Old Testament reading: Isaiah 65-66
It is with some degree of melancholy that I arrive at the end of Isaiah. The reading and contemplation of this marvelous book has been so enriching! I hope you can say the same. Isaiah 65 is another beautiful statement of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Gospel or Christian Age. Isaiah 65:1 is a clear reference to the Gentiles, as they are here identified as “a nation that was not called by My name.” The Gentiles are here spoken of as those who sought and found God as He said, “Here I am; here I am.” On the other hand, the Jews are condemned as a rebellious people who reject God’s outstretched hands. Paul quotes Isaiah 65:1-2 in Romans 10:20-21, and marks the distinction between Gentiles and Jews in verse 1 and verse 2 with this contrast, “But to Israel He says…” (Rom 10:21). Isaiah 65:3-7 contains some of the strongest language anywhere in Scripture to describe the depths of Israel’s depravity, beginning with, “A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face.”
New Testament reading: Matthew 19-21
The account of the Rich Young Ruler (Matt 19:16-22) is one of great potential gone to waste. Almost everything we see in this account is right or proper. Mark’s account says he came in the right manner: “he came running” (Mark 10:17). He came to the right source: he was running to Jesus. He asked the right question: “What good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He received the right answer: “Keep the commandments… Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.” Everything up to this point is right, but tragically, here is where all that is right ends, as we see him with the wrong response: “when he heard this, he went away sorrowful.” In the ASV, Mark 10:22 records his response as, “his countenance fell.” This word is used in regard to dark and gloomy skies in Matthew 16:3. What began with such great promise was now lost in gloominess. We have pictured in this young man one of the greatest problems in America today, namely, putting our confidence in our wealth and earthly possessions rather than in God who gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). More on this when we get to Mark 10 (Day 286).
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