Announcement – taking a break
I am taking time off from blogging to rest and be with family, so there will be no new posts this week. However, last year’s reflections from around this time can be found here and here. The next new post…
God’s wondrous plan (Isa 29:11-14)
Isa 29:11-14 As we read the gospels’ account of Jesus’ birth, our familiarity with the story may have blunted our amazement at the incomprehensible, even shocking nature of such a revelation. God in human flesh? Isn’t this blasphemy? A holy…
A foretaste of what is to come – justice and peace (Isa 11:3-9)
Isa 11:3-9 When I was a volunteer working for a mission in my twenties, I was hosted by a local family. It turned out to be an awkward living arrangement, where the head of the household generously offered his home,…
The character of our King – the Spirit of wisdom (Isa 11:1-2)
Isa 11:1-2 As we continue exploring the revelation about the promised King, Messiah, we land in Isa 11:1-9 that expands on the picture painted in Isa 9:6-7 and describes a wise king. The intervening chapters reiterate the people’s sin, their…
‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God’ – Do these titles describe Messiah? (Isaiah 9:6)
Isa 9:6 Christian readers and some conservative commentators typically understand the names in Isa 9:6 to describe the royal child. Since the prophecy is seen as a messianic prediction that finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, it seems self-evident and…
The gift of security – ‘unto us a son is given’ (Isa 9:6-7)
Isa 9:6-7 One of the most disconcerting aspects of this year has been a sense that we do not have full control over our lives. We planned to travel or go out for coffee or to church and suddenly found…
Practising joy, living at peace (Isa 9:3-5)
Isa 9:3-5 There is no doubt that our circumstances affect how we feel. Someone says nasty words to us and we feel down, we have a hectic day at work and are stressed, we lose our wallet on the train…
Light out of darkness (Isa 9:2; John 8:12)
Isa 9:2; John 8:12 There is a background post to today’s reflection for those who enjoy a more in-depth Bible study on Light and God’s salvation plan in Isaiah (see post here). When I was a child, on Advent Sunday…
Light and God’s salvation plan in Isaiah
This post forms the background to today’s Advent reflections on Isa 9:2 (‘Light out of darkness’) and is for those who enjoy more in-depth Bible study. As I prepared the devotion, I wanted to explore how Isaiah understood the concepts…
Hope at a time of hopelessness – Galilee of the Gentiles (Isa 9:1)
Isa 8:10-22; 9:1 In the next few weeks leading up to Christmas, I shall reflect on two messianic prophecies (Isa 9:1-7 and Isa 11:1-5) to build up a picture of God’s chosen King contrasting with the portrait of the human…