Noble Prince of Peace
(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)
Sabbath Afternoon
Memory Text: Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Sunday – End of Gloom for Galilee (Isa. 9:1–5)
Isaiah 9:1-5
The Government of the Promised Son
9 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
Isaiah 8:21, 22
21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen,
when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and
their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see
trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into
darkness.
2 Kings 15:29
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came
and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and
Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.
Matthew 4:12-25
Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to
Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is
by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.”
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers
of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their
nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their
father, and followed Him.
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds
of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and
they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases
and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and
paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from
Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Read Matthew 24
Monday - A Child for Us (Isa. 9:6, 7)
Isaiah 9:6, 7
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Judges 13:18
18 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it
is wonderful?”
Judges 13:20
20 it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel
of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw
this, they fell on their faces to the ground.
Luke 3:38
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Luke 2:8-14
Glory in the Highest
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe
wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
John 1:1-3
The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:14
The Word Becomes Flesh
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:15-17
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before
all things, and in Him all things consist.
Colossians 2:9
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
Hebrews 1:2
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir
of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded
you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk. 1, pp. 406-408.
Chapter 65—How to Meet a Controverted Point of Doctrine
We want to understand the time in which we live. We do not half understand
it. We do not half take it in. My heart trembles in me when I think of what
a foe we have to meet, and how poorly we are prepared to meet him. The
trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first
coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to
illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the
second coming of Christ—how the enemy sought every occasion to take control
of the minds of the Jews, and today he is seeking to blind the minds of
God's servants, that they may not be able to discern the precious truth.
When Christ came to our world, Satan was on the ground, and
disputed every inch of advance in His path from the manger to Calvary.
Satan had accused God of requiring self-denial of the angels, when He
knew nothing of what it meant Himself, and when He would not Himself
make any self-sacrifice for others. This was the accusation that Satan
made against God in heaven; and after the evil one was expelled from
heaven, he continually charged the Lord with exacting service which He
would not render Himself. Christ came to the world to meet these false
accusations, and to reveal the Father. We cannot conceive
of the humiliation He endured in taking our nature upon Himself. Not that in
itself it was a disgrace to belong to the human race, but He was the Majesty
of heaven, the King of glory, and He humbled Himself to become a babe and
suffer the wants and woes of mortals. He humbled Himself not to the highest
position, to be a man of riches and power, but though He was rich, yet for
our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He
took step after step in humiliation. He was driven from city to city; for
men would not receive the Light of the world. They were perfectly satisfied
with their position.
Christ had given precious gems of truth, but men had bound them up in the
rubbish of superstition and error. He had imparted to them the words of
life, but they did not live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of
God. He saw that the world could not find the word of God, for it was hidden
by the traditions of men. He came to place before the world the relative
importance of heaven and earth, and put truth in its own place. Jesus alone
could reveal the truth which it was necessary men should know in order that
they might obtain salvation. He only could place it in the framework of
truth, and it was His work to free it from error and to set it before men in
its heavenly light.
Satan was roused to oppose Him, for had he not put forth every effort since
the Fall to make light appear darkness, and darkness light? As Christ sought
to place truth before the people in its proper relation to their salvation,
Satan worked through the Jewish leaders, and inspired them with enmity
against the Redeemer of the world. They determined to do all in their power
to prevent Him from making an impression upon the people.
O how Christ longed, how His heart burned, to open to the priests the
greater treasures of the truth! But their minds had been cast in such a mold
that it was next to an impossibility to reveal to them the truths relating
to His kingdom. The Scriptures had not been read aright. The Jews had been
looking for the advent of the Messiah, but they had thought He must come in
all the glory that will attend His second appearing. Because He did not come
with all the majesty of a king, they utterly refused Him. But it was not
simply because He did not come in splendor that they refused Him. It was
because He was the embodiment of purity, and they were impure. He walked the
earth a man of spotless integrity. Such a character in the midst of
degradation and evil, was out of harmony with their desires, and He was
abused and despised. His spotless life flashed light upon the hearts of men,
and discovered iniquity to them in its odious character.
