July Twenty Seven

~Good Morning~

 

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  This touched me this morning. I was at a gas station last night and a guy came up to me asking for gas money for him and a girl in a car. I told him I don't have any extra. Should I have given him some? I quickly judged him. He and the girl looked ….err….for lack of better words and for honesty's sake "below me" (ugh). They made me nervous and the fact that they were smoking at a gas station really bothered me.
  

 ¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
      and help those in trouble.
   Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
      and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

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  When did society stop honoring the Sabbath and Why?????
  

¹³ "Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don't pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.

Today's Scripture:

Isaiah 58

True and False Worship

¹ "Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
      Shout aloud! Don't be timid.
   Tell my people Israel of their sins!
    ² Yet they act so pious!
   They come to the Temple every day
      and seem delighted to learn all about me.
   They act like a righteous nation
      that would never abandon the laws of its God.
   They ask me to take action on their behalf,
      pretending they want to be near me.
 ³ 'We have fasted before you!' they say.
      'Why aren't you impressed?
   We have been very hard on ourselves,
      and you don't even notice it!'

"I will tell you why!" I respond.
      "It's because you are fasting to please yourselves.
   Even while you fast,
      you keep oppressing your workers.
 ⁴ What good is fasting
      when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
   This kind of fasting
      will never get you anywhere with me.
 ⁵ You humble yourselves
      by going through the motions of penance,
   bowing your heads
      like reeds bending in the wind.
   You dress in burlap
      and cover yourselves with ashes.
   Is this what you call fasting?
      Do you really think this will please the Lord?

⁶ "No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
   Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
      lighten the burden of those who work for you.
   Let the oppressed go free,
      and remove the chains that bind people.
 ⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
      and give shelter to the homeless.
   Give clothes to those who need them,
      and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

⁸ "Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
      and your wounds will quickly heal.
   Your godliness will lead you forward,
      and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
 ⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
      'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply.

"Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
      Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
 ¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
      and help those in trouble.
   Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
      and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
 ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
      giving you water when you are dry
      and restoring your strength.
   You will be like a well-watered garden,
      like an ever-flowing spring.
 ¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
      Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
      and a restorer of homes.

¹³ "Keep the Sabbath day holy.
      Don't pursue your own interests on that day,
   but enjoy the Sabbath
      and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day.
   Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
      and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.
 ¹⁴ Then the Lord will be your delight.
      I will give you great honor
   and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!"

Isaiah 59

Warnings against Sin

¹ Listen! The Lord's arm is not too weak to save you,
      nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
 ² It's your sins that have cut you off from God.
      Because of your sins, he has turned away
      and will not listen anymore.
 ³ Your hands are the hands of murderers,
      and your fingers are filthy with sin.
   Your lips are full of lies,
      and your mouth spews corruption.

⁴ No one cares about being fair and honest.
      The people's lawsuits are based on lies.
   They conceive evil deeds
      and then give birth to sin.
 ⁵ They hatch deadly snakes
      and weave spiders' webs.
   Whoever falls into their webs will die,
      and there's danger even in getting near them.
 ⁶ Their webs can't be made into clothing,
      and nothing they do is productive.
   All their activity is filled with sin,
      and violence is their trademark.
 ⁷ Their feet run to do evil,
      and they rush to commit murder.
   They think only about sinning.
      Misery and destruction always follow them.
 ⁸ They don't know where to find peace
      or what it means to be just and good.
   They have mapped out crooked roads,
      and no one who follows them knows a moment's peace.

⁹ So there is no justice among us,
      and we know nothing about right living.
   We look for light but find only darkness.
      We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
 ¹⁰ We grope like the blind along a wall,
      feeling our way like people without eyes.
   Even at brightest noontime,
      we stumble as though it were dark.
   Among the living,
      we are like the dead.
 ¹¹ We growl like hungry bears;
      we moan like mournful doves.
   We look for justice, but it never comes.
      We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
 ¹² For our sins are piled up before God
      and testify against us.
      Yes, we know what sinners we are.
 ¹³ We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord.
      We have turned our backs on our God.
   We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
      carefully planning our deceitful lies.
 ¹⁴ Our courts oppose the righteous,
      and justice is nowhere to be found.
   Truth stumbles in the streets,
      and honesty has been outlawed.
 ¹⁵ Yes, truth is gone,
      and anyone who renounces evil is attacked.

