Ben Fourie

 
“Yes, grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God endures for ever.”  Isaiah 40:8, GNT
 
The book of Isaiah consists of three parts and more than one author wrote it. The second part of the book starts with chapter 40. From here on, the events that are described are not from the time of the historical prophet Isaiah. He was called as a prophet by God in the year 740 BC and was still a prophet when Sennacherib laid siege to Jerusalem in 701 BC. The period covered by this second part of the book is that of the people of God who were in exile after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 597 BC.
 
Chapter 40 is meant to bring a word of consolation to those who were far from their country and far from the centre of the Jewish religion. Although Nebuchadnezzar stripped the temple of valuables and razed it to the ground, it was still seen as the centre where God should be worshipped. Some of those who were not carried away in exile still went to the ruins of the temple to bring their sacrifices. When one reads the whole of chapter 40, one can see what a wonderful message of consolation God is sending to his people in exile.
 
In poetic verses, God is pictured as the powerful God who will save and bring back his people to their own land. In Isaiah 40:12 his power is said to be so great that he “weigh[s] the mountains and hills on scales.” He is not only powerful but also the loving shepherd of verse 11, and according to verse 29, “He strengthens those who are weak and tired.”
 
Could those who were in exile believe all these prophecies? Caught up in a strange country with strange customs and strange gods, one can imagine that they might have wondered about these promises. Knowing human nature, God also knew there would be sceptics. So he gave them a special assurance. In verse 8, grass and flowers are used to put the second part of the verse into perspective. All things on earth have a limited lifetime, “but the word of our God endures for ever,” and so it happened. The exiles returned to Jerusalem in the time of King Cyrus. The walls and the temple were rebuilt. A promise made by God will always be kept, because his word endures for ever. That is still true for you and me.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that your Word never changes and your promises always come true. Amen

Ben Fourie 

“Ja gras verdor, 'n blom verwelk, maar die woord van ons God hou stand vir altyd.”  Jesaja 40:8, 2020-vertaling
 
Die boek Jesaja bestaan uit drie dele en meer as een skrywer het daaraan gewerk. Met hoofstuk 40 begin die tweede hoofdeel. Hier word wegbeweeg van die tyd toe Jesaja geleef het. Die historiese Jesaja is in die jaar 740 v.C. tot profeet geroep en was nog steeds as profeet werksaam met die aanval op Juda deur Sanherib in 701 v.C. Die tydvak wat deur hoofstuk veertig ingelui word is egter meer gemik op die bannelinge wat in 597 v.C. deur Nebukadnesar weggevoer is.
 
Hoofstuk 40 begin met 'n trooswoord aan hulle wat ver van hulle land en veral ver van die sentrum van aanbidding is. Alhoewel Nebukadnesar die tempel gestroop en vernietig het, was die plek waar die tempel eers gestaan het nog vir die Jode in ballingskap hulle godsdienstige fokuspunt en die wat in die land agtergebly het, het selfs nog hulle offers daar gebring. 'n Mens moet die hele hoofstuk 40 lees om die pragtige beloftes wat God vir sy verstrooide volk maak te kan begryp.
 
Met beeldryke taal word Hy geteken as die Een wat met krag sy volk sal verlos. In Jesaja 40:12 hoor ons spesifiek van sy almag, byvoorbeeld dat hy “met 'n handskaal die berge weeg”. Tog is God nie net hierdie kragtige wese nie, hy is ook die liefdevolle herder van vers 11 en hy gee volgens vers 29 aan die vermoeides krag.
 
Kon die ballinge al hierdie dinge glo? Hoe kon hulle weet dat al hierdie beloftes waar sou word? Vasgevang in die vreemde land met vreemde gode en gewoontes moes die ballinge seker ook maar gewonder het. Omdat God mense so goed ken, het Hy geweet dat daar die sou wees wat maar skepties sou staan oor al die beloftes. Vir hulle gee God die boodskap van ons teksvers. Hy gebruik die beeld van gras wat verdor en 'n blom wat verwelk om die tweede deel van die vers in perspektief te plaas. Aardse dinge is verganklik. “maar die woord van ons God hou stand vir altyd.” So is dit ook bewys, want in die regeringstyd van koning Kores begin die terugkeer van die ballinge na hulle land. Mettertyd sou die tempel en die stad se mure herbou word en kon hulle God weer op die heilige plek aanbid. God se beloftes aan die volk word waar. Sy woord hou inderdaad stand vir altyd, ook vir my en vir jou.
 
Gebed: Baie dankie dat u woord nooit verander nie en dat u beloftes altyd waar word. Amen

Ben Fourie 

“The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us.” John 1:14a, GNT
 
There are about 800 000 words in the Bible. Because language employed, and translations by implication, differs significantly, there is no exact figure that will suit all, so this figure is rounded up. If we take all of these hundreds of thousands of words out of the context of the Bible and use them in a different context, they are nothing more than just so many ordinary words. The story of the Bible, like all books, is not the sum total of a lot of words but a sum total of people, acts and events.
 
Even this definition is not satisfactory, for the Bible is not only about people, acts and events but about a Person that is God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As this is the month of contemplating the word or Word, it is the figure of Jesus as the Word of God that is central today. The meaning of the Word or Logos has been discussed in another series of Verse-a-day, so I am not going to repeat it here.
 
What is important is the fact that the Word really became a human being. He looked like us: had arms, hands, legs, eyes and a face like us. He suffered hunger like us, needed water like us. He was tired like us and he became sad like us. If this was not true, he would not have been suitable as a sacrifice in our place. If we remove the idea of Jesus as the Word of God from the 800 000 words in the Bible, the Bible would be nothing more than a collection of words, beautiful to read but without any significance for our salvation.
 
Without Jesus as the Word, we would be back in the time of the law. Paul wrote that the law was not sufficient to save us (Romans 8:3). Without the Word of God becoming a human being, everything comes to nothing. There would be no victory like John saw in the vision in Revelation. In Revelation 19:13, we read the following about the rider on the white horse: “The robe he wore was covered in blood. His name is ‘The Word of God.’” The Word is victorious for ever and ever.
 
Prayer: Lord, along with all believers throughout the centuries, we give thanks to you that the Word that once became a human being is now victorious. Amen
 
Go to top