365 Reflections

Isaiah calls down firey judgment on Moab in chapter 15. In the last post, we looked at how God wept over the decree while administering it. Now in Isaiah 16, God offers hope to these displaced people with no more boundary markers to define who they are. What is their hope? The Messiah who comes will bring them in.  Isaiah 16:3–5 (ESV) “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; 4 let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you ; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, 5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” We again come to hope in the immediate aftermath of judgment. Moab will be judged and her sins paid for. But the displaced people will have a pl...

Hey readers! My book is finally out! I believe it will give you the tools you need to get moving in the right direction. Don't let worry, fear, and comparison call the shots in your life,  Get a copy and get MOVING WITH GOD! So we have discussed the successive failures of Judah's kings due to their pride in the previous post. Uzziah was the arch-type of that succession living out his days as a Leper, isolated and separated from the people due to his arrogant attitude regarding the altar of incense. His son, Jotham, however, would be a definitive break in the repetition of failing kings, serving the Lord properly for the duration of his reign.  2 Chronicles 27:1–2 (ESV) Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the p...

The news for Judah seems dismal. The threats of Sennacherib loom over the land. Will Judah fall to Assyria as the Northern tribes of Israel did? The propaganda from Assyria seems certain and pulls no punches letting the people know it. Hezekiah sends messengers to Isaiah and Isaiah responds with words of assurance that the Lord will frustrate the king of Assyria yet Hezekiah sees very little in the way of victory even after the words. Instead, Rabshakeh, the minister of propaganda keeps taunting the defenders on the wall and pronouncing inevitable defeat. After all, there were many nations before Judah who called out to their “gods” and they were vanquished. What made Judah different?  The answer is found in the theme of Hezekiah’s prayer offered in 2 Kings 19.  2 Kings 19:14 (ESV) Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD. Hezekiah takes the taunts of the enemy and “spr...

The final piece of furniture to be fashioned and placed in the Tabernacle is the Altar of Incense. Exodus 30:1 (ESV)  “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. Exodus 30:6–8 (ESV)   And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. The altar of incense was to be placed in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It was to burn continually, every day in every generation. It was to be tended by Aaron the High Priest and he was to make atonement for it every year. What was this altar of incense for? I would suggest it was a symbol of p...

Some people wondered if Jesus was related to David... Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" (Matthew 12:22, 23 ESV) From this passage you can see why. David was the conquering fighting general, commander, and king of the armies of the Lord. David fought, killed and murdered thousands of people. David delivered Israel with war and bloodshed. Jesus delivers through gentle compassion, grace, mercy and ultimately by dying Himself. Where David took life, Jesus gave his life. Where David killed Goliath with his sword, Jesus took the sword. The good news is - Jesus came to deal with our real enemy - death and the devil.  So he casts out demons.  Interesting to note... David is the only person in the Old Testament recorded to have silenced a demon.  In 1 Samuel 16:14-23 - David sings for Saul who is tormented by a...