A Light to the Nations – A Messianic Prophecy

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” – Isaiah 60:1-3 (ESV).

This prophecy has a two-fold emphasis. The Messiah, who is the Light to all nations, will come. Then, because He has come, God will put His light and beauty upon the people, attracting the nations to the Light of Christ. Jesus said during His earthly ministry, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32, ESV). He spoke of the death whereby He would die as a sacrifice for our sins; the cross is a sign beckoning all people to come to redemption and faith in Him. 

 

Isaiah is foreseeing the glory of all of God’s people being united under the Light. The bright future of God’s people calls for faith and action. We cannot stand dormant in the Light. “The Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen in you” (v. 2) indicates that God will make a clear distinction between His own people and those who still remain in darkness, those who have not acknowledged Him.  But those with the Light have an obligation to bear His light:

The fulfillment of this prophecy from Isaiah was spoken by Simeon when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem when he was forty days old. There old Simeon blessed Jesus and said, “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32, ESV). Imagine the joy old Simeon had in seeing and holding the Son of God! He had been promised the privilege of doing so before his death, and the occasion of Jewish purification of Mary and child was the event that linked the prophecy to the fulfillment Simeon was experiencing. This is another example of how God fulfills what He promises.

Jesus’ declaration can be true for all His followers: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, ESV). He furthermore told us to be lights for Him: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV). To be light is to wield positive influence. We speak of coming to the light of the truth. A single candle can banish the darkness in a room. Likewise, a Christian life, lived under the direction, influence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ can make an untold difference in lighting others to Him for salvation. This is every Christian’s calling: to come to the Light and to reflect His light.

Prayer. Lord, Christmas was filled with light. The star shone to lead Wise Men to Jesus at Bethlehem. “The glory of the Lord” that surrounded the shepherds as they heard the announcement by the angels of the Savior’s birth was accompanied by a great light. And Jesus, the Light of the world, tells us, “You are the light of the world!” Let us arise, shine, for our light is come!” In December in most of our churches, we have a double emphasis: remembering the coming of the Lord Christ to earth, and fulfilling his commission to “go, tell, share, bear light to others!” May we be faithful! Amen.

–Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.14.2014.

A New Covenant Established – A Messianic Prophecy

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.’” –Jeremiah 31-31-34 (ESV).

The new covenant with God’s people will be written in the hearts of the people the prophet Jeremiah declared (Jeremiah 31:33). God had really intended that relationship all along, since His first covenant with Abraham. But His called-out people time and again had forfeited the intended relationship with God. They had spurned the knowledge of God and made mockery of His forgiveness. They had kept outward observances of the law, as circumcision for the males and sacrifices offered for sins. Even observances of festivals and seasons had failed to remind the people of their true allegiance to God. Their hearts continued in rebellion.

Deep questions troubled Jeremiah and other spiritual leaders. Was there any hope for a called-out people? Could there be any assurance that a covenant really could hold the people close to God and assure that their fellowship with Him would be permanent? “The days are coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant…”

Jeremiah foresaw the Messiah’s coming into the world and His sacrificial death as the “New Covenant.” When Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper, He told His disciples, “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

The new covenant carried with it permanence and complete sufficiency. “Once and for all” the Messiah’s sin offering would be the complete atonement required by God. Many times in the Old Testament are recorded instances of renewal of the covenant between God and His people. Moses renewed it before the nation entered the Promised Land. Joshua, before his death, (see Joshua 23-24) led the people in acknowledging and reaffirming the sacred covenant. Others led in reminding the people of God’s covenant and renewing it. Some outstanding covenant-renewers were Samuel, and Kings Hezekiah and Josiah. But the new covenant predicted by Jeremiah and fulfilled in Jesus Christ is not just a renewal of the old. The emphasis of the new covenant is personal—it will be written on tablets of the believer’s heart. Anyone who places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning work of salvation is a recipient of the new covenant. God revealed to Jeremiah that in time anyone could come to the fullness of His truth and write that truth on his heart. Through Jesus the requirements of the New Covenant were accomplished. Through the wooing of the Holy Spirit the New Covenant is made known to all who will accept and believe in the regeneration Jesus offers.

