Grapes Or Thorns?

 

Isa 7:21 It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep; 22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give, That he will eat curds; For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land. 23 It shall happen in that day, That wherever there could be a thousand vines Worth a thousand shekels of silver, It will be for briers and thorns. 24 With arrows and bows men will come there, Because all the land will become briers and thorns. 25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; But it will become a range for oxen And a place for sheep to roam.

This chapter closes out with a prophetic picture of the desolation of the land due to the conquering nations of Egypt and Assyria. Verses 21 and 22 remind the people that what was once tillable farmland will become nothing but undeveloped pastureland. A man could hope to have a cow and maybe a couple of sheep but that will be about it. The land will no longer be colonized except for colonies of bees.

 

Verse 23 says that what could have been a fruitful vineyard worth lots of money will be nothing but the underbrush of briars and thorns.

 

Verse 24 says that the land will be good for nothing but hunting. The land that was once fruitful in every way will be turned into a hunting preserve.

 

Verse 25 tells us that the land will be utterly overrun by briars and thorns. In modern terms, the thorns and briars will be so bad, you wouldn’t bother looking for your golf ball! It will only be fit for tough oxen and thick wooled sheep.

Contrast the condition of the land when the Israelites first spied it out! Nu 13:23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.

 

Grapes so lush it took two men to carry the cluster!

 

What does this mean for you and I? Simply put, in the eternal scope of things it’s one or the other. God’s eternal blessing for people who have put their faith in Christ, or God’s eternal lack of anything good for those who reject His Son.

 

It’s heaven or hell. What will it be for you, clusters of grapes or everlasting thorns?

Stripped Masculinity

 

    

Isa 7:20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard.

 

The prophecy concerning the judgment against God’s people continues: The Assyrians, whom King Ahaz hired to help him, will be used by God as an instrument of judgement against His people. This God-ordained “barber” (Assyria) will be used of the Lord to utterly humiliate the Israelites.

 

The complete removal of hair from the conquered males was a sign of stripped masculinity. It is not without precedent in the Scriptures: The king of the Ammonites showed his utmost contempt against David when he cut off half the beards of David’s servants.  We read about it in  2Sa 10:4,5a, “Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.  5 When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed.

 

The stripping of masculinity in the church is a great weapon of the devil. Men have been ordained by God to fulfill specific roles of leadership in their families and in the church. When men abdicate their responsibilities, a void is created and the feminization of the church and family begins.

 

It’s not to say that women don’t have the abilities, it’s rather a violation of the God-ordained created order. It’s not the way He originally set it up to be. 1Ti 2:13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

 

So to the men I say…..”man up!” The church needs you to step back into your God-given role. The sooner you do, the sooner this gender confusion thing going on now will be resolved.  

He Created the Risk Board!

 

    

Isa 7:18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, And on all thorns and in all pastures

Have you ever seen bees swarm? It’s one of my earliest childhood memories of growing up on a farm. Bees everywhere in the air, clouding the sky as they search for a new place to live. Their new abode could be in the clefts of rocks (any opening for that matter) or in the hollows of trees, or nests built in bushes and trees.  

 

God will whistle for these foreign armies and they will come and overrun Judah and then settle in every nook and cranny in the land. It’s His plan, it’s what He said He would do to judge Judah for their sins, and He did it.

If you ever find yourself struggling with the concept of the sovereignty of God, remember this verse from Isaiah. God is able to whistle for the bee and the fly. Like a trained dog, they will come and do his bidding. The bee and fly have no choice, they must do the Lord’s bidding.

 

The point is, He has the same power over the nations. He is able to move them around like a giant game board of Risk. Pr 21:1 tells us: “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

 

We may not like what we see going on in the nations of the world, but as bad as it may seem, God has a reason, and He has a plan and HE uses these nations as pawns to carry it out.

 

Whatever it may be that we don’t like about the situation in the nations of the world, let us humbly make it a matter of prayer, petitioning the One who created the Risk board. He is the only One who really can do anything about it! And maybe….just maybe, He is using these situations to stir us up as an arm of His mercy.

A Praise Aid

 

    

Do you ever struggle with finding the right words to use when praising the Lord? You know you should praise Him, but your words seem so inadequate. Or you skip over the exercise of praising the Lord, (because you have reduced your praises to an exercise) and instead of praising God, confessing your sins, and thanking Him, you just move on to your “wish list?”

I know this has happened to me more often than I like to admit! “I’m busy! I’ve got things to do today!” And I hand over my wish list to God and leave my prayer closet.

 

If that’s your struggle too, here’s some help for us. Break out the 145^th Psalm and READ IT OUT LOUD!

 

Ps 145:1 <<A Praise of David.>> I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.

 5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.

 6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.

 7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.

 8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.

 9 The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

 10 All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless You.

 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power,

 12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

 14 The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.

 15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season.

 16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

 17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.

 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

 20 The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.

Go Ahead, Whistle For A Fly

 

Isa 7:17 "The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father's house-days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah." 18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

 

The Lord speaks to King Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah and tells him, “this nation of Assyria with whom you want to make an alliance to save your skin, will rise up against you. I will beckon them in my timing and they will be an instrument of My judgment against you.”

 

This will not be pretty. It will mirror in many ways the downfall of the northern tribes (Ephraim)  who continually practiced the abominations that Ahaz was now engaging in. (Baal worship, child sacrifice, etc)   

 

Listen to the faulty reasoning of Ahaz as he seeks help in defending Jerusalem:

 

2Ch 28:23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

 

“They were the ruin”……… telling words. Sometimes we seek help for our dilemmas in the wrong places and we are willing to compromise our faith for what we view as an answer. We look to the arm of flesh to save us, but we really need is the Spirit of the Lord.

 

Zec 4:6 So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.

Let’s look at it this way: when we are able to whistle for flies and bees and they come buzzing to us to do our beck and call, maybe then we can rely on our flesh. Start today! Let me know when that first fly sits and shakes paw.

A Morning Prayer

 

   

Ps 143:8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. 9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter. 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. 11 Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake! For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. 12 In Your mercy cut off my enemies, And destroy all those who afflict my soul; For I am Your servant.

 

Continuing in the 143^rd psalm today and what a way to start your day! It worked for David, why not you?

 

At the start of his day, David asks for a touch of the Lord’s lovingkindness! “Lord kick start my day with Your mercy! Show me the way I should live today! I place my entire being in Your hands, to You O Lord I lift up my soul.

I acknowledge that there is an enemy of my soul who will try and thwart me at every turn from doing Your will. Deliver me from these enemies. Shelter me when I need it.

Holy Spirit teach me to do the Father’s will today. Don’t let me miss a single teachable moment. Lead me! Give me the spiritual energy I will need to follow You for Your righteousness and name’s sake!

Cut off my enemies! Head them off at the pass. Nip all temptations that come my way in the bud.

 

I ask that You do all these things for Your name’s sake that I may serve You today in all my doings. I am Your servant. Here I am Lord, what is it You would have me do!”

A Telling Remark

 

Let’s continue looking at this prayer of David found in the 143^rd Psalm. We pick it up at verse 7:

 

Ps 143:7 Answer me speedily, O LORD;

 

And you thought you were the only one who prays: “I need an answer and I need it now!”

My spirit fails! “I can’t handle this delay!”

 

Do not hide Your face from me,  “Give me something Lord!” Just a glimpse of Your lovingkindness!

 

Lest I be like those who go down into the pit. Oooh, now that’s a telling remark. You do not want to be lumped in with those going to hell. They will never get a glimpse of the Lord again! His face will be hidden from them! They will never, ever taste of anything good for eternity. No glimpses of the goodness of God that come to us in His creation. Those of you who reject Jesus in this life, all I can tell you is enjoy your life now because it is the only good you will ever see again. You, like the rich man, in the parable of Lazarus will beg for quick relief, but it will not be forthcoming. You have made your bed by rejecting Jesus in this life, and now you must lie in it forever.

It doesn’t have to be like that! Listen to the Holy Spirit calling you to Jesus who promises in Joh 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.