Resolution - to read the Bible

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I love the prophets: Isaiah is a favourite of mine. Jesus seemed to be fond of these writings too.
Ch. 5 reads like a simple story of a man planting and taking care of a vineyard, protecting it from outside with a hedge and a watchtower, preparing for an abundant harvest - but it grew bitter grapes. He compares it to the corruption in Judah and Jerusalem. And he predicts that they will be destroyed. The people expected justice but saw bloodshed. Those in power joined house to house, field to field creating a landless class. They are proud; they call evil good and good evil. They deprive the innocent of their rights;; they reject the instructions of the Lord. A parable; a warning; a prophecy.
In chapter 6, Isaiah tells of his call: 'In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord...'Uzziah, was followed by his son Jotham, then his grandson Ahaz. During Ahaz' reign the nations of Aram and Israel attack Jerusalem. Ahaz consults with Isaiah, and Ahaz asks for a sign that they will not be destroyed. Isaiah reassures him that 'a young woman (virgin) ...shall bear a son. Before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.' The ancestral house of King Ahaz, a descendant of David, will be saved.
Chapter 8 tells of Isaiah and 'the prophetess' having a son. And before that son is old enough to talk, Assyria will defeat Damascus and Samaria.
The reading plan now switches to the prophet Amos. I'll read that tonight.
 
Like Isaiah, the book of Amos is beautifully written in poetic form. Unlike Isaiah, it is a short book. I read it through in one setting.
Isaiah and Amos were contemporaries - Isaiah in the southern kingdom of Judah; Amos travelling north to Israel.
Their message to thee rulers and religious leaders is similar - by neglecting your duties and forgetting the covenant you are bringing disaster upon your nation. He points out their errors: they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, they trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way ...
The fact that they make a show of being religious will not help them: I hate, I despise your festivals ... even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings ... your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the meloddy of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.
In Amos we find Israel being measured by a plumb line and found wanting: being compared to a basket of fruit that appears ripe and sweet on top but is rotten in the middle. The result according to Amos will be famine, pestulance, and exile.
But in the last chapter, Amos promises (speaking for the Lord) that 'I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob...I willl raise up the booth of David that is fallen. Ch. 9: 13 - 15 is full of promise.

I become interested in the prophets around the time of 9/11. So much of whaat was wrong in Judah and Israel then, seemed to describe the North American situation today - threats of foreign wars, exploitation and oppression of the poor at home, the widening division between rich and poor,
the appearance of wealth and power but the rot below. And the show of religion, but without the justice and righteousness required by the covenant relationship with God. Unfortunately it seems to be getting worse. I am afraid for our way of life. I hang onto the hope that 'a remnant will be saved.' Even more so that we will repent of our foolishness, aand collectively work for the good of bringing about God's realm on earth.

Tomorrow we go back to 2nd Chronicles.
 
@ Seeler

Did it register what # Isaiah is labelled with ...? Out of how many in a standard bible? The is 66 2/3 of a Hebrew community ... that's Cents, as a mite icon ... in a world gone crazy over economics and forgot the support system people ... Haggadai?

Do they act like gods and heroically do conflict ... as if they don't know any other way? Such is impression of brutii! Some say Brutus ... is that thou ... ruagh words without substance? Tis dark art ...

A' Mu-sun unusual creation ... you know "mu" ...
 
2 Chronicles 27, a short chapter telling of the succession of King Jotham after the death of his father King Amaziah. Jotham did what is right in the eyes of the Lord. That may account for the fact that the next few chapters of Isaiah tell of a time when Judah was righteous and peaceful (as opposed to Israel which was under increased threat of destruction). In Judah Isaiah uses images of dark and light. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. ... for a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Christians have claimed this refers to Jesu' birth and read it at Christmas. But was Isaiah writing something he predicted to happen centuries in the future? Or was he writing for the people of the time in which he lived? Was this child perhaps the king's son, or maybe Isaiah's son? Or did it perhaps refer to the potential of any new born bbaby?
Isaiah goes on to predict that even in Israel a remnant will be saved - from the stump of Jesse, a shoot shall come. And he visions a time when all be perfect to the point where the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling ogether, and a little child shall lead them.
The a remnant of the people of Israel who have been dispersed by the Assyrians will return - aa way shall be made for them - compared to the time when they came up from Egypt.
 
