SOAP 07/25/2015; Isaiah 43:11-12

Today's reading: Isaiah 43, 44, 45; 1 Peter 4

S) "^{11 '}I, even I, am the LORD,
And there is no savior besides Me.
^{12 '}It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,' declares the LORD,
'And I am God.'

Isaiah 43:11-12 (NASB)

O) There is a recurring theme throughout these chapters (the early 40s of Isaiah), that the LORD declared what will happen. Israel had already been captured and taken into exile to Assyria, and Judah would face the same judgment with Babylon. Neither one of those significant events should have come as any kind of surprise, because the LORD warned His people of this consequence for infidelity, even before they received the Promised Land. It is no wonder, that He is described as slow to anger. He warned them about what would happen if they forsook Him, but He waited hundreds of years to execute His judgment. Reading this in terms of a legal procession, it is no wonder that He reminded His people, over and over, that they were witnesses to Him and what He had spoken. There was no strange God among them, warning them of these things. There was no strange God among them, who was their savior. The LORD alone, is God, their God.

A) The LORD alone, is God, my God. Just as He warned about exile, He also proclaimed His Messiah who was to come. Jesus did come, but like the foretold exile, many of God's people did not witness Jesus Christ for the Truth He is. In the passage above, God's people are reminded that they are witnesses of His salvation and His words. In the same way, I am His witness that there is no savior except the LORD, God of the Bible. I too, am witness to His words. Although I didn't experience what happened in the Bible first-hand, I know the salvation of God in my own life. Although the words of the Bible were put to ink and paper thousands of years ago, His word is living and active. So, I am a witness, just as the LORD'S people have always been called to be witnesses of Him. And, what is the duty of a witness, except to testify? So I will.

P) Father, You are gracious to call me as Your witness. It is my honor, to see and know what You have done, and hear and know what You have said. I declare that You alone, LORD, are God. You proclaimed and warned Moses and Your people, what would happen when they were unfaithful. You declared and promised that the Messiah would come. Just as You said, it has happened. Most significantly, Jesus is the Christ. More than anything else, I want that to be my confession. Jesus is the Christ, my Lord, Your Son. Be glorified by my testimony. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/24/2015; Isaiah 41:4

Today's reading: Isaiah 40, 41, 42; 1 Peter 3

S) "⁴  Who has performed and accomplished it,
Calling forth the generations from the beginning?
'I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.'"

Isaiah 41:4 (NASB)

O) Several times through these next few chapters, God highlighted His eternal nature, along with His omniscience, especially contrasted with the unknowing and mute idols that the people had taken to worshiping. This verse reveals a very specific facet of the foreknowledge of the LORD. From the beginning, the LORD knew the generations to come, calling them forth. That means that when He would carry out punishments to the third and fourth generation (see Numbers 14:18), it was not arbitrary, random, or even (necessarily) unjust for Him to do so. He already knew those generations that would follow. This isn't always stated so clearly, but there are hints of that in the similar verses (e.g., Exodus 20:5), where it suggests that those following generations would also hate the LORD. Whenever the wrath of God is revealed, whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament, the reader must remember the very real, rebellious, clear guilt of sin. Not to lose track of the verse today, this also means that God knows which of the generations to come will know and love Him. He knew, and called forth, my children before I even thought of them - indeed before I even existed. God knows whether or not I will be a grandpa. God knew exactly how many generations, from the beginning, that there would be from Adam to Jesus Christ. In Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, there is now hope for every generation. This is why there was a shift, that God would not punish the generations to follow because of the sins of their fathers (see Jeremiah 31:27-34 ).

A) The most encouraging revelation that comes from this aspect of God's character, is that He knows the generations to come. He already knew my children would be who they are today. He knows who they will become. He knew ahead of time, which parts of their personalities would be strengths to bless them, and weaknesses to make them rely on Him. He knows now, what generation may come from my children, and on and on and on. God knows, and I don't have to wonder. I will rest in my prayers for my children and my posterity, trusting the LORD that His will be done.

P) Father, You called me forth, from the beginning. You knew I would be born on January 13, 1982, right at lunchtime. You knew my mother would be challenged to abort me. You knew it would strain her relationships and You strengthened her to persevere. You knew when I was born, what challenges would come into my childhood, teenage years, and adulthood. You knew each of my children, and called them forth from the beginning. You know who will follow after them. There is nothing that escapes Your notice, indeed You know everything already. Because of Your exhaustive knowledge, wisdom, and sovereignty, I place my trust in Your will. You are a good God, compassionate and slow to anger. You desire that none would perish, but that all would come to repentance. Father God, I pray that each of my children would know You, even better than I have come to know You. I pray that each of my children would love You, even more than I have come to love You. I pray that they have children, who exceed their own knowledge and love for You, God. I pray that every generation that follows me, would increase in their relationship with You, over the generation that preceded them. Let Your will be done in my generations to come. You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and with the last. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/23/2015; 2 Kings 20:9-11

Today's reading: 2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38, 39; Psalm 75; 1 Peter 2

S) "⁹ Isaiah said, 'This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?' ¹⁰ So Hezekiah answered, 'It is easy for the shadow to decline ten steps; no, but let the shadow turn backward ten steps.' ¹¹ Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and He brought the shadow on the stairway back ten steps by which it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz."

2 Kings 20:9-11 (NASB)

O) For this entry, I am choosing to ignore v.8, where Hezekiah asked for a sign. The topic of asking for signs is a deep, separate issue. In this anecdotal example, the LORD also seems to have ignored the negatives about asking for signs, when His people should simply believe the message of His prophets. Moving forward, we read that Isaiah presented a choice of signs to the king. The first option seemed to be much more aligned with the way the natural world works (hence the king's response that it would be an easy thing). We can only infer that the way this particular staircase was positioned, that as the sun moved through the sky, the shadow came down the steps. Instead, Hezekiah sought the more difficult thing, that the shadow would move backwards, in what can be termed: an unnatural motion. This is, without a doubt, a miracle of potentially astronomical proportions. In the ancient world, the scope of this miracle may not have seemed as enormous. Now, given what we know about astronomy, it has much different implications. In the ancient world, people had a geo-centric view of the universe. Even as they began to chart stars, realizing some as constant through the sky, and some as "walking" or "wandering" (terms we translated later to mean "planet"), they still understood the earth as the stationary constant. Now, modern sciences show us how nothing in the universe is stationary, perhaps least of all: Earth. The Sun doesn't actually "rise" in the east, so much as our planet spins in a direction, that our east is the first side to face the sun. Our earth is spinning a full revolution every 24 hours. With some calculations, we can figure that the city of Jerusalem is moving (around the axis of the earth) at roughly 880 mph. For God to stop the earth from spinning, in order to reverse the direction a shadow is falling, would mean bringing 880 mph to a stop. How, and why, and the details of such an arrest are surely beyond our understanding. However, is that the only option? After all, I certainly submit, and fully believe, that God is all-powerful. The shadow clearly reversed it's motion... but how did God do it, exactly? Could God have reverse the spin of the earth? Yes. Would that be potentially catastrophic? Of course. Could God have done it and protected us? Certainly. But, is there another way? Couldn't God have simply used an alternative light source to create such a shadow movement? Plenty of angels are described as unbearably bright. There are lots of references throughout the Bible, about God being light, Himself... In fact, as long as we're on the subject of what God could do, it is certainly possible for God to move a shadow, without altering any light sources! God is indeed omnipotent, so He really could have done this sign however He wanted, even with methods I cannot conceive.

A) Why did I bring all of this up? Well, I love math. That's one reason. Also, because I have heard a lot of people try to reason how God did certain things. In fact, I once watched a special on TV, trying to scientifically breakdown all ten plagues from Exodus, plus the crossing of the Red Sea, and the pillar of smoke by day and fire by night. But why? It seems sometimes we search for details of how and why, but miss the bigger point. This story reminds me that it is a dangerous path, trying to discern how miracles happen. Even still, I have found myself tempted to think too long about this very same thing, even when I am praying for a miracle in my own life! For one thing, this is what atheists and antichrists do, when trying to assert that belief in God and Christ are foolishness! I don't think I really want to be asking the same questions they are asking, when they are trying to tear down Christianity. Another thing, this type of questioning misses the much bigger point: God gave a sign! Regardless of how God made the shadow reverse, the simple truth is that He did it! So, rather than spending time asking, "How did God give the sign?" I need to be asking, "What does the sign say?"! This is the case for the miracles of the Bible (not how was Christ able to be raised in a physical world? but what does the Resurrection say?), and miracles in my own life (not who did this bill come to be paid on my behalf? but what does God want me to know, that His grace pays my debts?).

