We continue with RiSiKiLi−
You know− Read it, Study it, Know it, Live it.
What do you know about the
great prophet Isaiah?
Many know him as the one who
said, But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be
weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
He also said quite a bit
about light and our need for the light that comes from God. He besought God’s
people to turn from their pagan ways and live in the illumination provided by
the Word of God that was available to them at that time—around 700-690 B.C.
Also God spoke directly to
Isaiah, giving clear direction for His people, the children of Israel. Under
God’s authority, Isaiah declared God’s displeasure with His people.
Early on in Isaiah’s life of
prophesying, he pleaded, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in
the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5).
Had God’s people made the
choice to heed His plea, the course of their history would have been much
different. They would have averted the disastrous consequences of their
decision to walk in darkness rather than light.
Do
you believe our own nation will face disastrous consequences for the ways we
have turned away from God in recent years?
God had guided the Israelites
through history and wanted to continue to do so. Had they obeyed the commands of
the Lord, they would not have been overtaken and many brutally killed by their
enemies. Their children would not have
been carried away into Babylon, repeopled, and made into eunuchs and slaves.
Note that the terrible
future, that awaited the Jews, did not come on them by the hand of their
Heavenly Father, but by their own choice to walk away from His protective hand.
In doing so, they walked right into the brutal hands of powerful enemies. They
choose not to walk in the light of
the Words of their Lord.
For many years God’s nation
of chosen people were scattered, living under the thumb and rule of others—the very
enemies of their God. Nonetheless, the world, and all of mankind, can be
grateful that throughout this terrible time in Israel’s history, there was a
remnant, though scattered, that remained in God’s light, faithful to God and the Words He had spoken.
Isaiah was one of those, as
was Jeremiah, Daniel, the three Hebrew sons who survived the fiery furnace—and
others as well.
We can learn useful lessons
from those who’ve gone before us. God had shown them the way. He had provided
the light for their path of life. In
our own age, He has illuminated our way with His instruction manual for living, the
Bible, God’s Word of Truth.
Look at the opening words of
the Apostle John’s Gospel. He declares: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the
life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5).
John is telling us that
Jesus is the expressed Word of God—the eternal and ultimate expression of God
and is the light that no darkness can
overtake. This gives us reason enough to dance and shout with unspeakable joy!
Photo by Joshua Hibbert |
Moving about in the dark or
even in dim light is tough going. It’s frustrating and makes it hard to
accomplish much. And what we do accomplish is often flawed. We might also get
hurt or even killed.
Let’s commit to walk in the
light of the Word of God.
Thank you for stopping by my
blog today. Please feel free add a comment to the conversation if you’d like.
©Connie
Wohlford
Very telling that Israel's - and our - difficulties are usually consequences of our own choices. When we stumble into the shadows, sorrow generally follows. A good lesson to remind us to cling to thee Light.
ReplyDeleteYes, Sherry, very telling indeed. Thanks for stopping by and for your insightful comment.
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