Thursday – February 1, 2024, Sh’vat 22, 5784
Greetings precious saints of God and welcome back to this Bible teaching of the wonderful Book of Isaiah. The Lord is so good. Please take a moment and share this and all teachings of this Ministry as widely as possible by every means available to you. Thank you so much for sharing. We all need the Truth; we are responsible to live it and share it as opportunity arises and led of the Holy Spirit. What people with whom we share do with it is up to them just as it has been up to us from the age of understanding. Scripture tells us that some plant, some water, but it is God that gives the increase. The results are above our pay grade so to speak. The featured picture today is of Donna and me in Maine last fall at a little diner with family in Portland Maine.
Now, let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text in the wonderful Book of Isaiah continuing to read out loud.
Isaiah 51:1-5 (NIV)
1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many.
3 The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
4 “Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.
5 My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.
Yesterday I left off with discussing the first phrase of our text concerning the command “Listen to me”. The word “listen” in the NIV is “harken” in the KJV. This word transliterates from the Hebrew to English as shāmaʿ meaning to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience) according to Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary also the word takes on the connotation of obedience according to The Complete Word Study Dictionary – Old Testament. So, one is listening not only to understand but to do. Consider the following verse, same idea just spelled out in much further detail.
Deuteronomy 28:1 (KJV)
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Now we are told who the Lord is talking to, it is those who are pursing righteousness and seek the Lord. Does that describe you and me or do we just think it does? Back to our text, the word “pursue” means to run after. Are we running after God with all of our hearts? The word “seek” from our text means not only to look for but to require. Do we require the Word of God? Are we hungry or just bouncing along? As I end our study of Isaiah for today, for the week let’s meditate the following Scripture with fresh eyes.
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Now, consider these two verses together.
Matthew 6:10 (KJV)
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Yes, it is our job to bring the Kingdom into the earth, at least in our area of assignment.
Lord willing, I will pick up right here next week. Remember we love you and there is nothing you can do about it.
Authored by: Dr. David R. Wood, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV)
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
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