired. My husband also encouraged the young man who had been driving to change his lifestyle and to accept Jesus.

Truly, if we have Jesus in our hearts, if Jesus is “Immanuel,” “God with us” to us, then we can celebrate, even when someone rear ends us. And one day when Jesus returns, there will be the greatest celebration of all time. God the Father will be celebrating along with Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is a good Father, and good fathers always want their children to join them when they celebrate. Why not join us?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help everyone who reads this to realize how much You love them and how much You want them to join that celebration. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Root of Jesse

“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips. Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

 The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.

On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off.

Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim. They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.”

When Isaiah received this message, he must have been overjoyed. God wanted Isaiah to announce that the Messiah was coming and that when He came, everything would be put right. All the evil, all the injustices, all the hatred in the world would be banished. These spiritual changes would be so complete that the curses put on creation at the time of Adam and Eve would be reversed. Predatory animals would live peacefully with those on which they had previously fed. Even poisonous snakes would refrain from attacking little children. But these changes would only be the beginning.

Today climate change is a hot topic. But here Isaiah is predicting that God is going to dry up the Euphrates River. The Encyclopedia Britannica says this about the Euphrates: ”The longest river in southwest Asia, it is 1,740 miles (2,800 km) long, and it is one of the two main constituents of the Tigris-Euphrates river system. The river rises in Turkey and flows southeast across Syria and through Iraq.

Formed by the confluence of the Karasu and Murat rivers in the Armenian Highland, the Euphrates descends between major ranges of the Taurus Mountains to the Syrian plateau. It then flows through western and central Iraq to unite with the Tigris River and continues, as Shatt Al-Arab, to the Persian Gulf. Its valley was heavily irrigated in ancient times, and many great cities, some of whose ruins remain, lined its banks. With the Tigris, it defines an area known historically as Mesopotamia.”

What is God predicting here through Isaiah? God is promising that He is going to remove every barrier that has prevented His people from returning to Israel. The language employed here is fascinating. The language used to describe the division of the Euphrates indicates that God will strike the Euphrates with His mighty Hand. But the language used to describe the drying up of the Red Sea indicates that it might dry up from inside itself. How and when these events will take place is not certain, but what is certain is that God Himself will remove these physical barriers.

APPLICATION: How far away is God? Many times when catastrophes take place such as accidents, hurricanes, droughts, floods, or wars and economic collapses, people blame God. “Where is God in this mess? Why has God allowed this horrible thing to happen?” These verses indicate that God has not removed Himself. In fact, God is as close to each of us as our own heartbeats. If there are barriers between God and us, WE are the ones who have erected those barriers.

These verses indicate that before the end of the age, God will call His people out of the lands of their exile, summoning them to return to Israel. Is it possible for God to dry up the Gulf of Aqaba or to split the mighty Euphrates into seven small streams? Of course! God is the One who created those geographical features in the first place, so He can certainly rearrange the earth as He chooses. But what do these verses mean for the people of the world in general?

First, we must realize that God’s will for mankind has been and always will be for peace. The picture at the top of this devotional is the Benjamin West painting entitled “The Peaceable Kingdom.” Not only does West depict the events described by Isaiah, but he also includes a painting of William Penn making a treaty with Native Americans. Both West and Penn were Quakers devoted to bringing peace to all those around them. West included this picture of the treaty to indicate that peace among men would also be an important part of the peaceable kingdom.

Isaiah 9:6 – 7 tells us “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”   

Notice that there is nothing uncertain about this prophecy, and in fact this prophecy has already been fulfilled. Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, has been born as a man, has lived as a man and has died for the sins of the entire world. Now Jesus reigns from the God – given throne of David with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. One day, Jesus will return to earth and establish His kingdom on earth; meanwhile, we must trust that even when terrible things happen, God is still in our midst and is still working. We live in a fallen sinful world, and the disasters we see are the results of that sin. But when we turn to God and follow Him, we can have hope even in the midst of our suffering. And we can trust that the same God who can smite the longest and most powerful river in southwest Asia into seven small streams is still at work to perfect us into His Image.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we acknowledge that we are sinners and that our sins have blighted our world. Forgive us and help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Let Your Kingdom come and Your perfect will be fully done in our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Woe to Tyrants

“Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder. What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth? Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Judgment on Assyria

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations. “Are not all my commanders kings?” he says. “Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria, and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes. For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’”

 Does an ax raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a staff waving the one who lifts it! It would be like a staff lifting him who is not wood! Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame. And the Light of Israel will become a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles. The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man. The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them.

A Remnant Shall Return

On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return —a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God. Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. (He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work in all the world; cited in Romans 9:28)

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, who strikes you with a rod and lifts his staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.” And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt. On that day the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.

Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash. They have crossed at the ford: “We will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth! Madmenah flees; the people of Gebim take refuge. Yet today they will halt at Nob, shaking a fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled. He will clear the forest thickets with an ax, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.”

Isaiah is continuing his warnings to the wealthy politicians of Judah who have been feeding on the poor, enacting unjust laws and using any pretense to victimize widows and orphans. God is giving these people one last change to repent, but if they do not, God will unleash the Assyrian army on them.

The Assyrians were one of the most brutal nations imaginable. Assyrian boys were raised to become warriors who would behead captives, burn them, skin them alive, and carry out all sorts of other tortures. Captives who survived until the end of battles were generally beheaded while scribes stood by keeping the tally. It gave new meaning to the term “head count.” Compared to the Assyrians, the Babylonians were nothing but a bunch of pussy cats! Not only were the Assyrians unbelievably cruel, but they had also perfected many of the engines of war. “Infantry, chariots, cavalry (introduced by Ashurnasirpal to aid the infantry and chariots), sappers, armor made from iron, siege machines, and battering rams were all developed or perfected by the Assyrians. Strategy and tactics were also well understood by the Assyrian officers. (See Durant, Our Oriental Heritage, 1:270–71.)”

When Assyrians conquered a city, they completely destroyed not only the city but also all of its trees, carrying out scorched earth tactics. Much of the deforestation and subsequent climate change in Isaiah’s time resulted from Assyrian conquests.  

(Information from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-kings-malachi/enrichment-d?lang=eng)

Amazingly, God is saying that He is going to use the Assyrians just as a carpenter would use an axe or a saw. But the Assyrians are clueless that they are being used. God promises that after He has used Assyria, Assyria itself will be devastated. “Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame. And the Light of Israel will become a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles. The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man. The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them.”

God also promises that once He has dealt with Assyria and the Israelite captives have had the chance to repent, a remnant will return to Israel. These promises came true repeatedly, culminating with the return of the Jews to Israel after World War II.  

APPLICATION: Today climate change is one of the hottest topics in the news. All kinds of videos of melting ice caps and shrinking glaciers are circulating on TV and social media. But those aware of history realize that climate change has been occurring for millenia. 10,000 years ago, the Sahara was NOT a desert at all but was green. But a combination of factors served to bring the Sahara to the tipping point. Natural changes in the earth’s orbit, a weakening of the African monsoon, a proliferation of hunter – gatherer humans who then had to raise grazing animals – a whole host of factors were involved.

An article in the Smithsonian Magazine quotes experts who say this: “It’s important to note that the green Sahara always would’ve turned back into a desert even without humans doing anything—that’s just how Earth’s orbit works, says geologist Jessica Tierney, an associate professor of geoscience at the University of Arizona. Moreover, according to Tierney, we don’t necessarily need humans to explain the abruptness of the transition from green to desert.

Instead, the culprits might be regular old vegetation feedbacks and changes in the amount of dust. “At first you have this slow change in the Earth’s orbit,” Tierney explains. “As that’s happening, the West African monsoon is going to get a little bit weaker. Slowly you’ll degrade the landscape, switching from desert to vegetation. And then at some point you pass the tipping point where change accelerates.”

Tierney adds that it’s hard to know what triggered the cascade in the system, because everything is so closely intertwined. During the last humid period, the Sahara was filled with hunter-gatherers. As the orbit slowly changed and less rain fell, humans would have needed to domesticate animals, like cattle and goats, for sustenance. “It could be the climate was pushing people to herd cattle, or the overgrazing practices accelerated denudation [of foliage],” Tierney says. 

Today, much of the Middle East is not green at all; however, if you read Biblical accounts closely, you realize that God promised that farms and vineyards would be destroyed. It was common practice for invading armies to destroy all trees, to pour salt on the land, and even to carry stones, dotting a conquered land with stones so that nobody would be able to farm there again easily. “Once Egypt was captured, Esarhaddon and his successor, Assurbanipal (680-626 B.C.E.), ruled an empire that stretched over 1,000 miles from the Nile River to the Caucasus Mountains. In its time, the Assyrian Empire was the greatest the world had ever seen.” (ushistory.org/civ/4d.Assyrians: Cavalry and Conquests – USHistory.org)

When we refuse to see God’s hand moving in history and in every event in our world, we are forced to fall back on all kinds of explanations. But 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God always keeps His promises. The One who hung the stars poke the universe into existence with the single word “BE!” – the God of Israel, Eloheinu Melekh Ha’olam – the Lord God of the universe – the Most High God can still heal any land where people will humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways! Oh come, let us adore Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have abused our lands and have not subjected ourselves to You, turning to all sorts of other remedies to forestall the deterioration of our world. But You alone are the One who can heal our world and heal us. The governments are on Your shoulders. Lord, we confess that our sins have created a barrier to healing. We repudiate those sins and we beg you to forgive us and to cleanse our hearts, our homes, and our lands. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judgment against Israel’s Pride

Isaiah 9:8 – 21 “The Lord has sent a message against Jacob, and it has fallen upon Israel. All the people will know it—Ephraim and the dwellers of Samaria. With pride and arrogance of heart they will say: “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”

The LORD has raised up the foes of Rezin against him and joined his enemies together. Aram (Syria) from the east and Philistia from the west have devoured Israel with open mouths. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Judgment against Israel’s Hypocrisy

But the people did not return to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts. So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day. The head is the elder and honorable man,

and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies. For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up. Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Judgment against Israel’s Unrepentance

For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets which roll upward in billows of smoke. By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man even spares his brother. They carve out what is on the right, but they are still hungry; they eat what is on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring. Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

It was never God’s will for Judah and Israel to separate from each other, nor was it God’s will for either nation to be destroyed and their citizens slaughtered or carried off as slaves. These tragedies took place because of three sins: pride, hypocrisy, and unrepentance.

It was pride that drove Solomon’s son Rehoboam to give a ridiculously arrogant answer when the people came begging for some relief from his father’s stringent measures. It was pride that fueled the subsequent antipathies between the nations of Israel and Judah, with Judah claiming to worship the God of Israel all the time its citizens were sneaking off to every shrine and high place imaginable. It was pride that drove some of the kings of Israel to destroy as much of the city walls of Jerusalem as possible while they carried off treasures from the temple. And it was pride that caused the people to say, “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” For these people, everything was always going to get better and better and they couldn’t conceive of a future that included disaster.

Blinded by pride, the people have fallen into hypocrisy. The elders and honorable men and the prophets are those who should have been providing righteous leadership and guidance; yet, they are the very men who are now leading everyone else astray by their examples and their manipulative explanations for their behavior. “For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up. Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.”

For generations, God has remained patient, repeatedly sending prophets to warn and to advise, but nobody has been listening. Now the evil has reached its tipping point. Young men are so corrupt that God cannot take any pleasure in their bright spirits, for those spirits are darkened and depraved. While God has always watched over orphans and widows, now He is withdrawing His care from them, for even the orphans and widows have resorted to fetish worship and sacrifices at shrines. All the Israelites have turned their backs on the One True Living God.

The worst sin of all is that Israel has remained unrepentant, despite untold numbers of prophets warning them to change. “For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets which roll upward in billows of smoke. By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire.” The very wickedness of the people themselves is causing God to remove His hand of protection, allowing marauders to devastate the land. Not only will foreign invaders create havoc, but the people themselves will turn upon one another, like snakes, each one trying to devour all the others.

