Isaiah 45:12 — Creation is not just a doctrine taught in Genesis. It’s emphasized again and again throughout the Bible (Psalm 102:25; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 40:28, 42:5, 44:24, 45:12, 45:18; Jeremiah 27:5, 32:17; Zechariah 12:1; Hebrews 11:3).
Isaiah 45:18 — Evolution says that modern man (homo sapiens) has been around for only 0.078% of the alleged 4.5 billion years that the earth has been here. Yet, the earth was created to be inhabited. Theistic evolution compromises the authority of God’s Word.
Isaiah 45:22 — God declares a universal invitation – look and live!
Isaiah 45:23 — This promise is echoed throughout the New Testament, but especially in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10. Notice that Isaiah stops short – what will every tongue declare? Paul says in Philippians that they’ll declare Jesus Christ is LORD!
Isaiah 47:10 — “None seeth me.” Throughout the prophets, we’ll see God attacking this false belief.
Ephesians 4:3-6 — The unity of believers is a beautiful thing. However, we must be united in truth.
Ephesians 4:11 — What gift has God given you that you can use for the ministry? We see in this verse the free gifts (vs. 11), the function of the gifts (vs. 12), and the fulfillment of the gifts (vs. 13).
Ephesians 4:15 — The balance between speaking the truth and speaking it in love is tough. On the one hand, you have groups dedicated to “love.” Love is love, according to them, but they never define love. On the other hand, you have the Westboro Baptist Church gang that preaches “truth.” The path of the straight and narrow is framed by deep ditches on each side!
Psalm 68:19 — What a great prayer of thanksgiving to declare each morning!
Proverbs 24:3 — Yes, wisdom is the foundation and the building block of our lives!
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Isaiah 43:14-15 — Notice the titles for the LORD. Who is this that is addressing us? The LORD, Our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the Creator of Israel, Our King! Sometimes we forget Who we serve.
Isaiah 43:22 — Have we ever grown weary of our LORD, Redeemer, Creator, and King? Have we gone without calling on the LORD, have we wearied Him with our iniquities (Isaiah 43:24)?
Isaiah 43:25-26 —
The 1 John 1:9 of the Old Testament! We can have our sins blotted out! Notice the play on words:
“Jeshurun is a diminutive—a term of endearment: either ‘the child of the upright’, or ‘the beloved Israel'”. He suggested that “the letters of the diminutive of Israel, if slightly abbreviated, would make ‘Jeshurun'”
Isaiah 44:3 — While the verse comes from Isaiah 55:1-2, the chorus comes from Isaiah 44:3 – “Ho! Every One That Is Thirsty“.
Isaiah 44:19 — Jacob (Genesis 35:2) knew God’s commands 400 years before Moses had them carved into stone (Exodus 20:3). Eight hundred years after Moses, God is having to point out to His people the stupidity of idol worship. That which isn’t burned as fuel is worshiped as a god? Really?
Isaiah 44:25 — Speaking of foolish:
Andrew Grove was one of the founders of Intel, which profoundly shaped the semiconductor industry. He was Time Magazine‘s Man of The Year in 1997. Yet in 1992 he made a prediction that looks amazingly shortsighted in retrospect.
A New York Timesarticle described Grove as standing diametrically opposed to the position taken by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) that smartphones, then imagined as “personal communicators,” might develop into a huge business.
Grove disagreed. The idea of a communicating device that people carried around with them is “a pipe dream driven by greed,” he said.
Isaiah 44:28 — Cyrus? No, we’re not teaching the Donald Trump Prophecy! The more exciting prophecy is that Cyrus was called out by name 150 years before he was born over 2,000 kilometers away. We read the fulfillment of this prophecy in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23. It is rumored that Daniel was the one who showed Cyrus the prophecies. By the way, liberals see this verse as proof that Isaiah was written after Cyrus was king! From Josephus:
This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies. For this Prophet said, that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision: “My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be King over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.” This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an earnest desire and an ambition seized upon him, to fulfil what was so written. So he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that “He gave them leave to go back to their own countrey, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, (3) and the temple of God; for that he would be their assistant; and that he would write to the rulers and governours that were in the neighbourhood of their countrey of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver, for the building of the temple; and besides that, beasts for their sacrifices.”
