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Election? Is That Fair?
Election is a common Bible theme and the word in its various forms is used so frequently in the Old and New Testament that we might expect the doctrine of election to be generally accepted and believed. That is not, however, the case. Despite Old Testament prophets such as Moses, David and Isaiah clearly explaining election, and notwithstanding Jesus and all the New Testament writers doing the same, many professing Christians are either ignorant or ashamed of ‘the purpose of God according to election’. God’s right to choose Election simply means choosing. The Bible teaches that before the world began, God the creator chose a fixed number of individuals to salvation and everlasting glory. These people were chosen unconditionally. This means their election by God…
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I’m Not That Bad
No one ever seeks God’s grace until they discover a need for it. One of the great failures of modern evangelistic practices is trying to convert people who have no real sense of sin and no felt need of forgiveness. Until a man or a woman come to grasp their true sinful state before the holy Lord God they will have little interest in what freewill preachers have to offer and no appetite for what true preaching has to say. In Adam all die We believe God created the first man, Adam, after His own image, and in His likeness; an upright, innocent creature, capable of serving and glorifying Him. However, Adam, in disobeying God, came short of the glory of God, fell into sin…
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Watchman, What Of The Night?
Isaiah has already been a bearer of many burdens and three more are laid upon him in this chapter 21. The first seems to be a return to the destruction of mighty Babylon, here called ‘the desert of the sea’. Perhaps this burden is repeated to reassure the Lord’s remnant of what must have appeared highly improbable in their day. Then comes a short reference to Dumah. This is Edom or Idumea, a region south of Judah, largely in modern day Jordan. The final burden concerning Arabia likely points to military activity on the Arabian peninsula.
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How Shall We Escape?
Today’s passage is short but sweet for all who have been led to find God’s great salvation by Jesus Christ in the steps of the ancient people of God. A great part of true faith is necessity. Many adopt Christianity as a lifestyle choice and embrace its principles as an act of freewill. God’s elect, however, are driven into the arms of Jesus not because it seems like a good idea but because every other refuge has been stripped away. This is what Isaiah is speaking about. A shocking message Isaiah has been faithfully speaking the prophecies of divine revelation to the people of his age. Now, however, Isaiah himself is commanded of God to testify by his actions and conduct. He is to remove…
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Send Them A Saviour
Today we are in for a pleasant surprise. Egypt, the original ‘auld enemy’ of the Jewish people is next in line for Isaiah’s burdensome prophecy but the end of the matter is not at all what we might expect. True, the Lord’s servant does bring a series of dire warnings of what is about to happen in Egypt but then, unexpectedly, he concludes with a magnificent promise of widespread salvation and gospel blessing, not for Israel only but also for Egypt and Assyria. The God of all grace Let us never forget that the Lord delights to show mercy. It pleases God to be gracious to His covenant people and erstwhile enemies. Christ died for our sins while we were yet sinners. Egypt had long…
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A Present Brought To The Lord
It is not certain which land Isaiah is referring to in these verses though it is generally assumed the African nations of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are intended. These nations occupied the land of Cush, named after Noah’s grandson. The reference to vessels of bulrushes likely supports this theory. Boats of this structure were used on the river Nile and perhaps along the Red Sea coast. The inclusion of these nations shows the broad scope of the prophet’s ‘burdens’ and ‘woes’. Scattered and peeled! Again, there is a question as to the identity of the people called ‘a nation scattered and peeled’. Some identify it as the Cushites, being descriptive of their tall height and shaved bodies. They have a ‘terrible’ reputation perhaps because they…