“No man even spares his brother. They carve out what is on the right, but they are still hungry; they eat what is on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring. Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.”

APPLICATION:  Yesterday we celebrated Christmas, but we must remember, God is NOT Santa Claus, and even Santa “knows if you’re naughty or nice.” The ancient Israelites certainly were not the only members of the human race to succumb to pride, hypocrisy, and unrepentance. All those things started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Adam: “The woman You gave me gave me the fruit and I ate it. Hey, God! This mess isn’t my fault. I was just trying to honor my wife. Didn’t you want me to do that?” Eve: “It was that serpent with his smooth talk! The serpent beguiled me and I ate the fruit.” No, Adam and Eve were not remorseful, only ashamed. Each of them tried to blame someone else, pretending that they were still all right. At point in that story does either Adam or Eve sound the least bit repentant.

Throughout the history of Israel and Judah, God has continued to send prophets warning His people, but they haven’t listened. How frustrated Isaiah must have been as he saw things deteriorating spiritually while he continued to utter warnings!

It’s tempting to look back and criticize those of previous generations, but look at the state of our world today. Improved communications and social media are tools that can be used for good or evil. Sometimes the flood of evil appears overwhelming. As I write this, Russia is still trying to swallow up Ukraine. Bigger corporations continue to engulf smaller ones. But the Light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has NOT overcome it! Today, let us examine our lives and let us pray earnestly for God to send His light and His truth throughout our families, our territories, our countries and our world! Don’t allow pride, hypocrisy, and unrepentance to conquer!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have frequently given in to pride, hiding our sins as hypocrites, and then refusing to repent when You have sent the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, cleanse our hearts with the inspiration of Your Love, so that we may worthily glorify You and magnify You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHRISTMAS EVE- DECEMBER 24, 2022

We had an arrangement, and I had time off. The last several months had been grueling for a variety of reasons, and I had high hopes of writing some stirring Christmas message and sending it out to all our friends. But my colleague had something come up, and so I was working on Christmas Eve when the emergencies hit.

Rounding on the kids in the pediatric ward was not a problem. The little three-year-old who had come in two nights previously unable to breathe due to a severe case of tonsillitis was now comfortable and taking porridge. Several malaria/anemia cases were all doing great. The baby in the NICU who had come covered with a septic rash went home with his grateful mother. All was calm and all was bright. Then came the first call.

That morning a seven-year-old Fulani boy had gotten too close to a cow who was feeling frisky due to the cold. Cows can kick you from any angle; something those of us who grew up caring for cattle have learned repeatedly. Unfortunately, the tip of the cow’s hoof penetrated the little boy’s abdomen, tearing a small hole and allowing some of his small intestine to erupt out onto his skin. The parents were very wise; they tied a cloth around the waist to protect the intestines and then tied a calabash over the intestines as a guard, following that with another cloth. The family had to bring the boy in from Garinkuka, a 3 – 4-hour journey by motorcycle because of the roads. We sent the boy straight to surgery, where we realized that God had protected him! There was no damage to the liver or spleen and the intestine had a bruised area with a tiny perforation that was easily repaired. The biggest challenge was trying to clean all the dirt, grass, and manure from the intestines prior to returning them to the abdomen.

As I was completing this operation, the physician assistant on duty called with another emergency. This time it was a small boy from the Bimbilla area 90 miles away. The boy had a typhoid perforation and the staff at Bimbilla Government Hospital wanted to refer the boy to Tamale Teaching Hospital. The family wisely chose to come to us in Saboba instead. (During holidays, the staff at Tamale Teaching Hospital get slammed. TTH also has staff who want time off; however, since TTH is the referral hospital for a wide area, all the major accident cases plus complicated OB cases plus a host of other problems find their way to TTH. It’s possible that had the family gone to TTH, there might not have been a bed available for this boy.) Although we are a smaller facility, we can handle cases more rapidly. We also like to believe that we handle our patients more compassionately as well.  

Meanwhile, a pregnant lady with an overdue fifth pregnancy had been admitted on the 23^rd. Although a midwife ruptured the membranes at 10:30 in the morning, the lady’s labor had now stalled, and her cervix was not opening. Women with more than one pregnancy are called multiparous. Women with five or more pregnancies are known as “grand multiparous,” a term that gets shortened to “grand multip.” Statistically, grand multips are at increased risk for problems delivering. It became obvious that this lady would need a Caesarian section. Calling our tired theater crew in once more, we delivered a 3.8 kg baby boy who began screaming as soon as his head was out of the womb. It also became clear that the cause of the problem was the huge uterine fibroids in the top of the uterus. These fibroids had literally trapped the child’s legs, making it impossible for the child to come out vaginally.

So for those of you who were anticipating a Christmas message from us, here it is. We wish all of you and yours the most holy and blessed of Christmases and the most hopeful of New Years. As the old saying in Twi says, “Afe pa nko meto y3n. Afe seseei, na y3 tease.” “A good year should come to meet us. A year from now, may we all be alive and well.”

And also from the Twi, “Onyame nhyira mo nyinaa!” God bless you all!

Love, Bob and Jean Young

Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

John 1:1 – 5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Prior to 1957, Ghana was the British colony called the Gold Coast. Assemblies of God missionaries came in from Burkina Faso in 1931, starting the first Assemblies of God church in Yendi among the Dagomba people. The war – like Konkombas were one of the neighboring tribes, and a few Konkombas first heard the Gospel from those missionaries in Yendi. In 1938, Pastor Homer Goodwin rode into the Konkomba town of Saboba guided by Akonsi, Bilateeb and Beso, three early Konkomba Christians who were desperate for their people to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. The same day that Homer and his guides made the trip in by a road close to the River Oti, the Yendi British District Commissioner and a band of soldiers attempted to go to Saboba through Wapuli and were repulsed by Konkomba warriors. The Commissioner suffered a wound from a poisoned arrow and was forced to take his men back to Yendi without reaching Saboba; meanwhile, Homer was staying with the chief in Saboba. After that, Homer made several trips to Saboba over a period of nearly 7 years, staying with his friend, the chief, each time. But there was a major problem.

In those days, the British had carved up the Gold Coast into districts with British government workers manning all the head positions. The new British District Commissioner at that time was a Scot who hated Christianity and Christians. This man who was an anthropologist by training believed that the Konkombas were one of the more primitive people in Ghana and he wanted to preserve the Konkombas in that state so that he could carry out his studies undisturbed. To further his studies, in 1946 this District Commissioner began building a home in Saboba, fashioning it as an elongated oval structure to mimic the local round rooms.

On Homer’s next trip to Saboba, he stopped to greet this District Commissioner, only for the official to tell him that this trip would be Homer’s last visit to Saboba because he, the D. C., wanted to preserve the Konkombas from all outside influences of any kind. Homer was distraught as he returned to his family in Accra.

Two AG lady missionaries, Pauline Smith and Adeline Wichman, were then working in Yendi. We later became friends with these two ladies, and they told us about riding their bicycles from Yendi to Saboba and peeking in the windows to see how the District Commissioner was arranging the house. But the District Commissioner became furious and posted signs at the edge of Saboba saying, “Missionaries keep out!” It was at that point that God began to move.

Two things happened nearly simultaneously: Smith and Wichman complained to their British government friends in Yendi about the bizarre behavior of the District Commissioner. At the same time, Homer Goodwin was in Accra and took his family to Labadi Beach to swim the Saturday after his encounter with the District Commissioner. While at the beach, Homer met a British man and found himself recounting the story of this District Commissioner who was more interested in anthropologic studies than he was in the good of the people. The British were already fully aware that tribesmen who converted to Christianity were far less likely to prove troublesome than those who continued to follow traditional religions, so from the pragmatic standpoint of maintaining peace, it would be beneficial were the Konkombas to embrace Christianity. God is very wonderful! The man to whom Homer was talking proved to be the Secretary to the Governor of the Gold Coast, a very important man indeed. This man requested that Homer meet him in his office the following Monday.

