Year 9, Day 273: Malachi 1

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Malachi is a prophet too the Hebrew people coming back from exile.  Times are tough for the people.  They have to give taxes to the Persian king who granted them permission to return.  They have to fend off the people who came into the land after the Babylonians dragged them out.  They don’t only have to survive, but rebuild.  It was a hard life, filled with distraction, disruption, and defeat.

It makes sense the people would get frustrated and lose sight of the goal.  It also makes sense that the Lord would need to send prophets to inspire and motivate them.  This is what Malachi is sent to do.

I love Malachi’s opening analogy.  The Lord is either father or master. 

If He is father, then we should be in relationship with Him.  We should seek Him out.  We should honor His presence.  We should enact His wisdom.  We should bear His name upon our brow with joy!

If he is master, then we should obey His command.  We should do as He asks.  We should fear His rebuke.  We should be His dutiful hands and feet.

God’s issue is that as the people and the priest have come back from exile they are doing neither.  They are going back to their own rebellion because life is hard.  Instead of loving God or fearing Him, they are deserting Him.  They are offering up pitiful sacrifices because they have to, not because they want to.

God deserves so much more than our cast-off sacrifices.  He deserves to be the prime of our life.  He deserves to be our core relationship.  He should be our God, not our afterthought.

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Year 9, Day 272: Zechariah 14

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Zechariah 14 closes the book with a vision.  There can be no doubt in the interpretation of this vision.  Since the Lord has not established Himself as the earth literal king, and since the nations do not literally go up to worship Him, this vision is yet to come.  This vision speaks about the time when the Lord will come in power and force, not grace and peace.

There are a few things that strike me about this time, though.  First, there will be resistance.  Those who resist will receive a plague that sounds an awful lot like trench rot.  The plague will even spread to the horses and camels and implements of the rebellious people.  The world will not subdue easily.  Rebellion is simply a part of who we are.  We are individuals, and we don’t get in line very easily.

There is a second side to this.  Notice that even after the Lord does establish Himself as king that people will still have the freedom to interact with Him.  Those who do not come simply won’t get rain.  This implies that people will have the freedom to not come.

I find this amazing.  Even after the Lord is king, people will reject Him.  Even when the Lord’s kingdom is a physical and tangible thing, people will revolt and do their own thing.

I shouldn’t be surprised by this.  Even as I write, I understand that the Lord is king of my life and that His Spirit dwells within me.  Yet, here I am still wrestling with sin.  Here I am desiring to follow my own agenda.  Here I am still trying to be Lord of my own life even after professing Christ as king!

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Year 9, Day 271: Zechariah 12-13

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After nine years of spiritual growth and maturity, I still agree with the words written almost a decade ago.  Many people read these chapters of Zechariah and think of the end times.  I read these chapters and think of the first coming of Christ.  I don’t think either is necessarily wrong.  I simply see more signs point us to the Christ we know and find it more useful to examine what we know for sure than what we can only hypothesize.

We are told of the one who was pierced.  Certainly, that is a reference to Christ.  He was pierced for our transgressions.  He bore our iniquity.  Those who look upon Him do mourn because it was necessary for God to sacrifice Himself for our sake.  We are grateful for the sacrifice, but it is sad that such a sacrifice is necessary.

What convinces me to look at this passage through the lens of the past instead of the les of the future is the description at the end of the passage regarding the one who is pierced.  God tells us that a fountain will be opened to cleanse the land.  Christ did pave the way to salvation through the cross.  After the ascension, the Holy Spirit comes as a fountain into our life.  The Holy Spirit comes to sanctify us and to draw us to God.

In Christ, God does look at us and say that we are His people.  In Christ, we do look to God and say that He is our God.  In Christ, we can call upon God and He will answer us.

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Year 9, Day 270: Zechariah 11

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This is a wickedly complex chapter.  Zechariah becomes a shepherd over the flock doomed for destruction.  This is a harsh comment, especially given that this flock doomed for destruction is just returning from exile!  It’s like God isn’t giving them a chance!

In a sense, He isn’t.  God knows human beings.  We are sinful.  We will fall into destruction.  We will always feel the tug of sin and always need to resist it.  Even as God is restoring us, He is prepping for the next time we fall.  If that wasn’t true, we wouldn’t really need Christ!

