Old Testament reading: Isaiah 59-60
Isaiah 59:1-2 is one of the best known texts in the book: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Whenever life’s circumstances appear to indicate Divine abandonment, we should always take an inventory of our attitudes and actions to make sure that we are not the cause of our present difficulty. Many consistently live outside of the constraints of God’s word, yet want to throw up their hands and blame God when they have to suffer the consequences of their misdeeds. Isaiah reminds the people that God had not abandoned Israel, but that Israel had abandoned her God. The enumeration of her sins in verses 3-8 is quite telling in regard to Israel’s depravity. Yet, God would provide a Redeemer for Israel because she could not provide her own (vv 16-20). His breastplate of righteousness and helmet of salvation remind us of the Christian armor of Ephesians 6:14-17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8.
New Testament reading: Matthew 13-15
Beginning with the Parable of the Sower (which is actually about the soils more than the sower), Matthew 13 contains seven parables concerning the kingdom of heaven. The first four, (the Sower, the Wheat and Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven), represent the kingdom and its relationship to the world, whether in filling the world with truth or enduring alongside the sons of the devil. I believe the tares represent denominationalism. At first glance, the church and denominations appear to be most similar (v 26). However, as each grows, the difference between the two is evident to any honest and experienced observer (v 27). The Lord will remove these once and for all at the judgment, when those who practice lawlessness are taken away and cast into the eternal fire (vv 40-41, cf Matt 7:21-27). The next two parables (hidden treasure, pearl of great price) concern the value of the kingdom to those who are able to recognize and appreciate it. Truly one will sacrifice all that he has to be a partaker in the kingdom. The final parable (dragnet) concerns the final judgment, when what is good is kept and what is bad is discarded.
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