Isaiah 15 & 16

I read these two chapters this morning. Pretty harrowing prophesy. I wonder what possible implication this can have for us today and I'm a little perplexed. I wasn't even sure where Moab was, so I looked it up.
As I read, I had to wonder, "Are we Israel or are we Moab?". In which place does the United States sybolically stand? For a very long time America has been seen as a chosen nation, a "city on a hill" as the puritan John Winthrop put it. I know that in the past America has recieved God's blessing. I know that there have even been long periods of time when America has been fervently Christian, but so have many other nations.
I have to wonder if the words spoken against Moab in Ch 15 and 16 of Isaiah aren't at least a warning to a nation that has become arrogant, proud, and insolent (Isaiah 16:6). Will we forever be the object of God's blessing, or will we someday incure his wrath?
However, even if the latter is true, there is hope. Chapter 15 v5 says "My heart cries out for Moab". Then in Ch 16 is this shadowy but inspiring prophesy:

  ^1(A) Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,from^(B) Sela, by way of the desert,
   to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
²Like fleeing birds,
   like a scattered nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
   at^(C) the fords of the Arnon.
 ³"Give counsel;
   grant justice;
^(D) make your shade like night
   at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts;
   do not reveal the fugitive;
⁴let^(E) the outcasts of Moab
   sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them^[a]
   from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
   and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, ^5(F) then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
   and on it will sit in faithfulness
   in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
   and is swift to do righteousness."

A good quote I stole from another Blogger  http://amdg44.blogspot.com/ I happened to find when I hit the "Next Blog" button:

"A great quote from St. Ignatius Loyola, courtesy of Sam Sawyer, SJ:
 

"There are very few people who realize what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves entirely to His hands, and let themselves be formed by his Grace. A thick and shapeless tree trunk would never believe that it could become a statue, admired as a miracle of sculpture...and would never consent to submit itself to the chisel of the sculptor who, as St. Augustine says, sees by his genius what he can make of it. Many people who, we see, now scarcely live as Christians, do not understand that they could become saints, if they would let themselves be formed by the grace of God, if they did not ruin His plans by resisting the work which He wants to do....""

Sound Familiar??

Isaiah 3

¹⁶The LORD said:^(V) Because^(W) the daughters of Zion are haughty
   and walk with outstretched necks,
   glancing wantonly with their eyes,
mincing along as they go,
   ^(X) tinkling with their feet,
¹⁷therefore the Lord^(Y) will strike with a scab
   the heads of^(Z) the daughters of Zion,
   and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts.

 ¹⁸In that day the Lord will take away^(AA) the finery of the anklets, the^(AB) headbands, and the^(AC) crescents; ¹⁹the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; ²⁰the^(AD) headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; ²¹the signet rings and^(AE) nose rings; ²²the^(AF) festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; ²³the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils.
 ²⁴Instead of^(AG) perfume there will be rottenness;
   and instead of a^(AH) belt, a rope;
and instead of^(AI) well-set hair,^(AJ) baldness;
   and instead of a rich robe, a^(AK) skirt of sackcloth;
   and^(AL) branding instead of beauty.
²⁵Your men shall fall by the sword
   and your mighty men in battle.
²⁶And^(AM) her gates shall lament and mourn;
   empty, she shall^(AN) sit on the ground.

I'm not sure of the history surrounding the times in the life of Isaiah, but I know he's my very favorite prophet of the Bible. I know he was a prophet for the reign of at least four kings mentioned in the very outset of Ch 1 and that was probably a long time. His writing is bold but poetic in its prose. I am always especially moved by the prophesies of Christ in Isaiah.

As I was reading this passage this morning, I couldn't help but notice how similar the situation Isaiah describes is to our own situation in America. Between questionable wars that have stretched for near ten years and an absolutely ruinous financial situation, our nation is sure to be brought to its knees in the near future. We live in a country where the culture is to buy anything you want right now, whether you have the money or not. Credit is so readily available people in the mid-2000s could get credit to buy houses they couldn't afford to pay the interest on. Just like those women mentioned in the passage, we're covered up in all kinds of fine things. Our government does a good job setting the example with a 13 trillion dollar deficit, too.

