Burunche’s Blog

Isaiah 7:1 – 25 A Message to Ahaz

“Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram (Syria) marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub (The name means “a remnant shall remain.”) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or fainthearted over these two smoldering stubs of firewood, over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’

But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen. For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’”

 The Sign of Immanuel (Micah 5:1-6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7)

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and she will call Him Immanuel, (This means “God with us.”) By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Judgment to Come (Micah 1:1-7)

The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria. On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates —the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well. On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep, and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, (25.1 pounds of silver) only briers and thorns will be found. Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.”

Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah was the king and he and all his people were terrified, “trembling like leaves in the forest shaken by the wind.” The kings of Israel and Syria had formed a coalition and were threatening Jerusalem. Isaiah brought a somewhat comforting message… if you like considering the very long – term view. Isaiah told Ahaz to stay cool, because the planned invasion was going to fail. Not only that, but in 65 years, the nation of Israel wouldn’t even exist anymore. Isaiah was even to take along his son Shear – Jashub, whose name meant “a remnant shall remain” as a sign of God’s faithfulness.

Isaiah ordered Ahaz to ask for a sign from the Lord. In a fit of religious pride, Ahaz refused to ask for such a sign. Unfortunately, it’s likely that Ahaz didn’t really have that much respect for the Lord, he just had very little faith and didn’t want to take the risk in case God failed him. Isaiah went on to warn Ahaz that if Ahaz did not stand firm in his faith, he would not stand at all.

Next, Isaiah announced the sign that God was going to give. A virgin was to bear a son; before this boy was even weaned, the two countries Ahaz feared would lie wasted. Sounds great so far, right? But Isaiah wasn’t through. God wanted Ahaz to understand that he and his people needed to straighten up or they would be destroyed and Judah would become a wilderness.

APPLICATION: This chapter seems confusing. First, Isaiah warned Ahaz, then Isaiah delivered one of the most wonderful Messianic prophecies, then Isaiah returned to warning Ahaz some more. Why should things be so confusing?

God had no desire to destroy either Israel or Judah. Originally, God wanted the nation of Israel to be a single kingdom, not two kingdoms, and He wanted the Israelites to be a holy people so that all the surrounding nations would be drawn to the One True Living God. But the people of Israel blew it! First Solomon married huge numbers of foreign wives and got caught up in idolatry. Then Solomon’s son Rehoboam was too proud to take good advice when it was offered, insulting the people so badly that ten of the tribes split off into the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leaving Judah and Benjamin.

The histories of the two kingdoms ran in fairly similar courses, except for the fact that Judah did have a few righteous kings while the kings of Israel went from one depravity to another. God kept sending prophets to warn the people and a few reforms would take place, but soon idolatry would take over again. Now God was warning Judah yet again that He was about to send the Assyrians to punish Judah for being unfaithful. Cities would lie in ruins. Wonderful farms and vineyards could be destroyed and the land would turn into dense bush.

Why did God waste His time sending prophets if He already knew what was going to happen? The answer lies in the name Isaiah gave his son – Shear – Jashub, “a remnant will remain.” God knew those who were righteous and who were still worshiping Him. God was giving all of Judah a chance to repent, but Isaiah and other prophets were to warn people so that when the Assyrians appeared, they shouldn’t blame God.

Did God grieve over the people who refused to truly worship Him? Absolutely! But there had to be a day of reckoning. One show we watch on TV is “Border Patrol,” a reality show that documents the struggles of immigrations and customs agents around the world. What is mind – boggling is the number of travelers who know the customs regulations perfectly well but who hope to sneak in money/drugs/fire arms/prohibited food items, etc. These travelers sign documents testifying that they are not bringing in anything prohibited; however, those signatures mean little or nothing. And when caught, agents must enforce the standards.

The amazing thing about Christmas is that the Virgin DID bear a son. All the prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. As we approach Christmas, let us quietly search our hearts. Are there things God has been trying to show us or things God wants us to eliminate from our lives? Are we refusing or making excuses? We can’t worship when our hearts are still divided and we are walking in rebellion.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please show us those things we need to confess and then help us to get rid of them. Replace evil with Your Holy Spirit Peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Isaiah 6:1 – 13 Isaiah’s Commission

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.

Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!” And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. ” Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until cities lie in ruins without an inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied, and the land is desolate and ravaged, until the LORD has driven men far away, and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”

When Isaiah entered the temple that day, he had nothing more in mind than worshiping and leaving. Were there others with Isaiah? We don’t know. All that we know is that suddenly Isaiah saw wonders that nobody had ever seen before. As Isaiah was worshiping, he had a vision of Elohim, the One True Living God. “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.”

By this point, Isaiah had fallen flat on his face and was under a deep conviction of sin. “Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” When we actually come under the influence of the holy, our first response must be our overwhelming sense of sin and unworthiness. But what could Isaiah do? What can any of us do?

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.” What Isaiah could not do for himself, God did for him. Now, how would Isaiah respond? “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”

When facing the Holy, all that we can do is to confess our sinfulness and ask God what He wants us to do. But God’s assignment for Isaiah was an extremely difficult one. Isaiah was tasked with warning the people of Judah and continuing to warn them until everything was completely destroyed. ““Until cities lie in ruins without an inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied, and the land is desolate and ravaged, until the LORD has driven men far away, and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”

APPLICATION: Somehow, when people speak about the call of God, they always think of something enjoyable and glorious. Many times, those styling themselves as prophets envision standing before a crowded auditorium pronouncing “Thus says the Lord!” while everyone shouts “Amen!” The LAST thing we might imagine is what actually happened to Isaiah. Rather than preaching a popular message that would garner appreciation, Isaiah had to repeatedly warn the people of Judah that God was furious at their unfaithfulness to Him. God told Isiah that Isaiah was to persist in preaching that message until Judah was literally reduced to a burned stump.

It’s likely that had God not called Isaiah in such a dramatic fashion, Isaiah might not have believed that this message was really from God. Who wants to go throughout your home town and your country preaching a message that nobody wants to hear? Little wonder that eventually, wicked King Manasseh stuffed Isaiah into a sack made of animal skin and then sawed him in half.

The question for each of us is this: what will we do with the call of God, especially if it results in our suffering and loss? As we approach Christmas, we must remember that we are celebrating a time when God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending His Son to live and die as a man. Faced with that reality, how can any of us tell God “No.”

Remember the famous quote from Jim Elliot, who was martyred by Auca Indians. “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to always say “Yes” to Your call. In the  mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 5:1 – 30 The Song of the Vineyard (Luke 13:6-9)

“I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle

and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!

And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?

Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it. For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

Woes to the Wicked

Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land. I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied. For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”

Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine. At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine.

They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands. Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers! So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes. But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes, to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer, who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice. Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the LORD’s anger burns against His people; He has raised His hand against them and struck them. The mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come! None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps.

No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken. Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind. Their roaring is like that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away from deliverance.

In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.”

Business is prospering in Judah, and the rich are getting richer! There’s a building boom going on, and those with the money to do so are expanding their mansions, gobbling up the meager gardens of the poor. Each man is trying to build a bigger mansion than his neighbor. As a result of these real estate grabs, the poor are being heartlessly shoved into slums. The rich are indulging themselves by engaging in drinking parties while they continue to squeeze the last bits of money out of the poor. Amid this depravity, Isaiah is the one God has chosen to warn the hard-hearted people of Judah that everything they prize so much is about to go smash. 

God chooses to compare the nation of Judah to a vineyard. God has done everything possible to make His vineyard as fruitful as possible, planting it, tending it carefully, and nurturing it as only He knows how; yet, all it is yielding is sour grapes! BLECH! God sees each time another poor man is forced off his ancestral land and each time another poor woman is cheated in the market by merchants using dishonest scales. That delicious grape juice that should have been made into wine is simply turning into sour vinegar of the worst kind.

Now God is warning the men of Judah that destruction is looming. God is about to summon a harsh bunch of terrorists to come and destroy Judah. All this wealth will go up in smoke and flames. On that day, men will search for light but the light will be gone, obscured by the clouds of smoke as Jerusalem and all of Judah is put to the sword.

APPLICATION: Why didn’t anybody pay attention when Isaiah was preaching? Didn’t anybody take Isaiah seriously? There were probably some people who did listen to Isaiah; after all, Isaiah was from a priestly family and undoubtedly had a number of friends who respected him. Isaiah couldn’t have been more blunt; “God is going to destroy Judah” is about as frank a message as possible. But many of those same friends had probably gotten caught up in competing with their neighbors and simply ignored Isaiah’s messages. Wealth, power, and alcohol form a potent combination, and those three items were inflaming the passions of many, including religious leaders.

Viewing the history of Israel and Judah through the telescope of history, it’s tempting to criticize Isaiah’s audience for failing to heed his warnings. But are we doing any better? In a day when many people are more concerned about the plight of baby seals than baby humans, in a day when precious metals mined by child labor help run vehicles, in a day when drug addiction has claimed many victims, we have no room to criticize.

Galatians 6:7 – 10 tells us: “ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  

God is still on the throne. The same God who used Isaiah to warn the people of Judah about their impending doom neither slumbers nor sleeps. Actions still have consequences and our spiritual choices have eternal consequences. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!”

None of us knows what might happen tomorrow. As I am writing this, news has reached us that Mike Leach has died suddenly from a heart problem. At the time of his death, Mike Leach was one of the most successful college football coaches in America and the head football coach at Mississippi State University. Mike was a loving father and husband and an inspiration to many; yet, his life ended when his heart failed.

2 Corinthians 6:1 says, “As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.” Today is the only day we have to choose to follow God! Today is the only day we have to accept the gift of eternal life God has given us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. Today, God is offering you the greatest Present every given! Don’t refuse it but accept while there is still time.  

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to realize that You have already given Your greatest Gift to the world when You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to be born as a man, to live and die as a man, and to shed his blood for the sins of all mankind. Help all who read these words to accept that Gift. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 4:1 – 6 Remnant in Zion

“In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors. Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are recorded among the living— when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.

Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy, a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.”

At first reading this short chapter, we might be confused. It helps to realize that Isaiah never chopped up his prophecies into chapters; that was done centuries later. Verse 1 of this chapter actually works better if you consider it a continuation of verse 26 of Chapter 3. That verse reads “And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.” Continuing with that thought, ““In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

In that day, women without husbands were fair game to be taken advantage of. That is why God repeatedly assures us that He is the Protector of widows and orphans. Verse 1 describes a time when so many of the men in Jerusalem will have been killed that seven women will beg one remaining man to claim them as wives, simply so they will bear his name and be under his protection. These women will be so desperate that they will promise to provide for themselves, if only they will be able to claim the status of married women instead of widowhood.

Verse 2 is one of the many Messianic prophecies in Isaiah. The Branch referred to is the coming Messiah, a Branch of the root of Jesse, the family of David. But has this prophecy been fulfilled or is it still in the future? From our recent study of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, it is obvious that some of  the exiles who returned from Babylon did not behave in a holy fashion. True, some returnees were thrilled to be back in Jerusalem and enthusiastically helped rebuild its walls and hang its gates. But there were those who returned, only to intermarry with the mongrel peoples the Babylonians had moved in to occupy the land. And some of these same individuals turned into loan sharks, forcing the poor into prostitution and slavery.

No, verses 2 – 6 are part of the prophecies concerning the final return of the Messiah. But what promises! “On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.” All who are in Jerusalem – in fact, all true believers – will see the Messiah as beautiful and glorious. How will they see Him? We are not told; we only know that He will be with the people who have known and loved Him without having seen Him. Because of the presence of the Messiah, the land will yield so bountifully that the fruit will be “the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.” This part of the passage is already coming true. The Israelis lead the world in research on drip irrigation and have caused many parts of Israel to produce wonderful fruit and other crops.   

“Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy— all in Jerusalem who are recorded among the living— when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.” Consider Jerusalem! Centuries after Isaiah, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, saying, ”O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!” (Luke 13:34)

Through the years, the streets of Jerusalem have run red with the blood of its citizens countless times. And prophets have fared badly there. Isaiah himself is believed to have suffered martyrdom by being sawn in two under the orders of wicked King Manasseh. But now, God is promising that Jerusalem and everyone in it will be totally cleansed by a spirit of judgement and a spirit of fire. Water may wash away some things, but when dealing with wicked things such as fetishes, fire is the only true answer.

Verses 5 and 6 are some of the most comforting promises in Isaiah. “Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy, a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.”

APPLICATION: Who doesn’t need shelter? Who doesn’t need protection? Here God through Isaiah is promising to totally protect His people so that neither heat nor storm nor rain can harm them. Today, there are many standing for righteousness who feel as if they are the “last man standing” in their situations. While some workers do as little as possible, there are those who continue to be faithful even in little things. While false media tars reputations, there remain those who are trying to behave as righteously as possible, even in the face of extreme opposition. What rest is there for these tired souls?

Here God is promising to be a shelter and a shade and a protection. There’s an old spiritual that says, “Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a weary land, a weary land; My Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.” There is no shelter on earth that cannot be breached or invaded in some fashion. But when God is our Protector, we can smile at storms, even if we are “last men standing.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You for being our Shelter, our Protector, and our Redeemer. Help us to remember that we are never alone, even when all others have forsaken us for You will NEVER leave us or forsake us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 3:1- 26 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

“For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of bread and water, the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.

“I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.” The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up against the old, and the base against the honorable. A man will seize his brother within his father’s house: “You have a cloak—you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of rubble.” On that day he will cry aloud: “I am not a healer. I have no food or clothing in my house. Do not make me leader of the people!”

For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they spoke and acted against the LORD, defying His glorious presence. The expression on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster upon themselves.

Tell the righteous it will be well for them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor. Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done. Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn you from your paths.

The LORD arises to contend; He stands to judge the people. The LORD brings this charge against the elders and leaders of His people: “You have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

A Warning to Jerusalem

The LORD says, “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty— walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare. ” In that day the Lord will take away their finery: their anklets and headbands and crescents; their pendants, bracelets, and veils; their headdresses, ankle chains, and sashes; their perfume bottles and charms; their signet rings and nose rings; their festive robes, capes, cloaks, and purses; and their mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and shawls. Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame.  Your men will fall by the sword, and your warriors in battle. And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.”

