Our character matters to God and our actions will always speak louder than our words!
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man,
what is good;
And what does the Lord
require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Isaiah 51:1-3 Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” 3 For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
God, being long-suffering and merciful, delays His return in judgment. Unbelief is the sole obstacle preventing us from entering the righteousness of salvation through Christ. The Jewish race traces its origins to Abraham and Sarah, and the nation of Israel was established through their lineage. They are God’s chosen people and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Without the Jews Israel would once again face desolation. All nations are blessed under the rule of their King, Jesus Christ. Instead of fearing unbelievers we trust Holy Spirit to guide and direct our path. God did not give us a spirit of fear but of His power, strength, and love that abides within us. Through this love, we overcome evil with good. God is sovereign and in complete control, not man. The truth of our creation was entrusted to Abraham, and through his descendants, the King of kings and the Lord of lords will return.
Psalm 102:25
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
God laid the foundations of the earth. However, it will be transformed and we will reside in the new world, just as it was in the beginning. This new world will be perfect, and all creation will live in peace.
Hebrews 1:1-4 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The universe is His masterpiece and His Kingdom will endure for eternity.
2 Peter 3:10-13 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they
The Lord will surprise us with His return, but for those who trust in Him and eagerly anticipate His return, there will be eternal life in His righteousness.
Revelation 21:1-5 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
The new heaven and earth will begin on that day, and there will be peace that lasts forever for those who trust in God. Carla
The prophets often used an imperative phrase with the verb used here to get the attention of their audience. The object can be indirect, focused on the messenger as here or direct, explicitly referring to the message as the “word of Yahweh”. The rock invokes the imagery of highly valued, quarried, and dressed stone used in building projects. This rock figuratively represents Abraham and Sarah as the solid foundation stones of the Israelite nation. Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew nation, the forefather of God’s chosen people. The prophet appeals to the Abrahamic covenant as proof of Yahweh’s ongoing care for Israel. Yahweh promised to make Abraham a great nation and bless the entire world through him. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was tge matriarch of the Hebrew nation. Yahweh’s miraculous work in taking one man and creating a nation of chosen people should be proof of His power to provide for Israel.
Zion, the name of Yahweh’s earthly dwelling and holy mountain, is figuratively used to represent Jerusalem and, by extension, the nation of Israel. Here, Yahweh seems to address the exiles, assuring them that He will comfort Zion by returning them soon.
The perfection of Eden and God’s original plan for the earth became the ideal image for the restoration of God’s people in the land He promised them. The garden of Eden is central to the story of the first man and woman before sin entered the world (Genesis 2–3). In prophetic literature, the return to Eden is a powerful metaphor for the hope of ultimate restoration of the divine-human relationship. Eden imagery is also found in Joel 2:3, and is used extensively by Ezekiel. The image of a well-watered garden is a common motif in biblical literature that symbolizes human longing for peace, tranquility, beauty, abundance, and provision. Ezekiel 47:1–12 describes a life-giving river flowing from the new temple and creating an Edenic garden of fruit trees.
Revelation 22:1–2 depicts the new Jerusalem in Eden-like language, with a tree of life and river of life running through the city. The juxtaposition with wilderness imagery here recalls Israel’s wanderings after the exodus, prior to their entrance into the promised land. Israel’s expectation of Canaan as a well-watered agricultural paradise is reflected in the many references to Canaan as the “land flowing with milk and honey”.
Ezekiel 20:6 seems to connect Eden imagery with the promised land, calling Israel’s land “the most glorious of all lands.” Once restored and comforted, Zion will be full of worship and song. Thanksgiving songs arose as a grateful response to Yahweh for a specific act of deliverance. Thanksgiving psalms include Psalms 18 and 138. Since Psalms 137 is a lament of the exiles over the loss of Zion/Jerusalem, the thanksgiving in Psalms 138 may serve to remind Israel that God will deliver them—as He did in the past. The image of a song of thanksgiving here in the restored Zion shows Israel responding with praise for the accomplished deliverance. Now, God Himself speaks. The parallelism in the next line indicates this law will be used to promote justice and righteousness. The link to exodus traditions in verse 3 suggests the return to Zion from Babylonian exile will play out as a second exodus, complete with wilderness wanderings, and the receiving of the law directly from Yahweh as at Mt. Sinai. After God delivered Israel from Egypt, He led them back to Sinai, where all Israel heard and saw God’s presence when He gave Moses the Torah.
Israel’s condemnation by the prophets is often about the people’s interest in following the letter of the law while ignoring the spirit of the law. Isaiah 1:11–17 criticizes Israel for depending on empty religious rituals instead of practicing righteousness and justice.
Similarly, Micah 6:6–8 points out the futility of following the rituals when the proper attitude and behavior is not there. This theme, which runs throughout the Old Testament prophets, is a central part of Jesus’ condemnation of the religious leaders of His day. Yahweh’s justice and righteousness will be displayed through the work of the Servant, who will be held up as a light to the peoples. Faithlife Study Bible
Genesis 12:1–2
Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless youAnd
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
Isaiah 40:1
Comfort, yes, comfort My people
“Says your God.
Isaiah 51:7
“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people in whose heart is My law:
Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
Genesis 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
I found comfort in this old poem from Edgar Albert Guest. It did my heart good. I’ll carry it with me today...
“Be grateful for the kindly friends that walk along your way,
Be grateful for the skies of blue that smile from day to day,
Be grateful for the health you own, the work you find to do,
For round about you there are those less fortunate than you.
Be grateful for the growing trees, the roses soon to bloom,
The tenderness of kindly hearts that shared your days of gloom,
Be grateful for the morning dew, the grass beneath your feet,
The soft caresses of your babes and all their laughter sweet.
Acquire the grateful habit, learn to see how blessed you are,
How much there is to gladden life, how little life to mar!
And what if rain shall fall to-day and you with grief are sad,
Be grateful that you can recall the joys that you have had.”
Sabbath Moments
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