NEHEMIAH 3-4:After Nehemiah’s wonderful prayer for Jerusalem, more than three months went by before the king noticed him looking sad. He says he had never before looked sad, so he must have waited. God must have been in the timing, because the king wonderfully agreed to help Nehemiah in every way. And the leaders in Jerusalem also were enthusiastic in their acceptance of his proposal to rebuild the walls.

ISAIAH 35:Yesterday we heard that the land of Edom would become an eternal wasteland and a home for owls and other creatures. The land of Edom is in modern-day Jordan, and GoogleMaps shows almost nothing green in that whole area.

PHILIPPIANS 3:Yesterday we heard Paul’s wonderful poem of praise about Christ’s humility and subsequent exaltation to the highest place.

And we heard this promise: Php. 2:13 NLT For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

NLT Translation notes: Php. 3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your [fully believing//faith]. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved [perfection//it], but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Lesson 6

THEME: Buckle up the belt of truth by believing you are ACCEPTED, SECURE, AND SIGNIFICANT.

According to Dr. Neil T. Anderson, nearly all Christians struggle to overcome Satan’s lies in at least one of these three areas:

1) I’m not accepted. No one wants me. God certainly couldn’t want someone like me. Even though I confess sins, I never feel that I am fully forgiven.

2) I’m not secure. I am weak. The evil one is stronger than I am. I'm gonna fall into the trap of sin and never get out.

3) I’m not significant. I never live up to anyone’s expectations, even my own. I am worthless and stupid.

If you are a believer in Christ and believe in what God’s Word says, these are lies. I hope that the outcome of this lesson is that you know which of the three lies is the one you struggle with the most. Then, when you figure out which is your weakness, Anderson’s Freedom In Christ Ministries gives you verses you can memorize to combat the problem. https://www.ficm.org/about-us/who-i-am-in-christ/ Buckle the belt of truth in your area of weakness.

Of course, it seems obvious that the three areas I listed will likely be related to each person’s personal history. Some children are permanently scarred by parents who cannot be pleased, no matter how hard one tries. Parents, after all, come with hang-ups that they have inherited from their parents. Other children suffer long periods wondering if they will have a mother or father tomorrow. In my case, I think my weakness relates to not learning to read in my first three grades of school.

I think that harassing evil spirits possess keen observational powers by which they discover our weaknesses. I think they can tell when their whispered temptations work. So beware! Evil spirits often introduce thoughts into our minds which they pass off as our own thoughts. In other words, they don’t tell you, “You’re worthless.” Instead they pass off the suggestion as if it came from your own mind, by whispering, “I’m worthless.” If you experience insistent negative thoughts about yourself, I urge you to ask God to reveal the source of them.

In my introduction above, I have stated the three weaknesses negatively. When stated positively, as I will start to do now, these three inner-messages are the foundation of your spiritual identity. Let’s go through them one by one in the order given by Anderson.

=====Say to yourself: I am ACCEPTED by Christ=====

If you believe in Jesus and simply come to him, the Bible tells you, “You are accepted by him.”

John 1:12 is the first verse Anderson gives as an antidote to this problem:

• But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

For many verses given as antidotes to this problem, I find myself arguing if I can fulfill the conditions. The verse just quoted has easy conditions. Do I believe in Jesus? Yes. Have I asked Him to come into my life? Yes. I have accepted Him, and that means He accepts me! The verse says, “to all” who do those two things, “he gave the right …” So I’m not left out! He gives to all who believe and accept Him “the right to become children of God.” The next verse goes on to say that those same people become reborn.

I will depart from Anderson’s list to give some of my favorites:

• Mat. 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

If you fit the description, notice the word ‘all’.

I find many such verses in John’s writings. In Rev. 21:6 Jesus—from his position sitting on the throne with God — says,

• “To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”

Then in chapter 22:17,

• “The Spirit and the bride (that is the whole assembly of redeemed people) say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.”

Similarly, in John 7:38, Jesus promises,

• “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

For your convenience, in the episode notes, I list the verses that Anderson gives that help you to claim that YOU are ACCEPTED by God:

I am accepted…

John 1:12 I am God’s child.