When Homer arrived, the Governor’s secretary informed Homer Goodwin that this District Commissioner’s ideas were strictly against British Colonial policy. Next, this man proposed that the British would allow the Assemblies of God to enter Saboba if Homer could promise that the Assemblies of God would establish a clinic there. Rolling his eyes heavenward, Homer gulped and agreed. Then Homer had to communicate with the Division of Foreign Missions Springfield Assemblies of God Headquarters that he had committed them to building a mission clinic in Saboba.

Fortunately, all these events took place just after World War II, when the U.S. air base in Accra was being dismantled. Homer had been functioning as a chaplain for the air base and so was able to get two Quonset huts, a jeep, several beds, and all the medical equipment that was in the clinic there. The Governor ordered the District Commissioner to pack and leave Saboba immediately. The very day that this man was leaving Saboba, Homer was traveling into Saboba in his jeep with the mission vehicle loaded with the equipment from the air base following him. The road was so small that the District Commissioner had to pull off into the grass to allow Homer and the mission vehicle to pass. The British completely withdrew this man and sent him back to Scotland.

Meanwhile, the British government realized that they did not need that house in Saboba, so they traded that house for one owned by the AG’s in Yendi. The net result was that the house built by the horrible District Commissioner became the home of Mel and Marita McNutt, the first AG missionaries, who arrived in October 1948. (The photo above comes courtesy of the McNutt family.) The McNutts built a small Quonset hut clinic, and soon 2 missionary nurses who were former military nurses arrived. The outreaches from that clinic helped convert so many people that at least twelve churches were established due to the work of that clinic. (Note: This information is not second – hand. We were friends with Homer and Thelma Goodwin, Pauline Smith and Adeline Wichman, and Mel and Marita McNutt. We were also friends with Ozella Hagar Reed and Charlese Spenser, two of the missionary nurses who worked in Saboba. We have also received a great deal of information from Reverend John Goodwin, Homer’s son, and his wife Amonna Sue Goodwin.)   

APPLICATION: Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in all the trappings of Christmas to the extent that we lose sight of the fundamental message. The world lay in darkness, bound by sin. Mankind was caught in an endless downward spiral; no sacrifices were sufficient to remove that sin or to give hope. God sent His Son Jesus, the Messiah, to live as a sinless man and to die a cruel death as the ultimate blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. Because of the power of God, Jesus arose from the dead and is alive forever more.

Ephesians 5:14 sounds out the call, “Awake, you who sleep. Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Today, we are much better dressed than were those Konkomba tribesmen when Homer Goodwin rode into Saboba. But are our hearts any cleaner?

Ephesians 5:8 – 11 tells us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Christmas is not merely about how many gifts we can collect; it is also about what we can give to the Lord. The best gift we can give God is to humble ourselves before Him, recognizing that we are sinners and that we neither deserve the light or can earn it. Only God can bring light into our spiritual darkness. Today, why not celebrate Christmas by giving God the best gift of all, the gift of a surrendered life?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and that by ourselves, we can do nothing to make up for our sins. But You have sent Jesus as the ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. Lord, we beg You to forgive our sins. We promise to follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord for the rest of our lives. Please flood our lives with Your light. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 9:1 –7 Unto Us a Child Is Born (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:14-15)

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”

 It is fitting that we are studying these verses on Christmas Eve. Of all the prophecies in Isaiah, this is one of the most encouraging. What was so significant about the lands of Zebulon and Naphtali? The lands of these tribes lay on a major trade route to the Mediterranean Sea, frequently known as the Way of the Sea. Trade routes make easy passages for invaders, and the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali were among the first to be carried off into captivity. These tribes, along with the other eight tribes in the Northern Kingdom, had persisted in worshiping idols, plunging ever deeper into spiritual darkness. Isaiah predicted that when the Messiah came, he would bring light into that darkness. It was in that region that Jesus began his ministry and did much of his preaching, thus fulfilling this prophecy.

