fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on Mar 1, 2023 18:24:57 GMT -5
Woe number 6
22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!
Isaiah 5:22,23
God's satire, expressing contempt, scorn and ridicule.
They are champion warrior heroes, winning in being superior drunks!
They valiantly party hearty! And excel in mixing strong drinks....what an honor...NOT!
Woe to you who make your neighbors drink,
Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk
So as to look on their nakedness!
Habakkuk 2:15
They have corrupted the courts, so that the guilty go free,
for a price, a bribe...
but, the innocent are sentenced, convicted,and condemned.
They do the opposite of what God had said:
You shall not distort justice;
you shall not be partial,
and you shall not take a bribe,
for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise
and perverts the words of the righteous.
Deuteronomy 16:19
and
A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom
To pervert the ways of justice.
Proverbs 17:23
So drunken corrupt judges.
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 2, 2023 12:07:44 GMT -5
Yeah, I love listening to his sermons!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 2, 2023 12:24:30 GMT -5
John seems good after his surgery, so that is a blessing! He will maybe start preaching again, fairly soon...hope hope :)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 2, 2023 14:32:10 GMT -5
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble
And dry grass collapses into the flame,
So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust;
For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5:24
They despised God's Word.
How many people today, mock the Bible as 'fairy tales'
but more than that, they hate it.
So did these people in Isaiah's day,
they also rejected and despised God's Word.
They seemed outwardly prosperous, and healthy
but in fact, in their root core,
their moral and spiritual being,
they were rotting.
Like tangled thorns,
And like those who are drunken with their drink,
They are consumed
As stubble completely withered
Nahum 1:10
Stubble and dry grass can easily catch fire and be consumed.
People will either love God and His Word,
or
they will love the world.
There are only those two choices.
“The wise men are put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
Jeremiah 8:9
People today, hate to even whisper, that God can be angry,
and yet, God can indeed be angry with sin, and evil.
Yet, God can be angry and still willing to forgive.
But God has every reason and right to be angry!
On this account the anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down.
And the mountains quaked,
and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
For all this His anger is not spent,
But His hand is still stretched out.
Isaiah 5:25
He is angry that they despise and reject His Word...
which lead, to their despicable evil behavior,
and their harden hearts without compassion.
Therefore:
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:31
His anger is just against their sinful rebellion.
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 3, 2023 11:47:47 GMT -5
He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation,
and will whistle for it from the ends of the earth;
and behold, it will come with speed swiftly:
Isaiah 5:26
God's standard is the rallying point for the pagan nation,
to come do His bidding against rebellious Israel.
Lift up a signal in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!......
Jeremiah 51:27 (a)
God is on His throne, He is in control, all He has to do is whistle,
and the nations and peoples obey.
The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar,
from the end of the earth,
as the eagle swoops down,
a nation whose language you shall not understand
Deuteronomy 28:49
I am not a prophet, nor am I prophesying,
but I thought of China and the spy balloon
swooping down, from afar,
and the Chinese speak in a language I do not understand.
So a bit more description,
about the enemy that will come to invade Israel:
No one in it is weary or stumbles,
none slumbers or sleeps;
nor is the belt at its waist undone,
Nor its sandal strap broken:
Isaiah 5:27
They will be physically fit, sort of, super soldiers...
Not some raggedy, battle worn, weak, untrained, motley group.
They won't have any wardrobe malfunctions,
or equipment failures
they are not a rag tag bunch,
but rather, elite soldiers.
Furthermore
Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;
the hoofs of its horses seem like flint
and its chariot wheels like a whirlwind:
Isaiah 5:28
They are well equipped for battle!
They will be an overwhelming force, with no weak spots.
Therefore it will be like a whirlwind, a hurricane,
Israel's enemy will be an overwhelming force.
When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
Proverbs 1:27
These pagans will be brutish and barbarian.
Its roaring is like a lioness,
and it roars like young lions;
It growls as it seizes the prey
and carries it off with no one to deliver it:
Isaiah 5:29
Israel will be helpless, like prey before lions.
This Invincible army will provoke much fear!
And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea.
If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;
Even the light is darkened by its clouds:
Isaiah 5:30
No rescue was coming, and so their fear will be great.
They will be filled with hopelessness and darkness.
It should give us pause, in our day and age,
as to what kind of fruit,
is our country producing for God!
