fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on Jan 2, 2023 13:01:48 GMT -5
Today, I am starting a new study in Isaiah.
As a prophet his overall message concerns such issues as:
sin, rebellion, ingratitude,
the coming judgments on Israel and other nations,
suffering, the coming Messiah etc.
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz
concerning Judah and Jerusalem,
which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah 1:1
In verse one, chapter one, we see that Isaiah was a prophet during the reign of 4 kings of Judah.
Also we are told that Isaiah was the son of Amoz.
Names are considered very important in Israel/Judah.
Isaiah name means:
The Lord is Salvation.
and Amoz means:
strong, mighty, powerful.
Well, Isaiah does not waste time getting to God's message,
and it is not a 'good' message to start....
rather it's like a formal court indictment,
Heaven and Earth are called to bear witness to God's charges and case against the rebels.
Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;
For the Lord speaks,
“Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have revolted against Me
Isaiah 1:2
The words:
listen and Hear...
are not suggestions,
nor are they suggestions to us,
we are commanded to pay attention!
We, as were Heaven ( angels) and Earth ( men) are to give our undivided attention!
We are not to speed read, a 5 minute scripture reading.
Yes, there are some times when that is unavoidable
( some loved one has been in a car crash and will die in an hour....
so yes, there are some extreme exceptions...
or for example,
you are so sick you have a 104 temp and are vomiting non stop
( kind of hard to read scripture that way....)
but really, there are so many times, we do other things that are not deadly serious.
But God is going to present His case.
God has loved us, provided for us, and we spit in His face, we are rebellious sinners.
When God speaks, we are commanded to listen!
He calls them 'sons', His children, His ungrateful, depraved, rebellious sinners...
as are we.
There are many many times God has this lament, heart break and anger
Even Jesus said this:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
who kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to her!
How often I wanted to gather your children together,
the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
and you were unwilling
Matthew 23:37
Note the hatred of the true believers, in the Matthew quote.
I think this hatred is ramping up in our country now.
We are no longer a 'Christian' nation,
and we as a nation are under judgment.
Further, sinners have risen to the top in power etc.
All bad news, except....
it is exactly what God's Word has said!
and what Jesus said about being hated, for His name sake.
As I recently heard Pastor John MacArthur say:
It's getting to be the time to fish.....or, cut bait!
On the other hand, it also means, Jesus will be coming back
maybe way sooner than we think,
or He could still tarry awhile,
but nevertheless, the rapture is closer than ever before!
Well, I only got to looking at two verses.
I know some folk prefer getting a whole picture( not just go verse by verse)
But I still sometimes want to dig a bit deeper
and go verse by verse.
So I will try to do both....
get the over all main message and meaning
( that sometimes gets lost in the minutia, of verse by verse)
so for me
and anyone who is reading,
I will try to blend both the whole picture
and the minutia of verse by verse.
I am often very tired after Sunday soooo :(
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 3, 2023 13:55:40 GMT -5
I did not sleep last night,
so today, I will just work on one verse in Isaiah ch. 1
“An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel does not know,
My people do not understand.”
Isaiah 1:3
This is one of God's censure and condemnation of Judah.
God compares His people with animals,
and the conclusion is:
that humans behave worse, than the dumb animals!
This verse in Isaiah, is similar to this verse in Jeremiah:
“Even the stork in the sky
Knows her seasons;
And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush
Observe the time of their migration;
But My people do not know
The ordinance of the Lord".
Jeremiah 8:7
Humans in our day and age,
are,
by and large the same,
there has not been any improvement.
We have not
'evolved' to a higher level.
I would venture to say,
only people saved by our Lord, and have the Holy Spirit,
show any improvement.
The lowly animals have enough sense to acknowledge the hand that feeds them,
and they are also grateful!
unlike most men, who are instead, are captives:
to the 'world', sins, and 'self'.
Men are often more beastly than the beasts!
The animals did not wander off,
like much of the rebellious malcontents of mankind.
Furthermore, the two animals God chose as examples, ( in the Isaiah verse)
are not considered to be very bright
( as far as animals go)....
thus the saying:
'Dumb as an ox'!
This is meant ( I believe), to be a blow to human pride.
“For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”
Jeremiah 4:22
And yet......
God still calls them:
"My people"
What mercy, kindness, and grace!
If people were really as 'wise' as these dumb animals were
( and still are to this day),
then folks ought to know good from evil,
and therefore, chose the
best path!
