The Compassion of the Lord – A Messianic Prophecy

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and our labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast sure love for David.” – Isaiah 55:1-4 (ESV).

      Beginning with Isaiah 54 and continuing through Isaiah 55, the prophet changes from the Suffering Servant and vicarious sufferer theme, both of which Christ became in His life. Isaiah 54 declares the eternal covenant of peace with the invitation: “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtain of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2). The prophet also told of the splendor of the kingdom and its domains: “I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, and your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones” (Isaiah 54:11b-12). Many, in anticipating the coming of the Ruling Messiah, saw Isaiah’s prophecy as the ushering in of and age of prosperity and wealth. Since they had endured much at the hands of oppressing nations, they would welcome restoration. They wanted their holy city of Jerusalem rebuilt with the finest materials available. But was God meaning a literal restoration of the kingdom of Israel? Or did he intend this picture from our focal passage to provide a glimpse into the eternal city prepared in heaven for the faithful?

      The invitation that opens Isaiah 55 is all-inclusive: “Come, everyone who thirsts…” God invites everyone to receive His blessings. Who doesn’t have need for water? Water difficulties and loss of water even for a short period cause great concern. Thirsting, the need for water is a universal condition. God’s invitation in this Messianic prophecy is for everyone. Farther on in Isaiah 55:6-7, he urges: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Seeking the Lord, returning to Him, and appropriating His compassion are part of the believer’s beginning in the new kingdom. God offers salvation to all, but each individual must make the move toward God and accept His offer of help and salvation.

      Isaiah’s prophecy reminds us of Jesus feeding over five thousand, a miracle recorded in all four gospels (see, beginning with these references and following the account: Matthew 14:15, Mark 6:35, Luke 9:12 and John 6:1). Jesus, in His ministry, was moved with compassion on the crowds. He performed the miracle of feeding, but he also healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead. He was the Messiah acting to meet people’s needs. When the crowd followed Jesus still expecting a constant hand-out without working for what they received, He reprimanded them: “You seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set his seal (John 6:26-27, NASV). Asking how they might do the works of God, Jesus answered, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29) Jesus’ word to them was a direct fulfillment of the invitation prophecy given by Isaiah. Note the strong verbs in Isaiah’s invitation: “come, come, come; listen, incline (your ear), hear! All these denote actions prior to receiving “the food that endures to eternal life.” The steps are to go to the Messiah, seek Him with the whole heart, hear His words and accept Him as Savior. The actions of these verbs—go, seek, hear, accept—also precede a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in 54:13: All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

      Prayer: Lord, especially at Christmas time when we are prone to join in the secular rush of the season, help us to hear and heed Your plea to “Come…take of the water of life.” Help us to “hear…that our soul may live.” In Jesus’ name. Amen. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.18.2016

Abraham’s Seed to Bless the Gentiles…A Messianic Prophecy

“And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, and statutes, and my laws.” -Genesis 22:18; 16:4 (ESV).

      When God promised to bless all the nations of the earth through Abraham’s offspring, the context was extremely impressive. Abraham had undergone a great test of his faith. He heard God’s command to him to offer as a sacrifice his son Isaac. He went to the mountain with his son to perform the act of sacrifice. God intervened and stayed Abraham’s hand from killing Isaac. The writer of Hebrews in later centuries noted: “He (Abraham) considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Hebrews 11:19). The commendation from God was that Abraham had obeyed His command. He had carried through on the intent to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Was this act on the part of Abraham—offering his son—not a foretaste of same type of sacrifice God Himself made in offering His only begotten Son as a propitiation for sin? The Messiah was in the ancestral lineage of Abraham. Through the Messiah all the nations of the earth have been blessed, are still being blessed, and will continue to be blessed.

      In Genesis 26:4, the word of promise is to Isaac, Abraham’s son. The covenant was continuing. At that time, a great famine was in Israel. Isaac went to Gerar to King Abimelech of the Philistines no doubt to seek help with food due to the severe famine. God appeared to Isaac, telling him not go into Egypt (as Abraham had done at the time of a previous famine [see Genesis 12:10]). Then God renewed basically the same covenant as He had made with Abraham, Isaac’s father. He promised Isaac his offspring would be as numerous as the stars of the heavens because Abraham, his father, had obeyed God’s voice, kept his charges, his commandment, his statutes, and his laws (see Genesis 26:5). An amazing truth about this promise made to Isaac is that he was a person with flaws of character—not perfect by any means. But through people, as imperfect as they are, God accomplishes His purposes. Did this promise made to Isaac come true? Here is the response from Paul the Apostle: Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘and to offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one. ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). In Hebrews 6:13 we read: “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” God’s promises are guaranteed by God’s own perfect and trustworthy character. There is no one greater than God who can assure the promises He Himself makes. God’s oath for blessing all the nations of the earth through “the offspring”—the Messiah—was made upon God’s own character. From the days of Abraham until the seed of Abraham came to Bethlehem to enter earth in human form as a tiny Baby, God was working out the pledge He had made to Abraham and to Isaac. Wrapped up in that tiny Baby in a manager was the means of blessing all the nations of the earth. And “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations,” (Mark 13:10) which is a sign of the close of the age. Until then, we basically have the same work as assigned to Abraham: “to obey God’s voice, to keep His charge, His commandments, His statutes and His laws.”

