31 December 2017 – 6 January 2018. Isaiah 64 (click to read). When Isaiah looked at the world around him, he wasn’t happy. On all sides, there were disasters, suffering, and evil. Empires were going to war, the strong ruled, the weak were oppressed, and even the Israelites – who were supposed to be good, and […]
24–30 December 2017. Our Lord Jesus, So many times you have come to our hearts and found no place to stay. Forgive us our overcrowded lives, our busyness and our distractions, and our preoccupation with ourselves. Come again now, Lord. And even though our minds are a jumble of voices and our hearts are […]
17–23 December 2017. Isaiah 57 (click to read). In Isaiah 57 we find another example of God’s fierce criticism of Israel and all the evil they had been doing. Straightaway in verse 3 we get a sense of how deeply hurt God is by Israel’s behaviour, as he accuses them of being “witches’ children”, and […]
10–16 December 2017. Isaiah 48 (click to read). Reading through the book of Isaiah, we’ve gotten used to hearing lots of prophecies of judgement against the countries surrounding Israel. But that doesn’t mean that Israel itself was innocent and holy. Quite the opposite. Many of Isaiah’s harshest words were saved for Israel, because the Israelites […]
3–9 December 2017. Isaiah 41 (click to read). When the ancient Israelites looked at the world, they had a lot of reasons to be afraid. The Babylonians were always attacking and fighting for power, and there was little that tiny Israel could do. The strong and powerful did what they wanted, and there was simply […]