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Isaiah 1:2, Romans 3:10f

The Gospel in Isaiah

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 12, 2023

The 66 chapters of Isaiah represent a complete presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It will include the announcement of the one who was crushed for our transgressions and was beaten for our iniquities. The book begins, however, at the same place the preaching of John the Baptist began, and Jesus’ message began. They preached “repentance.” In Deuteronomy, Moses calls heaven and earth as witnesses to the covenant the children of Israel entered into with God. Deuteronomy 4:26 says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” They agreed to keep the commands and statutes of the Lord. They broke their covenant with God and worshipped other Gods and were expelled from the Promised Land. But there is still hope. Isaiah’s message comes to Judah while they are still living in the land and they still have time to repent. So in Isaiah 1:2, he calls on the witnesses to testify, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: ‘Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.’”

Several commentators, like Friesen, see this as a court of law. He writes, “The introduction leads immediately into a summons of heavens and earth (1:2). The summons may be compared to a lawsuit in which witnesses are served with a subpoena to appear in court. The prophets sometimes depict the Lord in litigation with his people (Hillers: 124–42; cf. Deut 32; Isa 1:2–3; Mic 6:1–8; Jer 2:4–13). In Isaiah 1:2–3 and in Deuteronomy 32, for example, there are similar words and phrases (Rignell: 140–58). Both Isaiah and Deuteronomy call heaven and earth to witness (Isa 1:2; Deut 32:1). Both regard Israel as foolish and senseless (Isa 1:3; Deut 32:6). This suggests that Isaiah stands in solidarity with Moses, calling heavens and earth as witnesses to God’s raising up of a people and to this people’s failure to understand the One who sustained them (cf. Delitzsch, 1:55–59).”[1]

In Romans 3:10-12, Paul wants the indictment of Isaiah to hit home for his readers also. He quotes from the book of Isaiah and applies the truth of man’s sinfulness to all of us. Heaven and Earth would testify against you and me as well as against the children of Judah. Paul says, “For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” Then in verse 23 he simply says it, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There is no exception. This truth, and Paul’s pointing it out, make Isaiah a very important book for all of us in every generation. The salvation Isaiah will present to his readers, and that Paul elaborates on for you and me begins with the recognition that we need to be saved. We must agree with God’s appraisal of us. The Greek word for confession is “say the same thing” about our situation that God says. The Greek word for repentance is “to change the way we are thinking.” Confession and repentance might include admitting that we’ve done something wrong, but it is more of an acceptance of the truth that I am a sinner at the very core of my being. No power within me can save myself. I’m hopelessly drowning in an ocean of sin and I desperately need someone to save me. I am helpless and all is hopeless unless God acts. As we see in the book of Isaiah and throughout the New Testament, God sent his son, the Holy Life Guard, to jump into the ocean of our sin and pull us out. He doesn’t throw a life-saver, or a life jacket, or give us instructions on how to swim. He dives into the ocean of our sin and through His perfect life, and sacrifice of himself for our sins drags us hopeless and helpless beings from the torrent of our sin and places our feet on solid ground.

[1] Friesen, Ivan D. 2009. Isaiah. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, PA; Waterloo, ON: Herald Press.

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Song of Solomon 1:2

Kisses Sweeter than Wine

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 11, 2023

When I was a kid growing up, my older sister bought Jimmy Rodgers’s popular song, “Kisses sweeter than wine.” If you remember that song, you go back to the 1950s. I was pretty young, and I had never been kissed. Well, I had never been kissed by a girl. I quickly identified with the first part of the song, “Well, when I was a young man, and never been kissed, I got to thinkin’ it over- how much I had missed. So I got me a girl and I kissed her and then, and then Oh, lordy, well I kissed ‘er again, because she had kisses sweeter than wine. She had, mmm, mmm, kisses sweeter than wine.” The first girl I kissed was wearing cherry-flavored lipstick or something sweet. And I remember thinking about that song. Yep, it was sweet, OK!

I had never tasted wine, so I had to take that part for granted! Of course, as I grew up and kissed other girls (not that many!) I discovered that their lips weren’t sweet tasting at all. But the experience was sweet. It was figurative language. When Solomon recounts the words of his love, he recalls her saying, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.” Now I know where Jimmy Rodgers got the name for his song. There’s one thing that both Solomon and Jimmy Rodgers have in common: they both wrote songs.

But the Song of Solomon is the song “of all songs.” A song has long been acknowledged as the only adequate way to communicate such deep feelings. Hubbard writes, “Overwhelmed by our desire to give ourselves away for the sake of another and to receive from that other more than we dare ask, we do not derive a formula, concoct a recipe, recite a ritual, draw a map, lay out a graph. We sing a song. In the Song treasured in Holy Writ, we sing the best song possible.”[1] Solomon’s song has lyrics about tasting and touching, but they are not crude or immodest in any way. Unlike many of the X-rated lyrics of today’s music (if you can even call it that), O’Donnell says, “This Song guides us to see with Scriptural sensibilities ‘that the way of a man with a woman is too wonderful” (Proverbs 30:18, 19), and that marriage is not simply a concession to the necessity of procreation but an affirmation of the beauty, chastity, and sacredness of human love. Amen and amen.”[2]

But not everyone wants to read the Song of Solomon that way. They ask, “Is this an appropriate subject for the Bible?” Many think not! Nicholas of Lyra (1270–1349) could speak of the love between a bride and groom as “proper” but not the proper subject of Scripture and thus not of this Song. In his words, such fleshly love even within marriage has “a certain dishonorable and improper quality about it.” Similarly, Theodoret of Cyrus (c. 393–c. 457) wrote that those who give the Song a “corporeal [fleshly] interpretation” have committed an “awful blasphemy.” Yet, I can’t help but agree with Hubbard, “A document that elevates the beauty and purity of marital love is surely charged with holiness. So idyllic is the mood of the Song that it sounds like a return to Eden. Nothing foul, vile, filthy, nor selfish tarnishes the scene.” Could not this be the song that Adam sang when God brought Eve to him? There were no fig leaves before the fall, and they had no shame. Hubbard goes on, “The fall that triggered such lust and fear and perversion in our human attitudes to sexuality seems suspended” in the attitudes of the two lovers in the Song of Solomon. “Sin appears to be excluded. What once was, what again can be, in the pure desire of one partner for another, is described.”[3]

[1] Hubbard, David A., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1991. Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Vol. 16. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

[2] O’Donnell, Douglas Sean. 2012. The Song of Solomon: An Invitation to Intimacy. Edited by R. Kent Hughes. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

[3] Hubbard, David A., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1991. Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Vol. 16. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

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Ecclesiastes 1:2, John 10:10

Jesus turns smoke into abundance

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 10, 2023

According to Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, everything in life is meaningless as the New International Version puts it, “meaningless, everything is meaningless.” Most English translations preserve the original rendition of the Hebrew and translate it as “vanity of vanities. Everything is vanity.” The Hebrew word for “vanity” is often translated as “mist” or “smoke.”  Ryken says, “Taken literally, the Hebrew word hevel refers to a breath or vapor, like a puff of smoke rising from a fire or the cloud of steam that comes from hot breath on a frosty morning.” Eugene Peterson actually uses the word “smoke” in his modern paraphrase of Ecclesiastes. He writes, “Smoke, nothing but smoke. There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke.”

But when Solomon says “vanity of vanities, everything is vanity,” I believe he means more than simple “emptiness” or “meaninglessness.” He means there is nothing in this life that brings lasting satisfaction and happiness. He means that riches, possessions, power, pleasure, and even our accomplishments are all misleading and deceptive. They are all “smoke and mirrors.” They take our attention from what matters and put it on something untrue or unreal in order to mislead or distract us. But Solomon offers another perspective.  It’s the solution to the apparent futility of life.

The key to understanding Solomon and the entire book of Ecclesiastes seems to be found in one three-word phrase: “under the sun.” This phrase is unique to the book of Ecclesiastes, appearing nowhere else in the Bible. Don Glenn, in his commentary, explains, “By the phrase under the sun, he meant ‘down here on the earth.’ He used this phrase repeatedly (29 times) throughout the book, often in connection with man’s toil.” So you see, Solomon does not leave us with a suicidal complex, as some commentators suggest. Instead, he says there is a heavenly perspective that makes sense out of everything. Ryken puts it this way, “But when we look to God with reverence and awe, we are able to see the meaning of life, and the beauty of its pleasures, and the eternal significance of everything we do, including the little things of everyday life. Only then can we discover why everything matters.” Jesus once said that he came to give us life, not just regular life, but a truly “abundant life.” It is Satan, the thief, that comes to make our lives miserable. Jesus said as much in John 10:10. Jesus says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

