Hosea
Hosea 6:6 - Folly
Hosea 10:12 - No Matter What
Joel
**Joel 2:13 - Brokenhearted (Holy Day Lesson - Atonement)
Joel 2:15 - Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments (Holy Day Lesson - Trumpets)
Amos
Amos 3:7 - Secrets (Holy Day Lesson - Trumpets)
Amos 5:14 - It's All About Relationship
Amos 5:21 - Celebrating God's Feasts (Holy Day Lesson)
Amos 5:24 - Justice and Righteousness (Holy Day Lesson - Atonement)
Amos 5:24 - An Ever-Flowing Stream (Holy Day Lesson - Feast of Tabernacles)
Obadiah
Obadiah 21 - Pride and God's Government (Holy Day Lesson - Feast of Tabernacles)
Jonah
Jonah 2:8 - What Will You Cling To?
Micah
Micah 6:8 - Required!
Nahum
Nahum 1:7 - All the Time
Habakuk
Habakuk 2:4 - By Faith
Zephaniah
Zephaniah 2:3 - Hidden in Christ
Zechariah
**Zechariah 4:10 - Don't Despise Small Things
Zechariah 10:12 - Strong in the LORD
Malachi
**Malachi 3:16 - Scroll of Remembrance
Malachi 3:16 - God's Book of Remembrance
***Malachi 3:17 - Jewels! (Holy Day Lesson - Feast of Tabernacles)
Folly
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
My good college friends, Tom and Tina, bought a sheltie, an intelligent, lady-like dog that they had a lot of fun training. They named her “Folly” - because they weren’t so sure having a dog was a good idea. But Folly was easy to train. She did the normal “sit,” “lay,” “beg,” “stay.” But she also did a “play dead.” Their version of that was that she would lie in what my kids call the “road kill position.” Tom and Tina also trained Folly to go sit with her nose in the corner whenever she’d done something bad. One of my favorite stories about Folly’s intelligence is the time Tom told her to “play dead.” She “played dead” so long that she fell asleep. When she awoke, she got up . . . and then remembered that she’d been told to “play dead.” She put herself in the corner because she’d misbehaved.
As the owner of a terrier-mix puppy, I smile at the thought of Pepper putting himself into the corner when he misbehaves. He’d never leave the corner. I was talking to a kennel owner today. She said that she boards terriers. She said they’re bossy, that they’d just as soon argue with you as play with you. That just about sums up Pepper’s personality.
Because I believe God gives us the physical to help us understand the spiritual, I was thinking about Folly and Pepper today. I think these two dogs typify a lot of humans. Some are very obedient and are willing to make restitution when they run afoul of the laws. The rest of us tend to be independent, head-strong, and bossy. We want to do things our way and we’d just as soon argue about our way as to get along with anyone around us, including our God. Really! Think about it. How many scriptures can you cite off the top of your head in which God called His people stubborn, rebellious, and stiff-necked?! Romans 8:7 says the carnal mind is enmity against God. In our fallen, sinful state, we are enemies of God! We don’t want to do things His way. We want to do them our way.
So, thankfully, God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Himself through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But in the Old Testament days, prior to Jesus’ first coming, the cross wasn’t part of their vocabulary. But sacrifice was. God instituted the sacrificial law, not to pay for their sins, but to point to the One who would - Jesus Christ. The blood of the bulls, goats, and lambs was a type, a symbol, looking forward to the day when God paid the sin debt in the person of His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:4).
And yet, we stubborn, independent people, we figured out how to work the sacrificial law to our advantage too. We decided that we’d do whatever we wanted to and then offer a sacrifice to make it all o.k. - as if the sacrifice could make up for the evilness of our hearts, as if it didn’t matter what things were on the inside as long as the outside looked good. The sacrifice became the focus of worshiping God instead of the relationship with God being the focus. But then, that would mean that anyone could make a sacrifice for anyone else, just so a sacrifice was made for a sin.
That reminds me of another story about Folly. After a couple of years, Tom and Tina acquired another dog. It was not nearly so obedient nor intelligent. They had a really hard time getting that dog to obey even the most basic rules. One day when the dog had done something really “bad” and Tom was yelling at him, he looked up to see Folly heading for the corner. If the new dog wouldn’t go to the corner for being bad, Folly would go for him. It kind of misses the point, doesn’t it? Sitting in the corner is supposed to teach you not to misbehave. If you sit in the corner for someone else, what are they learning?
Similarly if you are going to offer a sacrifice just because you’ve done something wrong, then you’ve missed the point. But if you offer a sacrifice because you want to show repentance and to be reconciled with God, to restore the damaged relationship, then your sacrifice means something. It truly points to Jesus Christ.
I know you’re sitting there thinking that we don’t offer sacrifices today. That’s totally Old Testament. And that’s true, to some extent, because Jesus Christ was crucified. But we do other things, and think that those behaviors make everything okay with God. We keep the Sabbath. We celebrate the Holy Days. We stay away from unclean foods. We tithe. But are we doing those things in place of building our relationship with God? We can come to church and act nice to the people here, but are we praying to God, are we reading His word, are we meditating on His ways, are we being a light to the people around us in the world?
We are commanded to keep God’s law, but just going through the motions on the outside isn’t what God wants. He wants our hearts totally turned to Him so that our actions flow naturally from our heart.
Hosea 6:6 says, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” This doesn’t mean that our actions aren’t important to God, it just means that God values our actions which flow from our hearts. The steadfast love and knowledge of God are evident in all of our behaviors, in our obedience to His ways.
No Matter What
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12
What is fallow ground? It has two definitions. First, it can be land that is tilled and ready to plant but has not yet been sown. That definition doesn’t fit this verse because God says to “break up your fallow ground.” It can’t already have been tilled. The second meaning is land that is lying dormant. It hasn’t been tilled; it hasn’t been worked at all; it’s just lying there unused.
It’s interesting that God is telling Israel that they are leaving unused the land that He’s given to them. Rather, they are plowing iniquity and reaping injustice. They are trusting in their own strength and doing what they want to do. Jeremiah also exhorts the people to break up the fallow ground. In Jeremiah 4:3, he tells them to sow not among thorns!
Jesus’ hearers must have thought of Jeremiah and Hosea when Jesus related the parable of the sower and the seed, specifically the seed sown among the thorns (Matthew 13). The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches were the thorns. That certainly sounds like Hosea 10:13. The people were trusting in themselves and their riches rather than seeking God.
So there’s a direct connection between breaking up the fallow ground and seeking God.
break up your fallow ground,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
When you seek the LORD, the Eternal, the I AM that I AM, what happens? This verse in Hosea says that He will come and rain righteousness upon you. That word “rain” is the same Hebrew word found in Isaiah 2:3. Only in Isaiah 2:3, it’s rendered “teach.” “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways . . .” It’s an interesting Hebrew word. It means driving to a point, like rain falling to the earth, like an archer shooting an arrow, like teaching that is not random or unimportant, but teaching that has a point, that impacts the way you live! And the rain that God will bring is righteousness. This Hebrew word mean “unswerving adherence to the standards of fairness, justice, honesty, integrity, equity, and prosperity.” We want that!
Do you see the parallel structure between the beginning and the end of the verse?
Sow for yourselves righteousness; . . .
and rain righteousness upon you.
But the first word for righteousness is different from the second. The first Hebrew word is a legal term. It’s used in relationships to describe them if the parties are faithful to the expectation of one another. For instance, in Genesis 15, when God promised Abraham that he would have a son, Abraham believed God and it was credited (legal term) to him as righteousness. The belief or faith that Abraham had in God is that righteousness. And that’s a good thing, because we have no righteousness of ourselves. How could we get righteousness to sow? It is the faith in God that directs our lives.
This faith causes us to reap steadfast love. The Hebrew word for this is “mercy, loving kindness, benevolence, kindness, good will, favor, beauty, benefit, grace, piety, loyalty, unfailing love.” That kind of steadfast love only comes from God. Therefore, you can see the connection between these two parts of the verse:
reap steadfast love . . .
that he may come
The entire verse is a chiasm:
Sow for yourselves righteousness
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
that he may come
and rain righteousness upon you.
How does this all happen? It starts with God calling you into a relationship with Him. Then you respond with belief. You believe that God is faithful, that He will take care of you - no matter what!
***Brokenhearted
rend your hearts and not your garments . . . Joel 2:13
Materials: cloth, scissors
Have you ever been so upset that you destroyed something? Maybe you snapped a pencil in two. Maybe you ripped a hole in your jeans. Maybe you knocked a hole in the wall with a hammer. In the previous examples, you probably were more angry upset than sorrowful upset. Can you think of what actions you might do if you were beside yourself with sorrow? Obviously, crying and sobbing would likely top the list. Oftentimes people who are extremely sad will do something irreversible, like cutting their hair, giving away something they prize highly, or selling something that they wouldn’t normally sell.
What if you want to show your repentance and humility? How would you show God that you were sorry for what you’ve done? How would you show that you wanted to please Him? How would you show that you recognized His sovereignty over you? In Bible times, they were wear sackcloth and put ashes on their head. Or they would tear their garments, their clothes, as a sign that they were very upset, very sorrowful, very distraught.
So Joel 2 talks about the Day of the Lord, the day of His wrath.
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” 13So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.b And He relents from sending disaster. 14Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him--
Do you understand the difference between doing something as an outward action and having a certain attitude in your heart? You can tear your clothes and not really be all that sorry. But you can be extremely remorseful and repentant, and no one really knows but God. On this day that we are fasting to show our devotion, obedience, humbleness, and submission to God, He’s much more concerned with what’s happening in your heart than what’s going on in your tummy.
Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
What do you think of, Biblically speaking, when you hear “blow the trumpet”? Numbers 10 talks about all of the ways the trumpet was used to signal the Israelites in their wanderings in the wilderness: call to assembly, to follow God, to acknowledge God and the need for His deliverance in time of war, and at the new moon and feast days. There is one holy day that is both a new moon and a feast day, and perhaps that’s why we associate it most with the blowing of trumpets. Or perhaps it’s because Leviticus 23:24 says that the Feast of Trumpets is to be commemorated with the blowing of trumpets. And then, because of other verses, like 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thes. 4:16, and Joel 2:1, we have come to associate the Feast of Trumpets with the return of Jesus, with the Day of the Lord. Leviticus 23:24 calls it a day of solemn rest. We are not commanded to rejoice, as we are commanded to rejoice during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
Next Joel tells the people to consecrate a fast. What is the only day that was a required day of fasting in the Old Testament? The Day of Atonement was, as Leviticus 23:27 states, a day to afflict your soul. Deuteronomy 9:9, Psalm 35:13, Ezra 8:21, and Isaiah 58:3 all speak about fasting or about afflicting your soul with fasting, as a way to humble yourself before God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
If the first command refers to the Feast of Trumpets, and the second refers to the Day of Atonement, what do you think the third command might refer to? I wondered where else I would find the exact Hebrew word for “solemn assembly.” Once it refers to a commanded assembly to worship Baal, when Jehu killed all of them (2 Chronicles 10:20). Once it refers to the last day of the Days of Unleavened Bread (Deuteronomy 16:8). The only other four times that it is found, this word in Hebrew refers to the Last Great Day, just after the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:36, Numbers 29: 35, 2 Chronicles 7:9, and Nehemiah 8:18).
I think that it’s fascinating that this set of three commands is repeated twice in the short book of Joel (Joel 1:14 and Joel 2:15). Just before the second, Joel 2:12-14 says, “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?
Joel 2 starts with the Day of the LORD, blowing the trumpet, sounding an alarm on God’s holy mountain. It’s a day of terror for those people who are in rebellion against God. The first 11 verses detail the coming army, the fire, the earthquakes, the sun and moon darkened. Then it says, “For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?”
I think Joel is reminding the people to worship God as He has commanded them to, keeping the fall holy days with all of their hearts and not just going through the outward motions (rend your hearts and not your garments). I think Joel is reminding the people how God’s fall holy days picture God’s plan for the future: the return of Jesus Christ, the acceptance of those who have a relationship with Him, and judgment. It’s interesting that Joel would exhort the people to return to God, to repent from their sins, using the same characterization of God that God Himself used on Mt. Sinai to Moses when the people had made the golden calf (Exodus 34:6). It was the Levites who came to Moses and rejected the actions of the rebellious people. Similarly, it is those of us who are called to be a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) who should be rallying to God at this time, before the return of Jesus. We should be the ones who are rejecting the wickedness of the society around us. We should be the ones who are worshipping God as He decreed. We will all soon stand before God to give an account for even the words we’ve spoken, not to mention all of our deeds (Matt 12:36, 1 Peter 4:17, Romans 14:10)! How could we possibly stand before our God, our Savior, and make excuses about how everyone else was worshipping that way, or how it was more convenient to do it our way, or how we just knew that God would understand how hard it is to eschew evil. All of our flimsy excuses are just an indication of the degree of rebellion we harbor towards our God. That’s not where I want to be.
I plan to heed Joel’s admonition this year as I never have before. I plan to prepare my heart for the Feast of Trumpets, which is just a few days away. I plan to listen for the trumpet blast which calls me to assemble before my God, to acknowledge Him as my Savior and my Deliverer, to follow Him where He leads me, and to recognize His holy day as a day He has ordained as a day to meet with Him and to worship Him. I plan to prepare my heart for the Day of Atonement, to humble myself before Him, knowing that much too often I fail. I allow my carnal nature to have preeminence instead of God. I need to be cleansed, to have all my sins dealt with once and for all, by the sacrifice and intercession of Jesus Christ, my Lord. And I plan to prepare my heart for the Last Great Day. Even though we will be rejoicing, as commanded, during the Feast of Tabernacles, I will make a special effort to recognize the holiness of the Last Great Day. It isn’t a throw-away day. It isn’t a travel day because the Feast is over. It’s a solemn assembly. And perhaps, just perhaps, it’s a solemn assembly because it pictures the end. All of the evidence has now been gathered. Those names which will be written in the Book of Life have been written. God’s decision has been made; He knows who will be his treasured possession, who will be spared because they are righteous and they serve Him (Malachi 3:16-18).
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
There are a few days left before the fall holy days begin. Are you prepared for the coming days?
Secrets
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
Who do you tell your secrets to? You tell secrets to those who are closest to you. Why would you even consider telling your secrets to anyone else. That’s the connotation of the word “secret” in Amos 3:7 too. The Hebrew word can mean “assembly, counsel, or secret.” God reveals His plan, what He’s doing, to those who are close to Him, to those who have a relationship with Him, to those who will listen to the secret. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Noah was told that God was going to destroy the world by water with enough warning that Noah and his family had time to construct the ark (Genesis 6:11-7:16).
Moses was told that God was going to use him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, that Pharaoh would be unwilling to let them go unless “compelled by a mighty hand.” God told Moses that He would “strike Egypt with all the wonders” and then Pharaoh would let the people go (Exodus 3:10, 19-20).
Joshua was told how the Israelites would take the city of Jericho (Joshua 6). It’s not a battle plan that most people use! The people marched around the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they marched around it seven times and then the priests blew the trumpets. At the sound of the trumpets, the people gave a great shout and the wall of the city fell down flat!
These were all prophecies. These were all things that God told His servants (Noah, Moses, and Joshua) ahead of time. They knew what God was going to do because He told them!
The incredibly cool thing is that all three of these events (and there are hundreds of them in the Bible) have application to us. 1 Peter 3:20-21 tells us that the story of Noah and the ark corresponds to our baptism, that just as these eight people were saved out of a corrupt world, we, through baptism, are saved from a corrupt world. God bringing His people out of Egypt has long been understood to typify bringing us out of sin. Similarly, the taking of Jericho - a seemingly impenetrable city - was accomplished by God. It was the sound of the trumpets and the shout of the people which demonstrated the Israelites’ faith that God was going to do what He said. It’s too much of a coincidence to think that as we assemble here on the Feast of Trumpets, on the Day of Shouting, that we are not likewise confessing our faith that God will do what He says: He will return to this earth with the trumpet call of God, with a loud shout, and the seemingly impenetrable culture around us will fall flat!
There are other prophesies which I love, those which give us courage to fight the good fight and stay the course until that day when Jesus Christ does return and evil is conquered.
I love Isaiah 11:1-10: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb . . . the lion shall eat straw like the ox. . . They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples - of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.”
I love the prophecy, the promise, that animals will no longer harm people or one another.
I love Malachi 3:16-18: Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
I love the prophecy, the promise, that those who serve God faithfully are going to be His treasured possession - the KJV says “jewels.”
God, in His mercy and loving kindness to us, has told us what He will do. He has told us from the beginning that He would send His Son to save us from sin, to restore us to Himself. He has told us that we need to persevere, to endure to the end, and that we will receive a crown of life.
This doesn’t seem like much of a secret to us, but then, we love God, and we demonstrate that love by obeying Him - like celebrating the Feast of Trumpets. One of the natural consequences of obeying God and keeping His holy days is that we understand more of God’s plan. We gain courage and strength because we understand what God is doing, and that, in the end, He wins - no matter how much those who don’t love God ridicule Him and us and our beliefs. Rest assured, they are the ones who will be surprised! God does not lie. What He says He will do, He does. Read the Book.
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
It’s All About Relationship
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Amos 5:14
Why would we diligently choose to seek good and not evil, besides the obvious, that is? This verse gives two reasons: 1) so that we may live, and 2) so that God will be with us. Neither of those reasons are insignificant. But look at that second reason again. The phrase “the God of hosts” refers to the fact that God is the Ruler of the Universe. He’s in charge of the angel armies. He is the Mightiest Warrior. He is the All-Powerful King. Romans 8:31 says “If God is for us, who can be against us?” When you put it in those terms, you have to consider what your life would be like if you had God by your side, going before you and standing behind you. The security, the peace, the protection, the guidance . . . all of it would be a given. It speaks volumes to your quality of life.
Life, not death, is the other reason you would seek good and not evil. This resounds powerfully from Deuteronomy 30:15-19. Here God’s people are exhorted strongly to choose life. We are warned just as strongly to not choose death and evil.
Since most of us like these two consequences of seeking good rather than evil, perhaps it would behoove us to define good and evil. Make two lists. Think of as many good things as you can. Then list as many evil or bad things as you can.
Look at your lists. Who would purposely choose evil? Really! But there are two problems. First, does your list of evil and your list of good line up with God’s definition of the two? Likely there are some areas where God would disagree with you. The second problem is found in Romans 8:7. Here we are told the carnal mind is enmity against God. We are, without the influence of the Holy Spirit, an enemy of God. These are huge problems if we want to choose life and good. We can’t and we don’t understand what good is anyway.
The Zodiates’ commentary on the phrase “may live” gives the definition as “to live, exist, enjoy life.” But then he goes on to elaborate and to get to the root of how we can choose good. He says that the first few chapters of Genesis make it abundantly clear that life comes from a right relationship with God. If we choose God first, answering His call to come to Him, then the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. That includes knowing what is right and what is wrong. When it all comes down to it, it’s more than just doing what is right. It’s about the relationship we have with God. When we’re walking with God, we’re automatically choosing good and not evil.
Celebrating God’s Feasts
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Babies have a very one-sided relationship with their parents. Babies are very self-centered. They want their needs meet and their wants satisfied right now, or actually, ten minutes ago. Young children’s relationship with their parents is also pretty one-sided. They want what they want and Mom and Dad are supposed to give it to them. But as children get older and mature in their thinking, they realize that Mom and Dad have feelings and needs and desires. They realize that they are in a relationship with their parents. That relationship, to them, is one of “I do what Mom and Dad say and I don’t get spanked” or it’s “I do what Mom and Dad say and I get 10 extra minutes of reading before shutting off the light at night.” Children often define their relationship with Mom and Dad in terms of obedience and consequence, both good and bad.
But the goal of parents is to get their child to the place where they are more mature than that. Obedience so that you won’t get punished or so that you can get a reward is still very juvenile. Parents want their children to obey them because they want to please them. That is, the child needs to think, “There’s no way I would do that! I don’t want Mom to be mad at me.” That’s a great motivator for the child. It demonstrates a development in the relationship that is very positive. But it’s not the goal. Parents don’t want their kids to stop at this point! Parents want their children to grow to the point where they don’t even have to stop and think what it is that should be done. They know. The rules of the family have become so much a part of the child, he just does them without a second thought.
Unfortunately, in our world today, there are too many people who never get past the young child stage. They think a relationship means “You give me what I want and I’ll be happy.” Mentally they stay very young, immature children. They don’t even think about acting in a way that pleases the other person.
Even more unfortunately, many people stay very immature in their thinking about God too. To them, God is there to provide for their needs and give them what they want. Their prayers are full of “Please heal my friend” and “please give me . . .” It’s all about that person; they are very self-centered. Some people make it to the point in their relationship with God where they obey because of the consequences. They think “If I obey God, He’ll bless me” or “If I disobeyed God, He won’t bless me.” This is thinking of God in terms of obedience and consequence. The danger here is that people think they can manipulate God. “If I do what He wants, He’ll give me what I want.” It is true that if you obey God, many times you will be blessed. But part of that is because it’s built in naturally. There’s a way that works in life and following God’s law often makes things work well. But sometimes when you obey God, it takes a while to see that it’s beneficial to do so. In fact, Hebrews 11 says that some of those people died in the faith not having received the promise. So you could work for the blessing all of your life and have to wait for the kingdom to get the real blessing that you’re looking for.
But God’s not really looking for people to obey Him just because of the consequences. He’s looking for people who want to please Him in the way they live. They value the relationship with God so much that the idea of displeasing Him causes them to re-evaluate their own desires and choices. Then, eventually, God wants people who love Him so much that, having turned their lives over to Him and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they are changed from the inside out. These people obey God because it has become their nature to do so. They obey God without thinking about it. It’s who they are.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Why would God hate and despise the people’s feasts and take no delight in their solemn assemblies? God is talking about the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day. Why would He hate and despise them? Because the people were keeping those days on the outside, but in their hearts, they were doing all kinds of evil things. They were oppressing the poor. They were involved in contentions with one another. They were not living their lives in obedience to God’s ways.
It’s a good reminder to us. We can’t just come to Sabbath and keep God’s holy days and expect Him to be pleased. We have to live our lives in obedience to Him in all of our thoughts and words and deeds. And we have to live in obedience because we want to please Him. Then, eventually, as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, we live as true children of the King - naturally and completely.
Think about it. Why do you keep the Feasts of the Eternal?
Justice and Righteousness
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24
I walk my dogs every morning. I have an understanding with them that I’ll bring treats. That way they’ll come when I call. I have an understanding with Ron that I’ll take my cell phone with me. That way, if something should happen, I can get some help quickly. One morning when I was walking, I called Ron. I had fallen. It was no big deal and I wasn’t hurt, but something quite unexpected had happened, and I wanted to tell him about it. As soon as I hit the ground, Velvet and Pepper came running. It wasn’t that they were worried I was hurt. Rather, they were delighted that I was on the ground. They both proceeded to wash my face and climb all over me. They saw my fall as a delightful treat. Their perspective of what had happened was totally different from mine.
In a similar way, my perspective of justice and righteousness is very different from what I see portrayed around me in our world today. What God defines as wrong and right is totally turned on its head. Our society says it’s okay to murder babies; it’s okay for two men or two women to get married; it’s okay for people to do whatever they want to do as long as it doesn’t bother anyone else. Our court systems are a travesty of justice. If you are Christian, law-abiding, and of modest means, your chances of getting a just verdict are increasingly remote. If you are anti-God, have had several brushes with the law, and are wealthy, you’re likely to be acquitted. There is little justice and little righteousness in our society today - at least, that’s my perspective, my observation of what I see. Things are not right. Things are not just. Things are not fair.
So as I was sitting on the ground with the dogs licking my face, I thought about perspective. What about God’s perspective? If I think that there is a lack of right and just behavior in this world, what is God’s perspective? When God looks at people He sees sinful, rebellious hearts. Or does He?
Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” What Jesus Christ did for us, in dying in our place on the cross, has released us from the penalty of sin. What the Day of Atonement pictures (as described in Leviticus 16) is the High Priest - Jesus is our High Priest - taking the blood of the lamb to make atonement for the tabernacle. Jesus’ blood makes atonement, pays the penalty for our sins and reconciles us to the Father, for us. We, as vessels of the Holy Spirit, are the tabernacle of God. Then the High Priest laid his hands on the head of the goat and confessed all of the sins and all of the iniquities of the Israelites on the head of the second goat and sent that goat away. That second goat represents Jesus carrying all of our sins away from us - as Psalm 103:12 says - as far as the east is from the west. Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
The picture of Atonement is our Just and Righteous Father God Almighty providing a way through His Son, our High Priest, the Lamb of God to make us wholly clean and holy so that we can be reconciled to Him and have fellowship with Him. Our Father made the way for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. It is in the Person of Jesus Christ. We have nothing to do with it! And in reality, that’s part of the picture of Atonement: The people watched the High Priest act on their behalf just as we affirm that Jesus acts on our behalf. Their responsibility was to afflict themselves, to come humbly before God. Our responsibility is to afflict ourselves and to come humbly before our God. What an incredible picture of love and mercy, justice and righteousness!
You know, God’s holy days are such a blessing! They give us an incredibly precious glimpse into God’s plan, helping us see things from His perspective. I couldn’t help thinking about all these things as I was sitting on the ground having my face washed by two happy dogs.
An Ever-Flowing Stream
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24
I grew up in Wyoming where water is scarce. Here in Missouri, we don’t think about being mad at Iowa because too little water is coming down the Mississippi or the Missouri. We don’t think about taking Illinois to court because they’re not letting enough water come down the Illinois River. But that’s part of life in Wyoming, especially because they have five reservoirs on the Platte River, water that Nebraska wants. When we visited Pathfinder and Alcova Reservoirs in the fall of 2014, I couldn’t believe how low the reservoirs were and how low the Platte River was coming out of Alcova above Casper. Living in a state which gets, in its most arid locations, 5-8 inches of rain annually, I have a great appreciation for water and its importance in sustaining life. When I was a kid, Mom would joke that we’d gotten a 6-inch rain: the raindrops were 6 inches apart. Sometimes that’s all that would fall even if the clouds did look promising.
(I must point out that we drove the kids through the most arid parts of Wyoming, which only adds fuel to their assertion that Wyoming has no water. But other areas get 8-10 inches of rain, and some even get 20 inches of rain annually. These inches, however, mostly come as snowfall in the higher elevations, which can be as much as 200 inches.)
So when I read, But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, I have pictures in my mind of a sparkling clear, rushing stream which - as Julie Andrews sings - “laughs like a brook as it trips and falls over stones on its way.” I think of the precious water which means life. For Amos to have equated justice and righteousness with life-giving water is no accident. One of the pictures of Atonement is justice and righteousness reigning supreme over sin and death because of the reconciliation made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). The Old Testament description of removing sin and iniquities pointed to a time yet in the future, after Jesus returns. When all rebellion is dealt with at Jesus’ return and when we will be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, we will no longer be subject to sin. Our carnal nature will have been removed, dealt with, forever. This will be an exciting time as Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom and He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Under His headship, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Then we will see the fulfillment of scriptures in Isaiah which talk of the desert blooming.
Isaiah 35:6-7 . . . “For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water . . .”
Isaiah 35:1-2 - “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing . . .”
Isaiah 32:15-18 - “until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in peaceful habitation . . .”
After the return of Jesus (pictured by Trumpets), after the triumphing of justice and righteous over sin (pictured by the Day of Atonement), there will usher in a time when God’s people will dwell in peaceful habitation. The effect of justice and righteousness replacing sin and rebellion will be life. Like water causing the desert to rejoice and bloom, like a wilderness becoming a fruitful field, and the fruitful field having enough water to sustain a forest, under the kingship of Jesus Christ, this world will blossom and flourish! The Source of Life, the One who is the Living Water, will be in charge.
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
As we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles this coming week, think about the inauguration of justice and righteousness as the prevailing culture. Think about its life-giving influence. Think about how the land, and much more, God’s people, will bloom and flourish under the headship and government of the King.
I don’t think it was an accident that Wyoming received, statewide, so much rain this spring. Mom said it was green! I think it was a glimpse, for those who had eyes to see, what the future holds. I think it was an encouragement to persevere, to stay the course, to finish strong in service to the King. There is a day coming when the desert will bloom and the wilderness will become a fruitful field. I want to be there to see it and rejoice!
Pride and God’s Government
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. Obadiah 21
“ . . . and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.” I love that phrase. I associate it with other phrases, like “ . . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord . . .” (Phil. 2:10). Or “ . . . Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! . . . “ (Romans 7:24-25) Or “ . . . The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, . . . the lion shall eat straw like the ox . . . They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).
I love these verses. I love the promises God gives to His people in them. But has this all happened yet? No. This is what we were just celebrating in the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the time after the return of Jesus Christ, when He sets up His government. What joy there will be when “the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.”
But what’s the rest of Obadiah 21 talking about? Who and where is Mount Esau? Is Mount Zion different from Jerusalem? And what does it mean “saviors,” plural?
Mount Zion refers to the government set up in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ return. Zion is one of the mountains upon which Jerusalem is built. That’s why there are so many references to Zion in the Bible and why the term seems to be used interchangeably between Zion and Jerusalem.
Mount Esau is talking about the government of the people of Edom. They were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s older twin brother. The descendants of Jacob were called the people of Israel, or Israelites. There was a lot of conflict between these two nations, but then Israel was in conflict with everyone around them at one time or another.
This verse seems to indicate that when Jesus comes back, the people and the government of Edom will be taken over by God’s people who will rule from Zion, or Jerusalem. But why?
There are several charges, indictments, things that Edom did that made God angry. First of all and most importantly, they were in rebellion to God. God says to Edom (Ezekiel 35:13), “And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it.” Any nation that stands in rebellion to God will not stand for long.
Secondly, the people of Edom thought they were secure because of their mountains. It was difficult for enemies to get to them. Many of their mountains are over 5000 feet in height. Obadiah 3 (as does Jeremiah 49:16) talks about their arrogance and pride of heart because of this feeling of invincibility.
The people of Edom had also acquired a great deal of wealth. They were on a major north-south trade route known as the “King’s Highway,” as well as having iron and copper mines. Obadiah 6 alludes to the fact that the Edomites had safeguarded their treasures in vaults in the rock - and felt themselves prosperous and secure.
Also, the Edomites thought they were wise. The men of Teman were especially known for their wisdom (Obadiah 8-9). In fact, one of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, was a Temanite.
But the thing that Edom did which greatly displeased God was their actions and attitude against Judah when it fell in 586 B.C. Psalm 137: 7 records Edom’s attitude. “Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!’ ”
Joel 3:19 talks about the violence Edom did to the people of Judah. Ezekiel 25:12-14 says that “Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offense in taking vengeance on them.” Ezekiel 35:5 says, “. . . you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment.” Obadiah condemns Edom for gloating over the fall of Judah, for casting lots for Jerusalem, for looting when Jerusalem fell, for handing over survivors and keeping the fugitives from escaping. Edom took great joy in Jerusalem’s fall and actually profited from Jerusalem’s destruction.
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. Obadiah 21
The word “saviors” can also be translated “deliverers” (Zodiates’ study Bible commentary). So the picture here is, at the return of Jesus, God’s people will to up to Jerusalem to rule over the people of Edom - and it will be a good thing; it will be seen as saving them.
But there’s also a very important lesson for us today. It’s seen in two different proverbs.
Proverbs 17:5: Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 24:17-18: Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.”
Do not be happy when your enemy falls, when he gets what he deserves. God is quite able to take vengeance for the evil people have done - including you. When you (or I) rejoice that someone is being punished, God just might decide that we, in our arrogance, need some punishment and discipline as well.
And you know what, God gives us families to learn this lesson at a very young age. Let me tell you a secret that you may not already know: parents tend to react swiftly when one child rejoices that the other has been spanked for misbehaving. If we, as physical parents can feel that indignation, imagine how God, the One who does not sin, cannot sin, must feel.
There’s a wealth of things to talk about in this one little verse, but hold on to two things: watch out for pride; it’ll get you (and me) in big trouble. And secondly, the kingdom of God is coming when all things will be right. I want to be there, and I want to be part of the government of God, serving Him with all of my heart.
What Will You Cling To?
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. Jonah 2:8 (ESV)
Jonah 2:8 is an interesting verse. But when you first read it, you might wonder what in the world Jonah’s saying. Let’s look at a couple of other translations to see if they can make it more clear.
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. Jonah 2:8 (KJV)
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their true loyalty. Jonah 2:8 (RSV)
Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8 (NIV)
Those who regard vain idols [literally empty vanities] forsake their faithfulness, Jonah 2:8 (NASB)
Let’s look at “pay regard” first. The KJV says “observe,” the NIV says “cling to,” the other three say “pay regard” or “regard.” This phrase in the Hebrew means to pay attention to something or someone; to hold in esteem, affection or admiration; to guard, protect, keep safe. You “pay regard” to someone or something that you value. The NIV translation of “cling” fosters a mental image of treasuring something.
What is it that “they” pay regard to? vain idols, lying vanities, worthless idols. The NASB’s footnote says the Hebrew phrase is literally “empty vanities.” Over and over in the prophets, we are warned about making and worshipping idols. They’re the works of our own hands! How can they do anything for us? They are not God. They cannot move. They are nothing. They are empty. They are worthless.
So, what happens if “they” cling to a worthless idol? The last phrase is translated in these ways:
They forsake their hope of steadfast love.
They forsake their own mercy.
They forsake their true loyalty.
They forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
They forsake their faithfulness.
The verb is “forsake” or “forfeit.” They have turned away from. They’ve lost their chance to have. They’re at a crossroads where they must choose one or the other; they can’t have both. If they cling to the worthless idol, if they pay regards to vain idols, they lose the opportunity to have these things: hope of steadfast love, mercy, loyalty, grace, faithfulness.
Mercy from whom? Whose loyalty? Grace from whom? Whose faithfulness? Whose steadfast love? God’s!
Most people “get” this. They understand that if you have a choice between serving and worshipping God and serving and worshipping anything else, you should choose God! Hands down. What they don’t get is that you have to worship only God. You can’t serve God and something that opposes God or takes first place in your life in front of God. You can’t decide, intentionally, to do what God says only when it’s convenient and then do what you want to the rest of the time. You can’t decide, intentionally, that it’s okay to worship God the way He says to and try to worship Him with pagan practices. You can’t decide to change how He says He wants to be worshipped - and think that will be okay with God.
The covenant we make with God saying that He is our God means that He is God, He is Sovereign, He is our King. He gets to make the rules. They’re called commands because He expects them to be obeyed. If we intentionally decide not to follow those rules, His laws, then we’re rejecting Him as our God. And we are forfeiting our hope of steadfast love, of mercy, of God’s loyalty, of His faithfulness, and the grace that could have been ours. Make no mistake: God is a jealous God, and, in fact, He says His name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14). He told Moses and the Israelites this just after the incident with the golden calf. God made it very clear: You must follow God’s laws. You can’t make up your own laws and call them His. And if you’re going to worship other gods, He is not your God.
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love (Jonah 2:8, ESV).
Jonah, a prophet of God, had just experienced what this felt like. He had decided he didn’t want to preach to Ninevah and was going to flee from the presence of the LORD. That didn’t work out too well for him. He was thrown into the midst of a raging sea in the middle of a violent storm and subsequently swallowed by the fish. Being there for three days and three nights, he had some time to recognize the absolute stupidity of making anything else your god, especially your own wants and desires. In the very next verse, Jonah tells God he will do what he’s supposed to do. Then he says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD.”
You can worship other gods. You can serve yourself. Or you can turn yourself over completely, wholly, to the one true God, our God, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6).
Think about it. To what will you cling?
Required!
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
When we got our two black labs, I told the boys that they had to take care of the puppies. They had to make sure the labs had water and food. They had to pick up the dog poop. There were certain requirements that the boys had to be willing to meet before we would even consider taking those two soft, cute puppies home. But really, those weren’t all of the requirements. If you’re going to take a puppy into your home and it really be a good home, you have to do more than care for its physical needs. You have to lovingly discipline it and train it. You have to be patient with its misdeeds, because puppies have a way of perpetrating a few misdeeds. And, you have to spend time with the puppy. I remember Mom telling us kids that you can have a good outside dog, but it’ll always just be a dog. If you want a member of the family, you have to bring it inside.
I was thinking about our two black labs (and the newest edition) as a way to illustrate Micah 6:8. What did I require of the boys? I asked them to do justice: to do what was necessary and right and responsible, to act justly, to care for the dogs. They also needed to be patient, showing kindness, steadfast love, and mercy to the dogs. And they had to spend time with the dogs. The end result would be dogs who have a wonderful home and who are part of the family.
It’s a good object lesson. God requires three things of us, if we want to know what is truly good in our lives. We have to do justice. That is, we have to do what is right and necessary and responsible - according to God’s standards. We have to follow God’s laws. That’s the first requirement.
The second requirement is to love kindness. This word is also translated steadfast love or mercy. We should have an attitude of being kind to the world around us: the people, the animals, the plants, the environment. We are to nurture, not to tear down. We should be willing to forgive. We should be easy to be entreated. We should be ready to give people around us a second chance, or third chance, even when they don’t deserve it. Why? Because this is how God acts towards us! He forgives our sins. He doesn’t give up on us as we continue to make mistakes. He lovingly disciplines and trains us. How can we not have the same attitude of steadfast love towards those around us?
The third requirement is to walk humbly with our God. You can’t walk with anyone unless you agree with them (Amos 3:3). God is not going to do the changing (Malachi 3:6). He doesn’t need to change; He’s perfect. We’re the ones who need to be changed by God. And because He is the great God of the universe, if we’re going to walk with God, we’d better recognize His Sovereignty; we’d better be humble.
Isn’t it interesting what Mom used to say about the dogs? If you just wanted a dog, you can keep it outside. But if you want a member of the family, you bring the dog inside and let it live with you.
When we walk with God, we have to change. We have to become like God, through the changing power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can walk with Him. As we spend more time with God, the more we become like Him, thinking like Him, acting like Him. As we become more like Him, the more we become true children of the King, part of the family.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
All the Time
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7
If you didn’t now better, you might think this verse is plucked out of the middle of the psalms. There are psalms that sound like this.
Psalm 100:5: For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
But this verse is plucked out of the middle of Nahum, a book written about the impending fall of Ninevah, a major city of the terrible Assyrians. As you start thinking about it, you start to wonder why: why is Nahum (a prophecy against Ninevah) in the Bible, and why is this verse in the middle of it?
Nahum 1:3 states, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.” Our God is very patient, giving people plenty of opportunity to realize their sinfulness and turn away from it. Sinfulness and wickedness and all of the things wrong with our world don’t exist because God can’t do anything about them. Nothing could be farther from the truth!! God is great in power; there is nothing our God can not do. But He is also extremely patient. He waits and continues to work with people. Eventually though, there comes a time when God has had enough. There is a day of reckoning, a day of judgment, for all people. Sometimes that day of judgment comes for just you and sometimes that day of judgment comes on the whole nation altogether.
The day of judgment had come for Ninevah. They would be destroyed. But, do you think there might have been anyone who believed in Jehovah in Ninevah? Do you think there might have been a person or two who believed that God is good and trusted in Him? The prophecy by Nahum against Ninevah was given after the ten northern tribes had been taken into captivity and disbursed among the nations. Guess who took them into captivity: the Assyrians. It’s just possible that there were some Israelites in Ninevah, some Israelites who still trusted God. What an encouragement to them, by Nahum, that though trouble was coming, God is good and He had not forgotten them!
This encouragement resonants down through the years to us. Whether you are experiencing trouble (because everyone struggles with something) or whether you are sighing and crying because of the abominations done in this nation and around the world, you can take hope. Our God is good. He is a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in Him.
That word for “know” is #3045 yada. It means “to know, to perceive, to be aware of, to acknowledge, to know by experience.” Our God knows thoroughly and completely those who take refuge in Him.
Have you ever been teasing your older brother and when you go a little too far, you decide to hide behind Mom or Dad for protection? God’s protection is better than that. Imagine walking through the woods and seeing a bear. You run to the nearest tree and quickly climb it. God’s protection is more sure than that. Remember the Bible stories of David and Goliath, of Noah’s rescue from the Great Flood, of Daniel in the lions’ den, or of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. God rescued His people from trouble because they trusted in Him.
But God didn’t prevent them from having trouble in the first place. David faced Goliath. Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den. Noah had to build an ark and float with that zoo for over a year. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to stand firm that they would not do the wrong thing; they would not worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Their attitude was right! They refused to do the wrong thing regardless of what God did. They believed God could save them, but they also realized that God might have a different plan for their lives. In some cases, it was not God’s will to rescue them. Hebrews 11 lists those who remained faithful, even though they died.
So when we experience trouble, and we will experience trouble, we stay close to God, knowing that there is no better refuge than Him! He is our fortress, our stronghold, our refuge when things are good and when things are bad. Even if we suffer in this life and even if it means we lose our life, we stay close to Him, knowing that His view is eternity and what it’s going to take in our lives to get us to His kingdom. We might never know (Job wasn’t told.) why we have to go through something: perhaps it’s for our own growth; perhaps it’s for a witness to someone else. Our job is to stay close to our refuge, our stronghold, our God and to trust Him.
And we can trust Him because God is good . . . all the time.
By Faith
. . . but the righteous shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4
The boys and I had a very interesting two days this past week; we had the privilege of judging the National U-Fli Championship Competition at Purina Farms. It was amazing, and almost a little mind-blowing, that those dogs could fly down the track so quickly, pounce on that ball, and speed back to their handlers in less time than it takes me to describe it to you! Some of the races were decided in hundredths of a second. They were so close!
The dogs were various breeds, mixed and purebreds, tiny Italian greyhounds, muscular Dutch shepherds, wiry whippets, and noisy schnauzers. There were wild-eyed border collies, determined golden retrievers, obstinate Jack Russel terriers, and a dignified Westie. They all had one thing in common: they were going to get that ball and get back to their handler for a reward. I guess you could say they believed, every last one of them, that no matter whether they won or lost, their handler was going to be glad to see them and would reward them for their efforts.
In a very similar way, we who profess that Jesus is our Messiah live by faith. Our faith is just this: a belief that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). The first half of Hebrews 11:6 may seem like a given. Of course, God exists. If He didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be here. But it encompasses more than that. We believe that because God exists, because He is the Creator of the universe and everything in it, He gets to make the rules. As the potter, we (as the clay) are to be molded however He sees fit. We don’t get to decide what the rules are and where we belong in His universe.
Furthermore, in Christian, Biblical terms, we have entered into a covenant with Him. We who have accepted the blood of Jesus Christ for our sins, have accepted Him as our Savior. We’ve accepted that He bought and paid for us, the price being His own sinless, perfect life. Because we now belong to Him, in covenant, and we have agreed to turn our lives over to Him, to submit to His will, we have the opportunity to grow closer in relationship to Him - to both Jesus Christ and God the Father. This is what it means to us, as Christians, to say that we believe God exists!
Secondly, we believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That means that we trust God whatever comes our way. Whether we have plenty or are in want, whether the day is sunny or the storm clouds have rolled in, whether our health is good or we’re suffering, we believe that God knows what’s happening in our lives and our lives have purpose. The suffering and the blessings all have purpose. What happens to us, as we seek to be God’s servants with all of our hearts, is in God’s hands. So even if this life is not the stroll in the park we might have desired, we trust God that He knows what is best, it has a purpose for the future, and He will bless us beyond our imaginations in His kingdom.
With these two concepts as our foundation (the belief that God exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him), we can look at Habakuk 2:4 and assess how we are living as Christians.
. . . but the righteous shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4
There was an interesting thing which happened with those dogs. They knew they were to only get the ball which was in the spring box. If there happened to be another ball on the floor, they acted as if it didn’t even exist. If another ball escaped from the line next to them, they completely ignored it. They knew what their job was and they didn’t allow something to distract them from their task.
I love that! Each dog knew what it’s task was and it set its mind on the goal. Wouldn’t you love to have life be so simple that you knew exactly how your race was to be run and which ball you were to grab that would most please your Master? I think that’s where the word “righteous” comes in. “Righteous” means “full of rightness” or “doing what is right.” That goes back to believing that God exists and that He gets to make the rules. We don’t have to come up with our own standards; we just have to learn how to live by the standards God has revealed in His word.
Occasionally, a dog would spit the ball out too soon, or the ball would pop out of the box in a weird direction and he’d lose the ball. The dog always went back to His master and started over.
We too make mistakes. We’re not perfect yet. But when we fall short of the goal and don’t keep our eyes on the ball (so to speak), we go back to our Master, repent, and start over again. As the trainer/handler keeps working with the dog, the Holy Spirit causes the new creature within to grow ever more like our God. (Obviously, unlike the dog, we depend upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ for our reward: salvation.)
In a interesting object lesson, I watched race after race for two days, with dogs performing as their handlers desired they would perform. Some of the dogs would pounce on the ball quickly and then lackadaisically lope back over the starting line. They had their reward already: the ball. That’s kind of like the Christian who thinks that God is going to bless them in this life and they are not too concerned about God’s kingdom and pleasing their Master.
There were some dogs who would pop the ball out of the box, and when it would bounce into the corner of the ring, they’d give up and head back over the finish line without having accomplished the goal. They knew they were supposed to hurry. They knew it was a race. They just knew that they couldn’t get the ball and hurry at the same time. They just gave up. I always felt sorry for them. The ball just took a weird bounce and they were completely discombobulated. This is kind of like the Christian to whom life throws a curve ball. They get flustered and forget what they’re supposed to do. They look at the people around them and forget what their purpose is in this life. We are here for God’s pleasure, not for our own pleasure or for the pleasure of others. Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us when we bobble our responsibilities, anymore than the dog handlers rejected those dogs.
