Bible League: Living His Word Have you not known?Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. People have problems and the problems they have may cloud their judgement. They may get so wrapped up in their problems that, for example, they become resentful towards God. They may resent the fact that God has allowed them to get into trouble. They may resent the fact that God does not do something for them immediately. The immature in the faith are especially prone to this failure of judgement, but the mature in the faith may also fall into the trap on occasion. The prophet Isaiah's response to those who harbor resentment towards God is one of rebuke. He rhetorically questions their very knowledge of God: "Have you not known?" He does this because we surely do know. We know that it is foolish to fall into the trap of resentment. After all, we know that God is the solution to our problems. Resenting God, therefore, makes no sense. It is an insult to the one that can actually help. Isaiah even rhetorically questions whether they have heard about God: "Have you not heard?" We have, of course, heard about God. We are the very people of God. We have heard about God and the wonders He has performed. It is foolish for us to resent God because we surely have heard what God can do; we surely have heard that God is the one that can actually help. In order to drive home his point, Isaiah reminds them of just who God is. God is the "Everlasting God," the "LORD," and the "Creator of the ends of the earth." It is foolish to resent Him because He is the one that is in control of everything. He doesn't faint from fatigue or get weary. He is always ready to help. If a problem needs to be overcome, then He is the one you have to look to for help. Maybe things aren't being resolved the way you would like. Maybe things aren't being resolved according to your timetable. What God has allowed to happen may not make sense. Isaiah's explanation for this is that God's understanding is unsearchable. It's not always possible to figure it out. Indeed, we don't really have to figure it out. Our job is not to figure God out, but to trust Him. We must trust that He will deliver us at the right time. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 22, 23 Ezekiel 22 -- A Catalogue of Sins in Jerusalem NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 23 -- Oholah and Oholibah's Sin and Judgment NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading James 2 James 2 -- The Sin of Favoritism; Faith and Deeds NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.Insight In opposition to the false teachers, Paul affirmed that everything God created is good. We should ask for God's blessing on his created gifts that give us pleasure and thank him for them. This doesn't mean that we should abuse what God has made (for example, gluttony abuses God's gift of good food, lust abuses God's gift of love, and murder abuses God's gift of life). Challenge Instead of abusing, we should enjoy these gifts by using them to serve and honor God. Have you thanked God for the good gifts he has given? Are you using the gifts in ways pleasing to you and to God? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Lamentations 3:58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul.Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, "I hope, I trust, I sometimes think, that God hath pleaded the causes of my soul;" but he speaks of it as a matter of fact not to be disputed. "Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul." Let us, by the aid of the gracious Comforter, shake off those doubts and fears which so much mar our peace and comfort. Be this our prayer, that we may have done with the harsh croaking voice of surmise and suspicion, and may be able to speak with the clear, melodious voice of full assurance. Notice how gratefully the prophet speaks, ascribing all the glory to God alone! You perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own merit; but it is "thou"--"O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by the Christian; and especially after deliverances we should prepare a song for our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints, and every day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while he records the Lord's mercy. How triumphantly he lifts up the strain! He has been in the low dungeon, and is even now no other than the weeping prophet; and yet in the very book which is called "Lamentations," clear as the song of Miriam when she dashed her fingers against the tabor, shrill as the note of Deborah when she met Barak with shouts of victory, we hear the voice of Jeremy going up to heaven--"Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord's lovingkindness, and when you have it, speak positively of it; sing gratefully; shout triumphantly. Daily Light on the Daily Path Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.Isaiah 43:2,3 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. • "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Isaiah 42:16 "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone." Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 56:3,4 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. • In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? Psalm 27:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
Click for Video Devotionals     |