The Lord looked and was displeased
      to find there was no justice.
 ¹⁶ He was amazed to see that no one intervened
      to help the oppressed.
   So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm,
      and his justice sustained him.
 ¹⁷ He put on righteousness as his body armor
      and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.
   He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance
      and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.
 ¹⁸ He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds.
      His fury will fall on his foes.
      He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth.
 ¹⁹ In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord;
      in the east, they will glorify him.
   For he will come like a raging flood tide
      driven by the breath of the Lord.

²⁰ "The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem
      to buy back those in Israel
   who have turned from their sins,"
      says the Lord.

²¹ "And this is my covenant with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!

Isaiah 60

Future Glory for Jerusalem

¹ "Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
      For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
 ² Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,
      but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
 ³ All nations will come to your light;
      mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

⁴ "Look and see, for everyone is coming home!
      Your sons are coming from distant lands;
      your little daughters will be carried home.
 ⁵ Your eyes will shine,
      and your heart will thrill with joy,
   for merchants from around the world will come to you.
      They will bring you the wealth of many lands.
 ⁶ Vast caravans of camels will converge on you,
      the camels of Midian and Ephah.
   The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense
      and will come worshiping the Lord.
 ⁷ The flocks of Kedar will be given to you,
      and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars.
   I will accept their offerings,
      and I will make my Temple glorious.

⁸ "And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel,
      like doves to their nests?
 ⁹ They are ships from the ends of the earth,
      from lands that trust in me,
      led by the great ships of Tarshish.
   They are bringing the people of Israel home from far away,
      carrying their silver and gold.
   They will honor the Lord your God,
      the Holy One of Israel,
      for he has filled you with splendor.

¹⁰ "Foreigners will come to rebuild your towns,
      and their kings will serve you.
   For though I have destroyed you in my anger,
      I will now have mercy on you through my grace.
 ¹¹ Your gates will stay open around the clock
      to receive the wealth of many lands.
   The kings of the world will be led as captives
      in a victory procession.
 ¹² For the nations that refuse to serve you
      will be destroyed.

¹³ "The glory of Lebanon will be yours—
      the forests of cypress, fir, and pine—
   to beautify my sanctuary.
      My Temple will be glorious!
 ¹⁴ The descendants of your tormentors
      will come and bow before you.
   Those who despised you
      will kiss your feet.
   They will call you the City of the Lord,
      and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵ "Though you were once despised and hated,
      with no one traveling through you,
   I will make you beautiful forever,
      a joy to all generations.
 ¹⁶ Powerful kings and mighty nations
      will satisfy your every need,
   as though you were a child
      nursing at the breast of a queen.
   You will know at last that I, the Lord,
      am your Savior and your Redeemer,
      the Mighty One of Israel.
 ¹⁷ I will exchange your bronze for gold,
      your iron for silver,
   your wood for bronze,
      and your stones for iron.
   I will make peace your leader
      and righteousness your ruler.
 ¹⁸ Violence will disappear from your land;
      the desolation and destruction of war will end.
   Salvation will surround you like city walls,
      and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.

¹⁹ "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
      nor the moon to give its light by night,
   for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
      and your God will be your glory.
 ²⁰ Your sun will never set;
      your moon will not go down.
   For the Lord will be your everlasting light.
      Your days of mourning will come to an end.
 ²¹ All your people will be righteous.
      They will possess their land forever,
   for I will plant them there with my own hands
      in order to bring myself glory.
 ²² The smallest family will become a thousand people,
      and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation.
      At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen."

