Isaiah 30
Amen. Turn in your copy of the
scriptures to Isaiah 30. I know the bulletin says 30 and
31, but I was ambitious last Monday. Then reality set in. So Isaiah chapter 30, and this
is Isaiah, of course, God speaking, through him and he begins this
way, all stubborn children declares Yahweh who carry out a plan but
not mine. and who make an alliance, but
not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who set out to
go down to Egypt without asking for my direction, to take refuge
in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek shelter in the shadow
of Egypt. Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to
your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. For though his officials are
at Zoan and his envoys reach Haines, everyone comes to shame
through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither
help nor profit, but shame and disgrace. An oracle on the beast
of the Negev, through a land of trouble and anguish from where
come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery
serpent. They carry their riches on the
backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels. To a
people that cannot profit them, Egypt’s help is worthless and
empty. Therefore, I have called her
Rahab who sits still. And now go write it before them
on a tablet and inscribe it in a book that it may be for the
time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people,
lying children. Children unwilling to hear the
instruction of the Lord, who say to the seers, do not see,
and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us what is right. Speak to
us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way and turn aside
from the path. Let us hear no more about the
Holy One of Israel. Therefore, thus says the Holy
One of Israel, because you despise this word and trust in oppression
and perverseness, and rely on them, therefore this iniquity
shall be to you like a breach in a high wall bulging out and
about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant
and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is
smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is
found with which to take fire from the hearth or to dip up
water out of the cistern. For thus said the Lord God, the
Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest, you shall be saved
and quietness and trust shall be your strength. But you are
unwilling. And you said, no, we will flee
upon horses. Therefore you shall flee away. And you said, we will ride upon
swift steeds. Therefore, your pursuers shall
be swift. A thousand shall flee at the
threat of one, and at the threat of five shall you flee till you
are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a
signal on a hill. Therefore, the Lord waits to
be gracious to you. And therefore, he exalts himself
to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell
in Zion and Jerusalem. You shall weep no more. He will
surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon
as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you
the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your
teacher will not hide himself anymore. But your eyes shall
see your teacher and your ears shall hear a word behind you
saying, this is the way, walk in it. When you turn to the right,
or when you turn to the left, then you will defile your carved
idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images.
You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them,
be gone. And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow
the ground and bread, the produce of the ground with which will
be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will
graze in large pastures and the oxen and the donkeys that work
in the ground will eat seasoned fodder which has been winnowed
with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and
every high hill there will be brooks running with water in
the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall. Moreover,
the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun and the
light of the sun will be sevenfold as the light of seven days in
the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people
and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. Behold, the name
of the Lord comes from afar. burning with his anger and in
thick rising smoke. His lips are full of fury and
his tongue like a devouring fire. His breath is like an overflowing
stream that reaches up to the neck to sift the nations with
the sieve of destruction and to place on the jaws of the people
a bridle that leads astray. You shall have a song as in the
night when a holy feast is kept and gladness of heart as when
one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain
of the Lord to the rock of Israel. And the Lord will cause his majestic
voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen in
furious anger and a flame of devouring fire with a cloudburst
and storm and hailstones. The Assyrians will be terror
stricken at the voice of the Lord when he strikes with his
rod and every stroke of the appointed staff that the Lord lays on them
will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres Battling with brandished
arm, he will fight with them. For a burning place has long
been prepared. Indeed, for the king is made
ready. Its pyre made deep and wide with fire and wood and in
abundance. The breath of the Lord, like
a stream of sulfur, kindles it. Amen. God’s great and mighty
word for us. So in the scriptures, the little
phrase going down to Egypt, means you’re kind of boneheaded, right? Let me come back to the going
down to Egypt thing, but give a different example about the
same principle. Remember in David’s old age,
Satan incited him to take a census. And that was the thing that angered
God perhaps the most in David’s life. Why was that? Well, David
took a census of his fighting men. He was sort of doing an
audit of his kingdom. What could he get away with?
