tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11234793417477169352024-03-18T04:25:36.095-07:00Comfortable Words"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Cor 1:3-4Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.comBlogger2682125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-56481675426745383552024-03-18T04:25:00.000-07:002024-03-18T04:25:02.105-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 86, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part FourToday we conclude the vision the Lord gave to Isaiah regarding the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which would happen within approximately two hundred years, for Judah will last an additional one hundred and thirty years after the fall of Israel, after which the captives from Judah will be held against their will in Babylon for about seventy years until the Medo-Persian army invades Babylon. <div><br /></div><div>Yesterday Isaiah foresaw lookouts posted on the watchtowers of the cities of the kingdom of Babylon, waiting for news. We talked about how the Medo-Persian army broke through the walls of the capital city of Babylon, flooding into the city and engaging its citizens in battle---a battle in which many Babylonians perished, including their king. Now Isaiah foresees this bad news traveling around the region.</div><div><br /></div><div>"And the lookout shouted, 'Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: 'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!'" (Isaiah 21:8-9) We don't know which city is in view here, although I imagine the vision represents several cities where the same event occurred.</div><div><br /></div><div>The scene is something like this: The man in the watchtower on the city walls sees a chariot with a team of horses approaching, driving wildly, and he knows there is news. He knows it is probably bad news, similar to how Paul Revere made his ride calling out, "The British are coming!" The watchman shouts down to the driver and asks him what has happened and the driver answers, "Babylon has fallen!" By this the watchman knows the capital city has been overtaken by the enemy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The gods of Babylon (which are false gods) have not been able to protect those who worship them. These deities can do nothing good or bad for those who make offerings to them. These deities cannot even protect the images that represent them; therefore, Isaiah says, "All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!" </div><div><br /></div><div>In Isaiah's day the nation of Babylon was not a great world power. It had been in the past but had fallen into decay. But it will rise again soon, overthrowing its oppressor---the Assyrian Empire---and taking over many other nations, including Isaiah's nation of Judah. When the people of Judah are taken captive to the foreign land of Babylon and held for approximately seventy years, they will have the word of Isaiah to study. They will know the prophecy of the downfall of Babylon. They will know that the Medes and the Persians will overthrow Babylon. Isaiah's words will be a comfort to them then and, as he relays the message of the Lord to the people of his own day, he assures them that it is the infallible and unfailing word of God. "My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel." (Isaiah 21:10)</div><div><br /></div><div>Later in our study of the Bible, when we arrive at the book of Revelation, we will see the rise of an empire which is symbolically referred to as "Babylon". It is the corrupt world system of the end times. It is a world system of materialism. It is a world system of false religion. But that empire too will fall, just as ancient Babylon fell. When the Lord gives the Apostle John a vision of the end times, the same cry will go up that went up in ancient times: "Babylon has fallen!" And just as the Lord predicted that ancient Babylon would never be rebuilt, the corrupt empire of the end times will never rise again either. The Lord will put down, once and for all, the rebellion of man. The Lord will put down, once and for all, the workings of Satan and the angels who followed him in revolt against the Lord. Never again will there be wickedness on the earth. The kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will begin and will last forever. </div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-72767598087490524962024-03-17T06:49:00.000-07:002024-03-17T06:49:28.521-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 85, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part ThreeThe Lord has been providing Isaiah with a vision of the fall of Babylon. In Isaiah's day the old kingdom of Babylon had largely disintegrated and it was not capable of preventing itself from being overcome by the Assyrian Empire. But the Neo-Babylonian Empire will soon rise and throw off the shackles of Assyria and then will conquer several other nations, including Isaiah's own nation of Judah. <div><br /></div><div>Isaiah's prophecy against Babylon is still about two hundred years in the future from his day but, during the time when many of his people will sit captive in Babylon, they will remember the promise of the Lord to judge Babylon. They will take comfort in the knowledge that He will judge the nation that invaded them, the nation that burned Jerusalem and the temple, the nation that dragged thousands upon thousands of their people off to a foreign land.<div><br /></div><div>Isaiah continues relaying to us what the Lord revealed to him. "This is what the Lord says to me: 'Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.'" (Isaiah 21:7)</div><div><br /></div><div>In the vision the Lord is giving Isaiah, Isaiah has been watching the fall of Babylon unfold as if he is standing right there when it happens. You'll recall from Friday's study that Isaiah foresaw the reveling that would be going on in Babylon on the night when the Medo-Persian army will breach the walls of the capital city. Isaiah observed King Belshazzar and his officials drunkenly carousing while the enemy was at the gates. In describing what he saw, Isaiah said, "They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink!" </div><div><br /></div><div>This is what Isaiah said they <i>should </i>have been doing: "Get up, you officers, oil the shields!" The soldiers should have been preparing to defend their city and their king; instead they were invaded that night and a great number of them fell by the sword, including their king.</div><div><br /></div><div>Keeping in mind that Isaiah is watching the fall of Babylon as if he is actually there, the Lord is not telling Isaiah himself to post a lookout. Isaiah is going to tell us what the lookouts posted in the watchtowers of the cities of Babylon will see and hear when the nation is being invaded. Isaiah isn't about to see chariots or horses or donkeys or camels invading Judah at this time and he is not the one who is to post a lookout. According to historical sources, the Medo-Persian army did indeed use camels and donkeys as well as horses and chariots. Isaiah, in his vision, foresees this great army and the modes of transportation they will use for war. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned in Friday's study, we will talk about the fall of Babylon---and the method used by the Medo-Persian army to gain entrance to the city where Belshazzar drunkenly partied---when we arrive at the book of Daniel, for this happened during the lifetime of Daniel. But when news that the capital city of Babylon has been overtaken reaches other cities of that nation, a great cry of anguish will ensue. In our next study session we will take a look at that portion of Isaiah's vision and we will discuss how it relates to the vision given to the Apostle John in the book of revelation. Isaiah foresaw the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Apostle John foresaw the fall of a corrupt financial, political, and religious world system of the end times referred to as "Babylon".</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-58300572800402882522024-03-15T04:24:00.000-07:002024-03-15T04:24:06.657-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 84, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part TwoIn the first portion of Chapter 21 we found Isaiah predicting the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Medo-Persian Empire. At the time he makes this prediction, the Assyrian Empire is the most powerful nation in that part of the world, but we know that Babylon rose to great power and conquered Assyria and that Babylon, in turn, was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire.<div><br /></div><div>When Isaiah is given the "dire vision" of the invasion and fall of Babylon, he feels what will be felt by the citizens of that nation. He says, "At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see." (Isaiah 21:3)</div><div><br /></div><div>When we closed yesterday's study we talked about how it should break our hearts when unrepentant people pass out of this world. It should break our hearts to think about the judgment they will face. The thought of anyone leaving this world lost and having to face a holy God without the Redeemer to defend them should make us feel as Isaiah feels. </div><div><br /></div><div>The citizens of idolatrous Babylon will tremble in terror when their enemy breaches the walls of the capital city and begins the attack, but this would not have happened to them if they had placed their trust in the one true God. They could have lived in peace as a sovereign nation, I am sure, if they had made Him the Lord of their lives, just as the people of Israel and Judah could have lived in peace if they had not turned to idolatry. The Lord makes it plain in the Scriptures that nations fall because they did not acknowledge Him---because they despised Him and because they persecuted those who loved Him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Isaiah continues, "My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me." (Isaiah 21:4) Armies in ancient times did not typically attack at night. In those days they lacked the equipment to be able to see what they were doing in the night. That is why the saying became popular: "We attack at dawn!" But even though it was not common to be attacked at night, this is exactly what will happen in Babylon when the army of the Medes and Persians breaches the city walls while King Belshazzar holds a drinking party. That very night King Belshazzar and many others lost their lives trying to defend their city. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nighttime doesn't bring any reprieve for those who are lost without the Lord either. The most horror-filled nights of my life were the nights when I struggled with the knowledge that I was lost without the Lord. I spent a number of nights wide awake and almost trembling in fear during the summer of 1992. I could not sleep for fear that I might die before dawn, yet at the same time I was resisting submitting myself to the Lord. </div><div><br /></div><div>While Belshazzar and his officials blaspheme the name of the Lord and drink their wine from the golden receptacles that King Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers looted from the Lord's temple at Jerusalem many years earlier, the enemy is creeping into the city. Rather than being alert and on guard, they are trying to numb themselves to this imminent threat. They should have been on their feet, armed and ready, which is why Isaiah says, "They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!" (Isaiah 21:5)</div><div><br /></div><div>When we arrive at the book of Daniel we will discuss in more detail how the enemy army was able to get into the city before the citizens even knew it. But for now we will close with a reminder that, as believers, we are to be on our feet, armed and ready at all times. We have an enemy and we are commanded to be on our guard against him. "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) We are not to live in <i>fear </i>of this roaring lion, for greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4), but if we are not alert and of sober mind we may suddenly realize that sin has crept into our lives and gained a foothold without us having noticed it. We are to be on guard, daily communing with the Lord and allowing Him to search our hearts to point out any areas in which we are spiritually weak, asking Him to strengthen us in those areas so our enemy doesn't catch us off guard and tempt us into sin.