      Prayer: Lord, it is amazing to think that we now are the recipients of the promise made to Abraham and to Isaac. Thank You for working Your purposes out through ordinary people with extraordinary assignments until finally Jesus came a baby who was Emmanuel, God with us, to save God’s people from their sins. And, Lord, that same Emmanuel will come again to reign in Glory. Thanks be to God. We rejoice! Amen! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.11.2016

God’s Promise, God’s Command

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:5-7 (ESV).

      Joshua was a leader after God’s own heart. Moses, the great leader of Israel, had just died. Joshua had been named his successor. Ahead of him lay the task of possessing the Promised land for the Israelites. His was not an easy task, as Joshua often led an unbelieving, grumbling, hard-to-please large, large group of people. We are told that the Israelites numbered “six hundred thousand men on foot” (that is, those men who were able to walk and engage in battle, not counting the crippled, infirm, and elderly that might have had to be carried on a litter or to ride in carts or on animals). Not included in that great number under Joshua, the new leader’s command, were the great number of women and children in the Israelite camp, awaiting entrance into the Promised Land.

      Many battles lay ahead for Joshua, the new leader. God reminded him to be “strong and courageous.” He had a heavy responsibility and recognized his need for dependence upon God. Following conquest of the land, and settlement by tribes, Joshua called the leaders together at Shechem, a major city, and there the covenant was renewed between people and the Lord God. Joshua’s statement was firm and positive, and established his stand for God before the people: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15b). His statement was his commitment and indicated his manner of life. He was a leader after God’s own heart.

      A summary of Joshua’s leadership is found in Joshua 24:31: “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.”

      We learn from this inspiring account of Joshua and his time as commander of Israel that a strong, God-fearing, courageous leader can make a decided difference in a nation. The lesson also teaches us that individuals with purpose and commitment can be used mightily of God to set the course of righteousness for themselves and others. God’s promise for such a leader is: “I will be with you; I will not leave your or forsake you.” God’s command for such a person is “Do not turn from Me to the right hand or to the left.” Recognizing God’s strength, the committed person’s courage and following God are keys to a job well done and are according to God’s purpose. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.04.2016

Signs of the End Times

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’” -Matthew 24:3-14 (ESV).

      Matthew chapters 24 and 25 are termed by scholars the “Olivet Discourse,” or teachings of Jesus to His disciples as they were on the Mt. of Olives. This mountain is the middle peak of a two and one-half mile long mountain ridge that towers over the eastern side of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives rises over two hundred feet about the Temple mount located across the Kidron Valley. At this place Jesus gave His disciples some very cogent and deep teachings about the end times and the tribulation period that will precede the Lord’s second coming (return) to earth.

      In the focal passage from Matthew 24:3-14, Jesus gave several significant events that will occur at the beginning of this period. Religious deception will be very evident (vv. 4-5, 11). Wars and rumors of war will be experienced (v. 6). Famine will be widespread. Earthquakes will be prevalent. Persecution of Christians will occur resulting in their martyrdom. One positive is that “the gospel of the kingdom” will be preached throughout the whole world before the end comes. People of all nations will have an opportunity to hear and know about Jesus the Lord before the end comes. And who will help to hasten this fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy concerning the end times? This will be done by Christians who are faithful in telling those they know about salvation through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christians tell others, we help to hasten the day of the Lord’s coming. This task began very shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven. We recall the command Jesus gave His disciples: “Go ye 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 28:19-20, ESV).

      Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have already been commissioned to be faithful in telling others of the good news of the Savior and of His return to earth. All of us may not go as ambassadors. But we all can be faithful in praying for those who go to preach and teach and we can give to support our mission causes around the world.

      Many, like the first disciples, ask “What are the signs of Your coming and of the close of the age?” We must admit that many of these signs have already occurred or are now occurring. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus told His disciples: “You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:34). Be ready. Be alert. But Christians should go beyond looking and wondering about the second coming of Christ. They should be about the task of spreading the Word and fulfilling the Great Commission to go and tell all people. This is the will of God concerning us as we anticipate the Day of Jesus’ return to earth. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.27.2016

Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of a reverence for Christ.” -Ephesians 5:20-11.”Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (ESV).

     This is our Thanksgiving season, a special time set aside in November to give thanks. Do we consider the seriousness of giving thanks, and how the Word of God urges us to “give thanks for everything,” and to “give thanks in all circumstances?”

     Most of us have difficulty overcoming the inability to “give thanks for all things” and “in all circumstances.”

     What about illness of self or one dear to us? Can we give thanks in this circumstance?

