Isaiah 21:2 And the plunderer plunders

Psalm 60:3

You have shown 

Your people hard things;

You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

Open our eyes Lord. Open our eyes that we be Your hands and feet. Open our eyes that we are not the ostrich who hides their heads in the sand. Open our eyes Lord. Carla

Isaiah 21:2 

A distressing vision is declared to me;

The treacherous dealer deals treacherously,

And the plunderer plunders.

Go up, O Elam!

Besiege, O Media!

All its sighing I have made to cease. NKJV)

Babylon was a flat country, abundantly watered. The destruction of Babylon, so often prophesied of by Isaiah, was typical of the destruction of the great foe of the New Testament church, foretold in the Revelation. To the poor oppressed captives it would be welcome news; to the proud oppressors it would be grievous. Let this check vain mirth and sensual pleasures, that we know not in what heaviness the mirth may end. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Elam, a major part of Persia, and Media were allied in 700 b.c. Perhaps as part of the Assyrian army (5:26) they helped bring about the fall of Babylon in 689 b.c., since they certainly did so in 539 b.c. (11:11; 13:17). Its sighing may refer to the sighing Babylon inflicted on others, or to its own sighing under Assyrian oppression. Perhaps Isaiah was distressed by the report of Babylon’s fall because it meant that Babylon could not save Judah from the Assyrians. The NKJV Study Bible

This oracle comes as a prophetic vision. The Hebrew term here denotes the vision is hard or grievous. The treacherous deals treacherously may simply point to the complicated political situation of entangled alliances and switched allegiances.  It is unknown who Elam and Media are besieging. Elam and Media were part of the Persian Empire that conquered Babylon in 539 bc. However, it is unclear why the prophet would be upset over their besieging Babylon. Lay siege foreshadows Yahweh’s purpose for the Medes to conquer Babylon. Faithlife Study Bible

Isaiah 33:1

Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered;

And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!

When you cease plundering,

You will be plundered;

When you make an end of dealing treacherously,

They will deal treacherously with you.

Isaiah 24:16

From the ends of the earth we have heard songs:

“Glory to the righteous!

“But I said, “I am ruined, ruined!

Woe to me!

The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously,

Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”

In my readings, this reflection from Maria Shriver did my heart good.

...Lent isn’t about deprivation. It’s about attention. It’s about noticing what quietly masters you. It’s about reclaiming your focus in a world that insists everything is urgent and everything is equal.

The words in Lizzie’s letter keep echoing in my mind: Nothing matters. And yet everything matters.
The avalanche matters. The Olympics matter. Abuse of power matters. Human suffering matters. Accountability matters. Truth matters. Compassion matters. But so does your inner life. So does how you pray and how you pause. So does how you respond to someone you disagree with, how you treat those you call your enemies, and how you speak about people when they are not in the room.

These forty days are a reminder that while everything clamors for our attention, we still get to decide what takes hold of us. We cannot fix every story. We cannot carry every outrage. We cannot absorb every headline. But we can choose who we are becoming in the midst of it all.

Regardless of whether you observe Lent, and regardless of whether you are Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, spiritual-but-not-sure-what-that-means, or simply someone trying to be a decent human being in complicated times… perhaps you, too, could take forty days to recenter yourself. Forty days to reflect on what truly matters to you. Forty days to fast from something that dulls you. Forty days to replenish your mind. To soften your heart. To steady your spirit.
Perhaps this is your invitation not to turn away from the world, but to turn inward long enough to remember who you are within it. Sabbath Moments

When my accomplishments seem small or my failures seem large, God's Word reminds me that He does not look at anyone's resume of "good works" as the determining factor in salvation. What an amazing God who would rescue us from sin and death "according to his own mercy" rather than "works done by us in righteousness" (Titus 3:5).

We could never earn God's merciful gift of salvation because apart from Jesus, we are all lost and broken sinners. Paul knew this well: He wrote today's key verse in a letter to his fellow church leader Titus, but before he met Jesus, Paul hated and persecuted Christians (Galatians 1:13). Even if we came to know Jesus at an early age, we, too, were born into the same sinful condition as Paul, which he described in Titus 3:3: "foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another."

Seeing ourselves in the light of this truth is humbling. Yet it also allows us to fully appreciate God's incredible mercy in bringing us to Himself. The Greek word translated as "mercy" in Titus 3:5 is eleos, which is parallel to the word hesed in the Old Testament, evoking the long history of God's steadfast, covenantal love for His people. When God revealed His character to Moses in Exodus 34:7, He described Himself as "keeping steadfast love [hesed] for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty."

