Daily Bible Portion (Saturday)
Daily Bible Portion - 7 of 7
"WORDS"
(Weekly Reading>>Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22, Isaiah 1:1-27, John 15:1-11, Hebrews 3:7-4:11)
The Vision Concerning a Rebellious Nation
(Isaiah 1:1-27)
Isaiah was a Prophet during the reign of four kings from the House of Judah and seven kings from the House of Israel. The Two Houses (Kingdoms) of Israel had been at war with each other since Jeroboam separated and took the Northern Kingdom with him after King Solomon’s son Rehoboam came to power. The House of Israel went into idolatry first. The Two Houses had not been on friendly terms until the King of Judah Jehoshaphat made an alliance with the House of Israel through King Ahab. Intermarriage between their children strengthened the alliance. House of Judah took on the idols introduced by the House of Israel, and in the time of Isaiah, both houses had fallen heavily into occultism under King Ahaz’s reign.
Ahaz King of Judah walked in the ways of the House of Israel, following the detestable ways of the nations Yahweh had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices to pagan gods, to the point where he even sacrificed his own son in the fire. He burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. He made a copy of Tilgath-Pileser King of Assyria’s pagan altar and put it in the place of Yahweh’s bronze altar in the Temple. Ahaz had the priest offer sacrifices and daily offerings on this new altar. He removed the side panels and the basins from the movable stands. He removed the sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the Temple and removed the royal entryway outside the Temple of Yahweh in deference to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 16).
Taking away the Sabbath canopy meant that the king of Judah replaced Yahweh’s celebrations with Babylonian celebrations in honor the god’s of the king of Assyria. Ahaz introduced Babylonian gods and Babylonian festivals into Yahweh’s Temple. The celebrations he introduced were the spring and winter solstice (called Easter and Christmas today), and the worship of the Babylonian crescent moon (opposite direction to the Hebrew crescent). By doing this Ahaz King of Judah showed his allegiance to Tilgath-Pileser King of Babylon. Ahaz turned his back on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by worshipping Him along with other gods in a forbidden way.
In the reading this week we hear the prophecy to the Children of Israel who rebelled against Yahweh’s teaching and instructions. The same as was in King Ahaz’s time can be true in our lives today. Many believers have mixed Yahweh’s ways with pagan worship and are offering this strange fire to Yahweh. They have turned their backs on Yahweh and forsaken His ways, upholding pagan festivals. Yahweh used the prophet Isaiah to speak to these people. Yahweh is still using Isaiah to speak to us today. May we hear the words of Isaiah in our hearts and return to proper worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We are Abraham’s seed. We are the children Moses spoke to, and we are Yeshua’s disciples. What Gospel message do we uphold? How are we worshipping Him today? What is the good news we are sharing among Yahweh’s people? Is it the same Gospel message and good news that Abraham, Moses, all the Prophets, Yeshua, Peter, Paul and the disciples shared? Is it a message of repentance PLUS the Gospel of how to walk in a sanctified, redeemed and holy lifestyle for a redeemed people? Are we teaching how to walk in His Royal Priesthood as a Holy Nation? Is it the same message given at Mount Sinai or is it a mixed message? What are we declaring among the Nations? Are we proclaiming Yahweh’s Glory by celebrating His Festivals, His appointed times/Feast Days and what about His Sabbaths? Are we teaching the children of Israel how to discern what is clean and what is unclean, what is holy and what is unholy before the Nations we serve? What kind of fruit does the teaching we share produce? Does it resemble Christ’s teaching at Mount Sinai(The Law Giver) on Pentecost and bear witness as the Feast of Pentecost in Acts 2? Who and what are we disciples of? Does our heart follow after Yeshua’s heart and do we love with passion as David loved – Yahweh’s Torah - His chukim - His lasting impressions, marks, signs and wonders, His mishpatim - His loving kindness, and His mitzvot - His loving principles- teaching and instruction – called the Royal Law – the Gospel, His Law of Love? (Leviticus 23; Numbers Chapters 28-29; Ezekiel 44:23-24; Galatians 3:7, 29; James 2:8).
new study begins tomorrow...