There were some dogs who would make A LOT of noise, but as soon as they began their run, they didn’t have time to bark. There were a few exceptions. One little terrier mix barked at every bound. In fact, when the dogs were in the ring, about ready to run their race, their intensity was palatable! I was so surprised to walk into the other side of the building, where the dogs were in their crates. It was quiet enough you could actually hear yourself think. Oh that we Christians would be so passionate about running our race for our Master!
In a very few cases, a dog would become so distracted by the other team racing against him that he’d leave his line, forgetting completely about the ball and the hurdles, and start chasing the other dog in the other line. It was immediately called as “interference” and the dog lost the race; the other team automatically won. I don’t want to become distracted by what someone else is doing in serving their master that I mess up my race and allow them to win by default. Seriously. Think about it! When I live by faith, I can’t allow myself to become distracted by anything or anyone else. My God is my primary focus. The task He has given me is my goal for completion. His standards are my guidelines to follow. I have no business looking at someone else’s race, at the ball they are carrying, and the pathway they are traversing. I have to keep my eyes on my God!
In the covenant terms, I can’t look at how someone else has decided God wants them to run the race. I know how God has told me to run. Those are the terms of the covenant that we agreed upon. I made a public confession that I had agreed upon those terms of the covenant when I was baptized. I can’t decide to change the terms of the covenant because the race isn’t easy, or because someone is doing it differently, or because I’m tired. God’s standards have not changed. The covenant we agreed upon has not been broken. God expects me to run the race that He’s set before me in the way He has told me to! In other words, or in Habakuk’s words, the righteous shall live by faith. I believe that God exists and has set the standard by which I live. That’s what I’m going to live by. That’s how I’m going to run my race. I’m going to keep my eyes on the goal that He has placed before me, believing that no matter what happens in my life, He’s in control. He will not leave me. He will never give me more than I can endure. He will guide me. He will encourage me. He will strengthen and teach me. He will reward me. But I have to do what He wants me to do. I have to run the race He has designed. I have to do it His way!
I love when God gives us object lessons to help us understand spiritual concepts. I love the image that played over and over before my eyes for 19 hours, of dogs running with all their heart just for the pleasure of their masters. Can I do any less? Can I just trudge through my days without the passion which comes from the awareness of how very much God has blessed me? Can I give less than my all in service for my King?
. . . but the righteous shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4
I want to live by my faith in such a way that it’s obvious to all that I serve the Great God of the universe. I want my faith to be evident in my passion, in my joy, in my willingness to do what God has asked of me. I want to see the joy of my Master in a job well-done. I want to run my race to win!!
Hidden in Christ
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD. Zephaniah 2:3
Have you ever had anyone really angry at you? Your mom? Your best friend? Can you imagine God being really angry at you? There’s a verse that talks about when God will shake terribly the earth. That is scary. Imagine God shaking the earth - the earthquakes, the volcanoes, the tsunamis, the tornadoes. Having God angry at you would not be a good thing. After all, God is a consuming fire.
So this verse tells us to seek humility. This is a reiteration of the beginning of the verse where it identifies who it’s talking to: the humble of the land. Humbleness and humility must be very important. In fact, Proverbs 6:16-19 list the things that God hates. Top of the list are “haughty eyes,” in other words, someone who is proud or arrogant. God hates pride. It makes sense that to avoid God’s wrath, we’d have to be humble. Look at 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” The apostle Paul says we “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion.” What is a “lofty opinion”? Sounds an awful lot like pride. Bringing every thought captive to obey Christ is a good definition of humility!
It’s interesting because, if we bring every thought captive to obey Christ, we’re going to be doing His will, we’re going to be acting in a right manner. We’re going to be doing “his just commands.” This is, essentially, seeking righteousness.
But seeking righteousness and seeking humility isn’t something you do just once and then you’re done. The Hebrew word for the word “do” (as in “who do his just commands) means to do habitually or systematically; it is your practice to conduct yourself in that manner.
But wait! The emphasis in this verse is not on what you do. The real emphasis is on who you are. That’s why the verse begins with “seek the LORD.” Your real security is in Christ. Think about it. When you read Zephaniah 2:3 and the phrase “perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD,” did you wonder what that was going to look like? How can you hide from God? Where could you go that God would not be there? Jonah tried to hide from God. That didn’t work out too well for him.
Well, look at Colossians 3:3: For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. This first phrase is talking about conversion from a sinful life to a relationship with Christ. It’s baptism. It’s the “old man” dying and the new creature in Christ growing and maturing. Once you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, then your life is hidden with Christ in God. That’s a very good place to be. In fact, that’s the only place you could be in order to be secure from the anger of the LORD.
Once again it’s all about relationship. It’s time to seek the LORD.
***Don’t Despise Small Things
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice; , , , Zechariah 4:10
Materials: small round rock, mustard seed, a match, word
People tend to overlook small things. When you see a small round rock, what Bible story does it bring to mind? Do you think of Goliath, a giant of a man, defying the armies of the living God? Or do you think of God using David, his sling, and a small round stone to gain a victory (1 Samuel 17:50)?
What about a mustard seed, a tiny mustard seed? What did Jesus say about a mustard seed? If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains (Matthew 17:20)! It seems incredible that if we truly had that much faith - a little tiny bit - we could do great things to bring glory and honor to God.
We could talk about God using Gideon’s 300 men to defeat an army of Midianites and Amalekites that were like locusts or the sand on the seashore as to number (Judges 7:12). We could talk about Jesus blessing and breaking the five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14) and feeding 5000 men.
What do all of these small things have in common? They all were small things that God used: the rock in the hand of David, a mustard seed faith in the heart of a believer, a small group of men defeating the foes of God’s people, and a boy’s lunch in the hands of Jesus. Each of these small things brought glory and honor to God.
Another small thing is a match. When you see a match, do you think of how “it only takes a spark to get a fire going?” It’s amazing how a little tiny match can start a pile of leaves or brush on fire. Such a tiny thing that you could easily smash and destroy has the power to create a blazing wildfire. James (chapter 3) makes the comparison between a tiny spark of fire and the power of our words. Our words have the power to tear down and they have the power to heal. Such a small thing - a word, a small comment, a smile or an insult, a harsh word, and a frown. What incredible power there is for good or for evil in the small things we do and say.
In Zechariah 4:10 God was comforting His people who had seen the magnificence of Solomon’s temple. The temple which was being built by Ezra after the people were brought back from captivity in Babylon was a small and pitiful temple in comparison. But God told them not to look down on the day of small things. It was a beginning. It might have looked small. But God often does great things with small things. And eventually, they would rejoice!
Sometimes we think that our actions don’t matter. We are rather insignificant. But God often takes the insignificant and uses it for His glory. If you are willing to be used of God, if you make it your goal and habit to act in a godly manner, if you trust God with all of your heart, He can take your words and deeds and use them in a very powerful way. But make a start today. Start reading His word, so you know what pleases Him. Start praying to Him. Start spending time thinking about His ways. Make a start. And don’t despise the day of small things. God doesn’t.
Strong in the LORD
I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD. Zechariah 10:12
Some of the most powerful scenes, to me, in The Empire Strikes Back, are the ones where Luke is working with Yoda, using his mind to raise his plane out of the swamp. The plane rises just a little, but then sinks again when R2-D2 starts beeping and Luke is distracted. Yoda chides Luke, and Luke frustratedly replies, “I’m trying.” Yoda says something like, “No. There is no ‘try’. There is either ‘do’, or ‘do not’. But no ‘try’.”
That scene makes me think of Christians and the gift they have within them, the Holy Spirit. When they allow the Holy Spirit to guide them and teach them, God is evident in their lives. But too often, I see Christians who are failing to follow God’s laws and they say something to the effect, “I’m trying.” Like Luke, they make excuses for why they aren’t able to keep God’s law. I wonder if God sees those excuses much like Yoda did. I wonder if God sees a lack of perseverance, commitment, and focus which leads to our failure. After all, Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside them, empowering them to make good choices.
I will make them strong in the LORD . . .
I think George Lucas did a great job of showing how the Force would be strong in the Jedi warriors. In The Return of the Jedi, Luke’s training progressed to the point where the Force was strong in him. He had his emotions and his mind under control. It’s another interesting parallel to Christians, how some Christians conduct themselves today, and how all Christians will be when Jesus Christ returns and sets up His kingdom! We will be strong in the LORD.
What does that mean to you? To me, that means that I will walk unwaveringly in His ways. I will exemplify a true child of the King, loving, serving, and obeying Him with all of my heart. I won’t be timid or weak in my faith, but I will walk boldly, proclaiming that God is the Almighty Sovereign God, the great Creator of the Universe and Redeemer of mankind. I won’t have to say anything; it will be obvious from the way I live my life.
. . . and they shall walk in his name, declares the LORD.
To walk in someone’s name means to be an ambassador for them. If you come in the name of the IRS, people suspect you want their money. If you come in the name of the police, people know you’re looking for bad guys. If you come in the name of the Cardinal baseball team, people know you’re looking for another good pitcher or hitter. If you come in the name of the LORD, people will know that you are representing God. You are the representative of God. You are completely accurate in how you explain His laws, His character, His plan for mankind.
But in order to do this, you have to know God intimately. You have to know God’s laws, His character, His plan for your life. You have to have a good comprehension of God so that you can represent Him to others. That implies one other thing: you have to agree with God. He’s right. It’s not that you’re going to change even one tiny detail of what He has said. It’s not that you’re going to try to improve upon anything that He’s commanded. His ways are perfect.
If you think that you need to change any of God’s laws (to make them easier, to make them relevant for today, to make them fit with your definition of the New Covenant, or for any other reason you can conceive), then the presence of the Holy Spirit is not strong within you and you’re not walking in His name. Seriously! Think about it! Could a representative of the IRS come to you and tell you that the government is collecting too many taxes from you, it’s too tough for you, and you don’t have to pay taxes anymore, and that the government will understand? Could a representative of the police come looking for a bad guy, find one and then say that they know they’ve murdered people, but the laws are too tough against murder so they’re just going to let them go, and they can murder all they want to? Could a representative of the Cardinals sign up Joe Schmoe off the street to pitch for millions of dollars, when he’s a total couch potato - and say that it’s okay that Joe can’t throw ten strikes in a row over the plate because the Cardinals are way too strict about that sort of thing anyway? We can see how an ambassador in our world has to accurately represent their organization. It’s the same with God! He wants people who are strong in their faith, believing in Him and willing to do what He says no matter what. He wants ambassadors who will accurately represent Him to all of the people around them.
Be strong in the Lord. And, not “may the Force be with you,” but may God be with you.
***A Scroll of Remembrance
a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. Malachi 3:16
Materials: little notebooks and pencils
What will you remember from this Feast? What will you and your family talk about for years to come?
Let me read Malachi 3:16-18 to you: 16Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Many years ago (1997), we were traveling home from the Feast. We started talking about the Feast, the sermons we heard, the fun we had had. That evolved into talking about previous feasts. Eventually, we decided we’d better start writing down all these memories before we forgot them. At that time, it meant writing down memories for 26 feasts for Mom and me! After we’d all gotten home, Mom started a rough draft of those Feast memories and sent it to me. I took her drafts and emailed them to my brother in WY and sister in NY. Once all of their additions came back to me, I put them together. Then I raided Mom’s family photo albums for photos. Once I had it all put together, I made copies for my brother, my sister, and Mom and Dad. Over the years, the binder has grown. The family has grown! When we first started doing this, Jonathan hadn’t even been born yet! So many memories! So many sermons! So many Feasts!!
You may think that you’ll never forget this Feast and the stuff you did. But time and the human mind is a funny thing. It’s easy to forget or to not remember the events accurately! So write it down. Make a scrapbook. After all, Malachi tells us that God has a scroll of remembrance. It’s probably a good idea for us to have one too!
God’s Book of Remembrance
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.” Malachi 3:16
I make lists. I write in a journal. I put notes on the calendar. I compile scrapbooks and photo albums. Why? Because I want to remember.
In Malachi 3:16, who wants to remember? It seems to indicate that it is God who will remember, especially when you read vs. 17 - “they will be mind when I make up my treasured possession.” I don’t necessarily think it means that God has to reminded as if He would be in danger of forgetting who it was who loves Him and esteems His name. But let’s look at the word “book.” The word “book” in Hebrew means “book, letter, document, or important legal document.” God doesn’t have to prove to anyone why He is saving a certain individual, giving them the reward of eternal salvation. But He is just. It only stands to reason that He’d have a legal record of those who demonstrate their allegiance to Him in word and deed. So it’s not because God would forget; it is a legal record for all eternity.
So if God is keeping a book of remembrance of those who are going to be His treasured possession, I definitely want to be in that book. It might be a good idea to figure out the criteria.
First, they spoke to one another. Who did they speak to? The phrase “one another” can mean “friend, personal friend, superficial friend, companion, neighbor, or associate.” But what is a person speaking to someone else about? The implication is that they are speaking about God and the things of God because just speaking about the weather, the latest tv show, or the latest gossip and dirt on your neighbor is not going to endear you to God.
Secondly, this group of people fears God. This is not fear like being terrified that something bad is going to happen. This is having the reverence, the healthy respect, for the Great Being. Yes, He holds your life in the palm of His hand. But God is good. He is righteous. He is just. So how do you fear God or show reverence to Him? It’s evidenced in your priorities, your daily choices, what’s on your mind that you talk about with others. What comes first in your life is what you honor, value, reverence.
Thirdly, this group of people, who will be God’s treasured possession, have another characteristic: they esteem God’s name. What does that mean? It means that you treat God’s name as valuable. That’s very reminiscent of the third commandment of Exodus 20: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. But it’s not just about His name; it’s about believing that there is nothing so important as God. That belief manifests itself in your words and deeds - which leads us right back to Malachi 3:16.
I love this verse. I love knowing that when I talk about God, what He’s done in my life, about the amazing things He reveals in His word, that God hears me. He writes it down. He promises that I will be among His treasured possession! I really like the thought of being among God’s treasured possession.
**Jewels!
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; Malachi 3:17, KJV
Materials: shiny rocks, beads, jewels
In the world, we often are not the one who is chosen first. Have you ever been in a situation where they were choosing up teams, and you were the last one chosen? Or even worse, when all the “good” players were chosen, the captains argued over who had to take you?! It doesn’t feel very good to be rejected, to have people think you aren’t valuable.
Praise God! You don’t have to worry about that with God! He has chosen you! He has called you a precious jewel. He has said you are His. Malachi 3:16-17 says, Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (I like the KJV because it says “jewels.” Other translations say “treasured possessions.”)
We talked yesterday about rejoicing before God, and one the reasons we rejoice is because of the relationship with have with Him. Just like you choose a special rock or jewel from a box to be your own special treasure, God chose each of us to be in a relationship with Him, to come to know Him, to not just be a servant, but to be adopted into His family as His child, and to eventually dwell in His kingdom with Him forever.
As each of you chooses a rock or jewel, let’s talk about what you’re going to do with it: make a necklace, a pin, a keychain, or just have it as something to keep with you in your pocket because it’s special. Just like you having a plan for the jewel, God has a plan and a place in His family for each of us that He has chosen.
We’re going to spend the next several days talking about the plans God has for us and the rejoicing that will bring!! In the meantime, you rejoice now knowing that you are chosen by God, adopted into His family, to be His!
