Paul
the apostle told the people in Rome how Isaiah in the Old Testament
prophesied how God,
“will
finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short
work will the Lord make upon the earth”,
and in
chapter nine and verse twenty-nine of Romans,
Paul continued his thought as he told his readers what would happen,
“except
the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed”
where
we read:
And
as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
we
had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah.
The
verse begins, “And
as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
...”
Paul
began with the words, “and
as Isaiah”
which means “like or in the same manner as Isaiah the famous Hebrew
prophet who prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezekiah” “said
before”
or “spoke, foretold and predicted”,
“Except
the Lord”
which means “if he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah” “of
Sabaoth”
which means “Lord of the armies of Israel as those who are under
the leadership and protection of Jehovah maintain his cause in war”
“had
left us” or
“abandoned, deserted, left behind and deserted” “a
seed”
which means “a residue or few survivors as the germ of the next
generation”. Paul referred to “Isaiah's”
words concerning the “residue and few survivors” which were left
to Israel.
The
verse goes on to say, “...we
had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah.”
Paul
added the words, “we
had been”
which means “the children of Israel would have been” “as
Sodom”
which means “burning” and was “a city destroyed by the Lord
raining fire and brimstone on it”, “and
been made”
or “would have been fashioned, formed and rendered”
“like unto”
or “as and in similar fashion to” “Gomorrah”
which means “submersion” and was “a city in eastern part of
Judah that was destroyed when the Lord rained fire and brimstone on
it which is now covered by the Dead Sea”. Paul continued to share
“Isaiah's”
words as he referred to
“Sodom and Gomorrah”
which were destroyed by “fire and brimstone” in the Old
Testament. (See Genesis 19:24-25)
When
we consider these words of Paul, we see how God's “remnant”
was important for Israel. According to “Isaiah”,
if God had not kept a “small remnant” of people, Israel would
have been extinct like “Sodom
and Gomorrah”.
God desires for everyone to be “saved” through His Son Jesus
Christ. He does not want them to be “destroyed” like these wicked
cities, but His “Spirit” will not always “strive” with a
person to receive Him. Genesis chapter six and verse twenty-three
says, “And
the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that
he also is
flesh:”,
and Isaiah chapter fifty seven and verse sixteen says, “For
I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the
spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made”.
Today is the day of “salvation”, and lest we be “as
Sodom and Gomorrah”
and be doomed, let us receive Jesus Christ as our personal “Savior
and Lord”.
Next
time we
see Paul tell his readers how,
“the Gentiles … have obtained
righteousness”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment