“Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.” (Isaiah 41:15 KJV)
Did you receive a special present this past Christmas? I did.
First, I received a brand-new electric toothbrush from my son. My daughter had shared that I was complaining that the toothbrush I was using stopped after less than two minutes. Now, I have a new one that operates very efficiently for five minutes. It works in the morning and then again in the evening just as if it were new again. How long it will continue is unknown but it certainly is pleasant to have it working well.
The second was a reminder that you and I have received a gift called the Bible. I listened during the holiday season to Dr. David Jeremiah speaking in his annual visit to New York City. He quoted some amazing facts regarding the Bible — its distribution numbers far exceeding any other book and its existence enduring despite efforts by enemies to destroy it.
Another amazing fact is that, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, every time we reread a familiar portion of Scripture, we learn something new again. I have often read from Isaiah 41. One of the first sermons that I preached many decades ago was based on today’s verse. I stressed the four points: (1) new (2) sharp (3) threshing instrument, and (4) having teeth. Yet as I recently reread the portion, I realized the significant importance of “I will make thee”. To me, this familiar portion was new again.
A most important difference between these two gifts is their warranty or guarantee. My electric toothbrush is still performing each time as if it were new again. But the company has warned that it has a limited time for such performance. We chuckle when we see the funny advertisement for the Energizer Bunny™ continuing to perform longer than other batteries. I’m sure that, as you read this, you can think of products or situations that will not perform as promised or hoped.
Contrast this fact with the guarantee stated in Isaiah 55.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV)
Now that’s a guarantee that you and I can really count on. Every time we read our guidebook (the Bible) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it becomes new again. Like me, you may falter by not reading the guidebook as regularly as you should. My new electric toothbrush will perform as it is currently only if I continue to use it faithfully twice a day for five minutes each time. That same principle certainly is true for our guidebook!
Prayer: Dear Father, we are so blessed by the gifts that You give us. Thank You especially for the Bible and the Holy Spirit guiding us while we strive to understand it, as You make it new again every time we read it. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2023, by Vincent Walter, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca
Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Used with the permission of PresbyCan and author.