Micah - the entire book of Micah is seven chapters so I read it in one setting. It reminded me of Isaiah. In fact they were contemporaries and may have known each other or at least were familiar with each other's writings. They are very similar. ie both contain the passage about beating swords into plowshares, both see the Assyrians overrunning Israel and the people displaced and Jerusalem threatened, both promise that a remnant will be saved.
Micah is perhaps best known by Christians for the short passage about Bethlehem, one of the little clans of Judah "from youshall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel.' Many Christians think of this as a prophesy of the coming of the Messiah.
Micah also contains the well known, but often poorly understood, passage answering the question 'what does the Lord require of you?' 'do justice, and to love kindness (mercy or compassion), and to walk humbly with your God.'
 
Seeler said:
Micah - the entire book of Micah is seven chapters so I read it in one setting. It reminded me of Isaiah. In fact they were contemporaries and may have known each other or at least were familiar with each other's writings. They are very similar. ie both contain the passage about beating swords into plowshares, both see the Assyrians overrunning Israel and the people displaced and Jerusalem threatened, both promise that a remnant will be saved.
Micah is perhaps best known by Christians for the short passage about Bethlehem, one of the little clans of Judah "from youshall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel.' Many Christians think of this as a prophesy of the coming of the Messiah.
Micah also contains the well known, but often poorly understood, passage answering the question 'what does the Lord require of you?' 'do justice, and to love kindness (mercy or compassion), and to walk humbly with your God.'
Click to expand...

That last phrasing is so mysterious to one-way populations ... creates myths ... unknowns whether they that know everything (god) are cognizant of it or not ... often not ... the quest ended too early ...

Blessings of the given (Grace) may appear when least expected ... could be a flood ... demiurge, or Moor?
 
2nd Chronicles 27; 2nd Kings 16-17
On King Jotham's death his son Ahaz became king in Judah. Unlllike his father and grandfather, Ahaz did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. All the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel have been described as evil. There was confusion and chaos in the land. Within the poor were exploited, the wealthy were corrupt. From without their borders were attack by neighbouring tribes. The divided nation fought between themselves. There was threat from Egypt. Judah turned to Assyria for help against Israel and Assyria turned on both. The temple was robbed of its treasures to pay for defense. Idolatry was a long standing problem and it grew worse, as the King Ahaz turned to foreign gods for help and even sacrificed his children to them. The Bible seems to interpret this as God withdrawing his blessing on his chosen people because they have broken the covenant, and is now punishing them. This was the time of the prophets - Amos in Israel; Micah and Isaiah in Judah.
I wonder about cause and effect. Did the nation fall apart because of foreign attack? or did the surrounding nations sense its weakness because it was rotten to the core? Or did these two events happen simultaniously? Did the people turn away from God because they were evil? Or did they feel that they could no longer put their trust in God? Was God punishing them, or were their problems the result of their own faults or the threat of other nations?
Next we turn back to Isaiah and see what more he has to say about what is happpening in Judah at this time.
 
The next few chapters of Isaiah consist of oracles concerning the various nations in the middle east at that time from the Nile to the Tigris & Euphrates. Egypt, the Negeb, Media, Dumah, Tema, Kedar (places I've never heard of),Tyre, Assyria - impending judgement.
Then in chapter 25 - 27 - praise for deliverance, Judah's song of victory.
 
Back to 2 Kings 18 and 2 Chronicles 29-31 - Kings tells briefly of Hezekiah te next king of Judah. Although his father, Ahaz, was a very bad king, Hezekiah was a good king who did what was right in the site of the Lord. Chronicles expands on Hezekiah's reign. The alters to the foreign gods were destroyed, and the temple cleansed and restored. A celebration of the Passover was planned, and Hezekiah invite the northern tribes of Israel to attend. Many refused, but some made the journey to the temple in Jerusalem. Lots of names - priests and Levites, descriptions of the sacrifices - this was a big celebration. Psalm 48
 
Thanks for askking Crazyheart. I'm busy,, busy, busy - partly becaause it takes me much longer to do ordinary things than it used to (things as simple as brushing my teeth, or getting dressed, or peeling a potato - partly because I have to build in rest periods in my day - partly because I don't want to give up the things I've enjoyed doing. I'm not ready to sit in the recliner and watch TV all day. So, I'm busy. But I'm well and thankful that I am still able to lead a somewhat normal life. How are you?
 
