Isaiah 46-48 “I am, and there is no one besides me.” That sounds like it must be God speaking, right? But it isn’t. That’s the voice of Babylon in her arrogant self-confidence. Here it is (twice!) with a bit more context: Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,who sit securely,who say in your heart,“I …
Author Archives: John S.
August 20 / Isaiah 44-45
Isaiah 44-45 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israeland his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:“I am the First and I am the Last;besides Me there is no god.” Isaiah 44:6 The LORD again emphasizes His preeminence. Time and again He declares that He is God and there is no other. (Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:5,6,14,18,21,22) Idols …
August 19 / Isaiah 42-43
Isaiah 42-43 Isaiah 42:1-9 is the first of four poems in Isaiah that have come to be known as the “Servant Songs”. (The others are found in Isaiah 49:1–13; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12.) We know from New Testament references that these Servant Songs speak of Jesus Christ. (For example, see Matthew 12:15-18, which quotes Isaiah 42:1-4.) But …
August 18 / Isaiah 40-41
Isaiah 40-41 If you are acquainted with G. F. Handel’s “Messiah”, you are sure to recognize Isaiah 40:1-5,9,11. (Go ahead, have a listen!) But even if you are not a fan of baroque music, I’m betting several verses here sound familiar, because we find them quoted in the New Testament. For example, all four Gospels …
August 17 / Isaiah 13:1-14:23; 21; 33-35; Daniel 5
Isaiah 13:1-14:23; 21; 33-35; Daniel 5 Like Assyria before it, Babylon has been the LORD’s instrument of judgment upon the nations. As we have seen before (e.g., July 4 and July 21), the LORD now turns and holds Babylon responsible for the evil Babylon committed in the process. As part of the LORD’s declaration of …
Continue reading “August 17 / Isaiah 13:1-14:23; 21; 33-35; Daniel 5”
August 16 / Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; II Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34
Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; II Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34 Today we see that King Jehoiachin (aka Coniah or Jeconiah) ends his days in relative peace and comfort. He is still in exile in Babylon, of course, but he is no longer imprisoned and is treated well. It has been a while (a month ago, in fact) since …
Continue reading “August 16 / Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; II Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34”
August 15 / Ezekiel 43-48
Ezekiel 43-48 Today the glory of the LORD enters the Temple, not the old, defiled and destroyed temple that the LORD previously abandoned, but this new Temple of Ezekiel’s vision. As we noted yesterday, this new Temple has yet to be realized on this earth. Similarly, it is clear that Israel as a whole has …
August 14 / Ezekiel 40-42
Ezekiel 40-42 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me to the city. Ezekiel 40:1 Thus begins …
August 13 / Ezekiel 38-39
Ezekiel 38-39 My life in Christ got a tremendous boost when, as a teen, I developed a keen interest in end-times prophecy, or “eschatology” — more precisely, “apocalyptic eschatology”. I read the book, The Late Great Planet Earth, by Hal Lindsey, then went on to read There’s a New World Coming, also by Hal Lindsey, …
August 12 / Ezekiel 34-37
Ezekiel 34-37 Today’s reading covers a lot of ground, and I cannot possibly do it justice here. (Of course, that is true every single day, but it seems especially true today!) Here we go, nonetheless! In Ezekiel 34, the LORD delivers a searing indictment of Israel’s leadership, the “shepherds”, who instead of caring for the …