Part Three Bible Readings and Comments

34. And to show that he has raised him up from the dead, never again to return to decay, he has said thus, ‘I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.’

(Paul is referencing Isaiah 55:3).

(Here is the entire passage from which Paul quotes, Isaiah 55: 1-13:

1. All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!
2. Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.
3. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.
4. As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations,
5. So shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

TIME OUT! Oh, Oh. Now… if one of the cherry picking Bible quoting “fundamental” critics of Catholicism were time machined back into the audience, he or she would leap up and yell at Paul “THAT’S NOT IN THE SCRIPTURES!” “ANTI-CHRIST!” Why? Because Paul said, ‘I will give you the holy and sure promises of David’ and the ACTUAL passage reads, “I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.” GOTCHA. THOSE LYING CATHOLICS SAYING THINGS THAT AREN’T IN THE BIBLE. God said “the everlasting covenant” and that darn Paul doesn’t use the word covenant! Worse, God offers “benefits” while that darn Paul is implying that those benefits only come from following Paul’s Catholic Church rules and he uses the word “promises” which is NOT WHAT GOD SAID. Ah HA! We got that sneaky Catholic. I'm so sick of the word-smithing that has taken place in an atmosphere of hostility toward Catholicism, while those same people do not study how Paul himself (who they oft cite as their justification) paraphrased God's words based on his in-depth study and accurate comprehension and interpretation.

6. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.
7. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Here’s another time out, but here I am not being snide to make my point. I’m going to continue typing out the entire Isaiah 55 even though Paul just quoted from line 3. The reason is to teach you something. Paul quoted just one line but he knew by heart the entire chapter of Isaiah 55. The reason is that people of those times pored over the scriptures in an effort to know God. Even those Apostles who walked with Jesus and learned who God is through Jesus did not throw all the scriptures out the window. They did not assume that “all the old scriptures were good for was in predicting Jesus Christ.” Yes, they cited those sections in joy and validation.

But the Apostles, those very ones who walked in person with Jesus, remembered that their objective was still to KNOW GOD. And Isaiah 55 is a treasure trove of teaching about God’s nature, his will and his way. So Paul is perfectly entitled to paraphrase as he did the quotation of Isaiah 55:3 because HE UNDERSTOOD THE ENTIRE FOUNDATION OF THE CHAPTER AND WHAT GOD WAS TRULY SAYING. People who correctly paraphrase and interpret are the true teachers of the faith, not those who memorize, think they are parroting, but do not comprehend.

10. For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats,
11. So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
12. Yes, in joy you shall depart, in peace you shall be brought back; mountains and hills shall break out in song before you, and all the trees of the countryside shall clap their hands.
13. In place of the thornbush, the cypress shall grow, instead of nettles, the myrtle. This shall be to the Lord’s renown, an everlasting imperishable sign.

This chapter in Isaiah is know as “An Invitation to Grace.” It is one of my favorites in the Bible because it reflects the mentality, love and will of God so accurately. [Snide alert: And no, it’s not one of my favorites because of numerology where “clap” occurs in 55:12 (people in the entertainment business love that word, of course). Ugh, I’m so disgusted by how both fundamentalists and New Agers have distorted God’s words].

No, this is one of the prime chapters that documents God’s promise to faithful humankind, showing God’s blueprint for both earth and for heaven. God not only renews the promise of the coming of the Messiah, but he also actually explains some of the “physics” of how he “works” (lines 10-11 in particular) and also gives a glimpse of the reality of heaven (lines 12-13).

The Lord also explains that his thoughts really cannot be comprehended by humans; that his mind could not be read, even if he stood in front of them in person. If a “psychic” had stood right in front of Jesus Christ and “read his mind” he would have heard his thoughts (I’m hungry, gosh the crowds are a good turnout today, I have to tell them about this particular parable, I’m looking forward to praying tonight, etc) but the “mind reading psychic” would not have picked up one iota of the Godly thoughts of Jesus or of his communications with God. God’s thoughts do not operate using the brain’s electrons, dummies. It’s all here in the Bible; God is not keeping any secrets about his will and his way. This is one reason this is one of my favorite chapters.)

(Continued in next blogging).