Friday, July 16, 2010

July Sixteen

~Good Morning~

What an entertaining storm last night. I loved it. Lots of fires though. So it begins our fire season.

  • What is meant by smooth skin?

 2 that sends ambassadors
      in swift boats down the river.

Go, swift messengers!
   Take a message to a tall, smooth-skinned people,
      who are feared far and wide
   for their conquests and destruction,
      and whose land is divided by rivers.

  • Are mediums and people "who consult the spirits of the dead", real? What are they doing?

 3 The Egyptians will lose heart,
      and I will confuse their plans.
   They will plead with their idols for wisdom
      and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

How did a man walk around naked for this long?

 2 the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, "Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals." Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.

3 Then the Lord said, "My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt. 

Today's Scripture:

Isaiah 18

A Message about Ethiopia

1 Listen, Ethiopia—land of fluttering sails
      that lies at the headwaters of the Nile,
 2 that sends ambassadors
      in swift boats down the river.

Go, swift messengers!
   Take a message to a tall, smooth-skinned people,
      who are feared far and wide
   for their conquests and destruction,
      and whose land is divided by rivers.

3 All you people of the world,
      everyone who lives on the earth—
   when I raise my battle flag on the mountain, look!
      When I blow the ram's horn, listen!
 4 For the Lord has told me this:
   "I will watch quietly from my dwelling place—
      as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day,
      or as the morning dew forms during the harvest."
 5 Even before you begin your attack,
      while your plans are ripening like grapes,
   the Lord will cut off your new growth with pruning shears.
      He will snip off and discard your spreading branches.
 6 Your mighty army will be left dead in the fields
      for the mountain vultures and wild animals.
   The vultures will tear at the corpses all summer.
      The wild animals will gnaw at the bones all winter.

7 At that time the Lord of Heaven's Armies will receive gifts
      from this land divided by rivers,
   from this tall, smooth-skinned people,
      who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction.
   They will bring the gifts to Jerusalem,
      where the Lord of Heaven's Armies dwells.

Isaiah 19

A Message about Egypt

1 This message came to me concerning Egypt:

Look! The Lord is advancing against Egypt,
      riding on a swift cloud.
   The idols of Egypt tremble.
      The hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.

2 "I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian—
      brother against brother,
   neighbor against neighbor,
      city against city,
      province against province.
 3 The Egyptians will lose heart,
      and I will confuse their plans.
   They will plead with their idols for wisdom
      and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

 4 I will hand Egypt over
      to a hard, cruel master.
   A fierce king will rule them,"
      says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies.

5 The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields.
      The riverbed will be parched and dry.
 6 The canals of the Nile will dry up,
      and the streams of Egypt will stink
      with rotting reeds and rushes.
 7 All the greenery along the riverbank
      and all the crops along the river
      will dry up and blow away.
 8 The fishermen will lament for lack of work.
      Those who cast hooks into the Nile will groan,
      and those who use nets will lose heart.
 9 There will be no flax for the harvesters,
      no thread for the weavers.
 10 They will be in despair,
      and all the workers will be sick at heart.

11 What fools are the officials of Zoan!
      Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is stupid and wrong.
   Will they still boast to Pharaoh of their wisdom?
      Will they dare brag about all their wise ancestors?
 12 Where are your wise counselors, Pharaoh?
      Let them tell you what God plans,
      what the Lord of Heaven's Armies is going to do to Egypt.
 13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
      and the officials of Memphis are deluded.
   The leaders of the people
      have led Egypt astray.
 14 The Lord has sent a spirit of foolishness on them,
      so all their suggestions are wrong.
   They cause Egypt to stagger
      like a drunk in his vomit.
 15 There is nothing Egypt can do.
      All are helpless—
   the head and the tail,
      the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.

16 In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women. They will cower in fear beneath the upraised fist of the Lord of Heaven's Armies.17 Just to speak the name of Israel will terrorize them, for the Lord of Heaven's Armies has laid out his plans against them.

18 In that day five of Egypt's cities will follow the Lord of Heaven's Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan. One of these cities will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun.

19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness that the Lord of Heaven's Armies is worshiped in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a savior who will rescue them. 21 The Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the Lord and will give their sacrifices and offerings to him. They will make a vow to the Lord and will keep it. 22 The Lordwill strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them.

23 In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God. 24 And Israel will be their ally. The three will be together, and Israel will be a blessing to them. 25 For the Lordof Heaven's Armies will say, "Blessed be Egypt, my people. Blessed be Assyria, the land I have made. Blessed be Israel, my special possession!"

Isaiah 20

A Message about Egypt and Ethiopia

1 In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod, 2 the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, "Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals." Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.

3 Then the Lord said, "My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt. 5 Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt! 6 They will say, 'If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.'"

Isaiah 21

A Message about Babylon

1 This message came to me concerning Babylon—the desert by the sea:

Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert,
      like a whirlwind sweeping in from the Negev.
 2 I see a terrifying vision:
      I see the betrayer betraying,
      the destroyer destroying.
   Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes,
      attack and lay siege.
   I will make an end
      to all the groaning Babylon caused.
 3 My stomach aches and burns with pain.
      Sharp pangs of anguish are upon me,
      like those of a woman in labor.
   I grow faint when I hear what God is planning;
      I am too afraid to look.
 4 My mind reels and my heart races.
      I longed for evening to come,
      but now I am terrified of the dark.

5 Look! They are preparing a great feast.
      They are spreading rugs for people to sit on.
      Everyone is eating and drinking.
   But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle.
      You are being attacked!

6 Meanwhile, the Lord said to me,
   "Put a watchman on the city wall.
      Let him shout out what he sees.
 7 He should look for chariots
      drawn by pairs of horses,
   and for riders on donkeys and camels.
      Let the watchman be fully alert."

