Week 1 - Saturday

JOY!

Reading:
Isaiah 46 & 47
This reading was kind heavy.  I really got a sense of God's anger at the deceptions of the world.
First He asserts his credentials.  What He says will happen, happens.  And He says that his people will soon be freed from Babylon.
These chapters go on to cover the iniquities of Babylon. I sensed the heat of  God's anger at:
Idols - that humans, who are made in God's image, should give worship to images that can't even save themselves from being loaded up like firewood and hauled off.
Cruelty - the harshness with which Babylon treated God's people, young and old alike.
Astrology - those who would mislead people by making predictions that they can't back up, based on the stars which the Lord has made.
Pride - The self confidence of the people.

At first blush, Babylon seems a long way from here and now.  But the world is still full of deceptions, we mostly just give them different names.  In our pride, we trust our own predictions.  We take without compassion.  We sit secure in our armchairs and do not hunger for justice.

Lord, please turn my eyes to you.  Cause me to seek you, your promises and your coming.