Bible League: Living His Word On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.— Isaiah 62:6-7 ESV Figuratively, there are watchmen on the walls at all times. Who are the watchmen? They are prophets and ministers that stand watch for the people of God. In the Old Testament, prophets were referred to as “watchmen” (e.g., Ezekiel 3:17). The watchmen might also include any members of the people of God who are watchful. They may not be prophets and ministers by profession, but they are watchful nonetheless. What are the watchmen watching for? They are watching for the Lord. “The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion” (Isaiah 52:8). They watch for what the Lord has to say, and they especially watch for the fulfillment of the promises the Lord has made to His people. Like watchmen on the walls of an ancient city, the watchful shall never be silent. They shall never be silent about what they have heard from the Lord. The people of God need to hear what He has to say. The promises of God are too important to be ignored. They must be proclaimed on a regular basis. Once we’ve heard the Word of the Lord, once we’ve heard His promises from the watchmen, we should pray for the fulfillment. We should “put the Lord in remembrance,” taking no rest in this regard. With the persistence of the widow in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:1-8), we should keep reminding the Lord in prayer of what He has promised. How long should we do this? Until “he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” The church is the modern equivalent of Israel, so the church must pray until Christ returns in all His glory. As a member of the people of God, you have heard about His many promises, so watch and pray. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNehemiah 1, 2, 3 Nehemiah 1 -- Nehemiah's Prayer for the Exiles NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Nehemiah 2 -- Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem to Inspect Jerusalem's Walls NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Nehemiah 3 -- Builders of the Walls Named NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 2:1-13 Acts 2 -- The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost, Peter Preaches, Believers Gather NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Insight Jesus used a child to help his self-centered disciples get the point. We are not to be childish (like the disciples, arguing over petty issues), but rather childlike, with humble and sincere hearts. Challenge Are you being childlike or childish? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.The Christian should never think or speak lightly of unbelief. For a child of God to mistrust his love, his truth, his faithfulness, must be greatly displeasing to him. How can we ever grieve him by doubting his upholding grace? Christian! it is contrary to every promise of God's precious Word that thou shouldst ever be forgotten or left to perish. If it could be so, how could he be true who has said, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I never forget thee." What were the value of that promise--"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Where were the truth of Christ's words--"I give unto my sheep eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Where were the doctrines of grace? They would be all disproved if one child of God should perish. Where were the veracity of God, his honor, his power, his grace, his covenant, his oath, if any of those for whom Christ has died, and who have put their trust in him, should nevertheless be cast away? Banish those unbelieving fears which so dishonor God. Arise, shake thyself from the dust, and put on thy beautiful garments. Remember it is sinful to doubt his Word wherein he has promised thee that thou shalt never perish. Let the eternal life within thee express itself in confident rejoicing. "The gospel bears my spirit up: A faithful and unchanging God Lays the foundation for my hope, In oaths, and promises, and blood." Daily Light on the Daily Path Ephesians 5:15,16 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, • making the most of your time, because the days are evil.Joshua 22:5 "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." Colossians 4:5,6 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. • Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 abstain from every form of evil. Matthew 25:5,6 "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. • "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Matthew 25:13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; Luke 12:37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 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. |
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