August 6, 2012

Stagnant in Spirit (8/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Zephaniah 1-3.

Zephaniah warned the people of Judah that judgment was coming against them from the Lord. The riches in which they trusted would be taken away. The houses in which they lived would become uninhabited. The blessings of the good land that God had given them would be lost.

“It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’ Moreover, their wealth will become plunder and their houses desolate; yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine” (Zephaniah 1:12-13).

These people had allowed their sinful state to progress to the point in which they would receive God’s wrath because they were “stagnant in spirit.” They were no longer interested in spiritual things. All that mattered to them were those things which were temporal and material. They had no desire to serve the Lord.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: , ,
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.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: , , ,
July 15, 2012

Why Did Israel Fall? (7/15)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16-17.

“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes” (2 Kings 17:6).

After a long period of trouble and instability in Israel, the people were finally taken away from their homeland, the land that God had promised their fathers, and relocated by force to Assyria. Why would God bring this upon them? The text goes on to list the reasons why they were punished in this way.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: ,
July 12, 2012

"Woe to Those Who Are at Ease in Zion" (7/12)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Amos 6-9.

“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, the distinguished men of the foremost of nations, to whom the house of Israel comes” (Amos 6:1).

God was sending a message through the prophet Amos of the coming judgment against Israel. Yet these people were oblivious to the danger. They had other matters to focus on besides divine punishment for sin.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: , ,
July 10, 2012

The Parable of the Vineyard (7/10)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 5-8.

“Let me sing now for my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it and also hewed out a wine vat in it; then He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones.

“‘And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard. What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. I will lay it waste; it will not be pruned or hoed, but briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.’

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress” (Isaiah 5:1-7).

Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: , , ,
July 1, 2012

"The Arrogance of Your Heart Has Deceived You" (7/1)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Obadiah 1; Psalm 82-83.

Obadiah prophesied of the coming destruction of Edom because of their sin. They would be ransacked (v. 6), overpowered (v. 7), and slaughtered (v. 9).

Yet Edom, in their arrogance, refused to believe that such destruction could come upon them. They believed they were secure in their position and that no harm could befall them. While they were in a good strategic position “in the clefts of the rock” (v. 3) to defend against attacks, they were no match for God.

“‘The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to earth?” Though you build high like the eagle, though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,’ declares the Lord” (Obadiah 3-4).

Their arrogance deceived them, causing them to think they had no reason to correct their sin for fear of divine punishment. Because of this, God would bring them down.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: , ,
June 16, 2012

There Is No Middle Ground (6/16)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8.

After Solomon completed his house and the Lord’s house, God appeared to him and restated His conditional promise to the king.

“As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’” (1 Kings 9:4-5).

However, though God was willing to bless Solomon for obedience, He was also willing to punish him for disobedience.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Daily Notes & Observations Tagged With: , ,