Humiliation: The Sorrowing Servant (Isaiah 53:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/30/2013 5:46 AM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  Humiliation: The Sorrowing Servant

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Isaiah 53:1-3

            Message of the verses:  We are going to look at the second stanza of this forth of the Servant’s songs, and as the first stanza this will help us understand what the Servant did for us.

            “1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2  For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

            As we begin to look at this 53^rd chapter of Isaiah we need to know that this chapter is all about the Lord Jesus Christ, as the first four verses describe His life and ministry, and His death is seen in verses 5-8, the burial is seen in verse nine, and then His resurrection and exaltation are seen in verses 10-12.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “The theme that ties the chapter together is that the innocent Servant died in the place of the guilty.  When theologians speak about ‘the vicarious atonement,’ that is what they mean.  We cannot explain everything about the Cross, but this much seems clear:  Jesus took the place of guilty sinners and paid the price for their salvation.”

            In verse one we see these words “the arm of the Lord,” and this speaks of His power.  In Psalm 8:3a we read “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,” and this shows that it was the fingers of the Lord that made the universe.  Then in Exodus 13:3a we read “Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place.”  This verse shows that it was by the power of the hand of the Lord that was used to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.  When we look again at verse one of Isaiah 53, and this time looking at it from the NLT we read “To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?”  (Isaiah 53b)  It took the powerful or mighty arm of the Lord to save lost sinners.  Now we contrast this statement with verse two which speaks of the Servant’s humiliation and weakness when it says “a root out of parched ground.”  Paul writes to the Philippians about the humility of Jesus Christ as He laid aside His glory to become a man and then to die, die on the cross:  “7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

            The following paragraph comes from the pen of Dr. Wiersbe as he explains more about Isaiah’s writings about the Lord Jesus Christ.  “The Servant is God, and yet He becomes human and grows up!  The Child is born—that is His humanity; the Son is given—that is His deity (Isaiah 9:6).  In writing about Israel’s future, Isaiah has already used the image of a tree:  Messiah is the Branch of the Lord (4:2); the remnant is like the stumps of tress chopped down (6:13); the proud nations will be hewn down like trees, but out of David’s seemingly dead stump, the ‘rod of Jesse’ will come (10:33-11:1).  Because Jesus Christ is God He is the ‘root of David,’ but because He is man, He is the ‘offspring of David’ (Rev. 22:16).”

            Now as we look back into the world that the Lord Jesus Christ was born into we realize that Israel was no paradise, for the political and the spiritual could be described as “dry ground.”  Jesus did not come as a great plant (so to speak), but as a “tender plant.”  Jesus was born into poverty in Bethlehem and grew up in a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth.  He was nothing special to look at as Isaiah describes, but is was because of His words and works that people were attracted to Him.

            When people learned what He demanded of Him, and we can see some of that in John chapter six where we read:  “26 Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.’”  A little later in this chapter we read “51  "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.’”  Then we read at the end of chapter six these words:  “66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”  Jesus asks those who remained with Him “"You do not want to go away also, do you?’”   Peter answered “"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69  "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.’”  This section shows that many of the people who were following Jesus were doing it for the wrong reasons, they were not looking for the bread that did not perish, but for the bread that did perish.  Jesus demanded a person to take up their cross and follow Him, and yet few did, but we can rest assured that they did not follow Him because He was some handsome person that attracted people because of His looks or physical features.  When Israel chose their first King God gave them Saul and there is much to say about his features how he was very tall and handsome.  This is what the people wanted, but David who was a man after God’s heart was not a good looking man, and he was not tall like Saul.  Jesus seems to fit into that category to according to what Isaiah writes about Him in this section of Isaiah 53.

            People treated Jesus like a slave as He was sold for thirty pieces of silver.  People looked the other way when He went by them.  The people were ashamed of Him for He did not represent the things that were important to them, things like great material wealth, as seen in Luke 16:14, and social prestige as seen in Luke 14:7-14, and reputation as seen in Luke 18:9-14, and also being served by others (Luke 22:24-27.  Today Jesus is rejected for the very same reasons.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is my desire to follow Jesus for the right reasons, and not for the wrong reasons.  I want to desire the bread that does not parish as opposed to the bread that does perish.  The passage in John six is kind of difficult to understand, but it is not speaking of “The Lord’s Supper,” but about walking with Jesus for the right reasons, for as the passage says “He has the words of eternal life.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Follow the Lord for the right reasons.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “The return of Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Today’s Bible Question “What was in the ark of the covenant?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/30/2013 6:59 AM   

Startled At the Servant's Exaltation & Message (Isaiah 52:13 & 15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/29/2013 11:18 AM

My Worship Time                                                        Focus:  Startled at the Servant’s Exaltation

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                        Reference:  Isaiah 52:13

            Message of the verses:  “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.”  “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high (KJV).”

            We mentioned in yesterday’s SD that these last three verses in Isaiah 52 pictured  the Lord Jesus Christ’s appearance on the cross (vs. 14); His exaltation (vs. 13); and His Message (vs. 15).  What we have here is a picture of His sufferings on the cross, His resurrection and ascension, and then the world wide proclamation of the Gospel.  All these are pictured in these last three verses.  We will try to look at the last two from verses 13 & 15 in our SD for today.

