[New post] Come near,you nations

nickyab posted: " Isaiah 34:1–17Judgment against the nations34 Come near, you nations, and listen;    pay attention, you peoples!Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,    the world, and all that comes out of it!2 The&n" Jesus is my King. Come near,you nations nickyab Dec 1 Isaiah 34:1–17Judgment against the nations34 Come near, you nations, and listen;     pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,     the world, and all that comes out of it! 2 The Lord is angry with all nations;     his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them,     he will give them over to slaughter. 3 Their slain will be thrown out,     their dead bodies will stink;     the mountains will be soaked with their blood. 4 All the stars in the sky will be dissolved     and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall     like withered leaves from the vine,     like shrivelled figs from the fig-tree.5 My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;     see, it descends in judgment on Edom,     the people I have totally destroyed. 6 The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood,     it is covered with fat – the blood of lambs and goats,     fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah     and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 And the wild oxen will fall with them,     the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood,     and the dust will be soaked with fat.8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance,     a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause. 9 Edom's streams will be turned into pitch,     her dust into burning sulphur;     her land will become blazing pitch! 10 It will not be quenched night or day;     its smoke will rise for ever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate;     no one will ever pass through it again. 11 The desert owl and screech owl will possess it;     the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom     the measuring line of chaos     and the plumb-line of desolation. 12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,     all her princes will vanish away. 13 Thorns will overrun her citadels,     nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals,     a home for owls. 14 Desert creatures will meet with hyenas,     and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down     and find for themselves places of rest. 15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,     she will hatch them, and care for her young     under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather,     each with its mate.16 Look in the scroll of the Lord and read:None of these will be missing,     not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order,     and his Spirit will gather them together. 17 He allots their portions;     his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it for ever     and dwell there from generation to generation.New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.Read this passage in a different Bible versionExploreEdom's animosity towards the people of God began with the conflict of Jacob and Esau, settling into a hardened pattern of hostility by Numbers 20:14–21. Gruesome as the retribution they face may be, there is just cause. Why then is the soil (v 7), water (v 9) and air (v 10) polluted and defiled? Why all the animal slaughter (vs 6,7a)? First of all, there are clues here directing us to see Edom as a stand-in, a motif for something of a different scale (v 5). This is judgement relating to nations, individuals, the environment, the entire cosmos (vs 1–4). In his holiness, God has no tolerance for sin. And it is human sin that is the greatest cause of suffering to the earth and its inhabitants. Gus Speth, former US adviser on climate, said: 'I used to think that the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy. To deal with these, we need a cultural and spiritual transformation.'*God has good plans for redemption and restoration for the whole of his creation (Romans 8:21,22). As his Spirit works transformation in us, one of the results will be that we become a blessing not a curse to the earth. *https://tinyurl.com/mr4cu8rcAuthor: Jo SwinneyRespondSpend time in repentance for the ways in which your selfishness, greed and apathy have harmed creation.(This week's prayers relate to this story.)Deeper Bible studyFor you, what are the most convincing proofs for God? How would you explain this to someone who doesn't believe?In his book, The God Delusion, renowned atheist Richard Dawkins wrote, 'The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character of all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak … bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser … capriciously malevolent bully.'1 Let's overlook his reference to fiction, but we must acknowledge that our reading today would seem to support Dawkins' criticism. Or does it? Is God really an unjust bully?To answer that, there are a couple of things we need to understand about this chapter. First, although in previous chapters Isaiah has prophesied against specific nations, here he is giving a message of universal judgement; Edom (v 5) is symbolic of all the nations that reject God. Second, the NIV footnote reminds us that the phrase 'totally destroy' (vs 2,5) comes from a Hebrew word that means 'the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often totally destroying them'. Putting the two ideas together, Isaiah is saying that some day God will decisively and completely eradicate all evil, as in what John prophesied in the New Testament.2That's where Dawkins has missed the point. No one wants to live in a world where there is no justice, where there is no consequence for choosing good or evil. In the end, God punishes evildoers. That's part of the good news, but the full picture of God is that he 'is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities'.3 Thank God that he combines justice and mercy, which he most clearly expressed on the cross.Jot down the names of people you know who don't believe in God. Ask God to give you opportunities to be part of his work in their lives.1 Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Houghton Mifflin, 2006, p51  2 Rev 19:11–21  3 Ps 103:8–10Author: Whitney T KuniholmBible in a yearRead the Bible in a year: Hosea 3–6; Revelation 1Pray for Scripture UnionAs the season of Advent begins, please pray for our staff and our partners including NMP Artless as they prepare to help children and young people discover the true joy of Christmas and, with it, life in all its fullness. (This week's prayers relate to this story.)Join the conversationDiscuss today's Word Live on Facebook Comment Like You can also reply to this email to leave a comment. 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