Prayer: Father, may I always look at the scriptures for personal application. You are concerned for my best as a loving Father. Thank You for Your guidance, wisdom, and structure. Amen.
Reading: Isaiah 42 key: vs. 23-25 “Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and heed hereafter? Who gave Jacob to the looter, Israel to the plunderers? Was it not Adonai? Have we not sinned against Him? In His ways they were unwilling to walk and His Torah they did not obey. So He poured out on him the fury of His anger, and the fierceness of battle. it blazed all around him, yet he did not understand it. it burned him, yet he did not take it to heart.” TLV
Attention: In all of society, we can take the smallest denominator and from it, we can see the larger equation. For example, I live in a small town, and the actions of outgoing leadership from a recent election are indicative of the larger scale actions of our national leadership. Each of our lives, our churches, our towns, are microcosms of our nation. The nature of man is the same, whether in our home or our nation.
I was in my first year of college when the movie Cabaret was released. If you are not familiar with the term Cabaret, it is a nightclub which offers drinks, musical entertainment, comedy, and would be like a casino. The entire movie was showcasing the prewar society of Germany. What was taking place in the Cabaret, was being lived out in German society.
In our key scripture, Adonai is making a point through the life of Jacob and the nation of Israel who were named for him, his progeny. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and his twelve sons became nations within a nation called Israel. His life is a microcosm of the nation of Israel.
Do you think that the wars and oppression which came upon Jacob and later Israel, were accidents? Do you think that the calamities you face are by accident? Adonai answers the question with a question, “Was it not Adonai? He also answers the why, “Have we not sinned against Him? In His ways they were unwilling to walk and His Torah they did not obey.”
I recall seeing a Far Side cartoon years ago, which featured a polar bear on an ice flow with a few penguins as passengers. One of penguins has noticed that some of their companions have disappeared and cannot seem to figure out why. The polar bear is cleverly sitting behind them with a beak-like mask placed over his muzzle.
We can continue our path of life, oblivious to what is happening around us, or we can open the scriptures which contain the answers for our lives and begin living in obedience to the Lord.
Action: I choose to apply God’s Word to my life and live in obedience to Him.
Yield: I choose to submit to God’s call on my life.
Engage: I choose to engage with the Holy Spirit in living a holy lifestyle.
Relationship: I choose to live a holy, obedient lifestyle with God.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the example of Jacob and Israel. The consequence of their sin was not accidental or coincidental. You were disciplining them for their actions. You do the same with me. Thank You for Your loving discipline. Amen.
Memory Verse: Psalms 119: 9-12 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. With my whole heart have I sought You —let me not stray from Your mitzvot. I have treasured Your word in my heart, so I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, Adonai. Teach me Your statutes.” TLV
Music Video: Phil Wickham—I Believe https://youtu.be/7tJok5nIe-o?si=OatXiQjDELiPlJ4I
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”