Thought for January 16

 History:

• 1604: Puritan John Rainolds suggests to King James I that a new translation of the Bible be prepared staying as close to the Hebrew and Greek as possible. Seven years later, the King James Version is published.
• 1605: Cervantes publishes Book One of Don Quixote
• 1777: Vermont declares independence from New York
• 1786: Virginia adopts law granting freedom of religion [written by Jefferson]
• 1868: William Davis [fish dealer] patents the refrigerated rail car
• 1919: 18th Amendment ratified [prohibition]
• 1920: First Assembly of the League of Nations
• 1939: First Superman comic strip appears
• 1970: Curt Flood sues baseball over the reserve clause and wins
• 1974: Peter Benchley publishes "Jaws"
• 1976: The Donnie and Marie Show premiers
• 2005: Adriana Illiescu has a baby at age 66, said to be oldest birth mother--but we know about Sarai
• 2020: First impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins
• Born: Andre Michelin [tires], Frank Zamboni, Eric Liddell [Chariots of Fire], Ethel Merman, David McCampbell [Medal of Honor for downing 34 Japanese planes], Dizzy Dean, Dian Fossey [Gorillas in the Mist], A. J. Foyt, Ronnie Milsap, Albert Pujols, Esther Doherty [sister in Christ], Carol Thrailkill [best sister]
• Died: Edward Gibbon [historian], Hiram Revels [first black Senator], Carole Lombard, Bob Jones, Ted Cassidy [Lurch], Andrew Wyeth, Abigail Van Buren [Dear Abby]

Thought:

Reading Isaiah 8 this morning, particularly 8:13-14. These verses must be important, why/ Satan quotes a portion in Matthew 4 during the temptation in the wilderness; Paul quotes a portion in Romans 9:33; and Peter's First Epistle gives special treatment to these verses. Here is what the Lord is saying to me today:

• Regard the Lord of Host as holy and fear Him [8:13] In the preceding verses, God has told Isaiah that the people should not worry about the Syrians or the nation of Israel because Assyria would conquer them. And God tells Isaiah not to be caught up in the fear of the people who call this a conspiracy. Rather fear the holy God of Israel, He is the one who is sovereign. He can cover them with His hand of protection or He can lift His hand and they face destruction. This reminds me that we spend most of our lives fearing the wrong things and the wrong people. What will people think? What will people say? Will they like me, hire me, pay me? God reminds us that He is the Holy One, He is the Lord of Hosts with all power, all authority, all love, all grace, all mercy. He alone should be the object of my fear and my worship. He alone should be the one I seek to please or whose approval I seek. 
• For those who fear/awe the Lord and worship Him as the holy One, He is a sanctuary. One of you sent me a text with a link to a song about sanctuary a few days ago. We call our worship space a sanctuary. And some of you have probably stayed at the Sanctuary at Kiawah. The dictionary defines "sanctuary" as a place of refuge or safety. In Isaiah the picture is one of coming destruction by the Assyrians, but amid the threats and ravages of coming war, God's people have a fortress, a sanctuary of safety and security in Christ. We stand on the solid rock, our anchor holds within the rock, we are not tossed about by every new threat or ideology. For us, Jesus is the cornerstone. Flip over to 1 Peter 2. For Christians Jesus is the living stone, precious to God and worshipped by us. And that living stone in us is building us into living stones as a spiritual house for Him. So we sing "Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You."  
• For those that ignore God, for those that reject God, for those that refuse to see the Light, Jesus is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. Peter tells us that this holy stone was rejected and became a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. Jesus warned people not to stumble over Him while looking for something else. The Pharisees were looking for a Messiah who fit their description, not God's. So when Jesus came, they stumbled over Him, missed Him, misunderstood Him. So my job is to point people to the stone---make Him your cornerstone, foundation stone, do not overlook Him, ignore Him, stumble over Him because He does not fit the definition of God that you have made up. 

The people of Judah did not heed the warnings and ultimately fell to the Babylonians. Lord, help us accept the Holy One and seek refuge and sanctuary in Him. 

Blessings

Larry