Devotions

long distance advice

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 25:1-8

¹ Yahveh, my God, it is you; I will applaud you. I will praise your name, because you have done a wonderful thing, what you advise from a distance is firmly faithful. ² Because you have set up a heap of a city; that inaccessible city is now a ruin, a palace of foreigners from what used to be a city; it will not be rebuilt for an age. ³ For this reason, strong people will bring you glory; a city of ruthless Gentiles, they will fear you. ⁴ Because you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in his distress, a shelter from a rainstorm, a shade from heat. Because the breath of the ruthless ones was like a rainstorm against a wall, ⁵ the noise of foreigners like heat in a dry land. You restrained the heat with the shade of a cloud; the song of the ruthless ones was silenced. ⁶ And on this mountain Yahveh of armies will make for all people a fat feast, a feast of aged wines, fat filled with marrow, filtered aged wine. ⁷ And on this mountain he will swallow the face of the shroud, the shroud over all peoples, and the woven covering over all nations. ⁸ He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord Yahveh will wipe off tears from all faces, and he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the land, because Yahveh has spoken.

long distance advice

One of the jobs that Penny and I share involves advising those involved in missions and church work in various countries in Asia and the Pacific. We occasionally have face-to-face visits with the leaders of these ministries. But, most of the time we communicate via emails or Skype calls. Thanks to the miracle of modern electronic communication, we can have an impact on the lives and ministries of believers in many lands – via long distance advice.

Isaiah had given some long distance advise from the LORD to the exiles in Babylon. He told them to be patient, because the LORD was going to deliver them. At some time in the future, the refugees would return. The LORD would swallow up death, wipe away tears, and remove their disgrace.

Those same three promises are ours today. While we may not be exiles in Babylon, we are in bondage. But our king is returning, and he will completely rescue us from that bondage. He will remove from us the penalty of sin (death), the sorrow caused by the curse upon Adam, and the dishonor that has been with us since the fall in Eden.

While we are still here, waiting for Jesus to return and struggling with the consequences of sin and depravity, the LORD has some long distance advice for us. He wants us to trust that what he promises, he will deliver. He wants us to believe that what he promises from a distance is firmly faithful.

LORD, we will stay the course, and trust in your coming deliverance, because your promises are firmly faithful.

Posted in faithfulness, patience, second coming, trust | Tagged Isaiah 25 | 1 Comment

full protection?

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 24:17-23

¹⁷ Terror and a trench and a trap on you, resident of the land! ¹⁸ And this will happen: The one who flees from the sound of the terror will fall into the trench, and the one who goes up from the middle of the trench will be caught in the trap, because windows from heaven are opened, and land foundations tremble. ¹⁹ The land is utterly broken; the land is torn apart; the land is shaken violently. ²⁰ The land staggers here and there like the drunk, and it sways like a hut, and its transgression is heavy upon it, and it falls and does not rise again. ²¹ And this will happen on that day: Yahveh will punish the army of the sky in the sky, and the kings of the land on the land. ²² And they will be gathered as a gathering, like a prisoner at a pit. And they will be kept at a prison and be punished after many days. ²³ And the full moon will be ashamed and the sun will be ashamed, because Yahveh of armies will rule on the mountain of Zion and in Jerusalem, and gloriously before his elders.

full protection?

This morning, while doing the translation work for today’s text, I got a pop-up advertisement from my anti-virus program. Now, I use a very popular free program, which boasts that it protects 188 million users. I know that it works, because in those rare times when someone asks me to take a file from his USB drive, and it has a virus or malware on it, the program catches it and removes it. But this advertisement suggests that my sense of security is unfounded. If I want to be really protected, I will pay the fee to get the whole package. Then I will be safe.

Isaiah spoke to a people who thought that they were covered when it came to protection from harm. After all, they were in God’s land, and protected by God’s rulers, and God’s angels – the army of the sky. But Isaiah’s words pop up on their laptop screens and warn them that their security has all sorts of holes in it. The land is going to be shaken, the rulers imprisoned in shame, and only the LORD will rule gloriously. Every step that the people take to protect themselves from this threat will prove to be in vain.

What is God saying to us today from this prophet? Perhaps he is speaking into the heart of our obsession with protection, insurance, fail-safes, etc. God does not want us to be foolish. There is wisdom in making sure an accident or incident does not destroy or ruin us. But, Isaiah warned his people that the top wrung of the protection ladder is the LORD himself. Without a real relationship with God, they are not fully protected.

LORD, may we have the wisdom to seek shelter in you before disaster proves that all our other means of protection are inadequate.

Posted in judgment, protection, relationship with God | Tagged Isaiah 24 | Leave a comment

no joy in Mudville

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 24:10-16

¹⁰An empty city is broken; every house is shut from entering. ¹¹ I hear an outcry over the wine in the streets. All joy turns into nightfall; the joy of the land disappears. ¹² The city is left a desolation; its gate is crushed –in a state of ruin. ¹³Because it will be like this in the midst of the land, among the nations, like beating an olive tree, like what is left over when a grape harvest is at an end. ¹⁴ They lift up their voice, they sing for joy; they shout out westward over the majesty of Yahveh. ¹⁵ For this reason you should glorify Yahveh in the east, the name of Yahveh the God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea. ¹⁶ We hear songs from the wing of the land: “Glory to the righteous one!” But I say, “Ruin to me! Ruin to me! Woe to me! Treacherous ones are dealing treacherously, and treacherous ones are dealing treacherously — such treachery!”

no joy in Mudville

Today’s text reminded me of the final lines of Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s poem: “Casey at the bat.”

“Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,

But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.”

Isaiah sees into the near future, and sees the distant nations offering songs of joy to Yahveh, but Jerusalem itself will be broken and in ruins. His readers and hearers could not imagine such a thing. It would be unthinkable that the very city of David would be destroyed, and people elsewhere would continue expressing worship and praise for the LORD.

A mature faith begins to develop in me when I can face times of boredom or despair or loss but still keep my connection with the God I serve. I can face the reality of life as it is, and accept it without putting on a show of false exuberance. I can trust God to be God without pretending that he has fixed (or even will fix) all my problems today. I can look unfulfilled promises and expectations in the face without becoming bitter or losing my faith. I can do this because I realize that my journey is not at its end. The fruit of the Spirit is joy, but the Spirit is also my Comforter in times of sorrow.

LORD, what ever we face today, we determine to face it honestly, and be content to stay with you through the whole journey.

Posted in honesty, joy, sorrow, trust | Tagged Isaiah 24 | Leave a comment

party’s over

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 24:4-9

⁴ The land dries up, it withers; the world languishes, it withers. The elevated of the people of the land languish, ⁵and the land is corrupted beneath its residents. Because they have transgressed laws; they have passed by a statute; they have broken a permanent covenant. ⁶Therefore a curse devours the land, and the residents in it suffer for their guilt. Therefore residents of the land burn, and a man of smallness is left. ⁷ New wine dries up; a vine languishes. All who were merry of heart sigh; ⁸ joy of tambourine has stopped. The noise of a jubilant one has ceased; joy of lyre has stopped. ⁹ They do not drink wine with song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

party’s over

Isaiah speaks from God’s heart, warning his people that they are living to party, and soon the party will be over. While God’s people were busy living for themselves, transgressing laws, ignoring statutes, and breaking his permanent covenant, the LORD pleaded with them through the prophets. But there came a day when the prophets’ words were fulfilled. The party was over. Time to pay the bill. Those who had lived to party found that they could not party any more.

God wants us to enjoy life. But he wants us to be careful not to make our enjoyment the sole purpose of our lives. Judgment day is coming, and we will be held accountable for everything that we say and do. Jesus gives us a reason for living that will stand up in the scrutiny of judgment. He calls us to follow him. When we do so, we find that there is reason to rejoice even when the party is over.

LORD, position us in Christ. Give us his commands as our reason for living. Keep us from wasting our lives on the satisfaction of self.

Posted in commitment, future, joy, judgment | Tagged Isaiah 24 | Leave a comment

when the big one strikes

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 24:1-3

¹Watch! Yahveh, about to lay the land waste and about to demolish it, and he will twist her surface, and he will scatter her inhabitants. ² And the people will be like the priest; like the slave, so his master; like the female slave, so her mistress; like the buyer, so the seller; like the lender, so the borrower; like the creditor, so to whomever he lends. ³ The land will be utterly laid waste, and it will be utterly plundered, because Yahveh has spoken this word.

when the big one strikes

When disaster strikes, it knows no social status. It knows no economic barrier. Those who have more, only have more to lose. Isaiah predicts a time when the people will experience a disaster of epic proportions, and no one’s insurance will cover it. They cannot even “get religion” to see them through this, because Yahveh himself is the author of it.

The ultimate message here is that such a time is coming for the planet. We build up structures and barriers for ourselves, keeping us out of harm’s way. But, deep in our minds is the thought of “the big one” that all these measures are useless to prevent. The big one is God’s judgment and destruction in hell, and when it strikes it will not be extinguished until it has destroyed everything. The only protection against the big one is the God who is bringing it. So, the prophet pleas with his people not to forget this God of judgment, because he is the only one who can protect anyone from it.

LORD, we choose to fear and love you, our Father, bringer of judgment, and protector from it.

Posted in dependence upon God, destruction in hell, faith, fear, judgment | Tagged Isaiah 24 | Leave a comment

the song of the prostitute

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 23:12-18

¹²And he said, “You will not keep on gloating, crushed one, virgin daughter of Sidon. Get up, cross through Cyprus! There will be no rest for you even there.” ¹³Look, the land of the Chaldeans! It was this people! It was not Assyria. They destined it for wild animals. They erected its siege towers; they demolished its citadel fortresses. It made her like a ruin. ¹⁴ Wail, ships of Tarshish! Because your fortress is destroyed. ¹⁵And this will happen on that day: And Tyre is forgotten seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute: ¹⁶ “Take a harp, go around the city, forgotten prostitute! Do well, playing a stringed instrument! Make many songs, so that you will be remembered.” ¹⁷ And this will happen: at the end of seventy years, Yahveh will visit Tyre, and she will return to her harlot’s wages, and she will commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the land. ¹⁸And this will happen: her merchandise and her harlot’s wages is set apart for Yahveh; it will not be stored up, and it will not be hoarded, but her merchandise will be for those who live before the face of Yahveh, for eating to fullness and for fine clothing.

the song of the prostitute

Tyre was destroyed, and abandoned for seventy years as Isaiah predicted. He also predicted that she would return to her status of economic greatness, but that her wealth would be “for those who live before the face of Yahveh.” Eusebius and Jerome testify that, centuries after Tyre’s destruction, she had been rebuilt and was once again a profitable port city. And many of the people who benefited from that wealth were the Christian citizens of Tyre.

Isaiah’s picture of the city as a prostitute who goes around singing many songs speaks to how the city would be viewed after her downfall. She had made her living from the lusts of the nations around her. After her downfall, she was forgotten by them.

There are many today whose only goal is what they can get from others. They might acknowledge that God exists, but they do not live before his face. They may even profit from their exploitation of others. But God’s word to them is that the day is coming when that relationship will cease.

The believer has chosen a different purpose. The believer seeks a relationship with God through Christ first and foremost. Nothing can separate the believer from his Lord. Anything can happen, but nothing will ever leave the believer without hope or without God.

LORD, we know you will remember us, no matter what.

Posted in dependence upon God, exploitation, hope, relationship with God | Tagged Isaiah 23 | Leave a comment

the crown installer

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 23:5-11

⁵When news gets to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the news of Tyre. ⁶ Cross over to Tarshish! Wail, coast inhabitants! ⁷ Is this your proud one — her origin from the days of long ago? Her feet brought her to live far away as an alien. ⁸Who has planned this against Tyre, the crown installer whose merchants were princes, her traders — honored ones of the land? ⁹ Yahveh of armies has planned it: to tarnish the pride of all glory, to humble all the honored ones of the land. ¹⁰ Cross over your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer a barrier. ¹¹ He has stretched his hand out over the sea; he has made kingdoms shake. Yahveh has given order concerning Canaan to destroy her fortresses.

the crown installer

Why would Egypt and all the honored ones of the land be afraid and humbled by Tyre’s downfall? Part of it is that Tyre had accomplished so much. She had grown to control so much of the trade in the biblical lands that she was known as the installer of crowns – deciding who rules where. So, the news of her destruction by the Babylonians has all the others kings worried. Of course, they are worried about Babylon too. They should be worried about the invisible hand that is moving the armies of Babylon. That invisible hand does not belong to Nebuchadnezzar. It belongs to Yahveh.

In my weaker moments, I see all the famous, powerful people being brought down, and I begin to worry about whether I will stand or not. In a sense, I find myself like the leaders of those other lands, watching the powerful Tyre getting the boot. It’s only reasonable to start thinking “Am I next?”

All life, all success, and all accomplishment is empty unless it is aligned with the purposes of God. Even the great superpowers of Isaiah’s day were helpless to prevent their destruction if God willed it. Since that it true, it makes sense to seek to fulfill the purpose of God with my life. Seeking to simply obey the commands of Christ can bring stability when the dominoes all around me are falling.

LORD, we choose not to look to the powers of the land for our stability, because they cannot withstand your will. We look to you. We seek to follow your words as our foundation, because only that can withstand the storm.

