Zechariah chapter 6

I read these and my first thought was "wow!" Not because of the judgment on the first part of the chapter, or even because of the foretelling of Jesus, the branch, who will be both priest and king, wit perfect harmony between the two roles. But verse 15 really spoke to me:

Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.

There are plans to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem now, they have been drawn up and the clothes for the priests are under design even now. All this before anything has been agreed (or even seems likely to be agreed) about exactly where on the Temple Mount and how, it will be built. Jerusalem and the prospects of a new, third, Temple is such a political minefield in the Middle East, particularly as some nations believe Israel should be wiped from the face of the earth.

The chapters of Zechariah are full of the coming judgment of God, which applies to each and every one of us, not just the Jews. Yet there is also such promise, such hope. Those from far away will come to rebuild the temple of the Lord….isn't that amazing?

Interestingly, this promise from God is not a blank cheque book, it is not a case of God telling the Israelites that the Temple will be rebuilt no matter what they do. The catch is that they have to "diligently obey the Lord your God." They cannot slide further and further into wickedness and depravity as the Babylonians did (and suffered accordingly for). Instead, they have to obey God, to follow his laws and trust in Him, and then everything will flow from there. It is a conditional promise, and they have to fulfil their side of the bargain. This is just as God promised to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

And I know this verse has been coming to mind a lot over these past few weeks. God's judgment is coming, it cannot be long now, Yet will we turn and follow Him, humble ourselves, pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways? Because if we will, then He promises to hear from heaven, to forgive our sins and to heal our land.

Zechariah chapter 5

This, to me is full of the judgment of God against man for his wickedness, the lying, stealing, cheating and everything else that we do. The first half of the chapter deals with the curse of God which is sent into every home, and the second half is about Israel, how she will be sent away to Babylon in punishment for her sins.

But it is not just symbolic of Israel, but also of every man, woman and child on earth. The judgment of God is coming:

Zephaniah 3:8 Therefore wait for me, declares the Lord , for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

But the good news is:

Zephaniah 3:9 Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

Isn't God just so awesome? Yes, judgment is coming, but so is God's mercy, God's forgiveness, God's love. It is a case of being alert at all times, because God is all around us, waiting, watching, a source of strength and comfort, a rock and a shelter, a source of hope and joy.

Zechariah chapter 4

It says in my study bible that the gold lampstand with the seven lamps on it and the bowl of oil at the top represents God's power, which is reflected in the light. The light is supplied by the oil, which is in continuous supply.

As Christians, we too need to be filled with God's power, with the Holy spirit, so that we can bring light to this dark world. We can't do anything on our own, it is only through God , by his Spirit that we can achieve anything. I look around and there is so much need in the world, so much evil. There are some truly wicked people out there committing some awful acts, and I sit and wonder what can I do sat here at my computer, day in, day out. To a certain extent, the world passes me by as I rarely watch television or pick up a newspaper, there always seems to be something else to do. Yet God is all around us, He is in the very air that we breathe. Like the seven lamps representing the eyes of the Lord that search all around the earth, I am so reminded of 2 Chronicles 16:9:

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

God is aware of everything that is going on and through His Spirit, not by our might or power, we are able to achieve great things. Even sat here at a computer all day, I can pray, I can use my computer to prepare the church notices and include in those things that seem relevant, I can do my bible readings, have my quiet time, and do all sorts. All things are possible through God, and whilst the world is a very evil place, there is some good out there, and all it takes for evil to win is for good men and women to do nothing.

The other thing that struck me is the resemblance to Revelation chapter 1 with the seven lampstands being the seven churches. Maybe part of the problem with the churches, with the church today as well, is that they did not keep a ready supply of oil, they did not keep going back and filling up with oil, with the holy Spirit. Now I'm no bible scholar or great theologian, as you would probably be the first to agree, but maybe part of the problem is that we don't allow the Holy Spirit free reign. We keep things firmly in little boxes, only venturing out when this committee has agreed it, or that committee has approved it, or the time is right, the situation warrants it, and very rarely do we step out in the Spirit. What would happen if we were all filled with the Holy Spirit (which I know as believers we are) and instead of squashing Him down, pushing Him into a little box only to be opened on Sunday mornings, we allowed him control? What if when the Spirit led, we followed, when the Spirit gave us a direction, we went that way? Because it is not by our might, our power, the work of our hands, minds or brains. It is by the power of God. How can we expect this crusade, that bible study group, this prayer meeting, and so on to succeed if we don't let the Holy Spirit have a look in?

The people who had returned to Jerusalem here were being told that they had an insurmountable task and the only way they were going to succeed was through the power of God, through the Holy Spirit at work. Maybe it is time to let the Holy Spirit loose, to allow things like Lakeland, Dudley and all the other outpourings to really make a difference in our lives, to live in the Spirit, and not to smother a movement of God.