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 4, 2023 12:29:08 GMT -5
Sorry I missed you yesterday, but we were running around all day. I love what you've posted though. Both of them are great!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 6, 2023 15:05:51 GMT -5
Isaiah's Vision
In the year of King Uzziah’s death
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne,
lofty and exalted,
with the train of His robe filling the temple.
Isaiah 6:1
First, this give the time line of Isaiah's vision.
while Uzziah reigned for 52 years, Judah was prosperous and powerful,
while Assyria was still weak.
But when he died, things are going to change.
The time is coming:
to not place one's hope in an earthly king, but in the only God,
who can help.
There is still an eternal king who is still on His throne!
( my own personal thoughts, is this might be true for our country, now.
We need to be looking up, the the eternal King of kings and Lord of Lords!)
Before Isaiah's commission, he sees in a vision, the true King,
in His majesty and greatness.
These things Isaiah said
because he saw His glory,
and he spoke of Him.
John 12:41
and His Robe:
Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
Psalm 104:2
Seraphim stood above Him,
each having six wings:
with two he covered his face,
and with two he covered his feet,
and with two he flew.
Isaiah 6:2
They acknowledge God's holiness, by covering their faces,
because they also cannot look upon His glory.
who alone possesses immortality
and dwells in unapproachable light,
whom no man has seen or can see.
To Him be honor and eternal dominion!
Amen.
1 Timothy 6:16
and
“Not that anyone has seen the Father,
except the One who is from God;
He has seen the Father.
John 6:46
And tho, they do service to God, they cover their feet,
to protect the holiness of God,
and
acknowledgment of the lowliness of their glorious service
while the other set of wings are engaged in doing the service.
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 7, 2023 12:00:36 GMT -5
That part of Isaiah gives me chills. I always wonder how Isaiah felt at that time....
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 7, 2023 13:50:13 GMT -5
Good point Cindy, and a good observation...I can't even imagine!
It must have been beyond overwhelming.
In a totally 'fearful' way...or like David said:
"What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Psalm 8:4
And yet glorious too...
but I am thinking at the time he might have felt a lot like a 'worm'
But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people.
Psalm 22:6
I am not sure, I will try to write out a Bible study today
another no sleep night
I seem to have settled into
a completely new sleep pattern
I either sleep all night, and 1/2 the next day
or
I am having more and more
no sleep nights
More than I have ever had!
But of course, I find myself asleep
this morning over and over
not sleeping for long
but 5-20 mins.
I was really distraught over the pastor that preached Sunday ( at our old church...
we are now splitting our time 1/2 at North Coast and 1/2 at Seaside Calvary)
Pastor James Gleason Executive Director of Church Venture Northwest..they support 239 churches
But the sermon ( in my opinion) had some seeds of CRT,
and
a kind of don't 'judge' gays,
I am not saying we should...
but it came across more to me,
as the beginning of a
'woke' church movement....
just be loving....
He spoke about a young man at a resturant
with blue hair, total female makeup,
dress, heels etc.
and kind of pointed to when the hippies became Christians but dressed a bit different, had long hair etc.
But something about that comparison, does not seem quite right
or is it just me being judgmental?
Anyway I am of the opinion we also need to speak the truth...in love.
Soooo anyway,
all that to say...I could not sleep for the past 2 nights
and don't feel like, I would do a good bible study today
Prayerfully, I will sleep tonight,
and the Lord willing
I will be back tomorrow!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 8, 2023 8:40:22 GMT -5
3rd night of no sleep
about 10 years ago, I had 5 nights in a row of no sleep...
I was a zombie!
Nevertheless, I will try to write my Bible study.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 8, 2023 15:22:49 GMT -5
3 And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”
Isaiah 6:3
God is the ultimate in holiness!
We are living in a time of great moral degradation the world over.
Holiness, is not often thought about, (I don't think), by many people.
Israel was under judgment ( in Isaiah's time),
and I think our country and the world really,
is also under God's judgment, in our day.
The rebellion, and hatred, against God,
has come out of the closet, for a long time now,
and is in full swing.
What defined the Jew in Isaiah's day,
defines us in our day and age:
they, and we,
are:
Prideful,
arrogantly conceited,
much of the world has corrupt leadership,
the people are full of moral depravity,
super materialistic,
pleasure-seeking,
without compassion
etc.
The repetition of the word, holy three times,
emphasizes God the Father is extraordinarily Holy!
No one can ever come even close...not even the angels!
There is no comparison between the divine and His Creation.
