Recent Posts
Lowell Brueckner

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Falsehood and Farming

Labels:


27. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 28

We study together the inspired word of Isaiah, trusting that the Holy Spirit will open our understanding to be able to see the revelation of God Himself. That is our main purpose, as we contemplate these chapters and verses. In the last chapter, I personally rejoiced to read of his double invitation to His enemies to make peace with Him. What does it tell us about His character? He is a God, who passionately loves and reaches out to those who are farthest from Him.

I also was enchanted by a statement that showed His individual attention to each one of His people. It tells me that He is the God of the individual and not simply One, who has a mass project in mind. We also must recognize and accept the truth about this one God being a God of warfare, who brings every enemy into subjection through the sword of His word. There is only one true and living God, He is revealed in His word, and we must completely form our concept of Him by that word. Not only should we accept this revelation, but we ought to rejoice in it, knowing that there is nothing in Him that is not righteous and good.

God’s accurate assessment of man’s condition

Now we turn our attention to the northern kingdom of Israel and its capital city of Samaria. A “woe”, that is, a curse, has been pronounced against it. The fall of the kingdom was an actual event within the period of Isaiah’s ministry, so this prophecy is very near completion. Ephraim is the dominant tribe of the north and we are to understand that it represents the ten tribes that make up this nation. “The proud crown” in verse 1 is the capital city of Samaria. By now we should be familiar with the fact that a city is a representation of the pride of its people.

That Great Harvest Day

Labels:


26. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 27

We gather close around the prophet, when he speaks of the people of the Lord. We learn of the relationship with those that He has chosen to be a light to the entire world. Here He comes out of hiding and best reveals Himself. That is what we consider in this chapter.

The time is always important to observe, so that we can have understanding as to the application of the Scripture that we are studying. It is especially evident in this chapter, where “in that day” is mentioned from the first verse, repeated in verse 2, then “in days to come” in verse 6, and again “in that day” in verses 12 and 13.  

We have to look back to see what is meant by that day. It was expressed in a song from the beginning of chapter 26, a future song reserved for that day. This chapter is a continuation of 24, 25 and 26. It describes a time when Jerusalem is at peace and a righteous nation inhabits it. It is a day of growth for that nation, its borders stretching out to embark more territory, and the Lord will be glorified in it. It is a time of national resurrection and it can certainly be concluded that this day takes place in the end of time.

Who Planned This?

Labels:





Nothing has to go as planned... Camp director, Ionut Lerca, at Teen Ranch in Lepsa, Romania, has been trying to put a camp together for families who meet annually. He started with plans to get families together in July, then saw that more people would be free in August. Again, it seemed that July would be best after all. 




A Last-day Song

Labels:


25. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 26

We have been contemplating from time to time the poetic language of the Lord. The Holy Spirit, Author of Scripture, presents to us eternal, unchanging truth and He does so in a form that will penetrate deeply into our being and remain there. The inspired prophet speaks to us of a song, so what we have before us now is timeless truth, done in poetic form, set to melody and rhythm. It is a side benefit, when studying the Word of God, that we can enjoy the finest of literature.

Remember that the original document of Isaiah, true of all Scripture, had no chapter or verse divisions. They have been added to facilitate reading, but often there are thoughts in a particular chapter that are joined to the ones before and after. At the beginning of chapter 25, we were reading of cities as the highest work of men’s pride and ambition. We took the classic example of Nebuchadnezzar, boasting from the rooftop of his palace, overlooking Babylon. The last verse of the chapter spoke of the walls of Moab, symbol of its pride and skill.

The Millennial City

There is a future song to be sung in the land of Judah, concerning its capital city, which is, in fact, the capital of the millennial world. “That day”, often refers to the millennial Day of the Lord. What follows are the lyrics of the song and it is about a very special city. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob could not settle down in their earthly inheritance of Canaan, because, as Isaiah, God had given Abraham a vision of a finer city. He taught his offspring the superiority of the coming world, to the degree that they lived in their promised land in tents, as strangers and pilgrims (Heb.11:13). They set the example for us of the proper mindset of God’s people.