            Verse thirteen speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, and we could surely write a lot of things about His resurrection, things like this was all prophesied to happen is one thing we could go into detail about, and since we are in a prophetic book of the Bible that tells of this happening that speaks of an all knowing God who had this all planned out from eternity past.  Paul speaks about the “weak” things of God, that they are more powerful than any power man has.  1Co 1:27 “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”  Paul also writes about Christ’s exaltation in his letter to the Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

            Jesus Christ came to earth to accomplish His Father’s will as seen in Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”  That will was to die for the sins of those who would one day accept the forgiveness that was purchased for them on the cross, and at the end of His human life on planet earth, while dying for the sins of the world Jesus concluded His life by saying in John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” The Greek word that is translated “it is finished” is one work, and that word means paid in full.  This word was put on a person release paper who was serving time for a crime and the crime was paid for.

            Startled at the Servant’s Message (Isaiah 52:15):  “Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.”  “So will nations give him honour; kings will keep quiet because of him: for what had not been made clear to them they will see; and they will give their minds to what had not come to their ears (BBE).”

            Paul writes the following words to interpret this verse in Romans 15:20-21 “20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21 but as it is written, "THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.’” 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Many people have been tortured and killed in an inhumane way, but knowing about their suffering does not touch our conscience, though it may arouse our sympathy.  Our Lord’s sufferings and death were different, because they involved everybody in the world.  The Gospel message is not ‘Christ died,’ for that is only a fact in history, like ‘Napoleon died.’ The Gospel message is that ‘Christ died for our sins’ (1 Cor. 15:1-4, italics mine).  You and I are as guilty of Christ’s death as Annas, Caiaphas, Herod Antipas, and Pilate.

            “Now we see why people are astonished when they understand the message of the Gospel:  This Man whom they condemned has declared that they are condemned unless they turn from sin and trust Him.  You cannot rejoice in the Good News of salvation until first you face the bad news of condemnation.  Jesus did not suffer and die because He was guilty, but because we were guilty.  People are astonished at this fact; it shuts their mouths.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed so many things in my life.  I think of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians “For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new (2 Cor. 5:17 Philips).”  One of the new things that came about in my life is that my desires are all new, not the sinful desires that I had before the Lord saved me.  I guess that I can say like Paul said in Romans 15:21b as seen above which is a quotation from Isaiah 52:15.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire to continue to grow in my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Jonah” (Jonah 3:7-4:1).”

Today’ Bible Question:  “What is the Christian’s blessed hope?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/29/2013 12:42 PM  

               

             

What was the Appearance of Christ on the Cross (Isaiah 52:14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/28/2013 9:29 AM

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Startled at the Servant’s Appearance

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Isaiah 52:14

            Message of the verses:  In order for us to understand these three verses better we need to look at them in a different order than what they are in the Scripture.  Verse 14 speaks of the people being shocked by the way the Lord Jesus looked, and then verse 13 speaks of His exaltation, and finally verse 15 speaks of His message.  We see then in these verses the Lord’s suffering that takes place on the cross, His resurrection and ascension, and then the world wide proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

            Startled at the Servant’s Appearance (Isaiah 52:14):   “14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.”  “14 But many were amazed when they saw him.  His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.”  (NLT) 

            It seems that when I look at these verses that I truly have a hard time wanting to look deeper into them, for when I do try to look deeper into them it causes me great grief, knowing that the Lord did all of this for me, and not only for me but because of me, as He was beaten beyond even looking human being.  The Romans seemed to take great pleasure in their job of the execution of their prisoners, and I suppose it was because they knew who Christ claimed to be, that they took even more pleasure in beating Him.  They may have even been surprised that He did not die before they got Him to the cross, but Jesus had to die at the same time that the Passover lambs died, for He was the Passover Lamb.  Let us look at Isaiah 50:6 “I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”  All of these things happened to our Lord before He was crucified.  When we read the account of His crucifixion in the Gospels we do not read about the graphic description that is found in the prophecies of the OT, which describe it.  Psalm 22 speaks of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as if David was standing at the foot of the cross, and yet crucifixion was not even heard of in David’s day.  It is in this Psalm that we see these words “14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. 16  For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; 18 They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”  In verse six we read: “6 But I am a worm and not a man.”  I have mentioned this in two different SD’s, but I think that it is worth mentioning again as I quote from an earlier SD on the 22^nd Psalm which is a quotation from another source. 

“Henry Morris Writes this about the “Scarlet Worm:” Bible & Science tape series
Henry Morris

Look at the 22nd Psalm. This is the great Psalm of the crucifixion of Christ written 1,000 years before it was fulfilled. It describes in great detail the sufferings of Christ on the cross. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" he cries out. Then down in verse 6...he says "But I am a worm (08438), and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." What did he mean by saying "I am a worm"?...This particular worm is different from other kinds of worms. There are different kinds of worms, different varieties, but this is a particular worm. It means more than just he is not a man. Isaiah 52 says, "his visage was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men." He was literally made corruption personified; he didn't even look like a man there on the cross*; it is talking about more than that here. He says "I am a worm and no man." This is a scarlet worm and the reason it was called that was because it had the ability to secrete a scarlet fluid which was used in making the scarlet dye that they used in ancient days. As a matter of fact, when you find the word "scarlet" in the bible, it's the same word. "Though your sins be as scarlet," it's the same word exactly. The worm was identified with the crimson color. The life cycle of that worm is something like this: when the mother worm was ready to give birth to the baby worms, she would find the trunk of a tree, a post or a stick somewhere and then she would plant her body in that wood and she would implant her body so firmly in it that she could never leave it again. And then the young would be brought forth and the mother's body would provide protection for the babies as long as they needed before they could get out and take care of themselves. Then the mother would die, and in the process, the scarlet fluid would stain her body and the body of the young and the tree and so on. The Lord Jesus said "I am like that scarlet worm." He's making peace through the blood of his cross; he's bringing many sons into glory through the suffering. And this is a graphic testimony of the fact that eternal life comes out of the suffering and death of the Son of God. “

