Showing posts with label Scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scripture. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Lord Reigns
Psalm 99
A song of praise for God's fairness and holiness. Because God is perfectly just and fair, we know that we are able to trust Him completely in everything.
1 The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
A song of praise for God's fairness and holiness. Because God is perfectly just and fair, we know that we are able to trust Him completely in everything.
1 The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
2 Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy.
4 The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.
5 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy
Monday, July 11, 2011
Isaiah 33 : Distress and Help
This chapter deals God's judgement against the enemies of His church in verses 1-14, and the happiness of God's people in the remainder of the chapter. The 'destroyer' referred to is Assyria, which continually broke its promises, yet demanded that others keep theirs. Our God is a righteous God, and He will often pay others with the same coinage that they use themselves. When you humbly await God in patient hope and faith, you will find Him gracious towards you. It is so easy for people today to place themselves in a similar position to the one that Assyria adopted, demanding their rights whilst denying or ignoring the rights of others. The most important aspect of any relationship is trust, and when trust is shattered, as it is by constantly breaking promises, then the relationship suffers, often to a point of complete breakdown. Our lesson from this passage is that we should seek god's forgiveness for promise that have been given and broken in the past, and at the same time ensure that when we give promises in the future they will be kept. We should always treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.
Once Jerusalem, the Holy City (Zion), is established under the rule of Jesus Christ it will be the home of justice, peace and righteousness.
The true believer is always on guard against sin, and ever watchful of the temptations that come along. In maintaining the faith that we have been blessed with we are able to guard against sin because the Divine power will keep us safe, and our faith in that power will be our watchword. The prophet warns the sinners of what is to come, for they realised that they could not live in the presence of the holy God, for He is likened to an all-consuming fire that consumes evil. Only those people who live righteous lives can live with God, and Isaiah explains how we can live such lives, turning away from all manner of evil such as extortion and bribery.
We have everything that we could ever need in God, and He will supply all that we desire. We will live under the complete protection of our loving God when, by faith, we take Christ as our Saviour and Lord, and acknowledge Him as the King of Kings. In the new Jerusalem there will be no sickness or trouble , and no sin, and the sins of all who live there in the presence of God will be forgiven for their past sins.
1 Woe to you, destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.
Once Jerusalem, the Holy City (Zion), is established under the rule of Jesus Christ it will be the home of justice, peace and righteousness.
The true believer is always on guard against sin, and ever watchful of the temptations that come along. In maintaining the faith that we have been blessed with we are able to guard against sin because the Divine power will keep us safe, and our faith in that power will be our watchword. The prophet warns the sinners of what is to come, for they realised that they could not live in the presence of the holy God, for He is likened to an all-consuming fire that consumes evil. Only those people who live righteous lives can live with God, and Isaiah explains how we can live such lives, turning away from all manner of evil such as extortion and bribery.
We have everything that we could ever need in God, and He will supply all that we desire. We will live under the complete protection of our loving God when, by faith, we take Christ as our Saviour and Lord, and acknowledge Him as the King of Kings. In the new Jerusalem there will be no sickness or trouble , and no sin, and the sins of all who live there in the presence of God will be forgiven for their past sins.
1 Woe to you, destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.
2 Lord, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
3 At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee;
when you rise up, the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
3 At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee;
when you rise up, the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
7 Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers are on the roads.
The treaty is broken,
its witnesses are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land dries up and wastes away,
Lebanon is ashamed and withers;
Sharon is like the Arabah,
and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers are on the roads.
The treaty is broken,
its witnesses are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land dries up and wastes away,
Lebanon is ashamed and withers;
Sharon is like the Arabah,
and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.
10 “Now will I arise,” says the LORD.
“Now will I be exalted;
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive chaff,
you give birth to straw;
your breath is a fire that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;
like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”
“Now will I be exalted;
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive chaff,
you give birth to straw;
your breath is a fire that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;
like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”
13 You who are far away, hear what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously
and speak what is right,
who reject gain from extortion
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail them.
