All this is because of Jacob’s transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob’s transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah’s high place? Is it not Jerusalem? – Micah 1:5

Today's Scripture Reading (April 28, 2026): Micah 1

Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the king of the Seleucid Empire from 175 B.C.E. until 164 B.C.E. He was the son of King Antiochus III the Great. From the very beginning, Antiochus Epiphanes was fighting an uphill battle. Antiochus III was a confident King. While he began his reign with military losses, he later achieved significant victories and ultimately expanded his territory. Rather than having future historians give him the epithet “The Great,” Antiochus assumed the title “Basileus Megas” (Great King) for himself. In many ways, Antiochus III might have been the Donald Trump of his day.

It was this image to which Antiochus Epiphanes measured himself. Antiochus Epiphanes was not the direct successor of Antiochus III the Great. His oldest brother, Antiochus, ruled with his father but died before his father. Another brother and son of Antiochus the Great, Seleucus IV Philopator, reigned but was assassinated in 175 B.C.E. Seleucus IV Philopator was succeeded by his son, another unnumbered Antiochus. Little Antiochus was only five at the time. Uncle Antiochus IV Epiphanes took control of the empire at this time, and within another five years, Antiochus the unnumbered was dead, and Antiochus IV Epiphanes was on the throne of the Seleucid Kingdom. But as a result of the way he became King, Antiochus Epiphanes was considered to be a pretender throughout the rest of his reign.

Antiochus sought the approval of the people by cultivating an image of an extravagant and generous ruler who gave unexpected gifts to people he didn’t know, supported military parades, and donated money to the Athenian Temple of Zeus.

However, what Antiochus IV Epiphanes is most remembered for is reversing the Seleucid policy of tolerating the religion of the Jews and, instead, beginning to persecute them. He outlawed all of the rituals of the Jewish faith, he put out the immortal lamp that was meant to burn forever in the Temple, and forced the priests to eat pig flesh, which was considered unclean by the Mosaic Law. He also sacrificed a great swine and sprinkled its blood on the altar in the outward court. All of this meant that the Temple had been defiled, and Jewish worship couldn’t take place there until the Temple had been cleansed. It was also the backdrop to the Maccabean Rebellion, which resulted in Israel briefly gaining its independence.

Micah is speaking about Israel's transgressions. What is important is that the sin of Israel is not because of some outside force. The sin Micah speaks of is not because Antiochus IV Epiphanes came into Jerusalem and defiled the Temple and the city. Jacob’s transgression can be laid at the feet of those living in Samaria, another name for the northern Kingdom of Israel and its capital city. Judah’s sin was highlighted by the sin of the people living in Jerusalem and those who worshipped at the Temple, which was Judah’s high place or proper mountain of worship. Israel and Judah didn’t need an Antiochus to defile them; they were doing that all by themselves.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Micah 2

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my Grandson, James. Have a great day! (And thus the month of Birthdays in my family begins)

When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. – Isaiah 7:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 27, 2026): Isaiah 7

Ahaz seems to have been the exception in a very good line of Kings. Ahaz was the thirteenth in the line of David, and his father (Jotham), grandfather (Uzziah), and great-grandfather (Amaziah) were all noted as the best of the Davidic line. Ahaz's son, Hezekiah, was the most noted of the five generations for his godly faith; some historians argue that Hezekiah was the best of all the Kings of Judah. But somehow Ahaz missed all of this. He married early in life and, if the Bible's chronology is correct, his son Hezekiah was born when he was just 11.

Within a few years of Ahaz becoming King, Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Aram marched against Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah under Ahaz's leadership. It is into this situation that we are presented with one of the best-known prophecies of Christ. And the prophecy is found in a conversation Ahaz had with Isaiah amid the King's fear of the damage these two kings might wreak in Judah. The prophecy? "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). But Isaiah isn't talking about Mary and Joseph. He is talking about King Ahaz and his young queen; the word we have translated as "virgin" could also be translated as "young woman of marriageable age."

