DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

  August 24: Who Is Trustworthy? Isaiah 48:1–49:26; Luke 19:11–48 ; Job 11:1–12 We might need help with reading the Parable of the Ten Minas. Businessmen aren’t sympathetic characters in our modern world. In movies and sometimes in life, they’re often flat, miserly characters who take advantage of naïve individuals and community values. Although some stereotypes often have an element of truth, it can be too easy to take sides. And we’re forced to take sides in this parable. Whose view is correct—the people of the city who hate the nobleman, the fearful servant, or the nobleman and his faithful servants? The response of the masses seems unjustified. The two servants entrusted with minas are faithful characters but not the focus of the parable. We expect an exciting turn of events when the final servant is summoned. Will we sympathize with him? We’ve already heard that the citizens hate the nobleman, and the final servant seems to confirm this: “For I was afraid of you because yo...

  August 19: The Cost of Comfort Isaiah 39:1–40:31 ; Luke 14:1–35 ; Job 9:12–19 “ ‘[You all] comfort; comfort my people,’ says your God. ‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, that her compulsory labor is fulfilled, that her sin is paid for, that she has received from the hand of Yahweh double for all her sins’ ” (Isa 40:1–2). God directed this command at the prophet and a group of people—possibly all remaining in Israel. They were to comfort the exiled Israelites and call them home again. Sometimes, we feel the need for this kind of comfort. Like the prodigal son in the pig sty, we feel exiled and alone; we have paid our sentence and want to go home. We’re not even asking for joy—just comfort. Despite their sins, God responded to the Israelites. But God did not merely restore them to their former state. He sent the Suffering Servant, prophesied later in Isaiah (Isa 52:13–53:12), to die on behalf of the people, to pay for the sins that resulted in exile in ...

  August 18: Connecting the Dots Isaiah 37:14–38:22; Luke 13:1–35; Job 9:1–11 We still like to connect the dots when we need all the facts. Questions make us uncomfortable, so we draw lines with answers that make us feel safe and fit our worldview. But sometimes, we hold too tightly to the picture that results. Job's friends were guilty of this error. Although they affirmed true things about God's character, they connected the dots unhelpfully. For example, in Job 8, Bildad pointed to God's justice and stated that Job's hardship couldn't be for nothing. Therefore, he must have sinned. The Job also affirmed God's justice, wisdom, and strength but didn't buy into Bildad's worldview. In Job 9, he acknowledged that God was beyond his understanding. Job might have suffered, but he kept his high opinion of God. Job wanted answers, too. He longed for God to make Himself known and settle the matter (Job 9:3). Job mourned that he had no way of defending himse...

  August 17: Anxiety and the Wilderness Isaiah 35:1–37:13 ; Luke 12:22–59 ; Job 8:11–22 Anxiety has a way of ruling over us. Although many of our concerns are legitimate—like having money to pay the rent and buy food—some are nonsensical. We envision future catastrophes and spend our days worrying about what might never happen, creating an emotional wilderness for ourselves. Anxiety isn’t new. The prophet Isaiah addresses the problem: “WilderneWilderness land shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus.… Say to those who are hasty of heart, ‘Be strong; you must not fear! Look! Your God will come with vengeance, with divine retribution. He is the one who will come and save you” (Isa 35:1, 4). Isaiah realizes that there is a time and season for everything. He proclaims that God will bring the people out of the wilderneWildernessexile in Babylon) and back into their land. There is an answer to their anxiety, pain, and worry about the future. His words r...

  August 16: No Fear and Full Confidence Isaiah 33:1–17; Luke 11:37–12:21 ; Job 8:1–10 Jesus didn’t precisely follow social niceties as a dinner guest. Once again, while dining with a Pharisee, He exposed the hypocrisy that was rampant among those religious leaders: “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inside is full of greediness and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). The “woes” He followed with challenged His host and, by extension, the Pharisees in general. His boldness is a trait He wanted to pass on to His disciples: “But nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, and secret that will not be made known” (Luke 12:2). The gospel message will not be kept secret; the new kingdom is coming into being. Jesus wanted the disciples to be fearless among people because God was in charge, not the Pharisees; they had built up a false construct of authority. Although they may have exercised authority—they could kill and spread fear—they weren’t ultimat...

  August 15: Lethal Planning Isaiah 30:18–32:20 ; Luke 11:1–36; Job 7:11–21 I’m a planner. I love schedules. The trouble is I sometimes make plans without consulting God. While I often think of this as a modern problem, I’ve discovered that the Bible regularly addresses it like many other contemporary issues. For example, in Isaiah 30:1, Yahweh declares, “Oh rebellious children!… to make a plan, but not from me, and pour out a libation, but not from my Spirit, to add sin to sin.” Apparently, God’s people had been offering libations—a type of drink offering—in the ways of the Egyptians rather than in the ways of Yahweh. We make the same mistake in our lives. We seek wisdom in books or from people before consulting Yahweh. We ask our colleagues what they think before turning to our God. We look to our parents or friends instead of patiently awaiting God’s resolution. We look to our strength or influence instead of relying on the God who created us. In our demeanor toward God, we ...

  August 14: Being Busy Isaiah 29:1–30:17; Luke 10:1–42 ; Job 7:1–10 Sometimes, it’s challenging to deal with quiet. For most people, chaos, deadlines, managing multiple schedules, and being “so busy” are a way of life. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we like it. Busyness implies we are unique and valued, and our work is necessary. And we have a desperate need to be valued. When others failed to recognize Martha’s work—when Mary didn’t hold to the same values—she complained to Jesus. He rebuked her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things! But few things are necessary, or only one thing, for Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42). What is the “better part”? Mary “sat at the feet of Jesus and was listening to his teaching” (Luke 10:39), and Jesus praised her desire to listen and learn. Mary was captivated by the “one thing” that would change the world: Jesus and the kingdom He was ushering in. Jesus sho...

  August 13: Haunted by Leviathan Isaiah 27:1–28:29 ; Luke 9:28–62 ; Job 6:14–30 Indiana Jones isn’t afraid of anything—until a snake appears on the scene. Then we hear him mutter, “I hate snakes,” and “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?” Everyone is afraid of something. Even now, your greatest fear is probably creeping through your mind—something completely irrational, like heights, spiders, or dolls. Like Indy and us, the ancients had fears: They hated snakes. In ancient literature, the serpent Leviathan was a symbol of chaos—a great monster to be subdued. When a god subdued Leviathan in ancient stories, it showed his supremacy. Isaiah uses the same metaphor to proclaim that Yahweh can destroy all fears: “On that day, Yahweh will punish with his cruel, great and strong sword Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and Leviathan, the twisting serpent, and he will kill the sea monster that is in the sea” (Isa 27:1). Yahweh Himself mentions Leviathan when He responds to Job, who had ...

  August 12: At a Great Price Isaiah 25:1–26:21; Luke 9:1–27 ; Job 6:1–13 It’s easy to be devoted to a leader or a vision when it doesn’t require much of us. In following Jesus, the disciples didn’t have that option. They were called to follow Jesus under challenging circumstances, requiring them to put their lives on the line. After Jesus told His disciples about His impending death and resurrection, He defined the true meaning of discipleship. His words required their immediate response and intense loyalty: “And he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me’ ” (Luke 9:23). Daily, the disciples needed to commit to Him, the kingdom He was ushering in, and the possibility of facing death. We like to quote this verse, but we might think it applies in different ways today. We might not take the call to loyalty quite as seriously because we don’t face the same circumstances the disciples face. But lo...

  August 10: Love, Praise, Forgiveness Isaiah 20:1–22:25; Luke 7:36–8:15 ; Job 5:8–16 Our praise for God is often directly connected to accepting and confessing our brokenness. Our capacity to love Him is tied to realizing how much He has forgiven us. The woman in Luke 7 who anointed Jesus’ feet is described with one phrase: She was a sinner. We’re not given clarifying details, but we know her sin was notorious, and, as a result, society marginalized her. She was not only weighed down by her sin; her public identity was grounded in it, and she could not hide it. She knew she needed to receive forgiveness from the only one who could provide it. Her necessity made her bold: She came to Simon the Pharisee’s house to wash and anoint Jesus’ feet. Her behavior created quite a spectacle. Simon the Pharisee quickly condemned her actions and questioned Jesus’ decision to show her compassion. But Jesus turned the tables on him. While the woman was aware of her brokenness—and was all the ...

  August 9: Borrowed Imagery Isaiah 17:1–19:25 ; Luke 7:1–35; Job 5:1–7 In the ot, Yahweh regularly explains Himself using imagery that is familiar to the time. Sometimes Yahweh even uses images associated with other gods to emphasize that He—and not the gods of other nations—has authority over the earth. This poetic exchange would have been an intercultural dialogue between the Israelites and their neighbors. A classic example is the image of the rider upon the clouds: “Look! Yahweh is riding on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will tremble in front of him, and the heart of Egypt melts in his inner parts” (Isa 19:1). Here, the prophet borrows a metaphor usually associated with the God Baal (from Ugaritic literature) to demonstrate Yahweh’s superiority over Baal: Yahweh arrives in Egypt in greater glory than that of the God feared by Egypt’s (and Israel’s) Canaanite neighbor. Because Egypt has oppressed Yahweh’s people, Yahweh will withhold the rains—...

  August 8: Distortion Isaiah 14:24–16:14; Luke 6:1–49 ; Job 4:12–21 If attending church and small groups or even reading the Bible and praying become activities we do out of obligation, then we have a bigger problem than we might realize. If our hearts are disengaged, our religious motions and listless obedience serve only as a security blanket—making us feel safe and sound. The Pharisees faced this dilemma, but they took the error one step further. They took the Sabbath—a practice intended to point people toward God—and twisted it into a heavy burden. So when Jesus wanted to do good on the Sabbath, it’s no surprise that they seized the opportunity to trap Him. Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ accusation by telling them He is “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5). But He also showed them the true purpose of the Sabbath while at the same time exposing their hearts: “And Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you whether it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or...

  August 7: Raise the Signal Isaiah 13:1–14:23 ; Luke 5:1–39; Job 4:1–11 The Bible echoes with great battle cries: “Raise a signal on a bare hill, lift up your voice to them; wave the hand.… A sound of the roar of the kingdoms, of nations gathering! Yahweh of hosts is mustering an army for battle” (Isa 13:4). In this proclamation, God declares war on Babylon for its brutal and evil deeds against His people. Yet He calls for “a signal” to be raised so that the Babylonians might repent from their great wickedness. They have an opportunity to surrender to Yahweh before it’s too late, and we must do the same. We tend to see ourselves as less evil than the infamous sinners of the past, but we all carry shades of Babylon in ourselves. Just as the Babylonians did, we set up and worship idols instead of loving Yahweh with our entire being. Similarly, we attack others instead of loving them the way God has loved us. If we search our hearts, we find that painting ourselves as more righte...

  August 6: Feeling Entitled Isaiah 10:20–12:6; Luke 4:1–44 ; Job 3:17–26 Familiarity breeds contempt, so the saying goes. But the line from Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Lion” wasn’t meant to imply that we often take those closest to us for granted. Instead, the fox fails to properly acknowledge the lion—the king of all beasts—because he doesn’t know his place. His self-perception is dangerously inflated. The same applies to the fickle Nazarenes who heard Jesus interpret the Scriptures. When Jesus preached in the synagogue of His hometown, the Nazarenes were initially receptive. But when He interpreted the prophet Isaiah’s words in a way they disliked—a way that showed Him as the one who “proclaim[s] release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind” (Luke 4:18; see Isa 61:1)—they belittled Him: “Is this man not the son of Joseph?” (Luke 4:22). The Nazarenes weren’t ready to admit their need (Luke 4:23). They didn’t understand that they were blind and unrepentant. T...