Tag: god

GETTING OLDER and SEASONS OF LIFE (ALSO DISCUSSION OF ABORTION)

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

I guess I am writing this article for my own sake as I am about to turn 75 on 12/10/2024. I told my Bible students at MA that I was about to enter the 4th quarter of life (75-100 age). (AI) “The average life expectancy for men in the United States in 2024 is 76.1 years. This is five years less than the average life expectancy for women, which is 81.1 years.” One of my students reminded me that my life expectancy is only 76.1 years. In other words, if this were a football game, I would be in the 2 minute period of the 4th quarter (not just starting the 4th quarter as I had told them. If I make it another year past 2025, I will be in “overtime” and that doesn’t last long (a few plays and your done one way or the other). So in my “morning musings” I decided to do an article, maybe to cheer me up.

Isaiah 46: 3“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
    all the remnant of the house of Israel,

who have been borne by me from before your birth,
    carried from the womb;
4 even to your old age I am he,
    and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
    I will carry and will save.”

“Before your birth”? I.e., in the womb. God guided the entire gestation process for 9 months. He put the DNA that is unique to each person in that fetus and it began to program out the development of every part of the baby till birth.

Psalm 139:13 For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

Abortion. I read this on AI:

“Some people argue that abortion is the killing of a life because they believe a fetus is a person with a right to life. This line of reasoning is based on the following ideas:

  • A fetus is a person
  • People have a right to life
  • Therefore, a fetus has a right to life
  • It is wrong to kill a being with a right to life
  • Therefore, it is wrong to kill a fetus 

Some people believe that a fetus is a person from the moment of conception. They argue that a fetus is an innocent human being with its own DNA, and that abortion is the murder of an innocent life.” So then I asked AI (my new Siri), “is there life in the womb?” I was surprised to get this answer. “Yes, according to the scientific consensus, life in the womb exists from the moment of conception when a sperm fertilizes an egg, forming a single cell called a zygote, which marks the beginning of a new human life; this developing organism is considered a fetus throughout pregnancy and is considered to be “alive” within the womb.” “Scientific evidence that indicates life within the womb includes: the presence of a unique DNA distinct from the mother’s at conception, continuous cell division and development into a complex organism with organs like a beating heart, brain activity, movement, response to stimuli like sound and light, and the ability to learn and recognize sounds and patterns while still in the womb, all starting from the moment of fertilization when a sperm meets an egg to form a zygote; essentially, a fetus exhibits all the biological criteria considered indicative of life.”

“The most definitive sign of a living fetus, usually detectable via ultrasound around 6-7 weeks of pregnancy.” Surely the pro-abortion advocates would agree that if there is a heartbeat, then there is life (or would they?). So, for the same of argument, we can at least say life begins at 6-7 weeks (about 1 1/2 months). The fetus has a heart by that time for sure. So that heart has been devloping from conception, programmed by the baby’s DNA. At what point during that first 6-7 weeks are you going to say that you do not think there was life in the fetus? At 5 weeks? At 4 weeks? At 3, or 2 weeks? In which week before 6-7 weeks would you say, “there is no life in this fetus so we can abort the feetus without killing a living fetus baby?” I can’t iimagine being the abortion doctor and having to decide in an abortion I am doing in week 4 of a pregnant woman, “am I just removing some non-living tissues or am I killing a living fetus baby?” How can a pregnant woman make that decision to allow the doctor to do the abortion without being sure if the fetus if living or not?”

As I said, I was surprised at the AI answer (which I think was taken verbatim from some pro-life articles), but how would God answer that question, “is there life in the womb”, and if so, “when does that life begin”. Back to Psalm 139:13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance” When did God begin “knitting together the inward parts of the yet unformed (not fully formed baby yet) substance”? As science has shown, and no rational pro-abortionists could refute this, all the DNA is present when the sperm and egg. unite to form a zygote at conception. So I think Psalm 139 is God saying that life begins at conception. God even says that he knew certain individuals while they were in the womb. Jeremiah 1:4-5: “Then the word of the Lord came to me saying ‘Before you were born I knew you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations'” Paul said, Galatians 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born.”

But perhaps the strongest case from the Bible that God says that life is in the womb is from Exodus 21:22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” In. other words, if striking the pregnant woman causes her child to to born dead (stillborn or miscarriage), then the one who struck the woman (even if unintentional) will die, life for life (stoned to death?). The pro-abortionists might say, “well that might be a pregnancy in the third trimester (6th – 9th week of pregnancy”. But does God say, “if the fetus is 6 weeks or more, then life for life” in these verses? The verses just specify, “a pregnant woman”. So if the woman is pregant at all, then the punishment applied. So, in my opinion, the verses teach that God considers all of the 9 months of pregnancy to be life in the womb. I found this in article, saying that pro-abortionists see these verses as proving just the opposite. “Exodus 21, for example, suggests that a pregnant woman’s life is more valuable than the fetus’s. This text describes a scenario in which men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and cause her to miscarry. A monetary fine is imposed if the woman suffers no other harm beyond the miscarriage. However, if the woman suffers additional harm, the perpetrator’s punishment is to suffer reciprocal harm, up to life for life.” (From theconversation.com). They try to say that these verses show that life in the womb is considered by God to be of less importance that the mother’s life. I don’t see that at all!!!!!!!

Bottom line, since even most pro-abortionists believe that life begins at some point in the womb (maybe in the third trimester since often that was when even they believed that abortions should be banned), then how can someone say when in the gestation that life actually began (what month). If that be the case, how could someone abort a fetus or perform an abortion knowing that uncertainty exists?

Isaiah 46 jumps from “before your birth, carried from your womb (birth), to “old ages and gray hairs”. BTW Proverbs 16:31“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness”. This verse suggests that gray hair is a sign of a life well lived and a commitment to righteousness. Proverbs 20:29“The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old”. This verse suggests that gray hair is a sign of wisdom and honor.” Do you remember that 1980 Clairol commercial with the song “I’m gonna wash that gray right outa my hair”? Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc6f0M7h9b4I understand, but why be ashamed of the gray hair of old age? Why try to make yourself look young when you aren’t? Aren’t you satisfied with that last old age stage of life that God gives you without trying to hold on to younger stages? I must admit, I did use some of that but only once!!!!!!!!! I tell my wife all that and she still spend $75 once a month to color her hair from gray to brown. No one listens to me!

So what about that stage between birth and old age, Isaiah? Start with childhood. The pain and yet the joy of childbirth: “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21).”Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”(Psalm 127:3-5). Apparently children under the “age of accountability” are pure and free of sin: But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). Of course that refutes the idea that babies are born inheriting Adam’s sin, called “original sin”, from the fall. Catholicism has always taught that babies need to be born quickly to get rid of that inherited sin or else they will go to Catholic purgatory for babies which is called limbo. I found this to be very interesting from AI: In Catholic theology, limbo is the place where souls who die in original sin but are not condemned to hell reside. It is a border area between heaven and hell where souls are not punished but are also not able to experience eternal happiness with God in heaven.  The concept of limbo developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Medieval theologians believed that limbo was divided into two parts:

  • Limbo of the Fathers: The place where Old Testament saints were thought to reside until Christ’s “descent into hell”
  • Limbo of the Infants: The place where unbaptized children and the mentally impaired reside 

The Catholic Church’s official catechism, published in 1992, did not mention limbo. The International Theological Commission (ITC) issued a document in 2007 that reduced the teaching of limbo from “common doctrine” to “a possible theological hypothesis”. The ITC concluded that there is less certainty about the salvation of infants who die without baptism than for those who are baptized.” In other words, Catholicism may be backing off the idea that unbaptized babies who die go to limbo. It’s funny how Catholics can something is the word of God through the pope and then later say it isn’t exactly so! Romans 5: 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”. A person only dies spiritually when he chooses to sin, not when he is born with original sin. BTW Jesus said “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved ” (Mark 16:16). Christian baptism is only for those who can believe. What good does it do to baptize a child who can’t believe? The book of Acts gives several cases of baptized believers, but not infant baptism. It might be countered that the jailor and “all his household” were baptized (Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”). But that would have to assume that he had underage children, and it still wouldn’t change the fact that only believers could be baptized.


At what age is a child considered responsible for choosing sin? That depends on the individual child, of course. Many think the age of 12 or so? This was interesting: “In Judaism, a Bar Mitzvah is typically celebrated at age 13 for boys because it marks the age when they are considered mature enough to fully take on the responsibilities of Jewish adulthood, including observing religious laws and being held accountable for their actions, which is often associated with the onset of puberty; the female equivalent, a Bat Mitzvah, is often celebrated at age 12, also signifying the coming of age based on maturity levels.” I’ve always said that teenage girls mature sooner than boys! I have surely experienced that dealing with immature boys in my Bible classes who sit in desks right next to mature young girls of the same age! Very frustrating! God will bless little children. They have a “guardian angel”. Matthew 18:10 Christ says, “See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven”. I assume they still have those! But what about when a young child dies? That doesn’t mean that the child’s angel isn’t looking after the child. It may just be that God is allowing that child to die (regardless of why), but that God will take care of that child for eternity in a much better place in heaven. I always think of “The Shack” movie. That little girl went through a hellish nightmare when she was abducted and killed, but Mac was able to later see her playing in the fields with Jesus. God took care of her. Too many parents have become atheists when a child of theirs dies. I know it takes a lot of faith to see your deceased child in heaven, but be assured that it is so. People have always had a tendency to look down on youth b/c young people do a lot of bad, stupid things. Proverbs 20:11 “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Christians youth should be different, and an example to others. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain[c] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.” Those verses imply that young people are going to do bad things that can bring the judgment of God on them. They “sow their wild oats”. “Youth and the dawn of life” are called “vanity” (the Hebrew word for vapor, breath: they appear to mean something but in the long run they are a vapor off a steam kettle that lasts for a short while and then disappear). Then the admonition in Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”

What about the “young man or young woman” stage in between birth and old age? Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” The “young men” refer to young people in the prime of their physical strength, essentially signifying the glory of youth as being their physical vitality and energy. I think Timothy was in that “young man” stage when Paul told him in 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Paul then told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22 “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Passions do run wild in young men when the testosterone is peaking. 1 John 2:14  “I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” It is always good to see young adult Christian men step up to lead, serve, and be mentors to young people. Titus 2:6-8  “Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” So many young adults lack self control. They act “wild”. They seem to think it is cool to act wild. The young adult Christian man’s goal should be to act like Jesus did in his young adult stage: Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” Psalm 71:5  For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.”Proverbs 1:8-9  Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.” 1 Peter 5:5-7 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Daniel 1:17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” Those 3 Hebrew “children” were young male adults who defied the king’s command to worship the image even as they were thrown into the fire. They had such faith and courage. Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” We need Christian young men to step up in this world of sin. A lot of young adults live for drinking, sex, materialism, pleasure, and wild times. Let’s not forget about young adult females. Titus 2:4-8 “And so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Too many young adult Christian ladies are influenced by fashion, drinking, bar-hopping, one night stands, materialism, pleasure, vanity of how you look, jewelry, etc. Many are more interested in their careers than they are in being godly wives, mothers, homemakers, and examples to others. Many would rather work in their careers than stay home and raise their children in those early formative years, so they turn their very young children over to the grandparents (who often gladly take care of those children) or some day care services. I know there may be extenuating circumstances that require a young mother to work outside the home, but hopefully she can at least stay home with those very young children for those formative years. (Just my opinion). Remember Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” I laugh when I read proverbs 31 description of the woman who fears the Lord, the ideal godly woman. He describes what that woman should be like, but adds 31:10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” It is like, “this is what she would look like but you won’t find one like this!” Solomon could be a little misogynistic. Ecclesiastes 7:28 “One man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found.” Maybe his experiences with his thousand wives and concubines leading him to idolatry made him pessimistic about women! I do feel sorry for young Christian adults, men and women, trying to find a godly mate today. The field of prospects seems to be very limited. But God will lead you to that right mate, along with listening to good advice from older Christians.

Ok, we finally get to the last stage of Isaiah 46: “old age and gray hairs”. Job 12:12: “So with old age is wisdom, and with length of days understanding”. Older people are not always wiser but often Job is right. In the church, elders were to be older men, proven Christian men (1 Timothy 3) who had “managed their own households”. Yet Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” Some of the elders in the church that I have known in my 50 years of ministry were not wise, and really needed to be rebuked. Psalm 71:9: “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent”. I know what that means. I used to be able to work 12-14 hours a day painting. I would be sore, but recover quickly in the morning. Not so now at 75. I can still work hard and long but not nearly as hard and long as earlier in life. 2 Corinthians 4: 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Old age and getting “older” should be time that, even as you watch your outer self wasting away, you begin to look forward to your new eternal body in heaven. So we groan with our aches and pains, but look forward. 2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling”. Psalm 90:10 “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” That sounds like I’ve got 5 years left at the most! Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” Passages like this one bother me a little. Surely David had seen a righteous man and his children being poor and begging.for bread, maybe during one of the famiines God sent on Israel b/c of their sins. I think this is just a general rule but there might be exceptions. Titus 2:2,3 “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good.” Titus has such good practical advice for young men and women and older men and women. Old age doesn’t mean that we can’g still bear fruit. Psalm 92:14 They will still yield fruit in advanced age; They will be full of sap and very green”

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— “. Is that accurate or what? Eyesight dims, hearing gets bad, bent over walking, teeth decay, legs get weak, hands tremble, you lose the desire to even go out of the house, depression clouds set in, can’t sleep. I have all the symptoms! He says all this is “b/c man is going to his eternal home”. In other words, he is dying. Death is right around the corner. They will be having you funeral in a short while. Psalm 71:17-18 “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” As we get older we feel the need to ground our grandchildren in the faith, maybe even our children although hopefully we did that when they were little. Timothy’s mother and grandmother passed down their faith to Timothy. 2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” Old age may be a time when you reminise about the “good old days”, but Ecclesiastes 7:10  Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” Anna was 84 and in the temple: Luke 2:36-38 ” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Old age might be a time of prayer and thanks, like Anna did.