John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

=====Say to yourself: I am SECURE=====

I love how Romans 8 gives us a wonderful logical progression to tell us that we are secure.

• We are one with Christ, or as the NLT translates it, we belong to Christ.
• This means no one can condemn us.
• Those in that position will find the life-giving Spirit working in them.
• Other than transforming our lives, the Spirit is a guarantee that we are God's sons. Again God's Word uses the word ‘all’:

  Romans 8:14 NLT

• For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
  • Even though, to be gender sensitive, some translations use ‘children’ here, I think it is good for women to also consider that they become— spiritually speaking— ‘sons’. (Men have a similar difficulty in accepting that they are part of the ‘bride of Christ’.) The precious thing here is that these verses say that we ALL are given the legal status of ‘sonship’, which according to Roman law, could not be changed. (Rom. 8:15)
• Having this legal position of sonship means that no one and no spiritual power can separate us from the love of God and of Christ. Romans 8 is the most emphatic statement about our security that you will find in Scripture!

Once again, in the episode notes I give the nine verses Anderson lists:

I am secure!Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances. Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God. Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God. Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me. Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven. 2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. 1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

=====Say to yourself: I am SIGNIFICANT=====

It is actually a short logical step from our believing that we are Accepted and Secure to believing that we are SIGNIFICANT in God’s eyes. For instance, if you are one with Christ, it is like you are part of his body. Let's say a little toe. Well just think: No one wants to lose a toe! Every little part of our body is significant to us, especially if it becomes hurt.

I suspect that Satan's lackies whisper to people that believing yourself to be significant to God is prideful. But it is not being prideful to tell the truth about yourself. Base your significance on the amazing things God's Word says about you, then your significance will not be prideful.

It can be helpful to notice the times when the Holy Spirit gives you a nudge.

• Do you feel it natural to call God your Father (Abba) when you pray?— as Romans 8 talks about.
• Have you ever felt the nudge to pray for someone?
• Has a verse of Scripture ever sort of ‘jumped off the page’? Did that ever cause you to repent or take some action?
• In a conversation, have you ever suddenly felt that you should say something to help someone.
• Has anything ever happened to you that might be leading you to exercise a spiritual gift? (Gifts like teaching, counseling, encouraging, being generous, etc.)

These things can be reassuring, we must not totally rely on such experiences, to encourage us about our significance. Please also realize that having a packed schedule of all kinds of church volunteering will never bring a true assurance of your significance.

Consider these eye-opening verses assembled by Dr. Neil Anderson:

I am significant…John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life. John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. 1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God’s temple. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God. Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm. Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship. Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

• This is the link to the display of “Who I am in Christ” at the Freedomn In Christ Ministries website:
  • https://www.ficm.org/about-us/who-i-am-in-christ/

So, the identity we possess in Christ means that we are ACCEPTED, SECURE, AND SIGNIFICANT. And I think it is revealing how this relates to our spiritual armor, as found in Ephesians 6. The seven items of our armor are seven facets of every believer's identity.

There is a PDF file attached to this episode that documents what the figures of speech mean for each item of our spiritual armor: Armor Handout: Understanding how to wear our spiritual armor

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yyi6NShxL3bmz_-SMMsomuBauK0Y754A/view?usp=drive_link

14a belt of truth — significant

14b breastplate of righteousness — accepted

15 shoes — accepted, secure, and significant

16 shield of faith — secure

17a helmet of salvation — accepted

17b sword of the spirit — secure

18 cell phone of prayer — accepted and significant

[Improved from lesson 4:]

How to pray to make sure you are wearing your spiritual armor:

Lord God, give me strength to stand firm. Help me to wear— and be aware— of all the spiritual armor You have given to me, so that I can stand against Satan and his forces:

• Please remind me that I am already wearing the breastplate of righteousness, because Jesus died and was raised to life, and He has given me right standing in your sight.
• Help me to keep on the boots of the Gospel of peace, not only being ready to share the good news about Christ, but also anchoring my life in the truth of the Gospel.
• May I always wear the belt of truth, believing in everything you say about me in the Bible,
• and therefore never letting go of my shield, which is fully believing that you will shield me when I experience Satan's temptations and be with me in all my trials.
• May I always have the helmet of salvation, because I know You have saved me.
• Help me to study the Word of God, so that it is a ready resource that the Holy Spirit will use (like a scalpel) to operate on me, as well as prompting me to lovingly share Your truth with others.
• And help me to never forget that the Holy Spirit gives me an instant connection to You in prayer.