Hosea 6:6 - Folly
Hosea 10:12 - No Matter What
Joel
**Joel 2:13 - Brokenhearted (Holy Day Lesson - Atonement)
Joel 2:15 - Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments (Holy Day Lesson - Trumpets)
Amos
Amos 3:7 - Secrets (Holy Day Lesson - Trumpets)
Amos 5:14 - It's All About Relationship
Amos 5:21 - Celebrating God's Feasts (Holy Day Lesson)
Amos 5:24 - Justice and Righteousness (Holy Day Lesson - Atonement)
Amos 5:24 - An Ever-Flowing Stream (Holy Day Lesson - Feast of Tabernacles)
Obadiah
Obadiah 21 - Pride and God's Government (Holy Day Lesson - Feast of Tabernacles)
Jonah
Jonah 2:8 - What Will You Cling To?
Micah
Micah 6:8 - Required!
Nahum
Nahum 1:7 - All the Time
Habakuk
Habakuk 2:4 - By Faith
Zephaniah
Zephaniah 2:3 - Hidden in Christ
Zechariah
**Zechariah 4:10 - Don't Despise Small Things
Zechariah 10:12 - Strong in the LORD
Malachi
**Malachi 3:16 - Scroll of Remembrance
Malachi 3:16 - God's Book of Remembrance
***Malachi 3:17 - Jewels! (Holy Day Lesson - Feast of Tabernacles)
Folly
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6
My good college friends, Tom and Tina, bought a sheltie, an intelligent, lady-like dog that they had a lot of fun training. They named her “Folly” - because they weren’t so sure having a dog was a good idea. But Folly was easy to train. She did the normal “sit,” “lay,” “beg,” “stay.” But she also did a “play dead.” Their version of that was that she would lie in what my kids call the “road kill position.” Tom and Tina also trained Folly to go sit with her nose in the corner whenever she’d done something bad. One of my favorite stories about Folly’s intelligence is the time Tom told her to “play dead.” She “played dead” so long that she fell asleep. When she awoke, she got up . . . and then remembered that she’d been told to “play dead.” She put herself in the corner because she’d misbehaved.
As the owner of a terrier-mix puppy, I smile at the thought of Pepper putting himself into the corner when he misbehaves. He’d never leave the corner. I was talking to a kennel owner today. She said that she boards terriers. She said they’re bossy, that they’d just as soon argue with you as play with you. That just about sums up Pepper’s personality.
Because I believe God gives us the physical to help us understand the spiritual, I was thinking about Folly and Pepper today. I think these two dogs typify a lot of humans. Some are very obedient and are willing to make restitution when they run afoul of the laws. The rest of us tend to be independent, head-strong, and bossy. We want to do things our way and we’d just as soon argue about our way as to get along with anyone around us, including our God. Really! Think about it. How many scriptures can you cite off the top of your head in which God called His people stubborn, rebellious, and stiff-necked?! Romans 8:7 says the carnal mind is enmity against God. In our fallen, sinful state, we are enemies of God! We don’t want to do things His way. We want to do them our way.
So, thankfully, God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Himself through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But in the Old Testament days, prior to Jesus’ first coming, the cross wasn’t part of their vocabulary. But sacrifice was. God instituted the sacrificial law, not to pay for their sins, but to point to the One who would - Jesus Christ. The blood of the bulls, goats, and lambs was a type, a symbol, looking forward to the day when God paid the sin debt in the person of His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:4).
And yet, we stubborn, independent people, we figured out how to work the sacrificial law to our advantage too. We decided that we’d do whatever we wanted to and then offer a sacrifice to make it all o.k. - as if the sacrifice could make up for the evilness of our hearts, as if it didn’t matter what things were on the inside as long as the outside looked good. The sacrifice became the focus of worshiping God instead of the relationship with God being the focus. But then, that would mean that anyone could make a sacrifice for anyone else, just so a sacrifice was made for a sin.
That reminds me of another story about Folly. After a couple of years, Tom and Tina acquired another dog. It was not nearly so obedient nor intelligent. They had a really hard time getting that dog to obey even the most basic rules. One day when the dog had done something really “bad” and Tom was yelling at him, he looked up to see Folly heading for the corner. If the new dog wouldn’t go to the corner for being bad, Folly would go for him. It kind of misses the point, doesn’t it? Sitting in the corner is supposed to teach you not to misbehave. If you sit in the corner for someone else, what are they learning?
Similarly if you are going to offer a sacrifice just because you’ve done something wrong, then you’ve missed the point. But if you offer a sacrifice because you want to show repentance and to be reconciled with God, to restore the damaged relationship, then your sacrifice means something. It truly points to Jesus Christ.
I know you’re sitting there thinking that we don’t offer sacrifices today. That’s totally Old Testament. And that’s true, to some extent, because Jesus Christ was crucified. But we do other things, and think that those behaviors make everything okay with God. We keep the Sabbath. We celebrate the Holy Days. We stay away from unclean foods. We tithe. But are we doing those things in place of building our relationship with God? We can come to church and act nice to the people here, but are we praying to God, are we reading His word, are we meditating on His ways, are we being a light to the people around us in the world?
We are commanded to keep God’s law, but just going through the motions on the outside isn’t what God wants. He wants our hearts totally turned to Him so that our actions flow naturally from our heart.
Hosea 6:6 says, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” This doesn’t mean that our actions aren’t important to God, it just means that God values our actions which flow from our hearts. The steadfast love and knowledge of God are evident in all of our behaviors, in our obedience to His ways.
No Matter What
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12
What is fallow ground? It has two definitions. First, it can be land that is tilled and ready to plant but has not yet been sown. That definition doesn’t fit this verse because God says to “break up your fallow ground.” It can’t already have been tilled. The second meaning is land that is lying dormant. It hasn’t been tilled; it hasn’t been worked at all; it’s just lying there unused.
It’s interesting that God is telling Israel that they are leaving unused the land that He’s given to them. Rather, they are plowing iniquity and reaping injustice. They are trusting in their own strength and doing what they want to do. Jeremiah also exhorts the people to break up the fallow ground. In Jeremiah 4:3, he tells them to sow not among thorns!
Jesus’ hearers must have thought of Jeremiah and Hosea when Jesus related the parable of the sower and the seed, specifically the seed sown among the thorns (Matthew 13). The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches were the thorns. That certainly sounds like Hosea 10:13. The people were trusting in themselves and their riches rather than seeking God.
So there’s a direct connection between breaking up the fallow ground and seeking God.
break up your fallow ground,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
When you seek the LORD, the Eternal, the I AM that I AM, what happens? This verse in Hosea says that He will come and rain righteousness upon you. That word “rain” is the same Hebrew word found in Isaiah 2:3. Only in Isaiah 2:3, it’s rendered “teach.” “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways . . .” It’s an interesting Hebrew word. It means driving to a point, like rain falling to the earth, like an archer shooting an arrow, like teaching that is not random or unimportant, but teaching that has a point, that impacts the way you live! And the rain that God will bring is righteousness. This Hebrew word mean “unswerving adherence to the standards of fairness, justice, honesty, integrity, equity, and prosperity.” We want that!
Do you see the parallel structure between the beginning and the end of the verse?
Sow for yourselves righteousness; . . .
and rain righteousness upon you.
But the first word for righteousness is different from the second. The first Hebrew word is a legal term. It’s used in relationships to describe them if the parties are faithful to the expectation of one another. For instance, in Genesis 15, when God promised Abraham that he would have a son, Abraham believed God and it was credited (legal term) to him as righteousness. The belief or faith that Abraham had in God is that righteousness. And that’s a good thing, because we have no righteousness of ourselves. How could we get righteousness to sow? It is the faith in God that directs our lives.
This faith causes us to reap steadfast love. The Hebrew word for this is “mercy, loving kindness, benevolence, kindness, good will, favor, beauty, benefit, grace, piety, loyalty, unfailing love.” That kind of steadfast love only comes from God. Therefore, you can see the connection between these two parts of the verse:
reap steadfast love . . .
that he may come
The entire verse is a chiasm:
Sow for yourselves righteousness
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
that he may come
and rain righteousness upon you.
How does this all happen? It starts with God calling you into a relationship with Him. Then you respond with belief. You believe that God is faithful, that He will take care of you - no matter what!
***Brokenhearted
rend your hearts and not your garments . . . Joel 2:13
Materials: cloth, scissors
Have you ever been so upset that you destroyed something? Maybe you snapped a pencil in two. Maybe you ripped a hole in your jeans. Maybe you knocked a hole in the wall with a hammer. In the previous examples, you probably were more angry upset than sorrowful upset. Can you think of what actions you might do if you were beside yourself with sorrow? Obviously, crying and sobbing would likely top the list. Oftentimes people who are extremely sad will do something irreversible, like cutting their hair, giving away something they prize highly, or selling something that they wouldn’t normally sell.
What if you want to show your repentance and humility? How would you show God that you were sorry for what you’ve done? How would you show that you wanted to please Him? How would you show that you recognized His sovereignty over you? In Bible times, they were wear sackcloth and put ashes on their head. Or they would tear their garments, their clothes, as a sign that they were very upset, very sorrowful, very distraught.
So Joel 2 talks about the Day of the Lord, the day of His wrath.
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” 13So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.b And He relents from sending disaster. 14Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him--
Do you understand the difference between doing something as an outward action and having a certain attitude in your heart? You can tear your clothes and not really be all that sorry. But you can be extremely remorseful and repentant, and no one really knows but God. On this day that we are fasting to show our devotion, obedience, humbleness, and submission to God, He’s much more concerned with what’s happening in your heart than what’s going on in your tummy.
Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
What do you think of, Biblically speaking, when you hear “blow the trumpet”? Numbers 10 talks about all of the ways the trumpet was used to signal the Israelites in their wanderings in the wilderness: call to assembly, to follow God, to acknowledge God and the need for His deliverance in time of war, and at the new moon and feast days. There is one holy day that is both a new moon and a feast day, and perhaps that’s why we associate it most with the blowing of trumpets. Or perhaps it’s because Leviticus 23:24 says that the Feast of Trumpets is to be commemorated with the blowing of trumpets. And then, because of other verses, like 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thes. 4:16, and Joel 2:1, we have come to associate the Feast of Trumpets with the return of Jesus, with the Day of the Lord. Leviticus 23:24 calls it a day of solemn rest. We are not commanded to rejoice, as we are commanded to rejoice during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
Next Joel tells the people to consecrate a fast. What is the only day that was a required day of fasting in the Old Testament? The Day of Atonement was, as Leviticus 23:27 states, a day to afflict your soul. Deuteronomy 9:9, Psalm 35:13, Ezra 8:21, and Isaiah 58:3 all speak about fasting or about afflicting your soul with fasting, as a way to humble yourself before God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
If the first command refers to the Feast of Trumpets, and the second refers to the Day of Atonement, what do you think the third command might refer to? I wondered where else I would find the exact Hebrew word for “solemn assembly.” Once it refers to a commanded assembly to worship Baal, when Jehu killed all of them (2 Chronicles 10:20). Once it refers to the last day of the Days of Unleavened Bread (Deuteronomy 16:8). The only other four times that it is found, this word in Hebrew refers to the Last Great Day, just after the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:36, Numbers 29: 35, 2 Chronicles 7:9, and Nehemiah 8:18).
I think that it’s fascinating that this set of three commands is repeated twice in the short book of Joel (Joel 1:14 and Joel 2:15). Just before the second, Joel 2:12-14 says, “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?
Joel 2 starts with the Day of the LORD, blowing the trumpet, sounding an alarm on God’s holy mountain. It’s a day of terror for those people who are in rebellion against God. The first 11 verses detail the coming army, the fire, the earthquakes, the sun and moon darkened. Then it says, “For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?”
I think Joel is reminding the people to worship God as He has commanded them to, keeping the fall holy days with all of their hearts and not just going through the outward motions (rend your hearts and not your garments). I think Joel is reminding the people how God’s fall holy days picture God’s plan for the future: the return of Jesus Christ, the acceptance of those who have a relationship with Him, and judgment. It’s interesting that Joel would exhort the people to return to God, to repent from their sins, using the same characterization of God that God Himself used on Mt. Sinai to Moses when the people had made the golden calf (Exodus 34:6). It was the Levites who came to Moses and rejected the actions of the rebellious people. Similarly, it is those of us who are called to be a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) who should be rallying to God at this time, before the return of Jesus. We should be the ones who are rejecting the wickedness of the society around us. We should be the ones who are worshipping God as He decreed. We will all soon stand before God to give an account for even the words we’ve spoken, not to mention all of our deeds (Matt 12:36, 1 Peter 4:17, Romans 14:10)! How could we possibly stand before our God, our Savior, and make excuses about how everyone else was worshipping that way, or how it was more convenient to do it our way, or how we just knew that God would understand how hard it is to eschew evil. All of our flimsy excuses are just an indication of the degree of rebellion we harbor towards our God. That’s not where I want to be.
I plan to heed Joel’s admonition this year as I never have before. I plan to prepare my heart for the Feast of Trumpets, which is just a few days away. I plan to listen for the trumpet blast which calls me to assemble before my God, to acknowledge Him as my Savior and my Deliverer, to follow Him where He leads me, and to recognize His holy day as a day He has ordained as a day to meet with Him and to worship Him. I plan to prepare my heart for the Day of Atonement, to humble myself before Him, knowing that much too often I fail. I allow my carnal nature to have preeminence instead of God. I need to be cleansed, to have all my sins dealt with once and for all, by the sacrifice and intercession of Jesus Christ, my Lord. And I plan to prepare my heart for the Last Great Day. Even though we will be rejoicing, as commanded, during the Feast of Tabernacles, I will make a special effort to recognize the holiness of the Last Great Day. It isn’t a throw-away day. It isn’t a travel day because the Feast is over. It’s a solemn assembly. And perhaps, just perhaps, it’s a solemn assembly because it pictures the end. All of the evidence has now been gathered. Those names which will be written in the Book of Life have been written. God’s decision has been made; He knows who will be his treasured possession, who will be spared because they are righteous and they serve Him (Malachi 3:16-18).
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Joel 2:15
There are a few days left before the fall holy days begin. Are you prepared for the coming days?
Secrets
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
Who do you tell your secrets to? You tell secrets to those who are closest to you. Why would you even consider telling your secrets to anyone else. That’s the connotation of the word “secret” in Amos 3:7 too. The Hebrew word can mean “assembly, counsel, or secret.” God reveals His plan, what He’s doing, to those who are close to Him, to those who have a relationship with Him, to those who will listen to the secret. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Noah was told that God was going to destroy the world by water with enough warning that Noah and his family had time to construct the ark (Genesis 6:11-7:16).
Moses was told that God was going to use him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, that Pharaoh would be unwilling to let them go unless “compelled by a mighty hand.” God told Moses that He would “strike Egypt with all the wonders” and then Pharaoh would let the people go (Exodus 3:10, 19-20).
Joshua was told how the Israelites would take the city of Jericho (Joshua 6). It’s not a battle plan that most people use! The people marched around the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they marched around it seven times and then the priests blew the trumpets. At the sound of the trumpets, the people gave a great shout and the wall of the city fell down flat!
These were all prophecies. These were all things that God told His servants (Noah, Moses, and Joshua) ahead of time. They knew what God was going to do because He told them!
