Old Testament reading: Isaiah 40-41
Isaiah 40 contains many well known passages. Probably the best known among religionists in general is verse 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.” I doubt most have ever considered the actual meaning of the text. This verse is set in contrast to the one previous, wherein the youth and young men cannot sustain themselves or their strength. In contrast, those who wait on (i.e., put their trust in) the Lord will be sustained by Him in all things. The reference to mounting up with wings like eagles is generally understood to be the eagle’s long life span and his ability to molt late in life, thus having the strength of his youth “renewed.” As we grow older, our faith in God should not diminish over time, but rather be strengthened. Consider Simeon in Luke 2:25-35, who was “waiting on the Consolation of Israel.” When he died, his faith in God was stronger than it had ever been. The longer we live in faithfulness to God, the more we see His hand of provision and care in the lives of His children. Another well known text in Isaiah 40 is the prophecy of the coming of John the Baptizer, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (v 3, cf Mark 1:1-4). But my favorite passage in Isaiah 40 is verse 12 and the rhetorical inquiries regarding the magnitude of our God – “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” Answer? No one but God! I am especially moved by the fact that God can measure the heavens in a span, the distance between His thumb and little finger with an open hand. Truly we can sing “How Great Thou Art!” Finally, we see the incomprehensible and unsurpassed wisdom of God in Isaiah 40:13-14 – “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?” I find it interesting how modern day infidels would presume to instruct believers in what is good and just, especially since they have no objective authority or foundation for their diatribes against God and the way of righteousness!
New Testament reading: Revelation 8-11
Revelation 11 contains an intriguing text concerning Jehovah’s two witnesses. I know I said earlier not to get bogged down in the minutiae of the book’s symbolism, but I thought it might be proper to give some information on these two characters, given their obvious importance in the text. Unfortunately, there is little agreement among the scholars concerning the identity of the two witnesses. From the text (Rev 11:1-6), we must note that these witnesses are identified with two lampstands and two olive trees. In Zechariah 4:1-6, there are two olive trees mentioned, one on each side of a solid gold lampstand. In this context, the lampstand and the olive trees represent the word of the Lord (Zech 4:6). Getting back to Revelation 11:1-6 – The two witnesses are said to be two lampstands and two olive trees. So, we should probably associate these two witnesses as proclaimers of God’s truth. There are a number of possibilities as to whom or what these represent:
- They could represent Christ and the apostles. Jesus came to speak the word of God (John 12:49), and the apostles continued until the whole of Scripture was revealed.
- They could represent Christ and the church, for it is through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is made known (Eph 3:9-11).
- They could represent the two testaments, God’s truth for man in two dispensations (I find this representation unconvincing).
- Verse 5 says that whoever opposes the witnesses shall be destroyed. Looking at verse 6, we have a reference to the two witnesses as having power to shut up the windows of heaven and turn water to blood. These are clear references to Elijah and Moses. Those who resisted Moses were swallowed up by the earth and consumed by fire (Numbers 16:1-35), and those who opposed Elijah were swallowed up by fire (1 Kings 1:8-14).
Perhaps the idea is that these persecuted Christians could take solace in the power of God and the deliverance he ultimately provides to those who believe and obey the truth despite persecution (Heb 10:31-39).
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