Reflecting God’s Devotions for Holy Living – Thursday, 9 January
2014 “God Hears and Saves” Scripture Isaiah Injustice and Oppression to Be
Punished
59: See, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull
to hear.
2 Rather, your iniquities have been barriers
between you and your
God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not
hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with
iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies,
your tongue mutters
wickedness.
4 No one brings suit justly,
no one goes to law
honestly;
they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,
conceiving mischief
and begetting iniquity.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs,
and weave the spider’s
web;
whoever eats their eggs dies,
and the crushed egg
hatches out a viper.
6 Their webs cannot serve as clothing;
they cannot cover
themselves with what they make.
Their works are works of iniquity,
and deeds of violence
are in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
and they rush to shed
innocent blood;
their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity,
desolation and
destruction are in their highways.
8 The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no
justice in their paths.
Their roads they have made crooked;
no one who walks in
them knows peace.
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does
not reach us;
we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
and for brightness,
but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope like the blind along a wall,
groping like those who
have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
among the vigorous[a]
as though we were dead.
11 We all growl like bears;
like doves we moan
mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it
is far from us.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 59:10 Meaning of Heb uncertain
“God Hears and Saves” by H. Ray Dunning
In 587 BC when the Judeans who had been deported from their homeland
in the Babylonian Captivity were given permission to return, they came back
with high hopes. They thought that the glorious future predicted by the
pre-exilic prophets would be fulfilled with them. But their hopes did not
materialize and disillusionment set in. The prophet is telling them that the
problem is not with God’s ability to fulfill His promises but He is hindered by
their sinfulness. This is the same truth James (4:3) declares, “When you ask,
you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what
you get on your pleasures.”
The situation referred to in Isaiah is a national situation. It
suggests that God’s response to our private prayers may be conditioned by our
integrity–or lack of it. Our assurance is that God is always attentive to our
petitions. His strength is available to grant us what is within His will. But He
is not a “cosmic bell hop” responding to our every whim. Let us be sure that we
are attuned to His will and are willing to submit to it. Then we can rest in
our Father’s comfort and care.
Hymn for Today:
“Cleanse Me” by J. Edwin Orr
1. Search me, O God, would YOU know my heart today;
try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
cleanse me from every sin and set me free.
2. I praise thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
fulfill thy Word and make me pure within.
Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame;
grant my desire to magnify thy name.
3. Lord, take my life and make it wholly thine;
fill my poor heart with thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride;
I now surrender, Lord--in me abide.
4. O Holy Spirit, revival comes from thee;
send a revival--start the work in me.
Thy Word declares thou wilt supply our need;
for blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.
Thought for Today:
“We confess our continual need of the cleansing, empowering work
of God in our lives” (Rhonda Carrim).
Prayer Needs:
Developing Christian leaders in Jordan!
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