Monday, July 26, 2010

July Twenty Six


~Good Morning~

  • What does exalted mean?
13 See, my servant will prosper;
      he will be highly exalted.


  • Huh?
1 "Sing, O childless woman,
      you who have never given birth!
   Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem,
      you who have never been in labor.
   For the desolate woman now has more children
      than the woman who lives with her husband,"
      says the Lord.


  • When did the Sabbath stop?
 2 Blessed are all those
      who are careful to do this.
   Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
      and keep themselves from doing wrong.


Today's Scripture:
Isaiah 52:13-57:21 (New Living Translation)
The Lord's Suffering Servant
13 See, my servant will prosper;
      he will be highly exalted.

 14 But many were amazed when they saw him.
      His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,
      and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.
 15 And he will startle many nations.
      Kings will stand speechless in his presence.
   For they will see what they had not been told;
      they will understand what they had not heard about.
Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message?
      To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
 2 My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot,
      like a root in dry ground.
   There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
      nothing to attract us to him.
 3 He was despised and rejected—
      a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
   We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
      He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
      it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
   And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
      a punishment for his own sins!
 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
      crushed for our sins.
   He was beaten so we could be whole.
      He was whipped so we could be healed.
 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
      We have left God's paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him
      the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
 8 Unjustly condemned,
      he was led away.
   No one cared that he died without descendants,
      that his life was cut short in midstream.
   But he was struck down
      for the rebellion of my people.
 9 He had done no wrong
      and had never deceived anyone.
   But he was buried like a criminal;
      he was put in a rich man's grave.
10 But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him
      and cause him grief.
   Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
      he will have many descendants.
   He will enjoy a long life,
      and the Lord's good plan will prosper in his hands.
 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
      he will be satisfied.
   And because of his experience,
      my righteous servant will make it possible
   for many to be counted righteous,
      for he will bear all their sins.
 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
      because he exposed himself to death.
   He was counted among the rebels.
      He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Isaiah 54
Future Glory for Jerusalem
1 "Sing, O childless woman,
      you who have never given birth!
   Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem,
      you who have never been in labor.
   For the desolate woman now has more children
      than the woman who lives with her husband,"
      says the Lord.

 2 "Enlarge your house; build an addition.
      Spread out your home, and spare no expense!
 3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams.
      Your descendants will occupy other nations
      and resettle the ruined cities.
4 "Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
      Don't be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
   You will no longer remember the shame of your youth
      and the sorrows of widowhood.
 5 For your Creator will be your husband;
      the Lord of Heaven's Armies is his name!
   He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
      the God of all the earth.
 6 For the Lord has called you back from your grief—
      as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband,"
      says your God.
 7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you,
      but with great compassion I will take you back.
 8 In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while.
      But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,"
      says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 "Just as I swore in the time of Noah
      that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
   so now I swear
      that I will never again be angry and punish you.
 10 For the mountains may move
      and the hills disappear,
   but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
      My covenant of blessing will never be broken,"
      says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
11 "O storm-battered city,
      troubled and desolate!
   I will rebuild you with precious jewels
      and make your foundations from lapis lazuli.
 12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies,
      your gates of shining gems,
      and your walls of precious stones.
 13 I will teach all your children,
      and they will enjoy great peace.
 14 You will be secure under a government that is just and fair.
      Your enemies will stay far away.
   You will live in peace,
      and terror will not come near.
 15 If any nation comes to fight you,
      it is not because I sent them.
      Whoever attacks you will go down in defeat.
16 "I have created the blacksmith
      who fans the coals beneath the forge
   and makes the weapons of destruction.
      And I have created the armies that destroy.
 17 But in that coming day
      no weapon turned against you will succeed.
   You will silence every voice
      raised up to accuse you.
   These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord;
      their vindication will come from me.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!
Isaiah 55
Invitation to the Lord's Salvation
1 "Is anyone thirsty?
      Come and drink—
      even if you have no money!
   Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
      it's all free!
 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
      Why pay for food that does you no good?
   Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
      You will enjoy the finest food.
3 "Come to me with your ears wide open.
      Listen, and you will find life.
   I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
      I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
 4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
      I made him a leader among the nations.
 5 You also will command nations you do not know,
      and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey,
   because I, the Lord your God,
      the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious."
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him.
      Call on him now while he is near.
 7 Let the wicked change their ways
      and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
   Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
      Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.
      "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
      so my ways are higher than your ways
      and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens
      and stay on the ground to water the earth.
   They cause the grain to grow,
      producing seed for the farmer
      and bread for the hungry.
 11 It is the same with my word.
      I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
   It will accomplish all I want it to,
      and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
 12 You will live in joy and peace.
      The mountains and hills will burst into song,
      and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
      Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
   These events will bring great honor to the Lord's name;
      they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love."
Isaiah 56
Blessings for All Nations
1 This is what the Lord says:
"Be just and fair to all.
      Do what is right and good,
   for I am coming soon to rescue you
      and to display my righteousness among you.
 2 Blessed are all those
      who are careful to do this.
   Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
      and keep themselves from doing wrong.

