Oct 21, 2022
EZEKIEL 18-19:
Yesterday in Ezekiel we read the riddle of the
two eagles, portraying Israel’s king breaking his sworn covenant
with Babylon. There is a lesson here for us. Normally Babylon would
be considered the enemy, and getting free from the enemy would be
considered a good thing. But NOT SO if the country has made a
promise of loyalty sealed by a vow taken in God’s name!
Faithfulness to oaths and promises in God’s name take precedence
over ‘business as usual’.
ISAIAH 3:
These famous words from yesterday’s chapter in
Isaiah bear repeating today:
Is. 2:2 GNT In days to
come
the mountain where the Temple
stands
will be the
highest one of all,
towering above all the
hills.
Many nations will
come streaming to it,
3
and their people will say,
“Let us go up the hill of the
Lord,
to the Temple of
Israel's God.
He will
teach us what he wants us to do;
we will walk in the paths he has
chosen.
For the Lord's
teaching comes from Jerusalem;
from Zion he speaks to his
people.”
4 He will settle
disputes among great nations.
They will hammer their swords into
plows
and their spears
into pruning knives.
Nations will never again go to
war,
never prepare for
battle again.
JUDE:
We
come today to the little epistle from Jude, the brother of Jesus.
But, significantly, he doesn’t call himself Jesus’ half-brother. He
calls himself the Slave of Christ Jesus. Jude wrote his letter
around the same time as 2 Peter, sometime around AD 60-80. I think
that Peter borrowed material from Jude, rather than the other way
around. One thing that makes me think this is that Jude uses more
material from extra-biblical sources than Peter does in 2 Peter 2.
Jude and Peter were writing in a very difficult time for
Christians, and Jude calls us to contend for the ‘faith’— the
teachings that God has given to us to fully believe.
GNT Translation
notes:
Jud. 3 My dear
friends, I was doing my best to write to you about the salvation we
share in common, when I felt the need of writing at once to
encourage you to fight on for [our beliefs— the true teachings//the
faith] which once and for all God has given to his
people.
20 [PET But my
beloved Brothers and Sisters, each of you should strengthen one
another so that you continue to fully believe in the holy teachings
you have received. Keep on praying with the help of the Holy
Spirit.//GNT But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on
your most sacred [beliefs//faith]. Pray in the power of the Holy
Spirit,]