Weekly Email: February 3, 2025
Welcome to the first week of Spring 1! I pray your studies get off to a strong start. Beginning a new course can bring a mix of excitement and nervousness, but know that you’re not alone. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or our excellent Online Learning team at onlinelearning@sbts.edu.
Student Tip
As you begin a new term, one of the most important things you can do is pray and posture your heart before God. Take time this week to pray over your semester, asking for God’s guidance, guarding your heart, and keeping your focus on growing in Christ, learning the Scriptures, and becoming a more faithful minister of the gospel.
Program News
This is the first week of Spring 1. You can see the weekly schedule below:
Week 1: February 3 - February 9
Week 2: February 10 - February 16
Week 3: February 17 - February 23
Week 4: February 24 - March 2
Week 5: March 3 - March 9
Week 6: March 10 - March 16
Week 7: March 17 - March 23
Week 8: March 24 - March 30
Faculty Devotional
This week’s faculty devotional is from Dr. Kaspars Ozolins, Assistant Professor of Old Testament Interpretation.
“In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so that we may walk in his paths.’ For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2–3, CSB).
“Put no more trust in a mere human, who has only the breath in his nostrils. What is he really worth?” (Isaiah 2:22).
One of Isaiah’s greatest visions is the future scene depicted at the beginning of the second chapter of his great prophetic work. It describes a future time (“in the latter days”), when all the nations of the world will flow like streams to Zion. Counterintuitively, this “mountain of the house of the LORD” (v. 2) will be the highest of all mountains, yet still the nations will flow up to it. Now, I’ve never heard of a stream that flows uphill, but that only makes Isaiah’s point even more wonderful. The beauty of the God of Israel will exert a magnetic pull on all the nations of the earth, such that they will say to one another, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD” (v. 3).
Unfortunately, Isaiah next contrasts this wonderful, future state of affairs with the present state of utter idolatry found in both Judah and the surrounding nations. Instead of the mountain of the LORD being the highest thing on earth, Isaiah speaks of numerous things that are “proud and lofty”–cedars, oaks of Bashan, lofty mountains, high towers, etc. These are further metaphors for human pride. Instead of exalting the LORD, fallen mankind exalts itself. Yet this delusional fancy cannot continue on, and indeed, the LORD promises through Isaiah that all these things will one day be brought low.
This amazing chapter concludes with what can only be described as one of the most dismissive remarks about humanity in all of Scripture (v. 22): “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” As we today consider all of our technological might and wealth today in the West, may we be reminded by Isaiah that all this is illusory. As believers, we look to God, and rejoice that he alone “will be exalted in that day.”
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading and check in next Monday. You can find an archive of each week’s email here.