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners in Zion are terrified;
trembling grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously
and speak what is right,
who reject gain from extortion
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail them.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty
and view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?”
19 You will see those arrogant people no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
and view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?”
19 You will see those arrogant people no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us.
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us.
23 Your rigging hangs loose:
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame will carry off plunder.
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Isaiah 32 : The Kingdom of Righteousness
In this chapter, Isaiah prophesies that there will be a time of peace and happiness, followed by a period of trouble, yet in the end there will be comfort and blessings.
Having suffered a great deal of injustice at the hands of evil rulers, the people of Judah longed for a strong king who would rule with justice and fairness. We still seek after the same desire, and this desire will ultimately be fulfilled when Christ returns and reigns. At that time all evil will be banished forever, and Christ, who will rule unlike any other king, will reign in righteousness and rule with justice. When he comes then people's motives will become transparent. Fools will no longer be regarded as noble, and all who have opposed and rejected God's standards of living will be unable to maintain their deception. There is no way in which sin can disguise itself as acceptable when faced with the glorious light of Jesus Christ. Because His light will reach into every dark corner of the earth and every dark place in people's hearts, sin will be exposed for what it is. No heart that is truly ruled by Christ can harbour sin, no matter how well people might try to hide it.
Verses 9-13 contain a warning to the people who are guilty of turning their backs on God and concentrating on their own pleasure rather than serving God and living according to His Word. In our modern-day hedonistic and materialistic society this warning is very applicable. People worship wealth and seek fame, believing that these things bring security, but it is a false belief. We are surrounded by disaster of massive proportion, both nationally and on a more personal level. Insecurity is endemic. Yet people seek after the wrong solutions, and turn further away from God as a result. By abandoning God's purpose for our lives, we also abandon His help.
People seek after happiness, yet happiness is found in holiness, and perfect holiness, which we find through Christ, is the path to perfect happiness. Only when God's Spirit is amongst us can we find true peace and fulfilment, and we shall see this happening in the end time. We can have God's Spirit with us now, because when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and choose to acknowledge Him as our Lord, then He grants us the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The outpouring which Isaiah prophesies towards the close of the chapter will happen when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth for ever.
1 See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
rise up and listen to me;
you daughters who feel secure,
hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble, you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!
Strip off your fine clothes
and wrap yourselves in rags.
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines
13 and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briers—
yes, mourn for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.
14 The fortress will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;
citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,
and the fertile field seems like a forest.
16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,
his righteousness live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
19 Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
Having suffered a great deal of injustice at the hands of evil rulers, the people of Judah longed for a strong king who would rule with justice and fairness. We still seek after the same desire, and this desire will ultimately be fulfilled when Christ returns and reigns. At that time all evil will be banished forever, and Christ, who will rule unlike any other king, will reign in righteousness and rule with justice. When he comes then people's motives will become transparent. Fools will no longer be regarded as noble, and all who have opposed and rejected God's standards of living will be unable to maintain their deception. There is no way in which sin can disguise itself as acceptable when faced with the glorious light of Jesus Christ. Because His light will reach into every dark corner of the earth and every dark place in people's hearts, sin will be exposed for what it is. No heart that is truly ruled by Christ can harbour sin, no matter how well people might try to hide it.
Verses 9-13 contain a warning to the people who are guilty of turning their backs on God and concentrating on their own pleasure rather than serving God and living according to His Word. In our modern-day hedonistic and materialistic society this warning is very applicable. People worship wealth and seek fame, believing that these things bring security, but it is a false belief. We are surrounded by disaster of massive proportion, both nationally and on a more personal level. Insecurity is endemic. Yet people seek after the wrong solutions, and turn further away from God as a result. By abandoning God's purpose for our lives, we also abandon His help.
People seek after happiness, yet happiness is found in holiness, and perfect holiness, which we find through Christ, is the path to perfect happiness. Only when God's Spirit is amongst us can we find true peace and fulfilment, and we shall see this happening in the end time. We can have God's Spirit with us now, because when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and choose to acknowledge Him as our Lord, then He grants us the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The outpouring which Isaiah prophesies towards the close of the chapter will happen when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth for ever.
