Isaiah 19 is a prophecy concerning Egypt. It begins much as we might expect, with the Lord promising judgment on the Egyptians. But then, beginning with verse 18, the tide changes most unexpectedly...
Jesus said it this way: "So what do you think? There was a man with two sons. He told the first son to go into the vineyard and work. That son said he...
Reading between the lines of Isaiah 18, we can see that certain ambassadors from far away came with an offer of military help for Israel. Our translation refers to this place as Ethiopia, though...
Tina Howard, aka spaghetti pie, posted an interview with Mark Sanborne last week about his new book The Encore Effect. Here's a teaser of some of the great things Mark says: ...
Isaiah 17 looks ahead to the judgment of Israel. Because of her unfaithfulness, her “glory will grow dim” (v. 4). The land will be devastated, and only a few people will remain (vv. 5-6). Finally,...
In the middle of a prophecy of doom upon Moab, we find unexpected words of hope. After the destruction is over, God will anoint a ruler who will seek and do what is...
Chapters 15 and 16 of Isaiah reveal the coming judgment of Moab. Why would the prophet focus on a nation other than...
Are we supposed to be like God? This question can’t be answered with a simple yes or no, because the answer is yes and no—yes, in some ways, no, in other ways. In...
You can only be who you are. That sounds obvious enough, and we've all heard that message in one form or another. But many of us still try to be people we are...
For those of us who are so used to the grace of God, it’s easy to forget God’s justice. He does not dismiss evil as no big deal, something so common in our...
Do you drink deeply from the fountain of salvation? Or do you simply take a sip every now and then? Sometimes we...
In the early weeks of my new job as a school administrator, I crossed the campus with Headmaster Walter Sorensen. Slender and tall, he wore glasses and was never without a spark in...
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We all know that the only opinion that truly counts is God's opinion. If you are doing the will of God, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you, your job...
The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the one who serves. (Luke 22:26)As a brash young college student, I attended a lecture by Ramsey Clark, former United...
God used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes, executing divine judgment upon Israel. But the king didn’t recognize that he was being used by the Lord. Instead, he boasted of his...
Throughout the Scriptures, God cares profoundly about justice. As it says in Psalm 99:4, he is the “Mighty King, lover of justice.” In particular, God seeks justice for those who aren’t in...
I can’t read this passage without hearing echoes of the glorious chorus from Handel’s Messiah: “For unto us a child is born. . . .” I envision a booming choir and a sanctuary...
Writer and professor J. Schaap has a nice piece out called, "Harvest Moon." ...
As Israel faced the imminence of a foreign invasion, all of their attention was focused on their enemies, rather than on the Lord. Isaiah called the people to put God first in their...
