Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Isaiah 25:4

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Isaiah 25:4

4 For thou hast been a strength [ma`owz] to the poor [dal], a strength [ma`owz] to the needy ['ebyown] in his distress [tsar], a refuge [machaceh] from the storm [zerem], a shadow [tsel] from the heat [choreb], when the blast [ruwach] of the terrible ones [`ariyts] is as a storm [zerem] against the wall [qiyr].  KJV-Interlinear

4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,     ESV

While the nations of the world should be the strength and safety and liberty and freedom for their respective citizens, they are in reality, no more than a burden and threat to one and all.  Leaders lust for power and authority and wealth while citizens lust for the free ride for which someone else needs to pay.

And thus we have the storm, ‘zerem,’ which is the tempest, flood, fury, of life.  And not only a storm, but one against the wall, meaning that you have nowhere to go to escape its power and destruction.  We call this being trapped between the rock and a hard place.  You have no options and no way out.  You are totally at the mercy of the storm, if it chooses to show any mercy, that is.  And the world is not a merciful place.

But Christianity, has a God, who is Jesus Christ, who is not only merciful, but a shelter where there is no shelter, and a strength where there is no strength, and relief where there is no relief.

Leaving your life at the mercy of the world is leaving your life to certain doom.

And when there is a way out of that doom, then not pursuing that way, is the epitome of foolishness.

That way is of course, faith in Christ, for salvation, in case you have not yet believed in Him.  And, once you have believed, then advancing in your spiritual life as God expects you to advance, by way of pursuing a daily Bible study.  It just does not get any simpler.

And yet people fail to see the simplicity, and that is why they fail.  And worse, they do not see their failure until it is too late.