October 16 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

Isaiah's God is the Holy One of Israel. In God's presence we have to be morally clean. God has chosen his Servant, who will rule in righteousness in a kingdom of peace.

Bible Reading:

Isaiah 32:9–20

Bible Text:

The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted ... till the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high (Isa. 32:14–15).

Devotional:

God's prophets predict the destruction of Jerusalem. Both Amos and Isaiah use the "women who are at ease in Zion" as the symbols of the land. The ladies of luxury are about to be humiliated. They represent the whole city, the families and the palace. The day of the fall is near.

The time of humiliation ends when the Spirit is poured out. The gifts of the Spirit are mainly two: prosperity and justice. When these two dominate the landscape, the whole society flourishes with peace, abundance, health, and security. The breath, or Spirit, of God recreates the goodness of living. We, the church of Jesus Christ, stand on the other side of Pentecost. The Spirit has been poured out, bringing freedom where there was bondage, life where death used to reign.

When we think of the "gifts of the Spirit," we tend to think of wisdom, knowledge, faith, power to heal and to speak in tongues, and the insight to interpret tongues. Or we think of the gifts of officebearers: prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These gifts make the church strong and effective.

But the Old Testament gifts of prosperity and justice are equally important for today's church. They are tangible gifts and sensually enjoyable. The words of the Old Testament prophets remind us that God plans for more than a useful church. The final aim of God's Spirit is a new and better world.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.