God's Power Versus man's Authority PT-2 (Daniel 6:14-18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/7/2013 12:00 PM

My Worship Time                                           Focus:  God’s Power Versus man’s authority PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 6:14-18

            Message of the verses:  The sub-point we will look at under this third main point in Dr. Wiersbe’s outline is what we will look at today.

            The king distressed (Daniel 6:14-18):  “14  Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, "Recognize, O king that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed." 16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you." 17 A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. 18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.”

            One thing that we continue to learn from this book of Daniel and also in the book of Ester is that the laws of the Medes and the Persians could not be revoked once they were signed into law.  Perhaps the reason that the king was so distressed is that he did not consult with Daniel before he had signed this law into being the law of the land.  He was put into a similar place that Herod was put in when his step-daughter came and asked for the head of John the Baptist after he had bragged that she could have anything she asked for.  Darius liked Daniel very much and it can be seen and one of the reasons he liked him was because Daniel would give great wisdom to him which would aid him in ruling the country.  God had Daniel in this position to work things out the way He wanted them to work out.  I believe that God allowed this putting Daniel into the lion’s den for several reasons:  First it would bring glory to the Lord, as the king put his seal on the stone so that everyone would realize that Daniel’s God had saved him from the jaws of the lion, and thus this would bring glory to the Lord.  Also those who were Daniel’s enemies would be removed from power as the lions would eat them for lunch and thus they would be gone.  Speaking of this the lion’s den was a large pit with a fence in the middle of it that could be lifted up so that the lions could be on one side and this would allow the keeper of the lions to come in and clean the cage and feed the lions when there were no executions to take place, but we can be sure from this story of Daniel that the lions were kept hungry so that they could do their job.

            The king prayed that Daniel’s God would save him from the jaws of the lions and after that he put his seal on the rock, probably using some wax between the rock and where it closed the lion’s den.  He went off to bed, but could not sleep, and deprived himself the things that kings could have to help him sleep.  We remember in the story of Ester that that Persian king could not sleep one night and so he had someone bring in the chronicles that were written to record what happened to be read to him. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Daniel had a great faith in God as he went into the lion’s den, a faith that is the kind that is wonderful to have, and one of the reasons I believe he has such a faith was because of his willingness to study the Word of God and his willingness to pray in a systematic way. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-9

            1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear thought the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glad 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.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  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 spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Philippi” (Acts 16:12, 25).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who was the third son of Adam and Eve?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/7/2013 12:37 PM

 

God's Power Versus Man's Authority PT-1 (Daniel 6:12-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/6/2013 7:56 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God’s power versus man’s authority PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 6:12-13

            Message of the verses:  We begin the third main point in Dr. Wiersbe’s outline for the sixth chapter of Daniel remembering that the forces we are seeing in this sixth chapter often will be seen in different settings in life, settings like our families, our churches or even in our job locations (corporations), and finally can be seen in our governments.

            Daniel accused (Daniel 6:11-12):  “12  Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king’s injunction, "Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions’ den?" The king replied, "The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked." 13  Then they answered and spoke before the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.’”

            We have already mentioned that Daniel prayed three times a day to the Lord with his window open towards Jerusalem, and that Daniel was 80+ years old and so he had done this for a long time and had seen some amazing answer’s to his prayers, and so it is no surprise that he continued doing this same thing. “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Paul wrote these words to the Philippian church, and we know from our study of Daniel that he too believed this.

            I wonder what when through the mind of Darius when these men came to tell him about Daniel’s disobeying of the new law that the king signed.  Do you suppose the first thing he thought of was that he had made a grave error in signing this law because he knew that Daniel prayed to the Lord three times a day?  I think that the king knew that he had egg on his face but did not know how to wash it off.  God would take care of this and in doing so would bring glory to Himself, and Darius would know that Daniel’s God was the One true God.

            Some quotes from Dr. Wiersbe on this section:  “As they take their stand for what is right and what the Lord has commanded them to do, God’s people in every age have been falsely accused, cruelly persecuted, and unjustly killed.  ‘Yes, and all who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution’ (2Tim. 3:12, NKJV).  The Puritan preacher Henry Smith said, ‘God examines with trials, the devil with temptations and the world with persecutions.’  Another Puritan, Richard Baxter, said that God’s people should be more concerned that they deserved the persecution than that they be delivered from it, because deserving it would be evidence of their faithfulness to the Lord.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that persecution will soon come upon those who live in our country, and my prayer is that I will not waver from my trust in the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-9

            1 God 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.  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.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who wrought desolations in the earth.  9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Simon Peter” (Luke 5:5).

