Don't know why I never posted this in 2008, its nice to read something still true.

Isaiah 8:11
God told Isaiah not to walk saying it is a conspiracy- don't fear what people fear, or dread it. Regard the Lord as Holy and fear Him, dread Him, then out of the fear and dread you will see Him as a sanctuary (a protector) once we get with His plan and not our own. We will realize He wants the best for us. Many will stumble at this step- holding onto selfish desires, or personal wants

Bind up the testimony is God saying these words will be preserved for future generations (us here tonight). We must faithfully pass this teaching on.

The Lord is hiding His face from Jacob, but we should look for Him (eagerly)- some of the prophecies he was given have not been fulfilled- are we willing to trust and wait? Isaiah's children are signs and wonders actions that he believed what God had given him.

What happens- people want to know the future but won't ask God. They go to spiritists and mediums when they should consult God. If people don't agree with Isaiah's word inspired by God they have no dawn (dead chicken). These will be the same that suffer famine and curse God, blaming Him for all their problems. He wants to be their sanctuary though.

Shear-jashub -son of Isaiah Mentioned in Ch 7. Means a remnant shall return. Even though the judgment of Judah is being delayed a promise that a remnant will survive is promised. God promises the co-invasion of Judah will fail. He also promised when Judah is judged some would survive. In real terms it probably didn't seem like either was possible. Verse 9 talks about the the coming fall of Judah and Jerusalem- broken and shattered.


Chapter 9

Enough anguish- now a glimpse of a certain future. A land He allows to be treated with contempt will be restored to glory. Verses:2-7 Zebulon and Naphtali were the northern kingdom or Israel, the first to be overrun, but later the place where Christ grew up and started His ministry.

They will be glad in Your presence (3)- joy is found in seeking the Lord and being in His presence (Paul found this joy even in the circumstances of being in prison- have you found it?)

Another reference to Christ- a son born, a child given for us, the government will rest on His shoulders.

Israel is still arrogant and proud (Samaria in particular). They thought they could recover and rebuild in their own strength- they denied God. Or tried to ignore Him. The Lord warned them, and then spurred on their enemies. Their arrogance and pride like ours causes them like us to lose sight that everything they have is from God. Our pride and arrogance now like then cuts off contact with Him.

Even with hard times and invasion they fail to return to God, or seek Him in any way. Their leaders lead them astray causing confusion. Everyone is godless and mouths speak foolishness. After that anarchy breaks out, families are divided, no man spares his brother. A civil war even came about between Ephraim and Manasseh. God waits His hand stretched out. I see that as Him waiting to be sought.

Chapter 10

Woe to enacting evil statutes, unjust decisions,deprive the needy of justice, rob the poor of "My people" of their rights, widows are spoil, orphans are plunder. Taking from the most helpless. Do we do that now?

We can lose everything we have, it is all God's. Like our visitor the other week, seemed to have lost everything. At that point all we can do is crouch among the captives, or fall among the slain. Where would we turn if we lost everything? God is so good to us. He can be angry and yet reach out.

Lord was using Assyria to punish Israel and Judah. He meant for them to be trampled, the Assyrians decided to destroy them. There is a difference there. They lost sight (if they ever realized it) that their military success was a result of God using them for His purpose. So they became arrogant, and arrogant hearts produce the wrong kind of fruit. Listen to the king of Assyria take credit for the success 10:13-14. All the "I" and "my".

God shows us how foolish that is. We are but instruments in His hand, our usefulness comes about based on our submission to His will. If we aren't willing we aren't very useful for the Kingdom. God is going to send a wasting disease- He said it, so it is so. That army is now powerless, although our senses and experience may lead us to believe something different. The Lord will devour the army in a single day, such that a child could count those that survive.

A remnant will however trust in the Lord. They will exercise faith in Him, trusting Him, rather than believing the apparent realities of the invasions and acting accordingly. A list of towns from north to south is listed with Nob being the last one- where the Assyrians will stop- just 2 miles from Jerusalem. An overwhelming army marching relentlessly on- but God said they would stop at this point. They did. Humanly and logically, it wouldn't have seemed possible, but they did.

Another reference ends the chapter of God destroying this army. In the last days nations will unite in a single purpose to destroy Israel, and I think the parallels here are interesting. They may seem to sweep through the country, they may seem to be unstoppable, but God will protect His people, He did it in our past, He does it today, and He will in the future.

Chapter 11

The Righteous branch- a clear pointing to Jesus Christ.
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in the fear of the Lord. Interesting that things we fear we run from. Fear could be interpreted as respect.