The Hebrew people are a great case study of this.  The were in exile in Exodus when God made them His people.  He allowed them freedom, but they demanded a king.  He gave them a king and the fought against the oppression and did things their own way.  As a result, God put them back into exile.  When the people return, the prophets and priests create a strict set of laws to prevent people from slipping back into the rebellion.  However, this strict set of rules leads to the staunch legalism that is around when Jesus comes to the Hebrew people.  Instead of rebelling into selfishness, the Hebrew people rebel into legalism!  They truly are a people doomed for destruction.

None of us are really any different.  Life is not lived in the extremes.  We cannot find righteousness through self-centered interests.  Neither can we find righteousness in legalism.  As a people doomed for destruction, we only find righteousness in the pursuit of a Christlike nature.  We only find righteousness when we realize we cannot obtain it ourselves and receive it from God.

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Year 9, Day 269: Zechariah 10

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Zechariah 10 brings us back to the Exodus.  God tells us that He will restore the people.  Like Abraham, He tells the people that they will return and be so numerous that there won’t be room for them.  In fact, God even tells them that they will pass through the sea of trouble on their way back.

In comparing this restoration to the Exodus, God intends to set up a pattern.  He is our savior.  He is the one who can restore us.  He can take us out of bondage and bring us into peace.  He can cause us to prosper when we have no reason to think we should.

There is more to the Exodus comparison than this, though.  God is sending the message that we will go through turmoil.  Sometimes the turmoil will be brought on by our own actions like the Babylonian captivity.  Other times the turmoil will be brought on by the oppression of others like the Egyptian captivity.

The point, though, is that God is bigger than our turmoil.  Self-inflicted or oppression, God can save us.  He can take our repentance and bring us to the Promised Land.

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Year 9, Day 268: Zechariah 9

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God’s Word surprises.  Zechariah 9 reads like a common prophet.  God promises doom against the nations of the world.  God promises love for His people.  It feels very common.

Zechariah 9:9 seems to bring about even more comfort.  God’s king comes riding on a donkey.  He comes on the colt of a donkey.  This is the passage that is quoted in the Triumphal Entry.

How often is Zechariah 9:9 quoted and how seldom is Zechariah 9:10 quoted?  God will cut off the chariot.  The war horses will fail.  The bow will be cut off.  God will speak peace to the nations.

I find it interesting that God’s king will not come in a massive surge of power.  God’s king comes with a wave of peace.  God’s king comes in a manner that isn’t like the world expect or even promotes.  Instead of dominating through power, God comes in peace.

Zechariah 9:9 should remind us of the Triumphal Entry.  Zechariah 9:10 should prove it was about Jesus.  The Hebrew people expected their Messiah to come in a display of force.  People even tried to make Jesus into that very political weapon.  Yet, when Jesus is on the scene He isn’t about military domination or other displays of power.  Jesus comes in peace with a message of peace.  He tells us to turn the other cheek, to not let our anger have a place in our heart, and to not repay evil with evil. 

He is the Messiah, but not because He rode a donkey.  He is the Messiah because He came in peace to bring peace.  Zechariah 9 contains a few surprises among the verses of familiarity after all.

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Year 9, Day 267: Zechariah 8

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In Zechariah 8. God promises His blessing.  He tells Zechariah that He is past judging the Hebrew people for the iniquity in their midst.  Instead of bringing the nations to the door of the Hebrew people in judgment, God says that He will spare them from the nations.  In fact, going to the end of the passage gives us an indication that the world will come to the Hebrew people because they know that God is among them.

What brings about the change?  God tells His people to speak truth to one another, to render just judgments, to seek peace, to not devise evil against one another, and to not love false oaths. In other words, God asks us to deal righteously with one another.  He wants us to live out peace, not merely say we live out peace.  He wants us to practice what we preach.  He wants us to live out His will rather than focus on our own selfishness.

Having quoted most of Zechariah 8:16-17, it makes sense to finish the list.  God says that these things are what God hates.  God hates it when we speak lies.  He hates it when we seek violence.  He hates it when we plot and scheme against our neighbor.  He hates it when we take false oaths.  Perhaps I’m alone in this, but that sounds like a fairly decent summary of a significant portion of the Ten Commandments.

In the end, what is the point of it all?  The world will come to God.  The world will see the greatness of God and recognize where He dwells.  People will seek Him out.  However, they will seek Him out not out of fear of His judgment but because they see the way that His people live.  The world will see God’s peace, His righteousness, His grace, His love, and His mercy in the way that His people exist.  It is about people coming to Him; we are invited into that most holy purpose.

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Year 9, Day 266: Zechariah 7

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As difficult as the visions in Zechariah are to piece together, Zechariah 7 seems blessedly simple.  A request is made of the Lord as to whether or not they should continue to fast as was their tradition during the exile. 

The response from the Lord is classic.  God asks the people if they fasted for His benefit or for theirs.  This is a beautiful point! It is absolutely worth heeding and contemplating.

When we fast, what is the point?  Are we trying to prove ourselves worthy to God?  If that’s the case, can we even accomplish that task?  Can any amount of fasting and praying make my character righteous?

When we fast, are we trying to win points with God so that He will be convinced to see things our way?  If that’s our reason, it sure makes fasting and prayer sound like manipulation to me!  Should I really think that my actions will coerce God to allow me to have my way?

The reality is that when I fast and pray, I should fast and pray so that my heart is changed.  It is my heart that needs to be cleansed.  It is my mind that needs focusing upon God’s way.

God doesn’t need me to prove myself to Him.  He already knows I cannot; that is why He sent Jesus!  He doesn’t need me to prove my righteousness because He has taken care of it.  What He needs me to do is recognize that I am the one who needs to work on my heart and mind.  He needs me to do what is necessary to embrace and live out the righteousness that He gives to me.  He needs me to focus more on showing His love and mercy to the people around me than to focus on trying to prove myself to Him.

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Year 9, Day 265: Zechariah 6

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The horses are back.  In the opening chapter of Zechariah, the horses were sent out to scout.  Now, they are teamed up and hooked to war chariots.  They are sent out to the north and south (probably symbolizing Egypt and Babylon).  In the last chapter Zechariah hears about judgment going out.  Today, we see that it does go.

What’s interesting about this chapter is that after God sends out the horses, His Spirit is at rest.  God’s Spirt is at rest after judgment goes out.

This is a significant message about God’s character.  So often we choose to think about the loving nature of God.  We focus on His compassion.  We focus on His generosity.  We focus on His kindness.  We focus on His forgiveness. 

Each of these things are true, and they deserve our focus. It shouldn’t affect our true perspective of our God, however.  God is a righteous God.  He doesn’t simply stand for love, He stands for justice.  God’s love comes after our sinfulness has been dealt with.  This is why the Hebrew people had to go to exile.  This is why Jesus had to come and die.  This is why there are consequences for our sin that we have to deal with on a daily basis.  God is a loving and forgiving God whose Spirit is at rest only after justice has been done.

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Year 9, Day 264: Zechariah 5

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The visions in this chapter are not combined, but they are placed side by side to convey a combined meaning.  They are also difficult to perceive.  Once more, Zechariah has difficulty understanding.  What he sees makes sense to him, but he cannot make sense of the deeper spiritual meaning.

With the flying scroll, God is attacking how people treat each other.  Those who steal will receive the curse.  Those who take away from another person’s reputation likewise receive the curse.

Why is God targeting these two sins in particular?  Remember that Zechariah is writing as the people are coming back from exile.  They are rebuilding the land.  This is not the time for divisions to develop among the people.  This is not the time for enemies to be made among people who should be supporting one another.  This is not the time to let infighting deplete what few resources are there to allow the Hebrew people to rebuilt.

Furthermore, remember that the Hebrew people went into exile because they believed that they were untouchable.  They believed that God wouldn’t judge them because they were His people.  God wants to remind them that as they are coming back from exile that God’s curse can apply to them as well as the rest of the world.

This leads us into the second vision.  Here we have a woman in a basket.  Hat isn’t clear, though, is that the word for basket plays a double role in Hebrew.  It is the word for the largest unit of measurement for the Hebrew people of the day.  In other words, God gives Zechariah a vision of wickedness that can only be kept in the largest container available.

What’s God’s point?  As the Hebrew people return from exile, they need to be reminded that their sinfulness is vast.  Human sinfulness is great in size.  Not only will it be judged, as learned in the first vision, but it has a right to be judged because of its greatness in quantity.  It isn’t like human beings are slightly evil.  It isn’t like we are mostly good with sporadic moments of sin.  We are sinful human beings whose sin taints just about everything with which we come into contact.