Zechariah chapter 3

We each stand before God in filthy rags, covered in sin, and satan stands next to us, accusing us of anything and everything. Yet God in his mercy has chosen to forgive us, to place the punishment for our sins on Jesus, who bears the scars of this even now. Imagine getting to heaven and seeing Jesus, and then looking down at his scarred hands, his feet, knowing that he carries those scars because of the things you and I have done. Thanks to Jesus, we no longer wear the filthy rags of our sin, we are clothed in robes of righteousness, dressed in white without the stain of sin on us. Truly God has been so awesome, so gracious, in forgiving us.

But the whole chapter is about reinstating the high priesthood, about restoring the church, and also about the return of Jesus, the Messiah, the Branch. Just take a look around, see what is happening in Lakeland, in Wales, throughout the world. The church is being revived, the Bride is being made ready, and people are once again turning to Jesus. The Spirit is on the move, and when the Spirit moves, we as believers need to move too. We need to open our eyes to all that is going on and be ready to act when called upon. We need to walk in God's ways, and keep his requirements.

There are so many people, billions, who do not know Jesus, who have hardened their hearts to God, and yet the glory of God is all around us, from the singing of the birds in the morning, the rain falling to the ground and the flowers blooming in the summer. I was talking to someone yesterday, and he just would not, could not accept there is a God. He was prepared to accept that the universe, the sun, moon and stars had always been here, but could not accept the idea that God was here too. As far as he was concerned, the earth was created in a big bang, two stars/planets rubbing together, and that was that. How can you accept that the universe has always been here and yet ignore the possibility that God was here first? How can one thing be possible, but the idea that there is a God be impossible? Where did the universe come from? How did the planets get there in the first place? How come every climbing plant, no matter what species or genus, no matter where it is in the world, climbs in exactly the same direction? It always amazes me how people can look around and not even consider that there may be a God. It is so very, very sad.

Zechariah chapter 2

Again, another chapter filled with such hope and promise. An angel is measuring Jerusalem, the place where Jesus will return and where there will be so many living, there will not be enough room within the city walls to house everyone. But the great thing is, that it is not just the Israelites, the Jews, but it also includes people from all other nations, all believers because we too are Abraham's descendants through our faith in Jesus.

It reminds me again of Revelation, when it talks in chapter 21 of the New Jerusalem:


2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.


I just love verse 5, which in the NLT is translated: 'Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!’ Just imagine how glorious that will be, to be inside the city of Jerusalem where the Lord is the glory, where there will be no need for the sun because His glory provides all the light anyone could possibly need!

Zechariah chapter 1

I was reading this morning of how there is a growth in the Messianic movement in Israel. And then I come here and read this, about the Jews being called to return to God, and He will return to them, the Temple being rebuilt and the towns prospering. Yes, I know this was written at the time of the return to Israel from exile, and that the Jews were in the process of rebuilding the Temple, but I actually think this whole chapter is far broader than that.

You have:

• A call for repentance, a turning of hearts as the Lord calls each one of us, Jew, Gentile, back to Him; and
• A promise that God will return to us, He will not be absent in your life, my life.
  

It’s not just for the Jews, although they are a vital part of God's plan. You only have to look at Revelation and read of the 144,000 Jews who will be sealed - makes you wonder about the Messianic movement and the sudden growth it is experiencing…. It is a word of hope and encouragement for each one of us believers, and a warning not to be like our ancestors, our parent, grandparents and others who refused to believe in Jesus, who turned their back on God.

Zechariah

And moving swiftly on from Haggai, we have another prophet, Zechariah. He was, I suppose, a colleague of Haggai's and helped encourage the people as well. There are many references to the Angel of the Lord in this book, and Zechariah prophesied more about the coming of Jesus Christ than any other prophet except Isaiah.

I think it is just so awesome the way you can read something like this, written some 2,500 or so years ago, and know that it actually came true because we have the written evidence from Josephus and others (non Christians as well as Christians!) who wrote about Jesus. And if we know that some of these prophecies have come true, how much longer will it be before the others come true as well? We are living in the End Times, the days when we see the prophecies in the bible being fulfilled in our time.

Haggai Chapter 2

Sometimes, I look around and am just overwhelmed by everything that is going on around me, at work, in the family, in the country, the world. There is so much evil around, with the knife crime here in the UK, genocide and war throughout the world, famine, suffering, poverty, persecution, how can one person make any difference? Just like the Israelites who remembered the old Temple, the one built by Solomon and were now faced with its ruins and the daunting task of rebuilding it. They were overwhelmed by it, and did not know how they were going to do the job.

But our God is the same now as He was then and as He will be in the future. He is with each one of us, just as He was with the Israelites when they returned from exile. Nothing is impossible for God.

Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Numbers 11:23 - The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

Nothing is impossible for God - He sees everything, knows everything and there is nowhere we can go where God will not be. We may be faced with a daunting task, but with God by our side, all things are possible. We just need to turn to Him, to put Him first in our lives, to get our priorities straight and everything else will flow from there.

And I love the examples here about holiness and sin. When the priests were carrying something holy, meat from a sacrifice, and brushed against some other food such as bread, or wine, it did not make that bread or wine holy. But when they came into contact with, say a dead body, they became unclean, and if they then touched the food, that food became unclean.

We can't become holy just by being around holy things, by being in church, having believers who are friends, by working in a church, giving our time, our money. You can't catch Christianity, you have to make a choice, to choose whether to believe or not, just as standing in a garage doesn't make you a car. But you can catch sin, it will rub off on you because of where you go, the things you do, the people you mix with. If all your friends swear, drink to excess, take drugs, sleep around, then pretty soon, you will be drawn into behaving exactly the same way, no matter what your intentions are. The only way out of this dilemma is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to let him lead and guide us, show us the things we are doing that are wrong, to listen to that little voice inside that gives us a nudge when we are about to do something we shouldn't.

Not always an easy thing to do if we like our friends and do not want to leave them. But just read the last few words in this chapter: "for I have chosen you,' declares the Lord Almighty."
The Lord God Almighty has chosen you, chosen me, and He has done so for a reason. You may not have a very high opinion of yourself, or your abilities, but God has chosen you. You may not know what task He has chosen you for, but it was you, out of everyone else in the world, that He picked. Not your mother or father, a friend or work colleague, not someone who is a great preacher, a wonderful speaker, someone who can pray great prayers that really inspire and you just know God will answer, but you, no matter how ordinary or mundane you may feel you are. You, me, are unique, special, chosen by God, and if the God who created the universe and all that is in it thinks you are worthy of being chosen, why do you think you are worthless?

Haggai chapter 1

This is all about getting our priorities right in life, about putting God first, not last. Putting God first no matter what is happening around us, whether it is struggling to pay the bills, dealing with ill health, problems at work, at home, with school/college, trying to earn enough to put food on the table, wondering what to cook for tea, just being overwhelmed with life in general. Whatever we are going through, we need to put God first, then everything else will flow from that.
It is easy to concentrate on the things that are going on around us, after all, they are right in front of us, we have to face them all the time. Here, the Israelites had returned to Israel, they had started to rebuild the temple but then been sidetracked with planting crops, building their own homes, looking after their families. All perfectly good and worthwhile things, but doing these meant that they took their eyes off God, they put other things first in their lives and put God second or third, or fourth……

We all start off with good intentions, about reading our bibles, praying, going to church more regularly, having a deeper, closer relationship with God, and then real life crops up, just like it did for the Israelites. There is work to be done, bills to pay, homework/course work to do, the children to sort out, places to go, meetings to attend, a "to do" list as long as your arm, and somehow, that quiet time we had pencilled in gets shorter and shorter, and God gets pushed to the sidelines as we try to deal with all that life throws at us.

But God is with us no matter what is going on in our lives. He knows how busy, or not, we are. He knows how easily our good intentions fall away to nothing when faced with the reality of trying to juggle all those balls in the air and you know what He tells us? He says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30.

Like the Israelites, we try to do everything ourselves, when all we have to do is turn everything over to God, let Him have the control over our lives, the timing, the organisation, and everything else will flow from there. We need to put God back in our lives, put Him first on our "to do" list, seek Him first thing in the morning, during the day and last thing at night, and not put Him in a box, only to be opened in case of emergency.

Haggai

Well, doesn't that just show how hectic life can get sometimes? I hadn't realised that I'd not posted since Sunday...... Anyhow, having finished Zephaniah, it's time to move onto Haggai, who was prophet born during the exile in Babylon. He returned to Jerusalem when King Cyrus of Medo-Persia gave permission. And how could that not be the hand of God at work? I mean, what king usually lets his prisoners, people taken from a captured land, return to their own land to rebuild it? It's asking for trouble!

Anyhow, Haggai helped encouraged the Jews when rebuilding, by preaching the word of God. Now this might sound a very strange way to encourage people - after all, who works better when listening to a dull and dry sermon? But i this instance, I bet Haggai was encouraging them with all the various prophecies about only being in exile 70 years, returning to Jerusalem, God being with them, the coming of the Messiah, and it was probably anything but dry and dusty. It actually convicted the Jews of the need to turn to back God and to forsake their old ways as they saw the power of God at work in their lives.

This is only a short book, two chapters long, but there is such a lot in it!

Zephaniah chapter 3

Oh, wow, there is just so much in this chapter, it is jam packed with goodness!