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am having a hard time wrapping my arms around all of this as I think of what my Lord did for me.  Grace, love, justice, power, are some of the things that I think of when I think of the cross of Christ.  I know that I should have been the one on that cross, but because of the great love that God has for me He sent His son to take my place on that cross and I will be eternally thankful for this.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Today, being Thanksgiving day I want to think about the thing that I am most thankful for, and that is the salvation that was purchased for me on the cross of Calvary.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Galilee” (John 4:46).
Today’s Bible Question:  “Who became angry when God spared Nineveh?”
Answer in our next SD.     11/28/2013 10:35 AM

           

            

Introduction to "Climbing Mount Everest" (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/27/2013 7:45 PM

My Worship Time                                              Focus: Introduction to Climbing Mount Everest

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Isaiah 52:13-15

            Message of the verses:  It was last Sunday morning at our Church service from First Baptist Church in Elyria, Ohio that our Pastor, who has been speaking on the life of David for close to a year, on and off, spoke about the providence of God as seen in the life of David when David was fleeing from his son Absalom.  God’s providence is seen in the lives of all believers as our Sovereign God is in control of all things and causes all things to work together for good for those who are His own.  I am not sure what the significance of having my study go from the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel, which we have been looking at since the fifteenth of November and now going into what Warren Wiersbe calls “the Mt. Everest of messianic prophecy,” which is covered in Isaiah 52:13-53:12.”  That is just how it worked out as I make my way through the Bible, but I do have to stop and praise the Lord for it working out the way it has.  I have heard it stated that the ninth chapter of Daniel is the greatest prophecy that is found in the OT, and whether or not I agree with that or not does not take away from what Bible scholars have stated about it.  Then there are two major prophecies that speak about the Messiah’s death of which Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is one of them along with the 22^nd Psalm which also speaks of the death of the Messiah as if one was standing at the foot of the cross when the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. 

            This section of Isaiah is the forth Servant poem and the one that most people know the best.  Dr. Wiersbe is quoting Bible scholar Dr. Kyle M. Yates when speaking of this section being the Mt. Everest of Messianic prophecy.  Dr. Wiersbe goes on to write “This passage is at the heart of chapters 49-57, and its message is at the heart of the Gospel.  Like Mt. Everest, Isaiah 53 stands out in beauty and grandeur, but only because it reveals Jesus Christ and takes us to Mt. Calvary.”

               I have heard before that Jewish rabbis have said that this section of Scripture is written about the sufferings of the nation of Israel, but I did not realize that this is just what 20^th century rabbis said about it and earlier rabbis thought it was speaking about the Messiah.  A careful look at this section will show that this is written about the Jewish Messiah and fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ while on the earth. 

            Dr. Wiersbe states that Isaiah 53 is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament more frequently than any other Old Testament chapter.  He goes on to write “The index of quotations in the appendix of my Greek New Testament gives at least forty-one different citations, and this may not be all of them.

            “The fifteen verses that comprise the fourth Servant Song fall into five stanzas of three verses each, and each of these stanzas reveals an important truth about the Servant and what He accomplished for us.”  This of course is the outline that we will be following as we go through these fifteen verses in the next few days or weeks, I am not sure how long it will take, but this is a section of Scripture that we want to take our time going through and savor all that is in it. 

            Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I can think of no better time than to begin our journey through these fifteen verses than that day, for I am surely thankful for the truth that we will discover as we look at this fourth of the Servant poems from the pen of Isaiah.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “The tempter (The Devil)” (Matthew 4:3.

Today’s Bible Question “In what country was Cana?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/27/2013 8:18 PM

             

The Strange Parenthesis from Daniel 9 (Daniel 9:24-27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/26/2013 10:22 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Strange Parenthesis

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 9:25-27

            Message of the verses:  We come to the last SD from the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel and as we look at this topic we will understand how the Church of Jesus Christ is involved in this prophecy even though it is not mentioned.  Before I go onto the topic of the strange parenthesis I want to go back to Daniel 9:26, and at the end of that verse we read:  “even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”  I believe what is said here is that there will be continued trouble of the Jewish people right up until the time when Jesus Christ, the Messiah returns as described in Revelations chapter nineteen.  There has been continued trouble for the Jewish people since the rejection of their Messiah, and even in a matter that happened over this past week-end there was trouble for them, and it will grow worse and worse especially in the “time of Jacob’s trouble” which is the tribulation period, and especially the last three and a half years of the tribulation as seen in the prophecy in Daniel chapter nine.