Old age is a time of looking back at our life, our accomplishments and our failures. Jacob struggled spiritually all his years: he wrestled with God (thus his name change to Israel) at Penuel and during his whole life. He was about 110 when he moved his family to Egypt to be with Joseph. He was 130 when he told Pharoah: Genesus 47:9 So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my living abroad are 130; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” How sad that Jacob looked back at this life and summed up his 130 years as “unpleasant”. They were unpleasant b/c for most of his years he lied to his father, cheated his brother, trusted in his own cunning instead of God, was fearful and cowardly. I hope I don’t end up like that. At least he told Joseph as he was blessing Joseph’s 2 sons: Genesis 48:15 ““The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 16 The angel who has redeemed me from all evil. That indicates that he finally realized that it was God’s wisdom and power, not his own cunning and strength, that had given him many blessings in life. Some find that awareness of God’s working in their lives as they are on their deathbed.

Psalm 39:5 “Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah” A handbreath is the width of a hand, maybe 6 inches. I look back and it just seems like yesterday that I was young. It seems like a few handbreaths, not 75 years.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 ” If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.” Solomon’s phlosophy of life in Ecclesiastes is “eat, drink, and be merry”, enjoy the life God has given you. Put your trust in God and live every day for Him. In that way you will be satisfied with this life when you died, like Abraham. Genesis 25:8 Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. I hope I can one day when I die look back and be satisfied with the life God has given me and ready for the next life in eternity.

This has been long, but 75 years of relection takes a lot of writing.

ISAIAH 44 THE FOLLY OF IDOLATRY; MODERN IDOLATRY

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

In an earlier blog on Isaiah 41-45, Isaiah challenged the gods of the pagan idols to prove their very existence (41:1 set forth your case) by predicting the future (with 100% accuracy). He then gives several predictions about the temple being destroyed (586 BC, 120 years in the future), the return from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple (536 BC, 160 years in the future) allowed by Cyrus the king of Persia, naming Cyrus by name about 100 years before he was even born. I gave many other prophecies about nations that were fulfilled in the old testament.

But not only does Isaiah show that the pagan gods cannot predict the future, he then goes on to show the “futility of idol worship” (the foolishness).

Isaiah 44:9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

There is not much need of commentary here. Isaiah scoffs at the idea of a man planting and growing a tree, cutting it down after it is grown, using half of the fallen tree to make fires to rost his meat, and uses the other half to make into a delicately and lavishly carved wooden idol to worhip his pagan god.

We must go to Romans 1 for commentary.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Paul is saying that there is no excuse for not believing in God who created everything. While his attributes of eternal power and divine nature should be “clearly perceived” by all. Read my blog article “Praising the God of creation” for all the arguments for the existence of God (intelligent design of all animals and plants, the periodic table, the human body, the many constants of math and physics that must be finely tuned to have life on earth, etc.). That is called “natural revelation” (nature reveals that there is a creator God). The psalmist said “the fool has said there is no god” (Psalm 19:1). But let us suppose that someone does perceive that the universe and life could not just come into existence from nothing. That would not tell us about that God who created everything. That would take “special revelation”, i.e. that creator God would reveal himself and his plans through inspired messengers or prophets by miraculous inspiration. But suppose that person believes there must be a creator God but doesn’t have access to any of God’s special revelation of HIs word through prophets. He might decide to. start worshipping God through what God created. This could be “animism”: Animism is the doctrine that every natural thing in the universe has a soul. If you believe in animism, you believe that ostriches, cactuses, mountains, and thunder are all spiritual beings. Animism comes from the Latin word anima, meaning life, or soul. Animists believe in innumerable spiritual beings that are concerned with human affairs and capable of helping or harming human interests. Animistic rituals are a variety of practices that serve to maintain relationships between humans and spirits, such as sacrifices, taboos, ancestor worship, shamanism (witch doctors), etc. You can undersand in remote areas of Africans the practice of animism by sincere worshipers of the Creator God when they don’t have the word of God. It is the church’s responsibility to get the word of God to them in their own languages, which many have tried to do, often leding to their deaths.

Idolatry is different than animism. A great AI (I love AI b/c it usually says things better than I do and in less words!) distinction: “While both terms are related to the worship of something other than a single, supreme deity, idolatry specifically refers to the act of worshipping a physical object like a statue as a god, while animism is the belief that all things in nature, including animals, plants, and even inanimate objects, possess a spirit or soul, and can be interacted with on a spiritual level; essentially, animism is a broader concept that encompasses the idea of spiritual agency in all things, not just physical representations of deities like in idolatry.” For example, Ancient Egypt: The polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt featured large idols that were often animals or included animal parts. Bull and cow, cat and dog, ram and goat were considered to be the incarnations of different deities, and so were lion and lioness, jackal and scorpion, crocodile and hippopotamus, the poisonous cobra (also called the “uraeus” serpent) and several birds, among them the falcon and the vulture. They worshipped the sun god Ra and many other gods but focused on the animals. Ancient Greece: The Greek civilization favored human forms for divine representation. The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods, including the 12 Olympians, who lived on Mount Olympus (Zeus- the main god, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus.). They worshipped idols that were a representation of the gods themselves. The most important group of deities of the Romans were the Deii Consentes, the twelve gods and goddesses of the Roman pantheon: Jupiter (the main god) and Juno, Neptune and Minerva, Mars and Venus, Apollo and Diana, Vulcan and Vesta, Mercury and Ceres. The Romans basically worshipped the same gods that the Romans did, they just changed the names. Isolatry has existed in all cultures. The Canaanites practiced polytheism, which is the worship of multiple gods. Their gods included: Astarte: A war goddess.  Baal: A fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the Canaanite pantheon.  Asherah: The wife of El, also known as Athirat.  Anat: A war goddess. Many, many other examples of idolatry and false pagan gods could be given.

Paul sums up idolatry in Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Idolaters made images of “man and animals”, worshipping the things the creator created instead of the creator Himself. Isaiah says this is just downright folly of foolishness. Even if you don’t have special revelation, it just doesn’t make sense to make up different false gods and then create idols to worhip them by. Again, it is the church’s responsibility to get the word of God to them, but there would be no excuse for the Greeks and Romans discussed above. The Jews had collected the 39 books (scrolls) of the old testament by the time the Greeks and the Romans came into existence. Those books condemned idolatry, a sin that Israael itself continued to practice. They could have turned from idolatry just as Rahab turned from the worship of the Canaanite gods like Baal to worship the one true god YHWH of Israel. I think that is probably true for all idolaters in the world. Hinduism in India is full of worhsip of many gods and goddesses with idols. But the word of God has been preached in India for centuries. If a person was seeking the truth about God, he could find it in India if he really wanted to. Buddhism has its many statues of Buddha and follow his teaching. They actually don’t worship Buddha himself or his statue, but for all practical purposes they do. But the word of God has been in Buddhist countries for centuries. Islam only began in the 7th century AD, about 600 years after Jesus lived and dead and 600 years after the New Testament was completed. Muslims definitely had the word of God but chose instead to follow Mohommed and the Koran. At least hey don’t practice idolatry, however, but they do deny that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jeremiah condemns the folly of idolatry: 10:1  Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are vanity.
A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 5 Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” 6 There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. 7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms
there is none like you. 8 They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood!

(AI) “n the Bible, Ezekiel saw several examples of idolatry in the temple in Ezekiel 8, including:

  • 1) An idol outside the temple: Ezekiel saw a foreign idol standing in front of the temple’s northern gate. This idol was a symbol of Israel’s rejection of God. Maybe a giant idol off Asherah? or Baal?
  • 2) Idols on the walls: Ezekiel saw images of crawling animals, detestable creatures, and idols of the house of Israel on the temple walls. This would be from Egyptian gods probably.
  • 3) Women weeping for Tammuz: Ezekiel saw women weeping for Tammuz, a Babylonian god of fertility. Ezekiel sees several other sacrilegious things, but Tammuz is the only deity mentioned in the vision, showing one of the foreign gods Israel had strayed after.
  • 4) Men worshiping the sun: Ezekiel saw 25 men facing east and worshiping the sun. Sun worship has been practiced in many cultures throughout history, including: 
    • Ancient Egypt: The sun god Ra was worshipped, and the ancient Egyptian god of creation, Amun, was believed to reside in the sun. 
    • Ancient Greece: The sun god Helios was worshipped. 
    • Ancient Rome: The sun god Sol was worshipped. 
    • Ancient Persia: The sun god Mithra was worshipped. 
    • Ancient India: The sun gods Surya, Savitr, and Mithra were worshipped. 
    • Ancient Sumer: The sun god Utu was worshipped. 
    • Ancient Babylon: The sun god Shamash was worshipped. 
    • Inca civilization: The sun god Inti was worshipped, and the ruler of Peru was considered an incarnation of Inti. 
    • Aztec religion: The sun gods Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca demanded human sacrifice. 
    • Japanese Shintoism: The sun goddess Amaterasu was worshipped, and sun symbols are still used to represent the Japanese state. 
    • Albanian tradition: The sun god Dielli is worshipped, and the sun and moon are sacred elements of Albanian tradition. 
    • Native American tribes: Some tribes still practice a sun dance to renew their connection with the earth and the growing season. 
    • Siberian cultures: The sun goddess is worshipped by the Taymyr Samoyed and the Tungus. 
    • The concept of sun worship is likely as old as humanity itself. In societies that were dependent on the sun for life and sustenance, it’s not surprising that the sun became deified.
  • 5) Leaders offering incense sacrifices: Ezekiel saw leaders offering incense sacrifices to false gods. 
  • Ezekiel’s vision of idolatry in the temple was a condemnation of these practices and explained why God’s glory departed from the temple later in the vision. 

God condemned idolatry as the 2nd of the 10 commandments: Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. It is amazing that Israel practiced idolatry all through their history up to the Babylonian captivity ( the exile seemed to cure them of idolatry after that). It is amazing that Solomon (the wisest man on earth) practiced idolatry. 1 Kings 11:1 ” King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon. 2 They came from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods.” But Solomon was obsessed with their love. 3 He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 wives who were concubines. 4 In his old age, his wives tempted him to follow other gods. He was no longer committed to the Lord his God as his father David had been. 5 Solomon followed Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians) and Milcom (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 6 So Solomon did what the Lord considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord as his father David had done. 7 Then Solomon built an illegal worship site on the hill east of Jerusalem for Chemosh (the disgusting idol of Moab) and for Molech (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). 8 He did these things for each of his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

Jereoboam I and King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel are known for practicing idolatry: Jeroboam IThe first king of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam established new places of worship, including golden calves in Bethel and Dan, to divert his people away from the temple in Judah. He also appointed his own priests. Jeroboam’s actions were motivated by a fear that his subjects would become sympathetic to the Southern Kingdom and its king, In the Bible, the prophet Amos condemned idolatry in the northern kingdom of Israel in the book of Amos, specifically in Amos 5:4-5: Amos 5:4-5: Amos tells the Israelites to renounce their idolatry and not enter the idolatrous temples of Bethel and Gilgal. Amos was sent to preach in Bethel of Israel by God to condemn the sins of the northern kingdom, including idolatry, greed, social injustice, and political corruption. Amos’s messages announced God’s anger and impending judgment on Israel. The idolatry of the northern kingdom eventually led to being carried into Assyrian captivity in 722 BC after 19 evil kings.

In the southern kingdom of Judah, several kings practiced idolatry but the worst if probably Manasseh. Known as the “Evil King”, Manasseh’s reign was marked by paganism, including human sacrifice and the worship of Baal and Asherah. He also sponsored the Assyrian astral cult. In contrast, King Josiah led Judah in a reform movement that broke the pattern of idol worship in his family. Josiah’s reforms included: Breaking down altars made by Manasseh, Defiling high places dedicated to foreign gods, and Breaking pillars and Asherim. But idolatry was too ingrained in the people. Josiah’s reforms did not stop the evil practices of Judah, which led the them being carried into Babylonian captivity in 3 exilles in 606 BC, 596 BC, and 586 BC when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzer. There was no more idolatry of Judah after the exile, so God’s punishment worked.

I feel good that I don’t practice idolatry since it is such a bad sin. Really? Notice these new testament verses. 1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. Ephesians 5:5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. What is “modern day idolatry” and some examples?

Modern-day idolatry is the act of misdirecting worship and giving more affection to something created than the Creator. It can take many forms, including: 

  • Materialism: Buying more and more things to build our egos 
  • Pride and ego: Obsessing over careers and jobs 
  • Self-aggrandizement: Self-indulgence through alcohol, drugs, sexual sins, and food 
  • Identity: Placing our identity in something or someone other than God, such as our social media following, our position at work, or our abilities 
  • Entertainment: Being obsessed with being entertained, such as through Netflix, vacations, video games, or podcasts 
  • Comfort: Being promised an easier or simpler or more comfortable life through products 
  • Phones: Becoming addicted to smartphones 

Idols can be anything that we look to for things that only God can give. They can be things that we believe will fulfill our desires, such as love, joy, peace, freedom, status, identity, control, happiness, security, fulfillment, significance, acceptance, and respect.

