Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 29 September 2018

another late day posting.  One thing after another starting when we rose this morning after we both experienced weird sleep cycles.  But we made it through, so far anyway.

Trying very hard to avoid involvement in some of the family squabbles going on around us.  We're not part of the situation, but we see the splash effects.  When Wife and I got married, we lived for a year or so across the street from her parents, and later another year or so in the upstairs section of a duplex they owned, in part to help take care of her dying father and in-bad-shape mother.  My parents lived about 15 miles or so from us, so we made the trip every month or so. Right after Wife's dad passed, I took a job out of state, 600 or so miles distant, and never lived near that area again, until we moved back a couple years ago.  As such, the inter-family and intr-family squabbles were far away.  Not all a good thing, but not all bad either.
Now, next-door nephew-in-law's parents live practically next door, separated by the newly vacated lot from the house that burned.  He's been setting up to buy the lot, but now his parents, primarily his mom, are making a squabble over it.  She's one of those very controlling types, and tries to run the lives of her married sons and daughters.  Niece takes exception to that, so there's a constant guerrilla war ongoing.  I don't think it's good for anyone at all, but I'm staying silent.

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Today, chapters 59 and 60 of Isaiah.
I've shown the text here from the Christian Standard Bible.  The CSB is published by Holman, the same people who also published the HCSB, the Holman Christian Standard Bible.  Holman is essentially the publishing outlet of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Isaiah 59

Sin and Redemption

1Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,

and his ear is not too deaf to hear.

2But your iniquities are separating you

from your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not listen.

3For your hands are defiled with blood

and your fingers, with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies,

and your tongues mutter injustice.

4No one makes claims justly;

no one pleads honestly.

They trust in empty and worthless words;

they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.

5They hatch viper’s eggs

and weave spider’s webs.

Whoever eats their eggs will die;

crack one open, and a viper is hatched.

6Their webs cannot become clothing,

and they cannot cover themselves with their works.

Their works are sinful works,

and violent acts are in their hands.

7Their feet run after evil,

and they rush to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;

ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.

8They have not known the path of peace,

and there is no justice in their ways.

They have made their roads crooked;

no one who walks on them will know peace.

9Therefore justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.

We hope for light, but there is darkness;

for brightness, but we live in the night.

10We grope along a wall like the blind;

we grope like those without eyes.

We stumble at noon as though it were twilight;

we are like the dead among those who are healthy.

11We all growl like bears

and moan like doves.

We hope for justice, but there is none;

for salvation, but it is far from us.

12For our transgressions have multiplied before you,

and our sins testify against us.

For our transgressions are with us,

and we know our iniquities:

13transgression and deception against the Lord,

turning away from following our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.

14Justice is turned back,

and righteousness stands far off.

For truth has stumbled in the public square,

and honesty cannot enter.

15Truth is missing,

and whoever turns from evil is plundered.

The Lord saw that there was no justice,

and he was offended.

16He saw that there was no man —

he was amazed that there was no one interceding;

so his own arm brought salvation,

and his own righteousness supported him.

17He put on righteousness as body armor,

and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

18So he will repay according to their deeds:

fury to his enemies,

retribution to his foes,

and he will repay the coasts and islands.

19They will fear the name of the Lord in the west

and his glory in the east;

for he will come like a rushing stream

driven by the wind of the Lord.

20“The Redeemer will come to Zion,

and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.

21“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children’s children, from now on and forever,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 60

The Lord’s Glory in Zion

1Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord shines over you.

2For look, darkness will cover the earth,

and total darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will shine over you,

and his glory will appear over you.

3Nations will come to your light,

and kings to your shining brightness.

4Raise your eyes and look around:

they all gather and come to you;

your sons will come from far away,

and your daughters on the hips of nannies.

5Then you will see and be radiant,

and your heart will tremble and rejoice,

because the riches of the sea will become yours

and the wealth of the nations will come to you.

6Caravans of camels will cover your land  —

young camels of Midian and Ephah —

all of them will come from Sheba.

They will carry gold and frankincense

and proclaim the praises of the Lord.

7All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will serve you

and go up on my altar as an acceptable sacrifice.

I will glorify my beautiful house.

8Who are these who fly like a cloud,

like doves to their shelters?

9Yes, the coasts and islands will wait for me

with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,

to bring your children from far away,

their silver and gold with them,

for the honor of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

who has glorified you.

10Foreigners will rebuild your walls,

and their kings will serve you.

Although I struck you in my wrath,

yet I will show mercy to you with my favor.

11Your city gates will always be open;

they will never be shut day or night

so that the wealth of the nations

may be brought into you,

with their kings being led in procession.

12For the nation and the kingdom

that will not serve you will perish;

those nations will be annihilated.

13The glory of Lebanon will come to you  —

its pine, elm, and cypress together  —

to beautify the place of my sanctuary,

and I will glorify my dwelling place.

14The sons of your oppressors

will come and bow down to you;

all who reviled you

will fall facedown at your feet.

They will call you the City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15Instead of your being deserted and hated,

with no one passing through,

I will make you an object of eternal pride,

a joy from age to age.

16You will nurse on the milk of nations,

and nurse at the breast of kings;

you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior

and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

17I will bring gold instead of bronze;

I will bring silver instead of iron,

bronze instead of wood,

and iron instead of stones.

I will appoint peace as your government

and righteousness as your overseers.

18Violence will never again be heard of in your land;

devastation and destruction

will be gone from your borders.

You will call your walls Salvation

and your city gates Praise.

19The sun will no longer be your light by day,

and the brightness of the moon will not shine on you.

The Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your splendor.

20Your sun will no longer set,

and your moon will not fade;

for the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and the days of your sorrow will be over.

21All your people will be righteous;

they will possess the land forever;

they are the branch I planted,

the work of my hands,

so that I may be glorified.

22The least will become a thousand,

the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the Lord;

I will accomplish it quickly in its time.