1 See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,
their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness
and spread error concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,
they make up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,
their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness
and spread error concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,
they make up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.
The Women of Jerusalem
9 You women who are so complacent,rise up and listen to me;
you daughters who feel secure,
hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble, you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!
Strip off your fine clothes
and wrap yourselves in rags.
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines
13 and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briers—
yes, mourn for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.
14 The fortress will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;
citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,
and the fertile field seems like a forest.
16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,
his righteousness live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
19 Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Isaiah 31: Woe to those who rely on Egypt
This chapter deals with the sin and folly of Judah looking to form an alliance with Egypt rather than turning to God for help. The sin was that they looked to human beings for help and, in doing so, turned their back on God. No matter how powerful a nation Judah formed an alliance with, there was none more powerful than God. It was an arrogant act by both Judah and Egypt, and it violated the stipulation regarding Egypt that God made. Deuteronomy 17:16 says: 'The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.' It is always a good thing to seek help when we have problems, but we should always go to God first in seeking that help. He will direct us to those whose help we can trust.
There's no escape from God's judgement, and evil pursues sinners. The Lord will come down to fight for Mount Zion for the protection of His church. Just as birds hover near or above their young to ward off unwelcome visitors and protect them from attack, so the Lord will protect Jerusalem and deliver her from her enemies.
The time will come when Judah casts away the assortment of idols that deflect them from God, and that will be the time when God defends His people and causes the fall of Assyria. The lesson that we draw from this in our world today is that we should identify the idols that we worship such as cars, property, TV, and the various modern things to which we have become enslaved to some degree or another, and put them in their proper place. These are things that may improve our lives, but we must never allow them to possess us in any way, for then we will have become slaves to them. Many people today are slaves to money or to seeking instant fame, and these, like all other things, only serve to detract us from giving God the worship and allegiance that He commands of us. It is important that we recognise the worthlessness of such things before we become enslaved by them.
.
1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.
2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster;
he does not take back his words.
He will rise up against that wicked nation,
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God;
their horses are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
those who help will stumble,
those who are helped will fall;
all will perish together.
There's no escape from God's judgement, and evil pursues sinners. The Lord will come down to fight for Mount Zion for the protection of His church. Just as birds hover near or above their young to ward off unwelcome visitors and protect them from attack, so the Lord will protect Jerusalem and deliver her from her enemies.
The time will come when Judah casts away the assortment of idols that deflect them from God, and that will be the time when God defends His people and causes the fall of Assyria. The lesson that we draw from this in our world today is that we should identify the idols that we worship such as cars, property, TV, and the various modern things to which we have become enslaved to some degree or another, and put them in their proper place. These are things that may improve our lives, but we must never allow them to possess us in any way, for then we will have become slaves to them. Many people today are slaves to money or to seeking instant fame, and these, like all other things, only serve to detract us from giving God the worship and allegiance that He commands of us. It is important that we recognise the worthlessness of such things before we become enslaved by them.
.
1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.
2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster;
he does not take back his words.
He will rise up against that wicked nation,
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God;
their horses are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
those who help will stumble,
those who are helped will fall;
all will perish together.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion growls,
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor—
so the Lord Almighty will come down
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering overhead,
the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it,
he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor—
so the Lord Almighty will come down
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering overhead,
the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it,
he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
6 Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against.
7 For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.
8 “Assyria will fall by no human sword;
a sword, not of mortals, will devour them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.
9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,”
declares the Lord,
whose fire is in Zion,
whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
a sword, not of mortals, will devour them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.
9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,”
declares the Lord,
whose fire is in Zion,
whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Isaiah 30: 'Woe to the Obstinate Nation'
In this passage the Jews are compared to obstinate and rebellious children, and they are rebuked for constantly looking elsewhere for the answer to their problems, other than to God. Today, people are just as obstinate when they face problems, preferring instead to attempt to find their own solutions rather than taking the problem to God and following what He says. The hope is always to find a quick and easy solution, and it usually ends up making the problem worse or creating a new one. By reading God's Word and actively seeking to carry out His will, we can maintain our bond with God, and deal with whatever may come our way in accordance with His will. We learn that we can never expect too little from man nor too much from God.
Rahab was a mythical female sea-monster associated with Leviathan. It was a name associated with Egypt, where hippopotamuses sat idly on the River Nile. Perhaps it is this that is suggested as a likeness of Rahab.
It was the prophets who kept the rebellious nature of the Jews in check. Because the people preferred the darkness to the light they told the prophets to keep quiet about visions that God gave in order to keep them from sin. It is no different in the world today, where people prefer the lies that cushion them from facing the truth, because the truth makes them feel uncomfortable. Yet to be comfortable in a lie is to live in a fool's paradise, and everything will come crashing down eventually.
God warned Judah that turning to Egypt and other nations could not save them, because only He could do that. They were advised that they must repent and await God's will 'in quietness and trust' in order to find their salvation. Only those who make God alone their source of confidence and truth will find true comfort. God waits patiently to pour His grace on everyone who come to Him by faith in Jesus Christ.
It is when we trust God to help us through our difficulties that we grow in faith. He wants to teach us His ways, and wants us to live according to His will. When the people of Jerusalem left God's path He corrected them, and He will do the same for us as long as we are willing to follow all that He asks of us. As we do so we discover the abundance of His grace.
The judgement of God will be accompanied by dense clouds of smoke, and by words that consume just as fire consumes. Often people in churches today do not want to hear of the wrath of God, only to be made to feel comfortable by words about how much God loves them, yet His wrath and anger are very real aspects of God's nature, and are designed to keep the rebellious in check. His anger is not against those people who obey His laws and who love Him, but against those who reject Him and who wilfully continue in sin.
.
1 “Woe to the obstinate children,”
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.
4 Though they have officials in Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them,
who bring neither help nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.”
Rahab was a mythical female sea-monster associated with Leviathan. It was a name associated with Egypt, where hippopotamuses sat idly on the River Nile. Perhaps it is this that is suggested as a likeness of Rahab.
It was the prophets who kept the rebellious nature of the Jews in check. Because the people preferred the darkness to the light they told the prophets to keep quiet about visions that God gave in order to keep them from sin. It is no different in the world today, where people prefer the lies that cushion them from facing the truth, because the truth makes them feel uncomfortable. Yet to be comfortable in a lie is to live in a fool's paradise, and everything will come crashing down eventually.
God warned Judah that turning to Egypt and other nations could not save them, because only He could do that. They were advised that they must repent and await God's will 'in quietness and trust' in order to find their salvation. Only those who make God alone their source of confidence and truth will find true comfort. God waits patiently to pour His grace on everyone who come to Him by faith in Jesus Christ.
It is when we trust God to help us through our difficulties that we grow in faith. He wants to teach us His ways, and wants us to live according to His will. When the people of Jerusalem left God's path He corrected them, and He will do the same for us as long as we are willing to follow all that He asks of us. As we do so we discover the abundance of His grace.
The judgement of God will be accompanied by dense clouds of smoke, and by words that consume just as fire consumes. Often people in churches today do not want to hear of the wrath of God, only to be made to feel comfortable by words about how much God loves them, yet His wrath and anger are very real aspects of God's nature, and are designed to keep the rebellious in check. His anger is not against those people who obey His laws and who love Him, but against those who reject Him and who wilfully continue in sin.
.
1 “Woe to the obstinate children,”
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace.
4 Though they have officials in Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them,
who bring neither help nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.”
6 A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev:
Through a land of hardship and distress,
of lions and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs,
their treasures on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
Therefore I call her
Rahab the Do-Nothing.
of lions and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs,
their treasures on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
Therefore I call her
Rahab the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
9 For these are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
“See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!”
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
9 For these are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
“See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”
18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.
How gracious he will be when you cry for help!
As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity
and the water of affliction,
your teachers will be hidden no more;
with your own eyes you will see them.
