UPDATE: I was floored by how many of you jumped into the classroom and participated in this assignment! (As of noon Monday, several hundred have yet to be moderated but you’ll see them posted soon.) Your papers were FABULOUS. You did exactly what we hoped. You gave the assignment thought and authenticity. My tremendously busy weekend only afforded me a perusal but I look so forward to getting deeper into the stack. You are amazing women. You blow my mind over and over. I wish so much you could all have been at staff prayer today because each coworker brought her homework for us to discuss. We also had a particularly fun and unique translation addition (remember how you were to check 3 translations?)Â because I asked Melissa if she’d read it to us in Hebrew. We got such a charge out of it. It truly was beautiful. To me, one of the most intriguing insights from many of your papers was the varied forms fleeing can take. Those differences were also articulated in our staff circle today. Running takes all sorts of forms, doesn’t it, Sisters? Here’s what we can know: Only when we’re fleeing from God can the enemy catch us. And even then, if we’re in Christ, he cannot have us. Nor can he keep us. Our God be praised. Gotta get back to work! Bible study tomorrow night! I love you, Sisters! And I think about you daily. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!
Happy Friday, you wonderful things!
As soon as I push publish on this post, I’ll be heading out the door to the airport. I have a Life Today taping this weekend for the Wednesday program. (Two sessions tonight. Two in the morning.) Please pray for Jesus to fill us, teach us, heal us, and thrill us and that the group will be greatly responsive. Thank you! I do not know where I’d be without prayer. What I’m asking for in this Bible study ministry as a whole is something only Jesus can do. I need Him so much.
OK! So, this morning God impressed something on me in prayer time that I became convinced over the next hour He wanted me to share also with you. It’s coming in the way of a homework assignment I want to offer to any of you who’d like to participate. I have to be sparing in my words this morning because I have very little time but my heart is tremendously enlarged over it.
Here’s the ground rule: Please complete your assignment without reading any of the comments. Let’s resist any comparison or competition. Everybody who participates gets an A+. So you’re not tempted and so that you don’t get well into the assignment and lose your connection and your work, do it first on a Word document or the equivalent and then copy and paste it into your comment. I’m not looking for smart or scholarly sounding responses or ones that demonstrate impressive and great Spiritual prowess. I’m just looking for thought-out answers that are real.
You game? Me, too! OK, here goes. You do not need to include the questions or instructions in your answers but, for the sake of organization, please do list them by number. (1-6)
1. Please go to a website like Bible Gateway or to your Bible software if you have it and look up Isaiah 30:15-18. Please read it thoroughly in 3 different translations. In your response to this first exercise, please tell me what 3 translations you read then copy and paste the one that spoke the most blatantly to you. (In your answer you will have the abbreviations to three translations and then the full text in one of them. Make sense?)
2. Look up the word “threat” in any good English dictionary and write the full definition. After you write the definition, please share how it hits you and how you feel most threatened in this season, if at all. Keep in mind that nothing trips the switch on our insecurity like feeling threatened. Be careful as always in this community not to over-share by telling things about other people who wouldn’t necessarily appreciate it.
3. What does “fleeing” tend to look like in your life? In other words, how are you most prone to flee? And, are you in fleeing mode right now?
4. Compare or contrast the Isaiah text (30:15-18)Â to 1 Peter 5:8-10 and James 4:7.
5. One of my translations this morning for this text was The Message. Here it is on the card I wrote out.
Do you perchance need to hear the words “settle down!” as much as I do? If so, why?
6. Finish your assignment with any particular personal insight you gained from it and, most of all, what you discern God is saying to you through it.
I love this kind of thing! If you don’t, I still love YOU. I will look so forward to reading many of your “papers.” Girl, I do dearly relish a classroom, and from both sides of the desk. Lindsee will be in town moderating your comments then I will start looking at them as soon as I finish up in Dallas.
PRAY FOR US! I LOVE YOU!!!
1. NIV, NCV, NRSV
Isaiah 30:15-18New Century Version
15This is what the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
âIf you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved.
If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong.â
But you donât want to do that.
16 You say, âNo, we need horses to run away on.â
So you will run away on horses.
You say, âWe will ride away on fast horses.â
So those who chase you will be fast.
17 One enemy will make threats,
and a thousand of your men will run away.
Five enemies will make threats,
and all of you will run from them.
You will be left alone like a flagpole on a hilltop,
like a banner on a hill.
18 The LORD wants to show his mercy to you.
He wants to rise and comfort you.
The LORD is a fair God,
and everyone who waits for his help will be happy.
2. Threat (dictionary.com)
-.a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace
-.an indication or warning of probable trouble
I am struggling with the âthreatâ of negative messages & thinking as they fill my thoughts from TV, radio, internet, social media. It is hard to get away from it all-whether real or created by someoneâs âagendaâ.
3. I am prone to âfleeingâ by listening to or believing it all and worrying about what I should be doing; trying to get more info on an issue, taking action, etc. It can become all consuming. My mind can ârun awayâ with negative focus.
4. 1 Peter; a warning to be careful because Satan looks for ways to render us ineffective. James 4; Stand strong and the devil will flee. This is what we need. Not to be the ones fleeing in fear but to send that evil one packing!
5. Yes, I need to hear âsettle downâ often. Negative thinking is my issue right now, but many different things can get me discouraged or upset.
6. This assignment was meant for me! Our sermon last Sunday was a similar message! When I hear the same thing from different sources, I know the Lord is trying to get my attention. I am working on immersing myself in The Word every day to fill my mind with the Truth. The SSMT is another new habit to help me stand strong! Thank you for this lesson.
1. NSAB.MSG, KJV
Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
2. THREAT – a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace:
Being threaten can make you very fearful. Fear is not of God. I have to remind myself of that when I feel threatened by something. God is in control no matter who or where a threat is coming from.
The threat I feel most right now is the threat of our government overstepping the constitution and taking our freedom to worship freely, as well as taking away the other freedoms written in our constitution.
3. Fleeing looks most like running away from. Getting away from something rather than facing it. Yes, there is one thing I am fleeing right now.
4. The comparison of the Isaiah 30:15-18 to the other two verses are. It is God who strengthens us if we will return/submit to him and resist the enemy, instead of trying to handle our affliction on our own. In returning to God the enemy will flee from us. God will give us rest. God will strengthen us, settle us and establish us.
5. I did read this translation and it stood out to me also. Yes, I think those words. âSettle Downâ are exactly what I need to hear right now. It is just too stressful trying to figure out what to do about certain afflictions.
6. As far as personal insight from this exercise, get back to your faith in God. You work at strengthening it through being in His word yet you are forgetting at times to apply what you are studying. Instead you are spending more time figuring out how to take steps to fight a threat/ battle yourself. The only way to win against anything that you feel is a threat to you or your loved ones is to resist the author of that threat â the devil. Call him out on it, whatever it is. Tell him youâve seen this before, it didnât work then and it wonât work now. So hit the road JackâŠand donât yaâ come back no more, no more, no more, no more! ï One final thing, I must be vigilant because the enemy is always looking around for someone to devour.
Homework
#1
NIV, message, NKJV
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
âIn repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.â
Therefore you will flee!
You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.â
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.â
18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
NIV
#2
A declaration of a determination to inflict punishment , injury etc. in retaliation for, or conditionally upon,some action or course, menace.
An indication or warning of probable trouble.
A person or thing that threatens.
To threaten.
I am feeling threatened by isolation and loneliness .
#3
Fleeing looks like leaving my job and moving. I guess I am in fleeing mode now. I didn’t even realize it.
#4
Done , I see how we have to turn to God and resist the devil and he will flee from us. We don’t have to flee, just wait on God.
#5
I do need to settle down. I don’t have a home right now and I don’t know where to settle. I am tired of wandering. I pray for God to lead me.
#6
I know God will take care of me, I need to be quiet and listen.
Jill,
Chuck Swindoll once said: Stand like a steer in a blizzard
Keep that in mind even as you move through this blizzard time. rest and return to the God who loves you
1. Isaiah 30:15-18 The Message
GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. Threat â 1. An expression of the intent to inflict harm. 2. A possible source of danger: menace.
This year so far is more challenging than in recent years (not that there hasnât been challenges). The difference is I feel the enemy directly going after my family in ways never before that could be life changing. My parents, two siblings, and my adult son are the targets; not to say some challenges are brought on by themselves. However, at times I feel God is allowing things to come to light so a great healing and awakening can take itsâ place. I am trusting and waiting and praying for wisdom and guidance. Itâs hard to watch, because we all love each other so much.
3. To me, fleeing means to go to my safe place. This is my home where I live by myself. When the world begins to way me down, I tend to isolate from the noise, attitudes, and drama of the culture (and yes, sometimes family) we live. I know this isnât the healthiest way to deal, but at least for a weekend, I can be quiet and rejuvenate to go back out there again. And to be honest, I flee every weekend. Life in the big city !
4. In comparison, Iâm hearing from all three scripture passages to let go of your own will and surrender to Godâs will. His is perfect and wise. In our struggles, He wants us to come to Him, talk to Him, and trust Him; then in faith, REST and wait for Him.
5. I need to settle down and wait and listen for Godâs wisdom in current challenges with my family, because I donât want to say things that would go against Godâs will. I need His wisdom so His glory and mercy can be seen through me. Even if no one gets it now, God can use it to His good purpose at any time. My desire to to have them see God through me and to want to know Him.
6. The timing is spot on for this lesson. In fact, Iâve been thinking about 1 Peter 8 scripture, but didnât know exactly where it was. God heard this in my heart and got me the answer through this lesson where to find it. Thanks !!! The insight is that God knows what me and my family are going through. He will not leave us. Iâve prayed over the years for my family to come to know Him. I have to trust the âhowâ to Him. All I know is the way I came to Him was through major life challenges and have never looked back. Still and forever learning and growing âupâ to be more like Jesus. None of this is about us anyway, but itâs all to bring glory to our Savior and Jehovah Shalom !! Lightbulb moment hereâŠ..fleeing can also be a running from responsibility or accountability. If we can face and deal (with Godâs help) with what we are fleeing from, maybe we can begin to heal the broken places. These broken places can even be self-inflicted. Allow God to heal us in whatever fashion He chooses, in faith and with thanksgiving, and the results will be abundance and His glory will âShineâ.
1. NIV, Message, ESV
2. threat noun
1. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
2. an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
3. a person or thing that threatens.
Threat â Satan, I know that he is always looking for ways to pull me down, and discourage me. I know that he looks for ways in my job, family, finances and other ways to pull me in a pit.
3. Running from the problem, or ignore it! Right now, I am not in fleeing mode⊠Praise God
4. My Godâs not dead heâs surely alive, heâs livinâ on the inside roaring like a lion! (Love that song) Submit to God and resist Satan and he will flee in the Name of JesusâŠ.Amen
5. Yes, because holding steady to Christ is always the answer, no matter how high the waves get, He is always the answer!
6. Through this exercise, I felt God saying to me. You are on the right track, be alert for Satan is always looking to make you stumble and fall. Hold tight to me, and continue to hide my word in your heart. I have a plan (Jeremiah 29:11) and I will instruct you and lead you (Psalms 32:9). Those happen to be my SSMT scriptures!
