The Simple Life

"An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone." Isaiah 15:1 (ESV) " Man has but a little day to work in, but God's working hours never cease; man becomes weary with his day's work, and lies down to rest, and whilst he is in slumber destruction swiftly overtakes him, so that the morning looks upon a branch cut off, a city laid to waste and brought to silence. Men should diligently consider this in musing upon the judgments of providence. They cannot always be awake; they cannot always be upon the walls defending the fortress; they must retire for a time to renew their strength, and whilst they are resting the enemy acquires additional power, and comes down upon their boasted masonry, and hurls it to the dust." (Biblical Illustrator) I am limited; God is not. I am vulnerable; God is not. I would be wise to know and trust Him, and to rest assured that all wil...

"I will rise up against them," declares the Lord of hosts, "and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity," declares the Lord. "And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord of hosts. Isaiah  14:22-23  (ESV) A prophet often talks of destruction because man usually ignores God. To give people false hope is evil. Truth always sets us free to live in a way that will reflect that truth. Sometimes, we like it when people lie to us so we can feel good about what we know is destructive. A true prophet of God is just that—a true prophet. They deal in truth and love and are confident about both the present and the future. Their job is not to make people feel good. It is to make people "good" by getting them to know and live right. A prophet's primary responsibility is to declare the Word of God. It seems that many of them, the way t...

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Isaiah 13:6-8 (ESV) We cannot imagine a day when all men are weak, helpless, and feeble. We cannot picture a time different from today, yet history has proven that life can change quickly and irrevocably. The wise prepare for things they cannot know by knowing the One who can be known and cannot change. We do not control the future. We enter the future and stand before the One who creates and controls it. Evidence continually points towards us preparing for our future by strengthening our relationships, not our pocketbooks. God is most capable. We are most vulnerable, and our trust in Him will never disappoint. The children of God are children of hope. The children of...

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:1-6 (ESV) Things will not always be as they are today. Life as we know it will change. Our time and ear...

Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood Therefore the Lord God of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire. Isaiah  10:15-16  (ESV) We are instruments dependent upon the skill of the one who uses us. By ourselves, we cannot accomplish anything. Without one to swing the ax, the ax lies in the dirt. An unskilled wood splitter dulls the ax, chips the handle, and can easily end up with bloody knuckles. The skilled woodsman skillfully and seemingly effortlessly slices through the toughest logs to make them useful. A worthy worker has the right tools for the job, uses them properly, and, when finished, maximizes the tools, the objects on which the tools were used, and the energy expended to accomplish the task. I am the tool. God is the workman....

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Isaiah 10:1-4 (ESV Strong's) Those who use people rather than love people will face an angry God someday. The innocent are often taken advantage of, yet one day, those who trust in God will be vindicated. Our litigious culture often prioritizes personal interests over the pursuit of truth. In the process, we usually run the innocent over and attribute it to doing what is necessary to promote what we have called right. One day, w...

The elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. Therefore, the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. Isaiah  9:15-18  (ESV) Self-absorbed people usually do not know they are self-absorbed because it is normal for the culture to be self-absorbed. However, a self-absorbed culture fosters a lifestyle that encourages self-centeredness. Self-absorbed cultures help people in need when it benefits them (which helps alleviates guilt), they ignore people in need if it costs them, and t...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV) Prophets told it the way it was. They were known for telling the truth and accurately discussing the future. We tend to see the prophets as "prophetic," meaning they tell us what to expect. This passage perfectly illustrates the prophetic message and validates Isaiah as a legitimate prophet. However, many prophets exposed the people's sin in a way that warned them of impending doom. Speaking to people who live in sin about the destructiveness coming their way is not necessarily prophetic; it is obvious...

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." And he said, "Go, and say to this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." Isaiah 6:8-10 (ESV)   Being used by God does not mean man understands us. Often, God's ways are not man's, and those who express His desires and plans are not desired or welcomed. Prophets spoke of things as they were, not as they were portrayed. When one speaks of things as they are, those who disagree are often "offended." When God asks for volunteers, it is wise to step up to the challenge, for if you do, you will see mighty and marvelous works that will both break your heart and restore your soul...

