Aharoni Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised Edition. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1968.

The Babylonian Talmud. Translated into English with Notes, Glossary, and Indices under the editorship of I. Epstein. 18 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1959.

Billerbeck, P. Kommentar zun Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch. 4 vols., 1922-1928.

Bruce, F. F. New Testament History. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1980.

________. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977.

Childs, Brevard S. The New Testament as Canon: An Introduction. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.

Deissman, Adlof. Light from the Ancient East. New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1910.

Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction. Third edition. Revised in on volume. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1970.

Hammond's Atlas of the Bible Lands. Edited by Harry Thomas Frank. Maplewood, New Jersey: Hammond Incorporated, 1977, 1984.

House, Wayne H. Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1981.

Johnson, Elliott E. Expository Hermeneutics: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: Academic Books, 1990.

Josephus. 9 vols. With an English Translation by H. St. Thackerary, Ralph Marcus, and Louis H. Feldman. Loeb Classical Library. London, 1926-65.

Lolatch, Alfred J. Who's Who in the Talmud. Middle Village NY: Jonathan David Publishers Inc., 1984.

The Literary Guide to the Bible. Edited by Robert Alter and Frank Kermode. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1987.

Metzger, Bruce M. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968.

________. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament. Third edition. United Bible Societies, 1975.

Mishnayoth: Edited by Philip Blackman. Second edition. New York: The Judaica Press, 1963.

New Testament Interpretation: Essays on Principles and Methods. Edited by I. Howard Marshall. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977.

The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. 2 vols.  Edited by James H. Charlesworth. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1983.

The Oxford Annotated Apocrypha of the Old Testament. Expanded edition containing the Third and Fourth Books of the Maccabees and Psalm 151. Revised Standard Version. Edited by Bruce M. Metzger. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965.

Ramsay, W. M. St Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen. 3rd ed. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1897. Repr. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1949.

Ryken, Leland. Words of Life: A Literary Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1987.

________.  The Literature of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974.

________.  How to Read The Bible as Literature. Grand Rapids: Academic Books, 1984.

Schürer, Emil. The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ. III.2 vols. Revised and Edited by Geza Vermes, Fergus Millar, and Matthew Black. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark Ltd., 1973.

Unger, Merrill F. Archaeology and the New Testament: A Companion Volume to Archaeology and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962.

¹

I. AUTHOR: THE APOSTLE PAUL²

A. External Evidence: Paul is strongly affirmed to be the author of Colossians

1. Colossians was undisputedly Pauline until the nineteenth century

a. The Later Church Fathers accepted it³

b. It was not disputed in the later decades:

1) It was probably used as early Justin⁴

2) It was included in Marcion’s canonical list (c. 140) and in the Muratorian canon (c. 170)

2. This letter is included in the Chester Beatty papyri (P46)⁵

B. Internal Evidence:⁶ Even though there are concerns by modern, critical scholars about Pauline authorship, the evidence for Pauline authorship is not overturned:

1. The primary objections to Pauline authorship are the divergence in literary style, vocabulary, and syntax from Paul’s other writings.⁷ Also it was believed that Paul was combating the heresy of second-century Gnosticism

But literary differences can be explained by appealing to the new content of the letter, the heresy which he is addressing, and Paul’s adaptation of traditional material. Also, there is no need to understand the heresy as a second-century Gnosticism (see below)

2. There are close links between Colossians and Philemon (the latter of which is generally unquestioned as a genuine work of Paul):

a. Both include Paul and Timothy’s name in the opening greeting (Col. 1:1; Phm. 1)

b. Both include greetings from those with Paul at this time, namely, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas (Col. 4:10-14; Phm. 23,24)

c. Archippus is called a “fellow-soldier” in Philemon 2 and directed to fulfill his ministry in Colossians 4:17

d. Onesimus, concerning whom Philemon is written, is mentioned in Colossians 4:9 as being sent with Tychicus and as bring “one of you”

3. Paul is specifically identified in the letter to the Colossians:

a. The mention of Timothy along with Paul in the prescript is customary in the undisputed letters of Paul⁸

b. The author follows the Pauline practice of conveying his personal greetings from his fellow workers to the congregation by means of a dispatched message (4:8)

c. The author follows the Pauline practice of closing the letter with his personal signature, as well as, making mention of his own situation as prisoner⁹

d. Paul is identified in the body of the letter (1:23ff)

e. Paul ties his apostleship to the same tradition of Jesus Christ (1:23ff; 2:6)

f. The expression, “I, Paul” is typical in the Pauline corpus to render his persona¹⁰

II. LOCATION AND DATE: FROM ROME IN AD 60-61.

A. Location:¹¹ Paul’s (first) Roman Imprisonment:

1. Until recently, Rome was considered by most to be the location from which Paul wrote¹²

2. Caesarea: Some¹³ understand Caesarea to be the location of writing, but this is unlikely for the following reasons:

a. It is unlikely that a runaway slave (Philemon) would have fled to Caesarea to escape detection and would have found access to Paul like he would have in Rome (where Paul was under house-arrest)

b. Paul expects to be released in the near future since he requests Philemon to prepare him lodging (Phm. 22) and this probably would not have been the case at Caesarea where Paul knew that his only hope was to appeal to Caesar

c. It is unlikely that Caesarea was the home of active missionary work requiring such a large staff of Paul’s co-workers of Gentile origin for Philemon to seek refuge, and it does not seem that this small harbor city was the center of vigorous propaganda suggested in Colossians 4:3,4¹⁴

3. Ephesus:¹⁵ Some¹⁶ understand Ephesus to be the location of writing, but this is unlikely for the following reasons:

a. No evidence exists to affirm that Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus (Acts 19)¹⁷

b. It is unlikely that a runaway slave (Philemon) would have fled to Ephesus and remained there long enough to know Paul since it was no more than 100 miles away from Colossae

c. The “we” sections of Acts do not allow for Luke to have been with Paul while he was in Ephesus (Acts 16:10ff; 20:6,13ff; cf. Col. 4:14)

4. Rome:¹⁸ The most probably location of writing was probably Rome for the following reasons

a. This is a known imprisonment of Paul’s which allows for the events reflected in Colossians and Philemon

b. Acts supports Luke’s presence in Rome with Paul (the “we” sections; Acts 27:2ff)

c. Paul was under house-arrest in Rome which would have allowed him visitors such as co-workers and Onesimus

d. The imperial capital would have allowed the run-away slave Onesimus to seek anonymity and then asylum in Paul’s presence there

e. No other imprisonment in Acts seems to be a real alternative (Philippi in Acts 16:23-40; Caesarea in Acts 24:27)

f. Travel between Rome and the east was frequent and not too formidable a task to make the communications between the prison epistles possible

g. Although not determinative, the doctrinal outlook of Colossians seems to belong to a later rather than to an earlier period supporting a Roman origin over one in Ephesus¹⁹

h. It is very probable that Aristarchus accompanied Paul to Rome (Acts 27:2; cf. Col. 4:10) and thus shared in his imprisonment

i. Even though Paul intended to go on to Spain from Rome (Rom. 1:10ff; 15:19ff) it is not possible to know with certainty what he did upon his release. He could have changed his mind, or at least changed his immediate plans and thus gone to Colossae

B. Date: If the Roman hypothesis is accepted, then it is likely that Paul wrote Colossians early²⁰ in his (first) Roman imprisonment (i.e., AD 60-61)

III. THE COLOSSIAN HERESY²¹

A. The Nature of the Heresy--Explicit and Implicit Indications about the Colossian Problem:²²

1. Explicit Teaching of the Opponents:

a. It emphasized abstinence from certain foods and some types of drink 2:16,22

b. It required the observance of Jewish feasts and sabbaths at different intervals 2:16

c. It stressed “self-abasement” and visions 2:18,23

d. It involved angelic worship--either as the object of worship or as the subject of worship (i.e., doing worship) 2:18

e. It taught the need for some kind of worship which was human in origin, a “self-made religion-worship 2:23

f. It praised the value of treating the body severely 2:23²³

g. It was depicted by Paul as “Philosophy and empty deceit” espousing the “elementary principles of the world” (2:8)

2. Implicit References in the Book:

a. It demoted Christ from his supreme place 1:13-20; 2:9ff

b. It seems to have as a catchword the term/phrase “fullness” [of deity] 1:19; 2:9

c. It claimed to promote higher spirituality. Paul counters with the argument that they are spiritually complete in Christ (2:10) and warns that the rules and regulations of this religious system only promote the indulgence of the flesh 2:23

d. It probably required circumcision of adherents 2:11; cf. 3:11

e. It may have misconstrued the death-burial-resurrection motif 2:12,13,20; 3:1-5

f. It cast doubt on the completeness of forgiveness in Christ 1:14; 2:13-14; 3:13

B. Possible Sources of the Heresy:²⁴

1. Essenism:

a. B. Lightfoot was the major proponent of this position affirming many parallels between the Heresy and the asceticism of this Jewish group²⁵

b. Even though there are some parallels, there is no evidence that they lived in the western portions of Asia Minor

c. While this explains the emphasis on higher knowledge and special revelation, it fails to explain the mystical experiences which are apparent in the epistle

2. Greek Pagan Cults:

a. There are many theories along this line of thinking: Neopythagoreanism, mystery religions, pre-Christian Gnosticism, the Iranian Redemption myth, the initiation into the Isis mysteries

b. This is an attempt to emphasize the Hellenism on the church at the time

c. While some of these “cults” actually fight against one another, there is no doubt that the Heresy in Colossae was influenced by the Hellenism of their day; it is difficult to be even more specific

3. Gnosticism:

a. Gnosticism was a “religious movement that proclaimed a mystical esotericism for the elect based on illumination and the acquisition of a higher knowledge of things heavenly and divine”²⁶

b. However, there was not a pre-Christian Gnosticism and it is doubtful that the biblical writers were fighting a known foe called Gnosticism

c. There may well have be roots of a Christian Gnosticism (incipient Gnosticism) which later became the Gnosticism of the second and third centuries AD

4. Syncretistic Religion:

a. The heresy contains a combination of parts of many of the above views wherein Jews and Gentiles are attempting to advance beyond apostolic Christianity

b. This view is very possible and perhaps even diplomatic

5. Jewish Mysticism--the Merkabah Mysticism²⁷

a. The merkabah mysticism consisted of “religious exercises designed to facilitate entry into the vision of the heavenly chariot (hb*K*r+m#) with God visibly enthroned above it--the vision granted to Ezekiel when he was called to his prophetic ministry (Ezek. 1:15-28)”²⁸

b. In order to obtain such a vision it was necessary to observe:

1) The Mosaic Law concerning purification

2) A period of asceticism of 12 to 40 days

3) The mediatorial role of angels when the heavenly ascent was attempted

c. There are possible parallels to this concept in rabbinic experience, Paul’s experience (2 Cor. 12), other Jewish writings like 1 Enoch 14:8-23, Daniel 7:9-10, and later Gnostocism²⁹

6. Conclusion:

a. A definitive conclusion about the source of the heresy is not possible since so many possibilities exist

b. It is very possible, however, that the view of Jewish mysticism is more closely tied to the heresy in view of the Jewish elements which are certainly involved

c. Perhaps this Jewish mysticism became a later expression of Gnosticism

IV. ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH:

A. The City of Colossae:

1. Was in the Lycus valley

2. Was about 100 miles east (inland) of Ephesus

3. Had the important cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis as its neighbors where Christian churches had been established (Col. 4:13)

B. The Founding of the Church:

1. It seems that Paul had never visited the church (Col. 1:4; 2:1)

2. It seems that Epaphras acquainted Paul with the Colossians’ ‘love in the Spirit’ (Col. 1:8; 4:12-13)

3. It seems reasonable to assume that the church originated as a result of Paul’s ministry among those at Ephesus (Acts 19:10)

a. Perhaps this was actually accomplished through Ephahras who instructed those in Colossae (Col. 1:12-13)

b. Therefore, perhaps Ephahras was converted through Paul’s ministry in Ephesus

V. PURPOSES FOR COLOSSIANS:

A. To provide advice about the dangerous heresy which had arisen in Colossae and was threatening the security of the church in all of the Lycus valley (cf. 4:16)

B. To answer the heretical issues by asserting the absolute, direct, and continuing supremacy of Christ over all of creation (1:15--3:4)

C. To encourage his readers to live life (personally, within the church, in the home, and in their relationships) in view of Christ as supreme over all of creation (3:5--4:6)

D. To encourage the churches in the Lycus valley to maintain their orderly Christian lives as well as their stability in the faith in the face of the threat of the false teachers 2:2-5³⁰

VI. A COMPARISON OF EPHESIANS AND COLOSSIANS:³¹

EPHESIANS	COLOSSIANS
Emphasizes the Body (Church)	Emphasizes the Head (Christ)
The spirit is pastoral	The spirit is polemical
The emphasis is on oneness in Christ	The emphesis is on completeness in Christ

---

¹ Much of what follows is adapted from: T. K. Abbott, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians, ICC, pp. xivii-lx1v; F. F. Bruce, “Colossian Problems Part 3: The Colossian Heresy”: Bibliotheca Sacra 141 (1984): 194-208; Carson, Herbert M. The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and Philemon. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 11-25; Brevard S. Childs, The New Testament as Canon: An Introduction, pp. 346-350; Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, pp. 454-563; Geisler, Norman L. “Colossians,” in Bible Knowledge Commentary, pp. 667-669; Everett F. Harrison, Colossians: Christ All-Sufficient, Everyman’s Bible Commentary, 7-16; H. Wayne House, “Doctrinal Issues in Colossians: Heresies in the Colossian Church.” Bibliotheca Sacra, 149 (1992): 45-59; Ralph P. Martin, Colossians and Philemon, The New Century Bible Commentary, pp. 1-41; Peter O’Brien, Colossians, Word Biblical Commentary, pp. xxvi-liv; Curtis Vaughan, “Colossians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 11, pp. 163-171.

² This is not to deny that Paul may have used other materials (e.g., 1:15-20).

³ Polycarp (c. 110-150) Philippians 10:1 [cf. Col. 1:23]; 11:2 [Col. 3:5]; Ignatius (c. 110), Ephesians 10:2 [Col. 1:23]; Iranaeus (c. 130-202), Adv. Haer. 3.14.1; Turtullian (c. 150-220), De Praescr Haer 7; Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215), Storm 1.1; ; Trallians 5:2 [Col. 1:16]; Epistle to Diognetus 10:7 [Col. 4:1]. See Geisler, A General Introduction to the Bible, pp. 188, 193.

⁴ C. 150-155, Dialogue, 85.2; 138.2.

⁵ The second Chester Beatty Biblical papyrus contains ten Epistles which are considered to be of Paul in the following order: Romans, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and dates from about the year AD 200 (Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, p. 37).

⁶ Even though Childs does not hold to Paul himself as the author due to “stylistic and philological evidence,” he must link it with Paul canonically and affirms with Schweizer that it “is not post-Pauline” (The NT as Canon , pp. 345-349).

⁷ The first one to seriously question the authorship of Colossians was E. T. Mayerhoff in 1838, and his theory was developed by F. S. Baur and the Tübingen school.

⁸ See 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

⁹ See 1 Corinthians 16:21; Philemon 19; 2 Thessalonians 3:17.

¹⁰ See Philemon 19; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 5:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:17; Ephesians 3:1.

¹¹ The only textual clues in Colossians that Paul is in prison are: 4:3,10,18. But none of these cite the location of the imprisonment.

¹² Although the Marcionite Prologue had the opinion that the Epistle was written from Ephesus [“The apostle already in fetters writes to them from Ephesus”] even though the Prologue to Philemon claimed that that letter was written from Rome (Guthrie, NTI, p. 555).

The “subscript” which was added at a later date asserts: “written from Rome by Tychicus and Onesimus.” Also Eusebius reports that Paul was brought to Rome and that Aristarchus was with him (History, 2.22.1; see O’Brien, Colossians. p. l.).

¹³ Lohmeyer, Dibelius-Greeven, Reicke, J. J. Gunther, Goguel, deZwaan.

¹⁴ O’Brien, Colossians, p. lii.

¹⁵ For a more thorough discussion see Guthrie, NTI, pp. 472-478.

¹⁶ Deissmann, Michaelis, Duncan.

¹⁷ Even though Aristarchus was seized by mob-violence in Ephesus (Acts 19:29), there is no specific mention of arrest for him or for Paul.

¹⁸ See O’Brien for counter view (Colossians, p. li).

¹⁹ See O’Brien, Colossians, p. liii; Guthrie, NTI, p. 557; Childs, The NT as Canon, 346-349; Bruce, Paul, The Apostle of the Heart Set Free, pp. 411-412.

²⁰ Philemon 9 suggests that Colossians-Philemon may have been written early in the imprisonment, “yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus--.” The term for “now” (nuniv) is more emphatic than nu'n and suggests that Paul’s imprisonment had only just begun at the time he wrote (O’Brien, Philemon, p. 290).

²¹ Some good reading on this subject may be found in the survey article by H. Wayne House, “Heresies in the Colossian Church,” Bib. Sac. 149 (January-March, 1992): 45-59. Although Bruce once held to an “early and simple form of gnosticism” (Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, p. 413), he later changed to a defense of a form of Jewish Mysticism which he identifies as “Merkabah Mysticism” in “Colossian Problems Part 3: The Colossian Heresy,” Bib. Sac 141 (July-September 1984): 195-208.

²² Adapted from a paper by Herb Bateman, “Introductory Matters for Colossians”.

²³ This may only be a development of points a and b above.

²⁴ There is no way in which one can be certain about the historical origin of this heresy. Morna Hooker even disputed the existence of a heresy in the Colossian church in her paper, “Were There False Teachers in Colossae?” in Christ and Spirit in the New Testament, edited by B. Lindars and S. S. Smalley (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973), pp. 315-331. However, Bruce seems to be correct when he affirms that “Yes, there were false teachers in Colossae” (“The Colossian Heresy,” Bib Sac 141 [1984]: 195; see also Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, p. 413).

²⁵ J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (1879; reprinted, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1959), 73-113.

²⁶ Gershom G. Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition (New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1960), p. 1.

²⁷ F. F. Bruce, “The Colossian Heresy,” Bib.Sac. 141 (1984): 201-204.

²⁸ Ibid., pp. 201-202.

²⁹ Ibid., pp. 202-203.

³⁰ These verses express the goal of this letter, and thus explain the applicational section which Paul picks up in chapters 3--4. The false teachers were threatening unified living under the work of Christ (in the home and toward outsiders). Paul is correcting the erroneous instruction which could lead the church astray, and then reaffirming their orderly Christian life and stable faith under the proper view of Christ.

³¹ Adapted from Stanley D. Toussaint, “Colossians” (unpublished class notes in 308 Pauline Epistles and Revelation, Dallas Theological Seminary, Fall 1983), p. 2.

Message Statement:

Out Of A Heart Of Love, Paul Exhorts The Corinthians To Cease Exalting Themselves In Accordance With Natural Wisdom, And To Limit Themselves In Accordance With The Wisdom Of God--The Crucifixion

I. Introduction: As Paul and Sosthenes greet the true church of God in Corinth, he prays that they would experience God’s grace and peace and gives thanks to God for the ways He has confirmed the church’s position in Him with spiritual gifts, and will confirm the church’s position when Jesus returns 1:1-9

A. In a greeting sent from the Apostle Paul and Sosthenes to the true church of God at Corinth, Paul expresses a desire for the church to experience grace and peace from God 1:1-3

1. The letter is sent by the Apostle Paul and Sosthenes 1:1

2. The letter is to a true church of God at Corinth 1:2

a. They are the church of God 1:2a

b. The are at Corinth 1:2b

c. They have been set apart by Jesus, Messiah 1:2c

d. They have been called to be saints 1:2d

e. They are part of the larger community which calls upon the Lord 1:2e

3. Paul sends a desire (prayer) for the Corinthian church to experience grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus, Messiah 1:3

B. Paul continually thanks God concerning the Corinthians because He has graciously confirmed his grace to the Corinthians with all gifts until he returns and confirms his church in person 1:4-9

1. Paul gives thanks because God has given them grace through Jesus Christ 1:4

2. Evidence of the grace which was given to the church in Corinth is that it was given enrichment in their relationship with the Lord through speech, all knowledge, and spiritual gifts as they await the return of Jesus 1:5-7

3. God’s grace will be confirmed in the end when God in his faithfulness verifies the church’s fellowship with Jesus at Jesus’ return 1:6-9

II. Divisions In The Church: Paul reproves the Corinthians for their arrogant self-exaltations which are raising divisions in the church because they are contrary to Paul’s gospel ministry, contrary to the significance of the wisdom of Christ’s crucifixion, contrary to the true status of the messengers in the church, and will be dealt by Paul with real spiritual power if the Corinthians will not repent 1:10--4:21

A. Divisions are Contrary to Paul’s Gospel Ministry: Learning of the quarreling which the Corinthians are engaged in, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to unify because their divisiveness over individuals is against the nature of the gospel, and against Paul’s ministry among them 1:10-17

1. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to unity in light of the report from Cloe’s people concerning their quarreling 1:10-11

a. Paul exhorts his brethren in Corinth in accordance with the authority of Jesus Christ to be unified in one mind and judgment 1:10

b. The reason Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be unified is because Cloe’s people have reported to him the quarrels which presently exist 1:11

2. Paul identifies the disunity in the church with groups who identify themselves exclusively with one leader as opposed to another leader 1:12

a. Some are saying they are of Paul 1:12a

b. Some are saying that they are of Apollos 1:12b

c. Some are saying they are of Cephas (Peter) 1:12c

d. Some are saying that they are of Christ 1:12d

3. Paul argues that the division among the Corinthians over men is against the nature of the Gospel and is against the gospel ministry which Paul presented in Corinth 1:13-17

a. Divisions among the Corinthians is against the gospel itself 1:13a-b

1) Christ has not been divided 1:13a

2) Paul has not be crucified for the Corinthians 1:13b

b. The central feature to Paul’s ministry was to clearly proclaim the gospel message and not to baptize 1:13c-17

1) The Corinthians were not baptized in the name of Paul 1:13c

2) Paul’s ministry did not include baptism as a central feature, but clearly proclaiming the Gospel 1:14-17

B. The Reasons/Remedies to Divisions: The divisions over significant leaders in the church reflect the fleshly thinking of the Corinthians who are not applying the wisdom of Jesus’ crucifixion to their arrogance, and thus are exalting in the place of Jesus men who are merely servants of God, and whom God will evaluate 1:18--4:5

1. The Message Is Not Applied: Even though the world considers the message of Christ crucified to be foolish, it is a spiritual wisdom which the Spirit of God revealed to Christian leaders and which they then communicated to the spiritually mature who had the mind of Christ, but the Corinthians in their fleshly divisiveness are blocking their capacity to understand God’s wisdom (the significance of the crucifixion for their present lives [sanctification]) 1:18--3:4

a. Paul argues through a thesis statement, and experience that even though the world considers the message of the crucifixion to be foolish, it is the wisdom and power of God 1:18--2:5

1) Thesis: The world calls the cross foolishness, but those who believe call the cross the power and wisdom of God 1:18-25

a) The world calls the cross foolishness, but it is the power of God for salvation for believers 1:18

b) Scripture (Isa. 29:14) confirms God’s intention to overrule the cleverness of the wise 1:19

c) God has made foolish the best of the Greeks and the Jews who could not find God through their wisdom, but only through the foolishness of belief in the crucified Jesus 1:20-25

(1) Jews sought God through signs 1:22a

(2) Greeks sought God through wisdom 1:22b

(3) The Gospel message of salvation is Christ crucified 1:23a

(4) Jews stumble over the crucifixion of Jesus 1:23b

(5) Greeks consider the crucifixion to be foolish 1:23c

(6) Those who called to God find the crucifixion to be the power and wisdom of God 1:24

(7) The reason the crucifixion is the power and wisdom of God is because God is wiser than man in His foolishness, and stronger than man in His weakness 1:25

2) Experience I: Paul argues through the humble conversion experience of the Corinthians that Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God 1:26-31

a) The Corinthians own call to God demonstrates that God’s way is not through natural understanding or ability, but through weakness and humility 1:26-29

(1) God did not call many among the Corinthians who were naturally wise, mighty or noble 1:26

(2) God chose the foolish, weak, base and despised things of the world to confound the wise causing humility among all men 1:27-29

b) The Corinthians are humbly related to God through Jesus who through the crucifixion became God’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption for them 1:30-31

3) Experience II: The message and the power of Paul’s preaching to the Corinthians was not in natural ability, but in the crucified Christ, and the Spirit’s enablement so that the Corinthians would not trust in him, but in God 2:1-5

a) When Paul came to the Corinthians he did not emphasize natural ability and wisdom, but proclaimed the crucifixion of Jesus 2:1-2

b) Paul himself was weak in his presence and oratory ability, but strong in the power of God so that the Corinthians would trust in God rather than in him 2:3-5

(1) When Paul came to the Corinthians his presence was one of weakness, fear and trembling 2:3

(2) When Paul came to the Corinthians his message was not naturally persuasive, but divinely empowered by the Spirit so that the Corinthians would rest upon God's wisdom rather than Paul's (or another man's) 2:4-5

b. Even though God’s wisdom was hidden from natural men, it was revealed to the Christian leaders through the Spirit of God and they communicate it to mature, spiritual believers who have the mind of Christ, but the Corinthians have blocked their capacity to understand because of their fleshly divisiveness 2:6--3:4

1) Mature believers realize that Christian leaders speak a wisdom of God which was hidden from the world, but was prepared for those who love God 2:6-9

a) Even though the Christian leaders do not speak in wisdom according to the world, they do speak wisdom in the appraisal of those who are mature 2:6

b) The leaders speak God’s mystery which was hidden from the world but kept for those who love God 2:7-9

(1) The leaders speak God's hidden wisdom 2:7a

(2) God's wisdom was a mystery, hidden before the ages resulting in glory 2:7b

(3) Proof that the wisdom which the Christian leaders speak was not understood by the rulers of this age is that they crucified the Lord of Glory 2:8

(4) Scripture (Isa. 64:4; 65:17) foretold that God's wisdom (of salvation) was hidden except from those who love God 2:9

2) The Spirit of God revealed the hidden wisdom of God to Christian leaders who teach it to those who are spiritually minded 2:10-13

a) God revealed His hidden wisdom to the Christian leaders (Paul) through the Spirit who knows the deep things of God being the Spirit of God 2:10-11

b) The leaders do not have the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God who teaches them of God 2:12

c) The leaders teach what they have learned by the Spirit communicating this to the spiritually minded 2:13

3) The natural man is incapable of understanding what the spiritual man is able to understand because the spiritual man has the mind of Christ 2:14-16

a) The natural man regards the things of the Spirit to be foolish and cannot understand them 2:14a

b) The things of the Spirit are spiritually appraised 2:14b

c) The Spiritual man understands the things of the Spirit, and is not understood by the natural man because the Spiritual man has the thoughts of Christ 2:15-16

4) The Corinthians in their “fleshly” condition have blocked their capacity to understand the spiritual and are thus acting like natural men in their divisiveness 3:1-4

a) Paul could not speak to the Corinthians as spiritual men, but as fleshly men, as babies in Christ 3:1

b) When the Corinthians became children of God Paul gave them children’s portions of the word of God, and they are still not able to handle more mature portions because they are walking like mere men in their fleshliness (naturalness) as they group themselves around men 3:2-4

2. The Messengers Are Servants: Paul urges the Corinthians to regard the messengers as servants of God, and not to threaten the unity of the church over them, because Jesus is the foundation of the church, God will judge anyone who destroys the church, and because God will evaluate the faithfulness of the messengers 3:5--4:5

a. Apollos and Paul were servants who worked as fellow workers in God’s field (the church), and will receive reward from God, but God is the One who brings about life and should be honored 3:5-9

1) Apollos and Paul were servants to whom God gave ability and through whom the Corinthians believed 3:5

2) While Paul and Apollos each had a share in the ministry with the Corinthians, God brought about the life, and so God should be honored 3:6-7

3) Paul and Apollos were fellow workers who will be rewarded by God, but simply worked in God’s field 3:8-9

b. Paul warns those who are building upon his foundation of Jesus for the church that they should not try to rebuild the foundation upon others, and that God will hold them accountable for what they do 3:10-15

1) Paul was graciously permitted to serve God by laying the foundation of the church, and others built upon it 3:10a

2) Paul warns those who build upon his foundation to be careful not to try to change the foundation from Jesus to “others” 3:10b-11

3) Paul warns that those who build well upon the foundation will receive a reward, while those who do not build well upon it will suffer loss when God evaluates their work 3:12-15

c. Because of the divine nature of the church, Paul warns those in Corinth to repent of their divisiveness and not to threaten the unity of the church because God will judge the one who divides it, and because all the servants belong to the church, and the church belongs to God 3:16-23

1) Paul reminds the Corinthian church of the indisputable truth that they (plural) are the temple (naos) of God where the Spirit of God dwells 3:16

2) Paul informs the Corinthians that God will destroy anyone who destroys the church (the temple of God) 3:17

3) Paul urges those who consider themselves to be so wise in this age to humble themselves to the “wisdom of God” (become foolish) so that they can truly be wise rather than becoming caught in their foolishness by God 3:18-20

4) Paul urges the Corinthians not to be divisive over men because they all are part of the church which has its focus in God 3:21-22

d. Paul urges the Corinthians to regard the messengers of the Gospel as servants of Christ whom God, rather than they, will evaluate on the basis of their heart motives 4:1-5

1) Paul urges those in Corinth to regard the leaders as servants of Christ responsible for the revelation of Christ for the church (mysteries of God) 4:1

2) Paul agrees that the servants are to be evaluated, but insists that the evaluation is not to be an external one made by the church or even one’s self, but will be made by the Lord as He deals with motives of the heart 4:3-5

C. Exposing the root issue in the Corinthians’ divisiveness as an arrogant self-evaluation, Paul exhorts his dear spiritual children to repent and follow the humble model of Timothy lest he come to them and discipline them with real spiritual power 4:6-21

1. Paul exposes the arrogant self-evaluation of the Corinthians as the root cause of the divisiveness in light of that fact that all that they have is a gift, and the self-abasing lives of the Apostles 4:6-13

a. Paul used himself and Apollos as illustrations of those limited by what is written (not to be overly exalted) in order to prevent the Corinthians from the arrogance of exalting one above the other 4:6

b. Paul exposes the arrogance of the Corinthians self-exaltations against the fact that all that they have was a gift to them, and against the self-abasement which the Apostles submit themselves to 4:7-13

1) Paul questions the arrogant, self-evaluation of the Corinthians because all that they have was given to them 4:7-8a

2) Paul exposes the arrogance of the Corinthians self-exaltations against the abuse to which the Apostles willingly submit themselves 4:8b-13

a) The self-evaluation of the Corinthians exalts them above the Apostles 4:8b

b) The Apostles are those under abuse and self-abasement to the world 4:9

c) Unlike the Corinthians self-exaltation, the Apostles are shown to be constantly humbled and self-abased 4:10-13

2. While Paul only wishes to admonish his dear spiritual children, and to encourage them to repent of their arrogant divisiveness by following the humble model of Timothy whom he is sending, he warns them that if they do not, that they will be confronted by him in real spiritual power when he comes to them 4:14-21

a. Paul’s design in writing is not to shame his spiritual children, the Corinthians, but to admonish them as a father would his dear children 4:14-15

b. Paul has sent the Corinthians the example of Timothy who will model the self-abasement which he lives, and which he desires for the Corinthians to imitate 4:16-17

1) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be imitate him (in his self-abasement [see above] 4:16

2) Paul has sent Timothy to the Corinthians as one who will model his was before them 4:17

c. Paul warns to Corinthians that if they do not repent that he will come to them soon to discipline them in real spiritual power 4:18-21

1) Some Corinthians have become arrogant because they do not think that Paul will be visiting them again 4:18

2) Paul assures the Corinthians that he will return to them soon (Lord willing), and will confront those who are arrogant in his spiritual power of the Kingdom 4:19-20

3) Paul asks the Corinthians whether they desire him to come with a rod of discipline, or with love and a spirit of gentleness 4:21

III. Disorders in the Church: Paul corrects the Corinthians worldly approach toward dealing with sin in the church, the settlement of personal disputes, and personal immorality because it is action based upon natural, arrogant thinking rather than biblical wisdom 5:1--6:20

A. Discipline: Paul rebukes the Corinthians for being arrogant in their indifference toward blatant immorality in the church, and exhorts them to mourn over the sin, and to discipline the offender under his authority, in accordance with their pure standing in Christ, and as he had previously instructed them to deal with sin in the church 5:1-13

1. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for being arrogant in their indifference toward blatant immorality in the church rather than mourning over it and disciplining the offender 5:1-2

a. Paul raises the issue of the report of gross immorality among the Corinthian church of someone with his stepmother 5:1

b. Paul rebukes the response of the church for being arrogant in their indifference and not mourning over the evil and removing the person from the midst of the church 5:2

2. Paul announces that though he is physically absent, he has already judged this immoral offender in his spirit and urges the church to perform authoritative church discipline by delivering him outside of the protective shelter of the church into the realm of Satan so that the man may repent 5:3-5

a. Paul has already judged the one who is committing this immorality 5:3

b. Paul urges the church to reflect his judgment when they are assembled by refusing him the protection of the body and thus delivering him into the realm of Satan 5:4-5a

c. Paul desires for the man to experience the destruction of his physically life under the hand of Satan (Job 1:12; 1 Jn. 5:19) so that he will repent and experience salvation (cf. 11:30,32; 1 Tim. 1:20; 1 John 5:16) 5:5b

3. In accordance with their standing in Christ and Paul’s previous communication with the Corinthians, he exhorts them to exercise church discipline and thus to remove the man from their midst 5:6-13

a. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their boasting and exhorts them to judge the immoral man based upon their new standing in righteousness accomplished by Christ’s Passover sacrifice 5:6-8

1) Paul rebukes the boasting of the Corinthians as not being good 5:6a

2) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to deal with the sinfulness in the body through not allowing the sinning brother to be present because they are to be the expression of the true and continual Passover feast inaugurated by the death of Jesus--the Passover Lamb 5:6b-8

a) Paul argues from the image of leaven that a little leaven effects the whole lump of dough 5:6b

b) Paul continues the image of leaven to argue that the Corinthians should clean out the old leaven so that they may be pure (unleavened) 5:7a

c) The reason the Corinthians should “clean out the old leaven” is because they have been saved by Christ the Passover Lamb 5:7b

d) With Christ as the Passover Lamb, the Corinthians should be celebrating the “Passover” with unleavened bread--the purity of the body from sin 5:8

b. Paul wrote to the Corinthians not to disassociate with the sinning people of the world, but to disassociate themselves from the sinning people in the church, especially this one who is living in immorality with his stepmother 5:9-13

1) Paul wrote to the Corinthians in a previous letter to not associate with immoral people 5:9

2) Paul did not mean that the Corinthians were to not associate with sinners who are of this world because that would be impossible 5:10

3) Paul’s admonition related to not associating with those who were carrying on with sin within the church 5:11

4) Paul affirms that he does not have any jurisdiction to judge those who are outside of the church since God judges them, but there is a judgment which should go on within the church 5:12-13a

5) Paul urges the Corinthians to remove the man from the church (Deut. 13:5; 17:7,12; 21:21) 5:13b

B. Litigation: Paul rebukes the Corinthians for taking their brothers into litigation before unbelievers because it overlooks their position, and ability, and does evil to their brothers in the Lord which will result in a future loss of reward along with others who act sinfully 6:1-11

1. Paul questions the audacity of Corinthians to take a case between their neighbor and them before “civil” (unrighteous) law courts rather than for arbitration within the church (among the saints) 6:1

2. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for taking one another to pagan law courts because they will be judges of the world in the future, they are wise enough to deal with the matters now, they to unrighteousness to one another rather than relinquishing their rights and they will thus forfeit reward in the future kingdom along with those who commit other sins 6:2-11

a. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for taking smaller matters of this life before pagan law courts rather than within the church in view of their future responsibilities as judges and their present abilities with God’s wisdom 2-6

1) Paul affirms that smaller matters ought to be dealt with within the church rather than taking litigation before judges from the world because saints will be judges of the world in the future 6:2

2) Paul affirms that matters of this life ought to be dealt with within the church because saints will judge in matters of angels in the future 6:3

3) Paul rebukes the Corinthians for taking matters of this life with believers into law courts with unbelievers judging rather than appointing those with wisdom to decide the matter within the church 6:4-6

b. Paul argues that lawsuits within the church are a defeat for the Corinthians because they are not expressing the willingness to relinquish their personal rights, but they are defrauding and wronging one another, and will thus result in a loss in inheriting the kingdom of God 6:7-11

1) Paul instructs the Corinthians that lawsuits with one another are a defeat for them 6:7a

2) It would be better for the Corinthians to relinquish their personal rights than to enter into lawsuits against one another 6:7b

3) Rather than relinquishing personal rights when wronged, the Corinthians are wronging (adikeite) and defrauding their own brethren 6:8

4) The result of sinning against the brethren will be a lack of inheritance in the kingdom of God 6:8-11

a) Statement: Those who do unrighteousness (the unrighteous--adikoi) will not inherit the kingdom of God 6:9

b) Paul lists the many kinds of sinners which will not inherit the kingdom of God 6:9b-10

(1) Fornicators

(2) Idolaters

(3) Adulterers

(4) Passive homosexual partners

(5) Active homosexuals partners

(6) Thieves

(7) Covetous

(8) Drunkards

(9) Revilers

(10) Swindlers

c) Paul affirms that some of the Corinthians were like those mentioned above, but they were cleansed and justified by the Lord emphasizing that unrighteousness is a survival from a bad past 6:11

C. Immorality: While Paul acknowledges that freedom does exist for believers, he objects to its practice in the realm of immorality (temple prostitution) because it is a sin against the Lord who has divine designs for the body 6:12-20

1. While Paul cites the Corinthian slogan of “freedom” he also argues that there are limits of freedom such as that which is profitable, and such as not being mastered by anything 6:12

2. Paul argues against the Corinthians’ natural understanding about immorality, affirming that they should cease such activity and glorify the Lord with their bodies because it will be resurrected, because it represents Christ on earth today, and because it is a sin against the Lord who has purchased it and dwells within it 6:13-20

a. Citing another Corinthian slogan about the design of one thing for another (e.g., food and the stomach), Paul argues that the body is designed for more than sexual gratification through immorality; it is designed for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body 6:13

b. Paul defends the divine design for the body by noting that it will be resurrected, by noting how it represents Christ on earth today 6:14-17

1) Paul substantiates his thesis about the divine design of the body by noting that the body will be raised (eternal) in the resurrection just as Jesus was raised 6:14

2) Paul substantiates his thesis about the divine design of the body by presenting the inconsistency for one to be part of the body of Christ and then to unit his body, and thus Christ, with a harlot 6:15-17

a) Paul argues that it is inconceivable for one to take his body which is part of the body of Christ, and unit it with a harlot 6:15

b) Paul argues that when one joins himself with a harlot in sexual relations he becomes one with her even though he is one with the Lord 6:16

c. The Corinthians should flee immorality and glorify God with their bodies because immorality is not simply an external issue, but is sin against the Lord who has purchased the body, and dwells within it 6:18-20

1) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to flee immorality 6:18a

2) Citing the Corinthian slogan that all sin is external, Paul argues that the immoral man sins against his body 6:18b

3) Paul defends/argues that one should not commit immorality with one’s body, but should glorify God with one’s body because God has purchased it and dwells within it 6:19-20

a) Paul defends his argument that immorality is a sin against the body by noting that the body the temple (naos) of the Holy Spirit and thus the body is not simply one’s own possession, but was purchased by Christ 6:19-20a

b) In view of the divine ownership of the body, one should glorify God in one’s body 6:20b

IV. Paul answers questions raised concerning difficulties in the church: (1) it is wrong for a husband and wife to deprive one another sexually for ascetic reasons, and it is best to remain where one was in relationships when one was called to the Lord, (2) marriage is permitted, but not preferable for the previously unmarried, and for widows, (3) one should limit one’s liberty with love for other believers, and (4) one should exercise the diverse spiritual gifts through the commitment of love so as to build up the local church 7:1--14:40

A. Paul now takes up issues about which the Corinthians wrote (περὶ δὲ) 7:1a

B. Concerning (περὶ δὲ) those who are/have been Married: Paul exhorts those who are presently married to not abstain from sexual relationships with one another, and those who have difficulty in their relationships to remain in the situation in which they were called to the Lord so that they might not be divided servants of Him 7:1b-24

1. Paul exhorts married couples to not abstain from sexual relationships, except for agreed upon periods of spiritual need, because their asceticism could lead to temptation and immorality 7:1-7

a. Paul quotes a Corinthian saying supporting the good for a married couple to abstain from sexual relations¹ 7:1b

b. Paul counters the “ascetic” prohibition by arguing that sexual relationships in marriage are preferred because abstinence could lead to the practice of temple prostitution² (cf. 6:12-20) 7:2

c. Paul exhorts husbands and wives to give themselves to one another (rather than abstaining for “ascetic” reasons) because each partner has an obligation to the other, and each partner has rights to the other 7:3-4

d. Paul exhorts married couples to stop depriving one another, and only allows for abstinence for an agreed upon period because of spiritual needs, but then only by concession, and only to be resumed lest Satan tempt those in the marriage toward immorality 7:5-6

1) Paul exhorts married couples to stop depriving one another 7:5a

2) The only time sexual relationships should be stopped is when a married couple agrees for a season because of spiritual needs 7:5b

3) A married couple is to re-engage in sexual relations after the break for spiritual reasons because otherwise they may find themselves tempted to do evil by Satan because of their lack of self-control 7:5c

4) Paul only allows for abstaining sexual relations by concession; he does not command the abstinence 7:6

e. Paul agrees in principle with the ascetic maxim wishing that all could be single (widowed) as he is, but realizes that it is only for the graced (gifted)³ person who is completely free from the need of sexual fulfillment 7:7

2. Paul exhorts believers to remain in the same situation in life which they were in when they were saved because Christ demands of his servants sole obedience to Him rather than a shared allegiance to other masters 7:8-24

a. Principle applied: Through specific examples Paul affirms that the marital status in which a believer is called should be maintained unless special circumstances dictate otherwise 7:8-16

1) Paul directs widowers and widows⁴ on the merit of remaining single, but also to remarry if they cannot control their desires 7:8-9

a) Paul ascribes goodness to a single life for widowers and widows 7:8

b) Paul exhorts widowers and widows to marry if they cannot control their desires because marriage is better than unbridled passion 7:9

2) Both Paul and the Lord command believing partners not to seek a divorce, but should a divorce occur, to stay single or be reconciled⁵ 7:10-11

a) Paul and the Lord exhort believing partners to not seek a divorce 7:10

b) If a divorce does occur, the believing partner is to remain unmarried or else be reconciled to their spouse 7:11

3) Paul exhorts believers to live harmoniously with their unbelieving partners in both marriage and separation because their influence may bring the unbeliever to faith 7:12-16

a) Paul now speaks to an issue which the Lord did not address: to those believers married to non-believers [to the rest] 7:12a

b) Believing spouses are not to send their unbelieving spouses away 7:12b-13

c) The reason a believing spouse is not to send their unbelieving spouse away is because they have the ability to set apart for a Christian influence those in the family who do not believe 7:14

d) If an unbelieving partner leaves the marriage, the believing partner is not enslaved (or responsible for the divorce cf. Matt. 5:32) to keep the marriage together--God allows for there to be peace⁶ 7:15

e) The reason one should live harmoniously with one’s unbelieving spouse is because one might have an influence upon their salvation 7:16

b. Principle affirmed: Paul now affirms that the life situation in general when a believer was called should be maintained unless special circumstances dictate otherwise 7:8-24

1) Paul directs all of the churches to walk in the situation in life wherein God called them 7:17

2) Paul applies the principle of remaining in the situation wherein one was called to the realms of one’s religious state and one’s vocational state 7:18-24

a) Religious state: One should not change his natural external state (change to Jew or Gentile), since God is not concerned about the externals, but about the one who follows God by keeping his commandments 7:18-20

(1) A man called as a Jew (circumcised) should remain a Jew, and a man called as a Gentile (uncircumcised) should remain a Gentile 7:18

(2) One's external state does not matter, only that one follows God (keeping his commandments) 7:19

(3) Principle stated: Each person should remain in the state in which he was called to the Lord

b) Vocational state: Slaves should remain slaves unless they are able to become free because every one has true perspective on his place in life through the Lord, and no one should enslave himself to another man since the Lord has redeemed him with a price 7:21-23

(1) One should not worry about being a slave if he was called that way 7:21a

(2) If one is able to become free it is good to become free 7:21b

(3) One should not worry about being a slave because all are equal before the Lord (all slaves are free before the Lord and all free men are slaves before the Lord) 7:22

(4) One was redeemed with a price, so one should not become slaves of men 7:23

(5) Principle stated: Each person is to remain in the state in which he was called to the Lord 7:24

C. Concerning (περὶ δὲ) the Previously Unmarried and Widows:⁷ Paul argues that marriage is permissible, but not preferable 7:25-40

1. Paul now writes concerning virgins (παρθένων)--those who have been previously unmarried 7:25a

2. To the previously unmarried Paul urges that even though marriage is good, they should remain single so that they may not be distracted in life, but so that they may be able to serve God in an undistracted manner 7:25-35

a. Paul is now not responding to a command from the Lord but is speaking as a trustworthy servant 7:25b

b. Because of distressing times, Paul considers it good to remain as one is (based upon the principle of 7:25) 7:26

c. If one is bound by the promise of engagement, Paul encourages the person to not break the engagement 7:27a

d. If one is not engaged to a woman, Paul does not think that one should seek out a wife 7:27b

e. Paul does not consider it sinful for a man or a woman to marry, but he does affirm that they will have trouble, and thus he wishes to spare them the trouble⁸ 7:28

f. Paul argued that it was better to remain single because of the ability one could have to serve God in the brief time available without being attached to things/events/people of the world 7:29-31

1) The time is shortened (either by Christ’s soon return, or by the brevity of life itself 7:29a

2) Those with wives will be less available to them 7:29b

3) There will be less time to weep 7:30a

4) There will be less time to rejoice 7:30b

5) There will be less time to enjoy possessions 7:30c

6) There will be less time to make full use of the world since it is passing away 7:31

g. Another reason not to marry is because singleness will allow one to be devoted more fully to the service of the Lord 7:32-35

1) Paul desires those previously unmarried to be free from concern⁹ 7:32a

2) When one is married, one is divided in one’s concerns unlike one who is unmarried and who can thus be concerned about the things of the Lord exclusively¹⁰ 7:33-34

3) Paul is not seeking to restrain a couple, but to promote undistracted devotion to the Lord 7:35

3. Marrying one’s fiancee is permitted, but not preferred¹¹ 7:36-38

a. It is permissible for a man to marry his fiancee (cf. 7:27) 7:36

b. One may choose to remain single and not remarry 7:37

c. It is good to marry, but better not to marry 7:38

4. A widow is free to remarry whomever she desires as long as he is a believer, though Paul believes she would be happier if single¹² 7:39-40

a. A widow is free to remarry someone who is a believer 7:39

b. Paul, and the Spirit of God, affirm that it would be better for a widow not to remarry 7:40

D. Concerning (περὶ δὲ) Christian Liberty: Speaking directly to the Corinthians’ self-centered expressions of liberty with meat offered to idols, and in the worshiping community, Paul exhorts them to limit their liberty with love (concern/commitment) for others because otherwise, God will discipline them for their arrogance 8:1--11:34

1. Regulate liberty with Love: In the realm of meat offered to idols, Paul urges the Corinthians to limit their liberty with love for others just as he and as Jesus have, because to not do so is arrogance before God and could result in His discipline 8:1--11:1

a. Meats offered to idols: Through the principle that love overrules knowledge Paul exhorts the Corinthians to limit their liberty with love for their weaker brothers because even though idols are nothing, a weaker brother may act against his conscience when he sees a stronger brother partaking of meat offered to idols 8:1-13

1) Paul writes concerning things offered to idols (8:1)

2) Paul interrupts his discussion to present the principle that the knowledge is not central to being able to deal with problems nearly so much as loving God and thus being known by God because knowledge puffs up, while love edifies 8:1-3

a) Paul argues that knowledge (which all have and is not the privilege of a few [e.g., the enlightened Corinthians] makes arrogant (φυσιοῖ), while love (ἀγάπη) builds up (οἰκοδομεῖ) 8:1b

b) When one fancies himself as full of knowledge (enlightened), he demonstrates that he does not know as much as he ought 8:2

c) In opposition to arrogance over knowledge, Paul argues that if one loves God, he is known by God 8:3

3) Reassuming the discussion of idols, Paul argues (agrees) that the pantheon of idols is nothing, but that there is one true God--the creator and redeemer 8:4-6

a) Paul reassumes the topic (περὶ) about things offered to idols 8:4a

b) Paul argues that idols do not exist as “God” because God is one (cf. Deut. 4:35,39; 6:4) 8:4b

c) The earthly pantheon of gods are not real as the one true God of creation is, the Lord Jesus Christ who brought redemption 8:5-6

(1) here are many so called gods on earth and in heaven in the pantheon of gods 8:5

(2) There is one true God--the Father who is creator and served 8:6a

(3) There is one Lord--Jesus Christ who is creator and redeemer 8:6b

4) In the matter of meats offered to idols, love must regulate knowledge by giving up rights which will cause a weaker brother to stumble 8:7-13

a) While eating meat is an amoral issue, some do not know this and defile their conscience when they eat 8:7-8

(1) Not all accept the knowledge that idols are not gods 8:7a

(2) Some who eat meat offered to idols defile their weak conscience because they think that the meat was offered to an idol (god) 8:7b

(3) Eating or abstaining from food is not a meritorious issue before God 8:8

b) On should not use his liberty so as to cause his weaker brother to sin against his conscience, because it may destroy him, and that would be a sin against Christ 8:9-12

(1) Paul warns the Corinthians not to let their liberty (in their knowledge about idols) become something which causes their weaker brothers to stumble 8:9

(2) The reason Paul warns the Corinthians not to use their liberty against their brother is because their exercise of freedom may be an encouragement for their brother to act against his own weak conscience and thus be destroyed 8:10-11a

(3) To sin against a brother by wounding his conscience is to sin against Christ since Christ died for him 8:11b-12

c) Therefore if eating food will cause one’s brother to stumble, one should limit his freedom by not eating so that he does not cause his brother to fall 8:13

b. Christian Liberty Illustrated: Through the example of Paul the Corinthians are urged to relinquish their personal rights for the sake of the Gospel, and through the example of Israel, the Corinthians are warned of the consequences of using their privileged position as a base for succumbing to temptation 9:1--10:13

1) The Positive Example of Paul: Paul urges the Corinthians to follow his example of relinquishing personal rights for the sake of the Gospel in order to gain God’s honor (reward) 9:1-27

a) Paul’s position as an apostle entitles him to financial support, but he has not required it because he did not wish to cause the Corinthians to stumble 9:1-14

(1) Paul affirms his position as a free Apostle as one who has seen Jesus and planted the church in Corinth with apostolic works 9:1-3

(2) Paul affirms that as a minister of the Gospel he has a right to receive material payment for his service just as a soldier does, as a vinekeeper does, as a herdsman does, as an ox does, as a plowman does, or as a priest does, but he has not exerted his rights so as to not place an obstacle before the Corinthians 9:4-14

b) Paul relinquishes his rights to renumeration and custom as a minister of the gospel in order to gain a reward 9:15-27

(1) Paul does not boast over his proclamation of the gospel, because he is under necessity, but he will receive a reward for proclaiming the gospel without cost because he is not making full use of his rights 9:15-18

(2) Paul gives up personal rights when with other people for the sake of saving other people: he becomes a Jew with Jews, a Gentile with Gentiles, weak with the weak--all things to all men 9:19-23

(3) Just as an athlete disciplines himself in order to win a perishable prize, Paul gives up his rights (disciplines himself) to gain God's approval (not to be disqualified) 9:24-27

2) The Negative Example of Israel: Paul warns the Corinthians to not use their privileged position to succumb to temptation because as with Israel, their God will judge their evil, and because God has provided a way for them to escape their temptations and to endure for Him 10:1-13

a) The entire nation of Israel received the spiritual privileges of identification with the Lord 10:1-4

(1) All of Israel was under the cloud during the wilderness wondering 10:1a

(2) All of Israel passed through the Red Sea during the exodus 10:1b

(3) All of Israel was identified with Moses as they went under the cloud and through the sea 10:2

(4) All of Israel ate the same supernatural food (manna) [Ex. 16:4,15] and drank the same supernatural water (Ex. 17:6) 10:3-4a

(5) The water was provided through the Rock which was Christ¹³ 10:4b

b) Believers are warned not to do evil against God because even though Israel was privileged, they did evil and suffered judgment from God for it 10:5-10

(1) God was displeased with most of Israel 10:5a

(2) Proof that God was displeased with most of Israel is that he overthrew them in the wilderness 10:5b

(3) The overthrowing of Israel is a warning to believers (Corinthians) today to not desire evil as they did 10:6

(4) The Corinthians are warned not to disobey God as the Israelites did because they suffered judgment for their evil: do not be idolaters; do not indulge in immorality; do not put the Lord to the test; do not grumble 10:7-10

c) In view of the hand of God upon Israel, Paul exhorts the Corinthians not to use their privileged position to succumb to temptation because the same God will judge their evil, and will provide a way for believers to escape their temptation and to endure their pressure 10:11-13

(1) Even though God was warning the Israelites against disobedience through the judgments, they were also written to instruct the Corinthians because The God who is bringing His interaction to a close with mankind is the same God 10:11

(2) Paul exhorts those who are standing in God's privileged position (like Israel) to be careful lest they fall in God's judgment for their evil 10:12

(3) Paul exhorts those under temptation to not see themselves as unique among men, but to have faith that God will provide the means to not sin and to endure the pressure 10:13

c. Principles of Liberty Applied: One is not at liberty to eat meat offered to idols in a temple, and one should limit his liberty with love for his weaker brother when considering eating meat offered to idols outside of the temple 10:14-30

1) It is wrong to partake in meat offered to idols (in the temple) because it is an identification of the believer with demons, and God will judge such a “strong” Christian 10:14-22

a) Based upon the above illustration of Paul and especially Israel, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to put away idols 10:14

b) Paul argues logically that just as one is identified with the Lord through communion (and Israel was identified with the alter of the Lord when they ate of the sacrifices) so is it that by partaking in offerings to idols one is partaking with demons behind those idols 10:15-20

(1) Paul urges Israel to listen to and to judge his logical argument 10:15

(2) Participation in the cup and bread of the Lord is participation in the unifying presence of the Lord 10:16-17

(3) For Israel, those who participated in the eating of the sacrifices were participants in the altar of the Lord 10:18

(4) Paul is not implying that food offered to idols is anything special, or that idols are anything special 10:19

(5) Paul is implying that demons are behind the idols and thus that by partaking in the offerings of the altar, they are partaking in demons 10:20

c) Paul argues that it is wrong for one to partake in communion with demons and with the Lord, and that the Lord will judge such a “strong” Christian 10:21-22

(1) Paul argues that one cannot partake of communion with demons and the Lord at the same time--it is wrong 10:21

(2) Paul suggests that to do so is to provoke the Lord to judge even those who consider themselves to be "strong" as Israel was "strong" in their position 10:22

2) Paul exhorts Christians to exercise their liberty when eating meat offered to idols (outside of the temple), but to limit that liberty with love for their brothers who are weak in their own conscience 10:23-30

a) Paul quotes the Corinthian saying that “all things are lawful” (cf. 6:12), but counters with the principles of love that all things are not helpful, and that all things do not build up 10:23

b) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to not seek their own good, but the good of their neighbor 10:24

c) Paul allows a believer to exercise his liberty of conscience in eating meat offered to idols (outside of the temple) unless it causes a weaker brother to sin against his conscience 10:25-30

(1) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to eat whatever is sold in the meat market without being concerned about conscience because all belongs to God 10:25-26

(2) The Corinthians may eat whatever is placed before them when dining at an unbeliever's house without asking questions for conscience sake 10:27

(3) If another Christian guest makes a point that the meat has been offered to an idol, one should not eat the meat for the sake of the other brother's conscience 10:28-29a

(4) The stronger brother should not let his liberty of consciousness be changed by a weaker brother's scruples, but his liberty should also not become a means for judgment against him by not yielding it to the needs of his brother 10:29b-30

d. Conclusion: Paul urges the Corinthians to act so that God might be glorified by limiting their liberty before all men so that many might profit from salvation 10:31--11:1

1) Whatever one does is to be to the glory (greatness) of God 10:31

2) One should not offend anyone (by eating) whether Jews (cf. Acts 15:20,29), or Greeks, or the church of God 10:32

3) The Corinthians should seek Paul’s example by adjusting themselves to others so that many might profit from salvation 10:33--11:1

2. Liberty and the Worshiping Community: Even though the Corinthians do keep many of the traditions which Paul has given them, he corrects their expression of liberty in the worshiping community when women refuse to wear head-coverings, and when the body sins against itself at the Lord’s supper urging them to limit themselves for the sake of others 11:2-34

a. General Commendation: Paul praises the Corinthians because they remember him in all things and keep the traditions which he delivered to them 11:2

b. Women in Worship: In view of God’s order of authority Paul exhorts the Corinthians when participating in worship to cease expressing their spirit of emancipation, and for women to wear head-coverings in accordance with the order of creation, the pattern of nature, and the practice of all of the churches 11:3-16

1) In contrast to the Corinthians good observances Paul informs them that men and women disgrace themselves (and their superiors) in their expressions of emancipation when praying or prophesying with their heads covered or uncovered, respectively, because they violate God’s order of authority 11:3-6

a) Paul wishes for the Corinthians to know that God has a divine order of authority which is God, Christ, man and woman 11:3

b) The reason men and women disgrace themselves and their superiors is because they violate God’s order of authority in their expressions of emancipation when they pray and prophesy with or without a head covering, respectively 11:4-6

(1) Every man disgraces himself and Christ when he is praying or prophesying with something on his head 11:4

(2) Every woman disgraces herself (and possibly man) when she is praying or prophesying with her head uncovered because she is identifying herself with masculinity, thus she should cover herself 11:5-6

2) Paul affirms that women should wear head-coverings because of the order of creation, because of the pattern of nature, and because of the practice of all of the churches 11:7-16

a) The Order of Creation: Because the angels look for a proper expression of the order of creation in worship, a woman should wear a head-covering realizing that men and women are mutually dependent upon one another and upon God 11:7-12

(1) The reason a man disgraces himself when he leads in worship with his head uncovered is because he is the image and glory of God unlike the woman who is the glory of man 11:7

(2) The reason the woman is the glory of man is because she originated from man and was for his sake (Gen. 2:18-23) 11:8-9

(3) Because of the order of creation, a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head (covering man's glory, and affirming God's authority) which the angles (of creation) may observe 11:10

(4) Women and men are mutually dependent upon one another and upon God for their existence 11:11-12

b) The Pattern of Nature: Urging the Corinthians to judge the matter of head-coverings from a common-sense perspective, Paul affirms that long hair is a disgrace for a man, but is glorious for a woman because it is a natural covering for her head 11:13-15

(1) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to judge in a natural way whether it is proper for a woman to pray with her head uncovered 11:13

(2) Paul affirms that nature teaches that long hair is a dishonor for a man while long hair is glorious for a woman 11:14-15a

(3) Paul affirms that a woman's hair is given to her for a (physical) covering 11:15b

c) The Practice of the Church: In case some wish to argue with Paul, he affirms that head-coverings for women is the position of him and the churches 11:16

(1) Paul knows that some may be argumentative about head-coverings 11:16a

(2) Paul affirms that neither he nor the other churches of God have any other practice than women wearing head-coverings when leading in worship 11:16b

c. The Lord’s Supper: Paul exhorts the church to honor one another as a people whom Jesus died for when they come together for the Lord’s Supper, because otherwise they will experience the judgment of God for their sin 11:17-34

1) Paul refuses to praise the Corinthians’ conduct at the Lord’s supper because they use the gathering to abuse people by arrogantly exalting some and shaming the poor 11:17-22

a) As Paul begins to discuss the Lord’s Supper he can not praise the Corinthians for their conduct because when they come together it hurts the church rather than helps it 11:17

b) Paul has heard that there are divisions among the Corinthians when they come together, and he believes it because of the way that the “approved” ones have risen among the congregation 11:18-19

c) Paul will not praise the Corinthians in their practice at the Lord’s supper because they abuse the opportunity and shame those who have nothing 11:20-22

(1) When the Corinthians gather together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper as they claim 11:20

(2) They reason Paul affirms that they are not gathered together to eat the Lord's supper is because they abuse the time by overeating, not leaving food for the poor, and getting drunk 11:21

(3) Paul will not praise the Corinthians because they use the church of God to shame those among them who are poor 11:22

2) The reason Paul will not praise the Corinthians’ divisive conduct at the Lord’s supper is because the repetition of the event was meant to express Jesus’ costly provision for all in the church 23-26

a) The reason Paul will not praise the Corinthians’ divisive conduct at the Lord’s supper is because at the first Lord’s supper Jesus proclaimed that the bread was to symbolize His bodily provision for all, and it was this provision which was to be remembered by the church 11:23-24

b) The reason Paul will not praise the Corinthians’ divisive conduct at the Lord’s supper is because at the first Lord’s supper Jesus proclaimed that the cup was to symbolize the New Covenant which was inaugurated for all by his blood; and it was this provision which was to be remembered by the church 11:25

c) The reason Paul will not praise the Corinthians’ divisive conduct at the Lord’s supper is because the Lord’s Supper is to be a proclamation of the Lord’s death for all until He returns again 11:26

3) Therefore, Paul warns the Corinthians that to treat one another with honor at the Lord’s Supper because when they sin against one another they enter into divine judgment 11:27-34

a) Paul warns the Corinthians that if they partake in the Lord’s Supper with sin (against the body) they shall be sinning against the Lord who died for all 11:27

b) Paul exhorts the Corinthians that one should examine himself before he partakes of the Lord’s Supper 11:28

c) The reason one should examine himself before partaking of the Lord’s supper is because he will be placing himself under judgment from the Lord for sins which he has done against the body 11:29

d) Proof that one places oneself under God’s judgment for sins against the body is the state of many in Corinth: many are weak and sick, and some are even dead (sleep) 11:30

e) If the Corinthians treated one another as they should, they would not be experiencing the judgment from God which is designed to discipline offenders so that they might not do even worse leading to condemnation 11:31-32

f) Paul exhorts the Corinthians to treat one another well when they come together for the Lord’s supper by waiting for one another, and by satisfying any acute hunger at home before they come together 11:33-34a

3. Paul will arrange the remaining matters (of liberty?) when he comes to Corinth 11:34b

E. Concerning (περὶ δὲ) Spiritual Gifts: Paul urges the Corinthians to recognize that the diversity of spiritual gifts is still an expression of unity in the body of Christ, and thus should be exercised in ways which in accordance with love lead to the building up of the local assembly 12:1--14:40

1. Paul desires for the Corinthians to know that diverse spiritual gifts are not like those which led the Corinthians astray (from demons), but are all given by the same Spirit in order to build up the body of believers 12:1-11

a. Paul does not wish for the Corinthians to be unaware about spiritual gifts (πνευματικῶν) 12:1

b. Spiritual gifts are not like those (from demons cf. 10:20) which led the Corinthians away to demons when they were pagans, but are from the Spirit of God when they exalt Jesus as Lord 12:2-3

1) When the Corinthians were pagans they were led astray to dumb idols (by demon idols; cf. 10:20) 12:2

2) Those who speak (spiritual gifts) from the Spirit of God do not curse Jesus but exalt Him as Lord 12:3

c. The variety of gifts which each person has are worked through the triune God for the common good because they are sovereignly given through the One Spirit 2:4-11

1) While there are varieties of gifts, ministries and effects, they are all worked through the triune God 12:4-6

2) Spiritual gifts though manifested in diversity are unified for the common good because they are sovereignly given through the One Spirit 12:7-11

a) Each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit toward (πρὸς) the common good (συμφέρον) 12:7

b) The reason Paul says that each is given a manifestation of the Spirit is because each person is given a spiritual ability by the same Spirit 12:8-11

(1) One person is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit 12:8a

(2) Another person is given the word of Knowledge by the same Spirit 12:8b

(3) Another person is given faith by the same Spirit 12:9a

(4) Another person is given gifts of healing by the one Spirit 12:9b

(5) Another person is given the effecting of miracles 12:10a

(6) Another person is given prophecy 12:10b

(7) Another person is given the ability to distinguishing spirits (cf. 14:29) 12:10c

(8) Another person is given various kinds of tongues 12:10d

(9) Another person is given the ability to interpret tongues 12:10e

(10) The same Spirit works all of these manifestations out in each individual as he wills 12:11

2. As with the physical body, so is it that the church comprises a single, spiritual body of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, and is mutually dependent upon one another 12:12-31a

a. The many believers form a single, spiritual body because they have all been identified together by the Holy Spirit regardless of their previous differences 12:12-13

1) Just as the human body is one, even though it has many members, so is the spiritual body of Christ one 12:12

2) The body is one because every believer was identified (baptized) by the Holy Spirit with the one (spiritual) body of Christ regardless of their previous differences: Jew/Greeks, slaves/free 12:13

b. The physical body has many members, each designed by God so that the body can function as one in mutual dependence upon one another 12:14-26

1) The body is not one member, but many members 12:14

2) Regardless of the role one might wish, one has his part in the body as God has designed it so that the body can function as a full body 12:15-20

a) Regardless of the role which one might want, one is still a part of the body 12:15-16

(1) A foot is still a part of the body even though it may wish the prominent role of the hand 12:15

(2) An ear is still a part of the body even though it may wish the prominent role of an eye 12:16

b) The whole body depends upon all of its members to be a body 12:17

(1) If all of the body were an eye, it would not be able to hear 12:17a

(2) If all of the body were an ear, it would not be able to smell 12:17b

c) God has placed the members of the body as he desired them to be 12:18

d) There is not one member, but many members which make up one body 12:19-20

3) The body does not have unnecessary members, but members who are cared for by one another since what happens to one affects the others 12:21-26

a) The more prominent members of the body cannot regard the less prominent members of the body as unnecessary 12:21

(1) The eye cannot tell the hand that it does not need it 12:21a

(2) The head cannot tell the feet that it does not need them 12:21a

b) The weaker members of the body are necessary 12:22

c) The less honorable members are actually given more honor and the honorable members need less honor as God has made the body so that the members should care for each other 12:23-25

(1) The less honorable and seemly members of the body are given more honor in that they are clothed 12:23

(2) The honorable members of the body have not need of more honor 12:24a

(3) God has made the body to honor those members which lack honor so that the body should not be divided but its members should care for one another 12:24b-25

d) What happens to one member of the body effects the entire body 12:26

(1) If one member suffers, all of the members of the body suffer with it 12:26a

(2) If one member is honored, all of the members of the body are honored with it 12:26b

c. As with the physical body so is it that the church is the spiritual body of Christ, and God has appointed each member with spiritual gifts so that they might be in mutual dependence 12:27-31a

1) The church is the spiritual body of Christ, and each person is an individual member in the body 12:27

2) God has appointed spiritual gifts to people in his church ordering in importance from those which all profit from to personal gifts like tongues 12:28

a) God has first appointed apostles 12:28a

b) God has secondly appointed prophets 12:28b

c) God has thirdly appointed teachers 12:28c

d) God then appointed miracles 12:28d

e) God then appointed gifts of healings 12:28e

f) God then appointed helps 12:28f

g) God then appointed administrations 12:28g

h) God then appointed various kinds of tongues 12:28h

3) No one person has all of the gifts 12:29-30

a) All are not apostles 12:29a

b) All are not prophets 12:29b

c) All are not teachers 12:29c

d) All are not workers of miracles 12:29d

e) All do not have gifts of healings 12:30a

f) All do not speak in tongues 12:30b

g) All do not interpret tongues 12:30c

4) The church should desire the greater gifts of edification (12:28) rather than the lesser gift of tongues 12:31a

3. Even though all members of the church do not have all of the spiritual gifts, all are to pursue love because love is superior to spiritual gifts since it helps the body 12:31b--13:13

a. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to pursue love even more than spiritual gifts because it will have the most value of character for them, because of its excellent, selfless character, and because it will endure beyond spiritual gifts 12:31b--13:3

1) Even though Paul exhorts the Corinthians to continue to seek the greater gifts (12:31a) he now offers to show them a more excellent way than the pursuit of spiritual gifts 12:31b

2) As Paul deals with spiritual gifts from the least important to the most important (cf. 12:28) he affirms that while their exercise apart from love (ἀγάπη) may have value for others, it will have no value for him 13:1-3

a) Speaking in a merism Paul affirms that if he speaks in the widest possible sweep of languages (men and angels), without love, he is of no more service to the congregation than an empty sounding gong, or a noisy sounding cymbal (used in the pagan worship of Dionysus, Cybele, and the Corybantes) 13:1

b) Speaking of all kinds of spiritual instruction Paul affirms that if he has the ability to prophecy (speaking with special inspiration), and all wisdom (like the apostles?), and all knowledge (like the teachers cf. 12:8,10,21), or if he has miracle working faith, he is nothing without love 13:2

c) Speaking of administrative gifts Paul affirms that if he denies himself by selling all to feed the poor, or voluntarily suffering (cf. Dan. 3:28) without love, it is of no profit to him 13:3

3) Paul affirms that love is superior to the gifts because of its excellent, selfless character 13:4-7

a) Positively: love is characterized by patience, and kindness 13:4a

b) Negatively: love is characterized by not being jealous, not bragging, not being arrogant, not acting unbecomingly, not seeking its own, not being provoked, not taking into account a wrong suffered, and by not rejoicing in unrighteousness but with truth 13:4b-6

c) Positively: love is characterized as bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things 13:7

4) Paul affirms that love is superior to spiritual gifts because it will endure beyond the gifts 13:18-13

a) Statement: love never fails 13:8a

b) Paul provides specific examples of gifts which will pass away 13:8

(1) Gifts of prophecy will be done away with (passive voice from καταργέω) 13:8b

(2) Tongues will cease of themselves (middle voice from παύσονται) 13:8c

(3) Knowledge will be done away (passive from καταργέω) 13:8d

c) Knowledge and prophecy are only in part, and thus are to be done away with (passive of καταργέω) when the perfect (Jesus) comes 13:9-10

Note Well:

(1) The perfect is not the canon because it is complete but we still only know in part (13:12)

(2) The perfect is not the mature church because its growth will not lead to a face to face understanding; we still only know in part (13:12)

(3) Paul describes the second coming in terms of coming to us rather than our coming to the perfection of the other world (13:10)

d) Paul illustrates the temporary nature of gifts through the image of personal growth emphasizing that when we arrive with God we will do away with our partial understanding which comes now through the gifts 13:11-12

(1) Paul illustrates the partialness of spiritual gifts through the analogy of human maturity which causes one to do away with (καταργέω) childish things 13:11

(2) The reason Paul has used personal growth as an illustration is because there will be a future time when one will know fully 13:12

e) Logically after the spiritual gifts are gone love will endure as the source of faith and hope (cf. 13:7) 13:13

4. Paul urges the Corinthians in accordance with the principle of love to pursue prophecy and the interpretation of tongues because these gifts will benefit the entire body whereas uninterpreted tongues will only speak of judgment and bring derision 14:1-25

a. Paul urges the Corinthians in accordance with the principle of love to pursue prophecy and the interpretation of tongues because these gifts will benefit the entire assembly 14:1-19

1) One’s pursuit of love does not prohibit one’s pursuit of spiritual gifts but moves one toward pursuing the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues because the former edifies an assemble 14:1-5

a) One’s pursuit of love does not prohibit the pursuit of spiritual gifts, but regulates the pursuit toward those which edify the body--especially prophecy 14:1

b) The reason one should not pursue tongues as a gift is because they are toward God rather than for the good of men who are listening 14:2

(1) If one speak in a tongue, he speaks to God and not to men 14:2a

(2) The reason he speaks to God is because men do not understand the tongue; it is a mystery to them 14:2b

c) The reason one should pursue prophesies is because they are for men in order to edify, to exhort, and to console 14:3

d) The reason one should not pursue tongues is because they edify only one’s self (as a confirmation of God’s grace [12:18,28], and in ability to praise God [14:16]), but one should pursue prophecy because it edifies an assembly 14:4

e) Paul is not against the gift of tongues, but prefers prophecy because only it edifies the church, unless tongues are interpreted 14:15

(1) Paul is not against tongues in that he wished that they all had this gift 14:5a

(2) But Paul wishes that they all prophesied even more than they spoke in tongues 14:5b

(3) The reason Paul believes that the one who prophecies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues is because unless tongues are interpreted, it is only the one who prophecies who edifies the church 14:5c

2) Through several analogies Paul urges those who speak in tongues to seek their interpretation for the sake of the assembly because otherwise the gift will be unprofitable to them 14:6-19

a) Paul illustrates the unprofitable nature of speaking in tongues by hypothesizing about the lack of advantage which the Corinthians would gain by his speaking in tongues to them rather than teaching them 14:6

(1) Paul argues that if he spoke in tongues to the Corinthians it would be of no advantage to them 14:6a

(2) Paul argues that advantage will only come to the Corinthians if he speaks by way of revelation, knowledge, prophecy or teaching 14:6b

b) Paul illustrates the unprofitable nature of speaking in tongues through the analogy of the unprofitability of hearing instruments which do not make clear distinctions in sound 14:7-9

(1) Instruments, like the flute or the harp, must produce distinctions in sounds to be understood 14:7

(2) If the bugle produces an indistinct sound, no one will know to prepare for battle 14:8

(3) As with instruments so is it when one uses his tongue that no one knows what is being spoken unless it is clear to them 14:9

c) Paul illustrates the unprofitable nature of speaking in tongues through the analogy of the critical judgment of people (as barbarians) who hear others speaking in languages which they do not understand 14:10-12

(1) While there are many languages (human sounds; cf. 13:7,8) in the world, none are without meaning 14:10

(2) If one does not know the meaning of a language which someone is speaking, each party will view the other as a barbarian (foreign) 14:11

(3) So also should the Corinthians who are zealous for spiritual gifts seek the edification of the church lest each view each other as barbarians 14:12

d) Therefore, Paul urges those who desire to speak in tongues to also desire to interpret the tongues so that those who are part of the assembly and do not understand the tongues may be edified 14:13-19

(1) In view of the above illustrations Paul concludes that those who speak in tongues should pray that they may also interpret 14:13

(2) The reason one should pray that they may interpret if they speak in a tongue is because it will be even more beneficial for them in that not only will their feelings be involved (their spirit), but their minds will too 14:14

(3) Paul argues that it is better to pray and to sing with the spirit and the mind (with interpretation) than to do so only in one's spirit because it allows the congregation to take part in the blessing by being edified 14:15-17

(4) Even though Paul speaks in tongues more than any of the Corinthians, he would rather limit himself in the church to speaking that which will edify the body 14:18-19

b. An area of maturity which Paul exhorts the Corinthians to consider is the negative impact of untranslated tongues as a sign of judgment upon Israel and as a source of derision against the church as opposed to the positive impact of prophecy upon believers and unbelievers as they are convicted of their need of God 14:20-25

1) Paul argues that although it is permissible to play the part of children in the realm of evil, that they should be mature in their thinking toward one another 14:20

2) Paul argues that prophecy is to be preferred over untranslated tongues because prophecy convicts all people of their need of God while untranslated tongues are as a sign of judgment upon Israel, and bring about derision upon the church by both believers and unbelievers 14:21-25

a) Through a citing of Isaiah 28:11-12 Paul describes how the hearing of strange tongues (languages) by the Assyrians was a judgment from God upon Israel for their rebellion against His word (cf. Isa. 28:9-10) 14:21

b) From the use of Isaiah 28 Paul concludes that (uninterpreted) tongues serve as a sign (of judgment), not for believers (the church), but for unbelievers (of Israel; cf. “this people” in 14:21 above) 14:22a

c) In contrast to the place of tongues which serve as a sign of judgment for unbelieving Jews, Paul affirms that prophecy serves as a sign for believers rather than unbelievers 14:22b

d) Prophecy is profitable for both unbelievers and for believers because unlike tongues which will bring forth derision of the body, prophecy will convict the listeners of their sin and bring about the honor of God 14:23-25

(1) If the entire Christian service consisted of speaking in tongues, then all who attended (believers without the gift of interpretation, unbelievers) would consider those present and active as mad 14:23

(2) If the Christian service consists of prophecy, then all of those (believer and unbeliever) will be convicted and judged by the words which reveal his heart and will worship God as among the Corinthians 14:24-25

5. Paul urges the Corinthians to conduct their expression of gifts through the limitation of love by conducting the services in an orderly manner for the edification of the church 14:26-40

a. Concluding his larger discussion on spiritual gifts Paul affirms that even though each person may have a self concern to share a spiritual insight, the way of love should provide a focus which leads to the edification of the assembly 14:26

b. Tongues: Paul prescribes an order with the gift of tongues that will edify the body in that they should be exercised by two or three men in turn with a necessary interpretation to follow 14:27-28

1) Paul regulates public speaking in tongues to that which is done by two or at most three in turn, and then to be interpreted by one 14:27

2) If there is not an interpreter, than the one who has the gift to speak in tongues is to keep silent and speak to (for) himself and to God (in the silence or possibly at home) 14:28

c. Prophets/Married Women: Paul prescribes an order which will edify the body in that the gift of prophecy should be exercised by only two or three in an assembly with an evaluation by those listening, and that the speaker should yield when another in the assembly receives a revelation because God has given this ability as a God of order in all of the churches, thus married woman should reflect the order of submission to their husbands and not speak in the assembly, but ask questions of their husbands in their homes as in the other churches 14:29-36

