Isaiah 52: The Suffering Servant

Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon had been oppressing Israel for as long as any of the Jewish people could remember. Songs and stories of captivity and exile were the only songs and stories most of the people were familiar with. But that was all about to change.

As we come to the latter stages of the book of Isaiah, God brings the Israelites good news – news of deliverance and redemption. In the first six verses of this chapter, God promises to restore Jerusalem, the “holy city” (1) to such a condition that sinners (“the uncircumcised and defiled”) would not be able to enter. Think for a moment what this promise would have meant to those who had seen their holy city trampled on and destroyed and mocked by those who opposed their God. There could be no better news for them… or could there?

In verses 10 & 12, God promises to demonstrate his power (“will lay bare his holy arm”), and his presence (‘the LORD will go before you and will be your read guard’) on behalf of his people as he delivers them. Again, think of what this promise must have meant to those who had to have wondered if God had abandoned and forgotten them while they were in captivity. There could be no better news for them… or could there?

There could be better news – and there was. This good news – which they probably did not completely understand – involved God sending his suffering servant to cleanse and redeem, not only Israel, but also many nations.

But this redemption – which cost Israel (and us) nothing – cost this servant great deal. The suffering that he endured on our behalf is foretold in graphic detail in verse 14. Please, NEVER take for granted that it is ONLY by his wounds that we are forgiven and healed.

There is no better news than that.

Ken Jackson

Isaiah 40 - Who's in Charge?

Broken relationships. Debt. Illness. Lies. Hectic schedules. Death. Stress. War. Loneliness. And the list could go on. Our daily lives offer a wide array of problems and circumstances that can cause us to grow weary. What’s the point in being good when no one else around us seems to care? Why is it that while we try to live with high moral standards those that disregard what is right still seem to get ahead? When is God going to come through for us? It’s in this place that we often lose sight of who God is and what he has done.

The previous 39 chapters in Isaiah focus a lot on God’s justice and judgment, while chapter 40 reminds us of restoration and deliverance because of who God is. These words in Isaiah help take our eyes off of our present circumstances and remind us of the One who’s in charge:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. 
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

Wherever life finds you today, what would it look like for you to hope in the Lord?

-Gina G.

Job 42 - Happy Endings

Yay for the good guy!! Job gets his due! In honor of Job, let's take a quiz of some good guys from Hollywood. Post your score in the comment box. Here we go.

1. Who is the Sheriff of Mayberrry?

2. He saves a woman from a sinking ship. She promises "she'll never let go."

3. He plays Walker Texas Ranger.

4. Darth Vaders son.

5. Nerdy teen often picked on by AC Slater and Zack Morris.

6. This guy normally has "24" hours to save the world.

7. This guy is a Doctor, a castaway, and always has the urge to fix everything. He always seems a bit LOST.

8. Spoof character based on the 007 movies.

9. He knows Kung Fu and can dodge bullets in the Matrix

10. This fictional character has been played by Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, and even a fox.

Okay back to the blog

Job finally sees the pay off for his faithfulness. He is finally past the trails and the Lord blesses Him twice what he once had. (vs 10)
So this begs the question, "If I'm faithful will God bless me like He did Job?"

In some ways it seems that way in this chapter, but you must remember that Job had no idea the Lord would bless him like that. Job was faithful because he loved God, and knew he was better off praising the Lord rather than cursing Him. In this book Job says, "You give and take away, BUT my heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name!" Job knew that God was in control of everything and no matter the outcome Job would praise God.

God chose to bless Job, and He has chosen not to bless others that have been just as faithful. If the ultimate reward anytime some one was faithful was twice what they had, then every CEO in the world would jump on board the Christian cash cab! Where's the faith in that?

So let us love God as Job did even if He doesn't give us the winning lottery ticket after we have proven to be faithful!

John

Answers:
1. Andy Griffith
2. Jack Dawson
3. Chuck Norris
4. Luke Skywalker
5. Screech Powers
6. Jack Bauer
7. Jack Shepard
8. Austin Powers
9. Neo or Mr. Anderson
10. Robin Hood




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Job 38: God speaks to Job

Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written long before Moses penned Genesis.  In fact, it’s one of the oldest pieces of literature of any kind known to man.  This ancient story asks a question that haunts us still: why do good people suffer?

Job was the richest guy around, but lost it all in a single day, even his health.  His wife told him to curse God and die, but he couldn’t do it.  That was sort of the problem.  Job was one of the good guys, so why was God letting this happen to him?  He had friends who tried to cheer him up by telling him it was his fault.  While they talked, Job wondered where God was and why he had abandoned him.  And the mystery of his suffering remained a mystery.

Then (in chapters 38 to 41) God enters the conversation.  It is one of the most elegant speeches God gives in the Old Testament, but it never answers the big question, never resolves the mystery of Job’s suffering.

Instead, God remembers here what we often forget.  People who are suffering don’t need explanations.  There are answers to the problem of suffering – complex, well-thought-out answers that make perfect sense to a reasonable person.  But they make little or no sense to someone in pain.  And they don’t help, even when the hurting person demands them.  What does help is companionship, someone to share in our suffering, someone to walk the hard road with us.

Somehow in this exchange God does this.  He walks the road with Job.  And when he speaks, it’s not to Job’s head, but to his heart.  Job finds comfort in this.  More than that, he finds God in a new way.  His past experience with God was nothing compared to what he knew and felt now.  It was the difference between hearing about someone and knowing them.  Job says:

My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you, Job 42:5. 

And that was enough.

(Now I’m crowding John’s blog tomorrow – sorry John.)

- Paul Abbott

Job 1-2 – Is God Unfair?

And now we’ve stumbled onto a profound question indeed, one as old as the text we just read.

Is God unfair?

For me, this text raises even more questions.  First of all, how much power does Satan have?  And what do we make of his “roaming through the earth”?  If He is not omnipotent, does Satan still have some level of omnipresence?  This account seems to put him on equal footing with the angels—alternately translated here as “Sons of God”—that is, he presents himself along with God’s other subjects as one who recognizes his authority comes only from the LORD.  And it is Satan’s request that puts into motion a tsunami of pain and suffering to a righteous man and his family.

But of course, this doesn’t get God off the hook.  If Satan only gets this authority to bring suffering on Job from God’s hands, we can trace the source back to God and are faced with the same question we began with: is God unfair?

Satan, it seems, is fixated on the scandal of suffering.  If God removes the blessing from his child and allows suffering to take its place, surely this proves He is no God of love or justice, and certainly not worthy of praise.  Like so many after him who have cried out in protest, Satan stakes his position on this point: “How could a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people?”

In our next One80 reading, God actually shows up and gives His response.  You won’t want to miss this…

Reuben Smith

Malachi 2 - Low-grade Disappointment

This is a powerful illustration about being faithful to our God.  The nation of Israel had so often forsaken it's "first love" and served other God's.  And here the prophet Malachi brings a warning/declaration that if/because you don't resolve to honor God curses are coming your way.  And there is some graphic discussion of how that will be playing out that I will choose not to discuss here.

Bottom line here is simple, and sometimes simple is best:

We must stay faithful to God!  We must "resolve to honor Him" in our lives!  If we don't, unpleasant things are heading our way.

The end of the chapter hit me like a ton of bricks:  vs 17 "you have wearied the Lord with your words".
One thing I hope will never be said of me is "you have wearied the Lord with your words".  So one thing I will do this day is "resolve to honor the Lord".

God, help it be so in my life!

Mathew McCabe

Esther 4: A Race's Survival

Molly and I went and saw the “Green Lantern” movie on Monday night. Without giving too much of the plot away, let me just say that the themes of fear and courage intertwine throughout the entire movie.

We find those same two themes woven through the book of Esther. As we come to chapter four, Mordecai informs Queen Esther that plans have been put in place to exterminate the Jewish people. The Jews held no real power in this Persian kingdom – politically, economically, or militarily – they were more or less helpless to do anything to thwart Haman’s wicked scheme.

Consider Esther's options - she could have:

• Given in to despair and hopelessness
• Taken steps to save herself without any concern for others
• Sat back and done nothing and waited for God to fix everything
• Risked everything by acting – trusting that God would use her to deliver her people.

Esther knew the risks. What she did not know was the outcome. But that uncertainty did not prevent her from acting. She was absolutely committed to doing what was right despite the possible consequences. Hear the courage in her voice when she says, “And if I perish, I perish.”

If Esther had not acted, would her people have survived? Once again, we are reminded that God works through those who choose to trust in him and ACT on that trust… releasing the outcome to him.

In hindsight, it is easy to see that God placed Esther where he wanted her for “such a time as this” (14). Where has God placed you these days? Do you ever find yourself tempted to remain silent rather than stand up for what is right? Remember Esther’s example – commit to do what is right and leave the outcome in God’s hands. 


Ken Jackson