Beth, thank you so much for the encouragementâŠ. Praying for you and the taping, I know Jesus will show up! He is faithful!
1. NIV, Message, AMP For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
2. Threat: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, damage
Being single, most of my threats rise from insecurity and financially.
3. Fleeing: I flee with isolation in relationships
4. Trust God is the main theme
5. stop being anxious…trust Him for everything
6. I need to be more consistent in trusting HIM and not be anxious about the future. TRUST, TRUST, then more TRUST
Ampliied / The Message / Youngâs Literal Translation
1.For thus the Lord [a]GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said,âIn [b]repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.âBut you were not willing, And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â
Therefore you shall flee!âAnd we will ride on swift horses,âTherefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a [c]flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
Therefore the LORD [d]longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [e]waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [f]long for Him – New American Standard
2. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air. / a person or thing that threatens
I feel most threatened by the thought of my children suffering with their health issues. A recent diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes and my son waiting for test results that could be cancer. I feel threatened that God may allow the suffering. And I have to TRUST HIM WITH THIS!!!! I MUST!!!The definition of THREAT reminds me âwarning of probable trouble. Duh. God has already told me that in this life there will be trouble and hardship. I must not be afraid of it.
3. Fleeing â it seems to me that my fleeing in simply heading to the wrong thing for comfort. I flee but I flee to the wrong thing. And everytime I do â I grow more convinced that Iâm not going to ever change and realize that I can choose a different response and flee to the Lord. He LONGS to be gracious to me. I forget that.
4. This speaks to me. I spend so much time exerting my energy trying to flee â while God tells me to stand firm. AND to fight back in His strength. Because itâs then that instead of me fleeing â the enemy will flee from me. The whole settle down makes me think of when my kids were little and had so much energy that I needed to help them direct it in the right place by telling them to SETTLE DOWN. Iâve got to stop this cycle I am in. Only God can help me. I love âstop your silly efforts to save yourself.â Describes me to a t. I try to do so much in my flesh and the only way I will ever have victory in ANY area of my life is through the Spirit of the living God. In the mighty Name of Jesus – I need to settle down. đ
1.
ESV, NIV84, MSG
Isaiah 30:15-18
The Message (MSG)
God Takes the Time to Do Everything Right
15-17 GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2.
an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
one that threatens
an indication of something impending
This definition makes me think of my stronghold of fear âan indication of something impendingâ. I am daily threatened by Satan and his demons-he intends to inflict damage to my mind. And too many times, he accomplishes what he sets out to do.
3.
I live in a fight or flight mode every day. Unfortunately, flight is my usual choice of response to a threat. I donât stand my ground like a child of God should and wait on Him. Lord help me!
4.
Wow! I Peter 5:8-10 just told me to stand my ground. Definite comparisons I see are that in Isaiah we need to âsettle downâ and in I Peter we need to âkeep a cool headâ. Also, God is âwaiting to be gracious to youâ in Isaiah and is âgenerous and has great plans for usâ in I Peter. His responses if these are our actions.
The devil is also waiting, âpoised to pounceâ. Isaiah, I Peter and James tell us how to effectively respond to this pouncing. Wait in submission and dependence on the Lord. And keep our guard up and yell a loud ânoâ to the devil.
5.
I needed to hear these words. Iâve been hearing the Lord say to me ârestâ. In the past few weeks, Iâve heard it over and overâbible reading, songs, devotions and now here. Iâve been spending too much time on things (good things), but not on ârestingâ in the Lord and Who He is and what He is doing. He is even working this fear thing out of me. Thank You Jesus! Just exactly what I needed!
6.
This particular group of scriptures reminds me that God is so patient and is not finished with me, even when those fears creep in and I fail to trust Him like I should. I am reminded that this is Godâs work, not mine. I can stop trying to do it on my own. I need to submit to Him, depend on Him and rest in His gracious and generous hands. I WILL settle down and wait on Him!
Thank you for this today-I canât tell you how much I needed it!
1. MSG, NIV, HCSB -> âFor the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: âYou will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willingâ You say, âNo! We will escape on horsesâ â therefore you will escape! â and, âWe will ride on fast horsesâ â but those who pursue you will be faster. One thousand will flee at the treat of one, at the threat of five you will flee, until you alone remain like a solitary pole on a mountain top or a banner on a hill. Therefore the LORD is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. All who wait patiently for Him are happy.â
2. âan expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damageâ (Merriam Webster)
I feel most threatened in this season of life by change. Because I am moving each month to a different country and doing mission work, I am constantly building relationships just to leave them. This has been hard for me and I am honestly feeling most threatened by the fact that I always have to leave and that these relationships wonât last the way they should. Through that, Satan has tried to attack even the very core of my relationships with my teammates and squadmates by telling me Iâm not valuable to the team and not spiritual or outgoing enough for ministry.
3. Fleeing is shutting down for me- not letting others in or shutting down to our ministry contacts a week before we leave for another country. I donât feel like Iâm in flight mode right now. Iâm weary from the emotions that come from missing family during a really hard time (my grandfather just died), but God has allowed me to be more open with my team about that and even with how Iâm feeling about ministry. Theyâve been able to call out lies that they see and encourage me in the Truth.
4. 1 Peter and James both send encouragement to be ALERT and on guard â to don the armor of the Lord and have the sword â the Word â in hand at all times. I love the Message version of James âSo let God work his will in you. Yell a loud NO to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and Heâll be there in no time.â Our God is HERE and ready to defend us. He is our rear guard and he goes before us!
5. I think so! This reminded me of âsettle down itâll all be clear. Donât pay no mind to those demons, they fill you with fearâ â a line from âHomeâ by Philip Phillips. We need to settle into our dependence on God! I need to personally let Him carry me â let what Heâs doing in my life and in those around me be enough for me. He is, after all, the All-Sufficient One, right? Settling down reminds me of just being comfortable on a big couch with a tall glass of sweet tea. Relax. Rest. Breathe. Yes, I needed to hear that.
6. I am most touched by the honest statement that âMy strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on God.â I donât have to pick myself up right now and hold in my tears or try and fix everything and be okay. I just need to settle down. Stop being a Martha and be a Mary â settle down at the feet of the Most High.
1. Isaiah 30:15-18 Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
Isaiah 30:15-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
Isaias 30:15-18 Knox Bible (KNOX)
2. Threat-ân.1. a statement of what will be done to hurt or punish someone: The boys stopped playing ball in the classroom because of the janitorâs threats to report it to the principal. Synonym: commination, intimidation. 2. Figurative: a sign, cause, or source of possible evil or harm: Those black clouds are a threat of rain. Poverty and disease are threats to society. Germany had been a threat, a menace.(H.G. Wells) âv.t., v.i. Archaic to threaten. [Old English threat crowd, troop; oppression]
Fear brings threatening feelings.
3. The best fleeing for me is to the Lord whether in immediate prayer (silent or verbal) or to scripture to read words of comfort and strength. Yes, I need to be in the mode to flee to the Lord 24×7 because any little thing can take peace from me, so I have to go quickly to the Lord. When I cry out, He hears and I am even surprised at my next response because I know He sent it.
4. But the God of all grace . . . will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5
James 4:7 NKJV Humility Cures Worldliness Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Wow! That heading says it too. If I run away from God I am choosing the World and how the enemy is trying to deceive me. Submitting to the Lord, the God of All grace, brings confidence, strength, settling peace.
5. I need to start the day settling down with the LORD. I have to intentionally meet Him first and make time for Him to arm me with all I need
6. I know the LORD is telling me to make more time and see what âheights of Love, what depths of peaceâ he has for me.( from song In Christ Alone)
1. HCSB, ESV, Amplified
15For thus said the Lord God, The Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not, 16And you said, NO! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that] 17One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill. 18And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking and longing] to be gracious to youâ and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship}! Isaiah 30:15-18 Amplified
2. 1. An expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage 2. One that threatens 3. An indication of something impending
I feel most threatened at this time in my life by what the future holds for me. Iâm 51 years old, a widow with no children (therefore no grandchildren), no living brothers or sisters and an 82 year old mother. Although Iâm richly blessed with Godly friends who love me dearly, the realization that I could be alone â untethered â to any particular person or place in a blink is a bit scary at times. It doesnât bother me often, but when it does I try to remember I want to live a life that is pleasing to my Father above, so I try to keep my mind and heat focused on the possibilities ahead and not the threat of future loneliness.
3. Iâm pretty content at the moment compared to past years, so I donât think Iâm presently in flight mode.
4. The verses describe standing still, being firm, letting God take care of my enemies, instead of trying to outrun them on my own. And they all tell me God is just waiting to me to stop and wait on Him â in His perfect time He will make me what I ought to be!
5. I donât like to feel unsettled (had some really unsettling years in the past and so avoid any chaos or scary situations like the plague)and take great care to keep things as balanced as I canâŠ.. but reading these verses has unsettled me a bit, LOLâŠâŠâŠ
6. Because I am realizing more and more (and this exercise today is yet another God-given wake up call) that Iâm not sure I trust Him enough to keep me rooted and grounded. The firm foundation, the place of rest, is Him and His doing, not due to me and anything I attempt to do to manage my life. Iâve been studying âMultiplyâ by Frances Chan with some friends and itâs showing me that my life – my possessions, my time, my witness of Godâs love in my life are not my own but are meant for me to share so people see Him. Hoping this makes some senseâŠ..
1. NASB, AMP
Message:
15-17 GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. 1828 Websterâs Dictionary
Threat (n)
A menace; denunciation of ill; declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, loss or pain on another.
Threat (v)
To threaten, which see.
During this season of my life I have been hit many times by a menace. It causes me to over think situations and in turn causes heart act; distracting me from things, keeping my gaze anywhere but heaven ward.
3. Oh how I wish I could flee the things in my life. Fleeing in my world mean I consume myself in âthingsâ. I delve into my bible studies or school work to hide from the world. I make my mind thing on other things instead of confronting them head on. Itâs so much easier to run from something then to fix it. If youâre running you canât see what it is thatâs behind you.
4. All three passages talk about submitting to God or standing firm in oneâs faith. The passages strictly lay out exactly who it is that is suppressing us, stalking our very beings âseeking someone to devour.â Itâs important to see that if we are resisting Satan and turn toward God he will flee, like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
5. Oh how the words âsettle down!â spoke to me. Iâve been trying to control everything constantly running with it. Hoping that God wonât catch me red handed trying to solve what I gave Him on numerous occasions. The word âcompleteâ screams at me as well, oh to give to Him total control without wanting to run, I want it so bad.
6. This whole last week my best friend has been telling me to let me situation go, to give it up. That I canât fix it. Through my devotionals and now here Iâm starting to understand that I truly do have to let go.
1. NIV, TLB, NLT- The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says, “Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a distant mountaintop.”
2. threat – (thret), n 1. a declaration of an intention to inflict punishment, injury, etc.,
as in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course. 2. an indication
or warning of probable trouble. 3. a person or thing that threatens.
I feel all three of these defined terms daily … number 3 really speaks to me as Satan
himself being the force behind people or things that threaten me constantly. The
spiritual battle is THE threat behind other threats. I feel most threatened in this seas
on in my marriage as the unevenly yoked relationship threatens every fiber of my
being. My spouse is the greatest threat when I allow him to be.
