D 28-30, Isaiah 40-66: Comfort and hope

To remind us of the setting of Isaiah, since it was a while since we read in this book (relatively at least - only 20 days ago!), I'll go into that first.
Isaiah preached during the reigns of a number of kings, the most notable being Hezekiah, with whom he has a lot of interaction. He preaches both before and after the time of the Assyrian capture of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, so in some ways the message of hope after the captivity that we have been seeing from the prophets during and after the Babylonian captivity of Judah are similarly present. In other ways, the message is different - here, there is no specific date set for the new heaven and earth promised. Also, with the Kingdom of Judah still being present, that changes the setting also, as Isaiah is also preaching to them directly. The date is very important in understanding the future events prophesied - the naming of Cyrus more than a century before the Babylonian captivity and about 2 centuries before Cyrus' edict give us strong affirmation of the control of the future by God, and knowing He can also be relied upon to fulfil the things in this passage that have not yet come to pass.

Comfort is a theme in the passage before us. Mentioned 16 times in these chapters 40-66, compared to 2 times in the prior chapters, and there are also 21 mentions of peace, a related concept. These chapters are definitely shifted in tone from the ones before, as the prophet relays his message from God focused less on the immediate happenings, and more on the overall picture of God's plan and purposes, looking far into the future.

The initial chapters of this section focus upon the Lord strengthening us, and there is much descriptive energy given to this. We also see His power and might - His ability to strengthen us.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 

(Isa 40:28-29)

Leading on from this, we again see the frustration of God over the idolatry of the people. Here is the all-powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, loving, caring, righteous God - eternally living - and yet the people find inanimate things in the world, shape them by their own hands, and then worship them as gods.

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 

(Isa 45:5)

Yet despite their continued rejection of Him - for His Name's sake, and His praise He continues to rescue them and redeem them. This leads us into the next part, where the prophet considers the coming Messiah. In the early part of this section we saw tell that He would be caring and kind, not breaking the bruised or treading down those already fallen - now we see Him again. The famous section here on Christ starts with the fact that He will be exalted and extolled, and immediately lists His suffering. So counter to what the world expects - and yet it is indeed because of the suffering that He is so worthy of the praise!

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

(Isa 53:5-6)

The language of divorce and putting away in Chapter 50 now changes to a language referring to marriage in Chapter 54.

There are a number of chapters that deal with ethics. Again, the recurring theme is one of not only outward displays but practical actions - heart attitude as well as going through motions. Our righteousness is not seen in how well we do things by ourselves, but how we interact with other people.

We see that in that time, the evil was still rife, and anyone not going along with it became a target (59:15). But the Lord does not neglect His own, and this leads us back into the description of our Deliverer, Christ, Who executes righteousness and justice. Now we see Him coming in vengeance against the wicked - a contrast to the suffering servant we saw earlier, yet clearly the same person.

The passage finishes with further description of the new age that the next coming of Messiah will introduce, and more description of the coming itself. it is hard to imagine a place as described here, yet we can rejoice in the knowledge and firm hope of the promise.

For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. 

(Isa 66:18)

And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. 

(Isa 66:23-24)

How glad we can be for a Lord that knows us intimately! How sobering it is to remind ourselves of the ultimate end for those who do not know Him - at the end of this message of hope for the righteous (through Him), we see Hell described for those who disobey God. It is interesting that both descriptors of Hell are used here, the festering waste pile/dump full of maggots and worms, and the burning lake of fire - indicative of the rottenness of evil, and the intense suffering apart from God. As the prophets of old, let us expound the message of God's truth to all people, warning them, so that He might use the message of the Gospel of His Grace to redeem them from the festering fiery destination they are currently heading! Praise God for the grace shown unto us that He has redeemed us from such a fate and brought us into this promise of a new hope! Praise the Lord!

And happy new year - I am writing this sentence as a countdown song happens across the road. Thank you Lord for all You have been to us in this past year, and I pray for your continued work in this country and around the world, in Your power, according to Your plan and purposes. Thank you for all Your guidance, for Your Word, and we rest in You for continued strength and guidance in the coming year - as You have promised to grant us, and we know You are ever with us. To You be all glory and honour, now and forever Amen.

D 27, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: Who comes first?

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi all right to the post-exilic people of Israel/Judah after the return of the Babylonian captivity and rebuild of Jerusalem. Haggai and Zechariah are contemporaries, and then Malachi receives his message from God much later in the piece - the last direct recorded revelation of God until the angel's message to (a different) Zechariah recorded in Luke.

The overall message in Haggai is quite simple. The people returning to the land had set a high priority on getting their houses and fields in order, but neglected to have any priority for the things of God - evidenced by them not rebuilding the temple of the Lord. As is often the case with Israel, God has this link of obedience to Him with the prosperity of the people and land in terms of crop growth, and this is no different. God prevented good crops while the people focused on themselves, and then blessed them with good harvest once they began firm steps to rebuild the temple. In this age of grace, physical blessing is not always linked to obedience (even back then, only the Israelites were under this arrangement with God); but spiritual blessing is certainly linked with putting God first before our own desires and comforts. It is challenging to think of how much we do truly put God first as we live, or whether we ensure 'our panelled houses' are in order first.

The message in Zechariah is more complicated, partly from being a longer book, and partly because of the obscurity of the message given via the visions, which require more in depth analysis for understanding the full meaning. There are certainly some themes that come through strongly though.
We see the continued gathering of the people of Israel from the lands into which they have been scattered, both as a prediction and encouragement of those remaining in the foreign countries. They are told strongly to withdraw from the wickedness that surrounds them, now that the exile is over - possibly indicating that some of the people were reluctant to leave, as we will see a bit in the narrative books also.
We see prophecy concerning the temple being rebuilt - evidently written a little later than Haggai. Zerubbabel, the governor, will be able to see it through to completion.
There are certainly a lot of messages about reminding the people of the reasons they went to Babylon, and exhortations to now work justice, mercy and kindness, unlike before. The current high priest (his position representative of the people before God) is seen in a vision re-clothed in unstained garments.
There are again predictions concerning consequences for Israel's enemies, also - the Lord used some of these as tools to punish Israel, but their own wickedness will not be unpunished.
As we progress through the book, there seems to be more and more focus on the coming Messiah. Initially described as a Branch - familiar language to us now from the other prophecies, we also see Zechariah acting out the role of Messiah as a shepherd of Israel who is rejected by the people, and is paid his 'wages' of 30 pieces of silver - about the price of a bondservant, and later identified by the gospel writers as the prophecy fulfilled in the price of Judas' betrayal. The two comings of the Lord Jesus as Saviour and conqueror are mixed and undistinguished in Zechariah, as many of the old testament prophets - the age inn between was not made known to them, but we can look both backwards to see what has been fulfilled, and forwards in the light of the New Testament to what will be fulfilled at His return. How great will that day be when He comes again for His own, and the revelation of His Majesty when He comes with His saints again in judgement against the people who continually rejected Him!
One other theme I noticed in Zechariah was the idea of the responsibility of leadership. We see it with the messages about the Shepherd, and the false shepherds, and the condemnation of the leaders of Israel. Leaders who by malicious deed, apathy, or laziness do not shepherd the sheep under them in obedience to God will be punished - we will be held to account for those whom He has given us responsibility over, whether in formal position or not!

Malachi, being the last book in the Old Testament, and fittingly the last recorded, is a warning against Israel for again turning against the Lord. Sure, they do things on the surface, but not only is their heart not in it, they are acting disrespectfully to God in the offerings that they bring - obviously diseased, lame, poor stock. They have not learned their lesson about false teachers, and the leaders who should be teaching righteousness are teaching wickedness. What is amazin reading through the book is the apparent lack of understanding they have that they are displeasing God - {sarcastic} after all they are 'going through the motions' {/sarcastic}!
There is still distinction between righteous and wicked. Today, there are many who try to blur the lines, but God knows, and He has given us His Word that we also may discern true teaching and practice from false. We also need to be careful that we do not despise God, selfishly keeping our money for ourselves/our own purposes under various excuses, instead of stewarding all our resources for His purposes.

Lord, help us for we are weak. Help us to put You and Your purposes first in all things, and give us wisdom and discernment to know false leaders and teachers from true - thank you for the guidance of Your Word and Your Spirit in this matter, for we are ever grateful for all You in Your mercy and Grace have granted to us.

D 24-26, Daniel: A committed life

The book of Daniel quickly sets the scene for us: the time is during the first conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, who then took the 'cream of the crop' as captives/hostages. A contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we see Daniel both through the prophecies and the stories about him during the book. There is proportionally more narrative about Daniel than any of the other prophets included in the 'prophetic books' - one reason why the Hebrew Bible groups the book in with the narratives.

The book is clearly divided into narrative and visions, so I will deal first with the narratives, our first day's readings.
Daniel's life is very relevant to university students, as he is thrust into a situation where a lot of study is expected of him in a religious environment antagonistic to his faith in a single omnipotent God. I certainly remember Mark Grace (TSCF) and a few others using his life as an example in teaching student groups during my undergrad years, and these first few chapters of Daniel are often popular Sunday school stories also, so at least the general stories are familiar to many.
There is a beautiful character seen in Daniel's life. He is not antagonistic to the people around him, but treats them respectfully. He does not seek to make waves, but proactively responds to situations in which he finds himself, taking initiative to defend his ability to live in obedience to God and later preventing massive loss of life on the whim of a king by putting his trust in God.
There are aspects that these stories tell us about God, and aspects they tell us about how a Christian should walk.
We see God as One in control of nations and individual kings. We see His protection of His own, and His knowledge of past present and future.
We see Daniel as a man who leads by meek example - determined yet respectful. We see his friends following his example in the face of death, then later Daniel shows similar commitment to God in the face of death. We see Nebuchadnezzzar - he who was described as a king of kings by Daniel - brought low by God and even contributing to Holy Scripture by inspiration of God after his own repentance. No man is outside of God's ability to turn to repentance, no matter how prestigious a position or antagonistic to God he may have been! It is good to remember this, and I know personally God has surprised me concerning who is the most interested in talking about the gospel - showing again and again it is His work/what He sees and not our work/what we see that matters.
We also see Darius (possibly a formal title for Cyrus, who proclaimed the edict for the Jews to return)- we don't know if he repented and turned to God or not, but he was certainly used of God, and saw enough in Daniel's testimony to have confidence the Daniel's God would not allow Daniel to be eaten (6:16).

Concerning the visions and prophecies, I cannot enter into much detail without it becoming a mammoth task - there is a lot of debate and interpretive challenges in this section. Some is clear, and much of it becomes clearer when studied in conjunction with Revelation, as it discusses complementarily some of the same events.
Reading through many years later, of course, the events that have already been fulfilled are clear to see, and marvel at the knowledge of God concerning future events. It is interesting to know that apparently Israel was quite well-treated by Alexander the Great because some of the Rabbis came and met his army as he approached, and showed him the scriptures that talked about his conquest, and acquiesced to his rule civilly while diplomatically gaining provision for no taxation in the 7th year when the fields were not sown and the land was rested (not resting the land in obedience to God's law was one of the reasons for the captivity, the 70 years captivity making up for the time that the children of Israel had not rested the land).
One of the most interesting chapters, on an immediately relevant level, is the prayer of Daniel in chapter 9. He doesn't respond to the news that the captivity is over with joy as most would expect - and it seems this is because of his close relationship with God and knowledge of His Character and Holiness. Daniel knows the people haven't learnt their lesson from the captivity yet - they are still living idolatrously, in sin. He does not make excuses for them, he does not even excuse himself, but rather confesses on behalf of the people. He focuses on God, and His greatness, and beseeches the Lord for forgiveness and mercy. His passion for the people of Israel is compelling and challenging about how I also should care for the people around me as God does, and feel the sorrow over the sin of both myself and the nation I am in. There are times when we pray for NZ as a whole, particularly the non-Christian portion of it - but are there any times we pray on their behalf? It certainly provides a good pattern for a prayer of petition - asking God for something, but focusing on Himself rather than ourselves.

Finishing with some key verses good for meditation, that sum up the character of the book.

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. "

(Dan 3:14-18, emphasis added)

"...Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. "

(Dan 4:37)

"...To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. ..."

(Dan 9:9-10)

And he said, "Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. ..."

(Dan 12:9-10)

All through Daniel's life, He was committed to God come what may. I pray to God that He might give us the strength courage and wisdom to be the same, in His power.

D 19-23, Ezekial: Warning rebellious people that they may know the LORD

One of the amazing things through the book of Ezekiel is the way the style of writing changes dramatically in different sections. We have visions, parables, exhortations to the people, tales of despair and judgement, descriptions of glory and hope, and explicit descriptive analogies of Israel and Judah's idolatry.

The book is written while Ezekiel has been taken away with the people in captivity to Babylon, and he is a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel, roughly the same age as Daniel, although he was taken to Babylon in a later group of captives than Daniel.

One of the key phrases in Ezekiel is "(that ye shall...) know that I am the LORD". This phrase occurs 77 times in the Bible, and 63 times this is in Ezekiel! So the glory of the Lord is certainly a big focus in this book.
The glory of the Lord is drawn out in His relations with His prophet, His people, and the promised restoration.

Time is brief in many ways, and there is so much in Ezekiel - it is one of those books that reading through I kept thinking - I've got to go back to that bit later! - but I will deal with some of the major points I contemplated during my daily readings.


The book starts with the focus on the glory of God, and the second chapter leads directly into his commission to a rebellious people, Israel. 'rebellious' is another key word in Ezekiel - the phrase 'rebellious house' is found 13 times, and 'rebellious' another 4 times in the book. There is quite a discussion about it in chapters 2-3, then the same thought is repeated in chapter 12.

In the commission of Ezekiel, and again this is repeated (in chapter 33), there is a strong emphasis given tot he requirement to warn the people of Israel/Judah and the responsibility of the prophet/witness of God. Sobering to consider, as we are all witnesses of God, commissioned by Him to bear witness to Him in all the world. Ezekiel (and by extension ourselves) is not responsible for the salvation/repentance of the people if he fulfils his duty and warns them, but if he does not warn them, he bears some responsibility for his failure to warn them that the might repent. Good to remember our role in God's process of salvation. He is the One Who prepares the heart, convicts by His Spirit, and provides justification and reconciliation, but He asks us to be watchmen to warn the people of their doom if they do not turn in repentance. He chooses to use our words either as a condemnation of their wickedness towards judgement, or a convicting message that leads to repentance - it is His work alone that saves, but He gives us that responsibility to witness through word and/or deed.

Ezekiel's description of angels is something to marvel at also - especially around Christmas, where we see the 'typical' angel depicted everywhere, the description we read sounds truly weird. Personally, I am of the view that the form of the angels (both Seraphim and Cherubim) must be marvellous in beauty, but the lack of human words to describe the creatures leaves uncertain how to picture these creatures that seem a conglomeration of different animal heads and features. There is certain symbolism with the animals present - and many have discussed the different characteristics these represent, which I do not have the time to go into now.


Chapters 16 and 23 describe Israel's and Judah's harlotry (prostitution) in vivid detail. Reading it, the detail seems to be there to lend wait to the truth of how God is hurt by their rejection. Describing it in terms of this intimate relationship that is broken, marred, and exploited, He inspires Ezekiel to write these analogies both so the people might be impressed with the seriousness of their transgression and rejection, and remember the lesson more clearly.


Being a contemporary of Jeremiah and Daniel, there are a number of themes coming through that are similar. We see warnings about false prophets that preach peace, and the analogy of Israel as a vine that the Lord will judge. We see the instruction to settle and live in the Babylonian lands, and to 'make the most of it.' We also see repeated prophecies about the nations round about. Egypt in particular receives a lot of prophecy against it in this book.

Restoration is a major theme, particularly in the latter part of the book. The picture of the Lord as Shepherd replacing the false shepherd who exploited and harmed the flock; the restoration of the land and purification of the people; the description of the Temple and the land boundaries - all are reminders that the Lord still has plans for them, for His purposes. An interesting note about the motivation though, in 36:32 - 'not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord' He is doing it for His glory and to show His character, not because of some special merit by the people. Indeed, As was seen in the case of Aholah and Aholibah, Judah was 'more corrupt in her inordinate love', and yet the Lord has chosen to deal more kindly with Judah than Israel.


For understanding the temple dimensions, it was helpful to watch through these videos instead of just reading through the numbers and trying to visualise it mentally:
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42&43
It is amazing the level of detail given here. The size of the temple, the descriptions of decorations and sacrifices - all arrayed to the glory of God! My understanding is this is a description of a future temple during the millennial reign of Christ on earth - although there may be a partial fulfilment of it during the tribulation period when the temple is rebuilt then. All the questions surrounding it are probably a study for another time, though - here just let us marvel at the detailed design God gives, that will be built for His glory.

Reading Ezekiel at the beach

Is it possible to read God's word and hear from God anywhere? In a different country? While I am stressed out or relaxed? On holiday? At the beach?
I've been reading Ezekiel at the beach and some verses stand out more because of what I see around me.
I thought I would share them to encourage us on our reading journey together.

At the beach, there were heaps of stones, that hurt our feet when we walked on them to get to the sea. It reminded me of this verse.
 Ezek 11: 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
How much pain does my own heart of stone cause those around me? I am thankful that God promises to replace my hard heart.

As I watch the Pohutukawa trees in bloom. I am reminded of the cedar and this verse, which has resonance in the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matt 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13: 18-19)

Ezek 17: 22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.

Jesus uses verses from Ezekiel to talk about the Kingdom of God.

As the children make sand castles and try to cover the cracks and gaps in the sand piles as they lift their buckets, I am reminded of this verse:

Ezek 22:30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

Is there a difference between filling in the gap and standing in the gap? The motif of the Watchman who stands in the gap is repeated in Ezekiel. Join me as I marvel, mull over and meditate on what that means.

D 18, Lamentations and Obadiah: The devastated land of the Lord

Coming to the book of Lamentations just after reading Jeremiah helps us understand the setting of these dirges. The author is not specified, but is generally accepted to be Jeremiah. Evidently, the date is just after the captives have been taken away, approximately 583 BC, but while he was still in the land and the Israelites hadn't forced him down to Egypt.

There seems no anger in the laments, but sorrow and resignation. There is a recognition of God's hand in the destruction, and a remembrance of why the devastation occurred - with a hope coming through the tragedy. The key seems to be in chapter 3. The first two lamentations consider the desolation of Judah and the sin of the people, and God's rightful anger against them which has caused the people to suffer, and chapter three starts to turn it around into a message of hope in the midst of all this, recognising the the care of the Lord for His people.

Lam 3:22-24  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  (23)  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  (24)  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The last two laments then look to the continued suffering in the future. Because of the greatness of Israel's sin, it is no quick turning around, but a prolonged period of judgement. As seen by the words of the prophet though, the appropriate response is to continue calling on the Lord and following him, not giving up and rejecting Him again because He does not bring an immediate end to the sufferring. In the midst of suffering, He endures unchanging.

Obadiah is a very short read. We have seen some of the themes of judgement against Edom in other prophets - from our understanding of history at that time we know that Edom never really accepted either Israel or God, but rejected Him as did Esau their ancestor. A nation so close in many ways to Israel, with similar heritage, in a similar locality, and yet they took such a different path, and when Israel suffered they rejoiced and went to divvy up Jerusalem after the Babylonians left it relatively alone. Interesting to hear a bit about the geography in that video linked - it does really enhance the understanding of why the language in the chapter is chosen - they were trusting and prideful of their location in the world, but God tears away their security and their location, and will in a coming day give it to Israel (partial fulfilment now, as half of Edom was made up of the Negev desert in Israel today). The final promise is telling though - the kingdom will not be Israel's, but the LORD's. A great thing to remember!

D 15-17, Jeremiah 21-52: Breaking covenants and dashing them to pieces

Continuing on the themes from the last post, we see now a specific situation with a false prophet recounted. In this case, because of his errant prophecy to the king, we see the false prophet's own demise prophesied and unlike his own prophecies, this is carried out. God sees all the false prophets - and knows their deceit.

Jer 23:23-26  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?  (24)  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.  (25)  I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.  (26)  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

In contrast to the deceit of the false prophets, we see the predictions concerning the One Who is truly Righteous. In Isaiah (11:1) the emphasis on the Branch was the righteousness of His life. Here the emphasis is the righteousness of His judgement and rule.

Jer 23:5-6  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  (6)  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The sign of the figs in chapter 24 relates well how God deals with His people in the time of this captivity. Amongst them are good figs, which He plans to return to the land, to lead back to Himself - and there are bad figs such as the kings, who continually reject God and break his Covenants, and go against His prophecies, and the bad figs will delivered over to be consumed.

We see this happening again and again. Though the kings must know that Jeremiah is clearly a prophet of the Lord, their own pride and their animosity towards God means that they keep rejecting the messages - casting them into the fire, throwing Jeremiah into a pit, seeking to kill him, and generally ignoring him and God.

On the other hand, the people taken away to captivity are told that they will return eventually, but in the meantime they should:

Jer 29:5-7  Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;  (6)  Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.  (7)  And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Jer 25:6  And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.

Basically - they should live in such a way to be a blessing to those around them, while keeping themselves pure from the idolatry they live amongst. The last verse is part of that they did not listen to before the captivity, but I am sure we can agree that the message is still relevant to them now. Also very relevant to us today to consider the amalgamation of these two thoughts - the idols today are not in temples per se, but there are many this that are the equivalent of the physical idols that are the object of man's desires, glory, and pursuit instead of God, and it is easy to have our motivations influenced towards serving idols rather than God.

In terms of covenants, we see a number broken or amended. Consistently the break happens first with the people, not God - and He responds to the breaches of covenant with much long-suffering. In terms of the Davidic covenant to have a man seated on the throne always, and a Levite serving always before Him, the captivity seems to have broken the blessings in this covenant because of the rebellion and disobedience of the people, but God shows in the end of the chapter that He will restore the rule of David over Israel (through Christ, Who also becomes our Great High Priest, superseding the Levitical order).

There is a specific covenant in the later days before people are taken away to Babylon that is quite shocking in the deliberate flouting of the principles of God. An edict from the king (prompted by Jeremiah) decreed that the Hebrew bond-servants should be freed. They freed them fine, but then deliberately pursued the servants and took them back again! (chapter 34). As we consider the situation though, it provokes thoughts of how often I also am tempted to or end up following the letter of the command 'worming out' of the principle behind it.

In contrast to these broken covenants, we see the people of Rechabites who have remained in obedience to an ordinance from their ancestor that they not drink wine or live in fixed houses. Unlike the people of Israel, they kept it faithfully, and received that great blessing that

Jer 35:19  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

How great a promise that is! It also makes us think though, about how it is often seems easier for people to keep covenants and promises when they are secular - motivated by things other than God. Perhaps it is because there is more antagonism towards the thing of God, perhaps due to spiritual adversity (the demons do not mind how you don't serve God, things similar are fine to them, so long as it not for God). But this is not an excuse for complacency, nor an ode to fatalism, but should rather inspire us to seek God for strength in obeying Him - He will give generously anything we lack if we ask Him (James 1:4) - and will not allow temptation greater than we can bear. After all, isn't serving our Saviour and Righteous King the greatest motivation of all - how honoured we are to serve Him!

