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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, June 08, 2017
Today's Passage : Today's Passage: Subject: For Unto Us a Child is Born Bible Verse: Isaiah 9:2-7 (ESV) "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. " Message:
When commentators stretch a bit to see Messianic implications in some of Isaiah's later prophecies (such as in yesterday's devotion), it is, at least in part, because one's reading of Isaiah is informed by this early passage. (Also see Isaiah 7:10-14) Without question, it refers to the coming of God in the person of an incarnate human being.
But to back up a bit, first we should understand the immediate or temporal occasion. When Isaiah was young, the King of Judah was named Ahaz, and the best we can say about him is that he was David's legitimate heir. (He is included in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:9.) Ahaz was wicked by any standard — he sacrificed his own infant son — but was doubly wicked in Jewish eyes, for he abandoned God's covenant with Moses, allowing all sorts of idolatry to flourish.
The northern breakaway Kingdom of Israel — perhaps even more benighted than Judah, as it did not recognize God's anointed royal line of David — had actually allied itself with a pagan nation-state, Aram, to attack Judah and take Jerusalem. Ahaz, in fear that he might lose his royal city, proposed to ally with Assyria to defeat them.
Remembering our lessons from Exodus, we immediately see that Ahaz transgressed three major commandments of God: Worship of idols (Exodus 20:4-5); sacrificing a first-born son instead of redeeming him (Exodus 13:13); and forming an alliance with a non-covenant people (Exodus 23:31-33).
It is the last of these that occasioned Isaiah 9. Isaiah attempted to persuade Ahaz not to ally with Assyria. Part of his prophecy was dire warnings about the terror to ensue such an alliance; but the part we read today was the positive approach: what Ahaz might expect if he put his entire trust in God.
In the middle of bolstering Ahaz's confidence and faith, Isaiah suddenly seems to spin out into near-insanity, far exceeding the immediate prophecy that Ahaz needed to hear. He gives a prophecy of a future king who will be Yahweh incarnate: The Prince of Peace. (For to predict the coming of a human being who would be called “Mighty God”, unless it were Yahweh, would be anathema to Isaiah, or any other devout Jew.) Isaiah’s prediction of a king who would reign in righteousness “from that time on and forever” denotes immortality; there is no other way to read it.
And thus we have one of the most beautiful and stirring passages of Gospel in the Bible, written over 700 years before Jesus would be born. This miraculous prophecy of Christ's coming, so long in advance, surely is one of the most remarkable, inspired, and heartening passages in the Bible.
Meditation : Prayer : God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make me and all who confess your holy name people of this light. Make me faithful to your Word that I may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen |
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