Peace? Through Enslavement?

I find King Hezekiah's response at the end puzzling.

Isaiah 39:1-8(NKJV)

1At that time £Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 

2And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

3Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.”

4And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 

6‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 

7‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

8So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”

I think the overall lesson here is depend on God, not others, for your safety and security. 

What I find odd is the King's response when told that he would lose everything he has including some of his kids.

"At least there will be peace….."????

Really?  How do you see that as peace? 

Weird!

Sounds like a cop out to me!

 

Romans 7:13-20(NKJV)

13Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 

14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 

15For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 

16If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 

17But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 

18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 

19For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 

20Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Just sounds like excuse making and a cop out to me. 

Great Daily Goal

Sounds like a great daily goal to me!

Acts 24:16(NKJV)

16This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

Never quite understood this

Acts 26:22-23(NKJV)

22Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—

23that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

The part that has always confused me here is the fact that Jesus raised others from the dead so from that aspect He wasn't the first one raised from the dead.

Does it mean that He was the first one to go down and personally do battle with Satan and then come back from the dead on His own?  

Not sure.

Who Are The Unclean? Friday, April 24, 2015 1:13 PM

This is interesting.

Isaiah 35:8-9(NKJV)

8    A highway shall be there, and a road,      And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.     The unclean shall not pass over it,     But it shall be for others.     Whoever walks the road, although a fool,     Shall not go astray.

9    No lion shall be there,     Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;     It shall not be found there.     But the redeemed shall walk there,

It makes the distinction between the unclean and the redeemed.  Isn't that kind of judgmental?  Referring to somebody is pretty judgmental don't you think?  I mean, doesn't the Bible say thou shalt not judge?  So how are we as Christians supposed to interpret and use this passage?

Hopefully you recognized the sarcasm in the previous paragraph.  I think "thou shalt not judge" is probably the most overused and misused passage in the Bible.  When the Bible gives you a label and also supplies the criteria for that label, you are not judging in my opinion.

So back to the subject at hand.  In the passage above it makes a distinction between the unclean and the redeemed but it doesn't really define either of them does it?  So let's read a little further.

Isaiah 35:10(NKJV)

10    And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,     And come to Zion with singing,     With everlasting joy on their heads.     They shall obtain joy and gladness,      And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

OK that gives us a clue.  The ransomed of the Lord shall return by way of the highway walked by the redeemed.  So logic would indicate that the redeemed and the ransomed of the Lord are one and the same.  They are those who have accepted Christ.

So what does that tell us about those whom God refers to as the unclean.  They are the ones who haven't accepted Christ or who have rejected Christ.

Now let me be clear.  Just because God refers to them as the unclean doesn't mean we should be cruel to them or anything like that.  If they repent and accept Jesus God will gladly take them back and we should do what we can to lead them in that direction.

My real point here though is that it is not judgmental to recognize who the unclean are as God has defined it. 

“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; "

Wow, that's not a view normally associated with Heaven.

Isaiah 34:5-6(NKJV)

5    “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven;      Indeed it shall come down on Edom,     And on the people of My curse, for judgment.

6    The sword of the Lord is filled with blood,     It is made overflowing with fatness,     With the blood of lambs and goats,     With the fat of the kidneys of rams.     For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,     And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

One of the reasons that I read one chapter form the Old Testament and one chapter from the New Testament each day is that I love the contrast you get between the two. 

These verses are a great example.  You don't see as much of the wrathful God in the New Testament.  There are many who seem to think that the wrathful God is no longer a threat.  That the God of love has taken over and we can all sing Kumbaya now.  I'd suggest that many who believe that will be surprised.

It's Faith Not Works, Correct?

Anyone who says there are no contradictions in the Bible are simply lying to themselves and others in my opinion.  I think it gives us less credibility when we try to deny or rationalize the obvious.  Just my opinion.

Here is an example. 

It seems to me that it is accepted Christian dogma that you can not be saved (receive eternal life) without accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  We have been taught that our salvation is a gift based on faith so that no man may boast that they earned their salvation. 

So how do you explain this?

Romans 2:5-11(NKJV)

5But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 

6who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:£ 

7eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 

8but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 

9tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 

10but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 

11For there is no partiality with God.