In fact, humans can never come into the presence of Holy God, except thru Jesus.
Isaiah was to declare that judgment was coming and not a revival,
not blessings, or more prosperity and forgiveness.
God is holy and they ( and many people in our day and age) have hated God
so there comes a time, when God is done.
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 9, 2023 11:49:22 GMT -5
We are supposed to judge people and anyone who says we aren't is not speaking the truth. We are not to judge another person's heart, but we are to judge their behavior. Judging them doesn't mean we start screaming at them, or that we tell them that they're horrible (that would be judging their heart), but we should lovingly warn them that if they don't obey the Lord, then their salvation is in question. And they should examine themselves according to what scripture says. Now days people claim to be all kinds of things, from goth to different genders to being a cat or whatever. No one who is saved can claim to be anything other than a slave of Christ. All other identities are washed away (except the basic ones of mother, father, parent, child, sister, brother, etc.) So no you weren't wrong, and neither was the Holy Spirit who made that known to you.
I hope you're getting some sleep now! That's awful! But your Bible study is good as always!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 9, 2023 13:35:42 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy. I slept last night...but am still exhausted and sleepy.
But at least I did get to sleep..thank you Lord!
However, I need to take a nap before doing Bible study today....
so Prayerfully, I will be back...soon-ish.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 9, 2023 18:13:18 GMT -5
And the foundations of the thresholds trembled
at the voice of him who called out,
while the temple was filling with smoke.
Isaiah 6:4
If Isaiah was not already trembling, that would surely add to it!
God is omnipresent, but He can also choose to manifest Himself,
often in the form of light, fire, or cloud or all of them.
It can also be a way of showing God's anger and judgment.
God does this, at certain times, in certain places.
This appears to be a temple of God in Heaven.
Then I said,
“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
Isaiah 6:5
Unless God has mercy on anyone of us, we too could only cry: woe!
But even a godly man like Isaiah, was aware of how he is still a sinful man,
and so he can only cry woe!
He knew he was unclean, and thus ruined,
and not only that,
he lived among people of unclean lips.
( I would venture to say, that we alive today, live among people with unclean lips.
I notice that many people cannot speak one sentence without swearing.)
Isaiah feels undone, doomed, about to die.
I think many Christians have felt from time to time,
like Isaiah, and like Paul
It is a trustworthy statement,
deserving full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
among whom I am foremost of all.
1 Timothy 1:15
Or like Peter
But when Simon Peter saw that,
he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying,
“Go away from me Lord,
for I am a sinful man!”
Luke 5:8
or Job
"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:
but now mine eye sees you.
Wherefore I abhor myself,
and repent in dust and ashes"
Job 42:5
Or John
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.
And He placed His right hand on me, saying,
“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last
Revelation 1:17
In any case, Isaiah is overwhelmed with the reality of his own sinfulness.
Not unlike Adam and Eve who hid from God after they sinned.
To see God, we see our real selves, and it is ugly, full of sin!
Woe are we, unless we receive mercy from God.
What people speak, is what is in their hearts.
You brood of vipers,
how can you, being evil,
speak what is good?
For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
Matthew 12:34
and
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good;
and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil;
for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
Luke 6:45
This is an absolute truth:
I am the vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 10, 2023 11:18:07 GMT -5
 I agree and think that may be a way to tell if someone is really saved or not; because only those of us who are saved are aware of our sins. Plus, the longer we're saved, the more we realize how sinful we are.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 10, 2023 12:06:47 GMT -5
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand,
which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
Isaiah 6:6
The coal is most likely symbolic of Jesus finished work on the cross.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
Isaiah 6:7
Isaiah's confession of his sin, was met with God's forgiveness.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Psalm 51:17
I think it probably cleansed all of him.
It is not just our mouths, that are sinful,
but our eyes, our heart, our hands etc. that also sin.
It is only Jesus sacrifice that covers sin.
And the sins are taken away.
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
The alter was where the blood sacrifices were slain,
and Jesus was the lamb of God.
To be forgiven is certainly the greatest pleasure and gift,
but it comes with a great cost also.
We have to acknowledge our sins,
and Jesus had to pay for them.
Those are the burning side of being forgiven.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
Then I said,
“Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8
After Isaiah is cleansed, he is fit for service.
It was then, he could hear,
God's voice.
"for Us"
is capitalized, suggesting the trinity, ( I think).
God was not specifically calling Isaiah tho,
God asked: who will go...