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-11.html
Ephesians 3:6 — Paul has been hinting at the mystery (Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:4) that the Gentiles would be part of the same body as God’s chosen people, the sons of Jacob! And not only that, but God called Paul “less than the least of all saints” to preach this mystery (Ephesians 3:8)!
Ephesians 3:13 — Notice Paul’s attitude. He does not chide the Ephesians (see Galatians 3:1); he is praying for them to continue to be:
strengthened (Ephesians 3:16)
indwelt (Ephesians 3:17)
rooted (Ephesians 3:17)
grounded (Ephesians 3:17)
comprehending (Ephesians 3:18)
knowing (Ephesians 3:19)
filled (Ephesians 3:19)
Psalm 68:9 — I was at the 2017 Presidential Inauguration, and Franklin Graham said that rain was a sign of God’s blessing.
Psalm 68:18 — Tomorrow, we’ll read about this verse in Ephesians 4:8!
Proverbs 24:1 — A message to Asaph in Psalm 73! We’ll read about him in a few days.
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Isaiah 41:23 — God dares the other gods to a challenge. Can they prophesy the future? What are they? Nothing (Isaiah 41:24)!
Isaiah 42:1 — If you feel whiplash reading Isaiah, don’t worry. Matthew Henry felt the same way:
The prophet seems here to launch out yet further into the prophecy of the Messiah and his kingdom under the type of Cyrus; and, having the great work of man’s salvation by him yet more in view, he almost forgets the occasion that led him into it and drops the return out of Babylon; for indeed the prospect of this would be a greater comfort and support to the believing pious Jews, in their captivity, than the hope of that. And (as Mr. Gataker well observes) in this and similar prophecies of Christ, that are couched in types, as of David and Solomon, some passages agree to the type and not to the truth, other to the truth and not to the type, and many to the type in one sense and the truth in another.
Isaiah 43:2 — ”Be Not Afraid” is based on this verse.
Isaiah 43:11 — The Acts 4:12 of the Old Testament!
Ephesians 2:4 — Only God could do this! From children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) to seated in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6)! From aliens and strangers (Ephesians 2:12) to made right by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13)! From strangers and foreigners (Ephesians 2:19) to fellow citizens of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19)!
Ephesians 2:7 — Stop and think about that for a moment … we have no clue what all God will show to us in the ages to come. God’s grace to us has only just begun!
Isaiah 39:3 — Joshua said the same thing about the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:6). Seek the LORD first before you start making alliances (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Isaiah 40:3 — John the Baptist quoted this to identify his role (John 1:23, Mark 1:3).
Isaiah 41:10 — Another great verse to memorize thanks to another good friend, Earl Martin:
Ephesians 1:1 — We’ve read Paul’s doctrinal discussions with the Romans, his dealings with the deep troubles of the Corinthians, his disputations with the defecting Galatians, but now we read of his delight in the Ephesians!
Ephesians 1:11 — Notice how “inheritance” is used three times – we’ve obtained an inheritance through Christ (Ephesians 1:10), the Holy Spirit is the “down payment” (Ephesians 1:14), and there is unknown riches of glory ahead (Ephesians 1:18). All things, starting with our redemption, are through Jesus Christ!
Psalm 66:3 — As we mentioned before, the English language has devolved. “Terrible,” from the Latin “Terreo“ 66:18 — The psalmist shares with us this important truth about prayer. As we see sad tales of pastors falling into sin, we realize that their sins were done in secret. What’s sad is that, like David, it’s possible to spend a year as the leader of God’s chosen people, and yet not spend any time with God (2 Samuel 11:27).
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Isaiah 37:1 — We read earlier in Kings and Chronicles that Hezekiah finally, after losing 46 cities and strip mining the Temple for the gold, entered the Temple to pray.
