Isaiah 17
The Power of Vision!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, January 4.
Damascus was made famous by a Jewish religious leader named Saul, who, after his conversion to the Way of Jesus Christ, started going by the Greek version of his name. The Apostle Paul’s conversion experience is described in Acts 9:3-6:
As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
In Isaiah 17:1-7, there is a fascinating foreshadowing found in the oracle of Damascus regarding Paul’s conversion story: “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a fallen ruin. … In that day man will have regard for his Maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.” While their destruction was accomplished in 732 BC by the hands of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29-16:18; cf. Isaiah 7:1-9), the opening of the eyes to the Holy One of Israel would literally happen over seven hundred years later. In Acts 9:1-19, the Pharisee Saul was blinded by the vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus, but as evidenced of the power of Jesus to redeem that which was bound for destruction, his sight was restored by Ananias in the very city of Damascus where the promise of men’s eyes being opened would occur – “Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight” (18).
Seize the moment and lift up your eyes to see Jesus high and exalted! Meditate upon His promise, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” ( John 12:32).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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