I'm not sure this is an altogether bad thing, though. Hard times usually bring people to their knees. And in that there is hope. I believe the end of this passage is really in Ch 4:

 ^1(A) And seven women^(B) shall take hold of^(C) one man in that day, saying, "We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach."

Jesus, let us be called by Your Name.

Calling All Ezras

Nehemiah 8

¹And all the people gathered as one man into the square before^(A) the Water Gate. And they told^(B) Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. ²So Ezra the priest^(C) brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard,^(D) on the first day of the seventh month. ^3(E) And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. ⁴And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose.

⁸They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly,^[b] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

⁹And Nehemiah, who was^(L) the governor, and Ezra^(M) the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,^(N) "This day is holy to the LORD your God;^(O) do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

Summer went so fast. School's almost ready to start again. Crazy.

I heard Chuck Swindoll talking on the radio about a week ago in his overview of the Bible about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. He called Ezra a true worshipper. Being a guy who leads worship at church from time to time, that intrigued me. I read Ezra, then I read Nehemiah. This passage jumped out at me. Not-so-ironically, this passage appeared again in a book I was reading yesterday about what else...worship. I've been absolutely struck by the profound simplicity of this passage - how simple the act of reading from the Law was and how profoundly the Spirit of God grabbed hold of the hearts of the people.

I mean think about it. Imagine a guy standing up and reading from the Bible for four or five hours. It says everyone was listening attentively and that by the time he was done, they were all weeping. If you ask me that's nothing short of a miracle. Of course, this is in the days before iPods, smartphones, and Facebook. Now it's hard for us to sit still for 45min. of preaching, let alone to set aside 5 minutes for private Bible study and prayer. Is this why we're struggling as a Body of Christ? Is this why the spiritual drought continues?

Ezra, where are you?

Do All Things

Philippians 2

 ¹⁴Do all things^(AE) without grumbling or^(AF) questioning, ¹⁵that you may be blameless and innocent,^(AG) children of God^(AH) without blemish^(AI) in the midst of^(AJ) a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine^(AK) as lights in the world, ¹⁶holding fast to^(AL) the word of life, so that in^(AM) the day of Christ^(AN) I may be proud that^(AO) I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷Even if I am to be^(AP) poured out as a drink offering upon^(AQ) the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

I can't say I've done a very good job of this lately. It's the end of the school year. Translation: Kids have checked out mentally and are asking questions like, "Can we watch a movie?" and "When are we going to the park?", which kills productivity and makes me, more than at any other time of year, feel like a babysitter rather than a teacher. I am not unique; the problem is systemic. Naturally, the blanket "Those kids..." statements start trickling, then pouring out of the mouths of teachers, and it's hard not to agree. Pretty soon I find myself mired in a negativity that seeps into every thought, every word, every action, first with the students, then with my family. It's amazing the difference an attitude makes.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are only as happy as they make up their minds to be." I think Paul is touching on the same theme here. God cares not only about the ends but the means; not only with what we do but how we do it. If we give or serve in the Church with a bad attitude, not only does our sacrifice become a hollow one but we rob ourselves of the joy that accompanies the gift. One must only look to the example of Cain and Abel to see what God thinks of sacrifices offered with stinky attitudes. Conversely, I think (this is my opinion, not scripture) God is more pleased with misguided sacrifices offered with the best intentions and attitudes than He is with the best sacrifices offered with ill motives or bad attitudes.
When it comes to most things in life, attitude is far more important than aptitude.

Faith

Philippians 2

¹²Therefore, my beloved,^(AA) as you have always^(AB) obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for^(AC) it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for^(AD) his good pleasure.

I know...again. But its really amazing what God does in His time. I feel like God's been dealing with me on this particular passage. A few days ago I was reading another chapter in C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" titled "Faith" and guess which verse came up...yep. It's too good for me to paraphrase so I'm going to temporarily ignore copyright infringment laws and put the whole passage up here hoping that my trespass will be forgiven since it was in the interests Bible study. In the chapter he's talking about the conflicting extreme views held by different Christian groups regarding salvation. On the one hand are those who say "Good actions are all that matter" and on the other hand are those who say, "if you have faith, it doesn't matter what you do." The passage picks up in the middle of this debate:

 

