Saturday, October 17, 2026

Opening Scripture

“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

“It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty.

For this is what the LORD says – he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited – he says: “I am the LORD, and there is no other. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

“By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are deliverance and strength.’ All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the LORD and will make their boast in him. Isaiah 45 (selected)

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, I praise You for all that You are and all that You’ve done. I praise You for Your abundant blessings to me in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Your Son. I praise You for Your Spirit, who lives in me, comforting, counseling, and guiding each day. Thank you for adopting me into Your eternal family. I offer myself to You this day, through Jesus Christ, who rules and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever more. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Isaiah 46:1-13

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.

“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

“With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.

“Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

“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. Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.”

Reflection  

Bel and Nebo were pagan gods of the Babylonians. Bel (Marduk) was the supreme deity of the Babylonian pantheon. As king of the gods, Bel represented the military power and political might of the nation. As Babylon’s dominance grew throughout Mesopotamia, Bel’s popularity grew as well. Due to his prominence, Bel was often associated with planet Jupiter.

Nebo was the son of Bel. He was the god of wisdom, literature, and science. Nebo was the patron god of Babylonian royalty and was sometimes reflected in the names of its rulers, for example, Nebuchadnezzar. Together Bel and Nebo represented the nationalistic pride of the Babylonians.

Like the empires before them, they would eventually fall. Isaiah describes a vision of the two greatest Babylonian gods “bowing down” and “stooping low” as they fall to Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. Rather than being paraded around the city in religious celebration, their physical representations – all those fancy idols – are loaded onto “beasts of burden” and carried away into captivity. So much for the powerful idols of Babylon!

Like all ancient pagan gods of the nations around Israel, they are gone and forgotten, yet, the name of the LORD God Almighty continues to be praised! He is worshipped today by millions of devoted followers around the world, and their number grows daily.

May we be reminded today of who He is. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

The book of Isaiah can be a challenging read. Without a Middle Eastern mindset, lacking a Hebrew heritage, unfamiliar with many of the references, and unaccustomed to the writing style, we can struggle to appreciate all that God is sharing with us here. There is a great deal of repetition and the text often doubles back on itself to reinforce a central theme, but each time the writer returns to a topic, a new insight is given.

Then, as now, important truths need to be repeated over and over to ensure they are remembered and embraced. In every endeavor of life, it is helpful to regularly return to “the basics.” The book of Isaiah does that faithfully for us.

It is important for us to remember that, just because something is familiar, does not mean it is understood, much less applied. Too often, we can become “inoculated” to the Word of God simply because “we’ve heard it all before.”

As James reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!” (James 1:22).

As Paul tells the Philippian Christians, “Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you” (Philippians 3:10).

As we continue our journey through Isaiah, ask God to open your heart and mind each day to the truth of His Word. Then, ask the Spirit to help you apply that truth to your thoughts, actions, and reactions.

This week’s collective prayer: Father, help me to be sensitive to your leadership in my everyday life. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!