History has written of numerous cultures who promoted lifestyles that did not include the Lord God of Israel....nor His instructions on how we should conduct our lives....
How has that worked out through the corridors of time?......
In the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord designated Isaiah as: "My special servant", in fact in the 2nd half of this book this phrase is used approximately 20 times.
In chapter 49, God offers His people solutions to receive help, rescue His people, and lead them home. In verses 14-18 God bares His heart and shares His compassion for them, and in verses 19-22 He offers them a vision for their future. The chapter concludes with a thought of comfort for His people: "The Lord is on our side."
Yet, in Isaiah 50...the people of Israel reject the ideas of what the Lord intends for them...particularly putting their trust in Him. God's special servant, Isaiah, puts emphasis on the importance of obeying the Lord and His commands, and reverts to his personal experiences in life to do so.
But...the people of Israel...refuse and reject the idea altogether.
The people of Israel claim they have the right to live in whatever matter they please, and their real motive behind all this thought is...to care about only what concerns them...that being themselves.
The Lord also makes it clear...there are consequences to that train of thought...ignoring Him as a vital part of their lifestyles. Life just doesn't work that way.
A Gleaning of Isaiah 50
" Seriously...Can you produce a certificate of divorce proving I got rid of your own mother...because I was "done with her"?
And then you claim it was...Me...that was behind the reason you were sold into slavery? Where is your receipt for this?...You don't have one, do you?
The truth is...you were sold into slavery...because of the lifestyles you chose to embrace...remember? The fact you have become slaves...is your idea...not mine! This "blame game"...I don't buy it. It is the sins you have committed, against one another and against Me...that is why you are slaves now.
I have come to you...numerous times over the years, and warned you..."Don't do this! You will only get yourself hurt." But you claimed this "right to be free", and felt My commands, my lifestyle..would only inhibit your so-called freedom...and borrowing a phrase from you "Your decision to reject Me...has now bit you in the ass".
Have I not knocked..and knocked...and knocked even more...on the doors that lead to your very hearts? Yet, everyone yells"Don't answer the door...He will make us do things we don't want to do."
And now...you rationalize...I have lost My power?...I Am so decrepit...that I Am unable to rescue you? Please.....
My arm has grown too feeble and weak? I just can not deliver...anymore?
Well, I have got some news for you...Flash! It is you...you have put yourself in this situation. You are in the "muck and myre" of life because ...remember..."I want to be free". And you just didn't "dab" in the lifestyle you chose...you dived in...headfirst!
Ok, allow Me to set the record straight:
I Am as powerful as ever...and even now can reverse your situation...in a heartbeat! Think about this: Who actually created the Great Seas? Was this not My idea?...Did I not make this...with no one else's help? And that being so, don't you think I can dry up the Great Seas?...simply make them...go away? I can take the great Euphrates River, the Nile River, or all the rivers...and turn them into desert sand...with all their fish and plant life....laying on the sand...stinking and dying from the sudden catastrophe.
I can take the very skies...and completely cover them with the blackness of murky and thunderous storm clouds, giving the appearance of being clothed in "great mourning".
All this because...you say I do not care for you.
His faithful servant now responds to the accusations of His people against Me: not strong enough, not caring, not able. For I give to My faithful servant the right words...the very right words for you...My people of Israel...and contrary to how YOU think, My words are one of true encouragement, to all those who now find themselves weary and tired of this lifestyle without....Me.
For the servant of the Lord responds: " Each morning I am awaken by the Lord, for He sees my heart, that it has not chosen to rebel against Him, or give my back to Him as a gesture I am not interested in His Mighty Commands. I do not "pull the covers back over my head" when He speaks to me in those early morning hours...rather, I choose to simply follow after...His Mighty Commands!
I do not resist the brutality these people gave to me...when I chose to follow Him, and not join in with their "free and selfish lifestyles". They attacked me, beat my back, with vengeance and hatred in their hearts, because I chose to love Him...to embrace His lifestyle, and to love His people.
They grabbed me, holding on to my very cheeks, and ripped my beard out in their frustration and the evil which now motivated them. Then, they mocked me...because I loved Him, and His people spit on my face.
Yet, through all this, I felt no shame. There was no confusion lingering in me. Why? Because this great God of Israel provides me with the strength I need. He instills in me a confidence and an assurance that shame will not have its victory, or I will not suffer permanent disgrace.
In fact, it is quite the opposite. I have set my heart and mind like a stone of flint. Shame will have no part of me..for He has declared me righteous and I am found true to His very name and character.
My God is here...right here with Me, and who can stand up in an act of rebellion...to this God who loves me? This great God now asks of me: "Where are your accusers...Why have they chose to treat you in this matter?"
These people who have chosen their own lifestyles to lead...and look like nothing more than a wore out garment...that has been eaten by moths.
Is there any of you that fears and respects the Lord?...Has anyone chose to obey Him?...instead of rebelling so hard against Him? There is not even one...for all have sinned against Him.
Many of you live a lifestyle that is a life of "groping in the dark". Your lifestyles are led by...your own light, your lifestyles are fueled by...your own fires, and the Lord...He is not to be found in your so-called life of "Livin' the Dream".
Because of your choice to live a life of selfish ambition, a life that embraces horrible ways of treating one another, and your consistent refusal to even consider His Commands...what do you really think your outcome will be?
Do you really think "Livin' the Dream" without Him will give you a life full of peace and joy? There are always repercussions to how you treat others and your brutal defiance to follow Him.
The day has come...you will fall on your knees and lay prostrate before Him...for the sins you have committed, against your own brothers and sisters...against mankind...against the Lord God Himself."
How has that worked out through the corridors of time?......
In the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord designated Isaiah as: "My special servant", in fact in the 2nd half of this book this phrase is used approximately 20 times.
In chapter 49, God offers His people solutions to receive help, rescue His people, and lead them home. In verses 14-18 God bares His heart and shares His compassion for them, and in verses 19-22 He offers them a vision for their future. The chapter concludes with a thought of comfort for His people: "The Lord is on our side."
Yet, in Isaiah 50...the people of Israel reject the ideas of what the Lord intends for them...particularly putting their trust in Him. God's special servant, Isaiah, puts emphasis on the importance of obeying the Lord and His commands, and reverts to his personal experiences in life to do so.
But...the people of Israel...refuse and reject the idea altogether.
The people of Israel claim they have the right to live in whatever matter they please, and their real motive behind all this thought is...to care about only what concerns them...that being themselves.
The Lord also makes it clear...there are consequences to that train of thought...ignoring Him as a vital part of their lifestyles. Life just doesn't work that way.
A Gleaning of Isaiah 50
" Seriously...Can you produce a certificate of divorce proving I got rid of your own mother...because I was "done with her"?
And then you claim it was...Me...that was behind the reason you were sold into slavery? Where is your receipt for this?...You don't have one, do you?
The truth is...you were sold into slavery...because of the lifestyles you chose to embrace...remember? The fact you have become slaves...is your idea...not mine! This "blame game"...I don't buy it. It is the sins you have committed, against one another and against Me...that is why you are slaves now.
I have come to you...numerous times over the years, and warned you..."Don't do this! You will only get yourself hurt." But you claimed this "right to be free", and felt My commands, my lifestyle..would only inhibit your so-called freedom...and borrowing a phrase from you "Your decision to reject Me...has now bit you in the ass".
Have I not knocked..and knocked...and knocked even more...on the doors that lead to your very hearts? Yet, everyone yells"Don't answer the door...He will make us do things we don't want to do."
And now...you rationalize...I have lost My power?...I Am so decrepit...that I Am unable to rescue you? Please.....
My arm has grown too feeble and weak? I just can not deliver...anymore?
Well, I have got some news for you...Flash! It is you...you have put yourself in this situation. You are in the "muck and myre" of life because ...remember..."I want to be free". And you just didn't "dab" in the lifestyle you chose...you dived in...headfirst!
Ok, allow Me to set the record straight:
I Am as powerful as ever...and even now can reverse your situation...in a heartbeat! Think about this: Who actually created the Great Seas? Was this not My idea?...Did I not make this...with no one else's help? And that being so, don't you think I can dry up the Great Seas?...simply make them...go away? I can take the great Euphrates River, the Nile River, or all the rivers...and turn them into desert sand...with all their fish and plant life....laying on the sand...stinking and dying from the sudden catastrophe.
I can take the very skies...and completely cover them with the blackness of murky and thunderous storm clouds, giving the appearance of being clothed in "great mourning".
All this because...you say I do not care for you.
His faithful servant now responds to the accusations of His people against Me: not strong enough, not caring, not able. For I give to My faithful servant the right words...the very right words for you...My people of Israel...and contrary to how YOU think, My words are one of true encouragement, to all those who now find themselves weary and tired of this lifestyle without....Me.
For the servant of the Lord responds: " Each morning I am awaken by the Lord, for He sees my heart, that it has not chosen to rebel against Him, or give my back to Him as a gesture I am not interested in His Mighty Commands. I do not "pull the covers back over my head" when He speaks to me in those early morning hours...rather, I choose to simply follow after...His Mighty Commands!
I do not resist the brutality these people gave to me...when I chose to follow Him, and not join in with their "free and selfish lifestyles". They attacked me, beat my back, with vengeance and hatred in their hearts, because I chose to love Him...to embrace His lifestyle, and to love His people.
They grabbed me, holding on to my very cheeks, and ripped my beard out in their frustration and the evil which now motivated them. Then, they mocked me...because I loved Him, and His people spit on my face.
Yet, through all this, I felt no shame. There was no confusion lingering in me. Why? Because this great God of Israel provides me with the strength I need. He instills in me a confidence and an assurance that shame will not have its victory, or I will not suffer permanent disgrace.
In fact, it is quite the opposite. I have set my heart and mind like a stone of flint. Shame will have no part of me..for He has declared me righteous and I am found true to His very name and character.
My God is here...right here with Me, and who can stand up in an act of rebellion...to this God who loves me? This great God now asks of me: "Where are your accusers...Why have they chose to treat you in this matter?"
These people who have chosen their own lifestyles to lead...and look like nothing more than a wore out garment...that has been eaten by moths.
Is there any of you that fears and respects the Lord?...Has anyone chose to obey Him?...instead of rebelling so hard against Him? There is not even one...for all have sinned against Him.
Many of you live a lifestyle that is a life of "groping in the dark". Your lifestyles are led by...your own light, your lifestyles are fueled by...your own fires, and the Lord...He is not to be found in your so-called life of "Livin' the Dream".
Do you really think "Livin' the Dream" without Him will give you a life full of peace and joy? There are always repercussions to how you treat others and your brutal defiance to follow Him.
The day has come...you will fall on your knees and lay prostrate before Him...for the sins you have committed, against your own brothers and sisters...against mankind...against the Lord God Himself."
No comments:
Post a Comment