Ouch! I might not be worshipping some idol in my house or in a Hindu temple, but maybe I am just as much of an idolater as they are! “Turn away from idols” is a phrase that appears in the Bible, and it is a call to stop worshiping idols and to serve the true God: Ezekiel 14:6: “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your disgusting and vile acts” . Genesis 35:2-3 So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress.” Some of his family had brought with them the household idols of Laban from his 20 years in Haran. Rachel hid hers from Laban when he caught up with Jacob fleeing Haran, searching for his household idols that had been stolen. So before Jacob could build an altar to worship God at Bethel, he made everyone put away their pagan altars. Maybe that’s what we need to do before we worship. Too many Christians go to some church assembly to worship with songs and praise, but then they go right back to their time, energy, and money being dominated by their modern idolatry idols listed above. God is a “jealous God”. Joshua 24:19“And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins”. Joshua knew that the Israelites would worship the Canaanite gods after his death. In the Bible, God is described as jealous because he wants exclusive devotion from his people and commands that they love and worship him alone. He wants the same exclusive devotion that married mates would want from each other.

Am I an idolater? Are you an idolater?

Isaiah 40: WHAT A GREAT CHAPTER!

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The Messianic prophecies in this last part of the book of Isiah are discussed separately in the blog article “isaiah Messianic Prophet, but here are some other neat passages in this section.

COMFORT FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

40:1Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A lot of this chapter has Messianic overtones, especially since it starts with the prediction o the coming of John the Baptist (40:3).

THE WORD OF GOD STANDS FOREVER

40:6 “A voice says, “Cry!” And I said,] “What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fade when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” This great verse is quoted in 1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” The primary meaning is probably that God’s predictions will always come true, but it is amazing that the word of God has stood all these centuries when many have tried to destroy it. From AI: 1) “Antiochus (in the 2nd century BC) also destroyed copies of the Torah and sentenced to death anyone who was found to possess a copy of the Torah or observed its teachings. Antiochus ordered the total suppression of Temple sacrifices, Sabbath observance, and the practice of circumcision.” 2)According to the Book of Jeremiah, King Jehoiakim (one of the last kings of Judah) attempted to destroy the written word of God (which included Jeremiah’s predictions of the fall of Jerusalem to happen in 586 BC) by cutting up and burning a scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophecies. From AI: 3) “In 303 AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered that the Christian Scriptures be confiscated and burned. When Christians were found, they would give them copies of deuterocanonical books or other Christian literature, and the pagans, unsuspecting, burned them.”

THE GREATNESS OF GOD

40:9-26. Vs 9 Go tell the world “Behold your God who is coming”. A series of questions beginning with “who” showing how great God is:

1) 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Imagine a God so big that he can scoop up all the waters from the rivers, lakes, and seas in his hands. You can only scoop us maybe a cup of water in your hands. A span is about 9 inches in the Bible, the length of an outstretched hand. Can you imagine trying to measure the distance from Huntsville to Mobile using a ruler (which is 12 inches)? But God’s hands are so big that he can use His span to measure all the heavens in the universe, maybe just a few of his spans. Can you imagine weighing the Rocky Mountains on a bathroom scale? Or on a small balance in the lab that weighs grams of chemicals? But God is so big that His bathroom scales can weigh all the mountains and hills on earth. There is a neat song: Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing our God cannot do.”

2) 40:13 Who has measured (takan: To measure, weigh, regulate, estimate, balance)the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? How big would you estimate that the Spirit of the Lord is? Psalm 139:7Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” God is spirit (John 4:24) and His spirit fills the universe. The Spirit of God tells us the mind, thoughts, and plans of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

3) Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? We are always trying to learn wisdom at the feet of great men like Socrates and Plato, but God doesn’t have to consult anyone about wisdom. He is the scource of all wisdom for salvation and all things.

40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. 16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.” The United Nations recognizes 241 countries and territories when dependent territories are included with a total of 8 billion people. According to estimations, a gallon bucket can hold roughly 1 million drops of water. All the nations in the world are like one drop of water in God’s bucket.

Then to show the greatness of God, Isaiah has two “to whom will you liken or compare God to”?

  1. 40:18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? 19 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. 20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman
    to set up an idol that will not move.” To an idol that a goldsmith forms, that a poor man has made to stand in his house so he can worship it for a long time since he can’t afford to go offer sacrifices on a regular basis?? God is big that: 40:22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.” You might could sit on top of a small plastic globe of the earth but God is so big than he can sit on top of the earth sphere. I might stretch out the 6 feet of curtains in my bathtub before I take a shower. God stretches out the endless heavens like I stretch out those curtains. I might set up a little tent to dwell in and spend the night in outside. God sets up His tent with all the heavens of the universe so he can dwell in it. You can blow dust off a countertop to move it. God can blow on the nations and move them wherever He wants. Daniel 12:21 “He removes kings and sets up kings”. This verse also says that God changes times and seasons, gives wisdom to the wise, and reveals deep and secret things.”
  2. 40:25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.” Psalm 19:The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” From AI: The observable universe has ~ 2 trillion galaxies. Each galaxy has ~ 100 billion stars. Each star has about 1.6 planets. Multiplying these gives 3.2 x 10^23 planets in the observable universe.” From AI: “A few hundred stars have proper names, while the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes proper names for 152 planets. There are 88 officially recognized constellations, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) (like Orion, Pleiades, and Arcturas mentioned in Job 9:8-9: did God name those when he book of Job was written or were they already named that by people?).” But has named each of the 200 billion, trillion stars or planets. How long would it take us to do that? God is a spirit who fills the universe, so that would not be difficult for Him since His spirit is right there everywhere in the universe. There is a “fixed order” of stars and planets in the universe, all on pre-set patterns of movement. 1 Chronicles 16:30 – “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.” Psalm 93:1 – “Thou hast fixed the earth immovable and firm.” Psalm 96:10 – “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.”Psalm 104:5 -“Thou didst fix the earth on its foundation so that it never can be shaken.” This fixed order of movement is so precise and dependable that we can safely send men into space and return them from orbit around the moon.

THE NEVER TIRING GOD, THE GOD OF UNLIMITED STRENGTH AND POWER

40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”

The remnant often end up asking why God does not avenge their suffering. The souls under the altar in Revelation 6 asked, “How long, God, before You avenge our blood”? Is God asleep? Does He not see what is going on, how we are being persecuted? God even told the souls under the altar that He was going to wait until some more saints were martyred. That sounds like He doesn’t care. Or maybe He is powerless to stop it. Not so. He is the Creator of the universe so He has all power. He knows all that is going on. He is not tired or asleep. He has a plan and we must trust Him. He will give us the strength during those tough times to keep on keeping on. He will give us wings to fly above our trials and problems. He doesn’t always remove the problems, but He will give us the strength to handle them, to overcome them. As Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” God is all powerful, and the amazing thing is that He gives us enough of His power to handle everything we face or do. Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” It’s like when you are sinking in the water and can’t swim, or sinking in quicksand, and someone reaches down to give you their strong hand and pull up to safety, giving you strength that you can’t possibly have on your own.” From AI” In the Bible, God asks Moses if His power is limited in Numbers 11:23. This occurs when Moses expresses doubt about God’s ability to provide meat for the Israelites for a whole month, and God responds by saying, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened?” The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”

ISAIAH 7-35 JUDGMENT ON THE NATIONS

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JUDGMENT ON ASSYRIA

Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem from approximately 742–701 BC, during the reigns of the kings of Judah Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh. The earliest recorded event in Isaiah’s life is his call to prophecy around 742 BC. The Medo-Babylonian conquest of the Assyrian Empire was the last war fought by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, between 626 and 609 BC. We also know that he lived during the reigns of four kings. The first, Uzziah, reigned from around 783 BC to 742 BC. The last king, Hezekiah, reigned from 715 BC to 698 BC. So we don’t know when Isaiah was born, but scholars estimate that he could’ve been a prophet for about 40 years. Isaiah 6:1 says that he saw the throne scene vision in the year that Uzziah died, which would be 742. He then prophesied until Hezekiah’s was King, and died around 14 years into his reign which ended in 698 BCE. Hezekiah reigned for almost 30 years which puts Isaiah’s death around 715 BCE. Supposing Isaiah began his ministry around 755, then his ministry went around 40 years.

So Isaiah lived his entire life during the Assyrian Empire, although Babylon was gaining strength as a nation, as were the Medes and the Persians. He would have seen the northern kingdom of Israel (10 tribes) taken captive in 722 BC. He would be there in the 14th year of Hezekiah’s reign (Isaiah 36:1), which would be around 701 BC, when the Assyrians under King Sennacherib sieged Jerusalem. Isaiah told Hezekiah that Assyria, b/c of her arrogance in mocking God (Rabshakeh had mocked God’s ability to save the city), would not be allowed to take Jerusalem (Isaiah 37). He told Hezekiah that a remant would survive (37:31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.”). The Lord struck dead 185,000 in the Assyrian camp that night, Sennacherib returned to Ninevah and was assassinated by his sons as he worshipped his god Nisroch. God told Hezekiah he was going to die. He prayed and God gave him 15 extra years, and a sign that the sun dial would go back 10 steps. The king of Babylon sent envoys to observe this healing and the sign (which apparently affected Babylon as well). Hezekiah showed them the gold and silver in the temple, which would cause the Babylonians to later siege Jerusalem (586 BC). Isaiah told Hezekiah that, b/c he had foolishly shown the temple treasures to the Babylonians that the Babylonians would, after Hezekiah’s death, destroy the temple and take those treasures. So we see that Isaiah was heavily involved with predicting the Babylonians taking the city even though he did not live to see that. So let’s go back now earlier in Isaiah to read about Isaiah’s predictions for the nations around Israel

JUDGMENT ON ARROGANT ISRAEL

Isaiah 12:1-19 Isaiah predicts judgment on Assyria. Yes, God used Assyria to punish the northern kingdom of Israel (11 tries), destroy their capital Samaria, and take the 11 tribes captive into Assyria in 722 Bc, although God left a remnant of survivors in Samaria (12:20-23). He might have allowed Assyria to capture Jerusalem under Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-37) except for the arrogance of Assyria and their mocking the God of Israel. As noted earlier, the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians in 612 BC, so Isaiah’s prediction of the fall of Assyria is about 80 years in the future, and shows the value in fulfilled prophecy in proving that YHWH is the only one true God. Isaiah repeats this prediction of judgment on Assyria in 14:24-27.

THE FALL OF BABYLON

ISAIAH 13:1-16 predicts the fall of Babylon using figurative language (the sun and moon darkened 13:10). He then goes on to say it will be the Medes and Persians who will conquer Babylon in 13:17-22. The Medo-Persians conquered Babylon in 539 BC (as described in Daniel 5 with the handwriting on the wall announcing Babylon’s fate and that very night Darius captured Babylon). So Isaiah is predicting the fall of Babylon about 150 years in the future, which is amazing. He taunts Babylon in ch 14. He repeats this prediction of the fall of Babylon in 21:1-10.

JUDGMENT ON SURROUNDING NATIONS

In 12:28 – 23:18 Isaiah predicts judgment on many of the surrounding nations. They would be invaded by either the Assyrians or later by the Babylonians as judgment for their sins. Here is a map from IBible.org that shows the nations Isaiah predicted judgment: Philistia, Moab, Damascus (Syria), Cush (southern Egypt and northern Sudan), Egypt, Tyre, Sidon (near Tyre). Ch 34 is judgment on basically all the nations surrounding Jerusalem.

JUDGMENT ON THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN KINGDOMS OF ISRAEL

Ch 28-29 predicts Ephraim (the northing kingdom of Israel, 11 tribes) going into captivity (fulfilled when the Assryians took them captive in 722 Bc), and the warning to Judah (the southern kingdom, 2 tribes) and Jerusalem that they will be judged if they don’t repent. He tells them Isaiah 29:13 Then the Lord said, “Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught” Jesus quotes this in Matthew 15, saying that it applied to the Jews he was teaching. Isaiah warns Judah about trusting in Egypt to help them face the Assyrians and Babylonians (ch 30-31). He does predict a glorious future for the remnant (ch 32) who survive the judgment. This glorious future would even include the Messianic blessings in ch 35 (see blog article “Isaiah Messianic Prophet”) when God will come with a vengeance but also doing many miracles, redeeming Zion who come back to Jerusalem on the Highway of Holiness with everlasting joy and joyful singing. In Matthew 11, John was in prison and sent messengers to ask Jesus if he was the Coming One or not. Jesus healed some sick people (the blind, lame, etc as in Isaiah 35) while the messengers watched. He told them to go tell John what they saw. Jesus is saying that He is the Coming One who fulfills Isaiah 35. Those on the Highway of Holiness would be the remnant church of Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah when he would come 800 years later. This includes Isaiah 25:6 Now the Lord of armies will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine. 7 And on this mountain He will destroy the covering which is over all peoples, The veil which is stretched over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces. That prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus conquers spiritual death as his last enemy, giving immortality to believers (1 Cor 15:50ff). Jesus probably was citing this “banquet” of Isaiah 25 in Matthew 8:11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. This would be a spiritual banquet of spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:1-15), not physical food.

PRAISE GOD FOR HIS CREATION

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Job 12:7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; 8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? 10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Job 37:14 “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. 15 Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? 16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?

Job 38:4 Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 

Genesis 1:2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

Genesis 2:7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” 

Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Hebrews 3:4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Psalm 8:1 “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.” 8:3-4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Psalm 65:9-11 You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. 

Psalm 95:4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 104:19 He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. 24 How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. 24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom has thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.

Psalm 121:1-2 A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth

Psalm 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 136:5-9 to him who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. who made the great lights— His love endures forever. the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. 

Psalm 139:13-14 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 147:8-9 He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. 

Psalm 148:1-7 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapours high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being. He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked. Praise the LORD from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths,

Isaiah 40:26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 28 The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 45:12 “It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.”

Isaiah 55:12 For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Jeremiah 10:12 But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. 

Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’ 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Nehemiah 9:6 You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

Amos 9:6 Who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the Lord is his name.