The incredibly cool thing is that all three of these events (and there are hundreds of them in the Bible) have application to us. 1 Peter 3:20-21 tells us that the story of Noah and the ark corresponds to our baptism, that just as these eight people were saved out of a corrupt world, we, through baptism, are saved from a corrupt world. God bringing His people out of Egypt has long been understood to typify bringing us out of sin. Similarly, the taking of Jericho - a seemingly impenetrable city - was accomplished by God. It was the sound of the trumpets and the shout of the people which demonstrated the Israelites’ faith that God was going to do what He said. It’s too much of a coincidence to think that as we assemble here on the Feast of Trumpets, on the Day of Shouting, that we are not likewise confessing our faith that God will do what He says: He will return to this earth with the trumpet call of God, with a loud shout, and the seemingly impenetrable culture around us will fall flat!
There are other prophesies which I love, those which give us courage to fight the good fight and stay the course until that day when Jesus Christ does return and evil is conquered.
I love Isaiah 11:1-10: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb . . . the lion shall eat straw like the ox. . . They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples - of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.”
I love the prophecy, the promise, that animals will no longer harm people or one another.
I love Malachi 3:16-18: Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
I love the prophecy, the promise, that those who serve God faithfully are going to be His treasured possession - the KJV says “jewels.”
God, in His mercy and loving kindness to us, has told us what He will do. He has told us from the beginning that He would send His Son to save us from sin, to restore us to Himself. He has told us that we need to persevere, to endure to the end, and that we will receive a crown of life.
This doesn’t seem like much of a secret to us, but then, we love God, and we demonstrate that love by obeying Him - like celebrating the Feast of Trumpets. One of the natural consequences of obeying God and keeping His holy days is that we understand more of God’s plan. We gain courage and strength because we understand what God is doing, and that, in the end, He wins - no matter how much those who don’t love God ridicule Him and us and our beliefs. Rest assured, they are the ones who will be surprised! God does not lie. What He says He will do, He does. Read the Book.
For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
It’s All About Relationship
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Amos 5:14
Why would we diligently choose to seek good and not evil, besides the obvious, that is? This verse gives two reasons: 1) so that we may live, and 2) so that God will be with us. Neither of those reasons are insignificant. But look at that second reason again. The phrase “the God of hosts” refers to the fact that God is the Ruler of the Universe. He’s in charge of the angel armies. He is the Mightiest Warrior. He is the All-Powerful King. Romans 8:31 says “If God is for us, who can be against us?” When you put it in those terms, you have to consider what your life would be like if you had God by your side, going before you and standing behind you. The security, the peace, the protection, the guidance . . . all of it would be a given. It speaks volumes to your quality of life.
Life, not death, is the other reason you would seek good and not evil. This resounds powerfully from Deuteronomy 30:15-19. Here God’s people are exhorted strongly to choose life. We are warned just as strongly to not choose death and evil.
Since most of us like these two consequences of seeking good rather than evil, perhaps it would behoove us to define good and evil. Make two lists. Think of as many good things as you can. Then list as many evil or bad things as you can.
Look at your lists. Who would purposely choose evil? Really! But there are two problems. First, does your list of evil and your list of good line up with God’s definition of the two? Likely there are some areas where God would disagree with you. The second problem is found in Romans 8:7. Here we are told the carnal mind is enmity against God. We are, without the influence of the Holy Spirit, an enemy of God. These are huge problems if we want to choose life and good. We can’t and we don’t understand what good is anyway.
The Zodiates’ commentary on the phrase “may live” gives the definition as “to live, exist, enjoy life.” But then he goes on to elaborate and to get to the root of how we can choose good. He says that the first few chapters of Genesis make it abundantly clear that life comes from a right relationship with God. If we choose God first, answering His call to come to Him, then the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. That includes knowing what is right and what is wrong. When it all comes down to it, it’s more than just doing what is right. It’s about the relationship we have with God. When we’re walking with God, we’re automatically choosing good and not evil.
Celebrating God’s Feasts
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Babies have a very one-sided relationship with their parents. Babies are very self-centered. They want their needs meet and their wants satisfied right now, or actually, ten minutes ago. Young children’s relationship with their parents is also pretty one-sided. They want what they want and Mom and Dad are supposed to give it to them. But as children get older and mature in their thinking, they realize that Mom and Dad have feelings and needs and desires. They realize that they are in a relationship with their parents. That relationship, to them, is one of “I do what Mom and Dad say and I don’t get spanked” or it’s “I do what Mom and Dad say and I get 10 extra minutes of reading before shutting off the light at night.” Children often define their relationship with Mom and Dad in terms of obedience and consequence, both good and bad.
But the goal of parents is to get their child to the place where they are more mature than that. Obedience so that you won’t get punished or so that you can get a reward is still very juvenile. Parents want their children to obey them because they want to please them. That is, the child needs to think, “There’s no way I would do that! I don’t want Mom to be mad at me.” That’s a great motivator for the child. It demonstrates a development in the relationship that is very positive. But it’s not the goal. Parents don’t want their kids to stop at this point! Parents want their children to grow to the point where they don’t even have to stop and think what it is that should be done. They know. The rules of the family have become so much a part of the child, he just does them without a second thought.
Unfortunately, in our world today, there are too many people who never get past the young child stage. They think a relationship means “You give me what I want and I’ll be happy.” Mentally they stay very young, immature children. They don’t even think about acting in a way that pleases the other person.
Even more unfortunately, many people stay very immature in their thinking about God too. To them, God is there to provide for their needs and give them what they want. Their prayers are full of “Please heal my friend” and “please give me . . .” It’s all about that person; they are very self-centered. Some people make it to the point in their relationship with God where they obey because of the consequences. They think “If I obey God, He’ll bless me” or “If I disobeyed God, He won’t bless me.” This is thinking of God in terms of obedience and consequence. The danger here is that people think they can manipulate God. “If I do what He wants, He’ll give me what I want.” It is true that if you obey God, many times you will be blessed. But part of that is because it’s built in naturally. There’s a way that works in life and following God’s law often makes things work well. But sometimes when you obey God, it takes a while to see that it’s beneficial to do so. In fact, Hebrews 11 says that some of those people died in the faith not having received the promise. So you could work for the blessing all of your life and have to wait for the kingdom to get the real blessing that you’re looking for.
But God’s not really looking for people to obey Him just because of the consequences. He’s looking for people who want to please Him in the way they live. They value the relationship with God so much that the idea of displeasing Him causes them to re-evaluate their own desires and choices. Then, eventually, God wants people who love Him so much that, having turned their lives over to Him and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they are changed from the inside out. These people obey God because it has become their nature to do so. They obey God without thinking about it. It’s who they are.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21
Why would God hate and despise the people’s feasts and take no delight in their solemn assemblies? God is talking about the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day. Why would He hate and despise them? Because the people were keeping those days on the outside, but in their hearts, they were doing all kinds of evil things. They were oppressing the poor. They were involved in contentions with one another. They were not living their lives in obedience to God’s ways.
It’s a good reminder to us. We can’t just come to Sabbath and keep God’s holy days and expect Him to be pleased. We have to live our lives in obedience to Him in all of our thoughts and words and deeds. And we have to live in obedience because we want to please Him. Then, eventually, as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, we live as true children of the King - naturally and completely.
Think about it. Why do you keep the Feasts of the Eternal?
Justice and Righteousness
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24
I walk my dogs every morning. I have an understanding with them that I’ll bring treats. That way they’ll come when I call. I have an understanding with Ron that I’ll take my cell phone with me. That way, if something should happen, I can get some help quickly. One morning when I was walking, I called Ron. I had fallen. It was no big deal and I wasn’t hurt, but something quite unexpected had happened, and I wanted to tell him about it. As soon as I hit the ground, Velvet and Pepper came running. It wasn’t that they were worried I was hurt. Rather, they were delighted that I was on the ground. They both proceeded to wash my face and climb all over me. They saw my fall as a delightful treat. Their perspective of what had happened was totally different from mine.
In a similar way, my perspective of justice and righteousness is very different from what I see portrayed around me in our world today. What God defines as wrong and right is totally turned on its head. Our society says it’s okay to murder babies; it’s okay for two men or two women to get married; it’s okay for people to do whatever they want to do as long as it doesn’t bother anyone else. Our court systems are a travesty of justice. If you are Christian, law-abiding, and of modest means, your chances of getting a just verdict are increasingly remote. If you are anti-God, have had several brushes with the law, and are wealthy, you’re likely to be acquitted. There is little justice and little righteousness in our society today - at least, that’s my perspective, my observation of what I see. Things are not right. Things are not just. Things are not fair.
So as I was sitting on the ground with the dogs licking my face, I thought about perspective. What about God’s perspective? If I think that there is a lack of right and just behavior in this world, what is God’s perspective? When God looks at people He sees sinful, rebellious hearts. Or does He?
Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” What Jesus Christ did for us, in dying in our place on the cross, has released us from the penalty of sin. What the Day of Atonement pictures (as described in Leviticus 16) is the High Priest - Jesus is our High Priest - taking the blood of the lamb to make atonement for the tabernacle. Jesus’ blood makes atonement, pays the penalty for our sins and reconciles us to the Father, for us. We, as vessels of the Holy Spirit, are the tabernacle of God. Then the High Priest laid his hands on the head of the goat and confessed all of the sins and all of the iniquities of the Israelites on the head of the second goat and sent that goat away. That second goat represents Jesus carrying all of our sins away from us - as Psalm 103:12 says - as far as the east is from the west. Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
The picture of Atonement is our Just and Righteous Father God Almighty providing a way through His Son, our High Priest, the Lamb of God to make us wholly clean and holy so that we can be reconciled to Him and have fellowship with Him. Our Father made the way for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. It is in the Person of Jesus Christ. We have nothing to do with it! And in reality, that’s part of the picture of Atonement: The people watched the High Priest act on their behalf just as we affirm that Jesus acts on our behalf. Their responsibility was to afflict themselves, to come humbly before God. Our responsibility is to afflict ourselves and to come humbly before our God. What an incredible picture of love and mercy, justice and righteousness!
You know, God’s holy days are such a blessing! They give us an incredibly precious glimpse into God’s plan, helping us see things from His perspective. I couldn’t help thinking about all these things as I was sitting on the ground having my face washed by two happy dogs.
An Ever-Flowing Stream
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24
I grew up in Wyoming where water is scarce. Here in Missouri, we don’t think about being mad at Iowa because too little water is coming down the Mississippi or the Missouri. We don’t think about taking Illinois to court because they’re not letting enough water come down the Illinois River. But that’s part of life in Wyoming, especially because they have five reservoirs on the Platte River, water that Nebraska wants. When we visited Pathfinder and Alcova Reservoirs in the fall of 2014, I couldn’t believe how low the reservoirs were and how low the Platte River was coming out of Alcova above Casper. Living in a state which gets, in its most arid locations, 5-8 inches of rain annually, I have a great appreciation for water and its importance in sustaining life. When I was a kid, Mom would joke that we’d gotten a 6-inch rain: the raindrops were 6 inches apart. Sometimes that’s all that would fall even if the clouds did look promising.
(I must point out that we drove the kids through the most arid parts of Wyoming, which only adds fuel to their assertion that Wyoming has no water. But other areas get 8-10 inches of rain, and some even get 20 inches of rain annually. These inches, however, mostly come as snowfall in the higher elevations, which can be as much as 200 inches.)
So when I read, But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, I have pictures in my mind of a sparkling clear, rushing stream which - as Julie Andrews sings - “laughs like a brook as it trips and falls over stones on its way.” I think of the precious water which means life. For Amos to have equated justice and righteousness with life-giving water is no accident. One of the pictures of Atonement is justice and righteousness reigning supreme over sin and death because of the reconciliation made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). The Old Testament description of removing sin and iniquities pointed to a time yet in the future, after Jesus returns. When all rebellion is dealt with at Jesus’ return and when we will be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, we will no longer be subject to sin. Our carnal nature will have been removed, dealt with, forever. This will be an exciting time as Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom and He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Under His headship, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Then we will see the fulfillment of scriptures in Isaiah which talk of the desert blooming.
Isaiah 35:6-7 . . . “For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water . . .”
Isaiah 35:1-2 - “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing . . .”
Isaiah 32:15-18 - “until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in peaceful habitation . . .”
After the return of Jesus (pictured by Trumpets), after the triumphing of justice and righteous over sin (pictured by the Day of Atonement), there will usher in a time when God’s people will dwell in peaceful habitation. The effect of justice and righteousness replacing sin and rebellion will be life. Like water causing the desert to rejoice and bloom, like a wilderness becoming a fruitful field, and the fruitful field having enough water to sustain a forest, under the kingship of Jesus Christ, this world will blossom and flourish! The Source of Life, the One who is the Living Water, will be in charge.
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
As we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles this coming week, think about the inauguration of justice and righteousness as the prevailing culture. Think about its life-giving influence. Think about how the land, and much more, God’s people, will bloom and flourish under the headship and government of the King.
I don’t think it was an accident that Wyoming received, statewide, so much rain this spring. Mom said it was green! I think it was a glimpse, for those who had eyes to see, what the future holds. I think it was an encouragement to persevere, to stay the course, to finish strong in service to the King. There is a day coming when the desert will bloom and the wilderness will become a fruitful field. I want to be there to see it and rejoice!
Pride and God’s Government
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. Obadiah 21
“ . . . and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.” I love that phrase. I associate it with other phrases, like “ . . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord . . .” (Phil. 2:10). Or “ . . . Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! . . . “ (Romans 7:24-25) Or “ . . . The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, . . . the lion shall eat straw like the ox . . . They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).
I love these verses. I love the promises God gives to His people in them. But has this all happened yet? No. This is what we were just celebrating in the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the time after the return of Jesus Christ, when He sets up His government. What joy there will be when “the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.”
But what’s the rest of Obadiah 21 talking about? Who and where is Mount Esau? Is Mount Zion different from Jerusalem? And what does it mean “saviors,” plural?
Mount Zion refers to the government set up in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ return. Zion is one of the mountains upon which Jerusalem is built. That’s why there are so many references to Zion in the Bible and why the term seems to be used interchangeably between Zion and Jerusalem.
Mount Esau is talking about the government of the people of Edom. They were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s older twin brother. The descendants of Jacob were called the people of Israel, or Israelites. There was a lot of conflict between these two nations, but then Israel was in conflict with everyone around them at one time or another.
This verse seems to indicate that when Jesus comes back, the people and the government of Edom will be taken over by God’s people who will rule from Zion, or Jerusalem. But why?
There are several charges, indictments, things that Edom did that made God angry. First of all and most importantly, they were in rebellion to God. God says to Edom (Ezekiel 35:13), “And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it.” Any nation that stands in rebellion to God will not stand for long.
Secondly, the people of Edom thought they were secure because of their mountains. It was difficult for enemies to get to them. Many of their mountains are over 5000 feet in height. Obadiah 3 (as does Jeremiah 49:16) talks about their arrogance and pride of heart because of this feeling of invincibility.
The people of Edom had also acquired a great deal of wealth. They were on a major north-south trade route known as the “King’s Highway,” as well as having iron and copper mines. Obadiah 6 alludes to the fact that the Edomites had safeguarded their treasures in vaults in the rock - and felt themselves prosperous and secure.
Also, the Edomites thought they were wise. The men of Teman were especially known for their wisdom (Obadiah 8-9). In fact, one of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, was a Temanite.
But the thing that Edom did which greatly displeased God was their actions and attitude against Judah when it fell in 586 B.C. Psalm 137: 7 records Edom’s attitude. “Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!’ ”
Joel 3:19 talks about the violence Edom did to the people of Judah. Ezekiel 25:12-14 says that “Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offense in taking vengeance on them.” Ezekiel 35:5 says, “. . . you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment.” Obadiah condemns Edom for gloating over the fall of Judah, for casting lots for Jerusalem, for looting when Jerusalem fell, for handing over survivors and keeping the fugitives from escaping. Edom took great joy in Jerusalem’s fall and actually profited from Jerusalem’s destruction.
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. Obadiah 21
The word “saviors” can also be translated “deliverers” (Zodiates’ study Bible commentary). So the picture here is, at the return of Jesus, God’s people will to up to Jerusalem to rule over the people of Edom - and it will be a good thing; it will be seen as saving them.
But there’s also a very important lesson for us today. It’s seen in two different proverbs.
Proverbs 17:5: Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 24:17-18: Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.”
Do not be happy when your enemy falls, when he gets what he deserves. God is quite able to take vengeance for the evil people have done - including you. When you (or I) rejoice that someone is being punished, God just might decide that we, in our arrogance, need some punishment and discipline as well.
And you know what, God gives us families to learn this lesson at a very young age. Let me tell you a secret that you may not already know: parents tend to react swiftly when one child rejoices that the other has been spanked for misbehaving. If we, as physical parents can feel that indignation, imagine how God, the One who does not sin, cannot sin, must feel.
There’s a wealth of things to talk about in this one little verse, but hold on to two things: watch out for pride; it’ll get you (and me) in big trouble. And secondly, the kingdom of God is coming when all things will be right. I want to be there, and I want to be part of the government of God, serving Him with all of my heart.
What Will You Cling To?
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. Jonah 2:8 (ESV)
Jonah 2:8 is an interesting verse. But when you first read it, you might wonder what in the world Jonah’s saying. Let’s look at a couple of other translations to see if they can make it more clear.
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. Jonah 2:8 (KJV)
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their true loyalty. Jonah 2:8 (RSV)
Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8 (NIV)
Those who regard vain idols [literally empty vanities] forsake their faithfulness, Jonah 2:8 (NASB)
Let’s look at “pay regard” first. The KJV says “observe,” the NIV says “cling to,” the other three say “pay regard” or “regard.” This phrase in the Hebrew means to pay attention to something or someone; to hold in esteem, affection or admiration; to guard, protect, keep safe. You “pay regard” to someone or something that you value. The NIV translation of “cling” fosters a mental image of treasuring something.
What is it that “they” pay regard to? vain idols, lying vanities, worthless idols. The NASB’s footnote says the Hebrew phrase is literally “empty vanities.” Over and over in the prophets, we are warned about making and worshipping idols. They’re the works of our own hands! How can they do anything for us? They are not God. They cannot move. They are nothing. They are empty. They are worthless.
So, what happens if “they” cling to a worthless idol? The last phrase is translated in these ways:
They forsake their hope of steadfast love.
They forsake their own mercy.
They forsake their true loyalty.
They forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
They forsake their faithfulness.
The verb is “forsake” or “forfeit.” They have turned away from. They’ve lost their chance to have. They’re at a crossroads where they must choose one or the other; they can’t have both. If they cling to the worthless idol, if they pay regards to vain idols, they lose the opportunity to have these things: hope of steadfast love, mercy, loyalty, grace, faithfulness.
Mercy from whom? Whose loyalty? Grace from whom? Whose faithfulness? Whose steadfast love? God’s!
Most people “get” this. They understand that if you have a choice between serving and worshipping God and serving and worshipping anything else, you should choose God! Hands down. What they don’t get is that you have to worship only God. You can’t serve God and something that opposes God or takes first place in your life in front of God. You can’t decide, intentionally, to do what God says only when it’s convenient and then do what you want to the rest of the time. You can’t decide, intentionally, that it’s okay to worship God the way He says to and try to worship Him with pagan practices. You can’t decide to change how He says He wants to be worshipped - and think that will be okay with God.
The covenant we make with God saying that He is our God means that He is God, He is Sovereign, He is our King. He gets to make the rules. They’re called commands because He expects them to be obeyed. If we intentionally decide not to follow those rules, His laws, then we’re rejecting Him as our God. And we are forfeiting our hope of steadfast love, of mercy, of God’s loyalty, of His faithfulness, and the grace that could have been ours. Make no mistake: God is a jealous God, and, in fact, He says His name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14). He told Moses and the Israelites this just after the incident with the golden calf. God made it very clear: You must follow God’s laws. You can’t make up your own laws and call them His. And if you’re going to worship other gods, He is not your God.
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love (Jonah 2:8, ESV).
Jonah, a prophet of God, had just experienced what this felt like. He had decided he didn’t want to preach to Ninevah and was going to flee from the presence of the LORD. That didn’t work out too well for him. He was thrown into the midst of a raging sea in the middle of a violent storm and subsequently swallowed by the fish. Being there for three days and three nights, he had some time to recognize the absolute stupidity of making anything else your god, especially your own wants and desires. In the very next verse, Jonah tells God he will do what he’s supposed to do. Then he says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD.”
You can worship other gods. You can serve yourself. Or you can turn yourself over completely, wholly, to the one true God, our God, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6).
Think about it. To what will you cling?
Required!
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
When we got our two black labs, I told the boys that they had to take care of the puppies. They had to make sure the labs had water and food. They had to pick up the dog poop. There were certain requirements that the boys had to be willing to meet before we would even consider taking those two soft, cute puppies home. But really, those weren’t all of the requirements. If you’re going to take a puppy into your home and it really be a good home, you have to do more than care for its physical needs. You have to lovingly discipline it and train it. You have to be patient with its misdeeds, because puppies have a way of perpetrating a few misdeeds. And, you have to spend time with the puppy. I remember Mom telling us kids that you can have a good outside dog, but it’ll always just be a dog. If you want a member of the family, you have to bring it inside.
I was thinking about our two black labs (and the newest edition) as a way to illustrate Micah 6:8. What did I require of the boys? I asked them to do justice: to do what was necessary and right and responsible, to act justly, to care for the dogs. They also needed to be patient, showing kindness, steadfast love, and mercy to the dogs. And they had to spend time with the dogs. The end result would be dogs who have a wonderful home and who are part of the family.
It’s a good object lesson. God requires three things of us, if we want to know what is truly good in our lives. We have to do justice. That is, we have to do what is right and necessary and responsible - according to God’s standards. We have to follow God’s laws. That’s the first requirement.
The second requirement is to love kindness. This word is also translated steadfast love or mercy. We should have an attitude of being kind to the world around us: the people, the animals, the plants, the environment. We are to nurture, not to tear down. We should be willing to forgive. We should be easy to be entreated. We should be ready to give people around us a second chance, or third chance, even when they don’t deserve it. Why? Because this is how God acts towards us! He forgives our sins. He doesn’t give up on us as we continue to make mistakes. He lovingly disciplines and trains us. How can we not have the same attitude of steadfast love towards those around us?
The third requirement is to walk humbly with our God. You can’t walk with anyone unless you agree with them (Amos 3:3). God is not going to do the changing (Malachi 3:6). He doesn’t need to change; He’s perfect. We’re the ones who need to be changed by God. And because He is the great God of the universe, if we’re going to walk with God, we’d better recognize His Sovereignty; we’d better be humble.
Isn’t it interesting what Mom used to say about the dogs? If you just wanted a dog, you can keep it outside. But if you want a member of the family, you bring the dog inside and let it live with you.
When we walk with God, we have to change. We have to become like God, through the changing power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can walk with Him. As we spend more time with God, the more we become like Him, thinking like Him, acting like Him. As we become more like Him, the more we become true children of the King, part of the family.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
All the Time
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7
If you didn’t now better, you might think this verse is plucked out of the middle of the psalms. There are psalms that sound like this.
Psalm 100:5: For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
But this verse is plucked out of the middle of Nahum, a book written about the impending fall of Ninevah, a major city of the terrible Assyrians. As you start thinking about it, you start to wonder why: why is Nahum (a prophecy against Ninevah) in the Bible, and why is this verse in the middle of it?
Nahum 1:3 states, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.” Our God is very patient, giving people plenty of opportunity to realize their sinfulness and turn away from it. Sinfulness and wickedness and all of the things wrong with our world don’t exist because God can’t do anything about them. Nothing could be farther from the truth!! God is great in power; there is nothing our God can not do. But He is also extremely patient. He waits and continues to work with people. Eventually though, there comes a time when God has had enough. There is a day of reckoning, a day of judgment, for all people. Sometimes that day of judgment comes for just you and sometimes that day of judgment comes on the whole nation altogether.
The day of judgment had come for Ninevah. They would be destroyed. But, do you think there might have been anyone who believed in Jehovah in Ninevah? Do you think there might have been a person or two who believed that God is good and trusted in Him? The prophecy by Nahum against Ninevah was given after the ten northern tribes had been taken into captivity and disbursed among the nations. Guess who took them into captivity: the Assyrians. It’s just possible that there were some Israelites in Ninevah, some Israelites who still trusted God. What an encouragement to them, by Nahum, that though trouble was coming, God is good and He had not forgotten them!
This encouragement resonants down through the years to us. Whether you are experiencing trouble (because everyone struggles with something) or whether you are sighing and crying because of the abominations done in this nation and around the world, you can take hope. Our God is good. He is a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in Him.
That word for “know” is #3045 yada. It means “to know, to perceive, to be aware of, to acknowledge, to know by experience.” Our God knows thoroughly and completely those who take refuge in Him.
Have you ever been teasing your older brother and when you go a little too far, you decide to hide behind Mom or Dad for protection? God’s protection is better than that. Imagine walking through the woods and seeing a bear. You run to the nearest tree and quickly climb it. God’s protection is more sure than that. Remember the Bible stories of David and Goliath, of Noah’s rescue from the Great Flood, of Daniel in the lions’ den, or of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. God rescued His people from trouble because they trusted in Him.
But God didn’t prevent them from having trouble in the first place. David faced Goliath. Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den. Noah had to build an ark and float with that zoo for over a year. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to stand firm that they would not do the wrong thing; they would not worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Their attitude was right! They refused to do the wrong thing regardless of what God did. They believed God could save them, but they also realized that God might have a different plan for their lives. In some cases, it was not God’s will to rescue them. Hebrews 11 lists those who remained faithful, even though they died.
So when we experience trouble, and we will experience trouble, we stay close to God, knowing that there is no better refuge than Him! He is our fortress, our stronghold, our refuge when things are good and when things are bad. Even if we suffer in this life and even if it means we lose our life, we stay close to Him, knowing that His view is eternity and what it’s going to take in our lives to get us to His kingdom. We might never know (Job wasn’t told.) why we have to go through something: perhaps it’s for our own growth; perhaps it’s for a witness to someone else. Our job is to stay close to our refuge, our stronghold, our God and to trust Him.
And we can trust Him because God is good . . . all the time.
By Faith
. . . but the righteous shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4
The boys and I had a very interesting two days this past week; we had the privilege of judging the National U-Fli Championship Competition at Purina Farms. It was amazing, and almost a little mind-blowing, that those dogs could fly down the track so quickly, pounce on that ball, and speed back to their handlers in less time than it takes me to describe it to you! Some of the races were decided in hundredths of a second. They were so close!
The dogs were various breeds, mixed and purebreds, tiny Italian greyhounds, muscular Dutch shepherds, wiry whippets, and noisy schnauzers. There were wild-eyed border collies, determined golden retrievers, obstinate Jack Russel terriers, and a dignified Westie. They all had one thing in common: they were going to get that ball and get back to their handler for a reward. I guess you could say they believed, every last one of them, that no matter whether they won or lost, their handler was going to be glad to see them and would reward them for their efforts.
In a very similar way, we who profess that Jesus is our Messiah live by faith. Our faith is just this: a belief that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). The first half of Hebrews 11:6 may seem like a given. Of course, God exists. If He didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be here. But it encompasses more than that. We believe that because God exists, because He is the Creator of the universe and everything in it, He gets to make the rules. As the potter, we (as the clay) are to be molded however He sees fit. We don’t get to decide what the rules are and where we belong in His universe.
Furthermore, in Christian, Biblical terms, we have entered into a covenant with Him. We who have accepted the blood of Jesus Christ for our sins, have accepted Him as our Savior. We’ve accepted that He bought and paid for us, the price being His own sinless, perfect life. Because we now belong to Him, in covenant, and we have agreed to turn our lives over to Him, to submit to His will, we have the opportunity to grow closer in relationship to Him - to both Jesus Christ and God the Father. This is what it means to us, as Christians, to say that we believe God exists!
Secondly, we believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That means that we trust God whatever comes our way. Whether we have plenty or are in want, whether the day is sunny or the storm clouds have rolled in, whether our health is good or we’re suffering, we believe that God knows what’s happening in our lives and our lives have purpose. The suffering and the blessings all have purpose. What happens to us, as we seek to be God’s servants with all of our hearts, is in God’s hands. So even if this life is not the stroll in the park we might have desired, we trust God that He knows what is best, it has a purpose for the future, and He will bless us beyond our imaginations in His kingdom.
With these two concepts as our foundation (the belief that God exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him), we can look at Habakuk 2:4 and assess how we are living as Christians.
. . . but the righteous shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4
There was an interesting thing which happened with those dogs. They knew they were to only get the ball which was in the spring box. If there happened to be another ball on the floor, they acted as if it didn’t even exist. If another ball escaped from the line next to them, they completely ignored it. They knew what their job was and they didn’t allow something to distract them from their task.
I love that! Each dog knew what it’s task was and it set its mind on the goal. Wouldn’t you love to have life be so simple that you knew exactly how your race was to be run and which ball you were to grab that would most please your Master? I think that’s where the word “righteous” comes in. “Righteous” means “full of rightness” or “doing what is right.” That goes back to believing that God exists and that He gets to make the rules. We don’t have to come up with our own standards; we just have to learn how to live by the standards God has revealed in His word.
Occasionally, a dog would spit the ball out too soon, or the ball would pop out of the box in a weird direction and he’d lose the ball. The dog always went back to His master and started over.
We too make mistakes. We’re not perfect yet. But when we fall short of the goal and don’t keep our eyes on the ball (so to speak), we go back to our Master, repent, and start over again. As the trainer/handler keeps working with the dog, the Holy Spirit causes the new creature within to grow ever more like our God. (Obviously, unlike the dog, we depend upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ for our reward: salvation.)
In a interesting object lesson, I watched race after race for two days, with dogs performing as their handlers desired they would perform. Some of the dogs would pounce on the ball quickly and then lackadaisically lope back over the starting line. They had their reward already: the ball. That’s kind of like the Christian who thinks that God is going to bless them in this life and they are not too concerned about God’s kingdom and pleasing their Master.
There were some dogs who would pop the ball out of the box, and when it would bounce into the corner of the ring, they’d give up and head back over the finish line without having accomplished the goal. They knew they were supposed to hurry. They knew it was a race. They just knew that they couldn’t get the ball and hurry at the same time. They just gave up. I always felt sorry for them. The ball just took a weird bounce and they were completely discombobulated. This is kind of like the Christian to whom life throws a curve ball. They get flustered and forget what they’re supposed to do. They look at the people around them and forget what their purpose is in this life. We are here for God’s pleasure, not for our own pleasure or for the pleasure of others. Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us when we bobble our responsibilities, anymore than the dog handlers rejected those dogs.