3 "Don't let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,
      'The Lord will never let me be part of his people.'
   And don't let the eunuchs say,
      'I'm a dried-up tree with no children and no future.'
 4 For this is what the Lord says:
   I will bless those eunuchs
      who keep my Sabbath days holy
   and who choose to do what pleases me
      and commit their lives to me.
 5 I will give them—within the walls of my house—
      a memorial and a name
      far greater than sons and daughters could give.
   For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
      It will never disappear!
6 "I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord,
      who serve him and love his name,
   who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest,
      and who hold fast to my covenant.
 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem
      and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
   I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,
      because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
 8 For the Sovereign Lord,
      who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says:
   I will bring others, too,
      besides my people Israel."
Sinful Leaders Condemned
9 Come, wild animals of the field!
      Come, wild animals of the forest!
      Come and devour my people!
 10 For the leaders of my people—
      the Lord's watchmen, his shepherds—
      are blind and ignorant.
   They are like silent watchdogs
      that give no warning when danger comes.
   They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
    11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied.
   They are ignorant shepherds,
      all following their own path
      and intent on personal gain.
 12 "Come," they say, "let's get some wine and have a party.
      Let's all get drunk.
   Then tomorrow we'll do it again
      and have an even bigger party!"
Isaiah 57
1 Good people pass away;
      the godly often die before their time.
      But no one seems to care or wonder why.
   No one seems to understand
      that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
 2 For those who follow godly paths
      will rest in peace when they die.
Idolatrous Worship Condemned
3 "But you—come here, you witches' children,
      you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
 4 Whom do you mock,
      making faces and sticking out your tongues?
      You children of sinners and liars!
 5 You worship your idols with great passion
      beneath the oaks and under every green tree.
   You sacrifice your children down in the valleys,
      among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.
 6 Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.
      You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
   They, not I, are your inheritance.
      Do you think all this makes me happy?
 7 You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
      There you have worshiped idols
      and have been unfaithful to me.
 8 You have put pagan symbols
      on your doorposts and behind your doors.
   You have left me
      and climbed into bed with these detestable gods.
   You have committed yourselves to them.
      You love to look at their naked bodies.
 9 You have given olive oil to Molech
      with many gifts of perfume.
   You have traveled far,
      even into the world of the dead,
      to find new gods to love.
 10 You grew weary in your search,
      but you never gave up.
   Desire gave you renewed strength,
      and you did not grow weary.
11 "Are you afraid of these idols?
      Do they terrify you?
   Is that why you have lied to me
      and forgotten me and my words?
   Is it because of my long silence
      that you no longer fear me?
 12 Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
      None of them will help you.
 13 Let's see if your idols can save you
      when you cry to them for help.
   Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!
      If you just breathe on them, they fall over!
   But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land
      and possess my holy mountain."
God Forgives the Repentant
14 God says, "Rebuild the road!
      Clear away the rocks and stones
      so my people can return from captivity."
 15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
      the Holy One, says this:
   "I live in the high and holy place
      with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
   I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
      and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
 16 For I will not fight against you forever;
      I will not always be angry.
   If I were, all people would pass away—
      all the souls I have made.
 17 I was angry,
      so I punished these greedy people.
   I withdrew from them,
      but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
 18 I have seen what they do,
      but I will heal them anyway!
      I will lead them.
   I will comfort those who mourn,
    19 bringing words of praise to their lips.
   May they have abundant peace, both near and far,"
      says the Lord, who heals them.
 20 "But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
      which is never still
      but continually churns up mud and dirt.
 21 There is no peace for the wicked,"
      says my God.

 

 


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