Isaiah 37:2 — Interesting that Eliakim and Shebna are working together. Isaiah 22:20 says that Eliakim was more devout and replaced Shebna from his position. Also, interesting that instead of Isaiah speaking, Isaiah is spoken to.
Isaiah 37:6 — “Fear not” is found 48 times in the Old Testament. “Be not afraid” is found 19 times.
Isaiah 37:14 — God had delivered once through disinformation (Isaiah 37:7) but allowed the threat to return – this time Hezekiah went to God first!
Isaiah 37:16 — What makes the God of Israel different from other gods (Isaiah 37:12)? This God is the Creator of heaven and earth! No other god has created anything – much less heaven and earth! In fact, they were not gods at all (Isaiah 37:19)!
Isaiah 37:33 — He shall not shoot an arrow? Nor come with shields? Let’s look at the Lachish Reliefs (now in the British Museum). This miracle would be done not for the faithfulness of Hezekiah (took him 46 losses to turn to the LORD), but for the LORD’s own name’s sake!
Sennacherib’s Siege of Lachish
Isaiah 38:5 — The LORD who took life in Isaiah 37:36, now gives life (Isaiah 38:5).
Hezekiah shares his testimony: “My life was miserable (‘great bitterness’), but God so loved me that I should not perish because He has forgiven me!” As the psalmist says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” (Psalm 32:1)
Hezekiah was a good king (Isaiah 38:3), but his goodness could not save him for Hezekiah was still a sinner (Isaiah 38:17). But God forgives those who call upon His name – the LORD is ready to save (Isaiah 38:20)!
Galatians 6:1 — At the Christian school I work at, this was one of the verses I challenged our staff with at In-Service. We have a responsibility not just for ourselves but for our fellow brethren as well. Restore the fallen. Bear their burdens (Galatians 6:2). It’s not enough to say, “I’m ok – but the Joneses are struggling.” Love one another!
Galatians 6:6 — It is appropriate and good to share financially with those who have shared with you spiritually.
Galatians 6:9 — The Christian School teacher’s life verse! Pray for those who are serving in high stress fields!
Galatians 6:13-14 — Paul exposes motives. Those teaching obedience to the Law really don’t care about the Law, only about getting a following. Paul didn’t care about a following but in being faithful!
Psalm 65:7 — Who stills the noise of the seas (Psalm 89:9, Psalm 107:29)? The God of our salvation (Psalm 93:4)! Interesting that this predated God’s calming of the seas after Jonah (Jonah 1:15), and the LORD’s calming of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:26). Yet the disciples didn’t connect His action to His deity (Matthew 8:27).
Proverbs 23:24 — Is the joy of a father found in the hours spent at the office or in the raising of a wise and godly son? Steve Jobs was an interesting example. A brilliant inventor, but by most accounts, he was a bad father. While he was alive, his fame for invention grew, but now his tales of parenting are edging out his reputation.
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_____ Image Credit: Sennacherib’s Siege of Lachish. generationword.com/bible_museum/biblical_artifacts/Sennacherib_siege_of_Lachish.html.
Isaiah 33:15 — More of the “disciplines of a godly man” – walking right, speaking right, spurning dishonest gain, controlling his hands, ears, and eyes. Self-control is the marks of a man following the Lord!
Isaiah 33:22 — America was born with a split of governing authority. The King of England, on the other hand, could dismiss judges if he didn’t like what they did. The LORD in His theocracy exercises the role of all three branches of government: the judicial (judge), the legislative (lawgiver), and the executive (king). Social critics say that power corrupts, so we in America try to have a “balance of power,” but when the Lord rules, no one can (or needs to) check the power of the King!
Isaiah 34:8 — This is the last reference to the “Day of the LORD” in Isaiah, and the first mention in the Old Testament that ties the Day of the LORD to vengeance. Job and the Psalmist often cry for God to right the wrongs in this world. He will!
Isaiah 34:11 — What’s a cormorant? It’s derived from the Latin for “sea raven.” The bitterns are a subgroup of herons.
Little Pied Cormorant1
American Bittern2
Isaiah 34:12-13 — The nobles and princes will be gone, the palaces and fortresses will be abandoned. The powers of today will not stand in the Day of the LORD.
Isaiah 35:4 — Isaiah gives the signs of what will happen when God comes. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The lame will leap. The mute will sing. Roughly six hundred years after this prophecy, another prophet sat in a prison cell discouraged. He sent some of the few people who would listen to his words to seek an answer to a question he had: “Art thou he that should come?” Jesus told these messengers that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear (Matthew 11:5). Yes, Jesus, the one whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” is the God who came to save. He’s the One that Isaiah prophesied about. The vengeance will be coming soon, but we’re in a narrow gap of mercy. Peter declared that the gap between Isaiah 35:6a and 35:6b is not millennia, but just a couple of days (2 Peter 3:8). God is just waiting for some sinners to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)! It’s not until the last sinner comes to repentance that the vengeance will fall (2 Peter 3:10), and the world will be restored (Isaiah 35:6b).
The Taylor Prism3
Isaiah 36:1 — This is the third time we’ve read about this incredible miracle. Mat Staver recently talked about this at a VCY rally in Milwaukee. Sennacherib was 46-0 when it came to tallying battles against the fenced cities of Judah. We know this from the Taylor Prism in the British Museum.
Isaiah 36:10 — God doesn’t take kindly to false prophets. Be careful when you say, “God told me.” Deuteronomy 18:20-22 prescribes the death penalty for any who presume to speak for the LORD.
Isaiah 36:18 — The LORD is not the god of Hamath (a town in Syria, just north of modern Lebanon). He is not a god made with hands. He is the Creator of heaven and earth!
Galatians 5:14 — The 613 laws of the Torah are fulfilled in the Second Greatest Commandment. Paul doesn’t say that we’re excused from it. Now, as heirs of Christ, we must by love serve. By love we must reject the lust of the flesh.
Galatians 5:24 — There is no middle ground. Have we crucified the flesh with its lusts (Galatians 5:19-21), and are we displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? The challenge is that Christians today are mixing the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. A 1994 study on college students, religion, and drinking found that 1 out of every 8 college students who came from a total abstinence Protestant denomination were self-described regular drunks.
Psalm 64:9 — Declare God’s works! Share the testimonies of what He has done in your life!
Proverbs 23:23 — Charles Spurgeon preached on this verse Sunday night, June 26th, 1870.
John Bunyan pictures the pilgrims as passing at one time through Vanity Fair, and in Vanity Fair there were to be found all kinds of merchandise, consisting of the pomps and vanities, the lusts and pleasures of this present life and of the flesh. Now all the dealers, when they saw these strange pilgrims come into the fair began to cry, as shopmen will do, “Buy, buy, buy—buy this, and buy that.” There were the priests in the Italian row with their crucifixes and their beads. There were those in the German row with their philosophies and their metaphysics. There were those in the French row with their fashions and with their prettinesses. But the one answer that the pilgrims gave to all the dealers was this—they looked up and they said, “We buy the truth; we buy the truth,” and they would have gone on their way if the men of the Fair had not laid them by the heels in the cage, and kept them there, one to go to heaven in a chariot of fire, and the other afterwards to pursue his journey alone. This is very much the description of the genuine Christian at all times. He is surrounded by vendors of all sorts of things, beautifully got up and looking exceedingly like the true article, and the only way in which he will be able to pass through Vanity Fair safely is to keep to this, that he buys the truth, and if he adds to that the second advice of the text, and never sells it, he will, under divine guidance, find his way rightly to the skies. “Buy the truth and sell it not.”
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_____ Image1 Credit: Wikipedia contributors. File:Microcarbo Melanoleucos Austins Ferry 3.jpg – Wikipedia. 29 June 2009, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Microcarbo_melanoleucos_Austins_Ferry_3.jpg#filelinks. Image2 Credit: Seney Natural History Association, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Image3 Credit: Images by David Castor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Isaiah 30:18 — The LORD will be gracious to those who refused His rest and confidence. The ones who resisted God (Isaiah 30:15), He will have mercy upon.
Isaiah 30:22 — Mercy is associated with repentance, the turning from idols!
Isaiah 31:1 — Eight hundred years earlier Moses warned about this exact same issue (Deuteronomy 17:16) – Egypt and horses. God wants us vulnerable so we can trust the Holy One of Israel!
Isaiah 31:3 — Isaiah points out the obvious!
Isaiah 33:2 — Take some time to wait for the LORD. Don’t run ahead of Him or behind Him but wait for Him. The LORD will deliver you!
Galatians 5:2 — Nothing! Paul says that the highest value of the Jews (circumcision) was worth nothing! Not even Jesus values circumcision (Galatians 5:6)!
Galatians 5:12 — The KJV uses a euphemism for Paul’s wish for the Judaizers.
Psalm 63:1 — As we shared 6 months ago, here is John Zimmer’s song based on these verses:
Proverbs 23:22 — While only children are commanded to obey their parents, all are commanded to honor their parents.
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Isaiah 28:15-16 — Note the contrast. Even though we’re in the prophetic books, it’s really poetry. The imagery of a human boast as a “covenant with death” and an “agreement with hell” versus “a sure foundation” is striking. There are only two sides; it’s time to choose which one you want to be on!
Isaiah 28:18 — Remember yesterday (Isaiah 25:28) where death for the believer is swallowed up in victory? Today, the covenant with death for the unbeliever is disannulled. Those who thought they had a non-interference pact with death have lost.
Isaiah 28:22 — A warning similar to that from Proverbs but with added caution – those who mock will be punished worse than those who just ignore.
Isaiah 29:13 — This chapter (and most of Isaiah) is not easy to read. But this is the material that our LORD drew from when arguing with the Pharisees (Mark 7:13).
Isaiah 29:16 — This is the start of God’s argument across the Bible, comparing man to pottery. He’ll have Isaiah reiterate this point in Isaiah 45:9-11 and Isaiah 64:8. He’ll send Jeremiah to the potter’s house (Jeremiah 18), and He’ll use this as the key point of Paul’s argument for God’s sovereignty in Romans 9:19-21.
Clay Rotting Pit and Potter’s Wheel
Isaiah 29:18 — The deaf shall hear, the blind shall see, and the poor will rejoice! Isaiah is teasing a prophecy that will be very significant (Isaiah 35).
Isaiah 30:1 — Great poetry (not that it rhymes, but that it expresses a unique thought in a few words)! Woe to them “that take counsel, but not of me.” They “add sin to sin.”
Isaiah 30:11 — Good thing we’re not like those Israelites who wanted the Holy One of Israel to depart. Right? But how much better are we when we spend just 2.4 minutes per day on religious activity?
Galatians 3:24 — The Law is our schoolmaster. From Ray Comfort:
God’s Law acts as a schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus Christ that we might be justified through faith in His blood. The Law doesn’t help us; it just leaves us helpless. It doesn’t justify us; it just leaves us guilty before the judgment bar of a holy God.
And the tragedy of modern evangelism is that, around the turn of the century when it forsook the Law in its capacity to convert the soul, to drive sinners to Christ, modern evangelism had to therefore find another reason for sinners to respond to the gospel. And the issue that modern evangelism chose to attract sinners was the issue of life enhancement. The gospel degenerated into “Jesus Christ will give you peace, joy, love, fulfillment, and lasting happiness.”
Galatians 4:7 — We who were servants are now sons, heirs of God. GotQuestions.org says:
Think of all that means. Everything that God owns belongs to us as well because we belong to Him. Our eternal inheritance as co-heirs with Christ is the result of the amazing grace of God.
Galatians 3:9 — The heirs of God – which is far better than being heirs of Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos – want to return to chains! Paul argues so vehemently that he’s afraid he’s become their enemy (Galatians 3:16).
Galatians 3:23 — Those who wanted to leave salvation by faith for salvation by Moses prided themselves on being an Israelite (the recipients of the blessings of Abraham). To those who claimed works, Paul says you’re related to Abraham, but not how you think! You’re the son of Hagar, not the son of Sarah! Those who are under salvation by grace are the children of promise, i.e. Isaac (Galatians 3:28)!
Psalm 62:1 — Salvation is the theme of the Bible. Count how many times the psalmist uses the word (vv. 1, 2, 6, 7). Like Paul just told us, trust only in the LORD, not in your ability to be spiritual on your own. May He alone be your rock (Psalm 62:2, Psalm 62:6)!
Psalm 62:12 — A portrait painter was told by an old woman, “Do me justice!” The painter replied, “What you need is mercy!” Thank God we get mercy in addition to what we get for our work!
Proverbs 23:20-21 — What does the Bible say about drinking?
“Be not among the winebibbers.”
“The drunkard shall come to poverty.”
The US National Institutes of Health’s statistics tell us that 1 out of every 3 people who have ever sipped a glass of alcohol was drunk in the last 30 days. Be careful; if you let someone think that it’s okay to drink, they have a 1 in 3 chance of ending up drunk. Unfortunately, the statistic doesn’t refer to just once in their lifetime, but to once this month! Romans 14:21 – don’t let your brother stumble!
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_____ Image Credit: “Fig. 3 : Fosse De Pourrissement De L’argile Et Tour De Potier (F….” ResearchGate, www.researchgate.net/figure/Fosse-de-pourrissement-de-largile-et-tour-de-potier-F-Lesguer-2016_fig2_327572448.
Isaiah 25:1 — Isaiah is a unique book. We move from visions of heaven to visions of destruction. Today, we have a psalm-like chapter!
Isaiah 25:4 — We see that the defensed cities are ruins (Isaiah 25:2), but the needy are defended by the omnipotent LORD. This is a running theme we’ve noticed throughout the Old Testament.
Isaiah 25:8 — We just read this verse quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:54, and we’ll see the second part of this verse quoted in Revelation 7:17 and Revelation 21:4. As we go through Isaiah, we’ll notice the connections between Old Testament and New Testament prophecy. In the Church Age, we tend to think that all of our familiar prophecies were first found in John’s Revelation, but he was given revelation by the same God that revealed His plans to Isaiah. What’s amazing is that in Israel we have a scroll where a scribe records this promise of the resurrection and eternal comfort 125 years before the birth of Jesus! For your friends who think the Old Testament God is a god of wrath and that love doesn’t come until the New Testament, this promise came in the BC/OT part of history: “… the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces …” What a day that will be!
Isaiah 26:7 — I Googled “uprightness,” and the definition and example are interesting …
Isaiah 27:1 — Who is the dragon of the sea? Cambridge Bible says Egypt:
Assuming that they are distinct the “Dragon that is in the sea” is almost certainly an emblem of Egypt (ch. Isaiah 51:9; Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2; Psalm 74:13).
Isaiah 28:13 — This is the verse that gives Precept Ministries (Kay Arthur) its name.
Galatians 3:10 — Paul outlines the failure of works. The curse of Deuteronomy 27:26 was part of the responsive reading of curses on Mount Ebal. One failure to obey brings a curse. But One has redeemed us from the curse (Galatians 3:13)!
Galatians 3:17 — Paul is saying, “You’re following works because that’s an old tradition, but I have one that’s even older (by 430 years)! My God doesn’t back out of any promises that He’s made.” If God made a promise to Abraham, I’m claiming that promise today!
Galatians 3:22 — What is the purpose of the Law? Not to give life (otherwise God would not have had to sacrifice His Son). It was to show that we need life from someone else! The Law came to point us back to the Promise given to Abraham! Who was that Promise? Jesus (Galatians 3:16)!