Could he defend himself? Could he fight a battle? Could
he fight a war? And instead of doing, as he said previously
in one of his own Psalms, trust not in chariots or horses, but
trust. In the name of the Lord God, he was seeing what he could
pull off by his own nation’s might and power. And so in a
sense, David, by taking a census, went down to Egypt. Think about
what Paul says to the Corinthians. You know, you can’t handle church
matters and you’re upset with each other. You’re having a little
squabble. And so instead of dealing with each other in a Christian
way, you go to the public pagan law courts. Sometimes we go beyond
the resources God has given us when he’s given us something
that would do just fine. Now back to the Egypt thing.
Remember Abraham, a couple of times in the story where God
called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, stopped off at Haran for a little
while. And then finally, God says, go
to the promised land. So Abraham takes his family.
He takes his nephew Lot. goes to the promised land, builds
an altar, calls on the name of the Lord, and he moves around
nomadically because he’s got all kinds of sheep and oxen,
and he’s living among the Canaanites and all those other terrible,
awful ites. And yet, with all those enemies
around him, and even the ups and downs of life in this world,
he had God at his side. In fact, at one point in his
life, was it Abimelech came to Abraham said, I want whatever
you’re having. It seems that you’re blessed
by your God, so let’s make a treaty. And so Abraham’s blessings from
God were obvious to other people, and they wanted a piece of that
blessing. And that was Abraham’s Christian witness. But a couple
times, well, actually a bunch of times, Abraham’s faith faltered.
You remember They were getting on in years, couldn’t have a
kid. And so, uh, Sarah has the great idea since we can’t have
a kid like Isaac, um, you know, take my handmaiden, uh, Hagar. And so Ishmael comes, well, that
was a whole bunch of trouble. They should have just waited
on the Lord. And you know how that happens when you wait on
the Lord, he causes laughter because you never know how he’ll
bless you. Uh, that’s how it goes. But a
couple of times there was famine and other things in the land.
And what did good old Abraham, father Abraham, the father, of
faith do, he went down to Egypt. And remember, along the way,
he concocted the thing, hey, Sarah, you’re good looking. When
we get down there, say you’re my sister, which was a half-truth,
right? Because he was the half, or they
were, you know, half-sisters, half-brothers, something like
that, half-siblings. But they go down to Egypt, and it doesn’t
go well. Doesn’t go well for the king, doesn’t go well for
them. And what can God do if you just stay put? Well, he can
send bread from heaven. Looked at that Wednesday evening
in our study, didn’t we? Can God spread a banquet in the wilderness?
Can he spread a table in the midst of nowhere and supply it
with food? He absolutely can. And so going
down to Egypt is a bad spiritual move. Now, how does that come
into play in our lives? Well, we want to live by the
word of God. And in fact, our scripture says,
if we have the spirit and we are living for the Lord, we’ll
hear his voice through his word. by his Holy Spirit. This is the
way, walk in it. This is wisdom. This is discernment,
walk in it. And so we don’t have to go down
to Egypt, but we often do. And so that’s something for us
to think about this evening. Well, first couple of verses,
verses one through five, God is calling Israel, he’s calling
Judah to account and he calls them stubborn children. All of
us have been kids in the home and maybe mom and frustration. You stubborn child. What am I
going to do with you? That’s very often what God says
to Israel. You’re a stubborn child. You’re
stiff necked, right? What is, what is the Psalm say?
Don’t be like the horse that won’t take bit and bridle. Basically
a horse that won’t be broken or led. but submit yourselves
to the Lord. And so the stubborn children,
God says, carry out a plan, but not God’s. They form an alliance,
but not of my spirit. And this alliance with Egypt
is not going to be good for them. They can’t help you, God says.
They will do you no good. But these rebellious children
who follow their own way, instead of trusting in the Lord with
all their heart and leaning not on their own understanding, they
go their own way. And so that’s the first five
verses. Stubborn children, you do it your way. Isn’t that the
first thing a two-year-old says after they learn no? Do it my
way, right? It’s usually in short verbal
burst, right? Do it my way, do it myself, do
it myself, that’s it. And when we get older, we do
the same thing, we just use more words, it’s more eloquent. But
it’s the same thing, isn’t it? I’ll do it myself, I’ll do it
my way, or you’re not the boss of me. And God says stubborn
children. And what happens to a stubborn
child? We sort of, you know, if it’s not gonna kill him, you
know, not running out in front of a greyhound or something,
we’ll just kind of stand back and say, let’s see how this goes.