Hosea - a short book, only 14 chapters. The guide suggests breaking it into three readings but I read it as one.
Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos, and Micah. His book is different from theirs in that he tells us about his family. He married Gomer saving her from prostitution to idols. They had three children together - boy, girl, boy - all given symbolic names. He became a single parent when his wife returned to idolatry and adultery. He forgave her and brought her home again.

Hosea compares his relationship to his family to God's relationship to Israel. God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, loved them, cared for them like a parent cares for a child. And they rebelled against him - worshipping idols, drinking, engaging in sexual orgies, fighting, and looking for help from Egypt and Assyria (both ancient enemies of Israel) rather than trusting in God. Speaking for God, Hosea reviews their history, reminds them of their blessings, judges them and finds them guilty. He outllines their punishment.
Chapter 11 is beautiful:
"When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
...
[FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif]It was I who taught Ephraim to walk.
I took them up in my arms
...
I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks.
I bent down to them and fed them.
(Like a parent caring for a child; unusual for a man to write at that time when caring for small children was woman's work.l)
Their punishment:
"They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me."


But then: "My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my fierce anger,
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
For I am God and no mortal,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath."[/FONT]

The unconditional love of God, forgiveness, an opportunity to try again.
Yes, there will be consequences but Judah will not be destroyed.

[FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
 
For me the quote in bold in the previous post is one of the most important verses in the Hebrew scriptures.
I look on the Bible as a continuing story of God's revelation and our search for and developing understanding of our relationship with God and the world.
Through much of the earlier stories God is sometimes seen as a 'super' human. All powerful, but like us God gets angry, acts irrationally, in jealous, demands praise, can be pleased and persuaded, changes his mind. He is seen as a powerful ally leading his chosen favourites into battle and promising success, or acting as a harsh judge.
But in this verse from Hosea we see God as above these traits. God is compassionate and forgiving, rather than angry and judgemental.
I put it up there with Isaiah's "swords to ploughshears"; Amos' call for justice "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream"; and Micah's "justice, mercy, humility". I'm beginning to see a god of love.
 
Not disturb your train of thought and revelation too much but in another thread I referred to the Wiki article on de deus ...

Check it out for the de deus NG across time ... in one place the article mentions the mysterious dumping of the concept of intuition ...

Is this just to deny the Ephraim in us of woman, mother and all that crap that misogyny brings ... contrary to the 6th command?

That shoots a hole in some fabrics of "respectfully" ... being write and gone ... lost between the pages! Mindfully emptied as the pages of time are extracted and role dinto tubes as imaged in quantum string theology! Back to the Great Weaver again and purpose of the vast myth ... a bird or buoyed sensation with a slip of the Jungian Penne?

Leaves me feeling a bit Juiced or Jew Zion .. with great sapiens ... an old word for a pool 've sour mash ... the indigenous Celts used corn or ryew mash as they could afford as the Northumberland Tribes squeezed them towards exile, elimination, or starvation ... thus the spirit being numbed by grain extracts ... to forget what the powers would do to be the Last Man Standing (Willie Nelson's new album).

I somehow believe this listing is like ΦØ ... since there is no "q" in true Greek of biblical matter! Could it be "k" of a icon denoting reflection? Is that intuitive?

Some timely digging required to upend that buried talent ...

Does a man contain something of his mother and grandmother buried in de Jinns (djinns)? In psychic manner it could be incubus, or succubus if the genre is upset and reciprocated ... as alchemically illustrated in chelate that expresses bis and trans as mirrors ... designating reverse presentation in neural genetics ...

This stuff is beyond our wisdom and yet still the blind frig with it ... many doctors not even understanding the kappa opioid thresholds!

Ever read the Pandora Prescription? The publication appears to be suppressed but I have a copy ... the oppressing forces are hidden but obvious to an ethereal few!

Medical tyranny? Thus false authority resides in all fields ...
 
