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January 22, Sunday
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Driving Away the Enemy — In yesterday’s reading, we saw “the angel of Yahweh” acting in a somewhat defensive way as a protector and deliverer (Ps. 34:7). In today’s reading, we see Him acting in a more offensive way toward the enemy. David prayed that “the angel of Yahweh … [would be] driving them on … [and] pursuing them” (Ps. 35:5-6). God not only wants to protect us from evil forces, He wants to drive them away. Peter pictured the devil as “a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” so he instructed us to, “resist him, firm in the faith…” (1 Pet. 5:8, 9). James gave the same instruction, but also promised a positive response: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Our action of resisting serves as an invitation for “the angel of Yahweh” to assist us by driving away our spiritual enemies, “which wage war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11).
May God Depend On You? – YouTube
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January 23, Monday
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Our Delightful Purpose — David was the author of this psalm, but there is some question about the identity of the person featured in verses 7-8: “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my inner being.’” Is this speaking of David, or is David prophesying about someone else? How could David be speaking of himself when he said that Scripture (“the scroll of the book”) predicted his coming (“it is written of me” and “I come”)? The author of Hebrews cleared it up for us in showing that this statement was looking forward to the coming of Christ, by quoting Ps. 40:6-8 after saying, “Therefore, when He comes into the world…” (Heb. 10:5). While David wrote, “Behold, I come…” (vs. 7), Hebrews is more specific with, “…when He comes into the world …” (Heb. 10:5). The statement that “I desire to do Your will” applied to David and it also applied to Jesus, who said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38), and in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “…not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). That should also be our motivation for living: delighting to do God’s will.
I Delight to Do Thy Will – YouTube
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January 24, Tuesday
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Who is “My Lord”? — On one level, this psalm seems to be talking about one of Israel’s kings, but “my Lord” in this passage refers to the final, royal descendant of David, the Messiah. Jesus made it clear that “my Lord” referred to someone greater than David. When He questioned the Pharisees about whose son is the Christ, they answered correctly, “The son of David” (Matt. 22:42). Jesus’ follow-up question was basically, “Then, how can David call his son, my Lord’”? Jesus continued by quoting Psalm 110:1. The risen Christ is the feature of this psalm. He is the eternal priest and king, “According to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). If we lived in a country with a kind and caring king, we would want to honor him. How much more should we honor, obey, and worship the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ?!
O Savior, Precious Savior – YouTube
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January 25, Wednesday
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The Light of Yahweh — Isaiah lived near the end of the string of Davidic kingdoms of Judah. God’s people would be punished with 70 years of exile to Babylon and then return to the Promised Land. So, when Isaiah prophesied about how “it will be … In the last days” (v. 2), he was speaking of a faraway time, because after the Babylonian exile, Israel would have no king until God’s promised Messiah would come to rule. He came in the person of Jesus 700 years later in the role of Sacrificing Savior, but He has promised to return as Judge and King at a time still in the future, i.e., “In the last days.” At that time, He will “instruct us [in] … His ways … His paths … the law … [and] the word of Yahweh” (v. 3) in “the light of Yahweh” (v. 5). So far, we have all that we need in the light of Scripture, but there is even more to come from the Master Teacher after we see Him at that future time.
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January 26, Thursday
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God is With Us — Judah’s King Ahaz was frightened about the joint invading forces of Israel and Syria from the north, so God gave him a sign regarding deliverance. It was a sign for Ahaz, to be fulfilled in his time, and a sign for humanity, to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. The sign was that a “virgin” (footnote: “maiden,” i.e., an unmarried virgin woman) would conceive and give birth to a son, whose significant name (more like a theme title) would be “Immanuel” (meaning “God is with us”). The immediate fulfillment is shared at the beginning of the next chapter, when Isaiah fathered a son that God told him to name, “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” (the longest name in the Bible). Matthew tells us that the ultimate fulfillment came through the virgin Mary, which was supported by an angel’s quotation of Isaiah 7:14. The coming child was assigned the name “Jesus” (Matt. 1:21-23). This “God with us” rescued Judah from her enemies by using the more-powerful Assyrian Empire, and He also paid the penalty for our sins through His sacrifice on the cross.
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January 27, Friday
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A Great Light — This passage is all about Jesus. It begins with the area called Galilee, where Jesus launched His ministry, lived most of His life, and fulfilled the promise that “He shall make [it] glorious” (v. 1). His ministry gave an opportunity for “people who walk in darkness … [to] see a great light” (v. 2). That light is in contrast to the “darkness” and “the shadow of death” (v. 2) that characterized the general population then, as it continues to do in the present time. It was from that beginning in Galilee that the Church was later born, following the resurrection of Jesus. That was when the spiritual Kingdom of God was launched on earth, and as predicted, “There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace … From then on and forevermore” (v. 7). The Church continues to grow around the world as people discover the peace of God through the light of Christ.
The Light of the World Is Jesus – YouTube
Meditation: In the list of names (v. 6) by which the predicted Messiah would be known, is “Eternal Father,” which immediately raises a question as to how the Son of God could also be called, “Eternal Father.” When Philip questioned Jesus about God the Father, Jesus responded with this statement: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The Son is distinct from the Father, but represented Him so well that the disciples could consider Him to be the exact image of the Father. They had also heard Him say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). It is probably best, however, to consider that “Father” in Isaiah 9:6, is not identifying the Person of God the Father, but is emphasizing the fatherly attitudes and actions of the Messiah who would care about His children.
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January 28, Saturday
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Shoots from Jesus — Here is another clear prediction of the coming Messiah. The “shoot … from the stem of Jesse” (vs. 1) refers to the line of kings that began with David, the son of Jesse. Jesus would also be a descendant of David and would serve as the final king in that line. The prediction that the “Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him” (v. 2) would be fulfilled and demonstrated after Jesus’ baptism, when John the Baptist saw “the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him” (Matt. 3:16). He would have not only the “Spirit of Yahweh,” but also “the fear of Yahweh.” This is not a fear that dreads, but a fear that respects, because it says that it is a fear in which “He will delight” (Isa. 11:2-3). Those of us who believe and trust in Jesus have the Spirit dwelling within us, and we also delight in Yahweh. We are spiritual shoots from the stem of Jesus.
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