READING FOR APRIL 1, 2026: ISAIAH 46, ROMANS 15, PSALM 26:7-12 ISAIAH 46 Bel is the “Babylonian name of the god known among the Hebrews as Baal” (Bible Hub). Nebo is also the name of a god: “a well-known deity of the Babylonians and Assyrians... the god who presided over learning and letters” (King James Bible Dictionary). When Isaiah says these gods will bow down, he is stating figuratively that they are inferior to the God of Israel. These idols are burdens for Israel that they “carry” but should discard.
In verse three God says that by contrast He has “carried” Israel from the womb (again consider the value of the unborn child that is carried by God) and will carry Israel and each of us in our time of old age. All of us with coronary/artery disease, painful knees, and dementia symptoms know that God wants to carry us through these days if we will let Him.
Remember Tim Keller’s definition of an idol: “Anything that absorbs your heart and imagina- tion more than God.” In verses 5-7 God says to ask ourselves if whatever we make our idol is really superior to the God of the Bible? Can it save us? Can our family, our interest in sports, our bank accounts, or our friends save us? ONLY JESUS SAVES.
Verses 8-9 tell us that we need to keep reminding ourselves of the supremacy of God or else life’s busyness will lead us to forget. When we forget it, we will inevitably sin. Only God knows what will happen in the future. For Isaiah’s hearers who are learning about His prophecy regarding going to Babylon, “a bird of prey from the east,” they are told to stay tuned. For us who know that this happened exactly as God said it would, we have even more reason to trust His statements about Jesus and our future yet to come as described in the Bible.
ROMANS 15 The goal of a follower of God should not be to please himself or herself. Paul points to Jesus as our example on this point. Jesus even says any taunts we experience for our faith fall on him. The goal of our actions should be to glorify God and help our neighbor, not to maximize our own pleasure or comfort. Is this how we set our priorities in life? Do we get up each morning thinking about how we can do this?
Paul connects this to wisdom we can receive from studying the Bible, which he says is vital to our instruction, perseverance, and hope. Have we experienced this at all during our current Bible-reading activity? Paul was writing to a church that was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. He urged them to accept each other due to their far greater commonality in Jesus than their difference in ethnic background. If we are believers in Jesus and obedient to His Word, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to bridge any differences we may have in age, education, social class, or race. Part of this life together as believers includes admonishing one another
READING FOR APRIL 1, 2026 CONTINUED: ROMANS 15, PSALM 26:7-12
for each other’s benefit. Few churches reach this level of functionality. What would Paul’s opinion be of Yorktown Methodist Church on this point?
Paul then migrates to a discussion of his own unique ministry: sharing the Gospel with Gentiles who had never heard this message before. As mentioned earlier, Paul was blessed to know exactly what his mission in life was. Many of us are still seeking such precise understanding of our mission, even though it is late in life. Let’s not give up. God can still use us. Paul then gets around to what some scholars believe was the main purpose for his letter. He was hoping to visit the church in Rome on his way to a missionary outreach in Spain. He mentions hoping to be “helped” by them, which possibly meant financial support for the trip. One reason to think this is that he not too subtly mentions the generosity of several of the other churches toward the poorer believers in Jerusalem. Our church has the opportunity to support those sharing the Gospel in other countries and to help poorer believers in our community. This is appropriate and may we continue our generosity in these ways.
Paul completes this chapter by requesting prayer for himself in his ministries. Perhaps it would be appropriate for us to pray for some of those ministries our church supports: Isaiah 117, Kids-in-the-Meadow, REACH, Christmas Baskets, Senior Cafe, UMCOR, Threads of Love, Boy Scout Troop, Prayer Team, and Brian and Denise Luke.
PSALM 26:7-12 These last several verses seem to have three interweaving themes: 1) a plea to God not to lump David in with those non-followers of God who deserve judgment; 2) a statement of commitment to be faithful in the future—as illustrated by David’s repeated use of the word “will”; and 3) an expression of delight David feels whenever he worships the Lord with other believers. Maybe these three strands tend to reinforce each other in a virtuous cycle. When we meet with other believers in praising God, we are more likely to commit our lives to being faithful and avoid the circumstances that lead to evil behavior, which results in negative judgment. Some folks believe they can be spiritual or even good Christians without gathering together with other believers. This is not recommended anywhere in the Bible. Consider this clear statement from Hebrews 10:23-25: “Let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