But instead, this verse fits them:
Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
Is like the beasts that perish.
Psalms 49:20
Isaiah lived in a time when the nation...intentionally....chose to
discard, reject, ignore, and forsake God....
Just as the majority of people have done in our country today!
I 100% do NOT believe in evolution...
but I am of the opinion, a person could almost use these verses
as a 'proof' against evolution!
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Jan 5, 2023 8:02:37 GMT -5
 ![]() Good one! I enjoyed reading it. 
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 5, 2023 14:36:22 GMT -5
I just do not have the ability to avoid a verse by verse ( well, mostly)
study on Isaiah, because it is sooooo full of richness
I may be working on Isaiah for 6 mts at this rate, but am not sure that would be a bad thing.
So moving to Isaiah ch. 1 verse 4
Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity,
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away from Him.
Isaiah 1:4
As you can anticipate, starting off the verse with:
Alas
is not a good sign!
Some synonyms for the word for alas, would be:
Unhappy
Grief
Sorrow
deplorably
Distress
etc.
So....we know right off, this will not be good!
This switches from God to Isaiah's distress.
Isaiah wields a charge against the entire nation.
God not only holds each individual responsible for his or her sin
but also nations.
Basically the whole nation was corrupt ( sounds a lot like countries today!)
It is sad, they ( the Jews) were to have been a Holy nation,
a light to the pagan nations...
But instead, they were weighed down with sins.
Interestingly, sin weighed them ( and all people) down.
Secular unbelieving atheists people,
often say:
They want to be FREE,
unburden by God's rules...
What they are unaware of, is,
sins are not a freedom ride!
Sins have terrible costs.
( even deadly burdens).
You might 'think' you are 'free' but really....
you are a 'slave' to your sin.
Alcohol, drugs, sex, money, power etc. etc. all are: 'addictions'
and have some terrible and often fatal consequences.
As a contrast Jesus said:
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls
Matthew 11:29
Jesus will bear the burden, if you are his:
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24
Sadly the nation during Isaiah days were
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
In one sense this is not surprising
( If they did not truly love God and were changed by God)
this was a given:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world,
and death through sin,
and so death spread to all men,
because all sinned
Romans 5:12
Everyone is a child of sinful parents
because ( even IF they were born again)
they were originally sinners.
We might think of 'sin' as kind of static
but that is not true!
Left alone sin will eventually and always grow
and will always move downward ( worse and worse!)!
And what is their 'greatest' sin?
We might think:
murder, adultery, prostitution, etc. etc.
But I believe it is, as written in this verse of Isaiah:
They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away from Him
We all are either growing closer to God
or thumbing our nose at him and moving ( running) away from him.
Many say it's because they want to be FREE
others out of 'pride' and so called, 'intellectual superiority'
say God is a 'fairy tale'...
and on and on the excuses go!
Whatever the excuse, they abandon God.
This speaks to the people of our time as well!
They also despise, mock and scorn God.
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Jan 6, 2023 11:50:59 GMT -5
Good work Barbara! Thanks! You know what always surprises me? It's that children who live with parents who are truly saved and who life a life that honors God, often wind up as unbelievers, and children of unbelievers often wind up as believers! Weird isn't it? It just goes to show us that it's all God and not anything we can do or say that can save someone. We can tell people the gospel, but only God can change their heart so that they'll hear the truth and respond to it and be saved. It reminds me of how God always chose the least likely child in the OT. Instead of the first born, He would choose the second or the last born. I think it's all to keep reminding us that He saves us, and none of works or words or wishes do anything toward saying us or toward not saving us, or anyone else for that matter. And those God does save, He keeps saved! What fantastic news! No matter how much we sin, or how badly we mess up, we are saved forever! That reminds me of these verses: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Peter 1:3–4) Our inheritance is reserved for us, and if it's reserved specifically for us, it can't be given to anyone else, and we MUST be going to get it or it wouldn't be reserved specifically for us! Either that or God's a liar, and we know that's not true! Heaven and our inheritance there is a sure thing for those of us who are saved!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 6, 2023 12:33:26 GMT -5
That was so uplifting, thank you! :)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 6, 2023 14:14:23 GMT -5
Onto verse 5 of Isaiah one:
Where will you be stricken again,
As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick
And the whole heart is faint.
Isaiah 1:5
You might think that a person would learn to avoid things that hurt,
but again, you would be wrong.
For example:
In the world, being an alcoholic or drug addict can cause
all manner of pain, bruises, broken bones etc. etc.
But addicts do not learn from their wounds, or stop drinking or doing drugs, as a result.
Likewise, when God chastises, corrects, disciplines, and/or punishes a person,
or a nation,
one might think they would stop doing whatever was causing the problem,
and turn around, and learn not to do whatever sins etc. that they had been doing.
So okay..
they might think the first correction was something just natural, that happens in nature or life..
things happen... in the world!
But as they continue to pile up, and even get worse, it is harder and harder to maintain
an excuse of just normal things happening.
So in this verse, the people refuse to learn,
and they 'persist' in their rebellious sins.
This verse gives a good description of their lack of repentance:
O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth?
You have smitten them,
But they did not weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.
Jeremiah 5:3
So, it's at the poin,
where trying to correct them by affliction or chastisement,
has become useless.
I am thinking, this is probably the case for all the people who are in one sense,
'choosing' to go to Hell.
Well, one might say:
But God may have only given them a few eye opening corrections
so that, He gave up on them way to soon!
That is not how I read verse 6
From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,
Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.
Isaiah 1:6
No, rather, the nation was covered with bruises, wounds etc.
from the head to the bottom of the foot...
that ought to wake anybody or nation up!
(But is that what we see in our country now...
surely not!
Instead folks are lobbying for more and more sins to be 'normalized'
while the weather, food shortages, plagues etc. etc. etc.
get worse and worse,
yet, the people double down in their sins!
Sin and wounds, bruises and disease often go together.
Often the sin effects the physical bodies,
but it can also affect the environment, possessions etc.
But there sadly was no healing going on.
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 7, 2023 15:25:18 GMT -5
Now we are going to learn what some of the physical results will be for turning their back on God:
Your land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire,
Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
Isaiah 1:7
Abandoned, bare, dismal, desolate,
burned, devoured, overthrown,
grim, empty, etc.
They have been severely chastised!
They have been brought way down!
Any individual, peoples or nation
can become very prosperous, strong, high and mighty, etc.
but those very same folks can loose it all.
I am frequently reminded of our country.
We were basically found on God, the Bible, Jesus, morality etc.
and look at how quickly we are racing to the very bottom.
Actually, just went I think we have reached the lowest,
I discover almost day by day, we have slid further downward!
Why? Because we, like they did,
cling fervently to our sins,
and demand them as our rights!
In fact, our country has an ever growing group who would demand that
nothing is a sin,
no deed is wrong,
no atrocity should be punished.
And like the people's reaction to Isaiah,
so people react today
to God's word...
with cold-hearted hatred!
We learn even more the end results:
The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
Isaiah 1:8
Most of us have seen the terrible crude shanties,
pitiful tumble down shacks,
mud huts etc.
in a 3rd world country,
that is basically what happened to Judah.
It's a picture of devastation, ruin, depopulation, etc.
Calling them a 'daughter' of Zion, indicates a loving father,
but one who is despised.
Done for today.
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Post by sevenofnine on Jan 7, 2023 15:33:12 GMT -5
Sound like my state CA with all undocumented immigrants come from San Osoifo freeway near 805 freeway in San Diego LOL!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 8, 2023 20:00:33 GMT -5
Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left us a few survivors,
We would be like Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:9
Isaiah does not just say:
You guys, or you all,
He includes himself by stating:
'us', and 'we'.
Sodom and Gomorrah were filled with despicable sins,
and God utterly and completely destroyed them!
Even though this happened a long time ago,
everybody was well aware of what happened.
So the comparison ought to have been frightening and terrifying.
I think our country is very close to the same situation,
but not only us, many other countries as well.
I often think of Sodom and Gomorrah as a small preview of the end,
even what will be the end of this universe.
just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them,
since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality
and went after strange flesh,
are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
Jude 1:7
Disloyal, traitorous, sinful, abominably evil Judah,
deserved the same annihilation as Sodom and Gomorrah!
We too should be terrified also!
( not believers), but our secular and atheistic country
But because of God's everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
His promises and lovingkindness,
God would spare a few, a remnant.
7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you
and your descendants after you
throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant,
to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you,
the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan,
for an everlasting possession;
and I will be their God.”
Genesis 17:7,8
God now speaks to them as people,
like those in
Sodom and Gomorrah...
non-believers.
Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:10
If this sounds demeaning it is because it is,
because they were offensive!
They needed to wake up to how great their sin was!
Isaiah ( God speaking thru Isaiah) was not going to
'tickle their ears' like many pastors today...
that ONLY preach about how much God loves you!
Imagine any pastor today trying a 'fire and brimstone' sermon,
and see how long he would last being the pastor of his church!
Your prophets have seen for you
False and foolish visions;
And they have not exposed your iniquity
So as to restore you from captivity,
But they have seen for you false and misleading oracles.
Lamentations 2:14
They are commanded to "hear...the Word of the Lord"
Not much of that was going on then, nor today.
Judah and Jerusalem may as well have been Sodom and Gomorrah,
so much so,
they are actually being called that.
But God is holding the rulers to be greatly responsible for the depravity.
It is true each man is responsible for his or her own sins,
Nevertheless, rulers, leaders, pastors etc.
are held to a higher degree of responsibility.
so yes the people need to obey the command to listen and obey,
but the rulers are especially called out on the carpet!
Done for today.
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Post by Cindy on Jan 9, 2023 10:52:55 GMT -5
These are very good! I've been reading Ezekiel lately as well as Isaiah, and I keep thinking how much like Israel we are. You'd think we'd learn from the past, but I guess not.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 9, 2023 13:16:10 GMT -5
Isn't it amazing...
we can 'learn' many things,
and
learn from them.
We can learn how to cook,
drive a car,
use our computers,
paint a painting,
etc. etc. etc.
But....we often cannot seem to remember
spiritual truths
and apply them to our lives
for any length of time! :(
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Post by Cindy on Jan 10, 2023 11:40:41 GMT -5
Yep, that's for sure!
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Post by sevenofnine on Jan 10, 2023 12:57:37 GMT -5
I think my crazy state need study Book of Isaish after all this rain storm they probably won't listen
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 10, 2023 14:31:10 GMT -5
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
Isaiah 1:11
It's not even that they are not doing 'church, or synagogue...
they still were going, doing, pretending etc....
But I think, in fact, that their not going to the synagogue in a hypocritical way,
might have been better!
Well truly loving God, repenting, being obedient etc. would have been the best of course!
It was not that they were not doing all the religious rituals
it was the way in which they were doing them.
They were being hypocrites, and that ( I think)
is worse than being an 'honest' unbeliever..
which in fact, they actually were ( unbelievers),
but they were essentially lying,
and posing, bluffing, being dishonest ,and untruthful,
to God, to others and to themselves.
They were just going thru the motions by rote, doing rituals,
while being rebellious sinners.,,
and so the many sacrifices were meaningless,
repellent, loathsome, and abhorrent to God.
This did not give God any pleasure!
He was sick of it!
This was not them:
.....who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
Psalms 24:3,4
Nor this
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart."
Psalm 51:17
So they would go to the synagogue
but it is a wasted effort..
they for sure, were wasting God's time,
bringing their unrepentant and ungodly lifestyles.
In fact, God calls it a 'trampling of His courts'
When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
Isaiah 1:12
God equates rebellion to the sin of witchcraft or divination
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft....
1 Samuel 15:23
God is not pleased with just outward rituals....
it did not matter if they were still
'keeping the law' ( bringing animals without blemish etc.)
because given in this manner was in fact, 'worthless'.
“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
“I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
Isaiah 1:13,14
All these were prescribed by the law of Moses,
but had become worthless, an abomination, iniquity,
a burden, wearisome, and hateful!
God wants inward obedience, repentance, true worship, kindness, love, etc.
I do not sit with deceitful men,
Nor will I go with pretenders
Psalms 26:4
Incense is a picture of prayers, but from pretenders it was a stink to God.
They had an 'imitation' faith:
all outward show,
no inward meaning or true love, nor real devotion to God,
instead it was a religious deception.
I think believers today, need to check themselves to make sure they are not falling into a similar pattern.
'Many so-called Christians' are moving into some very serious apostasies like:
Nearly 70% of born-again Christians disagree with the biblical position that Jesus is the only way to God, according to a new survey from Probe Ministries
and
More than half of US adults,
30% of evangelicals believe Jesus isn’t God:
(from a study)
etc. etc. etc.
These are false doctrines,
and either people don't know their Bible,
or they are deliberately moving to a false gospel...
either way, God is not pleased with us today either.