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
“This is the way; walk in it.”
22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver
and your images covered with gold;
you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth
and say to them, “Away with you!”
23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground,
and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful.
In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows.
24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash,
spread out with fork and shovel.
25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall,
streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill.
26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times
brighter, like the light of seven full days,
when the Lord binds up the bruises
of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
27 See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar,
with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,
and his tongue is a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a rushing torrent,
rising up to the neck.
He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;
your hearts will rejoice
as when people playing pipes go up
to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Rock of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice
and will make them see his arm coming down
with raging anger and consuming fire,
with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;
with his rod he will strike them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
with his punishing club
will be to the music of timbrels and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.
33 Topheth has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath of the Lord,
like a stream of burning sulfur,
sets it ablaze.
with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,
and his tongue is a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a rushing torrent,
rising up to the neck.
He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;
your hearts will rejoice
as when people playing pipes go up
to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Rock of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice
and will make them see his arm coming down
with raging anger and consuming fire,
with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;
with his rod he will strike them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
with his punishing club
will be to the music of timbrels and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.
33 Topheth has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath of the Lord,
like a stream of burning sulfur,
sets it ablaze.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Isaiah 29: Woe to Jerusalem, David's City
This chapter deals with: Judgements on Jerusalem and on its enemies. (1-8) The senselessness and hypocrisy of the Jews. (9-16) The conversion of the Gentiles, and future blessings for the Jews. (17-24).
Ariel is a special name for Jerusalem, which is David's city. It may mean 'lion of God', in the sense that Jerusalem has the strength of a lion, or alternatively, it could also mean 'altar hearth', or the altar of burnt offerings, because Jerusalem is the place of the altar in the temple.
Hypocrites never can please God, nor make their peace with him. God had often and long, by a host of angels, encamped round about Jerusalem for protection and deliverance; but now he fought against it. Proud looks and proud language shall be brought down by humbling providences. The destruction of Jerusalem's enemies is foretold. The army of Sennacherib went as a dream; and thus the multitudes, that through successive ages fight against God's altar and worship, shall fall. Speedily will sinners awake from their soothing dreams in the pains of hell.
The people claimed that they were close to God, but they were a disobedient people, merely going through the motions, and so God would bring judgement on them. They practised their religion as a routine rather than a desire, and in doing so they removed the reality of it. They fooled themselves into believing that they were hidden from God's sight, yet the truth is that there is no place to hide for anyone. God can see us wherever we are, and knows the thoughts of our hearts even before we recognise them. Despite this, there are many people today who believe that they can hide their plans and schemes from God.
The final passage in this chapter describes the world to come, which will be characterised by justice, understanding and joy, together with endless praise to God.
.
1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;
she will mourn and lament,
she will be to me like an altar hearth.
3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle you with towers
and set up my siege works against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.
Ariel is a special name for Jerusalem, which is David's city. It may mean 'lion of God', in the sense that Jerusalem has the strength of a lion, or alternatively, it could also mean 'altar hearth', or the altar of burnt offerings, because Jerusalem is the place of the altar in the temple.
Hypocrites never can please God, nor make their peace with him. God had often and long, by a host of angels, encamped round about Jerusalem for protection and deliverance; but now he fought against it. Proud looks and proud language shall be brought down by humbling providences. The destruction of Jerusalem's enemies is foretold. The army of Sennacherib went as a dream; and thus the multitudes, that through successive ages fight against God's altar and worship, shall fall. Speedily will sinners awake from their soothing dreams in the pains of hell.
The people claimed that they were close to God, but they were a disobedient people, merely going through the motions, and so God would bring judgement on them. They practised their religion as a routine rather than a desire, and in doing so they removed the reality of it. They fooled themselves into believing that they were hidden from God's sight, yet the truth is that there is no place to hide for anyone. God can see us wherever we are, and knows the thoughts of our hearts even before we recognise them. Despite this, there are many people today who believe that they can hide their plans and schemes from God.
The final passage in this chapter describes the world to come, which will be characterised by justice, understanding and joy, together with endless praise to God.
.
1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;
she will mourn and lament,
she will be to me like an altar hearth.
3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle you with towers
and set up my siege works against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.
5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,
the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
Suddenly, in an instant,
6 the Lord Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
Suddenly, in an instant,
6 the Lord Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
9 Be stunned and amazed,
blind yourselves and be sightless;
be drunk, but not from wine,
stagger, but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:
He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);
he has covered your heads (the seers).
blind yourselves and be sightless;
be drunk, but not from wine,
stagger, but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:
He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);
he has covered your heads (the seers).
11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.”
12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field
and the fertile field seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.
and the fertile field seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.
23 When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.”
no longer will their faces grow pale.
23 When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.”
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Isaiah 28: Jerusalem's True and False Hopes
Ephraim represents the Northern Kingdom of Israel, ruled over by a reign of evil kings. When Israel split into two following Solomon's reign, Jerusalem ended up in the southern kingdom. Leaders in the northern kingdom, wishing to remain completely separate from the south, set up idols in order to keep the people from going to worship in the Temple at Jerusalem. By these means the people in the north were led into idolatry, and Isaiah gives them this message to warn them, as well as urging Judah to encourage them to repent before being punished as the northern kingdom would be in the future.
The people suffered the results of their pride, and arrogance, believing that they were being spoken down to, as a teacher to his pupils, and thought that they should make up their own minds. Isaiah prophesies that, because of this attitude, the Assyrians would teach them in an even more unpopular manner. Instead of placing their trust in God, the Judeans turned to other sources for security. God accuses them of making a covenant with death, possibly a reference to Hezekiah's alliance with Pharoah Tirhaka against Assyria (Isaiah 37:9).
In verse 16 to 22 we find the promise of Jesus Christ as the only foundation of hope for escaping the wrath to come. Christ is the corner-stone, the foundation for all of our hope, just as applicable to us today. The only One who can assure us of lasting protection is God, which He doe through Christ. Isaiah warns that it is foolish to rely on your own righteousness because it will always fall short.
The analogy is drawn in verses 23 to 29 between farming methods and the manner of caring for people. The farmer uses special tools both to plant and to harvest delicate herbs in order that they will not be damaged or destroyed, and in the same way God takes the individual weaknesses of people into account, dealing with each of us sensitively. The lesson for us is that we should be the same when we are dealing with other people, being sensitive to their individual needs and the special treatment that those needs demand if we are to treat others in the correct manner.
.
1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.
Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,
like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
will be trampled underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,
will be like figs ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
The people suffered the results of their pride, and arrogance, believing that they were being spoken down to, as a teacher to his pupils, and thought that they should make up their own minds. Isaiah prophesies that, because of this attitude, the Assyrians would teach them in an even more unpopular manner. Instead of placing their trust in God, the Judeans turned to other sources for security. God accuses them of making a covenant with death, possibly a reference to Hezekiah's alliance with Pharoah Tirhaka against Assyria (Isaiah 37:9).
In verse 16 to 22 we find the promise of Jesus Christ as the only foundation of hope for escaping the wrath to come. Christ is the corner-stone, the foundation for all of our hope, just as applicable to us today. The only One who can assure us of lasting protection is God, which He doe through Christ. Isaiah warns that it is foolish to rely on your own righteousness because it will always fall short.
The analogy is drawn in verses 23 to 29 between farming methods and the manner of caring for people. The farmer uses special tools both to plant and to harvest delicate herbs in order that they will not be damaged or destroyed, and in the same way God takes the individual weaknesses of people into account, dealing with each of us sensitively. The lesson for us is that we should be the same when we are dealing with other people, being sensitive to their individual needs and the special treatment that those needs demand if we are to treat others in the correct manner.
.
1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.
Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,
like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
will be trampled underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,
will be like figs ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.”
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured.
God will speak to this people,
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood our hiding place.”
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood our hiding place.”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
will bring sheer terror.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
23 Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,
barley in its plot,
and spelt in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,
barley in its plot,
and spelt in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.
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