They come crying to you, and of course you’re gracious. That’s
the picture God gives in this passage. Yes, you’re stubborn
children. Yes, you want to do it your way.
Well, in verses six and seven, it’s an interesting little couple
of verses. Basically, what you have here
is Israel, or Judah, has loaded up camels. It talks about the
camel’s hump. They’ve loaded up camels and donkeys with stuff
to persuade Egypt to help them. So you got, uh, Israel, you know,
Judah, Jerusalem, they’re going to go through the Negev desert
and they’re going to go into Egypt where they’ll, uh, take
Pharaoh or his envoys, um, treasures, right? Payment. Uh, this is what
we will give you if you will protect us from the big, bad,
scary Assyrians. And so they go into the desert
and God here gives a Oracle, I think it’s kind of funny, kind
of humorous. There’s an oracle in verse six, an oracle on the
beast of Negev. Okay, they can’t hear, right? But what is God saying? Fine,
load up your beast, take them down into the desert, take your
envoy and your gifts, but they’ve got to pass through where the
lioness lives. And at least it seems to me,
I have this deadly fear of snakes. They got flying fiery serpents. OK, it’s bad enough to have copperheads
and rattlers, but these ones fly. You ever watched Discovery
Channel? There’s some channel on TV that
has Aussie snake wranglers. Y’all can tell what I do when
I’m really bored. I think down in Australia, their snakes are
worse. But a flying snake, I mean, you’d have to kind of look around
as you go. And that’s the picture God gives.
So you’re going to make this silly alliance that’s not going
to work. And then you’re going to take your beast of burden
and your goods through the Negev and through where these wild
animals live. And as if that isn’t kind of
sinister enough, what does God say is the outcome? Well, the
outcome is going to be Egypt’s help is worthless in verse seven.
And then he says, their help is worthless and empty. Therefore,
I have called her Rahab who sits still. If you are able to read
Hebrew, the basic name there is do nothing. Rahab the do nothing. Now, what
does God call Egypt? He calls Egypt Rahab. So here’s
a little play on words. Egypt, big and mighty as they
are, is Rahab the do nothing. sounds a little bit like political
polemical speech where we call each other nicknames. Rahab the
do-nothing. Why go down to Rahab the do-nothing?
Because Rahab the do-nothing can what? Do nothing. And so
don’t go down to Egypt. This is not a good use, not a
good purpose of your gifts and your silver. Now think about
world politics for a moment. You know, we watch the news,
what’s going on in Israel, what’s going on on Iran and Russia.
everywhere else there’s a mess or an impending mess. And we
need to remember this, what may appear to us to be strength and
might can in a moment be put to pause, put down by the mighty
hand of God. And we watch the news and we
get all feared up and worked up and, you know, yes, that should
lead us to prayer and all that. And it is terrible what’s going
on in the world, but let’s do remember, God is in charge. God is in control. The kings
of the earth do nothing except by the command of almighty God.
And perhaps bad things will happen. Perhaps he will stay them with
his mighty and gracious hand. But this is a good reminder.
He is God over the beast of the Negev. He’s God over the kings
of Egypt. Now the next little thing is
very interesting. It comes in verses eight through
14. And basically what you have is God saying, Judah, bad children,
Rebellious children. He’s going to call them another
name. He’s going to call them covenant breakers or rebellious.
And that’s the word Merah. Remember in the wilderness wanderings,
is it Psalm 95, come, let us worship. Let us kneel down. Let
us bow down before the Lord, our maker. He’s our God, worship
him. And then it stops and says, but today, if you hear his voice,
don’t harden your heart as the people of God did in the wilderness
at Merah, right at covenant breaker at bad children, you know, naughty
children. And so he’s going to write this
in stone. And I remember back in school,
get your report card, you know, it’s got your grades on it and
then it has your behavior. And I grew up when you got a real
report card and they stuck it in that notorious yellow envelope and
they sent it home and you had to get it signed and bring it
back. Now it’s electronic. Your parents can log in. They
can log in and see, right? You can’t get away with, you
know, one of my friends got a, he got an F and he used a pencil
like dot matrix and turned it into a B. His parents did figure
it out, but now everything’s electronic. But this is going
in the permanent record, right? You’re a bad student. You flunked,
you failed. There’s no hope for you, right?
You look in your senior yearbook and the most likely to fail,
right? The most likely to not succeed must have been George. It probably was, yeah. Glad things
have turned, glad things have changed. But this is Israel’s
permanent record. It’s an indictment that appears
in verses 8 through 14. And he says, go write it before
them on a tablet and scribe it in a book that it may be for
the time to come and a witness forever. Oh boy, that’s a stain,
isn’t it? You rebellious people, you stubborn
children, unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord. Now
there’s an indictment. unwilling to hear the instruction
of the Lord. I think not this next Sunday, but the next in
first Thessalonians. Yep. We’re going to hear basically
what we owe as a response to God’s word. Don’t quench the
spirit. Don’t, you know, don’t say a bad prophecy. I don’t want
to hear that one. What happens when we fail to
hear God’s word? What happens when we quench the
spirit? Well, we become like these folks, a rebellious people,
lying children, unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord,
who say to the seers, in other words, for prophets, don’t see. And they say to the prophets,
don’t prophesy. Be like telling your preacher, hey, you know,
this Bible stuff, you know, it’s kind of killing the church, right?
It’s upsetting people, the giving’s down. You know, you need to preach
happy stuff. Crack open the Norman Vincent
Peale, you know, the happy stuff. What does Paul tell Timothy? There will come a day when people
will not hear. And so they gather for themselves
preachers who will scratch where they itch, and not much good
that will do them. And so this indictment on this
rebellious people is they have itching ears. And they don’t want to hear what
God has to say. Now you all know this is the
Sunday night crowd, right? When God speaks, we listen. When
God’s word is offered, we devour it. We can’t wait for the daily
fresh bread that God gives us. But these folks, these folks
in 8 through 14, they even say there in verse 11, let us hear
no more about the Holy One of Israel. Y’all know in our denomination,
we’ve had some rather famous ministers. And I remember one
blessed stretch of general synod meetings in June of every year.
We had one of the particular best preachers in the world,
I think, preach at the opening service, and we served the Lord’s
Supper. And it went on for four, five, six years. And I remember
one time this man preached, I think for an hour and a half. And I
looked at my watch when he was done and thought, oh my goodness,
that was the first time I looked at my watch and what a blessing
it was. And after about five or six years of this, I heard
somebody say, and I withheld my tongue, kept my hands in my
pocket, isn’t it about time we hear somebody else? And I was
like, no, it’s not, trust me. But it was almost an indictment
on their own soul. Because for me, all those years,
that was wonderful bread to hear. It’s pretty rare a preacher gets
preached to. And when they do, they’re either blessed or not.
And so I remember that quite well. I think my dad was nearby
and he mentions it from time to time. But how about verse
11? Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. says
they despise the word in verse 12. They trust in oppression.
They trust in perverseness. But there’s a breach in the wall
that’s going to bust. It’s going to break like that
of a potter’s vessel. And the pieces are going to be
so small, you’re not even going to find like a little edge where
you can get up a little sip of water. That’s how smashed the
fragments will be. But I want you to notice in verse
15, God in the midst of stubborn Israel is really gracious. And
this is something we ought to remember as sin weighs us down
from time to time. Verse 15 says, the Lord, and
I guess he said that it’s at one point to them and they didn’t
hear it, but he says, if you return to me or in returning
to me, in returning and rest, you shall be saved in quietness
and trust. shall be your strength. So they
had heard the gospel, you know, a million times, right? Tired
of hearing it. Quit telling us about the Holy
one. Hey, hey, prophets, quit prophesying. Hey, seers, quit
seeing. Hey, preachers, quit preaching.
We turn it off, right? I’m tired of hearing about the
Holy one. And he says, I’ve given you the chance to rest and return
and to find what will be your strength, but you were unwilling. The end of verse 15 says you
were unwilling and you said, no, we will flee on horses. No, we will ride upon swift steeds.”
