One Year Bible, September 18

ISAIAH 28:14 - 30:11                                                                                                          
"BOOK OF "WOES" (Chap 28-33): Written because Ephraim formed an alliance with Assyria to attack little, tiny Judah, and Assyria then promptly kept the army coming and ran right over Ephraim too!   So, the Southern Kingdom, under Ahaz, turned to Egypt for help.   Egypt was the country that had held them in slavery for over 400 years - and now they wanted to form an alliance with them!   It is "trusting in the arm of the flesh,"  and the thing that we turn to for help in the flesh, becomes the thing that defeats us.   The "Book of Woes" is the consequence of looking to the world-spirit or the flesh in the time of trouble.

(1) "Woe to the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim".  Drunkenness in the Bible represents the opposite of being "soberminded".  Spiritual drunkenness means to "play loose" with the Scriptures, sloppy thinking, to be uncertain about the realities of God.   It is UNSAVED thinking.   The covenant with Egypt is a "covenant of death" - Leaning on the flesh to save us is self-destructive.   It puts us in agreement with hell!

(2) "Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt!" (Another name for Jerusalem) The city will look like it is doomed with no hope of recovery, but God will intervene, and all the bad stuff will seem like a bad dream.   There is a second "woe" buried in this chapter - these people thought they could hide their plans (to form a pact with wickedness) from God!  They thought they were smarter than God!   So, in vs 17 God said He would turn things upside-down (do a reversal).   Outsiders will become God's people, and the Judaites would become as enemies.  What was the sin of Jerusalem?  UNFAITHFULNESS.  They were caught red-handed, ever AFTER being rescued. They became so numb to spiritual things, that God put a "spirit of sleep" on them, that took away their understanding.  The Word of God became unintelligible because they were blinded by unbelief.  Willful blindness leads to judicial blindness.

(3) "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me...." To go down to Egypt for help was like going back into the world for advice and strength.   Egypt was the place where we were slaves in bondage to the flesh.  To do this is WICKED because it involves "forgetting God."   Quietly waiting on God manifests real STRENGTH.   Be still and wait.  Until we hear from Him, anything is presumption.  Waiting ON God is an aggressive stance of rest and trust. (If you don't believe me, try it sometime! It takes real aggression against your flesh to "wait".) This time, God intended for them to fail - with or without His help!   If you submit and cling to God, you become a remnant that is delivered. If you fight back, your spanking will last longer! SELF-effort is self-destructive.

"And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword." (Lev 26:7-8)   That was then!   NOW it will be reversed because of their reliance on the flesh.   1000 will flee from one. (30:17)

RESPONSE: Relying on our own craftiness, our own plans, our own schemes, our own strength and prowess is DEADLY.  There is really only one reason to do that - - - we have been bribed by sin to forget God.

GALATIANS 3:23 - 4:31                                                                                                    
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW?   If those under the law are subject to a curse, and Abraham's blessing ignores it, what is the purpose of the Law?  The antithesis of the Law is the Promise, which is given to Abraham's true seed.   However, the Law is NOT "against the promises of God."   It's just that there is no Law that can make us righteous (give Life).   Law and Promise exist on two different planes,  Not in competition.  (1) The Law is a MEDIATOR between the Promise and its fulfillment.

IN CHRIST VS UNDER THE LAW: (2) The Law defines and provokes sin.  What was a latent tendency becomes a flagrant act of rebellion. The law shows us how bad we really are. (3) The Law is a ministry of grace in that it cuts us off from any other hope of salvation. It "kept” us (guarded and protected us) and "shut us up" - means to enclose us in a safe place until we come to faith.  (4) The law was also our "schoolmaster" who taught us right-and-wrong and pointed beyond itself to Jesus.  Once we came to faith, God called us "righteous" and we are "in Christ".   When we were saved, we were clothed upon by Christ ("in Christ"), and now we are without race, without rank, and with gender.   We are UNIFIED as ONE race, in ONE Kingdom.   We ARE "Abraham's seed" and "heirs of the promise".  So, the law comes BEFORE faith, not AFTER faith as if to finish anything that faith left undone!   Faith is our emancipator!   Don't go willingly back into the servitude of being immature children!

HEIRS OF THE UNIVERSE ("Lord of all"):  IF God had a "parenthesis", it was the LAW, not the Gentile Church.  We are heirs by faith, not by birth.  We "escape" the curse and condemnation of the Law at the same time we inherit Abraham's blessing.   The difference between Judaism and Christianity is that Jews are heir apparent (children waiting to become "of age"), and Christians are in possession of their inheritance (by possessing Christ).

SPIRITUAL INFANTS:  We need to grow up.   Until then, we have EXTERNAL "tutors and governors" - to protect us, cut us off from other things, lead the way, etc.  The Father is the One Who determines when we are no longer infantile.   "Elements of the world" are what holds us in bondage until then.   They are the systems, the traditions, the "natural" rules of Law as opposed to being of the Spirit.   Vs 9 calls them "weak and beggarly elements".

SONS, CHANGED FROM THE INSIDE-OUT:  Maturity is not applied, but renewed by the Spirit dwelling inside.   The "sending forth of God's Son" into our hearts ended our servitude! We don't SUPPLEMENT this with our "spiritual infant" behavior - we leave that behind!   Then "God sent forth the Spirit of His Son"  into our hearts so we would KNOW who we are and learn to LIVE from that that Life.  Our old heathen life was one of slavery;  the knowledge of God brings freedom.   Christ lives is me, and is being "formed in me". "FORMED": (Gr: "morphoo") means "to fashion by adjusting the parts".  This refers to an inward and REAL CHANGE.    This results in a change of character and conduct that corresponds to that changed inward spiritual condition.

TWO SONS: Abraham had two sons.  Ishmael was the son of a slave woman, Hagar, which made him a slave too. Isaac was the son of a freewoman, Sarah. These two sons represented two covenants, one given from Mt. Sinai and natural Jerusalem and one from spiritual Jerusalem.   Although Ishmael was the firstborn, Isaac was the Son of Promise.   Even now the product of FLESH (the fruit of unbelief) persecutes the product of the PROMISE (Spirit).  They are incompatible.  The Jewish persecution of the Church gave proof of their Ishmaelite spirit. Jerusalem is no longer the "mother" of freemen.   The spirit of that nation is that of rebellious, discontented slaves.  Paul has pronounced doom on Judaism.  Her house is "left desolate", and she was been "cast out".   The two systems are irreconcilable.

RESPONSE:   The Church has declared its freedom and there is no turning back.   If we turn back, we are "unfit".   Heb 11:15 says that if we think about the land we come from, we will find opportunity to go back to it.  The principle is this:  if we look back at our old life in the flesh with longing, we will find an opportunity to forsake our faith and forsake God, and go back.   That's what these people were in danger of doing.  When pressure comes, we could start thinking about the old ways we handled it: losing our temper, walking away in a huff, smoking, taking a few "drinks", cussing.   But instead, we are being called on to stay FREE - don't give up territory you have already conquered.

PSALM 62:1-12                                                                                                                 
STAYING QUIET UNDER STRESS:  "Only" is used 6 times in this Psalm. ("Truly", "indeed", "surely", "nevertheless")  We seek and wait for God ONLY.   He is the ONLY One we trust.  The words for "wait" in this Psalm mean to "wait in dumb silence".   WHY? Because ONLY God decides what will happen to me.  "Truly, my soul waiteth upon God." (Thy will be done).   "From him comes my salvation."  (I trust Him completely).   "He only is my rock, and my salvation; he is my defense so that I shall not greatly be moved."  (It is safe and right to trust God).   THE REASON I WAIT IN SILENCE?  Power belongs to God. And mercy belongs to God, too.

PROVERBS 23:19-21                                                                                                   
Drunkards and Gluttons are on the wrong path.  They both end up lazy and poor - because they spend all their money on food and booze!  Both come to no good end.

RESPONSE:  "God is a refuge for us."  I think it is hard to be quiet under stress.  I want everyone to know how pressured I feel so they don't add any more to the pile.   Unfortunately it doesn't work that way.  I actually become more stressed out because of talking about it. Now I'm trying to explain to someone else WHY I feel stressed, because they usually don't get it. When they try to help me, they cause more stress because now they are "interfering".  So I GET IT about waiting for God ONLY, and to trust Him ONLY.   My expectation should be in Him ONLY.  Our rewards come from Him, so He is really the ONLY One who matters anyway. My deliverance comes from Him, not my Hubby or a friend. He is my place of rest and refuge.  What would I do without Him?