So yes, Isaiah being cleansed could indeed go,
but that call can also be for everyone,
not just a special few.
We don't have to be a missionary going to some foreign land
we might just 'go' as it were, around our neighborhood,
we might leave tracks, we might speak to a friend about Jesus etc..
Isaiah responded right away!
He did not wait for some unique sign in the sky,
or consult with many people first.
Isaiah gave his life,
in service to God.
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 14, 2023 12:16:20 GMT -5
He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
Isaiah 6:9
God commands Isaiah to:
'Go'
and to:
tell...
God can use Isaiah,
even tho,
Isaiah had 'unclean' lips.
God still is commanding believers today to do the same:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19,20
and God also commands
this people
( not HIS people):
but the rebellious people,
with unclean lips,
the people who had rejected God,
to the point where they are so harden,
they cannot receive the truth.
So now, they are forbidden to perceive or understand.
They have already been judged and are being judged by God.
Thus the truth would be hidden from an unreceptive people.
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.
Romans 1:21
and
“Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:10
God is not hardening the hearts of some
moral upright,
God loving,
compassionate people,
rather, they had already chosen this way.
They are already insensitive,
and have dull ears and 'blind' eyes.
God is giving them what they want,
that is a very fearful thing!
Their condition is irremediable,
they have passed the point of repentance.
Jesus said:
12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance;
but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables;
because while seeing they do not see,
and while hearing they do not hear,
nor do they understand.
14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled...
Matthew 13:12-14
and
just as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”
Romans 11:8
Isaiah asks:
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered,
“Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant,
Houses are without people
And the land is utterly desolate,
Isaiah 6:11
Isaiah knows God won't totally and forever,
cast off His people,
so Isaiah wants to know how long,
will this divine judgment, last.
Even tho the people will not listen,
God's Word,
WILL accomplish what He sets it out to do.
Therefore, Isaiah will continue to prophesy concerning the coming Babylonian deportation,
when all the things listed will happen
( cities devastated etc.).
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 15, 2023 11:19:43 GMT -5
“The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
Isaiah 6:12
God is still answering Isaiah's question about how long?
God speaks in the past tense, as if, it has already happened,
but of course, if God says it, it will happen,
one can stand firm on God's Word.
However....it would be 150 years, more or less, before it did happen,
by King Nebuchadnezzar when he carried Judah off to Babylon.
This can be both a scary promise or an uplifting one,
God will always do what He says,
tho it may be long in coming to fruition.
We hear a lot of mockers today, pointing out
that it has been 2000 years and Jesus has not returned:
and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?
For ever since the fathers fell asleep,
all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:4
And yet, what is 2000 years to God?
Also there is a reason for His delay:
The Lord is not slow about His promise,
as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
and there is a mercy for the people of Isaiah's time to hold onto:
“Yet there will be a tenth portion in it,
And it will again be subject to burning,
Like a terebinth or an oak
Whose stump remains when it is felled.
The holy seed is its stump.”
Isaiah 6:13
They would not be totally annihilated!
There would be a faithful remnant.
God always has a faithful remnant
( which should be a blessing for us to remember,
in our days).
Even tho they will be subjected to a burning,
there will still be life and regrowth...
which happens in nature, a stump can grow a new tree.
And in this case, it has the addition of God's Holy seed.
Done for today.
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Post by Cindy on Mar 16, 2023 10:17:37 GMT -5
Those are all excellent Barbara! But one thing caught my eye that I'd like to talk about a little..
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand,
which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
Isaiah 6:6
The coal is most likely symbolic of Jesus finished work on the cross.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
Isaiah 6:7
“With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”” (Isaiah 6:7)
I'm sure you can see why I prefer it, it's because this shows what Jesus did for us, He removes our guilt and our sins are atoned for. Far too often we fail to realize that Jesus removes our guilt as well as forgiving us and reconciling us with God the Father.