Firstly, Zephaniah talks about Jerusalem, who's sin is so deep, the wound so incurable, that there is no hope. The city, the people, are so engrossed in their sin, it is such a way of life, second nature, that they can not, will not, heed Zephaniah's calls to repent, even though catastrophe is promised. Isn't that just like today's modern, politically correct, society? Where people are so full of the things they want, the things they need, that God doesn't even get a look in? Take a look at the governments in the western world, where spin has become such a way of life that they couldn't tell the truth if they wanted to. It is easier to gloss over things, put the best possible light on them, bury bad news on a day when something else happens that takes the front page headlines. And if the government behaves this way, setting an example for the nation, just how do you think the people react? If lying has become second nature for the government, then it most surely will trickle down to the people, so that they too start to behave the same way.

Leading a nation, a people, is an awesome responsibility, and not one to be undertaken lightly. God is watching to make sure that you do not lead his people astray, and how many politicians these days can say they are honest and above board, doing things for the people, setting a good example, obeying the will of God? We in the west have followed the examples of our leaders, and thrown God out of the schools, the businesses, the government, and are now reaping the consequences.

Whilst there is a very strong push here in the UK to bring God back, with the police going into the churches to ask for help, for prayer, the enemy now has a very strong foothold, and is tightening his grasp. There is such a sense of rejection and abandonment amongst the youth, that they feel there is no hope, no future. It is heartbreaking.

We need a return to God, a return to prayer, 24/7, not just a hurried few minutes here and there but a prolonged crying out to God for our nation, for the youth, for a healing for the land. Because God is getting ready to stand up, to testify against us, and we need desperately to cry out for his mercy, for his forgiveness for all the things that we have done that grieve Him, and to repent earnestly for our sins, to turn our hearts, our nation, back to God, to give our children a hope, a future, and to stop killing all these babies in the womb before they even see the light of day in the name of choice, of freedom. What freedom is it when it results in the deaths of the innocent? How God must be grieving, no wonder He is getting ready to come and testify against us.

And yet there is such promise in these verses too. The Lord is still there in the nation, in the land, with the people, even though many have turned their backs on him. He is righteous and does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail. The words are filled with such hope, such promise. It is not a case of being here one day, and then maybe turning up in three years time again. No, He is here all the time, whether we believe in Him or not, He is all around us, seeing everything, watching everything, knowing everything, even our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing is hidden from God, and morning by morning, He is with is.
To think that one day we will all worship the Lord together. People from all nations, all colours, all denominations. Whilst the evildoers will be punished for the evil they have done, the righteous will be blessed and we will speak with one tongue, one voice, to worship God. The Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live amongst us and our troubles will be over, never again will we fear disaster. The Lord our God will be with us, he is a mighty saviour, and he will take delight in us with gladness, and rejoice over us with songs. Just imagine that! How awesome will that be! To think that God will take great delight in you, me, we will be able to feel his presence, his love, and hear his singing! He will gather us up and bring us home - this is the message that the church needs to hear today, that the nations need to hear. To know that God is with us, that he is ever merciful, slow to anger, quick to love, and that his mercies endure for ever. He is crying out to us to repent, to turn from our sins, to turn back to God. Not just an outward profession of faith, but one from the heart, where the change in us can be seen by others, for he wants to bring us home, to gather us close and to take delight in us.

Zephaniah chapter 2

Zephaniah is calling the people to repent to turn back to God before it is too late, as there was still time to avert the impending judgment. God does not want anyone to be punished, but like a loving parent, sometimes discipline has to be enforced. But if the child stops doing that which they are about to be punished for, e.g. calling their younger brother names and lashing out in anger at him, then the punishment does not take place. In the same way here, God was calling the people back, crying out to them to stop sinning, stop worshipping man made idols, false gods, because He is not willing that any should perish.

It's a chapter filled with impending doom, with prophesy of exactly what will befall the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Ethiopians and Assyrians as they receive the wages of their pride (NLT). Yet there is also such hope and promise in the first few verses, that maybe, just maybe, if we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, we too will be saved.
I expect that, just as would happen today, people ignored Zephaniah, telling themselves he was just another of those crazy prophets and of course God would never abandon them because after all, weren't they rich, didn't they have homes, flocks, crops? Today, we have wealth, prosperity, the country is powerful, a nation to be respected, yet God could just as easily have us overrun with invading armies, or terrorists throughout each city and large town causing havoc and mayhem. After all, what notice do people take of men walking around with "the end of the world is nigh" placards, or of street preachers standing on the corner foretelling doom and gloom? They have become a source of amusement, something to laugh about, as I am sure the Israelites did with Zephaniah and the other prophets.

People are even now going around with blinkers on their eyes. They are unaware of the spiritual battle going on all around us, of how Christians are being killed and persecuted in other countries for their faith, and as long as the country is doing all right, the economy is fine, there is nothing to worry about. I am always saying this, I know, but it is truly heartbreaking to know there are millions of people who do not know Jesus, who think that because they are a "good" person, they will get into heaven, or that Christianity is wrong and Islam, Buddhism, or whatever, is the one true faith. People are still searching, seeking God and looking for Him in the most unlikely of places - drink, drugs, sex, fame, work, witchcraft and spiritualism, but He is all around us, in the song of the birds in the dawn, in the rain clouds gathering in the sky, in the wind and the rain, the blossom of each flower, the hugs and smiles from my children, and we just need to open our eyes, to take a good look around, and stop believing the lies of the god of this world, satan, who has blinded the eyes of those who do not believe so that they do not see the light of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Zephaniah chapter 1

This is not just prophesying an end to Judah, the coming of the Babylonians, but is also a reference to the End Times, when there will be the Day of Judgement, worldwide destruction as foretold in Revelation 20: 12-15. All those who do not have their name written in the Lamb's book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire, just as the people of Israel and Judah were punished by being taken away in captivity by the Babylonians.

The thing here, though, is that it need not have happened. The Israelites were told by God when they entered the Promised Land to get rid of all the inhabitants, but they failed to do this, either because they couldn't be bothered, or because it was too dangerous and they did not trust God, or because they felt comfortable in their new homes, the towns and villages they built and did not want to move out of their "comfort zone." But just look at what happened. They saw what their neighbours did, worshipping Molech, Baal and other pagan gods, and eventually they did likewise. It wasn't something that happened overnight, it took time and was a gradual process, but it led them away from God until eventually they turned their backs on God. Although outwardly professing to believe in Him and worshipping in the Temple as always, in reality their hearts were no longer God's, they had turned their backs on him and no longer trusted him, believed in Him, and chose instead to worship lumps of metal, blocks of wood, man made items instead of God the Creator.

Isn't that just as true of us today? We are affected by those we mix with. After all, if all our friends take drugs, sleep around, swear, steal, then it won't be long before we start behaving in the same way. It might start off with the odd swear word here and there, then pretty soon, every other word is a profanity. Sleeping around becomes easy and is expected if everyone else is doing it, and as for taking drugs, you really stick out in your group of friends of you are the only one who has never tried them…. It is difficult to remain principled, to stay true to your beliefs if you mix with people who believe in totally the opposite things, or do not have any beliefs at all. And yet it can be so hard to give up your friends, to make new ones who believe the way you do.

The Israelites took the easy option, they did not get rid of all the pagan nations, and eventually, they ended up turning away from God and worshipping false idols, man made items, and giving them a power that they do not have. It can happen just as easily to us as we strive to get the promotion at work, get that new contract, have a bigger and better house/car/whatever, seek fame and fortune. But all the riches in the world, all the fame we may have, our job titles, our position in the community will not save us from the wrath of God on that day of Judgement, just as it did not save the Israelites from the Babylonian Empire, sent by God to punish them.

Zephaniah

So after the book of Habbakuk, it is on to Zephaniah, a prophet who probably influenced King Josiah in his godly reformation, which began in the 8th year of Josiah's reign in Judah. Zephaniah foretold the fall of Jerusalem perhaps 35 years before it took place and he warned of a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation. . . . because they have sinned against the Lord (1:15,17). He then appealed to the kingdom of Judah to repent and God assured them that He would, in His time, graciously restore the nation. Zephaniah also prophesied that Christ would come in power and glory. Known as the great day of the Lord (1:7,14), that end-time event is referred to 13 times in these three chapters.

Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah prophesied at the same time. They were among the last prophets who spoke for God before the 70-year Babylonian captivity. They had some pretty strong words for the Israelites, words which are just as relevant to each one of us today, even though we may feel that they are of no consequence because they were written for a different people and a different time. But nothing is in the bible without reason. We just need to find the reasons.

Habakkuk chapter 3

Well, isn't it amazing/awesome/infuriating how real life has a way of interefering with the best laid plans?!! Here was I planning on posting everyday, and lok what happens - yet another work deadline prevents me. Well, it does of course, mean that you get two posts for the price of one, 'cos here is today's as well as yesterday's ;).

This chapter is such an example to me, of just how strong was the faith of Habakkuk. Here he is, knowing punishment is about to fall on Judah, and accepting that this is something that needs to take place, that it is right, that Judah be punished, and so he does not blame God, or try to plead for it not to take place. Instead, he asked for God's help, God's mercy so that in the midst of the disciplining, God would stay His hand.

The chapter is full of praise for God, which is not necessarily something that is easy to do when you are in the middle of being disciplined. I know when my children are grounded, they certainly don't look at me and give me thanks, far from it. I reckon if my youngest son turned to me and said "thanks, Mum, I really appreciate being grounded from the Wii like that, it’s doing me so much good" I would probably faint! It is not unknown for him to express his feelings far more forcibly, and in such a way that I am left in no doubt of what he thinks about me, which usually results in a further grounding, too!

But here, Habakkuk accepts that the nation has done wrong accepts that God is right to punish, to discipline and he rejoices in the amazing things God has done, how His splendour fills the whole earth, his coming is as brilliant as the sunrise, rays of light flashing from his hands where his awesome power is held. It is reminiscent of the film Prince Caspian (which we saw last night) and of how things happen when Aslan roars.

And I love the closing verses. No matter what happens, whether there is no blossom on the fig trees, the olive crop fails, the flocks die in the field, and the cattle barns are empty, still Habakkuk will rejoice in the Lord. Would I, do I, do that? When things get tough, when clients don't pay, when there is no money in the bank, bills aren't getting paid, the children play up, when there is illness in the family, do I sit and rejoice, lift my hands up in praise? It is easy to say what we would do in any given circumstance, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, or so the saying goes, and do our actions as Christians live up to our professions of faith?

Sometimes, it feels like the weight of the world is on our shoulders, but like Habakkuk, we too can rejoice because God is always there, He is our strength and He makes our feet like the feet of a deer and enables us to go on to the heights no matter what is going on around us. Just like Peter when he got out of the boat to walk on water with Jesus, as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind, the waves, the storm all around him, he was overwhelmed and began to sink.

We too need to do likewise, keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, on God, and trust the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us, because the things of this world will pass away, and then we will be with God for eternity.

Habakkuk chapter 2

One day, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Some days, I look around and it is easy to see the glory of the Lord at work, and yet other days it seems He is so far away, when things go wrong , when it seems like no one cares, no one appreciates.

Yet God is always there, always with each one of us, seeing what we are doing, watching over us. We just need to look around, to see the glory of the Lord in even the small, everyday things that are going on around us. If you are genuinely on the look out for God, striving to see him at work, looking for His hand in the things going on, then you cannot fail to see Him at work. It may only be in watching the rain fall, seeing the petals on a flower opening, hearing the birds sing over the noise of the traffic, seeing the smile of your children, or it may be in really big things, like healing, God providing even when all the odds are against it and it seems impossible. As God once asked Moses, "is the arm of the Lord too short?" No, God's arm is not too short, for Him, nothing is impossible, absolutely nothing.

One day, all men will see this, even those who choose now to disregard God, to live their lives for themselves, caring only for riches, position, power, fame and recognition. One day, everyone will bow their knee before Jesus, even those who refuse to acknowledge there is a God. And the sad things is, the truly heartbreaking thing, is that for many, that will be a day too late. Their hearts will have become so hardened over the years that even though they know there is a God, that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son, they will be unable to accept the free gift of salvation God is offering. Their sin will have gone too deep and the wound will be incurable, as Micah pointed out in Micah 1:9.

Habakkul chapter 1

These verses could have been written today. I look around and read of 18 young people who have been killed through violence this year alone, their parents left in sorrow. There is gun crime, vandalism, people are afraid to go into certain areas, others are feared because of their race, colour, age. There is famine, war, the wicked succeed and the good fail. How long, O Lord, must we wait for your return?

And then I remember that God is El Shaddai, He is the Lord, the King of Kings, the Almighty one, a God who never changes, is full of unceasing love, grace and mercy, slow to anger and quick to forgive. He is not willing that any should be lost, not one, so is waiting until such time as all who have the heart will come to Him.

In this chapter, Habakkuk asks the same things I ask myself today - where is God in the midst of all this violence and oppression? Where is God when the nations try to agree global warming targets and set 2050 as the deadline (42 years' time! Way to go - obviously they are really keen to get this one sorted….)? Where is God in the famines, in the earthquakes, the wars, the genocides?

And God answers me the same as He has answered Habakkuk, that He is doing something in this day that we wouldn't believe even if we were told about it, something so surprising, so unexpected. Because God is at work, even though it may not seem that way.

Take a look around and see what God is doing. He is at work every hour of the day. I hear Him at work in the mornings, when the sun is about to rise and the birds are singing the dawn chorus. I see him at work in the ever changing clouds and sky, in the wind and the rain, the sunshine. He is at work watching over each one of us - have you never had something happen to you that was completely outside your control, a complete fluke, so unlikely that you never thought it would ever happen, and you just know it was God? Take a look at the petals on a flower, at how the sun rises, the sea moves. Look at the good that is happening in the world, the way people's lives are being changed for the better, the way people work together when catastrophe looms, when there are floods, famines, the way the agencies get the food, tents, medical equipment and vital aid to those most in need.

All that it takes for evil to win is for good men (and women) to do nothing. It is easy to sit back and say that the world is evil, which it is, but there are many good people in the world, many trying to do their best to help their fellow man, and if we each sit back and do nothing, taking care of just our own, then it will be a case of every man for himself, first, last and always.

God is at work through each one of us believers. We may feel totally inadequate, but God will supply all that we need, we just have to trust in Him. We may not be called to do much, maybe just to keep a elderly neighbour company, to help a sick friend, maybe just to be ourselves, to let the love of God shine out through all we do. We may be called to be ministers, preachers, teachers, prophets, doctors, nurses, or maybe just someone who puts the chairs out on Sunday morning before church, makes the tea and coffee. We may be called to be missionaries, or aid workers, travelling to far flung lands to bring the gospel, to help those in need. Or our calling may be in our own homes and work places, where the way we live our lives make a difference to those around us.

Whatever we have been called to do, whether we know what it is or not, God is with us and He is at work. We may not notice it at the time, but the more you look out for it, the more you will see the hand of God at work even in everyday common place things.

Habakkuk

Well, following on from Nahum is the prophet Habakkuk, whose name I always have trouble spelling! From the introductions to this book that I read, it seems that Habakkuk lived during the time when Nebuchadnezzar was conquering the world. He probably prophesied in Judah during the later years of Josiah's rule and into the reign of King Jehoiakim. Unlike his godly father Josiah, Jehoiakim did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord (II Kings 23:37). So many of the Kings of Israel did likewise, and just because someone had a godly father, didn't necessarily mean they were godly themselves. Similarly, having an ungodly father (doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord) did not necessarily mean the child turned out the same way.

Habakkuk cried out against the moral corruption of idolatrous Judah which prevailed in his day. He foretold how God would use the ruthless Babylonians to bring His judgment on Judah.
During those horrifying times the just shall live by his faith became the watchword of the faithful (Habakkuk 2:4; and the major theme of Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).

The Book of Habakkuk encourages all believers to accept,

• by faith,
• every situation,
• trusting that righteousness
• and justice will ultimately triumph

according to the righteous judgment of the One True God.

Nahum chapter 3

Where does the time go? One minute it is Friday, the next time I turn around, it is Monday morning!!! Anyhow, continuing with the book of Nahuam, here is the final chapter.

This to me was so reminiscent of Revelation chapter 18, where Babylon is destroyed:
2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.

Nineveh here is paying the penalty for her sins, just as Babylon did, and will pay the penalty too. The people were secure, confident in their own abilities, their wealth, their riches, living in luxury and pleasure, and sure of their success, no matter what they turned their hands to. They gave no thought to God, the Creator, the one from whom we receive all that we have - home, food, a job, wife/husband, children, school, college, belongings, possessions.

Without God, what do we really have here in this world? We may have a comfortable lifestyle, we may live in extreme poverty scrabbling around to find enough food from one day to the next, we may have more riches than a man could ever dream possible, or we may live in a cardboard tent, striving to stay dry and warm each day. But no matter how much we have, or how little, without God in our lives, we have nothing. Our lives are empty and meaningless and there is no hope.

But with God in our lives, we have hope, we have salvation, we have the knowledge that we have eternal life and that treasure is being stored up in heaven for us right now. But it is not just a case of sitting back and waiting for death, waiting for the riches of heaven. God did not put us where we are today so we can ignore others, concentrate on building up our own little nest egg (albeit in heaven). We are to show the love of Jesus wherever we go, to bring the light of the gospel to all men, not just a few chosen ones, the ones whom we feel comfortable in sharing it with.

I for one do not want to know that because I did not open my mouth and say something when the opportunity arose, that someone I met did not receive the gospel message and ended up suffering in the flames of the lake of fire for all eternity. We have a responsibility to let others know about Jesus, to share the good news with all men. But it doesn't mean that we all have to become preachers, or stand on a street corner with a megaphone every Saturday afternoon, or walk around with placards saying "the end of the world is nigh." God has given each one of us different gifts. Some of us are great public speakers, able to convict people through the power of the spoken word. Others are great writers, able to write the most amazing books, whether fact or fiction, that cause people to stop and think, to turn to God, or at least start to follow the signposts. Some people are so caring, such comforters, such amazing people that they bring the light of Jesus wherever they go, and others want what they have. Others live their lives in such a way that no matter what happens, they trust in God, and people start to ask questions because after all, how can they have undergone so much, and yet still believe and trust in God?

Jonah had the gift of prophecy, and was able to convict the people of Nineveh the first time, Nahum also was a prophet, but by the time he reached Nineveh, the sin of the people was so ingrained, they could not change their ways. It is so sad to think that the same could be true of people we know and love, and I just pray that my family will not be included in this number.

Nahum Chapter 2

This chapter is all about the fall of Nineveh, the crushing and wiping out of the Assyrian Empire, which is no more. The people were given the chance to repent when Jonah was sent to them, and they heard him, listened to his message and changed their ways, but eventually returned to their wicked ways. Each of us has the choice to choose to follow God or to disregard Him, to go our own way, do the things we want to and lead our lives the way we choose. But eventually, if we do not heed the warnings, one day our hearts will be so hardened, so used to sinning, that we will be unable to change our ways even if we want to. Like it says in Micah 1:9, their wounds (their sins) will be too deep to heal, they will be such an ingrained part of their life that they are impossible to remove.

