Free daily Bible notes

Daily Bible thoughts 644: Monday 23rd June 2014:

Here are two complementary truths about life: a.) suffering is only for a time; b.) success is only for a time. So if you are currently navigating choppy waters, remember that this storm has come to pass. And if your graphs are all ‘up and to the right’, keep it in perspective. The prophecy against Babylon that we began to look at in 13:1 continues down to 14:23. See in today’s reading that:

Suffering will end (1-4a): God gives ”relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage.” (3) The people of God would be taken as captives to Babylon, but years before this happened, Isaiah saw that those exiles would return (10:20, 21). There is a part of Isaiah’s prophecy that is yet to happen (2). One day God will fulfil His ultimate purpose for Israel, to be a blessing to all the peoples on earth. The return of the remnant was an important marker on the road to the ultimate establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. When we go through our days of ‘Babylonian captivity’, as we do in this world, we can be sure that God will bring the pain and heartache to an end in His good time.

Success will end (4b – 11). Three sharp pointed thoughts cut into me as I read these words:

Success is only for a time: The Babylonians were at the ‘top of the tree’ politically. They had barnstorming success, rampaging across the world of their day. But it was only for a limited period.

Leadership is only for a time: In (9) you read about ”all those who were leaders in the world…all those who were kings over the nations.” (Underlining mine). Their leadership and authority is in the past tense. (It is good for those who lead in church life to recognise this truth also. We only have a short time to make a difference. Our status should not come from our leadership position but our relationship with God as His children. Too many leaders get defined by their role, and apart from it they don’t really know who they are.)

Greatness (in human terms) is only for a time. For a few short years people will clamour for your autograph, then life will go on without you, just as it has done in the case of every other rich and famous personality. Time may briefly doff its cap to you, but then it marches on, taking out more victims left, right and centre. So, success, leadership and greatness all come to an end. THEN WHAT?

Verses 9 – 11 read like this in The Message: ”And the underworld dead are all excited, preparing to welcome you when you come. Getting ready to greet you are the ghostly dead, all the famous names of the earth. All the buried kings of the nations will stand up on their thrones With well-prepared speeches, royal invitations to death: ”Now you are as nothing as we are! Make yourselves at home with us dead folks!” This is where your pomp and fine music led you, Babylon, to your underworld private chambers, a king-size mattress of maggots for repose and a quilt of crawling worms for warmth.”

”Now you are as nothing as we are!” It makes you think!! As someone said to me recently, ‘You’re dead a long time.’ That is certainly true. But Biblically speaking, death is not the cessation of existence. So you need to be clear about where your eternal home will be. That will be determined by your response to Jesus.

Prayer: ‘’Teach me to live that I may dread the grave, as little as my bed.’’ (Bishop Thomas Ken).

June 23, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 643: Friday 20th June 2014:

Psalm 105:37-45

As we conclude our look at this psalm, the overwhelming thought we are left with concerns God’s lavish provision for His covenant people. It will encourage us today to think that this God is our God. See:

His material provision (37a; see Ex.12:35, 36). It wasn’t just the gift of wealth, but an abundance of it: ”laden”, and that means a lot!! This material enlargement also included territorial conquest (44). The land of Canaan was inhabited by many godless peoples (Gn.15:19-21) ”He made them a gift of the country they entered, helped them seize the wealth of the nations.” The Message.

His provision of strength for the journey: ”…and from among their tribes no-one faltered.” (37b).

His provision of protection (38): He caused the mighty Egyptians to fear them and want them to leave their country. This was the Lord’s doing and it remains ‘marvellous’ in our eyes. ”Egypt was glad to have them go-they were scared to death of them.” The Message. Their leaving meant an end to the devastating plagues (38).

His provision of guidance (along with protection). This is covered in (39).

His provision of life’s necessities (40, 41). He gave them each day their daily bread, and water. They looked to Him in prayer, and He did not fail them.

His provision of great joy (43). ”He led his people out singing for joy; his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!” The Message.

In all that the Lord did for them He was ‘remembering’ His promise to Abraham made centuries earlier (42).

It was also to the end that they might live as God’s Holy people (45): He did all this ”So they could do everything he told them – could follow his instructions to the letter.” The Message. The Lord did not give them all this blessing so they could live any old way they chose. They were expected to live to the praise of God’s glory, so that through them God’s light would shine on all nations to their blessing. They were not blessed to hoard the blessing, but to share it. The Psalm begins with the people looking to the Lord in trust (4), and concludes with them obeying. ‘Trust and obey’ is the essence of our walk with God too. Without the obedience, praise is just religious noise (Amos 5:23, 24).

Prayer: Lord, you have loaded us with blessings. Help us to not abuse them but use them for your glory.

June 20, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 642: Thursday 19th June 2014:

2 Corinthians 9:1-5

God wants His people to have generous attitudes. He doesn’t want them to be ”pressed men’ in the realm of giving. He ”loves a cheerful giver” (7). He desires that our giving should be the overflow of something good happening in our hearts (see 8:16).

”For the Macedonian Christians, giving was not a chore but a challenge, not a burden but a blessing. Giving was not something to be avoided but a privilege to be desired.” George Sweeting.

Paul’s handling of the Corinthians on this subject of the offering is a fine example of pastoral tact and sensitivity:

He reminds them of what they had promised. Paul knew they’d said it, and they knew they’d said it. Paul didn’t threaten, but he knew how to apply the right amount of pressure by letting them know he hadn’t forgotten their words, and that he had every confidence in them as people of their word!

He tells them he has told others about their commitment to give (and paints well a picture of what it will feel like if they don’t do so. They must have felt their cheeks beginning to redden even as they heard Paul’s apostolic words. They could indeed imagine how embarrassing it would be, especially if their failure to deliver came out in front of the Macedonians, who were famous for their giving: 8:1-5)

His words and actions demonstrated an expectation that they would make good on their promise, and not grudgingly so. They would know that they had effectively tied themselves by their earlier promise, and they would not be allowed to undo this particular ‘knot’.

He was sending the ‘finance team’ to them to help them prepare their contributions, so that when he arrived everything would be in order.

But he was coming to them! They would have to face him.

It is not unreasonable for church leaders to have high expectations of those they lead, and to make those expectations clear.

Prayer: May my own heart increasingly reflect the generous heart of God, as you change me by your Spirit.

June 19, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 641: Wednesday 18th June 2014:

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

In church administration generally, but particularly in matters of finance, we not only need to be above board, but seen to be above board. Here is a vital example to follow: ”We want to avoid any criticism of the way we handle this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.” (20, 21). ”We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God.” The Message. ”Naturally we want to avoid the slightest breath of criticism in the distribution of their gifts, and to be absolutely aboveboard not only in the sight of God but in the eyes of men.” J.B. Phillips . If you remember, this collection was taken to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem. When people give to a cause, they want to know that their money is going to that cause, and not being diverted somewhere else.

In particular, Paul took pains to show that the men carrying the money were trustworthy, and not like Judas, dipping into the funds for their own gain. Essentially he gives them ‘character references’ in this passage.

He mentions Titus and his qualities (16, 23; see also 6). But Paul wisely did not leave this in the hands of one man, however great his reputation was. He didn’t want to leave him exposed to possible criticism (or even temptation?).

He also says: ”We’re sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there’s far more to him than popularity. He’s rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing the work of sharing God’s gifts to honor God as well as we can, taking every precaution against scandal.” The Message. (See Prov.22:1) He is described, in the ‘New International Version’ as ”…the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.” (18)

Then Paul mentions ‘‘another trusted friend” The Message (22) as part of the ‘finance team’. ”He’s proved his dependability many times over and carries on as energetically as the day he started.” The Message.

Paul could say about the two men accompanying Titus, ”they are representatives of the churches and an honour to Christ.” (23). ”The brothers who travel with him are delegates from the churches, a real credit to Christ.” The Message.

So it is our responsibility to ensure that all who handle church money are of unblemished character without a sniff of suspicion surrounding them. We owe it to the world; we owe it to the church. Above all, we owe it to the Lord Himself.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you have blessed us so that we can be generous. It is a privilege to give.

June 18, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 640: Tuesday 17th June 2014:

Isaiah 13:9-22

Although it is true to say that every judgment Of God in History can in some sense be described as ”the day of the LORD”, it doesn’t alter the fact that there is going to be a final judgment of all mankind. Isaiah, in (9-13), sees the historical judgment on Babylon as foreshadowing the last judgment. So it is important that we should see the particular judgments of God in history as warnings of things yet to come. God hates pride. It always goes before a fall. The Babylonians are a major Bible example of this principle. There can be no doubt that God’s judgment is a terrible thing (14-16). The Babylonians had taken people captive from many lands. Isaiah saw that when the city of Babylon was about to fall, these exiles would try to escape to their native lands. But those caught or found living among the Babylonians would be killed, or ravished, along with the Babylonian people.

At one time, people would have struggled to believe that so great an empire as that of Babylon could be devastated like this (17 – 22). But it did happen, and it stands as a warning to all nations and empires. Although God would use ”the Medes” in His purposes, Babylon would be ”overthrown by God.” (19). The destruction of this city, and the downfall of this powerful empire would be God’s work through His chosen instruments. ”This prophecy has indeed come true. By the end of the first century A.D., Babylon had become a deserted ruin, and it remains so to this day. Ancient Babylon has become a symbol of godless worldly power. In Revelation Chapter 18, Rome, the centre of the world’s greatest empire in Christ’s time, was called ”Babylon” by the Apostle John. The Roman Empire too has fallen, and many others like it through the centuries. Isaiah’s message is this: all nations who set themselves up against God will ultimately come to ruin. We do well to ask: How many ”Babylons” are there in our world today?” Tom Hale: The applied Old Testament Commentary, p.1013.

”…in the landscape of history, as we view it from the eminence of the years, we can detect the…vengeance of the Almighty on the cruel, rapacious, bloodthirsty kingdom of Babylon. She had served God’s purpose, but she had committed such enormous crimes in the process of serving it, that she must be condemned.” F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.274.

Prayer: Lord God, ‘Babylon’ still hits the headlines each day and makes the news. Help me to remember the final chapter of the story however, and thank you for allowing me to read it in advance.

June 17, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 639: Monday 16th June 2014:

Isaiah 13:1-8

The rising and falling of nations are in the hands of God (Dan.4:25, 32; Acts 17:26). In Isaiah chapters 13-23 you have a series of oracles, or prophecies, spoken against various nations in the Middle East that at one time or another were enemies of God’s people. The first concerns Babylon, the capital city of the mighty Babylonian Empire. (See also Jeremiah chapters 50, 51). There is no one too big and powerful, or mean and nasty, that God cannot bring them down. Isaiah pictures God the Lord raising an army of ”holy ones” (3). They may not necessarily be holy in behaviour, but they have been set apart for God’s purposes. That’s the meaning of the word. He tells them to ”enter the gates of the nobles” (2) that is Babylon itself. ”I’ve taken charge of my special forces, called up my crack troops. They’re bursting with pride and passion to carry out my angry judgment.” The Message.

(4, 5): When Isaiah wrote this prophecy, it was the Assyrians, not the Babylonians, who were the Superpower in Middle Eastern politics. But Isaiah was able to see ahead, to the rise of Babylon, the conquest of Judah, and the exile of the Jews. Then he was enabled to see even beyond that to the eventual defeat of Babylon by Cyrus King of Persia (joined by the Medes from Media: verse 17), and the return of the Jewish exiles to their own land (14:1, 45:1, 13). ”It’s GOD on the move with the weapons of his wrath, ready to destroy the whole country.” The Message.

Any day that God intervenes decisively in history can be called ”the day of the LORD” (6). Of course, this expression repeatedly refers to the last judgment. Whenever God’s judgment comes it is terrible: ”…an avalanche crashing down from the Strong God! Everyone paralyzed in the panic, hysterical and unstrung, Doubled up in pain like a woman giving birth to a baby. Horrified – everyone they see is like a face out of a nightmare.” The Message.

”In the defeat of Babylon, Isaiah saw a picture of the final ”day of the Lord” when the world will taste the judgment of God…Isaiah’s message against Babylon was fulfilled, and the city and empire are no more. In Scripture, Babylon symbolizes the world system confederated against God (Gen.11). Like Babylon in Isaiah’s day, the world today seems so successful and invincible; but one day, the whole system will fall (Rev 17, 18). That is why God calls His people to separate themselves from it (2 Cor.6:14-18).” Warren W. Wiersbe: With the Word, p.461.

Prayer: Help me Holy God to have a true valuation of things and ‘love not the world.’

June 16, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 638: Friday 13th June 2014:

Isaiah 12

”This chapter forms a fitting conclusion to the first eleven chapters of Isaiah. Up until now, Isaiah has focused mainly on the people of Judah; he has warned them of judgment to come because of their sins. But he has also prophesied that a remnant would be spared and restored to the land. Not only that, Isaiah has also looked far into the future and has seen a day when the Messiah would reign and all nations would submit to Him. In that day (verses 1, 4), says Isaiah, God’s people will sing His praises.” Tom Hale: The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p.1011

The salvation Jesus, the Messiah, brings comes by faith (2a): ”I will trust and not be afraid.” This is a theme illuminated even more clearly in the New Testament and especially in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Someone said that when you read Mark’s gospel you are confronted throughout with a straight choice between faith and fear. You can have one or the other, but you shouldn’t (needn’t) have both. They make alien bed-fellows. It is not true to say that all people are saved because Jesus has come into the world; but the Lord will ”become” (2b) your salvation if and when you put your trust in Him.
The salvation Jesus brings means deliverance from the wrath and judgment of God (1), and brings the best and truest form of ‘comfort’ into your life, where you know you are right with your Maker and in a love relationship with Him of total acceptance.
The salvation Jesus brings puts a song of praise (even a ”shout” of praise: verse 6) into your heart and on your lips (2b, 5 and 6). The song in (2b) was sung by the Israelites when they were delivered from Egypt (Ex.15:2), and they sang it when they returned to their land from exile (Ps.118:14). We sing it now in this Messianic age. We sing as people who know that ”The Greatest lives among” us (6). The Message.
The salvation Jesus brings is something we testify to (4, 5). It is not to be kept to ourselves but published abroad. ”Shout to the nations, tell of what he’s done, spread the news of his great reputation…Let the whole earth know what he’s done! Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion!
The salvation Jesus brings is an on-going experience (3; see John 4:10, 14). It is to be enjoyed, and it is continually refreshing. ”Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation.” The Message. You will always be able to ‘draw up’ what you need. Note the plural ”wells”. We love and serve the God of abundant supply. ”Faith is the bucket, which we let down into the fulness of the divine supply…And oh, the joy of realizing that all the wealth of God’s salvation is within our reach; that we may draw for ever without fear of exhaustion…” F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, pp. 273,274. Thought: ”I will trust and not be afraid” (2a). This is a possibility and an opportunity and needs to be a commitment.

Prayer: Today, Lord God, I want to trust you. I feel my weakness to succumb to fear, but help me to hold tight to your Hand.

June 13, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 637: Thursday 12th June 2014:

Isaiah 11: 10-16

Here are three things about the Messiah who is to come:

He will be a ‘magnet’ (10, 12a; see also Rev.22:13, 16): ”In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples…He will raise a banner for the nations…” He will be a rallying point, drawing to Himself people from all over the globe. The Apostle Paul quotes (10) to show that God intended the Gentiles to put their hope in Christ. The Messiah would come into the world not only for Jews (Romans 15:12; see also Acts 4:12). ”For God so loved the world…” (Verse 11 may refer to the remnant of Israel and Judah that would return from captivity. Some scholars believe Isaiah is referring to the Jewish remnant that was dispersed throughout the earth following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70,and their restoration in and around the time of Christ’s second coming.)

He will be a unifier (12 – 14): He will ”gather…the scattered…” (12). The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 11:9-13) will one day be brought together under the reign of the Messiah. Where they were at each other’s throats in hostility, they will once again be by each other’s side in battle. There will be a great family reunion. Jesus reconciles people to God and to each other.

He will be a liberator (15, 16): In these verses a second and greater exodus is envisaged. This theme will be developed more fully in later chapters, e.g. 35:1-10; 48:20, 21. The captives will return. But the Messiah will release people not just from physical chains but also spiritual bondage.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus for all that you are, and all you have done, and do, in my life.

June 12, 2014 0

Daily Bible thoughts 636: Wednesday 11th June 2014:

Isaiah 11:1-9 How did Jesus fulfil His ministry in the world? The answer is, He was totally dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18). That reliance on the Spirit’s anointing was prophesied by Isaiah centuries before Jesus came (1-3a). Jesse was David’s father. After the fall of Jerusalem, the house of David did indeed become a ”stump” (1). It was seemingly dead. There was no nation to rule, no throne to sit on and no power to wield. Yet Isaiah could see that this stump was not completely dead, but would one day produce a ”shoot”. If you remember, Isaiah had previously spoken about the ”Branch of the LORD and about the ”stump” that would become a ”holy seed” (Isaiah 4:2; 6:13). In those verses Isaiah was thinking mainly about the remnant of Judah, the faithful Jews who would return to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile. But here he sees the emergence from among the Jews, of an individual, the Messiah, in the more distant future. God’s Spirit will ‘‘rest’’ on Him and equip Him for ministry. (The idea of resting might well suggest a sense of ease and comfort about coming on Jesus. There was nothing in the Lord to drive away the sensitive, dove-like Spirit of God. He could feel at home with Him.)

Even as God’s Son, Jesus delighted ”in the fear of the LORD”(3a). He spent His life in ”reverent submission” to God (Hebs.5:7, 8; see also Mark 14:36). The Spirit of God will be glad to inspire such an attitude in you and me. I know that I need everything the Spirit of God brought to Jesus. When the Messiah comes, He will not deal with people superficially. He will rule with justice, protecting the poor and needy and punishing the wicked (3b-5). The anointing of the Spirit will give a man a fiery concern for justice, along with the ability to see beyond the surface of things. The Messiah is ruling now in one sense, but Isaiah seems to be looking way beyond the current church age to a time when Christ’s Kingdom will be fully established over all the earth (6-9). These verses clearly look to a future Messianic Kingdom in which hostility and killing will come to an end, even among the animals. The great predatory beasts will recognise the rule of mankind over all living creatures (Gen.1:28), so that even a ”little child” will be able to ”lead them” (6). Isaiah seems to see a restoration of the Garden of Eden in which there will be perfect harmony. What a day it will be when The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide. The Message.

So, God would fell the mighty trees of Assyria (10:33, 34), but from a ”stump” bring about His eternal purposes in the world. Let’s not despise the day of small things

Prayer: I ask just this, Lord, that I will not look down on things that you are in, just because they appear small at the moment. Little is much when you are in it.

June 11, 2014 0

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