            Gabriel did not tell Daniel what was going to happen between the sixty-ninth year and the seventieth year of this 490 year prophecy, and that is what this strange parenthesis is.  There are things called mysteries in the Bible and this is something that had not been revealed, but is not being revealed, and the Church fits into that category as it was not mentioned in the OT, but was all along in the plan of God and was revealed in the NT.  Paul speaks of this mystery in Ephesians 3:1-13, “1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles- 2  if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3  that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4  By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5  which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6  to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7  of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8  To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9  and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10  so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11  This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12  in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13  Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.”

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on Daniel chapter nine with these words:  “Some of the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 has already been fulfilled, and the rest will be fulfilled in the end times.  We are today living in the age of the Church, when Israel has been partially blinded and temporarily set aside (Romans 9-11).  Like Paul, we must have a heart concern for the Jewish people, pray for them and seek to share the Gospel with them.  Gentile believers have a debt to the people of Israel (Rom. 15:24-27) because they gave us the knowledge of the true and living God, the inspired written Scripture, and the Savior, Jesus Christ.”  To all of this I say Amen!

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have a deep love for the Jewish people and it came to me the very moment that I became a believer in Jesus Christ, and as Dr. Wiersbe wrote I have much to be thankful for because of the children of Israel.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Holy Spirit to led my life, to guide me and to make my life pleasing to the Lord.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Simeon and Anna” (Luke 2:25-38).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said ‘If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread’”?

Answer in our next SD.

11/26/2013 10:45 AM

Daniel's 70 Weeks Daniel 9:25-27

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/25/2013 10:31 AM

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  Instruction: Discovering God’s Timetable PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 9:25-27

            Message of the verses:  In Warren Wiersbe’s commentary he has broken up the 490 years into three different sub-points and we will try to look at each one of these in today’s SD.

            Period # 1—49 years (Daniel 9:25):  “25  "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

            I can remember the first time that I heard the explanation of this verse while visiting a friend in Florida in January of 1974.  I was listening to a series of taped messages by a man named Hal Lindsey who had recently written a book named “The Late Great Planet Earth” which was a book about prophecies from the Word of God.  As I look back on that time I remember that this was the time that the Lord Jesus Christ saved me from my sins and He used the tapes on prophecy to draw me to Himself as each message had the clear gospel presentation at the end of it.

            Daniel 9:25 gives us the starting point of when this 490 years will begin, and since there were three different times in which the Jews were told that they could leave Babylon there has been much disagreement as to when this time period would begin.  The prophecy is about the city and the temple, for that is what Daniel was praying about, along with, of course, having the Jewish people return to the city of Jerusalem.  Sir Robert Anderson has written a book in which he entitles “The Coming Prince” and this book is about the 490 year prophecy from Daniel nine.  He believes along with many people that I have respect for believe that the decree that is spoken of in Daniel 9:25 is given in the second chapter of the book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the king of Persia and when you have that job you better not look sad in his presence or you could lose your head.  Nehemiah had spent much time in prayer over what was going on in Jerusalem for there had been Jewish people already living there for almost 100 years and the city was still not complete.  Nehemiah’s prayers were answered in chapter two, which was 445 BC and we read about it in Nehemiah chapter two:  “1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" 4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it." 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. 7 And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”  With this statement the 490 year prophecy began. 

            When you read through the book of Nehemiah you see that there was much trouble in rebuilding the city walls as the people who were working on the walls had a sword in one hand and things to rebuild the wall in the other hand, and this is just as Gabriel said would happen, that it would be done with trouble.

            Period # 2—483 Years (Daniel 9:26):  “26  "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

            The math is like this 49 + 434 = 483, so there are 483 years from the time that the decree was given in Nehemiah chapter two until the cutting off of the Messiah.  Four hundred and eighty-three years from 445 BC puts you into 29/30 AD.  We know what happened then, for Jesus was turned down as the King of Israel and was thus killed, but not for Himself. 

            I have studied this prophecy for many years off and on and I believe that the exact time that this prophecy began was in March of 445 BC as I have already stated and it goes until when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on what is commonly called Palm Sunday, and it is then that He is rejected as their King.  In Luke chapter nineteen we see this take place:  “37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting: "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!’”  Why did Jesus say that if this was not said that the rocks would cry out with these words?  These words were to be said when Messiah came and the Pharisees did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  Jesus goes on to say a bit later on “"If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. ‘”  This day was the end of the 483^rd year that is written in Daniel, and this it stops the prophecy with seven years left on it.  In Sir Robert Anderson’s book he figures out the different calendars and changes the Jewish calendar, which is a lunar calendar to our Julian calendar which has 365 days in it, while the Jewish or lunar calendar had 360 days in it.  He figures out how many days were involved even to the point of having tree leap years deleted because one has to delete a leap year every so many years, and at the end he comes up with the day that Jesus rides into Jerusalem to offer Himself as King of Israel and is rejected and then killed a few days later.

            Period # 3—7 Years (Daniel 9:27):  “27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.’
            The book that I mentioned by Sir Robert Anderson “The Coming Prince” does not speak of the prince as the Lord Jesus Christ, but the prince that is spoken of in Daniel 9:26 and referred to as “he” in verse 27.  The text says that this prince will come from the people who destroyed the city and the sanctuary which was Titus and his Roman Legion.  Herod’s temple was a beautiful building that Titus did not want to destroy, but there was gold in between the huge limestone blocks and the only way that they could get the gold out was to tear down the building.  Jesus told the people that this would happen, that not one stone would be left on another:  “43  "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44  and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation (Luke 19:43-44).’”