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Year 9, Day 263: Zechariah 4

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Zechariah continues to amaze.  His imagery is vivid, familiar, yet also cryptic.  It is easy to read Zechariah and feel like the symbols are known but the meaning escapes.  This is intentional.

One of the greatest things about the prophets is their honesty.  In the very beginning, Zechariah confesses that the angel talking with him woke hi as if out of a sleep.  Zechariah is trying to convey an understanding of the difference between life as we know it and life with God.  We feel alive now; but life in the presence of God will be so real that it will make our present reality feel like a dream.  That’s a rather incredible thought.

Along the same lines of honesty, note that Zechariah confesses with each revelation that he doesn’t get it.  This shows consistency.  Zechariah already said that seeing the things of God made him feel as if waking up from a dream.  Now he confesses that he doesn’t understand what he is seeing, anyways.  It makes sense.  The prophetic honesty is a thing to be desired.

This message is also consistent with the purpose of the vision.  God’s point is that the land will be rebuilt upon the Lord’s Spirit and by His power.  He is the one who stands beside us and works with us.  He gives us understanding.  He gives us purpose.  Life without Him is utterly compared to the greatness of life with Him.

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Year 9, Day 262: Zechariah 3

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Zechariah 3 is a great chapter.  In this chapter we meet Joshua (not the Joshua of the Exodus but the Joshua who was the priest at the time of Zechariah).  Joshua is clothed in filthy garments.  In every sense of the word, he is unfit for the priestly duties.

In this regard, Satan comes before the Lord and accuses him.  I love this for several reasons.  First, it reminds us of the Garden of Eden as well as the story of Job. In both stories, Satan comes to disrupt the relationship between God and His followers.  Here it is no different.  Satan comes to point out why Joshua is unfit.

Why is this important?  So many times people think of Satan and God as choosing up teams.  I don’t think this is correct at all.  Satan isn’t trying to recruit us.  He is simply trying to destroy our relationship with the Lord. He wants to ruin our connection to God, not have a bigger pool of human followers.  Satan isn’t competing with God, Satan is resisting God’s plan.

There is something to remember, though.  Satan’s not wrong.  Joshua is sinful.  He does need God’s purification.  He is guilty of the rebuke.

That being said, Satan isn’t saying anything that God doesn’t know.  God knows our imperfections quite well.  He knows our imperfections and still invites us into service with Him.  He makes the way to purification possible.  As He purifies Joshua for service, He purifies us as well.  Satan might not be wrong, but God is bigger than Satan’s accusations.

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Year 9, Day 261: Zechariah 2

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In Zechariah 2, we get more prophetic views.  These views are incredibly hopeful.  In these views we see the future that God sees.  In these views we can see what God sees when He looks at the world.

In the first vision, we are told of a time when Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls.  In other words, Jerusalem won’t need protection.  Jerusalem will be safe.  Jerusalem will exist in a time when human beings are no longer dominating one another but are existing in God’s peace.  Zechariah’s prophecy speaks of a future time of peace.

The second prophetic view is one of restitution.  Those who oppressed the Hebrew people will be plundered by them.  The people who used their power to be dominant over the Hebrew people will find that under God they are no longer dominant.

It goes deeper than this, though.  God also tells us that in this time there will be other nations that will join with the Hebrew people.  There will be people in the world who see God’s ways and wish to come into relationship.  Such people will be called God’s people regardless of whether they are genuinely Hebrew by birth or not. God knows His people by who they are in their hearts, not who they are by their lineage.

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Year 9, Day 260: Zechariah 1

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Zechariah is an incredibly messianic book.  The horsemen of this chapter lay the foundation for the infamous four horsemen of the apocalypse.  Zechariah looks to a future where the enemies of the Hebrew are dealt with.  Zechariah longs for a future where the world is restored and God is at peace with His people.

The vision of the horsemen is intriguing.  Zechariah sees a horsemen and goes to hear a report.  The horseman says that all the world is at peace.  Remember, this is given when Darius is king and the Hebrew people are only just beginning to be allowed to go back to Jerusalem.  The world is at peace, but God’s people are not.

Of course, it is important to realize how the world came to its peace.  The Egyptians gained peace through military domination.  The Assyrians followed the same pattern.  The Babylonians followed the same pattern.  The Persians have now done the same.  The Greeks will follow them, the Romans them, and the story still continues.  Even into the modern age, people only know peace through military superiority.  The cold war – a time where people feared war but didn’t know war – was brought about because of a fear of military power.

The world comes to peace through its display of might.  The world knows peace when someone flexes their muscles and nobody is able to challenge.  The world knows peace when a massive king-of-the-hill battle ensues and we all learn our pecking order.  The world knows peace not because we choose it, but because those who are stronger impose it upon those who are weaker.

God reminds Zechariah that the Hebrew people were judged because they rebelled.  He reminds Zechariah that even the prophets who brought His Word to the people are since dead.  Our power – our ability to impress our will upon others – is limited.  We will fade away.  Much like the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and all the other powers that have risen and fallen, we will also rise and fall.  God, however, will not fall.  He will persevere.  He will bring peace not by dominating over us but by dealing with our humanity.  He will endure, we will pass away.  He, not us, is the source of true peace.

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Year 9, Day 259: Haggai 2

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There are days that I find God absolutely amazing.  That sounds a bit wrong.  I should find God amazing every day.  I do.  But some days the amazing is astounding.  Other days the amazing is comforting.  Other days the amazing is logical.  Today, the amazing is incredible.

God’s love is never deserved.  In fact, God’s love is always a gift.  Nobody ever honors Him like we should.  Nobody ever worships Him like we should.  Nobody ever follows Him like we should.  God is always coming to a people who don’t deserve Him and extending the olive branch of grace and love and mercy.

God does the same thing to His people through the prophet Haggai.  In the last chapter, God came to His people and reminded them to build His temple while they are busy focusing on themselves.  Today, we hear God come and make promises.  He promises that His Spirit is still among them.  He promises that He will bless them.  He promises that when it all shakes out and the world is judged, He will remember His people.  He says all of this because He is gracious, loving, forgiving, and merciful.

This is God.  He loves the unlovable.  He responds in grace when He is forgotten.  He does chastise, judge, and call into account; but when He does this it is because He wants us to repent and live a better life.  He has every right to walk away from His people because we continually focus on ourselves and not Him.  Yet He comes and loves us in spite of our rebellion.  His love is astounding.

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Year 9, Day 258: Haggai 1

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Haggai 1 is an ominous chapter, especially since it should be a message form a prophet who has every reason to be happy!  Haggai lived after the Persians conquered Babylon and while Darius came to Hebrew leaders to allow them to return to Jerusalem and start rebuilding.  The time of judgment is over.  The time for rebuilding is at hand.  It is a time for the remnant to return and be faithful.

Instead, the people returned and focused on their own lives.  They built their own homes.  They planted their own fields.  The protected their own claims of land.  In other words, the faithful remnant returns and proves how human they actually are.  Even among the faithful, self-centeredness reigns.

They ignored the Lord.  The temple wasn’t built.  The message of the Lord wasn’t going anywhere.  The people had returned, but they didn’t have the Spirit of the Lord among them.

Look at the critique in verse 5.  How can you live in expensive houses when my temple is a pile of ruins?  This is a harsh statement, but it goes to the heart of the people.  They are focused on restoring their fortunes and making their life as luxurious as possible.  Yet, they neglect the Lord.

In the modern age, it isn’t so much about the temple anymore.  Instead, God is concerned about the heart because He now dwells within us.  That actually makes this harder, not easier.  While god may not be concerned about the status of a building, He absolutely cares about the status of our heart!  We are not to neglect the conditions of our heart.  We are not to allow evil to reside.  We are responsible for sweeping our heart clean and not giving sinfulness a place to reside.

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Year 9, Day 257: Zephaniah 3

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Zephaniah 3 gives us God’s perspective on the world around us.  It helps us see exactly what God is doing through the Hebrew people.  Most of us don’t grasp the plan of God from an extremely zoomed out view very often.  I struggle to be able to keep that kind of eternal perspective.

God chose the Hebrew people with whom to have relationship.  He brought them out of Egypt.  He raised them to know His ways.  He protected them and prospered them.  He then watched them rebel.  He saw them chase after foreign gods.  He brought judgment against them and destroyed them, only bringing the faithful remnant through the judgment intact.

