Agape Devotions

Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 No devotional today (Sunday)

Read: Isaiah 51-52:12 Verses chosen for meditation: Isaiah 51:12-13     [12] “I, I am he who comforts you;         who are you that you are afraid of man who dies,         of the son of man who is made like grass,      [13] and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker,         who stretched out the heavens         and laid the foundations of the earth,     and you fear continually all the day         because of the wrath of the oppressor,     when he sets himself to destroy?         And where is the wrath of the oppressor? Reflect Isaiah 51-52 continues with God's rebuke and encouragement for Israel. After the period of exile, they were told to awake to the hope and promise that God gave them. The promise that they shall be free again and even receive the comfort of God for their pass afflictions.   They were reminded t...

READ : Isa.49 to 50 REFLECT :  I have often thought when looking at these momentous chapters of Isaiah, “Who is equal to these things?” Well, Isaiah is often said to be the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Chapter 49 deals with the disappointment of God’s people, their fear that He will forget them or no longer use them. But God says, “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (49:6). “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (49:15). It is hard to imagine a mother forgetting her nursing child—surely not! Yet even if that were possible, which it is at least highly unlikely, it is simply impossible that God will forget His people. It cannot happen. Not ever. Never. But how can this be, given Israel’s sin? This is the question that hovers over chapter 50. “Behold, for your iniquities you were sold” (50:1). The answer ...

READ : Isaiah 48   Verses chosen for meditation: Isaiah 48:1-2 1   Hear this, O house of Jacob,     who are called by the name of Israel,     and who came from the waters of Judah,     who swear by the name of the Lord     and confess the God of Israel,     but not in truth or right. 2  For they call themselves after the holy city,     and stay themselves on the God of Israel;     the Lord of hosts is his name. REFLECT Chapter 48 continues to touch on God’s plan to use Cyrus to free His people from Babylonian captivity. God addresses the captives here, and for most parts, He calls for them to listen. The reference to Jerusalem as the holy city in v2 is in stark contrast with Babylon in the previous chapter. Babylon symbolises wickedness and destruction, destined for doom. Jerusalem, on the other hand, symbolises...

Read Isaiah 46-47 Passage chosen for devotion: ”To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.“ ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭46‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Reflect  Worshipping idol made by hands are not new to the people of Israel. We have read in Exodus 32 on the infamous golden calf that the Israelite made to worship. God was furious as His people likened Him to the idols made out of gold, idols that don’t even move, respond or save anyone from trouble. The stubbornness of people’s heart is hardest to comprehend. Forgetfulness is another. People tend to see and touch to believe, and they are always quick to forget what God has don...

Read Isaiah 44:24-45:25 Verses for meditation: 44:24, 28; 45:6, 25 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself, Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfil all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” So that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him. Reflect These 2 chapters give an absorbing account of God, with many beautiful verses to pore over and reflect. As you go through them, you could be asking the following questions, especially at this time of the year: Who is this God? It doesn't matter if you have asked it before. Each time you do, new truths are revealed. The enlighte...

  TEXT FOR REFLECTION Fear not, nor be afraid;     have I not told you from of old and declared it?     And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me?     There is no Rock; I know not any.” ISAIAH 44:8 REFLECTION Israel was cursed with a really bad memory. Again and again throughout their national history as well as their personal memories, they had witnessed God's deliverance. They had written poetry, erected memorial stones, and created special days and festivals to remind themselves of how God had protected and provided for them. They had seen how God had defeated nations much more powerful than they. Even when traveling through the desert for forty years, they had food and drink to sustain them, and their clothes and shoes never wore out. And they passed through fortified cities whose residents were giants compared to them. Never had God failed them. Nor were any of the foreign gods more powerful than their God.  Yet again and again they...

Read: Isa 42-43 No Devotional today (Sunday)

Read Isaiah 40:12-41:29 Verses chosen for reflection Isaiah 40:28-31 28The Lord is the everlasting God,     the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary;     his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint,     and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,     and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;     they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary;     they shall walk and not faint. Reflect Isaiah 40:28-31 is a familiar passage to many Christians. Many of us cling on to this passage when we feel so tired and weary. Not just because of work and life; but perhaps even of being Christian. This passage was given to Israel as God declared that they have done their dues for the sins committed during the dark ages of the kings. They were reminded to turn to Go...