NEHEMIAH 1:Yesterday we heard how the returned exiles responded to Ezra’s shock and demonstration of his sorrow, and his prayer of repentance. The book ended with the names of those who were found guilty of forbidden marriages. Note that these are not just names of the guilty, but names of those who repented and sacrificed to God. They are the names of the forgiven. In some ways— and not all, this shows the kind of seriousness with which church discipline spoken of in the New Testament should be conducted. (Matthew 18, 1 & 2 Corinthians)

As I said just a few days ago, the book of Nehemiah was— according to Jewish tradition, written by Ezra, and this book was at some early time bundled with the book of Ezra. Nehemiah and Ezra had to have been close friends. If Ezra wrote the book of Nehemiah, he did so as one writing Nehemiah’s testimony, since Nehemiah speaks in the first person throughout the book. Nehemiah is a wonderful example of a man living in prayerful trust of the Lord, and a man willing to take on huge tasks because of his full belief in God. He is a wonderful example of a leader who does not take advantage of his position to enrich himself, but works for the good of all the people.

ISAIAH 34:Yesterday, amid the statements of judgment for Assyria in chapter 33, we still heard amazing prophecies in Isaiah. Here are two of them:

Is. 33:17 NLT Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor,     and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.

24 The people of Israel will no longer say,    “We are sick and helpless,”    for the Lord will forgive their sins.

PHILIPPIANS 2:Here is a promise to claim from the first chapter of Philippians:

Php. 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

NLT Translation note: Php. 2:9 Therefore, God elevated [has] him to the place of highest honor and [has given//gave] him the name above all other names,

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

EZRA 9-10: Yesterday we heard how Ezra introduced himself. Note that he spoke of himself in the 3rd person, but finally resorted to ‘I’. King Artaxerxes was certainly impressed by Ezra! Ezra was given  everything he could have wanted, guaranteeing full government support of the temple worship in every way. Note how methodical Ezra was, making sure that he took Levites and temple servants along. His total party must have been at least 1,000 men. So with women and children, it would have been quite a group. And evidently others were coming back separately as well.

ISAIAH 33: Having eyes to see and ears to hear is a theme in Isaiah, and remember what Jesus always said, “You got ears, don’t ya? Well then use them!” (My translation.) So this part of yesterday’s reading bears repeating:

Is. 32:1 NLT Look, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him. 2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land. 3 Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth, and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.

PHILIPPIANS 1: Remember how Paul in 2nd Corinthians showed clearly that he loved the Corinthian believers. Now in Philippians, written around the year 61 when Paul was under house arrest in Rome, we have a love letter to the Philippian church. However unlike 2nd Corinthians, in this letter there is no scolding. This is a prison letter. Paul has suffered so much! Yet there is such a tone of joy in this letter from beginning to end. One is reminded that it was in Philippi where Paul and Silas were unjustly beaten and put in the lowest dungeon, but were singing praises in the middle of the night.

This letter includes Paul’s wonderful poem of praise about the humility of Christ and the final outcome of his self-sacrifice. And Paul exhorts us to imitate Christ in his humility. This also means that we should forgive one another and strive for unity. Note the example of the Euodia and Syntyche in chapter 4. And this letter of Philippians holds some of the most precious promises in Scripture. Let’s find them and claim them!