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14) The Legacy standard Bible translates this the same way and see the following verses as well:
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.” (Hebrews 10:1–2)
“and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:21–22)
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah” (Psalm 32:5) This is what makes us different from unbelievers too. They don't feel guilty for their sins, we do, but God doesn't want us to continue to feel guilty. He expects us to realize that Jesus took our guilt away when he forgave our sins. He most certainly does not want a bunch of glum people bewailing their sins for the rest of their life. No! He took them away from us and even from Himself! (as far as the east is from the west, Psalm 103:12)
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) If we are purified from all sin, then we certainly are no longer guilty of anything! And that's even part of our blessed hope. When the rapture happens and we receive our new bodies, then we will really be pure without any spot or blemish of sin in us or on us anywhere! No sin, no guilt! Even though we still sin in this part of our lives, we are instantly forgiven and therefore we still have no guilt! Yes, we are to confess our sins when we realize we've sinned but we're not to make a mountain out of it or spend a whole day crying over it. We're to accept the forgiveness that Jesus paid for, and be filled with joy for what He does for us. No sin, no guilt, just joy!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 16, 2023 11:27:41 GMT -5
I am still struglingly a little with what you wrote:
God doesn't want us to continue to feel guilty. He expects us to realize that Jesus took our guilt away when he forgave our sins. He most certainly does not want a bunch of glum people bewailing their sins for the rest of their life.
But I am doing much better....I keep reminding myself, to take those thoughts captive when I want to punish myself again for my past.
Anyway, thank you so much for your encouraging words!!!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 16, 2023 12:28:07 GMT -5
Now it came about in the days of Ahaz,
the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah,
king of Judah,
that Rezin the king of Aram
and Pekah
the son of Remaliah,
king of Israel,
went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it,
but could not conquer it.
Isaiah 7:1
So Ahaz is king, after his father Jotham,
and grandfather Uzziah ( who were good kings).
Pekah was the king of Ephraim (Israel)
after his father Remaliah
and Rezin was the king of Syria.
When it 'came about',
that is not suggesting some random chance happening...
God is THE king, and He is reigning, and in control,
so everything that happens is orchestrated and ordained by God.
Tho his father and grandfather were good kings,
Ahaz was NOT!
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king,
and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem;
and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God,
as his father David had done.
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before the sons of Israel.
2 Kings 16:2,3
So the mystery is, why couldn't Syria and Israel conquer it.
You would think that perhaps God would give this evil king what he deserved.
Speculation on my part:
but perhaps, it was because of God's love and promises to David...
because, in the next verse,
it does not even use Ahaz's name,
but rather David's.
2 When it was reported to the house of David, saying,
“The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,”
his heart
and the hearts of his people
shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.
Isaiah 7:1,2
God's promise to David, for the Savior to come thru his line,
was the issue.
In any case, they were afraid with their demise seemingly upon them!
It is a warning to us today...
in the end,
Sin never pays, in the sense it never blesses,
it always ends up destroying,
sooner
or
later.
However, God is in control.
Then the Lord said to Isaiah,
“Go out now to meet Ahaz,
you and your son Shear-jashub,
at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,
on the highway to the fuller’s field,
Isaiah 7:3
The name of Isaiah's son means:
a remnant shall return.
and Isaiah's name means:
the salvation of the Lord", or "the Lord is salvation"
So the message of their names from God
was:
Judah would eventually be taken into captivity,
(due to unrepentant sins),
and only a remnant would return.
It seems that Ahaz, was trying to solve the problem in his own strength,
checking the water supply...
instead of,
praying to God as his first priority!
This can be another message to us, in these times.
I know a lot of folks have been very nervous about the future,
so they are 'preparing' (prepping).
To have some extra, for a storm,
and some to share with others,
is not a sin, I don't think..
but to just rely on your own strength,
that IS a problem!
( or yes and banks are now looking wobbly)
We ought to be reminded by this
to be praying to God as our first priority!!!
But God, thru Isaiah, is coming to Ahaz.
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 17, 2023 11:24:49 GMT -5
I am still struglingly a little with what you wrote:
God doesn't want us to continue to feel guilty. He expects us to realize that Jesus took our guilt away when he forgave our sins. He most certainly does not want a bunch of glum people bewailing their sins for the rest of their life.
But I am doing much better....I keep reminding myself, to take those thoughts captive when I want to punish myself again for my past.
Anyway, thank you so much for your encouraging words!!!
That's so true! Some folks remember to pray, but then act on their own ideas instead of applying God's Word to their life. That's no good either. I know that often I've prayed and simply tell God what I want Him to do, instead of asking Him to handle whatever the problem is and trusting He will do so in a way that's best for me or the person I'm praying for. Knowing that, I try hard to catch it when I start to do that now, and pray the way He tells us to. It shows how full of pride we are when we think we know the very best way to get something done or to fix a problem or whatever the situation is that we're praying about. I was shocked when I first realized what I'd been doing.
But back to what you were talking about, yes, it's fine to buy extra so you don't have to go to the store as often. And if you feel led to store up food for some reason, or just because you feel that God wants you to do so, that too is fine - at least it is as long as you don't plan on hoarding that food, but are willing to share it with whoever the Lord sends to you that needs food. Because that's why God gives us money and other things, including food. Yes, He wants us to have enough, but He also wants us to use it to share with others. He's our Father, and we should know He will take care of us. Therefore it shouldn't be a problem to share whatever we have with others who need it. Even if it takes all of our food, because we know the Lord will be our provision, so we have no worries. But unbelievers don't know that and need our help. It also opens the door to evangelism, because they'll wonder how we can give it away. 
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 17, 2023 11:49:55 GMT -5
4 and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm,
have no fear
and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands,
on account of the fierce anger of
Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.
Isaiah 7:4
Two commands:
take care
and
be calm
Commands that we today, also need to obey.
Because fear and panic can cause a person, or a people,
to act:
rashly
ill advisedly
foolishly
recklessly
thoughtlessly
unwisely
etc.
Furthermore, the two men that they are afraid of,
thinking they have so much power,
and thus are causing terror,
like they are some sort of perpetual firebrands...
are really only smoldering
( all smoke and no fire)
and about to burn out.
Ahaz is relying on his own perspective,
and did not consult God,
and see the truth:
that they were just two stubs, about to burn out.
Because Aram,
with Ephraim
and the son of Remaliah,
has planned evil against you, saying,
Isaiah 7:5
Syria and Israel
King of Israel was Pekah, the son of Remaliah
( who had usurped the crown not having descended from the royal line).
“Let us go up against Judah
and terrorize it,
and make for ourselves a breach in its walls
and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,”
Isaiah 7:6
So note, the plan was to terrorize them.
Therefore, don't fall for that.
That kind of reminded me
of some event in our recent past,
where many people felt terror,
and thus were easily manipulated,
into doing, or not doing, all manner of things.
The plan also was to break the walls,
and set up a puppet king.
thus says the Lord God:
“It shall not stand
nor shall it come to pass.
Isaiah 7:7
I always think of:
But God...!
It seems like, Ahaz either didn't really believe in God,
or never trusted God's promises...
So the Word to Ahaz was doubled,
which is a kindness of God to Ahaz.
Yet, how many times have even believers fallen into doubt?
So this is a beautiful encouragement to us,
because if God will be so kind to a wicked king,
we can rest in God's love and mercy for us,
when we mess up.
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 17, 2023 11:53:58 GMT -5
This is so true but the way you worded it, made me laugh...
pounce haha
instantly pounce on it and instantly start praising God for taking your sin and guilt away.
and ditto for me:
It shows how full of pride we are when we think we know the very best way to get something done or to fix a problem or whatever the situation is that we're praying about. I was shocked when I first realized what I'd been doing.
There is also such a sense of relief when we don't have to play God!
Not that we ever 'had' to...we were never supposed to
but that is the bait satan dangled in front of Adam and Eve.
Well, even to try on the tiniest smallest issue, is a burden too heavy to bear.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 18, 2023 12:40:31 GMT -5
For the head of Aram is Damascus
and the head of Damascus is Rezin
(now within another 65 years
Ephraim will be shattered,
so that it is no longer a people)
Isaiah 7:8
The people were removed in 12 years,
but, other peoples moved in,
thus, by 65 years,
Ephraim was shattered,
and its total existence nationally was ended.
and the head of Ephraim is Samaria
and the head of Samaria
is the son of Remaliah.
If you will not believe, you surely shall not last
Isaiah 7:9
Samaria was the capital city ( or the 'head')
of the nation of Israel ( which was Ephraim).
Pekah, the son of Remaliah was the king of the Northern kingdom
of Israel.
The 'IF' addressed to Ahaz,
was about faith in God and His promises.
If you don't have faith in God,
you will not have peace of mind or heart.
God is trustworthy!
This is a lesson we today,
can apply to our unsettling circumstances.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God
must believe that He is
and
that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
When we refuse to believe God and His Word,
we are essentially calling Him a liar!
The one who believes in the Son of God
has the testimony in himself;
the one who does not believe God
has made Him a liar,
because he has not believed in the testimony
that God has given concerning His Son.
1 John 5:10
And tho Ahaz was not a believer,
however, it did not affect the outcome of the attack,
because God had already decreed
it would not succeed...
but Ahaz's unbelief would affect his life,
and his rule as king.
