Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day seven)
“Above Him were the seraphs. . . With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” When Isaiah saw they Lord, he also saw seraphs. They are only mentioned once in Scripture. How they are different than cherubs and other angels is not indicated. The Hebrew word (seraphim) means “burning ones” indicating passion. They are “on fire” as they shout, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Their presence convicts Isaiah. They shout, he has not. He also notices their humility. With two wings they cover their faces so as to not see God–humility of privilege. With two wings they cover their feet so as not to be seen–humility of ego. With two wings they flew to do the immediate bidding of the King–humility of will. Who among us would not have felt the contrast of our shallow, careless worship to that of these glorious and humble creatures?
Author: Don Guthrie
Don Guthrie is the Senior Pastor at FBCSA.
“The things which are”
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day six)
In the last book of the Bible, Jesus shows John the Apostle “the things which are, and the things which shall take place”—Revelation 1:19. It is a revelation, a God-given insight into invisible and eternal reality. There are many instances in Scripture of this same grace. Isaiah’s vision of God in Isaiah 6. Ezekiel’s visions (many). Even Paul’s encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus falls into this category (Acts 9). When God opens our eyes to “see” hidden realities, it is called a vision. No wonder that Paul later writes to the Ephesians, “I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened”—Ephesians 2:18. Understandably, visions come to us with compelling power. “I was not disobedient to this heavenly vision”—Acts 26:19. Not imaginary things, God is helping us see invisible realities, things more real and more urgent than any we see or touch with physical senses. God is revealing “the things which are.”
A Life-Changing Vision
Re: Verse reading–Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:1-11 (day one)
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted.” (Isaiah 6:1) There was clear time line. Years later, Isaiah would recall the vision that changed his life. Happened the year that King Uzziah died. Great king, symbol and sponsor of 52 years of stability and growth for Judah. No one could imagine what would happen without his leadership. In this condition of great anxiety, the young prophet was given a vision. “I saw the Lord.” (v 1) High. Holy. Huge. “THEN I said, ‘woe is me.’ “ (v 5) “THEN the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal.” (v 6) “THEN I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ “ (v 8) One step following the other, the prophet moved forward from despair, to revelation, to conviction for sin, to cleansing, to volunteered service. His life was never the same. Yours?
The word is near you
Re: Verse reading–Romans 10:8-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (day seven)
“Was blind but now I see”–John Newton. I have been blind before. Right in front of my face. Didn’t see it. Sometimes for years. Blind to what I had, to my duties, to God’s mercy. Skimming over Bible verses, thinking I knew what they meant, only to discover later that I was a complete stranger to the experience being described. In this blinded condition, it was easy, when I needed something, to assume that I needed something new. (I had, after all, already mastered the old material.) In Romans 10, Paul is working with the Jewish nation. He says to them (quoting Moses who noticed the same tendency years before) ” ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’, it is the word of faith that we are preaching!” (Romans 10:8) Maybe “new” is not what we need. Maybe the real need is new eyes to see the truth we already have!
If you confess with your mouth
Re: Verse reading–Romans 10:8-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (day six)
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ as Lord. . . you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Confess is an interesting word. In English it sounds guilty, “he confessed to a crime”. In Greek it simply means “to speak the same word”, “to stand in unity on a matter of truth”. With whom do we stand when we confess that Jesus is Lord? We stand with God and watching universe! ” He (God) has made Him (Jesus) both LORD and Christ.”–Acts 2:36. “All authority (Lordship) has been give to me” said Jesus in Matthew 28. Being original is not the point! Solidarity is! When we confess that Jesus is LORD (of the universe and of our lives) we are joining a mighty army of truth-telling people (saints and angels together). All history moves toward this great climax. “And every knee shall bow and will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.”—Philippians 2:11. Better for us to join this wave now!
Beautiful feet
Re: Verse reading – Romans 10:8-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (day one)
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15, also Isaiah 52:7) Beautiful feet–isn’t that an oxymoron? Maybe so in an appearance-focused world. Not so if feet symbolize efforts made (walking, riding a plane, planning a broadcast, starting a Sunday School class etc.) to bring the Word of God to people who need it. None of us intuitively knows how to be saved. We are in darkness until the Lord reveals His character and makes our required response clear. God’s chosen method for revealing Himself is to send a witness. “You will be my witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” says the Lord. (Acts 1:8) “From faith to faith” (Romans 1:17) describes the gradual growth of God’s truth–one person who believes tells another who does not yet believe. When we do it faithfully, those who hear are likely to say, “Man, I never saw anything more beautiful than your feet!”
Am I grateful?
Re: Verse reading – Psalm 103; Luke 17:11-19 (day seven)
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”–1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. A week of reading Luke 17 has pressed an important question to the surface of my soul. Am I grateful? Am I one of the nine (the percentages are sobering) who receive from God and immediately rush back to life as I desire it to be? What of the Giver? Don’t I have some obligation to Him? The New Testament describes a new race of people who are ALIVE to the goodness of God. Even in suffering. Happy people. Unconquered. “So they went their way. . .rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame in His name.”—Acts 5:41. “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”—Acts 13:52. Am I one of these people? I WANT TO BE! Lord helping, I will be. Starting today. It is His will for me.
God is patient
Re: Verse reading – Psalm 103, Luke 17:11-19 (day six)
“Go show yourselves to the priests.” (Luke 17:14)
God is patient. Thank God! Those of us who fail Him need this good news. The 10 Leper story proves the point. Even after months of Jewish resistance, Jesus is STILL SEEKING for ways to communicate His message in ways that Jews could understand and accept. He is bending over backwards. In compliance with Leviticus 14:1-32, Jesus sends the soon-to-be-healed men to the priests whose assignment was to certify actual cases of healing. Jesus hoped the priests would see the miracle and tell the story. It was not to be. Neither the Jewish lepers nor the Jewish nation were willing to imagine a God different from their prejudices. Strange, noted Jesus, that the Samaritan who had no training or history with scripture was more responsive to truth than those who had “grown up with it”. Sad. Sometimes to have truth too long is to take it for granted. Us?
Nine out of ten
Re: Verse reading – Psalm 103; Luke 17:11-19 (day one)
“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:18)
The numbers tell a story. Ten lepers experience a miracle. Nine of them rush back to their lives and families without feeling ANY OBLIGATION to express thanks or seek a relationship with God. The gift, not the giver, is what they wanted. His hand, but not “His face” the Bible describes it in another place. Strangely, the one who DOES perceive the duty/opportunity to go back and connect with God is a Samaritan! In this story at least, the more blessed you are the more likely to take God’s grace for granted. God has simple expectations. “The kindness of God leads you to repentance.” (Romans 2:4) Those who receive His help should turn to Him in gratitude and worship. Nine out of ten times, however, it doesn’t work.
Enter into the joy
Re: Verse reading – Deuteronomy 8:10-18; Matthew 25:14-30 (day seven)
“Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matthew 25:23) Who is the most joyful person you know? Is she/he active in serving others or caught up in the pursuit of leisure and self? I think I know the answer. When Jesus described the life of service to God and others, He did so in terms of joy. Not burden. Joy! Not the kind that enters into me (“I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!”) but rather a joy that I enter into by the surrender of life to the purposes of God. We were made for good works. (Ephesians 2:10) So,it makes sense to me that one of the rewards of working with/for God is a deep satisfaction. Don’t delay! Find a place of service! Joy will come.