God fills the empty; the self-righteous overflow with folly

Saturday, December 29, 2012
Devotions: Ps 18; Isa 12:1-6; Rev 1:1-8; Jn 7:37-52

YHWH, I love You, my Strength, my Fortress, my Rock, my Deliverer!  I call upon YHWH, the One worthy of praise, and so I am saved from my enemies.  I was at death's door, when God stepped in and delivered me. He Is Master.  He drew me forth from the waters; He delivered me from my murderous enemies, who hated me without reason.  YHWH preserved me and blessed me.  God brings light to my darkness; by His grace, I can crush a troop, I can scale a wall.  My God: His ways are perfect.  He makes me secure on the heights; He shields me in times of jeopardy.  YHWH girds me with strength and makes me wise.  The Lord lives, and blessed is my Rock; let God my Savior be exalted.  Glory to You, Lord my God! 

God is my Salvation; I will trust and not fear.  He has done glorious things!  Let us shout His praises; great in our midst is the Holy One of Israel!  Amen.

Here begins the revelation to John of Patmos, which God gave, to show His servants what is coming soon.  Blessed are all who read this prophecy aloud, and blessed those who hear; and all who keep what is written, for the time is near!  John wrote to the seven churches in Asia:  Grace and peace from Him Who Is, Who Was, and Who Is To Come, and from the sevenfold Spirit before His throne, and from Jesus the Messiah, the faithful Witness, Firstborn from the dead, Ruler of kings on earth.  Glory be to Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, Who has made of us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father: to Him be blory and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen. 

On the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and proclaimed, 'If any thirst, let them come to Me and drink.  Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture says, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."'  Jesus said this referring to the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Jesus were yet to receive: for at that time, the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 
The people responded differently to Jesus and His proclamation.  Some said: 'This is really the Prophet [of Whom Moses wrote.]'  Others said, 'He is the Messiah.'  Yet others argued, 'But the Messiah is not to come from Galilee, is He?  Doesn't the Bible say He will come from David's home town, Bethlehem?'  So the people divided in their responses to Jesus; some even wanted Him arrested--but no one laid hands on Jesus at this time.  The officers reported back to the chief priests and Pharisees who had sent them; and the authorities asked, 'Why didn't you bring Him with you?'  And they replied, 'No man ever spoke like this Man speaks!'  But the Pharisees scorned their words: 'Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?  No, but this mob, ignorant of Torah, are damned fools.'  Nicodemus, who had previously gone to Jesus, yet was one of them, said: 'Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?'  They replied, 'Are you from Galilee too?  Search the scriptures, and you will surely find that no prophet is to rise form Galilee.' [And they thought this proved their case.]