P) Father, Your goodness is plain and Your power is evident, but I am easily distracted. Your grace has been all over my life, from my very birth, all the way until this very day. I don't want to miss the forest for the trees, though. Give me eyes that remain open, Lord, that I will recognize Your miracles where they are. Give me ears that remain open, that I will hear the message You want me to hear, when I revognize those miracles. Don't let me be distracted by detailed questions of no consequence. Let me still approach life with critical thinking, but help me to not lose sight of the better goals. Help me to seek You, not just miracles. Help me to recognize Your character, not just Your actions. Let me know You, not only the wonderful things You have done. Yet, not my will, but Yours be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/22/2015; Isaiah 36:7

Today's reading: Isaiah 36, 37; Psalm 76; 1 Peter 1

S) "⁷ But if you say to me, 'We trust in the Lord our God,' is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'?"

Isaiah 36:7 (NASB)

O) When the armies of Assyria came against Judah, after already taking Israel captive, they assumed that the LORD was like all of the other gods of the lands - powerless, ornamental, or otherwise inconsequential. When Rabshakeh spoke this taunt to the Judeans, they made the mistake of completely underestimating the LORD, and completely misunderstanding who He is, and what He required. When Hezekiah removed the high places and altars, it was because they had become installations of profanity. In order for something to be profaned, it must first be holy. Then, the act of profanity is to make the thing common, that is, to remove it's holy attributes. The people had reduced the LORD to the same kinds of common superstitions that the idols always were. So, when Hezekiah removed those profane places, those common acts of superstition, he was purifying the worship of the people. He was regulating that they worship the LORD the way God Himself required it. On the surface, to an uneducated outsider, it must have seemed that the people were worshiping the LORD less, since they had fewer locations (high places and altars), when in fact, the people were worshiping the LORD more purely. Their worship had become qualitative instead of quantitative.

A) First, I must remember that Jesus clarified in John 4, that worship is no longer a matter of location. That was always about regulating how the people were worshiping the LORD. Like much of the Old Testament law, the regulations about worship were about controlling the outer person, in order to affect the inner person. When the Holy Spirit came, the power of the gospel brought a new dynamic. Now, the change begins within us, and it is expressed outwardly (e.g., faith leads to works). So now, my worship of the LORD must never be profane. Like Jesus said in John 4, it must be in spirit and in truth. As such, my worship will be qualitative, even if it is not necessarily quantitative. Through all of that, my worship should also serve as testimony to others. When I am singing worship in my car, that should not be the same as when I am singing any other songs. Otherwise, isn't that singing becoming common? If I find myself singing worship without really giving any thought to the words, then it isn't really worship. On the other hand, if I am setting a standard, that when I am singing along with a worship song, that I am truly worshiping (like, that I do not want to be interrupted or distracted, etc.), then it can be a point of apologetics when I am telling others about my faith. Worship is not a pastime, hobby, or musical preference. Singing more worship songs is not the same as worshiping more. If this kind of commitment to purity in worship, means that I am worshiping less often, then that's probably a good thing, if it also means that my worship is pure, in spirit and in truth.

P) Father, You deserve pure worship God. I confess that I have sang worship, without worshiping You. Please forgive this profane kind of lip service. You deserve my undivided attention. You deserve worship of the highest quality, not just the highest quantity. That has never changed. Help me to identify the sort of "high places and altars" of worship I have erected. Help me to see where my worship has become profane. If that means I don't sing along to worship in certain circumstances, then that is fine. I don't want to become legalistic about this, so let the Holy Spirit guide me. I am encouraged to give You the best of my worship, Lord, because I love You and You deserve it. Be glorified in how, when, and why I worship You. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/21/2015; 2 Chronicles 32:7

Today's reading: 2 Kings 18, 19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5

S) "⁷ 'Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him."

2 Chronicles 32:7 (NASB)

O) Hezekiah was distraught because of the armies of Assyria that had come against him. When this story is read from 2 Kings as well, we see some more of Hezekiah's private actions and attitudes during this struggle. But, in the passage from 2 Chronicles, we see his more public actions, encouraging his troops with the words above. Hezekiah was not without his flaws, but he was certainly counted as a righteous king. In the verse above we read that, despite his internalized fears, he was publically positive. This is not a matter of being fake, though. What he spoke to his people was all true. In all likelihood, his words encouraged himself, as well. As he began to address his army, he was no doubt reminded of the goodness of the LORD toward His faithful people. Privately, Hezekiah did the right thing. The king sought the LORD in prayer, and sought the aid of God's prophet (Isaiah, at this time) for confirmation of the will of God. Publically, he also did the right thing, speaking truth to those who needed the encouragement of truth.

