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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 4 June 2023:
Isaiah 29:1, 2 — Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation.
Many sinners are living in ignorant bliss, unable to see their looming destruction.
- Matthew 24:36-39 — “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Isaiah 29:5-8 – …all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.
God can change the political reality overnight in inconceivable ways.
Isaiah 29:10 — For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).
There is no spiritual vision unless God enables it. When a nation turns from God, it’s religious leaders lose their ability to discern God’s will. However, they don’t lose their jobs. They become blind guides.
Isaiah 29:13-14 – And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
As people turn farther away from God, worship becomes empty ritual and tradition, void of real power. God’s pure word is replaced by interpretations of God’s word and opinions taught by men. God’s ethic (God’s rules of righteousness) is replaced by morality (what the people say is right, often in the name of religion). Jesus referred to these verses when He rebuked the religious leaders of His day – “So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:8, 9)
Many people who go to churches on Sundays and hear well scripted, motivational sermons by very talented, popular preachers are completely oblivious to what God is actually purposing and doing. Of note, I observe that today, most Bible study groups are studying a book about the Bible as their primary tool rather than the Bible itself.
Unfaithful religion is not only powerless, but also condemned by God. You can’t live a disobedient life and expect to have any spiritual discernment.
“This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men… Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me’; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’…? ‘Ah, stubborn children,’ declares the Lord, ‘who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh…. For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions…. ‘Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant…. For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ’In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’ But you were unwilling…. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 29:13, 19; 30:1, 2, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18) The Bible says that the Old Testament was given to us in part so that we could learn to avoid the mistakes of the past (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16)
Today we should pay attention to the pattern described in Isaiah of the turning away of God’s people from God. The process is gradual, but the conclusion is swift. Isaiah describes an active church-going people whose hearts have actually drifted far from God. Rather than using God’s word to draw closer to God in a genuinely loving relationship, God’s word has become a self-help book for success, eventually replaced by more ‘practical,’ more understandable, more ‘relevant’ teachings of men. They use religion to justify their own selfish endeavors, forming a new morality. Rather than living lives for God, these pots tell the Potter to bless what they want to do. They attempt to drag God along in their pursuit of happiness and convince themselves that God is on their side. They are very busy carrying out plans that have absolutely nothing to do with God’s plan, all in the name of faith, assuming the God will bless their ‘good’ intentions, particularly if they promise to talk about God on occasion with others. To resource their un-ordained pursuit of happiness, they turn to worldly institutions rather than to God. They place their hopes in governments, economies, schools, and social groups. They prefer to company and entertainment of the ungodly; and to avoid any discomfort, they squelch anything from God’s word that disagrees with what has become sociably acceptable. They stop going to that old-fashioned, out of touch church in order to attend that very popular church that is more “in-tune” with the ways of modern society – as predicted, they “will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3, 4) This church is not characterized by “rest” and “quietness,” nor is it known for “strength.” It is loud, busy, and powerless. Like a flimsy chair, when the slightest weight is placed upon it, it will collapse suddenly. I believe we need to pay very careful attention to the warning in the Book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 29:16 — You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
How crazy is it that people seek to define God on their own terms. There can be no higher foolishness and arrogance.
Again, when we live for ourselves, we place ourselves above God. Many Christians act like God exists for them rather than the other way around. Life is not about us, life is about Him.
Psalm 65:4 – Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
God chose you before you chose Him.
You are blessed by God when you go to church.
“We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house….” Do you know anyone who is never satisfied with how the church services is run? Criticism reveals more about the critic than it does the critiqued.
Psalm 65:5 — By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation.
Our God is a righteous God who reigns in perfect righteousness. In our gratitude for His mercy and grace, we must not make light of His righteousness. Today we read that Ahab considered it a “light thing” to walk in sin and “did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” (1 Kings 16:33) We must never consider sin to be a “light thing” and in so doing mock, test, and dishonor our God. God will always deal with unrighteousness. Today, David says, “Come and hear, all you who fear God and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (Psalm 66:16-20) If you are cherishing sin in your heart, deal with it today through humble repentance.
- Hebrews 10:26-31 — For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Psalm 65:1-4 — Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed. O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
It only makes perfect sense to praise God and obey Him, the Almighty Creator of all things who hears your prayers, forgives you and covers over your sins, and allows you to come near to Him. There is perfect satisfaction in Him and Him alone.
Psalm 65:6-13 – …the river of God is full of water….
Consider how God has richly and perfectly provided for mankind. How could we not praise Him?
Psalm 66:10-12 – For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
God will allow you to go through great trials to refine you like silver. Trust Him. Don’t resent His discipline.
Psalm 65:13-15 – I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered….
The more you truly appreciate God, the more you want to worship and obey Him.
Psalm 66:18 – If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Don’t let sinful desires hinder your prayers. You cannot choose sin over God and expect to have a meaningful relationship with Him.
Proverbs 4:7 – The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.
The first step to becoming wise is desiring and choosing to become wise. Then, you must resolve to maintain the disciplines required to walk the path of wisdom one day at a time. Disciplines are painful but rewarding. Disciplines are painful but not nearly as painful and failure and regret. Do you care enough about wisdom to make the daily sacrifices and efforts required to get wisdom? Wisdom comes from God, but God gives it to those who want it enough to work for it. Wisdom is developed one day at a time over a lifetime. There are no shortcuts.
Proverbs 4:18, 19 — But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
Everyone is walking down one of two paths, either getting closer to God or further away. Some have described Hell as an eternity of getting farther and farther away from God.
Proverbs 4:20-21 — My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
God’s word must serve as your daily instruction and must be your focus; you must have a true passion to obey God’s word.
Proverbs 4:23 – Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Guard your heart by guarding your thoughts and daily actions. What you think and what you do shapes your character. To have a Christ-like character, you must develop the mind of Christ and walk in obedience. When you start to entertain ungodly thoughts, go to the Lord in prayer.
Proverbs 4:24-27 – Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
It is absolutely vital that you guard your heart. Part of this critical effort involves watching what you say, watching what you look at (like TV, the internet, various medias, and the activities of other people), and not allowing yourself to participate in sinful behavior.
Proverbs 4:26 – Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
One of the most important traits a person can have is humble self-awareness, the ability and willingness to see and correct personal character flaws. Most people have “fatal flaws” they either can’t/won’t admit or aren’t willing to change. Growth requires both incredible humility to admit and persistent discipline (as a disciple) to change. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but denial, self-righteousness, and self-justification, can seriously delay required change.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 4 June 2023: Choose God over self and over sin today. Give it all up to God today in appreciation for what Jesus has done for you. Live in joyful obedience today. (Psalm 66:18)
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 