Today’s Bible Question:  “In what city did Paul and Silas sing in jail at midnight?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/6/2013 8:30 AM

Believing versus Scheming PT-2 (Daniel 6:10-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/5/2013 11:16 AM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  Believing versus Scheming PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 6:10-11

            Message of the verses:  We will pick up where we left off yesterday in our study of the sixth chapter of Daniel.

            Daniel’s Response (Daniel 6:10-11):  “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.”

            I wonder what went through Daniel’s mind when he read the document that stated that everyone had to only pray to Darius for a month.  I would think that perhaps the first thing that he did was pray to the Lord for wisdom, and yet Daniel knew that by following the provisions of the document that he would be blaspheming the Lord, and Daniel knew that death was better than doing that.  Daniel knew what had happened to his three friends and how God had protected them in the fiery furnace, so he knew that God could protect him from the mouths of the lions.  Perhaps that is how Daniel prayed that God would shut the mouths of the lions, or perhaps the thought came into his mind that his ministry was complete and this is the way that God was going to take him home.  However if we look in the book of Ester and see that the plot was against all of the Jews, perhaps this document would have done the same thing and not only Daniel would be killed, but all the Jews who prayed to the Lord.  At any rate Daniel did not change his times of praying to the Lord with his windows opened towards Jerusalem, just as Solomon had said for the Jews to do when they were not living in Israel.  Solomon made that statement when he dedicated the temple to the Lord early in his reign over Israel. (1 Kings 8:28-30):  “28  "Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 29  that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ’My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 30 “Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.”

            We see again in the life of Daniel that there was no compromise in his life when it came to the things of the Lord.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “No, a man like Daniel feared only the Lord; and when you rear the Lord you need not fear anyone else.  ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).”

            We read at the end of Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on this section the following:  The most important part of a believer’s life is the part that only God sees, our daily private time of meditation and prayer.  ‘You pray as your face is set,’ said British theologian P. T. Forsythe, ‘towards Jerusalem or Babylon.’  Most of the world begins the day looking toward the world and hoping to get something from it, but the Christian believer looks to the Lord and His promises and enters each new day by faith.  Outlook determines outcome, and when we look to the Lord for His guidance and help each day, we know that the outcome is in His hands and that we have nothing to fear.  ‘Real true faith is man’s weakness leaning on God’s strength,’ said D. L. Moody, and we might add man’s weakness transformed into God’s strength (Heb. 11:34).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Two things:  Don’t compromise and only fear the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-9

            1 God 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 the 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 when morning dawns.

            6 The nations make an uproar, the kingdoms tottered, He raised His voice, the earth melted.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who wrought desolations in the earth.  9 He makes wars to cease; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in tow; He burns the chariots with fire.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Enter the straight gate” (Matthew 7:13).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said ‘Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing:  nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net’?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/5/2013 11:46 AM

 

           

Believing Versus Scheming PT-1 (Daniel 6:5-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/4/2013 10:19 PM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  Believing Versus Scheming PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 6:5-9

            Message of the verses:  “5 Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God. "6 Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius, live forever! 7  "All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. 8  "Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked." 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.”

            As we began to look at this 6^th chapter of Daniel we wrote that we would often see the same forces at work that are found in this chapter in families, churches or corporations or even in governments.  Dr. Wiersbe entitles the first sub-point under this second main point “The kings response,” and that is what we will look at in this SD.

            I once heard a story about one of the presidents of the Moody Bible Institute who for some reason or other was being followed by a private investigator to see what things he would do that was wrong.  I don’t remember why he was being trailed by this man, but when the private investigator reported to the man who hired him he told him that he could find nothing wrong with him.  That is what happened to Daniel, for these men could find nothing wrong with him and so they devised a plan that would make it against a new law for Daniel to worship his God. 

            These men would use some smooth sounding words to the king in order for him to sign this new law as they did not want anyone in the kingdom to worship anyone for the next thirty days except the king.  It is good for us to remember that these men had formerly worked in the Babylonian kingdom and now Darius was testing them to see how they would fit in with the Medes and Persian Empire.  They must have thought that Darius would really like them after coming up with this plan to have him worshiped, but in the end they will get what they deserve. 

