1/16/2016 Day 16 - Isaiah 61 - Messiah ForetoldConnecting to the Larger StoryAs the people were carried into exile in deep despair over the future, the prophets continued to prophesy about God's promise for the future and how God would restore all things. Important to Note1) Isaiah prophesied about one who was "anointed" by God for a special purpose - to heal the sick and blind, to proclaim good news, and to release captives, among other things. The Hebrew word for one who is anointed is Messiah. With these prophecies, the people began to look for the Messiah ("Christ" in Greek) who would come to bring God's salvation to them. As the Old Testament draws to a close, the people are waiting expectantly for the coming of the promised Messiah to lead them out of oppression and to establish God's perfect kingdom as David's heir. 2) Isaiah, along with other prophets, foretold the coming year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance. The year of favor was to be celebrated as the time when God would restore all things to the way they should have been. Much like the Year of Jubilee that the people had been commanded to observe every fifty years in which all debts were to be forgiven and all property returned to their original owners, the Year of the Lord would see the people reinherit the land promised to them in a perfect kingdom based on God's law. The day of the Lord was, however, seen less with a sense of celebration and more with a sense of terror and apprehension. If the year of the Lord would see all things restored to the benefit of the oppressed, the the day of the Lord would see the overturning of the sinful oppressors and the establishment of justice. While this day would be great to see, there was always a sense of awe and terror at the thought of it because any sin and oppression would be avenged in that day. Another common theme associated with God's coming was the refining of God's people like the refining of gold - by burning and melting away impurities. While the end result may be what the people wanted, it was understood that enduring that day would be both great and terrible. Thoughts for Reflection1) What are we waiting for God to do in our world?
2) Is God's judgment a good or bad things (or a bit of both) to us? Connecting to the Larger StoryThe prophets continued to warn the people and their leaders for centuries what would happen if they continued their oppressive ways and did not return to God. Over time, the warnings grew more grave and the capture of Jerusalem was foretold. The kingdom of Judah (Israel had earlier split into two kingdoms - Israel in the north and Judah in the south; Israel had already been conquered) was attacked by the Babylonians who carried off the leaders and the elite into exile so that they could establish their own puppet government in Jerusalem. The people of Judah were devastated and wondered where the God who had promised that David's throne would last forever with one of his sons as king was in all of this. Of course, the prophets had warned that God was doing this to bring the people back to the Lord. Important to Note1) Even as the people were being carried against their will to a foreign land, leaving their homeland in ruins, and as other fled to faraway lands like Egypt where they would establish new homes, Jeremiah delivered God's promise that they would one day return and that God would prosper them. The exile - as hard as it was - was for the rebuilding of God's people, so they were called to live their lives as best as they could in their new homes with the promise that one day they would be back home. 2) Putting his money where his mouth (speaking for God) was, Jeremiah bought a plot of land from his relative and had the deed buried in the field. This action proved his confidence that the people would one day return. Why else would he have spent his money on a land that was about to be taken from him? This action proved how much he believed that his family would one day inhabit this property again. The prophets often spoke through these symbolic actions rather than just through words. Thoughts for Reflection1) How does walking through times of hardship help us eventually return with a deeper faith than we had before?
2) Are we people of words or of actions that back up our words? 1/14/2016 Day 14 - Isaiah - OppressionConnecting to the Larger StoryEven with a king to lead them and a temple in which to worship God, the kingdom of God's people continued to turn away from God. God used the prophets to speak to the people to warn them of the dangers of falling away and the consequences they would reap as a result. At times, a good king would listen and lead them back to God for a time, but over time the people fell further and further away. One of the greatest indictments God held against the people and their leaders was that they oppressed the poor, the widows, the orphans, the strangers, and the most vulnerable in society all the while making a good show of religion through offerings. Important to Note1) Isaiah, speaking for God, pointed out that the main wrong the people had committed was not against God but against one another. By oppressing each in murder, theft, and taking advantage of the poor and vulnerable, they had turned away from God and the commandments God had given. In fact, the people had continued in offering sacrifices to God, thus doing their religious duty to God, but this is not enough. In fact, God cared nothing for all the sacrifices they made if they did not live in peace and love with one another. One cannot love God if one does not also love one's neighbor. 2) This prophecy starts with the punishment that will occur as a result of turning from God. They would conquered by another kingdom and lose everything. It then turns to the indictment of what the people and their leaders have and have not done. Yet this prophect is not all doom and gloom. It turns finally to God provision for a future - the people's sin would be removed and the nation rebuilt with a holy remnant. Righteousness and justice will be restored. The punishment God brings is not for punishment's sake but for the restoration of what God had intended to begin with. Thoughts for Reflection1) What kinds of things do we do to make ourselves out to be good while we ignore the needs of others?
2) Can punishment lead to a restoration of what is good? 1/13/2016 Day 13 - 2 Samuel 7 - Promise and PraiseConnecting to the Larger StoryAfter receiving the law and wandering the wilderness for many years, Moses finally led the people to the promised land although he himself would not enter it. Joshua succeeded him as leader of the people. After conquering the land, the people fell away from God, came under oppression, and finally called out to God for deliverance. God raised a leader called a "judge" (not like a courtroom judge) to deliver the people. This pattern repeated itself many times over several generations until God finally appointed a king named Saul to lead the people. Saul disobeyed God, and then David - one of the great kings of Israel - came to rule. David consolidated his power and created a capital in Jerusalem complete with a lavish palace. All the while, the holy things of Israel were kept in a tent as they were while the people were traveling the wilderness. David decided on his own that he should build a temple as a home for God and to house the holy things. Important to Note1) While David thought he was honoring God, God - through the prophet Nathan - points out that the tent had been sufficient for all the time the people were in the wilderness and even since. Just as Jacob sought the name of God when they wrestled and wound up receiving a new name himself, David is denied the honor of being the one to build God's house and instead God promises to build a great house for David. David's offspring will rule and build a temple for God among the people, and David's house and kingdom will endure forever. 2) David responded to God's promise with a song of praise - a psalm. David wrote many psalms - sung prayers to God - that are recorded in the book of Psalms along with others written later on. Thoughts for Reflection1) Do we ever try to please God in ways that God has not asked us to? Are we seeking to honor God or ourselves?
2) How do we praise God when we are blessed? |
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February 2016
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