Skip to main content

Isaiah – week 2 and 3

Captain’s Log, Supplemental

Blog book giveaway:
To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there.
My Thursday book giveaway is The Cubicle Next Door by Siri Mitchell.
My Monday book giveaway is Calm, Cool and Adjusted by Kristin Billerbeck
You can still enter both giveaways. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for the The Cubicle Next Door and post the title for another book I'm giving away.

Win an iPod Nano! Exclusively for my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers, I have a huge contest running until January 31st! Get more info on my contest page!

My Blog Bible Study in Isaiah:

Zion will be restored by justice;
Those who repent will be revived by righteousness.
Isaiah 1:27

I thought this was the theme of chapter one in Isaiah. God wants his people to repent but he also promises judgment.

This spoke to me about his character—He is active. He will move and he has moved.

I can’t take lightly the Word of the Lord, what he’s promised to do, the actions he says he’ll take. It expands my view of him, gives him a more terrible and wonderful cast.

Chapters 2 and 3 can be summed up in this verse:

Human pride will be brought down,
And human arrogance will be humbled.
Only the Lord will be exalted
On that day of judgment.
Isaiah 2:11

(It must be important, it’s repeated in verse 17.) It’s another promise of God’s actions against his disobedient people, and more importantly—why.

I think I don’t remember God’s power and holiness as much as I should. He promises to destroy Jerusalem and Judah in order to purify it (4:4). That’s pretty extreme. God is pretty extreme. That’s why he’s God.

Where is my heart? I think about God as my father and my friend, but I don’t think about him as holy and powerful, and that’s also part of his character. I can’t ignore some aspects of him just because they’re unpleasant in my little world.

Will I be among the holy remnant, purified?

Tell the godly that all will be well for them.
They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!
But the wicked are doomed,
For they will get exactly what they deserve.
Isaiah 3:10-11

TMI:

Writing: I posted another article on developing your writer’s voice at my Story Sensei blog.

Comments

Mark Goodyear said…
Camy, I'm right there with you on this: "I think about God as my father and my friend, but I don’t think about him as holy and powerful."

And yet in my heart I know this is the great lie that I have to unlearn.

God is not my buddy. He's the Creator of the universe. Moses learned the truth: To look on him is to die. Jesus was the truth: to live like him is to take up a cross.

But somehow I still tend to think of church as this place of group therapy where God helps me negotiate a more comfortable life and better mental health.

I'm not saying God is sadistic. His desires for us are good. But I wonder if my view of him--and goodness in general--isn't horribly skewed. Thank God for the gift of his spirit. Thank God for the example of Jesus.

Boy, am I preaching here or what?

Happy Thanksgiving, friend!
Unknown said…
I've been clinging to some of the promises in Isaiah for the past several months. I, too, sometimes forget the powerfulness and holiness. Thanks for the reminder.
Kelly said…
Wow, just last week I was studying a message on the fear of the Lord and came to the same conclusion that we forget what a great God we serve. This is the same God that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin. It was a good reminder for me. Thanks for the confirmation.
PatriciaW said…
Father, friend, even powerful. I think I fall short on the holiness of God. A God to be worship, revered, held in awe and amazement. Can we be too comfortable with God?
Anonymous said…
There are some great questions raised here in your comments..."Can we be too comfortable with God?"
Can God be your buddy, and holy and powerful creator of the universe? I mean, we don't stop being friends with someone just because they have this fantastic intangible part to them...
There has to be some balance to this...I'm sure. Maybe that will come next?

Popular Posts

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Captivating, chapter 3

Captain’s Log, Stardate 06.30.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Monday book giveaway is CONSIDER LILY by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt. My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for CONSIDER LILY and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned. Haunted by a Question: Sorry, this is really long again. As before, some things I liked and some questions. Eve—What Happened? The authors say: “[Eve] brought strength to the world, but not a striving, sharp-edged strength. She was inviting, alluring, captivating.” I don’t know if I buy that. I don’t know if I really see how being inviting, alluring, or captivating is a strength. I understand how restfulness (restful inner beauty?) can be a strength, or solidity like a rock. To me, that’s strength. But being alluring? Captivating? Then they talk about “Why do so few wom...

I’m a Book of the Year winner!

Captain's Log, Stardate 09.22.2008 I won first place in the Debut Author category of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year awards! Here are all the winners! Debut Author Sushi for One? (Camy Tang) Zondervan, editor Sue Brower Bayou Justice (Robin Miller writing as Robin Caroll) In Between (Jenny B. Jones) Contemporary Novella Finally Home in Missouri Memories anthology (Deborah Raney) Barbour Publishing, editor Susan Downs Moonlight & Mistletoe in A Big Apple Christmas anthology (Carrie Turansky) Remaking of Moe McKenna in Race to the Altar anthology (Gloria Clover) Historical Novella Love Notes in Love Letters Anthology (Mary Davis) Barbour Publishing, editor Rebecca Germany Beyond the Memories in Missouri Memories anthology (DiAnn Mills) The Spinster & The Tycoon in The Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology (Vickie McDonough) Lits Splitting Harriet (Tamara Leigh) Multnomah Books, editor Julee Schwarzb...