Isaiah is tramping through the streets of Jerusalem, trying to warn its citizens, but nobody is listening. Here, a military commander is passing in a chariot. There a bevy of young lovelies are prancing and skipping down the streets, making sure that their ankle bracelets jingle particularly loudly whenever they see a handsome young man. These ankle bracelets have chains between them, limiting the length of the step the wearer can take and forcing the wearer to walk with a particularly mincing and provocative gait. These Judean fashionistas know they are looking FINE, and they intend to make the most of it. They are decked out with “anklets and headbands and crescents; pendants, bracelets, and veils; headdresses, ankle chains, and sashes; perfume bottles and charms; signet rings and nose rings; festive robes, capes, cloaks, and purses; and mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and shawls.”

Seated on one portico in a corner of the market place are “the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.”

These men are meeting together, determining the matters of Jerusalem. These worthies feel their positions are unassailable and they revel in the power they wield. Why worry about the God of Israel when you have clever soothsayers and diviners to advise you? Never mind that Moses warned the Israelites not to allow such people to even live in Israel, let alone to practice their satanic arts there.

On the other side of the street, there are honest shop keepers, farmers coming in from the country, fishermen from the coast, all who have come to worship in Jerusalem. Now these men are wondering: Is this REALLY the holy city of Jerusalem? Those familiar with Tyre and the Philistine cities feel that Jerusalem just looks like another pagan center. Is righteousness really worth it?

It is the righteous in Jerusalem who give Isaiah a hearing. God knows this and gives Isaiah a comforting message for the faithful. “Tell the righteous it will be well for them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.”

APPLICATION:  There are many parts of the Christmas celebration that have deteriorated into gross commercialism. Go to any shopping mall and you can see many of the same sights Isaiah describes, including the groups of young ladies prowling for young men for whom they can show off. Those wielding power tend to meet behind closed doors, as they likely did in Isaiah’s day.

Back in 2002, I wrote a Christmas song entitled “Jesus, I’ve searched for you everywhere.” Here is the first verse and the chorus:

Jesus, I’ve Searched For You Everywhere

Jesus, I’ve searched for You everywhere, and still not a trace do I see.

I’ve been through all the shops buying presents, all the things that I see on T.V.

But Christmas is only a few days away; I’m not ready for it to come now.

There must be a way I can find you, but Jesus, I don’t know how.

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Chorus:

It isn’t the presents, it isn’t the tree. It isn’t the things that you see on T.V.        

If you want to find out where Christmas must start, It’s not far-it begins in your heart.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship You and not stuff, not power, not influence, not authority. You are the only Eternal God. You alone deserve praise and worship. In the mighty and matchless Name of King Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 2:1 – 22 The Mountain of the House of the LORD (Micah 4:1-3)

“This is the message that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.

The Day of Reckoning

Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So mankind is brought low, and man is humbled— do not forgive them!

Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty. The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted— it will be humbled— against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan, against all the tall mountains, against all the high hills, against every high tower, against every fortified wall, against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel. So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will vanish completely.

Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. In that day men will cast away their idols of silver and gold— the idols they made to worship— away to the moles and bats. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and crevices in the cliffs, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?”

Poor Isaiah! How can he possibly get the attention of the wealthy citizens of Judah? Business is booming, and people are concentrating on methods of increasing their incomes. “Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.” Hmm! Sounds quite a bit like a lot of countries at Christmas, doesn’t it? And there are lots of trees – oaks of Bashan, cedars of Lebanon, and mountains. Sometimes there is even snow, and Mount Hermon in the north is so tall that its top is covered with snow for much of the year.

The Israelites are practically choking on their prosperity! But are they thanking and praising the God Who has made all this wealth possible? No! Instead the Israelites are running after every pagan god they can find, following their own ways instead of closely following the One True Living God. “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.”

This chapter of Isaiah is both a joyful declaration and a stern warning. Isaiah proclaims that: ”In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.” Wonderful news! Magnificent news! But….

Isaiah is also warning the people of Judah that the Day of the Lord is coming, a day when God will judge all those who have refused to worship Him. In that day, men will throw away all those things they have previously treasured, finally realizing that their silver and gold and idols are worthless when viewed in the light of God’s holiness. People will also realize that all the leaders whom they have trusted have failed them and afford them no protection against the wrath of God.

APPLICATION: Christmastime is a wonderful time, made more so by the Christmas lights that bedazzle us. In rural America, people sometimes hang lights on barns, silos, and even tractors and combines. I was raised in a community with a large Swedish population, and traditionally the Swedes put candles in the windows to light the way for Mary and Joseph and the Christ Child.

Isaiah is begging the Israelites: “Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” What makes the light of the Lord different from all other lights? God is the Giver of light. (“God is the Lord, and He has given us light..” Psalm 118:27) The light of the Lord protects us. (Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”) The light of the Lord is everlasting. (Revelation 22:5 “There shall be no night there; They need no lam nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.”) The light of the Lord defeats the darkness. (John 1:5  “The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”)

A children’s worship chorus tells us, “It is a great day to serve the Lord! Walk in the light of God! Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk in the light!” Today, it IS a great day to serve the Lord! let us walk in the light of God!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to run to Your light and to walk in it all the days of our lives, for as we walk in Your light, we will become light bearers to others. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Judah’s Rebellion (2 Chronicles 28:5-15)

“This is the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken:

“I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”

Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and festering sores not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil.

Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you— a desolation demolished by strangers. And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged. Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.

Meaningless Offerings

Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you— this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me— your New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations. I cannot endure iniquity

in a solemn assembly. I hate your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! Learn to do right, seek justice, correct the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land. But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

The Corruption of Zion

See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers! Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them. Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares:

“Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies. I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge your dross; I will remove all your impurities. I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”

Zion will be redeemed with justice, her repentant ones with righteousness. But rebels and sinners will together be shattered, and those who forsake the LORD will perish. Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks

in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen. For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, like a garden without water. The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.”

Isaiah began his ministry during the last few years of Uzziah’s reign.  Uzziah began well, but ten years before he died, he committed a grievous mistake; he forced his way into the temple  where only the priests were to go to offer sacrifices.  God immediately struck Uzziah with leprosy and he was evicted from the temple and lived in isolation for the last ten years of his life. Uzziah’s son became the regent in his stead. During Uzziah’s reign, business was booming in Judah. As a trade crossroads, Judah benefited every time a caravan passed through. Wealth was flowing… for some people. Lots of people were making showy sacrifices at the temple, pleasing the priests. But underneath all this prosperity, a tide of spiritual sewage was flowing.  God chose Isaiah to warn the people of Judah and to try to bring them back to Himself.

True, the people of Judah were observing new moon festivals and appointed feasts, but they were also sneaking off to groves of sacred oaks, gardens, and Asherah poles, and committing revolting sins.   The people seemed to feel that all they had to do was to offer rich sacrifices, and God would overlook their sexual immorality and their abuse of the poor, the destitute, the widows and orphans.  God appointed Isaiah to warn these people that if they didn’t  repent thoroughly, they would see their land desolate, their cities burned by fire, and strangers devastating their fields.

Amos prophesied at the same time, and God gave Amos a similar message. “In that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “the songs of the temple will turn to wailing. Many will be the corpses, strewn in silence everywhere!”

Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, 5asking, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales. Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!” The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget any of their deeds.” (Amos 8:3-7)

APPLICATION: It was never God’s perfect will for either Judah or Israel to suffer defeat and to be taken to exile. But when these people ignored all the prophets whom God sent, abusing and even killing them, God had no other choice.  Actually, each time these people sneaked off to an oak grove or to a shrine of some kind, they were making their own choices, turning their backs on the One True Living God to worship demons. In the end, God allowed them to be carried off to the countries that worshiped those demons as their national gods. Only when the Israelites went into exile did they appreciate how good things had been in Israel and Judah. Those exiled from the Northern Kingdom never returned as a people; it was only exiles from Judah who returned under Ezra and Nehemiah.

What must we learn from these prophecies? Some people want to confuse God with the commercialized version of Santa Claus, forgetting that even Santa has his list of who’s naughty or nice. The people of Judah deluded themselves, trying to believe that fantastic sacrifices in the temple would buy them divine favor and pardons for all the sins they were planning to commit.  But Galatians 6:7-10 tells us, “Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.”

When any individual chooses to reject God, God will not force Himself on that individual. When any nation chooses to reject God, God will not force Himself upon that nation.  Today, many nations around the world have rejected God and are serving new deities such as green energy and industrial expansion at the expense of the poor. It is well known that some of the metals needed for batteries for electric vehicles are mined using child labor. Trendy clothing frequently begins in sweatshops in poor countries, the workers collecting a pittance for long hours under poor working conditions.  While we may ignore these facts, God does not. 

Robert Pierce, the founder of World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, used to pray, “God, let my heart break with the things that break Your heart.”  Pierce’s work began when he gave the last $5 he had to care for a little girl in a missionary orphanage in China in 1947. Untold millions of people have benefited because Pierce prayed that prayer. Today, let that prayer be ours! Let us not be like the people of ancient Judah. Let us pray for God to open our eyes to the needs around us and let us truly worship Him, refusing to play religious games. No, God is not Santa Claus. Santa can’t forgive your sins, but God can, if you will truly repent.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and cannot free ourselves from our own sins. Please forgive our sins and help us to truly repent. Thank You for sending Jesus as the ultimate blood sacrifice for those sins. Lord, let our hearts break with the things that break Your heart and let us do all that we can to help the poor, the widows, and the orphans. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen. 