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-3689868739778952872024-03-14T04:24:00.000-07:002024-03-14T04:24:59.134-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 83, A Prophecy Against Babylon, Part OneIsaiah has been making many predictions against ancient nations that were, at times, enemies of Israel and Judah. He has been warning the people of Judah not to ally themselves with other nations against the Assyrian Empire, for the Assyrian Empire will conquer Israel but not Judah. A different nation will conquer Judah: the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In Isaiah's day this would have been difficult to imagine but in about 130 years after he speaks the words of the prophecy this will come true. <div><br /></div><div>But in time Babylon too will fall. Chapter 21 contains a prophecy against that nation, long before it has done anything against the people of Judah. In fact, in Isaiah's time a king of Judah will think the king of Babylon is his friend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Babylon is not Judah's friend but an enemy. The Lord will someday judge this enemy though, as He reveals to Isaiah. "A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused." (Isaiah 21:1-2)<div><br /></div><div>The plain upon which Babylon lay was surrounded by various lakes and marshes, plus the Babylonians installed plentiful and intricate systems of irrigation to bring water in from the Euphrates River. Many scholars believe this is why Babylon is called "the Desert by the Sea" because it would have been a barren wasteland if there had not been a number of water sources (called "seas" here) from which to bring in much-needed moisture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Isaiah speaks of himself when he says, "A dire visions was shown to me", but I believe he is speaking in the words of the Lord when he says, "I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused". The Lord is the one who is going to bring to an end all the groaning she (Babylon) caused His people. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord will accomplish this by allowing other people to rise to power---people capable of overthrowing Babylon. Elam and Media, which were mentioned in verse 2, lay within what is modern-day Iran. They were major cities of the ancient kingdom of Persia and, as we've mentioned before and as we will study in detail when we arrive at the book of Daniel, the Neo-Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire. This is why the Lord calls for Elam to attack and Media to lay siege; that is exactly what will take place approximately 200 years after the Lord shows Isaiah this vision.</div><div><br /></div><div>The things shown to Isaiah in the vision given him by the Lord will cause him great distress as he experiences, vicariously, the things the people of Babylon will experience when judgment falls upon them. This passage is quite long and it will take us several days to discuss it thoroughly, so we must leave off here at verse 2 and will pick up with verse 3 in our next study session.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will close by saying that the judgment of others should always distress us, just as it will distress Isaiah. We should have a heart like the Lord's for our fellow man. We should long to see their day of repentance and redemption, not their day of destruction. We <i>all </i>have sinned against the Lord and are worthy of destruction and it's only by the grace of God that we are offered a means of salvation and a way to escape the judgment.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-56031413849606525242024-03-13T05:29:00.000-07:002024-03-13T05:29:47.958-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 82, An Unusual SignChapter 20 only has six verses and we will be looking at all six today. This chapter is titled "A Prophecy Against Egypt And Cush" and the Lord will ask Isaiah to do something unusual as a sign that the Lord's people are not to ally themselves with Egypt and Cush. <div><br /></div><div>As our chapter opens the Assyrians have captured a great city of Philistia, called Ashdod. "In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it---at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz." (Isaiah 20:1-2a) </div><div><br /></div><div>Ashdod was one of the top five largest cities in Philistia. You may recall that earlier in the book of Isaiah we found Isaiah delivering a prophecy against the Philistines, who were ancient enemies of the people of Israel. Although the descendants of Jacob were probably not sorry to see the Philistines defeated in a battle, the fact that Ashdod had fallen meant that the Assyrians were continuing to advance toward them. The news that Ashdod had fallen would have been quite alarming. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the year that this news comes, the Lord tells Isaiah to do something unusual. "He said to him, 'Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.' And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot." (Isaiah 20:2b) Prophets tended to wear rough clothing, like sackcloth, to signify sorrow over the sad spiritual condition of their nation. It was also a sign of humility. Isaiah is to humble himself even further by removing the garment of a prophet and by removing the sandals from his feet as he walks throughout the land proclaiming the message of the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some versions of the Bible use the word "naked" when describing how Isaiah walked throughout the land. Many scholars dispute that translation since the Bible does not encourage immodesty. It would have been a shame and disgrace for a child of God to appear in public unclothed and this is why so many scholars believe that all Isaiah was asked to do was remove his outer garment and to walk around wearing the long undergarment. </div><div><br /></div><div>People will stop and stare at him as he does this, which is what the Lord intends, because Isaiah's appearance is to be a sign to everyone. "Then the Lord said, 'Just as My servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared---to Egypt's shame.'" (Isaiah 20:3-4) </div><div><br /></div><div>The text above lends credence to the theory of some scholars that Isaiah actually was naked, but that is still not necessarily so, for conquerors had a habit of cutting off the undergarment robes of their captives just below the buttocks in order to humiliate them. An example of this occurred when some of David's men were poorly treated by King Hanun of the Ammonites. David sent an envoy to the king as a gesture of goodwill but Hanun ordered his soldiers to cut off the men's garments at the buttocks and to shave half their beards off. (This passage can be found in 2 Samuel 10.) It's possible that Isaiah wore his undergarment shortened, or that he wore only his undergarment, or that he was unclothed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever actually happened here in regard to how much or how little Isaiah is wearing, the purpose is to provide a visual aid to go along with the prophecy he is delivering. "Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. In that day the people who live on the coast will say, 'See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?'" (Isaiah 20:5-6)</div><div><br /></div><div>In Chapter 19, when we studied Isaiah's prophecy against Egypt, we found him ending on a hopeful note: someday there will be a widescale turning to the Lord in Egypt. But that doesn't mean Isaiah's nation of Judah should ally itself with Egypt and with Egypt's Cushite king against Assyria. Assyria will conquer Egypt and will take captive many Egyptians and Cushites. At this time in history the Egyptians and Cushites are idolatrous heathens and the Lord's people are not to place their trust in pagans but in the Lord. The Lord is Judah's strength; all other help will fail.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-29130420048766378982024-03-12T05:24:00.000-07:002024-03-12T05:24:47.271-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 81, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part FiveYesterday's study ended on a hopeful note, with Isaiah predicting that the people of Egypt would turn to the Lord. This prediction was somewhat fulfilled in ancient times when many in Egypt heard and believed the gospel message. But a lot of scholars believe that the majority of Isaiah's prediction is yet to come true.<div><br /></div><div>We will pick back up with the verse we ended with yesterday and move on from there. "In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monitor to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt." (Isaiah 19:19-20a) As we discussed yesterday, a temple to the Lord was built in Alexandria during the Ptolemy (Greek) Dynasty of Egypt. But a number of scholars believe that there will be a day when a vast percentage of the people will turn to the Lord and worship Him in the way the descendants of Jacob worship Him.</div><div><br /></div><div>"When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them." (Isaiah 19:20b) Some identify this savior and defender as the rulers of the Persian Empire and Greek Empire, during whose eras Egypt enjoyed freedom from her former oppressors such as Assyria and Babylon, and during which era the Egyptians, Judeans, and Assyrians were at peace with each other. In a larger sense, the Lord has also sent them a Savior and Defender in Christ, and some students of prophecy interpret verse 20b to be a reference to how there will be a turning to Christianity in Egypt in the last days.</div><div><br /></div><div>"So the Lord will make Himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas to heal them." (Isaiah 19:21-22) Whatever is meant by these two verses, we know that the Lord's ultimate goal in bringing hardship to anyone is that they would repent. He does not want to destroy anyone; He wants people to turn to Him and be saved. Likewise, when He allows hardship in the lives of those who already belong to Him, it is to accomplish a purpose in our lives. It is to help us, not to hurt us. As Job said in his time of distress: "For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal." (Job 5:18)</div><div><br /></div><div>"In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.'" (Isaiah 19:23-25) This is something no one of Isaiah's day could have imagined! They could imagine an alliance with Egypt against Assyria but no one in Israel or in Judah could imagine any sort of fellowship with the Assyrians who threatened their very existence at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of this was fulfilled during the Persian and Greek Empires, as we've already mentioned, when these nations were at peace with one another. But we still don't, today, see the Israelites and the descendants of the Assyrians and Egyptians worshiping the Lord together at the same altar. This part remains to be fulfilled, but isn't it a beautiful prophecy? Those whose ancestors bowed to false gods will bow to the one true God. Those whose ancestors hated and persecuted the Israelites will someday worship the one true God with the Jewish people. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-42939708389269096382024-03-11T04:24:00.000-07:002024-03-11T04:24:04.841-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 80, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part FourIsaiah has been predicting collapse for ancient Egypt. This is going to take place in the form of governmental failings, drought that will affect agriculture and the fishing industry and the trading of goods, civil unrest within the nation, and invasion and subjugation by other empires.<div><br /></div><div>Now he says: "In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them. And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them." (Isaiah 19:16-17)</div><div><br /></div><div>The interpretation of verses 16-17 is unclear. Judah itself would be conquered in a little over one hundred years after Isaiah gave this message and it is difficult to see how, during Isaiah's time or afterwards, the Egyptians would have shuddered in fear at the mention of the name of Judah. Most scholars appear to believe these verses predict a time that has not yet come to pass and I tend to agree with that assessment. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever the Bible uses the term "in that day" it is often a reference to the end times or to the eternal kingdom of the Messiah. We can see that verse 16 may have been fulfilled in antiquity, when the Lord allowed great disasters to befall Egypt, but verse 16 seems so closely connected to verse 17 (including the use of the word "and" between the two verses) that this may indicate a future event. The "fear" and the "terror" Egypt will experience at that time may indicate a reverent fear of Judah's God and a widescale turning to Him.</div><div><br /></div><div>In our own day only about ten percent of Egyptians are Christian and there are so few Jews that a percentage cannot even really be calculated, so it seems clear that Isaiah's prediction has not yet fully come true. This next segment may have been partially fulfilled in antiquity but most of it remains to be fulfilled as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>"In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border." (Isaiah 19:18-19) What does Isaiah mean when he says five cities of Egypt will speak the language of the land of Canaan? Does he mean they will speak the language of the descendants of Jacob, to whom the Lord gave the land of Canaan? Scholars are divided in their opinion of this prophecy and some scholars don't offer an opinion on it at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>An altar to the Lord was indeed built during the time when the Greeks were Pharaohs of Egypt. A Jewish high priest named Onias built a temple, including an altar, in Alexandria when Ptolemy VI was king of Egypt. During that time there were a number of converts to Christianity in Egypt. However, there is reason to believe that Isaiah's prediction will be fulfilled in bigger ways in times to come. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we continue our study of this chapter in our next session, we will discuss how some of Isaiah's prophecy in Chapter 19 may have been partially fulfilled in the time of Alexander the Great and thereafter. But we will also discuss the fact that not all of Isaiah's prophecy fits into history, leading us to believe that much of it regards a time still to come.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-48821172993740901532024-03-10T07:05:00.000-07:002024-03-10T07:05:26.041-07:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 79, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part Three<p>Isaiah is predicting the downfall of ancient Egypt. As we learned in our last study session, invaders will come, drought will come, the fishing industry will fail, and the crops will fail.</p><p>Ancient Egypt has already been on the decline for some time by Isaiah's day, which is why the nation was taken over by the Cushites. The pharaohs of Egypt in Isaiah's lifetime are Cushites, not Egyptians. But even though these people were able to subjugate the Egyptians, their leaders will not be able to defend Egypt against Assyria or against Babylon after that or against Persia after that. Their leaders won't be able to prevent civil unrest or the civil wars that will come not long after Isaiah's lifetime. Their leaders won't be able to do anything about the lack of rain, the lack of crops, the lack of fish, and the lack of flax and other materials that will be affected by the drought.</p><p>The prophet says: "The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, 'I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings?'" (Isaiah 19:11) </p><p>The central government will break down in the face of adversity. There will be disagreements over what to do and over whose advice to follow. <i>None </i>of the advice will be good since none of it comes from the Lord. The "wise men" of the cultures surrounding Judah and Israel were men who sought counsel by various means of pagan divination. They called upon idols, upon the dead, and upon unseen spiritual forces of wickedness. They practiced the occult and at times could perform signs and wonders through demonic influences, such as the magicians of Pharaoh did in the days of Moses. Nothing told to these "wise men" by fallen angels (demons) will be of any use. Neither will any interpretations from any fortune-telling methods they may use. At best, such things are nothing but fraudulent charades; at worst, they are messages from Satan and his minions. Either way, no one can thwart the plans of God, and whatever He purposes is what is going to happen.</p><p>Satan and the fallen angels who rebelled against God along with him cannot read the mind of God or of man. They don't know exactly when or how the Lord is going to bring things to pass. They can't predict with one hundred percent accuracy what man is going to do either. Even if the forces of darkness want to help the land of Egypt, their knowledge and power are limited. Satan is not the Lord's counterpart, for he is a created entity, and he cannot know the mind of the Lord and he is not powerful like the Lord. "Where are your wise men now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned against Egypt." (Isaiah 19:12)</p><p>"The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her peoples have led Egypt astray. The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit. There is nothing Egypt can do---head or tail, palm branch or reed." (Isaiah 19:13-15) Zoan and Memphis were the capitals of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. These cities were where a person would go when seeking the most learned and wise of counselors. But no one will be found who can avert the coming disaster. In fact, not only was their ungodly advice bad to begin with, but the Lord will frustrate their advice further so that it's even worse than it normally is.</p><p>The Lord is not <i>forcing </i>the leaders or the citizens of Egypt to be ignorant and confused. He's simply not doing anything to prevent them from making poor decisions. He's not protecting them from making poor decisions from the sinful desires of their hearts or from the foolishness of fortune-tellers. They strayed from the truth long ago and preferred to serve idols rather than the living God. He is going to let them have their way and do their own thing---and the result of that will be the dissolution of their government and the fall of their nation.</p><p>It is the Lord who gives wise counsel. It is the Lord who directs our steps along the right paths. When we follow our carnal human heart or when we follow the foolish counsel of ungodly men and women, we are bound to make mistakes and we will have to face the consequences of those mistakes. I'm not saying it's possible to lose our salvation but that when we make ungodly decisions we make life unpleasant for ourselves and for our loved ones. Some mistakes can have far-ranging consequences, not only for ourselves but for our descendants. While it's true that we cannot live completely sinless lives as long as we live in the flesh in this fallen world, it's also true that we can certainly avoid some very costly mistakes if we will submit all of our plans to the Lord, pray for His guidance, and obey whatever He tells us.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-66205239964274405482024-03-08T04:16:00.000-08:002024-03-08T04:16:49.641-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 78, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part TwoIsaiah has a word from the Lord against the idolatrous land of Egypt. In yesterday's study we learned that several nations were going to subjugate the land of Egypt and that there would be civil unrest within the nation, causing it to break apart into a number of factions. Today's text begins with words about a natural disaster that's coming: drought.<div><br /></div><div>"The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry." (Isaiah 19:5) The reference to "the river" can only be a reference to the Nile River, upon which Egypt was utterly dependent. The farming communities along the Nile could not raise their crops without the annual flooding of the Nile and without being able to irrigate their fields from the Nile.</div><div><br /></div><div>Subsidiary waterways will run low too and many of the animals that live in the water will perish and decay. "The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither, also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more. The fishermen will groan and lament, all who cast hooks into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away." (Isaiah 19:6-8)</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a disaster for the farming industry and for the fishing industry. It's a disaster for the trade industry too. Not only will there be no crops or fish to eat or sell or trade, but the people will lack the materials to make some of the fine goods they normally sold for money to buy necessities. "Those who work with combed flax will despair, the weavers of fine linen will lose hope. The workers in cloth will be dejected, and all the wage earners will be sick at heart." (Isaiah 19:9-10)</div><div><br /></div><div>Egypt has been on the decline for quite some time by Isaiah's day. It has problems within and without---and those problems are going to get worse, as Isaiah predicts. Not one of Egypt's pantheon of gods will be of any help. Neither will any of Egypt's sorcerers, wise men, or leaders. In our next study session we will see how futile is the help of idols or man. The only way Egypt would have been helped is if its people had forsaken their idols and turned to the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-34735082321401719792024-03-07T04:30:00.000-08:002024-03-07T04:30:47.099-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 77, A Prophecy Against Egypt, Part One<p>I'm sorry for not having a Bible study post on Wednesday. I normally do a post Sunday through Friday but several things happened yesterday that threw my whole day's schedule off course and I ran out of time to properly work on the study and to give it the attention it deserves.</p><p>Today we are beginning Chapter 19 which is titled "A Prophecy Against Egypt". Egypt was perhaps the most idolatrous nation on the earth during Old Testament times---or at least the Egyptians had the largest pantheon of false gods---and Egypt was an ancient enemy of the descendants of Jacob. There are times in the Old Testament when we will see the people of Judah and Israel being on friendly terms with Egypt but there were certainly times they were persecuted by Egypt. The Lord is going to judge ancient Egypt for its idolatry and cruelty. </p><p>"A prophecy against Egypt: See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear." (Isaiah 19:1) No idol can stand against the living God. The Lord is the only God and all idols (and the false deities they represent) are useless. The Egyptians can bow to their idols as often as they want but the idols cannot do a thing. </p><p>Not only will there be troubles from outside the nation, such as the growing threat of the Assyrian Empire which will in time subjugate Egypt, but Egypt itself is on the decline in Isaiah's day. There are many troubles inside the nation and these troubles will turn people against each other.</p><p>The Lord says, "I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian---brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom." (Isaiah 19:2) Civil unrest and civil war ensued within Egypt not long after Isaiah's lifetime and the kingdom of Egypt split into many factions.