Free daily Bible notes

Daily Bible thoughts 654: Monday 7th July 2014:

In the Bible there is a breath-taking breadth of vision. This passage shows the Egyptians coming to God following His work of judgment. There is going to be a remarkable turning to the Lord: ”On that Day, more than one city in Egypt will learn to speak the language of faith…GOD will openly show himself to the Egyptians and they’ll get to know him on that Day…They’ll make vows and keep them. GOD will wound Egypt, first hit and then heal. Egypt will come back to GOD, and GOD will listen to their prayers and heal them, heal them from head to toe.” The Message.

But this turning isn’t restricted to Egypt. It also includes Assyria. Either side of Israel, two major enemies worship the living God with her: On that Day, Israel will take its place alongside Egypt and Assyria, sharing the blessings from the center.” The Message. A ”highway” (23) of friendship will connect Assyria and Egypt, along with Israel, and they will be a ”blessing on the earth” (24; see Gen.12:3). Egypt and Assyria were enemies throughout much of the Old Testament period. Isaiah foresaw that they would become friends. Israel had been persecuted by both nations, but would now form a link between them. So Isaiah paints a picture of the Messianic age in which Jews and Gentiles (the latter represented by Egypt and Assyria) will live in unity and peace and worship one true God together (see Is.2:2-4; Eph. 2: 11-22.) Jesus reconciles former enemies (Lk.23:12).

What encouragement for missionary work we find here. God is able to reveal Himself to those who are far from Him, and steeped in slimy depths of paganism.

”…the love of God…overleaps the barriers of nationality and caste, and gives itself to all who humbly seek after Him…What a radiant prospect is thus suggested to us, when the most inveterate enemies of God’s church shall be received into her borders and regarded with the favour that God shows to his people! Who, standing amid the terrors of the plagues, could ever have supposed that Egypt would be addressed as ”my people”? Who could have thought that Assyria, the tyrant persecutor, would ever be called ”the work of my hands”? Yest these are the trophies and triumphs of divine grace. Our Shepherd has many sheep, which are not of the Jewish fold: these also He must bring; and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd. Never despair of any, for God’s grace abounds over mountains.” F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.276.:

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the beautiful unity we share in Christ. Thank you that I can meet believers from other lands, and know instantly that we ‘speak the same language’ even though we may not share a common tongue.

July 7, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 653: Friday 4th July 2014:

Isaiah 19:1-15

A strong faction in Judah advised the king to get help from Egypt (chapter 31). Isaiah warned that Egypt could not help them. The mighty land of Egypt, and its economy, was about to fall under the judgment of God. There would be no help for them there.

God hates idolatry in all its forms (1). The first commandment says: ”You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex.20:3) He is a jealous God, and rightly so. What husband wants his wife to give herself to another man? That is what we do when we worship idols. We commit spiritual adultery. There is a strong link between occultism and idolatry (3b). The devil has a vested interest in getting people to worship him (in the veiled form of idols). He wants to steal the worship that rightly belongs to the Lord. He wants to prise human hearts away from God.

One of the ways God brings judgment on the enemies of His people is to cause confusion in their camp (2; see 2 Chron.20:23). An army divided against itself cannot stand. What God did to the Egyptians in the past He can still do to any nation in the world, for He is the Sovereign Lord of history (2-4). Egypt was conquered by the king of Cush in Isaiah’s lifetime, and later by the king of Assyria shortly after Isaiah’s death. Isaiah could have been referring to either of these kings (4). You may notice a similarity to the ten plagues of Moses’ time in (1-15). There is a strong resonance with that era.

God’s judgment will also be worked out in nature. The River Nile, the nation’s liquid lifeline, its watery main artery, will ”dry up” (5) bringing destruction to fields and fisheries and other industries (4-10). We should not forget, and our leaders especially should remember, that God is able to work out purposes in nature that cripple economies. Many Christians believe that the U.K. has received a number of dire warnings in recent years. These surely are a wake up call? God has done it before and He can do it again. ”Fishermen will complain that the fishing’s been ruined. Textile workers will be out of work, all weavers and workers in linen and cotton wool Dispirited, depressed in their forced idleness – everyone who works for a living, jobless.” The Message.

