Daily
Reading:
Isaiah
9
Holman
Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Birth of the Prince of Peace
1
Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the
former times when He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But
in the future He will bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of
the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.
have seen a great light;
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased its joy.
The people have rejoiced before You
as they rejoice at harvest time
and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.
4 For You have shattered their oppressive
yoke
and the rod on their shoulders,
the staff of their oppressor,
just as You did on the day of Midian.
5 For the trampling boot of battle
and the bloodied garments of war
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His
shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on
and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will
accomplish this.
The Hand Raised against Israel
8 The Lord sent a message against Jacob;
it came against Israel.
9 All the people—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—will
know it.
They will say with pride and arrogance:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with cut stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 The Lord has raised up Rezin’s
adversaries against him
and stirred up his enemies.
12 Aram from the east and Philistia from
the west
have consumed Israel with open mouths.
In all this, His anger is not removed,
and His hand is still raised to strike.
13 The people did not turn to Him who
struck them;
they did not seek the Lord of Hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and
tail,
palm branch and reed in a single day.
15 The head is the elder, the honored one;
the tail is the prophet, the lying teacher.
16 The leaders of the people mislead them,
and those they mislead are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice
over Israel’s young men
and has no compassion
on its fatherless and widows,
for everyone is a godless evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
In all this, His anger is not removed,
and His hand is still raised to strike.
18 For wickedness burns like a fire
that consumes thorns and briers
and kindles the forest thickets
so that they go up in a column of smoke.
19 The land is scorched
by the wrath of the Lord of Hosts,
and the people are like fuel for the fire.
No one has compassion on his brother.
20 They carve meat on the right,
but they are still hungry;
they have eaten on the left,
but they are still not satisfied.
Each one eats the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh is with Ephraim,
and Ephraim with Manasseh;
together, both are against Judah.
In all this, His anger is not removed,
and His hand is still raised to strike.
Key: Bold - Verse of the Day
Reflection: Todays reading is a prophesy, two in fact. One in regaurd to Jesus, the coming Messiah, and one based on the empending doom and judgement coming to Israel. At times prophetic scripture can be hard to wrap your head around but to slowly read it, in combination with a knowledge of other text you can see how God used prophets to warn the people, and drive the remnant to a place of repentance.
Discussion Topic: Do you think its easier to accept pending judgement, knowing you will one day be delivered? How can these prophesies be applied to todays modern issues we see all around us.
Join the Discussion on G+
Prayer: Eternal Father, we thank you for your judgement and respect your ruling. We are a people of unclean hearts, and speak with unclean words. Your Son is our only hope for redemption and salvation. We thank you for your mercy and grace, and the Eternal gift, the Prince of Peace. Guide us in our lives as we prepare our hearts for your return.
No comments:
Post a Comment