From Pureflix.com by Billy Hallowell “These Bible verses about nature remind us of some powerful realities. Here are just some of the take-aways:

1 We should pause to marvel at the wonders God created.

2 God created everything we see before us.

3 The Lord created everything we see in nature out of darkness and nothingness.

4 God holds the power to create stunning beauty.

5 Everything we see in creation points back to the Creator.”

Hallowell goes on to suggest doing prayer walks through nature, devotions outdoors, or just pondering the wonders of it all.

My. thoughts. God takes pleasure and rejoices in his works of creation. An artist looks at his/her finished painting and takes pleasure just looking at it and it makes him happy. I love cutting my yard, edging, and weed eating. When I get through, I enjoy just looking at the finished project. God does that with his works. It is interesting that the objects of his creation are given human characteristics (anthropomorphism). The stars, animals, mountains, etc. rejoice, sing, and clap when they see their Creator. If we could just hear them speak, they are praising God non stop. Use your imagination as you observe nature and listen to them speaking. You can see God’s love in how he takes care of his creation (watering it, etc.) just as we take care of a garden that we grow. We can learn a lot about God from his creation.

God’s creation is amazingly designed. “Intelligent design”: the theory that life, or the universe, cannot have arisen by chance and was designed and created by some intelligent entity. I am amazed when I go to an aquarium like the one in Chattanooga, Tn. The diversity of colors and designs of the fish amazes me. The same with the diversity of all animals, birds, and plants. The same with the design of the human body with all the systems in the body that must work together for human life to exist and function. The design of the periodic table with each successive element adding exactly one proton to the nucleus. The laws of physics and math that exist. The universal constants that govern the universe. The designed movement of the heavenly bodies that allow us to send astronauts into space.

I always have 2 thoughts when I look at intelligent desirn. 1) Such diversity and design could not have evolved by chance. I look at a car with all the engineered parts that have to all work together for a car to run properly. That car can’t be a product of random chance from nothing. It had a designer and material to form the parts out of. If the material that the parts of the car were formed were eternal, they would have rusted making them useless (the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics). They didn’t just pop into existence from nothing (the 1st Law of Thermodynamics). The same goes with the intelligently designed parts of the universe and all life. Matter could not be eternal or it would be in a state of disarray and decay to the point of being useless, not designed (2nd Law). Matter can’t pop itself into existence from nothing (1st. Law). But we find matter and life is so well designed. As Paul said in Romans 1:20, there is no excuse for anyone not seeing that there is a creator God whose power made and designed everything. There is no excuse for not believing in a Creator God. Psalm 19:1 calls the atheist a “fool”. Psalm 104 might be my favorite of the creation texts above. Go back and read the entire psalm.

Psalm 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
    O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2     covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
4 he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled;
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15     and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
    and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;[a]
    the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

Meditating on God’s creation and His care for His creation led the psalmist to this conclusion: 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!”

Let the atheist gloat in his denial of the existence of God, but I will praise the Lord for his creation.

2) But then I have a second thought. You see, I believe in a six 24 hour week of creation. I firmly believe that the Bible states that as a fact. The Hebrew word for day is “yom” always means a 24 hour day in the Old Testament when it is used with a number or numerical adjective (2nd day) or used with “morning and evening”. Genesis 1 uses “yom” in both ways. In Exodus 20:9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. That was the basis for Israel working 6 days and resting on the 7th. That is the basis for the “week” as a measure of time. All other measures like year, month, season, day, etc. have a natural law of the universe that dictates those time period. I believe that the Bible teaches that the earth is young, around 6,000 years old. The genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 yield about 2,000 years from the creation to Abraham. The years in those genealogies are very specific. Adam was 130 when he fathered Seth. Seth was 105 when he fathered Enosh. Etc. Those are not imaginary numbers. They are the same kind of numbers that you would use in doing your family genealogy. Then Matthew 1 gives 42 generations or about 2,000 years from Abraham to Jesus. The word genea there is always used of a period of about 40 years or the people living in a 40 year period in the same way we speak of the x or z generation today. It has been about 2,000 years since Jesus to today so that adds up to about 6,000 years. There is no way around the fact that the Bible claims that the creation week was about 6,000 years ago.

Some say the whole creation story is just a myth or allegory, but an honest look at the facts I just gave refutes that. You can’t just allegorize all that. You have to just say the Bible is wrong in its claims if the earth is 6 billion years old. You can’t just allegorize the creation of man from dust. That happened on the 6th 24 hour day. It either happened literally that way or the Bible is wrong. If macro evolution (micro evolution is variations in each species and that does occur; macro evolution involves the changing of a species into a totally different species, like reptiles to birds or fish to men, and that has never been shown to occur) is true (either atheistic or theistic evolution), then man evolved over millions of years instead of being formed full grown from dust in just a moment of time as the Bible claimed. Jesus said in Matthew 19:“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? He is quoting Genesis 1 and 2. Apparently he believed the creation story was literal, not figurative or some allegory. Paul said that Adam was the first man. If macro evolution is true, then death existed for millions of years before the fall in the Garden. But the Bible claims that death was the result of the sin of Adam and only began after Adam sinned. There are plenty of evidences for a young earth (google that).

The measure used to say that the earth is 6 billiion years old is radiometric dating using the half-life of radioactive elements, but that method involves several assumptions that can’t be proven. Mainly, that the original rock sample had 100% mother element and 0% daughter element (the element that the radioactive element decays into each half life). The earth looks old (apparent age) even though it is not that old. God made everything full grown, with diamonds, rubies, and coal in the ground ready for man to use and enjoy immediately after he was created. Some say that would make God deceptive to make it look old when it really isn’t. Adam seconds after he was created would have looked old, but he wasn’t. That’s not deceptive. It’s just the way God chose to do it. He could have chosen to do it over millions of years (theistic evolution) but the Bible claims that he did not do it that way. Either believe the creation account to literal or reject the Bible, which can lead to rejecting all the Bible if we reject Genesis. The theory of evolution (macro evolution) is just that, a theory that cannot be proven. The fossil record does not confirm it either, with no fossil record of one species evolving into a completely different species. In Genesis 1, God created eveything to reproduces “after its own kind” and that is the way it has always happened. Mutations and natural selection, the supposed mechanisms of macro evolution, do not account for the creation and diversity of life and do not support the theory of evolutioin. Many atheists even acknowledge Darwin’s theory to be false.

But my second leads to other questions even if I believe God created everything. How did God create all the diversity of plants in a 24 hour day, of land animals in another 24 hour day, of all the planets and stars in the many galaxies of the univers in another 24 hour day, of fish and fowl in another 24 hour day, of mammals and man in another 24 hour day? The problem is that I picture God as if he were a man sitting down to think up the design for all the fish, for example, and then programming the natural instinctive habits of the fish. Then he has to disperse the fish over the entire planet. All that within a 24 hour day. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But God is not like a man with limited powers doing all that. In Numbers 11, God told Moses that He was going to give meat to the complaining Israelites. 21 But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ 22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” 23 And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” Jeremiah 32:17: “Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” God is an all powerful, all knowing, all present spirit (John 4:24 God is spirit) that fills the universe. That God spirit can be creating from nothing animals and fish all over the planet simultaneously, all within a 24 hour day.

Now, I must admit that even that thought seems unbelievable to me even if it helps explain how God could do it. But the other option is atheism, that there is no god, that it all came about by random chance evolution from nothing. The belief that God created it all in six 24 hour days is still the best option. Thankfully, we have other evidences that the Bible is the inspired word of God, such as fulfilled prophecies of nations and kings (like the statue in Daniel 2 that predicted the next 4 empires and Daniel 8 that predicts the breaking up of Alexander the Great’s Grecian empire into 4 lesser kigndoms after his death), fulfilled Messianic prophecies (like Isaiah 53), the miracles of Jesus (which the enemies could not deny had happened, they just attibuted it to the work of the devil), and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (the ultimate proof, Acts 17:31 because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people [x]by raising Him from the dead.”). These proofs help reinforce my belief that God indeed created all this diversity in six 24 hour days.

Then I just pause and think,”Wow”! Look at what God did. That evokes praise just as the psalmist in Psalm 104:34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!”

Hallelujah, which means “Hallel” (praise) “yah” (shortened form of YHWH or Yahweh). So I hope this article helps increase your faith in God and remove those moments of doubt that most of us have from time to time. The song in our songbooks, Hallelujah Praise Jehovah is based on Psalm 148 invoking all of God’s creation to praise him (whiich would include man, the height of God’s creation).

Hallelujah, praise Jehovah, from the heavens praise His name;
praise Jehovah in the highest, all His angels, praise proclaim.
All His hosts, together praise Him, sun and moon and stars on high;
praise Him, O you heav’ns of heavens, and you floods above the sky.

Let them praises give Jehovah, they were made at His command;
them forever He established, His decree shall ever stand.
From the earth O praise Jehovah, all you seas, you monsters all,
fire and hail and snow and vapors, stormy winds that hear His call. [Refrain]

Let them praises give Jehovah, they were made at His command;
them forever He established, His decree shall ever stand.
From the earth O praise Jehovah, all you seas, you monsters all,
fire and hail and snow and vapors, stormy winds that hear His call. [Refrain]

The refrain or chorus at the end of each verse.

Let them praises give Jehovah, for His name alone is high,
and His glory is exalted, and His glory is exalted,
and His glory is exalted far above the earth and sky. 

Listen to this song acapella. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0EZctgkSFY

Here is the story of the man who wrote the music to this song, William Kirkpatrick (1838 to 1921). He published about 100 major musical works. Here is an interesting quote from Hymns4Him at https://hymns4him.mjbhost.com/hymns/hallelujah-praise-jehovah-2/

“William J. Kirkpatrick died on September 20, 1921. He told his wife that night that he had a tune running through his head and he wanted to write it down before he lost it. His wife retired to bed and awoke in the middle of the night to find that he was not there. She went to his study to find him, and when she did, he was slumped over on his desk, dead, without having recorded that song. He was interred in West Laurel Hill Cemetery near Philadelphia. ”

Another quoted story:

“Kirkpatrick participated in many of the Camp Meetings the Methodist churches held. He often led the music portion of the meeting and enlisted the help of soloists and other musicians to perform for the attenders. During one of these meetings, he became saddened by his observation of the soloist, who would perform the required songs and then leave without staying to hear the preacher. William feared that this young man did not really know Christ and so he began to pray that God would somehow get a hold of the soloist’s heart. One evening while he was praying, a song began to form in his mind. He quickly jotted down the lyrics to go with the music and asked the soloist to sing the song that night. The lyrics of the song convicted the young man’s heart and he ended up staying and listening to the message. When the preacher gave the altar call at the end of the night, the soloist got up and went to the front of the tent and placed his trust in Jesus. The lyrics that so touched this young man, and many people since, are based on Luke’s account of Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. “I’ve wandered far away from God, Now I’m coming home; The paths of sin too long I’ve trod, Lord, I’m coming home. Coming home, coming home, Never more to roam; Open now Thine arms of love, Lord, I’m coming home.” Among the many other hymns for which Kirkpatrick contributed music, these are some of the most notable.” Here are the words to that song, Lord I’m Coming Home.

  1. I’ve wandered far away from God,
    Now I’m coming home;
    The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
    Lord, I’m coming home.
    • Refrain:
      Coming home, coming home,
      Nevermore to roam;
      Open wide Thine arms of love,
      Lord, I’m coming home.
  2. I’ve wasted many precious years,
    Now I’m coming home;
    I now repent with bitter tears,
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  3. I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,
    Now I’m coming home;
    I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy word,
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  4. My soul is sick, my heart is sore,
    Now I’m coming home;
    My strength renew, my hope restore,
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  5. My only hope, my only plea,
    Now I’m coming home;
    That Jesus died, and died for me,
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  6. I need His cleansing blood I know,
    Now I’m coming home;
    Oh, wash me whiter than the snow,
    Lord, I’m coming home.

Lisen to the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_M_x4qX3JU

I think of a friend and brother when I hear the words of that song. “I’ve wasted many precious years, but now I’m coming home”. I have spent 30 years at Madison Academy in Huntsville, Alabama as principal or teacher, preaching part time the first 10 years at Monrovia Church of Christ in Madison. There was only one year in that 30 years that I preached full time at Monrovia. During that year, I’ m sitting in the church office doing preacher stuff and I got a phone call out of the blue. The man said he was John Howerton, that he had been to our church service a couple of times (I never noticed him), that he had wasted most of his life by not following Jesus (he was in his 60’s at that time), and that he was ready to be baptized and devote his last years to Jesus. I baptized him. He went on to be a faithful Christian till death a few years ago. He went on a mission trip with our church to Baja, Mexico and helped the poor people in a village a lot. He was a brilliant man who wasted many years but came to the Lord. I miss him. He and another close friend and mentor, Hugh Minor, and I spent several meals together (John always bought). He was a political activist and would have loved to still be alive when Trump just recently got elected.

Kirkpatrick wrote some of our most familiar songs. Look up the words to these songs.

“’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3V58-VcHJs

“A Wonderful Savior is Jesus My Lord” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC-jTDHYRus. Fanny Cosby and Kirkpatrick wrote this song in 1890.

“Jesus Saves! (We Have Heard the Joyful Sound)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxnFr-NLeLU

“Lead Me to Calvary” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE6qReRGmaY

Thanks for reading. I hope you will listen to all these songs just cited. It is very edifying.

LONELINESS

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Some of the verses of “Only the lonely” by Roy Orbison:

Only the lonely
Know the way I feel tonight
Only the lonely
Know this feeling ain’t right. But only the lonely
Know why
I cry
Only the lonelyOnly the lonely
Only the lonelyOnly the lonely
Know the heartaches I’ve been through
Only the lonely
Know I cry and cry for you.