Prayer. Lord, it is astounding to see the revelation of Your covenant to all generations and all people. Thank you that today believers can stand secure in the covenant You provided. Amen.

Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.07.2014

An International Invitation

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” –Psalm 117 (ESV)

I find it encouraging that the shortest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117, with just two verses, is an invitation for all peoples everywhere to recognize God’s steadfast love and faithfulness and to praise Him.

The hope recurs in the Psalms as well as in the remaining 65 books of the Bible that the Gentiles will come to belief in the one true God. Paul the Apostle quoted Psalm 117:1 in Romans 15:11, and then launched into his reasons why he became a “minister to the Gentiles”—a missionary. At the heart of Christian missions is God’s love for and inclusion of all peoples in His plan of redemption. Paul again quoted from the Old Testament in Romans 15:21: “Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand” (quoting Isaiah 52:15).

Christian missions has as the aim spreading the gospel—the good news of salvation—to all people in the world. When Jesus was ready to ascend into heaven after his mission of redemption was complete, He gathered with His disciples and other believers on a hillside outside Jerusalem. Before He ascended to His Father in heaven, He had a final word for believers. In His powerful departing message, He repeated what was their major task: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV).

Throughout my church and denomination during the month of December, we have a special missions emphasis. As we remember the Advent, Christ’s birth, and the reason He came to the world as a baby, we also remember that He gave us the Great Commission (as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20). Because God loved us enough to send us His son, then we too have an obligation to go throughout the world spreading the good news of salvation. This is the heart of missions. We pray for missionaries’ specific needs and give our offerings to help them go to places in spiritual darkness. We hear stories of spiritual progress in far places and are encouraged to pray more and give more.

We remember Miss Lottie Moon, who went to China in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and made great inroads in telling people about the love of Christ. Our special missions offering is named to honor her faithfulness in service. Imagine if you were living in a land where the message of Christ had not been told. Would you not welcome those who came, as Paul did in early New Testament times, to tell you of salvation and faith in Christ that leads to a spiritual life on earth and a hope of eternity in heaven? That is what missions is all about. We give that the message of salvation can be proclaimed to those who have not heard. Won’t you pray for missionaries and give to support them? –Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.30.2014.

Thanksgiving

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

Thanksgiving is an act of worship. It is our gratitude directed toward God. Thanksgiving was central in Old Testament worship. It was also a vital element in Christian worship in the New Testament. Furthermore, we are advised in Scripture to be vigilant in giving thanks. Paul wrote this in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

      “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

       concerning you.” (KJV)

Maybe we find it very difficult to follow the advice in this verse: “In everything give thanks?” we ask. What about our hardships? What about the times when we have losses in storms or some calamity? “In everything give thanks?”

Think of the hardships the Pilgrims endured on the journey to the New World and their first year here. Yet in 1621 Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony and the Rev. William Brewster set a time for Thanksgiving. They invited Chief Massasoit, Squanto and the friendly Wampanoag Indians to help them celebrate. The day became so important that our government set a day for Thanksgiving. When we say ‘thanksgiving’ we think of a special day. Let us hope that, although it is a time of enjoying bounty, a feast of our favorite Thanksgiving menus, it is also a time when we count our blessings and truly give thanks for the reasons this Psalm declares:

      “The Lord is gracious and merciful,

      slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

      The Lord is good to all,

      and His mercy is over all that He has made

      All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

      and all your saints shall bless you!” -Psalm 145:8-10 (ESV).

What is on your Thanksgiving list this year? Remember to have a heart of gratitude for blessings large and small. Make your own “Catalogue of Thanks.”

For rest and comfort of each night,

For morning sun at dawn’s first light;

For water at my tap to drink

For family love and friendship’s link/

For food upon the table spread,

The fragrances of fresh-baked bread.

