Old Testament reading: Isaiah 57-58
In Isaiah 57:7-13, Israel is likened unto an unfaithful wife. She had made her bed atop the lofty and high mountain where she had offered her sacrifice. The word bed here refers not to a place of rest, but pictures the conjugal privilege reserved for marriage (cf Heb 13:4). This is evident as the prophet pictures her as uncovering herself in the presence of another and witnessing the nakedness of her illicit and unholy lover. Israel was playing the adulteress against her true husband, the God of Heaven. God condemns her for her lies and failure to remember her true husband. Rather than rage and fight against her, God had remained silent in hopes that His bride would return (v 11), but now His patience was exhausted. He will now permit her to reap the wages of her iniquity and to call on her idols to deliver her from his wrath. They would call in vain as the wind would carry them all away (v 13). So it is with any idol in which we trust today. None will be able to deliver in the great day of God’s wrath.
New Testament reading: Matthew 10-12
Always last, always labeled. In Matthew 10:2-4 we find the first record of the twelve disciples whom Jesus named as apostles (messengers). In verse 4 we find listed last, “Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.” And so Judas was identified as the one who betrayed Jesus. The accounts in Mark 3:19 and Luke 6:16 also list Judas last and note that he was the one who betrayed Jesus. In a way, this shows the power of repentance and the tragedy of the lack thereof. In my opinion, Judas’ betrayal of the Lord was no worse than Peter’s repeated denials. The difference in these two men is seen in the condition of their hearts. Peter’s eyes met those of his Lord (Luke 22:60-61), and Peter remembered Jesus’ words and went out and wept bitterly (22:62). Judas saw that Jesus was condemned (Matt 27:3) and could have made a good start on repentance in that he recognized and confessed that he had betrayed innocent blood and threw his ill gotten gain at the feet of the chief priests and elders. But he never repented (the KJV’s poor rendering in Matt 27:3 notwithstanding), and rather than face the consequences of his deeds, went out and killed himself. The apostles never got over Judas’ deed, yet Peter was restored and respected by all.
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