Nahum II: Empty Refuge

Nahum II

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. (Nahum 1:7 ESV)

Empty Refuge

I was once in a teen-age summer vacation war in the woods near our neighborhood.  We fought with bb guns, water-balloons, sticks, and occasionally rocks. 

Tired of losing battles, we built a fort out of old plywood sheets, fallen logs, and a few borrowed 2x4s.  It was an awesome example of defensive engineering, complete with turrets, gates, and a moat, of sorts.

But one day, as battle was commencing, my team decided to rush the enemy.  We poured out of the fort and chased the ‘others’ into the trees.  Wow, did we feel triumphant!

Until we discovered that while we were pursuing, the enemy had snuck into our fort.

And once again, we lost the battle.

For the fort to be useful, we had to be IN it.

For the fort to defend us, we had to be IN it.

For the fort to be a fortress, we had to be IN it.

And for God to be our refuge, our fortress, our defense against His enemies, we have to be IN Him, too.

A nametag of “Christian” is not enough. 

Being near Christianity is not enough.

But He is a fortress to those who have believed.

He is a fortress to those who call out to Him.

He is a fortress to those who are His in thought, word, and deed.

Nahum I: But Who Is Guilty

Nahum I

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. (Nahum 1:3 ESV)

But Who Is Guilty

I am not proud of the way I treated many substitute teachers in middle school.  I knew that did not have real authority so I could disregard them.  One in particular really wanted to be popular.  And so, while he made many threats, he rarely followed through on them.

And so we did what we wanted, knowing nothing bad would happen to us.

Nahum declares that God means His threats.  He will NOT, under any circumstances, by no means ignore guilt.  The consequences of guilt are absolute, sure, and determined.

And guilt for sin means death.  Not maybe death.  Not even probably death.  But absolute death.

But God’s grace and mercy are amazing. 

Yes, He brought punishment for every guilty act.

But for His people, God instead punished Christ.

For those NOT His people, God follows through with the threat on the guilty themselves.

But for His people, God carries out that threat on His Son, our Savior, Christ Jesus.

Amazing….

Micah III: Division of Labor

Micah III

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 ESV)

Division of Labor

God has delegated all authority in His creation to three areas.  The State, the Church, and the Family. 

It seems like no mere coincidence that here, Micah reminds mankind that we have three requirements from God.  Justice, kindness (or mercy) and humility.

What if that gives us some boundaries and emphasis for the three areas of authority?

Perhaps the job of the state is ensure justice.  Perhaps the job of the church is to demonstrate and demand mercy.  Perhaps the job of the family is to teach humility.

I would like to live in a society with those areas being promoted!

It is also interesting that Christ Jesus, the One with ALL of God’s authority also has those three jobs.  HE is responsible for justice, all the way to the cross.  HE is responsible for mercy, all the way to the empty tomb.  He is responsible for humility, all the way to the right hand of God the Father.

Micah II: Ancient

Micah II

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2 ESV)

Ancient

I was around nine months old the day I was born.  So were you.

Amazingly, the Messiah… the baby Jesus… was even more than nine months old when He was born in Bethlehem.

“Of Old” carries with it the idea of ancient.  Of Long, long, long ago.  Even eternally old.

Because Jesus was not just a human baby being born.  He was the perfect God-man.  Both human AND divine.

That newborn baby was old!

Because that newborn baby was God Himself.

Micah I: Destroy or Fix

Micah I

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. (Micah 7:18 ESV)

Destroy or Fix

It was a sad day when my first vehicle was finally towed away to the junk yard.  I had put up with idiosyncrasies, repaired mechanical ailments small and large, ignored public mockery for my jalopy, and made use of duct tape that would have made the inventor shudder.

But I finally could not fix it anymore.

If I could have continued to fix it, I would have.

My affection towards that truck would have kept me driving that old thing even down to today, if I had the power, the knowledge, and the ability.

God loves His people more than I loved my truck.  And He DOES have power.   He DOES have knowledge.  He DOES have the ability.

And He gives our broken lives one BIG fix, instead of dozens of small ones.

He gives us Jesus.

Instead of destroying us… He fixes us.

He delights in forgiving us, because of Jesus.  He delights in justifying us, because of Jesus.  He delights in sanctifying us, because of Jesus.  And He will delight in glorifying us, because of Jesus.

Jonah III: Right but Wrong

Jonah III

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. (Jonah 4:1-3 ESV)

Right but Wrong

Jonah thought that God was gracious and merciful.  And Jonah was right.

Jonah thought that God was all powerful.  And Jonah was right.

