Friday, October 7, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 7th Isaiah 26:4

“Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.”Isaiah 26:4 
===
Via Wikipedia 
"Isaiah was the 8th-century BC Jewish prophet for whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the prophet", but the exact relationship between the Book of Isaiah and any such historical Isaiah is complicated. The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BCE and c. 686 BCE, separated by approximately 15 years, and includes dramatic prophetic declarations of Cyrus the Great in the Bible, acting to restore the nation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. Another widely-held view is that parts of the first half of the book (chapters 1–39) originated with the historical prophet, interspersed with prose commentaries written in the time of King Josiah a hundred years later, and that the remainder of the book dates from immediately before and immediately after the end of the exile in Babylon, almost two centuries after the time of the historic prophet"

Chapters 24-27 of Isaiah constitute one continuous poetical prophecy, sometimes called the "Isaiah Apocalypse". Here, despite apocalypse, followers find clarity. 


"We have a strong city;
    God makes salvation
    its walls and ramparts.
Open the gates
    that the righteous nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
    and casts it down to the dust.
Feet trample it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,
    the footsteps of the poor."
Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the background to, and meaning of Isaiah 26:4? on Quora

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 6th Isaiah 55:6

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”Isaiah 55:6
===
Via Wikipedia 
"Isaiah was the 8th-century BC Jewish prophet for whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the prophet", but the exact relationship between the Book of Isaiah and any such historical Isaiah is complicated. The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BCE and c. 686 BCE, separated by approximately 15 years, and includes dramatic prophetic declarations of Cyrus the Great in the Bible, acting to restore the nation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. Another widely-held view is that parts of the first half of the book (chapters 1–39) originated with the historical prophet, interspersed with prose commentaries written in the time of King Josiah a hundred years later, and that the remainder of the book dates from immediately before and immediately after the end of the exile in Babylon, almost two centuries after the time of the historic prophet"

"Chapters 40-55 are known as "Deutero-Isaiah" and date from the time of the Israelitesexile in Babylon. According to John Skinner, this chapter, which is "largely a recapitulation of certain outstanding themes of the prophecy", consists of "exhortations addressed to the exiles in the near prospect of deliverance""

Here, we have an invitation to the thirsty
"“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”"

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 5th Proverbs 27:1

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27:1 
===
This proverb is attributed to Solomon from Hezekiah. We have plans, but only those aligned with God have plans that will last. 

Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the background to, and meaning of Proverbs 27:1? on Quora

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 4th 1 Peter 1:3

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”1 Peter 1:3 
===
Some say Peter could not have written his letter because they don’t believe in adult learning. After Peter’s education as a disciple of Jesus, Peter was privileged and had ample opportunity to learn advanced rhetoric. But the wording here is simple and pure. God is holy. God is exalted and above the sin of which people are immersed. In order to deal with sin, it is important not to deal in sin, but to look for God. The simplicity of the words is what informs those who claim Peter could not have written it.

Peter was named by Christ as the rock of the Church This letter may not have been written by him, but was written in his name, probably a decade after the fall of Jerusalem. Peter would have been dead, but still remembered in Rome where this letter probably originated. Christians were being persecuted on the pretext of amoral behaviour.

We are called to live godly lives in pagan society. We are equipped to, by His grace. 

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance."

Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the background to, and meaning of 1 Peter 1:3? on Quora

Monday, October 3, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 3rd Proverbs 29:25

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”Proverbs 29:25
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This proverb is attributed to Solomon from Hezekiah. It is wisdom that man is not to be feared, but should be treated with goodness. God is to be praised by any with sense for what is best in their lives.

Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the background to, and meaning of Proverbs 29:25? on Quora

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 2nd Matthew 5:11-12

““Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 
===
Matthew wrote what is the first Gospel of the Bible. It is one of the three synoptic gospels, and relates how the Messiah, Jesus, rejected by Israel, sent out his disciples to preach the gospel to the whole world. It was probably written after 70AD. 

Here, Jesus is giving his sermon on the beatitudes. 

"He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the background to, and meaning of Matthew 5:11-12? on Quora

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Bible Quote Oct 1st Philippians 1:9-10

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” Philippians 1:9-10 
===
Paul's letter to Philippians followed a time he had spent there in the late 40's. It is possible Paul is writing this letter from Rome prior to his death. The city of Philippi had been renamed after King Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. The city is in the North East of Greece and possibly had a population of 2000 at the time.

Here, Paul is talking about thanksgiving and prayer

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

Read David Daniel Ball's answer to What is the background to, and meaning of Philippians 1:9-10? on Quora