Listen to the song on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMShwAnph8k

Of course, that song was about him losing his sweetheart, his baby, but it epitomizes how the lonely feel. Maybe he is right. Only the lonely can understand how being lonely feels. David knew how it felt.

Psalm 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. The Hebrew word for lonely is yachid: Only, solitary, unique, beloved. It is often translated “only”, or “only one” or “only son” but twice it is translated “lonely” (here and Ps 68:6).

Psalm 68:6 God makes a home for the lonely;

I guess I should be writing my own words on loneliness, but sometimes it is good just to quote from someone who already has great words on a topic,and such is the case here.

Gotquestions.org has a good article on loneliness.

“Being alone and being lonely are two different things. One can be alone without being lonely, and one can be lonely in a crowded room. Loneliness is, therefore, a state of mind, an emotion brought on by feelings of separation from other human beings. The sense of isolation is very deeply felt by those who are lonely. The Hebrew word translated “desolate” or “lonely” in the Old Testament means “one alone, only; one who is solitary, forsaken, wretched.” There is no deeper sadness that ever comes over the mind than the idea that we are alone in the world, that we do not have a friend, that no one cares for us, that no one is concerned about anything that might happen to us, that no one would care if we were to die or shed a tear over our grave.

No one felt loneliness more keenly than David. In a series of earnest, heartfelt appeals to God, David cried out in his loneliness and despair. His own son had risen up against him, the men of Israel went after him, and he was forced to flee from the city, and leave his house and family. Lonely and afflicted (Psalm 25:16), his only recourse was to turn to God and plead for mercy and God’s intervention (Psalm 25:21) because his only hope was in God. It is interesting to note that the word “lonely” is never used in the New Testament to describe people. In the New Testament, the word “lonely” only occurs twice and both times refers to desolate places (Mark 1:45; Luke 5:16), where Jesus moved off into the wilderness to be alone.

Whatever the cause of loneliness, for the Christian the cure is always the same—the comforting fellowship of Christ. That loving relationship with our Master has reassured and encouraged countless thousands who languished in prisons and even went to their deaths for His sake. He is the friend who “sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24), who lays down His life for His friends (John 15:13-15), and who has promised never to leave us or forsake us but to be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). We can take comfort in the words of the old hymn that says it best: “Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He is with me to the end. Hallelujah, what a Savior!””

Some great thoughts. “Being alone and being lonely are two different things. One can be alone without being lonely, and one can be lonely in a crowded room.” I like being alone, and don’t always feel lonely when I am alone, though sometimes I am alone and lonely. I can be in a crowd and feel isolated and lonely if I am not fitting in. ” Loneliness is, therefore, a state of mind, an emotion brought on by feelings of separation from other human beings.” Sometimes I want to be alone, to not be part of the group. Our family made trips to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica in the last two summers. I am a pain to travel with b/c i am always worrying about something that might go wrong, about plane delays, about some of our family missing a flight, about not making it to the ferry on time to get to the island we were staying in, about someone getting hurt on the trip, about the best place to stay, about catching the flight home on time. I worry for the whole group, not just for myself. I actually thought to myself, “maybe it would be better if I just stayed home and let them go. Less stressful for me and for them also b/c they handle every situation easily. But then I thought, “as soon as I stay home and they fly out, I will feel a deep sense of isolation and loneliness.” So I go and try to deal with the stress. It really helps when they completely take over the planning of the trip and handle any situations that come up.

I think back to my college days. I was raised in Birmingham, Alabama and spend my first year of college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. I was miserable the whole time. I had friends, but not close friends. I kept myself busy with studying (engineering courses), but I headed home to B’ham as soon as that last class ended on Friday. I delayed going back to T-town as long as I could, usually going back on Sunday evening or even Monday morning at times. My girlfriend and wife to be was back in B’ham and I missed her. I didn’t have a cell phone or face time. The only communication I got from her was a letter she usually sent on Monday and I would get it on Wednesday. I would write her a letter on Monday and she would get it on Wednesday. We found those mushy letters recently and just laughed at them. I think I can say that I truly felt lonely. Finally, after one year in Tuscaloosa, I decided, “Why am I doing this?” I came home and spent the next 2 1/2 finishing my engineering degree at UAB back when UAB was one building only in the south side of B’ham. But I was happy being back at home. I saw my girlfriend more, but it wasn’t just that. I just enjoyed being in my home, my own room, not having a bunch of guys around in the dorm or apartment we stayed in. I was lonely in Tuscaloosa even though I wasn’t alone, but I wasn’t lonely in B’ham even though I was alone.

So what advice might I give to someone who is lonely. First of all, if you aren’t happy where you are, change if you can. Why be unhappy and lonely if you can help it? David had no choice. Saul was pursuing him in the wilderness for 10 years. He could not go home to his parents. He had to leave them in the care of the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:4-14). I was able to go home to live with my parents in B’ham. It wasn’t like I did a lot of things with them while I finished my degree at UAB. It was just being at home with them. I lived pretty much independent even while I was in my parents’ house. But I wasn’t lonely.

If you are lonely and would like to change your circumstances, but you can’t, then what can you do. There might be many reasons that you can’t change them. Maybe work or school related. Maybe financial. Of course here is where we cite Bible verses about God will always be with you and never forsake you. Maybe your family or friends forsake and leave you, but He never will.

  • 1 Peter 5:7“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. 
  • Psalm 27:9-10“Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me”. 
  • Psalm 73:23-25“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. You will guide me with Your plan”. 
  • Isaiah 41:10“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”

Maybe a closer and deeper relationship with God is the key to dealing with loneliness. From AI on the internet: “While there isn’t a direct translation of “lonely” in the New Testament, the Greek word most closely associated with the concept of loneliness is “eremos,” which means “desert place” or “solitude,” often used to describe Jesus going to secluded areas to be alone.” It is no coincidence that Jesus went to these solitary places to pray when under duress. Luke 5:15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness (erémos: Desert, wilderness, solitary place, desolate)and pray. Mark 1:45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas (eremos); and they were coming to Him from everywhere.” Jesus just had to escape the people coming to him. It wasn’t that He didn’t love them or have compassion for them and their sicknesses. I mean he healed everyone who came to him and culled no one. But he needed his time alone with God in prayer, and that necessitated getting rid of all the distractions, pressures, and stressers. We need that kind of time alone with God. Get rid of all the clutter. Turn the phone off. Close the ipad. As Jesus said, get in a closet and pray. Like the movie, have a “Prayer room” dedicated to silence and prayer. Seek the wisdom and guidance of God. Maybe you are lonely where you are, but maybe God has you there for a reason and it would be bad to leave before He can accomplish HIs plans for you. Maybe you just need to tough it out until you think God is changing plans for you. Maybe being happy is not the main thing. If so, you need a prayer room to get the strength to keep doing God’s plan even if you are lonely. Jesus found those desert places, prayed alone with God, and then found the strength to go back to healing all those people he temporarily avoided.

If you are lonely but can’t change your circumstances, or even if you could change them but feel you need to stick it out so God can use you where you are to do HIs plans, then here is another suggestion. “A friend sticks closer than a brother” is a quote from the Bible, Proverbs 18:24. Often a good friend can help you deal with loneliness. Even more so than a family member perhaps. Maybe you don’t share a lot of things with your companions or coworkers or teammates. Maybe they like to do things that you don’t approve of, like drinking parties. Maybe you don’t approve of how they talk or gossip or curse. But a good friend is one you can talk to, share you feelings of loneliness with. Maybe just you and your friend can sit and talk or go somewhere or relax and watch TV or a movie. You might not even talk. You might just be there quietly for one another. God is the one we should really rely one for comfort in our loneliness, but that comfort of God is a spiritual thing of faith that you can’t see or touch. But often God uses close friends to give us His comfort. Pauls spoke of this in 2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God”. Good friends empathize and comfort each other with the comfort that God gives each one. I do have a few close friends that I get comfort from, and I am thankful for that.

One other suggestion. Go out serving others in some way. Go find a widow to visit and talk with. Go feed the poor at a local food bank. Go play with some young kids and take them somewhere and buy them candy. Go visit someone else’s grandparents if your grandparents are not near by. Go to a Bible study in a small group. Get an online Bible course to guide you in a deeper Bible study of a Bible book or topic. Get a friend or friends to join you in a small group. That will give you something to look forward to.

BTW this blog article is dedicated to someone I love and respect who asked me to write an article on loneliness. She might have just been joking b/c I have been flooding emails with numerous Biblical articles on Daniel, the 2nd coming, Romans 9-11, etc. Pretty heavy reading. But I decided to write that article on loneliness for her.

JOSHUA

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appleofgodseye.wordpress.com

HisSermon4Kids.Com

HISTORICAL:

God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan (Gen 12:1-3) and repeated that promise to Isaac and Jacob. God told Abraham that his descendants would be in slavery in a foreign land for 400 years (Gen 15:13-16) before they would come out and occupy the land. Moses led them out of slavery, but was not allowed to go  into Canaan. He appointed Joshua to lead them into Canaan. In about 7 years, Israel defeated all the major forces of the cities of Canaan, starting with Jericho in the central part, then the conquest of southern Canaan, and finally the conquest of northern Canaan. The land was divided between the 12 tribes. The Levites received 48 Levitical cities (ch 21) spread throughout the land so they could teach the Law to all 12 tribes, but they did not get a “tribe portion” of the land. Instead, the 2 sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, received a “tribe portion” of the land since Jacob had ultimately given Joseph the firstborn portion (Gen 48:21,22) which means that he would receive twice as much land as his brothers. There were 6 cities of refuge (ch 20). The 12 tribes then went to their respective parts of the land, and were commanded to finish utterly destroying the Canaanites. They did not utterly destroy them, but they did possess the land such that Joshua 21:43-45 says, “So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

BIOGRAPHICAL:

Joshua has often been pictured as a type of Christ. Why is that? In 2 main ways. First, his name. Moses changed his name from Hoshea (“salvation” in Hebrew) to Joshua. “Jesus” is the Septuagint (LXX) spelling of Joshua, and Mary was told, “You shall call your son Jesus, for he shall save His people from their sins” (Mat 1:21). Secondly, Joshua led the Israelites to victory over all their enemies and enabled them to enter their “rest” (Jos 22:4) in Canaan. Their rest was a time of no more war with the Canaanites, and a time of prosperity as they took over all the wealth of the Canaanites. Read Deut 8:7-10 for a full description of the “rest” that they were allowed to enjoy in Canaan. Moses delivered them from Egypt (a type of our deliverance from the slavery of sin), but it was Joshua who led them to victory over all enemies and occupying the land, entering the “rest”. Many Israelites did not enter that rest due to unbelief and died in the 40 years in the wilderness (Heb 3), but the next generation under Joshua did enter the “rest”. Joshua was a 2nd type of Jesus in that Jesus overcame all enemies and led the 1st Christians to enter the Messianic “rest” after 40 years of testing and tribulation (not all made it as seen in the Hebrews warnings). Read Isaiah 65:17-25 for a great description of the “rest” that would be given Christians when the Messiah would come. That was fulfilled in a spiritual way in the spiritual blessings in the church of Jesus Christ, body of the save. Hebrews 4 pictures that Messianic rest as still future at the time of writing, so it must be referring to the final victory at 70 AD. It is unfortunate that many are still waiting for a physical fulfillment of that prophecy. Heb 10:35 says that they would get their reward, that rest, in a “very little while”. Joshua, of the tribe of Ephraim, died at 110 years old (24:29)

Here is a great topical outline of Joshua. I tried to put quotation marks where I quoted directly.

From enterthebible.org

Outline of Joshua

Kathryn M. Schifferdecker

Revised by Monica Melanchthon (07/23)

1. Introduction (Joshua 1:1-18)

A. The Lord Commissions Joshua (Joshua 1:1-9)

God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous. There are giants in the land and each city has an army to defend it. But God promises to be with him and give him success.

From Pastor Dave Martine:

B. Joshua Prepares the People (Joshua 1:10-18)

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had requested land east of the Jordan and were not planning on crossing the Jordan.   Joshua commanded the three tribes to first help their fellow Israelites in conquering the land west of the Jordan before they could settle east of the Jordan..

2. The Israelite Spies and Rahab (Joshua 2:1-24)

The 2 Israelite spies enter Jericho and meet Rahab, a prositute. She tells them how terrified the people are of Israel and their god, YHWH. They all had heard how YHWH defeated all the gods of Egypt in the 10 plagues and the drowning of Pharoah’s army in the Red Sea. She is ready to put her trust in the one true God of Israel, YHWH. BTW that tells us that every Canaanite had the same opportunity to turn from their false gods and turn to YHWH, but only Rahab did. God was just in wiping out the Canaanites due to their idolatry even though it seems like genocide to. us. The spies promises to spare her family.

From Truth Snitch

By Diane Norton:

3. Israel Crosses the Jordan River (Joshua 3:1-5:1)

  The Israelites cross the Jordan River, into the land of promise, following the priests who carry the ark of the covenant. As at the Red Sea, God stops the flowing of the Jordan waters for the Israelites so that they cross on dry ground. Joshua and the Israelites set up twelve stones as a memorial at Gilgal, where they camp after crossing the Jordan. The leaders of Canaan hear of the drying of the waters of the Jordan and fear the Israelites. This crossing of the Joran confirmed to Israel that Joshua had taken over leading Israel just as the parting of the Red Sea confirmed Moses as leader.

from inspiredscripture.com

Published by Dwayne Hancock

4. Circumcision and Passover (Joshua 5:2-12)

 Those men born during the 40 years in the wilderness had not been circumcised, so Israel paused to circumcise them even though that would leave them vulnerable to attack from the Canaanites (as Simeon and Levi attacked and killed the Shechemites after they had been circumcised. The place where they were circumcised is named, Gibeath Haaraloth translated as the “hill of foreskins.” They celebrate the Passover and start eating the produce of the land. The supply of manna that sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years ceases.

