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10 December 2011
Send victory like a dew, you heavens! - Extracted from Isaiah 45: 6-8, 18-19, 21-16
Apart from Me, all is nothing. I am the Lord, unrivalled, I form the light and created the dark.
I make good fortune and create calamity, it is I, the Lord who do all this.
Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down.
Let the earth open for salvation to spring up. Let deliverance, too bud forth which I, the Lord shall create.
Yes, thus says the Lord, creator of the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who set it firm, created it no chaos, but a place to live in:
‘I am Yahweh, unrivalled, I have not spoken in secret in some corner of a darkened land. I have not said to Jacob’s descendants “Seek Me in chaos”. I, Yahweh, speak with directness I express myself with clarity.’
I am the Lord, unrivalled. There is no other God besides Me, a God of integrity and a saviour; there is none apart from Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God unrivalled.
‘By My own self I swear it; what comes from My mouth is truth, a word irrevocable; before Me every knee shall bend, by Me every tongue shall swear, saying,
“From the Lord alone come victory and strength.”
To him shall come, ashamed, all who raged against Him.
Victorious and glorious through the Lord shall be all the descendants of Israel.’
(Our Reflections: We who believe in Jesus Christ, would form the new “Israel of God” and receive the blessings, see St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Chapter 6:14-18.)
The prophesy of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham -The sceptre shall not pass from Judah (Jacob’s son) i.e. Jesus Christ would be the descendant of Judah, and He really is - Extracted from Genesis 49: 2, 8-10
Jacob called his sons and said,
‘Gather round, sons of Jacob, and listen; listen to Israel your father. (Interpretation: “Israel” is a name given to Jacob by God, see Genesis, Chapter 32:29 => He said, 'No longer are you to be called Jacob, but Israel since you have shown your strength against God and men and have prevailed.')
Judah, your brothers will praise you: you grip your enemies by the neck, your father’s son shall do you homage, Judah is a lion cub, you climb back, my son, from your kill; like a lion he crouches and lies down, or a lioness: who dare to rouse him?
The sceptre shall not pass from Judah, nor the mace from between his feet, until He comes to whom it belongs (referred to “Jesus Christ”), to whom the peoples shall render obedience.’
(Sharing: Everyone in our Office like this passage, because we are all born Singaporeans and Singapore has always been referred to as “The Lion City”. We just feel that, somehow in every Singaporean, we have this fighting spirit within us; I mean the “never say die” attitude, we will always persevere in any adverse circumstances and finally overcome the obstacles... Don’t you think so? Our past is a strong proof that this spirit is within all is us. Anyway, keep it up! ) 8-) |
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I will raise a virtuous Branch for David - Extracted from Jeremiah 23: 5-8
‘See, the days are coming—it is the Lord who speaks—when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David (referred to “Jesus Christ”), who will reign as true King and be wise, practicing honesty and integrity in the land.
In His days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name He will be called: The Lord-our-integrity.
‘So, then, the days are coming - it is the Lord who speaks - when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the countries to which He had dispersed them, to live on their own soil.” ’
The Lord, the King of Israel , is in your midst - Extracted from Zephaniah 3:14-18
Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud!
Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has repealed your sentence; He has driven your enemies away.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.
When the day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp.
The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.
He will exult with joy over you, He will renew you by His love; He will dance with shouts of joy for you as on the day of festival.
The Kingdom of David will always stand secured before the Lord -Extracted from the 2nd Book of Samuel, Chapter 7:
1 Once the king had settled into his palace and Yahweh had granted him rest from all the enemies surrounding him,
2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, 'Look, I am living in a cedar-wood palace, while the ark of God is under awnings.'
3 Nathan said to the king, 'Go and do whatever you have in mind, for Yahweh is with you.'
4 But that very night, the word of Yahweh came to Nathan:
5 'Go and tell my servant David, "Yahweh says this: Are you to build me a temple for me to live in?
6 I have never lived in a house from the day when I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until today, but have kept travelling with a tent for shelter.
7 In all my travels with all the Israelites, did I say to any of the judges of Israel, whom I had commanded to shepherd my people Israel: Why do you not build me a cedar-wood temple?"
8 This is what you must say to my servant David, "Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel;
9 I have been with you wherever you went; I have got rid of all your enemies for you. I am going to make your fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth.
10 I am going to provide a place for my people Israel; I shall plant them there, and there they will live and never be disturbed again; nor will they be oppressed by the wicked any more, as they were in former times
11 ever since the time when I instituted judges to govern my people Israel; and I shall grant you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh furthermore tells you that he will make you a dynasty.
12 And when your days are over and you fall asleep with your ancestors, I shall appoint your heir, your own son to succeed you (and I shall make his sovereignty secure.
13 He will build a temple for my name) and I shall make his royal throne secure for ever.
14 I shall be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does wrong, I shall punish him with a rod such as men use, with blows such as mankind gives.
15 But my faithful love will never be withdrawn from him as I withdrew it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 Your dynasty and your sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be for ever secure." '
Our Reflections: Look at all these beautiful promises of God to David; this happened before he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife and murdered Uriah. Although God eventually did not withdraw His favour from David, as he had repented, David suffered gravely because of the hideous sins that he had committed, as God said that the sword would never leave his house...
10 December 2011
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