NLT Translation notes: Php. 1:7 [So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. [You are partners with me in the ministry that was given to me because of the grace of God. And you have shared with me//You share with me the special favor of God,] both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. //PET 7 It's proper for me to think like that about you, of course, because I feel that you have a place in my heart. That's because you've become my coworkers in the task that God has given me. That task was given to me only because of His kindness. My task is to defend and maintain the Good News from God, whether I'm in prison or not. And God Himself knows that I really long for all of you with the love that comes from Christ Jesus.] 25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your [fully believing in Christ//faith]. 27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for [what we fully believe//the faith], which is the Good News.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

EZRA 7-8: Yesterday we read of how King Darius completely sided with the Israelites seeking to reestablish the temple worship. Note that the letter to Darius from the government officials was rather complementary and not threatening loss to the king’s interests as the letter from the earlier officials. Remember also that this King Darius is the one who was duped into putting Daniel into the lions’ den, and who then issued a decree that everyone must respect Daniel’s God.

ISAIAH 32: Isaiah’s prophecy in yesterday’s reading certainly came true!

Is. 31:8 NLT “The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The sword of God will strike them, and they will panic and flee.

That happened on the night recorded in 2Kings 19 where the Lord put to death 185,000 men. Quote,

“When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.”

2CORINTHIANS 13: Yesterday we read the reasons why Paul boasted about his weaknesses— something that is utterly unintuitive for worldly people to understand. Then Paul continued to speak about what he hoped NOT to find on his upcoming visit to the Corinthian believers.

Chapter 13 is another good place to tout the virtues of a good meaning based translation. Paul uses the word ‘test’ in three different senses in this chapter. This makes several verses hard to understand in a literal translation. The NLT and the GNT have done a good job helping the reader understand the different senses in which Paul used that word.

Let’s continue from the last paragraph of chapter 12.

NLT Translation notes: 2Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves to see if [you really fully believe//your faith is genuine]. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of [fully believing in Christ//genuine faith].

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

EZRA 5-6:When the Israelites returned from exile, they were determined to get worship started again, and they made great progress, not waiting for the temple to be repaired in order to start sacrifices on an altar built upon the old location. They made a fast start to building too. But then opposition developed, and several Persian kings later the progress was halted.

ISAIAH 31: One of the great verses from yesterday’s reading was this:

Is. 30:15 NLT This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.

And here is a good summary verse:

30:18 NLT So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

2CORINTHIANS 11:30—12: Paul took his gloves off yesterday and was forced to talk like a madman. I like how some of Paul’s statements drip with irony in that section. And you gotta believe that is hard to translate!

The part we are about to read about Paul’s weakness is one of my favorites. We’ll start with re-reading the last four verses from chapter 11.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

EZRA 3-4:Ezra, a scribe and priest, doesn’t start speaking about himself until chapter 7. Ancient copies of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written on the same scroll, and Jewish tradition holds that Ezra wrote both of them. The dates of writing are somewhere between 458 and 420 BC. I kind of doubt that Ezra was the author for both books, because the writer of Nehemiah starts out right away using the first person pronoun ‘I’. The two books deal with two periods of time: Ezra deals with the rebuilding of the temple, and Nehemiah deals with the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

Yesterday in Ezra we heard about Cyrus’ decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, the return of the temple treasures that were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, and the first large wave of returning exiles and their gifts to God.

ISAIAH 30:Yesterday’s reading in Isaiah 29 included several verses quoted in the New Testament about Israel’s hypocrisy. Then at the end, did you catch who Isaiah was talking about?

Is. 29:18 NLT In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book,and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.20 The scoffer will be gone,the arrogant will disappear,

Isaiah was NOT talking about the healing of just any ordinary deaf and blind people, but those people previously mentioned: The Israelites who refused to open their ears or open their eyes— who refused to read a book given to them, and yet were arrogant scoffers.

If you are NOT reading a good meaning-based translation, then it is very likely that you will misunderstand today reading in Isaiah 30 verse 7. The Rahab mentioned is NOT the woman that received Joshua’s spies!

2CORINTHIANS 11:Up to yesterday’s reading, Paul has been more reserved in criticising the men who have come masquerading as apostles. Those men have been more forceful speakers than Paul, and it has seemed that Paul is only bold in his letters. He said,

2Cor. 10:12 NLT Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are!

But we will see that Paul takes his gloves off as we go forward. Yet, what he boasts about follows that verse he quoted from Jeremiah:

2Cor.10:17 NLT As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”

NLT Translation notes: 8 I “robbed” [— so to speak,] other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. 19 After all, [0/you think] you are so wise[ that//, but] you enjoy putting up with fools!

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

EZRA 1:Before going to Ezra, I want to say that one can do a whole lot of digging deeper in the last two chapters of Daniel. History tells about those kings, and we know from what Jesus said and what is written in Revelation, that God plans for history to repeat itself. The main ‘take-away’ points are clear, just as they are in Revelation: Blessed are those who endure and live wise and holy lives.

It is a great time now to return to those three small remaining books of history remaining for us to read this year: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. These books allow us to see the fulfilment of prophecies we have read about. King Cyrus was one of the kings served by Daniel and alluded to in his prophetic visions. Now, in Ezra, we will read Cyrus’ proclamation, which is in accordance with Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 year duration of the exile in Babylonia. And we haven’t read it yet, but Isaiah specifically names Cyrus twice— writing about him some 150 to 200 years before Cyrus was born.

Ezra, a scribe and priest, doesn’t start speaking about himself until chapter 7. Originally the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were one book, and Jewish tradition holds that Ezra wrote both of them. The dates of writing are somewhere between 458 and 420 BC.

ISAIAH 29:The advantage of reading a meaning based translation like the GNT/NLT is that you readers and listeners had the pleasure of understanding the mocking of Isaiah (or God, in the NLT) by the people of Israel, and Isaiah and God’s mocking response (28:7-13). Then in that context, it is shocking to find the famous verses quoted in the New Testament:

Is. 28:16 NLT Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,a firm and tested stone.It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.Whoever believes need never be shaken.

The New Testament quotes this verse three times. In all three, the last line has the object “believes in him” (Jesus) because Paul and Peter quoted from the Septuagint, the ancient translation of the OT into Greek.

2CORINTHIANS 10:The heart of what Paul was teaching about in chapter 9 about the practice of Christian charity is this:

2Cor. 9:6 NLT 6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

Just like Philippians 4, it should never be forgotten that the promise of God providing (such as v.8) is found in the context of people who are already unselfishly supporting God’s work.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

DANIEL 10:20—12:In yesterday’s reading, we heard Daniel’s sincere prayer. Note that he had been seeking the Lord with limited fasting for 3 weeks. Then the angel Gabriel is again sent with a message for Daniel. Note that the phrase ‘anoint the Most Holy Place’ is probably referring to what we read about in Hebrews recently— that which our High Priest Jesus did in heaven. Gabriel’s message about seventy sets of seven, or seventy weeks and 62 weeks, are both a difficult translational problem and a prophetic mystery. If we could solve the prophetic mystery, then we would know how to translate it.

Then in chapter 10, Daniel saw the awesome angel, and Daniel was so overcome that he needed to be strengthened in order to hear and understand the angel’s message. Note that the angel knew that Daniel’s prayers and humbling himself through fasting and other means were for the purpose of gaining understanding.

ISAIAH 28:Yesterday’s chapter was again full of contrasts. Israel is God’s fruitful vine, and he slays the great sea serpent (which pictures Satan) for his vine. But then God also calls Israel a stupid nation and vows that they will not escape the punishment they deserve.

2CORINTHIANS 9:Today we read the second of two chapters encouraging the Corinthian church to participate in the monetary help that Paul and his friends were proposing for the believers back in Judea. In chapter 8 Paul used the example of the Macedonian believers to spur the Corinthian church on. He also praised the Corinthians for being the first to think of this project. Now he urges them to do what they planned. Then he showed how this gift would be faithfully administered, and simultaneously put pressure on the Corinthian church with the arrival of men who were designated to be responsible for delivering the gifts. Verse 9 is a major motivation for giving generously to any cause the glorifies Christ:

2Cor. 8:9 NLT You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

DANIEL 9-10:Yesterday in Daniel, we heard of the vision of four beasts representing four kingdoms. After the fourth would be the start of the rule of One whose kingdom would last forever. This vision was explained, then Daniel had a second and more detailed vision. It is a major amazing sign of God’s sovereignty over human governments that Alexander the Great is so clearly portrayed, and after that the iron kingdom of Rome. Just as certain as these things happened, our Savior’s reign will one day come to earth.

I have been referring to Daniel 7 all year, to the section where he saw ‘someone like a son of man’ surrounded by clouds. Chapter 7 of Daniel happens to be one of the few Old Testament passages written in Aramaic. The words ‘son of man’ form a common idiom which simply means a normal-looking human being. In Hebrew, God called Ezekiel ‘son of man’ 93 times in Ezekiel’s book, and an angel calls Daniel ‘son of man’ in chapter 8:17. In all those cases, the Hebrew words ‘son of man’ can also be translated as ‘son of Adam’. The thing that sets the ‘Son of Man’ apart in Daniel 7 is what is prophesied about Him:  

Dan. 7:14 NLT He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

ISAIAH 26:20-21 and Isaiah 27:There were beautiful verses in yesterday’s reading, too many to review. I choose to highlight verses 2-4:

Is. 26:2 NLT Open the gates to all who are righteous;    allow the faithful to enter.3 You will keep in perfect peace    all who trust in you,    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!4 Trust in the Lord always,    for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

I found it interesting that Israel’s suffering was compared to a woman in childbirth, but unlike a childbirth, Israel produced nothing:

Is. 26:18 NLT We, too, writhe in agony,    but nothing comes of our suffering.We have not given salvation to the earth,    nor brought life into the world.

Israel was supposed to share the knowledge of the Lord with other peoples, but they neglected to do that.

In the NLT, the last two verses of chapter 26 start a new section which extends through all of chapter 27. The section is entitled Restoration for Israel. We’ll start there today, at verse 20.

2CORINTHIANS 8:Yesterday we heard of the terrible time of suffering Paul and his companions faced in Macedonia, where he had gone to find Titus. But when Titus came, it brought wonderful joy, because he brought such encouraging news about the Corinthian believers.

NLT Translation notes:Dan. 9:10 We have not obeyed [you, O//the] LORD our God, for we have not followed the instructions [you/he] gave us through his servants the prophets. (Similarly in 13-14.)13 Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from [you, O//the] LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing [your/his] truth.14 Therefore, [you, Lord have//the LORD has] brought upon us the disaster [you/he] prepared. [You Lord have been//The LORD our God was] right to do all of these things, for we did not obey [you/him].19 “O Lord, [please hear us//hear]. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, [please] listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”10:1 In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, [I] Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. [I/He] understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.====2Cor. 8:20 We are [going to be] traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

DANIEL 7-8:In Daniel yesterday, we heard the famous ‘writing on the wall’ chapter. That is where that idiom in English comes from! While that was happening with King Belshazzar, the Medes and Persians were outside the wall and the prophecies of Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah all happened. Daniel was to be proclaimed the third ruler because Belshazzar was in fact the second ruler under his absentee father, Nabonidus. Then under King Darius, Daniel was thrown to the lions. I am estimating that Daniel would have been around 70 years old at that time.

ISAIAH 26:Yesterday’s reading in Isaiah was not primarily dark with the sun piercing the darkness momentarily, but was a sunny psalm of praise. We heard even of the marriage supper of the Lamb, and there were glorious verses like this:

Is. 25:4 NLT But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O LORD,a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.You are a refuge from the stormand a shelter from the heat.

But at the end of yesterday’s chapter, gloomy clouds blew in with a word about the nation of Moab.

2CORINTHIANS 6:11—7:In our first reading in chapter 6 we have already heard what it meant practically for Paul and his fellow apostles to be led as ‘captives’ or ‘prisoners’ in Christ’s victory parade.

2Cor. 2:14 NLT But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. …

The Greek does not actually have a word that corresponds to ‘prisoner’, but that seems to be Paul’s meaning when one factors in what Paul said in chapter 6. So being in this parade doesn’t mean a life of ease. Even though in chapter 5 he says they are Christ’s ambassadors, they are ambassadors that carry precious treasure in earthen vessels— very aware that the earthly tent (their bodies) could be destroyed at any time. It cost them so much to deliver this message:

2Cor. 6:1 NLT As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says,“At just the right time, I heard you.On the day of salvation, I helped you.”Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.