There were some dogs who would make A LOT of noise, but as soon as they began their run, they didn’t have time to bark. There were a few exceptions. One little terrier mix barked at every bound. In fact, when the dogs were in the ring, about ready to run their race, their intensity was palatable! I was so surprised to walk into the other side of the building, where the dogs were in their crates. It was quiet enough you could actually hear yourself think. Oh that we Christians would be so passionate about running our race for our Master!
In a very few cases, a dog would become so distracted by the other team racing against him that he’d leave his line, forgetting completely about the ball and the hurdles, and start chasing the other dog in the other line. It was immediately called as “interference” and the dog lost the race; the other team automatically won. I don’t want to become distracted by what someone else is doing in serving their master that I mess up my race and allow them to win by default. Seriously. Think about it! When I live by faith, I can’t allow myself to become distracted by anything or anyone else. My God is my primary focus. The task He has given me is my goal for completion. His standards are my guidelines to follow. I have no business looking at someone else’s race, at the ball they are carrying, and the pathway they are traversing. I have to keep my eyes on my God!
In the covenant terms, I can’t look at how someone else has decided God wants them to run the race. I know how God has told me to run. Those are the terms of the covenant that we agreed upon. I made a public confession that I had agreed upon those terms of the covenant when I was baptized. I can’t decide to change the terms of the covenant because the race isn’t easy, or because someone is doing it differently, or because I’m tired. God’s standards have not changed. The covenant we agreed upon has not been broken. God expects me to run the race that He’s set before me in the way He has told me to! In other words, or in Habakuk’s words, the righteous shall live by faith. I believe that God exists and has set the standard by which I live. That’s what I’m going to live by. That’s how I’m going to run my race. I’m going to keep my eyes on the goal that He has placed before me, believing that no matter what happens in my life, He’s in control. He will not leave me. He will never give me more than I can endure. He will guide me. He will encourage me. He will strengthen and teach me. He will reward me. But I have to do what He wants me to do. I have to run the race He has designed. I have to do it His way!
I love when God gives us object lessons to help us understand spiritual concepts. I love the image that played over and over before my eyes for 19 hours, of dogs running with all their heart just for the pleasure of their masters. Can I do any less? Can I just trudge through my days without the passion which comes from the awareness of how very much God has blessed me? Can I give less than my all in service for my King?
. . . but the righteous shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4
I want to live by my faith in such a way that it’s obvious to all that I serve the Great God of the universe. I want my faith to be evident in my passion, in my joy, in my willingness to do what God has asked of me. I want to see the joy of my Master in a job well-done. I want to run my race to win!!
Hidden in Christ
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD. Zephaniah 2:3
Have you ever had anyone really angry at you? Your mom? Your best friend? Can you imagine God being really angry at you? There’s a verse that talks about when God will shake terribly the earth. That is scary. Imagine God shaking the earth - the earthquakes, the volcanoes, the tsunamis, the tornadoes. Having God angry at you would not be a good thing. After all, God is a consuming fire.
So this verse tells us to seek humility. This is a reiteration of the beginning of the verse where it identifies who it’s talking to: the humble of the land. Humbleness and humility must be very important. In fact, Proverbs 6:16-19 list the things that God hates. Top of the list are “haughty eyes,” in other words, someone who is proud or arrogant. God hates pride. It makes sense that to avoid God’s wrath, we’d have to be humble. Look at 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” The apostle Paul says we “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion.” What is a “lofty opinion”? Sounds an awful lot like pride. Bringing every thought captive to obey Christ is a good definition of humility!
It’s interesting because, if we bring every thought captive to obey Christ, we’re going to be doing His will, we’re going to be acting in a right manner. We’re going to be doing “his just commands.” This is, essentially, seeking righteousness.
But seeking righteousness and seeking humility isn’t something you do just once and then you’re done. The Hebrew word for the word “do” (as in “who do his just commands) means to do habitually or systematically; it is your practice to conduct yourself in that manner.
But wait! The emphasis in this verse is not on what you do. The real emphasis is on who you are. That’s why the verse begins with “seek the LORD.” Your real security is in Christ. Think about it. When you read Zephaniah 2:3 and the phrase “perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD,” did you wonder what that was going to look like? How can you hide from God? Where could you go that God would not be there? Jonah tried to hide from God. That didn’t work out too well for him.
Well, look at Colossians 3:3: For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. This first phrase is talking about conversion from a sinful life to a relationship with Christ. It’s baptism. It’s the “old man” dying and the new creature in Christ growing and maturing. Once you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, then your life is hidden with Christ in God. That’s a very good place to be. In fact, that’s the only place you could be in order to be secure from the anger of the LORD.
Once again it’s all about relationship. It’s time to seek the LORD.
***Don’t Despise Small Things
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice; , , , Zechariah 4:10
Materials: small round rock, mustard seed, a match, word
People tend to overlook small things. When you see a small round rock, what Bible story does it bring to mind? Do you think of Goliath, a giant of a man, defying the armies of the living God? Or do you think of God using David, his sling, and a small round stone to gain a victory (1 Samuel 17:50)?
What about a mustard seed, a tiny mustard seed? What did Jesus say about a mustard seed? If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains (Matthew 17:20)! It seems incredible that if we truly had that much faith - a little tiny bit - we could do great things to bring glory and honor to God.
We could talk about God using Gideon’s 300 men to defeat an army of Midianites and Amalekites that were like locusts or the sand on the seashore as to number (Judges 7:12). We could talk about Jesus blessing and breaking the five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14) and feeding 5000 men.
What do all of these small things have in common? They all were small things that God used: the rock in the hand of David, a mustard seed faith in the heart of a believer, a small group of men defeating the foes of God’s people, and a boy’s lunch in the hands of Jesus. Each of these small things brought glory and honor to God.
Another small thing is a match. When you see a match, do you think of how “it only takes a spark to get a fire going?” It’s amazing how a little tiny match can start a pile of leaves or brush on fire. Such a tiny thing that you could easily smash and destroy has the power to create a blazing wildfire. James (chapter 3) makes the comparison between a tiny spark of fire and the power of our words. Our words have the power to tear down and they have the power to heal. Such a small thing - a word, a small comment, a smile or an insult, a harsh word, and a frown. What incredible power there is for good or for evil in the small things we do and say.
In Zechariah 4:10 God was comforting His people who had seen the magnificence of Solomon’s temple. The temple which was being built by Ezra after the people were brought back from captivity in Babylon was a small and pitiful temple in comparison. But God told them not to look down on the day of small things. It was a beginning. It might have looked small. But God often does great things with small things. And eventually, they would rejoice!
Sometimes we think that our actions don’t matter. We are rather insignificant. But God often takes the insignificant and uses it for His glory. If you are willing to be used of God, if you make it your goal and habit to act in a godly manner, if you trust God with all of your heart, He can take your words and deeds and use them in a very powerful way. But make a start today. Start reading His word, so you know what pleases Him. Start praying to Him. Start spending time thinking about His ways. Make a start. And don’t despise the day of small things. God doesn’t.
Strong in the LORD
I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD. Zechariah 10:12
Some of the most powerful scenes, to me, in The Empire Strikes Back, are the ones where Luke is working with Yoda, using his mind to raise his plane out of the swamp. The plane rises just a little, but then sinks again when R2-D2 starts beeping and Luke is distracted. Yoda chides Luke, and Luke frustratedly replies, “I’m trying.” Yoda says something like, “No. There is no ‘try’. There is either ‘do’, or ‘do not’. But no ‘try’.”
That scene makes me think of Christians and the gift they have within them, the Holy Spirit. When they allow the Holy Spirit to guide them and teach them, God is evident in their lives. But too often, I see Christians who are failing to follow God’s laws and they say something to the effect, “I’m trying.” Like Luke, they make excuses for why they aren’t able to keep God’s law. I wonder if God sees those excuses much like Yoda did. I wonder if God sees a lack of perseverance, commitment, and focus which leads to our failure. After all, Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside them, empowering them to make good choices.
I will make them strong in the LORD . . .
I think George Lucas did a great job of showing how the Force would be strong in the Jedi warriors. In The Return of the Jedi, Luke’s training progressed to the point where the Force was strong in him. He had his emotions and his mind under control. It’s another interesting parallel to Christians, how some Christians conduct themselves today, and how all Christians will be when Jesus Christ returns and sets up His kingdom! We will be strong in the LORD.
What does that mean to you? To me, that means that I will walk unwaveringly in His ways. I will exemplify a true child of the King, loving, serving, and obeying Him with all of my heart. I won’t be timid or weak in my faith, but I will walk boldly, proclaiming that God is the Almighty Sovereign God, the great Creator of the Universe and Redeemer of mankind. I won’t have to say anything; it will be obvious from the way I live my life.
. . . and they shall walk in his name, declares the LORD.
To walk in someone’s name means to be an ambassador for them. If you come in the name of the IRS, people suspect you want their money. If you come in the name of the police, people know you’re looking for bad guys. If you come in the name of the Cardinal baseball team, people know you’re looking for another good pitcher or hitter. If you come in the name of the LORD, people will know that you are representing God. You are the representative of God. You are completely accurate in how you explain His laws, His character, His plan for mankind.
But in order to do this, you have to know God intimately. You have to know God’s laws, His character, His plan for your life. You have to have a good comprehension of God so that you can represent Him to others. That implies one other thing: you have to agree with God. He’s right. It’s not that you’re going to change even one tiny detail of what He has said. It’s not that you’re going to try to improve upon anything that He’s commanded. His ways are perfect.
If you think that you need to change any of God’s laws (to make them easier, to make them relevant for today, to make them fit with your definition of the New Covenant, or for any other reason you can conceive), then the presence of the Holy Spirit is not strong within you and you’re not walking in His name. Seriously! Think about it! Could a representative of the IRS come to you and tell you that the government is collecting too many taxes from you, it’s too tough for you, and you don’t have to pay taxes anymore, and that the government will understand? Could a representative of the police come looking for a bad guy, find one and then say that they know they’ve murdered people, but the laws are too tough against murder so they’re just going to let them go, and they can murder all they want to? Could a representative of the Cardinals sign up Joe Schmoe off the street to pitch for millions of dollars, when he’s a total couch potato - and say that it’s okay that Joe can’t throw ten strikes in a row over the plate because the Cardinals are way too strict about that sort of thing anyway? We can see how an ambassador in our world has to accurately represent their organization. It’s the same with God! He wants people who are strong in their faith, believing in Him and willing to do what He says no matter what. He wants ambassadors who will accurately represent Him to all of the people around them.
Be strong in the Lord. And, not “may the Force be with you,” but may God be with you.
***A Scroll of Remembrance
a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. Malachi 3:16
Materials: little notebooks and pencils
What will you remember from this Feast? What will you and your family talk about for years to come?
Let me read Malachi 3:16-18 to you: 16Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Many years ago (1997), we were traveling home from the Feast. We started talking about the Feast, the sermons we heard, the fun we had had. That evolved into talking about previous feasts. Eventually, we decided we’d better start writing down all these memories before we forgot them. At that time, it meant writing down memories for 26 feasts for Mom and me! After we’d all gotten home, Mom started a rough draft of those Feast memories and sent it to me. I took her drafts and emailed them to my brother in WY and sister in NY. Once all of their additions came back to me, I put them together. Then I raided Mom’s family photo albums for photos. Once I had it all put together, I made copies for my brother, my sister, and Mom and Dad. Over the years, the binder has grown. The family has grown! When we first started doing this, Jonathan hadn’t even been born yet! So many memories! So many sermons! So many Feasts!!
You may think that you’ll never forget this Feast and the stuff you did. But time and the human mind is a funny thing. It’s easy to forget or to not remember the events accurately! So write it down. Make a scrapbook. After all, Malachi tells us that God has a scroll of remembrance. It’s probably a good idea for us to have one too!
God’s Book of Remembrance
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.” Malachi 3:16
I make lists. I write in a journal. I put notes on the calendar. I compile scrapbooks and photo albums. Why? Because I want to remember.
In Malachi 3:16, who wants to remember? It seems to indicate that it is God who will remember, especially when you read vs. 17 - “they will be mind when I make up my treasured possession.” I don’t necessarily think it means that God has to reminded as if He would be in danger of forgetting who it was who loves Him and esteems His name. But let’s look at the word “book.” The word “book” in Hebrew means “book, letter, document, or important legal document.” God doesn’t have to prove to anyone why He is saving a certain individual, giving them the reward of eternal salvation. But He is just. It only stands to reason that He’d have a legal record of those who demonstrate their allegiance to Him in word and deed. So it’s not because God would forget; it is a legal record for all eternity.
So if God is keeping a book of remembrance of those who are going to be His treasured possession, I definitely want to be in that book. It might be a good idea to figure out the criteria.
First, they spoke to one another. Who did they speak to? The phrase “one another” can mean “friend, personal friend, superficial friend, companion, neighbor, or associate.” But what is a person speaking to someone else about? The implication is that they are speaking about God and the things of God because just speaking about the weather, the latest tv show, or the latest gossip and dirt on your neighbor is not going to endear you to God.
Secondly, this group of people fears God. This is not fear like being terrified that something bad is going to happen. This is having the reverence, the healthy respect, for the Great Being. Yes, He holds your life in the palm of His hand. But God is good. He is righteous. He is just. So how do you fear God or show reverence to Him? It’s evidenced in your priorities, your daily choices, what’s on your mind that you talk about with others. What comes first in your life is what you honor, value, reverence.
Thirdly, this group of people, who will be God’s treasured possession, have another characteristic: they esteem God’s name. What does that mean? It means that you treat God’s name as valuable. That’s very reminiscent of the third commandment of Exodus 20: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. But it’s not just about His name; it’s about believing that there is nothing so important as God. That belief manifests itself in your words and deeds - which leads us right back to Malachi 3:16.
I love this verse. I love knowing that when I talk about God, what He’s done in my life, about the amazing things He reveals in His word, that God hears me. He writes it down. He promises that I will be among His treasured possession! I really like the thought of being among God’s treasured possession.
**Jewels!
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; Malachi 3:17, KJV
Materials: shiny rocks, beads, jewels
In the world, we often are not the one who is chosen first. Have you ever been in a situation where they were choosing up teams, and you were the last one chosen? Or even worse, when all the “good” players were chosen, the captains argued over who had to take you?! It doesn’t feel very good to be rejected, to have people think you aren’t valuable.
Praise God! You don’t have to worry about that with God! He has chosen you! He has called you a precious jewel. He has said you are His. Malachi 3:16-17 says, Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (I like the KJV because it says “jewels.” Other translations say “treasured possessions.”)
We talked yesterday about rejoicing before God, and one the reasons we rejoice is because of the relationship with have with Him. Just like you choose a special rock or jewel from a box to be your own special treasure, God chose each of us to be in a relationship with Him, to come to know Him, to not just be a servant, but to be adopted into His family as His child, and to eventually dwell in His kingdom with Him forever.
As each of you chooses a rock or jewel, let’s talk about what you’re going to do with it: make a necklace, a pin, a keychain, or just have it as something to keep with you in your pocket because it’s special. Just like you having a plan for the jewel, God has a plan and a place in His family for each of us that He has chosen.
We’re going to spend the next several days talking about the plans God has for us and the rejoicing that will bring!! In the meantime, you rejoice now knowing that you are chosen by God, adopted into His family, to be His!