     Or what about hard times, some situation or event that clearly challenges every effort we can engage just to subsist or live through it? But to give thanks in it? That is difficult indeed.

     I recently heard a man’s son give a beautiful eulogy of his deacon father at the man’s memorial service. In the remarks about his loving and stalwart Christian father, the son recounted how his father always taught his children that they are strengthened by adversity and can, indeed thank the Lord for trying circumstances. Accepting the difficult situations as times to gain strength and to grow closer to the Lord and depend upon Him for guidance helps one to grow in character. If we can remember to be thankful in circumstances and to depend upon God’s guidance to bring us through whatever we are facing, victory surely will be ours. We will come through the period of trial a stronger and more understanding person.

     To develop an attitude of gratitude means to sincerely seek to have a spirit of thanksgiving every day. It is good upon arising to quote sincerely Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” In this way, the believer starts on a plane of gratitude and it will be more likely that throughout the day his spirit will rejoice and seek that which is uplifting and inspirational, even in hard situations.

     As we count our blessings this Thanksgiving, and give God glory for bringing us safely through another year, may we also give consideration to cultivating an attitude of gratitude that will help us every day to count our blessings and be grateful for the difficult circumstances as well as those that are happy, manageable and don’t require extreme effort.

     This exercise should help us to see that God is good, all the time, and every circumstance holds something good for those who love the Lord and seek to do His will. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.20.2016

Qualities of a Christian’s Character

"For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours, and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”-2 Peter 1:6-11 (ESV).

     Writing about 67 A. D. from prison in Rome, Peter, facing imminent death as a martyr to the faith, wanted again to write to the churches in Asia Minor to encourage them in their own persecution and to give them strong pointers on living an effective Christian life. He encourages Christians to remember how they were called into God’s own “excellence and glory,” (v. 3) and that their lives should reflect qualities of the divine nature.

     I like to think that the qualities of Christian Character Peter advocates are like giant steps upward to a life of effectiveness for the Christian while at the same time providing an example to be emulated by those who are weaker in the faith. Imagine the qualities as steps upward to godliness. Here are the qualities for which each believer should strive: Faith (the foundation); virtue (growing in grace); knowledge (really loving to study and practice the Word, the Bible); self-control (as the Christian learns scriptural truths, he puts them into practice in his life and is able to really live as a devoted Christian; steadfastness (another term is faithfulness); godliness (putting on Christ-like characteristics of humility, understanding and service); brotherly affection (loving one another, caring for one another); and finally, reaching the step of love (unconditional and God-inspired).

The graphic is hard for me to draw here, but draw a set of steps and write these eight qualities of Christian Character on the steps as a reminder that we are always striving to emulate the character of Jesus in our daily life and walk. And the striving is always upward.

     These characteristics are akin to the fruit of the Holy Spirit Paul admonished Christians to seek after and practice in their daily lives. From Ephesians 5: 22-23 we learn: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

     Knowing Christ and following Him makes a vast difference in our own life and in how we relate to others around us. If we have made “our calling and election sure” as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1: 10, then it follows that we should be changed and become active in helping others to know Christ so that they, too, may begin that glorious climb upward in attaining a lifestyle pleasing to the Lord Christ and exemplified by virtuous living. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.13.2016

God Intervenes to Establish His Honor

“‘Now therefore what have I here,’ declares the Lord, ‘seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,’ declares the Lord, ‘and continually all the day my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak: here am I. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns.” -Isaiah 52:5-7 (ESV)

     Isaiah in his prophecy wrote at a time when chaos and conquest of the land by foreign, pagan powers was foreseen and was occurring. His writing establishes the sovereignty of God and pleads for true believers to return to God as the One in charge.

     We in America are in a period of unrest and agitation as we seek to choose the next president of our country. Our own rebellion as a nation reminds us of conditions of disbelief and departure from the statutes of God that Isaiah warned about in his time. He prophesied from about 740 B. C., beginning, as we are told in Isaiah 6:1 “in the year that King Uzziah died.” He recorded the death of Sennacherib (37:38) dated at 681 B. C. This 60-year period in Israel’s history carries a strong central theme espoused by the God-inspired prophet who declares unequivocally that God is the glorious central figure who is Sovereign of the whole world (13:1). Regardless of what man does to thwart God, He is supreme. His cleansing touch atones for sin, seen in the vision of the coal from the altar touching the lips of the prophet with the declaration, “your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7b). But as Isaiah, who was willing to accept God’s cleansing and become the spokesman for God for which he was called and set apart, we in our troubled day must experience, too, a turning to God.

     Note in Isaiah 52:6 what God requires of us: “my people shall know My Name.”

Oh, that God’s people would commit themselves anew to walk in the light of the Lord: “Come, now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:18-20). These are very plain words from the Lord through the prophet Isaiah. History has proven them true through centuries of kingdoms that have risen and fallen. Is not this a clarion call to us today? Return, return to the Lord. Recognize Him as Sovereign and Lord. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.06.2016