And God says, okay, flee away. Okay, you’ll be pursued as well. And all that will be left of
you, if you don’t hear the gospel and respond to it, is there’ll
be a little flagstaff, a little memorial up on a mountain that
says, Israel was here, but they’re dead. Israel fled here, but they’re
gone. They are no more. And this is
a good challenge, isn’t it? Remember, we should seek the
Lord while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Remember all the preaching of
Noah. And then there was that day where Noah and his family
went in the ark and God closed the doors. All that preaching
yielded no takers. And Jesus said it’s the same
in his generation. It’s the same also for our generation.
We preach, we give the gospel faithfully. Not all will respond. In fact, sometimes very few.
will respond, but God holds out his gospel, that returning to
him and resting in him, maybe like the prodigal son who says,
in my father’s house, there was plenty. I will arise and I will
go and I will say to him. And what is the father’s response? This my son was lost, but now
is found. And so there’s this rejection
of God’s grace. And that ought to sober us. Perhaps we quench the spirit
from time to time. Perhaps we hear, and no loved ones or friends,
neighbors who reject the gospel. It ought to bring great sorrow
to us. But while it is today, it is
not too late. Perhaps they will hear. In verse 18, you begin
to get a picture of what God’s grace looks like. Yes, there’s
going to be destruction from the Assyrians. Yes, there’s a
future destruction from the Babylonians, but the grace of God in the face
of utter rejection is amazing. I know human experience, as you
do, and we suffer rejection all the time. If you’re on Facebook,
you get it all the time. At least, I guess. I think you
do. I hear you do. That’s why this young generation
is so anxious. They look and want the likes.
They don’t want the empty sound. They want dings
and buzzes and likes and you’re greats. What did the world do
before you came along kind of at a voice? Maybe you have children
that don’t speak to you. Maybe you have neighbors and
they get in their car and they walk right past you 10 feet away,
but they get in and drive away because, you know, you cut their
rosebush or something, or your dog, you know, went in their
yard or something like that. And on and on it goes, big things,
little things. We face rejection all day long,
but how about God who’s been so good, kind and wonderful?
He faces rejection. every turn, every step of the
way from us. And what does he do? He waits
to be gracious. And look, if you will, at verses
19 through 26, he speaks of what will be, and this is kind of
what we read about in Revelation 7, isn’t it? Heaven’s gonna be
wonderful. But this is a little picture he gives of what life
will be like after the destruction, after the punishment. A people
will dwell in Zion. It’s gonna be just a few. A people
will dwell in Jerusalem, they’ll weep no more. And what will God
do? He’ll be gracious. He’ll hear
the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears your cry,
he’ll answer you. And though he gives you the bread
of adversity, he disciplines us as sons, right? Though he
gives you the water of affliction, your teacher will hide himself
no more. And think about that. That’s the teacher you said,
we want you to hush. That’s the teacher to whom Israel said,
we’ve heard enough of this. business, give us something that
will scratch our itches. He’s going to reveal himself.
Hide no more. Your ears shall hear a word.
And as if you’re walking through life saying, this is the way,
walk in it. It’s the spirit guiding us. It’s God leading us on the
right path. And then what will they do? They’ll
get rid of their idols. Remember when we first got into the book
of Thessalonians back in the spring, When Paul gives thanks
to the Thessalonians in the opening of his letter, he says, I give
thanks to God that you turned from idols to serve the living
God. And so part of a reformation
in the life of people is their fingers more and more open up
and they let go of their idols. And here they even destroy them.
They scatter them as unclean things. And they say to their
idols, be gone. And you know, sometimes we like
to play King, you know, be gone with you. You’re bothering me.
You ever say that in the house? Be gone with you. That’s what
they had just said to God, isn’t it? What did they say in verse
11? Let us hear no more about the Holy one of Israel. Be gone,
God. Don’t want to hear your voice
anymore. And now who are they saying be gone to? It’s their
idols. And that’s only a spirit wrought
change of heart. And then notice verses 23 down,
he gives the kind of grapes and grandkids covenant blessings.
Remember, those are the blessings God promises to Abraham. You’re
going to have a land of plenty and a family of plenty. So it
gives rain for the seed. Produce from the ground is rich
and plenteous. They’ve got good bread. Their livestock are eating
well. There’s good pastures to graze in. There’s fodder that’s
been winnowed with shovel. I mean, it’s the good hay, right?
It’s not moldy hay or you know, mediocre hay. This is the good
stuff that was cut and mown and dried and put up just right.
And their beasts are eating well. The brooks are running with water.
And notice the context. It’s in the day of slaughter.
It’s in the day when towers fall. It’s in the day when God’s enemies
are surrounding and dealing with the nation. But the light of
the moon is as the light of the sun. The light of the sun will
be sevenfold. on the day when the Lord binds
up the brokenness of his people and heals the wounds inflicted
by his blow. You know how it is when you’re
growing up and your parents discipline you. And it hurts and there’s
darkness in the house, so to speak. But then there’s love
afterwards and by those wounds or stripes or chastisements,
we are put on the right path. And that’s how God works. Yes,
his hand can be heavy at times. Yes, his chastening can be painful,
but he always brings joy behind it. He fixes what is broken and
heals up. Now notice what God says. We’ve
had a little bit about their religion in verses 19. You know,
you’re going to hear me and my voice, the teacher, and you’re
going to cast off your idols. And then he said, it’s going
to be really good in the land. The streams are running overflowing and the
fodder for the animals and all is going to be great. Now notice
what God does to his enemies. And as you look at 27 forward,
think about Israel leaving Egypt and what God did to Pharaoh.
It says, behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar, burning
with his anger and his thick rising smoke. His lips are full
of fury, his tongue like a devouring fire, his breath like an overflowing
stream that reaches up to the neck to sift the nations with
the sieve of destruction into place. on the jaws of the peoples,
a bridle that leads astray. And guess what Israel is doing
while they escape and the enemies don’t. They’re celebrating like
Passover. And in a sense, this is like
another Egyptian escape, another Exodus. He says, you’ll have
a song as in the night, as when a holy feast is kept. This is
like Passover. The Assyrians or whoever God’s
enemies are getting whipped by God’s heavy breath. just like
he did to Egypt and Pharaoh. And they’re full of gladness
of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of flute, to go
to the mountain, to the Lord, to the rock of Israel, and the
Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard, and the descending
blow of his arm to be seen in furious anger, and a flame of
devouring fire with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones. Sounds
like Egypt, doesn’t it? And the Assyrians will be terror
stricken at the voice of the Lord when he strikes. But he
says, you’ll go out with tambourines. Remember when Israel escaped
Egypt and they got across the sea on dry land, the sea swallowed
up their enemies, Pharaoh and his charioteers. And Moses and
Miriam sang, I will sing unto the Lord for he has triumphed
gloriously. The horse and the rider have
been thrown into the sea. Think about your Christian life.
Think about what God has rescued and redeemed you from. And think
of what it would be to say to his voice, to say to his teaching,
I’ve had enough. And what it is for him to be
patiently waiting like the father on the porch, looking for the
prodigal in the distance. He runs after you, he pursues
you and he brings you back, kills the fattened calf, puts a robe
and a ring and sandals. And he throws a feast saying
this, my child was lost, but again, has been found. This is
the over and over picture, isn’t it, of our God in the scriptures. And we ought to treasure it.
And we ought to, with all we have, say, never, Lord, would
I turn you away, for he’s been good and gracious and kind to
us. And there’s still more to look
forward to, isn’t there? There’s the new heavens and the new earth.
And we won’t struggle anymore with idols. or sins, or even
his discipline, or his anger, but we’ll live with him forever
and ever with all those great blessings. Let’s look to him
now in prayer. Lord, we thank you for the glimpses,
even the contrast of wickedness and righteousness, belief and
unbelief, love and hatred, but over all this, your kindness
and graciousness. You put up with so much from
people that you’ve done so much for. And so help us to remember
your love, to remember your grace, to remember your kindness, and
not to spurn the cross or quench the spirit, but to rest in you,
to return to you and put our trust in you. We ask for your
grace now in Christ’s name. Amen.