Huh?  What I highlighted doesn't mention a thing about Jesus and seems to be all about earning eternal life through works.  

Not quite sure what to make of that.  That is why I love having the Holy Spirit to guide me.  While I find it puzzling right now, I have absolutely no doubt that the Holy Spirit will reveal the meaning to me when I need to know it.  How can I be so confident of that happening?  Because I have experienced it time after time after time when I stay in God's Word.

If you aren't already doing so why not give reading God's Word on a daily basis a try?  I can promise you won't be disappointed!

Don't Shy Away From Opportunity!

This almost sounds like I could have come out of the Farmers Almanac or something.

Isaiah 32:20(NKJV)

20    Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,      Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

What a great way to say recognize opportunity and go for it.  Over and over and over again!  Don't be afraid to work hard!

Does Jesus supersede justice, or does He fulfill it?

Isaiah 28:16-17(NKJV)

16Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:      “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,     A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;     Whoever believes will not act hastily.

17    Also I will make justice the measuring line,     And righteousness the plummet;     The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,     And the waters will overflow the hiding place.

I think we are all familiar with the first part of this verse and that it is referring to Jesus.  It's the second part that I want to focus on today.

Does our believing in and accepting Jesus eliminate God's need for justice or does it fulfill it? 

I think most of us would agree that it fulfills it.  Jesus didn't waive the penalty for our sins.  He paid the penalty for us.  The price was His spilled blood.  Therefore He satisfied the need for justice.

For me this is an important verse as I continue to study the Saintly Poor.  I remain convinced that modern day Christianity has a warped view of what the Bible is talking about in regards to "the poor". 

As far as I can see there are two ways and only two ways for the blood of justice to be paid to satisfy God.  Either our blood or Jesus blood.  But either way it has to be paid.

So what about the poor.  There are some verses in the Bible that seem to say that the poor get a free pass, whether they believe in Jesus or not.  I don't see how that is possible when this verse tells us that God will still demand justice.

"The bread of adversity and the water of affliction"

I've talked before about one of my foundational verses, Romans 5:3-5. 

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

As you can see there is certain progression there and it starts with glory in our tribulation.  So notice that the beginning of what I call God's success plan focuses on attitude.

Now why do you suppose God put this in there.  Could it be part of His master plan?  I believe it is.  As I've said before I think the reason that glorying in our tribulations is so important is that it is an outward demonstration of our faith.

Because I take this verse so seriously, when things go wrong I often look up, smile, and think to myself: "God are you giving me another chance to prove whether I really believe all the BS that I say?"  :)

Well it turns out I may not have been far off.  Take a look.

Isaiah 30:20-21(NKJV)

20    And though the Lord gives you     The bread of adversity and the water of affliction,     Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,     But your eyes shall see your teachers.

21    Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,     “This is the way, walk in it,”     Whenever you turn to the right hand     Or whenever you turn to the left.

Did you catch that?  Adversity and affliction aren't just things that God let's happen to see how you will react.  It's part of His teaching style.  It's part of his plan.  There are just some things we can't learn about ourselves our others any other way.  So some times He will actually send adversity our way. 

Isn't it cool how God's plan all fits together? 

Do we violate our faith if we think tactically?

When are we supposed to just rely on faith and let God handle it and when should we think tactically and defend ourselves?  I find a lot of tension in the question. 

On the one hand there is plenty of Scripture that says we should plan and take care of ourselves.  Yet I always wonder at what point do we yield to God and let Him control things and protect us?  Are there any hard and fast rules? 

Personally I tend to error to the side of faith and trusting God but at the same time I think of the Parable of the Talents and wonder if I should be doing more.

Take a look at how Paul handled this one.

Acts 25:9-11(NKJV)

9But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”

10So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. 

11For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

So Festus was going to send Paul back to Jerusalem.  Paul says "Oh no you aren't" and as a Roman citizen he appeals to Caesar.

Why didn't he go back to Jerusalem and just have faith that God wouldn't let anything happen to him?  Didn't he show a lack of faith by appealing to Caesar instead of God?

I have a couple of thoughts.  This issue is a great example of where prayer and the Holy Spirit come into play in my opinion.  If we are constantly in the Word and in Prayer then it will be much easier for the Holy Spirit to guide us.  I think that if we listen, God through the Holy Spirit will help us discern His will in each individual situation.  

The other thought I have is this.  Scripture tells us not to think about what we are going to say in advance.  Let God speak through us when the time comes.  If Paul took that approach then I think it is fair to say that he was acting on faith after all.  It was God who wanted him to go to Rome.

And you thought it was just coincidence! :)

I have commented several times about how after all the times I've read the Bible, verses still jump out at me that I just don't remember reading or noticing before.  

As I have written, I believe that is the doing of the Holy Spirit, guiding us as we continually seek to know and  understand God. 

Well guess what?  I just had a verse pop out at me this morning that I don't remember reading before.

Isaiah 28:9-10(NKJV)

9    “Whom will he teach knowledge?      And whom will he make to understand the message?     Those just weaned from milk?     Those just drawn from the breasts?

10    For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,     Line upon line, line upon line,     Here a little, there a little.”

Turns out that is just another part of God's ingenious plan!  Go figure! 

Our knowledge and understanding of God is built a little at a time. 

The blocks if you will have to be stacked in the proper order.  Some of those blocks are things we learn in God's Word.  Some of those blocks are things that happen in our lives.  And only God knows the proper order that those things have to be stacked in.

Aren't you glad God has it all under control? 

Love when God drops a major revelation on me!

Man I love the guiding of the Holy Spirit!  I've lost track of how many times I have read the Bible but it is amazing how one verse that you have read many, many times suddenly jumps out and speaks to you.  To me that is the Holy
Spirit guiding me.  If you've never experienced that then read on and I'll tell you how to get it.

But first let's get to the verse that made me go WOW!

Isaiah 27:11(NKJV)

11    When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off;     The women come and set them on fire.     For it is a people of no understanding;     Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them,     And He who formed them will show them no favor.

One of the things that I have been collecting Scripture on and hope to write a book about some day is what I see as the tension between serving a just and merciful God, being a follower of Jesus and all of the benefits Scripture tells us that entails, and the Saintly Poor. 

What I mean by the Saintly Poor is that there are a lot of Scripture that seems to say the poor should get all of the benefits of being a Christian without making the commitment to Christ. 

The tension I see is "How is it just to give the blessing of being in the family of God without making a commitment to the family of God?".  Does that make sense? 

I could go on and will some other time but let me get to the point.  Who gets God's mercy?  And if God's mercy is automatic, such as people seem to think in the case of the poor, then is it still even mercy? 

As an example it seems that many seem to interpret Scripture to say that God will have mercy on the poor for the tough time they have had of it and they will get all of the benefits of being believers in Christ without believing in Christ.

Now in my pointing that out others will say how can you question God?  Scripture tells us that God will have mercy on whomever He chooses to have mercy on and that is correct.

That is why I was so excited when Isaiah 27:11 jumped out at me.  Here we have a Scripture that tells us who God won't have mercy on.  God won't have mercy on those who don't seek understanding. 

Understand of what?  Throughout Scripture we are told to seek wisdom and understanding of God.  So I believe the logical conclusion here is that God is saying that He won't have mercy on those who don't seek Him.

For me that helps a lot!

Above I promised to tell how you can get the guiding of the Holy Spirit.  That's simple.  Just ask Jesus to come into your life and guide you.  When you accept Jesus you get the Holy Spirit to guide you.  Then simply spend time each day in God's Word and in prayer, seeking God's Wisdom and Understanding.

Just have a conversation with Jesus.  Tell Him where you are at in life and what you need.  Just ask Him to take over.  "Dear Jesus…."

Hard to Imagine This Happening Isn't It?

My retired pastor, Pastor Anderson, has always pointed to this verse as one of the things that happens before the end times.

Isaiah 19:23-25(NKJV)

23In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.

24In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, 

25whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

It is my understanding that this reference to Assyria is not to be confused with modern day Syria.  Assyria as referred to here would be Iraq.

Now think about that.  Egypt, Israel, and Iraq; allies who peacefully coexist and trade. 
 

