At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. – Daniel 6:19

Today's Scripture Reading (November 4, 2026): Daniel 6

George III (1738-1820) ascended the English throne on October 25, 1760. In his accession speech to the English Parliament, which was actually written by lawyer and politician Phillip Yorke, the first Lord of Hardwicke, George inserted a phrase he had written himself, and it is unclear whether it was ever approved by those who advised the king. The phrase was "born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain." It was meant to announce that, unlike the other Hanoverian kings before George, who were often accused of being more German than British, George was a product of Britain. In fact, George III was the first Hanoverian king to live his entire life in Britain; he had never even been to Hanover, an area on the European mainland that is now part of Germany. George was also the first Hanoverian king who spoke English as his native language. This new kind of sovereign is the image George hoped the people would see: a new kind of king and a real British Monarch.

However, we remember George not for what he said but for what he did. In North America, we remember George III as the king whose tyranny sparked the American War of Independence. He wanted to interfere with the colonies to raise more money for himself. Maybe, if we are honest, we know it is terribly unfair to sum up a person's life based on a one-sided perception of an event.

George III also defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. What impressed people during Britain's war with Napoleon and France was that he was personally ready to defend his nation. George went down to review the troops defending the Island. Newspapers reported that if the French army stepped onto British soil, George was ready to fight for his country at the head of the British forces. His supplies were packed, and according to the newspapers, George was never more than half an hour from the fight. He was a king who wouldn't send someone else to do what he didn't want to do. He would be there. In his prime, George is seen as a real British king, not because of what he said, but because of what he did.

One subplot in the tale of "Daniel and the Lion's Den" concerns the role of King Darius. Throughout Daniel's career in Babylon, he was an honored leader. When Babylon fell, it would have been normal for the leaders of the defeated Empire to be, at the very least, removed from office, if not killed, by the conquering Empire, in this case, the Medes and Persians. Daniel's story took a different turn. Now Daniel had risen again, this time under the leadership of the Median Empire. His role in the Empire was so great that Darius was personally invested in Daniel's life. Darius had been tricked into issuing a decree that put Daniel's life at risk; the king spent a sleepless night worrying about Daniel, and now he rushes to be with him. We know that the king was an older man. As king, it would have been quite proper for him to send someone else in his stead. But the king refuses to do that. He leaves the comforts of his palace and, in what was probably both an undignified and a humorous scene, hurries to the lion's den to see what happened during the night. This act would define both the king's reign and Daniel's life.

Words are nice, but our actions often carry the real message. If we want to know who we are, whether we are King Darius of the Median-Persian Empire, King George of Britain, or the person down the street, the question that needs to be asked is never what we said; it is always what we did?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 7

Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. – Daniel 5:29

Today's Scripture Reading (November 3, 2026): Daniel 5

Abraham Lincoln is thought to have said, regarding the public opinion that surrounded his political career, that

If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. (Abraham Lincoln)

The journalist Henry J. Raymond attributed the quote to Lincoln shortly after the President was assassinated in 1865. The quote highlights what might be one of the Civil War President's most important character traits (after his honesty): his commitment to doing his best. At every step of the way, Lincoln did what he believed was best. But the best was not always easy. There is no indication that Lincoln wanted to be the President who would lead the nation through a Civil War. However, Lincoln could not conceive of a nation that could exist as both slave and free. Lincoln was convinced that slavery was wrong and that, if he were going to do his best, he would have to stand against it. No matter what public opinion thought of his actions, he could only do his best.

Lincoln's desire to give everything he had to the presidency is one reason he is consistently ranked among the top three Presidents of the United States, despite having extremely low approval ratings during his presidency (disapproval of his policies in the South contributed to those low ratings). Still, even when he was wrong, he tried his best.

That is what makes Belshazzar's story so tragic. Belshazzar's claim to fame is presiding over the Babylonian Empire's demise. History tells the story of a king who partied as his enemies entered the city. The enemy met little to no resistance when they entered Babylon because Belshazzar wasn't doing his duty. From a historical perspective, what is even worse is that he knew the Medes were coming; his scouts had already informed him of their presence in the empire and their approach to the city. Yet Belshazzar did nothing.

Biblically, we have what is almost an absurd image. While the royal party raged, the king was frightened by a vision, a literal instance of seeing the writing on the wall. Daniel comes and interprets the writing. The news isn't good; the enemy is coming (which Belshazzar already knew), but still Belshazzar makes no move. The Babylonian king does nothing; there seems to be no "best" in Belshazzar. Instead, he honors Daniel, raising him to the rank of the kingdom's third-highest ruler, and then he continues the party, waiting for his death.

For a time, the reason Daniel was made the third-highest ruler in the kingdom was a mystery. But the mystery has been solved. Daniel was elevated to third-highest ruler because Belshazzar appears to have been the second-highest ruler. The ultimate ruler, Belshazzar's father, King Nabonidus, was still alive, so Belshazzar was the crowned prince of Babylon and the empire's second-highest authority. In fact, Nabonidus was doing his best in battle and sent his son a message that the Persians were coming so his son could act, either fight or flee. But instead of doing his best, Belshazzar decided to party – and die. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 6

For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. – Isaiah 54:7

Today's Scripture Reading (November 2, 2026): Isaiah 54

I remember standing outside the door of one of my children's rooms, listening to the sobs on the other side. They were being punished for bad behavior, but in those moments, it felt like I was being punished too. Sometimes, as parents, we have to do the things we don't want to do. To be honest, that is probably the part of being an adult we like least. We recognize that saying no and listening to the crying are part of parenting, even if we don't like playing the bad guy.

