anitasanecdotes

Isaiah 8 and 9 speak of the taking of Israel by Assyria. Isaiah is told to encourage the people’s faith. God is with them. He is the one to fear, not Assyria. Unfortunately many will stumble and fall. Some will ask Isaiah to take the counsel of other gods. God will send them into darkness.

But the people who walk in darkness will have light shine upon them for the heir of David will come and will uphold justice. Again, we read prophecy that relates to Jesus

God is angry with the people of Israel and Judah for their lack of faith but even still his hand is stretched out.

Psalm 102 is a prayer form one who is suffering and in pain, dealing with from punishment from the Lord. He recognizes God’s provision and pleads that God will deal mercifully with him.

Isaiah 6 gives us a picture of the Lord on his throne. The walls of his temple shake with songs of praises. What a beautiful image of worship. Isaiah, when confronted with the awesomeness of God is made fully aware of his shortcomings and that he cannot measure up. God blots out his sin and guilt. God asks for someone to tell the people about Him. Isaiah responds saying, “Here am I; send me!” The task Isaiah is given is difficult and long but he willingly accepts his commission.

We too, when confronted with God’s awesomeness are immediately made aware of our sin. But God has rid us of guilt and sin. God asks us as those forgiven to proclaim God’s justice and forgiveness to the world. The task may be difficult and long. Do we respond as Isaiah did or do we balk?  That is the question each of us must ask.

Isaiah 7 tells of Isaiah’s encounter with Ahaz. Isaiah gives Ahaz the opportunity to trust in God’s plan but he refuses. Isaiah tells of the future ramifications of this lack of trust. Israel will be occupied.

Isaiah also tells of one who will follow him, a child who will be called Immanuel. Most scholars believe this is a prediction of the rise of Hezekiah, who did indeed walk with God. As we remember God spared Jerusalem while Hezekiah was alive but then it fell to the Assyrians.

This prophecy is also a very familiar one relating to Jesus as the Messiah. It is repeated in the New Testament birth narrative. Here we see a prime instance of a prophecy relating to the near and far future of the people of Israel.

In 2 Timothy 2 Paul continues to encourage Timothy to be bold in proclaiming the true gospel and fight those who do not. He, also, encourages Timothy to lead a life the is in keeping with the right teachings so that others will not be confused or hurt.

In Isaiah 3 because the leaders have led the people astray God is taking the leaders from the people. They will look to anyone for guidance but will find no one able.

The wealthy women have gone astray, being influenced by other religions. God will take their finery away from them. They will be left with nothing. The men will be killed and the women and children will be oppressed by their enemies.

Isaiah 4 speaks of a day with a man of the Lord will come and give them a new name. Their sins will be forgiven and God will create a new Mount Zion.

Isaiah 5 begins with a song from God regarding how he planted a vineyard (the people of Israel) but it yielded wild grapes (they sought other gods). It is now necessary to get rid of that vineyard to allow a new one to be planted. The people are being exiled because of their sin. They are being punished until they are humbled. Things will be bleak for a long time.

2 Timothy 1 begins with encouragement of Timothy to be bold in his testimony about the Lord. Paul speaks about the privilege of suffering for the faith because the grace of Christ has conquered death. We should all have that kind of boldness in our faith to be willing to suffer for the sake of spreading the Gospel. We are often afraid to speak just because we will be ridiculed. Given the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf we should be ashamed of ourselves for choosing self-preservation over proclaiming the good news.

Isaiah 1 speaks of the faithlessness of the people of God. After God has been faithful throughout their history the people have responded in disobedience. They “play” at faith by continuing to offer sacrifices, but what God wants is a change of heart and behavior.

Isaiah is written during the reign of several kings. We know that even in their worship many of them sinned by worshiping idols as well as or even in place of God. God meets their disobedience with punishment in order to convince them to turn around.

Isaiah 2 is one passage of prophecy that spans the centuries. While it has been written for a specific time in history, a part of this passage is also considered to be a prophecy concerning the coming Messiah, whom we now know as Jesus. Many biblical prophecies have the now and not yet quality where they speak to something current to the time of their writing but can also be pertinent for a time in the distant future.

The most important part of prophetic writing is not its predicting of the future but its calling to account of the people it addresses. The prophet warns people that they are no longer living in a way that God intends or approves. They must repent and change their hearts, minds, and behavior. If they do God is faithful and will forgive their sin and reestablish a right relationship with them.

1 Timothy 6 begins with instructions to those who are slaves. This advice can be applied to anyone who has an employer. We must treat our bosses with respect out of honor to the Lord.

Those who teach must be careful that the teachings are in keeping with the scriptures. If the teachings stray from God’s word it causes strife in the church.

The writer encourages contentment with what we have. When we are tempted to have more we can turn away from the righteous life.

Timothy is encouraged to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. He is to take hold of eternal life. Encourage the rich to set their hope not on riches by on God who provides us with everything. Be rich in good works, generous and ready to share. This is good advice for everyone.

Song of Solomon 7 and 8 conclude the book with expressions of love by both the king and the bride. Their love is profound.

Several times in the book we read the statement, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready!” I believe this is advice to wait until the wedding night to become one. Too often we give ourselves to another too early. This cheapens the relationship and show little value for one’s own body and self-esteem. Waiting may be difficult, but waiting until vows are made and the marriage is blessed by God brings blessings in abundance.

Psalm 99 speaks of God’s justice. The psalmist praises God for executing both justice and righteousness, both forgiveness and restitution.

Psalm 100 is as famous as Psalm 23.  It is a song that calls the faithful into worship. We are to worship God because we are God’s people. His love and faithfulness endure.

Psalm 101 is a psalm of commitment and dedication. The psalmist promises to live a life of integrity and righteousness.

Song of Solomon 5 and 6 speaks of the king and his bride being apart from one another. They do not feel complete without each other. Do you feel incomplete when you spend time away from the scriptures or worship? Do you long to be in the Lord’s presence?  He longs for you.

1 Timothy 5 gives instruction on how to deal well with a congregation, treating everyone with respect and purity. Families should take care of their women who have become widows. The writer continues to encourage the leader to be above reproach.

Song of Solomon 3 and 4 as in the other chapters move back and forth between the bride and the bridegroom speaking. First the bride speaks. She misses her love and looks for him but cannot find him. Later when she does she cannot let him go. The groom cherishes his bride’s every aspect. There is nothing about her that displeases him.

Do you have the kind of faith that seeks out the Lord and then upon finding him hold on tightly? Have you ever considered that Jesus looks upon us with the kind of love expressed by the king? He cherishes us.

1 Timothy 4 warns about being deceived by false teaching. We are encouraged to train ourselves in the faith the way and athlete goes through physical training. In order to be proficient in the faith and aware when being exposed to lies one must really know the scriptures. This only comes from regular reading of the Bible and attendance in worship and Bible Study.

Song of Solomon 1 and 2 begin a difficult book to interpret. It definitely uses imagery related to the intimate relationship between a man and a woman within the bonds of marriage. Many believe that these are metaphors for the relationship God has with the faithful, and from the Christian perspective the relationship between Jesus and the Church. You may recall that Jesus is described as the bridegroom and the Church as the bride in several New Testament passages. Those metaphors most likely came from this book.

In this first chapter the woman recognizes that she is not expected to be a suitable bride for the king. She has not led the kind of life that is suitable, and yet he has sought her out, chosen her and has made her beautiful. He believes she is beautiful to his eyes.

We do not lead suitable lives to be in relationship with our God and yet God has sought us out. We have been chosen. We have been made suitable by His grace and we are beautiful in His sight.

Psalms 97 and 98 picture the Lord as King. He is on His throne. He is victorious in battle. All creation sings His praises. Those who worship other gods are put to shame.

Ecclesiastes 12 concludes the book with the advice to remember your creator, fear God and keep His commandments. God will see us doing all things and it would be best if God saw us doing godly things. Remembering our creator helps us when things and people in our lives fail us. The only one who remains is God.

1 Timothy 3 speaks about the criteria for leadership in the church. Leaders should be people of faith who lead responsible lives of integrity. They should be generous in their dealings with others and humble/ They should be known for their self-control.

Ecclesiastes 10 and 11 encourages making wise decisions throughout life. Be prudent and do not take unnecessary risks. Watch what you do for God is also watching.

In 1 Timothy 2 Paul encourages us to pray for all who are in high positions. We might say that we shouldn’t be praying for those who do not hold the same positions we do even if they are our leaders. We must remember that the leaders Paul is encouraging Timothy to pray for were dictators who wanted harm Christians and persecuted them at any opportunity. If Paul could pray for leaders like that, we should be able to pray for our leaders today. Our prayers should be that they would come to know the Lord and be godly in their decision making. Jesus is the mediator for all of us to God.

He then, deals with some points of decorum that appear to be dealing with issues that were going on in the church Timothy is leading.