DAILY BIBLE READING
Jul 26: Is 40-43
Jul 27: Is 44-48
Jul 28: 2King 18:9-19:37; Ps 46/80/135
Jul 29: Is 49-53
Jul 30: Is 54-58
Jul 31: Is 59-63
Aug 1: Is 64-66
Aug 2: 2King 20-21
NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S READINGS
· Mostly we camp this week in Isaiah – the last “half.” Starting with chapter 40, Isaiah is dramatically different. When he speaks to the arrogance of Israel and its neighbors before the Assyrian crisis, Isaiah speaks warning and judgment. When he speaks to Israel and Judah after the exile, he speaks restoration and hope. It reminds me of the classic summary of the preacher’s task: “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
· This comfort section, though, still has two main sections. Chapters 40-55 are a more direct word to the exiles, giving hope for restoration and a reminder that God had foretold not only their exile but certain details of their situation. Because God knew in advance, they should take heart that his words of hope will also come true. Included in this section is a poem about the “suffering servant” (52:13-53:12) that includes some of Isaiah’s most famous words. Christians see this as a prophecy about Jesus’ death and resurrection. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
· The final section looks even further down the road to Christ’s return and our hope of eternal life in God’s new heaven and new earth. (See devotions below.)
· As I choose one verse (140 characters or fewer!) every day to post on Twitter and Facebook, Isaiah makes it tough! Every day’s readings seems to include a dozen or more possibilities. Isaiah is one of the Bible’s great literary geniuses. Enjoy!
DEVOTIONS
“I step out of the vehicle and onto the odd, uneven, narrow street. It is like cobblestones, but made of shards of sharp rock, and caked with mud because of the rainy season. There is a cement sewer drain on the side. It lies open like an artery cut in half. A blueish gray slime works its way through. This is a slum area. But it could be worse. It could be, right? I am not sure. I have not been in a slum before.”
This paragraph is from Chris Van Allsburg’s blog after his recent trip to Ethiopia. (See link above.) Chris saw things most of us will never see in our lifetime.
I thought of Chris’ blog when I read Isaiah 65 today. Speaking of the New Jerusalem, the Lord says, ““Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.”
Most of us read those words in the comfort of our air conditioned homes on a hot day. While I was writing this devotional, I had to use the restroom and took for granted that the flushed water would flow underground to a treatment plant. I’m getting hungry, but soon I’ll be able to eat a fresh meal of nutritious, filling food (for the third time today). I will sleep soundly in a comfortable bed beside the woman I love.
Much of the world for most of human history could only dream of such luxury. Maybe we are too well off to understand hope. Maybe we are too secure to understand need. Maybe we are too cozy to long for heaven. Ya think?