Jonah thought that God is good. And Jonah was right.

But Jonah saw those things, and did not like them.  He wanted vengeance and Israel’s ancient enemy destroyed, so Jonah did not want God to forgive.

He wanted God to miss hearing Ninevah’s repentance, so Jonah did not want God to know their repentance.

He wanted God to be harsh instead of good, demanding instead of patient, and hating instead of loving.  He wanted to see his idea of victory with his own eyes, so Jonah did not want God to be good.

We could learn a thing or two from Jonah’s mistakes. 

Rejoice when strange people are saved.  Welcome when ‘others’ come to worship.  Look for God’s way to be done, instead of our way.  Laugh at God’s irony when He saves the unsavable.

Jonah II: Prayer

Jonah II

“But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to You; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”  And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:9,10 ESV)

Prayer

Say what you wish about the failures of Jonah… from disobeying God… fleeing to Tarshish… Hiding in the hold of the ship…

Jonah knew how to pray.

Down in the fish’s belly, He cried out to his only hope.  He knew that salvation ONLY comes from God.

He did not try a Ouija board.  He did not try applied physics.  He did not try biology.  He did not try holding his breath.

He immediately prayed to God.

And got vomited out of the fish.

This is not Jonah’s message alone.  It is the message of Scripture.  Prayer changes things only because God changes things.  Prayer helps only because God helps.  Prayer is effective only because God is effective.

Try praying first.

Jonah I:

Jonah I: Things Do Not Just Happen

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. (Jonah 1:17 ESV)

Things Do Not Just Happen

My favorite football team had a defensive coach that was considered for many years to be the best in the business.  Mostly, because he was not a reactive coach.  Defense Coaches might be tempted to figure out what the enemy offense was planning, and defend against it.

That makes a certain amount of sense.

But this coach, instead, DID things… and made the offense react to him and his plans.

God is, in a way, like that coach.

While many see God as sitting in heaven reacting to what is happening on earth… helping in times of trouble… responding to tragedies and disasters… fixing what is broken…

Jonah presents a better, albeit a little confusing, picture.

God is at work.  He acts, He does, He moves, He shakes.  He builds.  He redeems.  He loves.

He is not merely a reactor.

He is a doer.

And thus we have hope, peace, and salvation.

Obadiah II: Finding

Obediah II

But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. (Obadiah 1: 17 ESV)

Finding

I once lost a cherished pocket-knife… and found it.  I once lost a friend… and found a way to restoration.   I once lost a good book… and it was returned to me.  I once lost my wallet… and found it.  Ok, I do that a lot.

God’s people had lost their wealth, their temple and it’s beauty, and their land.  Worst of all, the people of God lost their relationship with Jahweh, through their rebellion, stubbornness, and deafness.  But God restores His people to Himself.

But only through Christ Jesus, the Messiah.

We are born lost.  Adam’s sin, our community’s sins, our ancestral sins, and our own sins ensure that we would remain lost.

But God keeps His promise through Obadiah every day, through the Messiah.

The Messiah came to save the lost, yes.  But also to return what we have lost.

Whatever we feel we have lost… in God we can find it.

Obadiah I: Pride

Obadiah I

Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord. (Obadiah 1:2-4 ESV)

Pride

My pride has been my downfall many times.  I played chess in a championship, sure I would teach the country bumpkins a thing or two.  But after I won my first bout, I fell painfully from my perch.

I believed I knew everything about my old 1964 Chevy Panel Truck… mechanically inside and out.  Until my diagnoses failed, my repairs faltered, and the dear old truck had to be trashed.

I thought I knew all about God’s grace, good theology, Biblical wisdom, and maturity beyond my years.  Until I fell to sin, deeply, painfully, destructively, and humbly.

Pride is at the foundation of every sin.

And the Edomites were proud.  They lived on defensible cliffs.  They bordered key trade routes.  Every national effort they attempted, they found success.

Until God said, “that’s enough.”

Pride leads to a fall.  Pride leads to judgement.  Pride leads to true awareness. 

And hopefully, needfully, salvificly, pride leads to Jesus.

See your pride, and humbly accept God’s answer to it: Jesus.

Amos II: Punishment

Amos II

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment…”  (Amos 1:3 ESV) 

Punishment

This same statement, for three transgressions and for four, that cause God to not revoke punishment is repeated against Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, and Israel.  Does not that sound very severe?   God appears harsh, full of judgment, and absolute in his pronouncement.