We are about to begin a study of the Book of Isaiah. It’s Christmas and this book is packed with prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. But who was Isaiah and why should we care about him? This information comes from the Amplified Bible, New King James Version, published by Zondervan.

“Isaiah began his ministry in the year of King Uzziah’s death (about 740 B.C.) He continued as a prophet in Jerusalem during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. He was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Micah. According to tradition,  Isaiah was martyred (by being sawed in half) under Manasseh, the wicked son of Hezekiah, who reigned from 696 – 642 B. C.

The national and international developments during Isaiah’s lifetime provide the essential background for understanding his message. While Isaiah grew to manhood, the kingdom of Judah emerged as the leading power in Palestine opposing the advance of the Assyrian might, while the northern kingdom of Israel declined in power due to internal struggles and revolutions. After Uzziah’s death the Assyrians conquered Damascus in 732 B. C. and Samaria in 722 B.C., reducing Syria and Israel to Assyrian provinces.  

In the meantime, Ahaz, the king of Judah, ignored the warnings of Isaiah and introduced idolatry into the Jerusalem temple. In subsequent decades Assyrian kings marched their armies southward and threatened to terminate the Davidic dynasty rule in Judah in 701 B.C. Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem were delivered miraculously, although according to Assyrian records forty – six walled cities in southern Palestine capitulated to Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, and some 200,000 captives were taken into exile.

Isaiah repeatedly warned his people that Jerusalem and Judah would be judged because of the prevailing wickedness. In addition to this message of impending doom, Isiah offered assurance to those who would trust in God that ultimately the kingdom would be restored.”

While Isaiah contains some of the most stirring passages in the entire Bible, there is a fundamental problem: much of this book contains prophecies. Even scanty background research indicates that scholars who refuse to believe in the reality of prophecy would like to assign authorship of the latter half of this book to some unknown individual who came long after Isaiah, assuming that the “prophecies” were actually written in retrospect. But if such were the case, what do we do with the prophecies about the Messiah? Jesus came long after anyone would have amended the Book of Isaiah; yet, he fulfilled every one of the Messianic prophecies.

Elizabeth Barret Browning once wrote, “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” Belief in the reality of prophecy is a very similar situation. You see what you want to see, and only as much as you want to see. It’s quite likely that had anyone else been accompanying Moses the day he saw the burning bush, they might not have seen anything unusual. Perhaps instead of fire, another person would have seen a small dust devil swirling dust around that bush. But Moses was sensitive to God, and because he was, he saw the holy fire and his life totally changed. St. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20 -21)

I hesitate to write about personal experiences with God, not because I have not had them, but because God works differently in each person’s life and I don’t want to appear as if I am boasting. I learned this lesson in a painful fashion. Years ago, I was in a prayer group that included a lady who was legally blind, although she could perceive light and darkness. This brave woman had to take two city buses to and from work each day and had done so for years. Some members of the prayer group were making statements about things that God had shown them, prefacing those statements with the phrase, “God told me.” Suddenly, this lady broke down in sobs. “God speaks to you, but He never SPEAKS to me!” she wailed. As we attempted to comfort her, we realized we had failed to qualify our remarks. This woman honestly assumed that when we said God had told us something, we meant that God had spoken to us in an audible voice; meanwhile, we meant that God had given us quiet nudges in our spirits. In fact, this woman probably was receiving as much or more divine guidance than the rest of us simply to make her daily commute to and from work.

Having given that disclaimer, I will say this: there have been times in my life when God has given me prophecies, either through someone else or by speaking them quietly into my spirit. I buried my mother and then one week later I moved to Columbus, Ohio, to do a special rotation in pediatric surgery. I began by living in the YWCA, and I was intensely lonely. One night I was begging God to do something about my situation when the Holy Spirit suddenly spoke into my mind, “You will not live alone! I am sending you to someone!” Shortly after that, I became friends with one of the pediatrics residents, who graciously took me into her home. The arrangement helped both of us, and I stayed with her for several weeks until completing the rotation and returning to my regular training program.

In the fall of 1981, I was working in Charleston, S.C. God had given me a prayer partner and we were meeting regularly to pray for the healing of his marriage. But my prayer partner began assuring me that God was about to give me a husband. What??? I had survived a difficult marriage and divorce. At that point, I had NO interest in a husband; it was going to be Jesus and me for the rest of my life, period! But my prayer partner not only gave this prophecy but assured me that he was praying for God to send me a husband. A few weeks later, God moved me to visit a small Assemblies of God mission congregation in Mount Pleasant, S.C., where I instantly became their pianist. (Long story for another time.) Even though my husband – to – be was also not looking for someone, the pastor played cupid. We were married within six months of the day we met. Several months ago, we celebrated our 40^th wedding anniversary.