1) Only two or three prophets are to speak (during a meeting), and the rest are to pass judgment (discern as to the truth/inspiration of what is being said [cf. 12:10]) 14:29

2) If while one is giving his revelation, an other person who is seated and listening receives a revelation, than the first one who is speaking is to draw his talk to a close to make room for the next one with a revelation 14:30

3) The reason the speaker should yield is so that everyone with a prophecy may prophesy in turn (one by one) in order that they and the assembly may be exhorted 14:31

4) Another reason the speakers should yield is because their spirits are still subject to themselves even though God has given them a gift because God is not on the side of disorder but of peace in all of the churches 14:32-33

5. In the case of married women, they should not speak in the assembly, but demonstrate the higher order of submission to their husbands 14:34-36

a) Wives (αἱ γυναῖκες; in view of “submission” [14:34], and “their own husbands” [14:35]) should remain silent (σιγάτωσαν, cf. 14:28) in the assembly (churches [ἐκκλησίαις]) 14:34a

b) The reason wives are to remain silent is because they are to reflect their subordinate (but not inferior) relationship to their husbands (cf. Gen. 2:18-23; 3:16; 1 Cor. 11:8,12) 14:34b-c

(1) Wives are not permitted to speak in the assembly (because silence is an evidence of submission) 14:34b

(2) In contrast to speaking in the assembly, wives are to submit themselves to their husbands in accordance with scripture 14:34c

c) A married woman is to ask her own husband questions at home if she desires to learn anything rather than improperly (αἰσχρὸν, cf. 11:6) exerting herself over his leadership in the public assembly¹⁴ 14:35

6) Paul urges the Corinthians (through sarcasm) to not consider themselves as unique among the churches (those who have received revelation) 14:36

d. In summary, Paul urges the Corinthians to receive his words as from the Lord and thus that the gifts should be preferred according to their respective value for the church and should be exercised in a proper and orderly way 14:37-40

1) Paul urges those among the Corinthians who consider themselves to be “prophets” and/or “spiritual” to recognize Paul’s directions to be commandments from the Lord because if they do not, their words are not to be recognized as from the Lord 14:37-38

2) Paul again urges the Corinthians to desire the greater gift of prophesy, and to allow tongues to have its proper place in the assembly 14:39

3) Even though Paul urges the Corinthians to continue to pursue spiritual gifts he insists that they be done in a way which is edifying to the body: properly and in an orderly manner 14:40

V. Concerning (δὲ cf. 15:12) the Resurrection: Paul argues that the resurrection body is central to Christianity in spite of the affirmations of false teachers, and should motivate the Corinthians (believers) to steadfast, sacrificial service because the natural body will be instantly changed to a heavenly body at the return of Christ 15:1-58

A. Paul urges the Corinthians to turn from the false teachers who deny the resurrection because historically, logically, theologically, and experientially the bodily resurrection is central to Christianity 15:1-34

1. Historically Paul argues that the gospel which the Corinthians received and now stand in is that Jesus died and was raised again in accordance with Scriptural, historical, and eye-witness evidence 15:1-11

a. Paul now reminds his Corinthian brothers of the Gospel which he proclaimed to them, which they received, by which they stand, and by which they are saved if they hold to it (unless it is a vain/empty gospel) 15:1-2

b. Paul delivered the gospel which he had received that Jesus died and rose again which was validated by the Scriptures, historical events, and many witnesses 15:3-10

1) That which Paul delivered to the Corinthians as of central importance was that which he had received 15:3a

2) The primary content of the gospel is the death and resurrection of Christ which is validated through Scripture, historical events, and witnesses 15:3b-10

a) Statement one: Christ died for our sins 15:3b

b) Verification one: The Scriptures affirm that Christ died for our sins (Isa. 53:8-10) 15:3c

c) Verification two: Christ’s burial affirms that Christ died (for our sins) 15:4a

d) Statement two: Christ was raised on the third day 15:4b

e) Verification one: The Scriptures affirm that the Christ was to be raised (Psalm 16:10) 15:4c

f) Verification two: Jesus appeared to many witnesses after His resurrection 15:5-8

(1) Jesus appeared to Cephas 15:5a

(2) Jesus appeared to the Twelve 15:5b

(3) Jesus appeared to more than five hundred brethren most of whom were still alive at the time of Paul's writing 15:6

(4) Jesus appeared to James 15:7a

(5) Jesus appeared to all of the apostles (either the Twelve including Thomas or those sent as authoritative delegates in addition to the Twelve such as James, Barnabas, Andronicus, Junias, and possibly Silas, Timothy, and Apollos) 15:7b

(6) Jesus lastly appeared to Paul by God's grace 15:8-10

c. Paul and the other witnesses all preached the risen Christ so that the Corinthians would believe 15:11

2. Logically, Paul argues that when the doctrine of the resurrection is denied (as some were doing) that the implications were enormous: (1) Christ is not raised, (2) the gospel is false, (3) the followers of the gospel are empty, (4) the preachers are false witnesses, (5) believers are still in their sin, and (6) pagans should pity Christians in their false restraint. The Gospel has become groundless and worthless 15:12-19

a. Paul questions how some Corinthians could logically say that there is no resurrection from the dead if Christ is proclaimed as having been raised 15:12

b. Paul logically argues that the doctrine of the bodily resurrection cannot be denied without rendering the Christian gospel groundless, false, and its followers empty and to be pitied 15:13-19

1) Paul argues that Christ is not raised if their is no resurrection of the dead 15:13

2) Paul then concludes that if Christ is not raised than Christianity is empty (in vain) whether it is expressed in preaching or in believing 15:14

3) Paul continues his conclusion that not only is the preaching of the gospel in vain, but Paul and those who proclaim the resurrection are false witnesses to the work of God in the resurrection and particularly with reference to Christ because no resurrection means that Christ was not raised 15:15-16

4) Paul argues that if the resurrection of Christ has not occurred, than one’s faith is worthless because God has not proclaimed the certainty of the atonement (cf. Rom. 5:25), thus the Corinthians were still in their sinful state before God 15:17

5) Therefore Paul concludes that those who have died (fallen asleep) have perished rather than been saved 15:18

6) Finally Paul affirms that if Christ is not raised than Christians have been foolish in their hope in Christ (and the wisdom of the crucifixion), and should be pitied by the pagans for their self-sacrifice 15:19

3. Theologically, Paul argues that the bodily resurrection of Christ will lead to the resurrection of all of those who believe in Him, and that after the resurrection of men Jesus will complete the kingdom program by abolishing death before he gives the Kingdom over to the Father to reign in pure goodness 15:20-28

a. In contrast to the conclusions about the absence of a resurrection Paul argues that Jesus is the first of later resurrections because He, like Adam, has affected all who are related to Him 15:20-22

1) In contrast to conclusion from the false premise that there is no resurrection, Paul argues that Christ’s resurrection is the first (first fruits) of later resurrections to follow (of those who are asleep) 15:20

2) Just as one man (Adam) brought death to the entire human race which was related to him, so is it that one man (Jesus) brought the resurrection of the dead for those who believe in Him 15:21-22

b. The certainty of the resurrection is true because after the resurrection of all men in their prescribed order, Christ will abolish death as He completes His restoration of the Kingdom program for the Father 15:23-28

1) The resurrection of all men will occur in their prescribed order: Christ first, and then those of the church to follow 15:23

a) Statement: All will be resurrected in their own order 15:23a

b) Christ was the first fruits 15:23b

c) After Christ those who belong to Him at his coming will be raised (cf. John 14; 1 Thess. 4:16) 15:23c

2) After the resurrection of the church Christ will consummate His rule over evil (including death) and give it to the Father so that God may rule in His pure goodness 15:24-28

a) After the resurrection (of the church) the end will come when he will deliver up the Kingdom to the Father having abolished all rule, authority and power¹⁵ 15:24

b) The reason Christ will deliver up the consummated kingdom to the Father is because He has been given authority to defeat His enemies (including the last--death) so that He can than submit Himself to God the Father and the Father can once again reign over creation in pure goodness 15:25-28

(1) The reason Christ will deliver up the consummated kingdom to the Father is because it is necessary for Him to reign until He has defeated all of His enemies (Ps. 110:1) 15:25

(2) The last enemy which will be abolished is death for he must put all things in subjection to himself (cf. Ps. 8:6) 15:26-27

(3) After Jesus has put all things in subjection to Himself, He will then be subject to the One who subjected all things to Him (Phil. 3:21) so that God will reign in His pure goodness 15:28

4. Experientially Paul argues that the practice of the Corinthians and Paul himself affirm the truth of a bodily resurrection 15:29-32

a. Arguing from a practice (by the Elusinian cult north of Corinth) which Paul does not approve (note “they”; see also 8:10; 10:21), Paul affirms that the practice of washing bodies on behalf of the dead (in the sea) implies confidence in a bodily resurrection 15:29

b. Paul affirms that the endurance of danger and suffering for the sake of the gospel is motivated by confidence in a bodily resurrection 15:30-32

1) Paul questions why the spiritual leaders endure constant dangers if there is no hope of a bodily resurrection 15:30

2) Paul protests against the lack of a resurrection because he is constantly in peril of his life for the sake of the gospel 15:31

3) Paul affirms that if there is no resurrection, than the risking of his life at Ephesus was of no profit; it would be better to pursue pleasure and avoid pain as the Epicureans affirmed 15:32

5. Concluding Paul urges the Corinthians to sober up and stop sinning by separating from the false teachers who do not know God 15:33-34

a. Paul urges the Corinthians to not deceive themselves because they will be corrupted if they continue to associate with those who deny the resurrection 15:33

b. Positively Paul urges the Corinthians to become sober minded in this matter of the resurrection and to stop sinning, because those whom they are following with respect to the resurrection have no knowledge of God 15:34

B. Objections to the Resurrection: Answering two questions in inverted order Paul affirms that the resurrection body is not a natural body, but a heavenly body which will be instantaneously changed at the Lord’s return, and which should thus encourage believers to abound in faithful, sacrificial service because that which is lost in this life is not permanent 15:34-58

1. Questions are raised as to (1) how the dead will be raised and (2) as to the kind of body which the raised will have 15:35

a. Some question how the dead are raised 15:35a

b. Some question the kind of body the raised will have 15:35b

2. Identifying the Corinthians as thoughtless in their questions, Paul affirms that the resurrection body is tied to its natural body, but is different than it because it is a heavenly body through the work of Christ 15:36-49

a. Paul calls the Corinthians thoughtless in their questions 15:36a

b. Paul argues that belief in the resurrection is like belief in seedtime and harvest in that the seed must die to live, and in that the grown state of the plant is given by God and is tied to the seed 15:36b-38

1) Paul affirms that for seed to come to life again it must die 15:36b

2) Paul continues his analogy by affirming that the seed sown is not in the form of the plant harvested, but God gives it a grown state that is tied to the seed 15:37-38

3) Using the known analogies of different kinds of bodies and different kinds of glory, Paul affirms that the natural body is sown through its identification with Adam, but is raised as a heavenly body through Christ 15:39-49

a) Paul affirms that there are many different kinds of flesh 15:39-40b

(1) Paul affirms that all flesh is not the same 15:39a

(2) There is a flesh of man 15:39b

(3) There is a flesh of beasts 15:39c

(4) There is a flesh of birds 15:39d

(5) There is a flesh of fish 15:39e

(6) There are heavenly bodies 15:40a

(7) There are earthly bodies 15:40b

b) Paul affirms that not all glories are the same 15:40c-41

(1) There is a glory of the heavenly bodies 15:40c

(2) There is another glory of the earthly bodies 15:40d

(3) There are different glories of the heavenlies too in that the glory of the moon is different than that of the stars, and than that of other stars 15:41

c) Just as there are different bodies and different glories, so is the body in that it is sown a body with the glory of earth through Adam, but it is raised as a body with the glory of heaven through Jesus 15:42-49

(1) Just as there are different bodies and different glories, so is the resurrection of the dead 15:42a

(2) Different bodies: The body is sown one kind of body (perishable, in dishonor, in weakness, natural), but raised another kind of body (imperishable, in glory, in power, spiritual) 15:42b-44a

(3) Conclusion: As with a seed, the existence of a natural body affirms the existence of a spiritual body 15:44b

(4) Different Glories: the risen body is not earthly like that which came through Adam, but heavenly like that which came through Jesus 15:45-49

3. Paul explains “how the dead are raised” through a new revelation which affirms that God will instantaneously change the natural body to a heavenly body for the dead and the living at the return of Christ so that they can inherit the kingdom of God and so that death for sin can finally be defeated 15:50-57

a. Paul affirms that there must be a radical change in the body for it to inherit the kingdom of God because the natural body cannot inherit the kingdom of God any more than the perishable can inherit the imperishable 15:50

b. Revealing that which was unknown in the OT, Paul teaches that many believers will be instantaneously changed from an earthly body to a heavenly body along with the dead who are raised at the appearing of Christ 15:51-53

1) Paul now speaks of a mystery (that not known in the OT) that all believers will not die (sleep), but (some) will be changed 15:51

2) The change will come quickly at the appearance of Christ 15:52a

3) The dead will be raised with imperishable bodies, and those alive will be changed 15:52b

4) The reason this change must occur is because that which is earthly (perishable, mortal), must become heavenly (imperishable, immortal) 15:53

c. The believer’s reception of a resurrection body through Jesus is man’s ultimate victory over his greatest enemy, death because of sin against God’s law 15:54-57

1) When the earthly body is changed to a heavenly body, death will finally be defeated as promised in Scripture (Isa. 25a; Hos. 13:14) 15:54-55

2) The Law stirs up sin, and sin leads to death, but God has given believers victory over death through Jesus 15:57

4. Paul affirms that the assurance of a bodily resurrection ought to lead the Christian to a life of steadfastness and abundant service for the Lord because that which is lost in this life is not permanent 15:58

VI. Specific Council for the Corinthians: Paul councils the Corinthians about how to care for the upcoming, Jerusalem collection in an orderly manner, and that he and his associates will be coming to visit them soon as the Lord wills 16:1-12

A. Concerning (περὶ δὲ) the Collection: Paul urges the Corinthians to set aside their offering for the Jerusalem saints in an orderly manner, and to appoint those to carry the gift along with him if it is an appropriate gift 16:1-4

1. Paul urges the Corinthians as he did the churches of Galatia to set aside money in accordance with one’s prosperity for the saints (of Jerusalem) on the first day of the week in order that there might not be a collection when he arrives 16:1-2

2. Paul urges the Corinthians to appoint those to carry their gift to Jerusalem along with letters from Paul, and with Paul himself if it is an appropriate gift 16:3-4

B. Concerning Future Visits: Paul informs the Corinthians that he and his associates (Timothy, and Apollos) will be visiting them as the Lord wills 16:5-12

1. Paul’s personal travel plans include an extended visit to Corinth after some additional ministry in Ephesus and a summer tour through Macedonia 16:5-9

a. Paul intends to come to the Corinthians after he has gone through his intended trip through Macedonia 16:5

b. Paul hopes to stay with the Corinthians for a while, even through the winter, before he departs, because he wants more than a brief visit with them if God permits it 16:6-7

c. Paul intends to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost (spring) because of the great opportunities of ministry available there as well as opponents to his ministry 16:8-9

2. Paul informs the Corinthians that Timothy and Apollos will be visiting them soon 16:10-12

a. Paul urges the Corinthians to not treat Timothy with contempt, but to honor him as a minister of the Lord and to send him back to Paul, along with the traveling party, in peace 16:10-11

1) Paul urges the Corinthians to make Timothy feel welcomed without fear if he comes to them because he is doing the Lord’s work just as Paul is 16:10

2) Paul warns the Corinthians not to despise Timothy, but to send him on his way in peace back to Paul who is expecting him with others from Paul’s traveling party 16:11

b. Even though Apollos did not desire to come to Corinth at the present time, he will come when he has an opportunity 16:12

1) Paul now writes concerning (περὶ δὲ) Apollos 16:12a

2) Paul has encouraged Apollos to come to the Corinthians 16:12b

3) Apollos did not desire to come to Corinth at the present time, but he will come when he is able 16:12c

VII. Conclusion to the Book: Paul exhorts the Corinthians to maturity of ministry, and closes with greetings, exhortations, a prayer for grace, and an expression of his love for the Corinthians 16:13-24

A. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to maturity of ministry and to honor their leaders 16:13-18

1. Paul gives several exhortations to the Corinthians: to be diligent (to God’s work), steadfast (in the faith), manly, morally strong (in maturity), and to live in love 16:13-14

2. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to respect and to submit to their spiritual leaders whether they be Stephanas, Fortunatus, or Achaicus 16:15-18

a. The household of Stephanas was the first of the believers in Achaia, and has devoted itself to ministry to believers 16:15

b. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to subject themselves to the household of Stephanas and to every one like them who assists in the ministry (work an labors) 16:16

c. Paul rejoices over the coming to Ephesus of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus because they have refreshed and encouraged him in a way that the Corinthians had not, so the Corinthians are to acknowledge them 16:17-18

B. In conclusion Paul sends greetings from those in Asia, exhorts the Corinthians positively and negatively, expresses his desire for the Lord to return, prays that they will receive God’s grace, and expresses his fatherly love 16:19-24

1. Paul sends greetings from the churches in Asia, Aquila and Prisca, the church in their house, and all of believers 16:19-20a

2. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to show love and unity to one another by greeting one another with a holy kiss 16:20b

3. Paul now stopped dictating his letter to a secretary and began writing in his own handwriting 16:21

4. Paul curses anyone (false teachers?) who does not love the Lord 16:22a

5. Paul prays for the Lord to return (μαράνα θά) 16:22b

6. Paul prays for grace from the Lord Jesus upon the Corinthians 16:23

7. Paul proclaims his love (as a father) for the believing Corinthians 16:24

---

¹ “Not to touch” is the figurative sense of ἅπτεσθαι for sexual intercourse (cf. LXX of Gen. 20:6 ἅψασθαι) and relates to the understanding of the “ascetics” who prohibited sexual relations which Paul counters in verse two (cf. 1 Cor. 6:12, 13, 18).

To have ones ‘own wife’ refers to sexual relations rather than the permission to marry (cf. 5:1)

² The “immorality” mentioned in 7:2 probably is a direct reference back to 6:12-20 where men, in all probability married, were going to the prostitutes (and possibly even at the suggestion of their ascetic wives!).

³ This is not describing a Spiritual gift because this context is not addressing “spiritual gifts” and there is an entire upcoming section which talks about this subject. It is describing the grace (χάρισμα) given by the Lord for a person to remain celibate or to choose marriage in life. It is almost as though Paul was describing the Lord’s will in terms of grace which He gives to accomplish that will (cf. Matt. 19:12 where, “there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.”).

⁴ The masculine term for “unmarried” (τοῖς ἀγάμοις) seems to be in parallel with the feminine term “widows” (ταῖς χήραις) and means “widower.” Note well that the New Testament does not use the classical Greek term for “widower” (χηρος), but places “unmarried” in parallel with “widow” for this concept. This may mean that Paul was once married, but was now widowed.

⁵ Note well that some say that Paul is not considering the matter of divorce for adultery, but Paul only understands the Lord’s teaching to permit two courses of action: remain single/unmarried or be reconciled. The fact that Paul adds ‘remain unmarried’ indicates that we are in the realm of legal divorce procedure that permitted remarriage.

⁶ Some understand this verse to teach that Paul allows the believer to remarry after the divorce which he permits in verse 15. But this verse does not seem to permit remarriage to the deserted Christian for the following reasons:

(1) The nature of marriage is a creation ordinance and is binding on all of mankind irrespective of one’s faith or the lack thereof (Genesis 1:27; 2:24).

(2) The entire context of 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 revolves around, and does not depart from Paul’s and the Lord’s command that a believer must not divorce. Therefore this unit is saying that “in the case of an unbelieving partner who deserts, one need not feel so bound by Christ’s prohibition of divorce as to be afraid to depart.

(3) Paul uses the same word for divorce in verse 15 as he did in verse 11 (χωρίζω--’to separate/leave’) where he clearly states the content of his use of it, and it does not include remarriage. The point is that the believer need not feel that they have to change the desire of their mate, but is still not to remarry.

(4) There is a similar hopeful outlook in 7:11a by not remarrying (‘let her be reconciled to her husband’) and 7:16 (perhaps conversion will occur of the departing spouse, cf. 7:12-13).

(5) The freedom of 7:15 (οὺ δεδούλωται “is not bound”) is not the same as the freedom of 7:39 (ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν “she is free”) because there is a different concept involved in the binding: (a) in 7:39 Paul discusses legal aspects through the term δέω [deo]--”to be bound or tied to a law or promise as in 7:27--cf. Romans 7:2 (b) in 7:15 Paul discusses the relationship in terms of “enslavement” using the term δουλεύω [douloo]--”to be enslaved, subjected, to serve.” Therefore Paul is saying that the person is not ‘enslaved’ to the departing spouse (i.e., he is not responsible for the divorce as in Matthew 5:32), not that one is freed from being bound to the “law/promise” of marriage.

(6) The Church Fathers of the first century regarded marriage as permanent even with non-Christian spouses (see Heth, Jesus and Divorce, pp. 22-44)

(7)The principle in 7:17-24 argues that Paul did not permit the deserted believer to change his status.

⁷ Paul uses the structural marker Περὶ δὲ (“Now concerning”) to identify a new subject in verses 25-38. This is the first place where Paul begins to discuss the situation of the previously unmarried. Note that Paul is addressing “virgins” in this unit--the previously unmarried. The term for virgins (παρθένων) should not be translated as “unmarried” allowing for the case of one who is divorced as in 7:11 (“remain unmarried”).

⁸ In view of the new subject in 7:25 to the “previously unmarried,” 7:27 does not apply to the “divorced” when Paul uses the term “released” (λύω). Rather, he is describing, contextually, those who are bound by the promise of “engagement”! Note also that the term for being loosed (λύω) is not the term he used elsewhere for divorce (χωρίζω, cf. 7:11, 12, 13, or ἀφίημι, cf. 7:11, 12, 13). Finally, the “you” in 7:28 is singular referring to the man, and is in parallel to the case of the “virgin” (ἡ παρθένος).

⁹ Verse 32 refers to the male: The gender of “unmarried” is masculine (ἀμερίμνους) and refers to the man who is still single, though engaged.

¹⁰ Verse 34 refers to the unmarried betrothed woman (ἡ γυνὴ ) or virgin (ἡ Παρθένος). What characterizes the life of the single individual and the engaged person is the fact that they are still free to serve the Lord with full devotion.

¹¹ There are many, many views on the meaning of this unit:

(1) Paul is giving advice to the father of a girl who is beyond marriageable age (NASB). In this case “anyone” in verse 36 refers to a father. This view is more consistent with the verbs of the passage (especially verse 38 where the idea is to give in marriage). The father may be acting unbecomingly in that he has determined that she should not marry and thus forbids her to do so, but now sees that she needs to marry (36). With this view if the father (a) had a settled and firm conviction about the propriety of her celibacy, (b) was in a position where he was free to exercise his authority in that he was not a slave and (c) was under no compulsion from evidence which spoke otherwise about his daughter’s need, then he does well to remain confirmed in his stance (37). Neither giving or not giving one’s daughter in marriage is good but the latter is better (38). A problem is with the use of γαμείτωσαν in 7:36 (let them marry) which is 3 pl. pres. act. imper. implying that the certain one and the girl are to be married. However this could refer to the daughter and her fiancee.

(2) Paul is describing a kind of spiritual marriage in which couples live together without having sexual relations

(3) Paul is speaking about a widowed sister-in-law and the Corinthians want to know if they are bound by the Jewish custom of Levirate marriage

(4) Paul is addressing engaged men and women concerning whether they should fulfill their promise in view of the present distress. In this case “anyone” in verse 36 refers to a bridegroom. A problem is in the verbs which are used where γαμεω means to marry (v. 36) and γαμιζω means to give in marriage (v. 38) [cf. BAGD pp. 150-151; also Matt. 24:38; Mark 12:25]. The descriptions of the man seem more natural for a fiancee than for a father. This view fits the broader argument better: (a) Remaining unmarried is preferred [25-35], (b) Marrying one’s fiancee is permitted but not preferred [36-38], (c) Remarriage of widows in the Lord is permitted but not preferred [7:39-40]. This view presents a consistent use of subject for the verbs which are used throughout the passage (cf RSV and NIV). Problems with this view are: (a) “His virgin” seems odd for a fiancee: but it is commonly used for a betrothed girl (cf. Luke 1:27; Matt. 1:18, 23; 25:1-13; 2 Cor. 11:2), (b) it is odd to consider it okay to remain single with one with whom you are engaged to be married. But this is the point of the passage--there is a freedom to serve God as a single person.

¹² Cf. Romans 7:1-3.

¹³ Christ was with them in that they had the water from the rock at the beginning of the wilderness wandering (Ex. 17:1-7) and at the conclusion of the wandering (Ex. 20:1-13).

¹⁴ This is not contradictory to 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. On the contrary, Paul permitted the participation of women in the service when they were properly adorned, but if their husbands were in attendance, then it was of a higher order to express their submission to them rather than to publicly speak in the assembly (cf. 2 Timothy 2:11-15).

¹⁵ There could be 1,000 years between verses 23 and 24 just as there have been almost 2,000 years between 23a and 23b!

A Chronological Daily Bible Study of the Old Testament
7-Day Sections with a Summary-Commentary, Discussion Questions, and a Practical Daily Application

Week 41

Sunday (2 Chronicles 27, Isaiah 9–12)

2 Chronicles

Jotham’s Reign

27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 27:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) Yet the people were still sinning.

27:3 He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel. 27:4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

27:5 He launched a military campaign against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents of silver, 10,000 kors of wheat, and 10,000 kors of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years.

27:6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God. 27:7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. 27:8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 27:9 Jotham passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Isaiah

9:1 The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. In earlier times he humiliated the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali; but now he brings honor to the way of the sea, the region beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the nations.

9:2 The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness.

9:3 You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder.

9:4 For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat.

9:5 Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth and every garment dragged through blood is used as fuel for the fire.

9:6 For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called:

Extraordinary Strategist,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

9:7 His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The Lord’s intense devotion to his people will accomplish this.

9:8 God’s Judgment Intensifies The sovereign master decreed judgment on Jacob, and it fell on Israel.

9:9 All the people were aware of it, the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria. Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said,

9:10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with chiseled stone; the sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”

9:11 Then the Lord provoked their adversaries to attack them, he stirred up their enemies –

9:12 Syria from the east, and the Philistines from the west, they gobbled up Israelite territory. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

9:13 The people did not return to the one who struck them, they did not seek reconciliation with the Lord who commands armies.

9:14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, both the shoots and stalk in one day.

9:15 The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

9:16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people, and the people being led were destroyed.

9:17 So the sovereign master was not pleased with their young men, he took no pity on their orphans and widows; for the whole nation was godless and did wicked things, every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

9:18 For evil burned like a fire, it consumed thorns and briers; it burned up the thickets of the forest, and they went up in smoke.

9:19 Because of the anger of the Lord who commands armies, the land was scorched, and the people became fuel for the fire. People had no compassion on one another.

9:20 They devoured on the right, but were still hungry, they ate on the left, but were not satisfied. People even ate the flesh of their own arm!

9:21 Manasseh fought against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh; together they fought against Judah. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

10:1 Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, those who are always instituting unfair regulations,

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment, and to deprive the oppressed among my people of justice, so they can steal what widows own, and loot what belongs to orphans.

10:3 What will you do on judgment day, when destruction arrives from a distant place? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners, or to fall among those who have been killed. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

The Lord Turns on Arrogant Assyria

10:5 Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, a cudgel with which I angrily punish.

10:6 I sent him against a godless nation, I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, to take plunder and to carry away loot, to trample them down like dirt in the streets.

10:7 But he does not agree with this, his mind does not reason this way, for his goal is to destroy, and to eliminate many nations.

10:8 Indeed, he says: “Are not my officials all kings?

10:9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish? Hamath like Arpad? Samaria like Damascus?

10:10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols, whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem’s or Samaria’s.

10:11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.”

10:12 But when the sovereign master finishes judging Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then I will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays. 10:13 For he says: “By my strong hand I have accomplished this, by my strategy that I devised. I invaded the territory of nations, and looted their storehouses. Like a mighty conqueror, I brought down rulers.

10:14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest, as one gathers up abandoned eggs, I gathered up the whole earth. There was no wing flapping, or open mouth chirping.”

10:15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it, or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it? As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it, or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!

10:16 For this reason the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, will make his healthy ones emaciated. His majestic glory will go up in smoke.

10:17 The light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One will become a flame; it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s briers and his thorns in one day.

10:18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard will be completely destroyed, as when a sick man’s life ebbs away.

10:19 There will be so few trees left in his forest, a child will be able to count them.

10:20 At that time those left in Israel, those who remain of the family of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. Instead they will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 10:21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. Destruction has been decreed; just punishment is about to engulf you.

10:23 The sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land.

10:24 So here is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did. 10:25 For very soon my fury will subside, and my anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt.

10:27 At that time the Lord will remove their burden from your shoulders, and their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large.

10:28 They attacked Aiath, moved through Migron, depositing their supplies at Micmash.

10:29 They went through the pass, spent the night at Geba. Ramah trembled, Gibeah of Saul ran away.

10:30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, Laishah! Answer her, Anathoth!

10:31 Madmenah flees, the residents of Gebim have hidden.

10:32 This very day, standing in Nob, they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s mountain – at the hill of Jerusalem.

10:33 Look, the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power. The tallest trees will be cut down, the loftiest ones will be brought low.

10:34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax, and mighty Lebanon will fall.

An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace

11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots.

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him – a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.

11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by mere appearances, or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and order the wicked to be executed.

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist, integrity will be like a belt around his hips.

11:6 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along.

11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.

11:8 A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand.

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea.

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic. 11:11 At that time the sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts.

11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations; he will gather Israel’s dispersed people and assemble Judah’s scattered people from the four corners of the earth.

11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated. Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.

11:14 They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

11:15 The Lord will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind, he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, and enable them to walk across in their sandals.

11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria for the remnant of his people, just as there was for Israel, when they went up from the land of Egypt.

12:1 At that time you will say: “I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”

12:3 Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance.

12:4 At that time you will say: “Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique!

12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things, let this be known throughout the earth!

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel acts mightily among you!”

Prayer

Lord, humankind had an intimate relationship with You in Eden and chose to rebel, Israel has You as their King yet rebelliously-demanded a mere human king, and now that it had been proved that no king or prophet could lead them back to You – You promised a Savior. May I always remember that there is no such thing as works-righteousness, because the entire history of humankind since the Fall proved it impossible; there is only the gift of Jesus the Christ. When You return – in the form of a glorified Jesus the Christ – it will be to restore the earth and all that is on and in and above it to essentially that which was the pre-Fall Edenic condition.

Scripture In Perspective

Isaiah brought to a hopeless people a promise of hope from the Lord God, that a Child was to come Who would bring an eternity of freedom and peace, that that Child would be of the same ‘kind’ as the Lord God – not a mere man – fulfilling perfectly the promise of the perfected ‘Davidic king’ - which no mere fallen man could ever fill.

Meanwhile, the anger of the Lord God against the rebellious Israelites would continue, making their punishment complete.

The “arrogant” and “godless” Assyrians, and their demonically-insane barbarism, would be punished as well. The Lord God would bring them low, taking away everything that they had not earned as a result of Him using them as His divine “cudgel”, therefore leaving nothing. The burdensome domination of Israeli territory would be lifted.

In the end of this era of history the Lord God would bring back only a remnant of the huge diaspora (displaced population) of Israelites.

The prophesy of the Lord God, as delivered through Isaiah, elaborated upon the coming Messiah, describing the pre-Fall Edenic peace that would come to all people and to every creature because “... there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea.

He promised to gather-in all of the dispersed people of Israel, indeed to even dry-up the Euphrates so that the path of their travel home would be eased.

Praise and thanks and worship would flow like a river “At that time you will say: “I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me.”

“Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”

“Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance.

“At that time you will say: “Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique!

“Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things, let this be known throughout the earth!

“Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel acts mightily among you!”“

Jotham was generally loyal to the Lord God, though the people were not, and the Lord God gave him military victory and otherwise blessed his reign.

Interact with the text

Consider

God declared that His patience with the chronically-rebellious Israel had come to an end – so the prophesy through Isaiah merely spelled-out how the consequences would play-out. No room is left in this prophesy of the coming Messiah that He is anything short of a member of the unique trinitarian-God, as it is written “At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic. At that time the sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people ...” The Messiah, Jesus the Christ, is also “The Sovereign Master”.

Discuss

Why would the Lord God only restore a remnant, rather than the millions of Israelites who had been scattered far and wide? Is there any doubt that this section of text describes the return of Jesus “... universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty ...”, since such a submission has never before occurred?

Reflect

While the people of his time did not really comprehend the enormity of the prophesied Savior, Whom the Lord God was announcing through Isaiah, it did establish a baseline for recognizing the One and only Messiah. The natural response of a freed people is praise and thanks.

Share

When have you observed someone in business, politics, or sports boasting about a success which they clearly did not earn all on their own? Have you ever imagined what the ‘restored Eden’ might be and look like?

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your life where something has been accomplished for which you have not yet given the Lord God full credit and to give you a renewed desire to be absolutely surrendered to the Lordship of Christ in your life.

Act

Today I will humbly acknowledge the blessing of the Lord God which provided for me a success that I have pridefully imagined to be my accomplishment alone. I will prayerfully contemplate then submit to partner with the Holy Spirit one more part of my life, one which I have withheld from Him. While keeping that one under His Lordship, I will then add another and another … continuing until my temporary days on this temporary earth have ended.

Be Specific ________________________________________________

Monday (Micah 1–7)

Introduction

1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to Samaria and Jerusalem.

The Judge is Coming

1:2 Listen, all you nations! Pay attention, all inhabitants of earth! The sovereign Lord will testify against you; the Lord will accuse you from his majestic palace.

1:3 Look, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling place! He will descend and march on the earth’s mountaintops!

1:4 The mountains will disintegrate beneath him, and the valleys will be split in two. The mountains will melt like wax in a fire, the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope.

1:5 All this is because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the nation of Israel. How has Jacob rebelled, you ask? Samaria epitomizes their rebellion! Where are Judah’s pagan worship centers, you ask? They are right in Jerusalem!

1:6 “I will turn Samaria into a heap of ruins in an open field – vineyards will be planted there! I will tumble the rubble of her stone walls down into the valley, and tear down her fortifications to their foundations.

1:7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces; all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. I will make a waste heap of all her images. Since she gathered the metal as a prostitute collects her wages, the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.”

1:8 For this reason I will mourn and wail; I will walk around barefoot and without my outer garments. I will howl like a wild dog, and screech like an owl.

1:9 For Samaria’s disease is incurable. It has infected Judah; it has spread to the leadership of my people and has even contaminated Jerusalem!

1:10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! Don’t shed even a single tear! In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust!

1:11 Residents of Shaphir, pass by in nakedness and humiliation! The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. Beth Ezel mourns, “He takes from you what he desires.”

1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth hope for something good to happen, though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem.

1:13 Residents of Lachish, hitch the horses to the chariots! You influenced Daughter Zion to sin, for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back to you!

1:14 Therefore you will have to say farewell to Moresheth Gath. The residents of Achzib will be as disappointing as a dried up well to the kings of Israel.

1:15 Residents of Mareshah, a conqueror will attack you, the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam.

1:16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love; shave your foreheads as bald as an eagle, for they are taken from you into exile.

Land Robbers Will Lose their Land

2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, because they have the power to do so.

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire, and seize the houses they want. They defraud people of their homes, and deprive people of the land they have inherited.

2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of catastrophe.

2:4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you – they will mock you with this lament: ‘We are completely destroyed; they sell off the property of my people. How they remove it from me! They assign our fields to the conqueror.’

2:5 Therefore no one will assign you land in the Lord’s community.

2:6 ‘Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,’ they say excitedly. ‘These prophets should not preach of such things; we will not be overtaken by humiliation.’

2:7 Does the family of Jacob say, ‘The Lord’s patience can’t be exhausted – he would never do such things’? To be sure, my commands bring a reward for those who obey them,

2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. You steal a robe from a friend, from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war.

2:9 You wrongly evict widows among my people from their cherished homes. You defraud their children of their prized inheritance.

2:10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave! For this land is not secure! Sin will thoroughly destroy it!

2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say, ‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ he would be just the right preacher for these people!

The Lord Will Restore His People

2:12 I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob, I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain. I will bring them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in the middle of a pasture; they will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise.

2:13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave. Their king will advance before them, The Lord himself will lead them.

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel! You ought to know what is just,

3:2 yet you hate what is good, and love what is evil. You flay my people’s skin and rip the flesh from their bones.

3:3 You devour my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and crush their bones. You chop them up like flesh in a pot – like meat in a kettle.

3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time, because they have done such wicked deeds.”

3:5 This is what the Lord says: “The prophets who mislead my people are as good as dead. If someone gives them enough to eat, they offer an oracle of peace. But if someone does not give them food, they are ready to declare war on him.

3:6 Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions; it will grow dark, and you will no longer be able to read the omens. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads.

3:7 The prophets will be ashamed; the omen readers will be humiliated. All of them will cover their mouths, for they will receive no divine oracles.”

3:8 But I am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives, and have a strong commitment to justice. This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion, and Israel with its sin.

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family of Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel! You hate justice and pervert all that is right.

3:10 You build Zion through bloody crimes, Jerusalem through unjust violence.

3:11 Her leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, her priests proclaim rulings for profit, and her prophets read omens for pay. Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, “The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!”

3:12 Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the Temple Mount will become a hill overgrown with brush!

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; it will be more prominent than other hills. People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying, “Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the temple of Jacob’s God, so he can teach us his commands and we can live by his laws.” For Zion will be the source of instruction; the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem.

4:3 He will arbitrate between many peoples and settle disputes between many distant nations. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not use weapons against other nations, and they will no longer train for war.

4:4 Each will sit under his own grapevine or under his own fig tree without any fear. The Lord who commands armies has decreed it.

4:5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods, we will follow the Lord our God forever.

Restoration Will Follow Crisis

4:6 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame, and assemble the outcasts whom I injured.

4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, and those far off into a mighty nation. The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion, from that day forward and forevermore.”

4:8 As for you, watchtower for the flock, fortress of Daughter Zion – your former dominion will be restored, the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.

4:9 Jerusalem, why are you now shouting so loudly? Has your king disappeared? Has your wise leader been destroyed? Is this why pain grips you as if you were a woman in labor?

4:10 Twist and strain, Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor! For you will leave the city and live in the open field. You will go to Babylon, but there you will be rescued. There the Lord will deliver you from the power of your enemies.

4:11 Many nations have now assembled against you. They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, so we can gloat over Zion!”

4:12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning; they do not understand his strategy. He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed at the threshing floor.

4:13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion! For I will give you iron horns; I will give you bronze hooves, and you will crush many nations.” You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them, and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler of the whole earth.

5:1 But now slash yourself, daughter surrounded by soldiers! We are besieged! With a scepter they strike Israel’s ruler on the side of his face.

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah – from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past.

5:3 So the Lord will hand the people of Israel over to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of the king’s countrymen will return to be reunited with the people of Israel.

5:4 He will assume his post and shepherd the people by the Lord’s strength, by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth.

5:5 He will give us peace. Should the Assyrians try to invade our land and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, we will send against them seven shepherd-rulers, make that eight commanders.

5:6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn sword. Our king will rescue us from the Assyrians should they attempt to invade our land and try to set foot in our territory.

5:7 Those survivors from Jacob will live in the midst of many nations. They will be like the dew the Lord sends, like the rain on the grass, that does not hope for men to come or wait around for humans to arrive.

5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations, in the midst of many peoples. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which attacks when it passes through; it rips its prey and there is no one to stop it.

5:9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; may all your enemies be destroyed!

The Lord Will Purify His People

5:10 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will destroy your horses from your midst, and smash your chariots.

5:11 I will destroy the cities of your land, and tear down all your fortresses.

5:12 I will remove the sorcery that you practice, and you will no longer have omen readers living among you.

5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst; you will no longer worship what your own hands made.

5:14 I will uproot your images of Asherah from your midst, and destroy your idols.

5:15 I will angrily seek vengeance on the nations that do not obey me.”

The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual

6:1 Listen to what the Lord says: “Get up! Defend yourself before the mountains! Present your case before the hills!”

6:2 Hear the Lord’s accusation, you mountains, you enduring foundations of the earth! For the Lord has a case against his people; he has a dispute with Israel!

6:3 “My people, how have I wronged you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!

6:4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I delivered you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.

6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, how Balaam son of Beor responded to him. Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal, so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.”

6:6 With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? With what should I bow before the sovereign God? Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

6:7 Will the Lord accept a thousand rams, or ten thousand streams of olive oil? Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion, my offspring – my own flesh and blood – for my sin?

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.

6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city! It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city!

6:10 “I will not overlook, O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much.

6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales, or a bag of deceptive weights.

6:12 The city’s rich men think nothing of resorting to violence; her inhabitants lie, their tongues speak deceptive words.

6:13 I will strike you brutally and destroy you because of your sin.

6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied. Even if you have the strength to overtake some prey, you will not be able to carry it away; if you do happen to carry away something, I will deliver it over to the sword.

6:15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them; you will squeeze oil from the olives, but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink.

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri, and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; you follow their policies. Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, the city’s inhabitants will be taunted derisively, and nations will mock all of you.”

Micah Laments Judah’s Sin

7:1 I am depressed! Indeed, it is as if the summer fruit has been gathered, and the grapes have been harvested. There is no grape cluster to eat, no fresh figs that I crave so much.

7:2 Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left. They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net.

7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men make demands, and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.

7:4 The best of them is like a thorn; the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way, and then you will experience confusion.

7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust a companion! Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms!

7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool, a daughter challenges her mother, and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are his own servants.

7:7 But I will keep watching for the Lord; I will wait for the God who delivers me. My God will hear my lament.

Jerusalem Will Be Vindicated

7:8 My enemies, do not gloat over me! Though I have fallen, I will get up. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

7:9 I must endure the Lord’s anger, for I have sinned against him. But then he will defend my cause, and accomplish justice on my behalf. He will lead me out into the light; I will experience firsthand his deliverance.

7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame. They say to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” I will gloat over them. Then they will be trampled down like mud in the streets.

7:11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls; in that day your boundary will be extended.

A Closing Prayer

7:12 In that day people will come to you from Assyria as far as Egypt, from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, from the seacoasts and the mountains.

7:13 The earth will become desolate because of what its inhabitants have done.

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, the flock that belongs to you, the one that lives alone in a thicket, in the midst of a pastureland. Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, as they did in the old days.

7:15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt, I will show you miraculous deeds.”

7:16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by all their strength, they will put their hands over their mouths, and act as if they were deaf.

7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake, like serpents crawling on the ground. They will come trembling from their strongholds to the Lord our God; they will be terrified of you.

7:18 There is no other God like you! You forgive sin and pardon the rebellion of those who remain among your people. You do not remain angry forever, but delight in showing loyal love.

7:19 You will once again have mercy on us; you will conquer our evil deeds; you will hurl our sins into the depths of the sea.

7:20 You will be loyal to Jacob and extend your loyal love to Abraham, which you promised on oath to our ancestors in ancient times.

Prayer

Lord, Your consistent message was of teaching, encouraging, and facilitating, followed by warning when the people drifted, followed by judgment when they were unrepentant, but then You always held-out the possibility of redemption. May I know Your heart so that when I stumble I return to You with a repentant heart – knowing that You love to restore.

Scripture In Perspective

Micah was the Lord God’s prophet of warning and of judgment primarily to Samaria, and also to Jerusalem and Judah.

He delivered the Lord’s list of charges against Samaria for their worship of false idols and for spreading that to Jerusalem.

Micah challenged the people that their hearts had become so corrupted that they only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear instead of the Lord God’s truth “If a lying windbag should come and say, ‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ he would be just the right preacher for these people!”

He spoke of hope in the future “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame, and assemble the outcasts whom I injured.”

Micah warned that those who gloated as they attacked Jerusalem would themselves suffer later “But they do not know what the Lord is planning; they do not understand his strategy. He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed at the threshing floor.”

He warned Judah that the corruption was so complete “Do not rely on a friend; do not trust a companion! Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms! For a son thinks his father is a fool, a daughter challenges her mother, and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are his own servants.” Then he contrasted their condition with his own “But I will keep watching for the Lord; I will wait for the God who delivers me. My God will hear my lament.”

Micah concluded with a word of hope “There is no other God like you! You forgive sin and pardon the rebellion of those who remain among your people. You do not remain angry forever, but delight in showing loyal love. You will once again have mercy on us; you will conquer our evil deeds; you will hurl our sins into the depths of the sea. You will be loyal to Jacob and extend your loyal love to Abraham, which you promised on oath to our ancestors in ancient times.”

Interact with the text

Consider

The corrupting impact of false idols and a deadened heart toward the Lord God makes people vulnerable to easy deception by false teachers.

Discuss

Given the apparent utter-depravity of the people why would Micah pray with assurance that the Lord God would restore them?

Reflect

The corruption was so bad that one could not even trust ones wife or other relatives or servants.

Share

When have you experienced or observed a social environment where the people were so depraved that none of them could reasonably trust one-another?

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you someone, or some Christian organization, that is under attack and needs hope that the Lord God will sustain and restore them - and that the attackers will be repelled by the Lord and given their just-reward.

Act

Today I will pray for the person or organization You have designated and, as-appropriate, I will make some kind of contact to share a word of encouragement and of hope.

Be Specific _____________________________________________

Tuesday (2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 16-17)

2 Chronicles

Ahaz’s Reign

28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David. 28:2 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 28:3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

28:5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him. 28:6 In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 28:7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 28:8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it back to Samaria.

28:9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice. 28:10 And now you are planning to enslave the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 28:11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!” 28:12 So some of the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted those returning from the battle. 28:13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord? Our guilt is already great and the Lord is very angry at Israel.” 28:14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 28:15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked. So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys. They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.

28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. 28:17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 28:18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands and the Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 28:19 The Lord humiliated Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very unfaithful to the Lord. 28:20 King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support. 28:21 Ahaz gathered riches from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.

28:22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 28:23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. He reasoned, “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 28:24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 28:25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.

28:26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 28:27 Ahaz passed away and was buried in the City of David; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

2 Kings

Ahaz’s Reign over Judah

16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. 16:3 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 16:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz, but were unable to conquer him. 16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. Syrians arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; he attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people to Kir and executed Rezin.

16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. 16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. 16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and offered a sacrifice on it. 16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.” 16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as King Ahaz ordered.

16:17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea” down from the bronze bulls that supported it and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning that had been built in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria.

16:19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 16:20 Ahaz passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Hoshea’s Reign over Israel

17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years. 17:2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. 17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. 17:4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. Hoshea had sent messengers to King So of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. 17:5 The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.

A Summary of Israel’s Sinful History

17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods; 17:8 they observed the practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. 17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. 17:10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 17:11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. 17:12 They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command.

17:13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.” 17:14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, who had not trusted the Lord their God. 17:15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. 17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry.

17:18 So the Lord was furious with Israel and rejected them; only the tribe of Judah was left. 17:19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel’s example. 17:20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 17:21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. 17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate them. 17:23 Finally the Lord rejected Israel just as he had warned he would do through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.

The King of Assyria Populates Israel with Foreigners

17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 17:25 When they first moved in, they did not worship the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 17:26 The king of Assyria was told, “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” 17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship the Lord.

17:29 But each of these nations made its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the people from Cuth made Nergal, the people from Hamath made Ashima, 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. 17:33 They were worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement with them and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 17:40 But they pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

Prayer

Lord, the chronic disobedience of the king, and of the people, led to terrible trouble, yet You patiently defended the essence of Israel and Judah. May I remember that my choices have consequences; upon the blessings you wish to bestow for obedience, and upon the troubles that will come from disobedience. Your ancient people of Israel refused to learn and to obey and thus squandered the blessing of the Promised Land and surrendered the gift of freedom You had given them. May I learn to be more obedient so that I do not become again a servant of the sin of this fallen world.

Scripture In Perspective

Ahaz was king of Judah for sixteen years, he was an evil king who even passed his son through the fire. King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked so Ahaz appealed to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria – sending him all the silver and gold in the temple and royal residence and offering to become his dependent were he to rescue him.

The Assyrians agreed and attacked Damascus, deporting the people, and killing king Rezin.

Ahaz traveled to Assyria to see the king and while there he saw the altar. He drew diagrams then sent word to Uriah the priest to duplicate them, which he did. Upon Ahaz’s return he initiated new schedules for regular sacrifices and otherwise rearranged things in the temple.

Ahaz was unfaithful to the Lord God as king of Judah so he was handed over to his enemies in Israel, who took his wealth and many captives, Israel also took 200,000 wives and others but the prophet challenged the leaders of Israel who challenged the army who then released them. Ahaz multiplied false worship throughout Judah but when he died he was not buried in the royal tombs.

Hoshea was king of Israel for nine years and while he was not as evil as many who came before him he still failed to follow the Lord fully. King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened to invade Israel so Hoshea submitted Israel and paid tribute.

Hoshea then decided to ask Egypt for assistance in a rebellion against Assyria and Shalmaneser discovered the plan, arrested Hoshea and laid seige against Israel for three years, finally overwhelming it and deporting the people.

The Lord God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, brought them to the promised land, and then caused them to be removed from the Promised Land due to their chronic disobedience.

Assyria repopulated the Promised Land with foreigners who again filled it with pagan worship of false gods.

The Lord God sent lions among the foreigners and many were killed so that the Assyrians brought back priests from the deported Israelites to teach them how to worship what they superstitiously understood as “the god of the land”. They added those Israelite worship rituals to their pagan rituals.

Interact With The Text

Consider

Despite generations of evidence that obedience brought blessings to the king and the people alike Ahaz followed his foolish predecessors and disrespected the Lord God.

Discuss

When Israel saw Assyria deport so many from Judah why would they not desperately seek a way to please the Lord God so that they would be protected from the same fate?

Reflect

Assyria became the major power in the region, obliterating Damascus and essentially controlling both Israel and Judah. The Promised Land reverted to its Fallen and cursed condition despite all that the Lord God did to make it a wonderful home for Israel.

Share

When have you experienced a terrible experience, causing you to return your attention to the Lord? When have you experienced or observed poor decisions made over and over despite the clear evidence that they would lead to bad results?

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to drive a wedge between anything in the world which distracts you from the priority of your relationship with the Lord God and to reveal to you a place in your life where you are being disobedient.

Act

Today I will listen to the Holy Spirit and obey. I will turn away from the idols and obsessions of this temporary world and rather give my attention and worship to the eternal things of God. I will repent (confess and turn away from) my rebellion. It may be a failure to pray, a failure to fellowship, a failure to serve, a failure to witness, a failure to resist or to flee sin. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement for my surrender of this place in my life and to be my accountability partner as I cooperate with the Holy Spirit in never returning to that sin.

Be Specific _________________________________________________

Wednesday (Isaiah 13–27)

The Lord Will Judge Babylon

13:1 This is a message about Babylon that God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz:

13:2 On a bare hill raise a signal flag, shout to them, wave your hand, so they might enter the gates of the princes!

13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones.

13:4 There is a loud noise on the mountains – it sounds like a large army! There is great commotion among the kingdoms – nations are being assembled! The Lord who commands armies is mustering forces for battle.

13:5 They come from a distant land, from the horizon. It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, coming to destroy the whole earth.

13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment is near; it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge.

13:7 For this reason all hands hang limp, every human heart loses its courage.

13:8 They panic – cramps and pain seize hold of them like those of a woman who is straining to give birth. They look at one another in astonishment; their faces are flushed red.

13:9 Look, the Lord’s day of judgment is coming; it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger, destroying the earth and annihilating its sinners.

13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations no longer give out their light; the sun is darkened as soon as it rises, and the moon does not shine.

13:11 I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their sin. I will put an end to the pride of the insolent, I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants.

13:12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold, and people more scarce than gold from Ophir.

13:13 So I will shake the heavens, and the earth will shake loose from its foundation, because of the fury of the Lord who commands armies, in the day he vents his raging anger.

13:14 Like a frightened gazelle or a sheep with no shepherd, each will turn toward home, each will run to his homeland.

13:15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed; everyone who is seized will die by the sword.

13:16 Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives raped.

13:17 Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; they are not concerned about silver, nor are they interested in gold.

13:18 Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons; they have no compassion on a person’s offspring, they will not look with pity on children.

13:19 Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the Chaldeans’ source of honor and pride, will be destroyed by God just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

13:20 No one will live there again; no one will ever reside there again. No bedouin will camp there, no shepherds will rest their flocks there.

13:21 Wild animals will rest there, the ruined houses will be full of hyenas. Ostriches will live there, wild goats will skip among the ruins.

13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses, jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces. Her time is almost up, her days will not be prolonged.

14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family of Jacob. 14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, 14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: “Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased!

14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers.

14:6 It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint.

14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song.

14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ‘Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’

14:9 Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones.

14:10 All of them respond to you, saying: ‘You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us!

14:11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.

14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations!

14:13 You said to yourself, “I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon.

14:14 I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!”

14:15 But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the pit.

14:16 Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: “Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble?

14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert, who ruined its cities, and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”‘

14:18 As for all the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in splendor, each in his own tomb.

14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave like a shoot that is thrown away. You lie among the slain, among those who have been slashed by the sword, among those headed for the stones of the pit, as if you were a mangled corpse.

14:20 You will not be buried with them, because you destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again.

14:21 Prepare to execute his sons for the sins their ancestors have committed. They must not rise up and take possession of the earth, or fill the surface of the world with cities.”

14:22 “I will rise up against them,” says the Lord who commands armies. “I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, including the offspring she produces,” says the Lord.

14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals and covered with pools of stagnant water. I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” says the Lord who commands armies.

14:24 The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow: “Be sure of this: Just as I have intended, so it will be; just as I have planned, it will happen.

14:25 I will break Assyria in my land, I will trample them underfoot on my hills. Their yoke will be removed from my people, the burden will be lifted from their shoulders.

14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth; my hand is ready to strike all the nations.”

14:27 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has a plan, and who can possibly frustrate it? His hand is ready to strike, and who can possibly stop it?

The Lord Will Judge the Philistines

14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, this message was revealed:

14:29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines, just because the club that beat you has been broken! For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root, and its fruit will be a darting adder.

14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; the needy will rest securely. But I will kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors.

14:31 Wail, O city gate! Cry out, O city! Melt with fear, all you Philistines! For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there are no stragglers in its ranks.

14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

The Lord Will Judge Moab

15:1 Here is a message about Moab: Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Ar of Moab is destroyed! Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Kir of Moab is destroyed!

15:2 They went up to the temple, the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off.

15:3 In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their roofs and in their town squares all of them wail, they fall down weeping.

15:4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress; their courage wavers.

15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, and for the fugitives stretched out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim.

15:6 For the waters of Nimrim are gone; the grass is dried up, the vegetation has disappeared, and there are no plants.

15:7 For this reason what they have made and stored up, they carry over the Stream of the Poplars.

15:8 Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory; their wailing can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim.

15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon are full of blood! Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. A lion will attack the Moabite fugitives and the people left in the land.

16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the hill of Daughter Zion.

16:2 At the fords of the Arnon the Moabite women are like a bird that flies about when forced from its nest.

16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! Provide some shade in the middle of the day! Hide the fugitives! Do not betray the one who tries to escape!

16:4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live among you. Hide them from the destroyer!” Certainly the one who applies pressure will cease, the destroyer will come to an end, those who trample will disappear from the earth.

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established; he will rule in a reliable manner, this one from David’s family. He will be sure to make just decisions and will be experienced in executing justice.

16:6 We have heard about Moab’s pride, their great arrogance, their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty!

16:7 So Moab wails over its demise – they all wail! Completely devastated, they moan about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.

16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up, as well as the vines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines, which reach Jazer and spread to the desert; their shoots spread out and cross the sea.

16:9 So I weep along with Jazer over the vines of Sibmah. I will saturate you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh, for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly over your fruit and crops.

16:10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards, and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts; no one treads out juice in the wine vats – I have brought the joyful shouts to an end.

16:11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, my inner being sighs for Kir Hareseth.

16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective!

16:13 This is the message the Lord previously announced about Moab. 16:14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: “Within exactly three years Moab’s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left.”

The Lord Will Judge Damascus

17:1 Here is a message about Damascus: “Look, Damascus is no longer a city, it is a heap of ruins!

17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. They will be used for herds, which will lie down there in peace.

17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim, and Damascus will lose its kingdom. The survivors in Syria will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,” says the Lord who commands armies.

17:4 “At that time Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, and he will become skin and bones.

17:5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest, and his hand gleans the ear of grain. It will be like one gathering the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.

17:6 There will be some left behind, like when an olive tree is beaten – two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top, four or five on its fruitful branches,” says the Lord God of Israel.

17:7 At that time men will trust in their creator; they will depend on the Holy One of Israel.

17:8 They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made.

17:9 At that time their fortified cities will be like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, which they abandoned because of the Israelites; there will be desolation.

17:10 For you ignore the God who rescues you; you pay no attention to your strong protector. So this is what happens: You cultivate beautiful plants and plant exotic vines.

17:11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout. Yet the harvest will disappear in the day of disease and incurable pain.

17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves.

17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, when he shouts at them, they will flee to a distant land, driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills, or like dead thistles before a strong gale.

17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; by morning they vanish. This is the fate of those who try to plunder us, the destiny of those who try to loot us!

The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South

18:1 The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, the one beyond the rivers of Cush,

18:2 that sends messengers by sea, who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus. Go, you swift messengers, to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, to a people that are feared far and wide, to a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide.

18:3 All you who live in the world, who reside on the earth, you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown.

18:4 For this is what the Lord has told me: “I will wait and watch from my place, like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.”

18:5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted, and the ripening fruit appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will prune the tendrils.

18:6 They will all be left for the birds of the hills and the wild animals; the birds will eat them during the summer, and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.

18:7 At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies, by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned, a people that are feared far and wide, a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide. The tribute will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion.

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

19:1 Here is a message about Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud and approaches Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the Egyptians lose their courage.

19:2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, brothers will fight with each other, as will neighbors, cities, and kingdoms.

19:3 The Egyptians will panic, and I will confuse their strategy. They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead, from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians.

19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master; a powerful king will rule over them,” says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.

19:5 The water of the sea will be dried up, and the river will dry up and be empty.

19:6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up; the bulrushes and reeds will decay,

19:7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. All the cultivated land near the river will turn to dust and be blown away.

19:8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all those who cast a fishhook into the river, and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve.

19:9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed; those who weave will turn pale.

19:10 Those who make cloth will be demoralized; all the hired workers will be depressed.

19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice. How dare you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the sages, one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?”

19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? Let them tell you, let them find out what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.

19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools, the officials of Memphis are misled; the rulers of her tribes lead Egypt astray.

19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; they lead Egypt astray in all she does, so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.

19:15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing, head or tail, shoots and stalk.

19:16 At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them. 19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them.

19:18 At that time five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. 19:19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar dedicated to the Lord at its border. 19:20 It will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender who will rescue them. 19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they will acknowledge the Lord’s authority at that time. They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 19:22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers and heal them.

19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing in the earth. 19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!”

20:1 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it. 20:2 At that time the Lord announced through Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments and barefoot. 20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated. 20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed. 20:6 At that time those who live on this coast will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

The Lord Will Judge Babylon

21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the desert, from a land that is feared.

21:2 I have received a distressing message: “The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!”

21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see.

21:4 My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror.

21:5 Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers, smear oil on the shields!

21:6 For this is what the sovereign master has told me: “Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees.

21:7 When he sees chariots, teams of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, very alert.”

21:8 Then the guard cries out: “On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night.

21:9 Look what’s coming! A charioteer, a team of horses.” When questioned, he replies, “Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”

21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I have heard from the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel, I have reported to you.

Bad News for Seir

21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”

21:12 The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again.”

The Lord Will Judge Arabia

21:13 Here is a message about Arabia: In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night, you Dedanite caravans.

21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring some food for the fugitives.

21:15 For they flee from the swords – from the drawn sword and from the battle-ready bow and from the severity of the battle.

21:16 For this is what the sovereign master has told me: “Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” Indeed, the Lord God of Israel has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops?

22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds; the town is filled with revelry. Your slain were not cut down by the sword; they did not die in battle.

22:3 All your leaders ran away together – they fled to a distant place; all your refugees were captured together – they were captured without a single arrow being shot.

22:4 So I say: “Don’t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don’t try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”

22:5 For the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the hill.

22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver, and came with chariots and horsemen; the men of Kir prepared the shield.

22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; horsemen confidently took their positions at the gate.

22:8 They removed the defenses of Judah. At that time you looked for the weapons in the House of the Forest.

22:9 You saw the many breaks in the walls of the city of David; you stored up water in the lower pool.

22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.

22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool – but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago!

22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth.

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.

22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him:

22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff.

22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly.

22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master.

22:19 I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position.

22:20 “At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’

22:25 “At that time,” says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the Lord has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Tyre

23:1 Here is a message about Tyre: Wail, you large ships, for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is announced to them.

23:2 Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea, whose agents sail over 23:3 the deep waters! Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she receives; she is the trade center of the nations.

23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea: “I have not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up young women.”

23:5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre.

23:6 Travel to Tarshish! Wail, you residents of the coast!

23:7 Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?

23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are the dignitaries of the earth?

23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it – to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.

23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.

23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook kingdoms; he gave the order to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.

23:12 He said, “You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.”

23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity! The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins.

23:14 Wail, you large ships, for your fortress is destroyed!

23:15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song:

23:16 “Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well, play lots of songs, so you’ll be noticed!”

23:17 At the end of seventy years the Lord will revive Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.

The Lord Will Judge the Earth

24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth and leave it in ruins; he will mar its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, the master as well as the servant, the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, the seller as well as the buyer, the borrower as well as the lender, the creditor as well as the debtor.

24:3 The earth will be completely devastated and thoroughly ransacked. For the Lord has decreed this judgment.

24:4 The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and withers; the prominent people of the earth fade away.

24:5 The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have violated laws, disregarded the regulation, and broken the permanent treaty.

24:6 So a treaty curse devours the earth; its inhabitants pay for their guilt. This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, and are reduced to just a handful of people.

24:7 The new wine dries up, the vines shrivel up, all those who like to celebrate groan.

24:8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt, the happy sound of the harp ceases.

24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

24:10 The ruined town is shattered; all of the houses are shut up tight.

24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; all joy turns to sorrow; celebrations disappear from the earth.

24:12 The city is left in ruins; the gate is reduced to rubble.

24:13 This is what will happen throughout the earth, among the nations. It will be like when they beat an olive tree, and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest.

24:14 They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the Lord in the west.

24:15 So in the east extol the Lord, along the seacoasts extol the fame of the Lord God of Israel.

24:16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs – the Just One is majestic. But I say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed! Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”

24:17 Terror, pit, and snare are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth!

24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit; the one who climbs out of the pit, will be trapped by the snare. For the floodgates of the heavens are opened up and the foundations of the earth shake.

24:19 The earth is broken in pieces, the earth is ripped to shreds, the earth shakes violently.

24:20 The earth will stagger around like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get up again.

The Lord Will Become King

24:21 At that time the Lord will punish the heavenly forces in the heavens and the earthly kings on the earth.

24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, locked up in a prison, and after staying there for a long time, they will be punished.

24:23 The full moon will be covered up, the bright sun will be darkened; for the Lord who commands armies will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor.

25:1 O Lord, you are my God!

I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. For you have done extraordinary things, and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed.

25:2 Indeed, you have made the city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into a heap of ruins; the fortress of foreigners is no longer a city, it will never be rebuilt.

25:3 So a strong nation will extol you; the towns of powerful nations will fear you.

25:4 For you are a protector for the poor, a protector for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm, a shade from the heat. Though the breath of tyrants is like a winter rainstorm,

25:5 like heat in a dry land, you humble the boasting foreigners. Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, so he causes the song of tyrants to cease.

25:6 The Lord who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine – tender meat and choicest wine.

25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up the shroud that is over all the peoples, the woven covering that is over all the nations;

25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it!

25:9 At that time they will say, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”

25:10 For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. Moab will be trampled down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile.

25:11 Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; the Lord will bring down Moab’s pride as it spreads its hands.

25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your walls) he will knock down, he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground.

Judah Will Celebrate

26:1 At that time this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city! The Lord’s deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure.

26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter – one that remains trustworthy.

26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith, for they trust in you.

26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector!

26:5 Indeed, the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place, he brings down an elevated town; he brings it down to the ground, he throws it down to the dust.

26:6 It is trampled underfoot by the feet of the oppressed, by the soles of the poor.”

God’s People Anticipate Vindication

26:7 The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight.

26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow.

26:9 I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.

26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, but they don’t even notice. They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, yes, fire will consume your enemies.

26:12 O Lord, you make us secure, for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us.

26:13 O Lord, our God, masters other than you have ruled us, but we praise your name alone.

26:14 The dead do not come back to life, the spirits of the dead do not rise. That is because you came in judgment and destroyed them, you wiped out all memory of them.

26:15 You have made the nation larger, O Lord, you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, you have extended all the borders of the land.

26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline.

26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready t o deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord.

26:18 We were pregnant, we strained, we gave birth, as it were, to wind. We cannot produce deliverance on the earth; people to populate the world are not born.

26:19 Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits.

26:20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms! Close your doors behind you! Hide for a little while, until his angry judgment is over!

26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, to punish the sin of those who live on the earth. The earth will display the blood shed on it; it will no longer cover up its slain.

27:1 At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster.

27:2 When that time comes, sing about a delightful vineyard!

27:3 I, the Lord, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no one can harm it.

27:4 I am not angry. I wish I could confront some thorns and briers! Then I would march against them for battle; I would set them all on fire,

27:5 unless they became my subjects and made peace with me; let them make peace with me.

27:6 The time is coming when Jacob will take root; Israel will blossom and grow branches. The produce will fill the surface of the world.

27:7 Has the Lord struck down Israel like he did their oppressors? Has Israel been killed like their enemies?

27:8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; he drives her away with his strong wind in the day of the east wind.

27:9 So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: They will make all the stones of the altars like crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand.

27:10 For the fortified city is left alone; it is a deserted settlement and abandoned like the desert. Calves graze there; they lie down there and eat its branches bare.

27:11 When its branches get brittle, they break; women come and use them for kindling. For these people lack understanding, therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them; the one who formed them has no mercy on them.

27:12 At that time the Lord will shake the tree, from the Euphrates River to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. 27:13 At that time a large trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Prayer

Lord, You declared Your sovereign intent to punish the Israelite rebels and also the pagans who far-over-stepped their reasonable purpose in punishing Israel; not only bragging that they and their false pagan gods accomplished their empire-building alone, but also blaspheming You. From these chapters of Your judgment may I remember that every choice has a consequence, sometimes not immediately obvious, and sometimes terrible. You will judge those who are Your enemies and bring deliverance to those who belong to You. May I pray “Come soon Lord!”

Scripture In Perspective

Isaiah recorded the detailed proclamation of the Lord God’s judgment of the nations, Israel and her enemies alike, and for each it was to be terrible.

The detailed nature of the actions of the pagan nations whom the Lord God allowed to serve as His bludgeon against Israel is representative of their free will and of their heart-condition apart from Him. He neither desired nor did He cause them to choose to murder babies nor rape women but because Israel had insisted upon driving Him away He chose to stand by and allow the hellish-consequences of a fallen world without His presence to be their experience.

As he addressed each Isaiah presented the Lord God’s charges against each nation and then His judgment against them.

As He deemed appropriate the Lord God led Isaiah to share a message of hope for some of the nations, e.g. Tyre, though their renewal was in the context of service to Him rather than themselves.

Isaiah continued the last days of the end times prophesy of the Lord God, describing the imprisonment of the enemies of the Lord God from both the spiritual and physical world where they would be held in the darkness they have chosen, eventually to be released – but into a world that is equally dark – while those with the Lord God would bask in the light of His presence.

He then launched into praise “O Lord, you are my God! I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. For you have done extraordinary things, and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed … [He] … will swallow up death permanently. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it! At that time they will say, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”

Isaiah declared the character of the Lord God “The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight.”

He shared some wisdom “If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.”

He noted the propensity of the rebels to turn to witchcraft “O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline.”

Isaiah explained the powerlessness of Israel to alter the condition of things in this fallen world and to cause deliverance through human action “As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord. We were pregnant, we strained, we gave birth, as it were, to wind. We cannot produce deliverance on the earth; people to populate the world are not born.”

He then explained that it will be the Lord God Who will deliver the world by populating the world with His people “Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits.

Isaiah’s report of the Lord God’s prophesy continued with the symbolic imagery of “Leviathan”, a mythological creature known from ancient texts to represent chaos, especially the often unpredictable and devastating power of the sea. In this case the Lord God was to bring peace, illustrated by the “vineyard” that He would “water”, and the peace He would offer to those who had been His enemies.

Isaiah observed that while the Lord God destroyed the enemies of Israel He functionally-divorced Israel.

He explained what the Lord God expected of those who wished to reconcile “They will make all the stones of the altars like crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand.” Then He will gather-up those Who are His from wherever they were dispersed.

Interact With The Text

Consider

The magnitude of the devastation was to be massive, yet the process may remind one of the Great White Throne Judgment wherein which each individual will be called to account, charges laid against them, and Judgment (or freedom via Christ) meted out. Those who push away the light of truth of the Lord God will get what they demand – an existence without the Lord – and it will be darker than anything they could imagine. The Lord God used imagery with which His ‘audience’ would be familiar. In the ancient times of Isaiah’s ministry the mythological stories of Leviathan, and others, would have been useful for illustration.

Discuss

Why might the Lord God have chosen to treat Tyre as He did? Why would the Lord God have bothered to preserve and seek to restore the chronically-rebellious Israelites? Might “Israel” in this context have been as symbolic as “Leviathan”?

Reflect

The heart-attitude that brought the nations into conflict with the Lord God is much the same as that which plagues people even today; arrogance, lust, spiritual rebellion, and violence. After the long history of disaster, why would people still turn to witchcraft?

Share

When have you experienced or observed a process of justice where charges were brought, considered, and then a decision and consequences rendered? When have you experienced or observed “If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.”

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that the Lord God holds against you as unreconcilable with the “fruits of the Spirit” and therefore not appropriate to a Biblical Christian, a place in your life where He desires to make “The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight.”

Act

Today I will confess and repent, ask and accept forgiveness from the Lord, and make the necessary changes to assure that I will not drift backwards into that sin. As appropriate, which is very likely, I will ask at least one fellow believer to pray in-agreement with me and at least one to be an accountability-partner. I will prayerfully submit my life to the leadership of the Holy Spirit so that the Lord God may make “The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight.”

Be Specific ________________________________________________

Thursday (2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29-31, Psalm 48)

2 Kings

Hezekiah Becomes King of Judah

18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. 18:6 He was loyal to the Lord and did not abandon him. He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress.

2 Chronicles

Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple

29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 29:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.

29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 29:4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 29:5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors! Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. 29:7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 29:8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off because of this. 29:10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.”

29:12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders:

From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;

from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;

from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;

29:13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;

29:14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.

29:15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word of the Lord. 29:16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside. The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 29:17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple. For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 29:18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 29:19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”

29:20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 29:21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The king told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 29:22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 29:23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 29:24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.

29:25 King Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 29:26 The Levites had David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 29:27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 29:28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.

29:29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 29:30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms of David and Asaph the prophet. So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 29:31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so brought burnt sacrifices.

29:32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord, 29:33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep were consecrated. 29:34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals, so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.) 29:35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted. 29:36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done for them, for it had been done quickly.

Hezekiah Observes the Passover

30:1 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 30:2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 30:3 They were unable to observe it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 30:4 The proposal seemed appropriate to the king and the entire assembly. 30:5 So they sent an edict throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people to come and observe a Passover for the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law. 30:6 Messengers delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.

This royal edict read: “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria. 30:7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors, provoking him to destroy them, as you can see. 30:8 Now, don’t be stubborn like your fathers! Submit to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the Lord your God so that he might relent from his raging anger. 30:9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you if you return to him.”

30:10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them. 30:11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 30:12 In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the Lord’s command. 30:13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 30:14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.

30:15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 30:16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them. 30:17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord. 30:18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive 30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” 30:20 The Lord responded favorably to Hezekiah and forgave the people.

30:21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the Lord every day with all their might. 30:22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord. They feasted for the seven days of the festival, and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.

30:23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 30:24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the assembly, while the officials supplied them with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 30:25 The celebration included the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and the residents of Judah. 30:26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel. 30:27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.

31:1 When all this was over, the Israelites who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities.

The People Contribute to the Temple

31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks – to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary.

31:3 The king contributed some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed in the law of the Lord. 31:4 He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient to the law of the Lord. 31:5 When the edict was issued, the Israelites freely contributed the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 31:6 The Israelites and people of Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps. 31:7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps and finished in the seventh month. 31:8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel.

31:9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 31:10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 31:11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done, 31:12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, and consecrated items that had been offered. Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 31:13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.

31:14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 31:15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests according to their divisions, regardless of age. 31:16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records – to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions. 31:17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 31:18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 31:19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities, men were assigned to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.

31:20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful. 31:21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God.

Psalm 48

48:1 A song, a psalm by the Korahites.

The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise in the city of our God, his holy hill.

48:2 It is lofty and pleasing to look at, a source of joy to the whole earth.

Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king.

48:3 God is in its fortresses; he reveals himself as its defender.

48:4 For look, the kings assemble; they advance together.

48:5 As soon as they see, they are shocked; they are terrified, they quickly retreat.

48:6 Look at them shake uncontrollably, like a woman writhing in childbirth.

48:7 With an east wind you shatter the large ships.

48:8 We heard about God’s mighty deeds, now we have seen them, in the city of the Lord, the invincible Warrior, in the city of our God.

God makes it permanently secure. (Selah)

48:9 We reflect on your loyal love, O God, within your temple.

48:10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth is worthy of your reputation, O God.

You execute justice!

48:11 Mount Zion rejoices; the towns of Judah are happy, because of your acts of judgment.

48:12 Walk around Zion! Encircle it!

Count its towers!

48:13 Consider its defenses!

Walk through its fortresses, so you can tell the next generation about it!

48:14 For God, our God, is our defender forever!

He guides us!

Prayer

Lord, it was always obvious what every king before him should have done, but only Hezekiah was obedient and teachable enough to do the right thing before You. May I look to Hezekiah as my role model – to do the right thing rather than the convenient or the ordinary.

Scripture In Perspective

Hezekiah was king of Judah for twenty-nine years. He was the only king, before or after, who fully-obeyed the Lord God. He not only led the people to obey by doing so himself, he removed the high places, he removed the Asherah pole, and he removed the bronze serpent which Moses had made and they had been misusing as a tool of false worship.

Hezekiah cleansed the temple and offered great national worship. He removed many of the altars to false gods and celebrated Passover – but later than scheduled as not enough Levites were ceremonially clean to lead. He also asked, and received the Lord God’s forgiveness for many who chose to celebrate, even though they were ceremonially unclean – God mercifully allow it as their hearts were inclined toward Him.

The forty-eighth Psalm recited the power and justice and praiseworthy glory of the Lord God.

Interact With The Text

Consider

Hezekiah was the greatest and most-true king of God’s children because he fully obeyed.

Discuss

Why could Hezekiah do the right thing but not the others before, and after, him?

Reflect

The Lord God demonstrated great flexibility and mercy in forgiving those celebrated the Passover despite their technical lack of “ceremonial cleanliness” - because He knew their hearts and that was more important than the details of the regulations.

Share

When have you observed a leader doing the right thing, often the hard thing, because he was desperate to be faithful to the Lord?

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where the Lord desires you to be extraordinary in your faithful walk.

Act

I will do whatever it takes to pursue the path set before me by the Lord.

Be Specific _____________________________________________

Friday (Hosea 1–14)

Superscription

1:1 This is the word of the Lord which was revealed to Hosea son of Beeri during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ruled Judah, and during the time when Jeroboam son of Joash ruled Israel.

Symbols of Sin and Judgment: The Prostitute and Her Children

1:2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, he said to him, “Go marry a prostitute who will bear illegitimate children conceived through prostitution, because the nation continually commits spiritual prostitution by turning away from the Lord.” 1:3 So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Then she conceived and gave birth to a son for him. 1:4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Name him ‘Jezreel,’ because in a little while I will punish the dynasty of Jehu on account of the bloodshed in the valley of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 1:5 At that time, I will destroy the military power of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

1:6 She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, “Name her ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah) because I will no longer have pity on the nation of Israel. For I will certainly not forgive their guilt. 1:7 But I will have pity on the nation of Judah. I will deliver them by the Lord their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior’s bow, by sword, by military victory, by chariot horses, or by chariots.”

1:8 When she had weaned ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah) she conceived again and gave birth to another son. 1:9 Then the Lord said: “Name him ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), because you are not my people and I am not your God.”

The Restoration of Israel

1:10 However, in the future the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured nor numbered. Although it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it will be said to them, “You are children of the living God!” 1:11 Then the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves one leader, and will flourish in the land. Certainly, the day of Jezreel will be great!

