SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/14/2013
9:04 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Interlude “The
Book of Consolation”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Preview of
Isaiah 40-66
Message of the
verses: This will be the second
interlude as recorded in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Isaiah “Be
Comforted.” I copied and pasted the
first interlude and will do the same for this on as we look at a preview of the
last great section of Isaiah.
“The Book of Isaiah can be called ‘a Bible in miniature.’ There are sixty-six chapters in Isaiah and
sixty-six books in the Bible. The
thirty-nine chapters of the first part of Isaiah may be compared to the Old
Testament with its thirty-nine books, and both focus primarily on God’s
judgment of sin. The twenty-seven
chapters of the second part may be seen to parallel the twenty-seven books of
the New Testament, and both emphasize the grace of God.
“The ‘New Testament’ section of Isaiah opens with the
ministry of John the Baptist (40:3-5; Mark 1:1-4) and close with the new
heavens and the new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22), and in between there are many
references to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and King. Of course, the chapter divisions in Isaiah
are not a part of the original inspired text, but the comparison is still interesting.
“In the ‘New Testament’ section of Isaiah the prophet is particularly
addressing a future generation of Jews.
In chapters 1-39 his audience was his own generation, and his primary
message was that God would defend Jerusalem and defeat the Assyrian
invaders. But in chapters 40-66 the
prophet looks far ahead and sees Babylon destroying Jerusalem and the Jews
going into Captivity. (This happened in
586 B.C.) But he also saw God forgiving
His people, delivering them from captivity, and taking them back to Jerusalem
to rebuild the temple and restore the nation.
“The primary would figure in Isaiah 1-39 is Sennacherib,
king of Assyria; but in chapters 40-66 the world leader is Cyrus king of
Persia. It was Cyrus who defeated the Babylonians,
and in 541 B.C. issued the decree that permitted the Jews to return to their
land to rebuild the city and the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). When Isaiah wrote these messages, Babylon was
not yet a great world power, but the prophet was inspired by God to see the
course the international scene would take.
“Chapters 40-66 may be divided into three parts (40-48;
49-57; and 58-66), with the same statement separating the first two sections: ‘There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the
wicked’ (48:22; 57:21). Chapters 40-48
emphasize the greatness of God the Father in contrast to the vanity of the heathen
idols. Chapters 49-57 extol the
graciousness of God the Son, the Suffering Servant; and chapters 58-66 describe
the glory of God in the future kingdom, and the emphasis is on the work of the
Holy Spirit (59:19, 21; 61:1ff; 63:10-11, 14).
Thus, there seems to be a trinitarian structure to these chapters.
“The
heart of Isaiah 40-66 is chapters 49-57, in which Isaiah exalts the Messiah,
God’s Suffering Servant. And the heart
of chapters 49-57 is 52:13-53:12, the description of the Savior’s substitutionary
death for the sins of the world. This is
the fourth of the ‘Servant Songs’ in Isaiah; the others are 42:1-7; 49:1-6; and
50:1-11. So at the heart of the ‘New
Testament’ section of Isaiah’s book is our Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice
on the cross for our sins. Now wonder
Isaiah has been called ‘the evangelical prophet.’
“The Jewish rabbis have called Isaiah 40-66 ‘The Book of
Consolation,’ and they are right. Isaiah
saw in Israel’s restoration from Babylon a preview of what God would do for them
at the end of the age, after the ‘Day of the Lord’ and the destruction of the
world’s last ‘Babylon’ (Rev. 17-19).
“So as you study Isaiah 40-66, keep in mind that it was originally
addressed to a group of discouraged Jewish refugees who faced a long journey
home and a difficult task when they got there.
Note how often God says to them, ‘Fear not’!’ and how frequently He
assures them of His pardon and His presence.
It is no surprise that God’s people for centuries have turned to these
chapters to find assurance and encouragement in the difficult days of life; for
in these messages, God says to all of His people, ‘Be Comforted!’”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I am truly
thankful for the words that I have read in the quote from Dr. Wiersbe as he
always seems to have a way to make sense out of some of the difficult passages
in the Word of God, makes them easier to understand. I am thankful for the privilege of worshiping
God who not only knows the end from the beginning, but controls the end from
the beginning. I am thankful of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Messiah who came to earth to be the “Suffering Servant” and
took my place on the cross to take away my sins and to give me His
righteousness.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I desire to live a life that is honoring to
the Lord and as I go over the memory verses in 2 Peter 1:1-11 I find a guide
that will help me to accomplish that goal.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 2:1-8
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the
righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has
granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true
knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He granted to us His precious
and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all
diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence,
knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control,
perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness,
brotherly kindness and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
Question: “Lazarus” (Luke 16:20).
Today’s Bible
Question: “Which book sets forth the
altar of sacrifice, the character and construction of the tabernacle, and the
institution of the priesthood?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/14/2013 9:56 AM
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