5. The Commander of the Army of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15)

A man  wielding a sword, the commander of the Lord’s army , appears to Joshua who falls on his face to the ground and requests instruction.The soldier tells tells Joshua to remove the sandals from his feet, for the ground upon which he is standing is holy. This soldier is probably the angel of the Lord, an appearance of God Himself in human form. He gives Joshua the battle plan for taking Jericho.

6. The Conquest and Destruction  of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27)

The Israelite people march around the city of Jericho, once each day for days, with seven priests carrying the ark and blowing on trumpets of ram’s horns continually. In front of the ark are the armed men, while the rear guard follow the ark. On the seventh day, they march around the city seven times. Joshua tells them that they are to destroy the city and should not covet or take anything (silver, gold, iron, bronze, or garments). During the seventh march around the city, the people hear the long blast of the ram’s horn and shout as instructed. The walls of the city miraculously fall, giving access to the  Israelites who destroy Jericho and everyone and everything in it (both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys), except for Rahab and her family. Anyone who attempts to rebuild the city now stands cursed. Joshua’s fame spreads.

7. The Sin of Achan (Joshua 7:1-26)

The spies sent to scout out Ai return and inform Joshua that it is a small city and that only a few soldiers need to be sent to take it. 3,000 Israelite men go to fight Ai and are defeated, losing 36 of their men.. Joshua is terribly disturbed b/c the Canannites would now think that Israel could be defeated. God tells Joshua that the defeat is due to “sin in the camp”: one of the Israelites has taken booty (a beautiful mantle from Shinar and 200 shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels), from Jericho God reveals the culprit (by casting lots) to be Achan, of the tribe of Judah. He and his entire household (women, children, slaves, and livestock) are stoned, burned, and killed as punishment. A heap of stones is raised on the site, which to this day is named “the valley of Achor,” meaning “calamity.” This might sound like “group punishment” (punishing the whole group for the sin of one person) and I suppose that it is. God sometimes has to make an example for everyone to see what happens if he disobeys God. This reminds us of 1 Corinthians 5, where Paul rebukes the church for tolerating the sin of one member, and tells them to withdraw from him.

8. The Destruction of the City of Ai (Joshua 8:1-29)

Joshua and an army (30,000 in number) march against Ai and destroy it as they did Jericho. God tells them how to ambush and capturing the city of Ai. They kill all its inhabitants (12,000 in total). YHWH allows them to take livestock and other booty from the city as spoils of war. Ai is burnt and the king of Ai is hung; at sundown his body is taken down and thrown down at the city gates. Stones are raised into a heap on his body. 

9. Covenant Renewal (Joshua 8:30-35)

The Israelites fulfill Moses’ instructions God had given Moses in Deuteronomy 27 to hold a covenant renewal ceremony at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. 6 of the tribes read the curses of disobedience from Mt. Ebal and the other 6 tribes read the blessings of obedience from Mt Gerizim. Joshua builds an altar of unhewn stones at Shechem, and the priests offer sacrifices. Joshua cuts out a copy of the law of Moses in stone and reads it to the Israelites.

10. Treaty with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-27)

The Gibeonites of central Canaan persuade the Israelites to make a peace treaty with them, so that they and their cities will not be destroyed. The Israelites were commanded to destroy all the nations in Canaan but they could make a treaty with nations outside of Canaan. They present themselves as having come from afar, showing their dry bread and dusty footwear as evidence. When the Israelites discover the trick, they honor the treaty, but consign the Gibeonites to be “hewers of wood and drawers of water” for the tabernacle.

11. Continued War with the Peoples of the Land (Joshua 10:1-11:23)

A. The Sun Stands Still as Israel Fights the Amorites (Joshua 10:1-15)

5 Canaanite kings attack the Gibeonites b/c they made a treaty with Israel instead of fighting Israel. Joshua honors his word given to the Gibeonites and marches all night to defend them. The Israelites defeat the five Amorite kings (of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) who have attacked Gibeon. At Joshua’s request, the sun stands still for a day so that the Israelites can have more time to completely kill the attacking armies. 10:14 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

B. Five Amorite Kings Killed (Joshua 10:16-27)

“The five Amorite kings flee and hide in a cave. Joshua finds them and has large stones rolled over the mouth of the cave, imprisoning them there until their armies are destroyed. The five kings are then brought to Joshua, and they are killed as a symbol of what will happen to all of Israel’s enemies. Their bodies are hung until sundown and then thrown into the same cave where they had hidden themselves and stones are set over the mouth of the cave.”    

C. Victories for Israel (Joshua 10:28-11:15)

Joshua and the Israelites capture and destroy  many cities in the South – Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. Canaanite kings in the North mobilize a large army (“as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore”) to attack the Israelites but they are defeated and the territory in the North is captured, the cities plundered, and the people wiped out..

From historyinthebible.com

D. Summary of Joshua’s Victories (Joshua 11:16-23)

This is a summary of all the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquer in Canaan. However, the Anakim (giants) survived and are confined to the Phlistine cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. David will fight the Philistine giant Goliath later, and even kill 5 of Goliath’s brothers. The summary ends, “And the land had rest from war” (11:23). The period of the conquest of Canaan by Joshua was about 7 1/2 years.

E. The Kings Conquered by Moses (Joshua 12:1-6)

“These verses list the lands and kings conquered by Moses and the Israelites east of the Jordan River. This land was given as property to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

F. The Kings Conquered by Joshua (Joshua 12:7-24)

“These verses list the lands and the 31 kings conquered by Joshua and the Israelites west of the Jordan River.”

12. Dividing the Land for an Inheritance (Joshua 13:1-21:45)

The land captured by Israel, both east and west of the Jordan River, is divided and distributed by lots among twelve tribes. The Levite tribe does not get land, and Joseph gets two parcels of land for his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who become basically 2 of the 12 tribes.

A. Introduction: The Land Still Unconquered and the Command to Divide the Land (Joshua 13:1-7)

The Lord lists for Joshua the parts of Canaan still unconquered by the Israelites The Lord commands Joshua to divide the land of Canaan for an inheritance to nine tribes plus one half-tribe of Israel that settle west of the Jordan.

B. The Land East of the Jordan Given by Moses to Israelite Tribes (Joshua 13:8-33)

“The text lists the lands and cities east of the Jordan River given by Moses to the other two tribes and a half-tribe of Israel: Reuben (15-23), Gad (24-28), and the half-tribe of Manasseh (29-33).”

C. The Land West of the Jordan Given by Eleazar and Joshua to Israelite Tribes (Joshua 14:1-19:51)

The land of Canaan, west of the Jordan, is divided by lot and given to nine Israelite tribes plus a half-tribe of Manasseh. Joshua and Caleb, the only two people still living of the generation that came out of Egypt, are given their own individual allotments of land. Caleb is allotted Hebron (14:6-15) and Joshua is given Timnath-serah in the highlands of Ephraim (19:49-51).

D. The Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20:1-9)

The Levites do not get a parcel of land. The Lord commands Israel to set aside 6 “cities of refuge,” where a person who has killed someone unintentionally can take refuge from those who would seek revenge (the “blood avengers). The cities are located throughout the land.

E. Cities for the Levites (Joshua 21:1-42)

“The priestly tribe of Levi, is given no land because “the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance” (13:33). The tribe of Levi is allotted 48 towns scattered throughout the territory of the other tribes. These towns include the six cities of refuge.

F. Promises Fulfilled (Joshua 21:43-45)

“Not one of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (21:45). Many today say that Israel never got the land that God promised Abraham, but these verses say that they did.

From Valley Bible Fellowship

13. An Altar Built and a War Prevented (Joshua 22:1-34)

“The eastern tribes–Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh–return to their territory after having helped the other tribes conquer Canaan. They build a memorial altar on the western bank of the Jordan River. The other tribes interpret the building of the altar as rebellion against the Lord and threaten war, but the eastern tribes explain that the altar is meant to serve as a witness in generations to come that they, too, worship the same God as the rest of Israel.”

14. Joshua’s Exhortation (Joshua 23:1-16)

“Joshua has grown old and is about to die. He calls all Israel to him and exhorts them to obey the commands of the book of the law of Moses, so that they might not be enticed by the nations around them to forsake the covenant.”

15. Covenant Ceremony (Joshua 24:1-28)

“Joshua calls all Israel to him at Shechem, where he asks them to serve the Lord–the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–rather than other gods. They reaffirm their allegiance to the Lord, and Joshua makes a covenant with them there, erecting a stone as a memorial of the covenant.”

By Gwen White

16. Death of Joshua and Death of Eleazar (Joshua 24:29-33)

Joshua dies at 110 years of age and is buried in his land The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites brought out of Egypt, are buried at Shechem. The priest Eleazar, son of Aaron, dies and is buried at Gibeah.

From Lizbeth Ball

https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api2/anchor?ar=1&k=6LdpffkdAAAAAHzv6vzGbOdnev0Cqdgw3lLSbs31&co=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbnRlcnRoZWJpYmxlLm9yZzo0NDM.&hl=en&v=-ZG7BC9TxCVEbzIO2m429usb&size=invisible&cb=8wfnzdgr531c

GIDEON AND ABIMELECH JUDGES 6-9

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

God had commanded the Israelites to completely wipe out the many Canannite kingdoms in the Promised Land. They did not finish the job and left many of the kingdoms intack. God said that he would let those Canaanite kingdoms become a snare to punish Israel and oppress them. The people would start to intermingle with the Canaanites and worship their gods. A kingdom like the Midianites or Philistines would oppress them and make life miserable for them. Under oppression, they would cry out to God for help. He would feel sorry for them and raise up a judge to deliver them. The land would have rest for several years after that until the people again began to worship the gods of the Canaanites, and God would send another Canaanite nation to oppress them. They would cry out… and the cycle would repeat itself.

Here is a great chart showing this cycle repeated throughout the period of the Judges (about 200 years).

The first. 4 were Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah (Barak working under Deborah). The land had rest for 40 years after Deborah, but then the Midianites oppressed the people after they sinned again. Judges 3-6 tells the story of the 5th judge, Gideon.

Here is a great chart giving the main events in Gideon’s life.

Without going into detail on each of the major events in his life, I want to focus on “Gideon, the reluctant, doubting judge”. The people do evil, the Midianites oppress them for 7 years, taking or destroying their crops, taking or killing their animals, laying their land “waste”. The people cry out to God. God feels sorry for them and sends an angel to appoint Gideon as the next judge to deliver Israel from the Midianites. Gideon is beating out his wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. He started off doubting God, saying that he had not seen God doing any miracles lately and questioning why God had forsaken them. He tried to use the excuse, “who am I that I should be a judge, I am the least in my clan”. He then asked for a sign, brought an offering, and the angel of the Lord burnt up the offering on a stone in front of Gideon. The angel vanished, and Gideon was afraid that he would be killed b/c he perceived that he had just seen the angel of the Lord. God told him he would not die. Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is Peace” (YHWH shalom: Peace, completeness, welfare, well-being, safety, prosperity). Surely that is all the proof that Gideon would need, right? Nope.

He was told to tear down his father’s altar of Baal and Asherah and to build an altar to God and offer a burnt offering to God on the new altar. He did so, but he did it an night b/c he was afraid of his family and the men of the town. The men of the town came the next day, found out it was Gideon who tore down the altar to Baal, and told Gideon’s father, Joash, to bring him out to die. Joash at least defended his son and challenged them, “If Baal is god, is he not able to defend himself”?

A large army of Midianites, Amalekites (Saul was supposed to wipe out the Amalekites but apparently didn’t, 1 Samuel 15), and others crossed the Jordan to attack Israel. The Spirit of the Lord comes on Gideon (supernatural strength and wisdom?) and he gathered an army of 32,000 men. So he is ready to deliver Israel now, right? Nope.

He asked God for the sign with the wet fleece and dry ground. So now his is ready, right? Nope. He then asked God to not be angry with him, but do dry fleece and wet ground, as if God can’t do it the other way around! I am shocked that God grants him this 2nd sign. You would think God is getting pretty angry with Gideon by now, but God is a patient God.

So he starts off with an army of 32,000 to fight against a Midianite army of 135,000. God tells him that he has too many men! Imagine how a fearful Gideon felt when God told him that. God told him to allow those who were fearful and trembling to go home, and 22,000 men leave. Gideon now has 10,000 men to fight 135,000 of the enemy. He then tells Gideon that he still has too many men. Gideon must be terrified by now. The men are tested by how they drink water, either bringing the water up in their hands to drink (so they can watch out for the enemy) or kneeling down on both knees with their face down drinking the water (not able to see the enemy). God told him to keep the first group (300) and send the rest home. God now has 300 men to fight 135,000 of the enemy. Gideon must be freaking out with fear!!!!!!

God is so patient with Gideon. He knows that his a so afraid, and a fearful leader will not be effective. Obviously Gideon is not totally convinced that God can win this battle with just 300 men. God tells him that if he is afraid, which he was, he should sneak into the Midianite/Amalekite camp with Purah where they heard a soldier telling of his dream in which the Midianites were defeated by “the sword of Gideon”, and Gideon’s fear was relieved and he worshipped God. That finally gave him the courage to attack Midian with his 300 men. Judges 7: 15And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. Did the Spirit that was on Gideon devise this plan or did Gideon think of it on his own? They blew their trumpets, smashed their jars and cried out “a sword for the Lord and Gideon”. The enemy panicked and in their panic began killing each other. The fled the camp. Gideon called on other Israelites to chase them down and kill them.

