OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR REFUGE
From Psalm 91 and Psalm 92
Those who dwell in the shelter of our Lord
Will rest in the shadow of Almighty God
He is my refuge whom I trust with all my days
For by His angel's He will guard my ways
The righteous will flourish in the house of the Lord
They will grow like the cedar in the courts of our God
They will always bear fruit as they proclaim
The Lord is my Rock, there is no wickedness in Him
OUR FATHER WHOM WE PRAISE
( From Psalm 41 )
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
Amen and Amen
Blessed are those who give the poor a hand
The Lord will preserve them and always deliver them
They are among those called blessed in the land
Amen and Amen
OUR FATHER WHOSE GREAT SACRIFICE MAKES US PERFECT FOREVER
Hebrews chapter 10 (x16) verse 14 says this;
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The sacrifice being spoken of in this verse is the sacrifice of the life of the Lord Jesus where, as the sinless lamb of God, he was slain to pay the price to redeem all who believed.
This one sacrifice made by God was of such perfection that it was sufficient to perfect those who are being made holy.
A sacrifice is understood to mean the giving up of something of value to gain something for someone else's sake.
The more valuable what is being given is to the giver, the greater the quality of the sacrifice.
If, for example, I give one of my ten coats to help a family member without one, it is a sacrifice but not an extremely notable one. On the other hand, if I were to give my enemy my only coat in winter, the sacrifice would be greater because it would entail a greater cost and risk to the giver.
In the case of Jesus' sacrifice, He was the only begotten Son of God. He was the only being who was the exact and perfect representation of God, the precise portrayal of God by God.
Jesus' sacrifice was the giving of the life of this infinitely valuable perfect person to pay for the sins of the enemies of God so that some of them may be saved if they believed.
The gift that those who believe get from this great sacrifice is that they, having been bought out of sin and death, are then made perfect forever.
Considering the extreme value of this gift, it would be worth surrendering everything in our lives to step forward and believe in what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, and follow Him.
He is indeed no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO DEFENDS THE WEAK
Jeremiah chapter 34 verses 2 - 3 reads this way;
“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.
You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.
The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had undertaken war against the kingdom of Judah and had conquered most of the country and now surrounded Jerusalem where the king of Judah named Zedekiah, was fortified against the siege.
While in this tense stand-off with the Babylonians, the prophet Jeremiah was sent by the Lord to give a message to the king, Zedekiah.
The prophet told Zedekiah that his resistance against Nebuchadnezzar was futile and that Jerusalem would be overrun and burned down. Furthermore, Zedekiah was informed that he himself would be captured and taken to Babylon.
The Lord's word of reassurance to king Zedekiah was that even though he was to be captured and taken to Babylon, he would still live in the dignity of his office as king and that he would be buried with honors in Babylon.
Now, King Zedekiah and the nobles of Jerusalem had made a covenant with each other regarding their Hebrew slaves. They agreed to free them as the siege against them set in. They repented before the Lord for not keeping the law of God which stipulated that every person who held Hebrew slaves was to free them after six years. The nobles of Jerusalem had not done this up to that point but the Lord accepted their repentance and their freeing of the slaves.
Soon after however, those who made the covenant changed their minds and forced their freed slaves back into slavery.
The Lord was angered by this breaking of the covenant that was made and the re-enslaving of the people who had already been freed to choose their own path.
Because of the treachery of Zedekiah and the nobles, the original judgement against Jerusalem, which was difficult but tolerable, was changed to a brutal and ultimately fatal collision with the king of Babylon.
Treating human beings of humble means treacherously will invite an escalation of judgement from the Lord that may not be survivable.
Let us be careful to treat others fairly no matter what their stations in life are.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO OFFERS REST THROUGH THE GOOD NEWS
Hebrews chapter 4 verse 7 says this;
God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your
hearts.”
The verse quotes Psalm 95 verse 11 where David adjures his audience not to harden their hearts if they hear the Lord's voice.
The literary use of the word "today" by the Lord in this verse is to make an offer to anyone who would hear it at any time at the present or the future.
This standing offer is made to God's people when they hear the good news. Whereas some hear the good news and harden their hearts and decline the offer, others hear the good news and believe and they enter God's rest.
They can rest from their works because they accepted the standing offer of the gospel and believed.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHOSE COVENANTS MUST NOT BE BROKEN
Ezekiel chapter 17 verse 19 says this;
“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.
This verse contains the words of judgement upon the king of Judah who had made a treaty with the king of Babylon and then broke it.
After conquering Judah, the king of Babylon had installed a king in Jerusalem to rule over Judah as his proxy but this king, unauthorised by the Lord, decided to rebel against the king of Babylon and sent envoys to Egypt to get military help in his quest to shake off the Babylonian masters.
Even though the proxy king shook hands on the treaty with the king of Babylon, the treaty was between the God of Israel and the King of Babylon so when the proxy king broke the covenant, he was actually breaking it on behalf of the Lord and this breach brought down severe judgment on Judah where many of the nobles of Judah were taken away to Babylon and many were killed. The armies of Judah had numerous soldiers slain and the rest were scattered.
Thus, the rebellious kingdom of Judah was left in utter ruins for their disregard of the Lord's covenant.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO RESTORES US BACK TO LIFE
Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 9 ( x 15 verse 9 ) says this;
“‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.
This verse in Ezekiel is a detail of the revelation of what condition the Lord found His people.
Before the Lord found them, the people were in a forsaken and abandoned state. They were injured and naked as they struggled in their own blood unable to restore themselves.
The Lord saw them and was compassionate towards them and declared that they should live and then they were able to grow.
The Lord, in accepting the people as His, then washed them with water, rinsed their blood off them and anointed them with oil to heal them.
This is reminiscent of the story of the good Samaritan that Jesus our Lord told.
There was a man who was accosted by robbers and he was beaten and left naked and half dead on the side of the road. The good Samaritan, passing by, saw the injured man and took pity on him. The Samaritan stopped to help and cleaned and bandaged his wounds and anointed them with oil and wine. He then made provision for the injured man to have shelter and a place to recover.
The Lord, in redeeming us, is like the good Samaritan. He finds us in a lost and damaged state and He cares for us by cleansing us and annointing and binding our wounds to heal us and restore us back to life.
Bless the Lord who saved us. With his own resources He provided for us.
Amen.
OUR FATHER IN WHOSE SALVATION WE REJOICE
Psalm 13 verse 5 says this;
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
The Amplified version says it this way;
But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.
To trust is to wholly surrender to the promised security of the Lord's love and kindness towards us.
To trust is to stop seeking other paths of security and comfort or to hedge our position by making provision for our security on our own.
From this place of trust, even when the Lord's deliverance is not readily visible, our hearts will find true joy and delight in the Lord when His great salvation is revealed.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO CAUTIONS US AGAINST THE FOLLY OF FORMING IDOLS IN OUR LIVES
Isaiah chapter 44 verse 19 says this;
No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
The Amplified version says it this way;
No one remembers, nor has knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], “I have burned half of this log in the fire, and also baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. Then I make the rest of it into an repulsive thing [to God]; I bow down [to worship] before a block of wood!”
This verse records the Lord incredulously considering the mindset of a person who had made an idol out of a log of wood.
The person does not have the presence of mind to recall that from half of the same log that he burned to cook his bread and roast his meat, he fashioned an idol to which he bows down.
If one end of a log fulfils the mundane purpose of being burned to cook food, how can the other end that is left over have any sacred value worthy of bowing down too?
Generalized to the rest of our lives, are there any mundane things that we partake in to sustain us which we then elevate to the status of idol in our hearts?
Amen.
OUR FATHER REQUIRES REPENTANCE FOR HARBOURING IDOLS IN OUR HEARTS AND FOR CLINGING TO WICKED STUMBLING BLOCKS
One day, a number of the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel's home and sat in front of him.
They wanted to inquire of the Lord through the prophet but the Lord, seeing their hearts, said to Ezekiel these words in the book of Ezekiel chapter 14 verse 3;
“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?
The Lord informed Ezekiel that the men had come with two conditions; they had idols in their hearts and they had wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.
The Lord, in verse 6, instructed Ezekiel to advise the men with these words;
“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
The two conditions the men of the elders of Israel needed to repent from were harbouring idols in their hearts (which are any alligiances that are held to anyone or anything that are prioritized over the Lord) and having stumbling blocks before their faces ( which are any sinful distractions that draw their attention away from God and towards satiating their lusts or ambitions).
In such a state, one cannot draw near to God and hear from Him. The Lord cannot forcefully interject himself onto a person's affairs in order to displace an idol or a stumbling block that has been incorporated into that person's life.
Such things must be willingly repented of and turned away from before the Lord can be accessible to those who call upon His name.
Amen.
OUR FATHER OF WHOM ONLY WE BOAST
The apostle Paul was controverting the notion that had emerged among the people of the church at Corinth, that there was some significance attached to the apostles who served the people there. Some of them had taken to boasting about the human leaders in their midst which Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 5;
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
Paul asserted here that there was no value to fostering loyalties to any specific servant of God who had worked among them.
Each person who participated in the endeavour of bringing them to salvation was simply doing the task to which they were assigned by the Lord.
To boast of affiliation with particular ministers of the gospel incorrectly ascribed credit to servants that should have been exclusively given to the Lord.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO SECURED US FOREVER
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14 says this;
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Amplified version says it this way;
For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity].
This profound verse contrasts the repeated daily sacrifices that the priests had to perform under the old covenant with the singular sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered by dying on a cross to perfect and cleanse us forever.
Whereas the blood of bulls and goats could not cleanse from sin or from a guilty conscience but rather served only as a reminder of sin, the blood of Jesus was able to permanently cleanse from sin and cleanse the conscience of those being made holy.
How precious the sacrifice of our Lord is for it forever secured those who in faith believed.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO MIRRORED HEAVEN ON THE EARTH FOR THE OLD COVENANT
In the earthly tabernacle built under the old covenant, there was an inner section that was veiled by a curtain. This section was called the Most Holy Place and it contained a number of items that are listed in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 verses 4 - 5;
which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover.
The Most Holy Place and the articles it contained were copies or representations of the architecture of heaven and the mechanics of heavens interactions with the earth.
The Most Holy place represents heaven where God dwells. The golden altar of incense represents the altar of praise before God that ascends from His people to Him.
The ark of the covenant is an earthly representation of the dwelling place of the presence of God.
Contained within the ark of the covenant was the gold jar of manna which represents the bread of life for those in the spirit. Aaron's staff which budded represents the tree of life in heaven.
The stone tablets with the ten commandments represent the perfect law of God which is the law of love which is also written on the hearts of God's people.
The sculptures of the cherubim on the ark represent the actual cherubim in heaven who surround and shield the presence of God. The atonement cover of the ark represents the throne of mercy from which mercy is granted to those for whom atonement by blood is made.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHOSE COMMANDS WE KEEP WHEN WE KNOW HIM
1 John chapter 2 verse 3 ( x 1 verse 13) says this;
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
The apostle John continues on to says this in verses 4 - 6;
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
When we are saved by believing that Jesus died on the cross for us and is able to save us, the process of getting to know the One who saved us begins.
We grow in the knowledge of Him as we learn His word and as we walk in the spirit with Him and we find we are increasingly are able to keep God's commandments as our spirits gain strength and our flesh loses dominance over us.
Our knowledge of God has been given to us by the Lord Jesus as 1 John chapter 5 verse 20 says;
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Amen.
OUR FATHER'S MILLENNIAL TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM
Ezekiel chapter 40 verse 9, referring to the measurements of the portico of the east gate that faced the millenial temple in Jerusalem, says this;
it was eight cubits deep and its jambs were two cubits thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.
This architectural detail of the temple is a covering that extends from the inner opening of the east gate. Different translations give us different names for this feature: Portico, porch, vestibule, gate and entrance hall.
This covering extends 8 long cubits (14 feet ) from the wall-face and the jambs for the portico are 2 long cubits ( 3.5 feet ) wide.
The portico is built against the outer east gate that is itself a towering 60 long cubits ( 105 feet ) high.
Amen.
OUR FATHER BEFORE WHOM NONE CAN BOAST
The apostle Paul, speaking of the message of the cross of Jesus as the only power of God unto salvation, says this, in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 27 - 31;
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Paul then, in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1 - 3, tells the church that it was for this reason that he came to them with only the testimony of Jesus Christ and him crucified. The passage reads this way;
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.
The Lord did not employ the tools of eloquence or human wisdom to bring people unto salvation. The only message that the Lord imbued with the very power of salvation was the offensive stumblingblock of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Thus Paul, ineloquently bearing this message of salvation, knowing that it was a stumblingblock to some and foolishness to others, came with fear and trembling before the people of Corinth.
To those being saved, the message of the cross is the very power of God.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THOSE WHO PRESUME TO TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS PEOPLE
Ezekiel chapter 35 verses 10 - 11 says this;
“‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the Lord was there, therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you.
Israel's neighbouring kingdom, Edom, had opportunistically planned to advantage of a period of time when Israel was under the severe judgement of the Lord and were suffering from a great calamity.
Because Edom had plotted to take possession of the Lord's people even though the Lord was present, a fearsome judgement was aimed at them that would lay their kingdom waste and leave their whole nation in complete desolation.
As the Lord said in verses 13-14;
You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
Such is the fate of any kingdom or nation that plots to displace God and gain rulership over God's people.
Amen.
OUR LORD WHO CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO BE A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS
Continuing on their journey away from Egypt, the children of Israel entered the desert of Sinai and encamped at the foot of the mountain of God. Moses, on his own, went to the mountain and God called to him to instruct him what to say to the people.
Exodus chapter 19 verse 3 says it this way;
Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:
Verses 4 - 6 records the words that the Lord told Moses to convey to the children of Israel;
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
These conditional promises to the children of Israel, predicated on their obedience and keeping the covenant they had with God, offered them the lofty place of being the Lord's singular treasured possesion, being a kingdom of priests and being a holy nation.
This privilege, were they to uphold their side, would grant all the people of Israel access to their God as priests and give the entire nation of Israel the role of representing the rest of the world before God.
Moses came down from the mountain and relayed the offer to the people and in verse 8, they people replied thusly;
The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO CAN SAVE US
Verse 1 of Isaiah chapter 59 says this;
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
However, the book of Isaiah ( x Jeremiah ) chapter 59 verse 3 says this;
For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
Therefore, as Isaiah chapter 59 verse 2 says;
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
The Lord assures us that He can save us but He tells us that our iniquities and sins have separated us from Him because of the kinds of evil things that we have done.
We, as the human race, have innocent blood on our hands and we have said falsities and muttered wicked things. We do not pursue justice but instead engage in evil schemes and violence. We engage in rebellion and treachery against the Lord by inciting revolt against him.
Even though our wickedness separates us from God and there is none among us to guide us back to Him, the Lord himself undertakes our salvation which He extends to those who sincerely repent.
As Isaiah chapter 59 verse 20 says;
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THOSE GIVEN THE RESPONSIBILITY OVER HIS PEOPLE
Looking deeper into Isaiah chapter 56 verse 11, let's examine the metaphors used to represent the people who are charged with watching over the children of Israel. The verse reads like this;
They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain.