            What prince then is the text speaking of?  It is none other than Antichrist and this last seven years of this prophecy will begin when this prince who comes out of the territory of the old Roman Empire will come on the scene and make a covenant with the nation of Israel for seven years.  This period is known as the “Tribulation Period” and what happens during this period is described in verse twenty-seven of Daniel along with chapters 6-19 of the book of Revelations.  This even is still in our future, but as we look at one key element that happened in May of 1948, and that is that Israel became a nation again, we know that this time is not too far off.  I have never made it a practice to set a date as to when these events will take place, and I firmly believe that the Lord Jesus will return to the clouds over the earth to take His bride home to be with Him before these events take place.  This even we know as the rapture of the Church and are described in 1 Thes. 4:13-18 along with in 1 Cor. 15:51-54.  Our world is much smaller than it used to be, that is because modern technology and modern weapons where enemies can now be many thousands of miles away from us and can still kill us.  We have weapons that can actually destroy the entire earth, but this will not take place for at the height of global war as described in the 19^th chapter of Revelations the Lord Jesus will return to planet earth riding on a white horse with His army with Him and this will end the last day of Daniel’s 490 year prophecy.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Apostle Peter writes of how this world will be completely destroyed, which will take place after the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on planet earth which begins right after His glorious return and the reason for Peter’s writings is to say that if we know all of these things are going to take place then what kind of people should we be, and what should we be doing to tell others about these events that will take place?  Well I believe that I should be a loving person, ready to tell others of the hope that is within me, and that I should be a person who is in love with my Lord and who follows the things that the Holy Spirit leads me to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am reading a book that is entitled “War of Words,” and this book has convicted me of how I use my words.  I want to use words that are the kind of words that are pleasing to the Lord.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a; Titus 3:5a; and Hab.1:13a

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity (sin).

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “The arc angel” (1 Thes. 4:16).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who met the baby Jesus in the temple when he was 40 days old?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/25/2013 11:43 AM

            

Instruction: Discovering God's Timetable PT-1 (Daniel 9:20-24)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/24/2013 3:03 PM

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  Instruction: Discovering God’s Timetable

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Daniel 9:20-24

            Message of the verses:  We will be just looking at verses 20-23 and then also verse 24 which speaks of what is called the “Seventy Weeks.”

            “20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 "At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. 24  "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

            We see that actually Daniel was not really finished with his prayer to the Lord, a prayer that consisted of his confession his sins and also the sin of the people of Israel as we have been looking at in our previous SD’s.  Daniel is interrupted by an angel, an angel he had seen in his last vision described in chapter eight, and his name was Gabriel which means “man of God,” or “warrior of God.”  Gabriel was sent to Daniel to answer his prayer, and he was sent when Daniel began to pray.  I suppose that we can conclude from this that angels can move very fast.  Gabriel tells Daniel that he is highly esteemed, and this is a wonderful complement given to Daniel.

            Next we see that Gabriel came at the time of the evening sacrifice, a time when Daniel would usually be praying to the Lord, as he prayed three times a day.  The evening sacrifice that is given at this time is a lamb as seen in Exodus 29:38-41, “38 "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. 39  "The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 40  and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. 41  "The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.”  In the NT we find that there are different sacrifices for us to offer to the Lord, and one of them is found in Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”  Let us look at Psalm 141:1-2 “O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! 2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”  We see here that David must have also prayed at the evening sacrifice too.

            The Seventy Weeks:  (Daniel 9:24):  “24  "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

            I have mentioned this before about these seventy weeks, and so I want, at this time to quote Dr. Wiersbe, “The word ‘weeks’ means ‘sevens,’ so Gabriel was speaking about seventy periods of 7 years, or 490 years.  Keep in mind that these years relate specifically to Daniel’s people, the Jews, and their holy city, Jerusalem.  In his prayer, Daniel’s great concern was that his people be forgiven their sins against the Lord, the city be rebuilt, and the temple be restored (vs. 16); and these are the matters that Gabriel will discuss.  To apply this important prophecy to any other people or place is to rob it of its intended meaning.”

            There are six specific things that Gabriel explained to Daniel that would happen during these 490 years, six specific purposes for the Jewish people.  Dr. Wiersbe explains that the first three have to do with sin and the last three have to do with righteousness.  Dr. Wiersbe explains “The Lord would ‘finish the transgression,’ that is, the transgression of the Jewish people, and ‘make an end of’ Israel’s national sins.  This was one of the main burdens of Daniel’s prayer.  Israel was a scattered suffering nation because she was a sinful nation.  How would the Lord accomplish this?  By making ‘reconciliation for iniquity,’ that is, by offering a sacrifice that would atone for their sin.  Here we come to the cross of Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah.”  It was Jesus who paid the price of sin as He suffered on the cross in order to bring salvation to those who will receive Him, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).” 

            The last three specific things that Gabriel speaks to Daniel of are, as we said, having to do with righteousness, and they will happen during the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ upon planet earth. 