Isaiah was about 20 when these kings threatened Judah. The more experienced Kings of Israel and Aram had joined forces largely to face the threat coming from Assyria. And they intended that either Ahaz would join their coalition, or they would destroy Judah and make her their ally by force.

God's message to Ahaz is: "I know that you are scared. I know that you are tempted to join with the Kings of Ephraim and Aram. But I know what you don't know. Within sixty-five years, Aram and Ephraim will be gone. I know how unbelievable that sounds, but within sixty-five years, Ephraim will be totally defeated. And if you put your future with them, you might share their fate. Trust in me, not them. I will not allow them to overwhelm you. They will not overpower you now, or at any time in the future."

Here is the truth. Ahaz did not actually have to wait 65 years for the prophecy to be fulfilled. The real number was twelve. In twelve years, Israel would be defeated. The alliance that threatened Judah and Ahaz here in twelve years would fall to the Assyrians. But Ahaz didn't know this, and, in this conversation with Isaiah, he had to decide where to place his trust.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Micah 1

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." – Isaiah 6:6-7

Today's Scripture Reading (April 26, 2026): Isaiah 6

We are people who have sinned, whether we admit it or not. And when we come to the point where we recognize our sin, we will face a decision about what to do about it. The choice that stares us in the face is to argue that it's not our fault and we can't do anything about it, or to confess it. Which reaction is up to us.

The imagery in this passage is very strong. Can you imagine having a hot coal placed on your lips? Dave Browning wrote a song titled "Take Me In," and the chorus includes these lines.

            Take me into the Holy of Holies

            Take me in by the blood of the Lamb

            Take me into the Holy of Holies

            Take the coal, cleanse my lips, here I am 

When we come before this thrice-Holy God, whose glory fills our world and who reveals our sins for what they are, the most painless way to handle that sin is to say that it is not my fault. If fault has to be assigned, it is to someone or something else, not me. Sometimes, we even blame God, I mean, He made us this way, and he has the power to change us and our circumstances if he wants to. But he doesn't (Somehow the events of the Garden of Eden fall away at this point in our argument). 

Our only other option is to take personal responsibility for our sin, confess it, and allow God to come and cleanse it. To take coal and cleanse our lips. From experience, I know that if confession isn't painful, then we haven't really taken responsibility for our sin.

I had a conversation with a friend several years ago. Some issues arose and changed the course of his life. And now we were sitting across a table in a coffee shop, talking about it. I remember asking him which part of the experience he owned, which is just another way of asking, "How have you sinned?" He responded that he had sinned by allowing people to take advantage of him, by allowing other people's behavior to influence him. It was his fault for not cutting off these relationships earlier. 

And all of that might be true, but he still hadn't confessed sin. He had just restructured old arguments in a more personal way. Basically, he argued that he took personal responsibility for someone else's actions against him. It's still not my fault. It is still someone else who did it to me.

If confession isn't painful, then I don't think you have really confessed. It is so much easier not to take responsibility. But we still need the coal to touch our lips, regardless of how painful that might be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 7

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. – Isaiah 5:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 25, 2026): Isaiah 5

In the second episode of season four of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Captain Jean Luc Picard goes home to visit with his brother, Robert, and his family. The episode, appropriately titled "Family," tells the story of a broken Picard returning home to a strained relationship with his brother. And a vineyard plays front and center in the conflict. Robert is a vineyard owner, and the vineyard takes up a lot of Robert Picard's time. Robert carefully tends his grapes, ensuring they are healthy and free of disease; after all, that is what a vineyard owner does. Robert doesn't understand why Jean-Luc decided to give up the vineyard to journey through the stars.