Isaiah again seems to return to the circumstances surrounding the Babylonian exile of Judah as he writes these words. It is doubtful that the verse means exactly what we read in our English Bibles. This passage probably should be interpreted the way we should interpret Jesus' words from the Cross: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me" (Matthew 27:46)? I believe we are committing an error if we allow ourselves to see Jesus as truly forsaken by God on the Cross. Jesus was fully human and fully God, and in that moment his human side could not feel God's love. Sometimes, in our own lives, we can know God's love intellectually but, because of the pain we are in, we cannot feel that same love emotionally. And whether we want to admit it or not, we are emotional beings. In that moment on the Cross, Jesus could not feel God's love; therefore, the sentiment he expressed was true only to the extent of how he felt.

Similarly, Isaiah is speaking to the outcasts of Judah. He says that "for a brief moment I allowed you to feel like I had abandoned you, for a brief moment I allowed you to believe the unbelievable, that I had left you to fend off the world with your strategies, but the truth is that I was standing outside the door the whole time." And when the moment has passed, I will open the door with great compassion and invite you back into my purpose.

For Israel, this period of feigned abandonment by God would produce a change in character, exactly what any good parent hopes for during punishment. We hope this time alone would help the child grow into a better person. For seventy years, God would leave Israel in Babylon, but after those seventy years, God's compassion would compel him to open the door and bring Judah home.

We all go through times of pain when it feels as if God is far away. Yet that is only our emotional understanding. The truth is that he has never been far away. He is listening just outside the door, and at any moment his compassion will compel him to rush in and bring us home.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 5

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. – Isaiah 53:8

Today's Scripture Reading (November 1, 2026): Isaiah 53

I recently read a bit about the church's history with slavery. What amazed me was that the universal church really did not take a stand on the issue of slavery until very late in the process. Part of the history included a story about two pastors from the same denomination, men who would have had to stand on the same platform at any of the denomination's major functions. On the surface, the two men were friends, but a deep divide separated them. One of the pastors was a slave owner, while the other was an abolitionist. In the book, these two men are held up as an ideal of how people of good character can form a friendship despite significant differences.

However, as I read the story, I began to see something different. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that slavery is wrong. There is also no doubt in my mind that the church did not take a stand against slavery as early as it should have. Our story has been the story of the abolitionist pastor standing on the platform with the slave owner, neither one able to push the issue and say that the other was wrong. The only way I can imagine this relationship working is if both pastors put away their personal beliefs about slavery. In some areas of life and belief, that is indeed laudable. However, we deserve to be chastised for not standing up against the evils of this world, even when they come disguised as religious belief. According to the Bible, we are called to act whenever someone is oppressed. We stand for those who can't.

For the most part, the Bible is God's instructions to the world's oppressed. This message about the oppressed may be why the affluent sometimes struggle to understand the Bible. If there is one constant, it seems to be that God stands with the oppressed and with those who are judged. I realize that often the oppression and judgment of policies in the past seem to be clearer to us than any current oppression. Still, we need to work to recognize oppression in our current beliefs. We need to stand up for those who suffer under judgment in our world, wherever we find them.

Isaiah describes the Suffering Servant, whom the Christian Church recognizes as Jesus, as being carried away by both oppression and judgment. Yet no one in his generation stood up to defend him. For Isaiah, this seems to be the greatest sin: refusing to care for those who need someone to stand in their stead, even if that means entering uncomfortable territory. For Isaiah's Suffering Servant, this oppression and his generation's inaction meant he would be separated from life. What made this even worse was that the Suffering Servant was being judged for sins that were not his own. The sins he suffered for belonged to the people who were willing to stand by and let him die.

Oppression is a constant in our world. But the church's reality is that we need to stand against oppression, wherever it is found, and against the oppressor, regardless of whether they are like us or not. We also need to repent for the people we oppress, so we might be considered part of the Kingdom of God movement.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 54

See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. – Isaiah 52:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 31, 2026): Isaiah 52

On November 11, 1843, Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson first published his fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling. The tale is a barnyard story about a misfit bird who is unlike the other birds. Because of the differences between this bird and all of the other birds, the misfit is abused by the other animals in the barnyard. In the story, the bird is chased from the barnyard and decides to live with the wild ducks and geese. However, even here in the forest, the torment that started in the barnyard continued. So, the Ugly Duckling moves on to find a home with an older woman, but her cat and hen continue the merciless teasing. So, once more, the duckling leaves. The duckling encounters a migrating flock of swans and is impressed by their beauty and majesty, but he is too small and too young to fly with them, so he wanders off again. A farmer finally finds the duckling cold and dying and brings it home, but the children are noisy, and the duckling is easily frightened, so he runs away again. That winter is miserable for the duckling, but he survives on what he can find to eat and hides in a cave for most of it. When spring arrives once more, he is confronted by the returning flock of swans. Lonely and tired, the duckling decides to join the swans, thinking it would be better to be killed by such beautiful birds than to spend the rest of his days alone. However, to his surprise, the swans do not kill him; instead, they accept him into their group without question. The duckling is bewildered until he sees his reflection in the pond and realizes he has grown into a beautiful swan. The story is often used to encourage children who are teased by their peers as a reminder that there is something special in them as well. Each of us harbors a swan inside, waiting to be released.

This verse starts a new prophecy for Isaiah. We know it as the "Suffering Servant" passage. Composed about 500 years before Christ's birth, it has been almost universally accepted as telling the story of Jesus. The passage talks about Jesus being beaten and mocked. It describes Jesus's humility; nothing in his appearance commended him to us. The "Suffering Servant" begins with this reminder: the Suffering Servant would do all that was asked of him, and in the end, he would not just be lifted up, but highly exalted. The one we could, for a while, find no beauty in would one day be the most beautiful sight the world could imagine.

The baby, born in a manger and born to die for the sins of the world, will one day be placed back on the throne of heaven to reign over all creation. In the end, the Bible says Jesus's story is the real tale of the Ugly Duckling, the Savior of the world who became like us and was abused by us, all to save us. And that is the real mystery of the incarnation and Christian life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? – Isaiah 51:12

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2026): Isaiah 51

Kings and empires die. It is simply a fact of life. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why kings don't ask themselves one simple question: How will I be remembered when I am gone? What lasting legacy will I leave my people and my family, the ones who carry my name? But instead of asking that question, the more common one seems to be: How do I get what I want out of this life? And it is not just emperors asking; that is the question on our lips as well.

I admit that I have done things in my lifetime that have hurt my legacy. Even I am not immune to the temptation to simply want what I want. Sometimes, as Christians, we need reminders that the beginnings of our faith were humble: a baby born in a manger and a people called by God to serve the culture in which they lived. In the beginning, Christianity was anti-empire; it had no means to gain power and no ambition to do so. Christians were aliens, strangers in a strange land. Christians were persecuted, but that did not seem to change their outlook; after all, their founder had been executed on a cross. For Aristotle, dying in battle to defend the king and empire was the greatest example of courage and honor. For the early Christian, to die in non-violent service to Christ the King, to be executed because of Jesus's message, was the path of real courage and honor. In the early days of our faith, many Christians died that way. However, when Constantine rose to become Emperor of the Roman Empire, all of that changed. Strangers living in a strange land became chosen and honored residents, and, in a strange twist of history, the persecuted became the persecutors. In that moment, we lost the legacy we were meant to carry (and many would argue we lost our souls, too). Almost 1700 years after Constantine, the Christian church has never regained the legacy we lost in the early moments of the fourth century.

That might be why Jesus was born in a manger rather than in a warm room in the inn: to remind us of the legacy we were meant to carry. We are still aliens, strangers in a strange land. We were never meant to be lawmakers; we follow the law of Christ, which makes us servants to those around us. We are salt and light, members of the anti-empire, or anti-kingdom, a countercultural force standing against this world's darkness. We recognize that only our God is permanent. Kings and empires will always rise and fall (as much as some of us don't want to believe it; that includes the Christian Empire, which rose in the fourth century and has been slowly diminishing for the last few generations). All the things of man are like grass; they are here today and gone tomorrow. But Christ, born in a manger, executed on a cross, and rising again on the third day, is the only piece of permanence we have. And if he is for us, "then who can be against us" (Romans 8:31)?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 52

I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. – Isaiah 50:6

Today's Scripture Reading (October 29, 2026): Isaiah 50

In the movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," a great scene shows the family gathered around the dinner table. They are ready to eat, but before they do, they want to pray. Ricky Bobby begins the mealtime prayer by addressing it to Baby Jesus. He is reminded by various family members that Jesus grew up, but that fact has little effect on Ricky, who starts his prayer over again. "Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, with your curled-up, fat, balled-up little fists pawin' at the air …" Ricky is pressed by the other characters that Jesus was a man and that he had a beard, but Ricky Bobby is undeterred. After all, Ricky likes the baby version of Jesus the best. 

As I write this, Christmas is getting close. It is still almost two months away, but stores where I live start putting up Christmas decorations as soon as Halloween is over. A reminder that the joyful time of year is closing in on us whether we are ready for it or not. And many of us would admit we like the baby version of Jesus best. At its best, Christmas is a happy time. At least, that is what we want it to be. The Christmas story is filled with comforting images: a baby in a manger, surrounded by love; angels descending from heaven to bring the good news to shepherds; and even wise men bringing gifts to the child they believe will one day be "The King of the Jews." However, along with the comforting images, there are also disquieting ones, including a prophecy from an old priest named Simeon:

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too (Luke 2:34-35).

They were probably not the exact words that Mother Mary was waiting to hear.

Yet in some of the earliest writings about the Messiah, the suffering of the one who would be the Christ is also a common thread. We can't speak of the birth of Jesus without being reminded of the death for which he was born. As much as the birth of Christ might comfort us, his purpose is fulfilled only in his death. This purpose is one reason the death and resurrection of Jesus were immediately recognized, while the birth wasn't celebrated for centuries.

This passage in Isaiah is messianic (meaning it is about Jesus). Jesus attests to that fact. As he was preparing for his last journey into Jerusalem, he said,

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him …" (Luke 18:31-33).

The scene Jesus had in mind seems to come directly from this passage in Isaiah. There is no mention of Jesus's beard being pulled out by his tormentors (Isaiah mentions it), but it would not be surprising if they did; that painful act would have been a common torture of the day.

So, our reality is that even in the joy of our Christmas celebrations, we are reminded of the death of Christ. In many ways, the two events cannot be separated. As much as we may want to pray to Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus – the Baby grew up, and he had a beard that could be pulled out and a back that would be laid open to the flogger’s whip; the Baby who was born to die so that we might live. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 51

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother's womb he has spoken my name. – Isaiah 49:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 28, 2026): Isaiah 49

Christmas is coming. I guess that is an ever-present reality. I mean, the day after Christmas, some people start planning for the next Christmas celebration, which, depending on the year, is only 364 or 365 days away. I have friends who have already finished preparing for a Christmas celebration that is now just under two months away. I have always waited until much closer to the day before I start my preparations. However, even when Christmas is still months away, the story of Christmas is always with us. The Incarnation, God with us, shapes our faith and everything that we do.

The eighth-century B.C.E. prophet Micah wrote about the coming incarnation. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2). The biblical historian Luke wrote that;

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:30-33).

Isaiah sends a message to distant lands: someone is coming for them. The Messiah's coming was not just an event important to Israel. His coming would matter to the entire world. Before he was born, God would call him, supporting Micah's message that his roots would be "of old, from ancient times." Luke confirms Isaiah's message that "from my mother's womb he has spoken my name" by declaring that the angel called him Jesus before he was even conceived.

So, Merry Christmas. The celebration might still be a couple of months away, but the reality of the Incarnation of the Messiah is with us every day of the year, and not just in the cold, snowy days of December.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50

Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob." – Isaiah 48:20

Today's Scripture Reading (October 27, 2026): Isaiah 48

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Infinite Regress," Seven of Nine is confronted with a Borg version of multiple personality disorder. Voices begin to speak to Seven, and at times the voices threaten to overwhelm her. She starts responding to stimuli that aren't there. The result is confusing; Seven can't understand what's happening to her. It might be the most terrifying condition a person can suffer through: finding yourself in a place where you can no longer trust your own senses, yet knowing you need to take some kind of action.

Earlier in this blog, we discussed the theory that the chapters starting with Isaiah 40 were written later than the book's first thirty-nine chapters. A few passages seem to have been written later. Again, part of the issue is with verses like this one. This command makes absolutely no sense if it was written to the pre-exilic Judean community who had no idea that they were going to spend 70 years in exile in Babylon. For those living in Judah during the lifetime of the original Isaiah, Babylon wasn't even a threat to Judean independence. The passage in itself is a reaction to a stimulus that just is not there, not yet. However, it was a badly needed message for those who were taken to Babylon and a reminder that they would one day be redeemed by God and returned home.

There would be another problem. After 70 years in Babylon, Babylon had become the only home many exiled Jews knew. So when the moment of release came, many seemed unwilling to return to Jerusalem and Judea. It was like they had a personality disorder; in this moment, they identified more with Babylon than they did with their homeland, and more with the gods of Babylon than with the God who had promised to them the very land into which they were being invited back.

So, Isaiah instructs the people to scream the news from the rooftops. God has redeemed the descendants of Jacob, and he is calling them home. This message needed to be repeated continually, as far as the Babylonian empire extended, until the children of Jacob heard it and returned to their land, their homes, and their inheritance.

Sometimes we miss the obvious. Like a person who can no longer trust their own senses, we tend to forget who we are and that our Father loves us. We forget He is still calling us to make a difference. Sometimes we need someone willing to remind us of what should be obvious, someone willing to shout the message from the rooftops in the hope that we will hear it and understand. We are the loved and valued of God, and God is calling us to a purpose, a purpose that can only be fulfilled by us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49

All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. – Isaiah 47:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 26, 2026): Isaiah 47

I don't like horoscopes. I know quite a few people who never leave the house without checking their stars, but it has never made much sense to me. I am also not big on fortune tellers, or fortune cookies, for that matter. My problem with all of this is that it feels like I am waiting for life to happen to me. Either I have a tall, dark, and handsome stranger in my future or not (being a guy, I am not sure what I would do with one of those, but maybe you ladies can tell me why you are all meeting the same guy), but either way I am just not convinced that any of it is written in the stars. I want to pursue life and chase it down, not passively wait for life to happen to me.

The real message of Isaiah seems to be that Babylon had become complacent. There seems to have been a change in the way that the Empire was being run following the days of the proactive Nebuchadnezzar. The current method of defending the Empire seemed to rely on the nation's magicians: enlisting stargazers to read the stars and predict the enemy's moves, then using their magic to stop the attack, all without expending any physical energy in their own defense.

Isaiah reminds Israel that the strategy wouldn't work. Babylon's reliance on its stargazers to predict the future and their magical defense of the Empire was about to fail. All their chasing after astrologers and stargazers, and all their readings of the monthly reports from their fortune tellers, would accomplish nothing except make them tired. In the end, Babylon would still fall.

All of this might help explain the strange night Babylon fell. That night, Belshazzar, the prince left in charge of the city, was enjoying himself at a drunken feast with his friends while the city's gates were left undefended. The city's lack of preparedness might simply be because the prince trusted his magicians and astrologers more than his advisors. Although we know Belshazzar received numerous reports about the advancing Persian army, he chose to ignore them, trusting the stars instead of his military.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 48

 

From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. – Isaiah 46:11

Today's Scripture Reading (October 25, 2026): Isaiah 46

The Shahbaz was a fabled bird said to live in Iran's mountain ranges. The Shahbaz has been described as being a bird much like the American Bald Eagle. Like the Bald Eagle, the Shahbaz was regal in nature; in fact, the name "Shahbaz" means "Royal Bird." However, the Shahbaz was more than just a bird. For the ancient Persians, the Shahbaz was a god. People believed the Shahbaz guided the Persian Empire. Circling high above the sacred Persian land, the bird's eyes saw everything that happened within the empire, and it protected the people and their king.

What is maybe significant for Bible scholars is that archaeologists have found flags and military standards from the time of Cyrus the Great decorated with this mythical bird of prey. It is thought that, beginning with the reign of Cyrus the Great and continuing through his immediate descendants, the Shahbaz became the symbol of Persia and was celebrated on the standard that flew above the empire's conquering military. Some have suggested that the Shahbaz was an appropriate symbol for Cyrus, whose armies struck swiftly and often without much warning.

So once again we have a very specific prophecy given to the Judean exiles living in Babylon, reminding them that God is already at work in sending them relief. Isaiah speaks of God summoning a bird of prey from the East. The allusion seems to be to the Shahbaz, represented by Cyrus and the Persians. According to Isaiah, God summons Shahbaz to fly to Babylon and send his people home, and Isaiah makes it clear that this foreign king serves the purposes of Israel's God.

