The Word for today:
Isaiah 59
Mark this: Isaiah 59:2 --
Your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you.
and this: Isaiah 59:16 --
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him. (Isaiah 59:16)
Somewhere along the way we get the notion that we are "seekers," left to look high and low for God, who is hiding from us.
"Seekers." It sounds romantic, it puts us in a good light, with lush background music swelling the soundtrack. Cue up the violins.
But that's not the picture the Bible paints for us.
The Bible pictures God on the outside, seeking to come in:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
The Bible says that Jesus came to seek and save. (Luke 19:10)
God made Eden, a paradise where man could walk with God every day.
But Adam and Eve didn't trust God's Word or his goodness. They focused on the one and only restriction instead of the limitless blessings God had given them.
So, one sin at a time, they built the walls of "hell," keeping God out. Isaiah explains it like this:
Your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you. (Isaiah 59:2)
We "second" their motion, and side with sin.
The idea that God initiated the separation is one of the most subtle and effective lies that the principalities and powers of this present darkness (1) have spread. The truth is that God is unwilling that any should perish. (2)
It is God who looked high and low, but there was no one who could rescue us from the dungeon we'd built. So he had to go in himself:
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him. (Isaiah 59:16)
Seeking put God on the cross. I hope this gives all of us "seekers" some perspective.
Isaiah 59
Mark this: Isaiah 59:2 --
Your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you.
and this: Isaiah 59:16 --
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him. (Isaiah 59:16)
Somewhere along the way we get the notion that we are "seekers," left to look high and low for God, who is hiding from us.
"Seekers." It sounds romantic, it puts us in a good light, with lush background music swelling the soundtrack. Cue up the violins.
But that's not the picture the Bible paints for us.
The Bible pictures God on the outside, seeking to come in:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
The Bible says that Jesus came to seek and save. (Luke 19:10)
God made Eden, a paradise where man could walk with God every day.
But Adam and Eve didn't trust God's Word or his goodness. They focused on the one and only restriction instead of the limitless blessings God had given them.
So, one sin at a time, they built the walls of "hell," keeping God out. Isaiah explains it like this:
Your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you. (Isaiah 59:2)
We "second" their motion, and side with sin.
The idea that God initiated the separation is one of the most subtle and effective lies that the principalities and powers of this present darkness (1) have spread. The truth is that God is unwilling that any should perish. (2)
It is God who looked high and low, but there was no one who could rescue us from the dungeon we'd built. So he had to go in himself:
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him. (Isaiah 59:16)
Seeking put God on the cross. I hope this gives all of us "seekers" some perspective.
Oh, by the way, is that a doorbell I hear?
(1) Ephesians 6:12; (2) 2 Peter 3:9
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