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Isaiah - for the last few days I've been reading more from Isaiah. The prophet speaks of judgement of rulers of the nations, but also offers hope.
Much of the book is written in poetic form and speaking prophesy, some of it reads like the psalms; but there are also passages of prose that seem more like the writing in Kings. Hezekiah is now king of Judah, and he is considered a good king who puts his trust in God - and the Assyrian armies at the gates of Jerusalem are struck down with sickness and withdraw. Hezekiah also becomes sick, but because of his prayers God grants him fifteen more years to rule in peace. The next threat comes from Babylon, after Hezekiah's death.
Chapter 39 is the last in the first part of the Book of Isaiah - thought to have been written by the prophet himself, though it may have been revised or added to.
Chapter 40 seems to have been written some 200 years later - by someone else. Much has happened. Judah has been defeated by the Babylonians and many of the people carried off into captivity. Here the writer(s) offer comfort and encouragement. 'Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly of Jerusalem ...'
In the next few chapters we find many familiar sayings. They are frequently used in literature and music. Handel's 'Messiah' quotes from this part of Isaiah. It is also quoted in the New Testament. 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the LOrd, make straight in the desert a highway for oour God.' God's help is assured; idols are futile.
Here we read of the suffering servant. Many Christians think this refers to Christ and his suffering on the cross. But possibly considering who wrote it, who was the intended recipient, and the time it was written, it referred to the nation of Israel itself. They were suffering but through their suffering they would be restored.
Jesus had humble beginnings born in a stable, and he did refer to himself as a servant - especially in the story of washing the disciples feet. He was 'despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.' He shared his life with the common people. I sometimes wonder why we who worship a servant leader anticipate his return as a warrior king. Maybe he'll come again as a humble person.
Back to Isaiah - Israel is to be a light to the nations opening the eyes of the blind, bringing prisoners from the dungeon.
 
Back now to 2 Kings 18, 19 = Hezekiah is king of Judah; Hoshea is king of Israel. The Assyrians defeat Israel and the people are taken into captivity and deported from their land. From Israel the Assyrians attack Judah. For a time Hezekiah pays tribute to Assyria, but then he puts his trust in God. The Assyrians lay siege on Jerusalem and try to turn the people against Hezekiah but Hezekiah holds firm. Then, as the prophet Isaiah predicts, the Assyrian army is struck with a fatal illness, and those surviving quickly withdraw. When he returns home the Assyrian king is killed by his sons.
Complementary to the reading from Isaiah.

Psalm 48 - praise; 80 - a plea for restoration; 135 - praise and thanksgiving for past support
 
I note that Isaiah is a 23rd tome of the collection that is considered loaded with sages and dodges ... so as not to be appearing as simply known ... a complex light to say least! Then we have the matter of 2 - 3 ... or 2x3 ... penned or sect leading to ד a letter mimicked in Greek as "r" as the right light coming up in the east and going down in the west ... Γ... γ ... sometimes known as the gamma avatar ... as dark as the night Skye ... could be 7 or Cephas ... the divers!

These may be indicative of real life forms as different from mental symbols ... the mind not being existent in passionate centers ... virtue at the core? Thus buried talents ... underneath all that ... lies there in reality? Are there disconnects as anti socialistic effort to do away with the swamp of humanity ... common peoples?

Dante had to deal with the dodge of Genoa ... generating an different face ... the inner one ...
 
Back again to Isaiah, chapters 49-55 - Isaiah again speaks of Israel as the Lord's servant - to be a light unto the Gentiles.
The people living in exile because they turned their backs to the Lord, will be redeemed and return to Zion (Jerusalem). Righteousness and Justice will be restored. Poems about the suffering servant - often thought to be prophesy of the suffering of the Messiah during his trial and crucifiction.

The exiles are offered comfort and hope - Israel is compared to a barren woman who will have children. The people are invited to participate in a new and everlasting covenant. "You will go out in joy, and be led forth in peace."

Thus endth the second part of the book of Isaiah. In my opinion it contains some of the most beautiful visions and language in the Bible.

The tone and writing style changes in chapter 56. For there to the end of the book it seems to be a collection of short pieces by various writers.
 
Isaiah 56-58 - a surprise. In chapter 56 I find that restoration of right relationships with God is not restricted to the 'chosen people' but will include others 'eunuchs' and 'foreigners' who live right. 'my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.' This seems to be quite a departure from the strict rules laid out in Leviticus about who could approach the ark of the covenant.

The sins for which the people were punished are again ppointed out - especially the worship of idols and the sacrifice of children. And again forgiveness and comfort for the contrite.
True fasting - a call for righteousness, letting the oppressed go free, food for the hungry, shelter for the wanderer, clothing for the naked. Let your light shine.
Was this what Jesus was referring to when he read in the synagogue in Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry?
 
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