King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 3 notes
1I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
I understand and can imagine the pain of Paul.
As he outlines all these benefits and blessedness of knowing the Lord, only to be reminded that his own people,
The first selected nation to do the will of God, missed it, and continue to miss such high hopes and blessings.
I understand.
4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
See what passion that Paul speaks with... He has seen the glory and the power, and knows how that his own people, to whom these things originally belong, are missing out big time.
It's like a great king and prince leaving his estate to his sons and some servants adopted as sons,
yet the sons have absconded and lured into vanities, whiles the servants enjoy the pleasures of royalty 👑,
Justifiably so, but sadly the sons themselves miss out.
5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11( For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
27Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
28For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
29And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.
Isaiah 8:14
He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
In searching 🔎 out the Old Testament from which Paul quoted, I came across the above verse.
To get the context I read from surrounding verses, and I came across this in verse 19:
And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
The Amplified renders it best for me as:
Isaiah 8:19-20 AMP
When the people [instead of trusting God] say to you, “Consult the mediums [who try to talk to the dead] and the soothsayers who chirp and whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? [Direct those people] to the law and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is because they have no dawn.
So, seeking mediums, spirits and peeping into the spirit realm for instructions and guidance,
GOD, who is the Father of all spirits, tells them and us a more effective and precise route to spiritual knowledge. If we wish to not only peep but have vast knowledge of the spirit,
Here is GOD'S instruction to access such hidden knowledge and mysteries -
"TO THE LAW AND PROPHETS"
There is no need for mundane practices; he, God, has brought the hidden spiritual things to light and put it in writing for public consumption.
Oya ➡ 👉 to the Law and prophets -
So indeed the word of God is mysteries revealed, but we tend to take it for granted because it's too easily accessible.
Hence we continue to dabble in the occultic etc., because those require hidden practices and so are more appealing.
And these have such an allure men shed blood and get entrapped.
From the times of Adam man has sought to access the unknown, but it is obvious we were not designed to access such knowledge through other agencies except God. We are God-breathed.
He is our source, and anytime we go outside of him, we crash.