Untitled Sermon (36)

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Nehemiah 9:32–37 “32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.”

Luke 17:22–37 “22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.””

The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition Enosh

The Heb. word ’enôš, ‘man’, occurs some 42 times in OT, and often suggests the aspect of frailty and mortality

VS 8

Isaiah 50:9 “9 Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.”

The Book of Isaiah: Volume 3, Chapters 40–66 Chapter Fifty-One

As the enemies of the Servant of the Lord will easily perish (cf. 50:9), so also will those who revile God’s people; but whereas they will perish, the righteousness and salvation of God will abide forever. Two figures are employed to stress the transitoriness of the enemies

The Book of Isaiah: Volume 3, Chapters 40–66 Chapter Fifty-One

already moth-and worm-eaten

VS 9

The Arm of the Lord - The seat of His strength

Awake - implies that that arm has been inactive

Gird with Strength - Preparation for battle

3rd - awake -

The Book of Isaiah: Volume 3, Chapters 40–66 Chapter Fifty-One

the terms Rahabs and Tannin (crocodile?) are symbols for Egypt

The Book of Isaiah: Volume 3, Chapters 40–66 Chapter Fifty-One

It may be that these figures originally signified the power of chaos at the creation, but such mythological connotations are here completely lost.9 As God once delivered His people from the mighty power of Pharaoh, so now will He again deliver them from whatever powers stand in the way of their salvation.

Vs 10

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The Book of Isaiah: Volume 3, Chapters 40–66 Chapter Fifty-One

Continuing with a question the prophet emphasizes that the Lord brought the Israelites from Egypt in a miraculous way through the Red Sea

The Book of Isaiah: Volume 3, Chapters 40–66 Chapter Fifty-One

The contrast between depths of the sea and way is striking. If the depths of the sea can be made passable then truly the arm of the Lord is powerful. The reference of course is to the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. A God who can deliver from such an obstacle is a God who can deliver at any time, no matter what the obstacles may be.

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Isaiah 35:10 “10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”