The everlasting God Neither faints nor is weary.

Isaiah 40:28
The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.

The context of this quote is in the chapter of Isaiah which is delivered to comfort the children Israel and God's people throughout the generations. Have we ever thought that God did not hear us when are petitions and prayers are not answered? This may lead to the reasoning that God is too busy with too many other people (wrongly thinking God is limited) or that our matters are not important enough (wrongly putting down our own worth with respect to God).

The Scripture assures us God does not get tired. He has the infinite power to sustain us, gives strength and power to the weak. Our part is that we must wait on God and believing on God's promises is faith, rather than just believing on His existence like heathens do. To those who believe and wait, He promises:
"They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established

It appears Paul had to defend his authority and was being challenged. He urges them to test themselves to see if Christ is really in them. There may be some in the Corinthian church who are straying away and leading others away too. Being absent from the church he realises his limited influence and he asked them to do the correct thing. He was also quite clear that if he was present there, he would not hesitate to correct them.



2 Corinthians 13
Coming with Authority

1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”[a] 2 I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write[b] to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare— 3 since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Paul Prefers Gentleness

7 Now I[c] pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete. 10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

Greetings and Benediction

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

13 All the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ

Paul seems to be in a sorrowful part of life when he wrote this letter to the Corinthians. He does not want his sorrow to be transferred to them and urged them to be joyful. He also reminds them the need for forgiving others who have offended them. The offenders would have faced punishment from others already, so we should not be increasing their sorrows but rather comfort them by first forgiving them and then reaffirming them. Otherwise unforgiveness is also a weapon which the enemy can use.




2 Corinthians 2

1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Forgive the Offender

3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one[a] for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Triumph in Christ

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.

14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many,[b] peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification

Paul instructs us to support each other and exercise patience and comfort as Christ did. Again Paul reveals that the salvation of Gentiles has been part of God's plans. The promised seed of David which is the Messiah, will also be King for all the Gentiles too.

Paul also mentions a few things to the recipients of the letter. He confirms that it is the right thing for the gentile believers to provide monetary support to the believers in Jerusalem who needed support. He outlines his desire to be in Rome and also revealed that he has been to Spain.




Romans 15
Bearing Others’ Burdens

1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”[a] 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify God Together

7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us,[b] to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

“For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”[c]
10 And again he says:

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”[d]
11 And again:

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”[e]
12 And again, Isaiah says:

“There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”[f]
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

From Jerusalem to Illyricum

14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.[g] 15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, 16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— 19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21 but as it is written:

“To whom He was not announced, they shall see;
And those who have not heard shall understand.”[h]


Plan to Visit Rome

22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, 24 whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you.[i] For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. 25 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. 29 But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel[j] of Christ.

30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

To whom then will you liken Me

This chapter marks a turning point in the message of the Book of Isaiah. Up until now, there was much proclamation about judgment and disasters both to Israel and her neighbours. Then there was a brief description of the contemporary events with Hezekiah, Isaiah and Assyria. Starting from this chapter, God's positive promises are revealed. This chapter starts with the declaration that God has thoroughly forgiven Israel and Israel is to be comforted. Furthermore, God revealed His plan of salvation through the coming of Messiah.

The description of the saviour here is that He is clearly the Lord God. His majesty is described in context of His creation and nature. He measures the heavens with His hand. He was not taught knowledge, He has always been all-knowing. "All nations before Him are as nothing". He cannot be compared to anyone. No idol or image can be made that can represent him. He is all powerful, no power or authority on Earth can match Him.



Isaiah 40
God’s People Are Comforted

1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert[a]
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he[b] said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
12 Who has measured the waters[c] in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

O LORD God, To Whom Vengeance Belongs

This starts with a strong call to God for vengeance. It explains the rampant evil and violence perpetrated by the wicked ones, who even think God cannot see them. Then it remind those wicked ones that God the Creator who created us with eyes and ears and gives us knowledge; surely this God will know exactly what we do.

Then an encouragement for those who belong to God. The LORD will not forsake His people. God's judgement will come and will be righteous. God will stop the wickedness and stand up for His people. He will give them comfort.


Psalm 94
God the Refuge of the Righteous

 1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—
         O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
         Render punishment to the proud.
 3 LORD, how long will the wicked,
         How long will the wicked triumph?
       
 4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
         All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
 5 They break in pieces Your people, O LORD,
         And afflict Your heritage.
 6 They slay the widow and the stranger,
         And murder the fatherless.
 7 Yet they say, “The LORD does not see,
         Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”
       
 8 Understand, you senseless among the people;
         And you fools, when will you be wise?
 9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
         He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
 10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,
         He who teaches man knowledge?
 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
         That they are futile.
       
 12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,
         And teach out of Your law,
 13 That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,
         Until the pit is dug for the wicked.
 14 For the LORD will not cast off His people,
         Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
 15 But judgment will return to righteousness,
         And all the upright in heart will follow it.
       
 16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
         Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
 17 Unless the LORD had been my help,
         My soul would soon have settled in silence.
 18 If I say, “My foot slips,”
         Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.
 19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
         Your comforts delight my soul.
       
 20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
         Have fellowship with You?
 21 They gather together against the life of the righteous,
         And condemn innocent blood.
 22 But the LORD has been my defense,
         And my God the rock of my refuge.
 23 He has brought on them their own iniquity,
         And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;
         The LORD our God shall cut them off.