Reading from Tuesday, September 14

Let's keep it rollin, yo.

Reading for September 14
Isaiah 15:1-18:7
In this reading there are prophecies against three nations who were enemies of Israel: Moab, Damascus, and Cush.

First Moab:

¹⁴ But now the LORD says: "Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab's splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble."

Moab was a nation that descended, but broke off from the family of Abraham back in Genesis - he was a descendant of Lot. If you remember, Lot slept with his daughter - and Moab was the result of that sexy-time, so make of that what you will. Well, what happened to Moab after Isaiah's prophecy?

Sometime during the Persian period (550–330 BC) Moab disappears from the extant historical record. Its territory was subsequently overrun by waves of tribes from northern Arabia, including the Kedarites and (later) the Nabataeans.

Boom. Prophecied!

Next, Damascus:

       "See, Damascus will no longer be a city
       but will become a heap of ruins.

And once again, I know nothing about history, so Wikipedia said:

By the 8th century BC, Damascus was practically engulfed by the Assyrians and entered a dark age. Nonetheless, it remained the economic and cultural center of the Near East as well as the Arameaen resistance. In 727, a revolt took place in the city, but was put down by Assyrian forces. After Assyria went on a wide-scale campaign of quelling revolts throughout Syria, Damascus became totally subjugated by their rule.

Not quite as cut and dry as Moab, but still interesting nonetheless.

And finally Cush:
Well, this one's a little more abstract, and I don't get it. But you get the idea - Isaiah was pretty accurate...
 
Galatians 1:1-24
This is certainly relevant considering the idea of the Quran burning last week:

If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
 ¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I mean he has a point. The human side of me is the side that said "hey, let's all get along. The Islam religion is just as relevant and important as Christianity" - but apparently I am wrong in that assumption if I am going to be under the umbrella of Christianity.  I was trying to win the approval of man - to put it in Paul's words. And while I don't think God would approve of a Quran burning, although he surely would have in the Old Testament, there is a fine line of pleasing other people or pleasing God.

The problem is that most of the major religions have the "one truth" clause - meaning within each religion's own holy books or teachings, they proclaim that their religion is the one truth and all others are malarky. So how can I justifiably prove that my truth is truthier than someone elses?

As for me, right now, I'm going with the relative truth belief. If it's the truth in your heart then it's an absolute truth.

Psalm 58:1-11
Damn...

¹⁰ The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
       when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
 ¹¹ Then men will say,
       "Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
       surely there is a God who judges the earth."

That's pretty intense.


Proverbs 23:12
 ¹² Apply your heart to instruction
       and your ears to words of knowledge.