Well, another thing many church goers today do not want to hear is:
i there are things God 'hates'!
They only want to hear that God loves them and approves of them,
and will make them healthy and wealthy.
But God clearly says in this verse He hates the false 'worship',
they have become a sham!
They are a mere cover-up for a grossly depraved rebellious sinful people.
Done for today.
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Post by Cindy on Jan 11, 2023 11:34:45 GMT -5
So true! Just as in Old Testament times, and even the time Jesus was on the earth, so today too people are storing up wrath and that wrath is going to come on them a whole lot sooner than they think!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 11, 2023 12:24:11 GMT -5
“So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.
Isaiah 1:15
I think most believers know that God is not beholden to always answer our prayers,
with a yes,
or
in the time frame we want.
He actually does do that more often than not,
but He also may say:
Wait ( the time is not right),
or
no
( for reasons we may not understand at the time, but sometimes we do find out later).
However, another reason may be unconfessed sin,
sin we are still clinging onto.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
Psalms 66:18
And it is not that God
'cannot' hear our prayers....
( in our unconfessed sinful and often rebellious state)...
It's that He 'won't'!!!
Unrepentant sin can stop our prayers from being answered or even heard.
So if we are delighting in our sin, we need to realize God cannot condone it,
by hearing us.
If we turn our back on God, and willfully ignore His commands,
He is in no way indebted or obligated, to hear, or answer, our prayers.
So what were some of their sins, or what they needed to be doing,
thus obeying God?
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:16,17
They didn't need to make more sacrifices
they needed to have a new heart!
( one that would hate sin,
and have a loving and obedient heart,
to God and to others)!
I shall wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord
Psalms 26:6
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
Jeremiah 4:14
so 'wash' yourselves...is a command!
But by ourselves it is impossible to clean ourselves from sin.
Yet somehow, I get the impression, that by and large their prayers
were not asking God to cleanse them from their sins
but rather perhaps to provide them with this and that etc.
I think people today,
who might wonder why their prayers are not answered,
might consider this possibility.
Just because these things happened a long time ago,
does not mean they are not relevant to us
6 Now these things happened as examples for us,
so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
1Corinthians 10:6
I will pick these verses up again, as I am not quite done.
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 12, 2023 15:21:42 GMT -5
I did not finish studying these veses yesterday,
so I will add to them, today.
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:16,17
I had already mentioned that 'wash' is a command.
Here is another verse about 'washing':
Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
Jeremiah 4:14
And what if, we are not sure, how to wash our hearts?
God's word can help us know, what is 'dirty; and what He considers clean.
And we can also pray for his help.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
Psalm 139:23
and
If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
1 John 1:9
Washing can be a symbol of no longer having anything to do with a sinful or evil deed:
Like in the saying:
" I 'wash' my hands of it.
As I mentioned before God's word,
is our help in this
Jesus said:
You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you.
John 15:3
so that He might sanctify her,
having cleansed her
by the washing of water with the word,
Ephesians 5:26
So God also commands them to get rid of evil!
(Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.)
Remove:
turn away, desert, quit, stop, cut out, amputate, discard, erase, eliminate etc.
We cannot 'hide' sin and evil:
some where 'safe' from God.
And we are to
( as the people, in Isaiah's day, were to)
Cease to do evil
Bring it to an decisive end!
Following God,
'cost' us something...our sins.
For which one of you,
when he wants to build a tower,
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if he has enough to complete it?
Luke 14:28
so cease to do evil,
and then,
here are a few 'good' things to do:
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
[Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
It reminds us of:
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Done for Today
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Post by Cindy on Jan 13, 2023 12:06:46 GMT -5
I love your last two posts! Thank you for sharing them! I'd like to say more but I don't have time due to the other stuff I posted today.... sorry!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 13, 2023 13:12:51 GMT -5
So even with all the darkness of the past verses,
we now come to some that have:
beauty, hope, love etc.
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18
God gives kind invitation to: "come", to the helpless, and hopeless sinners.
God is not unreasonable, as some would have the audacity to slander Him.
He says: Let us reason together.
Sins are as scarlet...like blood.
As any housewife knows,
blood is not very easy to remove from a piece of clothing,
it almost always is 'fixed'.
Once we understand how fixed sin is in our life,
we might despair in hopelessness.
Well, if a homemaker has been told
( like my mom told me)
You can get a blood stain out, if you soak a piece of blood stained clothing,
in cold water and salt.
And there is a solution to our sin...
no matter how tough or big it is.
We can go from scarlet sin to white as snow.
Jesus paid the price and thus washed our sin
( If we confess our sin, turn from it
and lean on His solution)
We soak in His word,
and we become salt for others...
and give Him all the glory!
Who is a God like You,
who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love.
Micah 7:18
and
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:8–13
God goes on to say:
“If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
20 “But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 1:19,20
There is a condition however!
IF....you obey.
Would it not be absurd, if a rapist, thief, murderer etc.
came before a judge and the judge only says:
I pardon you, you are free to go!
And the judge never even suggested to the guilty,
stop raping, murdering, stealing etc.
He just sets every criminal with no conditions whatsoever.
That would be a judge that either had no sense, was crooked, crazy etc.
He would not be caring for the safety of the guilty,
nor the people that these criminal would most likely be targeting,
as soon as they walked out the door.
Strangely, this kind of thinking is creeping into our so called 'justice' system,
in the USA.
Well, God is NOT an unjust 'justice.
God gives us a choice to obey,
or
not to obey.
We are not robots,
we need to be willing to change.
( tho some people in the world, think it would be a 'good' idea, if we were robots).
Also, obedience is a way to show gratitude,
and even more so,
love to God.
On the other hand, if we ( or the people of Isaiah's day)
refuse, and instead choose to rebel,
there will be consequences.
Instead of eating the best of the land
they will be ('eaten') devoured by the sword.
To refuse God the Creator, our Savior,
shows the depth of deception, and hardness of heart.
And indeed this is what many folks do!
Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To rebel against the Most High in the desert
Psalms 78:17
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 13, 2023 13:15:28 GMT -5
Thank you so much Cindy...you are such an amazing encourager!! :)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 14, 2023 11:36:02 GMT -5
21 How the faithful city has become a harlot,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your drink diluted with water.
Isaiah 1:21,22
These verses are a sorrowful lament,
concerning the city that was once 'faithful',
because the people were...but no longer!
but now, instead they had wantonly run after idols,
(a woman who is acting like a harlot).
and thus were unfaithful to God their husband.
So their religious practices were empty rituals
and they went after false gods.
And that had grievous consequences,
the justice and righteousness that was once a part of their life,
and deteriorated to even becoming murderers.
Forgive me, but I just can't help but see the comparison
to our country ( and many other once 'Christian' countries).
Turning our back, and hearts on our Creator and Savior,
has resulted in a seemingly endless spiraling down,
into chaos, hard hearts, and all manner of evil deeds.
Moral standards seem to sink by the day.
Silver with dross is not of value, it is useless.
And this is what sin in a person does.
All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
Going about as a talebearer.
They are bronze and iron;
They, all of them, are corrupt.
The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the wicked are not separated.
They call them rejected silver,
Because the Lord has rejected them.
Jeremiah 6:28,29,30
Adding water to wine, means it is no longer pure wine.
Which seems like it could be a symbol, for how sin, makes a human not 'pure'
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Jan 16, 2023 11:03:05 GMT -5
 I especially loved how you explained sin in our life and how God takes care of it! That was fantastic! Your next post was very good too!
Speaking of how everything seems to remind us of what's happening today in our country and the world, I've lately been reading one of Isaac Watts psalms as praise to God each morning. Since he was a pastor in Great Britain, many of his psalms mention his beloved country. When I read one of those, it' breaks my heart because I know that Isaac would be weeping over the condition of his country if he was here now. How different his psalms would have been - if he would even write them if he was living on earth today.
Interesting...I started to write, "if he was living today", but realized before I got to the end that he IS very much alive right now! This is something else I've noticed a lot about - how we tend to see death as something final; as "the end". Jesus certainly didn't see death that way though. I love how He told the pharisees that God was the God of the living, not the God of the dead! I'll post it in context: “But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”” (Matthew 22:31–32) It's really mind boggling how Satan has twisted everything so much. Because death isn't the end, it's the beginning of real life! (sorry, didn't mean to go off topic..)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 16, 2023 14:57:19 GMT -5
You are soooo right! It is true, we often ( without a second thought, speak of someone who died...as IF, that was the end of them, but for believers it's the beginning of 'real' life!!
I have been unfortunately guilty of that, without thinking!
Again, Your encouragement is so uplifting!
I have gone thru a time of depression this winter...
you have been such a help(! :)),
a lifting hand to get me out of it.
I do slip back a 'wee' tiny bit,
from time to time,
but nothing at all like I was ( and God has used you greatly to help and encourage...thank you soooooooo much :).
So many people think of the Bible as some:
very very very
old,
dogmatic,
narrow minded,
'stuffy'and offensive views,
grossly outdated,
document,
that has no relevance for today...
But in fact,
I am more and more seeing it to be right on,
spot on,
as if it were written this very day!
People today like to see themselves as having 'evolved' to a higher spiritual state...
they see the Bible as something that ought to be 'canceled'
because it is ( in their opinion):
homophobic,
Anti-science,
intolerant,
war mongering,
narrow minded ..
not respecting other 'religions
etc etc etc etc.
But.....Lo and Behold! The Bible speaks to that!
But those views of rebellion,
against their Creator,
does or can make a believer's heart break and causes weeping!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 17, 2023 10:09:14 GMT -5
Your rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves a bribe
And chases after rewards.
They do not defend the orphan,
Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.
Isaiah 1:23
Rulers as rebels....sounds familiar for this day and age...
not all in power are so evil, but many are,
now, as then, in Isaiah's day.
Rulers are often 'blessed' in a worldly way:
money, power, prestige etc.
And ought to be grateful for those blessings,
but instead are frequently companions of thieves
( wanting 'more').
This too we see this very day,
in politics and in some of the world leaders of today.
Instead of setting an example of high standards...
they sometimes
( as it will turn out),
they will have some of the lowest moral standards,
in their efforts from chasing after 'rewards'.
And in their pursuit of rewarding themselves,
they are lacking in pity, mercy, or sympathy,
for those with nearly nothing,
such as widows,
Therefore:
Therefore the Lord God of hosts,
The Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries
And avenge Myself on My foes.
Isaiah 1:24
The question might be posed as to when will God be relieved of His adversaries?
Sometimes, it is sooner than later,
and sometimes it is delayed
( a very long time)
But it will happen,
unless, the person or persons, turn to God,
ask for forgiveness,
and they are saved by Jesus)
But if you will not do so,
behold,
you have sinned against the Lord,
and be sure your sin will find you out.
Numbers 32:23
and
Would not God find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Psalms 44:21
God has seen the evidence and has declared the judgment.
He is mighty,
and more than able to carry out the judgment,
when He deems the time is right.
Sadly, his 'foes' in this case,
are not some pagan nation,
but rather His chosen people.
In a way, our country ( the USA) held a beloved status for years,
but just like Israel, we have turned our backs on God,
and have slid in all manner of evil.
( well, yes, just like Israel of old, there is still a faithful remnant, In our country.)
But the remnant, often had to suffer the judgment of the turncoats).
However, God punishes, not as a petty vengeful god,
in retaliation for some small disrespect, or minuscule injury.
No, it is often in order to wake them up,
and remove their sins...
as we see in the next verse:
“I will also turn My hand against you,
And will smelt away your dross as with lye
And will remove all your alloy.
Isaiah 1:25
Smelting:
The way the metallurgist purifies impure ores by heating it,
so that the dross comes to the top to be skimmed off.
And so thus, for people,
the purifying effects of external trials
( heat and smelting).
For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
Psalms 66:10
The 'silver' ( God's chosen people) had become dross
and the only way to fix this,
was to smelt them and remove the dross.
Done for today.
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Post by Cindy on Jan 17, 2023 11:12:27 GMT -5
I'm glad I could be of some help to you.  Whenever you feel down though, just go back and read through your thread called "Barbara's Plan". I bumped it up for you, but here's the link:fresh-hope.com/thread/3686/barbaras-plan After all it's only 28 pages long  , so by the time you're done reading it, you'll never let yourself get depressed again, if only to prevent yourself from having to read it again! 
Again your posts have been right on and very helpful!
That reminds me of something I read in a book last night that I thought was really good. A man asked another man, "what if you had a teenager you were worried about, who was going out with his friends, and before he left, you warned him of all kinds of things you didn't want him to do because they'd hurt him. Then he goes out with his friends and does every single one of the things you warned him not to do. Will he then blame his father for ruining his life when he has to deal with the consequences his father warned him about?" The obvious answer is "of course not, that would be foolish of him!" and yet that's exactly what people do to their heavenly father. He warns us over and over in His Word of what can happen if we disobey Him, yet we do it anyway and then blame him when our life is miserable.
