UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD

DAY 10 MORNING  Read  Isaiah 53:1-12

ISAIAH: JESUS CHRIST THE SUFFERING SERVANT WILL COME

WITH VENGEANCE

Isaiah is like a telescope looking forward into the future, and the only way to understand it is by looking through the lens of Jesus Christ, the God who saves. We see Christ in the book of Isaiah which speaks of two “comings.” The entire life of Jesus Christ is portrayed in Isaiah.[1] Christ’s birth in Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6. Christ’s family Isaiah 11:1. Christ’s anointing Isaiah 11:2. Christ’s character Isaiah 11: 3 -4. Christ’s simple life Isaiah 7:15. Christ’s gentleness Isaiah 42:1-4. Christ’s death Isaiah 53. Christ’s resurrection Isaiah 25:8. Christ’s glorious reign Isaiah 11:3-16; 32.Isaiah was a prophet to Judah the southern kingdom. He wrote at the time that Israel the northern kingdom was destroyed by Assyria. He told of the judgement that would fall on Judah too, but he wrote also of the ultimate triumph of God’s plan through his appointed servant the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first coming of the Messiah is prophesied, a child will be born, and will be like a shoot coming out of the stump of a tree. Chapters 40-66, focusses on Israel and Jerusalem’s future and the hope of a new heaven and a new earth. A way will be made between God and man. He is like a shepherd, enabling those who wait for him to put their trust in him to soar like an eagle. Isaiah prophesies the first coming of the messiah as a suffering servant in the four servant songs. He will take care of the poor and needy. He will bring justice to the nations. He will comfort and sustain the weary. He will bear the sins of many. He will bind up the broken-hearted and bring liberty to the captives. Isaiah 53 speaks of Jesus Christ, (see Acts 8:32-35: Philip told the Ethiopian eunuch how Isaiah spoke of the good news about Jesus). The second coming in judgement is the theme of Isaiah Chapter 34 and 35[2] which speak of the destruction of the nations that will be like volcanic lava laying waste everything in its path, and of a coming of Christ with power, vengeance and recompense for Zion. Isaiah prophesies the second coming of the messiah in crimson garments speaking in righteousness coming to save and coming on a day of vengeance. Jesus Christ will come again in judgement mighty to save!

MISSIONARY MONKS: COLOMBA 521-597[3]

Colomba grew up in a wealthy royal Irish family, and received his education in a monastery from monks. He was given the name Colum Cille which means “dove of the church” because of both his devotion to the psalms and his commitment to the church. He founded a few monasteries until he was expelled from Ireland and started to bring the Gospel to the Picts. The Pictish king Brute gave Colomba the island of Iona, which was 3 miles long and half a mile wide, where he established a monastery adopting practices inherited from Egyptian monks and influenced by Martin of Tours and Patrick. The monks slept on their own in individual cells but spent most of the day worshipping, working and having meals together with other monks. The evangelism and discipleship of the Picts by Colomba and his monks was contextual, using visual and oral strategies, using Pictish art forms to communicate the Gospel.  The cross-marked stones were a form of Pictish stone art and the Book of Kells was a beautifully artistic illustrated bible.

CLICK ON BOLD and you will be directed to Joshua Project website with more information for prayer.

PRAY for “The Albanian in Kosovo, the fourth largest unreached people group in Europe whose language is Albanian, Gheg and whose primary religion is Islam. There are 1,500,000 and they are 2% Christian and 0.2% evangelical.” [4] Lord, centuries ago, most Gheg Albanians were converted to Islam by the Ottoman Turks. There has been much suffering with blood feuds, over the years.  We call out to you Lord Jesus, the suffering servant, who suffered and shed your blood, on their behalf that you would turn around the story of the Albanians in Kosovo, and many would be redeemed, by your blood Lord Jesus Christ!

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DAY 10 EVENING Read Psalm 46-50 Re-read Psalm 46

PSALM 46: JESUS CHRIST’S PRESENCE MAKES GLAD THE CITY OF GOD

Psalm 46:4 “There is a river who streams make glad the city of God, the Holy place where the most High dwells. God is within her she will not fall. God will help her at break of day.” In Winston Grahame’s children’s book  “The Wind in the Willows”[5],  he tells the story of how Ratty, the water rat, introduces Mole to the ‘River.’ “I beg your pardon said the mole pulling himself together with an effort, you must think me very rude but all this is so new to me so -this- is- a -River!?” “The River,” corrected the Rat. “And you really live by the river? What a jolly life” “By it and with it and on it and in it,” said the Rat. “It’s brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company and food and drink and (naturally) washing. It’s my world and I don’t want any other. What it hasn’t got, is not worth having and what it doesn’t know is not worth knowing.”

