QT - May 1st, 2008

Do you guys even do these QTs that I send out? hahahaha

anyways, here's tomorrow's QT:

Wednesday, April 30^th, 2008

Compassion and Judgement

Isaiah 14:1~17

1 The LORD will have compassion on Jacob;

once again he will choose Israel

and will settle them in their own land.

Aliens will join them

and unite with the house of Jacob.

2 Nations will take them

and bring them to their own place.

And the house of Israel will possess the nations

as menservants and maidservants in the LORD's land.

They will make captives of their captors

and rule over their oppressors.

3 On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage,

4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end!

How his fury has ended!

5 The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked,

the scepter of the rulers,

6 which in anger struck down peoples

with unceasing blows,

and in fury subdued nations

with relentless aggression.

7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;

they break into singing.

8 Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon

exult over you and say,

"Now that you have been laid low,

no woodsman comes to cut us down."

9 The grave below is all astir

to meet you at your coming;

it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—

all those who were leaders in the world;

it makes them rise from their thrones—

all those who were kings over the nations.

10 They will all respond,

they will say to you,

"You also have become weak, as we are;

you have become like us."

11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,

along with the noise of your harps;

maggots are spread out beneath you

and worms cover you.

12 How you have fallen from heaven,

O morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth,

you who once laid low the nations!

13 You said in your heart,

"I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne

above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.

14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High."

15 But you are brought down to the grave,

to the depths of the pit.

16 Those who see you stare at you,

they ponder your fate:

"Is this the man who shook the earth

and made kingdoms tremble,

17 the man who made the world a desert,

who overthrew its cities

and would not let his captives go home?"

Think:

Is it okay to be proud of your gifts that God has given you? Can you go too far in being proud of the gifts that God has given you? How?

Pray:

Father, open our eyes and hearts to see and be thankful that all our gifts and abilities come from You. Help us to use them wisely for the good of the people around us and for Your glory.

vv. 1~7

The chapter before this one focuses on Babylon, a major enemy of the tribe of Judah – a part of Israel that remained after the nation split up under Solomon’s son; the rest of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, who were people from an empire nearby. God eventually uses Babylon to punish Judah – however, in chapter 13, it is revealed tat Babylon will eventually be punished as well. Chapter 14, which we’re stating today, begins with comfort for Judah (in verse 1, the name Jacob is another name for Israel, of which Judah is all that’s left). Their punishment, exile in Babylon, will end. They will get to go home, and the tables will turn. Babylon, which has many sins of its own to answer for, will be punished instead. After the short section of comfort, the focus is back on Babylon and its king.

vv. 8~11

This isn’t just a humbling experience for the king of Babylon or for the nation of Babylon, but a prediction of defeat and of death. The forests will continue to grow, and the world will continue without Babylon or its king. It was believed often in ancient cultures that the king of a nation was a god, or at least, the son of a god, and would be glorified after death. The king of Babylon, however, will die like all other men. And all those other men, those other kings who were thought to be divine by their people, will say, “Aha! Now you know the truth! You’re just like us! You’re just like everyone else, and in no way divine!” The man who was king, and was thought to be a god now knows that there is only one God, and it isn’t him.

vv. 12~17

The king of Babylon had been shown that his ambition of being a god was wrong. He assumed that his power carried him to victory in battle, made him the king of a mighty nation, worthy to be considered a god. But now, the man who was God’s instrument, failed to recognize God as the Lord Almighty and is punished. One can be both comforted and warned by this. The comforting part is that God is in control; people in the world or in our own lives who try to use their power to dominate and hurt people instead of leading them and helping them don’t get to stay in power for too long. The warning is that if we forget about God and start to get prideful, we are plotting our own downfall in a way since God is watching, and God is just.

Sorry if some stuff sounds weird or awkward.... bad translating skills...x_x