He will not judge by what His eyes see, - do we judge based on appearance, or seeing an action?
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear - do we form opinions based on what we hear- gossip?

But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. Righteousness from God- we should include Him in our decision making process. He should be the center of it.

He will strike the earth and with breath from His lips He will slay the wicked- hasn't happened yet.

Picture of the millennium, the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the water covers the sea, we will be swimming in it. Wonderful picture.

Israel will swoop down on the slopes of the philistines on the west- west bank you hear about is the area the Philistines controlled, and currently it isn't under Israel's control. They will possess Edom and Moab- current day Jordan? Ammon- subject to them - Jordan. A highway from Assyria - be able to walk from Iraq to Israel.


Oh Lord, we have sinned, we are proud, we are arrogant, and we do not seek You or turn to You. Lord poor out Your spirit on this nation, yea even the world. One of the candidates talked about all the evil in the world, a nugget of truth amongst all the foolishness being spoken. Yet Lord one day knowledge of you will fill the earth like water fills the oceans. Our leaders are leading us astray, anyway other than Yours is astray. Lord we know that evil will not prevail, it is a dead chicken, and Father you are infinitely greater still. Father we confess the mess we made and Lord we long for Your kingdom, Your hope for the hopeless, Your redeeming of the lives You have given us on this earth You have made for us. May Your Kingdom come, our only hope, and may Your will be done. In the name of our Redeemer, who took the nails from us, and for us- Jesus.
Amen

Matthew 11:27

God lives outside of time we don't. The Son has to reveal the Father, so if we take the account of Moses call from that perspective, then Moses knowledge of God came from a revelation from Christ.  The laws and statutes He gave Moses for the people of the Lord to live by came from Jesus. Who by His own words was the fulfillment of that Law. Jesus' responses to the questions posed to Him most often were from the Law.

Healing the Leper in Matt 8:1-4

The leper asked for healing the Lord desired his healing and told him not to mention the healing to anyone, but rather offer the gift Moses outlined. Sadly we live in a day most "Christians" don't know what that gift would be. The Lord can determine the seriousness of our allegiance to Him based on our knowledge of His scripture.

Jesus healing blind men in Matt 9:27-31

Why did He tell them not to spread the news of Him healing them?  The Lord wants a relationship with each of us, and relationship to Him is healing enough.  Physical healing in this life is temporary, because it is a fallen world.  Relationship to Him is eternal.

thoughts that have come to mind

If God is a 1

we are a 0

putting ourselves over God (0/1) = 0 still

putting God over ourselves (1/0) = infinity

Its been right there the whole time i've taught in digital class, and AC, etc.

In the Garden of Eden, after the fall, Adam and Eve hid from God, didn't embrace relationship to Him but rather hid.  In our time we put off our moments with God (we hide from Him) due to the "busyness" of life.  Maybe we're still fallen?????

come quickly Lord Jesus

Father we cry out to you.  In a country where we've turned our backs on You for our own selfish ways.  We've failed to raise our children in Your ways because we have rejected Your ways. 

Strengthen us Lord to not be unstable and double minded, but rather Christ minded in all things.

Soften the ears and help those who don't hear the crying of the murdered unborn to hear and repent.  Lord I cry with them "How long?".

Your ways our higher than ours- as Your word says.

Lord help us .

a change

In "my utmost for His highest" today it said pray in all things in the situation you find yourself.  So instead of weekly posts which I'm failing at i hope to offer prayers. 

My recent thoughts are why do people turn from God?  The Lord in His earthly ministry never forced Himself on anyone, but when they were ready for Him, He was available.  So scaring people to Christ may mean people confess before they are ready, then there is a falling away, or is it a falling away.  The disciples had an experience of Christ as did the apostle Paul that they were willing to die for Him.  People who confess Christ and truly have relationship with Him will have that kind of experience.  It will be a personal experience that probably can't be proven the disciple just knows.

Jesus is ready and waiting knocking at the door of all our hearts if you will to have relationship with us.  Yet we often fall into a belief that we can make and control our own world when in fact we cannot.  It is at the end of self that we truly find Him.

In terms of prayer we have to not look at our circumstances but practice the presence of Christ at all moments in our life.  Look at Elisha, surrounded by Assyrians (2 Kings 6) but he saw the armies of Christ so spiritually he saw, in the natural he appeared foolish.

We as supposed Christian don't promote Christ in all facets of our life and so we get to deal with the drama of life and its all around us.  Cling to Him, its not about serving its about deepening relationship to Him.  Service will come out of deeper relationship.

May God bless you.