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. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. I say, I come out of agreement with that spirit of condemnation or accusation. The straight path is the Kingdom path and, at the same time, Jesus is the straight path. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them (Isaiah 42: 16 NKJV). People trying to hinder you or make you look bad. 1. God is telling His Kingdom men and women: I have madeyour crooked paths straight;I am makingyour crooked paths straight;I will makeyour crooked paths straight. Verse 21 speaks of God knowing Egypt, and the Egyptians knowing the Lord, Whom they perform sacrifice and oblation to, vowing vows to Him and performing them. You have not lied to man but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. Then there are roads that are full of potholes, worn out and in need of repair, this is hard and hazardous for your vehicle, tyres can blow out, wheels can come out of alignment, wear and tear is terrible on your vehicle, so you need to avoid those roads. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. In Isaiah 19, the conversion of the Gentile nations is symbolized by the conversion of Egypt and Assyria. Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. Read Isaiah (YLT) Read Isaiah 40:4 (YLT) in Parallel. I receive you as my Lord and my Savior. Martin is the senior researcher for Chalcedons ongoing work of Christian scholarship, along with being the senior editor for Chalcedons publications, Arise & Build and The Chalcedon Report. I have written about the critical importance of repentance in other posts (Actually, at least 10 other posts. Dominion, Answer: the Crooked "Works" of Man--not NatureBecause the text itself explicitly refers to the "Works of Man", because "All", (even if an exaggeration), indicates the scope of his judgment, and because "Human Nature" is outside of this context, the text must be taken at face value, as a non-metaphor, that: "All of the crooked works of man, cannot be made straight, [by men]". And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. Internal motivations and thought patterns are just that, part of who we are type of thing going off there, inside. 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. Type Repentance into the seach bar to find them). You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, Be sober-minded; be watchful. How does God make the crooked places straight? The paths are not known to us, Gods ways are higher than our ways and unfamiliar, it may seem strange to us to follow these paths at first, until we come to know Him and trust God and there is an adjustment to our thinking and ways, so that we come into alignment to the Highway of life. It cost him dearly in the death of their son and three of his other sons. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein (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. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. The Israelites had been taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. When Naomi returned to her people with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, she was destitute and bitter. 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. He will break in pieces the gates of brass. And in the American culture today, if Jesus was physically alive, and He spoke these words, and CNN got a hold of them, He would be crucified all over again. The apostle Paul, once a persecutor of Christians, came to a place in his life where he knew it was better to be with the Lord when his work in this world was finished: For to meto live is Christ, and to die is gain. J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993), p. 300. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. you can say to this mountain throw yourself into the sea and it will be done (Matthew 21: 21 NIV). Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. I know better I have been forgiven and redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed for me on the cross. Thus says the L ORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have heldto subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: '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. Satan makes the crooked path look good. He gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. [% hit.searchResultSection || hit.specificType %], Thy Kingdom Come: Studies in Daniel and Revelation. 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 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. In Greek, deceive (related to deceitful) means to go astray, to wander or roam about, to be led aside from the path of virtue, or to be led into error or sin all good descriptions of the crooked path. The mountain that was a massive oppressive blockade will be removed in Jesus Name. 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? W No certanily not! 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. However, this prophecy does not say that the King will not arrive until we are ready. I am not going to write more about repentance here. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Share. That reminds me of some parts of The Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. 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. Ecclesiastes 7:29 tells us that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. When we translate that into the imagery of paths, roads, and highways, we arrive at Isaiahs indictment of man: The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace (Isa. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire., Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Education, So, we tend to think, "just back off with the lecture! But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. It's an encouragement to know that we serve a God Who will make the crooked places straight, make the rough places smooth, level the exalted places, and level the mountains. In Greek, deceive (related to deceitful) means to go astray, to wander or roam about, to be led aside from the . Receive your subscription to this newsletter along with our bi-monthly Chalcedon Report all for just $20/year. 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. 1:18; Ez. Acts 2:17 2. ibid, p. 251. Find the highway in your desert, see your crooked situation made straight - wait on the Lord, praying in the spirit and reading His word, There is no change in the things themselves, but in our views of and feelings towards them. He has given us inspired letters. Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. If our thinking has become crooked for some reason, we then also, see things from a crooked perspective and so it limits our potential to overcome lifes, inevitable obstacles and curve balls. There's nothing man in his own power can do to make the crooked man straight. It is when we know things are drastically wrong that we pull out suddenly from incoming disaster. Theology. 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. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greedGod is witness. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. God hates sin! Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. We will see a supernatural highway appear with miracles breaking through, the reversing of circumstances that are oppressive obstacles to our welfare in our cities. World English Bible for Isaiah 42:16. Proverbs 3:7 Verse Concepts Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. And God will make our 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. Hallelujah! Craig G. Bartholomew, Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009), p. 250. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.. Old Testament History, Naomis husband foolishly took his family to Moab to escape a drought in Bethlehem-judah. 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. A sought-after speaker, Martin travels extensively and lectures on behalf of Christian Reconstruction and the Chalcedon Foundation. The highway appears at verse 23: Romans 11:25-26 is Pauls explanation for thisIsraels two foes (representing all Gentiles) come in first, and Israel is the third part. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. . Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. If the Holy Spirit needs to convict me of sin, He will be specific). What is sinful? 19:18), where five of six cities in Egypt speak the tongue of Canaan (Hebrew) and the sixth city of destruction no longer exists. Many times in counseling, you will hear " I'm looking for direction in my life" - The fact is you will never get direction . For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. We are not machines that can be simply switched off and overwritten without some effect, there is adjustment in change, so become part of the process that God has for you in the recovery program. I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: Isaiah 59:8 chapter context similar meaning copy save The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. God I knew they were from Scripture, but not from any passage I was studying. K Naomi's tragic losses . 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. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 10 Practical Ways to Help People Who Are Hurting, No Matter How You Feel Right Now, Your Life Is Worth Living, 3 Good Things to Remember When You Feel Anxious about the Future. And not forsake them. R But I commend an important book to you Repentance. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. The straight path leads to life a life of meaning, purpose, power, and blessings blessings for us, and through us to others. There is a voice crying out in the wilderness of our soul that persitently and compassionately calls us to the right path of life. It is the path of an unfocused life twisting and turning aside from every road block and difficulty that life places in the way of the person on that path. In an introduction to eighteenth-century Scottish pastor and theologian Thomas Bostons bookThe Crook in the Lot, J. I. Packer describes a crook this way: But in Thomas Bostons usage thecrook is the crooked, that is the uncomfortable, discontenting aspects of a persons life, the things that the Puritans called losses and crosses, and that we speak of as the stones in our shoe, the thorns in our bed, the burrs under the saddle, and the complaints we have to live with; and the lot is the providentially appointed path that God sets each of his servants to travel.
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