Bible In One Year-Day 289 (Thursday, October 16, 2014)

Commentary: Isaiah1-4. The ministry of Prophet Isaiah spanned for about forty years. He was a prophet at the time four kings consecutively reigned in Judah; Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The book of Isaiah contains sixty-six chapters just as the Bible has sixty-six books. The first thirty-nine chapters are about the judgment of God on the sins of Judah and the surrounding nations while the last 27 brings hope. Chapters1-5 is an introduction of Prophet Isaiah’s ministry and the state of the decays of the nations; sick nations with fainting hearts.

Isaiah 1:5-6 “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.”

The people wanted to bribe God with the mode of worship and sacrifices while they remained in the annoying iniquity. The hands they lifted were hands of blood. Their sacrifices were futile sacrifices. It was quite unfortunate that everything in the nations went wrong; money, friends, etc.

Isaiah 1:21-23 “How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts (bribes), and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.”

Many times we have tried severally to bribe our conscience instead of making the wrong things right. This is not what God desires from us.

Isaiah 1:18-19 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”

For twenty years, Jacob ran from Esau. On returning, he tried to bribe his conscience. Unfortunately, as he got closer to Esau, his conscience became louder and disquieted. The consequence was that he gave out more than half of what he acquired while on exile and also put his family in danger by sending them to meet Esau and his people while he stood back. To bribe the conscience is to run from the truth. It is to stay away from correcting the wrong by working on an alternative route. It is to pretend as if nothing is wrong. It is acting ‘good’ with a filthy heart. It is putting on religion while God is absent within (darkness). It is refusing to make restitution where necessary.

The cry of the gospel is “repent ye, for the kingdom of God is at hand” It is the same cry in the Epistle.

Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

And that is the cry from heaven now.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Surprisingly, there is no righteous person in heaven; you will only find them in hell.

1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Apostles Peter, Paul, John, etc were sinners who repented and made heaven. They reasoned with the Lord and their sins were washed away. They never claimed to be righteous but boastful in Christ’s saving grace. You need to do the same.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Isaiah5-8. Keep the fire of burning and alive.

Supo Abayode

+1-302-230-6792

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA