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-   -   Day 219. Isaiah 55-57 (https://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=31014)

Brother V 10-29-2009 08:58 PM

Day 219. Isaiah 55-57
 
Isaiah 55-57

Isaiah 55

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

This chapter deals with after the rapture, when everything is going to be great. I find it rather funny talking with people about the concept of free will. They seem to think that people have free will; to which I reply, "really, because the concept of free will means that you can surprise God; can you surprise your God? no, then you weren't really in control, your will was not free". This kind of flummoxes them for a bit. When asked why their god made evil, they say, because of our free will; which was just proven to be a myth. But they firmly believe that we should have free will, and be able to make a choice to worship god (their god) or not. I find this rather odd, since they are waiting for a time when Jesus returns and he beats death and sin; and the world will be in peace. In the meantime, we're stuck with this crappy world. But, at any moment, Jesus can come back and make it all right, peaceful, and free of sin; this can happen in the future, but heaven forbid that it was made like that in the first place.

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

I do not want God to make an everlasting covenant with me, like he did with David. I would prefer for there to be an actual "everlasting covenant" as opposed to the david covenant. Arthur Guinness made a better deal than god did, he got a 9,000 year lease, God got out of his covenants in less than 400 years.

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Exactly where he's at right now, no one is quite sure.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

God has a lot on his mind.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Wow, God kind of stands around at bars saying "You think you're better than me???!?!"

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Remember, the earth has to be crappy now, so we can make a choice to serve God; but in the future, at some point, when he comes back, it'll be great and everything will be awesome.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

You just wait, it'll be great, and it'll last forever, you just watch. By forever, I mean just slightly more than 400 years.

Isaiah 56

1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

Isaiah 56 marks the beginning of what is commonly referred to as trito-Isaiah, or the third Isaiah. It is commonly believed that the final chapters were written after the Babylonian return. This part is either written by a third Isaiah, or written by the second Isaiah, but after the return.

2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

Oddly, the word "sabbath" was previously used in Isaiah 1:13, when God was saying that he didn't like it when the people worshiped him. But now, after the people have been taken away, and came back; He kind of likes it again.

3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

Remember, there were only 40,000 people who returned from Babylon. Isaiah was offering some acceptance to pretty much anyone who wanted to worship the LORD.

This was probably before the time of Ezra (although they would have been contemporaries). If you remember back to Ezra 9, Ezra made the families who weren't Jew to Jew break up.

6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.


At least for a while.

8 The Lord GOD, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

At this point, God is happy to accept all comers. Good thing the Bible (KJV1611) isn't written chronologically, otherwise there might be some confused people. Thankfully there's hundreds of psalms and proverbs in between the two tellings of the the return from Babylon.

Isaiah 57

1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

This Isaiah is currently proclaiming (disclaiming?) the large amount of people inhabiting the land that are not worshiping God. Isn't it odd that everytime that the jews are taken away (or just leave on their own) they come back to their land, and there are people there who aren't worshiping God. It's as though God leaves the area when the jews aren't there, and then comes back when they are. He only reveals himself to the Hebrews and to no other nation that resides in the territory of what is Israel.

3 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

...

5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

...
11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?

Well, they just worshiped the god that they thought was there in the land, how come God didn't reveal himself to them? If God really wanted them to worship him, he could have talked to them like he did to Moses. It seems that some other groups are much more devout in their worship than the Jews; it's too bad God didn't pick them.

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

One is apparently now a name of the LORD.

17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

God, being god, is probably a really good hider. If he hides himself, can he be found? I'll say no.

21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

Odd, how this isn't God speaking directly. This is a person speaking for God. Which would lend further credence to it being a different Isaiah.

So what have we learned today?

1. The people are now back from their several years in Babylon. Currently, anyone who really wants to worship the LORD is acceptable, but in a couple of years, that will all change.

2. Instead of God talking and the chapter being a word for word transcription, instead, it's a spokesperson.

3. If this were the original Isaiah, you'd think he'd talk about finally getting back to his old house.

YIC
V


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