Chosen, Named, Called and Encircled…

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:

All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.—Ezra 1:1b-4 (emphasis mine)

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia

Cyrus, the King of Persia came to power when he overthrew the city of Babylon. Isaiah 44 and 45 predicts this 150 years before Cyrus was even born! 

that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, 

How was Cyrus’ spirit stirred??  The same way God stirs each of our hearts…through His word.  

Now Daniel the prophet was in Babylon at the time of its overthrow. A few hours before it occurred, Belshazzar, the ruler of Babylon, was throwing a wild party and drinking from the vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem.  While the party was in full swing, a disembodied hand appeared and wrote on the wall of the room, striking fear into the heart of Belshazzar.  An interpreter was needed, and Belshazzar’s mother remembered Daniel, in whom was “the spirit of the holy gods,”.  Daniel was summoned and interpreted the writing on the wall. 

This is the interpretation: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. (Daniel 5:26–28)

That very night the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon, the city that was said to be invincible.  Many believe that after this Daniel had an opportunity to show Cyrus what the prophet Isaiah, by the Spirit of God, had written of him 150 years earlier.

Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd,

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built,"

And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'—Isaiah 44:28

1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed,

To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—

To subdue nations before him

And loose the armor of kings,

To open before him the double doors,

So that the gates will not be shut:

2 'I will go before you

And make the crooked places straight;

I will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places,

That you may know that I, the LORD,

Who call you by your name,

Am the God of Israel.

4 For Jacob My servant's sake,

And Israel My elect,

I have even called you by your name;

I have named you, though you have not known Me.

5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;

There is no God besides Me.

I will gird you, though you have not known Me,

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other;

7 I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and create calamity;

I, the LORD, do all these things.'—Isaiah 45:1-7

As I read these words from Isaiah this morning, they brought me much comfort because they reminded me that God speaks the same way to me, His daughter.  He has chosen me, named me, called me and encircled me, though I once did not know Him.  He has broken in pieces the chains of sin that held me.  It is He that upholds me, goes before me and makes my crooked places straight.  It is He who gives me treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places. The God of Israel has called me by name.  He has a plan for my life. I love Him because He first loved me. 

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.—Psalm 139:13-16 (emphasis mine)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.—Ephesians 1:3-6 (emphasis mine)

20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.—John 17:20-23 (emphasis mine)

 

A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break…

 Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 

Before I came to Jesus I never really thought too much about what He was like.  If I thought of Him at all, I would picture the very large cross that was in front of the church at the Catholic church where I grew up. As I draw closer to Him, however, I see all of my life through Him.  He is my starting point for everything I see and hear. 

I can remember reading this verse 20 or 25 years ago and really not knowing quite what to make of it.  But over the years as I abided in Him...as I beheld Him...I began to catch glimpses of who He is and as I did what I saw made me fall down (metaphorically speaking) in worship.  Truly there is none like Him. His love is amazing, His mercies never fail, His ways past finding out, and His faithfulness reaches to the heavens.

"A bruised reed He will not break."  Reeds are pretty fragile...they are hollow tubes and bend, break and crush pretty easily.  This is how we are before we come to Christ...beaten down and crushed by the world and our sins.  Hollow inside...empty.  Jesus longs for you to come to Him when the burdens of the world become crushing, when the hollowness and emptiness of our lives scream for something to fill it.  Jesus is the only remedy for that emptiness.  He will not break you or destroy you...He wants to heal you.  He wants to make your crooked places straight and lift the burden from your shoulders.  As a non believer you really can't understand this, because faith is the access to the grace and mercy that is in Christ.  When we do cry out, however, we begin to understand that the only life living is one lived in Him and for Him.

"And smoking flax He will not quench." This is a reference to the last piece of wick in an oil lamp. It is the piece you just want to throw out and replace. The one that you don't want to bother with.  It is still smoking a bit...kinda just making things stink rather than giving any light.  In fact the smoke gets in the way of your vision. The oil is gone as is the light.  The natural reaction to that would be to snuff it out and put it out of its misery...just like the natural thing to do with a bent reed is to throw it into a fire to be burned.  When you come to Jesus with your "smoking flax" He does not snuff it out...He blows on it...fans the flame and pours oil into your lamp and makes your flame bright again.  He does this for me every morning as I study His word. He is not a threat to those who come to Him...He wants to help and heal.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Matthew 11 gives us the the only autobiographical statement Jesus ever made.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 

Come to Him now if you never have before...bring Him your burden. If you know Him, draw near to Him now...draw near to Him daily...immerse yourself in His word.  Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.

Notes on 2 Kings 20

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'"

Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David."'"—2 Kings 20:1-6

I am so grateful that the Lord sees my tears. He considers my grief and compasses me on every side with His steadfast love and kindness. Psalm 56 says this…

You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

When I cry out to You,

Then my enemies will turn back;

This I know, because God is for me.

In God (I will praise His word),

In the LORD (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?—Psalm 56:8-11

And Psalm 126 this…

Those who sow in tears

Shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.

Beloved…God uses both our joys and our sorrows for our good and His glory. Someday we will stand before the throne of our God and He will wipe away every tear. 

for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."—Revelation 7:17

Here in 2 Kings 20 we read that God not only saw King Hezekiah’s tears, but in His grace answered the cry of his heart and gave him 15 more years of life. Isaiah 38 has more…

This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

I said,

"In the prime of my life

I shall go to the gates of Sheol;

I am deprived of the remainder of my years."

I said,

"I shall not see YAH,

The LORD in the land of the living;

I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

My life span is gone,

Taken from me like a shepherd's tent;

I have cut off my life like a weaver.

He cuts me off from the loom;

From day until night You make an end of me.

I have considered until morning—

Like a lion,

So He breaks all my bones;

From day until night You make an end of me.

Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered;

I mourned like a dove;

My eyes fail from looking upward.

O LORD, I am oppressed;

Undertake for me!

"What shall I say?

He has both spoken to me,

And He Himself has done it.

I shall walk carefully all my years

In the bitterness of my soul.

O Lord, by these things men live;

And in all these things is the life of my spirit;

So You will restore me and make me live.

Indeed it was for my own peace

That I had great bitterness;

But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,

For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

For Sheol cannot thank You,

Death cannot praise You;

Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.

The living, the living man, he shall praise You,

As I do this day;

The father shall make known Your truth to the children.

"The LORD was ready to save me;

Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments

All the days of our life, in the house of the LORD."—Isaiah 38:9-20 (emphasis mine)

King Hezekiah honors and gives glory to God for not only healing him physically but spiritually as well. 

But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,

For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

So far so good, right?  Sadly, in this very same chapter of 2 Kings we read that envoys from Babylon visit and King Hezekiah shows them all his treasures. 

At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?"

So Hezekiah said, "They came from a far country, from Babylon."

And he said, "What have they seen in your house?"

So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. 'And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"—2 Kings 20:12-18

We read nothing in the verses above about King Hezekiah giving glory to the God of Israel for all that he had been given, nor does he bear testimony to the Babylonians of the only true and living God. In regard to these verses, Spurgeon writes the following:

Hezekiah’s duty was clear. He ought to have received the ambassadors with due courtesy as becomes their office, and he should have regarded their coming as an opportunity to bear testimony to the idolatrous Babylonians of the true God of Israel. He should have explained to them that the wonders which had been worked were worked by the only living and true God, and then he might have said, in answer to Isaiah’s question, “What have they seen in thine house?” (20:15), “I have told them of the mighty acts of Jehovah, I have published abroad his great fame, and I have sent them back to their country to tell abroad that the LORD God omnipotent reigns.”—Spurgeon

Such a good reminder for us this morning that all good gifts come from our Father in Heaven with whom there is no shadow or turning. Beloved…without Him we can do nothing good. 

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,—Colossians 1:15-19

Oh, Father!  In looking at the gifts our hearts should immediately remember and extoll the Giver.  Help us to use every opportunity to bring glory to Your wonderful name.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.—Colossians 3:17

Our God is eternally Kind…

For the mountains shall depart

And the hills be removed,

But My kindness shall not depart from you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,"

Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.—Isaiah 54:10

I don’t have time this morning for much more than this, but truly this is much more than enough. My God does not change…no force in heaven or in earth can cause Him to change His abiding character. My God is eternally KIND. No matter what happens nothing can or will cause My Jehovah God to be unkind to me. As a believer, this promise is not just to the nation Israel; it is also mine and for all believers forever more. Gonna rest my heart here today. 

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.—Psalm 46:1-3

Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—

The sure mercies of David.—Isaiah 55:3

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.—Matthew 24:35

He Will Carry Us Home…Spurgeon

And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.—Isaiah 46:4

The year is very old, and here is a promise for our aged friends; yes, and for us all, as age creeps over us. Let us live long enough, and we shall all have hoar hairs; therefore we may as well enjoy this promise by the foresight of faith. When we grow old our God will still be the I AM, abiding evermore the same. Hoar hairs tell of our decay, but He decayeth not. When we cannot carry a burden and can hardly carry ourselves, the Lord will carry us. Even as in our young days He carried us like lambs in His bosom, so will He in our years of infirmity. He made us, and He will care for us. When we become a burden to our friends and a burden to ourselves, the Lord will not shake us off, but the rather He will take us up and carry and deliver us more fully than ever. In many cases the Lord give His servants a long and calm evening. They worked hard all day and wore themselves out in their Master's service, and so He said to them, "Now rest in anticipation of that eternal Sabbath which I have prepared for you." Let us not dread old age. Let us grow old graciously since the Lord Himself is with us in fullness of grace.

From Faith’s Checkbook - DEC 29 - HE WILL CARRY US HOME by Charles Spurgeon

I Am Continually With You…

 Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You hold me by my right hand.

You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.—Psalm 73:24

Beloved…what could be better than the beautiful truths found in these verses. I am CONTINUALLY with my God and He is continually with me. The God of the Universe takes my hand and walks with me. As we walk He guides me with His counsel and then afterward receive me to glory. I can’t ask for anything better. The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need. 

Spurgeon wrote the following about another set of verses, but I think it works here as well.  Our heritage is joy and peace in our God and in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Rejoice!  

How large our obligations! How boundless our privileges! How brilliant our hopes!

What should make us miserable? Sin? That is forgiven. Affliction? That is working our good. Inward corruptions? They are doomed to die. Satanic temptations? We wear an armor which they cannot penetrate. We have every reason for delight, and we have moreover this command for it: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). May God bring us into that blessed condition and keep us there!—Spurgeon

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”—Philippians 1:6, 

Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will go through them,

And I will praise the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD,

Through which the righteous shall enter.

I will praise You,

For You have answered me,

And have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the LORD has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.—Psalm 118:19-24

Have You Not Known….

 O God, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

2 Awake, lute and harp!

I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,

And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens,

And Your truth reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

And Your glory above all the earth;

6 That Your beloved may be delivered,

Save with Your right hand, and hear me.—Psalm 108:1-6

I don’t know about you, but there are some days that I feel maybe a little like how Elijah felt in 1 Kings 19.  It’s obviously not the perfect analogy but, like Elijah, the journey through this life often feels too much for me.  My heart begins to sink under the weight of my grief and cares, and instead of walking by faith, I walk by sight.  The lying words of the world become louder than the words of my God, and I begin to believe them and not God. I forget how He has so diligently cared for me throughout my many years on this earth. I forget His faithfulness and His love.  I forget that He has delivered, delivers and will keep on delivering.

Yesterday morning was one of those times for me.  My heart was overwhelmed…weighted down with the cares of this life. I was weary and teary.  But beloved…God IS so faithful. He sent out His light and truth, and they brought me to Him.  Tears of joy, relief and grateful thanksgiving began to flow as I read His word to me. 

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:28-31