Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - WordAction - The Foundry Publishing House of Kansas City, Missouri, United States - The Global Church of the Nazarene for Monday, 15 January 2018 "Wise Counsel" by Jonathan Twitchell Isaiah 19:1-15Isaiah 19:1 This is a prophecy about Egypt:
Look! Adonai is riding a swift cloud,
on his way to Egypt.
Before him Egypt’s idols tremble,
Egypt’s courage melts within them.
2 “I will incite Egypt against Egypt,
brother will fight against brother,
friend against friend, city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.
3 The courage of Egypt will ebb away within it,
I will reduce its counsel to confusion.
They will consult idols and mediums,
ghosts and spirits.
4 I will hand over the Egyptians to a cruel master.
A harsh king will rule them,”
says the Lord, Adonai-Tzva’ot.
5 The water will ebb from the sea,
the river will be drained dry.
6 The rivers will become foul,
the canals of Egypt’s Nile will dwindle and dry up,
the reeds and rushes will wither.
7 The river-plants on the banks of the Nile
and everything sown near the Nile
will dry up, blow away and be no more.
8 Fishermen too will lament,
all who cast hooks in the Nile will mourn,
those who spread nets on the water lose heart.
9 The linen-workers will be in despair,
along with the weavers of white cotton;
10 the spinners will be crushed,
the hired workers dejected.
11 The princes of Tzo‘an are utter fools,
Pharaoh’s wisest counselors give stupid advice.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I’m a sage, descended from kings of old.”
12 Where are they, then, those sages of yours?
Let them tell you, so all can know
what Adonai-Tzva’ot has planned against Egypt!
13 The princes of Tzo‘an have been fooled,
the princes of Nof have been duped,
Egypt’s clan chiefs have led her astray.
14 Adonai has mixed up their minds
with a spirit that distorts judgment,
so they make Egypt stagger in whatever she does,
like a drunk staggering in his vomit.
15 Nobody in Egypt
will find work to do —
neither head nor tail,
neither [tall] palm frond nor [lowly] reed.
---
Frogs, frogs, and more frogs! One of my favorite parts of the book of Exodus is when Aaron stretched his hand out over the water, and frogs came up and covered the land. Not wanting to be outdone, Pharaoh’s wise men foolishly called forth even more frogs to plague the people!
Centuries later, Isaiah used prophetic language reminiscent of those foolish advisors. He pointed out that the officials were “nothing but fools,” and that the advisors offered “senseless advice.” While Isaiah rhetorically asked, “Where are your wise men now?” it’s a good question for us to seriously consider in our own lives. Who are your trusted advisors? What voices are you listening to?
There are many voices clamoring for our attention: social media, news channels, and political pundits. Even Christian media can pull in multiple directions: self-help books, radio preachers, and television evangelist. It's far too easy to assume that someone with a microphone will necessarily give wise and Biblical advice.
It is vitally important for us to surround ourselves with trusted and godly advisors who know us well. These mentors will speak truth into our lives, helping us to grow deeper into God’s kingdom. Who is your wise counsel?
---
Hymn for Today: "Deeper, Deeper" by Charles P. Jones1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher ev'ry day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper! blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher ev'ry day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
3. Deeper, deeper! tho' it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher ev'ry day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
4. Deeper, higher, ev'ry day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher ev'ry day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher ev'ry day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
---
Thought for Today: the first and foremost point of wisdom is the fear of Adonai;
all those living by it gain good common sense.
His praise stands forever.(Psalm 111:10)
---
Please pray: For the development of Christian leaders in the Madeira Islands.
---
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
---
No comments:
Post a Comment