Category: Old Testament

Seek the Lord Within His Word

Scripture: Isaiah 55: 1-3, 6

“Come, all you who are thirsty, Come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love.(1-3)   Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near…”(6)

Scripture Commentary: Seek the Lord, Seek His righteousness and humility

As the Bible says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near…”  Food costs money, lasts only for a short amount of time, and meets only physical needs. God offers us free nourishment that feeds our souls. God’s salvation is freely offered. His love fills us when we eagerly receive it.

Without God’s love, our spirits will starve. God never moves away from us, but we often move away from him. Seek the Lord now, while you can. He is waiting to give you his love and mercy.  All you have to do is turn to him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 55

Give Thanks to God; Praise His Holy Name

Scripture: Psalm 105: 1-4

O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 

Scripture Commentary: Give thanks to God every day of your life

Did you thank the Lord your God today, yesterday, or any day? If you are reading this, then God gave you another day; a day to praise his name.  Give thanks to him, and seek him.

How long has it been since you talked about God to someone? Have you reflected on all of the things he has done in your life?

Rejoice, God’s love for you is great. Seek God every day; talk to him, tell him you love him and need him. God seems far away, but he is not. Persist in your search for him, and he will show himself to you. God rewards those who sincerely seek him. Jesus promised, “Seek and you will find,” and, “Knock and the door will be open.”

God is not lost. You may be lost. Read the Bible; investigate the records of the history of God’s people; search and you will see a loving God waiting for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 105

Jesus Will Prepare A Place For Us

Scripture: Amos 4: 10,12

I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.(10)  Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, of Israel.( 12)

Scripture Commentary: Prepare yourself to meet the Lord; He prepares a place for you in His Father’s house

What will it take for us to listen to our Lord Jesus Christ and do as he instructs? Are we too like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, who turned away from God? Is the lifestyle you’re living mirroring God?  What are you doing to prepare to meet your Saviour?

Facing God, the one we’ve rejected and disobeyed, is inevitable. If we don’t face him, then we are like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They typify the ultimate and extreme through their sinful degrading behavior, their rebellion against God.

God’s intention is to use faithful people to bless the world. To do and live as God intends is the only way to prepare yourself for when you meet him face to face.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Amos Chapter 4

Call Upon the Lord and He Will Deliver You

Scripture: Isaiah 55: 6-7

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Scripture Commentary: Call upon the Lord; He will answer your cry!

We’ve all said it.  “I am going to repent later on.”  “I have time.  The world won’t end today!”  Don’t hold off for there isn’t time to spare.  Seek the Lord; call upon him.

Satan places things in this world to misdirect us so that we go about our life  knowing that we are doing wrong but thinking that we have time to fix it with God later.

Question: If you were to die right now, is your life “fixed” with God?

Isaiah tells us to call upon the Lord while he is near

God is not moving from us.  It is us who are moving from Him.  Don’t wait until you have run out of time.  Your time began when you were conceived in your mother’s womb, and the clock has been running ever since.

Don’t try to fit God into your mold.  His plan and purpose does not conform to yours.  The following is from Isaiah 55: 8-9:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Don’t run out of time!

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 55

Have Mercy on My Weakness, O Lord

Scripture: Psalms 6: 2, 5, 9

Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.(2)  For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?(5)  The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.(9)

Scripture Commentary: Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak

David accepted God’s punishment but he begged God, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD.”  He asked God not to punish him in anger.  David knew that if God truly punished him with His power, he would easily be crushed.

When you really think about all the wrong you have done in your life, you know that if God punished you for it, you wouldn’t be reading this.  If God treated you with justice alone without mercy, you would be wiped out by God’s wrath.

God knows your heart; seek His mercy and give Him your very best

David poured out his heart with tears and complete honesty.  Be honest when you go to God.  He knows your heart, mind and soul.  God knows all and He wants the best for you.  You, in turn, have to give God your best.

You know what God’s wrath can be like.  Just read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Even Jeremiah asked God to correct him gently and not in anger (Jeremiah 10: 24).

We don’t know the cause of David’s pain, but whatever the cause, he sought God’s mercy.

You must go to God for everything.  He is the healer and a forgiving Father.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 6

The Ways of the Lord Are Right

Scripture: Hosea 14:9

Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. 

Scripture Commentary: Walk in the ways of the Lord

The ways of the Lord are right.  God’s love and forgiveness comes at the price of faithfulness. It is a worthy price for eternal love and eternal life. God shows mercy in his dealings with Hosea. Hosea opens an appeal to listen, learn, and benefit from God’s Word. Are you listening? Are you open to learning from God?

When your will is weak, God will give you strength. When you are confused or your conscience is burdened with guilt, remember that God loves you. He cares for you continually. His compassion never fails. When your shortcomings and awareness of your sins surmount you , God can lift you out.

God is compassionate; He wants to forgive you

When friends and family desert you, co-workers don’t understand you, and the world pressures you to stumble off the path to righteousness, God can set you straight. Even when you are tired of being good, God remains compassionate. He wants to forgive you.

