Isaiah 43:1-28 KJV
1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

You ever wonder about who this God is that changes the dynamics of his people based on their own rejection of his ways. God promises destruction to the enemy if we follow his ways, and yet we see something else happening in the chapter it speaks of the condition of allowing God to be the only one, and what happens when one allows idols into the mix, the destruction of Israel would follow. Israel was chosen nation to demonstrate God's power. Also chosen to be his nation, and yet his own nation wants to be like the rest of the world.

I know the first three verses were used for yesterday lesson, but this whole chapter speaks something that seen through out scripture however if you are on God's team, then you see not God's destruction, unless you are in a place that destruction of God's people is coming because of their sin. Is God's people rejected because of sin, or is this a form of correction so they can see the otherside of the fence of the cost of the lives of the people they gone against and won against, without opening the door of faith to these people.

We can not forget the harlot Rahab and her faith despite her profession, and her city of that would fall at the hands of Israel. Lord did not dishonor her for being not an Israelite but God's word became her protector. That story all the way back in days of the wilderness going to the promise land. God has promised to protect all that will humble themselves and obey him. Not through the works but by faith.

King Darius in Ezra feared God enough to set Israel free from exile to enter the homeland to built the wall and the temple. Before the exile God was looking at the fat and riches of Israel and seeing how the things of their design was corrupting their faith. God turning his back Israel would allow them to go in exile those with and without faith. Those with faith would teach outside Israel the word of God to the believers and the gentiles. Yet those with faith upon return to build would not allow the gentiles in. God crucified his own Son to redeem the world of their sin. We can view the story by reading the whole Old Testament but what we fail to see is Christ purpose was not only to redeem his people from all over the world, but to bring them back to the promise land of faith to bring his chosen redeemer to the world. Not through war but in peace times.

Not through sacrifice of human life for him. Yet human's would be sacrificed for faith, because of the world misunderstanding why God was showing favor to the outcast of Israel and around the world. Even with miracles man has rejected God. Even with hope given through his Son, the world still rejects without belief.

God's remnant still has hope, still has faith, why speaking of the church. Remnant believing because of miracles understanding the sin in the world is causing their problems and willing to go into their own destruction to share the truth and light to those in sin. A cycle that can not be forgotten. A cycle that can not change. God promise is people that walk through water and through fire they will not be harmed. Doesn't mean they will not deal with what common to man, it means he saying that they will suffer no spiritual destruction if they trust in God's Word, And his word is Jesus in the flesh to his church that walks in faith today.

God did not give the Holy Spirit to his church to not have comfort. He provided his Spirit to comfort us in the storms of life. It sometimes easier to trust God in the split seconds of life troubles then in the long drawn out journey. In a car wreck taught me of God comfort for the moment of time, and yet through the cancer I experienced that same peace that all would be alright. Sometimes we only can see the immediate pain of the problem and not the one that is charge of our lives. Our focus is out sorts. After the wreck I believe God took me through the wreck, but he carried me through the pain, because I could not see his grace of only few injuries despite the type of wreck it was.

When we suffer for even a few minutes to 14 years or life time because of illness, accident or so forth, are we able to see God's grace in our situation, or maybe not. Israel loosing their home seem minor, but in reality it was the part of their foundation of faith that stemmed from their forefather's that they lost. It was a treasured piece of faith that was tangible faith. This was God's nation, and the enemy seemed to be winning. And yet Israel had to learn the idolatry of land was not faith, but the promise of his word of that land being theirs was part of faith. With exile they seen the blessings of God taken from their hands and turned into slavery to task master that was not God. A task master that care only about his greed, his glory, and his kingdom and not those who served them. God warned them if he did not rule them that what would happen. Tangible healing is the blessing but the minute I do not feel normal it seems to be at a loss, no the hope remains that one day their it will be right in my body once more because of the power of God. As I age I suspect my body will begin to fail me, even if I remain pretty healthy. Why, because my body faces decay, and destruction while I remains on this earth. If for the moment of healing it produces hope for eternity because of orignal faith in Christ Jesus, then God brought a comfort by his word and Spirit to my life that can not be taken or replaced.

Those suffering today may not be able to look at faith beyond the need of relief. I get that, but God gets it too and that why you need his Spirit working in your life. God is going to take you through the journey of life, if you believe, and in some cases he heals instantly and other cases he going to hold your hand. When Christ walked the earth man seen marvelous healings, and yet we still do today, but it not always without a designated time of suffering by God. Exekiel is a character who suffered while preaching, Daniel experienced the lions den and Shadrach, Meshrach and Abednigo experience the fire, but most of all Christ experienced the cross for you and me. Blind man in John 9 who was not healed til age fifty. Paul talks about his own suffering with faith, that tells of God's comfort and strength in times of need. The Bible rich of evidence of his mercy and grace in the life of a believer. The miracles by Jesus never ceased, but is not always happening that moment we ask. God's timing for his glory. Our suffering for the benefits of others who suffer without knowledge of God to be testimony to them.

God's promise to his people has never changed whether in exile or outside of exile, whether on the mountain top not able to see, or through valley with the enemy all around. His protection coming and yet persecution reign on his people his chosen people. Why for the world to see God loved them too, because his own people became no different then them. God's people knew the difference of God love from his wrath. And that what we need to show the people his love and the reason for his punishment and correction is for our benefit, not to change into robots, but to continue to enable our free choice in the things we do in our life, that those things will be pleasing to both God and man. When God blots out the sins of the children he sees them no more, but our sin becomes our polution in the world and he sees the reflection of it on the heathen.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for grace as a child of God, always knowing you grace even in the storms because of own polution reflecting on the heathens. May your covering over our sins, not be poluted and shinning in the world, because your wrath is quick and correction severe sometimes in our life. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Rahab believed the word of the Lord spoken to her heart and her peopel's heart

Joshua 2:9-11 KJV
9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Joshua 6:17 KJV
17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.