The Son of God was assaulted at every step by the powers of darkness. After
His baptism He was driven of the Spirit into the wilderness, and suffered
temptation for forty days. Letters have been coming in to me, affirming that
Christ could not have had the same nature as man, for if He had, He would
have fallen under similar temptations. If He did not have man's nature, He
could not be our example. If He was not a partaker of our nature, He could
not have been tempted as man has been. If it were not possible for Him to
yield to temptation, He could not be our helper. It was a solemn reality
that Christ came to fight the battles as man, in man's behalf. His
temptation and victory tell us that humanity must copy the Pattern; man must
become a partaker of the divine nature.
Tuesday – The Rod of God’s Anger (Isa. 9:8–10:34)
Isaiah 9:8-10:34
The Punishment of Samaria
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks folly.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
Assyria Shall Be Broken
10 “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
2 To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.
3 What will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the desolation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your glory?
4 Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners,
And they shall fall among the slain.”
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
Arrogant Assyria Also Judged
5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
8 For he says,
‘Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ”
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work
on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit
of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty
looks.”
13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries;
So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.
14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people,
And as one gathers eggs that are left,
I have gathered all the earth;
And there was no one who moved his wing,
Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”
15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire.
17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
It will burn and devour
His thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field,
Both soul and body;
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest
Will be so few in number
That a child may write them.
The Returning Remnant of Israel
20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in
Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and
lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very
little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their
destruction.” 26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like
the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so
will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.
27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
28 He has come to Aiath,
He has passed Migron;
At Michmash he has attended to his equipment.
29 They have gone along the ridge,
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Lift up your voice,
O daughter of Gallim!
Cause it to be heard as far as Laish—
O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled,
The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.
32 As yet he will remain at Nob that day;
He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord,
The Lord of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
Those of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
Isaiah 9:1-5
The Government of the Promised Son
1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
Leviticus 26:14-39
14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,
15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so
that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,
16 I also will do this to you:
I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall
consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart.
And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your
enemies.
Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one
pursues you.
18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven
times more for your sins.
19 I will break the pride of your power;
I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.
20 And your strength shall be spent in vain;
for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land
yield their fruit.
21 ‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will
bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.
22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your
children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number;
and your highways shall be desolate.
23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to
Me,
24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven
times for your sins.
25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of
the covenant;when you are gathered together within your cities I will send
pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
26 When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread
in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall
eat and not be satisfied.
27 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me,
28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will
chastise you seven times for your sins.
29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your
daughters.
30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast
your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor
you.
31 I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation,
and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas.
32 I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it
shall be astonished at it.
33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your
land shall be desolate and your cities waste.
34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and
you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its
sabbaths.
35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest— for the time it did not rest
on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.
36 ‘And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their
hearts in the lands of their enemies;
the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee;
they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no
one pursues.
37 They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no
one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
38 You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall
eat you up. 39 And those of you who are left shall waste away in their
iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which
are with them, they shall waste away.
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but
is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance.
Wednesday - Root and Branch in One (Isaiah 11)
Read Isaiah 11
Zechariah 3:8
8 ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
Zechariah 6:12
12 Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying:
“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
Daniel 4:10-17
10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
A tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.
11 The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
12 Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.
13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a
watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said
thus:
‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts get out from under it,
And the birds from its branches.
15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,
Bound with a band of iron and bronze,
In the tender grass of the field.
Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
And let him graze with the beasts
On the grass of the earth.
16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man,
Let him be given the heart of a beast,
And let seven times pass over him.
17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of men.’
Daniel 4:20-26
20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height
reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose
leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under
which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the
heaven had their home— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become
strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your
dominion to the end of the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from
heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump
and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender
grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze
with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’; 24 this is
the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which
has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall drive you from men, your
dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat
grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times
shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom
of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of
the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that
Heaven rules.
Isaiah 11:10
10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”
Revelation 22:16
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the
churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning
Star.”
Luke 3:23-31
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being
(as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25
the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of
Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son
of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28
the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam,
the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the
son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the
son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea,
the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
Luke 3:38
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
John 1:1-3
The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:14
The Word Becomes Flesh
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Isaiah 10:20-22
The Returning Remnant of Israel
20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who defeated them,
But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
Isaiah 11:6-9
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
Thursday – “You Comforted Me” (Isa. 12:1–6)
Isaiah 12:1-6
A Hymn of Praise
1 And in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Read Isaiah 12
Isaiah 11:16
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people
Who will be left from Assyria,
As it was for Israel
In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.
Read Exodus 15
Revelation 15:2-4
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who
have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over
the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,
saying:
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.”
Isaiah 12:2
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
Matthew 1:21
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He
will save His people from their sins.”
John 1:14
The Word Becomes Flesh
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him.
Ephesians 2:14
Christ Our Peace
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down
the middle wall of separation,
Isaiah 11:10
10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”
John 12:32, 33
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to
Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
Isaiah 10:21
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Romans 3:24
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus,
Friday: Further Thought
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 47-49.
God declares, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon
the dry ground.” “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.”
Isaiah 44:3; Psalm 112:4. To those who are seeking for light, and who accept
it with gladness, the bright rays from the throne of God will shine.
In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still
keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the
promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne.
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of the listening shepherds.
The Deliverer has come to Israel! Power, exaltation, triumph, are associated
with His coming. But the angel must prepare them to recognize their Saviour
in poverty and humiliation. “This shall be a sign unto you,” he says; “Ye
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
The heavenly messenger had quieted their fears. He had told them how to find
Jesus. With tender regard for their human weakness, he had given them time
to become accustomed to the divine radiance. Then the joy and glory could no
longer be hidden. The whole plain was lighted up with the bright shining of
the hosts of God. Earth was hushed, and heaven stooped to listen to the
song,—
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Oh that today the human family could recognize that song! The declaration
then made, the note then struck, will swell to the close of time, and
resound to the ends of the earth. When the Sun of Righteousness shall arise,
with healing in His wings, that song will be re-echoed by the voice of a
great multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying, “Alleluia: for the
Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Revelation 19:6.
As the angels disappeared, the light faded away, and the shadows of night
once more fell on the hills of Bethlehem. But the brightest picture ever
beheld by human eyes remained in the memory of the shepherds. “And it came
to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds
said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came
with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”
Departing with great joy, they made known the things they had seen and
heard. “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told
them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in
her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God.”
Heaven and earth are no wider apart today than when shepherds listened to
the angels’ song. Humanity is still as much the object of heaven’s
solicitude as when common men of common occupations met angels at noonday,
and talked with the heavenly messengers in the vineyards and the fields. To
us in the common walks of life, heaven may be very near. Angels from the
courts above will attend the steps of those who come and go at God’s
command.
The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth
of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We
marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the
manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall.
Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was
but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an
almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even
when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when
the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child
of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity.
What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He
came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give
us the example of a sinless life.
Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He
hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged
Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed
dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the
weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life’s peril in common with
every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight
it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
The heart of the human father yearns over his son. He looks into
the face of his little child, and trembles at the thought of life’s
peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satan’s power, to hold him
back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a
more fearful risk, God gave His only-begotten Son, that the path of life
might be made sure for our little ones. “Herein is love.” Wonder, O
heavens! and be astonished, O earth!
Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, March 5, 1896.
Divinity in Humanity
“Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is
Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to
revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Christ dwells in him who receives him by faith. Tho trials may come upon the
soul, yet the Lord’s presence will be with us. The burning bush in which was
the Lord’s presence did not consume away. The fire did not extinguish a
fiber of the branches. Thus will it be with the feeble human agent who puts
his trust in Christ. The furnace fire of temptation may burn, persecution
and trial may come, but only the dross will be consumed. The gold will shine
brighter because of the process of purification. Greater is He that is in
the heart of the faithful, than he that controls the hearts of unbelievers.
Complain not bitterly of the trial which comes upon you, but let your eyes
be directed to Christ, who has clothed his divinity with humanity, in order
that we may understand how great his interest in us since he has identified
himself with suffering humanity. He tasted the cup of human sorrow, he was
afflicted in all our afflictions, he was made perfect through suffering,
tempted in all points like as humanity is tempted, in order that he might
succor those who are in temptation. He says, “I will make a man more
precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” He will
make a man precious by abiding with him, by giving unto him the Holy Spirit.
He says, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
them that ask him?”
The Lord has instructed us to call God our Father, to regard him as the
fountain of paternal affection, the source of the love that has been flowing
from century to century through the channel of the human heart. All the
pity, compassion, and love which have been manifested in the earth have
emanated from the throne of God, and, compared to the love that dwells in
his heart, are as a fountain to an ocean. His love is perpetually flowing
forth to make the weak strong, to make the faint-hearted firm, and give
moral courage to the wavering. God works through Christ, and man may come
unto the Father in the name of the Son. Our science and our song is, “Hear
what the Lord hath done for my soul.
Who can comprehend the gift of Infinite Love? “When the fullness of time was
come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
For centuries before the manifestation of Christ to the world, God exercised
forbearance toward a rebellious world. He saw his holy law trampled in the
dust, and he let his judgments fall upon the world in a flood; but man did
not learn the lesson from this experience, and turned to his rebellious
ways.
Again men multiplied upon the earth, and again they took the attitude of
rebellion against God. Loyalty to the law of God was not only condemned, but
punished as a crime. Men made void the law, and naturalized the principles
of sin. Those who did not disregard the law of God were subject to the
strongest enmity; for every species of sin was legalized. Satan boasted
before the angels of heaven that he held dominion over the creation of God.
The unity of society was made by enmity to God. A corrupt harmony existed
among men in their aversion to God, which bound them together in one vast
army. The universe of heaven, and the angels of God, were watching for the
exhibition of justice, but when the unfallen worlds expected retribution to
be administered, mercy prevailed, and the counsel of God was with the Prince
of heaven. He was to unfold the scheme of redemption, to make manifest the
plan of salvation. He who was equal with God, who was great in counsel,
mighty in working, was equal to the emergency that had arrived in the
government of God. God sent his Son into the world, not to pass sentence of
condemnation upon a rebellious race, but to make manifest his love, and to
hold out the hope of eternal life to those who should believe in his Son.
Here was love, and amazing grace that triumphed over justice. Retribution
fell upon no less a personage than the Son of the Infinite God, and the
universe of heaven rejoiced in the glory of God’s benevolence and
self-denial in giving the Prince of heaven to our world. Such love was
beyond the comprehension of heavenly angels. Christ came to the world to
seek his lost pearl, and he had to go through the gates of death to recover
his lost jewel. For “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life.” All who look to him in faith will be
healed of their spiritual maladies. He is the Balm in Gilead, he is the
great Physician. Christ was the one who consented to meet the
conditions necessary for man’s salvation. No angel, no man, was
sufficient for the great work to be wrought. The Son of man alone must
be lifted up; for only an infinite nature could undertake the redemptive
process. Christ consented to connect himself with the disloyal and
sinful, to partake of the nature of man, to give his own blood, and to
make his soul an offering for sin. In the counsels of heaven, the guilt
of man was measured, the wrath for sin was estimated, and yet Christ
announced his decision that he would take upon himself the
responsibility of meeting the conditions whereby hope should be extended
to a fallen race. He understood the possibility of the
human soul, and united humanity to himself, even as the vine knits the
grafted branches and twigs into its being, until, vein by vein, and fiber by
fiber, the branches are united to the living Vine.
The merchant man sold all to buy the pearl of lost humanity. The sinner also
is to lay down his all in order to become a partaker of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. He who
unites with Christ has his life hid with Christ in God. Christ and the
believing soul are joined by the bands of love, and the Lord calls this
union “continuing in his love.” He says: “If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and
abide in his love.” “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you;
continue ye in my love.”
Jesus takes man into copartnership with himself, and the unity and love
between Christ and his Father bear the credentials to the world of Christ’s
divinity. Transformed in character, the believer presents the fact that
Christ alone can reshape, purify, and ennoble the soul. The love that God
has manifested toward men has no parallel. Jesus says, “Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life” for the sheep. In this
expression he would prove to man that the Father’s love is so large, so
unbounded towards man, that he even loves the Son for the sacrifice which he
made for the recovering of humanity. God himself suffered in the suffering
of his Son. While Jesus walked the earth in the habiliments of humanity, he
could say, “I and my Father are one.” Having undertaken the work of
redemption, the Lord spares nothing, however costly, which is essential to
the completion of his design. He withholds not heaven itself, but continues
to surround men with its favors, heaping gift upon gift, until the world
itself is flooded with its boundless mercy and love. Jesus says, “These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that
your joy might be full.”
Read Isaiah 11