Isaiah 17: Turn to God in times of comfort Isaiah 17 prophesies the destruction of Damascus and the northern Tribe, Israel. Damascus was one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the proud capital of Syria. God then used the Assyrians to invade and demolish this stronghold. Verses 7 & 8: “In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars… or to the works of their hands…” and verse 10, “for you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge.” For all of us individually, and an entire nation in this case, God uses severe punishments and trials to get at our cold, dead hearts. This has been a main theme throughout Isaiah. With things going relatively well in my own life right now, I still find much value in reading Isaiah. During the times of depression, hopeless, and anger, I felt like God would never help me despite my praying. Now I can look back and realize at those times knowing that God was working at my heart. He answered my prayers but not on the quick timeframe that I wanted. May I not fall back into looking to the work of my own hands. May I not forget the God of my salvation. May I pray for wisdom from God and turn to the Rock of my refuge for all matters both small and great. Rid the pride from my heart. When things are going seemingly well with little concern for health, food, friendship, etc, it’s in those times, one must especially turn to God. The devil uses the things of this world to distract us from worshipping God. Isaiah shows us a correlation: when things are good, we turn away from God and when suffering happens, we turn to God. When Christ came into the world, he preached and healed the sick, the poor, the fatherless and scorned the proud, the rich, and those like the self-righteous pharisees. One must be very concerned and cautious if you are comfortable in this temporary life.

Am i the only one that thinks it should than instead of then?

Isaiah 14: Powerful, yet compassionate God Ahaz, one of the most wicked Israel kings who sacrificed babies to false gods, was king in Israel during this prophecy about Jehovah having compassion. The Assyrians are strong now. The Philistines are still angry and ready to attack. The Babylonians are growing ever stronger. But God will preserve his people. How much more then will God take care of me. I think my problems are great and turn to my own knowledge and power. If God can overthrow conquering nations and kings who think themselves a god, cannot God help me in my troubles. Do I think myself unworthy of God’s compassion? Look at Israel and their sin and yet God still had compassion. This taunt in Isaiah 14 isn’t just against the king of Babylon, it’s against the devil himself. The devil through the king of Babylon says, “I will ascend to heaven; above the starts of God, I will set my throne on high.” “But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit,” says the LORD. May we make the easier decision of simply turning to God for all things. Whether it be for comfort in times of trials or for our daily food. All things are from God, and they are a blessing from him. May we not let the wicked man inside of us take over and rely on ourselves. The devil and his temptations are lies and deceit. God is a loving God, compassionate, and covenantal friend. What else could we need or even want?

I'm convinced the Fed reads Lyns premium reports then makes decisions based off of it since she's already done all the work for them.

Going through a Bible study guide on Ephesians by Henry Vander Kam. Did some research on him. Quite an interesting life he lived immigrating from Netherlands, pastor in Christian Reformed Churches, and ultimately leaving to help start a new seminary and the United Reformed Churches. A dozen interesting facts on Henry Vander Kam: 1. Birth and Immigration: Born on November 8, 1917, in Houwerzijl, Groningen, the Netherlands, to Cornelius Vander Kam and Grace Volkema; immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1924 as the youngest of his family. 2. Early Life Challenges: Grew up on a celery farm near Byron Center, Michigan; the Great Depression limited his education to eighth grade, requiring him to work on the family farm instead of pursuing immediate studies for ministry. 3. Education: Graduated from Calvin College in 1942; entered Calvin Theological Seminary that year, earning a Th.B. in 1945. 4. Marriage and Family: Married Elaine Dekker during his seminary years; the couple was blessed with three sons and two daughters. 5. Ordination: Ordained into the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) ministry on August 8, 1945, marking the start of a 50-year pastoral career celebrated in 1995. Served the Prosper Christian Reformed Church in Michigan from 1945 to 1950. 6. Subsequent Pastorates in CRC: Second Christian Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa (1950–1955); First Christian Reformed Church in Pella (1955–1964); West End Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan (1964–1968); Rogers Heights Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming, Michigan (1968–1970); Living Hope Christian Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (1970–1972). 7. Denominational Leadership - Education: Served on the Calvin College and Seminary Board of Trustees in the late 1960s and early 1970s, acting as president from 1970 to 1973. 8. Denominational Leadership - Missions and Synod: President of the CRC Board of Home Missions; frequently delegated to CRC synods, where he served as clerk, vice-president, and president (president of the 1976 Synod). (Report 44 – homosexual practice is sinful and incompatible with membership and should be subject to church discipline. Also, synod 1976 explicitly rejected opening ecclesiastical office to women. Many conservatives at the time viewed 1976 as the last synod that clearly and firmly upheld traditional Reformed positions on Scripture, sexuality, and church order before the denomination began a long leftward drift in the 1980s and 1990s. Henry Vander Kam himself later cited the post-1976 trajectory as one reason he eventually left the CRC.) 9. Bible study guides Authorship: Letter to the Ephesians 1976, Amos – 1978, Thessalonians -1980, Timothy – 1982. All reprinted in mid 2000’s by Reformed Fellowship Inc. 10. Involvement in Reformed Renewal: One of the seven founding ministers of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Orange City, Iowa (later moved to Dyer, Indiana), established in 1981 to promote biblical and covenantal preaching; taught Reformed Dogmatics there for over three years post-retirement. 11. Transition from CRC: Left the CRC in 1992 amid concerns over denominational directions; helped establish the independent Free Christian Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving as its pastor until his death. 12. Scholarly Contributions and Legacy: Authored Bible study guides and longtime contributor to The Outlook Magazine promoting covenantal theology and critique CRC shifts; active in founding the United Reformed Churches; passed away on January 11, 1996 (79 y/o), due to congestive heart failure, survived by his wife and family.

Isaiah 13: God’s Sovereignty clearly displayed At the time Isaiah is speaking (around 735–700 BC), Babylon is not yet the world empire; Assyria is still the dominant power. This makes the prophecy dramatically forward-looking: Isaiah leaps over the next 100+ years and describes the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. This is one of the most remarkable predictions in the entire Old Testament. Babylon was the greatest, richest, most impregnable city of the ancient world—yet Isaiah declares it will be permanently abandoned. “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generation.” Isaiah 13: 19 & 20a. This is historically fulfilled after Cyrus captured it in 539 BC and then Babylon gradually declined. By the time of Christ, it was already largely ruins, and today (2,500 years later!) it is exactly as Isaiah described: desolate heaps inhabited only by wild animals. The actual archaeological site of ancient Babylon covers about 10 square kilometers and is located roughly 85 km south of Baghdad, on the Euphrates River. It's an uninhabited ruin field—mostly mounds of crumbled mud bricks, excavated foundations, and remnants of walls—overgrown with sand, dust, and sparse vegetation. Wildlife like jackals, hyenas, and desert creatures do inhabit the area, aligning eerily with Isaiah's description. God’s Sovereignty couldn’t be made clearer. And as true as this prophecy was about Babylon, God gives us similar revelation of the final judgement of the entire world. May we heed to His word, not take it lightly, and put aside our pride and live for him.

Isaiah 12: God is my salvation Despite God’s judgement and wrath, He is a just God and a merciful God. As a father gets angry with his child, disciplines him, corrects him, and gives him a hug, so God does this perfectly with us. If a parent never disciplines his children, their disobedience continues to grow and the further they get lost in darkness. May we thank God for the rod he gives to us when we drift away from him. God uses the times when we are low to bring us closer to him. It’s especially in times of despair and sorrow that we finally give ourselves over to him. May we find our trust and salvation in God. Also, may we not forget him during the good times. “Make known his deeds among the peoples and proclaim that his name is exalted.” Work in me Lord, your Holy Spirit, that I may devote my life to serving You both in times of trials and times of plenty.