Isaiah 36-37 forms an historical bridge. The first half of Isaiah (chapters 1-35) focused on the Assyrian Empire as God's instrument of judgment on the Israelites. The second half (chapters 40-66) offers comfort for God's people who would suffer exile in Babylon 100 years later.

The main character in this historical bridge is King Hezekiah. In Isaiah 7, Hezekiah's father King Ahaz is confronted with the threat of destruction by the Damascus/Samaria alliance at "the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field." Rather than trust in the LORD, Ahaz chose to trust in Assyria - calling on this rising empire in the east to rescue him.

It is in that same place, "the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field," a generation later, this Assyrian "savior" of the previous generations threatens Jerusalem.

When confronted with the attacking Assyrian Empire, King Hezekiah responds very differently than his father King Ahaz. Hezekiah spreads out his problem before the LORD in prayer and God graciously delivers him. The vast, invincible army of the Assyrians is decimated in a single night and 185,000 die. 

Do You See the Bridge of God's Grace? Ahaz was a despicable father. Yet God's grace was able to break that family history and raise up a righteous son. Hezekiah means, "The LORD my Righteous." 

Many of us struggle because of events in our past. Let this account give you hope. Our God can overcome our past. Let us daily spread out before the LORD our invincible enemies that cause us fear and trust in his power to help.

The Bridge of God's Grace - Spreading Out My Fears to the LORD

This morning Pastors Italiano and Strobel and I are attending a conference in Nashville. The focus of the conference is what AI will do to our world and our churches.

There have been frightening forecasts in the news over the last few weeks.

• There are dangers of AI getting out of control.
• There may be severe economic fall out as AI makes well-paying jobs obsolete.
• The addictive powers of AI to lead us into spiritual danger and destruction are real.

The theme of the conference is to be prepared... to build economic shock absorbers into our ministry so that we are here to help as God's church... and especially to build mental/spiritual health shock absorbers into our ministries so that the Church is the place to find real human connections to counterbalance the synthetic relationship of AI and to offer healing to those who lives are devastated by AI... by loss of job, loss of human intimacy because of AI visual and emotional porn, and so much more.

There is much that we can do to prepare for the AI invasion, just as Hezekiah prepared by for the Assyrian invasion by digging his tunnel to safeguard Jerusalem's water system.

The most important thing we can do is pray.

By God's grace, you know the one true saving LORD God Almighty. We do not know the future, but like Hezekiah, let us spread out our fears on the altar of God's grace in Christ. We do not know His plan in all of this, but we do know His plan will prevail.

"For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." The last phrase is the same one used in Isaiah 9:6-7 that promised the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace. The LORD's zeal to save led him to send the Savior. His zeal for his New Testament Church will accomplish our salvation.

The Bridge of God's Grace is present in Titus 2:11-3:15.

Paul celebrates the change God's grace produces in us. Grace gives us the power to say "no" to our sinful nature, to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. What a wonderful counterbalance to the warnings of AI's power to corrupt that we are hearing about at the conference.

The power of God's grace in us is greater than the corrupting power of the world around us... including AI.

Baptism is a sign of God's grace. Look at the change from 3:3 to 3:8. Baptism is that bridge from "malice and envy" to "devoted to do what is good." 

May we daily go back to our baptisms and claim again the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. In our baptisms we daily experience the grace of God washing our sins away. In our baptisms we can daily experience the renewing power of the Holy Spirit to change us. Celebrate your baptism as your Bridge to God's Grace! 

Translation Challenges

Titus 2:11 provides an insight into the challenges translators face. 

• NIV 1978 reads: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 
• NIV 2011 reads: For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 
• Evangelical Heritage Version (translated by pastors of our synod) reads: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.
• A very literal translation would be: The saving grace of God for/to all people has appeared.

First: Does God's grace offer or bring salvation? Almost every other translation uses the word "bring."

Secondly: Does the prepositional phrase “to all men/people” apply to “salvation,” that is, that Jesus has accomplished salvation for all – what we call Objective Justification. Or does the phrase “to all men/people” apply to “appeared,” that Paul is talking about the spread of the gospel?

Compare translations here.

There is a theological family that teaches “limited atonement,” that Jesus didn’t really die for the sins of all, but just the saved. As I read the NIV 2011, I wonder if that bias has slipped into the translation with the word “offer.” This is why I encourage you to make regular comparisons with other translations, especially the Evangelical Heritage Version. 

And remember - you are blessing me when you ask questions about the text. Just reply to this email. 

May God bless our reading of his Word. May we daily celebrate that we have crossed the bridge of God’s grace from death to eternal life in Christ.

Over the last few days several people have joined our daily Bible reading journey, so I'm attaching again the Bible reading plan I use for these devotions.

Your partner on this daily trip across the Bridge of God's Grace,

Pastor Pete