But “Galilee of the Gentiles” also has a second meaning. When King Hiram of Tyre helped Solomon, Solomon repaid him by giving him twenty cities in the Galilee area. From that point onward, those cities were referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles” while there were other neighboring areas that were considered “Jewish Galilee.” It’s likely that once Tyre took over these cities, those people began worshiping the gods of Tyre, rather than the God of Israel.

It is a sad mistake to assume that the religion of a people has no effect on their land. The Sentinel Organization Transformation films have documented the complete transformation of communities previously mired in despair after Christians have banded together to pray for their communities. In places as diverse as Medellin, Colombia, villages in Guatemala, Eskimo villages in Alaska, and villages in Fiji, drug cartels have been brought down, land has become fertile, and fish and wild life have returned in large numbers.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come to one of the most hopeless parts of Israel, and that light would shine in the darkness, and life and joy would abound. The yokes of oppressive government would be shattered and all symbols of that oppression would be destroyed. Even the garments worn into battle would be burned as fuel.

Messiah would come, and He would carry all authority “the government will be upon his shoulders.” Messiah would be so magnificent that he would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” But the wonders would not end with the arrival of Messiah, for he would establish a kingdom that would last forever.
“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”

One mistake when considering prophecy is to assume that a prophecy can only work on one level; meanwhile, God is always packing more meaning into His Word than we can comprehend at a glance. When describing the start of Jesus’ ministry, Matthew quotes this prophecy as the reason that Jesus begins his ministry where he does. Matthew 4:12 – 17 “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” But part of this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled, for Jesus has yet to return to occupy the throne of David.

APPLICATION: All of us need this Word right now! This last year has been very difficult for the people of the world. Here in our small part of rural Ghana, we are facing concerns over the scanty nature of the recent harvests. Those who harvested 5 bags of rice from their farms last year are reporting yields of 1 ½ bags. The maize harvest has been similarly low, and soybeans and groundnuts have fared little better. The poor state of the global economy has also had a devastating impact on our local economy as well, causing prices of goods and services to rise daily. In the midst of this darkness, we need the light of the Messiah!

The term “Gospel” means “good news.” The Messiah is a wonderful Counselor – we all need guidance as we thread our way through life. The Messiah is a mighty God – these days, many people are pinning hopes on causes such as opposing global warming or saving the environment. But we are created to worship, and it is pointless to worship causes or people who can always fail. The Messiah is the Everlasting Father. While a few blessed people may have had loving fathers who helped and protected them, many have grown up without a father’s love. Many more have suffered untold abuses at the hands of their progenitors who can scarcely be referred to as fathers. We long for a perfect Father, someone who will love us and accept us and protect us and guide us.

The Messiah is the Prince of Peace. The world is full of conflict. As I am writing this, tribal rivalries have broken out again in a town 100 miles to the north of us and several people have died. Competition for land, for resources, for position, for survival – the reasons for fighting are endless. We need the peace of God that passes all understanding. Although many people are struggling to find peace in drugs or alcohol, only the Messiah can bring such peace.

Today, the Messiah has yet to return a second time, and the world is still full of trouble. But those of us who choose to follow Jesus the Messiah can enjoy peace and guidance even in the midst of turmoil. I stand in awe of friends who continue to minister in one city in Ukraine. While many others have fled the country, this couple continue to help in diverse ways, graphically demonstrating the love of Christ to all around them. Are my friends safe? No. They might be killed. But are they secure in Christ Jesus? Absolutely yes! Whether my friends live or die, they will always belong to Jesus and He to them as well.

When we realize who Jesus is and what He has done and is doing for us, there is only one thing left for us to say: Oh come, let us adore Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to realize just how much You care about us and how great Your provisions are for us. Thank You, that You truly are the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. In the mighty and precious Name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 8:1 – 22 Assyrian Invasion Prophesied

“Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (The spoil speeds, the prey hastens or Swift to plunder, quick to carry away) And I will appoint for myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

And the LORD spoke to me further: “Because this people (the Northern Kingdom of Israel) has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoiced in Rezin and the son of Remaliah, the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates — the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!

Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us. ”

A Call to Fear God (Ecclesiastes 8:10-13)

For this is what the LORD spoke to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:

“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.

The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded. And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare. Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”

Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Darkness and Light

When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.”

Rezin, the King of Syria, and Pekah, the King of the northern kingdom of Israel have joined forces to threaten Jerusalem. Isaiah has already prophesied that this attack will not come off. When Isaiah takes that prophesy to King Ahaz of Judah, Isaiah is accompanied by his son Shear – jashub, whose name means “a remnant will remain.” Now God is ordering Isaiah to father a second son, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, whose name will mean “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens or Swift to plunder, quick to carry away.” God promises that by the time this son can speak enough to cry “Mommy!” or “Daddy!” both Israel and Syria will be plundered and left in ruins by the Assyrians.

God says that He is going to destroy the Northern Kingdom because its citizens have rejected the living water of God’s peace, God is going to allow the might of Assyria to flood their lands. Despite the fact that both Israel and Judah are hundreds of miles from the Euphrates River, God uses the Euphrates as a symbol of the overwhelming destruction the Assyrians will bring, comparing that destruction to catastrophic flooding that sweeps away everything in its path.  

Isaiah tells us that God has warned him not to copy the faithless citizens of Israel or Judah. ““Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.

The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.” In response, Isaiah states, “I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.”

As the people of both kingdoms have wandered further away from God, they have resorted to divination, something God expressly forbade in the Law of Moses. “When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead?” Those consulting diviners may be sacrificing far more than if they were to worship at the temple; however, they are trying to control their own destiny in this fashion. These people fail to realize that they are falling into utter darkness, an abyss where there is no dawn. “Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.”

APPLICATION: The test of a prophet is whether the prophesies come true, and Isaiah proves to be a true prophet; all these prophesies are eventually fulfilled. What Isaiah fails to mention is his personal feelings about these prophesies. After all, Isaiah was a native of Judah and Jerusalem. Those engaging in divination, witchcraft, and idolatry were likely his friends and relatives.

It is a sad fact that many times, a prophet finds himself or herself increasingly separated from dear ones because of the Word of God. The closest glimpse we have of Isaiah’s personal feelings is his statement, “Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.” Perhaps Isaiah feared for the lives of his sons; after all, while those two boys were alive, their very names would mean something to everyone who knew them. Those worshiping demons might believe that if they could simply eliminate those boys, they could somehow change their own destinies. Four years ago, the relatives of a Ghanaian pastor friend murdered him because they believed that he was bad luck. This man’s mother had died in childbirth, and those relatives believed that he was an unlucky man whose very existence was bringing curses on the family.  Such people will make terrible decisions because they have become confused and have “no light and no dawn.”

“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread. The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded. And He will be a sanctuary…” As the Medical Superintendent of two different mission hospitals, I have proven the truth of these statements many times. Remain in a leadership position long enough, and you may find yourself the target of vicious gossip or even wicked cabals. At that point, it is tempting to give way to fear and to begin seeing conspirators around every corner; meanwhile, you might be suspecting the very people God is raising up to help you. Rather than focusing on the conspiracies, it is far better to trust God and to keep moving forward, leaving the conspirators by the wayside. This does not mean that you should be blind to threats, but that you should not focus on them. If you know that God has called you to a particular work, then go to Him and remind Him that He is the One who has called you; therefore, He is the One who must empower you and keep you.

Throughout Isaiah’s prophecies, God is continuing to stretch out His hands to the people of Israel and Judah. Even if both nations are destroyed, a remnant will remain, and God will continue to bless those who fear Him. The choice is always between the darkness and the light, whether in Isaiah’s day or in ours. Will we choose to trust God and to find our sanctuary in Him, or will we consult wizards/social influencers/gurus who “whisper and mutter?”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust in You at all times and to turn away from anything that is not of You, particularly from spiritists, mediums, and the like. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.