Nope, don't think we are there yet!  :)

Should we try to bring Satan to Christ?

One of the things the anti Christian crowd likes to do is antagonize Christians and then when the Christians fight back or defend themselves in any way the anti's scream "Hypocrite!  Hypocrite!"

Unfortunately that works to shut up a lot of Christians.  It seems to me that they aren't heeding Paul's warning.

Acts 20:25-31(NKJV)

25“And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. 

26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 

27For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 

28Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church £of God which He purchased with His own blood. 

29For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 

30Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 

31Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

We want to do all that we can to bring people who are truly seeking to Christ.  However I think Christians sometimes spend way too much time trying to bring Satan to Christ. 

What I mean by that is there is a difference between someone who is seeking and someone who is trying to sow discord and persuade people against accepting Christ and serving God.  I believe those are the type of people Paul was referring to as "savage wolves".  Here is an example of how Paul dealt with people like that.

Acts 13:6-11(NKJV)

6Now when they had gone through £the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 

7who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 

8But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 

9Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 

10and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 

11And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 

To put it another way, Jesus used the analogy of the Shepard.  Is a Shepard going to sit there meekly and allow the wolf to destroy the flock?  Of course not!  It just seems to me that sometimes Christians, in an effort to bring everybody to Christ fail or refuse to recognize the wolf when it appears.

Now there are some who would say that deciding who is truly seeking and who is a "savage wolf" is making a judgement and the Bible says we shouldn't judge. 

I would suggest that is an improper understanding of what judgement is.  What does the Bible tell us about someone who has rejected Jesus?  They have declared themselves an enemy of God.  They have stuck their hand in the air and said with their own free will that they are rejecting God's free gift of salvation.

Recognizing that fact doesn't require any judgement on my part what so ever.  I am simply acknowledging the free will choice that person has made.  

There is Scripture that I can't find right now where God seems to say stop wasting my resources on those who have already chosen.  Spend your time and energy focusing on those who haven't heard yet.

I think that is kind of what happens here.  We spend too much time trying to change peoples minds who have already made a choice.  We are told that we shouldn't offend them so that they feel free to come back.  We censor God's message to make it more "palatable" for those who have already rejected Jesus. 

I just think that is a misuse of God's resources.  I think we need to recognize who we are dealing with and act accordingly.  And stop spending so much time trying to save Satan. 

The Old and the New Tie Things Together

 

One of the things I always find interesting in my daily study is how the Old Testament and the New Testament so often confirm each other.  In fact I believe that is one of the ways to check if I am on track with my beliefs.  Is what I believe confirmed by both the old and the new?   

Why is it important that it is confirmed in both?  For me it goes to the concept that God and Jesus are always in agreement.  I kind of see the OT as God's book and the NT as Jesus' book.  If they always agree then most of what  find in one book I should find in the other.  Does that make sense?

A few years ago I did a Bible Study on Revelation.  That book is so cryptic and hard to understand, at least for me, that I found an organized Bible study very helpful for that. 

One of the things that seemed new to me was the following verse.

Revelation 21:1(NKJV)

1Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 

A new Heaven and a new Earth.  Not the one we are living on now.  This one will be replaced by a new one.  I just don't remember being taught that when I was growing up. 

Well today as I was reading Isaiah these verses jumped out at me. 

Isaiah 24:17-23(NKJV)

17    Fear and the pit and the snare      Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.

18    And it shall be     That he who flees from the noise of the fear     Shall fall into the pit,     And he who comes up from the midst of the pit     Shall be caught in the snare;     For the windows from on high are open,     And the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19    The earth is violently broken,      The earth is split open,     The earth is shaken exceedingly.

20    The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard,     And shall totter like a hut;     Its transgression shall be heavy upon it,     And it will fall, and not rise again.

21    It shall come to pass in that day      That the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones,     And on the earth the kings of the earth.

22    They will be gathered together,     As prisoners are gathered in the pit,     And will be shut up in the prison;     After many days they will be punished.

23    Then the moon will be disgraced     And the sun ashamed;     For the Lord of hosts will reign     On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem      And before His elders, gloriously.