The Ephraimites were angry b/c Gideon had not called on them to chase and kill the fleeing Midianites. Gideon told them he had reserved 3 of the Midianie princes for them to kill, and they were appeased. Gideon’s 300 men were exhausted as they chased the Midianites, and Gideon asked the men of Succoth for bread for his men, but they refused b/c the 2 commanders of the Midianites had not been captured and killed yet. To them, Gideon might not win this battle and the Midianites might attack Succoth for helping Gideon. The men of Penuel said the same thing. Gideon told them that he would punish them for this when he returned from killing Midianites. By now, 120,000 of the enemy were killed. The 2 commanders had 15,000 men left, and they were fleeing in panic. Gideon returned to Succoth and got the names of 77 of their leaders and tortured them with thorns and briars, and killed the men of Penuel. He then killed the 2 commanders. We assume that the last 15,000 Midianites were killed also.

What a great ending, right? Nope. The people wanted Gideon and his sons to rule over them (as a king? perhaps a sign that they would later ask Samuel to give them a king instead of judges), but Gideon declines, saying “The Lord will rule over you”. Being a ruler over this divided, sinful group of Israelites would not be easy for fun. Instead, he asked them to bring 1700 shekels of gold Midianite earrings taken as spoil, and he made an ephod and put it in his hometown. Maybe his intentions were good, but the people ended up worshipping the ephod (no surprise). The land had rest for 40 years with Gideon as judge.

Gideon had 70 sons and many wives. He had a son, Abimelech, by his concubine. He died at a good old age. After he died, the people turned to idolatry again and forgot all the good Gideon had done for them.

So, other than an interesting story about another judge, what do we come away with from the story of Gideon? My take is how God can patiently mold and assure someone whom he calls into leadership of his people. He can take a fearful, doubting man tolerate his constant doubting and even asking for signs, and use him to do HIs will. He gives him all he needs to assure him of victory and the Spirit to overcome his fears. He helps him find courage in spite of unbelievable odds. That’s my take from Gideon.

I can relate to Gideon. Perhaps you can also. I struggle with doubt about God. How can there be an eternal, an all powerful, all knowing, ever present God spirit that fills the universe, who created all things with amazing design and diversity out of nothing (I believe He did it in six 24 hour days, but even if he did it over a long period of time, the point is the same)? That’s almost unbelievable to me. The main reason I accept the idea of God is that there are no reasonable alternatives. Science says that you can’t get something from nothing (1st Law of Thermodynamics). If there ever was nothing, there would still be nothing. Science says that if matter was eternal, it would be constantly deteriorating and becoming disorderly (2nd Law of Thermodynamics). So even if matter was eternal by some random chance, it would have deteriorated into chaotic disorder instead of the order and design that we see. There is no way that random chance evolution could produce the 30+ physical constants (laws of math and physics) on earth essential for life to exist on earth, all from nothing. Add to that, there is the resurrection of Jesus. Acts 17:31 God gave proof by raising Jesus from the dead, the ultimate miracle. An open investigation of the historical accuracy of the resurrection will lead one to faith in Jesus and the God Yahweh who sent him. Sadly, I still have days when my doubts arise again. I might even die having doubts about eternal life. I hope not. I hope that God will give me the signs and assurance that He exists and that He is with me, just as He did with Gideon. I believe that He will. I really relate to the man who told Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief”. I don’t think we have to have 100% doubt free faith. Just the faith of a mustard seed. I hope I have that at least. I hear people say, “How can a Christian be afraid of dying”? Some of us are probably afraid of dying. Will death really just be a moment in time and immediately after that brief moment we wake up in eternity? I think so. I hope so. If you are a doubter, I hope the story of Gideon will help you.

I can relate to Gideon’s fearfulness. Over and over it mentions that he is afraid throughout the whole story. I struggle with fear and being afraid. I always blame it on my mother. My dad was not afraid of anything, but my mom was always worried about what bad things might happen. I could have a sore on my toe and she would tell me about somebody who died of a toe infection. She kept me away from snakes. She kept me away from dangerous situations, like high places, which made me acrophobic (fear of heights). That fear carried over into all my life. A fear of trying new things, of getting in trouble with the government, of being sued (I was a school principal for 12 years), a fear of travel (I made everyone who traveled with me miserable with my fears), etc. I always think of the “what if” something bad happens. I worry a lot. I almost had a nervous breakdown worrying about one incident in the past. Gideon was always afraid and I’m sure he worried and thought up all the “what ifs” that might go wrong. To his credit, he let God use him to defeat the Midianites against great odds. He overcame his fears enough to lead Israel into battle and victory. He gave God the glory for his victory. Not bragging at all, but thankfully I overcame my fears enough to go to a school of preaching after I got my engineering degree, spend 5 years in the mission fields of Trinidad, West Indies and Colombia, South America. I think God used my wife and I to train church leaders in Trinidad who are still, 50 years later, leading the churches there. I never wanted the stress of being a principal, but twice it seemed like God was calling me to be a principal (12 years total) and perhaps used me to advance Christian education. I still worry too much, but I am working on it. I look back at whatever I have accomplished for God and give Him the glory. I think He used me to do His work in spite of my fears. I pray that the Spirit of God will help me overcome my fears in the future as there are surely many bad things that will happen as my wife and I age (I will be 75 soon). God will help you find the courage to overcome your fears, just he did with Gideon.

But what about Abimelech, his son by a concubine Judges 9 tells his story. Here is a summary. Basically Abimelech was a usurper who killed 69 of the 70 sons of Gideon by his wives (only Jotham escaped) and coerced the men of Shechem to make him king. After 3 years the Shechemites rebelled against him and he captured Shechem, raised the city and sowed it with salt. He killed 1,000 Shechemites trapped in a tower by burning it down. Abimelech was killed when a woman dropped a millstone on his head while he was attacking a tower in Thebez.

I close this long blog with the “parable of the bramble” given by Jotham the only surviving son of Gideon. He told this parable to the leaders of Shechem when they make Abimelech king. I will always remember this parable b/c it was my mother’s favorite parable for some reason (I can’t imagine why). She was a great student of the word, both OT and NT, and she knew all the parables of Jesus, but Jotham’s parable was her favorite. Here is what he told the Shechemites. 7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ 12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ 14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ The meaning is easy to understand. The only reason they had chosen Abimelech to be their king was that no worthy person wanted the position. That kinda relates to the U.S. now, doesn’t it.

Without getting too political, fiscal and moral conservatives were forced into a touch decision in the recent presidential election. A lot of Christians did not want to vote Republican for various reasons. But then the Democratic left leadership supports abortion and LGBQT, which are in total violation of the word of God so most Christians would not vote Democratic. Many Christians ended up voting Republican. But the sad thing is that the main issues were cost of living, inflation, and immigration- not restoring the U.S. to its Judeo-Christian values. Currently, 63% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 36% say it should be illegal in all or most cases. according to a 2022 Gallup poll, 71% of Americans believe that gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable, while 25% believe they are morally wrong. This is a significant increase from 2002, when only 38% of Americans held this view. Support for same-sex marriage has also increased dramatically over time. In 2022, 71% of Americans supported same-sex marriage in a Gallup poll, and 61% supported it in a Pew Research poll. According to recent Gallup polls, around 43-46% of Americans consider being transgender morally acceptable, while a slight majority (around 51-55%) view it as morally wrong. These are the issues that we should be voting on.

Maybe a majority of Americans did vote on those moral issues when they elected the Republicans who were more conservative. Mostly they voted on the economy in hopes that a new president can make things better financially, and I hope that he can. I just pray that God is working providentially to restore the U.S. to Christian morals based on the Bible no matter who is elected to the Presidency and Congress. 1 Tim 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior. I’m afraid that most voted based on the economy. But what will get Americans to accepting God’s definition of what sin is? What will get this liberal majority to change their opinions? America has had a grass roots revival every 50 years or so to get us back to Bible morals. There was the 1st Great Awakening, the Great Prayer Revival, the 2nd Great Awakening. These revivals were possible and successful b/c the vast majority of Americans still believed that the Bible was the word of God. If the Bible said drunkenness was a sin, then to repent meant to stop drinking. But now, according to recent Gallup data, around 49% of Americans believe the Bible is “inspired by God, but not everything in it is to be taken literally,” while only 20% say it is the literal word of God, meaning the majority view the Bible as inspired but not necessarily completely literal. In other words, now the majority don’t believe that abortion and LGBQT are sinful even if the Bible appears to condemn it. They believe that the Bible is full of human opinions that are not binding on us today. The apostle Paul who condemned homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10) was just homophobic and his writings are not inspired by God, they are just his opinions. So according to the majority, we don’t have to follow Paul’s opinions and writings. How can we have a grass roots revival if that is the case? What will convince pro abortion and pro LGBQT to change their minds on those issues if they don’t believe that God even condemns them in His Word? Where are we headed- Sodom and Gomorrah? I hope not. This addendum is not about Republican or. Democrat or how you voted. Each person should vote based on his conscience and respect how others vote. This is about praying that God will do whatever it takes to humble us and get us back to our Judao-Christian values based on the inspired word of God (2 Tim 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Pray for our country. Remember the parable of the bramble.

Thanks for reading. Pray.

SAMSON

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

One of the most interesting characters in the OT is Samson.

Here is a good summary of Samson’s life: from thequickviewbible.com

The chart does such a good job, and you can read Judges 13-16 for detials. Let’s focus on lessons we can learn from the life of Samson.

  1. Good parents can raise troublesome children.” (Taken from the slide below). Samson’s parents wanted to raise the child they were promised for the Lord. Judges 13:8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” Would that every parent asks God how to raise his/her children. 13:12 12 And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?” As a parent do you envision the mission that God might be planning to use your child on when he/she grows up? They were told by the angel that their son was to take the Nazarite vow and never cut his hear or drink wine. They humbly accepted that and raised Samson to never break that vow. It seems as if his parents did everything right in raising their son to be godly, and yet he turned out to be “troublesome” as an adult. I can think of many parents who do all the right things to raise their children in the discipline of the Lord and yet one or more of their children turn out “bad”. I know Proverbs 22:6 promises “train up a child in the way he should go and he will never depart from it”, but that is a general rule and there are exceptions. Often a child raised properly will “sow his/her wild oats” but then return to a good foundation that was given them by their parents. Sometimes they never return. How can this happen? Sometimes parents take their children to church but never really spend quality time with their children. In Deut 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” That is quality time with a child, not just taking them to church and leaving their training to a youth minister. That’s passing your faith to a child on a day by day basis. He/she is constantly talking to his/her child about God. He/she reassures the child that God is with them to deal with problems. He is constantly giving godly wisdom to the child. Of course the parent must have a genuine faith before he/she can pass that faith on to his/her child. Timothy had a mother and grandmother with sincere faith that they passed on to Timothy. 2 Tim 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. They also taught him the OT Scriptures from childhood. 2 Tim 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Even if a parent does all this, sometimes a child’s peer pressure overcomes the parental training. Especially today with the influence of social media and peers at school. Pornography, sexting, bullying, you name it.

Look at these statistics. According to various sources, between 50% and 80% of Christian students lose their faith or stop attending church while in college: Southern Baptist ConventionData from the Southern Baptist Convention indicates that they are currently losing 70-88% of their youth after their freshman year in college.  Lifeway ResearchA 2017 Lifeway Research study found that 66% of young people who were raised in the church stopped attending church regularly between the ages of 18 and 22.  BarnaBarna estimates that 70% of high school students who enter college as professing Christians will leave with little to no faith. Barna also projects that 80% of those reared in the church will be “disengaged” by the time they are 29.  Now I don’t necessarily think that a child who quits going to church has lost his faith. Many churches today are “big businesses” that turn young people off. They see most of the money collected being spent on buildings and salaries instead of helping the poor, drilling wells for people to get clean water in foreign countries, printing Bibles to preach the gospel in major languages, etc. But churches still have man good things for worship, fellowship, Bible study, etc. and all Christians should be a part of some small group or big group. But children are often exposed to atheistic, evolutionary teaching in college that destroys their faith. Maybe parents did not ground them in Christian evidences like they should.

2. Choose a godly mate. Look at Solomon’s unwise choice of a wife. It all started with his desire to marry a Philistine woman (14:1Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” 3 But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” His parents tried to talk him out of it. He did what many young adults do: he married out of physical attraction regardless of the spirituality of the prospective mate. Who our children marry is a major concern of Christian parents. My wife prayed every night with each of our 3 children as they were growing up: God, help _______________ (their names) grow up to be a Christian and marry a Christian (before they knew what “marry” or “Christian” even meant). Thank you Father, all 3 married a godly mate who is helping them raise our 10 grandchildren in the Lord. Too often young adults confuse love with lust. David’s son Amnon wanted his half sister so bad that he tricked her to get her alone and then raped her. After he raped her, it says “his hate he had for her was greater than the love he had for her before he raped her”. He never had an agape love for her; he simply lusted for her. We have a major epidemic of lust and sexual immorality (fornication) among young people today. In America today, around 70% of people cohabit before marriage, and almost 90% have sex before they marry. Moreover, around 40% of kids are born to unmarried moms. Data from the 2002 survey indicate that by age 20, 77% of respondents had had sex, 75% had had premarital sex, and 12% had married. Even among those who abstained until at least age 20, 81% had had premarital sex by age 44. Bar hopping and “hooking up” (sex) with people they meet in the bars is common. The sanctity of marriage has been defiled. According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher, with approximately 60-67% of second marriages ending in divorce. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 

Samson insited on marrying the Philistine woman. This led to a marriage feast surrounded by pagan Philistine men. Samson for some reason challenged the 30 Philistine men at his bachelor party with a riddle (the lion and the honey). The men forced his fiance to get Samson to tell her the riddle (nagging him, “if you loved me you would tell me”) and she told the men the riddle and they won the bet. Samson went out and killed 30 Philistines to get the 30 garments to pay off the debt. In the meantime, his fiance’s father gave her to his best man as a wife (no doubt a Philistine man). I see movies where stuff like that happens! Apparently Samson was technically married to the woman after a 7 day wedding feast, so he goes to her house to have sex but her father won’t let him. So he tied the tails of 300 foxes with a torch between them and sent them to burn the Philistine fields. As revenge, the Philistines burned his wife and her father to death. He then killed more Philistines in revenge. Samson unwise choice of a wife led him into many bad things. Many young adults have made unwise choice of a mate that has led to divorce and miserable marriages that have led to many other sorrows and difficulties for their children.