</p><p>In Isaiah's day the people of Egypt were concerned about Assyria, and rightly so. But Assyria wasn't the only nation to subdue them in Old Testament times; they ended up under the authority of Babylon and Persia as well. When the Lord speaks of placing them under a "cruel master" in our final segment for today, He is likely not speaking of only one master (nation/regime) but of several masters in a row who subdued the nation. </p><p>"The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 19:3-4)</p><p>The ancient Egyptians preferred to bow their knees to anyone other than the Lord. If they had honored Him and allowed Him to be their master, they would never have been mastered by anyone on earth. The same can be said of ancient Israel and ancient Judah; if they had made the Lord the King of their hearts, no other king would ever have ruled over them. </p><p>The same can be said for us as well. If we make God the Lord of our lives and the King of our hearts, sin won't have mastery over us. We won't live <i>perfect </i>lives as long as we inhabit mortal bodies in this fallen world but no child of God needs to live a <i>defeated </i>life. No child of God needs to live a <i>hopeless </i>life. No child of God needs to live a <i>joyless </i>life. If we are in the bondage of defeat and hopelessness and joylessness, this is not God's will for us and He did not shackle us with such chains---we have placed ourselves in such shackles.</p><p>Believe me, I've been guilty of this time and time again. Our text applies to me as much as it applies to anyone. I've needlessly trapped myself over and over in cycles of bad thinking. The Lord wants to set us free from such things. Living in negativity shouldn't be the constant state of the child of God. His children have the right to walk in the freedom of His love and care, just as a small child goes through his day without cares because he knows his loving parents are watching over him. A small child shouldn't have to worry about anything because that is his parents' job; in this same way it is the Lord's job to look after us. I am trying to hand my cares over to the Lord because I am weary of carrying them. This is what He wants all of us to do, for His beautiful promise to us is that we can cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-82433399010102116242024-03-05T04:21:00.000-08:002024-03-05T04:21:16.550-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 76, A Prophecy Regarding Cush, Part ThreeThe Cushite king of Egypt will want to make an alliance with King Hezekiah of Judah against the growing threat of the Assyrian Empire. But time and time again in the book of Isaiah we will find the prophet warning Hezekiah to trust no one but the Lord. As long as the people of Judah look to the Lord for help and are faithful to Him, no nation can conquer them. The Lord promised the children of Israel, before He brought them into the land of Canaan and gave it to them, that no nation would ever be able to stand before them if they would remain faithful to Him.<div><br /></div><div>Not only should the people of Judah not make alliances with heathen nations or pay "protection money" to other nations, but someday other nations will bring their gifts to the land of the descendants of Jacob. "At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers---the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 18:7)</div><div><br /></div><div>Previously in our chapter we found the Cushite people (Ethiopians/Nubians) referred to as "tall" and "smooth-skinned". They were taller and longer-limbed, generally speaking, than the Jewish people. They shaved their faces, unlike the Jewish people. Also they were "feared far and wide" because they were a very powerful nation in Isaiah's day. They were not able to keep Assyria from conquering Egypt but Assyria did not, according to anything I can find, decide to invade and conquer Cush. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever the Bible says something like "at that time" or "in that day" it is often a reference to the end times or to the church age. We can clearly see when we arrive at the New Testament that Isaiah's prophecy regarding the Ethiopians began coming true in the book of Acts when an Ethiopian convert to Judaism became a believer in Christ after speaking with the Apostle Philip. This convert went back to Ethiopia with his testimony of how the Lord Jesus Christ saved him.</div><div><br /></div><div>The prophecy regarding Ethiopia has continued to come true as the primary religion of Ethiopia has become Christianity. I believe the prophecy will continue to come true in the end times as more and more people of that land (and of many other nations) turn to Christ in the church age and in the last days. And certainly, in the eternal kingdom of Christ when He sits on the throne of David at Jerusalem and reigns over the world from there, all the people of all the nations of the earth will bring gifts to Mount Zion, thus completely fulfilling the words of Isaiah which we have studied today.</div><div><br /></div><div>This concludes Chapter 18, which was a prophecy <i>about </i>Cush rather than a prophecy <i>against </i>Cush. In contrast to what Isaiah said about Cush, Chapter 19 will involve a prophecy against Egypt and its idolatry. However, there will be a future message of hope for Egypt when the hearts of its people turn to the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-5022718583706888102024-03-04T04:11:00.000-08:002024-03-04T04:11:36.005-08:00The Book Of Isaiah, Day 75, A Prophecy Regarding Cush, Part TwoChapter 18 deals with a prophecy regarding Cush (rendered as Kush in most extra-Biblical sources), which is in control of Egypt in Isaiah's day. Unlike some of the other prophecies we've already studied, this one isn't exactly a prophecy <i>against </i>a nation; rather, it's a warning for Judah not to ally itself with Cush against the Assyrian Empire. The Lord is going to deliver Judah from Assyria and He won't need anyone's help to do it.<div><br /></div><div>The Cushite king will attempt to come to Judah's aid, and there's no doubt he provides a distraction when Sennacherib of Assyria has to pause his intended assault on Judah when he hears that the Cushite over Egypt, King Tirhakah, was marching out with his forces to fight against him. But it is the Lord who provides a miraculous deliverance for Jerusalem when Sennacherib returns with his army intending to lay siege to Jerusalem. </div><div><br /></div><div>During the lifetime of the prophet Isaiah and of King Hezekiah, who will feature largely in the book of Isaiah, the 25th Dynasty of Egypt is ruled by Cushite pharaohs, not by Egyptian pharaohs. Egypt had subjugated the region of Cush long ago, a region which corresponds partly to Ethiopia today but which encompassed a much larger swath of territory, but Egypt went on the decline after the Bronze Age. There was much internal disintegration and unrest in Egypt, causing Cush to be able to rebel against being subject to Egypt and to be able to launch a successful invasion of Egypt, after which a long succession of Cushite kings sat on the throne. But by Isaiah's day the Assyrian Empire was out to conquer everything around it, including Egypt, Judah, Israel, and many others in the region.</div><div><br /></div><div>It makes sense that Egypt would want to ally itself with Judah against Assyria; the king of Egypt's forces were not great enough to face the Assyrian army. It also makes sense that Judah would want to accept a proposed alliance from the Cushite king of Egypt, especially after the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria's forces. But Judah is to be still and know that God is God, to quote from Psalm 46. Judah's deliverance is from the Lord, not from man.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord will act on Judah's behalf at the right time and in the right way. With this in mind, we begin today's text. "All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it." (Isaiah 18:3) The Assyrians will march out with their flags held high and with the sound of their war trumpets but the people of Judah are not to panic. The <i>Lord </i>isn't in a panic! We find Him calm, cool, collected, and in control in this next segment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Isaiah says of his message from the Lord: "This is what the Lord says to me: 'I will remain quiet and I will look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.'" (Isaiah 18:4) There is a sense of waiting stillness in this verse, like the humid and insect-buzzing stillness of a hot day in late summer. It may appear as if nothing is happening, but the Lord is poised to strike the enemy at just the right moment. </div><div><br /></div><div>"For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter." (Isaiah 18:5-6) When the enemy is literally at the gates of Jerusalem, and when it appears all hope is lost and there is no escape, the Lord will come through for the kingdom of Judah in such a way that no one can claim that anyone but the Lord wrought deliverance. In 2 Kings 19 we find Him striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers encamped outside Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem didn't have to lift a finger against the enemy; when they arose the next morning all these Assyrian soldiers were lying dead in the fields, which fulfills the prophecy from our verses above which says, "They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals". The thousands of dead bodies of the Assyrian soldiers are what the birds and animals of prey will feed on. </div><div><br /></div><div>What happens next? "Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword." (2 Kings 19:36-37a) The nation of Judah outlasted the nation of Israel by approximately 130 years and was never conquered by Assyria. If the spiritual revival which occurred during the reign of King Hezekiah had persisted, Judah never would have fallen, but nevertheless we see the Lord's divine deliverance from the most fearsome nation in the world in that era. The people of Judah did not need the help of Cush/Egypt or anyone else. All they needed was the Lord, who set the stage for Jerusalem's deliverance in such a way that no one could claim Jerusalem was saved by anyone except Him, which led to the people's increased faith in the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-41677129669719027442024-03-01T04:30:00.000-08:002024-03-01T04:30:54.114-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 74, A Prophecy Regarding Cush, Part OneIn some translations of the Bible, including the NIV which we use for our study, Chapter 18 is titled "A Prophecy Against Cush". But the chapter isn't really issuing words of judgment against Cush; rather, it is instructing the Lord's people not to make an alliance with Cush against Assyria.<div><br /></div><div>Ancient Cush corresponds to modern-day Ethiopia, although the territory belonging to ancient Cush encompassed much more land than that which currently makes up the country of Ethiopia. In Isaiah's day the nation was one of the most powerful and advanced in the world and it had taken control of Egypt. Egypt's king at the time was not an Egyptian but an Ethiopian, or Cushite as they were referred to in the Bible. </div><div><br /></div><div>At this time Assyria is on the rise and is becoming enough of a major world power to threaten all the nations around it. It would have made sense, from a human point of view, for the people of Judah to ally themselves with the people of Cush against the Assyrian Empire. But Judah is to place all of her trust in the Lord. The people of Judah are not to even consider an alliance with the Cushite king of Egypt, for Egypt will be conquered by Assyria. Cush itself will not fall to Assyria, from what I was able to gather from my background study, but since Cush could not protect Egypt (which it occupied), it could not help Judah either.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water." (Isaiah 18:1-2a) King Piankhi, the Ethiopian who was reigning over Egypt during Isaiah's lifetime when King Hezekiah was on the throne of Judah, sent an envoy to the king of Judah to propose an alliance with him against Assyria. But as we will see as we move on through the book of Isaiah, Isaiah will warn Hezekiah against making alliances with other nations.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers." (Isaiah 18:2b) This text is interpreted by many well-respected scholars to be the Lord's instructions to King Hezekiah to quickly send word back to the Cushite king that he must turn down the offer of an alliance. </div><div><br /></div><div>The people "tall and smooth-skinned" of "strange (foreign) speech" is a description of how the Ethiopians and also the Egyptians. There was a custom in Egypt where the men (or at least men of prominence) would shave their faces and even their entire bodies; they did not wear beards like the Israelites. The Cushite king over Egypt may have adopted Egyptian customs, deciding to make himself "smooth-skinned". You may recall from our study of Genesis that Joseph, the son of Jacob, shaved himself before going to meet with Pharaoh and I believe he continued to keep himself clean shaven during the remainder of his life as a top official in Egypt. When his family traveled to Egypt during the famine they did not recognize Joseph because his appearance was like that of an Egyptian. I believe the Cushite king would have made himself look like an Egyptian pharaoh to show respect for the people's customs and to aid their acceptance of him. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter 18 is not a long chapter but is somewhat complicated and detailed from a historical point of view. We are going to need to break it down into two or three separate sessions. But as we continue on in our next study segment, there is no doubt that the Lord is warning the people of Judah not to enter an alliance with the Cushites, no matter how attractive this option may appear, especially after Assyria invades and conquers the northern kingdom of Israel.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-33799973149414865472024-02-28T04:25:00.000-08:002024-02-28T04:25:28.257-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 73, A Prophecy Against Damascus And Israel, Part ThreeThe section we are studying is titled "A Prophecy Against Damascus And Israel" in the version of the Old Testament that I use. The prophecy has regarded Israel moreso than Damascus (or Aram, of which Damascus was the capital). The Assyrian Empire will cause the fall of both nations but, as we've already been told here in Chapter 17, a day is coming when the people of Israel will turn back to the Lord. And a day is coming when the Lord will judge the enemies of Israel. <div><br /></div><div>The Arameans have been idolaters for ages; the Israelites only for a few hundred years. But the Lord is going to allow the same enemy to invade and conquer Israel as well as Aram because: "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain." (Isaiah 17:10-11)</div><div><br /></div><div>The invader will tread underfoot the crops in the fields and the grapes on the vines. In some cases they may even have set grain fields on fire, which was a common tactic of enemy armies. Even if those things didn't happen, drought or disease would come and destroy the harvests, for the Lord warned the people before giving them the promised land that He would withhold rain and cause crops to fail if they did not remain faithful to Him. He said they would plant much but harvest little. He said He would send locusts and worms to eat much of what was produced and that He would cause diseases to strike the vineyards. (You can find a comprehensive list of the curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Disasters are going to abound because sin has abounded for centuries without any widescale repentance taking place in spite of all He has said and done in an effort to get them to acknowledge their wickedness. He is going to bring on the land the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28. But all is not lost! He will judge the heathen nations that plunder Israel and, after the descendants of Jacob have responded appropriately to the discipline He has administered, His people Israel will cast aside all their idols and turn back to the one and only God.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter 17 ends with the Lord promising through the prophet Isaiah that all the nations---past, present, and future---who have hated and attacked and persecuted the tribes of Israel will be judged. "Woe to the many nations that rage---they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar---they roar like the roaring of great waters! Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when He rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale. In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us." (Isaiah 17:12-14) Those heathen nations that plagued the descendants of Jacob on the pages of the Bible---where are they today? Where is the Assyrian Empire? Where is the Babylonian Empire? Where is the Roman Empire? They have been blown away like chaff; they are no more, just as the Lord said. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-42061304962655567392024-02-27T04:26:00.000-08:002024-02-27T04:26:46.278-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 72, A Prophecy Against Damascus And Israel, Part TwoA common enemy---Assyria---will cause the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the fall of the kingdom of Aram (referred to as Damascus in Chapter 17, since Damascus was its capital city). A common enemy will cause the fall of both nations but a common fate won't befall both nations; the Israelites will turn back to the Lord. As we studied in yesterday's text, a day is coming when they will "turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel", but the same is not said of the idolatrous Arameans.<div><br /></div><div>A time is coming, after the Lord has disciplined them, when the people of Israel will no longer cry out to their idols or bow at their pagan altars but will "look to their Maker", as the Lord said in yesterday's text, and they will place all their trust in Him for security rather than in their armies, their alliances, or their fortified cities. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the Lord brought the Israelites into the promised land, they took fortified cities from the tribes of Canaan and used them for themselves. But when the Assyrians flood into the land, they will lose or abandon these cities because they cannot hold onto them. This fulfills the warning the Lord gave them before He ever brought them into the land. He said if they turned from Him to idolatry, He would remove them from the land just as He removed the tribes of Canaan from the land. This seems to be what Isaiah is predicting in the next verse: "In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation." (Isaiah 17:9) The cities abandoned by the tribes of Canaan will be abandoned once again.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is going to happen because the Israelites have become like those who inhabited the land before them. "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress." (Isaiah 17:10a) It's true that their hearts will turn back to the Lord in time, for we never hear of the descendants of Jacob being idolaters after the Lord disciplines Israel with Assyria and after He disciplines Judah with Babylon, but the discipline must come because they are not going to turn back to Him otherwise. <br /><div><br /></div><div>It is far better for us to heed the warnings of the Lord and to correct our ways <i>before </i>we reach the point where it will take discipline to turn us around. The Lord has sent a number of prophets to Israel and Judah already, urging the people to change their ways. He will continue to send them prophets up until the day He has no choice but to take corrective action. Neither the northern kingdom of Israel nor the southern kingdom of Judah <i>had </i>to be conquered; the people could have repented and turned back to the Lord and then He could have poured out blessings rather than allowing them to be defeated by their enemies. But just as our earthly parents sometimes had to take corrective measures to get us back on the right track, the Lord is taking these measures out of love. The people are destroying themselves spiritually and He doesn't want that to happen. Hardship must come because their hearts are so hard. It will take troubled times to soften their hearts. </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-43216176182368125102024-02-26T04:28:00.000-08:002024-02-26T04:28:23.078-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 71, A Prophecy Against Damascus and Israel, Part OneIn the book of Isaiah the Lord has predicted disasters for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah but He does not intend to allow them to be utterly destroyed, in contrast to many of the predictions against Israel's and Judah's neighbors. We have already studied prophecies against the enemies of the Lord's people, such as Assyria, Babylon, Philistia, and Moab. Now we move on to a prophecy against ancient Aram, which is modern-day Syria. This prophecy also includes words of judgment against the descendants of Jacob but their judgment includes words of hope.<div><br /></div><div>"A prophecy against Damascus: 'See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 17:1-3)</div><div><br /></div><div>Damascus was the capital city of Aram and was one of the most beautiful and prosperous cities on earth in Isaiah's time but it would be largely destroyed by the Assyrian army. There is a city of Damascus in our day but the ancient city of Damascus fell to Assyria and underwent a great deal of destruction, as did the northern kingdom of Israel, which is why "Ephraim" (often used interchangeably with the name "Israel") is used in the verses above. The same enemy would cause the fall of both Aram and Israel. The reference to "Aroer" is less clear since there was more than one area of the Transjordan called by that name, but what we do know is that the Assyrian Empire conquered a number of nations and tribes when it was at the zenith of its power. Whichever Aroer is meant here, we can safely conclude that its population was idolatrous as were the people of Aram and as were the majority of the people of Israel at that time. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord continues with the theme of the coming calamity upon Israel. Here He uses the name "Jacob" interchangeably with "Israel", which is something we often see in the Bible. "In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away. It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms---as when someone gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim." (Isaiah 17:4-5) This <i>sounds </i>like utter and irredeemable destruction but it's not, as we will see below.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives in the topmost branches, four or five in the fruitful boughs,' declares the Lord, the God of Israel." (Isaiah 17:6) Earlier in the Old Testament we found the Lord instructing the people of Jacob not to harvest every single thing from every tree and bush. We found Him telling them not to glean every stalk of grain that fell in the field during harvest. Those remnants were to be left for the poor. In this same manner, the Lord is not going to allow Assyria to eradicate the descendants of Jacob. A remnant will be preserved and that remnant will no longer turn to idols.</div><div><br /></div><div>"In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made." (Isaiah 17:7-8) The discipline is harsh because the sin has been so grievous: the people forgot their Maker. They turned from Him to idols. It will take great calamity to turn them back to Him but turn they will.</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-31852102182198746992024-02-25T07:09:00.000-08:002024-02-25T07:09:01.263-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 70, Moab Crushed, Part FiveWe are concluding Chapter 16 and Isaiah's prophecy against Moab today. Chapter 17 will contain a prophecy against Damascus, which means it is about the nation of Aram (known as Syria in modern times).<div><br /></div><div>In our last study session the Moabites were urged to seek the favor of Judah's king and to seek the favor of Judah's God. But this did not happen, for they would not repent. Therefore Isaiah says, "We have heard of Moab's pride---how great is her arrogance!---of her conceit, her pride and her insolence, but her boasts are empty." (Isaiah 16:6) Moab's pride stands in her way. She thinks she does not need God. </div><div><br /></div><div>Because she has rejected Him and has long been an enemy of the children of God, judgment is coming. "Therefore the Moabites wail; they wail together for Moab. Lament and grieve for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. The fields of Heshbon wither, the vines of Sibmah also. The rulers of the nations have trampled down the choicest vines, which once reached Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots spread out and went as far as the sea. So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealah, I drench you with tears!" (Isaiah 16:7-9a) </div><div><br /></div><div>The "rulers of the nations" is likely a reference to the way the Assyrians would subjugate Moab and to the way the Babylonians would conquer Moab and take most of its people captive, thereby making an end of Moab as a separate and distinct group of people. The horses and chariots of these armies trampled the fields and vineyards. Drought may have been sent as a judgment too.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord does not take pleasure in raining down judgment upon anyone. I think it's both His voice and Isaiah's voice that says above, "I weep". The Lord and the prophet would both have preferred to see the people of Moab repenting of their idolatry, repenting of all their other wickedness, and turning to the Lord for salvation.</div><div><br /></div><div>A very somber and mournful spirit is over the remainder of this chapter. "The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit and over your harvests have been stilled. Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards; no one treads out wine at the presses, for I have put an end to the shouting. My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir Hareseth. When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out; when she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail." (Isaiah 16:9b-12)</div><div><br /></div><div>For centuries the Moabites gave thanks to their pagan gods for harvests. They celebrated in many ungodly ways, with drunken feasts where much immorality took place. While it was customary in many nations---including Israel and Judah---to celebrate the harvests, nations who did not recognize God as Lord celebrated the harvests in unseemly ways. After judgment falls upon Moab, no one there will be harvesting anything. Rather than turning to the Lord in repentance, they will continue to cry out to their false gods who had never been responsible for their bounty in the first place and who cannot (and never could!) do anything to help them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Isaiah finishes delivering his prophecy with an assurance that it is as good as done. Indeed, anything spoken by the Lord is as good as done. The Lord would prefer to see the Moabites repent but He knows they won't; this is why He can confidently assert that these dreadful things <i>will </i>take place. This is why the Lord's prophet Isaiah can confidently assert that Moab's fall is near at hand. "This is the word that the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. But now the Lord says: 'Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab's splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble." (Isaiah 16:13-14)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Moabites have had centuries in which to repent and turn back to the God of their forefather Lot, who was the nephew of Abraham. It's not as if they didn't know enough about the Lord to trust in Him for salvation. The Lord is going to give them three more years in which to take His words to heart and repent. They will not do it but they will not be able to accuse Him at the judgment throne of never having given them one last opportunity to repent. Any such accusations will have no foundation at all. The Lord does not want to judge anyone but He must because He is holy. Any judgment He hands down will be completely fair and righteous. </div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-87428196281295674372024-02-23T04:23:00.000-08:002024-02-23T04:23:31.926-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 69, Moab Crushed, Part FourThe nation of Moab is being urged to turn back to the Lord and to appeal to Judah's king for help, bringing him tribute and asking for refuge from their enemy, Assyria. The king currently on the throne is Hezekiah but this next passage is believed by many scholars to be a reference to both King Hezekiah and to the Messiah.<div><br /></div><div>"The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it---one from the house of David---one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness." (Isaiah 16:4b-5)</div><div><br /></div><div>In Isaiah's day the oppressor was the Assyrian Empire. The northern kingdom of Israel would fall to Assyria and the Assyrians would repeatedly raid the land of Judah and would seek to cause the fall of Jerusalem itself, only the Lord will not allow Jerusalem to fall to the enemy. If the Moabites had brought to King Hezekiah the tribute as they were assessed by King David and by succeeding kings, and if they had asked Hezekiah for mercy and refuge, Hezekiah would have accepted their gift and would have granted them asylum. This would have spared the refugeeing Moabites from the Assyrian army since the Lord is going to miraculously spare Jerusalem from the Assyrian army. In time the Assyrians would cease to be a threat at all: "the aggressor" would vanish, overthrown by a newer and more powerful empire. </div><div><br /></div><div>When King Hezekiah ascended to the throne upon the death of his father Ahaz, he got rid of his father's idols and reestablished the proper religious practices in the land. He had a heart for the Lord and wanted to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, so we find Isaiah crediting him with faithfulness and justice. Because Hezekiah strove to do what was right, the Lord established his throne for many years and protected Jerusalem from the invader.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a much broader sense our text above refers to the King of kings whose throne will be established forever. Like Hezekiah, He will be of the house (the lineage) of David. He will be faithful always. His judgments will be righteous. "The aggressor"---all those who have ever hated the Lord's people---will be seen and heard no more; war will cease to exist and all those who have placed their trust in the Lord will live in peace under His rule forever and ever. </div><div><br /></div><div>If the Moabites had turned to King Hezekiah for help, they could have been spared from the wrath of the Assyrians. And if they had turned to the Lord for help, they would have been spared from the wrath of the Lord who is going to judge them for their idolatry and for their other wicked modes of living. But they don't do either of these things and in the remainder of Chapter 16 we will find Isaiah's words painting a picture of woe for the nation of Moab.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-28021451678894919992024-02-22T04:28:00.000-08:002024-02-22T04:28:19.796-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 68, Moab Crushed, Part ThreeChapter 16 continues the message of judgment against the nation of Moab.<div><br /></div><div>The Moabites are urged to do this: "Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert, to the mount of Daughter Zion." (Isaiah 16:1) The "mount of Daughter Zion" is Jerusalem and "the ruler of the land" is Judah's king, who at this time in the book of Isaiah is Hezekiah. </div><div><br /></div><div>In 2 Samuel 8, when David subdued the Moabites, he commanded them to pay tribute to him. The kings of Moab continued paying tribute until after the kingdom of Israel had split in two. But King Mesha of Moab rebelled during the reign of King Joram of Israel, after Joram's father Ahab died, and 2 Kings 3 tells us that the tribute King Mesha was supposed to pay was 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. So it appears that Isaiah, by inspiration of the Lord, is encouraging the current king of Moab to resume paying tribute to the king.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the Moabites submit themselves to the king of Judah, they are in a sense submitting themselves to the Lord. Hezekiah, as we learned from our study of the kings, is a God-fearing king who did away with his father's idols and made great religious reforms in the nation. If the king of Moab or an envoy from him goes up to Jerusalem with the tribute lambs, it will be as if they are saying to the king (and by extension, to the Lord), "We are in your hands." If they had relented of their hatred of the descendants of Jacob, their judgment would have been delayed. If they had repented of their rejection of the Lord, their judgment would have been forestalled altogether.</div><div><br /></div><div>But since they will not submit themselves to the Lord or to the spiritually upright King Hezekiah, bad times are coming. "Like fluttering birds pushed from the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of the Arnon." (Isaiah 16:2) We learned in Chapter 15 that Moab will be attacked and invaded by the Assyrian army. We learned that many will flee the land of Moab, seeking asylum elsewhere. I think this seeking of refuge is what Isaiah is referring to when he talks about the women being pushed from the nest like birds. </div><div><br /></div><div>The fleeing Moabites will ask their neighboring tribes and nations to harbor them from the enemy. "'Make up your mind,' Moab says. 'Render a decision. Make your shadow like night---at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees. Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.'" (Isaiah 16:3-4a)</div><div><br /></div><div>It is believed by a number of scholars that the nation where Moab is being urged to seek refuge is Judah. If the Moabite king will send the tribute lambs to King Hezekiah of Judah, and if his people will repent of the wrongs they've done to Judah, and if they will ask him for asylum, he will grant it. We know from the books of the Bible which we've previously studied that the Moabites would have been safe in Jerusalem because the Lord is going to supernaturally protect Jerusalem from the invading Assyrians. The kingdom of Judah will not fall to the Assyrian Empire, as the kingdom of Israel will. Judah will survive an additional 130 years after the fall of Israel. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think the scholars who hold the view that the Moabites should ask Hezekiah for mercy and shelter are on the right track, for in our next study session we will find Isaiah talking about the king of Judah. This next passage may also be a twofold message: one having to do with the current king and one having to do with the eternal King.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-74494669952145966602024-02-21T03:19:00.000-08:002024-02-21T03:19:43.621-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 67, Moab Crushed, Part TwoWe look at the second half of Chapter 15 that deals with the Lord's judgment upon Israel's enemy, Moab.<div><br /></div><div>In our study of the first half of this chapter we found Isaiah foretelling a time of distress for the Moabites. We know now, from history, that they were invaded by and then subjugated by the Assyrian Empire and then later, when the Neo-Babylonian Empire rose to great power and conquered Assyria, the Babylonians thoroughly conquered Moab as well, at which point they ceased to be known as a separate and distinct people. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was customary for many ancient conquerors to deport all but the poorest citizens from a region they conquered; Babylon was no exception to this practice. Anyone who escaped invasion and capture fled to other lands where they eventually integrated into other societies. The land of Moab was later resettled by the Nabateans, who were conquered after the Roman Empire came to power and the land was annexed for Rome. There is no distinct group in the world today known as the Moabites and there is no nation known as the land of Moab, just as Isaiah foretold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although the Moabites had long wished to see an end made of the descendants of Jacob and although they coveted the land of the tribes of Israel, Isaiah is saddened by what is going to happen to them. I believe what Isaiah says next is coming not only from his own heart but from the Lord's heart: "My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction." (Isaiah 15:5) </div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord must judge sin because He is righteous but that does not mean He enjoys having to judge sin. Just as a good parent prefers his child to be obedient rather than having to correct deliberately wayward behavior, the Lord wants people to be obedient rather than having to judge people's willful disobedience. Like any good parent, the Lord would rather be able to reward than to discipline. As the Apostle Peter stated, the Lord doesn't want anyone to perish but wants everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9b)</div><div><br /></div><div>Verse 5 of our current chapter describes the horror and grief of those who will flee from their invaders. But escaping from the enemy doesn't mean they are escaping from judgment. They still won't repent even in the face of the calamities that have befallen them. They still won't renounce their false gods and repent of their wickedness. That is why they will be met with trouble after trouble. To quote the Lord's own words from later in the book of Isaiah: "'There is no peace,' says my God, 'for the wicked.'" (Isaiah 57:21) </div><div><br /></div><div>The Moabites who escape battle or capture will be met with other problems. "The waters of Nimrim are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing green is left. So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars. Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim. The waters of Dimon are full of blood but I will bring still more upon Dimon---a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land." (Isaiah 15:6-9) </div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord has much more to say about Moab when we move on to Chapter 16 but we must keep in mind that He confronts people with sin because He wants to save them from sin. He's issuing a warning about what will happen to Moab if the people don't turn away from their wickedness. What He wants is for them to repent but at the same time He knows that all or most of them will not. The Moabites were related to the Israelites through Abraham's nephew Lot and because of that relationship the Lord instructed the Israelites not to attack the Moabites or try to take any of their land. Yet the Moabites didn't treat the Israelites with this same respect; they wanted to see the Israelites destroyed. The Lord's heart broke at the thought of having to judge Moab for its people's idolatry, its people's sexual immorality, its people's lawlessness, and its people's hatred of the Jews. But He <i>had </i>to judge them because He would not be a righteous and holy God if He turned a blind eye to sin. He would not be a God worthy of worship if He did not stand up for those who are His and punish those who do His children wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-43684322249834597532024-02-19T05:00:00.000-08:002024-02-19T05:00:32.537-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 66, Moab Crushed, Part OneIn Chapter 15 we are continuing the theme that was established in Chapter 14: the downfall of the nations that were the ancient enemies of the descendants of Jacob. Isaiah has already foretold the fall of Assyria, Babylon, and Philistia. Today and tomorrow we will be looking at his prophecy against Moab.<div><br /></div><div>The Moabites were related to the Israelites through Abraham's nephew Lot. Lot had two sons: Moab and Ben-Ammi. Lot's two sons were the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites. But their close relationship to Abraham doesn't mean that they wanted to be friendly with the Israelites. The Moabites and Ammonites forsook the God of Abraham and became idolaters instead. They harbored enmity against God and enmity against the tribes of Israel. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we studied the book of Numbers we learned that, in an attempt to get God to turn His back on the tribes of Israel, the Moabites hatched a plot to entice the men of Israel to commit idolatry and sexual immorality with the women of Moab and Midian. Also in the book of Numbers, we found King Balak of Moab hiring the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel for him. Balaam (who had strayed from his faith and who was willing to turn against his own people for money) tried to fulfill this commission but was unable to do anything but bless Israel. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the book of Judges, King Eglon of Moab allied himself with the Ammonites and Amalekites to come out in battle against Israel, gaining enough control in the land of Israel to force Israel to pay him tribute for eighteen years. These are just a few examples of how time and time again the Moabites troubled the people of Israel, lusting for the land the Lord granted to Israel, hating the people of Israel and hating Israel's God. But a day of judgment is coming for Moab, just as it is coming for Assyria and Babylon.</div><div><br /></div><div>"A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba." (Isaiah 15:1-2a) Much of the territory that will be mentioned in our chapter was originally part of Israel when the Israelites first entered Canaan and began taking over the land, but over time the Moabites took these regions from Israel. One or more of the kings of Assyria will take these regions from Moab. An exact date for these happenings is not known and it is not known whether "destroyed in a night" is intended to be taken literally or whether it means it happened very quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if the walls of Ar and Kir actually were breached in only one night, though invasion and siege might have lasted for some time before. </div><div><br /></div><div>What follows next is a picture of great distress, grief, and shame. "Every head is shaved and every beard cut off. In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping. Heshbon and Elealah cry out, their voices heard all the way to Jahaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint." (Isaiah 15:2b-4) </div><div><br /></div><div>The wailing and the sackcloth indicate their grief and horror at what has happened. Having every head and beard shaved may be something the enemy has done. It was common for conquerors to humiliate the conquered in this fashion. However, it may be that the Moabite men did this to themselves as an expression of grief. This was not typically a custom of Israelite males, for to have one's beard shaved was considered a humiliation. If you have time, you can visit 2 Samuel 10 for an example of this when King Hanun of the Ammonites ordered the heads and beards of David's envoys shaved halfway off. Scripture tells us that the men were humiliated, which was King Hanun's intent, and to spare them further humiliation David had them housed in privacy in Jericho until the hair grew back so they would not have to return home and be seen with half their heads and faces shaved. But we don't know whether it was customary for Moabite males to shave their own hair off as a sign of distress or whether the Assyrians shaved them in order to humiliate them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why will the Moabites undergo defeat and humiliation? Because they scorned the one and only God and because they persecuted God's people Israel. Nothing good can come from rejecting the Lord. Nothing good can come from hating people who love the Lord. In our next study session we will look at more of the things that the Moabites have brought upon themselves by their sin and idolatry.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-81212678677483293772024-02-18T07:20:00.000-08:002024-02-18T07:20:45.764-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 65, Philistia CrushedThe segment we are currently studying deals with the defeat of those who were the ancient enemies of the descendants of Jacob. Isaiah has already foretold the fall of Assyria and Babylon. Now he moves on to the nation of Philistia.<div><br /></div><div>You'll recall from our studies of the earlier books of the Bible that the Philistines sorely plagued the nation of Israel during the time of the Judges and during the reign of King Saul. During the time of David he won major victories against the Philistines and, during his reign and that of his son Solomon, Israel was too powerful for Philistia to defeat. </div><div><br /></div><div>But during the reign of David's grandson, King Rehoboam, Israel was no longer a united kingdom. The ten northern tribes split away from the two southern tribes, appointed a king other than Rehoboam over themselves, and retained the name of Israel whereas the two southern tribes (Judah and Benjamin) became known as the kingdom of Judah with Rehoboam (of the tribe of Judah) reigning over them. Since that time both nations have enjoyed periods of prosperity and periods of upheaval but Israel, during the time of Isaiah, is rapidly on the decline because of the idolatry of its citizens and it will soon be conquered by the Assyrian Empire. Judah also fears it will be conquered by Assyria. But Judah won't fall until approximately 130 years later to the Neo-Babylonian Empire because a spiritual revival will take place during the reign of King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Philistines may view the decline of the northern and southern kingdoms as a good time to attack, especially when King Ahaz of Judah dies. They made a number of attacks during his reign but are likely planning a bigger and better one upon his death. Enemy kings often considered attacking whenever there was a change in the leadership of another nation, supposing that the incoming king might be weak or might not have enough support behind him to mount a successful defense. Isaiah relays the Lords message of doom for Philistia: "This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died: 'Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a venomous, darting serpent. The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.'" (Isaiah 14:28-30) </div><div><br /></div><div>The words of verses 28-30 were primarily intended to encourage the people of Judah, I believe, for it's unlikely that the Philistines would have listened to a message from one of the Lord's prophets. We don't even know whether they heard of the message but we can be certain that the people of Judah heard of it and that it must have made many of them take heart. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Philistines had troubled King Ahaz and his father before him but were not successful in conquering Judah. Ahaz's father was able to push back against them quite successfully and, although the Philistines did a better job at taking territories from Ahaz, they didn't win a decisive war against him. They were planning to make another attack upon the death of Ahaz which is why the Lord warned them about rejoicing that "the rod that struck you is broken", which is a reference to the death of Ahaz. Also I believe it's a reference to the royal line of Judah and to King David himself, who defeated them as no other king ever did. From a root of Ahaz will spring up one whom the Lord will be with in a powerful way: Ahaz's successor, Hezekiah, who will eschew the idolatry of his father and will worship the Lord only, making numerous religious reforms in Judah. The Lord will protect the people of Judah for a long time to come, in contrast to how He will deal with the exceedingly wicked and idolatrous Philistines.</div><div><br /></div><div>To the fortified cities of Philistia, and perhaps to its capital city in particular, the Lord says: "Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks. What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? 'The Lord has established Zion, and in her His afflicted people will find refuge.'" (Isaiah 14:31-32) </div><div><br /></div><div>The reference to "envoys" is interpreted by many scholars to mean that the Philistines approached Judah about allying with them against Assyria. Later in our study of the book of Isaiah we will find the king of Babylon sending envoys to King Hezekiah of Judah seeking to make just such an alliance with him. But nowhere in the book of Isaiah will we find the prophet encouraging <i>any </i>king of Judah to trust in anyone except the Lord. Therefore, the answer of any king approached with an invitation to make an alliance is to be: "The Lord has established Zion, and in her His afflicted people will find refuge." Refuge is not to be found in an alliance with any nation---especially considering that all the other nations of Isaiah's day were idolatrous nations. The Lord strictly instructed the children of Israel, before bringing them into the promised land, to place their trust in Him alone. It's no use for them to seek refuge from any other nation, for He will crush Assyria, Babylon, Philistia, and others---as we will see as we move on through the book.