As belief or unbelief,
will affect the lives concerning the people,
this day and age.
Done for today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 20, 2023 11:53:15 GMT -5
10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God;
make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
Isaiah 7:10,11
God speaks thru Isaiah to Ahaz.
This is not something that modern day 'prophets' do,
The cannon is closed.
Do not add to His words
Or He will reprove you,
and you will be proved a liar.
Proverbs 30:6
and
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them,
God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God will take away his part from the tree of life
and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
Revelation 22:18,19
and
2 You shall not add to the word
which I am commanding you,
nor take away from it,
that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God
which I command you.
Deuteronomy 4:2
and
Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do;
you shall not add to nor take away from it.
Deuteronomy 12:32
God is putting Ahaz to the test ( to have faith).
This is a command.
To ask for a sign, be it a miracle,
or just that there is no limit on what God can do.
In any case, Ahaz can ask for something way beyond normal human experience.
What a gracious and merciful thing for God to allow!
However....
But Ahaz said,
“I will not ask,
nor will I test the Lord!”
Isaiah 7:12
What pompous,
pretentious,
puffed up,
put on,
pseudo,
pretended
piety!
Not really humility, but rather pride on display.
Which shows how evidence is unwelcome
if a person chooses to hold onto atheism and/or lack of faith.
We see that today, as more and more evidence
is coming out,
in how unimaginably fine tuned the universe is,
and likewise,
how irreducibly complex the human genome is
etc etc.
And yet, unbelievers, just come up with, more and more,
fantastical rescuing devices!
Evidence is unwelcome because they do not want a God!
Done for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 21, 2023 12:32:00 GMT -5
Then he said,
“Listen now, O house of David!
Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men,
that you will try the patience of my God as well?
Isaiah 7:13
Then Isaiah the prophet speaks to Ahaz's insult to God.
His refusing also highlights his lack of faith, in God and His promises to the house of David.
And Isaiah say that both Ahaz and the Jewish nation,
is not only trying his patience ( Isaiah's)
but Isaiah's God's patience...
Since they have turned their back on God,
He is not their God, but Isaiah's God.
Nevertheless, God will give them a sign!
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:
Behold, a virgin will be with child
and bear a son,
and she will call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
This prophecy is of the utmost importance!
so even tho Ahaz refused to ask for a sign,
God could and did turn it to good, by giving them and us,
the greatest sign!
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child
and shall bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel,”
which translated means, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23
And tho this prophecy would not be fulfilled for hundreds of years,
in the future...
the name of the child to be born:
Immanuel: God with us.
Was an immediate rebuke to unbelieving Ahaz...
why should he be so scared when God was with them.
And now a little about the child.
He will eat curds and honey
at the time He knows enough to
refuse evil
and choose good.
Isaiah 7:15
Curds are sort of like cottage cheese,
but gives the image of poverty.
And he will be morally good.
The next verse suggests that,
as is often the case, with prophecies,
there is a near and a far distant future fulfillment.
For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good,
the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
Isaiah 7:16
The land of the two kings that Ahaz fears, Aram (Syria) and Israel (Ephraim) will be forsaken and lay in waste.
Done for today
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Post by Cindy on Mar 22, 2023 11:10:52 GMT -5
I'm sorry hon. I'll finish reading these tomorrow, God willing. What I've read so far looks great though!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 23, 2023 10:44:51 GMT -5
Thank you as always...:)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Mar 23, 2023 11:41:07 GMT -5
The Lord will bring on you, on your people,
and on your father’s house
such days as have never come
since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah,
the king of Assyria.”
Dark destructive trials decreed!
If a country does not have a righteous leader,
a leader who has not turned his back on God,
then God being Holy must punish evil.
Ahaz has depended on himself rather than God.
Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And the dread of Me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah 2:19
In the day of Judgment
In that day
the Lord will whistle for the fly
that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt
and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria
Isaiah 7:18
God will use the foreign powers of Egypt and Assyria, to judge Judah.
John MacArthur comments that the desolations that began in the time of Ahaz will continue in Judah up to...
the time when the Messiah will return
to deliver Israel
and establish His kingdom on earth.
Super tired today...
Done for today
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I agree and think that may be a way to tell if someone is really saved or not; because only those of us who are saved are aware of our sins. Plus, the longer we're saved, the more we realize how sinful we are.