God knew that without His divine intervention, our sin would forever keep us from His presence; therefore, He made a way. Our God sent His own Son to bear our sins on the cross and die in our place.

Why would He consider it worthwhile to make that kind of sacrifice? The answer is found in Titus 3:4: It is because of the "goodness and loving kindness of God." God's merciful character is at the heart of His desire to redeem us.

And salvation is not just a one-time event when "he saved us"; it is also an ongoing "washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). We are saved by trusting in Jesus. By faith, we experience regeneration (meaning "new birth") and cleansing from the filth of our sins. We are also being saved by the indwelling Spirit who continues renewing us daily, transforming us into the image of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:16). First5

Matthew 13:47-50 We choose whom we will serve.

John 3:16-17 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. NKJV)

We choose. Jesus is the only way to the Father without Him there is no salvation. Carla

Matthew 13:47-50 

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” NKJV)

Matthew 13:47-50 

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. New American Bible

The last two parables speak of kingdom responsibilities for disciples. First, Jesus describes a large seine net, which would encircle a large area and drag the bottom of a lake. Such a net gathers fish of every kind, without discrimination. Similarly, the responsibility of disciples would be to catch as many “fish”—of every kind—as possible. The work of judging or ferreting out the false catch, however, is a job that disciples are neither called nor equipped to do. That work is assigned to angels at Christ’s return. The NKJV Study Bible

The world is a vast sea, and men, in their natural state, are like the fishes. Preaching the gospel is casting a net into this sea, to catch something out of it, for His glory who has the sovereignty of this sea. Hypocrites and true Christians shall be parted: miserable is the condition of those that shall then be cast away. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Matthew 13:38–42

The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels…

Matthew 22:9–10

Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Matthew 25:32

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 

I can tell you that I love to read—and to tell—stories about the power of kindness. Small gifts of kindness that make our world a better place. Gifts that replenish the receiver, and the giver. This is a story from 2018. It was in my stories file about the way we treat “the least of these”.

The headline in the newspaper: “Mexicans shower the caravan with kindness — and tarps, tortillas and medicine.”
Outside her family’s hardware store, Coqui Cortez, 57, set up a table to feed migrants (what we are calling the caravan) lemon tea and stew, using meat from her son’s butcher shop. Down the street, her daughter was handing out fruit.
“My family has been very blessed,” Cortez said. “And we know that we are all brothers. What God gives us, we should share. But we do it with a lot of love."
For decades, because of poverty and violence, people have hiked the back roads and ridden trains heading north.
“Today it’s them. Tomorrow it could be us,” said Lesbia Cinco Ley, 70, who was volunteering with the Catholic church in town to distribute food.
So, get this. Town officials in Pijijiapan began readying for the caravan’s arrival, holding meetings to strategize how to attend to the migrants. Before dawn on Thursday, Cinco Ley and several others began cooking, on a mission to prepare giant vats of ham and eggs and 14,000 sandwiches. Between the municipality, churches and private citizens, town officials estimated Pijijiapan had spent nearly $8,000 for one day’s worth of food. “This is a poor town, but we still did all this,” said Guadalupe Rodriguez, 48, a city councilwoman.
(Adapted from Washington Post article, Joshua Partlow)

“And the law of kindness is on her tongue.” The Book of Proverbs

It is no surprise that I am frequently drawn to the story of the good Samaritan. I like Thomas Merton’s take, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love.”
I can choose to be a peacemaker. And a dispenser of kindness. Sabbath Moments

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

This message was particularly relevant to Paul's audience of believers in Ephesus, who were familiar with pagan religious practices that focused on appeasing false gods through rituals and offerings. Ephesians were so passionate about their idols that they rioted in Acts 19:24-34 when the free gospel threatened the "business" of idol-making at their temple of Artemis. However, Paul's words in Ephesians 2:8 stand in stark contrast to paganism, stating that salvation in Christ is not transactional: "It is the gift of God."

The Greek word for "gift" in this verse is doron. It's used throughout the New Testament in the context of offering sacred sacrifices (Matthew 23:18-19; Hebrews 8:3-4). We also find the related term dorea in scriptures that refer to an unmerited or undeserved gift.Romans 3:24 says believers are justified by God's grace "as a gift [dorea], through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

With this in mind, Ephesians 2:8-9 points us to three truths about salvation:

1. Salvation involves a sacrificial gift.

Jesus is "our Passover lamb, [who] has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Previously, God established animal sacrifices in the Old Testament so humans would have a way to temporarily cover or cleanse their sins ... but Hebrews 10:11 reminds us these sacrifices could "never take away sins" (emphasis added). Jesus accomplished what other sacrifices never could: He permanently removed the sin that separated us from God.