The 'dog' metaphor first relates to the role that dogs have as guards of the household. They are supposed to be alert and use their superior hearing and olfactory senses to detect potential infiltrations so that they can give early warning to the rest of the household.
Instead, these dogs occupy themselves with satiating their mighty appetites and are thus not heeding the conditions at the perimeter of the household. They are never satisfied enough to return to their duties.
The watchment of the people are supposed to keep watch but they remain preoccupied.
The second metaphor used is the 'shepherd'. Shepherds are given responsibility over flocks of sheep to ensure the well-being of the sheep is provided for. They are supposed to make sure that they have food and water as well as protection from the elements, thieves and predators.
Instead, the shepherds over Israel have no understanding of these basic duties that require constant attention to the flock so that none go missing. Instead, the shepherds of Israel pursue their own agendas and seek their own gain.
As distracted dogs or as sidetracked shepherds, the watchmen of the Lord's people turn aside from their mission and the people of the Lord are left vulnerable to hunger, thirst, thieves and predators.
Let us always be alert as Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 says;
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD’s people.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO GATHERS HIS PEOPLE FROM AFAR AND JUDGES THE WATCHMEN WHO SLEEP
Isaiah chapter 56 verse 11 says this;
They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain.
This verse is referencing the watchmen and guardians of God's people. Instead of standing guard over Israel and providing coverage and early warning, they stay mute and sound no alarm.
Instead of being watchful, they lie around and sleep. Following their own giant appetites, they turn to their to their own way and seek their own gain. They get drunk and harbor delusions that things will get better and better.
With such watchmen among His people, the Lord calls in foreigners who honor Him to be His people and it is these who He will gather along with His remnant in Israel and bring them to His Holy mountain and give them joy in His house of prayer.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO DRAWS US TO HIMSELF AND PARDONS US FREELY
Isaiah chapter 55 verse 5 says this;
Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
This verse is addressed to the witness to the nations with whom the Lord has made an everlasting covenant. The Lord has appointed him to be a ruler and commander over all peoples.
The witness is told that he will draw in nations that he does not know and that foreigners will come running to him because the God of Israel will endow Him with splendor.
Verses 6 - 7 go on to say that mercy and pardon will be given freely to those who turn to the Lord and forsake their evil ways and thoughts.
Verse 8 explains why the Lord draws foreign people to Himself and pardons them;
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO BLESSES HIS PEOPLE BY GUIDING THEM
The Lord, while blessing His people, said this in Isaiah chapter 51 verse 4;
“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation:
Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.
The Lord describes how He will give instructions to His people if they listen to him. He tells them that He will issue guidelines that will become a beacon of light to the nations.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO RESTORES TO HIS PEOPLE WHAT THEY HAVE LOST AND MORE
The exquisite Isaiah chapter 49 says this in verse 19;
“Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.
This thrilling promise by the Lord comes as part of the restoration that the Lord will do for His people in this iconic chapter.
During the intense turmoil that God's people undergo, they say, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
But the Lord assures them that He cannot forget them because, as He says in verse 16, He has engraved them on the palms on His hands.
He tells them that when they find themselves in ruins, the day of the Lord's favor will arrive and their fortunes will change. The people of God will go from desolation to bursting at the seams with people and from being engulfed by oppressors to their oppressors being cast far away.
The Lord will restore to His people what they have lost and more.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO SEEKS FAITHFUL PEOPLE
Ezekiel chapter 15 verse 7 ( x 14 verse 30 ) says this;
I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.
This verse captures the words of the Lord where He says that He will set His face against the people Jerusalem because of their unfaithfulness. This means that the Lord's favor over the people of Jerusalem would be widthdrawn and replaced by disfavour which in this case, meant that the city was going to be made desolate.
The reference to Jerusalem coming out of the fire but still being consumed by fire relates to the metaphor used by the Lord of the utility of the wood of the vine.
The Lord compares Jerusalem with vine wood which is not very usable even when intact and when the wood of the vine is partial burned, it is even less useful for any purpose.
The people of Jerusalem, because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord, are declared as useless to the purposes of God as burned vine wood and thus they are judged.
Give us grace to serve in your kingdom and fulfil our purposes, O Lord.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS CALAMITY TO THE PROUD
Isaiah chapter 47 verse 13 says this;
All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.
This verse contains the words of the Lord directed to the kingdom of Babylon warning of a coming judgement that even their astrologers and stargazers would not be able to predict and save them from.
The Lord had been angry with His people and He gave them into the hands of the Babylonians as captives but Babylon treated the Lord's people inordinately harshly and laid upon even the elderly very heavy burdens.
The Babylon felt that their kingdom was going to last forever and thus gave no thought to the consequences of treating people aggrigeously.
The pride of Babylon, supported by the belief that they were invulnerable, invited the judgement of the Lord on them and for all their astrologers, their stargazers, their sorcerers and their magicians, no one would be able to save them from the calamity that was going to befall them.
Those who predicted the course of Babylon month by month would not be able to fortell the coming catastrophe that would destroy the kingdom of Babylon.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO FIRST JUDGES HIS OWN PEOPLE
Jude chapter 1 verse 6 says this;
And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
Verse 7 continues this way;
just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
These two verses are brought up as a warning to the believers in Jesus.
At that time, the church was being infiltrated by people who were bringing in doctrines of licentiousness and outright denial of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude warns his readers that being believers would not exempt them from judgement if they succumbed to these false doctrines.
To emphasize this, Jude references the judgement of imprisonment that was exacted upon angels who trespassed into territories they had no authorization to be in.
Likewise, the cities on the plains like Sodom and Gomorah crossed the boundary of immorality and thus were set up as explicit examples of judgement for their conduct of assaulting visitors to their city with impunity.
May the Lord keep us for falling for the false doctrines that take advantage of God grace to perpetuate sin and the false doctrine that denies the lordship of the Jesus Christ.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF CREATION
In Isaiah chapter 45 verses 6, 7 and 8, the Lord, as the sole Creator, declares His sovereignty and lordship over all of creation.
In verse 6, the Lord states;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
And then in verse 7, the Lord declares that it is He who sets all the conditions of light and darkness, well-being and calamity;
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.
Having established His authority over the created order, Isaiah chapter 45 verse 9 records this;
“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?
This verse uses the metaphor of a pot contending with the person who is making him by challenging the methods and intentions of the potter. This metaphor exposes the absurdity of those who dispute the Lord's work on them.
As our sovereign God, the purposes for which He creates us are entirely within His own perogative and as such, it is inappropriate for a created being to content with his maker over what his designation or utility is.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO CALL ON US TO STOP AND CONSIDER OUR ACTIONS
Isaiah chapter 44 verse 19 says this;
No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, and I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
This verse records the Lord's thoughts on those who make idols of wood and bow down to them.
Even though the wood carvers use the wood for fuel to cook meat and bread, it never occurs to them that making an idol out the rest of the log of wood is irrational.
How can an object be imbued with spiritual significance worth bowing down to when the rest of the material that it was cut from was used as firewood to cook food?
The Lord commands us not to worship before any graven image for they are detestable and degrading to those who bow before them.
Amen.
OUR FATHER WHO FORGIVES OUR SINS AND CLEANSES US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
The book of Luke chapter 11 verse 4 says this;
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
This verse is part of the Lord's prayer that Jesus taught His disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray.
This passage tells us that it is standard for people to need to be forgiven for sins that they have committed and it also tells us that the request to be forgiven by our Father is predicated on our forgiveness of those who sin against us.
As well, the prayer asks the Father not to lead us into temptation.
The Lord does not lead us into temptation as James chapter 1 verse 13 says;
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Rather, the Lord can be asked to lead us away from temptation or provide a way out of temptation.
This passage reveals that we can ask God to forgive us and he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness as 1 John chapter 1 verse 9 says;
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Amen.