A) Thinking of my family as a little, tiny, five-person kingdom, I remember that my place of leadership is that of service to my people. I am called to lead my family to follow the LORD. Sometimes, things in life get scary, they get uncertain. It's okay to acknowledge my impotence, as I am also seeking the One who can deliver me. If my inability to handle something, is what brings me closer to the LORD, then it is gain. Like Hezekiah, I must have trusted people in my life, to whom I can confess my fears and seek to join me in prayer. Primarily, this should always be my wife, at least. More publically, I must still speak the truth I know about who God is, and how He loves His children. When I am discussing things with my kids, especially, they probably don't need to hear about my doubts or the details of every hardship that life brings. They need to hear about God's faithfulness, power, and His will to reveal His glory, just like I also need to hear those reminders. So, I should speak them to both them and myself. This verse foreshadows the warning and promise Jesus Christ gave us, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

P) Father, You are strong beyond measure. You are wise beyond comparison. You are sovereign, and I submit my little, tiny, five-person kingdom to Your authority. You are the only help we have in times of trouble. You are our only deliverance from the tribulations that try to besiege us. But, I have hope and courage, because You are with us. Because Jesus Christ has overcome the world, and He is with us, then in this world I truly have nothing to fear. When life comes against me, to try and make me forget this, let me speak truth to help me remember. Let me speak truth to my wife, and my kids, and to myself. In every hard time, give me the discipline to seek You first, and alone, as my hope for deliverance. Be glorified in my life, by the way You provide, protect, and restore. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/20/2015; 2 Chronicles 30:18-20

Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 29, 30, 31; James 4

S) "¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, 'May the good Lord pardon ¹⁹ everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.' ²⁰ So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people."

2 Chronicles 30:18-20 (NASB)

O) Hezekiah accomplished great reform in Judah, shortly after Israel's exile to Assyria. He started with the cleansing of God's temple (chapter 29), and continued his reforms as we read in today's chapter. One of the most remarkable miracles, was the return of many of his estranged countrymen. Hundreds of years of, what was essentially, civil war, had estranged 10 tribes from Judah and Benjamin (who comprised the kingdom of Judah). In this chapter, Hezekiah had sent letters out, inviting all of the remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem, to begin worshiping the LORD together again. The response he received was not unanimous, but many people did return to worship together. Then, we read in the above verse, that many of those who returned were still ceremonially unclean, so Hezekiah prayed for them, that God would look at their hearts. Hezekiah was confident that their very presence in their return to Jerusalem, was evidence that they were seeking God in good faith. So, although they were failing to meet the requirements of the law, God was faithful to forgive them, and bring them back into fellowship with Him, and with each other. The last verse above, says the LORD heard the king, and healed the people. The passage is curiously devoid of any illness descriptions. It doesn't even say anyone was ill, let alone what kind of healing they needed. This leads to the obvious conclusion, that this healing was not physical. This was a spiritual healing. This was the healing that comes after discipline has taken place. They were healed in their hearts, restored to their rightful places as sons.

A) What a great foreshadow, of what it means to come to God in faith, now. My experience is not unique, in my return to the LORD, my God. And, when I came back to God, there was a lot of garbage in my heart, that still needed to be cleaned. What must be remembered, though, is that God does the cleaning. It was only up to me to allow Him into the "rooms" of my heart. This process is still underway, now. God is not done healing me, in truth, because I have not been done sinning. Sin leads to death, and as long as I still fall prey to my temptations, then I will continue to need His healing. This will continue until the day I am perfected in Jesus Christ. The key to all of this, will always be the posture of my heart. If I am prepared in my heart to seek God, then I will be ready in my heart to meet Him. I will not be ready on the basis of the rules I have kept, but on the basis of His grace, healing me by the work of Jesus Christ.

P) Father, Your grace is amazing. In my estrangement You sent a messenger. You sent the Holy Spirit, to draw me back to worship. You brought me back, calling me into fellowship once more. You offered me a place at the Passover, in a way. You offered me a place at Your table, even though I was completely ignoring You every chance I could. You offered me healing and pardon. You knew I wouldn't worship You the right way, at first. You knew I would fail to walk in Your ways perfectly. But, You still wanted me to join You. Even though I still stumble, Lord, You have been faithfully inviting me back, over and over, each day. Please continue to pardon and heal me. Let me find restoration and regeneration, as I continue to come back in repentance. Be glorified in my brokenness. Be glorified in my healing. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/19/2015; 2 Chronicles 28:22-23

Today's reading: 2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 28; Psalm 46; James 3

S) "²² Now in the time of his distress this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the Lord. ²³ For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, and said, 'Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.' But they became the downfall of him and all Israel."

