Matthew 1-2: The Birth of Christ

Discussion of the lineage and birth of Christ as well as the star signifying His birth and the gifts given to Him.

Lineage

Matthew starts off with the lineage and birth of Christ. Lineage was a major deal to the Israelites, in fact, in most societies bloodlines are very important. Several verses in the Bible articulate that the life of a person is in their blood. Our blood defines us—no, I'm not referring to blue blood or other worldly definitions. I'm referring to the very cells within our blood. The DNA contained in these cells is like a computer program that controls how we interact with the world around us. I don't want to get sidetracked, so if you want to know more about the life in the blood, check out my podcast episode on the topic.[8] The main point I'm making here is bloodlines are more than just wealth and worldly power passed down generation to generation, it's also Godly covenants passed from seed to seed. Because of this, the Jews meticulously kept up with bloodlines, searching for the promised seed (Genesis 3:15) that would defeat Satan.

The lineage presented in Matthew traces back to Abraham, and identifies Christ as a legitimate descendant of David with rights to the throne of Israel. That would be the end of the story, except Luke gives a very different lineage. There are many theories about why this is, which I've already covered in my post Harmonizing the Gospels: the Lineage of Christ. I don't want to be redundant, so I'm not going to go into detail about the lineage. I will say that there are multiple theories discussed in the post, and I fall in the camp of those who believe one lineage is that of Joseph (a legal justification for Christ's lineage) and one is that of Mary (a true bloodline lineage). Nonetheless, the early Church did not contest the written accounts, nor cry foul about such a glaring mistake; therefore regardless of why they are different, I am confident that the disciples and early church understood both of these lineages to be correct and valid.

Christ is Born

Matthew doesn't go into as much detail about the birth of Christ as Luke, but he does give us a few details to think about.

Mary & Joseph

When I look at the scenario of Mary and Joseph, I can't help but imagine this in today's crazy society. Can you imagine preparing for a wedding and finding out your fiancee is pregnant and you've never slept with her? While, I suspect how people external to the situation saw it would vary in our time (considering that premarital sex has been normalized, most would just assume it was Joseph's baby), the internal struggle each person experienced would have been very similar in today's time.

Today, Mary probably wouldn't worry about "slut shaming" or being condemned for having sex outside of marriage (depending on what circle she traveled in), but she would still be faced with the impossible task of convincing Joseph she hadn't been unfaithful. How crazy does it sound to say "I promise I'm a virgin...An angel told me I was carrying the Son of God, that's why I'm pregnant"? That probably sounded crazy then too. The only reason Joseph believed her is because the angel visited Joseph as well. Had Joseph not been visited by the angel, he would have left her. Sticking with the culture of Mary's time, her parents would have been furious if she'd gone to them; an illegitimate pregnancy would eliminate most decent prospects in marriage. Mary had to step out on faith that God would work things out. We aren't told how many people knew this information or how deep into the pregnancy she was when she got married, so we don't know how people around her reacted (if they reacted at all) but when she accepted what the angel told her, she had to accept the possibility that she would never be accepted into society again.

From the text, we know that Joseph was definitely not convinced by whatever Mary said (and who could blame him!?). It took an angel confirming that matter (as it should) for him to settle in to his role, but what is interesting is how Joseph intended to handle it. He could have been bitter and nasty about it; he could have made a spectacle of her. However, Joseph had resolved to handle the issue discreetly. This is a clear depiction of the man God chose to raise His son.

Both Mary and Joseph's reactions to the situation are indicative of why God chose them in the first place. Aside from being descendants of David to fulfill the prophecy, both bore the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God was entrusting this couple with His only son; He had to know they would make good parents.

The Wise Men & The Star

One of the most popular aspects of the birth of Christ is that of the star. One thing I could never understand as a child was why only the magi saw the star. Herod seems utterly baffled at its appearance and can't determine how old the child is based on the information. If the star was abnormally bright, wouldn't Herod have seen it and remembered? The cartoon-ish way Christians portray this element as a large gleaming star hanging above the manger is ridiculous and clearly false. A more likely scenario is that a sign played out in the heavens (see Genesis 1:14 for the purpose of the stars to be signs).

In some translations, the men who come to see Christ are the "magi" in others they are called "wise men." The original Greek is μαγοζ, which was a term applied to "the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augurs, soothsayers, sorcerers, etc." in that culture. We can already see why some translators favored the term wise men, a term that could encompass many of the other terms. A compelling theory I've run across leans toward them being "astrologers."

I use the term astrologers loosely because there's context that needs to be applied here. In Matthew's day, anyone who studied the stars in any form or capacity was an "astrologer." Today, we have to terms for people concerned with the stars: astronomer or astrologer. Astronomers study the movement, behavior, life/death and inner workings of stars, while astrologers seek to connect those things to how events play out on earth. If you grew up in church you were probably taught that astrology is bad. I want to challenge that notion a bit wit this Bible verse:

¹⁴Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. ¹⁷God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19 NASB

In Genesis 1:14 we are told that God created lights in the sky not just for seasons and tracking time, but also for signs. So there is some relevance to "reading the stars." The thing to keep in mind is that it is not the stars making things happen. The stars are merely testifying to what God has already spoken (Psalm 19). Keep that in mind as you read what I'm about to type.

There is a theory that the star referenced in Matthew 1 is actually the behavior of a star over time (there are also theories about conjunctions of planets forming a really bright star, but that goes back to my question of why no one else seemed to notice). Many cultures have a zodiac and while they may ascribe slightly different names, the constellations are fairly consistent. One of the signs in the zodiac is Leo, the Lion. The lion was connected with the tribe of Judah and is connected to the Messiah (Who is the Lion and the Lamb). The brightest star (well, star system, but it appears as a single star to the naked eye) in Leo is called Regulus which comes from the Latin rex and means "little king."[1] Also in the sky is the planet Jupiter, which isn't a star but does appear as a light in the sky. Jupiter is named after the Roman god who was "king of the gods;" it was regarded as the king planet. Some who've studied the stars have identified interesting interplay with these three signs in the sky around the time of Christ's birth. This behavior is as follows: Jupiter (the king planet) passes through the lion near Regulus (the king star), goes in to retrograde (which mean it appears to go backwards, passing Regulus in the opposite direction), then crosses Regulus again. This pattern would have taken quite some time to complete, but the wise men would have seen the king planet "crown" the king star in the lion. It's not hard to see how that would be interpreted as the Messiah (the lion of Judah) being born (little king); especially if you were familiar with prophecy and understood the 70 weeks of Daniel. If you dig into it, though, there's even more with Virgo (the Virgin), Venus (the mother star), Mercury (the child star), and prophecy given in Revelation by John... If you're interested in this theory, I found a great video on YouTube that goes in to more detail (he goes into a lot of other things too; I encourage listening to the whole series, but I am linking the part specific to the star at the nativity). This theory explains why no one else noticed the star.

Herod and the Massacre of the Innocents

When the wise men get to Jerusalem they tell Herod why they're in town, and Herod is not happy to hear that the true King of Jerusalem has been born. Here I want to insert some context that will be reoccurring theme in the gospels: the Jews thought the Messiah was going to restore Israel to the splendor of Solomon. Essentially, they expected something much closer to what we expect for the second coming. In Herod's mind, this child would grow up and overthrow both him and the Roman government that gave him authority. This is why from birth, Christ was seen as a threat to power.

Herod, being led by Satan, does the same thing Pharaoh did while Israel was awaiting a Savior in Egypt (Exodus 1): he kills all the children. This fulfills a prophecy given by Jeremiah 31:15. During this atrocity, Mary, Joseph, and their newborn baby hide in Egypt, which also fulfills a prophecy (Hosea 11:1). Please note that the family hiding in Egypt follows the pattern started with Abraham of hiding in Egypt when there is trouble in Israel.

Nazarene

Before we end the chapter, we are told that Joseph and his family settle in Nazareth to fulfill a prophecy that the Messiah would be a Nazarene. There are two major things to point out about this revelation.

First, the reference to this prophecy appears to be lost. Many theories have been ascribed to what is being referenced here. Some believe there was a book that has not been added into our canon. Others believe it is a reference to Him being despised (Isaiah 53), because in John 1:46 we learn that the residents of Nazareth are not held in high esteem.[3][4]

Second, Nazarene is not the same as Nazarite. I've heard many people confuse this. Christ was a Nazarene because He was raised in Nazareth (similar to how I would be considered a Carolinian because I was raised in the Carolinas). Christ did not take a Nazarite vow, as evidenced by His consumption of wine (Numbers 6; Luke 7:34-35).

Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh

The 3 gifts given to Christ are very fitting. Each represents a part of the Messiah's purpose. Frankincense was associated with the priests (Leviticus 2). Gold was associated with kings (). Myrrh was associated with death (Mark 15:23).[5][6][7]

Also, a common misconception is that there were 3 wise men; this assumption comes from the fact that they gave 3 gifts. It could just as easily been ten wise men or two wise men—the Bible does not specify that each man gave one gift, only that there was more than one man and 3 gifts given.

References

1. Larry Sessions. "Meet Regulus, The Lion’s Heart". Earth Sky. May 1, 2020
2. "Solar System Exploration: Jupiter". NASA; visited July 2021
3. "The Messiah would be called a Nazarene". Jews for Jesus; visited July 2021
4. "What prophecy is Matthew 2:23 referring to regarding Jesus being a Nazarene?". GotQuestions.org; visited July 2021
5. Eric Zielinski. "Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh – The Truth About Their Significance". Natural Living Family. June 23, 2020
6. Clint Pumphrey . "What Are Frankincense and Myrrh?". How Stuff Works. October 16, 2018
7. "Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?". Biblical Archaeology Society. June 15, 2021
8. Ree Hughes. "The Life is in the Blood". PSALMS to God. June 23, 2021

The Purpose of Israel

And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.' Zechariah 8:13 NKJV

Why create a nation?

• Preserve a culture, way of life (the law), and history
• Allow for specific prophecy concerning the Messiah

Bible verses tracing "the Seed"

• Genesis 3:15 (Prophesy)
• Genesis 4:25 (Seth)
• Genesis 21:12 (Isaac)
• Genesis 22:18; 26:4 (blessing the nations)
• Acts 3:25
• Acts 13:23 (Jesus)
• Romans 1:3
• Romans 9
• Galatians 3:16,19,29
• 1 John 3:9

Significance of the Seed
In the episode, I discus the fact that this Seed is a reference to the Messiah, Who brings salvation to the world. However, there is a deeper layer that I did not get a chance to cover. Seed represents reproduction. Not only is the Messiah a descendant of Eve, as prophesied, but He sent the Holy Spirit to reproduce His character in us. We are in turn supposed to sow seed in His image. Wee see this metaphor of seed continuing in The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13).

Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ Isaiah 49:6 NKJV

Isaiah 49-57: The Prince of Peace

Introduction

The ultimate gift God gives us is the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, Yashua/Yeshua/Jesus. Between Isaiah 49 and 57, Isaiah gives us a ton of prophecies, many of which deal with the Messiah. The most important prophecy concerning who Christ was (in my opinion) is Isaiah 53. Often referred to as "The Suffering Servant," the chapter gives a clear picture of the Messiah as a servant who must suffer at the hands of His own people to bring about salvation. This was the crucial prophecy that the Israelites neglected, as they expected the Messiah to be a triumphant warrior who would overthrow Rome instead of the servant described by Isaiah. Overall, however, these chapters paint the picture of the salvation brought by the Prince of Peace.

Calls to the People

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Pavan Trikutam

The first three chapters in this series deliver specific calls to God's people.

Called From the Womb

Isaiah recognizes that his calling came from the time he was in the womb. In fact, most of God's people were called before they took their first breath. Other examples include Samson and Samuel from the Old Testament, Jesus and John the Baptist from the New Testament. Isaiah explicitly states that his purpose is to call the people of God back to God. God tells Isaiah that this is a simple task, so He is also entrusting him with being a light for the Gentiles. Even during Isaiah's time, Israel was to be a light for the Gentile nations; it was never God's intent that they should stay in darkness. We know that the ultimate light that Israel brought into the world was the Messiah. How does that relate to Isaiah being called as a light to the Gentile nations? Well, someone compiled a list of 365 Messianic prophecies[1] (there are more, but this is a good sampling) and 133 of them are from the book of Isaiah. That's about 36%. The book in the Old Testament with the next largest number of Messianic prophecies is Psalms with 96. So while Jesus might be the ultimate Light God gave to the Gentiles, it is Isaiah that gives us the path to identify the light (the light switch, if you will).

Prophecies About Christ

In Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah jumps right in to Messianic prophecy as if to confirm that he has been given light to point us to the ultimate Light. First, he tells us that the Holy One of Israel (the Messiah), will be despised by men. If Christ's crucifixion does jump into mind as clear evidence of that, just scour message boards online today. There are many atheists or agnostics, who while tolerant of other religions, have a deep-seated hatred for Christ.

Isaiah goes on to tell us that Christ will be worshiped by kings and princes. Even the most powerful people in our world have to answer to Christ. In Christ's kingdom, everyone will come to bow down to Him and all will be provided for. As Isaiah explains this, he mentions a land called Sinim, which scholars believe is meant to reference a far off nation, likely China.[2]

As Isaiah continues to point out how God (and the Messiah) feel about the people, he lays out a third prophecy. God promises no to forget about His children, and points out that He has a mark in the palm of His hands to remind Him of us. That mark is from the crucifixion.[3]

Prophecy About Israel

Isaiah also prophesies the captivity and scattering of Israel. The people of Israel were driven from The Promised Land after the siege of Jerusalem in 70ad and have been intermingled with the Gentiles ever since. However, in the end the people who were tearing apart the families of God's people and who were mistreating them, will be bowing before them.

Called to Follow

In the beginning of Isaiah 50, we are presented with metaphorical questions about our relationship with God as our Father. God did not abandon His children, His children stopped following Him. When there is separation between us and Him, it is not because He "divorced our mother" or sold us, but be cause we have chosen sin over obedience.

The beauty in this situation is that God is the all powerful God. He can redeem us and reconect with us if we let Him. His choice is to deliver us from a fate of separation and disconnect, but we have to let Him. Throughout the Bible, it talks about people who have ears but can't hear, or eyes and can't see. We close our senses to God, and block His Spirit sometimes. When Isaiah chose to listen to God, God opened His hear that He might understand. When we choose to listen and see, God reveals Himself, wisdom, and His plan to us. The key, is that we have to choose to follow Him first.

Called to Action

If you make a decision, but you never act on it, what good is it? God gave us a law. If we are truly following Him, if we have truly surrendered to His Will, we will also do our best to follow this law. The Israelites often confused this concept by thinking that if the just did what God had specified in the law, they were doing good. However, just because you do what someone says doesn't mean you love or respect them. Obedience can also come from fear or habit. The key thing to remember is that we are compelled to follow the law because we love God, however following the law is not a means of salvation and is not the starting point of our relationship with Him.

Fear

Many times, when we are doing right, the people around us will try to discourage us. In a moment of peer pressure, we often deny Christ and the Father to appease a human. Peter did this when He denied Christ. God asks us think about why we afraid of people? They do not have power over their own lives and die just like us. Therefore their thoughts and opinions should have no power over us.

Endtime Prophecy

In Isaiah 51:6, Isaiah prophesies that Heaven and Earth will be demolished and rebuilt during the final judgment. During this time, all who did not follow the Lord will perish. This prophecy is echoed in the New Testament (2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 21:1).

Awakening

God makes a plea for Israel to wake up. It is time for them to return to our Father, to open our ears and heart. The devision to follow should always be followed with the action of following. This consists of opening our hears and eyes, just as Isaiah did. If we don't, we suffer the same fate as the pagan nations.

The Suffering Servant

If you weren't sure that Jesus is the Messiah, Isaiah 53 is the scripture you need to read. I have read that this chapter is intentionally glossed over or "forbidden" in Jewish synagogues for exactly this reason.[4]

Isaiah prophesies about a suffering servant, the prophecy really begins at the end of Isaiah 52, where we are told that this person would become disfigured for us. The disfiguring Isaiah references is the punishment Jesus endured before and on the cross. As we continue into Isaiah 53, we learn that despite suffering for us, people would reject him (obviously fulfilled both by the Jews rejecting Him and choosing to crucify Him, as well as the continued rejection of His gift by people throughout time). Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would be brought to "slaughter like a lamb" indicating that he understood that the purpose of this sacrifice was to fulfill the required sacrifices once and for all. Take note that while God is pleased with the suffering of the Messiah, it is not because He enjoys seeing the Messiah suffer. God is pleased because this suffering allows Him to intercede for all of God's children. It is only though His suffering that the rest of us can ever be reunited with God. It is also through Him that Satan will eventually be defeated. This is what pleases God.

The Deception

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,Isaiah 55:2 KJV

The business model of the world matches the battle plan of Satan: create a problem that doesn't exist and sell the solution. If you were around in the early 2000s, you remember black and white flip phones that barely had the ability to text. Of course, if you grew up during my parent's era, you remember when we didn't have cell phones at all. If you grew up in my grandparents' era, you remember when phones were a luxury. If you grew up before then, you would remember when phoned didn't exist. For the majority of our existence, people lived just fine without them. Now, kids are getting them at 5 and 6 years old! People have been convinced that a child needs a $400 - $1000 object. How? Why?

In the beginning of Isaiah 55, it is point out that we chase things that don't benefit us. We spend money on things that are not in our best interest, and work hard for things the world tells us we need, but they don't fill the empty void that is meant to be filled with God. We will work extra hours to have extra money to see the latest concert or movie, to buy the latest trends, etc., but we don't invest that money in God's people— remember the bread is His body; God's body is the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12–14) and we aren't investing in the people of the church. I don't mean building funds and jet planes for pastors. I mean supporting single parents. I mean supporting the poor. I mean taking care of the elderly. Consume the Bread of Life (the Word of God) and actively engaging in the work of God is what will satisfy our soul. The things of this world only bring us distraction. They keep us busy, but we never find that contentment that God has for us.

A Futile Effort

Isaiah 55 follows the famous quote "no weapon formed against you shall prosper." Even though it's the last verse of Isaiah 54, it summarizes the whole of both chapters' point. God has made a covenant with His people so for as long as we have (be it our death or the death of this world), we can seek Him out. However, we see in God's call to seek Him while He can be found that this timeline is finite; there will come a point where we've lost our chance (because we're dead, or the judgement has arrived). Once we seek Him out, we're on the winning side. God will stand for His people, and He is the creator of even the smallest molecules men use to build weapons. There is nothing a man can create that does not have to obey God first. Thus, the only power our enemies have over us is convincing us not to rely on God.

God's Thoughts and Ways

The end of Isaiah 55 could easily be paired with the concept of growing from thinking and speaking like a child, to thinking and speaking as an adult. It is a reminder that although we grow up and learn more, we can't fully comprehend God. My dad has a saying about understanding crazy people; he said if you can understand the thought process of serial killers, or racists, or whomever, that means you think like them and you're crazy too. You have to be tuned in to the same frequency to understand and empathize with those feelings. Similarly, if any of us could fully comprehend God, we'd have to be God.

I used to wonder if sin was the culprit of why we can't understand. After all, sin is a degenerative disease. However, when I started thinking about the angels, I realized that they must not be able to fully comprehend God either. If so, Lucifer never would have rebelled. He would have understood the perfect order God created and abided in it. Not only that, but other angels wouldn't have sided with him. It proves that like us, they only know so much.

God's Word is Never Void: A Sign

¹¹So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
¹²For ye shall go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,
and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree:
and it shall be to the Lord for a name,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.Isaiah 55:11-13 KJV

God's Word is powerful. Unlike us, He doesn't say things casually or without thought, so everything He tells us will come to pass. This is great news for those who surrender to Him and horrible news for those who rebel.

I spent quite a while on this particular passage, trying to figure out what the everlasting sign would be. Some commentators suggest a bountiful Earth, some suggested fertility, and others suggested the actual Word of God.[8] I can see how all three of these are possible, and actually are intertwined. To have high fertility rates, the people must be eating well and consuming the proper nutrients, therefore the Earth must be bountiful. The only way for the Earth to be bountiful is that the people have found favor in the eyes of God, and that will only happen when we surrender to His Word.

Preservation of Justice

God's people will have God's desire for justice. This means that in a kingdom that truly serves Him, the people in charge will actively seek justice. They will not be taking advantage of people, or favoring this group over that group. God's people will do the best they can to wield honest, appropriate, and merciful judgements so that justice prevails.

Sabbath

In Isaiah 56:6 brings the attention of the Israelites to the importance of keeping the Sabbath without defiling it. Note that there were two types of Sabbaths prescribed by God. The original Sabbath (referred to as the Sabbath) was instituted in the very beginning, to end the creation week. After the fall and when God established Israel, He instituted holy days (where we get thee word holiday), some of which were to be observed in the same manner as the Sabbath. These became knows as sabbaths or sabbath days (plural). Because God is referred to a singular Sabbath, we know He is referencing the one from creation.

Saved Against the Odds

The Israelites, as well as modern Christians, are quick to judge who can and can't be saved, but that judgement is reserved for God. In Isaiah 56, we see God explicitly make provisions for the salvation of two groups of people you wouldn't expect: foreigners and eunuchs.

Foreigners

The Israelites are God's chosen people, everybody else (at the time) was pagan. The Israelites were constantly told to set themselves apart and not to intermarry with these people. So it's easy to develop the opinion that those people were hopeless and unable to gain salvation. However, that was never the case. From the beginning, anyone who was willing to submit to God, could join Israel and become part of God's people. In Isaiah 56, God reiterates this point. Today, we should remember that "foreigner" can apply to people of the same nationality and/or race, but of a different religion. We have to remember that all it takes it repentance and submission to God for a person to be saved, regardless of their background.

Eunuchs

Eunuchs were men who had been castrated. Since this would be considered a deformity, it was regarded as unclean in Israel; thus, eunuchs were not well received. The Israelites would have been shocked to hear this message.

I've seen many quote this verse along with Matthew 19:12 to support the LGBT community, so I want to take a deeper look.[7] Matthew 19:12 identifies 3 types of eunuchs: those who were forcefully castrated, those who were born that way, and those who chose to be.

The reason men were forcefully castrated was—aside from being a grotesque show of power—to provide "trustworthy" protection for the queen and concubines of the king.[5] The women (and children) required guards, but an able bodied solider was a threat to the king. Remember, these marriages were not based on love and most kings had many wives, so there was plenty of spare time for the wives to get distracted. Also, since DNA testing wasn't a thing back then (that we know of), the king would have felt obligated to protect the throne from illegitimate heirs. So, to ensure that soldiers tasked with keeping the women safe did not betray the king by sleeping with the women, the king had them castrated. Note, this didn't mean that the men became women and/or began living their lives as women. It also doesn't mean they were gay.

The men who were "born that way" were men who were born with out a penis; this condition is called Penile Agenesis. They still have a male physiology and are considered men, they are just unable to have sex.[6] Once again, there is no Biblical or historical evidence that these men behaved as women or engaged in homosexual relationships. (In fact, they would have had the same dilemma in trying to have a homosexual relationship as they would having a heterosexual one).

The final group of eunuchs mentioned in Matthew 19:12 are those who chose that life. These men were not born that way, nor were they forced into the predicament. Because the passage in Matthew 19:12 is talking about marriage, I don't think it's meant that the literally disfigured themselves, but rather they chose not to get married—like Paul. If anything these men would have been considered asexual.

Were there gay or transgender eunuchs? I don't know. However, the word eunuch does not mean gay or transgender.

References

1. 365 Messianic Prophecies". Bible Probe; visited May 2019
2. "Sinim, Land Of. Bible Study Tools; visited May 2019
3. "When Jesus was nailed to the cross, did the nails go through His hands or His wrists?". GotQuestions.org; visited May 2019
4. "Forbidden Chapter of the Tanakh". Jewish Voice. June 2, 2016
5. "Eunuch". Encyclopædia Britannica. February 11, 2019
6. Aeron Charline. "Penile Agenesis and Testicular Agenesis". October 25, 2011
7. Matt Slick. "In Matthew 19:12, is being born as a eunuch a support for homosexuality?". Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry; visited May 2019
8. "Isaiah 55:13". Bible Hub; visited May 2019

Isaiah 40-48: The Purpose of Peace

Isaiah 40 marks a change in direction for the book of Isaiah. Starting here we really get into prophecy and the plan God has for His people. When I first saw my study Bible group the following 8 chapters as "The Purpose of Peace," I was expecting something very different. Now that I've finished all 8 chapters, I understand the purpose of peace.

Introduction

Isaiah 40 marks a shift in the book. Whereas the beginning of the book talks mostly about judgement, the latter portion speaks of Gods plan for Israel, all centered around peace. The latter section can be divided into three sections, and Isaiah 40-48 cover the first of those sections. These chapters talk about the purpose of peace. From a basic standpoint, I think we all know that peace brings in comfort. From a spiritual standpoint, peace ends the war Satan started. Also, peace, being synonymous with the Messiah (the Prince of Peace), also brings us the Comforter a.k.a. the Holy Spirit (James 14:16).

Prepare the Way

Unsplash.com/Tim Swann

Isaiah 40:3-4 speak of someone who will prepare the way through the wilderness for God's return to the people. Like many prophecies in the Bible it actually has two fulfillments. The first was the return of the Israelites after they had been in captivity. The ultimate fulfillment, however, was the task of John the Baptist, who prepared the way fo Jesus, the Messiah (Mark 1:2-3). This prophecy is also echoed in Malachi 3:1.

There is also symbolism in this prophecy. The wilderness represents the journey, or the path from being lost to being saved. Remember the initial encounter with the wilderness is when the Israelites are fleeing Egypt in search of the Promised Land. Similarly, when Jesus came, many people we enslaved by the additional laws the Pharisees had implemented; they were lost. John the Baptist opened the door to their hearts, reminding them that God is a forgiving God whom we can go back to if we just repent. This opened the hearts of many to be ready to hear what Jesus had to say, thus leading to salvation.

The Awesomeness of God

Think about the world today. There is so much discord and confusion, the thought of world peace is a joke. It seems like an impossible task. Well, the first 17 verses of Isaiah reminding us just how awesome and powerful God is. God has already done the impossible, so there's no reason He can't do it again. God created our world in peace, and desires to bring us back to the state of His original design.

Idols

The reason we have trouble in this world is because we have replaced God. It's that simple. The root of every sin is choosing to listen to someone other than God, placing someone or something above God, and thus usurping (or aiding in the usurping of) God's authority. Idol worship was a major problem for the Israelites.Whole chapters in Isaiah 40-48 are dedicated to discussing the issue of idolatry so we know God wasn't/isn't taking this issue lightly. God basically asks the Israelites how they can associate these man made idols with God, whom we can't fully comprehend. We can't sketch out what He looks like, or confine Him to some sculpture. No matter how much the cost of the materials, no matter how skilled the artist, we can't replicate God.

Furthermore, the things we create are powerless. As people, we like tangible things; things we can touch and feel. People who mock believers often refer to God as an "invisible man in the sky" (which of course shows that they don't understand that God is not a man and is not only in the sky, but is everywhere). God has ultimate power, be we have a hard time leaving everything up to someone we can't see—let's face it, many of us have trouble trusting people we interact with every day. When we read passages like the one presented in Isaiah 40:18-24, it's easy to think of worshiping pagan gods and excuse ourselves. However, there is a lot of idolatry in the modern Church. Be it the act of bestowing power to physical objects or idolizing people.

Growing up my grandmother used to tell me if I slept with a Bible under my pillow it would keep away nightmares, and my mom thinks a Bible has to be the first thing carried into a new home. Both of these superstitions are imbuing the physical book with power, when really the power comes from knowing what's inside the book, knowing Who's inside the book. Similarly, people think a crucifix can ward off evil spirit, we see this in movies all the time. Others think the church is a holy building and it is more safe than a regular building. However, none of these things have any power of their own. Power always comes from God, so even we have to be careful about giving power to objects and people in our lives.

Strength

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.Isaiah 40:31 KJV

Chaos and confusion wear you out. Have you ever had that moment when you have too many things to do and instead of tackling an issue, you just feel tired and overwhelmed? Peace is the opposite of that. When you have peace, you are worried about outcomes and you aren't exhausted by the things happening around you. This why along with peace, God gives us strength. Isaiah 40:31 is a popularly quoted verse that reminds us of the strength we find in God when we follow Him. This verse is the source of Fred Hammond's "They That Wait"[1]

The Infinite Nature of God

In the beginning of Isaiah, God makes the point that He has been around forever. His main point is that He raised up the righteous man (Abraham), but in doing so He talks about the land being witness to all of His actions. He reminds us that He is the First and the Last (the Alpha (Α) and the Omega (Ω)—or in Hebrew, the Alef (א) and the Taw (ת)).

The isles spoken of in these verses, while easily associated with the Earth itself as mentioned above, can have a symbolic meaning as well. The isles are where the Gentiles were (Genesis 10:5, thus the isles could also reference Gentile nations.

The World Encourages Sin

Isaiah 41:6-7 is particularly interesting. Out of context it sounds like workers encouraging each other and lifting each other up, which is a good thing. However, when read in context, adding a few verses before and after, it seems that the people encouraging each other are those apposed to Israel. Many commentaries agree, considering the isles to be pagan nations. When looking at the verses from this point of view, the verses are actually talking about how people come together to support sin. In a world covered in peace, people would support each other because there would be no need to fear each other's success or actions, however, when we encourage sin, we push the world further away from sin.

The majority usually rallies around false doctrine and sinful ways. Take the Biblical example of Lot; the entire community was there requesting to rape the men. They were encouraging each other to do wrong (Genesis 19). Similarly, when Amnon desired his sister Tamar, his friend encouraged him as well (2 Samuel 13). The nation of Israel&mash;God's people—are supposed to be set apart from this behavior. Israel was chosen to lead the world to salvation, re: discourage sin. This point is further discussed in Isaiah 42 where Israel is said to be the light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6).

Persecution

Persecution isn't what you'd expect to talk about when talking about peace, but before we get to a state of absolute peace, the war has to be fought and won, which means God's people have to be persecuted. When the pagan nations are coming together to support each other, those who are standing firm for God will feel alone. However, God tells us to fear not. God promises Israel that He will be there strength, that He will fight the war, and that there is nothing to worry about. It is important to remember that in this, God is not saying the war won't happen or that there won't be obstacles. Rather, He is saying that in the face of those obstacles, He promises to take care of everything. So even though persecution is the opposite of peace, God is giving us peace in those situations by taking away the need to worry.

The God of the Poor

If there's one thing you can't miss reading the Bible, it's that God will provide for the poor. God promises to hear the cries of the poor and provide for them, whether it's food or water. Again, this can be taken literally or spiritually. There are people who are literally poor; they literally have nothing to eat or drink. However, there are also people who are spiritually poor; they have not been exposed to the Word of God and are in need of the Spirit—remember Jesus calls Himself the Living Water (John 4:10) and the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

Prophecy About Cyrus

While reiterating the point that idols are worthless, Isaiah prophesies about a man that is to come from both the north and the east. This man was to be a great conquerer, stomping over kingdoms. Upon first reading this passage I was a bit confused because I could see how this person is tied to the abomination of idolatry, but it also says that this person called on the name of God and is good news for Israel. After reading the commentary in my study Bible, it made more sense. This prophecy is identified with Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus was a pagan, but he also is the one who issued the decree allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.

God always provides a way home, though it may not be an easy road. For Cyrus to come into power, battles were fought, people died. However, his rise to power is what allowed the Israelites another chance at their relationship with God. Similarly, for us to have a second chance with God, Jesus had to die for our sins. In general, there will be times when things will have to get worse to get better. Unfortunately, peace comes with a price. Fortunately, Jesus paid our fare, so as long as we stick with Him, we will reap the benefits.

Prophecy About Jesus

One of the most icon moments from the New Testament is when Jesus is Baptized; God makes the declaration that He is proud of His son (Matthew 3:17). That declaration is prophesied in Isaiah 42:1-4.

Gentiles Receive the Law

In Isaiah 42:4, it is prophesied that the "isles" will receive the law. These isles, as we've discussed could represent the Gentiles. During Isaiah's time, it would be unheard of for the Gentiles to adopt the Law of God or to commune with God at all. However, just as prophecy predicted, after the crucifixion of Christ, the Word of God spread rapidly through the Gentiles.

Fire That Doesn't Burn

Unsplash.com/Nathan Lindahl

Isaiah 43:2 talks about how fire doesn't burn those who are under God's protection. As always there are two ways to interpret this: figuratively and literally.

Figuratively

You know the saying "Jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire"? It symbolizes tough situations as fire. Similarly, when God says that His people can walk through the fire unscathed, He means that He will protect us through hard situations. Once we get through the fire, only the lessons we've learned and the growth we've managed will come with us; there won't be any scars or bruises.

Literally

It makes no sense that you could light someone on fire and the person not burn, however the Bible shows us an example that proves this is possible. When Moses is in Midian, his introduction to God is through the burning bush, a bush that is on fire but does not burn! Here is something interesting to consider when thinking about the literal concept of being untouched by fire. God is light. He shows Himself as fire all the time and when He will come back as fire. However, those who are with Him will not die in that fire because we will have taken on His nature and will be covered by Christ.

Creating Evil

A verse that often trips people up is Isaiah 45:7. In this verse God says that He created light and darkness, peace and evil. One of the most popular questions people have is why did God create evil, and this verse seems to perpetuate the idea. As always though, every verse has to be taken in the context of the whole Bible—precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:10). So, what stands out? In the beginning, the earth was already dark (Genesis 1:1-2). God created light to counter the darkness. The darkness we see today is because God allowed a time for darkness, not because He created it. Darkness is merely the absence of light; it is a state of nothingness.

Now let's apply our understanding of light and dark to peace and evil. Peace is what we have when we are full of the Holy Spirit. It is what we wouldn't have if the world had chosen God over Satan. Evil is what comes of sin and choosing not to follow God. In giving us freedom of choice, God is allowing evil to occur. It isn't that He desired atrocities to occur in His creation. Once again, evil is the absence of God's light; it is a state of being devoid (of God). If you're wondering why He allows us to choose knowing the repercussions, there are two main reasons (that I know of): 1) if we didn't have the freedom to choose to follow God or not, He'd be a tyrant and 2) you can't force someone to love you.

The Virgin Daughter of Babylon

I've heard of the Whore of Babylon and her daughters, but Isaiah 47 introduces the virgin daughter of Babylon, which is a stark contrast. While virginity is usually used to symbolize purity and innocence, some commentaries state that in this case it means unconquered, while others suggest it does not mean unconquered.[2] Sufficiently confused? Me too.

So I went digging for more information. One believer suggested that the reason Babylon is likened to a virgin is because they have hidden sins.[3] While I don't necessarily follow that logic, it did lead me to think Babylon pre-captivity and post-captivity. Pardon the crudeness, but every "whore" has a beginning. People, nations, ideas, etc. usually start with benign intentions. Remember, during Isaiah's times, Babylon hadn't taken the Israelites into captivity yet, they were still developing into the nation that would forever be associated with opposition to God.

Lying to Yourself

The people were thought no one else would know about the sins they committed and therefore they could go on forever the way they were. However, God promised to bring about judgment and invoke consequences for their actions. There are many sins that fall easily into this category. We think no one will know, and what's more, it might even seem like it doesn't hurt anyone, but God knows and it's hurting us.

Cultural Christians

In Isaiah 48:1, God addresses those who associate themselves with Him and the Israelites but don't adhere to righteousness.

It makes sense that there are cultural Jews, because "Israelite" refers to a lineage. Anyone who descends from Jacob (later called Israel) is an Israelite. That doesn't mean they are walking with God. However, in today's society, people refer to themselves as "cultural Christians." Christianity isn't a lineage or a birth right. Despite what some people teach, you cannot be born a Christian—you can be born into a Christian family, but that doesn't make you Christian. You have to choose Christ to be a Christian, which means you have to be a believer to wear the moniker. However, history repeats itself. God warned the Israelites who wanted to be associated with God without having a relationship with God, and we should be wary of claiming Christ without the relationship as well.

The Glow Up

God says we are refined by affliction, not sliver. Culturally, we talk about the #glowup and it usually references material change—whether it be better style, new hair or skin routines, correction of our teeth, etc. it usually focuses on our physical appearance. But the true #glowup occurs in the heart and that change is forged through trials and tribulations. In order to become the people we are meant to be, we have to trust God to lead us through situations, and we have to grow in each situation. Think of it like this, no one learned to walk without falling.

Fulfillment

Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.Isaiah 48:19 KJV

In Genesis 22:17, God promises Abraham that his lineage will be as numerous as the sand. In Isaiah 48:19, Isaiah points out that Israel has already fulfilled that promise. When God promised to make Abraham's seed numerous, I don't think He meant literally the number of grains of sand or stars burning, but used these examples as hyperbole. When you consider that the Israelites, Edomites, and Ishmaelite (Arabs) were all the seed of Abraham, it's easy to see this fulfillment.

No Peace For the Wicked

Because peace comes from YHWH, and is intrinsically tied to following His commands, peace doesn't exist for those who do not follow His commands. One thing I've noticed as I've gotten older is that His laws are an absolute truth. Our world has it's own set of problems, so even if you could follow His commands to the letter of law, you'd probably suffer the consequences of other people's inability to do so, however, by deliberately not following His commands, you place yourself in a position to take on much more stress and anxiety.

In school, I watched friends sleep around then fret over both pregnancy and STD scares. They lost a lot of their peace of mind worrying about the guy (or girl), pregnancy, and STDs, while I and my friends who listened to God's call for abstinence were not worried about these things. If you stop and think about it, I'm sure you can think of countless situations where just following God's commands will give you peace of mind. (If you can't think of any thing, drop a comment below and we'll talk).

The Purpose of Peace

Reading through the chapters, peace isn't explicitly mentioned. As I was studying these chapters, I constantly wondered why the commentary in my study Bible referred to this group of chapters as "The Purpose of Peace." However, as I studied the last chapter, it finally dawned on me: the purpose of peace is to prove YHWH as the true God. No one else can achieve true and lasting peace.

God gives us prophecy from the very beginning so that when things happen, we can know that it was Him who did it. This identifies Him as the one true God because no one else can do that. Idols can't accurately predict the future; they may luck out and get one or two predictions right (like a meteorologist), but they won't be right all the time.

Have you ever seen Inception? In the movie, people carry "totems," objects that can tell them whether they're awake or asleep. The need for this stems from how real the dream world has become. Similarly, once Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, our sinful world has become so normal, we have a hard time remembering it's not normal. Peace is our indicator of God's presence!

References

1. Fred Hammond. "They That Wait". YouTube; visited May 2019
2. "Isaiah 47:1 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited May 2019
3. Beth. "Virgin Daughter of Babylon". Highway to Holiness. February 23, 2013

Isaiah 29-33: Woe to the Unbeliever

Introduction

Isaiah 29-33 presents a series of woes. Any time I see the word "woe" coming from the mouth of God, I immediately feel the severity of the situation. When God starts with woe, chances are you've already exhausted quite a few chances to abort your foolishness, repent, and return to Him. These chapters name the nations and types of people that God is condemning and give us a glimpse at the fate that awaits them. Despite being directed at specific people in Isaiah's time period, many of these warning apply to us as well. Let's learn from the past and make sure we aren't imitating any of the people God is pronouncing a woe upon.

A Punishment for Jerusalem

Ariel or Jerusalem

Ariel means "Lion of God" in Hebrew. The lion was associate with the tribe of Judah, and as such, the name came to be associated with Jerusalem.[5] This is why Isaiah 29 calls the city of David (Jerusalem) Ariel.

Punishment

There are five punishments, or plagues, foretold to come upon Jerusalem in Isaiah 29:6. All five are also found in revelation.

• Thunder (Revelation 8:5; 11:19)
• Earthquake (Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:19)
• Great noise / Rumbling (Revelation 8:5; 11:19)
• Storm and tempest (Revelation 16:21)
• Fire (Revelation 9:18; 13:13)

Isaiah 30:30 lists four troubles that come with God's wrath, two are the same (a great storm and fire), while two are new:

• Scattering (Matthew 26:31; John 16:31; Acts 11:19)
• Hail (Revelation 16:21)

Fires

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Nathan Lindahl

California seems like it is always on fire, and last year (2018) was the worst fire season in recorded history.[13] As heartbroken as I am for the people who suffered in these fires, I have to also point out that California—the home of Hollywood—is the state where if you look for how the people voted on controversial issues or how they live their lives, and compare it to how God commands us, they're known for their opposition to God's ways. Of course fires, in general, isn't a new thing for California. The original tribes that lived there before colonization had their own techniques to deal with the fires which resulted in less disaster than what we see today.[14]

Interesting fact: something in the world is actually always on fire. There's even a map that plots all of the fires seen each month over the course of about 18 years.[15]

Scattering

The New Testament shows us evidence that God's people have were scattered, at least in the early days of the Church. The Old Testament constantly warns Israel that they will be scattered, and they too were scattered. Whether Isaiah meant the scattering would only happen to believers, or whether he was informing us that groups of people in general would be scattered, we've seen scattering happen throughout history as well. If we look at scattering in the general sense, assuming all the people of the world are scattered and scrambled like eggs, we can easily point to the refugee crisis. Wars, genocides, violence, economic collapse, etc., are driving people from their homes and into foreign nations.[16] People are pouring out of certain areas in search of safety and stability. Even if a nation suddenly decided to roll out the welcome mat for refugees, transplanting a significant number of people from one country to another would only cause overpopulation problems. This is one of the excuses used to keep people out (I say excuses because I don't think they're actually concerned with overpopulation). Another issue is that depending on where a person is located and what the situation is in their country, it could be easier to escape to this country or that country. As such, the populations fleeing these countries are scattered.

Storms

Let's face it, because I'm from the coastal lands in the Southeast, tempest means hurricane to me. Of course, it could also refer to Nor'easters, tornadoes, snow storms, and any other dangerous weather situation. Research shows hurricanes are increasing in strength,[17] and of the strongest 10 recorded Hurricanes to strike the U.S., 5 are from the last 20 years.[18]

Blind to the Truth

In Isaiah 29:9-12, we learn that the people are unable to understand the truth even though it is right before them. Although this is presented as a metaphor in which no one can read a particular book because the right combination of "learned" (or educated) and able to unseal the book, there are quite a few instances in the Bible that this could actually be alluding to. Daniel 8:26; 12:4,9 tells us a book is sealed for the end times. Revelation 5 shows Jesus being the only person worth to loose the seals of the book. An interesting aside from modern time is that schools and places of higher education lean away from God, teaching children to doubt. The deeper you go into school ("learned), the more disbelief you will find. Thus those who are less educated may be able to break the seal, through faith and belief, but they may not have the tools to interpret the book.

Rebellious Children

Isaiah 30 pronounces a woe upon the rebellious children. However, God is not referencing children who are unruly and refuse to listen to their parents here. He is actually referencing the people of Israel who are His children. God describes how they are rebellious in the first few lines. First, they have decided to take the advice of someone other than God. Note that this doesn't necessarily just mean doing the opposite of what God tells them to. Have you ever had someone ask you a question, then go ask someone else the same question, and instead of taking your answer they take the other person's, which was exactly the same as what you said? It's possibly the most annoying thing in the world. As children (or teens, perhaps), we're really bad at doing some version of this with our parents' advice. We value other sources, so our peers saying something is cool or uncool has more weight than what our parents say. We have to be careful not to do that to God; our acceptance of His ways should come from an acceptance of Him, not just that the world happens to agree on that point. If we fail do this, like those being addressed in Isaiah 30:1, we won't be covered by the Spirit, and that leaves us vulnerable. Thus, this warning is for those of us who have turned against His wisdom and decided to follow in the ways of the world. For Israel, the worldly temptation was that of Egypt; they put their trust in Egypt's gods and armies. Today, the U.S. acts as Egypt. People from all over the world seek out American customs and take on the ways of America (which have roots in pagan Egypt![6]). The real battle is against Satan, earthly forces and customs will never be enough to win this war.

The beginning of Isaiah 30 also mentions two places that are not easily recognizable: Zoan and Hanes. Zoan separated Egypt from Goshen—this is where the Israelites lived during their tenure as slaves in Egypt. Hanes is also a city in Egypt, thought to be either Tahpanhes or Ahnas-el-Medeeneh. Tahpanhes was in the eastern part of the country while Ahnas-el-Medeeneh was about 70 miles away from Cairo.[7] [8]

Symbols

Isaiah goes on to describe a burden that exists on certain animals, we can be sure this is symbolic. The animals mentioned are the young and old lion, the viper, and the firery serpent. Using my knowledge of symbols elsewhere in the Bible, I would say the lion is Judah. Jesus is sometimes referred to as the Lion of Judah, but because it mentions a young and old lion, I am led to believe this might reference the old and new covenant believers. Similarly, Isaiah juxtaposes these two lions with a viper and a serpent. Obviously the serpent is Satan. So, who is the viper? The only thing I could come up with is maybe the antichrist system.

Why They Were Judged

Many of the judgments in the Bible are the same, whether it be plagues, drought, captivity, or death, they all serve as divine punishment. The details of judgement may be important for identifying when a prophecy is fulfilled, but ultimately the thing we should be concerned with is why judgment fell on these people. If we can identify their mistakes, we can keep from making the same ones and thus avoid punishment.

Luckily, Isaiah tells us exactly why they were punished: they despised the Word. The people turned against the law of God and refused to take the Word of God into their hearts. John tells us that Jesus is the Word, so even though He hadn't been revealed to the Israelites yet, the same character is meant when God references the Word. This passage is also one of the reasons we should know that what God commanded of the Israelites didn't just evaporate into thin air. When God is angry with Israel, it's usually for idolatry, but it's always for breaking the law. However, it's never ceremonial. We don't find that the Israelites failed to keep the sacrifices or that they failed to keep a feast. That's not to say they never failed with these things, but to point out that these aren't thee reasons God is angry with them. It's always something that leads back to the law of God or the teachings that Jesus expounded upon. If God was angry about disobedience then, He's definitely angry about it now.

A Teacher

Isaiah 30:19-22 talks about the Teacher that will come and lead the people back to God. Matthew 8:18-19 is just one of countless examples where Jesus is referred to as Teacher in the New Testament. It is through His teachings and His gift of the Holy Spirit that we can return to truth. Isaiah alludes to the Holy Spirit when he references a voice guiding the people in the right direction.

The Lights of the Sky

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Jordan Wozniak

Isaiah 30:26 talks about the light of the moon being as bright as the sun, and the sun being 7 times brighter. This seems to be a stark contrast to the end times where the Sun and moon are darkened. We can either conclude that this prophecy is not for the end times, or that the sun and moon are symbolic. Before we really jump into this, I want to point out that since the moon reflects the light of the Sun, it makes sense that if the Sun is brighter, the moon will also be brighter. One can't be brighter without the other also being brighter. The ancients may not have known this, but God certainly did because He created it that way.

Lots of things came to my mind when I read this verse. For starters, I thought about climate change (more commonly referred to as global warming). Although the sun isn't necessarily changing, our self-destruction of the Earth is causing a change in how we feel the effects of the Sun. Ultimately this could cause us to feel as thought the Sun is 7 times brighter. If the rays of the sun are having more of an impact, it also possible that moon seems more reflective because it would be taking advantage of the same vulnerabilities in our atmosphere.

Some people believe this is a reference to a nova. If you're like me, in school you learned about a supernova but not simply a nova. When I first read the theory, I thought nova was a shortened way to reference a supernova and completely against the idea, since a supernova would destroy the Earth in the process and their theory suggested the Earth would still be existence after the fact. However, I felt like I needed to confirm my hunch (that was the Spirit leading me to wisdom!), and I discovered that a nova is similar to a supernova but nowhere near as powerful. In the event of a nova, less material is ejected from the star and the star still exists after the fact.[12] Now I fully understand the theory and why it could apply to end time events. In Revelation 6:8-11, we see an angel given power over the Sun. This is followed by fires and great heat. If the Sun did nova, it would fit Isaiah's reference to become 7 times brighter, it may eject some matter which would cause damage to Earth, generating heat and fires. What's more is that the Sun would be significantly darker after the fact.[11] The one catch with this theory is that nova generally happen in binary star systems making it scientifically unlikely for our Sun. Of course, that doesn't mean it's impossible.

I'd also like to point out a difference in tone between the KJV and the CSB for this particular verse. The KJV talks about binding up the breach against the people, which reads as punishing those who went against God's people, as well as healing the people, whereas the CSB sounds like its only a healing process. The former allows for the above interpretation whereas the latter reduces the meaning to a simple happily ever after (implicitly leaving out the punishment of those who did not turn back to God).

What is Tophet?

When I first saw the name Tophet, I couldn't figure out if it was a person or place. Tophet was a city of great importance to the nations around Israel. It functioned as a burial ground for all the pagan sacrifices the surrounding nations had made, including child sacrifices.[9][10] This is not a place the Israelites should have been mixed up with. God is alluding to the death of the king and suggesting that he will be unceremoniously buried amongst the pagans.

Phone A Friend?

Chances are if your car broke down, there's at least one person that you would dial to come help you out. If you were in a deeper, more personal situation, that list of people might shrink. As the situation becomes more and more severe, the number of people you'd trust to help you would probably shrink, until you got to that one person you know has your back no matter what. Colloquially, we'd call that your "ride or die" friend.

When the Israelites ran into some trouble in, they were at the point that the list should have been whittled down to their "ride or die" choice. That choice should have been God, but if you know anything about their history, you already know they didn't choose God. Instead, the put their faith in Egypt (Isaiah 31). They trusted the tangible things they could see with their eyes—horses, chariots, and a great army. They took matters into their own hand, and God lays out a "woe" to them because of this choice.

We like to see progress being made. Think about how much more satisfying it is to drive on a backstreet uninihibited versus driving on the interstate, where traffic is bumper to bumper. One is immensely peaceful; the other is extremely frustrating. We like to see our selves moving forward toward a goal. We typically feel helpless in a situation that we're not actively working in, and while praying to God is an active step in resolving any problem, we often don't feel like it is. Instead we look for tangible, but less viable, solutions from the world.

Think of it like this: something major happens, and instead of calling you best friend to help you sort it out, you call a bully who use to harass you all the time. That's exactly what Israel did. God saved Israel from Egypt. The Egyptians were not allies of Israel, and they weren't known for their helpfulness nor their morality. Yet God was all three of those things!

Fortunately for us, when we do stupid things like this, God is always willing to take us back. If we repent of our foolishness and run back to Him, He will make a way for our return. We might have to endure some punishment, but He will clean up or mess too. We just have to have faith.

A Prophecy

Isaiah 32 is prophecy made up of 3 parts. First, Isaiah relays information about the leaders of the coming kingdom. Second, he gives us information on the wicked in the world. Finally, he leaves a message to the women of the nation.

The King

The first couple of verses definitely sound like a Messianic prophecy. Isaiah is speaking of this great king who will come and restore justice to the nation, which is exactly what Jesus is doing. Biblical scholars actually debate whether this is a genuine Messianic prophecy, or a reference to a righteous king like Hezekiah or Josiah.[1] Because God is known for His double prophecies, I lean toward both interpretations being true. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of most prophecies given in the Old Testament, because it's purpose is to point us to salvation.

Liberals

If you're reading the King James Version, you'll notice something very interesting in Isaiah 32:5,7-8. In these verses, Isaiah starts talking about "liberals." In verse 5, he says the vile (or the wicked) are not liberals, and in verse 7 and 8, he contrasts the liberals to the vile, implying once again that they are not the same. If you forget to put the verse in the context of the Bible, you might think he's endorsing the Democratic party or the political left, which is often referred to as "liberal." However, I'm fairly confident that's not what Isaiah was referencing. So, I checked out the verse in other translations and did some research on the original Hebrew word.[2]

The original Hebrew word translated to liberal in the KJV and noble in the CSB, is נָדִיב (nadib). According to Strong's Concordance, it means "noble, generous, inclined."[3] One might wonder why the KJV chose the word liberal, but the literal definition of liberal actually makes sense in the context as well.[5] One of the definitions of liberal is actually "generous." Think of the phrase, "apply liberally." Basically, the righteous are generous, which is why they do not behave as the unrighteous, who take from the poor. The opposite of generous is greedy, and we see that clearly in the description of how the unrighteous behave.

While this isn't a prophecy or commentary on the politics of the U.S., it can still be used to assess the state of the government or the motivations of individual politicians. The ones whom God would have lead will be generous; they will want to give to the people and take care of people. Those backed by Satan will be about money, about helping the rich, and will implement policies designed to hurt the poor.

A Message to Women

In Isaiah 32:9-19, a message is given that is specifically for the women. The women have also been lulled into a false sense of comfort and complacency. God warns that all their lavishness and riches will be taken from them.

The relationship between men and women as it concerns God is actually quite interesting. It is possible that because the men have provided so well for the women—through their unrighteous connections with Egypt—the women feel no need to be concerned with God. Remember, Ephesians 5:23-24 tells us that as head of the house, the man is supposed to connect woman to God. So, since the men are not seeking God, the women aren't either.

Of course, there is also the converse situation that women can pull men away from God. Adam chose to disobey God because he followed Eve. The Israelites constantly dabbled in idolatry because they married pagan women—*cough* Solomon *cough* Samson *cough*. So, it's also possible that it was the women who started this descent from God.

That's why I find the relationship between men and women, biblically speaking, to be interesting. So many people harp on men leading and women being submissive, that they miss the point that both parties are responsible for each other. If one person in the relationship is walking away from God, it's very easy for the other person to follow. Part of the vows should be a responsibility to re-center the couple back on God if/when the other person is lost.

Endgame

When the people of Israel return to righteousness (re: return to God), the result will be peace. I found it interesting that God speaks of hail in his judgment of the unrighteous, because it's also mentioned as a plague of the final judgement (Revelation 8:7; 11:19; 16:21).

The Spoiled

In Isaiah 33 we see another example of needing context to understand a particular word. Here, Isaiah warns those who are "spoiling" that have not been spoiled and those who "deal treacherously" with people that have not be dealt treacherously with. Usually when I say "spoil" I mean it in the sense of spoiling a child. Most parents who spoil their children have good intentions but take things too far. I don't think anyone spoils their child with the intent of crippling the child's growth. However, the context of this passage clearly implies negative intentions on the person's part. Spoiled in this context, means to ruin with malicious intent—such as to spoil the ending of movie, or to spoil the surprise.

It almost seems like Isaiah is giving a pass to those who were wronged first, as though it's OK for them to play tit-for-tat, but given the Bible's overall stance on turning the other cheek, I don't think that's what Isaiah is getting at. We have sympathy and mercy for people acting in self defense, wether their choice is right or wrong. We also have sympathy and mercy for those who don't know any better—for instance, a 3 year old that finds a gun and accidentally kills someone. It's not right that they killed someone, but we aren't going to blame them for it (hopefully). Similarly, if you've been wronged your whole life, you've been taught that is how you treat people; you don't know better. Or if you've been severely wronged, you may lash out, at which point it's easy to sympathize with you despite knowing your action was wrong. The people Isaiah is speaking of don't have this excuse. They're just be horrible people because they want to be horrible people. There's no sympathy for them.

In short, when you know better, you should do better.

Everlasting/Forever

A lot of people believe when you die, if you go to hell you will burn for all eternity. I'm not one of those people. I believe that those who are sentenced to hell will burn out of existence; that state is for all eternity unlike the first death we we go through now, but that's for a different post. I bring it up because Isaiah 33:14 is one of the verses people might think supports an eternity of burning, after all, it does say everlasting. Isaiah also makes a reference to the tabernacle that will never be torn down in Isaiah 33:20. The tabernacle in question is clearly not the Temple of Solomon or the on that was destroyed in 70ad. I point these two examples out because it's important to think about how each verse works with the whole of the text and the concept of forever/everlasting in the Bible is quite interesting.

There are several passages in the Bible that reference God's name being on the Temple forever, but the Temple is gone. So what God really meant was that as long as the Temple is there, His name is on it. Similarly, we aren't given eternal life unless we surrender to Jesus, so we can be alive, burning forever. However, we the fire is everlasting because the death it causes is everlasting. I'll try to do a more in depth post on the concept of hell in the future, but I wanted to point this bit out since Isaiah mentions it as part of the judgement.

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.Isaiah 33:22

References

1. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible, pg. 1169. 2014
2. "Isaiah 32:5". Interlinear Bible, via Bible Hub; visited March 2019
3. "5081. nadib". Strong's Concordance, via Bible Hub; visited March 2019
4. "Liberal". Merriam-Webster; visited March 2019
5. "Ariel". Bible Study Tools; visited March 2019
6. "Was America Ever A Christian Nation?". YouTube
7. "Hanes". Bible Study Tools; visited April 2019
8. "Zoan". Bible Study Tools; visited April 2019
9. Emil G. Hirsch and Ira Maurice Price. "Tophet". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906
10. "Mark Cartwright. "Tophet". Ancient History Encyclopedia. April 15, 2016
11. G. H. Rieke. "Sometimes the Final Stages of the Life of a Star Result in Violent Explosions". University of Arizona: Natural Sciences 102 Lecture
12. Connie. "Revelation 16:1-11". End Times Studies. March 7, 2010
13. Dennis Romero. "California had nation's worst fire season in 2018". NBC News. March 9, 2019
14. Debra Utacia Krol and Allison Herrera. "California wildfires weren’t always this destructive". High Country News. November 15, 2018
15. Paul Przyborski and Robert Levy. "Fire". NASA Earth Observatory; visited April 2019
16. Megan Specia. "The Five Conflicts Driving the Bulk of the World’s Refugee Crisis". NY Times. June 19, 2018
17. "Global Warming and Hurricanes". Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. February 8, 2019
18. "Strongest Hurricanes: 10 Most Intense Atlantic Hurricanes on Record". The Weather Channel. June 16, 2018

Isaiah 28: Don't Drink and Preach

In Isaiah 28, God describes the dangers of trying to teach when you're drunk or hungover. It sounds pretty obvious, but you know what, I think this is more of a spiritual message than a literal message—especially since He goes on to reveal the promise of salvation through the Cornerstone (aka Jesus the Messiah). Let's dig into it.

Introduction

Isaiah 28 gives us a reminder not to be drunk, that God is the ultimate authority, and by His ultimate authority, He has given us a way to redeem us from death. One of the most beautiful things about the Bible is that even when God is telling us about our sin and wickedness, He gives us hope.

Drunkenness

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Thom Masat

I don't think anyone will argue about the Bible condemning drunkenness—how we carry that into our daily lives might be another topic. The first part of Isaiah 28 is evidence of God's stance against drunkenness. In His judgements against the drunkards of Ephraim, God points out their inability to do what is needed because of their drunken stupor. The reason it is illegal to drink and drive is because alcohol impairs our reaction time as well as our decision making. Have you ever seen videos of people after getting their wisdom teeth removed or other surgeries? The drugs used to put them to sleep leave them in a confused but often heightened stupor. Some are extremely emotional,[1] some are rambunctious,[2], and some are forgetful.[3]

Now imagine your pastor standing in the pulpit trying to explain the word of God in that condition. His words would be slurred, his interpretation probably wouldn't make sense. He would struggle to hold his composure and likely have random outbursts that you wouldn't be able to follow. His body would be fighting an internal war trying to process the alcohol, meanwhile his brain would be trying to recall the word of God. That's not an easy task.

Literal Interpretation

God describes this disaster in literal form. Isaiah 28:7-8 is exactly the image I had in my mind, complete with the after effects of a hangover. A person in this condition is in no shape to teach someone—to do anything, really.

Spiritual Interpretation

We know the literal effects of drugs and alcohol, but if we step back for a minute and realize that God is always talking to us about our salvation, we would see that there is spiritual meaning here as well. In Revelation 17:2, we see the "kings of the world" become "drunk" from sin. The specific sin mentioned is sexual immorality, but in context, we can infer that this references all sin. Why? Because, throughout the Bible God always refers to the Israelites' breach of the covenant as adultery or fornication with pagan gods. In Revelation, the woman is the false church, so the passage is referring to being a part of this false church and following her instruction instead of God's—which could be any and all types of sin.

In that light, if we are drunk with sin, we distance ourself from God. Our ability to understand His message or the visions He gives us becomes impaired. Similarly, it is hard for us to bring others into the Body of Christ or teach the gospel when we are so embroiled in our own problems.

Precept Upon Precept

Have you heard the phrase "precept upon precept, line upon line?" I've heard it a plenty. Usually it's given to mean that the interpretation gathered from a particular verse must match the rest of the Bible. It is basically a warning not to take things out of context. The actual verse is found in Isaiah 28:10 and Isaiah 28:13. Isaiah 28:10 seems to fit the use that I've heard it all my life, but Isaiah 28:13 confused me. The fact that the Word of God was given to them in this manner causes them to fall implies that this isn't a good method.

I read a few commentaries trying to figure out what was being said. Some agree with usual interpretation, concluding that in this passage, people were mocking the way Isaiah taught and wouldn't listen. The response in verse 13 is therefore God repeating their mockery to remind them why they are being punished.

Others had a slightly different take on it. They believe this is a reference to how children are taught, in simplistic terms with repetition. Reading the commentaries, I had a flash back to elementary school when we had math drills. We learned multiplication through memorization, which used repetition. 7 year old me probably couldn't tell you why 7 x 8 = 56 or 6 x 9 = 72, but I could have spat out the times table with ease. Sometimes, this is how we teach the Word of God. It's simply drilled into us with out tapping into the fact that the Word is living. It is meant to help us form a relationship with God, not robotically obey.

Regardless of which interpretation you agree with, I think there is truth in both. To understand the Word you do need to go line by line and each piece of the puzzle has to fit. It also beneficial to teach the Word through living examples as opposed to simple beating it into memory. Just as I could rapidly recite the times table as a child, but had no connection to what I was saying, the same can happen to believers who only memorize their beliefs. When we simply memorize the Word of God, it hasn't necessarily touched out hearts yet so it has no effect on us.

A Deal with Death

Isaiah 28:15 talks about mankind's covenant with death. Because we have sinned, we have chosen death over life. By sinning, we do Death's bidding and thus are marked as his instead of God's.

Cornerstone

The great news is that God has found a way to get us out of this contract with death. If you remember a few years ago, the LA Clippers owner was caught saying racist things. The players, though likely offended by his comments, could not just up and quit their jobs because they signed legally binding contracts that committed them to that team. This is what we have done with death. Luckily, God is a phenomenal lawyer, judge, and jury. He has agreed to both represent us and judge our case, ensuring that we can break that contract. All we need is to accept His cornerstone

The cornerstone discussed here is none other than God's Son, the Messiah. Other passages that speak of this cornerstone are Psalm 118:22, Zechariah 10:4, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, and 1 Peter 2:6-7. From these verses, it is evident that here God is explaining the plan of salvation, redemption, and freedom from our covenant with death.

God's Approach to Justice

The last few verses in the chapter discuss the differences that happen on a farm, since that is was that is what the people would know best. He reminds us that there are several different tasks needed to grow crops (plowing, planting, etc.), and each crop needs different things. For instance, a cactus needs very little water to grow, but some plants actually grow submerged in water. This same principle carries over to the treatment of people. God judges us on a case by case scenario, determining what is needed for our specific situation.

References

1. Jayci Underwood. " Girl Desperate to be Nicki Minaj After Wisdom Teeth Removal". Youtube. October 21, 2014
2. Dolan Twins. "Ethan Gets His Wisdom Teeth Removed !!". Youtube. Dec 13, 2016
3. CNN. "Man after surgery: 'You're my wife?'". YouTube. September 10, 2013
4. "Isaiah 28:10 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited February 2019