For clothes, for shelter overhead,

For every kind word fitly said;

For seasons changing, one on one,

For sorrow’s grief, laughter and fun;

The sum of every day’s felt needs,

For work and harmony that feeds

Our purposes for having life;

For being one with joy and strife;

For life abundant, salvation free,

A gift from Christ who died for me;

For all the fabric of my days

I lift my voice in thanks and praise.

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.23.2014

The Word—Sweeter than Honey

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore, I hate every false way…Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” –Psalm 119:103-104; 97 (NKJV).

Do you love God’s Word? Can you say with the writer of Psalm 119 that it is sweeter to your mouth than honey? Can you attest that God’s law is your meditation all the day? Do you cling to God’s testimonies? Do you delight in His commandments? Do you yearn for the Lord’s precepts? If you honestly say yes to all these questions, then you do have a desire to know God’s Word, to cling to it, to follow it, to keep it in your heart and mind. Such was the desire of the writer of the longest Psalm, 119, which is a 176 verse acclamation of the excellence of God’s Word and how the Psalmist wanted to hide it in his heart, live by it, and gain delight and life from it.

Isaiah 40:3 reads: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ ” Apply this verse to the present dearth of the knowledge of and love for the Word of God—the spiritual wilderness or desert in which we, by our own lack of study and application of the Bible—allow ourselves to live. But there is a voice in this wilderness. God has given us His Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be complete, perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV).

Paul’s strong word about the inspiration of Scripture, and its value for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness are emphasized. We don’t have to wander in the wilderness of apathy and spiritual dearth. We can be well-equipped with the knowledge and guidance God’s Word provides us. Systematically reading and studying the Word of God can supply a wonderful highway through the desert of our spiritual dearth. Just like the shepherds of old came upon a bee tree in Israel, and had the sweet taste of honey to assuage their hunger, so the Word of God can satisfy our spiritual hunger. It can go beyond providing for our spiritual hunger. It can fill us to overflowing with the precepts, joy and guidance of the Lord.

I need to establish some necessary guidelines when I open God’s Word, the Bible. When I approach it, I am entering holy ground. I am not seeking an explanation for God. He is, and I am seeking His voice. We need to pray, “Maranatha, Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). Maranatha is a word we associate with the second coming of Jesus Christ. But it can also mean, “Lord, come to me now; speak to me now.” Each time we take the Word to study it, read it for inspiration, seek out its truths for our edification, we are meeting the Lord. He is speaking to us! Wonder of wonders, His “Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). We would see a difference in our churches, in our society, in families, in personal lives of Christians if only we would take seriously our love for the Word and be diligent in following its truths. As good as they are, a few devotional verses a day may help, but they are not enough. A deep-down, earnest, sincere study of the Word is what is needed. Can you answer yes to the questions posed at the beginning of this devotional? Would you like to? I hope you will say, “Maranatha, Lord, come! Talk to me through Your Word!” Then we will say with the Psalmist, How I love thy Law (Word)! It is my meditation day and night!” --Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.16.2014

That Which Is “Far Off and Exceedingly Deep”

“All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, ‘I will be wise’; But it was far from me. As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find out? I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things.” –Ecclesiastes 7:23-25 (NKJV). “For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything that is before them. Everything occurs alike to all.” –Ecclesiastes 9:1-2a (NKJV). Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” – John 20:29.

So much escapes our knowledge. As the writer of Ecclesiastes laments: “that which is far off and exceedingly deep, who can find out?” We may study the Bible sincerely, but its rich mine of knowledge and spiritual wisdom may escape our understanding. Are we to despair? In our efforts “to search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things” can we gain enough knowledge to give us assurance along life’s pathway? Sometimes we, like the “assembly man”—for that is the meaning of Ecclesiastes, the one who calls a religious assembly or who is its spokesman or preacher—think: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But, fortunately for the wisdom-seeker, Ecclesiastes, the “assembly-man,” there is an optimistic conclusion to his searching: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether it is good or whether it is evil” (-Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NKJV).