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Proverbs1:2

To Know Wisdom

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 9, 2023

The first verses of Proverbs give us the writers purpose. We can identify three purposes in the second verse: “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight.” First, the writer wishes his readers to become intimate with wisdom. Then to relate appropriately to instruction. Third, to recognize and appreciate what lays at the heart of an issue, not just the apparent outward presentation. Becoming intimate with wisdom is mentioned first. If we look at the word “know” in a biblical sense, we understand that it’s not to be able to identify something from afar but to have an intimate acquaintance with it. It’s not just intellectual but applicational. “It offers the significant benefit of acquiring the key to attaining capability in life. This book teaches the principles that determine success or failure in the major arenas of human activity, including business, personal relationships, family life, and community life.”[1] In some ways, it refers to common sense. It’s sound, practical judgment concerning everyday matters or an essential ability to see things as they are. But in the Bible, it also refers to the ability to “do” something. It was used of the craftsmen who were able to do intricate and creative work in the tabernacle building. It is competence and skill in any domain.

Solomon wants his readers to be wise and competent, but he knows that nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. How a person deals with his mistakes is crucial, and that’s where “instruction” comes in. How do we respond when someone corrects us? Verse 7 tells us that fools “despise instruction.” It is wisdom that will ask for help, directions, and receive instructions. It’s not always easy to accept advice. It sometimes makes our pride bristle. Whether intended as constructive criticism or not, if one could learn always to take it that way, he would become wise. We need to recognize and acknowledge the wisdom, experience, skill, and knowledge of others. If we are recipients of negative criticism, we will do well to handle it politely and move on with our lives. The book of proverbs attempts to teach us these skills.

Solomon also wants his readers to be able to look beyond the surface of an issue and identify the roots of the problem. He calls this “insight.” When Solomon was confronted by the two women fighting over the one live baby, he exercised insight into the heart of the issue. He presented a solution that would reveal the truth in the matter. This is insight. But in the end, all this common sense, skill in living, and understanding are all part of the overall theme of “wisdom.” It takes wisdom to live a happy and satisfying life.  The New Testament tells us that it takes Jesus.  Colossians 2:3 tells us that “in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Jesus is the personification of wisdom, and we find real life through our faith in Him. I like how The Message translates 2 Corinthians 5:15. It says, “He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.”

[1] Garrett, Duane A. 1993. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. Vol. 14. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Psalm 5:2, Romans 12:19

Give it to God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 8, 2023

The Psalmist uses an impassionate approach to God. The ESV (English Standard Version) calls it a “cry.” The Psalmist says, “Pay attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to you.” One commentary explains, “His situation was one of deep distress, and the earnestness of his entreaty indicates how fully he would rely upon the Lord for a just solution. He is not directing mere words to the Lord, but a sighing or “groaning” (Revised Standard Version), a “meditation,” “the murmur of my soul” (Moffatt), an agonized cry. This is no casual prayer! It is an impassioned appeal for justice, and as such it is addressed to God as King; that is, as the all-wise and righteous ruler to whom judgment belongs.”[1] It describes the cry of a soul in great turmoil. The same Hebrew word is used in Psalm 39, verse 3, to describe the internal passion associated with the plea. It says, “My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.”

Some translations turn the phrase “King and God” around to say, “My God and my King.” I think that was done so that no one would think the singer was talking about both the King and God. The text seems clear that there is only one person who is appealed to in the Psalm who was both God and King. God’s reign has long been mentioned in the Bible, as far back as Exodus 15:18, when Mariam sings her song of deliverance through the waters of the Red Sea. She sings, “Our God will reign forever and ever.” So, Craigie says, “It was to God that the psalmist turned in prayer, not to a human king, for God was the absolute Lord and the only one who could answer prayer.”[2]