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section with these words, “These six purposes declare the answer to Daniel’s prayer!  Ultimately, Israel’s sins will be forgiven (Zech. 12:10-13:1), the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and the temple and its ministry will be restored, all because of the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  All of these wonderful accomplishment will be fulfilled during the 490 years that Gabriel goes on to explain.  He divides the seven sevens—490 years—into three significant periods:  49 years, 434 years and 7 years.”  At the end of this statement Dr. Wiersbe gives us an endnote:  “The Jewish calendar is based on a series of sevens.  The seventh day is the Sabbath day and the seventh year is a sabbatic year (Ex. 23:11-13).  The fiftieth year (7x7+1) is the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25).  The Feast of Pentecost is seven weeks after Firstfruits (Lev. 23:15-22), and during the seventh month of the year, the Jews observed the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Daniel was consistent in his prayer life, and God honored him with one of the most fantastic prophecies in all of Scripture with the answer to his prayer.  This encourages me greatly to continue to pray for things that I believe are in the will of God, and that someday He will answer.  I prayed off and on for 38 years to see a daughter of mine, and God answered my prayer in September of this year.  I, of course was praying for God to give salvation to her and I still do that each day.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Never give up, continue to pray, for God is faithful.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a; Titus 3:5a; and Habakkuk 1:13a

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity [sin].

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Riches and honor” (1 Kings 3:13).

Today’s Bible Question:  “The Lord himself shall descend with a shout and with the voice of whom?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/24/2013 4:11 PM

            

Intercession: Praying for God's Mercy PT-4 (Daniel 9:16-19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/23/2013 10:19 AM

My Worship Time                                         Focus: Intercession: Praying for God’s Mercy PT-4

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Daniel 9:16-19

            Message of the verses:  We will be looking at the last sub-point from Dr. Wiersbe’s outline in this SD, and then we will move on to the third and last main point from this ninth chapter which we will see about the seventy-week prophecy.

            Asking for mercy on Israel (Daniel 9:16-19):  “16  "O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 “So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 “O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.’”

            We see the word “Your” seventeen times in this short passage.  We saw the words that were personal pronouns describing Daniel and the people of Israel at least 16 times in verses 5-15, and so we can see that this is a turning point in Daniel’s prayer as he now focuses on what is the Lord’s, as we see in this section that it is the Lord’s anger and wrath, along with the Lord’s city and people to name a few things that belong to the Lord.  We know that all things belong to the Lord, but Daniel is talking about specific things in his prayer that belong to the Lord.

            Dr. Wiersbe begins his commentary on this section with the following words:  “God in His grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve.”  Daniel is asking for forgiveness in this section, forgiveness from God for the things that he and his people have done, but we see in verse eighteen that Daniel does not ask because of any righteousness that the children of Israel have, for they have none, but he asks the Lord because of His great mercy.  Daniel knew that the children of Israel were to go back to Israel at the end of seventy years, but that did not stop him from asking God to accomplish what He has written through Jeremiah the prophet.  Daniel knew that there was God Messiah coming and that He would come through the line of Israel, for all of this is seen in the Scriptures beginning with the passage in Genesis 3:15 which takes place right after the sin of Adam and Eve.  This verse speaks of “the seed of the woman” which is not the way that we usually hear this as the seed of the man is usually how we hear this, however this speaks of the fact that there would come a time when the Messiah would be born to a virgin woman, and that is what happened.  When we look at the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke we see the Messiah’s “roots” from Mary all the way back to Adam.  Daniel had to know that Israel would go back to their land in order to have the Messiah born there.  Another reason Daniel prayed for Israel to return was to glorify the Lord, for that is something that Daniel desired in his life.  I want to include a verse note at this time that is similar to what I wrote in the beginning of this SD, which has to do with the number of times Daniel uses the words “You and Yours.”  “Note how often Daniel uses the pronouns ‘you’ and your’ as he refers to the Lord:  ‘your commands…your people…your Name…your truth…your holy hill.’  The prayer emphasizes the character of God and not the suffering of the people.  This is God-centered praying.”

            It would be in a year when God would answer Daniel’s prayer, although he would now what the answer would be, as we will discover in the next few SD’s.  Daniel was a wonderful man of God who served under four kings and was able to testify to the One True Living God to all of those kings, and to bring glory to God in all his life.

            Dr. Wiersbe finishes his commentary on this section with the following words: “Daniel now knew God’s immediate plans for the nation of Israel, but what about the distant future?  He has already learned from the visions God gave him that difficult days lay ahead for God’s people, with a kingdom to appear that would crush everything good an promote everything evil.  Would God’s people survive?  Would the promised Messiah finally appear?  Would the kingdom of God be established on earth?

            “Daniel is about to receive the answers to those question.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have mentioned that prayer has been the dominant subject for me this week in my devotions, our Sunday School class, and also in our Wednesday evening prayer meeting message, and what I can take out of this lesson today is what Dr. Wiersbe wrote about Daniel’s prayer that I have highlighted above:  “The prayer emphasizes the character of God and not the suffering of the people.  This is God-centered praying.”

My Steps of Faith for Today: Lean to pray like Daniel prayed that my prayers may bring honor and glory to the Lord.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a and Titus 3:5a

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Philemon.”

Today’s Bible Question:  “What did God promise Solomon besides wisdom?

Answer in our next SD.

11/23/2013 11:31 AM

  

           

Intercession: Praying for God's Mercy PT-3 (Daniel 9:5-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/22/2013 10:26 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus: Intercession: Praying for God’s Mercy PT-3

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference: Daniel 9:5-15

            Message of the verses:  We begin our third SD in this second main section of Dr. Wiersbe’s outline on the ninth chapter of Daniel, remembering that this is one of the great chapters in all of the Word of God, for in it we see, not only one of the greatest prophecies in all of the Word of God, but also one of the great prayers recorded in all of the Word of God.

            Confessing Sin (Daniel 9:5-15):  “5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 "Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day-to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 “Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 "Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12 “Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 "As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. 14 "Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. 15 "And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day-we have sinned, we have been wicked.”

            The first thing I want to write about this morning is the highlighted words or the personal pronouns in the section above.  I count ten times the word “we” is used in these verses and six times the word “us” is used along with words like all and our.  The point that I want to make is that Daniel is including himself in the calamity that has happened to Israel.  I have mentioned in earlier SD’s from the book of Daniel that there does not seem to me any of Daniel’s sins mentioned in the Word of God, similar to Joseph.  This surely is not common in the OT, for many of the sins of the saints are mentioned in the OT and Paul points out that these sins that were mentioned are for the benefit of the saints in the NT so that we will not commit them too.  Now we want to talk about why Daniel would include himself in the sins that caused Israel to go into captivity.  I truly believe that Daniel knew that he was a sinner before God and I think that this is why he includes himself.  The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans and in that book he lays the ground work to show that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  He does a masterful job in showing that there is none righteous before the Lord as we all have sinned; we all have missed the mark of perfection before the Lord.  Only Jesus lived a perfect life as a human being on this earth, and that is why He was the only One to take all of our sins upon Him on the cross to pay for them, and then die for our sins but that is not the end for after being buried for three days God raised Him from the dead to show that He was satisfied for His payment of our sins.  In order to have the great exchange that God offers us as explained in 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  Get that?  Jesus became sin for us, the One who knew no sin or committed no sin, so that in the grace of God we receive His righteousness so that we can stand in front of God in perfection and enter into His heaven.  Daniel knew this truth and therefore he included himself help causing the problem Israel was in. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “God doesn’t have to wait for the entire nation to repent and cry out for mercy; He will start to work when He hears the believing prayers of one faithful intercessor.”  Daniel surely was on faith intercessor. 

            We can also see from this prayer that God had been greatly patient with the nation of Israel, His covenant people, but finally, because of His Word had to send them into captivity, something Daniel realizes as he prays the prayer to the Lord.  There was nothing that Daniel had to stand on as far as goodness for his people, but only on the great mercy that God offers.  “15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).”

            There was great consequence for the nations rebellion as verse eight speaks of “Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.”  Israel became a people who covered with shame, and the also became a scarred people.  The movie “Fiddler on the Roof” speaks of Israel being scattered, as the movie takes place in (I think) Russia, and shows that the Jewish people were actually still being disciplined for what they did to Jesus when He came to be their Messiah and they rejected Him.  We will get to this part of the prophecy in Daniel at a later date as Daniel actually for tells of this coming.  Other consequences were having enemy soldiers in their beloved city of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the temple.  It is no wonder that they were ashamed of their sinfulness. 

            In an earlier SD on Daniel nine we looked at a passage from the book of Leviticus that spoke of what would happen if Israel sinned like they did in order for God to take them out of their country.  “Leviticus 26:40-45 “40 ’If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me- 41  I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies-or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42  then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 43 ’For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its Sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44  ’Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45  ’But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.’"  This tells exactly what happened to Israel because of their sin.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “But there was something even worse than the sins that brought divine punishment to Israel.  It was the refusal of the Jews to repent and confess their sins even after being taken captive!  They spent their time praying for judgment against Babylon (Ps. 137) rather than seeking God’s face and asking for His forgiveness.  God’s will for Israel in captivity was outlined in Jeremiah 29, but the Jews didn’t always follow it.  Daniel’s approach was biblical:  ‘For the Lord our God is righteous in everything He does’ (Dan. 9:14), NIV).  Why would He bring His people out of Egypt and then allow them to waste away in Babylon?  Daniel knew that God had purposes for Israel to fulfill, and so he reminded God of His past mercies (vs. 15).”  When we get into the prophetic message of this chapter we will see some of those purposes.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are times when God gives me tests and there are times when I am being disciplined for sinful behavior.  God tests but Satan tempts, and that is good to remember.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me insight into when God is testing me and when Satan is tempting me, and when I am being disciplined for sinful behavior, so that I can confess it to the Lord.  Israel did not realize that they needed to confess their sins before the Lord, and as Dr. Wiersbe says all they wanted was release from Babylon.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to see me through the physical problems that I am facing at this time.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a, and Titus 3:5a.

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Barnabas” (Acts 13:4).”

Today’s Bible Question:  “What was the shortest of the Pauline epistles?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/22/2013 11:50 AM

            

Intercession: Praying for God's Mercy PT-2 (Daniel 9:4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/21/2013 7:25 AM

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Intercession:  Praying for God’s Mercy PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 9:4

            Message of the verses:  We will be looking at the second sub-point under this main point that is listed above.

            Worshiping the Lord (Daniel 9:4):  “4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,”

            Daniel did not rush into his prayer by asking God something, although there are times when we have to do that.  Think about Peter when he was walking on the water and then looked around at the waves and prayed to the Lord, “Save me.” 

            I have found it kind of amazing that Daniel’s prayer is in Daniel 9 and Ezra’s prayer is in Ezra 9, and Nehemiah’s prayer is in Nehemiah 9, so it makes it easier to remember these three great prayers of these three great saints of God from the OT.  Ezra prayed “3  When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled. 4  Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.  5 But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God;” Nehemiah prayed “5  Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, "Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise! 6  "You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.”

            My prayer life begins with confession and then praise, and then supplication, and then thanksgiving is the way that I desire it to end.  Dr. Wiersbe says “It is important that we focus on the character of God and not become too preoccupied with ourselves and our burdens.  The ‘invocation’ to Daniel’s prayer is a primer of biblical theology.  His words describe a God who is great and faithful to keep His promises, a God who loves His people and gives them His Word to obey so that He can bless them.  He is a merciful God (Dan. 9:18) who forgives the sins of His people when they come to Him in contrition and confession.”  Nehemiah prayed this same way when in chapter one we see that His prayer was over the building of the walls of Jerusalem that were in ruins. 

            Dr. Wiersbe completes this section writing “It’s one thing to pray to the Lord and quite something else to be a worshiping intercessor.  When we see the greatness and glory of God, it helps to put our own burdens and needs in proper perspective.  By exercising even little faith in a great God, we can move the hand of God to accomplish wonders that will glorify His name.  Dr. Robert A. Cook used to say, ‘If you can explain what’s going on in your ministry, God didn’t do it.”

             Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This week I have been studying the prayer of Daniel from chapter nine, and studying a chapter on prayer for the Sunday school class I go to, and last night the message at our Wednesday night prayer meeting was also on prayer.  I have been praying that God would do a work in my prayer life.  He is answering that prayer.

My Steps of Faith for Today:   Listen to what God is teaching me about prayer and follow it.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a and Titus 3:5a

These things I have written… that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Shunem” (2 Kings 4:8).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who help Paul on his first missionary journey?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/21/2013 8:25 AM

Intercession: Praying for God's Mercy PT-1 (Daniel 9:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/20/2013 9:20 AM

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  Intercession: Praying for God’s Mercy PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 9:3

            Message of the verses:  We begin the second main point from Dr. Wiersbe’s outline on the 9^th chapter of Daniel and we will look at just the first sub-point in today’s SD.

            I want to first of all talk about something personal that has to do with the introduction to this second main point.  It was in January of 1974 that I took a vacation to Florida to get away from the cold of Ohio, and to relax with my high school friend who lived there.  I surely had different ideas on how this trip was going to turn out, but while there I began to listen to a series of tapes by Hal Lindsey in which he spoke of what the Bible has to say about the end of the world.  It was at that time that the Lord saved me from my sins and my life would never be the same again.  I got so wrapped up in the prophetic Word of God that I had little time for anything else in the Bible, so I can say that my Bible learning was out of balance.  This is not the case with Daniel, and is not the case with me for many years too, for after Daniel learned of what the Lord was going to do he began to pray.  Acts 6:4 reads as follows, “"But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’”  The we in this case was the 12 Apostles, and as far as Daniel is concerned we know that this also was part of his balanced life, and should be a part of every believer’s life too.

            Preparing for prayer (Daniel 9:3):  “3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.”

            Let us first of all review what we know about Daniel’s prayer habits.  16 So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king. 17  Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, 18  so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. 22 “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. 23  "To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.’”  This week’s Sunday School class is on prayer and the author of the book that we are using said that prayer is not completed until it is answered.  We see in this section of Daniel chapter two that Daniel saw the problem and then went to his friends to pray about it.  Next we see the answer come to him from the Lord, and then we see that Daniel praises the Lord for giving him the answer, so perhaps we should include praise into what the author writes.

            “10  Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.  11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.”  This section is from Daniel chapter six and we can see that Daniel, even in the face of death if he prayed to the Lord did not change his beautiful habit of prayer, for it was his habit to pray three times a day facing Jerusalem and he continued to do so.

            Dr. Wiersbe completes this sub-point with  the following:  “Daniel prepared himself to pray, because he knew that his prayer would affect the future of the Jewish nation and the lives of Jewish captives in Babylon  It would be his holy task to confess the sins of the Jewish nation, asking God to forgive His people and receive them back again.  He humbled himself in sackcloth and ashes; he fasted; and he directed his heart and mind to the Lord.  Preparation for prayer and worship is as important as prayer itself, for without a heart that is right with God, our prayers are just so many pious words.  Daniel met the conditions for answered prayer set forth in Leviticus 26:40-45 and 2 Chronicles 7:14.” 

            Leviticus 26:40-45 “40 ’If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me- 41  I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies-or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42  then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 43 ’For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its Sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44  ’Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45  ’But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.’"

            “14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  (KJV)

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to admit that my prayer life is not at all what is should be and it seems to me that the Lord is answering my prayer to make it better with instructions from the Sunday School material along with the study of the 9^th chapter of Daniel and for that I too praise His name for his answers.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn more about an effective prayer life.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a & Titus 3:5a

These things I have written so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Paul” (Romans 14:3).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Where did the woman live whose son Elisha raised from the dead?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/20/2013 10:02 AM