Owning and caring for a vineyard is a time-consuming project. The vines have to be pruned, disease needs to be spotted quickly, and sick vines need to be cut off before the disease spreads to healthy vines. Maybe that is why vines make an excellent illustration of the relationship between God and his people. Jesus used vines as an illustration on the last night he spent with his disciples before his crucifixion.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:1-8)

Here in Isaiah, the message is clear. God is the vineyard owner, and we are the vineyard. And God will take all of the time that is needed to care for and protect his vineyard. Reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) makes this observation:

No possession is dearer to a man than a vineyard, and there is none that demands more constant and persevering toil. Not only, therefore, does the Lord declare that we are his beloved inheritance, but at the same time points out his care and anxiety about us (John Calvin; Commentaries on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 1-32).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6

It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. – Isaiah 4:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 24, 2026): Isaiah 4

The American rock band "The Killers" released their hit song "Human" in 2008, though they admit it was written while they were recording their second album, "Sawdust." "Sawdust" was released in 2007, but it was recorded over a long period, starting in 2002, which gives us a rough estimate of when the song was written. The band admits they could have released the song on "Sawdust," but purposely held it back for their third studio album, "Day and Age." "Human" was the first single released from the album.

"Human" has received a bit of controversy over one key lyric in the chorus. In 2014, the song was voted as having the "weirdest lyric of all time." The problem is grammatical: the first and last lines of the chorus, which are identical, don't quite make sense.

            Are we human or are we dancer?

            My sign is vital, my hands are cold

            I'm on my knees, looking for the answer

            Are we human or are we dancer (B. Flowers, D. Keuning, M. Stoermer, R. Vannucci Jr.)?

Shouldn't the line be either "dancers" or maybe "denser," but not "dancer"? The band has been frustrated by the controversy. Brandon Flowers says the song was a response to a negative comment by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who argued that the United States was "raising a generation of dancers, afraid to take one step out of line."

I think Isaiah would have understood the lyric. He and many of the Prophets of Israel almost always found themselves on the outside when it came to the people's religious beliefs. His message is that if you are willing to follow God, you often won't please the nation's religious elite. Professing God's ideals will often set you against culture, even religious culture.

Moses was not always accepted by the people of Israel that he led, even though he followed God. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh, rejecting God's path in favor of a cultural route. Elijah was called a troublemaker by the king because he followed God. Jesus was crucified, and most of his students were persecuted and killed, all because they were following a God who demanded something different from them. He didn't want them to dance to the beat of the cultural drums. But Isaiah knew that even in these times, God would give shelter from the storms and the rain to those who followed him and dared to step out of line.

Luckily, he still provides that shelter, and those who preach a radical love and acceptance of God often need it. As do those who teach about the church's responsibility to "the least of these" in our struggle against the mainline culture, which seems to desire to demonize the poor and persecute the outsider, neither of which is approved by the Jesus of the Christian Church.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5

The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. – Isaiah 3:9

Today's Scripture Reading (April 23, 2026): Isaiah 3

For the past few years, I have been convicted by the "Sin of Sodom." I also have been bothered by the church's flirtation with Sodom's sin. Here is the problem: I think we have misidentified the sin. We have made the sin of Sodom about homosexuality, and we have taken a stand against that sin. Part of the reason why we have misidentified the sin is that we do not have many LGBTQ people in our midst, and the ones who are attending are deeply closeted. As a result, there has been no pushback. So, for most of the Christian Church, we can identify homosexuality as Sodom's sin and, with the same breath, say that we don't have a problem. The problem is out there somewhere. Then we can point at the others who identify as either homosexual, bisexual, or pansexual, as the ones caught in this sin. Worldwide, about 10% of people self-identify this way.

We treat Sodom as if it were a city full of gay men. After all, the story seems to make that accusation.

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them" (Genesis 19:3-4 – italics mine).

The author of Genesis doesn't say "some," he says "all the men." It should be the first clue that something unusual is at work here. Add to this that the story is not just about Sodom, but Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain, do we really believe that all of these men had adopted a gay lifestyle? For me, that doesn't make sense.

So, if the sin of Sodom is not homosexuality, what is it? I think the answer to that question is hospitality. Sodom refused to welcome the strangers and make them feel welcome and safe. They didn't want visitors to the city. They refused to offer assistance to the stranger. They persecuted people whom Jesus called "the least of these." And they had decided that the best way to keep visitors away was to humiliate those who came to their cities and then let them go to tell the story of Sodom. They paraded their sin, were even proud of it, and they wanted people to know.

I think we still do. We parade our ideas about the people who are not welcome in our midst. And the LGBTQ community is only a portion of the people that we don't want in our fellowships. Visitors quickly understand that they are not welcome. I have had to discipline church leaders who went to people and declared, "We don't want your kind here." It is something that every church needs to guard against.

I belong to a congregation that enjoys handing out candy to children on Halloween. I get it, Halloween is not really our holiday, but kids are out and wandering the neighborhood. So, we hand out candy. Three to four hundred children, together with their parents, stop by for candy, a free hot dog, and hot chocolate during the evening. They can warm themselves by a fire and dance to the Halloween-appropriate music, assisted by a laser light show. Last year, we were picketed by people who believed we were welcoming people into the church who shouldn't be invited into the Christian community. I couldn't disagree more. I am proud to be part of a group of people who just want to use any excuse to roll out the welcome mat.

The sin of Sodom was alive and well in Jerusalem and Judah. And it is alive with us as well. The truth is that we need to find excuses to welcome people, because the sin of Sodom is insidious. Unless we are on guard against it, it will find its way into even the best-intentioned congregation of Christ's believers.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 4

You, LORD, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs. – Isaiah 2:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 22, 2026): Isaiah 2

Leave no one behind. It is the oft-repeated motto of various military groups. We will not leave anyone behind, whether they are healthy, injured, or even dead; we will bring every soldier home. It is an encouraging thought, especially if you are fighting in foreign lands. I have watched with interest the dignified transfer of soldiers coming home from various conflicts over the years. These moments serve as a reminder that every person is important and worthy of being brought home.

However, sometimes military personnel are forced to leave someone behind. In 1940, Allied troops were forced to evacuate from Dunkirk (Dunkerque), France. Between May 26 and June 4, about 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops were removed from the French Port to the United Kingdom. That is almost 340,000 soldiers, and it was an amazing operation. Military vessels were assisted by civilian boats in getting individuals off the French Coast and the European mainland. The Dunkirk evacuation was an exciting moment in military history and the story of World War II.

What we sometimes forget is that we didn't get everyone. As massive as the evacuation effort was, and even though 340,000 soldiers were removed from France, at least 40,000 British troops and another 40,000 French troops were left behind. Many of these soldiers who were abandoned at Dunkirk were summarily executed. Those who were lucky enough to be captured were abused and mistreated with actions that were a violation of the Geneva Convention guidelines that governed how sick and wounded prisoners should be treated. They were denied food and medical treatment and forced to drink ditch water and eat rotten food. Sean Longden writes this:

These dreadful days were never forgotten by those who endured them. They had fought the battles to ensure the successful evacuation of over 300,000 fellow soldiers. Their sacrifice had brought the salvation of the British nation. Yet they had been forgotten, while those who escaped and made their way back home were hailed as heroes (Sean Longden; Dunkirk: The Men They Left Behind).

Isaiah speaks about the coming judgment over Judah and Jerusalem and the approaching "Day of the Lord." And he makes this jarring statement: "You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob" (Isaiah 2:6a). Luckily, he also explains that the people have become entangled in the superstitious beliefs of eastern nations; they practiced divination like the Philistines and willingly embraced pagan customs. It is like God had sent the people of Jerusalem all the ships they needed, but they chose to stay behind rather than be rescued by their God. The people chose to be abandoned; it was not an action that God initiated. The people could have been saved, but they chose not to be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 3