            We believe that Darius really liked Daniel, but in the midst of all this flattery he forgot all about Daniel, and this is something that would haunt him for a whole night in a little while.  Psalm 5:9 says “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.”  This describes these men very well.  These men only were looking out for themselves, and cared nothing about who they were working for.  

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to have the same thing said about me that was said about Daniel, but that is a difficult thing to follow with all of the problems that one faces in this life. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Dare to be a Daniel.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-9

            1 God 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 glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places 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 made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 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 spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “A bishop” (1 Timothy 3:2).

Today’s Bible Question:  “What did Jesus teach regarding entering the gate?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/4/2013 10:42 PM

Honesty Verses Corruption (Daniel 6:1-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/3/2013 8:37 AM

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  Honesty versus Corruption

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 6:1-4

            Message of the verses:  I think that it is important to see who we are reading about in this chapter as the first verse in most of the chapters in the book of Daniel tell us who is ruling at that time, and so we can go back into history to see what the year is that the chapter is speaking about.  To better understand this in the sixth chapter of Daniel I will quote the first paragraph from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Daniel, in particular the sixth chapter, and also quote from the endnote too.

            “Darius the Mede must not be confused with Darius I who ruled Persia from 5:22 to 486 and during whose reign the temple was restored by the Jewish remnant at Jerusalem.  Darius the Mede was probably the name (or title) of the man King Cyrus appointed ruler of the city of Babylon (9:1) until he himself took charge ; or it may have been the title Cyrus himself took when he came to reign. (1)  King Cyrus ruled the Persian empire from 539 to 530 and was succeeded by Cambyses (530-522).”

(1)   “Daniel 6:28 can be translated, ‘Even in the reign of Cyrus, the Persian.’  This would make Darius and Cyrus the same person.  However, most translators and Old Testament Scholars avoid this approach and see Darius and Cyrus as two different persons.”

As we read this chapter of Daniel we will be able to see that “wherever you find dedicated believers living and working with unbelievers, you will often see the same forces at work that are described in this chapter, whether in families, churches, corporations, or governments.”  Keeping this statement in mind we will begin to look at the first of these forces at work in Daniel chapter six.

Honesty verses Corruption (Daniel 6:1-4):  “1 ¶  It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2  and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 4 Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.”

When Darius took over the Babylonian Empire he saw that he needed to make some changes, for since the Babylonian Empire was ended and the Medes and the Persians were taking over as we saw in the last chapter of Daniel, Darius would indeed want to make these changes because of the corruption that was found in the Babylonian Empire.  I guess we could compare this situation to when a company buys another company in modern times and then decides who they want to keep and who they want to get rid of.  Darius made a wise decision in making Daniel one of the three commissioners who would be over the 120 satraps and after a while Darius was about to make Daniel head over all his empire, but something was brewing in the empire, something that we can pretty much see as we read about it as the work of the evil one trying to persecute Daniel.  We do not read of any sins that Daniel ever committed in the Old Testament, and this does not mean that he did not sin, but it does mean that Daniel was one of the most forthright people we see in the Old Testament.  Daniel may have been in semiretirement for he was in his eighties, but God was not done with this OT giant yet and so he would do some more work as we will see.

Darius was a wise leader in that he realized that he could not take care of everything by himself and that is why he was looking for a few good men to care for the things that needed to be cared for in his government, and to have them cared for in an ethical way.  We read in verse three these words that describe Daniel “he possessed an extraordinary spirit,” and this is the kind of man Darius was looking for.  Now when the other leaders found out about Daniel’s wonderful work effort they knew that they would not be able to work in the corrupted way that they were working and so they decided to “vet” him as we put it in modern day language, but when they were done they found nothing wrong with him and so like modern day liberals in our time they would go a step further to find something wrong with him.  In our day the news media would just make up something wrong and all of the people who listen to them would believe it.

These men had their reasons for being against Daniel, for money was surely part of it, but they probably did not realize that Satan was using them to help him get rid of Daniel for Satan knew that Daniel was doing a great work for the Lord in the position he was in. When these men would go to the Darius with their evidence against later on in the chapter they would use words that show their disgust for Daniel by using anti-Semitic terms to talk to the king about him.  Satan is behind anti-Semitism, but when we go back to the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 we read that “I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.”  God has been faithful to this promise, and one of the things that brings fear to my heart is the way that we as a nation are shifting our support to the nation of Israel, for this is one of the last steps that a nation can come to before God will bring a great judgment upon them.  Look back in history to see all of the leaders of nations who tried to get rid of the Jews and you will find that the Jews always stood at their graves, as God continues to make good His covenant He made with Abraham. 

Now we can’t take for granted that the good man always gets the best job, or the good man always gets the promotion for perhaps God is trying bring about spiritual growth in the person and this is how He chooses to do it.  However with this said believers should continue to live and act in ways that will bring glory to the Lord in their workplace, their churches and their homes just as Daniel did.

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is a song that I have heard entitled “Dare to be a Daniel,” and that is what I want to do. 

1. Standing by a purpose true,
   Heeding God’s command,
   Honor them, the faithful few!
   All hail to Daniel’s band!
• Refrain:
  Dare to be a Daniel,
  Dare to stand alone!
  Dare to have a purpose firm!
  Dare to make it known.
2. Many mighty men are lost,
   Daring not to stand,
   Who for God had been a host
   By joining Daniel’s band.
3. Many giants, great and tall,
   Stalking through the land,
   Headlong to the earth would fall,
   If met by Daniel’s band.
4. Hold the Gospel banner high!
   On to vict’ry grand!
   Satan and his hosts defy,
   And shout for Daniel’s band.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to led and guide me, and trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-8

      1 God 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 the waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling palace 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 and uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolation in the earth.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Long life” (1Kings 3:14).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who must be blameless, sober, hospitable, apt to teach?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/3/2013 9:47 AM

 

 

Isaiah: A Song of Salvation (Isaiah 12:1-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/2/2013 9:46 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Isaiah:  A Song of Salvation

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Isaiah 12:1-6

            Message of the verses:  We began following the second chapter of the outline of Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Isaiah some days ago and at the end of his beginning commentary he wrote the following:  “Four symbolic names are involved in Isaiah’s messages, each of them with a very special meaning:  Immanuel, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Shear-jashub, and Isaiah.”  We will attempt to finish this chapter which has included chapters 7-12 of Isaiah by looking at the last name in today’s SD.  My plan is to then jump into the sixth chapter of Daniel in tomorrow’s SD, as I am trying to do one chapter of the book of Daniel each month until that book is finished.  The sixth chapter is the famous chapter that talks about Daniel in the lion’s den.

            Isaiah:  A Song of Salvation (Isaiah 12:1-6):  “1Then you will say on that day, "I will give thanks to You, O LORD; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. 2 "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." 3 Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.

    “4 And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted." 5 Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.’”

            A reminder that Isaiah’s name means “Jehovah is salvation,” and as we see salvation is the key theme in this short chapter in Isaiah’s prophecy.  In verse one we see the words “On that day,” and this refers to the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ which is promised in both the OT and the NT, as the number of years are given of His reign in the book of Revelations, which was not given in the OT promises.  We need to remember that there will be a Jewish remnant that comes through the tribulation period which is described in chapters 6-19 of the book of Revelations and then as Jesus returns at the end of this period during the great battle of Armageddon, and actually ends that battle, He will then separate the sheep from the goats as described in Matthews Gospel, and those who are the sheep will enter into the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ as He rules from Jerusalem.  The remnant will be the ones who go into the kingdom to again re-populate the earth and truly serve the Lord for those 1000 years.

            Dr. Wiersbe points out that verse two is a refrain and was also sung in Exodus 15:2 which is the song of Moses sung after the crossing of the children of Israel on dry land through the Red Sea.  It was also sung during the rededication of the new temple in Ezra’s day as seen in Psalm 118:14.  He goes on to say “It will be sung again when the Jewish nation accepts Jesus Christ as its King.  They will recognize Him as ‘the Holy One of Israel’ and willingly obey His holy law.”

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this second chapter of his commentary of Isaiah with the following words:  “This joyful song closes this section of Isaiah in which the prophet had used four significant names to tell the people what God had planned for them.  Because of Immanuel, there is a message of hope.  Maher-shalal-hash-baz gives a warning of judgment, but his brother Shear-jashub speaks of a promise of mercy.  The father’s name, Isaiah, brings a song of rejoicing as the people discover that Jehovah is indeed their salvation.

            “The Lord will never forsake His people.  No matter how difficult the days may be, or how long the nights, for the people of God, the best is yet to come.”  Amen!

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I remember reading a book that spoke of how the life of a believer as he lived it out on planet earth was just like a lap around the track, as the driver readies himself for the race, and in the believer’s case that race will happen in the service of the Lord first of all in heaven or in the Millennial Kingdom, and then in eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As believer’s we go through some of the same trials and tribulations that unbeliever’s go through, but we have a certain hope that helps us get through the difficult times.  My son changed jobs and as his father I pray for him each day as he goes through some tough times with his new job, a job we believe the Lord provided for him as a change was necessary.  He told me that when things are tough in this job he thinks about knowing his belief that God has led him to this job and He will see him through it.  A great promise to remember!

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I want to remember as I go through this lap around the track that God is teaching me contentment, something I need to learn.

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-8

            1 God 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.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  8 Come behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolations in the earth.

Answer to yesterday’s SD:  “After.”

Today’s Bible Question:  “What did God promise Solomon if he would keep God’s commandments?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/2/2013 10:34 AM  

The Lord will restore His People (Isaiah 11:1-16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/1/2013 8:20 PM

My Worship Time                                                            Focus:  The Lord will restore His People

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Isaiah 11:1-16

            Message of the verses:  We will be looking at the entire eleventh chapter of Isaiah in today’s SD.  As mentioned in earlier SD’s there are times when reading the OT prophets that they go back and forth talking about the present time that they live in to the future, and at times they are talking about the near future or the time of when the Lord Jesus Christ comes to earth, or in the case we are looking at today things that will happen in the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on Planet Earth which is still in the future.

            The Lord will Restore His People (Isaiah 11:1-16):  “1 ¶  Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3  And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4  But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5  Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. 6  And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7  Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8  The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9  They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

    “10 ¶  Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious. 11  Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea. 12  And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. 13  Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, And those who harass Judah will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, And Judah will not harass Ephraim. 14  They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west; Together they will plunder the sons of the east; They will possess Edom and Moab, And the sons of Ammon will be subject to them. 15  And the LORD will utterly destroy The tongue of the Sea of Egypt; And He will wave His hand over the River With His scorching wind; And He will strike it into seven streams And make men walk over dry-shod. 16  And there will be a highway from Assyria For the remnant of His people who will be left, Just as there was for Israel In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.”

            In the first nine verses of chapter eleven Isaiah changes from what he was talking about in chapter ten and verses 33-34 where he was talking about proud trees that God would cut down.  He now speaks of a tender shoot that comes from a stump that for all the world looks like it is dead.  He speaks of the Messiah in His glorious kingdom and some of the things that will go on there like children playing around a snake’s nest, a snake that in our life time if it would bite us we may surely die, but not in the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.  In a short time after Isaiah writes his book the end of David’s dynasty would end, but God would keep his children safe, as a remnant will come from Jews who go into captivity and the line of David would continue even after the exile, and Christ would be born from that remnant. 

            During the Millennial Kingdom sin will be taken care of right away, not like what we see happening around the world today.  His kingdom will again will involve a newly restored creation, for after the tribulation period the earth will be in very bad shape.  As we look at chapters 40-48 of Ezekiel we will see that the land around Jerusalem will be much larger than it is today, so we can presume that the entire earth will be restored.  “18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”  (Romans 8:18-25)

            Verses 10-16 speaks of the nucleus of the kingdom being those Jews that will be gathered from around the world to return to Jerusalem and to Israel.  There was a partial fulfillment of this prophecy when the Assyrians allowed some of the Jews to return to Israel, and even more so when many of the Jews who were living in Babylon returned to Jerusalem and the surrounding towns, but the ultimate fulfillment will be at the end of the age when Messiah will regathers His people.  I also think that a partial fulfillment of this prophecy came in May of 1948 when Israel was declared to be a nation and there was only one name for this nation and not two like that began at the end of King Solomon’s reign.

            We will see Isaiah use the image of a highway more times in his writing, for it seems to be one of his favorite images.  He talks about restoring the ground so that a highway can be used to have the people return to Jerusalem.

            Isaiah was commissioned to speak to a hard hearted people, but he sees that one day the people will be more than willing to follow the Lord as they walk on the highway of holiness to Israel serving their resurrected King of Glory. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as God will change the hearts of the Jewish people in the future so they can live for Him and serve Him, he can do the same for people who will call upon the name of the Lord today.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire to continue to serve the Lord and do the things that the Spirit of God leads me to do. 

Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-8

            1 God 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 slips into the heart of the sea; though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.  4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high.  5 God is in the midst of her, shell 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.  7 The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah.  8 come behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolation in the earth.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Nimrod” (Genesis 10:9.”

Today’s Bible Question:  Were the two books of Chronicles written before or after the captivity?”

Answer in tomorrow’s SD.

8/1/2013 8:55 PM