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-27150324409212658102024-02-16T04:28:00.000-08:002024-02-16T04:28:21.109-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 64, Assyria CrushedOur current segment of the book of Isaiah deals with the Lord judging the enemies of Israel and of Judah. For the past several days we've been studying what the Lord said about the doom of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Today He reminds His people of something He has said before: a day is coming when the enemy they currently fear most (Assyria) will be no more.<div><br /></div><div>We already know from our study of the kings that the Assyrian Empire caused the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel, carrying away most of its people captive rather than destroying all the people, so the Lord did preserve the majority of them although it was in foreign lands. And we know that the Assyrian soldiers made repeated attacks on the nation of Judah and attempted to lay siege to Jerusalem. But the Lord miraculously prevented this from happening. Time and time again Judah was plagued by the Assyrians but did not fall to them. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord will judge Assyria for the cruelties she perpetrated against the citizens of Israel and Judah. In addition, the Lord will judge the Neo-Babylonian Empire (as we've been studying) for her cruelties against the people of Judah. The Lord is going to speak out against the Philistines as well, later on in our chapter, for the Philistines were ancient enemies of His people.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's begin today's text: "The Lord Almighty has sworn, 'Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. I will crush the Assyrian in My land; on My mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.'" (Isaiah 14:24-25) </div><div><br /></div><div>I believe the verses above have two applications. The overall application is that the Lord intends to make an end of Assyria as an empire. The more immediate application is that He will take a stand against Assyria "in My land" and "on My mountains" which is a reference to the Assyrian army's attempt to cause the fall of Jerusalem. The Lord miraculously saved Jerusalem by striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, who were encamped outside of Jerusalem, in the middle of the night, leaving them dead. This was an enormous setback for the king of Assyria who was obliged to retreat to his own land, where he planned to regroup and make a future attempt against Jerusalem. But just as the Lord already predicted in the book of Isaiah, the king would be struck down in his own land before he could make a further attempt; two of King Sennacherib's sons assassinated him while he prayed in the temple of his heathen gods.</div><div><br /></div><div>We will conclude today's study with these final verses that regard Assyria in Chapter 14. "This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:26-27)</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord will judge every nation that has ever attacked, oppressed, or persecuted His people. In the Bible we find Him pronouncing judgment against the ancient enemies of His people but we also know that He has judged more modern nations and regimes that have attempted to wipe out the descendants of Jacob. He will continue to defend the Jewish people, keeping His promise to Abraham that: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." (Genesis 12:3a) </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-33464703487359047632024-02-15T04:35:00.000-08:002024-02-15T04:35:42.761-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 63, The Doom Of The King Of Babylon, Part FiveLong before the Neo-Babylonian Empire became powerful enough to overthrow Judah, the Lord foretold the downfall of Babylon. We have been studying the prophecies against Babylon and against its kings.<div><br /></div><div>We have looked at the prideful and arrogant attitudes of the kings of Babylon who sought to conquer the entire world as they knew it. But that would not come to pass, for the Lord says: "Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities." (Isaiah 14:21) </div><div><br /></div><div>The reference to "children" may be associated with the death of King Belshazzar on the night that the army of the Medes took the capital city of Babylon. We know from the book of Daniel that Belshazzar was killed that same night and it's probably safe to assume that all of his male relatives were put to the sword since that was a common ancient practice when overthrowing a king. This was done to prevent the conquered people from banding together behind a man closely related to their deposed king and causing an uprising to place their man on the throne. </div><div><br /></div><div>The location of Babylon was the location of the first organized rebellion against God when its ancient people banded together to build a tower they believed could reach heaven. When we studied the book of Genesis we discussed some possible motives for why they attempted such a feat, with one motive being that they didn't believe the Lord's promise never to flood the earth again. In addition, seeking to gain entrance to heaven by their own means is similar to "salvation by works", which is not a Biblical principle. On top of that, seeking to gain entrance to heaven on their own displays a great deal of pride and arrogance and it reveals a disregard for what the Lord said was the way to gain salvation: by faith.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because Babylon had so long been the seat of rebellion and of idolatry, the Lord said in our verses above that He will punish the children of Babylon for "the sins of their ancestors". It's not that He intends to punish anyone who is innocent; all the generations of the people of Babylon were idolatrous and sinful. And it's important to note that the use of the word "children" can also mean "descendants" rather than literal children, although I am sure there were casualties of people of all ages when the Medo-Persian Empire overthrew the Neo-Babylonian Empire. There are always casualties of people of all ages in any war. Perhaps it might comfort us a little to think that anyone underage who perished was saved from becoming a lifelong idolater as an adult and that they were therefore allowed entrance into heaven because they were not of legal age where their breaking of God's laws would be counted against them.</div><div><br /></div><div>About the Babylonians the Lord said: "'I will rise up against them,' declares the Lord Almighty. 'I will wipe out Babylon's name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,' declares the Lord. 'I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 14:22-23) There is no doubt that the Lord did just that. The once-mighty nation of Babylon still lies in ruins today. Nothing that the Lord has said will fail to come to pass. His word never failed in the past. His word won't fail in the future. His word (and His precious promises to those who have placed their trust in Him) is true today and for always.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123479341747716935.post-68296232118168936192024-02-14T04:29:00.000-08:002024-02-14T04:29:29.294-08:00The Book Of Isaiah. Day 62, The Doom Of The King Of Babylon, Part FourWe are studying a twofold prophecy regarding Babylon. This prophecy is about the literal kingdom of Babylon that existed in ancient times and it is about the "Babylon"---the sinful conditions on earth---in the end times.<div><br /></div><div>We've been discussing Isaiah's vision of the doom of Babylon's king. As we've noted, some scholars believe a particular king was in mind (perhaps Nebuchadnezzar but more likely Belshazzar) whereas other scholars believe the vision regards all the kings of Babylon combined because they had in common such things as overweening pride, grandiose plans to conquer the world, paganism, and no respect for the God of Israel. Another thing we've talked about is the belief of many scholars that the reference to a "king" is also a reference to the leader known in the end times as the Antichrist as well as a reference to Satan himself who is the spirit behind all wickedness---including the wickedness of the kings of Babylon and the Antichrist.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday we looked at a series of statements that are commonly known as the "I will" statements. These statements depicted an attitude of wanting one's own will rather than God's will. They painted the portrait of a king (or kings) who thought they were better than all other men and as good as or better than God. While it's true that the Antichrist and Satan himself will both be judged and cast into a place of eternal imprisonment and separation from all that is good and holy, the king of Babylon will meet his doom as well, and I believe that the narrative of today's text primarily regards an ancient king of Babylon.</div><div><br /></div><div>"But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: 'Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?'" (Isaiah 14:15-17) The Neo-Babylonian Empire was the most powerful empire on earth in its heydey. It conquered and subjugated a number of other nations and tribes. But like all the other kings of old who thought they would conquer the entire world, the kings of Babylon are no more. The empire of Babylon is no more. Now the conqueror has been conquered. Now the captor is a captive. His wealth and power did not save him from death or from the grave or from an eternity separated from the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div>"All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and have killed your people." (Isaiah 14:18-20a) The final king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Belshazzar, was killed on the night he held a drunken feast in honor of his gods. The army of the Medes was even then breaching the walls and the book of Daniel tells us that Belshazzar lost his life that very night. He was likely killed along with many others ("those pierced by the sword" as Isaiah phrases it) while attempting to fend off the soldiers invading the capital city. It is believed that his body was piled up in a heap with all the other corpses after the fighting ended. Daniel tells us that on the night Belshazzar was killed, Darius the Mede took over Belshazzar's throne. Darius' men must have moved in and occupied the city and they would have needed to remove the corpses of the dead from the city. </div><div><br /></div><div>This would line up with Isaiah saying "you are cast out of your tomb" and "you are covered with the slain". Belshazzar was never interred in a tomb. We may not know where the tombs of previous kings of Babylon were located but no doubt they were buried with a great deal of pomp and mourning in ornate caskets within the finest tombs mankind knew how to fashion in those days. But not Belshazzar, for there was no one to hold a grand burial ceremony for him. He was cast out along with all the other dead somewhere outside the city.</div><div><br /></div><div>A sad fate awaits all who think they are as good as or better than the Lord. Nothing beautiful comes from living in opposition to the Lord. The fate of Belshazzar (the fate of his earthly body and the fate of his eternal soul) serves as an illustration of the futility of living a life without the Lord in it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Table-Belinda-Yorkie-Volume/dp/1492921491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388346812&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dog+at+the+master%27s+table</div>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02105848842102845681noreply@blogger.com0