Read the Bible in a Year (28JUL19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, July 28’s Bible reading is Isaiah 1-4.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, July 29’s Bible reading is Isaiah 5-8. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD. 

Isaiah’s Introduction 

The book of Isaiah is so named after the Prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. This book was written during the spiritual decline of Israel. He was sent by God to warn Judah about her rebellion against Him and that she would be taken into captivity by Babylon. Isaiah prophesied the judgment that would befall them, but also gave them the promise of restoration that would come to them during the reign of Cyrus. This restoration was also symbolic of the salvation that would be given through Jesus Christ the Deliverer of man from the chains of sin.

There is doubt amongst the biblical scholars that the Prophet Isaiah wrote the entire book himself. Chapters 1-39 is attributed to Isaiah as being the author, but chapters 40-66 is likely to have been written by two or more additional authors, according to many scholars. They take this position because of the changes in literary styles which has raised questions concerning its authorship. As for the prophet’s personal life, he was married to a prophetess and had two sons. According to some Jewish scholars, his second son was from a second marriage to a young woman. His ministry lasted for at least forty years. Isaiah, however, was believed to have been martyred under Manasseh’s reign by being sawed in two. 

ISAIAH MOMENT – (28JUL19) “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its master…but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great…They have forsaken the Lord…and turned their backs on him” (Isaiah 1:2b-4). The Lord was repulsed by the wickedness of Israel – a people whom He had placed His name on. He had brought their ancestors out of Egypt and had given them land that they did not have to toil for themselves and yet, they did not honor Him with their lives. They offered Him sacrifices of animals, but did not present themselves as a living sacrifice. They gave Him burnt offerings, but also offered the same offerings to the gods of Baal, Asherah and Molech. They appeared in His courts, but came as a devil and left as one. They spread their hands in prayer, but with those same hands made idols of gold, silver, and wood. They celebrated the appointed festivals, but their assemblies were dishonorable before the Lord. God was angry, saddened, and sickened by the actions of His people, and He raised up the Prophet Isaiah to tell them as much in a prophetic vision of warning to Judah and Jerusalem.  

Similar to the sins that had taken place in Israel’s history, we here in America are walking down the same dangerous path. We have forsaken God and rebelled against that which is righteous. No wonder there is a push to remove anything of the founding fathers within this nation. When a nation turns against God, they begin to remove anything that reminds them of their humble beginnings with Him. Jezebel, the wicked queen of Israel, is a prime example of a person who hated anything or anyone dealing with God, so she killed the prophets. The Bible says, “While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water” (1 Kings 18:4). Jezebel despised anything that reminded her of God, so she sought to kill all of the Lord’s prophets where truth and righteousness could not be taught in Jerusalem. She did not want what she considered to be competition with her heathen gods. She became angry and defiant towards anyone who would dare to rebuke her about her idolatrous ways, for she was a priestess god unto herself. Therefore, the true prophets of God were an eyesore to her, and she preferred to rid the land of them rather than submit to the Lord.

Many self-professed Christians go to church weekly, but how many are truly living for Christ? How does God see us at home, on the job, in the store, at school, and when we mingle with friends? Do we possess the same Godly character behind the scenes that others see us display while at the four-walls? Are we speaking in tongues at church, but spewing out four-letter words at home? Are we lifting our hands in praise at church, but using those same hands to abuse others at home? Are we claiming to honor God in front of others, while living a life of secret sin? Do we profess that the Lord is our God, while we actually worship our little gods of money, clothes, entertainment, pornography, sexual immorality, gossip, cars, and other material possessions as well as people? God is one day going to judge this nation beginning with the church just as He did with Israel. Although God is a God of love, grace and mercy, He is also a God of righteousness and justice. Yet, God still offers to us an olive branch because He does not wish for anyone to be lost. The Bible says, “ ‘Come now, let us settle this matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’ ” (Isaiah 1:18).  The Lord invites everyone to come to Him and turn from their sins. The choice is ours to make, but He desires that we will make the right one. Many people in this nation are drowning in sin, but the Lord aims to restore and set free all who will answer His call. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (28JUL19) How many of you have been taught in churches to put your leaders on pedestals? Many churches teach this because the leaders of God should be ones that are in service to Him as they lead His people. Unfortunately, many of these leaders are not leading God’s people on the road of righteousness, but they are being led down the path of destruction. This is why it is so important for believers in Christ to study the Word of God for themselves. The Bible says, “Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (Isaiah 2:12).  Isaiah gave this warning because many of Israel’s leaders were leading them astray. As the king did, so did the nation. They did not have a heart for God to stay faithful to Him. Their loyalty to God swayed with the wind and it cost them greatly. The Bible says, “Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them” (Isaiah 1:23). In other words, Israel’s leaders were useless to the cause of God because they were corrupt, and the nation was just as corrupt.

Many people are following similar leaders that are leading them to their doom. They have not taken time to study what the Word of God truly says. They look for the feel-good messages from popular orators and neglect the message of repentance, conversion, and turning away from sin. The gospel has been watered down, sugar-coated, and made to be compromised due to political correctness. Many leaders are seeing the decline of this nation’s morality, but will not preach a message of hell and Heaven to warn the sinner that judgment day is coming. Therefore, anyone who is a believer in Christ must pick up their mantle and preach the gospel to the lost. Every day, souls are dying without Christ. They are leaving this world lost in their sins and many within the church are failing to evangelize because they are waiting on the pastor to do it, while God is waiting on YOU. Everyone does not hold the office of an evangelist, but everyone is called to evangelize. The Bible says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If you claim to be a Holy Spirit filled believer, then you have been commissioned to spread the Gospel at home, on your job, to your friends, with your loved ones, and to the stranger you meet. We all have a role to play. Are you fulfilling yours? Something to ponder….