Isaiah 61

Good News for the Oppressed

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
      for the Lord has anointed me
      to bring good news to the poor.
   He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
      and to proclaim that captives will be released
      and prisoners will be freed.
 ² He has sent me to tell those who mourn
      that the time of the Lord's favor has come,
      and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
 ³ To all who mourn in Israel,
      he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
   a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
      festive praise instead of despair.
   In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
      that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
      repairing cities destroyed long ago.
   They will revive them,
      though they have been deserted for many generations.
 ⁵ Foreigners will be your servants.
      They will feed your flocks
   and plow your fields
      and tend your vineyards.
 ⁶ You will be called priests of the Lord,
      ministers of our God.
   You will feed on the treasures of the nations
      and boast in their riches.
 ⁷ Instead of shame and dishonor,
      you will enjoy a double share of honor.
   You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
      and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ "For I, the Lord, love justice.
      I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
   I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
      and make an everlasting covenant with them.
 ⁹ Their descendants will be recognized
      and honored among the nations.
   Everyone will realize that they are a people
      the Lord has blessed."

¹⁰ I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
      For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
      and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
   I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
      or a bride with her jewels.
 ¹¹ The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
      Everyone will praise him!
   His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
      with plants springing up everywhere.

Isaiah 62

Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem

¹ Because I love Zion,
      I will not keep still.
   Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
      I cannot remain silent.
   I will not stop praying for her
      until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
      and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
 ² The nations will see your righteousness.
      World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
   And you will be given a new name
      by the Lord's own mouth.
 ³ The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
      a splendid crown in the hand of God.
 ⁴ Never again will you be called "The Forsaken City"
      or "The Desolate Land."
   Your new name will be "The City of God's Delight"
      and "The Bride of God,"
   for the Lord delights in you
      and will claim you as his bride.
 ⁵ Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
      just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
   Then God will rejoice over you
      as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

⁶ O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
      they will pray day and night, continually.
      Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.
 ⁷ Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,
      until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
 ⁸ The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:
      "I will never again hand you over to your enemies.
   Never again will foreign warriors come
      and take away your grain and new wine.
 ⁹ You raised the grain, and you will eat it,
      praising the Lord.
   Within the courtyards of the Temple,
      you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed."

¹⁰ Go out through the gates!
      Prepare the highway for my people to return!
   Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
      raise a flag for all the nations to see.
 ¹¹ The Lord has sent this message to every land:
      "Tell the people of Israel,
   'Look, your Savior is coming.
      See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.'"
 ¹² They will be called "The Holy People"
      and "The People Redeemed by the Lord."
   And Jerusalem will be known as "The Desirable Place"
      and "The City No Longer Forsaken."

Isaiah 63

Judgment against the Lord's Enemies

¹ Who is this who comes from Edom,
      from the city of Bozrah,
      with his clothing stained red?
   Who is this in royal robes,
      marching in his great strength?

"It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation!
      It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!"

² Why are your clothes so red,
      as if you have been treading out grapes?

³ "I have been treading the winepress alone;
      no one was there to help me.
   In my anger I have trampled my enemies
      as if they were grapes.
   In my fury I have trampled my foes.
      Their blood has stained my clothes.
 ⁴ For the time has come for me to avenge my people,
      to ransom them from their oppressors.
 ⁵ I was amazed to see that no one intervened
      to help the oppressed.
   So I myself stepped in to save them with my strong arm,
      and my wrath sustained me.
 ⁶ I crushed the nations in my anger
      and made them stagger and fall to the ground,
      spilling their blood upon the earth."

Praise for Deliverance

⁷ I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love.
      I will praise the Lord for all he has done.
   I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,
      which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
 ⁸ He said, "They are my very own people.
      Surely they will not betray me again."
      And he became their Savior.
 ⁹ In all their suffering he also suffered,
      and he personally rescued them.
   In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
      He lifted them up and carried them
      through all the years.
 ¹⁰ But they rebelled against him
      and grieved his Holy Spirit.
   So he became their enemy
      and fought against them.

¹¹ Then they remembered those days of old
      when Moses led his people out of Egypt.
   They cried out, "Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea,
      with Moses as their shepherd?
   Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit
      to be among his people?
 ¹² Where is the one whose power was displayed
      when Moses lifted up his hand—
   the one who divided the sea before them,
      making himself famous forever?
 ¹³ Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea?
      They were like fine stallions
      racing through the desert, never stumbling.
 ¹⁴ As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley,
      the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
   You led your people, Lord,
      and gained a magnificent reputation."

 

 

All comments welcome!! It is how I get my questions answered.