16 November 2015

Scriptures:

• John 10:1-18
• Isaiah 3-4
• 2 Kings 16
• Psalm 107

Observations:

In John, we see Jesus referring to himself as a shepherd. He uses the analogy that those who come by any way other than the gate are not the shepherds, but are thieves, coming to steal the flock, kill it, and destroy it. But he, being the shepherd, is the one whose voice his flock follows, for they know his voice. In this, he indicates those who are his true followers are the ones who follow only him. He then continues to make a discrepancy between the shepherd and hired help, in that the hired help will not lay his life down to defend the flock. This, of course, is a reference to the sacrifice he would make at the cross. Lastly, he says that there are other sheep which are his, but ate not of this fold and he must gather them. Already, we see indication that the Gospel is not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well.

In the beginning of Isaiah 3, we see God making proclamations of withdrawn support for Judah, because of their sin, though the righteous shall thrive. The judgment given is one of pillaging and sacking. Gone will be all the finery. In its place will be rags and rot. The men will be decimated and the women fighting over what few are left. In contrast, (I'm beginning to think this last part, maybe even the whole thing, is an end times prophecy, but I'm not sure), the righteous shall dwell in Jerusalem, which has been cleansed and is indwelt by the spirit of God.

In 2 Kings, we see Ahaz, king of Judah making an allegiance with Assyria. More than that, though, we see him remaking the temple in Jerusalem after one in Damascus, while meeting the king of Assyria. He did not worship God, but worshipped the other, Canaanite gods, even sacrificing his own son, which God directly spoke against in Leviticus 18.

In the psalm, we see the psalmist praising God for his provision. We see them acknowledging God leading them from the desert into a city, a nation. We see references to God's liberation from the Egyptian slavery and to the crossing of the Red Sea. We also see praise for how God works in and blesses the earth, making it bring forth life.

Application:

Looking at the idea of a shepherd and his flock in John and then switching gears to the Isaiah passage, it's really easy to see how important it is to God that we follow him. I mean, yes, us simply following him makes things a little simpler in the long run, but I'm talking about how important it is to God. 

Let that sink in.

God wants us to worship him and follow him. Yes, it doesn't make him any less God if we disobey. God doesn't need our worship to survive, but he does want it. God loves us and made us to worship him freely. We were made to follow God. By choosing not to, we sin and face the punishment and , as we can see, God's not kidding around with the punishment. He's not simply going to make some excuse. He is perfectly just. Yes, we've been given mercy and grace through Christ, but God worked perfectly within the law to do that.

This is the God who freed Israel from slavery and parted the Red Sea, who led them through the wilderness to teach them and provided daily their every need.

Prayer:

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