#LiftUpYourVoice – I and Thou Reflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 12 Twelve Days of Isaiah

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).

Isaiah 7:14 CJB

Therefore Adonai himself
will give you people a sign:
the young woman will become pregnant,
bear a son and name him ‘Immanu El [God is with us].

Matthew 1:23

²³The virgin will conceive and bear a son,
and they will call him ‘Immanu El. (The name means, “God is with us.”)

M E R R Y
C H R I S T M A S !

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpiritoftheLord #SpecksofDust #Idolatry #Universe #Heavens #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 11 Twelve Days of Isaiah

Day 11~ Isaiah 40:28-31

Is There Room in Your Heart?

To Trust?

To Love?

To Forgive?

If yes…

Let’s Soar Together!

Throughout this chapter of Isaiah, we have read about God’s returning the Israelites to Jerusalem. We have seen the power of God’s creation and how we are like grasshoppers.

Although we become disgruntled and weary, God’s energy and power are limitless.

In this passage, the central theme is hope and redemption. We have a choice. We can get crushed like a serpent or we can soar like an eagle.

What do you choose?

Let’s read this passage in Isaiah. Shall we?

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

^{Soar Like an Eagle}

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

²⁸Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 CJB

²⁸Haven’t you known, haven’t you heard
that the everlasting God, Adonai,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
does not grow tired or weary?
His understanding cannot be fathomed.
²⁹He invigorates the exhausted,
he gives strength to the powerless.
³⁰Young men may grow tired and weary,
even the fittest may stumble and fall;
³¹but those who hope in Adonai will renew their strength,
they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings;
when they are running they won’t grow weary,
when they are walking they won’t get tired.

*Image Source: Created with AI using Soar Like an Eagle with the scripture above*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpiritoftheLord #SpecksofDust #Idolatry #Universe #Heavens #SoarLikeanEagle #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 10 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 10~ Isaiah 40:25-27

Once we can wrap our heads around the fact that we can’t begin to fathom the greatness of God, we must rely on our faith.

If we believe that God is everywhere, the imagery of looking up in the sky reminds us of the vastness and limitlessness of our Divine Creator. Don’t you think?

Then, why do we often feel abandoned or overlooked by God?

Could it be in that very same vastness of the universe? We ask ourselves how God can possibly know our hearts when we seem so small in comparison.
We feel lost.
Lost in the vastness.

In this passage, the Creator of the heavens invites us to lift our eyes to heaven. Why? To show us how Each star in the universe is named, pointing to the fact that God knows every minute detail of ALL his creation, including us.

Let’s read this passage in Isaiah. Shall we?

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

^{Lift Your Eyes to the Heavens}

Isaiah 40:25-27 NIV

²⁵“To whom will you compare me?
    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
²⁶Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
    not one of them is missing.
²⁷Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Isaiah 40:25-27 CJB

²⁵“With whom, then, will you compare me?
With whom am I equal?” asks the Holy One.
²⁶Turn your eyes to the heavens!
See who created these?
He brings out the army of them in sequence,
summoning each by name.
Through his great might and his massive strength,
not one of them is missing.
²⁷Why do you complain, Ya‘akov;
why do you say, Isra’el,
“My way is hidden from Adonai,
my rights are ignored by my God”?

*Image Created by AI using scripture reference and key words*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpiritoftheLord #SpecksofDust #Idolatry #Universe #Heavens #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 9 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 9~ Isaiah 40:21-24

This passage speaks of a canopy or curtain that is spread from the heavens to protect the grasshopper from harm.

I can’t help but wonder if this is somehow related to the “veil” between life and death. In Matthew 27, we see that at the moment Jesus dies on the cross, the curtain of the temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Then, in 2 Corinthians, we read that “whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

Could these all be related and point to the sovereignty of God. Not only as the Creator but the divine presence between life and death?

Let’s read this passage for Day 9 of the 12 Days of Isaiah. Shall we?

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

^{We are Like Grasshoppers}

Isaiah 40:21-24 NIV

²¹Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²²He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
    and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
    and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
²³He brings princes to naught
    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
²⁴No sooner are they planted,
    no sooner are they sown,
    no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

Isaiah 40:21-24 CJB

²¹Don’t you know? Don’t you hear?
Haven’t you been told from the start?
Don’t you understand how the earth is set up?
²²He who sits above the circle of the earth —
for whom its inhabitants appear like grasshoppers —
stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
spreads them out like a tent to live in.
²³He reduces princes to nothing,
the rulers of the earth to emptiness.
²⁴Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely their stem taken root in the ground,
when he blows on them, they dry up,
and the whirlwind carries them off like straw.