Posted in fear, obedience, sovereignty of God, will of God | Tagged Isaiah 23 | Leave a comment

losing

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 23:1-4

¹The oracle of Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, because the house is so torn down that no one can enter. It is announced to them from the land of Cyprus. ² Be still, coastal inhabitants, merchant of Sidon, who travels over sea, they supplied you. ³ And over much water came the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile its produce, and she brought merchandise to nations. ⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon, because the sea, the fortress of the sea said, saying, “I was not in labor, and I have not given birth, and I have neither reared young men, nor brought up young women.”

losing

Isaiah predicts the destruction of Tyre by telling the nations around her to mourn for her loss. Tarshish will lose its supplier of merchandise. Sidon (who built Tyre, and considered it a daughter) will be childless. In both cases, the LORD calls on these nations to consider the reality of the loss they will suffer because someone they have counted on for support has been taken out of the way. God’s message to them is that he, the God of armies has done this. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies were simply his tool. He is the reason for their suffering.

Many people today are not comfortable with this message. The fact of God bringing about suffering and death is something they would reject. To them, God is only the author of the good things in life. But the prophets speak of a God who orchestrates all the details of our life, the winning and the losing.

We should welcome the times of blessing and achievement the LORD brings upon us. But we should also listen carefully to the message he wants to give us in the losing.

LORD, we surrender to your sovereign will. May we see you hand in all that happens, and trust you no matter what the day brings.

Posted in sovereignty of God, success, suffering, trust | Tagged Isaiah 23 | Leave a comment

you can be replaced

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 22:20-25

²⁰ And this will happen: On that day I will call to my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, ²¹and I will dress him in your tunic, and I will bind your sash firmly about him, and I will put your authority into his hand, and he will be like a father to the citizen of Jerusalem and to the family of Judah. ²² And I will put the key of the house of David on his shoulder, and he will open and no one else shut; and he will shut and no one else open. ²³ And I will drive him in — a peg into a secure place, and he will become like a glorious throne to the house of his father. ²⁴ And they will hang all of the importance of his father’s house on him, the offspring and the offshoot, all of the small vessels, from the vessels of the bowls to all of the vessels of the jars. ²⁵ “On that day – a declaration of Yahveh of armies — the peg that was driven in will move away into a secure place, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load on her will be taken off — because Yahveh has spoken.”

you can be replaced

When I was a boy I saw a sign that said “Look alive – you can be replaced by a button.” Shebna was learning that he was not so important that he was irreplaceable. He would be replaced by someone who not only could do his job as steward, but could also be a father to the citizens and family of Judah. In other words, Eliakim would be more spiritually qualified than Shebna had been. Today, we pause to reflect on our own qualifications for leadership and ministry. If we are not too full of ourselves, we know that somewhere there are those who have skills to do what we do better than we are doing it. Maturity entails recognizing this, and trusting the LORD to make up the difference. A mature leader does not worry about being the best. A mature leader is more concerned about being real. That authenticity factor was what made the difference between Shebna — on his way out – and Eliakim who would replace him.

LORD, give us mature hearts that beat with authentic concern for others, and authentic relationships with you.

Posted in genuineness, leadership, trust | Tagged Isaiah 22 | Leave a comment

control freak

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Isaiah 22:12-19

¹²And the Lord, Yahveh of armies, called on that day for weeping and mourning, and for baldness and sackcloth girding. ¹³ But see! Joy and gladness, the killing of an ox and the slaughtering of a sheep, the eating of meat and the drinking of wine! “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ¹⁴ And it was revealed to my ears by Yahveh of armies: “This sin will absolutely not be atoned for you until you die!” says the Lord, Yahveh of armies. ¹⁵ The Lord, Yahveh of armies, says this: “Go! Go to this steward, to Shebna, who rules over the house: ¹⁶ ‘What are you doing here, and who is here with you, that you have cut a grave cutting here for yourself, carving his tomb on the height, a dwelling place for him in the rock? ¹⁷ See! Yahveh, about to throw something at you for real, man! And he is about to catch you with a firm grip; ¹⁸he will wind a winding tightly around you like a ball, to a land broad of sides. There you will die, and there you will see the chariots of your splendor, a disgrace to your master’s house! ¹⁹And I will push you from your office, and he will throw you down from your position.

control freak

Shebna was a control freak. He had to have everything covered. He was steward over Hezekiah’s household, and apparently ran the palace with skill and had made a reputation for himself. He probably had lobbied for an alliance with Egypt and Assyria, figuring that such an alliance would maintain stability throughout his lifetime. As a way of showing his confidence in the future of his master’s reign, he ordered a tomb for himself, expecting to die with honor at a good old age in Jerusalem. The LORD was watching. He sent word by Isaiah the prophet that Shebna would never use that tomb. The control freak would die in exile in a foreign land. He would be surrounded by chariots of splendor, but not his master’s chariots which he had maintained. He would be thrown down, and lose that office which meant everything to him.

LORD, we surrender our sovereignty and control to you, and seek only the stability of your grace.

Posted in humility, sovereignty of God, submission | Tagged Isaiah 22 | Leave a comment