3. I tend to flee the most by creating a boundary that protects me from being hurt or
threatened more. I will try to be civil and respectful but forgiveness seems to take
me a while to to give especially when he resists my boundaries. I would say I am
NOT in fleeing mode now, but he stays that way to avoid facing the truth and admit-
ting he is a prodigal now in his walk.
4. 1st Peter- devil tries to discount our efforts and render us ineffective
James 4 – resisting the devil and he will flee
We need to run to God who IS our strength and salvation and stop giving into the world and Satan to have the peace and confidence He desires for us and we so desperately need.
5. Yes, settle down speaks volumes to me … I have to do this or I cannot survive!
6. I love this lesson Beth! Why? EVERYtime I have conflict with my hubs over just about
anything, he tells me I am “all whipped up.” It infuriates me because I am usually
trying to explain myself and am so passionate about what I am saying. Perhaps I
need to “settle down” with SMV before and as I have conflict with him rather than
after the conflict when the damage has been done, the threat has destroyed more of
me and us. Thanks so much for this … timely for sure!
1. I read the passage in the ESV, NLT and Young’s Literal Translation. This is from the NLT:
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: âOnly in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.
You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. Threat – “Promise to hurt; a statement that someone will be hurt or harmed, especially if the person does not do something in particular.” (available from Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary)
DANG. I was going to say that I feel most threatened at this time by one family member in particular who is forever pushing boundaries to get his own way. This makes me wonder just what exactly I am perceiving as “harm” if I don’t give in.
3. My version of “fleeing” is avoidance. I go well out of my way to avoid anything unpleasant, and even when I know I have to face up to something, I’ll put it off until the last minute.
4. I Peter says to stand firm against the devil, and God will place us on a firm foundation. James tells us to resist the devil, and he will flee from us. So, I suppose the comparison is between fleeing from the enemy (who is described as pitifully weak in Isaiah) and standing our ground against him and trusting God to keep the ground firm under us.
5. I didn’t think I needed to “settle down” at first, but the truth is that I have been quite irritable about the situation, and I’ve wasted my time arguing and fussing, which has changed absolutely nothing. The fact is that I have no idea how to stand up for myself without being obnoxious. No one in my family has ever been able to deal with this family member without anger and resentment.
6. I’m going to recognize that Satan is the enemy and try not to argue with said family member. And pray accordingly. And look for a couple of memory verses in February that have something to do with this.
1. NKJV, AMP, The Message
Isaiah 30:15-18
Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
2. threat
a. noun
i. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
ii. an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
iii. a person or thing that threatens.
b. Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle Englih threte, Old English thrÄat pressure, oppression; cognate with Old Norsethraut hardship, bitter end; (v.) Middle English threten, Old English thrÄatian to press, threaten
c. This last definition hits me the hardest because right now I am feeling threatened by the oppression of my own sin. Things I have tried to deal with on my own that I am simply unable to fight. I seem to go back to it over and over, itâs so frustrating and I feel the press of it even when I am not falling into it. The pressure of the bitter end I know is at the end of that road hangs over me like an unspoken threat and yet I still find myself unable to resist it. It definitely takes the focus off of what will give me the strength to change.
3. Fleeing is what I do when I feel the pressure of the sinful desires of my flesh beginning to overpower me. As the thoughts overwhelm my defenses, because I am not able to focus on Christ, I try to fill the space in my head with noise (music, friends, tv) so I do not have to think about the results if I continue. I find myself unable to talk to those who would see right through my fake smile. (My sister always catches me if I am off the mark and asks me what is wrong, I love her for that.) I walk with my head down and my mind on things I should not be thinking about. I slowly hate myself a little more every day. Praise God, I am not in fleeing mode right now! I have felt the desire to run lately but I am studying and memorizing James. Each time I feel the threat of my sinful habits and desires trying to rear their ugly heads and force me out into the danger zone I recite my verses over and over. It has been a huge life saver and kept me on track.
4. In the Isaiah text the people refused to stay resting in God and trusting in His ability to take care of their salvation. As fast as they could run their pursuers always caught them. And yet He was there waiting expectantly to renew their companionship with Him each time until they could remain in âmatchless, unbroken companionshipâ (AMP)âŠOh to have that every day with no shame or regret! 1 Peter and James give us the keys to that unbroken companionship. âBe vigilant and cautious, be firm in the faith, be subject to God, resist the devil.â THEN âHe will make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.â (1 Peter 5:10b AMP)
5. Yes, I constantly need to hear the words âsettle downâ. I am always fighting silence, its feels like it closes in and forces me to face my own heart. I am quick to fill it and rush onto other things. However, I have found such joy and peace when I allow my heart to settle into His Word and let it be exposed to Him. He fills the silence and my heart with His love, acceptance and the power to fight the noise that pulls me into sin.
6. As I completed this assignment I felt that God had told you to announce it just for me. I was losing sight of my goal and being distracted by the world over the last few days. I felt the joy of my study and memorization slipping away. I was finding myself missing the unbroken companionship that comes when there is no sin between God and I. But the draw of old sin was pulling on me and I was considering it rather than resisting it. No more. I recognize the loss of that unbroken companionship now and I know that my soul will die without it. No momentary pleasure of the world is worth losing it. Thank you for the reminder that when I stand firm in Christ I may suffer as I fight temptation but âafter I have suffered a little whileâ the God of all grace, who has called me to eternal glory, will Himself complete me. Praise God for that!!
1. I used the New International Version, Darby and Good News Translation. I liked the GNT version better as it made sense of some of the older English order of words in the other versions. Here it is below.
Isaiah 30:15-18
Good News Translation (GNT)
15 The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, âCome back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.â But you refuse to do it. 16 Instead, you plan to escape from your enemies by riding fast horses. And you are rightâescape is what you will have to do! You think your horses are fast enough, but those who pursue you will be faster! 17 A thousand of you will run away when you see one enemy soldier, and five soldiers will be enough to make you all run away. Nothing will be left of your army except a lonely flagpole on the top of a hill. 18 And yet the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the LORD.
2.Threat- an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage (Merriam-Webster).
I would definitely have to say that I feel threatened by principalities and powers mainly… I know that they are not saved beings, and some could even be objects meant for wrath. Furthermore, I do not understand always how they think, but I have dealt with them persecuting me. Because of their persecution I wish God would deliver me right now! But I have been told by Him to persevere.
3 . I have certainly been the one to flee the scene of a crime due to persecution. I have gone on several trips where when I sensed things were not all right, I would leave instead of staying. I am sorry that I did this, but I am glad that the Lord kept me safe through it all. I also tried to end my marriage once the first few years we were married, but my husband came to pick me up downtown and proved to me that He really did love me. Right now, I have learned that sometimes fleeing is ok, as the Bible does say in Proverbs that sometimes a person who continues in the wrong direction after realizing it is dangerous may be a fool. But God has encouraged me to bear with those I love to some extent.
4.Cool! It says both in James and Peter that we are to resist Satan. It leads me to believe that Isaiah means, as other verses in the Bible say, that God will fight for us, if need be or at least He will deliver us from our enemy or enemies if we will only trust in Him. Furthermore, if we quietly trust and wait on the Lord, by returning, we will be happy and blessed. Rather than fleeing the enemy, who is too strong for us and too fast, God wants us to trust in His best plan. Perhaps this could mean a peace treaty, a chance for us to show mercy and love to our enemy. Or in some cases there could be a chance for God to display His miraculous or divine intervention.
5. Yes of course I need to hear the phrase âsettle downâ as applied to my life. I have been guilty of associating Jesus’s love for mankind and the grace of God with striving for less than absolute impeccability in my affairs. Nothing illegal, but not where I would be if I was entirely Biblical about loving my enemies even for example. I thought, seriously, do I have to give up my life for my friends to show them I love them?! Thatâs a lot to ask, I say. Or do I actually have to go the extra mile for my enemy. Or do I have to give them my cloke too? This is too much to ask, I say.
6. I feel like God is telling me that He loves me, and that I should be patient on His timing and His decisions pertaining to my situation. I feel like He is telling me to be brave and resist Satanic thoughts of doubt or fear or even pride. And finally, I feel like he is saying to trust in Him, and do my best to love myself, Him and others.
1. NAS
ESV
KJV For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall
ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swit. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be let as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. And therefor will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious uto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
2. Threat:
a. An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, evil, or punishment on
a person or thing.
b. An indication of impending danger or harm.
c. A person thing or idea regarded as a possible danger; a menace.
I am supposedly a womenâs leader but feel terribly threatened by many of the women. There are a couple women who leave me feeling; about 1â tall … or âŠ. just like a little girl.
3. Fleeing would look like:
a. Retreating to my house and staying there ⊠hiding out.
b. I sleep when in avoidance
c. Temptation to quit.
I would dearly like to flee/quit but feel compelled to hold my ground. If I fled ⊠well the enemy would win and who wants to see him get the victory?
4. Isaiah uses a very physical description, running from a physical enemy, Peter brings it into the spiritual realm and James puts it all in a nutshell ⊠quick ammo when the going gets extra tough.
5. Yes, I do need to hear the words âsettle downâ. This exercise was quite timely. I really would like to flee. Ironically, I have absolutely no where to run! I canât think of one place. Sigh. So Iâm left to duke it out ⊠but thank goodness it is the Lord who stands over my head fighting the battle for me ⊠otherwise I think I would faint.
6. I remember a preacher, back in my youth, who spoke on this passage of scripture. He called it the Jack Rabbit Principle. You scare up a jack rabbit and send your hound after it while you set on your horse and meditate a spell. Around the mountain they go until sooner or later the jack rabbit comes back to its nest with the dog, itâs tongue dragginâ the ground, close behind. Old Jack sees the hunter there, and if he has any stubborn spunk left in him at all, he takes off again. The hunter (in this case the Lord) just sits back and waits until we are spent of all our own energy by running around that darn mountain.
You know, I havenât been at rest over these ladies ⊠perhaps I need to just accept this calling to do these womenâs meetings, relax/rest and let Him do the work through His Word and by His Spirit. I know it in my head but have resisted all the same.
#1 NASB, NIV, and NLT
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
Blessings for the LORDâs People
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
#2 THREAT = a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace. An indication or warning of probable trouble.
The word brings negative thoughts to my mind of impending doom. Itâs often used by weather forecasters in predicting threatening weather (Watch out!). And I also think of times as a child when someone on a playground may say, âIâll get you for that.â
The only threats I feel at this time are from the Enemy (Satan). The closer I press into God, the more I feel threatened by the Enemy. I feel like I have this giant target on my back and the flaming arrows keep coming at me. If it wasnât for Godâs protection, I would have perished by now. I also feel as if my values and morals as a Christian are being threatened in this day and age.
#3 FLEEING = Right now fleeing for me is running into Godâs arms.
#4 Itâs all about pursuit by the enemy and fleeing!
#5 The Lordâs already been leading me to the settled down place. Iâm beside the still waters now.
#6 My insight: The Lord is waiting on me to come to Him. If Iâm feeling unsettled, fretting, or frazzled, itâs probably because I am not looking at Him. Whenever I take my eyes off Jesus, I start feeling all those unsettled, anxious feelings. Threats become bigger than me. Threats are not bigger than my God!
Oh, and I forgot to say, thank you so much for what you do Beth. God has certainly used you in my life to encourage me especially through times of dark depression when I read “Praying God’s Word Day by Day”. That book and my Bible were sometimes the only encouragement I got some days during a very debilitating and difficult time in my life. Thanks again Beth!!!
1.NIV, NLT and The MESSAGE:
“GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.”
2. THREAT (Websters): “an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage”… feel like I got kicked in the gut when I saw INTENTION to INFLICT: so it;s purposeful, planned, meant for evil, and by no means an accident. I felt this a few months ago in a very, very heavy way. I don’t right now…but it was BAD!SO BAD that I am fearful that it will happen again…so I have “anticipatory anxiety” (I’m a mess!)
3. Fleeing for me = removing myself from others; not engaging in relationship(s)….being so fearful that I only feel safe when I’m alone. I’m not currently fleeing, but boy did I FLEE like a wild woman a couple of month’s ago!
4. So, the devil is intentionally threatening us, looking for any/all of us (me!) who he can get ahold of and “eat alive”…my way of fleeing from him is to be self-controlled, alert and submit to God. This kind of reistance is a GOOD kind of fleeing (vs my BAD kind of fleeing)…and BAM! Here’s the awesome thing…the devil flees because of it…YAHOOjah!
5. And yes, I do need to “settle down”, because I’m so fearful of being back in that bad place of a few months ago, that I’m making myself pretty tasty to the evild one…he’s probably just licking his lips over me right now! UGH…
6. I am making myself an easy target for the devil right now. I let my fears build up in my mind, get paralyzed so I can’t even flee in a good way! LIGHTBULB: I’m submitting to my fears and not to GOD! DUH!!!! Flashing lights…BIG RED FIRE TRUCK! Why didn’t I see that?
Gotta go…Jesus and I need to talk about this…
1. READ IN NIV, NET AND MSG
THE MESSAGE:
GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel:âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on meâ The very thing youâve been unwilling to do.Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough! Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â Do you think your pursuers ride old nags? Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker. Before a mere five youâll all run off. Thereâll be nothing left of youâa flagpole on a hill with no flag, a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. Threat:
1) a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done:
2) a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger:
3) the possibility of trouble, danger, or ruin: the company faces the threat of liquidation proceedings
The possibility of trouble, danger or ruin â issues within husbands company, future uncertain, threat of losing what he has worked hard for, possibility of moving away to find work elsewhere. Our stability threatened.
3. Fleeing
If the threat is a person, I do all I can to stay away from them. If is a situation, I will do what I can not to be there. Yes, Iâm avoiding whatever I can to do with our situation.
4. Comparing/contrasting passages
(1)Submit to God, rely on Him instead of running away, Heâs waiting to help you. Stop own efforts and be still so He can help you.
(2)Enemy looking to devour, resist, be strong in your faith
(3)Submit to God, resist the devil
In the first passage the response is to run away, trying to solve problems on own instead of submitting to God and resisting the devil with strong faith intact, as the last two verses implore us to.
5. I heard COMPLETE DEPENDENCE the loudest. He is freed to step in and help when I get out of the way and completely depend on Him, let Him sort it all.
6. God is telling me that my natural reaction is to run away from threatening situations and instead I should be showing my dependence on Him. He is waiting with grace and strength and mercy for me and my situation, I just need to be still and rely on Him.
Thanks for taking the time to do this post today Beth, even though you were busy â this was right on time!!!
NLT, NET, The Message
1. NLT Isaiah 30:15-18
15Â This is what the Sovereign Lord,the Holy One of Israel, says:âOnly in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.âš In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. 16Â You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you. 17Â One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â 18Â So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
2. Threat:
-an act of coercion wherein an act is proposed to elicit a negative response
-a communicated intent to inflict harm or loss on another person
The way I am feeling most threatened in this season is wondering if I am equipped enough to lead more and more people.
3.I am not in fleeing mode right now, but generally when I flee, I flee to God in prayer because He is the only one that can make the most sense out of things; and then I will seek Godly counsel. When in my flesh, I will withdraw from people and not let anyone in.
4. These verses tell us not to give into the enemies lies and plans because he will come after us. We have to come to our faithful, loving God and He will make us strong. He will save us. In Him, we find rest; but we are to stay alert and ready for when the enemy wants to pounce; and then we stand firm in who we are in Christ and the devil will flee! Hallelujah!!
5. Yes! to settle down and remember what I have always been taught. That God wants me just to be willing to go and do what He has called me to do. He doesnât call the qualified; but He qualifies those who are called and willing. Trust Him to do the rest.
6. It is only in Christ that I find my strength. Verse 15 says, âOnly in returning to me…â This implies to me that we were away and that we needed Him. We are sinners in need of a Sovereign Lord! We are a rebellious people who need to rest in knowing that we have a God who saves us from the enemy. I can be confident and know that God is my strength through every âbattleâ I face. If we try to get help from something/someone other than God, the enemy will be sure to chase us down. And in the end, we will be left all alone and feeling beat up. But God is there, waiting for us, willing to show us love because He is faithful and full of grace. He gives us a choice to come back to Him and when we do, His arms are wide open. Hallelujah!
I loved doing this! I feel like I am right beside ya’ll in Bible study. Thanks so much!
1.
I read the NIV84, KJV, and AMP. The version that spoke most blatantly to me was the KJV (surprisingly â I grew up on this version, but donât read it much anymore).
15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16 But ye said, No: for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.
18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
2.
Threat: n. 1 statement of what will be done to hurt or punish someone: the teacher threatened to give a failing grade to students that did no homework. 2. to utter threats: They threaten and scold too much. 3. to be a sign or warning of coming trouble: Black clouds threaten rain. 4. to be a cause of possible harm or worry to: A flood threatened the city. threatener, n. threateningly, adv.
The way I feel most threatened in this season is by feelings that threaten to overwhelm me. Feelings of failure, abandonment, and not being good enough. Also, I am in a season of realizing that my whole life I have stuffed my emotions down to the point of feeling numb. While God is doing a deep (and rather painful) work in me, I have to learn how to feel again. Feelings that have been buried deep, are threatening when they come gushing out and one has no idea what to do with them.
3.
Fleeing tends to look a lot like quitting in my life. I quit on people and situations when they get too tough. If it is hard, I tend to quit. I have fled from conflict my whole life (which sometimes creates a greater conflict) because I felt that if I am in conflict, I will surely die. I am in a season of figuring out why I flee (quit) so that I learn how not to be a quitter anymore. So I am trying to face my fleeing ways! ï
4.
The people in the Isaiah text were told that in rest, quietness, and confidence they would be saved and strengthened, but they did not heed the warning. In 1Peter, we are told to stand firm and resist the enemy, and God himself will restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. In James we are told to resist the enemy and he will be the one who flees from us. It seems that when we feel like ârunningâ or giving into temptation, we should just stand firm and trust God. God is the one who restores us and makes us strong, firm and steadfast. We just have to be careful not to give into fear or temptation and run away from God. When we run from God, we run smack into the enemyâs plan for us, and live crippled with fear.
5.
I seem to always need to hear the words âsettle downâ because I tend to give into fear and start running before I even realized what I am doing. I let my mind take me places where I am a prisoner of fear. I panic and fret, and forget to trust so easily.
6..
I have been in a deep season of âsiftingâ and these verses all fit into what I have been learning. God is teaching me that fleeing or quitting is not a healthy option. When He asks me to do something, it is because He has my best interests at heart. When I feel panic starting to grip me, I need to rest, trust and stand firm. I need to be very careful to not flee from my God and his perfect gifts, but flee from the enemy and his gifts that appear to be good, but are in the end, death.
NIV, NKJ NLT Isaiah 30:15-18
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
Threat: an indication of something impending
Having a hard, hard time at work. Hurricane Sandy badly affected my place of business and we are really struggling. Being in customer service it is so, so stressful. Feel trapped, angry and threatened. I donât know how much more stress I can handle. Working 52 hours a week and still drowning in work. It is unsaid but “expected” of you to do so. Planned on facilitating a bible study with my friends but due to work I am not able to and just completely exhausted. I don’t see any changes in the near future. Confused and don’t understand what God’s purpose is in this mess.
Flee: I tend to turn to food when stressed rather than God. Iâve wanted to âfleeâ the stress of the job during this most difficult time.
This assignment has encouraged my heart and helped me.
Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.(I know the Lord is telling me to cling to Him during this trial and He will save me)
In quietness and confidence is your strength.(He will give me the strength I need to endure)
So the LORD must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.(THe Lord is waiting for me to bring this to Him. I tend to being A type try to handle things all on my own. I believe God’s purpose in this is to bring me to the end of my self and show me my need for Him)
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.(I can see how Satan is using this to make me angry and be a poor example at work and keeping me from bible study)
Thanks Beth . . . moving forward . . .
1) ESV, NRSV, and NIV: âThis is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
âIn repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.â Therefore you will flee! You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.â Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill. Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. âšFor the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
2) Threat: a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done; a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger. I feel most threatened by my fear that I will continue to be single for an extended period of time. The fear comes not only from the Enemy, but other peoplesâ belittling words, and of course, my own flesh and lack of faith. This verse hits me most in the beginning, where God gives the recipe for peace and strength, yet I choose to rebel against that and go my own way.
3) âFleeingâ for me means choosing not to turn to God and instead go to a very bitter place in my head. This is mainly bitterness about what other people have that I donât. It also usually involves going to a âfantasyâ about what my future will be like. It is so much easier to obsess over my idea of glory than to rest in the Lord.
4) The 1 Peter text is guidance on how I should respond to a threat, instead of fleeing. I need to âdisciplineâ myself, rather than go to a bitter place in my head. I need to acknowledge that Satan is behind the threat, which will make me more aware of what is happening. Understanding that Christians everywhere experience similar threats will help me not to mope and be so self-focused. God will restore me after I have suffered and fought through the pain. The James verse also tells me that the threat is temporary and will go away.
5) Yes, when do I not need to settle down? I think my problem is that I just donât believe that God is fully able. Or I believe it like 10% of the time. I need to remember that I cannot do anything without Him.
6) I think most of all, I really liked the parts about repentance, rest, quietness, and trust being the source of strength and salvation. It is like God is blatantly telling me what I need to do to have peace. And ironically, the recipe revolves around HIM. So much pressure off me.
Isaiah 30:15-18 NIV,ESV,The Message
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
In quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
You said, No we will flee on horses.
Therefore you will flee!
You said, We will ride off on swift horses.
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Merriam Webster Dictionary
Threat:
1. an expression of intent to inflict evil, injury, or damage.
2.one that threatens
3.an indication of something impending
2. It’s interesting you would ask this question now. Three weeks ago I started group therapy for PTSD and one of the guys in the group my first time there was hiding behind the door and jumped out at me as I came back from break. The second time there he was waiting for me as I left. He was staring me down and he was holding the door in a way that I had no choice to cross his path as I left and he followed me as I walked out the door. From the things he says and the way he behaves around me scares me. Maybe I’m overreacting. He’s been talked to twice and I’ve been told if he approaches me again to tell right away. I wish I could feel differently than feeling like there’s an impending threat. Maybe you could pray for me that I will be safe and that I will feel safe.
3. For me it looks like staying in my house and hiding or if I don’t have a choice and have to be in a situation that scares me I tend to try to be invisible and blend into the woodwork as best I can.
4. In God I will find my strength, instead of trying to handle things on my own. I need to submit to Him and resist the lies of the enemy. In God I will find my quiet and rest.
5.Do I ever need to hear those words settle down! I was telling someone lastnight how the last three weeks my insides have felt just raw, like they are being rubbed with sandpaper. I also realized after saying that I had been trying to handle the stress of my life as of late on my own. I finally laid it down at the feet of Jesus and poured my heart out. Letting him carry the burden, because I just can’t do it on my own.
6. That He alone is my rock, my salvation, my safety, my strong tower, my rest.
1. Translations: MSG, NIV, NLT.
This is the one that spoke the most to me:
Isaiah 30:15-18
The Message (MSG)
God Takes the Time to Do Everything Right
15-17 GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:
âYour salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on meâ
The very thing
youâve been unwilling to do.
Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â
Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough!
Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â
Do you think your pursuers ride old nags?
Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker.
Before a mere five youâll all run off.
Thereâll be nothing left of youâ
a flagpole on a hill with no flag,
a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.â
18 But GODâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you.
Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you.
GOD takes the time to do everything rightâeverything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. Threat = an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
I was just cleared physically for a new job. It has been 5 long years since I was laid off from the job that I had been at for 22 years and hoped to retire from some day. The threat that I fear is that this job will also be taken from me and I will go back to the place I just left. There is also the threat that I will fail at this new job and/or find a way to sabotage it.
3. Fleeing in my life would include isolation. It has also looked like suicidal thoughts and plans. Itâs a feeling of wanting to escape the pain of it all. I am not currently in a fleeing mode. I was though during my 5 years of being in the valley.
4. Comparing: all three speak of hope; the hope that God is in charge if you just let him be. That he has plans for you and your future. You can depend on God. You can trust him. Youâre not alone. When you wonât let God or you just simply donât believe God is going to come through for you this opens a door for satan to prey on you. All three speak about consequences to trying to do it yourself and not believing nor letting God do the work in you.
5. As far as needing to hear the words âsettle downâ, I desperately need to hear those words. These verses really speak to the season I was just in. I thought that I had to so it all myself and I had the hardest time letting go and letting God. So I finally felt myself completely surrendering to him because I had nothing left in me and now I am in a state of fear of first going back to trying to do everything myself and forgetting where I just came from and I find myself so fearful that some way I will ruin everything that God is currently doing in myself. I fear that I will let myself down, people that love me and I will let God down. So I feel as though I need to settle down and just enjoy where God is taking me and be excited about it!
6. So I need to let God do what he is doing no matter if I understand it or not. I need to know that Godâs plans are going to work as long as I stay out of it meaning trying to âmakeâ things happen or direct things in the direction I think it should go. Whenever God gives me a glimpse of what He is doing I will take it upon myself to âmakeâ it happen and what I am learning is it is not up to me to make things happen, He will make them happen on his timing and I can trust that.
This Was Fun!
Diane from Vacaville, CA
1. Isaiah 30:15-18 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:âIn repentance and rest is your salvation,in quietness and trust is your strength,but you would have none of it. You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.âTherefore you will flee!You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.âTherefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will fleeat the threat of one;at the threat of fiveyou will all flee away,till you are leftlike a flagstaff on a mountaintop,like a banner on a hill.â Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.For the Lord is a God of justice.Blessed are all who wait for him.”
2. Definition of THREAT: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage When I think of the word threat, I think of intention to do harm. Human instinct is to flee to save self.. Self preservation is a human and natural response to a threat.
3. While I do not believe that I am in fleeing mode now, I have experienced this in my life. Fleeing in my life often looks like avoidance. Often, I will avoid people or situations that have the potential of causing disequilibrium in my life. I am most vulnerable to this when I am fatigued or overwhelmed.
4. In each of these verses, we are encouraged to be aware of the enemy. In Isaiah, we are instructed to be calm and confident. In I Peter, we’re told to be sober and alert. In James, we’re instructed to submit to God and stand against the enemy.
5. It’s easy to get stirred up and lose focus. this happens when our eyes become fixated on the world and its troubles or flare. The words settle down remind me to unwind, breathe, and let God be God!
6. From this, I see that we’re not to run away or cower from the Adversary, but to remain calm, alert, submit to God and stand against/resist and he must flee. What confidence we can have in our Sovereign God!
1.) NIV
KJV
NLT This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
” Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘ No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give a swift horses for riding into battle.’
But only the swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”
So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him
so He can show you His Love and compassion.
For the Lord is a Faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for His help.
2.) threat: An expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage.
We are in the fight of our lives for our son, who is battling drug addiction. We have to be his intercessors right now since he is being so deceived. I continually have to give him back to God and remind myself that we WILL have the Victory in this fight!!
3.) Fleeing in my life right now, looks like, avoiding confrontation with the addiction and my son. But I can NOT be in flee mode right now!! It is a matter of life and death! And right now I must stay in fight mode with the God’s full Armor on and visualize putting the full armor on my son too!! We have big huge shields of Faith!!! đ
4.) we have an enemy who wants to destroy us, but if we draw near to God and stay strong in our Faith, He WILL restore us and stew then us! Thank You Lord!!
5.). Yes! I NEED to hear settle down, otherwise I could go into freak out mode!! I would lose sleep and not be able to work effectively. I actually was like that last week, so I had to get a grip and trust that God has everything under control!
6.) God is telling me to TRUST in His strength and He WILL be Faithful. He is waiting for my son to come back to Him! And I have to wait patiently for His perfect timing! I am convinced this homework assignment was specifically for me!! đ Thank you so much for obeying God. When I read it this morning I was with my son. I know God had it all planned out! He is amazing how He times everything perfectly!!! Please pray for my son and I will continue to fight this spiritual battle until we have the VICTORY!!!
I love you Beth and can’t wait to see you in March!!! đ
1. Three translations a.) NIV
b.) The Message
c.) NRSV
Isaiah 30:15-18
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
15 For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused 16 and said,
âNo! We will flee upon horsesââ
therefore you shall flee!
and, âWe will ride upon swift steedsââ
therefore your pursuers shall be swift!
17 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
at the threat of five you shall flee,
until you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.
Godâs Promise to Zion
18 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
I think this spoke to me the most because it was the most direct. I liked especially, âIn quietness and trust shall be your strength.â That is something that I need to remember.
2.threat |THret|
noun
1 a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done: members of her family have received death threats .
âą Law a menace of bodily harm, such as may restrain a person’s freedom of action.
2 a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger: hurricane damage poses a major threat to many coastal communities.
âą [ in sing. ] the possibility of trouble, danger, or ruin: the company faces the threat of bankruptcy | thousands of railroad jobs came under threat .
I feel most threatened as a result of a sensitive family situation and my difficulty in coming to terms with it.
3Fleeing in my life right now looks like me alternately dealing with and running away from this situation in my family as it not only affects me but those I love. I would say that I am in a âsemiâ fleeing mode right now.
4. Both 1 Peter and James 4 seem more instructional and almost commandment âlike. They seem to presuppose knowledge of human nature and therefore warn us of the need to remain vigilant.
5. Yes! This situation has been troublesome â to say the least for quite some time. It is the product of my past but may impact my future. It requires healing. I want to be able to let go but it has been difficult.
6. I am gaining insight â the Lord is a God of justice â He shows mercy. It is not for me to judge. With time and trust I can gain peace. I think God is trying to teach me to trust.
1. NIV, ESV, Amplified Bible
Isaiah 30:15-18
Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
2. Threat-an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage.
I am feeling most threatened by having to be in an employment situation that is very stressful, with a lot of responsibility. Failure to do a good job would negatively impact a lot of people.
3. Fleeing looks like me closing off/withdrawing emotionally from my family. I havenât reached that point yet.
4. 1 Peter 5:8-10
Amplified Bible (AMP)
8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onsetârooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same ([b]identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
James 4:7
Amplified Bible (AMP)
7 So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.
5. I hear âwaitâ, âbe firm in faithâ. My salvation is coming.
6. God has me in this position for His purposes. May I be faithful to glorify Him.
1) ESV, NIV & NASB
For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
âIn repentance and rest you shall be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.â
But you were not willing,
And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â
Therefore you shall flee! âAnd we will ride on swift horses,â
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
One thousand shall flee at the threat of one man,
You shall flee at the threat of five;
Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top,
And as a signal on a hill.
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice,
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
NASB
2)threat 1: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury or damage 2: one that threatens 3:an indication of something impending
At this time, I am feeling challenged in my decision to retire from 35 years of teaching in the public schools. What will come next? Where will I find purpose? What will I do? I am also challenged in health issues. I have ignored warnings to adopt a more healthy life style. As I get older, the body is starting to break down.
3)When I flee, it is usually to my sisterâs company or to food . I do not believe that I am a flight risk at this moment.
4)In Isaiah, we are threatened by the enemy and we flee. The LORD extends grace and compassion toward us. In Peter, our enemy is named. Satan wants to devour us. But the God of all grace has promised to perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us. In James, if we submit to God (opposite of what the people did in Isaiah) and resist, the enemy will flee from us.
5)I need to hear the word – rest. Take care of yourself physically.
6)The phrase in Is 30:15, âbut you were not willingâ has me wondering âwhyâ. Why am I not willing?
You said a mouthful, Suzanne! I also ask myself, Why am I not willing?
1. ESV, NASB, and NLT
(The NLT spoke the most blatantly to me.)
This is what the Sovereign LORD,the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. (Isaiah 30:15-18)
2. Threat: A suggestion that something unpleasant or violent will happen, especially if a particular action or order is not followed. The terms âunpleasantâ and âviolentâ bring out the protective mother bear in me, especially if the threat involves or is directed towards my family. This has been the case recently in our family, not a violent threat but a very unpleasant one due to manipulation.
3. âFleeingâ in my life tends to look like life management, where I take on the manager role and manipulate life to occur the way I envision would be best. Perhaps âfleeingâ for me is when I rely upon my own understanding rather than trusting in the LORD (Proverbs 3:5-6).
4. The first Peter passage encourages the believer not to âfleeâ but to stay alert, watch out, and stand firm all of which do not involve running away. And I LOVE how the James verse states that if I will just resist the devilâŠheâll be the one fleeing!
5. I do need to hear the words âsettle downâ and to have âcomplete dependenceâ upon Him, because it seems like I can have the hardest time discerning if situations are simply unpleasant or if they are to refine me. I realize that if I would just âsettle downâ and depend on Him, I will receive His love and compassion as the Isaiah passage states.
6. As the Isaiah passage in the NLT states, for me to âfleeâ from refining circumstances is to make myself become âa tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â And why would I choose to be tattered when I could wait for the blessing my faithful God longs to show me? My God does not want His daughter to wear a tattered banner, but rather a royal sash! Therefore, I must âwait for His help.â
1. ESV, MSG
AMP:
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,
16 And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]
17 One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!
2. Threat: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage; one that threatens; an indication of something impending.
To be perfectly honest, the word and its dark implications, leave me apprehensive and almost fearful. My âthreatâ at the moment, centers on finances. We are going through a very challenging time and I can almost feel âsomething impending.â Nevertheless, that is what happens when I take my eyes of Jehovah Jireh, stare squarely at the âthreat,â and allow my feelings too dictate. While God has blessed us with emotions, they must remain in check and not in way replace the truth of who God is.
3. âFleeingâ in my life tends to resemble the âostrich head in the sandâ metaphor. I dislike feeling vulnerable and fearful (I mean, come onâŠwho does like it?), so I limit my exposure to the issue at hand. Am I in “fleeing mode” right now? I cannot be. I have to deal with the trial at hand, but it MUST be done prayerfully and in Him. This time of trial comes with almost daily reminders…tests of true humility.
4. HmmmâŠso the motif appears to be that we are to stand, wait, and resist. It is the enemy (not the believer) who is to do the fleeing. Seriously, Beth. Ugh!! You get me every timeâŠjust another ânow word.â
5. Strength comes from settling down⊠Oh yes, I need to hear that. Why do we need to hear that? Because it is easier to run whether literally or as the ostrich does, figuratively. It is as old as the garden. Adam and Eve did the equivalent when they hid. They did not come forth willingly. Then, they proceeded to blame one another. The trend continues today. Broken relationships are at every turn, including within the church. According to a 2008 Barna study, the divorce rate hovers around 33%. Tragically, the church is even higher! Those who consider themselves âProtestantâ have a 34% rate of divorce. It is time we dig our heels in, take back our relationships, and give the devil a swift kick out the door. We know who we are, more importantly, we know whose we are. The enemy and its threat HAVE to flee.
6. BREATHE. I am here. I am for you not against you. I am taking care of this even though you cannot see it. So, settle downâŠbe still and know that no weapon for against you, formed against Me, will prosper.
1. NIV, New American Standard Bible, The Message
This is from the NASB:
For thus the Lord [a]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
âIn [b]repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.â
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â
Therefore you shall flee!
âAnd we will ride on swift horses,â
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a [c]flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
18 Therefore the Lord [d]longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [e]waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [f]long for Him.
2. Threat: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
I’m struck by the definition that a “threat” is in reality “an expression of intention.” I am feeling very threatened in this season … threatened by not being able to make ends meet (laid off three years ago and have had part-time jobs since then; have not been able to secure a full-time position. I am single (divorced) and must take care of myself. Yet, as I read this definition, I am struck by the fact that a “threat” is an “expression of intent.” In other words, it has not happened and may never happen. Someone has said or voiced the threat to me, but that’s all. I have the choice to ignore the threat … o my, spiritual warfare! And I have been listening to this voice!
3. In my own life, “fleeing” looks like self-reliance, individualism, taking charge without thought of anyone helping, going it alone because that is what I have always done. And o yes, “fleeing” is also full of pride!
And fear. But about a year after my job loss, I stopped “fleeing” as I could not go any further.
4. The main message is to submit to God, resist the devil, stand firm in my faith, and God [not me] will himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast!
5. Oh, I REALLY need to hear the words âsettle down.â For many years, I was about doing and pretending I was wiser than God. I made decisions that God would have not wanted for me ⊠because He is my Father and loves me and no dad would want me to do the things that I did. I so wish I would have listened to my Dad and obeyed and trusted that He loved me. I am learning how to âsettle downâ and I have to tell you that this is something I truly love. God is in control .. that is comforting and reassuring. And I am not alone. I like to think that He may be smiling down on me ⊠and perhaps saying ⊠âthatâs the spirit, I love you and want all that is good for you.â
6. I am learning that God has His eye on me. And I truly believe He is saying, âfaith.â Faith in Him. A few days ago, at my place of employment, someone came to me with a slim, silver ring that she found in the locker room and asked me to set it aside as someone might claim it. I picked up the ring and inside was the inscription âFAITH.â Each morning, I have a prayer time and seek God and often ask Him to talk to me throughout the day. He did! In the last day or so, the Hebrews passage has been on my mind .. âNow faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not seeâŠâ The NASB says, âNow faith is the [a]assurance of things [b]hoped for, the [c]conviction of things not seen.â
And I think God is saying, “flee from the threat because that is all they are .. and run to me. I’ve got you covered!”
NOTE: This is a special assignment. Thank you, Beth, for giving me and all of us, this time to learn and thank God for who He is! Love to you and everyone!
1. KJV, AS, NIV
NIV-Isaiah 30:15-18
15This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.16You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!17A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”18Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
2. Webster’s- threat-a declaration of intention or determination to harm another.
I feel threatened by a confused mind. I’ve been trying to discern what the Lord wants me to be doing with my life and can’t seem to settle my mind about it. I feel he’s wanting me to serve those who are homebound or ill.
3. My tendency to flee comes when I attempt to commit myself to the service of others. I start thinking about all the “what if’s”, excuses, and self-doubts and then back away from the commitment.
4.Instead of running from the direction of the Lord, I should be running into it.
5. This is where I just need to settle down my minds’ doubts and fears and take the step of faith toward obedience.
6. I feel as if the Word is saying to me that if I will just rest and trust that if God is calling me to do something, then he will surely accomplish through it what he desires despite my imperfections. Also that I need to resist the urges to pull back and let the grace of God see it all through for His glory and his names’sake. Quita from Trenton, TX
Is 30:15-18
1. I read the passage in NIV, Message, Amp. &Holman
Isaiah 30:15 HCSB
“For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing.”
2. threat- intention to inflict injury, evil, damage. (webster.com)
I worry about my granddaughter and the living situation she is in.Â
3. flee-it means run. I tend to flee when I can’t control the situation or when I see there is no hope. I run emotionally.
4. Contrast Jas.4:7, 1Peter 5:8-10
So let God work His way in me and not me control things. Return and rest in Him. Keep up my guard against Satan. Keep a firm grip on my faith.
5. I am getting better about this, I keep claiming scripture to calm myself down & praying for God’s help. God help me be willing.Â
6. God will deliver in His time, every time. I need to return and rest in Him.
1.NIV & HCSB
Isaiah 30:15-18
(NASB)
15 For thus the Lord [a]GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
âIn [b]repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.â
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â
Therefore you shall flee!
âAnd we will ride on swift horses,â
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a [c]flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
18 Therefore the LORD [d]longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [e]waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [f]long for Him.
2.Definition of THREAT
1: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
2: one that threatens
3: an indication of something impending
The word âthreatâ instills a sense of fear in me and I immediately become defensive.
I feel threatened by Satanâs ability to influence loved ones. The possible consequences of their choices scares me. I also feel threatened by my health.
3.Fleeing is apparent in my life in two major ways; 1) physically fleeingâŠ.running from a situation and 2) rebellionâŠbecoming hard-headed and stubborn. Right now in this moment I donât feel like Iâm in an immediate fleeing mode. Only God knows what the morning will bring. I do hate that my reaction to threats is to flee. It makes me feel week and useless.
4.All 3 of the passages are screaming âflee to Meâ.
5.I do need to hear âsettle downâ quite often. I tend to think on a lot of âwhat ifsâ and work myself into a mess of fears and tears!
6.I think God is trying to get through my thick skull that all my preparations for all my âwhat ifsâ are so self-destructive and unnecessary. I need to just simply âfleeâ to Him and trust in Him completely with everything. It sounds so easyâŠwhy do I make it so hard? I can hear God saying over and over to me âIt wasnât me that failed you, Tammy. It wasnât me!â
1. NKJV, NLT, MSG
God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: “Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on meâ The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do. You’ve said, ‘Nothing doing! We’ll rush off on horseback!’ You’ll rush off, all right! Just not far enough! You’ve said, ‘We’ll ride off on fast horses!’ Do you think your pursuers ride old nags? Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker. Before a mere five you’ll all run off. There’ll be nothing left of youâ a flagpole on a hill with no flag, a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.” But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything rightâeverything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones. Isaiah 30:15-18 MSG
2.
1. a declaration of the intention to inflict harm, pain or misery
2. an indication of imminent harm, danger or pain
3. a person or thing that is regarded as dangerous or likely to inflict pain or misery
I feel threatened by anotherâs dreams and plans. Wondering where they leave me. Afraid that the home Iâve built & become settled in will be stripped away and I will once again have to start over.
3. Fleeing usually looks like taking comfort in food & closing myself off from friends and family.
I want to be. It seems safer to flee, but I have learned over time that it only makes the problem worse.
4. Itâs about pursuit. Am I trying to do it my own way, in my own strength or am I leaning and trusting Him to bring His eternal and glorious plans about in my life? This doesnât mean I check out of life, but that the focus of my struggle is to know Him more.
5. Yes. I need to hear the words settle down. I always want to do something or get somewhere and forget to enjoy the moment. I need to stop and enjoy the time I have with friends and family and make memories that last.
6. Reading those verses reminded me that I need to pursue God. When I place all the things I worry about in His hands, I will find that He will be sufficient and I will see that He is bring His good plans for my life about.
1. ESV, HCSB, NASB
NASB: âFor thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel has said, âIn repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.â But you were not willing, and you said, âNo, for we will flee on horses,â Therefore you shall flee! âAnd we will ride on swift horses,â Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; you will flee at the threat of five, until you are left as a flag on a mountain top, and as a signal on the hill. Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.â Isaiah 30:15-18
2. âthreatâ
: an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
: one that threatens
: an indication of something impending
3. I donât have an external impending threat; rather, right now my mind is my greatest threat. I am working through/forward from a very broken friendship and my mind is fighting daily to not think, play âwhat ifsâ and trying to âlet goâ and trust God that I did what I could for clarity/reconciliation given the circumstances â working to not feel guilty, that its all my fault or that I âmessed it all upâ. When good desires do not produce good results: Itâs some kind of stronghold and my mind is my greatest enemy/threat right now.
3. I have been VERY prone to flee; right now He has me physically sitting still â where all my circumstances shout âthis place (literally the city I moved to) isnât working, leave!â I know that Iâm supposed to sit here regardless of the absolute struggle; I donât get it, but I know that leaving would be disobedient somehow, even though I canât see anything for anything right now.
I am also prone to âfleeâ in that I will harden my heart or go into âbusiness modeâ in dealing with hard personal relationships. I put up a wall of armor to get myself through and I think that this is a mode of fleeing in that I flee from the vulnerable, honest hurt of things. I just try to march on because everything else is just so hard so maybe if I can soldier-on I can just keep going when everything feels not awesome.
4. Initially, I find the concept of âSubmitâ (James) âResistâ (1Peter) and âRestâ (Isaiah) to all shout âSTOP!â Here, there is the intimation of a struggle and a wrestling in all of these verses. Either the people are resisting repentance (Isaiah), the followers of Jesus are being instructed to submit to God (James) or the Body is being warned (1 Peter); it is as if there is flurry and action in all of these pieces and each writer is instructing the child to cease the struggle and pay attention to that which is in front of them: the face of God. The consequences of not submitting/resisting/resting all lead to sin (further sin for Israel in Isaiah) because there is an adversary that is running just as fast to devour us. Isaiah poignantly tells us that the horsemen that will âfleeâ after those who flee will be just as swift â in other words, they really canât escape; all they need to do is STOP and turn to the Father. The picture that comes to mind is that of an upset child and a parent who comes in to soothe her temper and picks up the child who just continues to struggle and squirm and shout and yet the father holds tightly and speaks gently to calm the child and then when the child finally âgives up the fightâ she is exhausted, but she is safe in the Fatherâs arms; and all the Father wanted to do was to protect her from herself in her own anger and rebellion.
5. See my number 4, yes I totally agree. We always unfortunately think that we have the better plan; we think that we have better horses that will take us faster to OUR goal, when the goal is our Father and we donât need to get on a horse to get to Him: He first loved us. (And isn’t He the one who comes back on the raddest horse in Revelation anyhow?)
6. Iâm definitely a reSISTER (haha!) I try to push back from His love for me or I am trying to âfigure it outâ either way itâs sin and either way Iâm not great at resting; I had the most challenging time actually believing that Jesus loved me, I mean I âknewâ it but I didnât believe it because in my sin I wanted to prove God wrong; I wanted to prove to Him that I was right about how not awesome I was and thus I continuously pushed back on His love for me â this did NOT go well for me on so many levels and created much idolatry and sin in my life. Then October 19th happened and he opened up my dome and got me to believing (Praise God) and yet I still find myself âfightingâ things on certain levels when I donât understand them. Thus, these verses continuously show and remind me to stand firm in Him and His Truth despite the blizzard of not great things. Lean not on my own understanding. Sovereignty of God = Iâm right where I am supposed to be and He can fix anything without my help. Word lots of Word. Amensies.
I’m not shocked I got the numbering wrong – lol – math genius here, ignore the numbers, they are in order, I promise!
Allison from AZ – response to Isaiah 30:15-18 homework assignment.
1. Isaiah 30:15-18. What 3 translations did you read? NET, NLT, andâŠ
New International Version (NIV)
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
âIn repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.â
Therefore you will flee!
You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.â
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.â
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
2. Look up the word âthreatâ in any good English dictionary and write the full definition. After you write the definition, please share how it hits you and how you feel most threatened in this season, if at all.
Threat /THret/ Noun A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not…: “the family has received death threats”
Synonyms – menace – danger – intimidation – impendence
Does threat in this case refer to the impending pain, retribution or consequences for their choices? Were the forces of evil gathering and becoming a threat to God`s people because of their misplaced trust?
3. What does âfleeingâ tend to look like in your life? In other words, how are you most prone to flee?
Generally, we do not like to hear or admit that we are breaking Godâs holy commandments. I am usually in denial (or fleeing from my sins); therefore, I do not want to be reminded of these things. Our sins undermine our safety in the arms of the Lordâs embrace. And, are you in fleeing mode right now? Truth: Probably alwaysâŠif that makes any sense.
4. Compare or contrast the Isaiah text (30:15-18) to 1 Peter 5:8-10
New International Version (NIV)
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
and James 4:7
New International Version (NIV)
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Each excerpt clearly refers to being pursued by the evil one that is prowling around waiting to devour us. The key seems to be in faith, repentance, and trust. We are given clear instructions to resist and flee. If we do not repent, turn to God, and seek happiness in his favor and service, our desires will hasten our ruin.
5. Do you perchance need to hear the words âsettle down!â as much as I do? If so, why?
If âsettling downâ refers to being strengthened because of a quietness and confidence which come from relying upon GodâŠthen yes.
6. Finish your assignment with any particular personal insight you gained from it and, most of all, what you discern God is saying to you through it.
Those who make God alone their confidence, will have comfort. God ever waits to be gracious to all that come to him by faith in Christ, and happy are those who wait for him, giving us peace in our own minds.
1. I read Isaiah 30:15-18 in the NIV, ESV, and NLT translations. The ESV translation meant the most to me.
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
âIn returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.â
But you were unwilling, and you said,
âNo! We will flee upon horsesâ; and,
âWe will ride upon swift steedsâ;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
A thousand shall flee, till you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
2. threatâ
1. a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace: He confessed under the threat of imprisonment.
2.
an indication or warning of probable trouble: The threat of a storm was in the air.
3.
a person or thing that threatens.
I am writing to you from a suburb of Las Vegas. To be honest, the definition above did not seem complete to me. So, I used the dictionary in my Word program. The definition provided two meanings: danger and warning. Danger was the meaning I felt was missing. Living in a city with âsinâ in its nickname, threats abound. This city is 95% lost. In this city anything goes.
I feel threatened each and every day. I am also raising two teenage boys here. I am constantly on my knees asking for guidance to raise godly young men. For the most part, I view myself as a missionary to this lost city. But, there are times when I long for my old life..a life filled with Christian women, family, a Christian work environment for my husband, prayer before sports, fellowship of christian athlete (FCA) groups for my sons, and a time where I was not asking if a new friend is Mormon.
3. Fleeing is a mode of life I am very familiar with. Until recently, I asked everyday for the Lord to send us back to Texas. Is 5 years here in the desert not enough? Since I donât have the ability to physically flee Las Vegas. I would throw myself a Texas sized pity party. This pity party would include eating lots of grits, tex-mex and chocolate. However, right before Christmas I read a book that has brought me out of my fleeing state. I read My One Word, by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. Working my way through this process, my word for 2013 is satisfaction. I am working to look to the Lord for all of my satisfaction.
4. The passages in 1 Peter and James go hand in hand with the Isaiah passage. The devil is always tempting, chasing anyone who believes in the Lord here. I have to constantly remind myself that the battle has already been waged. The 1 Peter passage was a nice reminder that God will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me. The promise in Isaiah that the Lord is a God of justice is comforting to know that the depravity found in this city will not go unpunished.
5. The words âsettle downâ is a reminder that I must put my faith and trust in Him. The rest of the words in the quote âIn Complete Dependence on Meâ goes hand in hand with my word of satisfaction for 2013. I realize that the old life that I long for was a life that did not require complete dependence on God. Sure, I realized I needed Him but not the extent that I know I need Him now.
6. Isaiah chapter 30 is a meaningful chapter to me. My favorite verse is verse 21. It is a verse that I claim almost daily. This exercise has been a good reminder that the Lord waits to be gracious to me, to show me mercy, and will bless those who wait for Him.
Living Proof Blog: Assignment
3 Translations of Isaiah 30 15-18
KJV: King James Version
NIV: New International Version
ESV: English Standard Version
ESV: âFor thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, âIn returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.â But you were unwilling and you said, âNo! We will flee upon horsesâ; therefore you shall flee away; and, âwe will ride upon swift steedsâ; therefore your pursers shall be swift. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain like a signal on a hill.
Threat Definition: a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done
I feel most threaten in my career. I love my job and what I do; however in the past few months that has been taken away from me. I feel more anxiety about work because I am not sure how the day will go, and I do not do well in conflict. It is hard to have experience loving my career and it to be taken away from me because of these changes. I feel threatened that I am not good or smart enough for my position. I fear the end result will be me getting fired.
Fleeing for me would be me finding another job. Honestly, I have looked around for other work opportunities. Yes, you can say I am trying to flee.
This was amazing! Thank you Beth for the challenge! I know God is faithful on his word and will fix the situation where I feel threatened. In the meantime, I will preserve in him while I wait! My faith is in the Lord, and I will serve him even in the times of difficulty. I will resist the Devilâs temptations for me to get upset or frustrated with my work situation! I continue to honor God and the Devil shall flee from me. I know God has it already worked out and that is a beautiful thing!
1. NIV , Message, Amplified
NIV
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
âIn repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength,â but you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.â Therefore you will flee! You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.â Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.â
18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
2. Threat ( Macquarie Dictionary.) A declaration of intention to inflict punishment, pain or loss of someoneâŠ.. an indication of probable evil to come.
In this season I feel most threatened by the prospect of change due to age, changes to employment and spending more time with those who do not accept me as a Christian – perhaps a threat of possible ridicule and feeling personally powerless to counter it in any way.
3. Definitely in âfleeingâ mode as a return to a situation where I have more control (work) from one where I feel less in control (home) but know that in the not too distant future this will be inevitable and unavoidable â retirement from full time teaching is looming.
4. The commonality I am most aware of is the certainty that God is always faithful despite our frantic reactions to threats real or perceived. He has given us the tools to deal with the devil â resistance, standing firm in the faith and the knowledge that the LORD is waiting to help us but I so easily forget and try to fix it myself.
5. This is the second time today I have been directed to the James 4:7. I need to be reminded that no matter how much my brain may hash over a situation or a possibility the answer is found only with the LORD. I do need to settle down, submit to the Lord and resist the devil or I will miss the guidance that comes in a quiet voice.
6. God is reminding me that I have just spent 5 weeks tying myself in knots and avoiding facing issues but that each time I have stopped He has cleared the path and provided an answer that gives me instant peace.
Example. Worried myself silly over Christmas Day lunch preparations, anticipated every argument and every stress inducer. At 7am Christmas DayI went into the backyard and got on my knees, asked the LORD to take over and the day was a more beautiful day than I could ever have hoped for or planned. Praise the LORD
I think now I have my verses for my desk dairy, in my classroom, to start the year in strength and assurance.
1.NIV, ESV, NASB/ This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: âIn repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, âNo, we will flee on horses.â Therefore you will flee! You said, âWe will ride off on swift horses.â Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.â Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:15-18 NIV
2.Threat: A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not…: “the family has received death threats”
A menace of bodily harm, such as may restrain a person’s freedom of action.
Thoughts that something bad will happen to my husband and little boy
3.Giving in to fear by believing the thought instead of rejecting it and going to Godâs Word for the truth. I have been actively rejecting threats that come in the form of thoughts, but I have probably missed a couple and listened to them.
4.Isaiah says repentance, rest, quietness, and trust would bring salvation and strength, but the people resisted. Peter says to be alert and of sober mind. To resist the devil (instead of the Lord). James says to submit to God and resist the devil. Instead of the person fleeing, the enemy will flee when they submit themselves to the Lord. So, submit to the Lord by repenting, resting in Him, quieting yourself, trusting Him, and submitting to His Word and His authority over you. Also, resist the devil and his schemes. Resist everything that is of him which includes fearful thoughts and thoughts of destruction.
5.Yes. Because though I have been actively taking my thoughts captive and replacing them with Godâs Word, I have found myself being a little disquieted and antsy.
6.Submit myself to the Lord by repenting, resting in Him, quieting myself, trusting Him, and submitting to His Word and His authority over me. Instead of resisting the Lord, I need to run to Him. How do I resist Him? When He urges me to come and pray to Him and I donât.
1. NIV 1984, ESV, HCSB
Isaiah 30:15-18
English Standard Version (ESV)
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
âIn returning[a] and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.â
But you were unwilling, and you said,
âNo! We will flee upon horsesâ;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, âWe will ride upon swift steedsâ;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
2. Threat:
1. an expression of intention to inflict evil, injury, or damage
2. one that threatens
3. an indication of something impending
Definition #3: My son is 13. I donât need to say more but I will. I feel like there are so many things in this world âafterâ him. His mind and heart are constantly under attack. He struggles with school, although he works hard. He isnât very interested in what the Bible has for him although he enjoys attending church and youth group. We just got notice that he is failing one class and close to failing another one. He hasnât really developed relationships with any men in our church. He is already struggling with lust and inappropriateness. I just feel like all these things are things that I need to keep a tight watch on to watch for slips, which can lead to major falls. I feel like I am tensed up all the time when it comes to him. I expect the worst all the time.
3. What does âfleeingâ tend to look like in your life? In other words, how are you most prone to flee? And, are you in fleeing mode right now? I tend to flee from the things that scare me. But my word is âavoidâ. Yes, I am most definitely prone to fleeing. I hate confrontation, even when I know I am in the right. The place I flee most is my marriage. I havenât figured out yet how to confront an issue without it being taken as a personal attack and blowing up into a huge thing. So I just âfleeâ. Has this worked well? No. I am miserable in my marriage. Do I love my husband? Yes. Do I consider him my friend? No. We donât know each other well enough to be friends. Do I feel stuck? Yes. But I still flee.
4. They felt like a progression of a struggle. You see and acknowledge the struggle its-self. You run from the things you need to do to change, even though you WANT to change. Typical humans we are. Then you see that God is waiting to rescue you. Heâs never left. He is patient until we are all run out. Then you look at the fact that Satan is actively working to bring us down, that we need to be on our guard against whatever he throws at us. Itâs not just the sin that we are fighting, sin is just the tool for the actual foe. But he gets us to focus on the Sin and forget about him. He especially wants us to focus on feeling alone in what we are going through. Itâs one of Satanâs biggest lies and very very effective. God wants us to focus on this as an attack by a spiritual foe and fight. Then we are told to wait for restoration from God through grace to make us all the stronger for what we went through. If we do these things, submitting fully to Godâs authority, then Satan will be defeated⊠HE will flee.
5. Uh, yeah. I did. I am a little bit of a drama queen and everything is MAJOR, and IMPOSSIBLE, and HEART-BREAKING. I need to chill.
6. This is quite interesting. I am currently doing Mercy Triumphs and just finished day two of week two. You asked us to write out 1 Kings 18:21 and see if we sensed any word from God. While I was writing it I was compelled to write out Revelation 3:15-16. I was just overwhelmed with the feeling God wants me to remember how passionately in love I have been for Jesus.
When I first returned to Jesus about 8 years ago, you couldnât stop me, couldnât hold me down. There was nothing Jesus couldnât handle, nothing he couldnât repair, nothing he couldnât make beautiful. Now I struggle to believe God even sees me some days. I was feeling those little God-taps on my shoulder while I was learning about perseverance, though writing about faith⊠this study is JUST what I needed. Then I finish up feeling totally rung out and open my facebook to check cyberworld before going to bed. My friend had posted this challenge on her Facebook and I took it as anything but a coincidence.
So here I am, getting another round of God telling me to quit running from him, to have faith in his power, to ASK him to give me the things I need, to quit letting Satan speak to me and listen to his voice instead, and to quit being so danged lukewarm in my worship and trust of him.
1. NET, ESV, MSG
God, the Master, The Holy of Israel, has this solemn counsel: “Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me-The very thing youâve been unwilling to do. 30:16 Youâve said, âNothing doing! Weâll rush off on horseback!â Youâll rush off, all right! Just not far enough! Youâve said, âWeâll ride off on fast horses!â Do you think your pursuers ride old nags? 30:17 Think again: A thousand of you will scatter before one attacker. Before a mere five youâll all run off. Thereâll be nothing left of you-a flagpole on a hill with no flag, a signpost on a roadside with the sign torn off.” 30:18 But Godâs not finished. Heâs waiting around to be gracious to you. Heâs gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right-everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.
2. threat (thr t) n.
1. An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, evil, or punishment.
2. An indication of impending danger or harm.
3. One that is regarded as a possible danger; a menace.
Right now I feel most threatened by the health issues I am dealing with. They are serious and have deep implications. I know the enemy intends to harm me through it â I have been warned so by the Holy Spirit. However, I know God is with me and I will declare His Word as my protection. I do not look forward to surgery and am not enjoying all the frustrations and pain I am dealing with at the present but Godâs plan isnât always comfortable. I look forward with great joy for the fulfillment of His Word to me â âJan 1 â TODAY is the day of full deliverance! Look for it! It is NOW!â
3. Fleeing is getting distracted, ignoring time with the Lord, being busy, busy, busy, etc. Sometimes I want to flee from the pain and discomfort. I want this whole situation to just be OVER! I get so frustrated I want to literally run myself into exhaustion just to get away from it all for a while.
Fleeing is hiding. I zone out and go to bed at times when I really could push through but I am weary and just want to pretend life isnât still happening and I get so tired of the struggle.
Fleeing is not answering the phone, ignoring otherâs needs, grunting instead of talkingâŠI stop sharing with my husband and crawl inside myself and have a pity party.
4. 1 Pet 5:8-10 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, 14 is on the prowl looking for someone 15 to devour. 5:9 Resist him, 16 strong in your faith, because you know 17 that your brothers and sisters 18 throughout the world 19 are enduring 20 the same kinds of suffering. 21 5:10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ 22 will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
James 4:7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Ah, the Word equalizes the situation. I am fighting an enemy that is real and dangerous, but no match for my God! I resist! I stand strong and I love reading that HE HIMSELF will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish me. When I repent and patiently wait for Him, I WILL be delivered (AMEN!) if I will calmly trust in Him, I find strength! He is LONGING â waiting â to have compassion on me! Hallelujah! My God is awesome!
Yes! I will stop and wait! I will rest in YOUR strength! I will repent, resist and be strengthened! I will be delivered! AMEN!
5. Settle down! Thoughts, impatience, frustration, weariness. Settle down before the Lord Your God, Julie, and find rest, peace, strength and deliverance.
6. I so needed this tonight. It has been a difficult day. Thank you for pointing me to these wonderful and worn passages that I love to meditate on â and NEED to meditate on â day and night to get through this situation. These truths have brought me through so many other difficult paths, times of rebelliousness, times of heartache, times of submitting, times of great need. I am so grateful to be encouraged by you tonight. God bless and I will be praying for you this weekend. A friend of mine is in the audience and she needs to hear from you â I know you have just the Word she is needing. I am looking forward to hearing testimony of how God spoke to her through you. God bless!!
1. ESV, KJV, NLT
“ESV|For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, âIn returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.â But you were unwilling,and you said, âNo! We will flee upon horsesâ; therefore you shall flee away; and, âWe will ride upon swift steedsâ; therefore your pursuers shall be swift.A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
2. (A.)A declaration of an intention or determination of an inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon some action or course (B.)An indication or warning of probable trouble. (C.)A person or thing that threatens.Â
At this point in my life, I think I feel most threatened by myself. I don’t know that there’s anyone else out there with as much power to cut me down OR cause me to make bad choices. It’s really hard because it does stir up so many insecurities and they all tend to feed off one another.Â
3. In my life, fleeing probably doesn’t look like much from the outside, but there is always an inner turmoil. Chaos also seems to follow. I think I have a tendency to not think about anything if I’m fleeing from even one thing.Â
4. At first glance I saw nothing. Upon further reflection, I see a lot! In the Isaiah passage we are told to return and rest in the Lord. And when we don’t we will suffer, most likely alone. In 1Peter, we are told to flee the devil and take comfort that we are not alone and that suffering is for just a short time. James kind of ties the two together. Submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee from us.Â
5. ALWAYS!! I have a tendency to get ‘stirred up’ over any little thing that blows my way. I’m a natural worrier rather than a warrior. The thought of settling down and resting in God is as peaceful as it is scary!
6. The first thing that blessed me was seeing the James passage with new eyes. In light of the Isaiah and 1 Peter passages, it shows a new perspective on an old thought. I truly need to get better at settling down and resting in Him to fight and resist, rather than to try to go off and handle it on my own, or more likely just run away and hide.Â
1.ESV, NIV and
Isaiah 30:15-18
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
âOnly in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, âNo, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.â
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.â
Blessings for the Lordâs People
18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
(NLT)
2.Threat: an expression of intention to hurt, destroy, punish, etc., as in retaliation or intimidation
I feel like I am being punished for the way that I have handled God’s money for years. I have used credit cards and over spent all of my married life and now I am trying to fix it and I feel hopeless. I have to work and I want to stay home and I feel like I am being punished because of my bad use of His money in the past.
3.Fleeing is avoiding the situation and thinking it will go away on its own. That is how I have been fleeing!!
4. 1Peter 5:8-10 Stand firm against Satan. James 4:7 resist the devil
5. He wants me to settle down in COMPLETE dependence on HIM!!
6. I feel like God is saying that I am not trusting Him to take care of me and that I am listening to Satan. I need to settle down, depend on Him, Stand firm against Satan with His word and resist the devil whispering to me that I am a failure.
Thank you for this Beth!!
1. NET,NKJV ESV
English Standard Version (ESV)
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
âIn returning[a] and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.â
But you were unwilling, 16 and you said,
âNo! We will flee upon horsesâ;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, âWe will ride upon swift steedsâ;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
17 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.
The Lord Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for Him.
2. Threat: One that is regarded as a possible danger; a menace.
3. In this season of my life my marriage has been threatened and I have been the “threat” against my own marriage. I am the “menace”. God revealed to me how INCREDIBLY disrespectful I have been (and can be). I truly didn’t see my sin. I have been (and still can be) drowning in my own self pity and the “If only” of my life. I came across a quote from a good book and God just knocked me to my knees and made me realize my sin. “The world tells us we are justified in being disrespectful if our husbands is not worthy of respect. The world calls such response justified. The Bible calls it sin.” My own self righteousness is my threat and Lord willing it will be destroyed.
3. My “fleeing” is in my silence. I withdraw and go numb. Saying to myself “I don’t care anymore” and “I can’t go on” (Not in a suicidal way…but I can’t go on caring about my marriage anymore). I still have the tendency to withdrawal.
4. The devil wants to bring us down and God wants to bring us up to Himself so that we may delight completely in his fullness. For the LORD “WAITS to be gracious to us” He lets us go through hard times so that He may be even more so glorified!
5 Oh my goodness YES! My mind goes crazy at night especially. Thinking about every worry under the sun! From marriage to money, health. Things that are hard…things that COULD be hard. Most of my worries are IF. I live in the IF. If only..what if…you name it. I desperately need to settle down my mind and heart. I love Psalm 116:7 “Return Oh my soul to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.” I need to return my rest to Him and settle down my mind.
6. I LOVE that you really pointed our that a threat is VERY much a thing that Satan loves to thrive in. I need to be reminded that although God can use my struggle in my marriage for His glory…Satan is right there wanting me to fail. I truly believe one of Satan’s greatest joys is to destroy marriage. It’s the closest relationship on earth that is designed to reflect Christ and the church. It’s the most important therefore the most vulnerable. I really do forget about Satan..which I know sounds weird. We are in a warfare till the day we are face to face with our Savior. I SOO badly need to remember that EVER day. Like it says in the passage in Peter…”And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” My marriage may never be that ideal marriage that I always envisioned as a young girl…..but I am not NOT to flee and become silent…I am to press on for HIM.
Thanks sooo much for everyone at Living Proof! I loved this homework!!
~Jenna