2. Salvation is entirely unmerited.

Romans 3:23 reminds us "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Yet God in His infinite mercy offers salvation freely to all; it's not based on human achievement or worthiness. Theologian J. I. Packer states, "Grace is simply God's love demonstrated toward those who deserve the opposite."

3. Salvation is received by grace through faith.

In ancient Ephesus, the temple of Artemis served as a place of pagan worship as well as a place where some citizens deposited their wealth, believing they would receive favor by investing in a false god. Yet the true God does not seek our money; He seeks only our faith, "so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:9).

When we live as though God's favor must be earned, we miss the Truth of the gospel. Salvation was never designed to show us how worthy we are but to point us to a worthy God and a redeeming Savior. Our acceptance is solely rooted in Christ's finished work on the cross, not in our work for Him. First5

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Fear God and Keep His Commcandments

Deuteronomy 4:2

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

What does God require of us? He requires us to: Be fair, Be kind and Be humble in our walk with Him. (Micah 6:8) If we love Him above all and love our neighbors as much as we do our own families we will fulfill all of the above…God loves all of us so much and He ask so little of us in return. Carla

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

14 For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil. NKJV

13 The last word, when all is heard: 

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all; 

14 because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.  American Catholics Bible

To fear God is one of the major themes of this book and of wisdom literature in the Old Testament. To fear God is to respond to Him in awe, reverence, and wonder, to serve Him in purity of action, and to shun evil and any worship of anything else in His universe. 

The commandments of the Law are in view here. Jesus summed them up as to “love the Lord your God” and “your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34–40).

We are whole or complete only when we fear God and obey His commandments. What profit is there in living? If we follow what this book has said, we will have a relationship with God and find life in Him. This same teaching is echoed by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:10. Death is not the end. All of life will be reviewed by our righteous Lord. Life must be lived through faith with the values of the eternal God in view. The NKJV Study Bible

In light of humanity’s limitation and God’s supremacy as seen throughout the book, the only proper attitude in life is one of trust and obedience to God.

This is the final message of the book. Life is difficult, and our understanding of it is limited (3:11, 14; 7:23; 8:16–17; 11:5). Injustice and oppression are prevalent (3:16; 4:1–3; 5:8; 7:15). It is impossible to achieve any kind of lasting gain in life since death eventually cancels all profits (2:14–23; 9:2–3). Despite this, the book does not end with a message of despair. Rather, the author encourages people to enjoy life to its fullest (9:7–10). Here, he concludes that people should maintain an attitude of fearing God and obeying His commands.

Fearing God and keeping His commandments are the duties of all people.

Even though injustice and oppression are prevalent on earth, the book concludes with an assertion of divine justice. Faith in God’s justice leads the author to encourage people to fear God and keep His commandments. Faithlife Study Bible

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said in my heart,“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,

For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

Walk in the ways of your heart,

And in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these

God  will bring you into judgment.

Ecclesiastes 5:7

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. 

But fear God.

Romans 2:16

in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

 Here’s what I know to be true. When the world tilts, it’s easy to spiral. To be at the mercy. And the news becomes the narrative for our emotional well-being and determines our motivation to say yes or no. To choose.

You see, when the world shakes, it can rattle our identity (I tend to live fearful and tight to the chest), and how we choose (it is easy not to trust, and I forgot the power of goodness and kindness and compassion).

I forget the fundamental truth that we are people on this journey together.

Yes. Here’s the deal: No one of us can make it alone.

No one of us.

And, even in the darkness, we can be a place of light.

I take heart when people stand up and say, “We get to say how the story ends.”

When life is on tilt, where do our marching orders come from?

Start here: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

Fear says, "I'll make you safe."

But love says, "You are safe."

“Love is the only way to rescue humanity from all ills.” Tolstoy wrote at the end of his life in his forgotten correspondence with Gandhi about human nature and why we hurt each other, as the global tensions that would soon erupt into World War I were building.

How? I have an idea. Let’s start one meal at a time.

“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Gospel of Matthew)  Sabbath Moments

Jesus' presence gives us courage when fear tempts us to shrink back (Hebrews 13:5-6). His Spirit empowers us when our strength runs out (2 Corinthians 12:9). And His companionship assures us that we are walking with the One who has already overcome every obstacle imaginable (John 16:33). First5