Does God still speak to us individually? Yes. He does. But be careful! There are large numbers of self – styled prophets out there, and not all of them are bringing messages from God. Some people anoint themselves as prophets, completely forgetting that only God can give such an anointing. How can we tell if a prophecy is real? Real prophecies come true without any manipulation of people or events. Real prophecies from God line up with God’s Word, the Bible. If anyone brings you a “word from God,” that contravenes the Bible, rebuke them and run in the opposite direction.

Real prophets prophesy because they must, not because they are getting rich by doing so. Prophets who charge for prophesying are false and should not be trusted. Jeremiah complained, “If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.” Jeremiah suffered terribly for being a prophet, and Isaiah may have died a horrible death. Prophecy is never an easy calling.

Tomorrow we will begin studying Isaiah. As we do, ask God to speak to your heart. Every time I read this book, I get fresh insights and encouragement. May it be the same for you!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, as we study Your Word, may You speak to our hearts in such a way that we know it’s You and nobody else. In the matchless Name of King Jesus we pray. Amen.

Nehemiah 13:1 – 31 Foreigners Excluded

“At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.

The Temple Cleansed

Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah,(a Moabite) had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.

While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king to return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of the house of God.

And I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.

Tithes Restored (Leviticus 27:30-34; Deuteronomy 14:22-29; Deuteronomy 26:1-15)

I also learned that because the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, all the Levites and singers responsible for performing the service had gone back to their own fields. So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?”

Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts, and all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms. I appointed as treasurers over the storerooms Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, with Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered trustworthy. They were responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.

Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of my God and for its services.

The Sabbath Restored (Jeremiah 17:19-27)

In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.

Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!”

When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.

Once or twice, the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem, but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath. Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.

Intermarriage Forbidden (Ezra 9:1-4) In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair.

Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin. Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.

Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. Thus I purified the priests and Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites. I also arranged for contributions of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, with favor.”

Nehemiah gets all the priests, Levites, and leaders to sign a covenant and then travels to Babylon to report to King Artaxerxes. But as soon as the dust from Nehemiah’s caravan clears, all those who signed the covenant are back doing business as usual seven days a week. ”Sabbath observations? Who needs them? Restrictions against foreign wives and children? Poo! Nehemiah is nothing but a spoilsport! And why not continue to curry favor with Tobiah the Moabite and Sanballat the Ammonite? Tobiah and Sanballat are still around; meanwhile, Nehemiah has returned to Babylon. Who knows? Maybe Nehemiah will stay in Babylon. We say good riddance!” If we had been able to listen in on the thoughts of the Jewish leaders, this might have been what we would have heard.

But Nehemiah keeps his promise and returns from Babylon, only to find that most of his carefully – crafted reforms have fallen apart. According to the Law of Moses, no Moabite or Ammonite is ever to enter the temple for any reason; however, Nehemiah finds that Eliashib, the priest in charge of the temple storerooms, has “re – purposed” a large storeroom, moving out the temple goods and creating a special room for Tobiah, the Moabite official. Not even common Jews are supposed to have rooms in the temple; those spaces are to be reserved for the work of the temple. It is left to Nehemiah to throw out Tobiah’s goods, cleanse the room, and bring back all the articles of the house of God, the grain offerings, and the frankincense.

Next, Nehemiah realizes that the people have conveniently forgotten the offerings for the priests, the Levites, and the singers, so these people have returned to their farms to feed themselves, neglecting the work of the temple. Again, Nehemiah is the one who is forced to put things right while the leaders are staring around and trying to appear innocent.

The first Sabbath comes, and Jerusalem is full of noise! Despite previous oaths to keep the Sabbath properly, workers are carrying out their daily activities and all the merchants from Tyre and other places are streaming in to sell things. So much for Sabbath – keeping! Once more, Nehemiah is forced to be the bad guy who enforces Sabbath restrictions.

Finally, Nehemiah sees that the Jews have continued to intermarry with surrounding people to the point that half their children can’t even speak the language of Judah. By this point, Nehemiah is beyond despair! He tells us, “I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair.” Worse and more of it, one of the members of the high priest’s family has married one of Sanballat’s daughters, creating an enormous religious and political challenge. Nehemiah drives this foolish man away. After having taken this step, Nehemiah continues to rectify matters with the priests and Levites. Nehemiah’s repeated pleas begin, “Remember me, O my God.”

APPLICATION: The priests, Levites, and opinion leaders of Judah had previously signed what was supposed to be a binding covenant. But a covenant that is not respected might as well be written on T – roll! (“T – roll” is the Ghanaian slang for toilet paper.)

The problems Nehemiah faced remain the same problems that every other reformer who is trying to return people to righteous living has faced since the beginning of time. I’m sure that when Nehemiah reached heaven, Moses and he had some vivid conversations. Can’t you just imagine? Nehemiah: “They were actually treading out wine on the Sabbath! I even had to sack the fish sellers from Tyre and then they camped outside the city gates anyway.” Moses: “Hey, that’s nothing! My very own brother created a gold copy of the Egyptian god Hathor and told people that was the god that had delivered them from the Egyptians and an orgy broke out! How stupid can some people be?”

This is the last chapter of the Book of Nehemiah. The name “Nehemiah” means “God comforts.” Nehemiah lived from 473 B.C. to 403 B.C., dying when he was 70. While some sources criticize Nehemiah for self – complacency or self – righteousness, personally, I feel the poor man was desperate. After all, Nehemiah appealed to all the leaders, both religious and secular, and they signed a covenant. In those days, a signed covenant was second only to splitting animal carcasses and then walking around and through them, reciting an oath that the same thing should be done to anyone who broke the covenant, that is, that a covenant breaker should be split in two. Nehemiah had every reason to believe that these men would keep covenant. To return from Babylon only to find that the leaders had swiftly gone back on their word must have been extremely discouraging. To realize that the priests were the ones most at fault would have been an even greater blow.

Nehemiah continues to plead with God that God should remember those who have broken covenant because he suspects that as soon as he is gone, they will revert to their previous behavior. Nehemiah also begs God to remember him with favor because he has no confidence that the leaders of Judah will remember him at all. It is highly significant that despite the intervening centuries, Nehemiah’s story has been preserved in precise detail. Truly, God has remembered Nehemiah with favor and has kept Nehemiah’s story alive so that those of us tasked with reform will study it and take heart. Truly also, God has remembered those who should have kept faith and didn’t. May all of us who find ourselves standing for righteousness in precarious situations take courage from Nehemiah’s example!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to stand for righteousness, even when it is very difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
  

Nehemiah 12:1 – 47 The Priests and Levites Who Returned

“Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.

The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving. Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.

Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai; of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jonathan; of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded. As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles. The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their associates, who stood across from them to give praise and thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.

Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

The Dedication of the Wall

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate. Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed, along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, and some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession. At the Fountain Gate they climbed the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.

The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me, as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah— and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.

On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

Provisions for Temple Worship And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.

They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed. For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.”

Genealogies have always been very important. These days, many people are trying to trace their roots through DNA testing and various web sites. But in the days of Nehemiah, meticulous record keeping was the norm. Priests, Levites, singers and musicians were special people who  were admired and who received preferred treatment. No wonder that many families would attempt to claim association as members of the Tribe of Levi, whether or not this was true.

In addition to those attempting to claim membership in Levi, there were also those who might try to claim that they were part of the group that first came from Babylon, sort of a “first families of Judah” thing. There was also the question of legitimacy; a man who could not prove his ancestry might be barred from temple worship and someone falsely claiming membership in Levi would not receive the benefits due that tribe.

The rest of the chapter describes the magnificent dedication ceremonies after the wall was completed. Two groups of priests, musicians, and other leaders marched around the tops of the walls in opposite directions , singing, blowing trumpets, and shouting praises. (It is thought that the walls were at least 6.5 feet wide, wide enough for people to walk on top of them.) Then both groups met in the temple for an enormous celebration. The  noise of the praises reverberated throughout the valleys surrounding Jerusalem. Following these ceremonies, the Jews made provision for continued worship in the temple, bringing those offerings prescribed by Moses.

APPLICATION: Sometimes the lists appear interminable; however, remember how important these records were to the families involved. Ours is the generation of cookies, and not the edible kind. Each time we get on the internet for any purpose, every keystroke is being noted by someone. Not only our names and birthdates but also our preferences of every kind are recorded for the benefit of merchants and others. We are actually the most recorded people who have ever existed.

As you read the description of the celebrations when the walls of Jerusalem were dedicated, note that the order of worship goes all the way back to King David. David was a multi – talented leader with considerable musical ability and a deep love of God. It was David who really organized the singers and musicians. Now centuries later, those same families have continued the traditions and are fulfilling the roles David gave so long ago. David’s record as a believer is an uneven one; however, God used him to establish a tradition of praise and thanksgiving.

What legacy are we leaving to our friends and families? Do those around us know that we honor God and that we worship and praise Him as the One True Living God? Those pagans living around Jerusalem were listening as the roar of the celebrations over the walls went on for hours. Everyone within ear shot knew that the Jews were seriously worshiping God. But what about us? Sometimes small gestures such as prayers can mean a great deal. One man in my husband’s home community was nearly at the point of suicide when my husband visited him and prayed for him. God used those few minutes to save that man and turn his life around. Only years later did my husband find out what had happened that day.

God wants us to carry the fragrance of His grace with us as we go throughout our days. Ask God to show you how you can do this and then ask God for opportunities to do so.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be sensitive to the people around us and don’t allow our hard hearts to get in the way of Your grace. In the matchless and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.