prophecy as witness

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (7)Isaiah 44:6-8

6 This is what Yahveh, Israel’s king, says, their protector, the LORD who leads armies: “I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me. 7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to me– since I established an ancient people– let them announce future events! 8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it? You are my witnesses. Is there any God but me? There is no other protector; I know of none.

prophecy as witness

Interpretation options for verse seven are numerous, but here is my take on it: God is challenging the false idol to prove that it is the same as God. He is also challenging his own people – the ancient people whom he has established – to prophesy what he tells them to predict. This is how the Israelites in Isaiah’s day were to be his witnesses.

Fast forward a few centuries to the New Testament era, and we have Jesus challenging his followers to be his witnesses. That would involve prophesying as well. Because the message of Christ in the gospel is not just about what Jesus had done on the cross. It also includes what he is going to do in taking back this world. He is its rightful king.

LORD, give us insight into what you have told us in scripture about the future, and give us courage to proclaim that truth to a world which is not ready.

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inspired future

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (6)Isaiah 44:1-5

1 “Now, listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!” 2 This is what Yahveh, the one who made you, says– the one who formed you in the womb and helps you: “Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen! 3 Because I will pour water on the parched ground and cause streams to flow on the dry land. I will pour my spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your children. 4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, like poplars beside channels of water. 5 One will say, ‘I belong to Yahveh,’ and another will use the name ‘Jacob.’ One will write on his hand, Yahveh’s,’ and use the name ‘Israel.'”

inspired future

John Piper said in reference to the promise in this text: “Our future can look bleak for two reasons: one is the prospect that misery is coming; the other is the prospect that happiness is not coming. And isn’t virtually all the work of the human heart exhausted by these two things: fearing future misery and thirsting for future happiness? If so, then Isaiah’s promise is just what we need: when the Spirit is poured out into our heart, fear is taken away and thirst is satisfied. Or to put it another way, if the Spirit has taken away what is fearful out of our future and put what is soul-satisfying into our future, then he has given to us the full assurance of hope.”[1]

The Holy Spirit comes into the lives of believers, replacing their fear of the future, and giving them a reason to hope for something better than what they feared. If you are a parent, and you struggle because your children just don’t seem to get it, it is easy to fall for that fear and be disillusioned by dissatisfaction. But the LORD wants you to know that this same Holy Spirit who has empowered you is also available for your offspring. Pray for your children, not just that they learn how to behave, but they will truly take the LORD’s name, and follow him.

LORD, we choose to trust your Holy Spirit; we choose to let him calm our fears, and satisfy our hopes.

[1] http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/a-precious-promise-the-outpouring-of-gods-spirit

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look at the replay

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (5)Isaiah 43:22-28

22 “But you, Jacob, did not call for me; you, Israel, did not long for me. 23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honour me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense. 24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds. 25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember. 26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate! You, prove to me that you are right! 27 The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. 28 So I defiled your devoted princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected Israel to embarrassing abuse.”

look at the replay

Isaiah prophesied to a nation of grumblers, who were always complaining that Yahveh did nothing for them. So, Yahveh speaks up through Isaiah and tells them to make their case. But remember, the instant replay will show that the people of Israel expected blessing without obedience, protection without worship. Meanwhile sins piled up and were (as it were) a burden on Yahveh’s back. The only thing God is guilty of is mercy, because he has chosen to forego the immediate punishment that Israel deserves.

What about you. Do you have a complaint against God? Go ahead, get out your laptop and play the video feed. Look at the replay of your life, and – if you are honest – you will have to admit there has been more mercy than you deserved.

LORD, forgive us for selfishly withholding our complete allegiance and worship. We have seen the replay, and your love is vindicated.

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don’t bother remembering

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (4)Isaiah 43:14-21

14 This is what Yahveh says, your protector, the sovereign king of Israel: “For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. 15 I am Yahveh, your sovereign ruler, the one who created Israel, your king.” 16 This is what Yahveh says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters, 17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, together with a mighty army. They fell down, never to rise again; they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick. 18 “Don’t bother remembering these earlier events; don’t recall these former events. 19 “Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness. 20 The wild animals of the desert honour me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness, to quench the thirst of my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me.”

don’t bother remembering

The trouble with remembering the past is that it creates an expectation that some of the great events of the past will happen again. Many in our churches are so tied to their own glorious past that they miss opportunities to reach people for Christ in the present. Isaiah encouraged his people not to bother remembering the past events where God intervened gloriously to rescue his people. Instead, he encouraged them to focus of who their God is. True, their past miraculous events did explain that God loves them and wants to rescue them, but the difference is that God wants to express that love and covenant loyalty in a new way. He is about to do something new.

