Isaiah 25

7 1 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.


Sometimes when thinking about the prophecies of the bible, my skeptical side thinks....we'll they knew what was foretold, so they could have made things happen that way.  Or, it's a little vague so I guess it fits.

But, this is so cut and dry.  It has been translated through multiple languages and multiple translations.....and yet its so perfect.

Earlier in the chapter it says, "Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago."

I don't know why its so hard to sit in the belief that its all playing out according to his plan.  A plan that was hatched "long ago."  He is in ultimate control.

So, things like the Voluntary Separation decision....don't feel so heavy, do they?  It's all going like he wants.  He laid it all out a LONG time ago.

I'll probably be a little spotty from here to the end of the year.  But, I'll try to stay up with it.

tp

Isaiah 23-24

24:21 In that day the Lord will punish
    the powers in the heavens above
    and the kings on the earth below.

More of a wondering today than a take since I wasn't getting much.  This one caught my eye, who is it that God will be punishing in the end times?   Matthew Henry's commentary says it includes or is angels who went beyond their powers are are being held in chains until the end times.  So to me that would mean there are angels getting in trouble all the time and getting locked up, I don't see any reason it would only have occurred before the end of the Bible times.

not sure I buy it, this seems like an example of our little human minds trying to make sense of something we can't comprehend.  sometimes I just have to leave it to faith rather than torture my brain.  I will say Matthew Henry cited some other scripture to support his analysis--so not trying to throw him under the bus.

knut

Isaiah 22

11 You built a reservoir between the two walls
    for the water of the Old Pool,
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.

I feel like I am this verse today.  I received a voluntary separation offer the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  I quickly did some math, engaged my investment guy to analyze and have thought about if we can financially make it if I retire now.  But honestly not once have I asked God what he has planned for me now.  I'm looking at the pool of money we have saved and making our own plans without asking the help of the one who gave it all to us.

So now I have a few days left to make a decision.  I am asking God, show me how you want to use me whether its where I'm at in Deere or maybe in some other way?  I really want to do what we wants me to do.

knut

Isaiah 20-21

21:9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
    lie shattered on the ground!’”

Struggling to find anything in these last two chapters.  I always wonder why God put some things in the bible--limited words and he chose this to tell us there must be something to learn from it.

I imagine the lookout was quite surprised to report the fall of Babylon, even though its fall had been predicted. 

knut

Isaiah 19

22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.

I picked this verse, because it is a microcosm of the entire bible.  And really you could say, it describes our complete human existence with God.  We are happy with him, then we start to rely on ourselves and turn away.  He gets angry.  We cry out to him to save us....and he does.  Over and over and over.

It has to be exhausting to him.  And horribly frustrating. 
I'm probably not strong enough to break that chain, but just realizing that how we are and being humble about it....is probably a great first step.

tp

Isaiah 18

7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,
    from a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers—

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

Might this nation be the US?  tall people, feared around the world, divided by the Mississippi and others?  hmmm

I found others that wondered the same thing, but I also sense they are wantingly (if thats a word) reading into the bible for a prophecy that includes the US.  So i think i'd need to do a lot more research before I came to this as a conclusion.  But it is an interesting thought that the US might be a part of what was written in the bible.

knut

Isaiah 17

17 A prophecy against Damascus:

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.

Nothing real specific today, I've read it a few times.  I guess we as a human race can keep an eye on Damascus, when it takes a fall Jesus return must be near behind.  It is amazing after all of these years to see how that region of the world is still at the center of much of the world news--with all the violence and tensions its not hard to see a day when a place like Damascus could be wiped out.

knut