Concordance "Firmament”

I am getting ready to do a painting of the firmament later today. God confirms my studies that way…I love Him so!!

How great a God we serve who desires to communicate with us through  His heart Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. The New King James Version

Isaiah 53 is a beautiful prophecy of the Messiah, written by Israel's prophet Isaiah more than 600 years before Jesus Christ came to dwell among His people and offer Himself for the sins of all who would believe. Isaiah looks ahead to the Messiah, graphically describing the death of God's suffering servant. He was "crushed for our iniquities" and "the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6). He was silent like a lamb when brought for sacrifice. (Isaiah 53:7) Isaiah says the Messiah was stricken for the sins of His people (Isaiah 53:8) even though "he had done no violence" (Isaiah 53:9). God has always been a God of grace. (Isaiah 53:11;  Ephesians 2:8) In the Old Testament, those longing to be reconciled to God looked ahead by faith to His promised Messiah. In the New Testament and beyond, we look back by faith to Jesus' finished work on the cross. First5 

Firmament

“Concordance Firmament”

Genesis 1:7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 150:1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Daniel 12:3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

The New King James Version

Yahweh created the heavens (referred to as shamayim in Hebrew) and the sky, expanse, or firmament (raqia' in Hebrew) to reveal His glory. People in the ancient Near East often worshiped the sun, moon, and stars as gods—something specifically prohibited by the Law—rather than the Creator whose glory they reflect. 

The Hebrew word used here for firmament, raqia', describes the vaulted dome that separates the waters above from the waters below. The psalmist may be envisioning praise from both earth and heaven.

This makes the connection between the resurrected servant here and the resurrected Servant in Isaiah 53:10 more explicit. Wise men are said to give understanding. Here, they turn many to righteousness. The two concepts are related and demonstrate how indispensable these teachers were—particularly in times of crisis. In addition to instructing, they modeled peace and hope for deliverance. The description of those who lead people to righteousness in this verse echoes language about the righteous servant solidifying the relationship between these passages. 

Faithlife Study Bible

The notion of upper and lower waters is somewhat mysterious. The language may simply refer to waters gathered in a liquid state and to moisture in the atmosphere. The division of the waters is another of God’s acts in bringing order out of disorder.

All of creation including the heavens reveals God’s glory and majesty. Firmament is another word for heaven. The vast expanse we see is testimony to the craftsmanship of God.

The intent is for praise to come to God in His dwelling in heaven. 

The wise not only understand salvation themselves, they also turn many others to the way of righteousness.

The NKJV Study Bible