Doesn't that sound like the earth "passing away" as Revelation put it?  And the rest of the passage seems to parallel a lot of what is in Revelation as well.  The Kings being gathered and sent to the pit etc.
 

 Pretty cool isn't it?

Go with the flow of the Holy Spirit!

Acts 16:6-7(NKJV)

6Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 

7After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the £Spirit did not permit them. 

Have you ever experienced this in life?  I have many times and it can be really frustrating, especially for a control freak like myself.  You see my timing and the timing of the Holy Spirit are often vastly different.  Let me give you an example

There will be things that need to be done to reach my goals.  I try to always pray for God's guidance in all I do but I want Him to give me that guidance in my time frame not His.  God is so cool because he says "Dude you can have guidance or you can have timing; but you can't have both.  You choose."

I choose guidance but that leaves me feeling a bit powerless which is really uncomfortable for a control freak.  Powerless from the standpoint that I know what needs to be done but God hasn't given me the go ahead to do it yet.

This can go on for days.  Getting up every day intending to do something but just can't seem to make it happen.  Just as the Scripture above speaks of the Holy Spirit not letting them go into Asia, I believe that is exactly what I experience as well.  The Holy Spirit actually stops me from proceeding.

As long as I trust God it never fails.  At some point the Holy Spirit says "OK, now it is time to execute your plan.  Go get'em!" and at that point I go from not being able to make it happen to being unstoppable as long as I am following God's guidance.  Make sense?

So as far as I am concerned going with the flow of the Holy Spirit is the only way to go!

Would you like to have God guide you like that as well?  It's easy.  It starts by asking Jesus to come into your life and guide you.  Have you done that yet?  Why not do it right now?  "Dear Jesus…."

Our Job is to Present the Gospel, Not Talk People Into It!

One of the mistakes that I think modern Christianity makes is trying to talk people into believing in Jesus once they have made their decision.  I don't think that is what we are called to do. 

I have shown you in the past how Jesus handled those who have made a decision and are no longer honestly searching.  Jesus moved on.  He didn't try to talk them into it.  He respected their free will decision.

Now look at how Paul handles it.

Acts 18:5-6(NKJV)

5When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 

6But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 

Acts 19:8-10(NKJV)

8And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. 

9But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 

10And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Now compare that to many in the church today who will do everything they can to change the message to attract people even if it means watering down the Gospel. 

Based on the examples of both Jesus and Paul, I don't think that is how it should be handled.

Just my opinion.

Good Old Fashioned Butt Whooping! Would God Approve?

Would God approve of someone getting their but kicked?  This Scripture seems to indicate so.  :)

Acts 18:9-17(NKJV)

9Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 

10for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” 

11And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, 

13saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

14And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. 

15But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” 

16And he drove them from the judgment seat. 

17Then £all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

So first we have God making a promise to Paul that Paul will not be harmed while he is in the city he is in.  Then you have the Jews rise up against Paul.  Do they realize that by doing so they are rising up against God as well?  I'm not sure.

But look how God handles the situation.  Paul doesn’t even have to open his mouth to answer the charges.  After Gallio the proconsul of Achaia tells the Jews "hey it's your deal, you deal with it", he washes his hands of the whole affair. 

So what happens next?  The ruler of the synagogue who presumably lead the attack on Paul is beaten up and Gallio doesn't do a thing about it.  Could it be that God allowed justice to be served in this way?  :)

The Naked Prophet! LOL, Really!

How many times have you heard me say I never noticed this before.  Well guess what?  Here is another one.

How many of you have ever heard of the Naked Prophet? 

Isaiah 20:1-2(NKJV)

1In the year that Tartan£ came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it, 

2at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

I vaguely remember reading that before but I guess I didn't pay much attention to it.  But today for some reason I guess I read the verse that follows more closely.  Check it out.

Isaiah 20:3-4(NKJV)

3Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, 

4so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 

Say what?  Isaiah walked around naked for three years?  In public?  What about going to synagogue?  What about all the people seeing a guy walking around naked?  What about the kids? 

And it isn't like Isaiah went out and did this on his own.  God says specifically that He (God) spoke to Isaiah and told him to do it. 

Interesting.  Don't quite no what to make of it!  :)