Cyrus the Great became known as the great liberator for sending the slaves and exiles of the nations he conquered back home. This practice of freeing exiles earned Cyrus the Great something very few conquerors could claim: the respect of the people he ruled.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 47

This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut – Isaiah 45:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 24, 2026): Isaiah 45

I have had friends and relatives who love to talk about Biblical prophecy and the end of the world. One of these friends was searching for specifics about the end, but as much as some might argue differently, the Bible never gives us specifics about future events. When the Bible speaks of the future, the words are veiled and often become clear only after the events have already become reality. An example of this might be the famous prophecy of Isaiah that "the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son" (Isaiah 7:14). Critics of the passage are quick to point out that the church has misinterpreted the prophecy; that the passage should be read as "a young woman will be with child," which is not all that amazing. We do know, however, that the Christian Testament writers did not interpret it that way. For them, Mary the virgin (and a young woman) giving birth to a child (Jesus) fulfilled the Isaiah prophecy. We understand the prophecy more fully after Jesus' birth than we did before. However, it is also significant that Isaiah did not say the Virgin Mary would conceive and give birth to a son; the prophecy is simply not that specific.

Specificity is one of this passage's problems. If we regard the whole Book of Isaiah as being written in the late eighth or early seventh century B.C.E. by a single Isaiah, Cyrus being named in this passage is significant because Cyrus would not even be born for another century and a half. It is not what prophecy does. Instead, this prophecy is specific, naming Cyrus as if the words were written during the days of Cyrus the Great and the expansion of his empire throughout the known world. Could it be that the purpose of the passage is not to give prophecy of the rise of an unknown king, but rather the writer of the prophecy is giving an explanation about the rise and reign of this very specific king, because the prophet is one of those who are watching Cyrus rise?

Cyrus, like Nebuchadnezzar, was God's anointed; he was part of God's plan. If this passage was written from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, then the prophet needs the people to understand that everything is going according to God's plan. Nebuchadnezzar, the foreign king responsible for their presence in Babylon, was God's anointed king. Nebuchadnezzar was raised by God according to his plan to fulfill God's specific purpose. Now Isaiah reminds the exiles that Cyrus the Great is also God's anointed. God raised Cyrus to lead the empire for exactly this moment. The gates of the city would be left open so that Cyrus would not be kept out.

Isaiah might even be speaking specifically of the City of Babylon, because that almost precisely describes the events of October 7, 540 B.C.E. On that night, Cyrus entered the city of Babylon unopposed. God had raised Cyrus as the other bookend of the exile. Cyrus would return Judah to the home of their ancestors, and Judah would once more realize they had never been out of God's hands.    

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 46

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. – Isaiah 44:3

Today's Scripture Reading (October 23, 2026): Isaiah 44

Lucy Jane Rider Meyer had planned to work as a medical missionary in a foreign country. The man she planned to marry was also preparing to become a doctor, and he was bound to work alongside his bride in the same foreign country that needed their specialized talents. But in 1875, life dealt the young couple a blow. Lucy was 26 when her fiancé passed away, and with him, all the dreams she had for the future. However, unforeseen circumstances could not tear Lucy away from her purpose. She had a heart for the poor and oppressed. Instead of finding fulfillment of that purpose in a foreign land, she found a way to fulfill her dream at home. Her heart's desire led her into a life dedicated to social work and to serving those experiencing poverty in the midst of the city, the ones most of us have become used to not seeing.

Lucy saw them, and their presence drove her to seek a solution. Ultimately, she understood that the only real solution would have to come from God. One day in 1884, she read these words in Isaiah 44. God promised he would come to those who needed him, and the people she worked with desperately needed him. These urban poor were the dry ground that desperately needed a flood.

And so Lucy Meyer, a social worker in Chicago working with people experiencing poverty, penned these words:

I will pour water on him that is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground;
Open your hearts for the gifts I am bringing;
While ye are seeking Me, I will be found.

Meyer claimed these words for the people with whom she worked. Originally, the words were intended for another group of people who were oppressed against their will. Israel thought they knew God, but that was before the exile, before the temple had been torn from its foundation. Now they were seeking him, hoping almost against hope to one day find the God of their youth, the One their ancestors worshipped.

God then responded that all who were willing to seek him would find him. On that day, his Spirit would be poured out on the ones most in need. The thirsty would drink, and the desert would receive so much water that it would overflow. The captives would be released. Meyer recognized that the original promise for Israel was now a promise to anyone who recognized they needed God, even the unseen ones who had captured her heart.

Maybe one side effect of our overconfident civilization is that we have become the ones who don't need God. We think we are self-sufficient and can handle life all by ourselves. All that really means is that we are the ones God will not pour himself out over, because we believe we don't need Him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 45

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. – Isaiah 43:25

Today's Scripture Reading (October 22, 2026): Isaiah 43

Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood concepts of our time. We often think forgiveness means letting someone else "off the hook" for what they did. Forgiveness means not holding them responsible, maybe not even making them feel bad for the actions they took that hurt us. When we say we will never forgive, we think we mean we will never let them rest from the bad feeling deep inside them that comes from knowing they hurt us in some way. They will always carry the guilt because they are unforgiven. However, reality is somewhat different. For the most part, the people we hold grudges against seldom know that we are holding a grudge, only that we are acting like idiots. Even if they realize we hold a grudge, they often don't know exactly why. Nor are they staying up at night worrying about it. We who hold the grudge are the only ones doing that. The real stupidity in our unwillingness to forgive is that we pay the double penalty; we pay for the act committed against us, and we keep that act fresh in our lives, paying the price over and over again in our memory, because we will not forgive and we will never forget.

