Tag: no other god

Thus Says the Lord

New Testament Reading:  Mark 12

Psalms Reading:  81

*Old Testament Reading:  Isaiah 45-46

“For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”  –Isaiah 45:18 (ESV)

Isaiah 45 begins, “Thus says the LORD…”.  This is repeated in verses 11, 14, & 18.  This phrase speaks of confidence and certainty; God has spoken and He only says what is true.  In verses 6, 18, 21, & 22 God says, “I am the LORD, and there is no other”.  In this chapter of Isaiah God speaks and He tells us how all-powerful He is and that there is none like Him. 

In chapter 46, verse 5 God asks the question, “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?  He speaks of the worthlessness of idols and then says, in verses 8-11, Remember this and stand firm… for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me… declaring the end from the beginning… My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose… I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. 

There just aren’t words big enough to describe our awe of God.  I checked the thesaurus:  awesome, incredible, spectacular, astonishing, stunning, amazing, magnificent, wondrous, majestic.  Our God, my God, your God, speaks to us and will accomplish what He says he will do.  He has a purpose and He will complete it.  We can rely on that without doubt.  I encourage you to take some time and read some of God’s promises and bask in the fact that each one already has or will happen.  You can start with Isaiah 45:22-23 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other.  By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance”

These chapters fill me with hope and confidence in our almighty God.  Let me leave you with a beautiful image from Isaiah 45:8 “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.” 

Amy Blanchard

  1. Since there aren’t any words that can adequately describe God – His power, His supremeness, how absolutely we can trust him – sit for a minute (preferably longer) and feel.  I know that sounds odd, but try it. 
  2. God speaking for two chapters on how He is the greatest and only perfect One and how He WILL succeed gives me chills.  I like action movies – you know, the ones where the good guys win (American movies).  There is always a specific moment, whether it’s a line, a visual cue, or the background music changes when you know “it’s done”, the good guys are going to win.  Picture the “cavalry coming over the hill” scene in so many movies.  One is in Avengers:  Endgame (spoiler alert).  Just when Captain America is about to be defeated and overtaken by a huge army The Avengers assemble.  They rescue him and save the world. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pFUP0HZwWM)  When these scenes happen, you feel something – relief, power, joy.  What do you feel when you read some of the passages from today’s chapters in Isaiah?   (And just for fun – what are some of the differences between the Avengers scene and this passage in Isaiah?)
  3. God created all of our emotions.  Thank Him for them.  What are you feeling today?
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One Hand Washes the Other

2 Kings 5-8

2 Kings 5 16 NIV sgl

Over the course of the past few months, it would not be presumptuous to say that many of us have amended our handwashing technique; however, we have most likely been using one hand to wash the other for quite some time (hopefully with warm water and soap, too).  It is a mutually beneficial relationship, which makes both hands equally clean, each part repaying the debt to the other. This has become a beautiful analogy for many who do favors in expectation of a return. No matter how you say it, “one hand washes the other” or “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” (which you will definitely need to wash your hands if you scratch someone’s back), going out of our way and doing the right thing can be advantageous to a relationship, a caching of IOUs, or marking our debt paid. Handwashing itself is definitely a biblical, Levitical principle, but is this tit-for-tat the way God works?  Should we expect a return when we have lived out the moral will of God? Should we be cleanly rewarded because we have taken a risk on someone else’s mess?

 

Today’s reading challenges us to think differently about the expectations of doing a good deed.  Naaman is healed of leprosy by the instructions ordained through Elisha.  Naaman was indeed searching for a cure, but as the many who came up to Jesus looking for healing, he had a curiosity about the God of Israel.  Overwhelmed by the healing, he asked Elisha if there is anything He can do in return? For a moment, think of your hospital bill if you were healed of a flesh-eating disease that could ultimately take your life, much less the deep appreciation you might have for your new quality of life.  Both would be truly astronomical.  Elisha could have asked for enormous amounts of wealth, power or favor in Syria, or even asked for a vow of protection from an enemy captain.  He wanted part of no such thing.  His whole purpose in helping is so that men, specifically Naaman, would know and confess “…Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel…” – 2 King 5:15.  If we needed any further confirmation of this truth, Elisha’s servant is struck with leprosy after turning back to essentially say Elisha had changed his mind and would be happy to take a few things in return (2 Kings 5:26,27).

 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message of hand washing hand.  It is a message of hands washing feet. We are to be servants of God, and in turn, servants of those He loves, people.  We do not do these things because we can earn our spot in the Kingdom of God, or buy our way into his favor (Rom 6:23).  Our debt is so enormous, we could never repay it.  We become the beneficiaries of this gift when we humbly accept the healing instructions God offers us; that we would be made clean by the waters of baptism and know and live that there is no other god in our life, except the living, one true God of Israel.  When we act as God, meaning, when we act as an agent of His attributes (love, kindness, patience, truth, faithfulness, forgiveness, grace) we are not offering something that is from us.  We are offering God.  God’s terms have already been agreed upon; we do not have any additional conditions to bring to the table.  We are not owed, nor should we expect a return on such an investment we make with our life or provisions. God is the rewarder. Every good and perfect thing flows down from the Father (James 1:17).  Ultimately, we should not ever extend our hands out to expect a reward from God or anyone else. As we serve the Lord in whatever capacity he has called us to, we should extend our hands upward to give Him the praise because He is rewarding us in a literally astronomical way that will reshape the structures of heaven and earth.  We may lose all we have or be thought of as fools as we try to serve like Jesus, but we can truly never settle the score, or wash the hand of God, and that is an awesome, powerful, wonderful thing.

Aaron Winner

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+5-8&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be 2 Kings 9-11 as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan