July 26, 2012

What to Call the Preacher

We hear people use different terms to identify those who preach – preacher, minister, pastor, etc. In this article we will address two things: what the Bible calls those who preach the gospel and what the religious world calls those who preach.

Why is this important? Names mean something. The terms that are used to identify those who preach are used for a reason. They help describe the work or the perceived work. It is good for us to call Bible things by Bible names and for those who preach to do the work they ought to be doing.

This list is not exhaustive, but it addresses some of the more common names used today.
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July 26, 2012

How God Regards the Nations (7/26)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 40-43.

It is common for people to feel a sense of pride about their country. Many also place a good deal of trust in their nation’s leaders and military forces to protect and preserve them. While this is fine to a point, it is important to remember how God regards the nations.

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless” (Isaiah 40:12-17).

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July 25, 2012

Hezekiah’s Prayer for Deliverance (7/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 37-39; Psalm 76.

When Assyria invaded Judah, King Hezekiah sought help from the Lord. After receiving assurances from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 37:5-7), he went to the temple and prayed:

“O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God” (Isaiah 37:16-20).

There are a few important points to notice from the Hezekiah’s prayer:
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July 24, 2012

The Highway of Holiness (7/24)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 35-36.

“A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; these will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there…” (Isaiah 35:8-9).

This analogy of a highway for the redeemed is in some ways similar to the analogy used by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:
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July 23, 2012

"His Refuge Will Be the Impregnable Rock" (7/23)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 31-34.

“‘You who are far away, hear what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might.’ Sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling has seized the godless. ‘Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?’

“He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, he who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; he who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; he will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure” (Isaiah 33:13-16).

Knowing that God is willing and able to render punishment to whom it is due, the question that naturally follows is this: Who can be spared from punishment? This passage shows us some of the characteristics one must have in order to avoid God’s wrath.
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July 22, 2012

"You Must Not Prophesy to Us What is Right" (7/22)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 28-30.

God told Isaiah that he must prophesy to the people, even though they would not listen. He also explained why it was important to tell them anyway.

“Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve in the time to come as a witness forever. For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘You must not see visions’; and to the prophets, ‘You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel’” (Isaiah 30:8-11).

The people of God were a “rebellious people.” This was why they refused to listen to God’s instructions. They desired “pleasant words,” even if such words were not true. What they thought and felt was more important to them than what God desired to teach them.
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July 21, 2012

Where is Your King that He May Save You? (7/21)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Hosea 8-14.

“It is your destruction, O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help. Where now is your king that he may save you in all your cities, and your judges of whom you requested, ‘Give me a king and princes?’ I gave you a king in My anger and took him away in My wrath” (Hosea 13:9-11).

God’s people had a chronic history of rejecting Him and looking for other sources of aid, strength, and protection. This passage mentions one of these sources: a king. We find a few reminders here showing us why they were to put their trust in God and not in a human ruler.
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