Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Isaiah 9:8

By

Isaiah 9:8    "The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel."

I hope to be able to share my thoughts in a way that is understandable this morning.

"The Lord sent a word into Jacob." I am always intrigued by the life of Jacob. I'm afraid I can all too often identify with him. There are two natures of Jacob, just as there are two natures to every child of God. He had the carnal nature that said he could do anything he wanted and achieve anything he set out to do, if he used his own ability. That only took him so far in life until the Lord took hold of him.  Jacob met himself in truth when God sent him back to meet his brother. It was at that moment he realized he needed a power much stronger than himself. He needed the power and wisdom of the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. He wrestled with God all night. God changed his name and his nature to Israel. "It hath lighted upon Israel." He now had the power of God upon which he could rely. His second nature was brought to the surface. That nature was his spiritual side.

What does that have to do with today's verse of Scripture? "The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel." We open our Bibles and turn the pages with our hands. We look upon the page with our eyes, or listen to audio versions with our ears. We understand the written words with our minds. I can look at the verse and read it and mentally understand the words contained therein. But, the Word of God is much more than a mental exercise of understanding. We see, hear, and understand mentally, but we need the word to "light upon Israel." That is to say, we need to be able to understand spiritually what God is saying to us; for, the Bible is a spiritual message to God's people. I won't put the verses here, but take time to read 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  The gist of those verses tell us that the Word is given so the "man of God may be perfect." That phrase means the Word is given to mature the child of God. In order for that to happen, it must "light upon Israel." That is to say, it must go deeper than into our minds; rather, we must receive it in our hearts, by the power of the Holy Spirit,  in order to grow in grace and faith and love.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

By
One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Psalm 100:4-5 - Thanksgiving

By
Psalm 100:4-5     "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." Many songs have been written about these verses and with these words included. What do they mean? Today, we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. I've listened to many people speak about their family traditions and most of them include family, food, and football. These are wonderful and fun things that enrich the day, but is it the true meaning that was intended when the day was established?  The Psalmist instructed us to include a special action with our words of thankfulness.  We are to "enter into HIS gates." The heartfelt words of thanksgiving allow us to enter the gates of the Lord, but there is a much deeper place into which we can go. Not only are we to enter into HIS gates, but He invites us to come much closer to H...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Proverbs 11:19-20

By
Proverbs 11:19-20    "As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.  (20)  They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight." We notice in these two verses that righteousness and uprightness are bookends that stand out. Sandwiched between these are evil and "a froward heart".  The Lord goes on to tell us, "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered." (Proverbs 11:21) We understand that the total being of God is so much greater than our minds are able to comprehend; yet, He opens windows for us to look into a portion of His character.  He loves that which is right and He hates that which is wrong. He rewards the upright, or those who walk in a way that is right according to His standard. Remember yesterday we saw that "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weigh...
Read more