God did this as an example to the world.  Think about what God did through Jesus.  In Jesus, God paved the way to relationship with Him.  Yet, He watches the world continuously turn away from Him, chase their own gods, and rebel.  In the Hebrew people, God foreshadows what will happen between Himself and the whole world.

As Zephaniah says, the world had better watch out.  Judgment is coming.  There will be a day when the Lord turns furious against us.  He will bring His wrath.  Those who are proud and arrogant will be ashamed.

However, Zephaniah reminds us that the judgment isn’t the end of the story.  God will bring the faithful Hebrew people back.  Likewise, God will bring the faithful in the world through His judgment as well.  All hope is not lost.  There is reason to celebrate, even in the midst of turmoil and judgment!  We can know that God will spare the faithful and the righteous.

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Year 9, Day 256: Zephaniah 2

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A humble nature is a common theme among the prophets.  It is also common for the prophets to have a message for the people before judgment comes upon them.  These two things should go together.  When judgment comes, it comes for a reason.  Judgment comes to us because we are sinning.  Sin inherently comes when we are acting for our own sake and not living humbly.

This is why Zephaniah encourages the Hebrew people to be humble.  He asks that those who are in relationship with the Lord to seek righteousness and humility.  He asks this because there is a chance they might be spared. The humble and the righteous might find that judgment passes over them.

In contrast, look what Zephaniah has to say about the Moabites and the Ammonites.  They insult and taunt the Hebrew people.  They mock God.  Judgment is coming in return for their pride. 

Look also to the prophecy against the Assyrians.  Nineveh will lie desolate.  They who boasted to be greatest among the nations will lie empty and devoid of civilization.  They will be ruled by wilderness and the beast of the wilderness.  Anyone who passes by will know their ruin.

God has an issue with pride and boasting.  He has an issue with people who mock and taunt.  Humbleness – the ability to recognize one’s place – is a great cure against pride and boasting.  This is why Zephaniah encourages the people to try to avoid judgment by seeking humbleness.

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Year 9, Day 255: Zephaniah 1

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Zephaniah is nothing if not honest.  He’s also not afraid of layering out a healthy dose of fear.  Very little about this first chapter of Zephaniah is what we would call pleasant.  It is honest, but not much to anticipate.

Zephaniah speaks to the whole world.  God says that He is going to sweep away everything from the face of the earth.  When He says everything, He means everything.  He is going to sweep away man, beast, bird, and fish.  There is something else at the end of verse 3 that is worth noting.  God will sweep away all idols that cause mankind to stumble.

I believe this to be quite significant.  God is not just interested in cleaning house, He is interested in showing that He is the dominant influence in the world.  In fact, it is His world to begin with!  He is interested in showing us that what truly concerns Him is getting rid of that which distracts us from Him.  He wishes to do away with the very things that we turn into idols.

As a prophet, Zephaniah is not ashamed of speaking about this process in honest terms.  God’s Day of Judgment will be a harsh day.  Zephaniah describes it as wrath, as anguish, and trouble, as gloom, and as blackness.  Because of our sin, we will grope around as blind. 

Our wealth won’t be able to save us.  His jealousy will consume the world.  It’s an image we don’t think about God.  His jealousy will come against our idolatry.  His jealousy will be our downfall.  He desires relationship with us so much that it will be the cause of our judgment.  His wrath will come against us in judgment because He is jealous for us.

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Year 9, Day 254: Habakkuk 3

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Habakkuk 3 is Habakkuk’s response to God.  I find it interesting to see how the prophet responds when he turns to God.  Habakkuk understands.  He even praises God!  He recognizes the omnipotence and wisdom of God and His position.

I love what Habakkuk says.  He will be patient in waiting for vindication.  Though the famine pursues the land and the herds are diminished, he will rejoice.  God is his savior and he knows it.  Hearing from God does not change his opinion; it bolsters it.

I also love what Habakkuk says about God.  The prophet has a different perspective of God than is typical.  The prophet sees God the whole way around, not just from a preferred perspective.  Most people see the God that comforts them however they need to be comforted; the prophet can look to God and enjoy facets that might disturb others.

For example, look at how Habakkuk describes God’s coming.  We get the normal expressions about God’s splendor being like the coming of the sun.  His glory covers the heavens.  His power flashed forth.  Habakkuk also says that plague went before Him and pestilence followed.  These are unusual descriptions of God, and certainly they are not the images that comfort most people!  However, they are true.  God often uses pestilence and plague when going about His business.  With the God of glory is also a God who controls and utilizes pestilence.