And while modern ‘nicey-nice’ understandings of God might wish that God just decided to look the other way, and revoke after all… He did not revoke.

if He had simply revoked, simply forgotten, simply been nice, it would NOT have been a good thing.  He would have not been just.  He would have made His law, His Laws, the Laws of the Universe into nothing.

Perhaps our universe would have fallen apart, and ceased to exist.

instead, He punished JESUS for His people in those groupings.  He did not revoke His pronouncement against aggressive Damascus, against  idolatrous Gaze, against greedy Tyre, against proud Edom, against cruel Moab, against unfaithful Judah, and against rebellious Israel.  Instead, He punished JESUS.

Because of the threefold (symbolic of ‘complete’) atrocities of those people, and then even one more… God punished.  But He punished Jesus instead.

And while we might not be of those nations or races, we are just as guilty.  And because God did it so strongly before, we can rest assured He will do it with us, too!

Not just because He is nice.  But because of Jesus, and Jesus alone.  Through Jesus, and Jesus alone.  By Jesus, and Jesus alone.  In Jesus, and Jesus alone.

Amos I: Blessings

Amos I

Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper

and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; (Amos 9:13 ESV)

Blessings

This is an incredible promise.  God says, through Amos, that a time is coming when the person ploughing the land in preparation of planting will somehow be plowing AFTER the harvesters!  No, it is not time travel… but rather, the land will be THAT fertile that the planting overtakes the harvesting! 

It would be like investing in a company, and receiving dividends before your investment check clears.

It would be like winning a football game before the initial coin toss.

It would be like playing Monopoly with your grandchildren before your own children were born.

The point is that God’s promised blessings are so absolute that we can count on them before our first steps of life.  The point is that God’s promised blessings are so extreme that we will be overwhelmed by them beyond our mathematical ability to calculate them. The point is that God’s promised blessings are more amazing than any other amazing thing you have ever been amazed at… amazingly!

His blessings are amazing.

Joel III: THe Church Victorious

Joel III

But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. (Joel 3:20 ESV)

The Church Victorious

Forever is a long time.  And the only way that promise could be true is if Judah, and Jerusalem mean something different than a patch of ground in the Middle East. 

While folk HAVE lived in what used to be called Judah all along, this promise is clearly meant for God’s people.  And God’s people have not owned Judah, or even Jerusalem, for many of the years between Joel and today.

Even if the promise DOES refer primarily to that physical land, the return of a physical nation, “Israel” after World War II does not really keep that promise.  Because if the nation ‘returned,’ or was ‘re-established’, that means it was absent for a time.  And that would break the promise.

Instead, we get to know that Judah and Jerusalem refer to something better!

The people of God… Christians!  The Church!  Christ and His Bride!

And THAT Judah and Jerusalem have indeed been inhabited from Joel’s time to today.  Because the Church has survived, thrived, and expanded.

And this promise of God through Joel shows that the church will NOT die out.  Even if it seems like it.  Even if we fear it.

Forever is a long time.

Joel II: Diversity

Joel II

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. (Joel 2:28 ESV)

Diversity

Is there a difference between Star Trek and Star Wars? Obviously, yes. But both are sci-fi franchises that cost too much to partake of.

Is there a difference between a Wendy’s Hamburger, and a burger from Big Larry’s?  Of course there is.  But both are beefy, risky health-wise, and delicious.

Is there a difference between a Republican and a Democrat? Certainly.  But both want our votes;, both believe in a bigger government than I do; and both are dangerously flawed human organizations.

Is there a difference, according to Joel (and later, Paul), between  men and women?  Jews and Greeks? Young and old? Rich and poor? Experts and amateurs?  Yes, of course… but NOT before the Lord. 

He sends His Spirit on ALL His people, regardless of our divisions and separations.  And it is HIS Spirit that matters.

Keep the differences in perspective.  A very small perspective.

Joel I: Internal

Joel I

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. (Joel 2:12,13 ESV)

Internal

Many things are defined and determined internally rather than externally.  An “American” is not one, today, based simply on voting records, allegiances uttered at sporting events, or even our address.  It is an internal thing first.

Good health is not sure based simply on external symptoms like body temperature, skin tone, or sleep pattern.  We can have good vital statistics but internally be in danger of health disaster.

A house does not make a good home because it has sealed windows, excellent paint, or reliable shingles.  A house is a good home because of what is inside:  love or conflict, peace or fear, unity or anger.

And God’s Kingdom is internally determined, much more than externally observed.  God demands and enables us to have humble hearts, loving devotion to Him, and submission to His Words, His Word, and His work.

Internal matters.

Hosea II: Religion

Hosea II

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6 ESV)

Religion

We remove inactive club members from our groups, when members do not DO club things.  A yacht club member who does not ever sail is not really a member of the yacht club.  A member of your football team who never practices or plays is not really on the team.  A stamp collector who owns no stamps, does not like stamps, and does not know anything about philatelists should not be thought of as a stamp collector.

Surprisingly, it is not doing religious things that God seeks in His people.  We are not His because do religious things.  For the Israelites, offering sacrifices and burnt offerings.  For us it might be church attendance, following the Golden Rule, or praying regularly.

Those things are not bad things.  But they are not what makes us God’s people.

It is knowing God, and loving God… both of which can only happen when we know and love Christ Jesus.

It is not religion that saves… it is Jesus.

Hosea I: Hope

Hosea I

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel. (Hosea 1:10-11 ESV)

Hope

At the beginning of Hosea’s book, things look grim.  God appears to have had enough with His people’s spiritual laziness, purposeful ignorance, and eager wandering.  His wrath is coming.

But at the end, we find the best kind of hope.

Hope that comes after the sureness of doom.

Hope that is promised when things seem ok is empty.  It is like telling a rich family they will have some money.  Or telling a professional athlete he will have coordination.  Or telling a happy puppy that it will be petted soon.

Of course THOSE things will happen!  So hope is not needed.

But when a family is dirt-poor and desperately broke, a bit of money sounds grand.  For a quadriplegic to hear a promise of coordination, it is exciting.  For a neglected dog to realize that good attention is coming causes tail wagging supreme.

The hope God gives His people is like that.  We do not deserve the blessings He is bringing.  For Hosea’s crowd, and sometimes for our own hearts, we need hope because things seem dire. Without Jesus, doom is sure, but with Jesus, hope is bright. 

When you need hope, look nowhere but to Jesus.

Daniel III: Faith

Daniel III

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 ESV)

Faith

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego seem like fools.  King Nebuchadnezzar and his advisors were arrogant and wrong,  powerful and wrong, sneaky and wrong, bureaucratic and wrong, and wrong and wrong.

And common sense, human logic, political expediency, and self-protection all would suggest that the three well-fed young men should just pretend to deny God.  They should just utter words of false-worship that they did not mean.   They should just bow their heads with their fingers crossed.

But they believed God’s power, love, protection, promises, and presence.  And they did not bow.  And they did not obey the king.  And they were cast into a hot furnace.

And they lived.

Faith, and the One believed in, triumphed.

Faith, and the One believed in, always does.

Daniel II: Profession

Daniel II

It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.  How great are His signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation. (Daniel 4:2,3 ESV)

The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’  (Daniel 4:17 ESV)

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Daniel 4:37 ESV)

Profession

We Christians are often such skeptical cynics.

We doubt professions of faith.  We question displays of good works.  We disbelieve promises of Christ-loyalty.

And maybe we think that experience gives us good reason.

But these three statements could have been uttered by Daniel, by Abraham, by Moses, by Isaiah, by Malachi, by Luke, by Paul, by Timothy, by Billy Graham, by your own pastor.

But we doubt them.  Because they were made by a man that we have decided did not mean them. 

Nebuchadnezzar might not have been a thoughtful believer, but do not these statements show Him a believer?

Nebuchadnezzar might not have been a mature believer, but do not these statements show Him a believer?

Nebuchadnezzar might not have been an educated believer, but do not these statements show Him a believer?

He was a believer who made mistakes.  He was a believer who continued to sin.  He was a believer who doubted, wondered, miss-stepped, and did horrid things.

But those statements are professions of faith that I am sure made the angels rejoice.

We need to do more rejoicing at professions of faith.  We need to be less skeptical and cynical.

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Daniel I: Wow!!!

Daniel I

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. (Daniel 2:20-22 ESV)

Wow!

I know a pretty good chef.  When working in that field, he was well known and respected not just for the individual menu items, but particularly for the way the items meshed together.  Leftover parts from one dish would be amazingly promoted in the next serving to a starring role.  Things that were the main focus of one part of the meal, ended up as mere garnishes in a few minutes. 

That is what God does in human affairs.  Not only does He do great work in particular situations, but He entwines all the threads of our lives into a glorious tapestry. And apparent low aspects become heroes in another scene.  He uses His people… each of us… exactly in the right place and at the right time for OUR good, as well as for the good of His Kingdom, as well as for His glory.

He did these things in bringing the Messiah.  But He does it in every other area, too.  That is how powerful, knowledgeable, loving, and gracious He is.

It's orchestral, coordinated, complicated, and beautiful.

Be amazed!