Isaiah 30:9

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Isaiah 30:9

“For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD.” – Isaiah 30:9

This particular verse is a prophecy that Isaiah receives from God regarding what Assyria will do and ultimately how Israel will respond.  The northern kingdom of Israel would soon be conquered by Assyria, and the people of Israel would be taken into exile. The Assyrians would then come against the land of Judah, and because of this threat the leaders of Judah looked to Egypt for protection against the Assyrian invasion.  “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin, Who proceed down to Egypt Without consulting Me, to take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!” Isaiah 30:1-2.  God tells them that the plan they have devised was not His and the alliance they were making for their protection was not with Him. 

However, this alliance will be a shame to them, causing humiliation because they thought they would be safer with Egypt than with God.  “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.” Isaiah 30:5.  Egypt was not going to save them.  They were not going to protect them from the most powerful kingdom on the earth at that time.  They did not want to get involved, for they knew they could not defeat them, therefore they simply wanted to stay clear of the whole issue.  “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD.” Isaiah 30:9.  However, though they are rebellious, God is still gracious with them.  “Therefore, the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” Isaiah 30:9. However, they must call out to Him and no other, in this example, the kingdom of Egypt. 

Paul, in the book of 2 Timothy, writes to educate Christians by preaching His word to them.  “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”  2 Timothy 4:1-2.  And it is imperative that we do this today.  For we see the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken in the next two verses.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4.  This speaks of acting as the tribe of Judah did in not listening to God but doing as they desired. Does this sound similar to what Isaiah tells Judah they are doing?  “Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.” Isaiah 30:10.

It is important that we listen to teachers who teach the truth of the scriptures, no matter what it says, and not what we desire to hear.  We see that today where people do not want to hear where they are wrong or where they need to stop engaging in activities that are pleasurable yet sinful.  They turn away from what is true to follow myths that make them feel good.  We need to learn what is good and follow it while turning away from what is not good and leads us away from Christ.  The people of Judah chose to ignore God, telling prophets and seers to tell them only what they wanted to hear and not what they needed to hear.  Let us not fall into this same error.

And because they did not listen to God and chose another

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

2 Timothy 4:2

Verse of the Day Devotion: 2 Timothy 4:2 

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” – 2 Timothy 4:2 

The apostle Paul is writing these two letters to Timothy in order to help him understand his calling.  He is exhorting him here in the second letter to preach the word.  “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2.  He is charging Timothy to preach the Word of God.  To teach it accurately and in its totally.  And he is to be faithful in this duty.  And where necessary, reprove and rebuke them.  In other words bring correction.  And he is also to exhort them as well.  This means to stand beside to encourage those who need encouragement.  He tells him to always be ready when an opportunity to present the gospel or show where they may be in error in their understanding.

And in the next verse, he explains why.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4.  In those days, you essentially had two groups that were trying to make the argument that Christianity was a false religion.  First there were the Jews, especially the leadership: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes who continually preached against the teachings of Christ and His apostles.  And the others are  gentiles who were followers of many false gods and religious teachings.  He told Timothy to be vigilant against any errors that have creeped into the church body and were deceiving some of its members.  These false teachers would tell them exactly what they wanted to hear, tickling their ears until they gave up on the truth to follow what sounded good to them. 

Now, we also have been called, for this time in history, to the same purpose.  We are to preach the gospel and help many to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.  And we are to help those in the church to understand what the Word actually says as apposed to what it does not.  There are so many ear ticklers which make it easy to gather followers to their false teachings.  As an example, there are many teachers who proclaim if you have enough faith, you can get anything you want.  This sounds really good, and we can receive from God things we want.  However, not necessarily everything we want, for some of what we want may not be good for us.  “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:1-3. 

And there are many more teachings like this which distort the truth found in His Word, causing many to be deceived, succumbing to their desires over His truth.  They need our help.  And there are two things we can do to assist them.  First, to preach the truth, teaching them what the Bible actually says, encouraging them to stay true where they do have a true understanding, while showing them where they are in error and helping them to understand and accept the actual meaning.  This is important in helping them to become who God called them to be.  And second, helping them check everything they are taught to ensure it is truth.  There was a group Paul came across in Berea who made this a standard. “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:10-11. 