More and more I've come to realize that Jesus really came to save us from ourselves!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 17, 2023 13:21:49 GMT -5
That is really funny...
28 pages for real?
I think you have a point!!
Not just one point,
but the 2nd one was right on, also! :)
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Post by Cindy on Jan 18, 2023 11:39:33 GMT -5
That is really funny...
28 pages for real?
I think you have a point!!
Not just one point,
but the 2nd one was right on, also! :) |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 18, 2023 12:37:27 GMT -5
“Then I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”
Isaiah 1:26
This has not really happened yet
( or certainly not in full).
The word:
'Then'
is a clue for it being in the future, I think.
And I am also thinking this might be fulfilled during Jesus 1000 year reign.
So in the future Jerusalem will be a 'faithful' city.
Since the rulers of the past were held more accountable for their apostasy,
they will be restored first, it seems.
Zion will be redeemed with justice
And her repentant ones with righteousness.
Isaiah 1:27
Jesus is going to redeem them.
They will be purchased,
paid for,
freed from the bondage of sin,
forgiven, blessed, justified, made righteous, and adopted.
But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain
Psalm 2:6
However, there will be a separation of the repentant Jews,
from the unrepentant Jews…
But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together,
And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.
Isaiah 1:28
The word:
'But'
indicates a shift in direction, going from the repentant Jews,
now to the unrepentant.
Those that remain rebellious will suffer severe judgment.
Again the words:
will be...indicated.. in the future.
Do we not see:
stubborn, rebellious, unrepentance,
lawllessness, pride in sin,
mutinous, riotous, chaotic,
anarchic, disrespectfulness, hatred,
disobedient, unbridled and unrestrained behavior,
in people in our time?
They are calling it 'freedom'
Do we not have an abundance of this type of rebellion in our day?
Does it not seem to get worse by the day?
Can anyone make a case for humans to have evolved to a higher better plane?
For sure, some 'think' their man made ideals are better than God's,
but their results are horrific and getting worse all the time.
But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
Psalms 37:38
and
But if you still do wickedly,
both you and your king will be swept away.”
1 Samuel 12:25
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jan 19, 2023 13:20:39 GMT -5
Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired,
And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen
Isaiah 1:29
At that time,
in Isaiah's day,
the false 'religions' and/or cults,
often had statues, idols etc. carved by men.
The people bowed down and worshiped as a 'god'.
Especially the fertility cults, often had idols,
and, sexual acts were done as part of their 'worship', in their demonic inspired 'religion'.
This is what they 'desired',
instead of worshiping the true God.
Oak and other wood (some scripture versions call the wood a terebinth tree),
in any case, that is what many of the idols were carved out of.
It seems many of the carved idols were placed outside,
under the trees with gardens planted around also.
For even though they knew God,
they did not honor Him as God,
or give thanks;
but they became futile in their speculations,
and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God
for an image in the form of corruptible man
and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity,
that their bodies might be dishonored among them.
Romans 1:21–24
Even if the gardens were beautiful,
this was not where God had sanctioned them to worship.
They would eventually be ashamed and embarrassed by this.
Do not think people today are above this!
( all one has to do is think of so-called pride parades,
nude beaches,
strip shows,
pole dancing,
Porn
etc. etc.)
Sexual immorality and lust abound in our day
Now these things happened as examples for us,
so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
1 Corinthians 10:6
And there are always consequences,
sooner or later!
For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away
Or as a garden that has no water.
Isaiah 1:30
Idols are made from wood that is dead...
and those who 'worship'
them, become spiritually dead.
There is no true life, in a false religion.
The strong man will become tinder,
His work also a spark.
Thus they shall both burn together
And there will be none to quench them.
Isaiah 1:30
I think it's not even that they will be dead,
like the wood of the nonliving idols,
but even worse,
they will burn.
This reminds me of burning forever in Hell,
( unless the repent of the prideful rebellious sins).
Play arrogantly with sin and you will eventually get burned!
This is for our admonition,
as well.
Done for Today.
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I especially loved how you explained sin in our life and how God takes care of it! That was fantastic! Your next post was very good too! 
Whenever you feel down though, just go back and read through your thread called "Barbara's Plan". I bumped it up for you, but here's the link:
, so by the time you're done reading it, you'll never let yourself get depressed again, if only to prevent yourself from having to read it again! 
!!