Forgiveness is simply letting ourselves off the hook for what others have done to us. A few years ago, I had numerous conversations with a woman who felt she had been wronged. She could recount every action taken against her, and not only could she do this, but she also practiced remembering it daily. Every day, she recounted the crimes committed against her, reliving the pain of her enemies' actions. As a result, her sleep, health, and even her ability to do her regular chores suffered. She constantly relived the terrible moments, vowing never to forgive. In this case, I was also in contact with those who had taken action against her. Unsurprisingly, they seldom gave this woman a second thought. They believed their actions were necessary, that she was irrational, and that nothing in their lives had changed because of her. The woman paid a double penalty while those she held a grudge against got off free, even though they were unforgiven.

Isaiah's words in this passage remind us of God's forgiveness of us. Often, we read these words through our theological glasses. We believe this passage speaks of his love for us, his love for the lost that is so great that even the most heinous of sinners can find forgiveness at the cross; the debt that needed to be paid for sins has been paid. God paid it himself, and to welcome us into his family, God no longer even remembers the sins for which Jesus paid.

What God has paid for, he has truly forgotten. Even God refuses to be hurt by our repeated sins against Him and His holiness. What we do with the sins he paid for and removed from his presence, and the life we choose to live, is entirely up to us because God no longer remembers them.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 44

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. – Isaiah 42:10

Today's Scripture Reading (October 21, 2026): Isaiah 42

The church seems to be stuck in its ways. I am not speaking of certain doctrines that we have seemed to allow to creep into the church that are more traditional than biblical; admittedly, we do have some sacred cows inside the Christian Church that are crying out to be made into Holy Hamburgers. Even in our non-biblical traditions, we are in a rut. I remember attending an Advent Chapel at an educational institution and left with the firm idea that they thought the traditional Christmas Carols, most of which were written within the last 500 years, were way too contemporary. So they searched and found carols that were even older, or newer and written in a style that made them seem like they were straight out of the 12^th Century.

Maybe we need to remember that new music has never had an easy time in the church. Isaac Watts, who wrote "Joy to the World" and many other hymns in our current hymnbooks, was criticized throughout his life for his songs, which were seen as too secular and as spending too much time and effort on a "pretty tune" rather than "theological lyrical content." May I humbly suggest that we might need both the old and the new in our lives.

Maybe we need to be reminded that in 1952 a mainline Christian denomination took steps to ban a song that they considered to be both "artistically and morally bankrupt." The song was starting to be sung in denominational churches, and leadership decided to nip the practice in the bud by publicly banning it, thereby protecting the people sitting in the pews from being influenced by this ungodly song. The song in question was "How Great Thou Art," which had been released to English congregations in 1949. Today, most of us are glad the protectors of the music lost the battle and that "How Great Thou Art" won and is still sung in churches, including the one I lead today.

Part of the problem is that the new and the old seem to approach God differently. I often hear about the good theology of the hymns versus the non-existent theology in today's Contemporary Christian music. However, the argument is wrong. First, not all old hymns are examples of great theology. Often, we're drawn to them for familiarity, not great theological content. For example, "The First Noel" has the shepherds following the Bethlehem star to Jesus. Second, it's not true that contemporary music lacks good theology (though I readily admit that some contemporary songs sung in our churches have really bad theology); it is just that contemporary music attacks theology in a different way. What made sense and was part of the experience three hundred years ago (or even forty years ago for my Gaither fans) is not how the writers view their experience today. These songs are written out of the writers' personal experience with God, and that is what makes any song of praise worthy of God. They intend to express what God has done in me and my life.

That is the point Isaiah (as well as many of the Psalms) is trying to make. How can you experience the living God and not let it shape what you sing? For some, that means writing a new song from the heart, an expression of how you are experiencing God in your life. For others, it means finding the song that most clearly expresses your experience with God, and when you find it, it shouldn't matter whether the song is old or new.   

Isaiah issues this imperative: find the song. If God is impacting your life, sing the song with every fiber that God has placed inside of you. It has never been about the tune; the song you sing is your expression of the life God has placed inside you, and that will always be what truly makes the song special. So, go ahead: sing that song!

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43

Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. – Isaiah 41:12

Today's Scripture Reading (October 20, 2026): Isaiah 41

Potential often has an elusive quality. When we are young, we hope we possess potential. Potential speaks to our future, but only of a possible future. Potential must, at some point, be realized to mean anything, but it is not always fulfilled. Potential may lie inside us, but we still need the strength of character to make it a reality.

The Babylonian Empire had a long history, but in many ways it is a story of what might have been. Babylon seems marked by great potential, but it never really achieved it. The Empire rose and fell over time, but too often Babylon fell just short of what it could have been. When Isaiah wrote these words, Babylon was rising again. Judah became a victim of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (New Babylonian Empire) under Nebuchadnezzar II. But the Neo-Babylonian Empire reached its zenith only during Nebuchadnezzar's reign, then fell again, its full potential left unrealized.

Isaiah's words seem to point to the end of the Babylonian Captivity. No nation had ever returned from captivity, but Isaiah's encouraging words suggest this would not be Judah's fate. One day, Judah would wake up still in forced captivity, but their enemy, the nation responsible for their presence in Babylon in the first place, would have disappeared. The reality was that Nebuchadnezzar II had the character to realize Babylon's potential, but the kings who followed him lacked it. As a result, Babylon's strength would one day vanish, along with all its potential.

Then Judah would return home. Isaiah needed to show Judah that God still saw potential in them, and that they would receive a second chance to follow it. But to realize that potential, they needed the strength of character to follow God. (Interestingly, Isaiah might have missed that Nebuchadnezzar displayed that kind of strength as he pursued his own potential.)

