Isaiah 49:1-50:3 Dear RTB’ers, As the STS introduction reports, we are now moving away from a focus on Israel’s neighbors and oppressors: our “attention is turned to Israel’s glorious future”. Yes, it is a much easier read to see Israel being lifted up by this “servant”: And now the Lord says … “It is too light a …
Author Archives: Fred
December 21 / Isaiah 48
Isaiah 48 Dear RTB’ers, Yesterday I posted, “God will do what He will do. Our only response is to acknowledge Him.” Then John repeated that point in his comment, “Are we, as Fred says, acknowledging the Lord God Almighty? Or are we instead stubborn of heart and far from righteousness? (Isaiah 46:12)” Intriguing, because today …
December 20 / Isaiah 46-47
Isaiah 46-47 Dear RTB’ers, Babylon. Both chapters today. Their idols contrasted with the Lord God, herein speaking: To whom will you liken Me and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be alike? … They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; …
December 19 / Isaiah 44:24-45:25
Isaiah 44:24-45:25 Dear RTB’ers, Cyrus. Isaiah mentions him by name, some two centuries before he frees the Jews from exile in Babylon: He is My shepherd, and he shall fulfill all My purpose; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ Thus says the LORD to His …
December 18 / Isaiah 43:14-44:23
Isaiah 43:14-44:23 Dear RTB’ers, Three major items in today’s reading – the fall of Babylon, Israel’s sinfulness, and the folly of idol worship. It is worth noting, again, that Isaiah is predicting Babylon’s downfall some two centuries before it happens. In Isaiah’s time Babylon had not even become dominant. Hezekiah had shown Babylonian envoys all …
December 17 / Isaiah 42:1-43:13
Isaiah 42:1-43:13 Dear RTB’ers, For the remainder of our readings in Isaiah I recommend that you first read the STS introduction, then the text, then the introduction again and the text again, then my comments, then the 2023 posts. It’s not easy to follow Isaiah when you just read his words; it requires a bit …
December 16 / Isaiah 41
Isaiah 41 Dear RTB’ers, The STS intro refers to today’s reading as a “magnificent chapter” in which “the supremacy of the God of Israel is further demonstrated” – further demonstrated, in that yesterday’s Isaiah 40 had already established His greatness. I have suggested many times that you read through the links to prior posts that …
December 15 / Isaiah 40
Isaiah 40 Dear RTB’ers, We return to Isaiah and will be with him for the rest of this year and into 2026. In fact, we will not finish Isaiah until January 4, the date of our first RTB gathering of the new year. So, three weeks, get it on your calendars! [NOTE: Carol and I …
December 14 / II John & III John
II John 1-13 & III John 1-15 Dear RTB’ers, Two more (short) letters from the apostle John, one written to an “elect lady and her children” (possibly [even likely?] to a church and its members), the other to a person, Gaius. I see a common theme in these two letters – discernment. In the first …
December 13 / I John 5:4-21
I John 5:4-21 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these …