God is watching - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 18:4-5,

"This is what the Lord says to me: 'I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.' For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches."

Many people have deluded themselves into thinking God is not watching, and, even, God does not exist. What a terrifying wake-up call awaits them on judgment day!

Peter observes, "Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this "coming" he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'" 2 Peter 3:3-4. How true this is of our day!

God is watching. He observes us all and nothing is hidden from his sight. The sobering reality is that the Lord sees and knows everything we have ever done, thought and felt. For these things we will give an account. As Paul says, "So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." Romans 14:12. And, the writer of Hebrews reminds us, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.

While we live our lives, the Lord is observing us. Each and every one of us. "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place..." Before his harvest of us, sifting out who enters his family and who is tossed into the lake of fire, he is watching.

How thankful I am for Jesus Christ! God knows my life, he knows all the things I have thought and done. Were it not for the Son of God to come to planet earth and pay the penalty for my sins on that cross, I would have no hope - God is watching. 

In spite of the things I have done, the Lord only asks me to trust in him. "To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God... " John 1:12.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The blessing of God's judgment in this life - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 17:7-8,

"In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made."

Isaiah's prophecy turns to a time when Damascus (Syria) and Ephraim will suffer the Lord's judgment. This is due to what we read in verse 10, "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress."

The outcome of God's judgment of them, following Damascus being reduced to a heap of ruins, "the cities of Aroer" becoming deserted, the removal of the "royal power from Damascus", Jacob fading away, verse 4, they will "look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel"!

Here is a principle regarding the nature of mankind that is repeated throughout the Scriptures: when a people exist in peace and affluence, they often turn from God to chase fantasies that lead to sinful rebellion (just as we see in our nation today). The collective sin nature of a people prompts them to turn from God.

When a people experience the judgment of God corporately in this life, they turn to him in cries for relief, for respite from the very difficult times God's judgment brings. Possible famine, threats from other nations, military occupations, etc. have all led Israel back to her God in a cycle so often repeated. This principle is no more clear than the very many times we see it at play in the book of Judges. Peace and affluence leads to God's people abandoning him, as they abandon God, it leads to his bringing judgment on the nation. The suffering from his judgment leads to a repentance of the people, a cry to God for his mercy. As this repentance leads to God's rescue of his people, it results in peace and affluence which starts the cycle all over again.

The cycle goes like this: peace and affluence - rebellion - judgment - repentance - deliverance - peace and affluence, etc.

The reality is that where we pray for peace and affluence, it is often the very difficulties we face that drive us to our Creator, to seek him out, to look for him in the role he wants us to find him in: our Savior!

God's judgment in this life is often an expression of his love for us in disguise - in it he leads us back to him, the best possible place we can find ourselves!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Prophecies of Jesus Christ on his throne - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 16:5,

"In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it— one from the house of David— one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness."

In the midst of the Lord's prophecy concerning his coming destruction of Moab, (the people of Ruth, David's great-grandmother), is this prophecy concerning a coming throne of love, "one from the house of David". This is yet another prophecy concerning the coming throne of God's own Son, Jesus Christ, whose human ancestry is from the line of David.

This coming throne (still yet future from the perspective of this world today) will be marked by love, faithfulness, justice and righteousness.

The nature of prophecy is fascinating to me. Often, as here, in the midst of a prophetic announcement of something near-term in the prophet's day (in this case the coming destruction of Moab), something else, and at times far-term chronologically, rears its head. Right here in the middle of the Lord's proclamation through Isaiah of his coming destruction of Moab, the Lord informs the world that his Son is coming into the world and will establish his throne.

We read of the next age throughout the Scriptures. Jesus spoke of it, the Old Testament prophets foretold it, we read of it in the book of Revelation, etc. The key feature of the next age will be a renewed earth with Jesus Christ establishing himself as the ruler of all the kings and all the leaders of the earth - from his throne he will establish in Jerusalem.

Here are a few prophecies of Jesus Christ on his throne, or as ruler over all, from the book of Revelation:

"Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Revelation 1:4-5.

