While doing a study on the life of the apostle Paul, I began to wonder if he was actually named Saul after the 1st king of Israel. I began to make comparisons between the two and found several things that they had in common. The name Saul means "desired" while the name Paul means "little". It's interesting to think that Paul started off as Saul, or the one to be desired, but when God got a hold of him, he became Paul the little one. Sounds like the words of John the Baptist when he said of Christ, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30
The Book of Isaiah has been called by many "the miniature Bible". It has 66 chapters just as our Bible has 66 books. An odd thing occurs starting at chapter 40 of Isaiah. The content of the book changes so much that some have claimed there were two different authors. Perhaps God was showing us something about this miniature Bible. The separation goes like this, the first 39 chapters go together and the last 27 chapters go together. Our Old testament has 39 books and the New Testament has of course 27 books. What a coincidence huh? That's not all. Isaiah chapter 40 (which would be the equivalent to the Book of Matthew- the 40th book) has a prophecy about John the Baptist. It occurs in verse number 3, here it is "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.". Wouldn't it be interesting if this prophecy from Isaiah 40:3 was associated with John the Baptist in the Book of Matthew (the 40th book being equivalent to the 40th chapter) and chapter number 3? Check out Matthew 3:3, "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.". Only God could put together a book like that.
Upon returning from my trip last week, I found myself to be unusually tired. I had lost enough sleep and stayed on the go so much that I felt worn out. Biblically speaking, I was weary. Even the young men will become weary at times (Isaiah 40:30). I find it comforting to know that even Jesus was "wearied with his journey" (John 4:6). To be weary means to need rest and refreshment (Isaiah 28:12). Weariness is often connected to fainting; that is, to falling out of the race. There is where the real danger comes. I thank the Lord that He gave me a good night's rest last night and I am beginning to feel refreshed again. Isaiah 40:31 truly says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
More and more, preachers are departing from doctrinal preaching. A church sign recently read, "Doctrine divides but Christ unites." We think that we are doing people a favor by skipping the doctrine and preaching the sermons on finances, health, friendships and family. The fact is that sound doctrine is the foundation for sound practical living. If you have false doctrine it will lead to false practice. A perfect example of this is found in Simon Peter. We read in John 18 about Judas and his men coming to get our Lord, but before they could take Him, Simon Peter takes out a sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed Malchus. Later in the same chapter Jesus makes a statement that gives us some insight as to what Peter's problem was. In verse number 36 Jesus says "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight". Obviously, Simon Peter believed that this was the timing for the kingdom. His faulty interpretation of doctrine led him into faulty practice. Obviously good doctrine leads to good practice. So what kind of practical living does your doctrine produce?
Isaiah 14:23 states, "I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts." What is a besom? It is only mentioned in this one place in the Bible and it is a broom. This is clear in the context because it is used for sweeping. Would 'broom' then be a better rendering for modern English? Not at all. A brief study of the besom shows why it is used here. Originally, a besom was a bundle of rods or twigs used as an instrument of punishment. The word is used in English in this context as early as 893. Later (by 1000), it was used to refer to a tool for sweeping: a bundle of straw, heather, twigs, etc., bound to the end of a handle; that is, a broom. By the fourteenth century, it was used figuratively of any agent that cleanses, purifies, or sweeps away unwanted things. All three of these meanings come together in the besom of Isaiah 14:23. No other English word (including 'broom') could say it better. [historical information from Oxford English Dictionary]
One of the most common "proofs" of the Calvinists for irresistible grace and the need for regeneration before faith is the analogy which compares the lost person to a dead person. The argument goes like this:
