Old Testament: Isaiah 15:1-18:7
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Isaiah 15:1-18:7 A Cush Job
Chap. 15: The Moabites were a result of Lot having “relations” with his daughters (ick, cf. Gen. 19:30-38). They hated the Jews (Num. 25:31; Deut. 23:3). This chapter is an oracle against them.
Chap. 16: Moab wanted Israel’s protection but not their God. Israel did not accommodate them. Verse 5 is the promise of the Messiah and His future kingdom.
Chap. 17: Damascus and the northern kingdom of Israel aka Ephraim were opposed to Assyria and Judah. Isaiah addresses both of them in one oracle. They will be judged.
Chap. 18: Cush is modern-day Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia. It is the land of “whirring wings” symbolizing not only insects but “frantic diplomatic activity” (Wiersbe). They will be humbled and when the Messiah sits on His throne in Jerusalem, they will bring him tribute (v. 7, cf. Is. 60:1-7).
New Testament: Galatians 1:1-24
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Galatians 1:1-24 More Turkeys
The book of Galatians is about beings saved by grace apart from works. This is a similar problem in Galatia as there was in Corinth. Galatia was in modern-day Turkey. Judaizers have infiltrated the body, teaching that believers have to keep the law to be saved.
The first two chapters of Galatians is personal (ch. 1-2), the next two are doctrinal (ch. 3-4), and the last two are practical (ch. 5-6).
Paul was amazed that the Galatians were deserting grace for law so quickly (v. 6). The false teachers were preaching a “different gospel” (v. 6b) and, in fact, was not a gospel at all (v. 7).
Paul said that even if an angel were to preach a message contrary to what he had brought them, they were not to be believed (v. 8). Further, they were to be “accursed”! (v. 9).
Paul didn’t care what anyone might think, his message was received directly from God (v. 11-12). Paul said that no one knew better than he did that the false teachers were wrong. He had persecuted the church before he was saved and was a legalist himself (vv. 13-16). He didn’t check with any men after encountering Christ but went away into Arabia and then to his home in Damascus (vv. 15-17).
Three years later he traveled to Jerusalem and met Peter aka Cephas. He talked with him for fifteen days (vv. 18-19). The only other apostle he met was James, Jesus’ brother (v. 19). No one had met him in the district of Judea, around Jerusalem, though they had heard about him. They couldn’t believe that the man who had been persecuting Christians had himself trusted Christ. They praised God when they heard about it (v. 24).