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15.

"She gave birth to a son, a male child, who 'will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.'" Revelation 12:5 (quoting Psalm 2:9.)

"They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14.

"On his [Jesus Christ's] robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords." Revelation 19:16.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God is not a "two-dimensional" emotional being - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 15:5-9,

"My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as
far as Eglath Shelishiyah. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as
they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction...
Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as
far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim. The waters of
Dimon are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon— a
lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the
land."

In these few verses, the destruction of Moab is proclaimed, yet
couched in an expressed sorrow or lament, "My heart cries out over
Moab". Yet, we read in just a few verses later that, "I will bring
still more upon...". Since the vision Isaiah had is of the Lord's
destruction of Moab over her sinfulness, we know the first person
singular pronoun in verse 9 refers to the Lord himself. At the end of
this section, in 16:13, Isaiah sums up by saying, "This is the word
the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab."

While many commentators feel the beginning of verse 5, the "My heart"
refers to Isaiah, or the people of Moab themselves as they lament
Moab's destrucion, as expressed in the remainder of the passage, I
don't see it that way. It appears to me that the Lord himself is
expressing his broken heart over the destruction of Moab, destruction
done by his own hand!

We know that God loves the world, John 3:16. We know he has a love
that surpasses knowledge, we simply cannot fathom its full dimension,
Ephesians 3:19. We know he earnestly desires that every member of
mankind be saved, to become members of his family, "God our Savior...
wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man
Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." 1 Timothy
2:4-6. The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to taste his judgment,
but for all to come to him, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise,as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2
Peter 3:9.

Yet, we know he is going to cast into a lake of fire all who have not
embraced Jesus Christ in faith, "Then I saw a great white throne and
him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his
presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great
and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another
book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged
according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave
up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that
were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had
done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake
of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written
in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation
20:11-15.

It is my firm belief that when judgment day arrives and those who
rejected God's offer of salvation are cast into that horrible place,
God's heart will be broken. Just as his heart went out to the wicked
people of Moab, so his heart will be broken when he exercises his
judgment on all who have rejected him.

One of the amazing things of God's complexity is that far beyond a
two-dimensional emotional being, he expresses multiple feelings at the
same time. The satisfaction of his justice against Moab is also
accompanied by his broken heart for the very ones that suffer his
judgment. It appears these emotions of his exist in a vibrant,
assertive and bold stasis together where none impinge on the others.

God does have a very deep seated and passionate love for the very ones
he will one day inflict his terrifying judgment upon - I think his
heart will be broken as he judges them.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

No one can stop this! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 14:24-27,

"The Lord Almighty has sworn, 'Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.' This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

The scope of Isaiah's prophecy concerning the Lord's defeat of Assyria turns from the local to the cosmic. The Lord declares what he is going to do to Assyria and then challenges the hearers of the prophecy about anything he purposes to do, "the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?" 

Who can turn his hand back? No one!

This passage speaks to the sole and sovereign control the Lord has over his creation. When he decides to do something, it is as good as done. Nothing can thwart him or his purposes. I am reminded of another passage later in this book, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my [the Lord's] word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11. Here in this passage we learn two things: the Lord has his own purposes and nothing can stop them from coming to fruition. The Lord gives the word and it simply happens.

In Psalm 115:3 we read, "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him." Since our God is this way and since he always accomplishes what it is he desires, and since he has told us of his plans, might it not be a good idea to inform ourselves of what these things are? He has told us of them in the Scriptures because he intends for us to know.

We best get into our Bibles and avail ourselves of all God intends for us to know. After all, what it speaks to is coming our way and nothing can stop it.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Songs of celebration of the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 12:1-3,

"In that day you will say: 'I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.' With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."

In this chapter of Isaiah's book of prophecies, following the Lord's announcement of the coming judgment of Judah and Jerusalem for their rebellion and abandonment of the Lord, he brings news of wonderful times ahead, following the destruction of Judah and banishment into captivity. In chapter 9 we read of a great light that is to come into the world of darkness. The people walking in this deep darkness will have a child that is to be given them, "Wonder Counselor", "Mighty God", "Everlasting Father" and "Prince of Peace" will be among his names. Jesus Christ the Messiah will come!