2 Chronicles 28:22-23 (NASB)

O) There isn't a lot of commentary to add to this passage, because it basically lays it all out plainly for us. Ahaz was in distress, but instead of that drawing him back to the LORD, he allowed it to be cause for more infidelity. He had no fear of the LORD, so he did not respond righteously to the discipline of God. In fact, he misunderstood what was happening, supposing that false-gods had given Damascus victory, instead of realizing that the LORD was against him because of his infidelity. .

A) Whether we have easy circumstances or hard ones, the response to those circumstances have everything to do with the posture of our hearts. If I have a wrong foundation, an unbiblical view of God as my heavenly Father, as the sovereign Creator, as the righteous Judge, then I am going to have wrong responses to His actions. God can bless me with success, ease, and happiness, and I can still have a sinful response to those blessings, if my view of Him is wrong. Likewise, if He is allowing hardships, lean cupboards, or poor health, and I have a proper view of God as a Father who disciplines those He loves, then I may have a repentant and faithful response.

P) Father, You are the only God. You are the only being that exists, who was never created. From the beginning You were holy. You are a righteous King, a good Father, a faithful Redeemer. Even when I left You, You were faithfully pursuing me. Thank You for the grace You have always shown, and continue to show to me. Your love is plainly evident to me, and I pray that my eyes remain open to recognize Your love in all that You do, and all that You allow, in my life. I only pray that Your will is done. Whether it is hardship or ease, I pray that I am able to find Your hand in every circumstance of my life. Whether there is calm or storm, I pray that I am seeking You faithfully. Do not let me be deceived by a clever enemy. Remind me that my wellbeing is only found with my Creator. Help me to be rightly disciplined in every circumstance, that I may be found as a pleasing son, a faithful steward, and a good servant. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 07/18/2015; Isaiah 32:8

Today's reading: Isaiah 32, 33, 34, 35; James 2

S) "⁸ But the noble man devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands."

Isaiah 32:8 (NASB)

O) Isaiah was prophesying about a future kingdom, and this verse is contrasted against the fool and the rogue of vv.5-7. This whole passage (1-8) seems to be referring to the Messianic Kingdom, that is, the same kingdom Jesus came and established. It's possible this is referring even further forward than that (e.g., God's reign after the final judgment), but it's not clear. What is clear, it seems, is that people of this kingdom are more like it's leadership, which is described in vv.1-2 as being much more godly than the world's leaders. It seems to me, the most likely case, is that this passage is referring to the here and now, since Jesus came and established the kingdom of God. Certainly, not everyone in leadership behaves like the kings and princes described at the beginning of this chapter. However, it is easy to see that any leader who is not seeking to be a godly shepherd of his people, is not really a disciple of Jesus Christ. As such, they aren't really a king or prince in God's kingdom, they are a usurper of their position.

A) The reason I chose this verse to highlight, is that it seems the most applicable to me, regardless of what role I have in God's kingdom. While there will always be seasons when I'll lead people, there may be seasons where I'm not really shepherding anyone but my wife (although, those should be short periods, if I'm following the instruction to make disciples). What will not change, however, is the fact that I am, and will be, constantly making plans. The real question then becomes, are they noble plans? Certainly, it is God's grace within me, that changes my heart, so I will desire God's will. It is God's grace within me, that will prompt me to make noble plans. So, if I am to stand by my noble plans, then it is still God's grace which makes me stand. The real application, here, is that I would draw focus to pay attention to what kind of plans I am making. I plan all sorts of things. I plan what I'm going to do at work. I plan what I'm going to do when I get home. I make weekend plans, and vacation plans, and plans to visit people. What I really need to do, is slow down enough to examine my plans. Are my plans noble? Are my plans honoring God? Are my plans loving God and people? I plan a range of things, and they should all be noble. I know they won't be, because I still fail sometimes, but examining them ahead of time, testing them to see if they are noble, this is good discipline that I need to use.

P) Father, Your grace brings every blessing to my life, including changes to my character. I want to be a noble citizen of Your kingdom, Lord. I want to make noble plans, and stand by them. I want You to be honored by my thoughts of the future. In full submission, I want to prayerfully consider my plans. After all, Your Word clearly teaches me that my plans, if they are solely mine, are worthless and will fail anyway. Help me to be more aware, when I am making plans. Let me pray about all of them, no matter how trivial they may seem at the time. Let me consider if they are honoring, loving, and noble. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.