I want us to encourage each of us to always be available to preach the truth, and not be afraid to bring both encouragement and correction where needed.  And we are to accomplish both with love, grace, and  tenderness.  And like the Bereans, we should check out everything we hear and not accept it at face value.  And in all these things, help and train other Christians to do the same.  The enemy wants to deceive as many as possible.  Therefore, we must fight against it, with God’s help, and through our work, solidifying  the truth in everything.  Through this, the church will be strengthened and better able to stand against every deception that exists in our world.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Proverbs 1:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 1:7  

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. ” – Proverbs 1:7

This is an interesting verse because many do not understand what Solomon is trying to say.  This is especially true of unbelievers.  This is mostly because of their lack of understanding regarding the use of the word ‘fear’ within the scriptures.  When we look in most dictionaries, we see these pretty much as the  basic idea. 

“A very unpleasant or disturbing feeling caused by the presence or imminence of danger.” 

“A reason for dread or extreme apprehension”

“To be afraid or frightened of something or someone.

If someone only sees these definitions for the word fear, they will see God as scary which may prevent them from pursuing Him.  Now, this will be the fear those who never accept the grace and mercy of God through the work of Christ on the cross, will experience when the end comes.  The writer of Hebrews writes this regarding those who keep on sinning.  “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?. For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:26-30. “And regarding those who denied Christ, Hebrews finishes with “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31. 

But for us as Christians, the word fear has a different idea.  For us, the fear of God does not refer to scared, but to reverence and awe of God.  We are not scared of Him, but we revere Him.  We leave sin and seek after righteousness. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.” Proverbs 8:13.  Solomon in Ecclesiastes wrote the following, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” Ecclesiastes 12:13.  And again, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:7.  

To fear the Lord is not to be scared, but to obey Him, following in His ways, and to turn away from evil.  “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13  This is a good fear, one that is pleasing to God and shows our devotion to Him who loves us and saved us so we can be with Him for all eternity.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Romans 15:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 15:4 

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4       

When we read the Old Testament, we learn a lot about the history of God’s dealings with mankind. First is, of course, our creation in Genesis 1 -2.  How He created the heavens and the earth, and then formed the earth as a perfect place for His ultimate creation, mankind, to live in perfect peace with Himself.  From there, we see the fall of mankind and ultimately the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.  However, from what Paul tells us from our focus verse, there is more to learn in the Old Testament then the history of mankind.  We also have the opportunity to learn God’s ways in dealing with man, and ultimately with us.  As the focus verse says, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4. 

The author of Hebrews tells us that God is unchanging, and the way He dealt with the people of the Old Testament is the same as He deals with us.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8.  God has not changed one iota regarding how He deals with His people.  If we believe in Him and follow His ways, then God will watch over us just as He watched over Israel in the wilderness.  This should give us incredible hope.  Remember also in Hebrews what hope is.  It is what we look forward to, knowing it will come to pass.  It is knowing it will happen, not desiring it to happen. 

So, when we look in the Old Testament, we see how God guided His people through the wilderness, giving them a beautiful and prosperous land as their inheritance.  No matter what trials they came upon in their journey, God delivered them.  We can take comfort in this as well, knowing that whatever trials we come upon, He already knows about them  and will bring us safely through them.  There were several times when God’s people experienced times of famine, and again, God brought them through.  And He will do the same for us.  When they needed to hear from God, He spoke to them, either through prophets or directly.  Great examples of this were King David, Moses, and Joshua.  And He will speak to us as well when we need to hear His words.  And remember when Elijah was challenged by the prophets of Baal: that God made it known that He was God, and then comforted Him in the wilderness when they wanted to kill Him.  (1 Kings 18:20-40)

I want to encourage everyone reading this to look at the Old Testament not only as a means to learn history, but also as a way to be encouraged that as He took care of His people in the Old Testament, He will take care of us as well.  We need to use these  scriptures to see the blessings Israel had from God, knowing that He will bless us in a similar way.  And through this, it will help us to see the hope we have in God, and how He will never leave or forsake us, and our future is just as wonderful too.    

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.