And said, You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? Have you ever driven on a road that is poorly constructed and the bends are hard to handle, you could easily crash or hit a tree, or go off a cliff. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We cannot straighten the crookedness of the world, but through God's power, we can straighten our own paths. I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. . E 36:26). Our soul is a complex creature and an integral piece of our personality, although you cant say that we are a machine, or behave like one, you can say that God is into progress in your life not dead standstills. Publisher: OpenBible.info. It is a life of powerlessness and self-deception. Publication date: Apr 23, 2023. 1:15 and Eccl. And crooked places straight. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. After his own heart and will became crooked, he began wresting the wills of other angels, then those of mankind. Right brain - Left Brain we need both to see us through - we are made that way. What a glorious day when we see the reformation and transformation of nations, societies, regions, yielding to the moving of His wonderful grace and life changing power. Only Jesus can take the crooked and make it. 2, p. 96. The straight path leads to life a life of meaning, purpose, power, and blessings blessings for us, and through us to others. God says He will make the crooked places straight, so that we can see with our imagination, the good things and have the faith that will move that mountain in our life, bring us up out of that rut, the valley and the circumstances that hold us back and prevent us from achieving in life. Ask God to make them straight and smooth. shut: 2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It is a path made by each person, according to their own beliefs, experiences, and feelings. He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. After Joseph asked Pharaohs chief cup bearer to speak to the ruler about his unjust imprisonment, he still remained in prison for two more years: In three days Pharaoh willlift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. Tongues and interpretation. Gods people got busy building things straight, viz., the paths where the redeemed will walk (Isa. He desires to save everyone, but we must: 1) accept Him as the Lord of our life through faith in Him by grace and the power of His Holy Spirit and 2) repent of our sins. 40:4). There is no Kingdom life without repentance being repentant.. Just as the present crookedness presents obstacles to us, similar obstacles beset the work of rebuilding Gods temple after the Babylonian exile. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Jesus says, I am the way and the truth and the life. 20:7-11): And theLordsaid to Moses andAaron, Becauseyou did not believe in me,to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them. (Num. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. He Gives Power to the weak These metaphorical highways are built by the casting up of stones to create a way through the wilderness. 7-8). They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. The Egyptians build an altar and pillar to the Lord. The Lord straightened out this mess in a way that only he could. Johnson refers to the mysterious call emanating from Isaiah 40:3. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.. You have not lied to man but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. Then there is those deep and dark valleys that are hard to get back out of, if you are in a vehicle then you are straining and in low gears and using a lot of gas to get back up on level ground, if it is wet and slippery it will make matters worse, it can be a real struggle to come out of the valleys in life. CJB Every valley must be filled in, every mountain and hill leveled off; the winding roads must be straightened and the rough ways made smooth. Jesus restores and redeems He makes crooked paths straight. And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Be ashamed. D Christians do not need to fear the crooks God allows in their lives but can instead rest in Gods faithfulness. Hallelujah! And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. If we could, we wouldn't need Jesus and His salvation. Or more precisely, because of the power and authority I exercise in partnership with Him when I am in Christ. God makes straight the spiritual path or road I am on by removing the mountains in my way and making the rough way smooth, just as the Luke passage above illustrates; 2. We are all different and need our type of time and adjustment which is unique to us, since we are individual and no two are alike, so dont despair or get frustrated when things dont suddenly go away overnight. For many, the crooked path is a religious or works path, even Christians. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. Here are seven reasons according to Boston why God makes a crook in a persons lot, along with related Bible passages: Even though we know from reading the book of Job that God allowed Satan to tempt Job to curse God through all the calamities Job faced, including the loss of his children, his wealth, and even his health, Job was not privy to that knowledge: And theLordsaid to Satan, Have youconsidered myservant Job, that there is none like him on the earth,a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? Then Satan answered theLordand said, Does Job fear God for no reason? Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. There is meant to be some challenges in life which are all part of the learning curve, that is fine and dandy for healthy development, so yes we can have some crashes on the way and that can be just how things are meant to be with the growing, learning and gaining new experiences in life. We must see ourselves working as Zerubbabel worked: his hands lay the foundation, his hands bring forth the headstone, but the work has God in the midst of it. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness What a God!! Young provides key insights into Isaiahs prophecy. If the Holy Spirit needs to convict me of sin, He will be specific). You may be wondering why God has allowed various afflictions in your life. God wants us to lead our paths, since He is the one who makes them straight. Allowing an image carved by the craftiness of an evil, humanistic philosophy to imprint your thinking is trusting in an idol, which like an obsession, holds you to wrong beliefs and trusting in ways that are not from God, so we can become blind and deaf to the truth and we then need to turn around from the lost pathway of our wilderness. Thank God, that He had a backup plan and a rescue package, an antivirus and the works prepared for us, you know like disaster recovery, that you need to put into place in the event of destruction to the original. That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel(Isaiah 45: 2, 3 NKJV). Young, The Book of Isaiah (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, [1972] 2000), vol. And make the crooked places straight; The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. God is with me. There is no change in the things themselves, but in our views of and feelings towards them. It is when we know things are drastically wrong that we pull out suddenly from incoming disaster. F God will lead and guide me on my path. cit., p. 79. But it shall accomplish what I please, The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. Ultimately, he was called out of prison to interpret Pharaohs dream and give him counsel concerning the coming years of plenty and drought. Proverbs 3:5 Verse Concepts Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. God made these crooked things straight that David had done. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways. It is a Kingdom heart a heart that loves God (Mark 12: 29 31) and loves others before itself. It also, can bring a loser mentality and a hopeless attitude, that can paralyse us and keep us from reaching our potential and restrict us from dealing with the challenges that we face. The valley of lack and despair that leads to depression and heaviness of soul will be raised up again to provision and the joy of a new day, a spirit of praise will put a spring in our step to a brand new day in God. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. And David said to him, How did it go? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Prayer is a means to receive the guidance of the Spirit 17. When you are on a crooked path, you will have no direction and time will be lost. [% hit.searchResultSection || hit.specificType %], Thy Kingdom Come: Studies in Daniel and Revelation. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. You see it is just the way to go in our personal development and the maturing process to reach out to God and make that connection to get on track, we need to accept that our limited way of thinking will lead us down the wrong track and in time it will be evident. the indicators that sound off inside like impressions, feelings, sensations and maybe our little voice, the advisor telling us, that we need to change this behaviour or we are headed for trouble when we go this way or react that way. He certainly straightened out this mess. Neither faints nor is weary. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He is considered a foremost expert in the thinking of R.J. Rushdoony. Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. NASB 1995 And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. The command is Prepare ye [plural] the way of the Lord. Rawlinson asserts that the way of the Lord is the way of holiness of Isaiah 35:8.5 That is precisely the highway to be built by His people. Only to be discovered after much testing, or way down the track when an unknown situation arises, or when a user presses all the buttons at once and it blows! The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. I will level the mountains/make the crooked places straight. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. By His supernatural power He opens the eyes of the blind, breaks the gates of bronze and bars of iron that imprison us in anger, shame, guilt, and sin; and He leads us out of darkness into the light. "Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth." (Jeremiah 33:6) God is the healing power that heals us. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? J Jesus sets us free, but not free to continue to live in and with our sin. Of stones of the desert, children of Abraham; 2. How does God make the crooked places straight? Making our paths straight is His joy and one measure of His great love for us. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Of course, he was talking about things under the sun. Have you not heard? . Jesus makes the crooked straight through regeneration. 12:12-13). Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! There is a difference one leads to death; through repentance, the other leads to life. Teach me Your paths. Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. Remember, there are some things that suddenly change, but other things take time and need to go through a process. It is a path and a life marked by deceit, fraud, fear (a lot of fear), and wickedness. Boston reminds us to keep our focus on Gods grace, even in our suffering: The truth is, the crook in the lot is the great engine of Providence for making men appear in their true colours, discovering both their ill and their good. When Naomi returned to her people with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, she was destitute and bitter. Many are spiritually and emotionally walking on the crooked path when they seek fulfillment in the things of the world like pleasure, wealth, and power they will twist, turn, bend around, and expend a lot of energy, but never reach the destination, which is personal fulfillment. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.. What David did with Bathsheba and to Uriah, her husband, was crooked. On the flip side, the sins of my past life have been used by God to teach me important lessons about His grace and mercy, and how to extend compassion to others. They shall run and not be weary, B And it is sad, but true, that there are some people who dont want to be straight they like to live on the crooked path; they dont want to live in the light, they prefer the darkness. God will make the crooked path straight. God Will Go . On You I wait all the day Of stony hearts, hearts of flesh.15. similar features to illustrate a point. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way. And then he was forgotten by the baker whose dream he interpreted. I was in the presence of real wickedness and perversion. (God removes mountains, He makes a way through mountains, or, sometimes, He lets me remain on the mountain the place of pain, brokenness, or some other type of suffering for His purposes in my life. Now in Isaiah 45:2,3 - The First Word of the Gospel by Richard Owen Roberts. Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. The everlasting God, the LORD, New American Standard Bible "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. Young's Literal Translation for Isaiah 40:4. It is what Jesus tells us it is in His gospels. In Greek, deceive (related to deceitful) means to go astray, to wander or roam about, to be led aside from the . Spence & Exell, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, n.d.), Vol. At the beginning and most of the time when we choose a pathway, all appears to be the right way for us; we do our sums and sometimes we even have a real emotional fuzzy to say all is well, so off we go! 40:5) shall see Gods glory revealed in the earth. Since Pentecost there is a way for God to move on this earth in greater measures and bring His transforming power to the hearts of men to be filled with His glory. It is a transformed heart, the heart of a new creation. 1. That it may give seed to the sower Experience should tell us that there just isnt a lot of right going on in this world and somewhere inside our make up, something just must be out of kilter and thats those little warning bells; Culture , It is a heart surrendered and submitted to God, worshiping, praising, and obeying Him. As Warfield said, The world has always been very evil, ever since there entered it, through that forbidden fruit, the sin of man and all our human woes. Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
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