Psalm 61:4 — Under His wings, I am safely abiding. Though the night deepens and the tempests are wild, Still I can trust Him – I know He will keep me. He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Under His wings, under His wings, Who from His love can sever? Under His wings, my soul shall abide, Safely abide forever.
William Cushing
Proverbs 23:17-18 — Solomon is echoing Asaph’s Psalm of Slipping Steps (Psalm 73).
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Isaiah 22:11 — You stockpiled water, but you haven’t looked to the Maker of the water!
Isaiah 22:16 — Shebna, the treasurer, was chided by the LORD for making a fancy tomb for himself. We may have found his tomb marker!
The Shebna Inscription1
In Isaiah 22 the prophet rails in God’s name against the excesses of the officials in King Hezekiah’s palace. In 1870 the famous French diplomat, scholar and archaeologist Charles Clermont-Ganneau excavated a partially destroyed tomb high up on the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley and the City of David in Jerusalem. Over the entrance to the rock-cut burial chamber was an inscription that, unfortunately, he was unable to decipher. Was this the tomb of Shebna the high court official mentioned in Isaiah who is, literally, “over the house” or in charge of the palace (often identified as the treasurer) and who was castigated by the prophet for building himself such an elaborate tomb on the cliff?
They’ve even found a seal impression of a document Shebna wrote:
Isaiah 22:20 — We’ve met Eliakim before in 2 Kings 18:26 when Rabshekah threatened Hezekiah’s people in Hebrew.
Isaiah 23:15 — Matthew Henry notes the interesting fact that both Jerusalem and Tyre were in captivity for 70 years.
Isaiah 24:23 — This verse is key to understanding the passage. When will the moon be confounded and the sun ashamed? When the events of Revelation 6:12 occur.
Galatians 2:20 — Phil Johnson of “Grace to You” preached on this verse, declaring it “The Key to Everything in a Single Verse.” Johnson notes that we share in and benefit from all of Christ’s virtues. Faith brings us into vital union with Christ, i.e. we participate in His death and resurrection.
Galatians 3:1 — Paul is concerned about his beloved Galatians. Yesterday we read his pronouncement of “anathema” upon those who teach another Gospel. Today, he calls the believers of another Gospel “foolish” and their teachers “witches.” Paul is greatly concerned about the purity of the Gospel.
Galatians 3:6 — This is one of the most quoted texts in the Bible. Genesis 15:6 tells us how Abram believed God, and his faith was logged into God’s accounting book as righteousness. James quotes this verse (James 3:23); Paul writes extensively to the Romans about justification in Romans 4.
Psalm 60:1 — The psalmist acknowledges his condition, accepts His anger, and asks for His arrival.
Psalm 60:12 — “Valiant” is a beautiful word that is falling out of favor in the English language. Google will now tell us how often a word is used over time, and its usage has dropped significantly over the last two centuries. But let’s take a look at Pilgrim’s Progress and meet a character by the name of Valiant:
Then they went on; and just at the place where Little-faith formerly was robbed, there stood a man with his Sword drawn, and his Face all bloody. Then said Mr Great-heart, “What art thou?” The man made answer, saying, “I am one whose name is Valiant-for-truth. I am a Pilgrim, and am going to the Celestial City. Now as I was in my way, there were three men did beset me….”
Great-heart. But here was great odds, three against one.
Valiant. ‘Tis true, but little or more are nothing to him that has the Truth on his side. Tho’ an Host encamp against me, said one, my heart shall not fear; tho’ War should rise against me, in this will I be confident, &c. Besides, saith he, I have read in some Records, that one man has fought an Army; and how many did Samson slay with the Jaw-bone of an Ass?
Proverbs 23:15 — What does a godly dad want for his son? That he would win at Fortnite? Rather, that he would be wise!
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_____ Image1 Credit: Mustafaa at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons Image2 Credit: Staff, Biblical Archaeology Society. “Bible Artifacts Found Outside the Trench: Israelite Clay Bullae – Biblical Archaeology Society.” Biblical Archaeology Society, 8 May 2019, www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/israelite-clay-bullae.