Does Psalm 46 speaks of Christ?Does his presence make glad the city of God. Is that how we  should read Psalm 46? Hans Boersma in “Scripture as real presence” [6]  explains how the Church Fathers read the scriptures. Jesus had strong words for the Pharisees who idolized the Scriptures but did not see Him, in them.  

You may not be a pharisee?! But are you a Protestant Gnostic? [7] We have seen how Augustine saw Christ in the Psalms. How did Irenaeus read the scriptures? He was a second century opponent of Gnosticism, and he said that the unity of the Old and New Testament, demands that we see the presence of Christ in the Old Testament. How did Irenaeus see the presence of Christ in the Old Testament? [8] “Irenaeus is known particularly for the understanding of redemption as recapitulation. Irenaeus saw Christ as recapitulating all of history. He notes that there are four covenants in history: “one prior to the deluge, under Adam; the second  after the deluge, under Noah; the third, the giving of the law under Moses; the fourth that which renovates man, and sums up (recapitulates) all things in itself by means of the Gospel, raising and bearing men upon its wings into the heavenly kingdom.”[9] Bradley Jersak says, “Throughout his writings Irenaeus appeals to Christ as the one who recapitulates what had gone before and as the one who thus brought about salvation. This principle of recapitulation means that for Irenaeus the proper way to read the Old Testament is with the question in mind. “How does this passage speak about Christ?” Some Old Testament passages do this, of course, by means of prophetic messianic announcement…(but) Irenaeus nonetheless insists that  almost seemingly straightforward historical narratives have reference to Christ. …For Irenaeus the unity of the two Testaments – the result of the identity of the Father of Christ with the God of the Old Testament – demands that we see the presence of Christ in the Old Testament.”[10]

How does this relate to Psalm 46?  The Orthodox study bible footnotes on Psalm 46 provide a ‘Christotelic’ (concerning the End, which is Christ) reading. The notes are as follows:- Psalm 46 [11] “is about hidden things concerning the End, who is Christ. These hidden things are “the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.” (Col 2:3) which are now revealed in His incarnation and made known among the Gentiles (Col 1: 26,27). Here before His incarnation, the earth was troubled with fear (v 3,4 and 7), which was the fear of death. But after his incarnation, the church no longer fears death (v3) because His works (v 9), that is, His death and Resurrection (early in the morning v6), opened up the torrents of the rivers of God’s grace to the church (v5) Thus hatred (wars) ceased among the Gentiles to the ends of the Earth, and the Church was established among them. For stillness in prayer replaced the tumult of hostility between them (v 10 -12).”   

PRAYER

Lord help me to guard my heart that it might be a well-spring of life. I lay hold of your promise that as I believe in you, rivers of living water will flow out of my heart (John 7:38). You are that river of life in the book of Revelation. Lord, I choose to live the jolly life (!), in the river and in you, Lord Jesus.

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[1] Mears, H.C. What the bible is all about, Tyndale House Publishers, 2015, 253.

[2] Mears, H.C. What the bible is all about, Tyndale House Publishers, 2015, 252

[3] Smither, E.L.  Missionary monks, Cascade books, 2016, 64-73.

[4] Data provided by Joshua Project https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11880/KV

[5] Grahame, W. The Wind in the Willows, Pook Press, 2014, 14,15.

[6] Boersma, H.  Scripture as real presence, Baker Publishing, 2017.

[7] Lee, P.L. Against the Protestant Gnostics, Oxford University Press, 1987.

[8] Boersma, H.  Scripture as real presence, Baker Publishing, 2017, 14

[9] Boersma, H.  Scripture as real presence, Baker Publishing, 2017, 15.

[10] Jersak, B. A More Christlike word, Whitaker House, 2021,139-144.

[11] Orthodox Study bible, Thomas Nelson, 2008, 712.