There are quite a few Imprecatory Psalms in the Psalter. I don’t always trust Wikipedia, but they define these psalms well and identify which ones qualify for this category. It says that imprecatory psalms “Invoke judgment, calamity or curses upon one’s enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God.” The article goes on to say, “Major imprecatory Psalms include Psalm 69 and Psalm 109, while Psalms 5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 57, 59, 59, 79, 83, 94, 137, 139 and 143 are also considered imprecatory. As an example, Psalm 69:24 states toward God, “Pour out Your indignation on them, and let Your burning anger overtake them.” Craigie says they are “expressions of vindictiveness.” C. S. Lewis didn’t like them either and said they are breaths of “refined malice,” He thought they bordered on being “devilish.” William Holladay says they display “a very different spirit” to the teaching of the New Testament. But I believe this approach misses the phrase we see in this verse where the psalmist emphasizes, “for I pray to you.” He is not getting revenge. He’s not striking out against his enemies. Instead, he is entrusting them to God.  God told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 32:35 that he would execute vengeance when appropriate at the right time. That verse says, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip.” Paul quotes this verse interpreting for Christians. He says in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Sometimes our hearts “burn” for justice and, at times, even vengeance. This seems to be the basis of David’s impassioned plea in Psalm 5. But he is giving it to God. We see several examples of David demonstrating this trait in his own life with his enemies.

[1] Tesh, S. Edward, and Walter D. Zorn. 1999. Psalms. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press.

[2] Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1–50. Vol. 19. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

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Job 1:2-3, James 5:11

The Patience of Job!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 7, 2023

Job lived a good, productive life. We seem to get the idea that his life resulted from his fear of God and honorable lifestyle. He was blessed with all the things a man could have asked for during those days. Job 1:2-3 tells us, “There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.”

The Psalmist, 127:3-5 tells us that the man with a “quiver” full of children is blessed by God. Job’s quiver was undoubtedly full. The seven sons were important because men needed large families to prosper in an agricultural economy. The number seven is also important in the Bible because it represents completeness or perfection. In the book of Revelation, which brings about the complete fulfillment of Christ’s reign on earth, it is used 54 times. If you include “sevenfold” and “seventh,” you get 860 times! I think there are two reasons why seven is the number for completion. First, it’s because God finished his creation and rested on the 7th day. God “completed” His work. Further, in Hebrew, the word for completeness has the same consonants as the word seven.[1] Seven sons are mentioned several times in the bible with regard to God’s blessings.  Naomi lost her husband and her two sons when they left Israel to dwell in Moab to escape the famine. One of the sons married a Moabite woman named Ruth. Ruth committed herself to taking care of Naomi and accompanied her when she returned home to Israel. When she got home and settled in with Ruth, Naomi’s friends praised Ruth and said to Naomi that Ruth was “more to Naomi than seven sons” (Ruth 4:15). When Hannah finally has a child, she says, “The barren has borne seven” (1 Samuel 2:5). Ash comments, “What more could a man want than seven sons! Well, I guess some daughters as well. And three is a good number. And seven plus three equals ten, which is also a good number. They are all good numbers and speak of an ideal family.”[2]

Job was the most “patient” example in the Old Testament. James referred to him several times. In James 5:11, he reminds his readers of “The patience of Job.” Joseph Caryl comments on Job’s wealth and patience. He says, “The greatness of his estate is set forth, that the greatness of his patience might appear. For a man to be made poorer, that was but poor and mean before, it is no great matter though he bear it; for a man to have but little that never had much is no great trial of his patience: but for a man to have nothing at all, that had as it were all things, and to be patient under it, this shows the proof of patience.  To a man that is born a slave, or a captive, captivity and bondage is no trouble, it does never exercise his patience, he is scarce sensible of the evil because he never knew better.  But for a king that is born free and has power over others, for a king that is in the height of freedom and liberty to become a slave and a captive, is such a one patience has a perfect work if he bear it.  So for Job, a man that once abounded in all manner of outward good things, to be ousted and emptied of all, that tried his patience to the full.”[3]

[1] https://bibleproject.com/podcast/significance-7/#:~:text=God%20stopped%20on%20the%20seventh,is%20a%20symbol%20of%20completeness.

[2] Ash, Christopher. 2014. Job: The Wisdom of the Cross. Edited by R. Kent Hughes. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

[3] http://www.scripturestudies.com/vol13/m4/wis.html

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Esther 1:3-4

Pride Comes before the fall

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 6, 2023

We love to peer into the private lives of the rich and famous. We are infatuated with their homes, parties, clothes, yachts, bodies, affairs, and scandals. It’s always been that way. Our fascination with fame and fortune is nothing new. Just as reporters give us much more information than we need to know about Johnny Depp, Brittany Spears, Hillary Clinton, Tiger Woods, and many others, so ancient reporters shared fascinating stories about famous kings and queens. The book of Esther seems to begin like an episode of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” The writer of Esther begins his account with the report of the king showing off his army and all his riches at a large drinking party. Esther 1:3-4 says, “The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.”