Forgiveness is the key word. When God forgives you, he judges your sin but not you as a sinner.  He shows mercy to you, and you have the opportunity to start anew with a clean slate.

If you are lost, find your way by turning from sin and following God.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Hosea Chapter 14

Other Posts from Hosea:
Return to God and Ask His Forgiveness
Return To the Lord Your God
The Rebellious Will Stumble

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Jeremiah 44: 16-17

We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!  We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.

Scripture Commentary: Listen to the message from the Lord

God told the people of Jerusalem and Judah what to do through Jeremiah. He also told them what would happen if they did not follow his instruction. The people came to Jeremiah, asking him to pray to the Lord. They wanted to know what message God had for them. When God answered, they did not like what they heard.

Have you sought guidance from God, but turned around and ignored it? If you ignore God’s advice, then why are you asking?

God will always answer your prayers. His answers will not always be what you want to hear, but God will tell you what you need to hear. He knows how to overcome your obstacles and he wants what’s best for you.

We learn from our past mistakes and use those experiences as a place from which to grow. If you ask God for help and ignore him, you will repeat mistakes and make no progress. To fail to learn from failure is to ensure failure in the future. Look at your problems and recognize the true source.

When calamity forces you to examine your life, take a close look at God’s instructions for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Jeremiah 44

Have Mercy on Me, O Lord

Scripture: Psalm 6: 1-3

O Lord, do not rebuke or punish me in Your anger, Nor discipline me in Your wrath.  Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am weak (faint, frail); Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed and anguished.  My soul [as well as my body] is greatly dismayed.  But as for You, O Lord—how long [until You act on my behalf]?

Scripture Commentary: David asks God to have mercy on him

This is the first of seven “penitential” psalms, where David humbly realizes his predicament, expresses sorrow over it, and demonstrates a fresh commitment to remain close to God.  He implores God to have mercy on him.

The secret to a close relationship with God is to pray to him earnestly all the time, day and night. We don’t know the cause of David’s pain. We do know that he sought God for the remedy. As in David’s case, we must be willing to accept God’s punishment, knowing God’s discipline will be out of love for us, not out of anger.

Humans would not exist if God corrected us out of anger alone. Mercy is the reason we are on this earth, and it is the reason we can have a close relationship with God. God knows your anger and despair already. Do not hide the truth from him. Put it in his hands. God knows us thoroughly and wants the very best for us.

David poured his heart out to God and was completely honest. He was open to the consequences, understanding that God loved him.

Our merciful God forgives us instead of giving us what we really deserve. He will never leave or desert you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms 6

The Lord’s Glory Is Revealed

Scripture: Isaiah 53: 1, 5-6

Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? (1) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.(5-6)

Scripture Commentary: To whom is the Lord revealed?

Isaiah wrote this scripture long before Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to save the Israelites. The Lord was revealed to them.  Even with the knowledge of his coming, the Israelites still didn’t receive the Messiah.

The Lord is revealed to you

Today we stand in a different position. We have the hindsight of Christ’s prior coming as proof of his identity and his purpose. However, some of us continue not to recognize him. Our sin is much greater than that of the ancient Israelites. Our understanding is greater also, yet we still reject Jesus Christ.

Why do we live a godless lifestyle when we have the knowledge of Christ? Does your life follow the path Jesus asked you to walk? Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Do you talk to God, and have you given your life to Jesus Christ?

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 53

Other recent posts from the Book of Isaiah:
The Pit of Corruption is Dug for the Wicked
Here I Am, Lord; Send Me
Pray Unto the Lord – He Will Respond

The Symbolism of the Linen Girdle

Scripture: Jeremiah 13: 1,4,5,7

Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Eu-phra’-tes, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So I went, and hid it by Eu-phra’-tes, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

Scripture Commentary: What is the lesson of the linen girdle?

The linen girdle was the garment worn closest to the person and it represented how close the people were to be to God. When God told Jeremiah to remove and hide it, that represented how we distance ourselves from God.  The marred linen girdle, which has no value, represented how a people guided by their own earthly interests are useless to God.

God gave us life so that we may worship him and create his kingdom on earth. He placed us here for a purpose.  There are those among us who ignore that purpose. If we go about our lives living for ourselves then we are living in denial of God’s gift. What good are you without that gift? Without that purpose?

Pride clouds your eyes to the truth

What Jeremiah is conveying in the passage above still applies today. The people had once been close to God, but their pride made them useless. Pride will not let you see the truth; that God placed us on this earth for him and not for ourselves.

Proud people may look important on the outside, but their pride rots their hearts and decreases their value to God. In this chapter, the threat of captivity didn’t even move the people to repent. The lesson of the linen belt illustrates the destiny of Judea.

What is your destiny?  Are you living for God or for yourself?

Read the entire chapter:
Jeremiah Chapter 13

Other Posts on the Book of Jeremiah
God’s Compassion Never Fails
We Must Acknowledge Our Wickedness and Change Our Ways
Woe To Leaders Who Scatter God’s Flock