Here in this song of praise in Isaiah 12, in light of the fact that the Messiah did come some seven-hundred years following this prophecy, God's people are quoted as saying in the age to come,

"You [Lord] were angry with me... your anger has turned from me"
"you have comforted me."
"God is my salvation"
"I will trust and not be afraid"
"The Lord... is my strength and defense [or song]"
"[The Lord] has become my salvation"

Later, in verse 5 we read that God's people will be proclaiming that the Lord has done glorious things. "Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

All these things were prophesied over twenty-seven hundred years ago. These very things, the responses of God's people as described above, the singing of these songs, will take place in the next age because of what God does for his people, people of faith. Since we know of these things today, since God's people have already begun to experience, in part today that which will be fully ours in the next age, these things that give rise to the singing of God's praise then, ought they not be exclaimed today, ought they not be celebrated, extolled and proclaimed today, now, in this age?

Truly, "great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A wondrous prophecy about Jesus Christ - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 11:1-5,

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist."

Here is a wonderful prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, seven centuries before his arrival to planet Earth. Here is a list of the wonderful things I glean from this passage about my Lord:

The Holy Spirit will rest on him.
Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Might
Knowledge
Fear of the Lord (he delights in it)
He will judge with righteousness
With justice he will make decisions for the poor
He will "strike the earth with the rod of his mouth" (his Scriptures will have great impact in the world)
He will vanquish his enemies with "the breath of his lips"
Righteous
Faithful

What a resume! What a wonderful harmonious symphony of splendor, majesty and love! Is not this the kind of Lord that we should find easy to follow? 

What if he were not wise? But he is!

What if he were not understanding? But he is!

What if he were not mighty? But he is!

What if he were not righteous? But he is!

What if he were not faithful? But he is!

What if he was without knowledge? But he has all knowledge!

What if he judged us in an unrighteous way? But he won't!

How wonderful our Lord Jesus Christ is! If this doesn't get your heart pumping, its time to check your pulse!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The Lord uses the wicked - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 10:5-7, 12,

"'Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations...' When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, 'I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.'"

Here is a fascinating view into the workings of God. Perhaps unknown to many, the Lord uses sinful mankind to bring about what he desires to accomplish. Here in this passage from Isaiah, the Lord speaks of using Assyria against his own people as his judgment of them for their rebellion against him.

The Lord provides a bit of insight into the workings of this. The Lord is accomplishing what he desires through the Assyrians (in his judgment of his people). As he uses them (unbeknownst to them) they have a different motive and a different means in mind, motives and means the Lord finds objectionable and worthy of his wrath. As a matter of fact, when we get to verse twelve we find that when the Assyrians are done plundering his people, the Lord will then destroy Assyria for her own wickedness.

Everything has its purpose in the hands of the Lord, even the wicked. I am reminded of how Jesus Christ manipulated events and people to effect his own death to pay for our sins, he used wicked people to accomplish what he desired. 

The workings of God are fascinating!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The "stumbling stone" - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 8:13-14,

"The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one
you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. He will be a holy
place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people
to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of
Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare."

Here is the Lord's direction to Isaiah, warning him against following
the way of the people of Israel and Judah.

In the midst of looming war he reminds Isaiah that he alone is the one
to fear, to dread. It is not just blessing the Lord can bring into our
lives, he can also bring his terrifying judgment.

This passage is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:33, "See, I lay in Zion a
stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame." Paul uses
this passage in Isaiah to point to God's foretelling of the gospel of
faith. Israel had always felt their path to a righteous standing
before God lay in their covenantal pedigree and their notion of
earning their own righteousness by pursuing the law given Moses. In
Romans Paul points to the reality that Israel did not achieve their
standing of righteousness by law-keeping, but that the Gentiles had
through faith.

Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and in his finished work on the
cross, as expressed in the gospel, is what brings righteousness... not
our own best efforts. This determination of God is what has become the
stumbling stone for all the do-gooders and law-keepers from Israel's
history, right up to everyone today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Miracles! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 7:14,

"The virgin [or, "young woman"] will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

In Israel's history, when the nation was split into the northern ten tribes (called Israel) and the southern two tribes (called Judah), the king of Israel joined forces with the king of Aram (from the area of central Syria) to attack the king of Judah at Jersualem. The Lord told the prophet Isaiah to tell the king of Judah, Ahaz, to not loose heart, that the Lord himself would not allow it to happen.

To bolster Ahaz's confidence in this, the Lord had Isaiah ask Ahaz what kind of a sign he would like to see to strengthen him in it. Ahaz declined, trying the Lord's patience, so the Lord gave him a sign of his own choosing: the virgin [or young woman] would have a son. It is thought that the young woman in this instance was Isaiah's own wife. Her having a son would be the Lord's sign to Ahaz that he would not allow Ahaz to be destroyed by Pekah, king of Israel in cahoots with Rezin, king of Aram.

Amazingly, we learn that beyond the near term fulfillment of this prophecy in the lives of Isaiah and Ahaz, seven hundred years later there would be a far-reaching fulfillment! In this far-reaching fulfillment, it is not simply a "young woman", but a virgin, a young woman who had never slept with a man that would have a son!

In the account of Joseph being told that his betrothed, Mary, was going to have a baby [Jesus] that would be conceived by God himself, Matthew quotes the event as being a specific far-reaching fulfillment of the prophecy Isaiah gave Ahaz! "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')." Matthew 1:22-23.

The miracle of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is simply an astonishing thing! In my mind, it ranks right up there with the resurrection of Jesus Christ - as far as miracles go. What a sign to the world of the origin and nature of Jesus Christ!

Each and every miracle we read of in the Scriptures happened exactly as recorded for us. When we wrap our minds around the reality that God entered into his own creation, we realize, as Creator, he can violate all of the laws of physics, or whatever, that he established to rule his creation. Jesus walking on water, turning water to wine, raising Lazarus from the dead, healing sick people, making the blind to see, the deaf to hear, all are miracles that have taken place just as we have been told.

Yes, Jesus Christ was really born to the virgin Mary. And, yes, Jesus Christ was really raised from the dead and appeared to many, proving he had secured his Father's forgiveness of all of our sins! 

How wonderful our God has provided us the historical accounts of miracles to strengthen our hearts!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Isaiah recoiled! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 6:5,

"'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'"

Here is Isaiah's reaction at seeing a vision of the Lord on his throne. He recoiled in horror as he cried out for his own sake. The horror he felt was that the vision he experienced of our pristine God in his glory caused him to recognize his own meager sinful condition, both his and the people he had come from. A major moral and substantive heartfelt relative deprivation of the creature beholding his Creator.

How Isaiah's vision of the Lord was limited, we don't know. What we do know is that mankind, in this lost and fallen world, is incapable of surviving a full view of the Lord in his full glory. Paul told Timothy, "...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." 1 Timothy 6:15-16. When Moses requested God show himself to him, the Lord said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Exodus 33:20.

What captures my thoughts, as often does when I read this passage, is the "other-ness" of God. Although we are made in God's image, he is not like us, he is different. As Isaiah beheld the Lord, what he felt was his own sinfulness, his own shortcomings, his own limitations as a sinful human being. 

Although we are made in God's image, and although we possess many of the qualities God has, we are but a corrupted reflection of his magnificent glory, his pristine and incorruptible character and nature. As God is, we have a mind, a will, and emotions, as God is, we have a sense of justice, a sense of humor, and the proclivity to communicate. However, all of what we possess within us as made in God's own image, since the fall of man in the garden, is corrupt, is limited, is in a terrifying contrast to God himself.

As I think of these things, it causes me to wonder about the existence we will have with God in the resurrection. In Revelation 21 we read of a time when we will actually live in God's presence in what is pictured as a complete and happy comfort with him.

