Isaiah 14

 

You thought you were so important and now look at you!

This sums up this chapter rather well. God is saying that Babylon will fall just like those who have gone before. There is a humility to this chapter when we realize that whatever we do will one day come to nothing in this world. Yes, even if something we create lasts everything around it will eventually be forgotten. We live in a world where it seems everything is recorded and backed up but even with all these updates they will eventually be forgotten. 

The one hope we have is when we are in Christ, something not mentioned in this chapter, we have a hope that God remembers and that what we have done for him will endure. 

This is the tension in life, humility, because all will fail, and hope, because what is done in Christ will endure. 

Job 9

 

32“He (GOD) is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,

that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to mediate between us,

someone to bring us together,

34someone to remove God’s rod from me,

so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him,

but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

Job speaks these words and yet today I can say that God answered this prayer, not just for Job but for all mankind. God sent Jesus the one who can and does arbitrate between God and us. Jesus is the one who gives us the freedom to speak up to God without fear. In fact, we are given in Christ the privilege to cry out Father to the God of the universe. 

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Luke 13

 The sadness for those who should have known and should have accepted but did not. Jesus speaks of the people who are there seeing the things he does and yet choose not to accept him. I sense a sadness in Jesus' words. He didn't want the people to reject him. He didn't want the people of Jerusalem to face destruction but their rejection of Him left them to go down a path that would lead to their destruction. 

The danger isn't just for the people of that time but also for the societies of today which have had the good news of the gospel and yet chose to reject it. If you reject long enough disaster comes. 

This being said Jesus also made it clear that the kingdom of God would grow and spread (verses 18-21). 

Psalm 11

 Looking at verse three the psalmist's advisor seems to be asking what can you do when the foundations (moral and spiritual basis of society) have fallen? The advisor is saying again to David, get out of here while the getting is good. It's dangerous out there and you can't fix it.

This call of the advisor to run away, and keep yourself safe is probably meant in the best motive. It may be given to David by a friend who loves David. For me, it is the cry coming from in me. It's dangerous, keep safe, don't risk it. Most of the time, I don't have trouble saying, I'm going to trust God and keep going, but there are times it isn't easy. As I write this today, it is one of those days when running to the wilderness and fleeing sounds really, really appealing. It might have to do with my concerns or my lack of sleep, but it is there. 

I share this not to get sympathy (but if you want to buy me a week's vacation I'll take it), but to let others know they are not alone. Others struggle and question and I'm one of them who asks, is it time to quit. It isn't for me. I don't have the answer to the question what do we do when the foundations fall. I know this, God is faithful and he will lead us. We may not see revival, we may see chaos and death but God is greater than all of this. God will make it all right and because of that, I want to be faithful in what I have been given. Yes, I will take time off, I will do what I should to take a sabbath and rest, but I will not retreat from what God has called me to do. 

Come join me, let's keep moving forward in the mission God has given us. "Once more unto the breach...*"   

Photo by Jordy Meow on Unsplash

*Henry V Act 3 Scene 1

Genesis 29

 Here I do want to look at the dysfunction in the relationship between Rachel and Leah. One might think if you only look at what is happening in this chapter that God isn't being fair. However, when we look further in the story it appears that the relationship between these two sisters is very adversarial. We could try and rationalize it but God knew that the situation wasn't right. God therefore chose to step in and it isn't until much later that we see He allows Rachel to have a child. What follows in the meantime is two sisters trying to one-up each other and Jacob never trying to make peace between them.  

Genesis 28

 What gets my attention here is Isaac's blessing on Jacob after being deceived by him. Most of us might be tempted to say something mean or to withhold any further blessing. Isaac takes it for granted as it were that Jacob is to be the blessed one and continues to bless him. This is a great example for us that there are times to move on and accept that things are not as we had planned. It is in these moments where we can demonstrate real character. Someone else got the promotion, your child was cut from the play to give someone else the role, and your plan for the church was voted down, in all of these we could become bitter but a mature person moves past it and becomes better. 

Isaiah 13

In this chapter, there is a prophecy that no Arab (NIV) will pitch his tent in what was the city of Babylon. One would think that this certainly couldn't hold for long, but sure enough, the city of Babylon has been considered by people of that region as a cursed land, and thus people will not live there, even millenniums later. God's word stands true.