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right! Isaiah  5:21-23  (ESV) When we are wise in our own eyes, we lack perspective because we ignore how God, without perspective, views our situation. Being wise in our own eyes is something we do to replace God. We want to live in a way that justifies everything we do, just because we do it, and it makes sense to us. The trouble with this thinking is that it is wrong. Prideful, arrogant, and belligerent behavior stems from those who rule their private kingdoms. There is only one King of the universe, and I am not Him. If I were truly wise, I would want to be wise in His eyes, not in mine, and I would continually check what I believe against what He has declared true. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. Isaiah 2:6-8 (ESV) Compromise is the door to disaster when you compromise with truth. Those who are Godless live Godless lives, and those who are Godly should have little in common with them. I have been married for many years, and my lifestyle has little in common with a man my age who has never been married. At my age, I do not act like a teenager, I am not concerned with my credit score, and I prefer older pickup trucks to newer ones. We must live within the identity God gives us in Christ and reject the idea of gathering ...

How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them. Isaiah  1:21-23  (ESV) It's easy for something that was once important to become worthless. Intimacy is meant to be experienced within strict guidelines, and when the guidelines are blurred, erased, or discarded, what was once beautiful becomes wrong, even evil. Money can be used for good, or it can be the weight around our necks that drowns us. We were made to live peculiarly, and when we avoid the particulars, we invite disaster to be our constant companion. Sort of right is not right. Kind of good is not good. Almost listening is not listening. Those who need to justify their lifestyle must not know that one day,...

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah  1:18-20  (ESV) I often like to ignore the "if-then" clauses in the Bible. I want to think that any flaws in my character and any acts of disobedience are problems that are too big for me to deal with, and therefore, I will never be held accountable for my actions. Just because God knows what decisions I will make does not mean He controls those decisions. He has given me volition, and my choices do matter. I must never pawn off my responsibility and play the victim. Life gets rough when I choose to go it alone. It is reasonable for me to listen to and obey God. For now, my choices are mine, and my choices matter.  ...

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Isaiah  1:13-15  (ESV)   When we make "religion" about ourselves, we make fools of ourselves. When we make relationships about ourselves, we become "users" rather than "lovers." It is easy to go through the motions of loving God and others when we demonstrate that we love ourselves, and our outward exhibition of sincerity is a show to convince ourselves of our sincerity. Several places in the Bible tell us that our prayers are worthless. God sees through our religious drama and deals with our hearts as they are. We need not do anything to...

"The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." Isaiah 1:3 (ESV) Animals recognize the one who cares for them. For years, I operated the horse program at Silver Birch Ranch. Over time, the horses recognized my voice and looks and could identify me at a distance. Depending on what they were up to, they either welcomed me or ran from me, but they always knew it was me. Those who listened to me lived relatively carefree and straightforward lives. I bore the burden of caring for them; they needed to allow me to do so. One day, four horses escaped into the massive National Forest, two of whom were MIA for quite a long time. I was concerned, for I knew that without my help and protection, they were easy prey in those woods. Within a few weeks, I saw them standing by the gate, waiting to return home. Skinny, scarred, and scared, they finally realized that being under the master was better than going alone.   http...

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: "Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me." Isaiah 1:2 (ESV) "Isaiah lived during the decline of Israel in the shadow of Assyria. He spoke the word of God to a people who were "deaf and blind," who refused to listen to his warnings of looming disaster. He warned that the sin of the people of Judah would bring God's judgment, yet he also declared that God is sovereign and would use Cyrus the Persian to return them from exile. The book speaks of a "servant," a "man of sorrows," who would be "pierced for our transgressions," accomplishing God's purposes of salvation. The final chapters give a beautiful description of a new creation in which God will rule as King, judging the wicked and establishing eternal peace." (ESV Introduction) Here is a prophet assigned to proclaim God's Word to the "deaf and blind." What a...