In the latter part of Jeremiah, we see the debacle once both kings have been taken away and only a governor for Babylon is left. The first governor seems fine, but is naive to some extent and gets assassinated. The guy who assassinates him is cruel and plays favourites, and is then fought and defeated by the guy who warned the first governor about the potential assassination. Hmm... looks like he might be a bit better?... no, the people ask Jeremiah for advice and then again reject the message of God and travel down to Egypt to be enslaved there rather than be 'enslaved' by Babylon, when God had promised Babylon would leave them alone if they stayed in the land quietly. Trying to fix problems in our own strength always seems to come unstuck doesn't it! Many times the short term easy option leads to much more hardship later.

Finally we see that God does not just focus on Israel - He may have used the surrounding nations to punish Israel, but He has not forgotten their errors either. The judgement may be long in coming, but He is a just God and the judgement does come!

Shall we end with a beginning this time: The beginning of Jeremiah's prayer to the Lord after he bought the land from his cousin as a sign from God that the people would return to the land:

Jer 32:17-19  Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:  (18)  Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,  (19)  Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

Amen, a good way to sum up this section!

D 13 & 14, Jeremiah 1-20: False prophets and deaf people

So much in these chapters of Jeremiah! Again, one of the passages where I really want to go slowly and consider all the details, but at the moment I don't have the time, but will look forward to returning ot read again in the future!

As noted in Li Lian's intro post, the book does not follow chronological order - so if you are interested in seeing how it fits together chronologically, check out this link (and there are many other resources online for this). Also a good resource is this Intro to Jeremiah - the main things we need to be aware of reading this book are the history of rejection of God that Judah has gone through - before Hezekiah, then again with Manasseh and Ammon, then after Josiah's partial reform the reversion in the next generation - Jeremiah preaches during Josiah's reign and continues into the degeneracy afterwards all the way into the Babylonian captivity.

There are a number of themes we have seen before: the potter working the clay after his idea's not the clay's ideas - the condemnation of the deceit and abuse of the poor - the continual going after idols and other nations. I do like one analogy God uses here - the destruction of the fresh spring of water to build their own cistern (place to hold water) that is broken and can never hold any water, and yet they prefer it to the fresh spring! We also see the heart attitude coming out again and again - mentioned 34 times in the section considered here. Interesting to see the contrast in character when it refers to the heart of the righteous and the wicked -

Jeremiah 11:8  Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not. 

vs.

15:16  Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. 

We see the insight of the Lord:

17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 

17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

17:10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

And the burning of the heart of the righteous to speak up for God, in contrast to the wicked who ignore Him:

20:9  Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. 

The other major theme I noticed through this passage was the continued talking about false prophets. The people would not listen to the prophets of God:

Jeremiah 7:25  Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: (26)  Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. 

Yet there were plenty of false prophets around that would tell the people what they wanted to hear, despite it all being untrue and deceitful.

Jeremiah 5:13  And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. 

5:31  The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

14:14  Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. (15)  Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. 

Their words are empty, and do not come true, but many listen to them. It is good to think about who we listen to in the world. The media is a classic example of something practically set up to tell us what we want to hear - but there are often things closer to home spiritually as well. Sometimes we can dismiss the media as unimportant or realise its bias and counter-act that influence, but we need to be aware of how much we do absorb. Closer to home spiritually, there are many pastors and churches that will just tell the congregation what they want to hear. There are many people in the church not in leadership role who will do the same, either through being deceived themselves or deliberately. Do we ever do it ourselves, to fit in with friends? There is a place for letting things go and not provoking unprofitable arguments, but it is another thing if we tell them all is fine/that doing good is ok/it doesn't matter what you believe - when we know they are heading to Hell for eternity. We are the watchmen of the city - it is our duty to warn!

I've quoted from chapter 17 already above, but there was a beautiful bit in the middle of the quoted verses I've chosen to end with:

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. (8)  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 

Let us always be fruitful in the Lord and resting in Him for our grounding and strength!

D 11 & 12, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habbukuk: How God Judges.

Whew! Busy few days recently - last week spent at uni finishing off a few things before a 'holiday' with family. Holiday in inverted commas because there is plenty of work to do at home too, and I might have to do some work on reports via email during this time... but don't worry, I will at least be taking Christmas day off to relax with family and celebrate our Saviour's birth!

Covering a few books today. Small ones, but lots in them! There is a bit of a gap between Micah (contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah) and the next three - the rest are all speaking at a time when only Judah is left in the land - Israel (Northern Kingdom) has already been taken by Assyria. Broadly speaking, we see in these four judgement coming on Israel and Judah for rejection of God - later Judah repents and reforms somewhat but it is not enough to influence the whole nation and the judgement is simply delayed rather than prevented. We see judgement against Ninevah also, a foreign nation that earlier repented and turned to God, but returned to its wicked ways. And we see a prophet discussing the judgement of God, seeking to understand why God acts the way He does.

So Micah - what do we see here?
We see the prediction of the catastrophe arriving on both the northern kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. For their rejection of God, He will lead them into captivity. We see themes come through noted elsewhere - the desire for heart worship and obedience rather than multitude of sacrifices - the idolatry present, and the witchcraft - the cheating and deceit of the rich for unjust gain.
One statement stood out to me - I think I might have mentioned something similar in a previous prophecy - "Then they will cry unto Him, but He will not hear them... there is no answer God" Chapter 3.
Yet through it all are messages of hope. There will be a remnant left in the land, and there is a prophecy regarding the coming kingdom of the Messiah - which we also look forward to. And the beautiful conclusion:

"7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

Moving on to Zephaniah:

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah. It is interesting to note that there is no prophecy recorded for us during the reign of Manasseh of Ammon (two wicked kings between Hezekiah and Josiah). Quite possibly there were prophets in that time, but God chose not to record their exhortations in the Bible for us - perhaps because it was a repetition of messages heard often before, or many other reasons. We do have htis enlightening prophecy in the reign of Josiah though. Josiah reigned from the young age of eight years (2 Kings 22), and as he grew older, he instigated a number of reforms, such as destroying idolatrous places of worship, casting the idols out of the Temple, rebuilding the Temple, and reading the book of the law to the people. Zephaniah was likely a large part responsible (as a mouthpiece of God) for some of of the reform of Josiah, as we can see in Zephaniah that this prophecy takes places when these places of worship still are present.

Quoting a few key verses:

1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

3:7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.

3:12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

3:17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Again we see this message of hope coming through in the remnant - their own wealth or strength cannot save them, but God will save them once again, purifying to Himself a holy people that turn back to following Him with pure hearts.

Zephaniah also includes a prophecy about Ninevah's destruction, a theme that is the focus of the next book, Nahum:

It is provoking to think of this book in the light of what we know from Jonah, that we recently read, and in light of Isaiah, knowing the conquest of Israel and attempted conquest of Judah that Assyria undertook some time after their repentance (a generation or two later). Like Israel, their memory only seems to last a generation before the unrighteousness and therefore judgement return. The verses that stood out to me in this passage are all in the beginning description of the Lord:

1:2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

...

7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

How great is our God, and how fearful when He says 'I am against thee'! Assyria was one of the great powers in the time - and the prophecy goes through describing aspects of that power that shall become as nothing. All the power in the world does not hold out against our Lord, for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

In Habbakuk we have a slightly different form of prophecy - more similar to Job in that we see a conversation between Habbakuk and God as he wrestles with the message God is asking him to preach. Very useful to have heading sin your Bible for reading this section, as it helps to clarify who is speaking (always check for yourself, but I think most versions split this book up well, the divisions are quite evident once you start looking closely).

1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

The sticking point seems to be God's use of judgement via a nation that is (to outward appearance at least) more evil than Judah. It is good to see the humility of Habakkuk in phrasing his argument and questions to God - very respectful, and expecting to be reproved (have his questions refuted for good reasons). Indeed, the Lord impresses upon Habakkuk how far above He is from men, and how His ways are beyond our ways, and sometimes beyond our understanding. Habakkuk responds appropriately in trusting the Lord to work out his plans, and whether good or suffering, he would rejoice in the Lord.

Habakkuk always makes me think of how we respond to God doing something we don't understand. Yes, the suffering here described is on a human level, but it always makes me think about who we are in God's sight, and what we deserve and what He deserves compared to the reality of the blessings He has granted us and the feebleness of our current response to Him. Thought experiment for meditation: would I still worship God and seek to obey Him if there was no path of salvation and I knew I was going to Hell (as I deserved for my sin) - He is still the righteous just God Who deserves honour, glory and praise - He is still the Creator and Sustainer of all the world and our individual lives - and as we know the deserved punishment for our sin is hell eternally. Would we still praise Him? I hope so, but fortunately we are not in that situation and can never know for sure. Praise God we know Him as Just, Righteous, Creator and Sustainer! Praise God we know Him also as Saviour and Merciful Redeemer! He deserves our praise for ALL that He is, for He is our Holy God!

D 9 & 10, Isaiah 28-39: Listening to God

I covered some thoughts on Isaiah 28-31 last post, but didn't write about everything, and the themes in the last section 32-39 relate back to the previous chapters, so we will consider this again.

Set in a time when Assyria was marching through Judah, and then besieged Jerusalem, we see in these chapters a lot of narrative interrelated with the prophetic words of Isaiah. The coming siege was first prophesied by Isaiah, and was carried out first by Assyria - where the enemy was destroyed by God and turned back - and later by Babylon, where they were eventually taken to captivity (not related in this section, but the prophecy of Babylon taking Jerusalem captive is related after the Assyrian siege).

In these sections we see a lot about the people as a whole and individuals listening to God.
Warning is given of judgement and exhortation to turn back, but little response is made. We see a strong warning not to go down into Egypt, but we learn in the end of II Kings that the people do go down to Egypt, rejecting God's message of hope for rebuilding those that stay. How often do we go against God's direction, choosing an easy out rather than persevering in a harsh environment and seeking His blessing rather than the world's wealth/ease?
We see Rabshakeh claiming to listen to God - possibly partly true, as Assyria is used as a tool of God's punishment, and he may have heard the prophecies regarding Assyria punishing Israel - but any 'message from God' if it wasn't just a lie is incidental to him/his nation enacting their own selfish ambitions and going their own way. God may use (indeed is using) him for His purposes, but that does not give Assyria any credit. We/I need to be careful in our/my own life to not just use the Word of God as window dressing on our own desires, but actively seek His will above our own, and listen to Him through His Word.
God listened to Rabshakeh's mocking and destroyed 185,000 in the army - He listened to Hezekiah's intercession and responded to save the city.
We see Hezekiah listening to God's plans for his death - and instead of embracing it and trusting in God's plans, he begs for 'a little bit longer'. The only other incident we have recorded in his life is his showing the Babylonians his storehouses of wealth indiscreetly and pridefully. The punishment assigned for this is as much a prediction/consequence of Judah's current and later turning from God as directly related to Hezekiah showing off his wealth, but God saw fit to record the punishment as linked with this event, and teaches us a valuable lesson both about pride and about seeking our own way rather than trusting in God's plans whether our life is short or long.

Concluding with a touching verse:

Isaiah 33:2 "O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble."

D 5-9, Isaiah 1-31: The Vineyard and The Branch; Oracles and Rocks; Potter's clay and broken pots

A fair bit of ground to cover, having been away for a while. Would like to write more, but it's a busy week this week, so a few thoughts and meditations will suffice for now.

I won't go into the background much, as that is covered well in the link I put up earlier. http://nabataea.net/isaiah.html . Good to help with a perspective of the historical setting.

Isaiah is rich with both prophecies of judgement and warning and exhorting the people to come back to God. Yet when Isaiah was called we see clearly that much of what he was saying would not be understood by the people - God conceals the truth from people who reject Him, because they reject Him and do not wish to receive it. A bit like Proverbs with the pearls before swine, the thought repeated in Matthew 7 - the full truth of the mysteries of God is holy and should be respected, not opened to abuse to those who reject God out of hand. To those who receive the truth, to them is revealed more truth, and understanding by His Spirit.

There are a number of pictures in Isaiah, an I have been thinking about a few.

Israel is seen as a vineyard - a vine in the care of the Lord, Who protects it and cares for it. We also see Him removing those protections when the vine is unfruitful - not living in obedience to His Word, nor being a witness and blessing to the nations but rather copying the evil around them. Yet God became one with us, raising up a Branch, Who is truly righteous and both taught and lived out perfectly a life without sin. When He comes again, He will rule and bring true peace to all. It is a nice picture of Christ, to see Him as first the vinedresser, and then willingly becoming part of the vine of Israel - the only truly good branch that bore good fruit. The picture provides a good background for Christ talking about Himself as the true vine in John 15.

There are a series of oracles, especially against the foreign nations around Israel. What struck me was the sadness that accompanied each one, and the detailed nature of the desolation that comes upon them. Often the devastation is linked with their rejection of God or reliance on idols or themselves. Laying two verses beside each other, I saw a link between the reliance on rocks - written in amongst oracles to Damascus and Jerusalem, each speaks to Israel following a similar theme:

Isaiah 22:16  What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock? 

Isaiah 17:10  Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: 

Israel (and Judah) relied on their own strength, making their own rock, but would not rely upon the Rock that does not fail.

Finally, I want to consider the picture of the Potter and His clay: We see God's right to create us with such a design as He desires, and for whatever purpose He desires - Rejecting Him and trying to go our own way may result in the pot being smashed as worthless for anything - but if we trust ourselves to His care He will mould us and form us in accordance with His purposes that we might be useful.

(Isaiah 29:16)  Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

(Isaiah 30:14)  And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

There are so many connections and references to the New Testament, and I didn't catch them all as I went through, but did certainly appreciate the ones I did notice, for instance the 'stone the builders rejected' in Ch 28 - the reference in 1 Peter to Isaiah 8 (doing a Bible study on 1 Peter at the moment at church) - The reference of our Lord to Isaiah 29:13 about the difference between lip and heart worship. All beautiful to meditate upon!

D 4, Hosea: Indefatiguable Love

Hosea is a remarkable for the picture of God's love not only described from visions or preached to the people, but lived out in the life of a prophet directed by God to exemplify His relationship with Israel.

The time is clearly marked in the beginning of the chapter by mention of the kings that reigned during the prophecy, putting him in the group of contemporaries Isaiah, Amos, and Jonah as we noticed in when considering Amos. So the prophecies that describe Israel as an unjust and idolatrous generation in Amos, are describing the same group of people present that Hosea witnesses to.

The videos linked you were a nice respectful portrayal of events as they might occur in a modern setting. I did like the way they depicted the events without speaking - allowing the actions to speak for themselves.


Some interpretive comments about the first chapter: Though it says that Hosea married a prostitute, both as a picture of Israel and in accordance with the truth that God will never ask us to sin, we can observe that Hosea's wife is described as a prostitute because the immorality she would show was known by God and revealed to Hosea beforehand, not because of what she was when they married - it is against God's character to marry someone actively in an immoral lifestyle.
Secondly, I was curious about the comment that the blood of Jezreel would be avenged/visited upon the house of Jehu (the line of kings reigning at the time). Now the story in 2 Kings 9 shows that Jehu was appointed of God to overthrow the king's family (who lived in Jezreel) - but later we learn that Jehu followed the idolatry of the previous kings, and seemed more concerned with his own aggrandisement. It is generally believed, and makes sense to me, that this comment is about God punishing Jehu's line for the way that Jezreel was overthrown, and the departure from God - not the fact that they were overthrown/killed.

We see in Hosea a love that does not give up. Metaphorically, his wife spits in his face. She rejects him, and gives him every cause to break the marriage. She ignores the fact that her husband is taking care of her even when she is rejecting him, and continually pursues her own desires. Despite the fact that her choices leave her destitute, ashamed, and hurt, she still seeks them rather than her husband in whose care she prospered. Even when he buys her back - he is her husband, he should not need to buy her time like as a prostitute, but he does anyway to remove her from that scene. How much this sounds alike to how people ignore God, and take Him for granted, pursuing their own desires, the fancies of people around them, and ignore the walls of thorns God puts up to lovingly try to prevent them going down that path. I wish it wasn't true of me, but in some aspects certainly it does apply - praise God that He continually is merciful in drawing me back to Himself and hedging up the way to prevent me straying far!

Throughout the book, the theme of whoredom (prostitution/sexual immorality) and idolatry is intertwined. Not only in the example of the adultery of Hosea's wife, but we see the idolatry of Israel described  vividly with their sacrifices to other gods and the prostitution of the women in service to these 'gods'. Sex was considered in the ancient world, and still today in some circles to bring one closer to the god - hence the many 'temple prostitutes' seen in these sort of contexts. A lot of 'new age' philosophy follows similar lines, but in many ways this society's fascination with sexual freedom and excellence is equally idolatry.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me. 

(Hos 6:6-7)

Here is the key to the passage - part of God's direct words to Israel and Judah. Also interesting to note that Hosea seems to speak equally to both nations - unlike some prophets that focus on Judah or Israel predominantly.

In the latter chapters we see God dealing with Israel not only as a wayward and adulterous wife, but also as a child under His care that requires chastisement. His care and desire to give good things and hold back the punishment and judgement come through again and again. Oh how great is the patience and long-suffering of God!

We see Israel and Judah seek help from other nations, rather than looking to God Who seeks to help them. 

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? 

(Hos 13:9-10)

O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 

(Hos 14:1-2)

 Thought I would finish with a hymn that was on my heart while reading this:

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

O Love that wilt not let me go

D 4, Hosea

Reading the book of Hosea in the ESV version of the bible, a mixture of thoughts and feelings arose across the story. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute, made him name his children names that seemly undesirable (‘Lo-ruhama, which means No Mercy’ and ‘Lo-ammi, which means Not my people’). God had order Hosea to call her back, even after deserting him and sleeping with other men ( and also after receiving the punishment she deserved), and to love her ten folds as much as he had love her before.

After reading through previous books of the bible on prophecy (Jonah, Joel and Amos), there always is a similar pattern( some may call it structure) of how prophecies were written. There always seems to be a structure of punishment and judgment, and God’s promise of greater goodness and positive end for those who repent and follow.

The book of Hosea had shown similarities to this pattern as well. The book of Hosea remind me of some really deep theme, mercy and forgiveness, compassion and unconditional love. Mercy for the prostitute who doesn't deserve to be forgiven after committing sins of adultery, compassion of a Father who took pity on the suffering of what the prostitute had gone through in her suffering, and the unconditional love God show by making Hosea reaching out to his wife even after the sins she committed, and love her even more than before. As I read and reflect upon the passage, I realized how great God’s love is to his people, and that he’ll not forsake us, no matter what we had done in the past.

How great thou art, oh Lord.

- on behalf of Emily Khong -

Day 27-30 "Lovey Dovey"

For the past week I have read through the New Testament (excluding 3/4 of the gospels) with my class. We watched, listened, and read through together and privately multiple books at a time, bringing each book to discussion. I found it to be an incredible experience. Because we were reading books continuously through, we started seeing the bigger picture connecting together through the New Testament, and themes that we never before picked up. So it came to reading Song of Songs, I simply couldn’t stop to blog after each couple chapters.

Honestly, reading through Song of Songs was quite mind-boggling. I read through the descriptions, bewildered at the extreme descriptions, debating whether there was a meaning to what I was reading, a purpose, a plot, a moral, or a theme. After talking to a couple friends and reading through a commentary book on Song of Songs, I found out that there are indeed many different perspectives on this book.

Song of Songs almost seems to be a random book, without really a message or even a mention of God. Some suggest that it should be read historically, as a portrayal of the main characters as it really was. Others hypothesize that it suggests the future, describing Jesus’ love relationship with the Church, “His Bride”, and also others suggest it describes the present, the relationship between man and woman. There are also some who hypothesize that Solomon actually did not write the book, it isn’t about him, or there is a love triangle between him, the Shulamite girl, and a shepherd boy. But regardless of all the theories, I think that it is important to appreciate the book for its poetic worth (though much of the play of words is not translated into English). It is a book that addresses themes of Love, physical attraction, intimacy, fear of loss, loneliness, loyalty, jealousy, and self-consciousness. Though slightly awkward to read, it is a great book appreciating the creation of God in the beauty of man and women, and the unification of two as one.

On a side track, In terms of my own feelings regarding this book, I found that it was quite a timely read. I previously watched many Korean dramas and love fairytales that explode butterflies in my tummy. Ups and downs, jealousy and tension, frustration and sadness, but love that conquers all. Often I have faced self-consciousness and slight envy. When will I get my love story? Almost 2 decades of my life, and I have not yet tasted romance. When I was a little girl, my grandmother always told me to pray for a good husband. I have always since then imagined that God was preparing a prince charming for me. But now I am reminded yet again that the perfect love story is already mine. Jesus is preparing Me for Him. I found it very interesting, that in my first few days of Bible School this term, one of my respected lecturers from my bible school told me he had prayed for me not to get a boyfriend yet, that I wouldn’t be distracted. I was honestly surprised; why would he pray for such a thing? Is he jinxing me? I found it completely random and slightly confusing. But weeks later I understood. Relationships can often become distracting, and take away your focus from God as first. God taught me many things I’d have never learnt if I had been impatient and did things my way. Physical attraction can be intoxicating, and can take your focus away from approaching the other person without wrong intention, genuinely seeking to understand him or her as a person of purity and character. Also, it distracts yourself from being a person of selfless character, emphasizing more on attracting others by charm.

So often our view of love today is tainted by the world. We are so desperate for relationship that sometimes we are willing to compromise. But love, although is chemistry to a certain degree, is also majorly learnt. We learn to be selfless, we learn to sacrifice; we learn to be loyal; we learn to understand; we learn to love. And I think it’s the same for any relationship, even our relationship with Jesus. How does this relate to Song of Songs? Not too sure, but I think it brought me back to yearning for romance, for one person to be passionately in love with. Romance, passion, beauty, was all designed by God our creator. Love is a blessing, a gift from God. Human beings are so beautifully designed, and man and woman were crafted to assist, unite, and complete each other in Christ, as seen when God created the first couple, Adam and Eve. But Christ is the ultimate perfection. With Him, we are complete. A quote I saw recently on my friend’s status update was “Imagine a man so focused on God that the only reason he looks up to see you is because he heard God say, “That’s her”. That struck something in me. If I try to attract someone with my own means, the only guy will be attracted to me for the wrong reasons, and I wouldn’t even want that! But if I focus on God and being the person that he wants me to be, then if a guy comes alongside my journey of seeking God, then yay! But as for now, I look down at the two rings on both my ring fingers, one with my baptism date (12-12-12) inside and the other representing my promise of purity. A commitment to patience. And I realize, that I have more than enough, because I have Jesus.

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P.S.:  After seeing the picture on the blog page for the reading, my roommates and I started incorporating random dialogue from the book into our conversation, such as “the beautiful goats in your hair” or “lovey DOVEY EYES”.  We also thought it would be a funny and interesting activity to find all the descriptions of both the man and the woman in Song of Songs, and attempt to draw it out. Eyes that sparkle like doves beside springs of water, set in jewels, washed in milk, fawns, goats, young gazelles, fruit trees…. The list goes on. At the end of the day, we found that it helped us remember the book so much more, and with a humorous twist. So I hope you enjoy it too (sorry its black and white), and that you can decipher the references!