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpiritoftheLord #SpecksofDust #Idolatry #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 8 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 8~ Isaiah 40:18-20

In Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, the question “To whom will ye liken God?” is asked. In this commentary, the error is not worshipping Jehovah by images, but in fact the thinking that God can be created by human hands.

So we ask ourselves, is this the folly of idolatry?

Here is my take on this. I’m sure we all know people of diverse faiths who worship in different ways. Some might pray to Saints and light candles and others may touch or kiss icons as a sign of worship and reverance. Would this be idolatry? No one knows. Yet, if we have faith, we have the ability to discern what might be pleasing or displeasing to God. Afterall, who else do you have to answer to?

Now, we turn to Isaiah 40:18-20.

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

An Image?

Isaiah 40:18-20 NIV

¹⁸With whom, then, will you compare God?
    To what image will you liken him?
¹⁹As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
    and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
    and fashions silver chains for it.
²⁰A person too poor to present such an offering
    selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
    to set up an idol that will not topple.

Isaiah 40:18-20 CJB

¹⁸With whom, then, will you compare God?
By what standard will you evaluate him?
¹⁹An image made by a craftsman,
which a goldsmith overlays with gold,
for which he then casts silver chains?
²⁰A man too poor to afford an offering
chooses a piece of wood that won’t rot,
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to prepare an image that won’t fall over.

*Image Created by AI using faith based words*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpiritoftheLord #SpecksofDust #Idolatry #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 7 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 7~ Isaiah 40:15-17

In Matthew Henry’s Commentary, he writes that all creation “shrinks to nothing” in comparison to the Creator. He says that God’s love for the world led God to send Baby Jesus to earth. To be the lamb. To redeem us. So we can spend eternity in paradise.

Here is my take on this. Is there a God? Well, look around. How did everything get to where it is? Look up. What is beyond the heavens? No one knows. Yet, if we have the faith of just a tiny mustard seed, we can hold on to the promises of eternal life because we have faith. Faith in the beyond. Faith in the creation. Faith in the past, present, and future.

Now, we turn to Isaiah 40:15-17.

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

Specks of Dust

Isaiah 40:15-17 NIV

¹⁵Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
    they are regarded as dust on the scales;
    he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
¹⁶Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
    nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷Before him all the nations are as nothing;
    they are regarded by him as worthless
    and less than nothing.

Isaiah 40:15-17 CJB

¹⁵The nations are like a drop in a bucket,
they count like a grain of dust on the scales.
The islands weigh as little as specks of dust.
¹⁶The L’vanon would not suffice for fuel
or its animals be enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷Before him all the nations are like nothing.
He regards them as less than nothing.

*5,000+ tons of extraterrestrial dust fall to earth each year…Image Source: livescience dot com*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpriritoftheLord #SpecksodDust #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 6 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 6~ Isaiah 40:12-14

Different versions deliver different perspectives. Not right. Not wrong. Just different.

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

The Spirit of the Lord

Isaiah 40:12-14 NIV

¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales
    and the hills in a balance?
¹³Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
¹⁴Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
    and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
    or showed him the path of understanding?

Isaiah 40:12-14 CJB

¹²Who has counted the handfuls of water in the sea,
measured off the sky with a ruler,
gauged how much dust there is on the earth,
weighed the mountains on scales, or the hills in a balance?
¹³Who has measured the Spirit of Adonai?
Who has been his counselor, instructing him?
¹⁴Whom did he consult, to gain understanding?
Who taught him how to judge,
taught him what he needed to know,
showed him how to discern?

*Psalms Painting Series Lucy Adams Art Langley, Bc – Praise Painting* *Source: Paintingvalley.com*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpriritoftheLord #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 5 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 5~ Isaiah 40:10-11

Let’s take a peek at these two versions:

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

Gather the Lambs

Isaiah 40:10-11 NIV

¹⁰See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
    and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.

Isaiah 40:10-11 CJB

¹⁰Here comes Adonai Elohim with power,
and his arm will rule for him.
Look! His reward is with him,
and his recompense is before him.
¹¹He is like a shepherd feeding his flock,
gathering his lambs with his arm,
carrying them against his chest,
gently leading the mother sheep.”

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 4 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 4~ Isaiah 40:9

Let’s take a peek at these two versions:

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

Lift Up Your Voice

Isaiah 40:9 NIV

⁹You who bring good news to Zion,
    go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,^[c]
    lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,
    “Here is your God!”

Isaiah 40:9 CJB

⁹You who bring good news to Tziyon,
get yourself up on a high mountain;
you who bring good news to Yerushalayim,
cry out at the top of your voice!
Don’t be afraid to shout out loud!
Say to the cities of Y’hudah,
“Here is your God!

*Lift Up Your Voice Diverse Choir*
*Source: clker.com*

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