Daily Notes & Observations is a 365-part series that follows a chronological daily Bible reading schedule and contains a short article based on something found in the text for each day. This material is also available in paperback.

July 31, 2012

Abraham Does Not Know Us (7/31)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 59-63.

We sometimes wonder who is paying attention to us. Will anyone notice what we are doing? Will our good deeds be seen and remembered by others? Maybe not, but the following passage provides some encouragement.

“For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name” (Isaiah 63:16).

Generally, people like to be noticed for the good that they do. To be recognized by a well-known man of faith may seem important for many Christians. But ultimately, it is not all that important.
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July 30, 2012

"Seek the Lord While He May Be Found" (7/30)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 54-58.

The Lord abounds in mercy and is willing to save us. Yet we must appreciate the urgency of the salvation He offers. Notice what Isaiah says:

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

God is willing to show “compassion” and is able to “abundantly pardon,” but there is a time limit on his mercy. He does not offer salvation indefinitely. We must seek Him “while He may be found” and “call upon Him while He is near.” Otherwise, we will be too late.
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July 29, 2012

Do Not Fear the Reproach of Men (7/29)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 49-53.

The Lord offers some words of comfort for all of His people who must suffer for their faith.

“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, a people in whose heart is My law; do not fear the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them like a garment, and the grub will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation to all generations” (Isaiah 51:7-8)

Persecution is inevitable for the child of God (2 Timothy 3:12). Yet we must not fear those who would persecute us (cf. Matthew 10:28). The Lord gives two reasons why we should not fear or be overcome by them:
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July 28, 2012

Those Who Make the Idols Will Be Like Them (7/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 18:9-19:37; Psalm 46, 80, 135.

The children of Israel were repeatedly warned about following the gods of the nations around them. God’s people must still guard against this today (1 John 5:21). The following passage contains another warning about the danger posed by idols.

“The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear, nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 135:15-18).

All idols are simply the inventions of man. Therefore, they are dumb, blind, deaf, and dead. But the interesting thing about these dumb, blind, deaf, and dead idols is that those who invent them “will be like them.”
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July 27, 2012

If Only You Had Paid Attention (7/27)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 44-48.

God desires to bless and reward His people. But the rewards He promises are, and have always been, conditional.

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, and your offspring like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence’” (Isaiah 48:17-19).

Following God’s instructions by walking in His ways leads to a reward. During the time of the Old Law, this reward was physical prosperity, peace, and a continued preservation of the nation of Israel. Today is a little different. We may not have physical prosperity (1 Corinthians 15:19) or peace (2 Timothy 3:12). The nation in which we live could fall, leading to economic instability and hardship (Proverbs 27:24). But God does promise a reward to us if we are faithful 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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