The Alliance that Failed
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Isaiah
18. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 17
In this chapter, the alliance that we learned about in
chapter seven, reappears. You remember that the house of David, that is, the
king’s household and all of Judah, “shook
as the trees of the forest shake with the wind” (Is.7:2), because of the
report of two allies, joined against them. You may also remember that the
alliance was between Syria or Aram and the ten northern tribes of Israel. God
assured King Ahaz and his people that this threat would come to nothing: “It shall not stand nor shall it come to
pass” (7:7). Now we will see why they had nothing to worry about from that
source. God knows the future perfectly, therefore it is always right and always
safe to stand firmly upon His prophetic word.
A
cursed cup to drink
“The oracle concerning Damascus.” This is another oracle, and we know now that its synonym is burden, but Matthew Henry quotes a Caldeean paraphrase that helps
us to understand better this difficult word: The burden of the cup of the
curse to drink to Damascus. An
oracle is a bitter cup that is to be drunk and it contains a curse upon
Damascus. Damascus is the capital city of Syria, so they must first drink of
this “cup of trembling” (another way to describe the bitter cup, Is.51:17, 22;
Zech.12:2). From there it is passed around to all of Syria and then each of the
ten northern tribes of Israel must drink from it.
Moab… Sin, Pride and Salvation
Labels:
Isaiah
17. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapters 15 and 16
A little history of Moab
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| A close study of this map will show you most of the places mentioned in Isaiah 15 and 16. Click for close-up |
Moab was born
to Lot’s oldest daughter as a direct result of the influence of Sodom and
Gomorrah over his family. Moab was conceived shortly after they escaped from
the judgment of God upon those cities. They fled to a small town in the valley,
Zoar, but at a distance from the fire and brimstone, and then, for some reason,
went to live in a cave in the mountains. The mother was killed, when she looked
back at all they were leaving behind, and the two daughters were left.
There is a
great, but disturbing, lesson to be learned from this account: You cannot
choose to live in the middle of perversion without having it affect your life. Not
only was homosexuality an acceptable sexual alternative in Sodom, but we can be
sure, because of its presence, that there were many other perversions, as well.
Perhaps as Lot’s daughters mixed and mingled with the Sodomite girls, they
heard many stories of incestuous relationships. We can then understand the
source of their evil plan to make their father drunk and then each conceive a
child by him. We might also see why Lot allowed himself to drink, but in his
stupor, he was not aware of having a part in incest (Ge.19:17-38).
Pepper and Salt 3
Labels:
Important messages
Repentance, shallow Christianity, getting the devil mad... that's the language of Vance Havner. Sometime, somewhere, many Christians have gotten the idea that they have to put up with a lot of unchristian ideas and actions. They think its loving to overlook faults that hurt the testimony of the church. They misinterpret the Scripture about "covering a multitude of sins". Vance Havner begins our little lesson in Christian values with the words of Christ, quoting from His word to the Thyatira church...Is Christ tolerant?
"... thou sufferest that woman Jezebel..." (Rev. 2:20). God judges what we tolerate as well as what we practice. Too often we put up with things we ought to put out.
Turn around, cat!
Billy Sunday used to say, "They tell me I rub the fur the wrong way. I don't, let the cat turn around!" People who complain about straight preaching are usually cats headed the wrong way. People who walk in darkness squint when the light is turned on. The man who walks in the light welcomes more light (Jn. 3:19-21). This explains why some people do not like to come to church. They have photophobia... they are afraid of the light!
The Fall of Lucifer
Labels:
Isaiah
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| An artist's view of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon |
16. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapter 14
I find it
necessary to remind God´s people that in order to understand the Bible and
godly principle, we must often change our understanding of many words. We see
them in the popular form in which they are used, according to the present
modes. In that way, it is easy to stray in our minds from what God wants us to
understand. This is also true concerning historic meaning of words, as they
have been used in the church.
Let´s take
into account the word revival. What
comes into your mind when you hear that word? In the south of the U.S., the
word means a series of evangelistic meetings. In Spanish-speaking countries it
might mean an awakening of unbelievers or sinners. This is true, because the
Spanish word is avivamiento, which
can simply mean something…an event, a
movement or a time that brings life. However,
the classical use of the word in the church is, as is found in Psalms 85:6: “Will You not Yourself revive us again, that your people may rejoice in thee.” It
means to live again, closely related to the word resurrect. If that is the
case, then it has to do with people, who had been alive, but need a new
infusion of life.
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