I concluded the cited verses above with John 20:29 for a specific reason. Jesus had already appeared after His resurrection from the dead to some of the disciples. Thomas had not yet seen the resurrected Christ and had made the statement: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Eight days later, Thomas was with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them. He invited Thomas to reach and touch His nail-scarred hands and His pierced side. But seeing Jesus was enough. Thomas did not have to touch His Lord to believe. Then Jesus made an astounding statement that includes you and me and any believers: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29, NKJV). It is possible, through the eyes of faith, to see that which is “far off and exceedingly deep.” “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV). The necessity for faith is clearly stated in Habakkuk 3:4b as the prophet forth-tells the vision that would come: “The just shall live by his faith.” This statement became the central thrust of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” so boldly proclaimed in 1517 in Germany, the document that started the Reformation.

I am amazed and grateful that the findings of archaeologists are unraveling that which is “far off and exceedingly deep.” For those who would criticize and term many of the events and people of the Bible as myths and legends, archaeology is proving them true. Beneath the Gulf of Aquaba (the Red Sea) have been found Egyptian chariot wheels and other artifacts of that event in the history of God’s people and their protection and safety as God led and provided. Much will still remain “far off and exceedingly deep” for us. Part of it is the awesome mystery and wonder of God, the omnipotent, omniscient One. We have enough of His revelation and wisdom to link us in faith to Him. As the father of the sick child may we pray: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24b).  Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.09.2014

Search Me, O God

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” –Psalm 39:23-24 (KJV).

“Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?” Job asked his accusing friends in Job 31:4. Both Job and David are implying their own integrity. David asks God to search his heart and to know his thoughts. The implication, by asking for this search-and-find from God Himself, is that David will be judged innocent of wicked ways. Job, too, in pleading his case before his friends, knows that they cannot find him guilty as imagined, even though hard times had fallen upon Job. In the thinking of that day (and oftentimes in our own day), adversity was sure evidence of guilt and punishment.

After David’s prayer in Psalm 139:19-22 concerning his enemies, inserted as it was in this marvelous Psalm of praise for God’s omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and providence, it seems as if David is turning again to God in complete reliance and trust, knowing that their relationship is steadfast and immovable.

Recently a Christian group was talking about the value of keeping a prayer journal. We talked about how, upon reading the psalms, we gain very intimate glimpses, written down, of how persons sought God and found Him. All of Psalm 139 is a very good example of how a seeking person talks to God. This is a deep-seated, sincere invitation: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” The assurance on which David ends, “Lead me in the way everlasting,” is reechoed and restated in Proverbs 12:28: “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.” There, centuries before Christ’s resurrection from the dead and His teachings about eternal life, the writer of this Psalm and the wise man who wrote Proverbs were thinking in terms of the everlasting way which leads to life, not death.

A poet named J. Edwin Orr (b. 1912-?) was reading and meditating on Psalm 139:23-24. He took his pen and wrote “Search Me, O God,” which was set to music already written by Edward J. Hopkins (1818-1901) to a tune that we call in our hymnals, “Ellers.” I invite you to make the words of Edwin Orr your sincere prayer today. If you know the tune, you might sing it as you pray it:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart today; Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.

See if there be some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from ev-‘ry sin and set me free.

“I praise You, Lord, for cleansing me from sin; Fulfill Your Word and make me pure within.

Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame; Grant my desire to magnify Your name.

“Lord, take my life, for I would live for You; Fill my poor heart with Your great love so true.

Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride; I now surrender; Lord, in me abide.

“O Holy Spirit, revival comes from You; Send a revival, my own heart renew.

Your Word declares You will supply our need; For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.”

When we ask God to search our hearts, we are actually opening ourselves to Him and at the same time becoming aware of our dross, sin and lack of commitment. If we faithfully keep a prayer journal or a journal of our spiritual “searches,” we would surely find ways to improve our followship and our faithfulness to the Lord. –Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.02.2014