READ : Isa.40:1-11 REFLECT : The prophecy of Isaiah concluded in chapter 39 with devastating words. Everything will be carried away to Babylon. “Nothing shall be left, says the Lord” (39:6). Your sin has brought this disaster. Your rebellion toward God has caused your devastation. Your lack of faith has led to your ruin. Isaiah 39 ends with depressing words. “Nothing shall be left.” Fellowship with God is now severed. God will no longer be with his people. The covenant with God has been broken by the people. Sin has ruined everything. The book of Lamentations is written by the prophet Jeremiah as he wails for the fall of Jerusalem and the loss of the nation because of their sins. In the first chapter of Lamentations the author declares four times that there is no comfort for the people (Lamentations 1:2,9,17,21). There is no comfort for our sins. There is nothing that we can do for our sinful condition. What will God do now? What will God do with a people steeped in their sins and dese...

READ : Isaiah 38-39   Verses chosen for meditation: Isaiah 39:5-8 5  Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:  6  Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.  7  And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”  8  Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” REFLECT I wrote a devotion on the parallel account of this passage in 2 Kings 20 ( https://agapedevotional.blogspot.com/2023/08/2-kings-19-20-ending-race-well.html ), about how Hezekiah, as good a king as he was, tainted his legacy by not ending his final years well. Rebuke...

READ : Isaiah 36-37. Verses chosen for meditation: Isa 37:17, 20. 17  Incline your ear, O  Lord , and hear; open your eyes, O  Lord , and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 20  So now, O  Lord  our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the  Lord .”   REFLECT Isaiah 36-37 recorded that the Assyrian armies had trapped the people of Jerusalem inside its walls, where they faced the hopeless prospect of a starvation-inducing siege during Assyria’s attack on Judah. The Assyrian’s Commander Rabshakeh had used fear as part of his psychological warfare’s strategy on his enemy. He invoked all kinds of sarcastic insults at the people. He even falsely claimed that Yahweh Himself supported Assyrian’s attack on Judah (Isa 36:10 - partially true as a form of punishment, due to the Israelites' disobedience). All insults, including...

Read Isaiah 34-35 Verses chosen for meditation: Isaiah 34:8, 35:4 ESV: For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Reflect Do we sometimes feel that God is not acting for us? It is especially so when others, who are without God, seem to be faring better than us. More so, if they have either wronged or hurt us. During such times, do we get discouraged, resentful, or even fearful, perhaps? Or do we take matters into our own hands? What do we know of God from these two chapters that could encourage us? Relate Chapters 34 and 35 form what is called a redactional diptych. That means the contrasting prophecies of the two chapters complement each other. They are part of the literary style called palistrophe that spans chapters 13 – 39 of Isaiah where there is a reversal of order.  As seen from ...

  TEXT FOR REFLECTION The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;     he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times,     abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;     the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.      Isaiah 33:5, 6 REFLECT All of Israel's problems stemmed from Israel not fearing the Lord. In fact, at many junctures of Israel's history, God was pushed to a corner and not even considered. The people of Israel certainly did not fear God. They feared their powerful neighbours; feared their weapons; they feared their neighbours' gods; they feared the elements. But they did not fear God. Their actions - idolatry, oppression, and arrogance showed that God was the last thing on their minds.  Because they did not fear the Lord, the people of Israel fell victim to the things they feared - they were constantly invaded by their neighbours; they were victims of drought and famines,...

Read: Isaiah 30-31 No Devotional today (Sunday)

Read: Isaiah 28-29 Verses chosen for meditation: Isaiah 28:16-18 “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,  a stone, a tested stone,  a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:  ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ And I will make justice the line,     and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,     and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”  Then your covenant with death will be annulled,     and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through,     you will be beaten down by it. Reflect Much as the book of Isaiah contains beautiful prophetic poetry which described the situation of Israel as well as the judgement and mercy of God; we must not forget that it is a book which contained the faithful preaching of a man who fears no one but God.  It wasn't easy at all for the prophet Isaiah. He lived in a time when many kings and peop...