SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/26/2013
11:02 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Phoenicia Part II
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Isaiah
23:8-18
Message of the
verses: We will look at two
sub-titles from the main title which talks about the oracles of Phoenicia.
Explanation (Isaiah 23:8-1 4): “8 Who has planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, Whose
merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? 9 The LORD
of hosts has planned it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To despise all the
honored of the earth. 10 Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of
Tarshish, There is no more restraint. 11 He has stretched His hand out over the
sea, He has made the kingdoms tremble; The LORD has given a command concerning
Canaan to demolish its strongholds. 12 He has said, "You shall exult no
more, O crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even
there you will find no rest." 13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans-this is
the people which was not; Assyria appointed it for desert creatures-they
erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin. 14
Wail, O ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is destroyed.”
We see a question in verse eight and the answer of course
is the Lord Almighty! He is the one who destroys
Egypt as seen in Isaiah 19:23 and Babylon as seen in Isaiah 14:27, and in the
same way He has purposed to judge Tyre.
We mentioned that this will happen by the revived Babylon in 585-572 B.
C. as seen in verse thirteen of our text today.
In verse nine we can conclude that Tyre had a great deal of pride, and
we know from past SD’s that pride is something that the Lord will not put up
with.
Anticipation (Isaiah 23:15-18): “15 Now in that day Tyre will be forgotten
for seventy years
like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the
song of the harlot: 16 Take your harp, walk about the city, O forgotten harlot;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs, That you may be remembered. 17
It will come about at the end of seventy years that the LORD will visit Tyre. Then she will go
back to her harlot’s wages and will play the harlot with all the kingdoms on
the face of the earth. 18 Her gain and her harlot’s wages will be set apart to
the LORD; it will not be stored up or hoarded, but her gain will become
sufficient food and choice attire for those who dwell in the presence of the
LORD.”
We have highlighted “seventy years” three times in this
section, and this tells us that there is meaning in this phrase. Dr. Wiersbe explains “Even before their
eventual destruction, Tyre and Sidon would not be involved in business for
seventy years. History tells us that the
Assyrians restricted Phoenician trade from 700-630 B. C.; but when Assyria
began to weaken in power, Tyre and Sidon revived their businesses. The prophet compared the revived city to an
old prostitute who had to sing lovely songs in order to get attention. Apparently the shipping business would not be
as easy or as lucrative as it once was. In
verse 18, Isaiah looked ahead to the messianic kingdom, when the wealth of Tyre
would not be horded (see Zech 9:3), but given to the Lord as a holy offering.” “For Tyre built herself a fortress And piled
up silver like dust, And gold like the mire of the streets (Zech. 9:3).”
We have now come to the end of these eleven chapters in
the book of Isaiah, and it was kind of a fast trip through it. Warren Wiersbe gives the following as an
ending to his comments on these eleven chapters and I want to share that with you: “Our trek through these eleven chapters has
taught us some important lessons. First
God is in control of the nations of the world, and He can do with them what he
pleases. ‘Through the mills of God grind
slowly, yet they grind exceeding small’ (Friedrich von Logau, translated by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). Second, God
especially hates the sin of pride. (See
Isa. 13:11; 16:6; 23:9; and Proverbs 8:13.)
When nations turn from the living God to trust their wealth and their
armaments, God must show them that He is the only sure refuge. Third, God judges the nations for the way
they treat each other. Judah was the
only nation mentioned that had God’s law, yet God held the other ten Gentile
nations accountable for what they did. ‘For
as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law’ (Romans
2:12) finally, God always gives a word
of promise and hope to His people.
Babylon will fall, but God will care for Judah (Isa. 14:1-3), 32). Moab will not accept sanctuary from
Jerusalem, but God will one day establish Messiah’s throne there (16:5). Assyria and Egypt may be avowed enemies of
the Jews, but one day the three nations will together glorify God
(19:23-25).
“Therefore, no matter how frightening the national or
international situation may become, God’s children can have peace because they
know Almighty God is on His throne. The
nations may rage and plot against God, but ‘He who sits in the heaven shall
laugh’ (Psalm 2:4).
“When the Lord of heaven and earth is your Father, and
you gladly wear Christ’s yoke, you have nothing to fear (Matthew
11:25-30). Therefore, be comforted!”
Lord willing we will began to look at Isaiah chapters
24-27 in our next SD. Dr. Wiersbe
entitles this chapter “A Refuge from the Storm.” Looking forward to this, and once we get
through these four chapter we will be into September and will look at the
seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, and that chapter is a very exciting
chapter to study.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: We can take
comfort in knowing that indeed God is in control.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Because the Lord is in control, and I can
take comfort in that fact I trust the Lord to guide my path as seen in Proverbs
3:5-6.
Memory verses for the
week: A review of Psalm 46.
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear
though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of
the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its
swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glade
the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be
moved, God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations make an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He
raised His voice, the earth melted. The
Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. 8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who has
wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He
makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the
sword in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Cease striving and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the
nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
stronghold. Selah.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
Question: “Ten” (Luke 15:8).
Today’s Bible
Question: “Who said ‘Whosoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, which is
in heaven?’”
Answer in tomorrow’s SD.
8/26/2013 11:47 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment