Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Isaiah 1-2, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Can't help but think of America when I read Isaiah.
I love the book of Isaiah. The descriptions of the land are so strong and real. And the issue of salvation is not hidden. It is within grasp. I love that. God doesn't ever tell us what's wrong with us, without telling us how to set it right. I love that.
I know I've said it before and I hate to keep ringing this bell, but Isaiah and other parts of prophecy, are not just for that time. They are a stark warning to us too. I see so much of our nation reflected in the words of Isaiah. And because of that we can look towards the warnings as for us and the redemption as for us. I hear the voice of the Lord in Isaiah. He speaks to us as well through these passages. And it's disturbing. It's uncanny how accurate, how close he gets to how we are. I guess things haven't changed much. If anyone says that the bible is irrelevant, have them read Isaiah. That has modern written all over it.
Obviously if we heed the warnings in Isaiah perhaps we can avoid the future that the children of God didn't. I have a feeling, though, that we need to go through something like that to turn back to God. We are so hard hearted.
And to be completely honest, I struggle with the Corinthians passage. Some people say Paul is being conceited, some say he is telling others what he's gone through for Christ. I'm not so sure. What do you think? I have trouble with this passage. I did look up commentaries, but those didn't help much either. Please, share your wisdom.
Tomorrow's passage: Isaiah 3-4, 2 Corinthians 12
3 comments:
Totally agree with your thoughts on Isaiah - we are in dire need of a wake up call in both our nations!
As for the Corinthians passage, it's my understanding that the false teachers were undermining Paul's authority to preach the Word and at least some people were believing those false accusations. So it had come to a point where he was left with no choice but to defend himself, even though he hated to do it.
http://www.gty.org/resources/Sermons/47-78_Pauls-Reluctance-to-Boast and http://www.gty.org/resources/Sermons/47-79_The-Hardships-of-Paul
I loved that you wrote this: "God doesn't ever tell us what's wrong with us, without telling us how to set it right. I love that." As a teacher, it is my job to report to parents and sometimes my report is not what parents want to hear. My job includes telling people how to fix what is wrong so that the report can be changed to the desired outcome. I love that God works the same. He acknowledges the problem-as bad as it is- and then gives us the directions to fix it.
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