Our potential still lies in our strength of character and our willingness to follow God. And it is never too late to realize that potential.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42

A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.” – Isaiah 40:6

Today's Scripture Reading (October 19, 2026): Isaiah 40

No one ever gave us a guarantee as to numbers. No one ever really promised us anything about tomorrow. As the days pass, we are given the illusion of immortality, but we know it is only an illusion, a dream that has been fabricated from somewhere deep inside of us. And one day will be our last day. The most frustrating fact of this life might be that we know we are not the only ones who will enter that last day. Everyone that we cherish and want to hold onto will also have their own last day. And nothing any of us can do to stop that day from coming.

Some Bible scholars suggest that as we move from Isaiah 39 to Isaiah 40, we pass from the first Isaiah to a second. The idea behind the theory is that while Isaiah 1 - 39 speak harshly of Israel, trying desperately to get the people to change their behavior before God brings disaster on the nation, starting with Isaiah 40 there is a change of tone in what Isaiah is saying; Isaiah begins to desire to be more of a comforting voice to Israel. It is as if, from Isaiah 1–39, the prophet carries warnings of the coming of the last day, but starting with Isaiah 40, the last day has arrived. Looking back in history, that last day was Judah's exile to Babylon. We suspect the prophet Isaiah died during the evil reign of Manasseh of Judah; we know he would never have survived to see the exile. The exile was still decades after the prophet’s death. Yet the imagery starting in Isaiah 40 is so startlingly real we have to wonder.

The theory is hotly debated. Both sides claim ground they really have no right to claim. The truth is that we do not know. But for the rest of the book of Isaiah, we will have to examine life in a very different way. Where the first Isaiah cried out about God's power and the woes of not following his path, this Isaiah, whether a different man or just an older version of the first, now questions the very things he has to say. Like Marley in “A Christmas Carol,” the prophet hears the world asking him for comfort, and he is not sure he has any to give.

However, he knows this. This life is fragile. It carries no guarantees. But as fragile as this life is, God is sturdy. As short as our days are, God’s are unending. Isaiah's imagery is of the hills of Judah after the winter rains; he marvels at how lush, green, and flower-filled they are. But it does not take long for the grass to brown and the flowers to die under the hot Middle Eastern Sun. He realizes that this scene, which he has watched repeatedly throughout his life, also describes life itself. The only permanent things were the things that emanated from his God. And so, the prophet responds to the voice: What is it that I should cry? Because I do not want to waste my voice on things that do not come from you.

The prophet’s question needs to be our own. Why would we waste our breath on anything that does not come from God? Whatever we say, we want to be stamped with the character of the one whose days are truly without end. Those unending days are possessed by the Creator now, as they always have been.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 41

The gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi. – Ezekiel 48:31

Today's Scripture Reading (October 18, 2026): Ezekiel 48

Neil Young wrote the song "Love is a Rose" in 1974. The song was originally written for Young's studio album "Homegrown." But that album was never released. For some mysterious reason, Young decided at the last minute to abandon the project. The song "Love is a Rose" then went into a holding pattern. It took a few more years for the song to see the light of day on a compilation CD, and then, as a country hit, on a Linda Ronstadt album. The lyrics of the chorus are:

Love is a rose, but you better not pick it.
It only grows when it's on the vine.
A handful of thorns and you'll know you've missed it.
You lose your love when you say the word "mine."

                                               Neil Young

Young's lines are poetic, but in a very real way, he is wrong. Love may be like a rose; it may be symbolized by a rose, but love is not a rose. The rose (especially a red one) symbolizes love, but it is not love. It is a very dangerous thing to confuse the real thing with the symbol. The only safe place to confuse the actual thing with a symbol is in a poem or a song. Real life demands something different.

In biblical study, one challenge we struggle with is distinguishing between the literal and the symbolic. When does the Bible mean something literally, and when is it speaking figuratively or symbolically? A friend of mine solved the problem by assuming the Bible never speaks symbolically; everything mentioned is meant literally. But then we arrive at the "Love is a Rose" problem.

Ezekiel describes the gates to the new city. The city has twelve gates, and each is named after one of the tribes of Israel. But this is not a literal representation of the tribes of Israel; the gates are symbolic. We know this for two reasons. First, the order of the gates does not match any order given for the tribes of Israel. It does not reflect either how Israel camped in the desert or how the tribes received their inheritance in Canaan. A second clue is Levi's inclusion in the list. Levi had no inheritance and is often excluded from the list of the tribes; however, a gate bears Levi's name.

Ezekiel describes the new city; the city that blesses the world. The tribes symbolize the way into the city. But the way is not through Israel's tribes. The tribes of Israel symbolize God's promise. God promises Abraham that he will bless the world through him, and the tribes symbolize that promise. As Ezekiel sees the gates of the new city, he recognizes God's promise to bless the world, and he allows the twelve tribes to represent or symbolize that blessing.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40

He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. – Ezekiel 47:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 17, 2026): Ezekiel 47

A story is told of neighbors who decide to sue their neighbor. The problem is that a creek flowing through the neighbors' property has been dammed up, and the much-needed water is slowed, or at times stopped, by dams on the creek over which the neighbors have no control.

The man argues that he shouldn't be sued because he has not built any dams on his property. In fact, he gains nothing from damming the water. He wants the water to flow through his land. If the water has been stopped, it is not because of him. An examination of the creek as it flows through the property shows that the neighbors are right; the water has been dammed. It also shows the property owner is right: he did nothing to dam the creek. A family of industrious beavers built the dams and decided to make their home by the creek. The landowner, pleading innocence, argues that if someone is to be sued, the appropriate party to be named in the lawsuit is the beavers. A series of beaver dams has stopped the creek.

Life tends to build up on us. The cumulative effect of everything we go through has a very real impact on us. I would love to say we are objective and can respond to life as it comes, but the reality is that life changes us. When life is negative, it leaves us the same way. When the negative builds up, we start making unhealthy decisions. The negative grows, and we begin to die.

