Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 14:28 to 15:9.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 14:28-32 (NIV)
28  This oracle came in the year King Ahaz died:
29  Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.
30  The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.
31  Wail, O gate! Howl, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.
32  What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? “The LORD has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.”

On verses 28-32:  Earlier in Isaiah 6, Isaiah described the vision he saw in the year that King Uzziah died (approximately 739 B.C.)  Now here in Isaiah 14:28, Isaiah describes the message he received many years later in the year when King Ahaz had died and his son Hezekiah is taking over the throne in Judah.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 13:1-22.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 13 marks the beginning of a new section in Isaiah which is sometimes called the “book of burdens”.  That is because from Isaiah 13 to 23, Isaiah delivers 10 messages to specific nations and Isaiah calls each of these messages in Hebrew a “massa”, or in English a “burden” (sometimes also translated an “oracle”).  When you read Isaiah 13-23 the tone and content are certainly heavy since much of Isaiah 13-23 is talking about judgment against various nations.  Still there are some important lessons we can learn as we go through this section of Isaiah.

Isaiah 13:1-9 (NIV)
1  An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2  Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
3  I have commanded my holy ones; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath– those who rejoice in my triumph.
4  Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 11:1-16.  This passage teaches us about who this promised Messiah is, what this Messiah will do and the impact this Messiah will have.

Isaiah 11:1 (NIV)
1  A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

On verse 1:  For some reason Isaiah has a thing with trees.  In Isaiah 10, Isaiah likens the Assyrians to a forest of tall cedar trees in Lebanon that will be cut down, never to rise again (10:33-34).  In Isaiah 6 Isaiah likens Judah to a bunch of terebinth and oak trees that have been cut down to their stump (6:13), but will rise again.

Now we come to chapter 11 verse 1 where Isaiah says that “[a] shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit”.  Who is Jesse?  Jesse was the father of King David, who lived centuries before Isaiah’s time.  So Isaiah is implying that just when Jesse and King David’s “family tree” seemed to be almost cut down like a stump, a leader will rise up.  This leader, who is called the “shoot” and the “Branch”, is God’s promised Messiah.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 9:8-10:4.

As usual, I highly recommend that you read the whole passage on your own a few times first.  Then take a look at my sharing below.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 9:8-21 (NIV)
8  The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.
9  All the people will know it– Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria– who say with pride and arrogance of heart,
10  “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”
11  But the LORD has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them and has spurred their enemies on.

On verses 9:8 to 10:4:  In response to Israel’s sin and their unwillingness to repent, God will:
–        allow Israel’s enemies to attack and defeat Israel (v11-12)
–        cut off Israel’s elders and prophets (v14-15)
–        remove God’s protecting grace from Israel and instead release God’s wrath, giving rise to chaos and unrest in Israel (v19-20)

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Isaiah 8:1-22.

As usual, I highly recommend that you read the whole passage on your own a few times first.  Then take a look at my sharing below.  Let’s go!

Isaiah 8:1-4 (NIV)
1  The LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
2  And I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me.”
3  Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
4  Before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

On verses 1-4:  God had impressed upon Isaiah these words “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz”, which means “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil”.  God then gets Isaiah to write these words down on a large scroll in the presence of two hostile witnesses (v1-2) who were close associates of King Ahaz of Judah: Uriah the priest (a “sketchy” priest in that when Ahaz wanted to build an altar just like the one the Arameans used to worship idols, he got Uriah to make the sketch (2 Kings 16:10)) and Zechariah, who was most likely King Ahaz’s father-in-law (2 Kings 18:2).