Isaiah 30:12-33:13, Galatians 5:1-12, Psalms 63:1-11, Proverbs 23:22
Today is the 19th day of September. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It is a pleasure and a joy and an honor to come around the global campfire together. So, yeah, threw some logs on, poured a cup of coffee. Off we go. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Isaiah 30:12-33:9 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, we’re working through the book of Isaiah and we’re pretty close to the center of the book. But it’s one of the longest books in the Bible and it can seem difficult to follow Isaiah if we’re trying to understand it as a cohesive narrative like we’re used to reading in story form. Because it seems like it’s jumping all over the place and it’s so full of imagery. This is because it’s not a single narrative story. The book of Isaiah is a collection of the utterances of God through Isaiah. So, it didn’t all happen at the same time and they didn’t all happen for the same reason. And they weren’t given to the same people. But we can certainly see the arc. We certainly see trouble forecast in Isaiah’s words. But the messages eventually turn toward hope and restoration. And we experience one of those turns today. In fact, some of today’s readings from Isaiah presents us with clear paths that can be chosen right now. So, Isaiah said, Only in returning to me - this is God speaking through Isaiah. Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. Think about that. That may be exactly what you need. That may be the exact counsel you need for what you’re facing today. And Isaiah clearly advises us to calm down. To return to God and find rest. And in that rest we will again discover our strength. So, we can take a deep breath. We can let it out slow. We can consider this path. It’s very clearly in front of us. But the alternative of that is also found in the same passage. But you would have none of it- God said, again through Isaiah. You said, No. We will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle. But the only swiftness you’re gonna see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you. So, two paths. One leads to quiet confidence and strength in God and one that relies on our own strength. And we’ll never out run whatever it is that’s chasing us. So, if we follow the latter path, we have a clear picture of where it’s going to lead. I mean, God said exactly where it’s going to lead. He said, You will be left like a lonely flag pole on a hill. Or like a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop. So, the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. That’s Isaiah 30:17-18. Go look it up for yourself. In other words, one path is going to waste our life and energy as we attempt to use that energy to out run whatever’s chasing us because we’re feebly relying on whatever it is that we’re relying on. But whatever it is that we’re relying on in our own strengths is unstable. And we can have it. We can have exactly what we want. If that’s what we want, we can have that. God will wait for us to come to him. And however, we’re also given this picture of that former path, one that runs to God and finds rest and salvation. And according to God what that’s gonna look like is that our own ears will hear him. Right behind us a voice will say, this is the way you should go. Walk in it. Whether to the right or the left. Then you’ll destroy all the idols. You’ll destroy all your silver idols and your gold images. And you’ll throw them out like filthy rags, saying, Be gone. Good riddance. So, in other words, clarity and direction are completely available to us if we will calm down and find our strength in God. And life from this place will allow us to see the falseness of what we’ve been putting our trust in. And we’ll throw the imposters out. So,, two paths from Isaiah. Two outcomes. Very clear. Which one are we going to choose today?
Prayer:
Father, we invite You into that question because it’s a penetrating one. It’s got many layers. But at the end of it all, it’s the choice of Your strength or whatever strength we can try to assemble on our own. Your strength is impenetrable. You are the almighty, sovereign God of heaven’s armies. Nothing can oppose You. Our strength, on the other hand, is significantly less. And yet we confess to our own impatience, our own chaos, our own drama and the ways in which we turn to our own strength, often before we even consider resting in You. Forgive us for this, Lord. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name, we ask. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Good morning DAB family. This is Jared Pierre from Jacksonville North Carolina. Today is Sunday morning. We are still dealing with hurricane Florence’s aftermath, no electricity running. My prayer is for my fellow friends and family who are stuck here and dealing with this matter, waiting too, for a time to rebuild and get back and going with our daily life. And my condolences to the ones who have passed. My prayer request is that the Lord allows us in Jacksonville North Carolina a speedy recovery, resources be available to __ families, and that God will mend the hearts and strengthen the ones who have been hurt from the situation. I thank God for my safety that I’ve been able to maintain and I’m looking forward and excited to the recovery and helping recover my city, Jacksonville North Carolina, that every business including mine will actually grow and flourish and usher a better future. Thank you guys. Thank you DAB family.
Thank you God for giving me everything I’ve asked
you’ve freed me from my demons and my true self’s now unmasked
time is running short now as they say this too shall pass
I praise and thank you constantly there’s not much that I ask
the relationship I have with you I pray will always last
last is first and first his last a simple little verse
some men go from good to bad some from bad to worse
help me just be patient God and follow where you lead
help me not be selfish and consumed with lust and greed
wherever two are gathered I know that you’ll be there
keep my mind’s eye simple God and strip my ego bare
make me in your image God I’m flesh but still I’m clay
fill me with your spirit and renew my strength each day
one and one are usually two but you and I are one
finish God the work in me you clearly have begun
blindtony1016@gmail.com. Like to give a shout out to Drew from the Bay Area and also to Victoria Soldier. Hope you all are well. And Brian thank you once again for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flown’ ya’ll. All right. Bye-bye.
Hi DAB family this is Diane calling from Iowa and I recently celebrated my 10 year anniversary with the DAB. I would like to thank Brian and his family for their steadfast dedication in bringing us the word each and every day. Thank you to all those behind the scene that help make this podcast happen every day and to all those who donate to this ministry to keep it going. I would also like to say a special shout out to the individuals that write or type up the transcripts on Tumblr. I really appreciate being able to go back and read some of Brian’s commentaries every day. I’d like to request prayers for my daughters Emily and Katie. My oldest daughter Emily is a junior in college and is a music education major with hopes of becoming a high school band director. Last spring she was required to take a performance evaluation to determine whether or not she can continue on with the major and she did not pass that exam, which was very disheartening and discouraging to her but she does have the opportunity to retake that exam on September 27th. So, I would like to request prayers for her as she makes those final preparations to take that exam again. I would also like to request prayers for my younger daughter Katie who’s a senior in high school and she’s finishing up her high school career and planning on where to go to college. And I would like to request prayers for her that she would have wisdom and guidance as she makes those final decisions. Thank you family for all of your prayers. I love each and every one of you. Have a great day. Bye.
Hi this is Angelique from Linden Washington. I wanted to leave a prayer request for my son Grant. He’s 20 years old and I had called in the middle of July requesting prayer for him as he, at that time, was in a diving accident and he broke his neck. He is able to walk. It was a miracle. He’s actually headed back to school as I speak, right now. He got clearance from the doctor to go back. He does have some complications but hopefully they’ll be a reminder of it could’ve been worse. And we pray that he will come to a faith in the Lord. He went from, before the accident, he had professed to be atheist in the last two years. And today we talked to him and he…he’s…he’s saying he’s not atheist anymore, he’s agnostic. He believes that there’s a God, possibly. So, we’re praying for great faith for Grant, that God reveals Himself to him and that he will be outspoken for God and will let God use his eyes for His glory. All right. Thank you so much for your prayers. Blessings. Bye-bye.