"WORDS"
(Weekly Reading>>Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22, Isaiah 1:1-27, John 15:1-11, Hebrews 3:7-4:11)
The Vision Concerning a Rebellious Nation
(Isaiah 1:1-27)
Isaiah was a Prophet during the reign of four kings from the House of Judah and seven kings from the House of Israel. The Two Houses (Kingdoms) of Israel had been at war with each other since Jeroboam separated and took the Northern Kingdom with him after King Solomon’s son Rehoboam came to power. The House of Israel went into idolatry first. The Two Houses had not been on friendly terms until the King of Judah Jehoshaphat made an alliance with the House of Israel through King Ahab. Intermarriage between their children strengthened the alliance. House of Judah took on the idols introduced by the House of Israel, and in the time of Isaiah, both houses had fallen heavily into occultism under King Ahaz’s reign.
Ahaz King of Judah walked in the ways of the House of Israel, following the detestable ways of the nations Yahweh had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices to pagan gods, to the point where he even sacrificed his own son in the fire. He burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. He made a copy of Tilgath-Pileser King of Assyria’s pagan altar and put it in the place of Yahweh’s bronze altar in the Temple. Ahaz had the priest offer sacrifices and daily offerings on this new altar. He removed the side panels and the basins from the movable stands. He removed the sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the Temple and removed the royal entryway outside the Temple of Yahweh in deference to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 16).
Taking away the Sabbath canopy meant that the king of Judah replaced Yahweh’s celebrations with Babylonian celebrations in honor the god’s of the king of Assyria. Ahaz introduced Babylonian gods and Babylonian festivals into Yahweh’s Temple. The celebrations he introduced were the spring and winter solstice (called Easter and Christmas today), and the worship of the Babylonian crescent moon (opposite direction to the Hebrew crescent). By doing this Ahaz King of Judah showed his allegiance to Tilgath-Pileser King of Babylon. Ahaz turned his back on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by worshipping Him along with other gods in a forbidden way.
In the reading this week we hear the prophecy to the Children of Israel who rebelled against Yahweh’s teaching and instructions. The same as was in King Ahaz’s time can be true in our lives today. Many believers have mixed Yahweh’s ways with pagan worship and are offering this strange fire to Yahweh. They have turned their backs on Yahweh and forsaken His ways, upholding pagan festivals. Yahweh used the prophet Isaiah to speak to these people. Yahweh is still using Isaiah to speak to us today. May we hear the words of Isaiah in our hearts and return to proper worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Isaiah 1:10-20 “Listen to the LAW/Mitzvot of Yahweh [The Gospel: the teaching and instruction given at Mount Sinai] … I have had enough of your [Babylonian] sacrifices! What are they to me? Your [Babylonian] New Moon Festivals and your [Babylonian] appointed feasts my soul hates… Wash and make yourselves clean… Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!…Come now, let us reason together,’ says Yahweh. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
We are Abraham’s seed. We are the children Moses spoke to, and we are Yeshua’s disciples. What Gospel message do we uphold? How are we worshipping Him today? What is the good news we are sharing among Yahweh’s people? Is it the same Gospel message and good news that Abraham, Moses, all the Prophets, Yeshua, Peter, Paul and the disciples shared? Is it a message of repentance PLUS the Gospel of how to walk in a sanctified, redeemed and holy lifestyle for a redeemed people? Are we teaching how to walk in His Royal Priesthood as a Holy Nation? Is it the same message given at Mount Sinai or is it a mixed message? What are we declaring among the Nations? Are we proclaiming Yahweh’s Glory by celebrating His Festivals, His appointed times/Feast Days and what about His Sabbaths? Are we teaching the children of Israel how to discern what is clean and what is unclean, what is holy and what is unholy before the Nations we serve? What kind of fruit does the teaching we share produce? Does it resemble Christ’s teaching at Mount Sinai(The Law Giver) on Pentecost and bear witness as the Feast of Pentecost in Acts 2? Who and what are we disciples of? Does our heart follow after Yeshua’s heart and do we love with passion as David loved – Yahweh’s Torah - His chukim - His lasting impressions, marks, signs and wonders, His mishpatim - His loving kindness, and His mitzvot - His loving principles- teaching and instruction – called the Royal Law – the Gospel, His Law of Love? (Leviticus 23; Numbers Chapters 28-29; Ezekiel 44:23-24; Galatians 3:7, 29; James 2:8).
John 5:46-47 Jesus said, “For if you believed [obeyed] Moses, you would believe [obey] Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe [obey] his writings, how will you believe [obey] My words?”
new study begins tomorrow...