2:1 Then you will call your brother, “My People” (Ammi)! You will call your sister, “Pity” (Ruhamah)! Idolatrous Israel Will Be Punished Like a Prostitute

2:2 Plead earnestly with your mother (for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband), so that she might put an end to her adulterous lifestyle, and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior.

2:3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked, and expose her like she was when she was born. I will turn her land into a wilderness and make her country a parched land, so that I might kill her with thirst.

2:4 I will have no pity on her children, because they are children conceived in adultery.

2:5 For their mother has committed adultery; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, “I will seek out my lovers; they are the ones who give me my bread and my water, my wool, my flax, my olive oil, and my wine.

The Lord’s Discipline Will Bring Israel Back

2:6 Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.

2:7 Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, “I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then than I am now.”

Agricultural Fertility Withdrawn from Israel

2:8 Yet until now she has refused to acknowledge that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil; and that it was I who lavished on her the silver and gold – which they used in worshiping Baal!

2:9 Therefore, I will take back my grain during the harvest time and my new wine when it ripens; I will take away my wool and my flax which I had provided in order to clothe her.

2:10 Soon I will expose her lewd nakedness in front of her lovers, and no one will be able to rescue her from me!

2:11 I will put an end to all her celebration: her annual religious festivals, monthly new moon celebrations, and weekly Sabbath festivities – all her appointed festivals.

2:12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees, about which she said, “These are my wages for prostitution that my lovers gave to me!” I will turn her cultivated vines and fig trees into an uncultivated thicket, so that wild animals will devour them.

2:13 “I will punish her for the festival days when she burned incense to the Baal idols; she adorned herself with earrings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but she forgot me!” says the Lord.

Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel

2:14 However, in the future I will allure her; I will lead her back into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

2:15 From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope.” There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt.

2:16 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “you will call, ‘My husband’; you will never again call me, ‘My master.’

2:17 For I will remove the names of the Baal idols from your lips, so that you will never again utter their names!”

New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel

2:18 “At that time I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground. I will abolish the warrior’s bow and sword – that is, every weapon of warfare – from the land, and I will allow them to live securely.”

2:19 I will commit myself to you forever; I will commit myself to you in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and tender compassion.

2:20 I will commit myself to you in faithfulness; then you will acknowledge the Lord.”

Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

2:21 “At that time, I will willingly respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the sky, and the sky will respond to the ground;

2:22 then the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil; and they will respond to ‘God Plants’ (Jezreel)!

2:23 Then I will plant her as my own in the land. I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah). I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’ And he will say, ‘You are my God!’”

An Illustration of God’s Love for Idolatrous Israel

3:1 The Lord said to me, “Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and continually commits adultery. Likewise, the Lord loves the Israelites although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” 3:2 So I paid fifteen shekels of silver and about seven bushels of barley to purchase her. 3:3 Then I told her, “You must live with me many days; you must not commit adultery or have sexual intercourse with another man, and I also will wait for you.” 3:4 For the Israelites must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. 3:5 Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king. Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings in the future.

The Lord’s Covenant Lawsuit against the Nation Israel

4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites! For the Lord has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God.

4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to violence and bloodshed.

4:3 Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.

The Lord’s Dispute against the Sinful Priesthood

4:4 Do not let anyone accuse or contend against anyone else: for my case is against you priests!

4:5 You stumble day and night, and the false prophets stumble with you; You have destroyed your own people!

4:6 You have destroyed my people by failing to acknowledge me! Because you refuse to acknowledge me, I will reject you as my priests. Because you reject the law of your God, I will reject your descendants.

4:7 The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me. They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace!

4:8 They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity!

4:9 I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds.

4:10 They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the Lord by pursuing other gods.

Judgment of Pagan Idolatry and Cultic Prostitution

4:11 Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people.

4:12 They consult their wooden idols, and their diviner’s staff answers with an oracle. The wind of prostitution blows them astray; they commit spiritual adultery against their God.

4:13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and burn offerings on the hills; they sacrifice under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is so pleasant. As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery!

4:14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men consort with harlots, they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. It is true: “A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!”

Warning to Judah: Do Not Join in Israel’s Apostasy!

4:15 Although you, O Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty! Do not journey to Gilgal! Do not go up to Beth Aven! Do not swear, “As surely as the Lord lives!”

4:16 Israel has rebelled like a stubborn heifer! Soon the Lord will put them out to pasture like a lamb in a broad field!

4:17 Ephraim has attached himself to idols; Do not go near him!

The Shameful Sinners Will Be Brought to Shame

4:18 They consume their alcohol, then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior.

4:19 A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship.

Announcement of Sin and Judgment

5:1 Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen closely, O king! For judgment is about to overtake you! For you were like a trap to Mizpah, like a net spread out to catch Tabor.

5:2 Those who revolt are knee-deep in slaughter, but I will discipline them all.

5:3 I know Ephraim all too well; the evil of Israel is not hidden from me. For you have engaged in prostitution, O Ephraim; Israel has defiled itself.

5:4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God; because a spirit of idolatry controls their heart, and they do not acknowledge the Lord.

5:5 The arrogance of Israel testifies against it; Israel and Ephraim will be overthrown because of their iniquity. Even Judah will be brought down with them.

The Futility of Sacrificial Ritual without Moral Obedience

5:6 Although they bring their flocks and herds to seek the favor of the Lord, They will not find him – he has withdrawn himself from them!

5:7 They have committed treason against the Lord, because they bore illegitimate children. Soon the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.

The Prophet’s Declaration of Judgment

5:8 Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah! Sound the trumpet in Ramah! Sound the alarm in Beth Aven! Tremble in fear, O Benjamin!

5:9 Ephraim will be ruined in the day of judgment! What I am declaring to the tribes of Israel will certainly take place!

The Oppressors of the Helpless Will Be Oppressed

5:10 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers. I will pour out my rage on them like a torrential flood!

5:11 Ephraim will be oppressed, crushed under judgment, because he was determined to pursue worthless idols.

The Curse of the Incurable Wound

5:12 I will be like a moth to Ephraim, like wood rot to the house of Judah.

5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and begged its great king for help. But he will not be able to heal you! He cannot cure your wound!

The Lion Will Carry Israel Off Into Exile

5:14 I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear them to pieces, then I will carry them off, and no one will be able to rescue them!

5:15 Then I will return again to my lair until they have suffered their punishment. Then they will seek me; in their distress they will earnestly seek me.

Superficial Repentance Breeds False Assurance of God’s Forgivene

6:1 “Come on! Let’s return to the Lord! He himself has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us! He has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds!

6:2 He will restore us in a very short time; he will heal us in a little while, so that we may live in his presence.

6:3 So let us acknowledge him! Let us seek to acknowledge the Lord! He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn, as certainly as the winter rain comes, as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land.”

Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment

6:4 What am I going to do with you, O Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, O Judah? For your faithfulness is as fleeting as the morning mist; it disappears as quickly as dawn’s dew!

6:5 Therefore, I will certainly cut you into pieces at the hands of the prophets; I will certainly kill you in fulfillment of my oracles of judgment; for my judgment will come forth like the light of the dawn.

6:6 For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.

Indictments Against the Cities of Israel and Judah

6:7 At Adam they broke the covenant; Oh how they were unfaithful to me!

6:8 Gilead is a city full of evildoers; its streets are stained with bloody footprints!

6:9 The company of priests is like a gang of robbers, lying in ambush to pounce on a victim. They commit murder on the road to Shechem; they have done heinous crimes!

6:10 I have seen a disgusting thing in the temple of Israel: there Ephraim practices temple prostitution and Judah defiles itself.

6:11 I have appointed a time to reap judgment for you also, O Judah! If Israel Would Repent of Sin, God Would Relent of Judgment Whenever I want to restore the fortunes of my people,

7:1 whenever I want to heal Israel, the sin of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed. For they do what is wrong; thieves break into houses, and gangs rob people out in the streets.

7:2 They do not realize that I remember all of their wicked deeds. Their evil deeds have now surrounded them; their sinful deeds are always before me.

Political Intrigue and Conspiracy in the Palace

7:3 The royal advisers delight the king with their evil schemes, the princes make him glad with their lies.

7:4 They are all like bakers, they are like a smoldering oven; they are like a baker who does not stoke the fire until the kneaded dough is ready for baking.

7:5 At the celebration of their king, his princes become inflamed with wine; they conspire with evildoers.

7:6 They approach him, all the while plotting against him. Their hearts are like an oven; their anger smolders all night long, but in the morning it bursts into a flaming fire.

7:7 All of them are blazing like an oven; they devour their rulers. All of their kings fall – and none of them call on me!

Israel Lacks Discernment and Refuses to Repent

7:8 Ephraim has mixed itself like flour among the nations; Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side.

7:9 Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, but he does not recognize it! His head is filled with gray hair, but he does not realize it!

7:10 The arrogance of Israel testifies against him, yet they refuse to return to the Lord their God! In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!

Israel Turns to Assyria and Egypt for Help

7:11 Ephraim has been like a dove, easily deceived and lacking discernment. They called to Egypt for help; they turned to Assyria for protection.

7:12 I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying, I will bring them down like birds in the sky; I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together.

Israel Has Turned Away from the Lord

7:13 Woe to them! For they have fled from me! Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me! I want to deliver them, but they have lied to me.

7:14 They do not pray to me, but howl in distress on their beds; They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from me.

7:15 Although I trained and strengthened them, they plot evil against me!

7:16 They turn to Baal; they are like an unreliable bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword because their prayers to Baal have made me angry. So people will disdain them in the land of Egypt.

God Will Raise Up the Assyrians to Attack Israel

8:1 Sound the alarm! An eagle looms over the temple of the Lord! For they have broken their covenant with me, and have rebelled against my law.

8:2 Israel cries out to me, “My God, we acknowledge you!”

8:3 But Israel has rejected what is morally good; so an enemy will pursue him.

The Political and Cultic Sin of Israel

8:4 They enthroned kings without my consent! They appointed princes without my approval! They made idols out of their silver and gold, but they will be destroyed!

8:5 O Samaria, he has rejected your calf idol! My anger burns against them! They will not survive much longer without being punished, even though they are Israelites!

8:6 That idol was made by a workman – it is not God! The calf idol of Samaria will be broken to bits.

The Fertility Cultists Will Become Infertile

8:7 They sow the wind, and so they will reap the whirlwind! The stalk does not have any standing grain; it will not produce any flour. Even if it were to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it all up.

8:8 Israel will be swallowed up among the nations; they will be like a worthless piece of pottery.

The Willful Donkey and the Wanton Harlot

8:9 They have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey that wanders off. Ephraim has hired prostitutes as lovers.

8:10 Even though they have hired lovers among the nations, I will soon gather them together for judgment. Then they will begin to waste away under the oppression of a mighty king.

Sacrifices Ineffective without Moral Obedience

8:11 Although Ephraim has built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning!

8:12 I spelled out my law for him in great detail, but they regard it as something totally unknown to them!

8:13 They offer up sacrificial gifts to me, and eat the meat, but the Lord does not accept their sacrifices. Soon he will remember their wrongdoing, he will punish their sins, and they will return to Egypt.

8:14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and built royal palaces, and Judah has built many fortified cities. But I will send fire on their cities; it will consume their royal citadels.

Fertility Cult Festivals Have Intoxicated Israel

9:1 O Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly like the nations, for you are unfaithful to your God. You love to receive a prostitute’s wages on all the floors where you thresh your grain.

9:2 Threshing floors and wine vats will not feed the people, and new wine only deceives them.

Assyrian Exile Will Reverse the Egyptian Exodus

9:3 They will not remain in the Lord’s land. Ephraim will return to Egypt; they will eat ritually unclean food in Assyria.

9:4 They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord; they will not please him with their sacrifices. Their sacrifices will be like bread eaten while in mourning; all those who eat them will make themselves ritually unclean. For their bread will be only to satisfy their appetite; it will not come into the temple of the Lord.

9:5 So what will you do on the festival day, on the festival days of the Lord?

No Escape for the Israelites This Time!

9:6 Look! Even if they flee from the destruction, Egypt will take hold of them, and Memphis will bury them. The weeds will inherit the silver they treasure – thorn bushes will occupy their homes.

9:7 The time of judgment is about to arrive! The time of retribution is imminent! Let Israel know!

Israel Rejects Hosea’s Prophetic Exhortations

The prophet is considered a fool – the inspired man is viewed as a madman – because of the multitude of your sins and your intense animosity.

9:8 The prophet is a watchman over Ephraim on behalf of God, yet traps are laid for him along all of his paths; animosity rages against him in the land of his God.

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

9:9 They have sunk deep into corruption as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their wrongdoing. He will repay them for their sins.

9:10 When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness. I viewed your ancestors like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season. Then they came to Baal-Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame – they became as detestable as what they loved.

The Fertility Worshipers Will Become Infertile

9:11 Ephraim will be like a bird; what they value will fly away. They will not bear children – they will not enjoy pregnancy – they will not even conceive!

9:12 Even if they raise their children, I will take away every last one of them. Woe to them! For I will turn away from them.

9:13 Just as lion cubs are born predators, so Ephraim will bear his sons for slaughter.

9:14 Give them, O Lord – what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry, and breasts that cannot nurse!

9:15 Because of all their evil in Gilgal, I hate them there. On account of their evil deeds, I will drive them out of my land. I will no longer love them; all their rulers are rebels.

9:16 Ephraim will be struck down – their root will be dried up; they will not yield any fruit. Even if they do bear children, I will kill their precious offspring.

9:17 My God will reject them, for they have not obeyed him; so they will be fugitives among the nations.

Israel is Guilty of Fertility Cult Worship

10:1 Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. As his land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.

10:2 Their heart is slipping; soon they will be punished for their guilt. The Lord will break their altars; he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.

The Lord Will Punish Israel by Removing Its Kings

10:3 Very soon they will say, “We have no king since we did not fear the Lord. But what can a king do for us anyway?”

10:4 They utter empty words, taking false oaths and making empty agreements. Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a plowed field.

The Calf Idol and Idolaters of Samaria Will Be Exiled

10:5 The inhabitants of Samaria will lament over the calf idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it; its idolatrous priests will wail over it, because its splendor will be taken from them into exile.

10:6 Even the calf idol will be carried to Assyria, as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be put to shame because of its wooden idol.

10:7 Samaria and its king will be carried off like a twig on the surface of the waters.

10:8 The high places of the “House of Wickedness” will be destroyed; it is the place where Israel sins. Thorns and thistles will grow up over its altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

Failure to Learn from the Sin and Judgment of Gibeah

10:9 O Israel, you have sinned since the time of Gibeah, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?

10:10 When I please, I will discipline them; I will gather nations together to attack them, to bind them in chains for their two sins.

Fertility Imagery: Plowing, Sowing, and Reaping

10:11 Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain; I myself put a fine yoke on her neck. I will harness Ephraim. Let Judah plow! Let Jacob break up the unplowed ground for himself!

10:12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap unfailing love. Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers deliverance on you.

10:13 But you have plowed wickedness; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your chariots; you have relied on your many warriors.

Bethel Will Be Destroyed Like Beth Arbel

10:14 The roar of battle will rise against your people; all your fortresses will be devastated, just as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.

10:15 So will it happen to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness! When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be destroyed.

Reversal of the Exodus: Return to Egypt and Exile in Assyria

11:1 When Israel was a young man, I loved him like a son, and I summoned my son out of Egypt.

11:2 But the more I summoned them, the farther they departed from me. They sacrificed to the Baal idols and burned incense to images.

11:3 Yet it was I who led Ephraim, I took them by the arm; but they did not acknowledge that I had healed them.

11:4 I led them with leather cords, with leather ropes; I lifted the yoke from their neck, and gently fed them.

11:5 They will return to Egypt! Assyria will rule over them because they refuse to repent!

11:6 A sword will flash in their cities, it will destroy the bars of their city gates, and will devour them in their fortresses.

11:7 My people are obsessed with turning away from me; they call to Baal, but he will never exalt them!

The Divine Dilemma: Judgment or Mercy?

11:8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart! All my tender compassions are aroused!

11:9 I cannot carry out my fierce anger! I cannot totally destroy Ephraim! Because I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you – I will not come in wrath!

God Will Restore the Exiles to Israel

11:10 He will roar like a lion, and they will follow the Lord; when he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.

11:11 They will return in fear and trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria, and I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.

God’s Lawsuit against Israel: Breach of Covenant

11:12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies; the house of Israel has surrounded me with deceit. But Judah still roams about with God; he remains faithful to the Holy One.

12:1 Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties with Assyria, and send olive oil as tribute to Egypt.

12:2 The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

Israel Must Return to the God of Jacob

12:3 In the womb he attacked his brother; in his manly vigor he struggled with God.

12:4 He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him!

12:5 As for the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is the name by which he is remembered!

12:6 But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by waiting for your God to return to you.

The Lord Refutes Israel’s False Claim of Innocence

12:7 The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales.

12:8 Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually sinful.”

12:9 “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again as in the days of old.

12:10 I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets.”

12:11 Is there idolatry in Gilead? Certainly its inhabitants will come to nothing! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Surely their altars will be like stones heaped up on a plowed field!

Jacob in Aram, Israel in Egypt, and Ephraim in Trouble

12:12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram, then Israel worked to acquire a wife; he tended sheep to pay for her.

12:13 The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and due to a prophet Israel was preserved alive.

12:14 But Ephraim bitterly provoked him to anger; so he will hold him accountable for the blood he has shed, his Lord will repay him for the contempt he has shown.

Baal Worshipers and Calf Worshipers to be Destroyed

13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was terror; he was exalted in Israel, but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died.

13:2 Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen! There is a saying about them: “Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!”

13:3 Therefore they will disappear like the morning mist, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff that is blown away from a threshing floor, like smoke that disappears through an open window.

Well-Fed Israel Will Be Fed to Wild Animals

13:4 But I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me; except me there is no Savior.

13:5 I cared for you in the wilderness, in the dry desert where no water was.

13:6 When they were fed, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; as a result, they forgot me!

13:7 So I will pounce on them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk by the path.

13:8 I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs – I will rip open their chests. I will devour them there like a lion – like a wild animal would tear them apart.

Israel’s King Unable to Deliver the Nation

13:9 I will destroy you, O Israel! Who is there to help you?

13:10 Where then is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? Where are your rulers for whom you asked, saying, “Give me a king and princes”?

13:11 I granted you a king in my anger, and I will take him away in my wrath!

Israel’s Punishment Will Not Be Withheld Much Longer

13:12 The punishment of Ephraim has been decreed; his punishment is being stored up for the future.

13:13 The labor pains of a woman will overtake him, but the baby will lack wisdom; when the time arrives, he will not come out of the womb!

The Lord Will Not Relent from the Threatened Judgment

13:14 Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion!

The Capital of the Northern Empire Will Be Destroyed

13:15 Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse.

13:16 Samaria will be held guilty, because she rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, their infants will be dashed to the ground – their pregnant women will be ripped open.

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sin has been your downfall!

14:2 Return to the Lord and repent! Say to him: “Completely forgive our iniquity; accept our penitential prayer, that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.

14:3 Assyria cannot save us; we will not ride warhorses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made. For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!”

Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings

14:4 “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger will turn away from them.

14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily, he will send down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon.

14:6 His young shoots will grow; his splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

14:7 People will reside again in his shade; they will plant and harvest grain in abundance. They will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.

14:8 O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do with idols anymore! I will answer him and care for him. I am like a luxuriant cypress tree; your fruitfulness comes from me!

Concluding Exhortation

14:9 Who is wise? Let him discern these things! Who is discerning? Let him understand them! For the ways of the Lord are right; the godly walk in them, but in them the rebellious stumble.

Prayer

Lord, Your mercy is great, You love the unlovable fallen-humankind – yet You do not tolerate rebellion – and so we must return to You in Your time and in Your way. There is only one path to reconciliation and restoration with You. May I live and teach Your truth, rejecting the lies of the world, and be Your instrument of evangelism and discipleship as long as You may find me useful. You were incredibly patient with Israel and Judah, but their unrepentant rebellion could not continue forever. May I not make it necessary for You to discipline me. You have always kept Your part of the covenants You made, humankind has been unfaithful to theirs. You have consistently provided for, encouraged, taught, implored, and facilitated the path of genuine repentance to reconciliation and restoration. May I accept Your Words of divine wisdom and remember that “... the ways of the Lord are right; the godly walk in them, but in them the rebellious stumble.”

Scripture In Perspective

Hosea recorded his experiences across the kingships of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah over Judah, “... and during the time when Jeroboam son of Joash ruled Israel.”

The Lord God instructed Hosea to marry the prostitute Gomer, warning him that she would be unfaithful, including having children with the partners of her adultery.

Just as other prophets had been instructed to bear humiliation and trouble, in order to serve as illustrations of His teaching to His people, so was Hosea. He named his children according to the lesson the Lord planned, and he did not divorce his wife even as she sold herself into sexual slavery.

The lessons to follow included:

“The Lord’s Discipline Will Bring Israel Back”

Hosea was told that a time would come when Gomer would return to him just as Israel would turn back to the Lord God (the rhetorical “husband” of Israel) “Then she will say, “I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then than I am now.”“

“Agricultural Fertility Withdrawn from Israel”

Just as Gomer forgot the value of her husband, Hosea, so Israel had forgotten the Lord. So, just as Gomer surrendered herself to the false-affections and unpredictable provision of her adulterous partners the Lord God withdrew provision from Israel because they had turned away to false gods.

“Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel”

At the perfect time the Lord God would speak to His people and they would repent and be restored.

“New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel”

The new relationship would be as husband and wife rather than as servant and master. The peace of pre-Fall Eden, between the rest of Creation and humankind, would be restored.

“Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

The land would again become productive and the rejected people restored to His family.

Then finally:

“An Illustration of God’s Love for Idolatrous Israel”

Hosea again served the Lord God as His living-illustration “The Lord said to me, “Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and continually commits adultery. Likewise, the Lord loves the Israelites although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” So I paid fifteen shekels of silver and about seven bushels of barley to purchase her. Then I told her, “You must live with me many days; you must not commit adultery or have sexual intercourse with another man, and I also will wait for you.” For the Israelites must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king. Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings in the future.”

Hosea delivered a prophesy to Israel for her unrepentant and chronic rebellion “... the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.”

He continued a terrible prophesy against the apostate prophets, the disobedient kings, those who consorted with cultic prostitutes, those who worshiped false idols, those who abused and neglected the poor, and those who turned to foreign nations instead of to the Lord God.

Hosea warned Judah to not follow in the rebellious footsteps of Israel.

He concluded with a prophesy of a reverse-Exodus; Israel would return to bondage in Egypt and also to exile in Assyria.

Hosea told of the Lord God’s appearance of a dilemna, reconciling His grace with the law. While the law dictated that He destroy them all, as had been the case way back in the Garden of Eden, His grace sought a path to reconciliation and restoration.

Because Jacob/Israel had striven with an angel and cried out to the Lord God a covenant had been made on behalf of humankind (Jacob/Israel’s descendants and others who had been adopted-into that covenant family) with the Lord which He would not break.

The covenant required punishment of the people but not the wrath of God – that was reserved for those people, things, and institutions that were outside of the covenant.

Hosea’s prophesy reminded the people that the Lord God had given them a human king in anger, due to their unrepentant demandingness for “a king like the nations around us”, and now in His righteous wrath He intended to remove the role of king from them.

He shared the Lord’s call for genuine repentance and told of the Lord’s promise to bless and to restore them.

Hosea concluded with a word of wisdom from the Lord “Who is wise? Let him discern these things! Who is discerning? Let him understand them! For the ways of the Lord are right; the godly walk in them, but in them the rebellious stumble.”

Interact With The Text

Consider

Hosea surrendered his life in a remarkable way, marrying a woman that no faithful Israelite would have even wanted to allow near to him, and bearing the shame of her adultery. When Lord God cleanses the sinful place that the lands of Israel had become He really cleansed it “... all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.” The pattern of humankind from Adam and Eve on has been rebellion against the Lord God, yet He has been equally persistent in seeking the restoration of relationship; that is Love.

Discuss

Why would the illustration of the adulterous wife, the illustration of the stripping-naked of rhetorical Israel, the loss of fertility (land and people), and promise of an Exodus-like reconciliation and restoration have been necessary to get the peoples’ attention? Watching what had happened to Gibbea and then Israel why would Judah even need to be warned? What might be the value-added of removing the role of human king from the people?

Reflect

All of what was prophesied was conditional – the people had to listen to the Lord God “... speak tenderly” and respond with repentant hearts. The reverse-Exodus had to be heartbreaking, for God and man. Genuine repentance was the consistent expectation of the Lord God throughout history.

Share

When have you been trapped in a relationship with an unfaithful friend or co-worker or other person who made promises but then selfishly broke them? When have you discovered something wrong in your own walk with the Lord as you observed someone else struggling? When have you experienced or observed the making of a celebrity, political, or religious person a type of king who stood between people and the Lord God?

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a time in your life where you have been unfaithful to Him, and how He reached down to “... speak tenderly” to you, and because you responded with a repentant heart He forgave and reconciled with you, to reveal to you a place in your walk where you need to make a change so that you do not risk discipline from Him, and to reveal to you a person who has or who is like a king in your life – one whose approval, opinion, and/or words have (or do) are sometimes more powerful than those of the Lord God.

Act

Today I will give praise and thanks to the Lord God for His love and mercy! I will confess and repent, seek and receive the Lord God’s forgiveness, and place Him first in all things rather than try to live apart from Him in some things. I will confess and repent, seek and receive the Lord God’s forgiveness, and place Him first – removing any mere human from anything that bears the slightest resemblance of a “throne” in my life.

Be Specific _____________________________________________

Saturday (Isaiah 28–39, Psalm 76)

Isaiah

The Lord Will Judge Samaria

28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, the crown of those overcome with wine.

28:2 Look, the sovereign master sends a strong, powerful one. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand.

28:3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest – as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it.

28:5 At that time the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.

28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers.

28:7 Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer – priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions.

28:8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched.

28:9 Who is the Lord trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother’s breast!

28:10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there.

28:11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people.

28:12 In the past he said to them, “This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found.” But they refused to listen.

28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured.

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem!