It begins with an extravagant drinking party at King Ahasuerus’ palace, where the reader is introduced to some intimate details of the royal family. The party lasted for 180 days followed by another 7-day party during which every commoner in the city was invited to attend and to participate freely in the endless supply of wine!  The motive behind the king’s actions is revealed in Verse 4.  The party was a time “when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days…” At the same time, his queen, Vashti, was throwing her own party with the women of the King’s palace. As they both showed off for their friends, their pride was to be the key issue to bring about their downfall. Vashti was going to assert her will over the kings and that would be the end of her.

In 1969, in Pass Christian, Mississippi, a group of people were throwing a “hurricane party” at the Richelieu Apartments as a storm named Camille approached the gulf. When the Police chief pulled up with his lights flashing, he explained that the apartments were in the direct line of the predicted storm and that they needed to clear out. A man with a drink in his hand stepped out onto the second-floor balcony and yelled back, “you clear out, we’re not going anywhere!” Joined by another group of men who laughed and cheered behind him, the police chief continued his rounds. Scientists clocked Camille’s wind speed at over 205 MPH when it hit the coast. News reports later showed that the worst damage came at the little settlement of motels, go-go bars, and gambling houses known as Pass Christian, Mississippi, where some twenty people were killed at a hurricane party in the Richelieu Apartments. Nothing was left of that three-story structure but the foundation; the only survivor was a five-year-old boy found clinging to a mattress the following day. The wisdom of the ages once again proves correct. Proverbs says, “pride always precedes a fall!”  Ephesians 5:1 tells us, “Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you…” The big party that the King threw was leading to something

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Nehemiah 1:3-4

First Things First!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
February 5, 2023

Messengers from Jerusalem came to Babylon, and Nehemiah questioned them about the state of things in Israel.  Nehemiah tells us, “And they said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.’ As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah was a patriot! His heart was for his country and his people. It crushed him to hear the bad report about Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s grief was so great that he sat down, wept, and mourned for days. But he felt that he had to act.

What should he do? Drucker, the great leadership guru, talks a lot about prioritizing one’s projects and making sure you start with the right thing. The chapter on this is called “First things First.” This, he argues, is the secret of effectiveness. You have to make sure you do the right thing first, and you must focus on just one thing at a time. Don’t let other things, lesser things, distract you. What things really are “first things”?[1] Nehemiah’s idea of “first things” are not the same as Druckers. Boice says, “Some managers would put relationships with people first. Others would stress personal thought time and time for planning. These are important, but it is significant that when the problem of the broken walls of Jerusalem was presented to Nehemiah, the first priority of this great and (later) very successful leader was prayer. The first thing he did was unburden his heart to God. Why do you suppose Nehemiah started here? There may be several reasons. For one thing, he was a man who prayed frequently about everything. Prayer was a habit for him, as we will see. But I suspect also that, in this case at least, Nehemiah prayed for the simple reason that no one but God could accomplish what needed to be accomplished if the walls of the city were to rise again.”[2]

I usually wait until I’ve messed things up so bad that I have no choice but to turn to God. When advised to pray about something, have you ever heard someone say, “has it come to that?” Don’t you think it should start with that? Whenever we find ourselves in circumstances that appear to require our action, we should stop and pray about it. Sometimes I’ve found that the best thing one can do is nothing. Just wait and trust God to work. Sometimes God will take care of the problem before I have time to act. Grieving and praying, however should not be used as excuses for inaction. When Joshua faced defeat at AI, he fell down on his face and wept. God said to him, “wherefore liest though thus upon thy face? Get thee up!” I’ve always loved that phrase “get thee up.” Nehemiah was indeed preparing to act, but first things first. He needed to seek God. Boice concludes his remarks on the leadership style of Nehemiah by saying, “Prayer made Abraham Lincoln the man he was, and for the same reason. He said on one occasion, ‘I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of those about me seemed insufficient for the day.’ Is this what makes a leader? The world may not think so, but the Bible teaches that this is the first and greatest dynamic: the leader and God.”

[1] Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive (New York: Harper & Row, 1985), 100.

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 2005. Nehemiah: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks.

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