But of course, if a nation’s leaders are themselves ”deceived” (13) they will prove to be blind leaders of the blind, and they will all fall into the same ditch together. So it was in Egypt (11-15). ”Zoan” and ”Memphis” were two important administrative centres. The leaders of the people did not have eyes in their heads in order to truly see. This was another way in which heaven’s judgment was implemented, in giving to the Egyptians such leaders. ”The honored pillars of your society have led Egypt into detours and dead ends. God has scrambled their brains, Egypt’s become a falling-down-in-his-own-vomit drunk. Egypt’s hopeless, past helping, a senile, doddering old fool.” The Message. ”Who but the Lord Almighty can bring such judgments on a people! Who but the Lord can bring a nation to its knees!” Tom Hale: The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p.1018.

In the Bible, Egypt symbolises the world. We too can be tempted to look to ‘Egypt’ for help, but we will find none there. The world’s wisdom is folly, but we know where we can find true wisdom (James 1:5).

Prayer: Thank you for your most gracious promise Lord to give wisdom to those who ask you for it I know you mean what you say, and so I ask for eyes to look at life in the way you do. Please give me true understanding.

July 4, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 652: Thursday 3rd July 2014:

Isaiah 18

When Alex Hayley’s book, ‘Roots’, became a sensational success on television, he was interviewed and asked the secret. His reply was, ”I don’t really know, but I remember something my grandmother told me. She used to say, ‘You never know when the Lord’s going to come, but He’s always on time!’ ”

Verses 4 to 6 lie at the heart of this passage. When we don’t know what to do, God does know what He will do. Instead of fretfully plotting and scheming, let us also ”remain quiet and…look on…” Here is one of the big lessons of the Christian life: learn to wait on and for the Lord. Don’t run ahead of Him, and certainly don’t lag behind Him, but wait for Him. When the time is ripe He will act, and, although it may not seem so to us, He’s always on time. He is unperturbed by the things that bother us. He knows the end from the beginning, and what He will do to put things right. Relinquish those worries to Him today. You may not know how to untie that knot, but God will come through for you as you look to Him.

So, Cush was a large area to the south of Egypt, covering present day Sudan and Ethiopia, and the river Nile ran through it. It was ”the land of whirring wings” because of its numerous insects (or its mighty armies.). We need to understand that its leaders had sent envoys to various nations, including Judah, with the intention of trying to form an alliance against Assyria (1, 2). However, Isaiah tells the envoys to return to where they came from (2), and carry the message that the Lord Himself will lead the fight against the Assyrians. But the message is not only for Cush; it is for all the ”people of the world” (3), meaning, in this case, the nations of the Middle East. There is coming a time when a ”banner” will be raised and a ”trumpet” will sound, and the nations will be called together to fight Assyria. But this will be according to God’s timetable, not man’s, and when it happens, they who once preyed on others will themselves become the prey(6). The passage ends with a wonderful promise that the people of Cush will one day come to worship God at the temple in Jerusalem, the place where the Lord has put His ”Name” (Deut. 12:5). They will see for themselves that the Lord God of Israel is more powerful than all the nations of the world, and they will come to honour Him. (See 2:3; 11:10; chapters 60 – 62; Pss.68:31-35; 87:4. There is a world vision in the Bible that sees people coming to Israel’s God from all over the globe.)

”Is not this a marvellous conception of God – being still and watching? His stillness is not acquiescence. His silence is not consent. He is only biding his time, and will arise, in the most opportune moment, and when the designs of the wicked seem on the point of success, to overwhelm them with disaster. As we look out on the evil of the world; as we think of the apparent success of wrongdoing; as we wince beneath the oppression of those that hate us, let us remember these words about God being still and beholding…he was only waiting the moment He could interpose most effectually…He will come to save thee when the precise moment has arrived.” F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.276.

Prayer: Lord God, you know the things that weigh on my mind today. I have no answer to them, but I leave them with you, knowing that you are not puzzled or perplexed, and you have a plan and a timescale for intervention. Knowing this settles me down and brings peace to the troubled waters of my heart.

July 3, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 651: Wednesday 2nd July 2014:

Isaiah 17

”If the people you trust do not trust the Lord, their judgment may become your judgment.” Warren W.Wiersbe: With the Word, p.462. This chapter calls to us across the centuries to trust in the Lord and not in mere people.

This prophecy is given against Damascus, the capital city of Aram (Syria), and also against Ephraim (Israel, the ten northern tribes of the divided kingdom.) It relates to a time when both Aram and Ephraim were in an alliance against Judah (see 7:1 – 9:21). The Israelites were going to be judged along with Aram, because they put their trust in their pagan neighbours instead of in God. (The reference to ”imported vines” in verse 10 also concerns this unholy alliance.) The judgment of God is a real thing. Imagine words such as those in (1) being spoken about a great city today: Leeds, for example: ”Watch this: Damascus undone as a city, a pile of dust and rubble! Her towns emptied of people, The sheep and goats will move in And take over the towns as if they owned them – which they will! (2) The Message. This prophecy proved true within a few short years. The Assyrians captured Damascus in 732 B.C. and ten years later conquered Israel. Israel and Syria had huddled together for warmth against the approaching storm of the Assyrians, but their alliance was unable to protect them from the severe weather. To trust in man is always futile.

Verses 4 to 11 relate primarily to Israel. In (5-8) Isaiah says that a small number of Israelites will remain faithful to God and survive His judgment: ”She’ll be like a few stalks of barley left standing in the lush Valley of Rephaim after harvest. Or like the couple of ripe olives overlooked in the top of the olive tree, Or the four or five apples that the pickers couldn’t reach in the orchard.” The Message. No doubt some of these people turned away from paganism to God because they feared the judgment that was coming. Indeed many of them would eventually leave Israel and settle in Judah. But what of those who would not turn to God? They would be driven from the ”strong cities” (9) they had taken from the Canaanites. As the people of Canaan had fled before them, the people of Israel would now show their heels to the Assyrians.

Isaiah pictures the nations of the Middle East ‘‘raging’’ like the ”raging sea” (12). They are raging against the Lord, His people, and ultimately against Jesus (Psalm 2:1-6; Acts 4:25, 26). However, God is so powerful He will drive them back like ”chaff” before the ”wind” (13). Assyria was one of those turbulent nations God the Lord was going to deal with decisively. There is no doubt about as to who is in ultimate control. These verses (12-14) can comfort and encourage us today as we hear terribly disturbing reports from that region of the world.

God’s holiness is dangerous to sinful man. Like Aslan, in C.S. Lewis’ ‘The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe’, He is good, but He isn’t safe! The key to security when faced with the reality of God’s judgment is to trust in Him alone (7 and 10). To place your confidence anywhere else is to court disaster. (See Deuteronomy 8:19, 20). Without trust in God you can have apparent success (10, 11), but it will only be for a limited time. ”We shall never garner the harvest without his help and blessing…The co-operation and blessing of God, sought in answer to prayer, cannot be left out of our calculations, if we are to win lasting success.” F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.275

Prayer: Forgetful I may be at times Lord, but cause me to always remember you, and know that you are trustworthy.

July 2, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 650: Tuesday 1st July 2014:

Psalm 106:1-15

This psalm is a prayer of confession. The psalmist describes Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness and rebellion from the time of the Exodus up to the fall of Jerusalem, and he asks God to once again save His people (47) It is thought possible that the writer was an exiled Levite, who asks God to include him in the salvation of the Israelites (4, 5) i.e. in their rescue from captivity. Almost the whole Psalm consists of a list of Israel’s sins. Yet over and over we see God forgiving and restoring His rebellious people whenever they cried to Him for help. The theme of the psalm could be described as ‘God’s faithfulness and man’s unfaithfulness.’ There is a stark contrast. It is also important to understand that in spite of our unfaithfulness, God sometimes does great things for us anyway, just to glorify His own Name (8). Here are some issues today’s passage surfaces:

Confess your sins: In recent weeks I have been in three different churches where a prayer of confession has been offered early on in the service, and then there has then come the pronouncement of forgiveness in the light of Christ’s work on the cross. I am increasingly seeing how important this is. When we come to Christ we have a one-off’ bath’, and this does not have to be repeated. However as we walk through this world our feet get ‘muddy’ and we need the opportunity for regular ‘foot-washing.’ (See John 13). Personally and corporately it is important to ‘come clean’; to ‘keep short accounts’ with God. We can be ‘honest to God’ knowing that ”…he’s good…his love lasts.” (1) The Message. It is important to come out into the open and not try to cover up our sin. (Psalm 32:1-5). There is no hiding place from God anyway. ”We’ve sinned a lot, both we and our parents; We’ve fallen short, hurt a lot of people.” (6) The Message. The psalmist begins his confession with the sins of his own generation (6), then in (7) he looks over his shoulder as far back as the time in Egypt (See Exodus 14:10-12). In spite of how the people were, God was (and always will be) true to Himself and He brought glory to His Name.

Remember God’s goodness (1, 2; 8-12): Never forget His remarkable acts of deliverance in the past. He is still God and He is always able. How eloquently (9b) speaks of the amazing miracle the Lord performed at the exodus: ”… – no one so much as got wet feet!” The Message. Verse 12 is interesting and instructive. The toughest test of Christian faith does not come in ‘days of wonder’ when everything is going well. It’s easy to sing in the daylight, but what about when you face the dark night of the soul? How are your vocal chords then? When the sunshine is absent and it’s pouring with rain, then what will you do? If you pull the dipstick out of your soul in the midst of great trial, what will be the oil of faith level?

Learn the lessons of Biblical history: Here are two:

a.) Don’t forget God (13; see Deut.8:11-20). If we forget God’s works we will soon forget God Himself, because He makes Himself known through them.

b.) Seek to know and do God’s will (13-15; see Numbers 11 – especially verses 4 and 34/ also 1 Cor.10:6). It is important to know ”his counsel’’ (13b) in our lives and prayers. However much I may think I want it, I don’t want God to give me anything that is not according to His will. I don’t want the ”empty heart”/ the ”leanness” of soul/ even the ‘‘wasting disease’’ that can come in the wake of getting your own way. ”He gave them exactly what they asked for – but along with it they got an empty heart.” (15) The Message.

”…do not seek to impose your will on God; do not insist on anything with too great vehemence; let God choose. Whenever you make request for things which are not definitely promised, ask God not to grant them, except it be for the very best.” F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.233.

The ‘lusts of the flesh’ can exert a strong pull over our lives still. We can only resist them in the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Pet.2:11; Gal.5:16).

Prayer: Lord, let me always be clear about what I should say ‘No’ to and what I should say ‘Yes’ to. Thank you that I am empowered by your Spirit to do both.

July 1, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 649: Monday 30th June 2014:

2 Corinthians 9:6-15.

”He gives you something you can then give away’’ (From verse 11 in The Message.) Giving is a vital part of Christian discipleship.

We are to give generously (6; see also 8-11). This doesn’t just apply to money. It is a general spiritual principle that works out in many ways. But it certainly does apply to money. Think about the realm of agriculture. If you only sow a small part of a field, you will have a relatively small harvest. If you sow a large area of land you can reap a big harvest. I was talking to a farmer and his wife last autumn, and they told me that from a small seed sown you get back something much bigger, more plentiful than you might expect. Proportionately, what you harvest looks far more impressive than what you sow. But, of course, you will get nowhere if you keep the seed in your hand.

We are to give cheerfully (7). One famous preacher paraphrased the last part of this verse as ”Hallelujah! Here comes the plate!!” I heard another leader say that each month, when he and his wife write their tithe cheque, they rejoice that they have once again been able to put to death that greedy, grasping spirit; that poverty mentality that says, ‘I am fearful of shortage.’ Cheerful, and willing giving is one way to overcome the world. (Note that Paul did not stipulate how much people must give; only that they should do so, and generously. He wanted to see ‘free-will offerings’.) ”God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” The Message.

We are to give abundantly (8-11).

The abundance of the giver (8, 9): In verse 9 Paul quotes from Psalm 112:9: He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out.” The Message. This is part of the righteous life God calls His people to. It is a life of supplying the needs of others (12), serving (13) and sharing what we have (14). By the way, have you noticed how giving binds people more closely together? ”Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need.” (14) The Message.

The abundance of the harvest (10, 11). We reap more than we sow. But this harvesting is not for the sake of scrooge-like hoarding. It is so that the virtuous cycle of giving can go on and on in ever-increasing circles. The more you give, the more you have to be able to give. What’s more, the glory goes to God (11b; see also 13). ”Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God.” (12) The Message. And, as someone observed, the moment we stop being generous is when God will stop making us rich!

We are to give obediently (13). Giving is a mark of Christian obedience, and one of the ways we live out the implications of the Lordship of Christ.

We are to give in recognition of the greatest gift (14). Someone spoke of ”the gift of Christ, so great as to be beyond description, the spring and pattern of our giving.” The thought of Jesus’ self-giving should continually challenge us.

”Let us always remember how great God’s power is (Ephesians 3:20-21). From a tiny seed, God can make a great tree. But we have to let go of that seed; we have to bury it in the ground. If we keep that seed in our pocket, no tree will come from it. In the same way, a small boy once gave away five loaves and two fish to Jesus, and Jesus turned them into a feast for five thousand men! (see Mark 6:35-44).” Tom Hale: The Applied New Testament Commentary, p.683

Prayer: Lord I ask you to direct my giving, that I may always please and glorify you by generosity.

June 29, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 647: Thursday 26th June 2014:

Isaiah 14:28-32

Trust in God, not man. Get your eyes on the Lord, and fix them on Him. He is all you need. He won’t fail you.

The Philistines were ancient enemies of the Israelites. They lived along the Mediterranean coast west of Israel, and regularly gave God’s people the ‘run around’ through the years. Isaiah prophesies that they will revolt against Assyria: the ‘‘rod that struck” them (29). However, he says that new Assyrian rulers will spring up who are worse than the former ones (29). So they should not ”rejoice” over short-lived victories. In fact, the Philistines are doomed. ”The LORD will be a shepherd to the poor of his people and will let them live in safety.” (30a Good News Bible.) But the Philistines will be destroyed by the Assyrians (30). The Assyrian army will appear as a ‘’cloud of smoke’’ coming ‘’from the north’’ (31). (Some scholars believe (29) refers to the king of Judah and not that of Assyria; either to Ahaz, who had just died, or Uzziah, his father. But the ”cloud of smoke” coming from the ”north” (31) indicates that it was the Assyrians who would finally destroy the Philistines . Whichever way you interpret it, the basic sense of the prophecy remains the same.)

Isaiah foresaw that the Philistines would send ”envoys” to Jerusalem, seeking to make an alliance with the Jews against a common enemy (32). But God’s people would stand firm with their trust in Him.

”It was as sharp a test of obedience for Hezekiah as was that of ch.7 for Ahaz; and the Philistines were formidable people to offend (cf. 2 Ch.28: 18 – 19) at this time. God’s reply is threefold. First, there is worse yet to come from Assyria (29); secondly, Philistia is a doomed people (30b – 31); thirdly, true welfare is only in the Lord (30a, 32). It is the constant message of Isaiah: trust, not intrigue.” Derek Kidner: The New Bible Commentary, p.643.

”What does one say to outsiders who ask questions? Tell them, ”GOD has established Zion. Those in need and trouble find refuge in her.” ” The Message. What a portrait of what the church is meant to be in this world. Established by God she is a place of refuge for people in need. Those who heed the church’s message and put their trust in God find that He will never let them down.

Surrounded by danger, enemies and seemingly insurmountable problems, choose to trust in the Lord. He is fully worthy of your confidence.

Prayer: Lord God, you know what is on my mind today. You know how it weighs upon me. I place it into your Hands. I acknowledge it was in your Hands already, but I need to consciously release it to you. It is too big for me to handle. Thank you for daily carrying my burdens. You are good all the time.

June 26, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 646: Wednesday 25th June 2014:

Isaiah 14: 24-27

Look to God for victory! He still crushes ”the Assyrian” in His ”land”.

This short oracle is directed against the nation of Assyria. (See 10:5-34). They were the world superpower before the Babylonians replaced them: the nation that took the Israelites captive. See three great truths about God:
He is sovereign (24, 26, and 27): He is ”The LORD Almighty…” (24a).Whatever He plans and purposes will come to pass. Not even the mightiest king can stand against Him and ”thwart” His agenda. You might as well stand in the middle of a heaving motorway with your hand raised, as try to stand against the rolling purposes of God. ”Exactly as I planned, it will happen. Following my blueprints, it will take shape.” The Message. It’s not just about what He has said, but what He has ”sworn” (24a; see Hebs.13:ff.). There is a ”Surely” (24b) about what God decrees. We know that His Word is true, and we can rely on it. What it foretells will happen. ”God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19.

He is Judge (25-27): He will deal with sin and sinners; He will deal with all sin and all sinners (26). There will be no exceptions. ”This is my plan for the world, and my arm is stretched out to punish the nations.” (26: Good News Bible). What God did to mighty Assyria should serve as a warning to all nations. The only shelter from the judgment of God is found in Christ, and people from all countries can take refuge in Him. But if they will not, a real and fearful judgment awaits them.

He is the Victor/Deliverer (25): What God says He will do, He literally did. You can read the story later on in chapters 36 and 37. It’s quite remarkable. But although this happened historically, I believe there is a spiritual principle I can apply to my life. I am God’s ”land”. (See ”my” three times in verse 25) I belong to God. My life, in all its regions, is His territory. But ”the Assyrian” is within the borders of His land. I have within me a sinful nature that has an appetite for sin. It likes to sin; it wants to sin; it will be with me until I die. It is the devil’s ‘Trojan Horse’ or ‘fifth column’. Sin is an ‘inside job’, you might say. But God can ”crush” this enemy within. Indeed, He already has, at the cross, and I can experience victory because of Him. I can know freedom from slavery to sin. According to Paul, in Romans 6, I already do. But I have to work out the implications in my everyday life. I must fully play my part, and co-operate with the Holy Spirit all along the way. I must do all I need to do to fight and resist indwelling sin. But I need to be clear that the victory is the Lord’s (Rom.7:24, 25; 2 Cor.2:14), and He will give me all I need for holiness as I seek to act in His power, and follow Him in His triumphant procession. The mightiest enemies of all have been slain at Calvary, and I can experience the fruits of that in my life. This thought encourages me today, that there is victory for me in Jesus. There is victory for you too! (There is the picture of something heavy being lifted in 25b. Maybe that is exactly what you need.)

One final thought: It is characteristic of God’s strategy, someone said, that the enemy should be broken in God’s land, in his moment of apparent victory. (Read Acts 4:27, 28 and pause to reflect and rejoice over the greatest triumph.)

Prayer: Thank you Lord that when man (and Satan) were doing their worst, you were doing your very best. You took Goliath’s sword and used it to chop off his head. Hallelujah!

June 25, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 645: Tuesday 24th June 2014:

Isaiah 14:12-23

Choose to walk the path of humility; It beats being humbled! God’s law of gravity says that ‘what goes down must come up!’

We are traversing what has been called the ”jungle of prophecy’’ (Chapters 13-25). These are oracles against foreign nations. Today’s verses for reflection form the last part of the oracle against Babylon. (If you are able, it would be good to read Gen.11:1-9 and Rev.18:2, 3 in conjunction with Isaiah 13:1-14:23).

Like the king of Babylon (12-14) Lucifer (Satan) exalted himself and was humbled, but Jesus, God’s Son, humbled Himself and was exalted (Phil.2:5-11). In so doing He has left us a pattern. This template is counter-intuitive; it moves against the world (we might say ‘Babylonian’) system, but herein lies real life (Jas. 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). ”If the Lord’s going to raise you up, let him raise you up; but whatever you do don’t try to raise yourself up!”

You will see the repetition of the words ”I will” in (13, 14; see James 4:13-17). How different was the plan, the aim, the stated ambition, to the actual outcome (15-23). See what was intended, and compare it with what happened. Then learn! ”Stop! Look! Listen!” Ancient kings often fancied themselves as gods, but the more they lifted themselves up, the less like God they became. When the true God appeared on earth, it was in the form of a humble servant. When human rulers exalt themselves they follow the devil’s example and are energised by him (13; compare with Gen.11:4. The name ”Babel” is the Hebrew word for Babylon. From Babel to Babylon human nature hadn’t changed.)

Satan said ”I will” but Jesus said, ”Thy will”. The essence of sin is self-love; it is the enthronement of self, and effectively the replacement of God with me. ”I did it my way”. But there can only be one Lord in a human life (Mt.6:24). Who’s it going to be? ”If self is on the throne, Christ is on the cross; but if Christ is on the throne, self is on the cross.” Don’t you think today’s passage says that it’s not good to get your own way. I don’t want God to allow me to have my own way (however much I want it, if you see what I mean!) It’s an exceedingly risky enterprise when you seek to get your will done in heaven.

Powerful people in this world, those who oppose God and His people, will get their come-uppance in God’s good time (and that goes for the one who empowers them: Phil. 2: 10, 11; see also 2 Thess.2:4. When the antichrist comes:”the man of lawlessness”, he will be the embodiment, the incarnation of Satan himself. But he will be no match for the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Thess.2:8). You can see in Isaiah 14: 12 -23 how the king of Babylon is going to be utterly humiliated. His ruin will be total. He will have no ”tomb” (19), no ”burial” (20). He will be ”Like a corpse trampled underfoot’’ (19). A man’s memorials include his grave stone and children, but the king of Babylon will have neither.

So, humble yourself under God. If Jesus is your Lord you will follow Him in taking up the basin and towel. (See John 13, and especially verses 12-17. It really is important to read these words.)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, suffering servant, help me to reject the way of self-importance, and take every opportunity to humbly serve.

June 24, 2014 0

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