28:15 For you say, “We have made a treaty with death, with Sheol we have made an agreement. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.”

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says: “Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic.

28:17 I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, you will be overrun by it.

28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you; indeed, every morning it will sweep by, it will come through during the day and the night.” When this announcement is understood, it will cause nothing but terror.

28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself.

28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, to accomplish his work, his peculiar work, to perform his task, his strange task.

28:22 So now, do not mock, or your chains will become heavier! For I have heard a message about decreed destruction, from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land.

28:23 Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say!

28:24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?

28:25 Once he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant, sow the seed of the cumin plant, and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places?

28:26 His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture.

28:27 Certainly caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick, and cumin seed with a flail.

28:28 Grain is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever. The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it, but his horses do not crush it.

28:29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom.

Ariel is Besieged

29:1 Ariel is as good as dead – Ariel, the town David besieged! Keep observing your annual rituals, celebrate your festivals on schedule.

29:2 I will threaten Ariel, and she will mourn intensely and become like an altar hearth before me.

29:3 I will lay siege to you on all sides; I will besiege you with troops; I will raise siege works against you.

29:4 You will fall; while lying on the ground you will speak; from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard. Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld; from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation.

29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust, the horde of tyrants like chaff that is blown away. It will happen suddenly, in a flash.

29:6 Judgment will come from the Lord who commands armies, accompanied by thunder, earthquake, and a loud noise, by a strong gale, a windstorm, and a consuming flame of fire.

29:7 It will be like a dream, a night vision. There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel, those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her.

29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating, only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking, only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. So it will be for the horde from all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.

God’s People are Spiritually Insensitive

29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! You are totally blind! They are drunk, but not because of wine; they stagger, but not because of beer.

29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you a strong urge to sleep deeply. He has shut your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).

29:11 To you this entire prophetic revelation is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” 29:12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read and say, “Read this,” he says, “I can’t read.”

29:13 The sovereign master says, “These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.

29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people – an absolutely extraordinary deed. Wise men will have nothing to say, the sages will have no explanations.”

29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, who do their work in secret and boast, “Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?”

29:16 Your thinking is perverse! Should the potter be regarded as clay? Should the thing made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?

Changes are Coming

29:17 In just a very short time Lebanon will turn into an orchard, and the orchard will be considered a forest.

29:18 At that time the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll, and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness.

29:19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord; the poor among humankind will take delight in the Holy One of Israel.

29:20 For tyrants will disappear, those who taunt will vanish, and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated –

29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges.

29:22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: “Jacob will no longer be ashamed; their faces will no longer show their embarrassment.

29:23 For when they see their children, whom I will produce among them, they will honor my name. They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; they will respect the God of Israel.

29:24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding; those who complain will acquire insight.

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious children are as good as dead,” says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me,

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit,

and thereby compound their sin.

30:2 They travel down to Egypt

without seeking my will,

seeking Pharaoh’s protection, and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.

30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,

and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.

30:4 Though his officials are in Zoan

and his messengers arrive at Hanes,

30:5 all will be put to shame

because of a nation that cannot help them,

who cannot give them aid or help,

but only shame and disgrace.”

30:6 This is a message about the animals in the Negev:

Through a land of distress and danger,

inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions,

by snakes and darting adders,

they transport their wealth on the backs of donkeys,

their riches on the humps of camels,

to a nation that cannot help them.

30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping.

For this reason I call her

‘Proud one who is silenced.’”

30:8 Now go, write it down on a tablet in their presence,

inscribe it on a scroll,

so that it might be preserved for a future time

as an enduring witness.

30:9 For these are rebellious people –

they are lying children,

children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law.

30:10 They say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”

and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right!

Tell us nice things,

relate deceptive messages.

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path.

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.”

30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

“You have rejected this message;

you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick,

and rely on that kind of behavior.

30:13 So this sin will become your downfall.

You will be like a high wall

that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;

it crumbles suddenly, in a flash.

30:14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar,

so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged.

Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough

to scoop a hot coal from a fire

or to skim off water from a cistern.”

30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:

“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered;

if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength,

but you are unwilling.

30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’

so you will indeed flee.

You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’

so your pursuers will be fast.

30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier;

at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away,

until the remaining few are as isolated

as a flagpole on a mountaintop

or a signal flag on a hill.”

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you.

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.

30:19 For people will live in Zion;

in Jerusalem you will weep no more.

When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;

when he hears it, he will respond to you.

30:20 The sovereign master will give you distress to eat

and suffering to drink;

but your teachers will no longer be hidden;

your eyes will see them.

30:21 You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,

“This is the correct way, walk in it,”

whether you are heading to the right or the left.

30:22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols

and your gold-plated images.

You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,

saying to them, “Get out!”

30:23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground,

and the ground will produce crops in abundance.

At that time your cattle will graze in wide pastures.

30:24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing

will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork.

30:25 On every high mountain

and every high hill

there will be streams flowing with water,

at the time of great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.

30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare

and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,

like the light of seven days,

when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones

and heals their severe wound.

30:27 Look, the name of the Lord comes from a distant place

in raging anger and awesome splendor.

He speaks angrily

and his word is like destructive fire.

30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river

that reaches one’s neck.

He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff;

he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction.

30:29 You will sing

as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.

You will be happy like one who plays a flute

as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel.

30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout

and intervene in power,

with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire,

with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.

30:31 Indeed, the Lord’s shout will shatter Assyria;

he will beat them with a club.

30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel,

with which the Lord will beat them,

will be accompanied by music from the tambourine and harp,

and he will attack them with his weapons.

30:33 For the burial place is already prepared;

it has been made deep and wide for the king.

The firewood is piled high on it.

The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,

will ignite it.

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead,

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots

and in their many, many horsemen.

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel

and do not seek help from the Lord.

31:2 Yet he too is wise and he will bring disaster;

he does not retract his decree.

He will attack the wicked nation,

and the nation that helps those who commit sin.

31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;

their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.

The Lord will strike with his hand;

the one who helps will stumble

and the one being helped will fall.

Together they will perish.

The Lord Will Defend Zion

31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:

“The Lord will be like a growling lion,

like a young lion growling over its prey.

Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,

it is not afraid of their shouts

or intimidated by their yelling.

In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend

to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill.

31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest,

so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem.

He will protect and deliver it;

as he passes over he will rescue it.

31:6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled!

31:7 For at that time everyone will get rid of the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made.

31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made;

a sword not made by humankind will destroy them.

They will run away from this sword

and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.

31:9 They will surrender their stronghold because of fear;

their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.”

This is what the Lord says –

the one whose fire is in Zion,

whose firepot is in Jerusalem.

Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail

32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; officials will promote justice.

32:2 Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from a rainstorm; like streams of water in a dry region and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.

32:3 Eyes will no longer be blind and ears will be attentive.

32:4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment and the tongue that stutters will speak with ease and clarity.

32:5 A fool will no longer be called honorable; a deceiver will no longer be called principled.

32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; his mind plans out sinful deeds. He commits godless deeds and says misleading things about the Lord; he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite and gives the thirsty nothing to drink.

32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; he dreams up evil plans to ruin the poor with lies, even when the needy are in the right.

32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans; his honorable character gives him security.

The Lord Will Give True Security

32:9 You complacent women, get up and listen to me! You carefree daughters, pay attention to what I say!

32:10 In a year’s time you carefree ones will shake with fear, for the grape harvest will fail, and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones! Shake with fear, you carefree ones! Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves – put sackcloth on your waist!

32:12 Mourn over the field, over the delightful fields and the fruitful vine!

32:13 Mourn over the land of my people, which is overgrown with thorns and briers, and over all the once-happy houses in the city filled with revelry.

32:14 For the fortress is neglected; the once-crowded city is abandoned. Hill and watchtower are permanently uninhabited. Wild donkeys love to go there, and flocks graze there.

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. Then the desert will become an orchard and the orchard will be considered a forest.

32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert and fairness will live in the orchard.

32:17 Fairness will produce peace and result in lasting security.

32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements, in secure homes, and in safe, quiet places.

32:19 Even if the forest is destroyed and the city is annihilated,

32:20 you will be blessed, you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, you who let your ox and donkey graze.

The Lord Will Restore Zion

33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, you who have not been destroyed! The deceitful one is as good as dead, the one whom others have not deceived! When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed; when you finish deceiving, others will deceive you!

33:2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning! Deliver us when distress comes.

33:3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; the nations scatter when you spring into action!

33:4 Your plunder disappears as if locusts were eating it; they swarm over it like locusts!

33:5 The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness.

33:6 He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him.

33:7 Look, ambassadors cry out in the streets; messengers sent to make peace weep bitterly.

33:8 Highways are empty, there are no travelers. Treaties are broken, witnesses are despised, human life is treated with disrespect.

33:9 The land dries up and withers away; the forest of Lebanon shrivels up and decays. Sharon is like the desert; Bashan and Carmel are parched.

33:10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “Now I will exalt myself; now I will magnify myself.

33:11 You conceive straw, you give birth to chaff; your breath is a fire that destroys you.

33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.

33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done! You who are close by, recognize my strength!”

33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion; panic grips the godless. They say, ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire? Who among us can coexist with unquenchable fire?’

33:15 The one who lives uprightly and speaks honestly; the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures and rejects a bribe; the one who does not plot violent crimes and does not seek to harm others –

33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; he will have food and a constant supply of water.

33:17 You will see a king in his splendor; you will see a wide land.

33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, and you will ask yourselves, “Where is the scribe? Where is the one who weighs the money? Where is the one who counts the towers?”

33:19 You will no longer see a defiant people whose language you do not comprehend, whose derisive speech you do not understand.

33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals! You will see Jerusalem, a peaceful settlement, a tent that stays put; its stakes will never be pulled up; none of its ropes will snap in two.

33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; no war galley will enter; no large ships will sail through.

33:22 For the Lord, our ruler, the Lord, our commander, the Lord, our king – he will deliver us.

33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, the mast is not secured, and the sail is not unfurled, at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; even the lame will drag off plunder.

33:24 No resident of Zion will say, “I am ill”; the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.

The Lord Will Judge Edom

34:1 Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention, you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and everything that lives in it.

34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will annihilate them and slaughter them.

34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, their corpses will stink; the hills will soak up their blood.

34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, the sky will roll up like a scroll; all its stars will wither, like a leaf withers and falls from a vine or a fig withers and falls from a tree.

34:5 He says, “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”

34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams’ kidneys. For the Lord is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in the land of Edom.

34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat.

34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion.

34:9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch.

34:10 Night and day it will burn; its smoke will ascend continually. Generation after generation it will be a wasteland and no one will ever pass through it again.

34:11 Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction.

34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom and all her officials will disappear.

34:13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there.

34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; wild goats will bleat to one another. Yes, nocturnal animals will rest there and make for themselves a nest.

34:15 Owls will make nests and lay eggs there; they will hatch them and protect them. Yes, hawks will gather there, each with its mate.

34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! Not one of these creatures will be missing, none will lack a mate. For the Lord has issued the decree, and his own spirit gathers them.

34:17 He assigns them their allotment; he measures out their assigned place. They will live there permanently; they will settle in it through successive generations.

The Land and Its People Are Transformed

35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; let the wilderness rejoice and bloom like a lily!

35:2 Let it richly bloom; let it rejoice and shout with delight! It is given the grandeur of Lebanon, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the grandeur of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp, steady the knees that shake!

35:4 Tell those who panic, “Be strong! Do not fear! Look, your God comes to avenge! With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.”

35:5 Then blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear.

35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, the mute tongue will shout for joy; for water will flow in the desert, streams in the wilderness.

35:7 The dry soil will become a pool of water, the parched ground springs of water. Where jackals once lived and sprawled out, grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.

35:8 A thoroughfare will be there – it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it; it is reserved for those authorized to use it – fools will not stray into it.

35:9 No lions will be there, no ferocious wild animals will be on it – they will not be found there. Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,

35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. They will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.

Sennacherib Invades Judah

36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. The chief adviser stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.

36:4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’”

36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!”

36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power? 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”

36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.

37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.’”

37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.”’”

37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 37:9 The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued? 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”

37:14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him:

“The virgin daughter Zion despises you – she makes fun of you; daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you.

37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted and looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel!

37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ‘With my many chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods.

37:25 I dug wells and drank water. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.’

37:26 Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, in ancient times I planned it, and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities will crash into heaps of ruins.

37:27 Their residents are powerless; they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind.

37:28 I know where you live and everything you do and how you rage against me.

37:29 Because you rage against me and the uproar you create has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead you back the way you came.”

37:30 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: This year you will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own. But the year after that you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.

37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies will accomplish this. 37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it.

37:34 He will go back the way he came – he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.

37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”‘”

37:36 The Lord’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 37:38 One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

The Lord Hears Hezekiah’s Prayer

38:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 38:2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.

38:4 The Lord told Isaiah, 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life, 38:6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city.”‘” 38:7 Isaiah replied, “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said: 38:8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.” And then the shadow went back ten steps.

Hezekiah’s Song of Thanks

38:9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:

38:10 “I thought, ‘In the middle of my life I must walk through the gates of Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.’

38:11 “I thought, ‘I will no longer see the Lord in the land of the living, I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world.

38:12 My dwelling place is removed and taken away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; from the loom he cuts me off. You turn day into night and end my life.

38:13 I cry out until morning; like a lion he shatters all my bones; you turn day into night and end my life.

38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. O sovereign master, I am oppressed; help me!

38:15 What can I say? He has decreed and acted. I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief.

38:16 O sovereign master, your decrees can give men life; may years of life be restored to me. Restore my health and preserve my life.’

38:17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from the pit of oblivion. For you removed all my sins from your sight.

38:18 Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.

38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks, as I do today.

A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.

38:20 The Lord is about to deliver me, and we will celebrate with music for the rest of our lives in the Lord’s temple.”

38:21 Isaiah ordered, “Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.” 38:22 Hezekiah said, “What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”

Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah

39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered. 39:2 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 39:3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 39:4 Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries.” 39:5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord who commands armies: 39:6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 39:7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” Then he thought, “For there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”

Psalms

Psalm 76

76:1 For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.

God has revealed himself in Judah; in Israel his reputation is great.

76:2 He lives in Salem; he dwells in Zion.

76:3 There he shattered the arrows, the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war. (Selah)

76:4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty, as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey.

76:5 The bravehearted were plundered; they “fell asleep.” All the warriors were helpless.

76:6 At the sound of your battle cry, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse “fell asleep.”

76:7 You are awesome! Yes, you!

Who can withstand your intense anger?

76:8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. The earth was afraid and silent

76:9 when God arose to execute judgment, and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)

76:10 Certainly your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; you reveal your anger in full measure.

76:11 Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them!

Let all those who surround him bring tribute to the awesome one!

76:12 He humbles princes; the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.

Prayer

Lord, even though You ended the earthly kingdom of Israel, You still loved them and remained at the line of reconciliation. May I never forget that You love all who have surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and that You will welcome us home should we go astray for a time. Hope in You is grounded in Jesus the Christ, our Messiah. May I always look to Jesus as the fulfillment of Your promise and then cling to Him as my only hope. You have always been clear that choices have consequences; whether the choices of Adam and Eve, or the choices of the billions of rebels who have followed them. May I take care to hold my choices up to the scrutiny of Your preferences so that they may be blessed by the Holy Spirit’s perfect wisdom-driven discernment. May I remember that You have decided that those who are in Your eternal family will be preserved - despite the efforts of the enemy – and that I need not fear anything the world can do. When You return to restore Your Creation You will remove all who have refused to surrender to You and will bless those who have. May I be certain of my eternally-right standing in relationship with You. You decide who will be the instrument of Your discipline, and if they over-step Your boundaries You will punish them, You will not be mocked. May I trust You for perfect justice and when You discipline me I will be certain of lovingly-perfect proportion to the need. Sometimes we squander Your gifts, yet in the big picture your grace and justice are always in perfect balance. May I be intentional in using Your gifts for Your intended purposes.

Scripture In Perspective

Isaiah’s report of the Lord God’s prophesy continued with the symbolic imagery of “Leviathan”, a mythological creature known from ancient texts to represent chaos, especially the often unpredictable and devastating power of the sea. In this case the Lord God was to bring peace, illustrated by the “vineyard” that He would “water”, and the peace He would offer to those who had been His enemies.

Isaiah observed that while the Lord God destroyed the enemies of Israel He functionally-divorced Israel.

In the final verses of Chapter Twenty-Nine Isaiah brought the prophesy of the healing and enlightening ministry of Jesus the Christ – the Messiah – Whose ministry would bring a new covenant, the sending of the indwelling Holy Spirit upon His children, and would bring an end to the power of the slavery and eternal destruction of sin.

He pronounced the Lord God’s judgment upon the religious and political leaders who rejected Him and His law and instead turned to the pagan Egypt for help – that no help would come from them – and that they would find themselves condemned for this final act of rebellion.

Isaiah reported the promise of the Lord’s active presence and guiding hand, through the indwelling Holy Spirit to come, in the lives of His children “You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,

“This is the correct way, walk in it,”

whether you are heading to the right or the left.”

He also encouraged them to know that the Lord God would obliterate their enemies [ultimately, the Enemy, Satan – who would be vanquished].

He encouraged the remnant of Israel to return to Him.

Isaiah delivered the Lord God’s prophesy to the foreign rulers of Jerusalem that their arrogant assertion that their deal with the devil would protect them will be nullified by Him and that they would be swept from power and even from life itself.

He delivered a prophesy of hope, the hope of the coming Messiah, to believers “... the Lord, says: “Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic.”

He also used agriculture illustrations in which plowing, planting, harvesting, and threshing are synonyms for the Lord God’s planned-process to redeem His people.

The synonym “Ariel” was used [according to the NET Translator’s Notes] to describe Israel/Jerusalem as Isaiah described the conquering a devastation of Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The people were described as “blind” to the Lord and their worship belittled because it “... consists of nothing but man-made ritual.”

He announced that He would do something that the sages and the wise men could not explain and that it would cause them to cease from doubting Him.

Isaiah continued “Look, a king will promote fairness; officials will promote justice.” He elaborated as to the way that people of integrity would be set free from the affects of the Fall and deceit and foolishness (and those who practiced them) would be no more.

He then jumped back from the future to the present, warning the complacent people to be aware that calamity was about to fall upon them.

Isaiah returned to the future to assure them that those who belonged to the Lord God would know peace and security. Isaiah prophesied the end of the era of deceivers and destroyers as he and his people cried out to the Lord for protection and strength as they endured severe oppression.

In contrast He proclaimed “The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness. He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him … For the Lord, our ruler, the Lord, our commander, the Lord, our king – he will deliver us.”

Isaiah offered with a prophesy of the destruction of Edom, a symbolic representation of the nations who have opposed Israel [which in a pure sense includes the physical nations of Judah and Israel since they have been in rebellion against His preferential-state of Israel for most of their existence] “Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention, you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and everything that lives in it. For the Lord is angry at all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will annihilate them and slaughter them.”

Isaiah delivered the prophesy of the Lord God’s restoration of both the land and the people to what is described alike a pre-Fall Edenic condition.

Although the Lord allowed the enemies of Israel to over-run and displace them, it was because their predisposition to invade and conquer was useful to Him, not because He was at all fond of them – indeed He despised their pagan and vile ways – and now Isaiah prophesied their destruction as the Lord God redeemed those who belonged to him.

He described “A thoroughfare ... it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it; it is reserved for those authorized to use it – fools will not stray into it … Those delivered from bondage will travel on it, those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. They will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.” Fools who reject the Lord God’s wisdom, and therefore the Messiah, will not be allowed there – only those who have received the indwelling Holy Spirit Who enables them to walk rightly.

The Assyrians came against King Hezekiah with a challenge to surrender. They doubted the source of their confidence since they had no meaningful army and had destroyed all of the other (pagan) altars and focused only on the altar of the Lord God – which the Assyrians viewed as the same as the rest. The Assyrians also claimed that God had told them to come against Jerusalem.

The Chief Advisor to the Assyrian king challenged Hezekiah to the people as a mis-leader who did not understand that no other nation’s ‘gods’ had saved them from Assyria and that surely Egypt would be unable to save them either.

He offered to reward them for surrendering with local peace and provision – until he returned to take them to another place – which he assured them was just as nice. He challenged them to reject the Lord God and king Hezekiah but according to Hezekiah’s instructions the people remained silent.

Hezekiah’s representatives returned to him with a report of what had happened and together they cried out to the Lord God through Isaiah. The Lord’s reply was to not fear the Assyrian king for his insults to God would result in his own death – after he was tricked into returning home by a false story of an attack from the king of Ethiopia.

The Lord declared “‘He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it. He will go back the way he came – he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord. I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”‘”

The Lord sent out an angel to kill 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp as they slept and so in the morning they discovered their dead and fled Jerusalem. When the king returned home his sons murdered him.

Hezekiah was mortally ill and Isaiah rold him to prepare for death. He cried-out to the Lord, asking for more time, appealing for ‘credit’ for his faithfulness as king.

The Lord God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that He heard his cries and would grant him an additional 15 years of life, that He would protect the city from attackers, and that He would affirm His promise by causing the shadow on the step to reverse itself ten steps.

Hezekiah recited his angst at an early death and then his exuberant praise and thanks to the Lord for granting him another 15 years and protection from enemies.

Hezekiah then welcomed the visit of the king of Babylon, who had sent a message and gift when he recovered, and pridefully showed-off all of his treasuries and other fine things and palaces. Isaiah prophesied the Lord God’s judgment, withheld due to Hezekiah’s prior faithfulness, that after he died the kingdom would fall – even some of his immediate descendants would be carried-off and made enuchs in the service of Babylon.

Hezekiah acknowledged that the Lord’s judgment was fair and then, again self-focused, noted with satisfaction that he would not experience or see the judgment in his lifetime.

Asaph’s Psalm, numbered seventy-six, was a praise song that recited some of the deeds of the Lord God on behalf of Israel.

Interact With The Text

Consider

The Lord God used imagery with which His ‘audience’ would be familiar. In the ancient times of Isaiah’s ministry the mythological stories of Leviatian, and others, would have been useful for illustration. There was no hope in the law, only in the promised Messiah. Any covenant or deal in which the Lord God was not a participant is not binding upon Him. The term “fairness” in the Bible is not the emotional and selfish concept of mere humans but the perfectly just and righteous concept of the Lord God. The Lord God’s anger is perfectly just and His revenge perfectly righteous – unlike that of man. The Lord God has not forgotten His original plan, sabotaged by the foolish Adam and Eve, and He intends to restore things to their righteously-rightful condition. The Lord God had sent the Assyrians, but when they mocked Him they made themselves the object of His wrath. Hezekiah was blessed by the Lord God for his faithfulness, because he asked, yet he was careless with the gift – and due to his position – brought immediate tragedy to those who followed.

Discuss

Why would the Lord God have bothered to preserve and seek to restore the chronically-rebellious Israelites? Or could “Israel” in this context have been as symbolic as “Leviathan”? Why would the people be indulging in “worship” that was, in the eyes of God, “... nothing but man-made ritual.”? How much like the modern nation of Israel, surrounded by enemies, must have been ancient Israel? Why did the people trust Hezekiah? Why would Hezekiah think it was wise to show a foreign king all of the riches of Israel?

Reflect

The arrogant leaders of Ephraim should have known better than to thumb their noses at the Lord God. The coming Messiah would be so extraordinary that the “sages” and “wise men” would be speechless. Way back in the time of Isaiah the role of the Holy Spirit was prophesied. When the Messiah returns He will no longer tolerate the sin that He bore for us on the Cross. How many times had Israel rejected the Lord God and still He desired to preserve a thread of their existence – for the sake of His promises to their more-faithful forefathers. Imagine walking that “Way of Holiness” with so many others – freed of sin – blessed with the presence of the Lord God. The Assyrians could not discern the difference between the false gods and the one true Lord God – and they paid for their foolishness with lives and lost power. Hezekiah was astoundingly self-focused when informed of the terrible consequences coming to his immediate descendants. He seems to have be puffed-up from God’s blessings that he lost a sense of love for others.

Share             

When have you experienced or observed a situation where a wrong choice was likely to lead to trouble but was pursued anyhow? When have you experienced or observed empty worship that was “... nothing but man-made ritual.”? When have you experienced of observed individuals or leaders turning for help to sources that are certain to fail them? When have you experienced or observed complacency in the face of obvious danger? When have you felt surrounded by those who disapproved of you, yet sensed a big-picture comfort and safety because of your relationship with the Lord God? When have you transitioned from ‘dry time’ in your relationship with the Lord into a rich one? When have you observed what appeared to be an individual or group with overwhelming power become mired in their own arrogance and pride and fall? When have you experienced or observed someone turning a blessing into a curse?

Faith In Action

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have feared the future but where He has for you an assurance of peace and security, a place in your life where you are more-anxious than you should be, a small sample of the pure joy that will be yours when you walk the “Way of Holiness”, a place in your life where you fear a false enemy, one that mocks the Lord, more than you trust the Lord God, and a place where you have been faithful, for which He has already, or is about to bless you.

Act

Today I will prayerfully welcome the Holy Spirit into a more powerful place in my life – to listen and watch for His working – and to respond “Yes Lord” when He chastises or encourages, directs or redirects. I will praise the Lord for the certainty I have of an eternity of peace and security with Him. I will give Him thanks and rest in His assurance of loving-care. I will praise the Lord God for His love and will prayerfully partner with the Holy Spirit to be more teachable and more surrendered to His leadership of my life. I will confess and repent of my fear of a false enemy, seek and receive His forgiveness, and trust the Lord God completely. (My fear may be about a lack of money, and absence of approval of worldly peers, potential threats to my physical appearance from age, or may be a fear of unemployment, theoretical health problems, violence in the world, etc.). I will prayerfully seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit as to how I might turn His gift into a blessing for others and how I might continue, and grow, my walk of faithfulness before Him.

Be Specific _________________________________________________

All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated - http://bible.org

Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.

Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.

Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.

Copyright © 2012 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study. Prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in August of 2012. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.