For Ezekiel, this principle was illustrated powerfully. The Dead Sea was a place of death. It received all the negativity the Jordan River had to offer and held it. It built up until the water literally died and the sea became a place of death. But Ezekiel had a vision of a river flowing from the temple that brought life, even to water that had died.

It is a powerful image of redemption, grace, and forgiveness. An image of what God wants to do with our lives. It begins with allowing God to move in us to forgive. Then the water flows through us, enabling us to forgive others. If we can do both, be forgiven and forgive, the negativity that has built up in our lives has a chance to be released. As the river flows over us, it brings back the life that had gone missing. It is what God has purposed to do in our lives if we will let him. He desires to bring life to what is dead in us and what has died in our communities.

So maybe it is time to remove the beaver dams from our lives and let the healing river flow.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 48

 

So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular burnt offering. – Ezekiel 46:15

Today's Scripture Reading (October 16, 2026): Ezekiel 46

The old adage is right. In business, there is no big mystery about turning a profit. All we have to do is make sure our income exceeds our expenses. So, if you are in business or even want to improve your personal finances, the key to profit is to cut expenses until they fall below your income. Simple, right? Okay, maybe not.

The problem is that some expenses can't be cut. Rent and insurance are often fixed. To run a business or a home, these expenses form a baseline. They set a floor for our income. They are the costs that exist before you even open the doors and turn on the light switch. These expenses are the "turnkey" costs of the business—expenses you have to pay before you even turn the key to open the business's door.

Ezekiel 46 essentially addresses the spiritual equivalent of these expenses. These are the daily spiritual requirements for living in a world far from God. The problem with baseline expenses is that they never go away. Paying once isn't enough; they keep recurring. Sin had its own permanent cost requirement under the law. There was a daily obligation that had to be paid.

For those of us living on our side of the cross, the news is good. The good news is that Jesus paid that turnkey debt once and for all. We no longer need to make daily sacrifices to atone. It is too bad that not many of us live as if we know that. We live as if guilt is threatening to overturn our lives. Some of our practices seem to reinforce this idea. Confession is one of those practices. Confession encourages us to keep an account of our sins so we can confess them to a priest or spiritual leader, who can then impose spiritual punishment. We should confess to one another in the spirit of accountability so we can grow beyond the sin limits in our lives. However, that confession shouldn't be to make restitution for sin that has already been paid for.

We need to remember that guilt has no place in our lives. The debt has been paid, and our lives should reflect that truth. Does yours?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 47

All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel. – Ezekiel 45:16

Today's Scripture Reading (October 15, 2026): Ezekiel 45

I was reminiscing with some friends about the 1971 Grey Cup (the Canadian Football version of the Super Bowl). In 1971, two of my favorite football teams met for the championship: the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders. Three years earlier, I had moved with my parents from Toronto to Calgary. I was eight when we moved, and I hadn't been interested in football until I arrived in Calgary. By the 1971 season, I lived and breathed the Stampeders.

That year, the Toronto Argonauts were led by rookie quarterback Joe Theismann. Theismann would later become an NFL great with the Washington Redskins, now the Washington Commanders. Toronto was favored to win, but rain made it a low-scoring affair. However, when the final whistle blew, the underdogs from Calgary won the 59th Grey Cup, 14-11. It was only the second time Calgary had won the Canadian Football Championship and the first since 1948. I was eleven years old and in sixth grade at the time. 

What I really remember about the 1971 Grey Cup is what happened after the game. Because Grey Cup winners were uncommon in Calgary, saying the city's sports fans were excited would have been an understatement. I remember the Mayor coming on TV and radio with an exciting announcement. The city was going to welcome our Stampeders home in style, and the Mayor wanted all the kids to gather at the downtown arena, the Stampede Corral, on Monday afternoon to scream for their heroes. It didn't take long for someone to question whether the Mayor had the authority to cancel school, and the school board answered that he did not. Quickly, the school board chairman replaced the Mayor's voice. Classes would not be canceled so the kids could welcome their Stampeders home. Everyone was expected to be in school.

Ezekiel says that the landowners are to give an offering to the prince of Israel (Israel no longer had a king). The prince was to use the money for various sin offerings at the nation's religious festivals. But as I read this passage, the question that jumps out is: why was the money given to the prince? Would it not have been better to give the money directly to the priests who were responsible for making the sacrifice? Surprisingly, I consulted some experts, and they were silent on the reason, only confirming that the money was not to be given to the priests.

So, let me offer this as my humble suggestion. If the religious feasts were to become a reality, they would not happen simply because the religious structure decreed them. They would also require political support. And perhaps the best way for that to happen was to divide responsibility between the two forces in people's lives: the political would collect the offering and prepare everything for the sacrifice. In contrast, the priests would minister at the altar, properly offering the sacrifice to God. The political and religious fronts would work in unity, making the religious feast not just a possibility but a reality in the life of the new nation. In this way, there would be no embarrassing conflicts between the two forces of religious life in Judah.

Maybe that is the reason, or maybe not, but back when I was eleven, it would have been nice to have the two forces in my life, the School Board and the Mayor, on the same page. Eventually, a compromise was reached. The schools would be open, but no one would take attendance. With that knowledge firmly in hand, the eleven-year-old me headed for the Corral to welcome the Calgary Stampeders home. 

Just one more note. The Prince of Israel could also be called the Messiah of Israel. When Jesus arrived, he became prophet, priest, and King. The New Testament places major emphasis on only one of those roles: King. Jesus was the Prince of Israel and heir to David's throne. Just as the landowners during the rebuilding of Judah brought offerings to the Prince, we now bring our sacrifices to our King. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 46