READING FOR APRIL 13, 2026: ISAIAH 52, 1 CORINTHIANS 7, PSALM 31:1-13
ISAIAH 52 On occasion this writer has slept too long in the morning, and his wife has had to yell, “Wake up!” This is the message God’s people are receiving as the chapter begins. This apparently speaks to the future when they would be in Babylon. They are told to get up, get their best clothes on, and take off the chains that bind them. Does Yorktown Methodist Church need to wake up and likewise prepare for God to do a wonderful work in our midst? Maybe God would honor this preparation by working great things in our behalf.
Then in verses 3-6 God reviews Israel’s history from their slavery in Egypt until that present day and even into the future. Egypt enslaved them, Assyria attacked them, and they will face exile in Babylon. All these nations acted with the intent to dishonor God’s reputation. The first step in Judah’s recovery must be that Israel knows who God is, that He is the great “I AM” whom He revealed himself to be to Moses: “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Do we know our God as the great self-existent One without be- ginning or ending? He is not just an accessory to round out our lives but the core of all life.
Verses 7-10 look forward to when God brings His people out Babylon to return to Jerusalem. He presents a picture of watchmen in Jerusalem witnessing this return and joyfully conveying the news. Even the physical ruins of Jerusalem will shout for the comfort and redemption God provides. Best of all, the whole world will see and know that the Lord saves. Verses 11-14 caution the people to maintain the Mosaic covenant by not touching anything impure during this experience. Yet, He tells them there is no need to sneak out quickly like escaped prisoners, because God will go ahead of them and behind them. He still does for those who trust Him. We also know that verse seven blesses us every time we share the Gospel of Jesus to someone who hasn’t heard. Notice how Paul quoted these words: “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” (Rom. 10: 14-15).
The final three verses set the stage for perhaps the most powerful chapter in the Old Testa- ment. Here the Servant who will be exulted and lifted up is also the One whose appearance will be marred beyond even looking like a man. Jesus will experience this complete torture for the salvation of many nations—for all who believe: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Do we in fact believe in Him or does His sacrifice mean nothing to us?
CORINTHIANS 7 This chapter is about relationships around the marriage covenant. Paul is responding to questions from the Corinthian church about marriage. (I apologize for the explicit sexual language.)
READINGS FOR APRIL 13, 2026 CONTINUED: 1 CORINTHIANS 7, PSALM 31:1-13 It is right for married couples to have sex with each other (as blunt as possible). There may have been a group of people in the Corithian church that had chosen to abstain from sex in their marriage to not fall into sexual perversion. Paul states that it is wrong for one person in a marriage to withhold sex for an extended period. In verse 10, Paul is most likely referring to the command that Jesus gave to his disciples (Matthew 5:32, 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18): “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matt. 19:9).
For those of us Christians who have endured divorce, we struggle with this teaching. We can affirm that divorce is not a part of God’s plan for marriage. In a perfect world, every marriage would last until “death do us part.” But for several reasons, the marriage that we were a part of ended in divorce. We live in a world of sin. We live in a world where “sexual immorality” (adultery, pornography, addiction, etc.) is prevalent. There are marriages where physical, psychological, and emotional abuse have taken over the marriage. There are marriages where lying, cheating, and stealing have placed a serious burden on the union. These unions are destructive and unhealthy. Paul struggles with the ambiguity of certain situations in marriage as well. In verses 12-16, Paul gives exceptions to Jesus’ instruction if one member of the marriage is a Christian and the other is not and leaves the marriage. In our modern world, there are reasons in our society where the ending of the marriage is necessary for the health of all parties involved. It is not part of God’s plan; but through sin, the marriage comes to an end.
I believe that if you have been through a divorce in your past there are only a few things you can do at this point. Accept that God’s plan for your marriage was for it to last for a lifetime. Ask God to forgive you for your part (and ONLY your part) of the failure of your marriage. Then maybe the hardest part, forgive your former spouse for their part of the failure. And lastly, know that we have faith in a God who forgives: “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:5).”
The rest of the chapter can get confusing. It begins in verse 17: “Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.” This rule of Paul’s has been used by people to support immoral practices, such as chattel slavery in the United States, which violates 1 Tim. 1:10. In the large context of the passage, the rule recommends that a person not change his/her status, such as being single or married, so that full devotion can focused upon God. It does forbid such changes, though, in certain circumstances.
PSALM 31:1-13 This psalm is a psalm of lament (an expression of grief.) The reason for this grief is due to a conspiracy that David had to face and overcome. It was so intense that many of David’s supporters and friends abandoned him. Verse 13, which is the middle verse, expresses the reason for the writing of this hymn. No other psalm expresses a sturdier trust in God when powerful human forces have threatened harm. David has taken refuge in God. He asks God to protect him in this time of trouble. In verse 5, David expresses his total trust and commitment to God. He has entrusted himself into God’s care. The beginning of Verse 5 is almost the precise words that Jesus expressed as his last words from the cross: “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46). The other psalm that Jesus quoted from the cross was Psalm 22:1 in Matthew 27:46. Jesus echoes the words that David penned. Jesus' work was done, and he could now endure death for God’s saving work to proceed to the resurrection.