"The Bible really seems to clinch the matter when it puts the two things together into one amazing sentence. The first half is, 'Work out your salvation with fear and trembling'--which looks as if everything depended on us and our good actions: but the second half goes on, 'For it is God who worketh in you'--which looks as if God did everything and we nothing. I am afraid that is the sort of thing we come up against in Christianity. I am puzzled, but I am not surprised. You see, we are now trying to understand, and to seperate into water-tight compartments, what exactly God does and what man does when God and man are working together. And, of course, we begin by thinking it is like two men working together, so that you could say, 'He did this bit and I did that.' But this way of thinking breaks down. God is not like that. He is inside you as well as outside: even if we could understand who did what, I do not think human language could properly express it. In the attemp to express it different Churches say different things. But you will find that even those who insist, most strongly on the importance of good actions tell you you need Faith; and even those who insist most strongly on Faith tell you to do good actions. At any rate that is as far as I can go."

C.S. Lewis may not have been a trained theologian, but he had a talent for expressing complicated thoughts and theories in ways that are simple for the common man to understand. Like Dr. Zacharias, He interprets this verse to express a duality in Christianity where God is sovereign but man has a responsibility to act.
So with all the theology settled, what application does this have for us? First, it is a reminder that religion is not enough. To simply profess faith in Christ or, on the other hand, to just be a good person does not please God. He desires His children to cultivate a relationship with Him. When we develop a relationship with Christ - when we learn to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength - we will seek to please Him with our actions, and both parts - the faith and the works - will fall into place. Second, and refreshingly, while we work hard to please Him in all we do, the fate of the world does not rest on our shoulders. We give our best to God, and leave all our insufficiencies to the One who is all sufficient; our imperfections to the One who is Perfection; our failures to the One who never fails.
What a verse. What a thought. What a Savior.

Philippians 2

¹²Therefore, my beloved,^(AA) as you have always^(AB) obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for^(AC) it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for^(AD) his good pleasure.
 ¹⁴Do all things^(AE) without grumbling or^(AF) questioning, ¹⁵that you may be blameless and innocent,^(AG) children of God^(AH) without blemish^(AI) in the midst of^(AJ) a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine^(AK) as lights in the world, ¹⁶holding fast to^(AL) the word of life, so that in^(AM) the day of Christ^(AN) I may be proud that^(AO) I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷Even if I am to be^(AP) poured out as a drink offering upon^(AQ) the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

That phrase "work out your salvation" has had me hung up for about two weeks now. How is it that if salvation is a free gift of God that Paul tells us we must work it out? I don't think this means that we do some kind of work to earn our salvation but maybe that it takes continual effort for the work of salvation to be completed in us. We have to constantly put ourselves in a place where we allow God to work in us. This takes a considerable amount of effort.
I was listening to a podcast by Ravi Zacharias the other day in which he was explaining the Biblical balance between the responsibility of man and the sovereignty of God. He was trying to explain how although God's plans are not and cannot be voided by the actions of men, we do have freedom of choice. He used this verse as an example of this balance as mentioned in scripture. "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (responsibility of man) "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work, for His good pleasure." (sovereignty of God). The entire fate of mankind doesn't lie solely on the shoulders of men, but neither does it lie entirely in the hands of God unless we release it to Him. This is not to say that God's actions are dependant on us - not at all. But rather it is to say that the degree to which we become like Him and realize His plan for our lives is, to some degree, dependant on us. While God has a plan for each of our lives, he still gives us an opportunity to either give control over to Him or completely mess things up.
I believe this is the great struggle of humanity: to give up control of ourselves. Stated more simply, to give up control. This is the substance of Pride; the root of all sin. When we release ourselves and all He has given us back to Him, He is able to do some of His most incredible work. It is only when God has broken us of our pride that we are willing to admit that He is better able take care of us than we are to take care of ourselves. Only at this juncture can God truly "will and work" in us "for His good purpose". This is not meant to be a one-time act of contrition, but a continual process - a "working out" - of allowing God to chip away at our claim to ourselves; allowing Him to reveal the pieces of our beings that we didn't even know we were keeping from him; giving Him access to more and more of our minds and our hearts until He will one day, one glorious day, as we shake off the fetters of this life, become completely His.
The journey is long, but so is eternity. The cost is great, but not compared to our reward. Give us resolve, Lord, to continually commit ourselves whole-heartedly to the work You are doing in us. In Christ's Name.