Habakkuk hears of the Lord and his heart pounds.  His lips quiver.  Many could relate to these expressions.  Habakkuk goes further.  He says that decay creeps into his bones and his legs quiver.  So often we think that God is a welcoming grandfatherly figure.  He is also the one who brings pestilence and plague within His judgment.  Habakkuk recognizes the full spectrum of God, not just the things that we find pleasing.

That is why I love reading the prophets.  Their perspective is often so refreshing!

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Year 9, Day 253: Habakkuk 2

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Habakkuk 2 gives us the Lord’s reply to Habakkuk’s second complaint.  How does God respond to the fact that sin and human treachery abound?  What is His reply to Habakkuk?

God reminds Habakkuk that His judgment is eternal.  He is watching over the people and weighing their actions.  He understands that action leads to consequence.  He understands that repeated actions lead to habits, customs, and traditions.  God is concerned not just with injustice, but patterns of injustice.

God understands the danger of extortion.  When people take what is not theirs, where will the pattern of behavior stop?  How many poor, defenseless, and unprotected people will someone who is accustomed to extortion overrun before they see the error of their ways?

God understands the danger of violence.  When those who oppress others through violence become accustomed to their ways, when will they stop?  When does the bully see the error of their ways?  When do the warring nations decide to put aside their differences and live in peace?

God understands idolatry.  When do the gods of our own making actually answer us?  When can the gods of our own making actually help?  On the other hand, when will we stop worship things that we ourselves have made?  When will we understand the fallacy of worshipping what has come out of our own creativity?

God knows the answers to all of this.  No matter what punishment He brings upon the world, the world will continue to be itself.  The only solution will come in the end, when humanity is judged for good, and as we hear elsewhere in the Bible, it is remade.  To that end, God sits upon His throne in the temple.  He is watching, waiting, and planning.  He knows who we are, He continues to see who among us are willing to recognize what we are as well.

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Year 9, Day 252: Habakkuk 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Habakkuk is a most interesting book.  In its most basic premise, it is a conversation between a faithful man and his God.  Habakkuk has questions for God, so he takes the to God.  God does him the favor of answering.

Habakkuk’s first question is straightforward.  Habakkuk looks around him and sees people abusing one another.  There is physical violence.  There is plotting and scheming to take what someone else has.  Conflict is just about everywhere in society.  I can’t say that I disagree with him.

Habakkuk’s conclusion is also common.  When evil reigns, it flaunts itself in the presence of good.  When evil abounds, it makes righteousness seem impotent.  When everyone is doing evil and nobody seems to be suffering consequences, it spreads.  How can God tolerate this?

God’s reply is also classic God.  God’s perspective is not the present but the eternal.  God desires to let human beings show their heart.  He wants us to see ourselves for who we are.  He knows us, He wants us to know ourselves as well as He knows us.  He gives evil time to show its ugly head before He comes in with judgment.  He wants to see the root of the evil before He comes in and cuts the head off the snake.  God is going to bring in the Babylonians to execute His judgment once sin has come to its full head.

God’s ways are often hard to understand.  From our temporary perspective, God sometimes seems indifferent or uncaring.  He seems slow to move and even slower to judge.  From God’s perspective, though, He knows what He is doing.  The only way to get to the truth of humanity is to allow our sinfulness to fester and fully expose itself.  Then we can see who we truly are, not just who we let the world see in the light.

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Year 9, Day 251: Jude

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Jude is a tough book to read.  It’s also a Toughbook to translate.  It is filled with obscure words and obscure images not found elsewhere in the Bible.  We hear stories about Michael debating with Satan over Moses’ body.  We hear about Enoch’s supposed prophecy.  It’s a difficult book on a good day.

What can we learn from the book?  Jude is concerned about the faithfulness of the people.  He fears for their perseverance.  False teachers are infiltrating the believers.  Jude wants the people to stay faithful.

How does Jude tell us that we will recognize the false teachers?  They follow ungodly desires.  They are not merciful.  They reject authority.  They slander what they do not understand.

Jude is fearful of people who follow their own hearts.  He knows how difficult it is to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before one’s God.  It takes perseverance and drive to stay loyal.  That is Jude’s hope for his audience.

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