LORD, we know you love us, and want to rescue us in Christ. We are poised for you to act in our favour, but we don’t want our expectations to get in the way. Surprise us!

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what witnesses do

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (3)Isaiah 43:8-13

8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears! 9 All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier happenings for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and verify, ‘It’s true.’ 10 You are my witnesses,” says Yahveh, “my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me. 11 I, I am Yahveh, and there is no deliverer besides me. 12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you. You are my witnesses,” says Yahveh, ” that I am God. 13 From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act, and who can prevent it?”

what witnesses do

Jesus told his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, and that – as a result – they would be his witnesses to the whole planet.[1] But, what does a witness do? Isaiah had already given us the context we need to understand Jesus’ statement. God promised to do something spectacular, and that his people would be present to attest that God had promised it, and that it happened just as he promised. That is what witnesses do as it respects a promise of deliverance. So, the apostles (and those of us who follow after them) have the role of authenticating witness to what God did through Christ. The atoning work on the cross, and the promise of our coming resurrection as seen in Christ’s resurrection – that is what we are witnesses of. The Holy Spirit’s task was not to upstage Christ’s death and resurrection, but to empower us to proclaim it. As Yahveh put it “You are my witnesses … that I am God.” The role of a witness is to affirm something that someone else did.

Lots of Christians today are weighed down with guilt because they do not see powerful evidence of the Holy Spirit’s miracles in their lives. They feel that they have let God down, and that they are somehow to blame for their powerlessness. But God has not commanded them to raise the dead. God has not commanded them to walk on water. The only thing that God wants them (us) to do is tell the world what he has done in Christ. That is what Christian witnesses do.

LORD, forgive us for getting off track, and expecting more of ourselves than what you have commanded us. Show us how to declare what you have done to this blind and deaf world you want to reach.

[1] Acts 1:8.

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exchanged

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (2)Isaiah 43:1-7

1 Now, this is what Yahveh says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Don’t be afraid, because I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. 3 For I am Yahveh your God, the sovereign king of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba instead of you. 4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people instead of you, nations instead of your life. 5 Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. From the east I will bring your descendants; from the west I will gather you. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’ and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’ Bring my sons from distant lands, and my daughters from the remote areas of the land, 7 everyone who belongs to me, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed–yes, whom I made!

exchanged

Isaiah is talking about how God protected his people, allowing harm that was supposed to come to them to fall on the other nations. Instead of Israel, he handed over Egypt, Ethiopia and Seba. Then, after they had rebelled and God allowed his people to go into exile, he will make sure that they return. He will tell those distant nations to hand over his people, and not to hold any back.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ today, God feels the same way about you. You may be in an unhealthy, unstable place. But God is calling that place to give you up. He will not allow any of his people, specially formed for his glory, to be lost.

LORD, thank you for exchanging us, for taking us out of the place where we are, and restoring us to what we should be.

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who notices?

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

June 2015 (1)Isaiah 42:18-25

18 “Listen, you deaf ones! Notice this, you blind ones! 19 My servant is really blind, my messenger is really deaf. My covenant partner, the servant of Yahveh, is really blind. 20 You see many things, but don’t comprehend; their ears are open, but do not hear.” 21 Yahveh wanted to manifest his justice by magnifying his law and displaying it. 22 But these people are looted and plundered; all of them are trapped in pits and held captive in prisons. They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them; they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring it back!” 23 Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen carefully in the future? 24 Who handed Jacob over to the thief? Who handed Israel over to the looters? Was it not Yahveh, against whom we sinned? They refused to follow his commands; they disobeyed his law. 25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them, along with the devastation of war. Its flames surrounded them, but they did not realize it; it burned against them, but they did notice.

who notices?

In Plato’s allegory of the cave, Socrates describes a group of people who have lived in a cave all their lives. They see shadows projected on a wall, and that is their reality. They know no other. Isaiah’s audience is also like that. They are blind, deaf, prisoners, being consumed by God’s fierce anger, but they do not notice.

Now, before we go criticizing these stupid Hebrews of Isaiah’s day, maybe we should ask ourselves if we are really paying attention enough to notice true reality in our time. We see what everybody else sees, but what if we are in the same cave they are? We should spend time with the great God who created reality. We should soak up his word. We should pray for revelation and understanding. Then, maybe we will notice what he is doing.

LORD, show up your hand. Reveal to us your heart. Make us people who notice you first.

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ashamed with shame

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

May 2015 (31)Isaiah 42:9-17

9 Watch! the former things I predicted have come, and I am declaring new things. I am causing you to hear before they sprout up.” 10 Sing a new song to Yahveh; praise him from the end of the land, you who go down to the sea and that which fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. 11 Let a desert and its towns lift up their voice, villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy; let them shout loudly from the mountain head. 12 Let them give glory to Yahveh and declare his praise in the coastlands. 13 Yahveh goes forth like a mighty warrior; he stirs up zeal like a man of war. He raises the war cry, indeed he raises the battle shout; he prevails against his enemies. 14 I have been silent for a long time; I have kept silent; I have restrained myself like one giving birth; I will moan, pant, and gasp together. 15 I will cause mountains and hills to dry up, and I will cause all their vegetation to wither; and I will make rivers like islands, and I will cause pools to dry up. 16 And I will lead the blind by a road they do not know; I will cause them to walk on paths they have not known. I will make darkness before their face into light and rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forget to do them. 17 They will turn back; they will be ashamed with shame — those who now trust in an image, who say to a cast image, “You are our gods.”

ashamed with shame

Given the historical record of how God has worked in the past, it is safe to say that he never does anything on impulse. One of the reasons we urge believers to pray regularly is that sometimes it seems to take long periods of intercession and supplication before God, before we see results. But, thankfully, Isaiah reveals here that even God in his enduring patience gets fed up with idolaters and unbelievers and does something to show his power and shame those who ignore him. I cannot help but believe that if we Christians would dare to seek his face more, we would see more of these new things he promised. We cannot force God to do anything against his plan, but neither can we stop him when he decides to act. We need to remember the kind of things that move God to action, and pray accordingly. In this text, what moved God to action was idolatry.

LORD, all around us are those who have chosen a world and a worldview that rejects you, and values things that people can manipulate. Come and show your power and love so that these can be ashamed of their idolatry.

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given by covenant

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

May 2015 (30)Isaiah 42:1-8

1 Watch! my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, my soul thrills. I have given my spirit to him; he will bring justice forth to the nations. 2 He will not cry out and lift up and make his voice heard in the street. 3 He will not break a broken reed, and he not will extinguish a dim wick. He will faithfully bring justice forth. 4 He will not grow faint, and he will not be broken until he has established justice in the land. And coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says the God, Yahveh, who created the skies and stretched them out, who spread out the land and its offspring, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it. 6 “I am Yahveh; I have righteously called you, and I have grabbed your hand and watched over you; and I have given you by covenant to the people, as a light for the nations, 7 to open the blind eyes, to bring the prisoner out from the dungeon, those who sit darkly from the house of imprisonment. 8 I am Yahveh; that is my name, and I do not give my glory to another, nor my praise to the idols.

given by covenant

Isaiah will soon introduce a coming king named Cyrus, who Yahveh will take by the hand and bring about judgment upon his enemies. But this passage does not describe him. It describes a teacher, who will quietly and unobtrusively go about sharing a message of holiness and peace. Also, unlike Cyrus, who does his work in the name of Persia, this amazing servant who comes later will take the LORD’s own name, and share his glory. God gives this servant by covenant to his people. I think we all know who that was.

LORD, thank you for the covenant gift of your Servant, Jesus Christ.

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north or east?

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 41:21-29

May 2015 (29)21 “Present your legal case,” says Yahveh. “Bring your evidence,” says the king of Jacob. 22 Let them bring them, and let them tell us what will happen. Tell us what the former things are so that we may take them to our heart and know their end. Declare to us the things to come; 23 tell the things coming later that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do good or do evil, that we may be afraid and fear together. 24 Watch! you are nothing, and your work is something worthless; whoever chooses you is an abomination. 25 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come from the rising of the sun. He will call on my name, and he will come on officials as on mortar, and as a potter treads clay. 26 Who declared it from the first so that we would know, and from before faces so that we might say, “That is right.” Yes, there was no one who declared it; Yes, there was no one who proclaimed it. Yes, there was no one who heard your words. 27 First to Zion, Watch! Watch them! And I give a bringer of good tidings to Jerusalem. 28 But I look and there is no man, and I look among these and there is no counsellor, that I might ask them and they might answer a word. 29 Watch! All of them are a deception; their works are nothing; their images are wind and emptiness.

north or east?

The prediction Isaiah made about Cyrus probably sounded ridiculous. How can this coming ruler be from the north and the east at the same time? But Barnes explains how the statement was true: “Cyrus was born in Persia, in the country called in the Scriptures ‘the east,’ but he early went to Media, and came from Media under the direction of his uncle, Cyaxares, when he attacked and subdued Babylon. Media was situated on the north and northeast of Babylon.”[1] We need never worry about the statement made in God’s word, even if we cannot catch their meaning right away, there is meaning to be caught. Read it, study, trust it.

LORD, thank you for your trustworthy, infallible word.

[1] Albert Barnes “Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament”. “http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/view.cgi?bk=22&ch=41. 1870.”

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