How much God's redemption will change us in preparation for that day! Exciting to consider, isn't it?! 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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What more could God have done? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 5:3-4,

"Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?"

In his song of the vineyard, Isaiah quotes the Lord as saying the above. As the Lord prepares to judge the people of Jerusalem and Judah for turning their backs on him, he challenges them with the question of what else could he have done for them in his pursuit of them as his people?

I am mindful of the same question the Lord could ask of all the world in reference to him building his kingdom today. We know that everyone has been invited to God's family, and yet only a few will respond - most won't. Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14. In John 3:19-20, Jesus tells Nicodemus why only a few find the gate into God's family, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."

But, what of God's efforts? As we look at all that God has done to make a way for us into his family, it is astonishing. First, of course, is that he sent his Son to die a miserable death to pay the penalty for everyone's sins for all time, for all people. In this he has satisfied his pristine sense of justice in offering us a place in his family. He has sent his Holy Spirit to draw people to himself, "When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment..." John 16:8.

God has provided the world with his word through prophets that produced our Bibles. Within its pages God tells us how we can come to know him, how to reach out to him, how to find him. It is within its pages we learn of God's unfathomable love for us and his desire we choose him to have a place at his table.

God draws us to himself, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:44. He does this through his gospel that he sends into the world through evangelists he has raised up himself, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Romans 10:17. Who brings that message? "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:15. God sends them!

God has sent his Son into the world to make a way for us into his family. God has sent his Holy Spirit into the world to make a way for us into his family. God has produced his Scriptures and had them sent into the world to make a way for us into his family. God has prepared a message for us, the gospel, that he has sent into the world to make a way for us into his family. God has equipped and raised up evangelists with his gospel in hand that he has sent into the world to make a way for us into his family.

God desires all people everywhere to join his family, "God our Savior... wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4. God is incredibly patient waiting and hoping all will come to him, "he [the Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

As in Isaiah's day, it is my firm belief that a question floating around on judgment day will be, what more could God have done? Did he not go well beyond all expectation to draw us to himself? Did he not make every effort to bring to his family all who wished to enter it?

On judgment day there will be no complaint that God had not done all he could to save any and all who were willing. Those who don't make it will not simply because they were unwilling. What a terrifying reality!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Who is the Branch of the Lord? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 4:2-4,

"In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem."

In the prophecy of his indictment of the sin of those living in Jerusalem, and the resultant fall of the city because of it (Judah and Jerusalem are to be vanquished  and a remnant carried off to Babylon), the Lord turns his attention to a better day, a wonderful day.

A new day is to come! A beautiful day! God is going to send his servant, the "Branch", Jesus Christ to his people and to the world! Further, looking past this age, in a breathless view into the New Jerusalem, following the resurrection of God's people, the Branch of the Lord is seen to be beautiful and glorious!

Zechariah mentions the Branch of the Lord, "I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.", Zechariah 3:8.

We also read about the Branch of the Lord in Jeremiah 33:14-16, "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.'"

The Branch of the Lord is "The Lord Our Righteous Savior." Jesus Christ, beautiful and glorious in all of his majestic splendor! I have a sense that our lives in the resurrection will be marked by a number of times when our breath will be taken away as we behold our transcendent and awesome Savior!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Does our loving God judge people? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 3:11,

"Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done."

As God reveals himself through the pages of Scripture, we find he has two qualities he delights in, two qualities he exercises, he expresses, throughout all ages. These two qualities Paul sums up as his "kindness and sternness", "Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." Romans 11:22.

Here is how the Lord put it through his prophet, Jeremiah, "let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight..." Jeremiah 9:24.

When God pays back the wicked for "what their hands have done", he expresses his justice. His ultimate expression of justice for all mankind individually will take place in the great white throne judgment that we read of in Revelation 20. There we find that all people will be raised from the dead, and those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life will be cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Those whose names appear in the Lamb's book of life have their names there, not because of "righteous things we have done", Titus 3:4-5, but because they have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, "To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God", John 1:12. Also, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them." John 3:36.

While in this life, however, we can already find ourselves in the cross-hairs of God's judgement, condemnation and the misery his justice can bring to us. While we do not see a full accounting for the sins of each and every person in this life, when a person's sinful condition impinges upon the agenda God has of building his kingdom, he can certainly find himself as the object of God's wrath.

The parable of the weeds we read in Matthew 13:24-30 teaches us that individuals will not experience God's final judgment of them for their lives on earth until after the resurrection. Meanwhile, however, as demonstrated in the sinfulness of Judah and Jerusalem, and God's judgment of the nation, we can suffer plenty in this life for living a life in rebellion against God.

How thankful I am that Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty for all of my sins. How thankful I am he has made a way for me and that through him, I have been granted access into the family of God with my name entered into the lamb's book of life. How thankful I am that I do not have to face God's judgment! It only takes faith. 

How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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Going up to the mountain! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 2:3,

"Many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.'"

As a prophet of the Lord, Isaiah looks past the end of the age when, in the resurrection, people will seek the Lord who will be residing in Jerusalem. I am reminded of a striking passage in Revelation 21:1-3, 22-27:

"Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'... I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

As I look about myself in this life, how far has sinful man destroyed, distorted and perverted this world and the life our Creator had intended for us! As I look ahead to the restoration of things in the resurrection, how different, how wonderful things will be!

What a hope! What a cause for joy and rejoicing! What a future those of faith have to look forward to!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Where "it" is found - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Ecclesiastes 3:15,

"Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account."

The NIV provides a possible alternative ending for this verse, such that it would read, "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God calls back the past."

It appears to me that whichever ending of the verse is viewed, a central truth to what is said remains, a restating of 1:9, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

"Nothing new under the sun" speaks of what exists in this life. From one age to the next, what we face, what we experience, what we encounter has all occurred previously. Certainly this does not relate to technological advances and specific events. Two-hundred years ago no human had seen a phone, a car, a computer or a microwave oven. These kinds of things are not what is in Solomon's view here. Today we cannot experience the first time slavery was abolished, the first time women got the vote, we can't experience drinking the first beer ever made. Again, these are not the kinds of things that Solomon has in view here.

Solomon's point in Ecclesiastes deals with finding meaning and purpose in life. His theme is that what mankind pursues to find happiness and fulfillment in this life (under the sun) is "meaningless". I recall an interview with George Harrison of the Beatles where he said (paraphrasing here) that because the Beatles had earned so much wealth, so much fame so early in their lives, they were able to discover that fortune and fame was not "where 'it' is at."  He was saying that what so many pursue, thinking if they could just get this or that, if they could just win the lottery and be able to buy all the stuff they wanted, if they could just get that promotion, that boyfriend or girlfriend, etc. it would bring them happiness and fulfillment in life. Existentially, the Beatles discovered the truth of Ecclesiastes.

The reality is that most of us will never experience those things many pursue, and discover for ourselves that fortune and fame, etc. does not bring the happiness we think we will find there. Solomon did, and he wrote this book to report back to us that what so many pursue is meaningless in that true happiness and fulfillment is not found in all the experiments he engaged in. In support of this proposition is the reality that there never will be anything new "under the sun" that will bring happiness and fulfillment either.

The only thing that will bring true happiness and fulfillment is something that has been here all along, something that fell outside the experiments Solomon engaged in (but something Solomon already knew for himself): happiness and fulfillment is found in discovering and enjoying our Creator. It is not what is "under the sun" that brings true happiness, true fulfillment, but in him who exists beyond time and space.

David discovered this very thing and made this observation, "How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." Psalm 36:7-9.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God is not silent! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Proverbs 30:5-6,

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."

This passage takes for granted we know that not only does God exist, but he communicates with us! With this a priori presumptive truth in hand, Agur says that what God has to say is flawless. Importantly, since God's word is flawless, don't tamper with it - let it speak for itself, let God say what he has to say, don't meddle with it. It should be abundantly apparent that when something is flawless, any modification, any alteration, any change whatsoever is necessarily less than flawless.

Nevertheless, flawed mankind always finds a compulsion in his heart to do exactly that. For one reason or another, pinhead scholars and their sycophants, religious "leaders", those who would cast themselves as the "spiritual elites" among us find a need to torture the Scriptures in a variety of ways. Certainly not all, but many. It has been going on for millenia and will continue to do so until this age comes to a close.

Whether it is an effort to corrupt the Scriptures by claiming none of the miraculous documented in the Bible is truthful, or that the fulfilled prophecies are cast as such because they were really written after the events described, or even the wholesale production of counterfeit literature under the guise of "Scripture" (think the book of Mormon here, or the Qur'an, Gospel of Thomas, etc.) - are all an effort to disrupt and miscast the flawless word of God.

Our Bibles, the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 of the New comprise the flawless word of God. Peter tells us, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

Woe to the man that meddles with the word of God! 

On the other hand, how wonderful is it that we have a source of truth! We can know where we came from, where we are going, why we are here, what brings real happiness and fulfillment in life because we have it on authority from our Creator! We can know how we can live our lives pleasing him, how to enter into his family, how to inherit eternal life! How amazing is that?! 

Hopefully it is not just sitting on the coffee table collecting dust!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

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Our common Maker - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Proverbs 22:2,

"Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all."

No matter our circumstances in this life, we all have a common origin - the Lord is our Maker. It matters not if you consider yourself Muslim or Buddhist, Christian or Mormon. It matters not if you are Roman Catholic or Baptist. It matters not if you are politically left or right. It matters not if you have a vacation home in the Hamptons or live in a hut. It matters not if you drive a Ford or a Chevy. It matters not if you wear pants or a skirt. There is one common reality for each and every human being - the Lord is our Maker.

This holds the greatest of any claim on our lives: we have a Maker and he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was he who gave us life and it is his to take. We all belong to our common Creator, our Maker and we are all answerable and culpable before him, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13. Also, "So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." Romans 14:12.

We are told in John 1:1-3 that the Son of God, Jesus Christ is the creative agent within the Trinity, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." We discover the identity of "the Word" in John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Word is Jesus Christ and he is our Maker.

What our Maker has to say to us is that he will not allow sin to be unaccounted for. He also tells us that he loves each and every human being. It is his desire to bring all of us into his family in the resurrection, but he will only allow those who have placed their trust, their faith in him. All others will be cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8, "The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

It doesn't matter what religion we are, what country we live in, what our political persuasion is, our educational level, our social standing, our success in life. We all answer to the very same God who looks for that faith within our hearts that Abraham modeled, the faith that brought him a righteous standing with God, a standing that is likewise available to us, Genesis 15:6. It behooves us all to look into this.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Why do stupid stuff? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Proverbs 5:20,

"Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man's wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?"

A great question that I believe can be asked about so many things in this life. The problem for a man to look for whatever it is he thinks he wants or needs from a woman other than his own wife is simple: it destroys. It destroys his marriage, it destroys his family, it destroys his spouse, and further, it destroys the man himself.

Here is how Proverbs 5 describes the damage one does to himself if he pursues an adulterous woman:

- He finds no happiness with the adulteress as she is "bitter as gall" in the end, and "sharp as a double-edged sword", with her steps leading "straight to the grave", verses 4-5.

- he looses his honor and dignity, verse 9.

- he looses his wealth to others, verse 10.

- his life wastes away before his own eyes, "At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent." verse 11.

- he brings "serious trouble" on himself among his people, verse 14.

The problem with many a man pursuing an adulterous woman is that he lives a life of "pretend." Although he may pretend that God doesn't exist or God doesn't see or that God won't call him to account, here is the sobering truth: "For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths. The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly." Verses 21-23.

As I say, the question can be asked about so many things that are traps in this life. Woe to the man who ignores discipline, who ignores wisdom, who ignores understanding. This world attempts to sell us all kinds of things, particularly that the "grass is greener on the other side."

Don't believe it, it simply isn't true - believe in the truth we are given here in Proverbs 5!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com