8 Then the watchman called out,
   "Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord.
      Night after night I have remained at my post.
 9 Now at last—look!
   Here comes a man in a chariot
      with a pair of horses!"
   Then the watchman said,
      "Babylon is fallen, fallen!
   All the idols of Babylon
      lie broken on the ground!"
 10 O my people, threshed and winnowed,
      I have told you everything the Lord of Heaven's Armies has said,
      everything the God of Israel has told me.

A Message about Edom

11 This message came to me concerning Edom:

Someone from Edom keeps calling to me,
   "Watchman, how much longer until morning?
      When will the night be over?"
 12 The watchman replies,
   "Morning is coming, but night will soon return.
      If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask."

A Message about Arabia

13 This message came to me concerning Arabia:

O caravans from Dedan,
      hide in the deserts of Arabia.
 14 O people of Tema,
      bring water to these thirsty people,
      food to these weary refugees.
 15 They have fled from the sword,
      from the drawn sword,
   from the bent bow
      and the terrors of battle.

16 The Lord said to me, "Within a year, counting each day, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Only a few of its courageous archers will survive. I, the Lord, the God of Israel, have spoken!"

Isaiah 22

A Message about Jerusalem

1 This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision:

What is happening?
      Why is everyone running to the rooftops?
 2 The whole city is in a terrible uproar.
      What do I see in this reveling city?
   Bodies are lying everywhere,
      killed not in battle but by famine and disease.
 3 All your leaders have fled.
      They surrendered without resistance.
   The people tried to slip away,
      but they were captured, too.
 4 That's why I said, "Leave me alone to weep;
      do not try to comfort me.
   Let me cry for my people
      as I watch them being destroyed."

5 Oh, what a day of crushing defeat!
      What a day of confusion and terror
   brought by the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies,
      upon the Valley of Vision!
   The walls of Jerusalem have been broken,
      and cries of death echo from the mountainsides.
 6 Elamites are the archers,
      with their chariots and charioteers.
      The men of Kir hold up the shields.
 7 Chariots fill your beautiful valleys,
      and charioteers storm your gates.
 8 Judah's defenses have been stripped away.
      You run to the armory for your weapons.
 9 You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem.
      You store up water in the lower pool.
 10 You survey the houses and tear some down
      for stone to strengthen the walls.
 11 Between the city walls, you build a reservoir
      for water from the old pool.
   But you never ask for help from the One who did all this.
      You never considered the One who planned this long ago.

12 At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies,
      called you to weep and mourn.
   He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins
      and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.
 13 But instead, you dance and play;
      you slaughter cattle and kill sheep.
      You feast on meat and drink wine.
   You say, "Let's feast and drink,
      for tomorrow we die!"

14 The Lord of Heaven's Armies has revealed this to me: "Till the day you die, you will never be forgiven for this sin." That is the judgment of the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies.

A Message for Shebna

15 This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, said to me: "Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message:

16 "Who do you think you are,
      and what are you doing here,
   building a beautiful tomb for yourself—
      a monument high up in the rock?
 17 For the Lord is about to hurl you away, mighty man.
      He is going to grab you,
 18 crumple you into a ball,
      and toss you away into a distant, barren land.
   There you will die,
      and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless.
      You are a disgrace to your master!

19 "Yes, I will drive you out of office," says the Lord. "I will pull you down from your high position. 20 And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. 21 I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. 22 I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. 23 He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall. 24 They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family."

25 But the Lord of Heaven's Armies also says: "The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Isaiah 23

A Message about Tyre

1 This message came to me concerning Tyre:

Weep, O ships of Tarshish,
      for the harbor and houses of Tyre are gone!
   The rumors you heard in Cyprus
      are all true.
 2 Mourn in silence, you people of the coast
      and you merchants of Sidon.
   Your traders crossed the sea,
    3 sailing over deep waters.
   They brought you grain from Egypt
      and harvests from along the Nile.
   You were the marketplace of the world.

4 But now you are put to shame, city of Sidon,
      for Tyre, the fortress of the sea, says,
   "Now I am childless;
      I have no sons or daughters."
 5 When Egypt hears the news about Tyre,
      there will be great sorrow.
 6 Send word now to Tarshish!
      Wail, you people who live in distant lands!
 7 Is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city?
      What a long history was yours!
      Think of all the colonists you sent to distant places.

8 Who has brought this disaster on Tyre,
      that great creator of kingdoms?
   Her traders were all princes,
      her merchants were nobles.
 9 The Lord of Heaven's Armies has done it
      to destroy your pride
      and bring low all earth's nobility.
 10 Come, people of Tarshish,
      sweep over the land like the flooding Nile,
      for Tyre is defenseless.
 11 The Lord held out his hand over the sea
      and shook the kingdoms of the earth.
   He has spoken out against Phoenicia,
      ordering that her fortresses be destroyed.
 12 He says, "Never again will you rejoice,
      O daughter of Sidon, for you have been crushed.
   Even if you flee to Cyprus,
      you will find no rest."

13 Look at the land of Babylonia—
      the people of that land are gone!
   The Assyrians have handed Babylon over
      to the wild animals of the desert.
   They have built siege ramps against its walls,
      torn down its palaces,
      and turned it to a heap of rubble.

14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
      for your harbor is destroyed!

15 For seventy years, the length of a king's life, Tyre will be forgotten. But then the city will come back to life as in the song about the prostitute:

16 Take a harp and walk the streets,
      you forgotten harlot.
   Make sweet melody and sing your songs
      so you will be remembered again.

17 Yes, after seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. But she will be no different than she was before. She will again be a prostitute to all kingdoms around the world. 18 But in the end her profits will be given to the Lord. Her wealth will not be hoarded but will provide good food and fine clothing for the Lord's priests.


 


 

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