3. Some people never learn from their mistakes. 16:1Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Philistines surrounded the city but Samson arose at midnight, pulled up the doors and posts of the gate and escaped. If that wasn’t enough, he “loved” a Philistine woman named Delilah (apparently cohabited with her but did not marry her). What is this attraction with Philistine women? You know the story. The 5 Philistine lords paid her 1,100 pieces of silver each (5,500 total) to find out the source of Samson’s strength. This was worth thousands of dollars in our money. Jesus was betrayed for just 30 pieces of silver, so that tells you how badly the Phlistines hated Samson. She constantly nagged at him day after day and “his soul was vexed to death” (16:16). He told her 3 false ways to sap his strength until he finally gave him and told her that the source of his strength was his long hair. She then cut his hair while he slept. The Philistines came and captured him, put out his eyes, and put him grinding grain in a mil in the prison for several years. Much later, the Philistine lords had Samson brought to the temple where they were sacrificing to their god Dagon to mock and laugh at him. Unfortunately for them, they had forgotten to keep his hair cut while in. prison. He asked to be tied to the pillars. He asked God for one last chance to avenge himself against the Philistines and then he pushed the pillars apart bringing down the whole temple, killing 3,000 Philistines (more than he had killed in his whole life). He judged Israel 20 years before he died. Why did Samson not learn from his mistake of marrying the first Philistine woman? He follows that up with going to a Philistine prostitute and then shacking up with Philistine Delilah. Some people just never learn from their mistakes. They go from one bad relationship to another. They hang out with the wrong kind of people that leads to trouble and compromising of their morals. 1 Cor 15:33 Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. I have been around so many teens who regret getting in a bad group of kids, leading them to do things they know are wrong due to peer pressure. But some never learn from those mistakes. Their desire for acceptance overpowers their good sense.

4. God can use even the worst people to do His will. To me, the most astonishing thing about the story of Samson is that God used him to kill Philistines, the enemies of Israel, in spite of his “womannizing” and vengeful anger. Hebrews 11 still put Samson in the “hall of faith” (Heb 11:32). While uncertain which of the accomplishments in 11:34 apply to which hero of faith in 11:32, “made strong out of weakness” probably refers to Samson. He was so weak sexually, mentally, spiritually, and yet the Spirit of God would “move him” often to be super strong and kill Philistines. Surely Samson made it to heaven since he was in the hall of faith! In spite of his weaknesses and sinful desires and lust. That gives hope to a lot of Christian men. These statistics are hard to believe.

The statistics for Christian men between 18 and 30 years old are particularly striking: 77 percent look at pornography at least monthly.

  • 36 percent view pornography on a daily basis
  • 32 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 12 percent think they may be).

The statistics for middle-aged Christian men (ages 31 to 49) are no less disturbing:

  • 77 percent looked at pornography while at work in the past three months.
  • 64 percent view pornography at least monthly.
  • 18 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 8 percent think they may be).

Even married Christian men are falling prey to pornography and extramarital sexual affairs at alarming rates:

35 percent had an extramarital affair.

55 percent look at pornography at least monthly.

Hesch adds: “It’s abundantly clear that pornography is one of the biggest unaddressed problems in the church.”

Another well-known pastor has dared to address the problem. The following excerpt is from an open letter Chuck Swindoll posted on his Insight for Living Website not long ago:

“The most recent studies available suggest that one out of every two people-that’s 50 percent of the people sitting in our pews, are looking at and/or could be addicted to Internet pornography… Truth be told, that statistic could be even higher… Stop and imagine the ugly but very real possibility of some of your own elders and deacons leaving your meetings and going home to surf porn. Think about youth leaders viewing it one minute, and leading a small group with your kids thirty minutes later. It’s ruining marriages, destroying relationships, harming youth, and hurting the body of Christ. You hardly need to be reminded that fallen pastors and priests did not “suddenly” fall. More often than not, pornography played a role in their downward spiral. My friend, it’s time to do something about it. In fact, we need to start today. Making a difference requires action…  Our churches are in trouble. This is no time to simply wait and pray.”

I am not saying that God will save us if we continue to willfully sin by looking at pornography. There will come a time when we will fall from grace if we don’t repent and try to stop. But for many men, it is a lifelong uphill battle of the mind, and they lose most of the battles. They could easily get discouraged and just give up, thinking there is no way God would save them with this porn problem that they just can’t seem to shake. So what I am saying is, that if God saved Samson with his lust, that there is hope that God will save us in spite of us not being able to completely stop our lust problem. That might make us so grateful that we will try harder. But aren’t we leaving out something here? What about the work of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit can give you the power to do things totally against your sinful nature. That’ why we need to be constantly in the words of the Spirit in the Bible. The Spirit can providentially help us by giving us a close friend or mentor who will hold us accountable for our lust, someone we can openly discuss our lusts and trust to help us.

I hope this study of Samson is beneficial to you. It helps me just to write this blog article.

DANIEL 9-12 THE 70 WEEKS PROPHECY AND THE END TIME

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

From amazon.combooks

Ch 9: In the 1st year of Darius the Mede, which means between 539-536 BC.

Daniel has been in Babylon for 70 years now, making him at least in his 80’s. Daniel read in Jeremiah (not sure where that is found) about the 70 years, and knew that would be within 2-3 years more, so He asked the Lord to fulfill that promise to allow them to return to Canaan at the end of the 70 years. He confessed the sins of Israel. Gabriel appeared and gave him the “70 weeks” prophecy (24-27). See the chart “Daniel’s 70 weeks” for the main events predicted. The key is that the end of the 70 weeks is the “abomination of desolation”, and Jesus said in Mt 24:15 the the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was the “abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel”, and it had to occur within that generation (Mt 24:34). That means that the 70th week ended in 70 AD and this negates all the false interpretations of the 70 weeks has not even happened yet. There are 7 weeks (49 years) from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, and 62 more weeks (434 years) until the Messiah (Jesus) is “cut off) (his death in 30 AD.

Then there is a gap between the 69th and 70th week. Why? Because the end of the 70th week would also be the 2nd coming of Jesus in 70 AD and the exact date of that was not given. They were to be ready at all times. He predicted that his 2nd coming would be within their lifetime, but he would not give them the exact date. They were to told to look for the signs that it was about to happen, such as the surrounding of the city by the Romans (Luke 21:21-24). The 70th week (the last 7 years) was from 63AD to 70 AD. In the middle of the 70th week began the wars of the Jews when the Jews rebelled against Rome and there was a 3 1/2 year period of war between the Jews and Rome leading up to the destruction of the temple and city by Titus. This 3 1/2 year tribulation on the Jews was the “time, times, and half a time” of Daniel 7:25 “He (Titus) shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time”. BTW the dispensationalists also put a gap of going on 2,000 years now in their interpretation, but that is wrong b/c the 70th week ended in 70 AD.

Nero had ordered Vespasian to put down the revolt, but after he started doing so,Nero died and Vespasian returned to Rome to become the 10th emperor of Rome. He then sent his son Titus to finish putting down the revolt, which he did. In the middle of the 70th week in 67 AD is when the Jews quit making an offering to the emperor in the temple, which Josephus says was the beginning of the wars or the Jews.

Notice all the Messianic blessings that would be accomplished by 70 AD in 9:24, i.e. the atonement for sin, bringing in everlasting righteousness, anointing of the most holy place (the new most holy place in heaven, Hebrews 9), the sealing up of all vision and prophecy (Luke 21:21-24 says that in 70 AD all things that were written in the OT were fulfilled). All those things were accomplished by 70 AD.

The preterist view considers the prophecy to have been fulfilled by AD 70. By interpreting the “weeks” symbolically, preterists have more flexibility in determining the dates of the events predicted. They understand the “word to rebuild Jerusalem” as the decree of Persian king Cyrus in 538 BC. The “anointed one” in both v. 25 and v. 26 is Jesus, who is also regarded as the one who confirms the “strong covenant” of v. 27, and whose atoning work rendered the Jewish sacrifices obsolete and even abominable to God. Titus is the “prince to come,” whose armies destroyed the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Here’s what it looks like:

A great timeline of the 70 weeks by allkirk network

The dispensationalist view (which is wrong bc the 70th week ended in 70 AD) distinguishes between those prophecies pertaining to the nation of Israel (including Daniel 9:24-27) and those pertaining to the Christian church. It interprets the weeks the most literally, as exact seven-year periods. By starting with one of the decrees of the Persian king Artaxerxes—either in 458 BC (Ezra 7:11-26) if one uses a 365-day calendar, or in 445 BC (Neh. 2:1-8) if one uses a 360-day calendar—one can arrive at the Crucifixion of Christ in 33 AD for the end of the sixty-ninth week. However, the events of the seventieth week clearly did not take place in the seven years following Christ’s death, which is why dispensationalists posit a “gap” between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week. They often call this the “Great Parenthesis,” which corresponds to the current church age. The Parenthesis (unforeseen by Daniel) will come to an end with the Rapture (also unforeseen by Daniel), which will then lead into the seven-year Great Tribulation, during which time the Antichrist will make a pact with the nation of Israel, only to break it after 3 1/2 years and desecrate the rebuilt Temple. Here’s what it looks like:

Ch 10: In the 3rd year of Cyrus king of Persian.

This puts this vision right at 536 BC, the year the Jews are allowed to return from Babylonian exile to the Promised Land. An angel touches and strengthens Daniel who is in a terrible state of mourning. He said that he had been delayed by the prince of Persia for 21 days, but Michal came to help him. He came to tell Daniel what would happen to his people in the latter days (10:14 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”). He left to fight the prince of Persia, and then the prince of Greece.

Every kingdom and nation had an evil demonic prince. In 70 AD it was all the evil princes of all the kingdoms that were defeated spiritually and not their actual physical kingdoms. That is how Rev 20 says that the sea beast Rome was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone just like Satan and the earth beast false prophets were. Jesus defeated all demonic princes and powers in 70 AD, and Rev 11:14“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 

From slidesharecdn.com

Ch 11,12: In the 1st year of Darius the Mede (539 BC).

This vision tells of events from the Persian empire to Alexander up to the end time and the abomination of desolation (11:27, 31,35,40) with a conflict between the king of the north and king of the south. Many say it is a detailed account of events down to the Syrian Antioch Epiphanes in the 2nd century BC, but “the end” in Daniel always refers to the end of the age in 70 AD. Ch 11 is difficult to interpret as to who the king of the north and the king of the south are. I will leave that for deeper study.

Ch 12 is not hard to interpret, however, if we use Jesus’ interpretation of it in Matthew 24. At that time, the end time for these events to occur, there would be a distress on the Jewish nation such as had never been (Mt 24:21 Jesus said that would occur within the generation he was speaking to, thus 70 AD). It would a trampling of the holy people (the Jews) for a time, times, and half a time ( which is 3 1/2 years just as the little horn Titus did in 7:25). There would be a resurrection of the good and bad who had all been in hades up till 70 AD. It would be at the “end time” (12:4,9,13). This is the resurrection of which Paul said in Acts 24:15 “there is (mello) about to be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked”, which was the “hope of Israel” (that hope could only come from this prediction of a resurrection of all those OT people in hades).

Daniel 12:“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 
We know this is 70 AD because Jesus cited this passage.
Matthew 24:21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. This tribulation was the suffering of the Jews in 70 AD.

Daniel was told to conceal these words since they were a long way off. The abomination of desolation is again the end event, and as Jesus confirmed in Mt 24:15, refers to 70 AD. Daniel was to go his way until the end (70 AD) and then he would rise again to receive his allotted portion at the end. This is why Paul said in Acts 24:15 that there was “about to be” (mello) a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, which could only be 70 AD and the fulfillment of Daniel 12:2.

Daniel 12:7 I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. 8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 
Jesus said “the end” would be 70 AD (end of the Jewish Age). Mt 24:13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Daniel 12: 11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 
13 But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.” (1290 days would be about 3 1/2 years. ) This is the abomination of desolation of the temple in 70 AD. Jesus in Mt 24:15 that this abomination of desolation of Daniel would be fulfilled within the generation of those he was speaking to (Mt 24:34). This is the same abomination of desolation as Daniel 9:24-27.

Hebrews 4:Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. Daniel would be raised in 70 AD to receive his rest and eternal reward, just as all the righteous of the OT were raised to receive their eternal reward.

From godawa.com

That concludes this blog study of Daniel. Everything predicted in the book was fulfilled by 70 AD, so you don’t need to listen to false prophets who say that the 70th week is still in our future. Predicting the events surrounding 70 AD and the destruction of the temple, Jesus said in Luke 21:22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written (i.e. all that was predicted by the prophets in the OT)”.

But Daniel is not just. doctrinal book of the end time (70 AD). It contains inspiring stories of the courage of convictions of Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys.

You can see why Ezekiel included Daniel with Noah and Job as 3 men of great character. Ezek 14:14 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God. Ezek 14:19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness. Ezekiel taunts the king of Tyre in 28:you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; 4 by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries. He is saying perhaps that Daniel, not Solomon, was the wisest man in the OT.

Thanks for reading.