Sheep and shepherds were a big part of ancient Israel, the nation of whom God had said was “the flock of My pasture” Ezekiel 34:31, and His commitment to them through the prophet Isaiah was that He would “feed His flock like a shepherd” 40:11. Then in Psalm 100:3 they acknowledge that “we are His […]
Jesus Himself speaking in John 10:1, using a metaphor from the agriculture of His day, said, “Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold (the kingdom of God) by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” A sheepfold was an enclosure […]
Jesus spoke to them again saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” John 8:12. The contrast is between the righteousness of God illuminating like the noonday sun, and the darkness of sin obscuring like the darkest midnight! The world […]
No less than seven times in John’s gospel did Jesus identify Himself as “I am”, I see these powerful statements linking Him with God the Father who in Exodus 3:14 indentified Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM”. As “God manifest in the flesh” 1 Timothy 3:16, Jesus is everything God the Father […]
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” In Isaiah 60:1-3 God issues a statement that should bring a message of immediate hope and comfort to the people of Israel, as well as giving prophetic insight into the future, as these verses will be fulfilled in […]
In Isaiah 58 God lays out the details of a fast He has chosen, which entails a lot more than just abstaining from food or some other pleasure and luxury; the fast that meets God’s approval will be followed by deeds of His heart in service and ministry to others! What I see here is […]
In Isaiah 55:1-3 God gives a special invitation: Water in the Bible speaks of life, wine represents gladness and joy, milk symbolizes nourishment, and bread that which strengthens, (cf. Psalm 104:15; 1 Peter 2:2; Revelation 21:6.) These verses in Isaiah give a clear invitation to separate from the past; to Israel at that time from […]
The Bible says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1. Yes, this includes the time to seek the Lord. Isaiah 55:6 says “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” The season to seek Him will not always be available […]
As we continue looking at Psalm 46, in verses 8-11 we see God as our victorious warrior. The desolations He makes in the earth are explained by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown as literally, ‘who hath put desolations’, destroying our enemies.” Making wars to cease might refer to the time the angel of the Lord slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers […]
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1. A refuge is a shelter, a place of protection, a fortress, and a place of hope. The message here in Psalm 46 1-7 is that even when the earth and all that is in it are in turmoil, in God there […]