Here, the sin of the people of Nineveh is such that they will not repent, will not change their ways, so they suffer the punishment of God accordingly, and the splendour of Judah, a nation that was ransacked and pillaged by the Assyrians, is restored.

I think this is particularly relevant today as I have recently read that plans are underway to make the garments for the priests to use in the Temple at Jerusalem - before the temple has even been rebuilt. It emphasises that we are living in the End Times, that the return of Jesus is imminent and that we need to be ready. The rebuilding of the Temple is one of the things that will happen before He returns, as is the divine protection of Israel from its enemies. Isn’t is just awesome to be living in the times when bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes? It is a time of great joy but also of great sorrow, because there are just so many people who do not know Jesus as their personal Saviour, who carry on regardless and look on Christians as people to laugh at, bigots, prejudiced, full of their own pride and self importance. It is so sad to think that is the impression many people have of Christians, that we are self righteous prigs who look down on everyone else.

The truth of the matter is that whilst some people may behave that way, may abuse and harm others through a perverted understanding of the gospel message, the vast majority of Christians are perfectly normal people, who worship God, have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and are sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is a case of spreading God's love wherever we go, of trying to live our lives as Jesus lived his, because whilst punishment is coming for unbelievers, just like it came for the Assyrians, God is a god of love, and it is His love that clearly comes over in the Bible, not his anger and his punishment, although that is there too. He is not willing that any should be lost, not anyone at all no matter who they are, whatever they have done, whatever their sexual preference, whatever perversions or crimes they may have committed, every person is important to God, uniquely designed and created, special.

Nahum chapter 1

Well, following on from Micah which I really enjoyed, comes Nahum. To be honest, I found this a really depressing book, full of doom and gloom, and it was a struggle to find positive things to say.

Nahum was a prophet who lived probably just before the destruction of the Assyrian Empire, so sometime before 722 BC then. Like Habakkuk, he prophesied the destruction of Nineveh, where the people had previously repented after hearing from Jonah some 100 or more years earlier.
Jonah had tried to avoid doing a job God had set him, and ended up being swallowed by a giant fish. However, he was coughed up onto dry land, he then went to Nineveh to warn the Assyrians of the punishment of God. They listened to what he had to say and they repented, turned from their sins so God did not destroy the people or the city.

But now, it is a different generation (maybe 2 or more generations later) and the people have once more fallen into sin. It is not so much that it is the odd sin here and there, the little white lie, the touch of gossip, a modicum of pride (but even those will separate us from God), but it is a way of life, something they do automatically without even thinking about it. But God has not punished them straight away, as soon as they stopped heeding the words of Jonah and fell back into their old ways. It has been a 100 years and more, but the time has now come for more warnings for Nineveh, more prophecies of impending disaster, the wrath of God about to fall on them.

That's what I love, the fact that God waits. He doesn't automatically punish someone as soon as they mess up but he waits and gives them chance to turn themselves around, to draw back to Him. It means that there is hope for all those whom I know do not yet believe - for my children, my parents, husband, friends, for all those people in the world who are choosing to go their own way and to ignore the fact that the chances of there not being a God are less than 1 in 10 t the power 40,000 (I wish I knew how to type that in Blogger....). So whilst this is a chapter full of doom and gloom, all the more so because the Assyrian Empire did come to an end and is no more, it holds great promise. The promise of a messenger coming from over the mountain with good news, bringing a message of peace. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of salvation, of hope for this troubled world, and God is not willing that any should be destroyed.

Micah chapter 7

Micah looked around and could not find even one honest man. There was corruption everywhere and all the godly people had disappeared. He could have been talking about the world today, where it is not unknown for leaders to browbeat the opposition, kill or attack their opponents and have an election where they are the only candidate. Biblical principles are ignored, the bible is compromised, watered down, to fit in with the world today and political correctness rules. Even priests condone things that are forbidden in the bible, saying it only applied to Old Testament time, and that God didn't mean for it to be a sin, or something was just for the Early Church and doesn't apply to us.

As it says in my study bible, the standards of honesty come from God not society. We can't go ahead and do something just because we feel like it or because everyone else is doing it, or because we have "a right to be happy." We have to follow God, to obey Him to act as He would have us act (act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God), to be the truth setters for the nations, the peoples of this world and not to compromise our biblical principles just to fit in, to avoid giving offence to others. We need to do it in love, not hate (hate the sin, love the sinner) because we are each guilty of our own sins, the mean and nasty things we have each done, and since we have been forgiven by God, washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, then how can we not extend the same compassion and forgiveness to others, no matter who they are or what they have done?

We need to have faith and trust in God, and I admit, this is harder to do some days than others, when your whole world is crashing down around you, where is God then? He is right beside you, me, crying with us, grieving with us, holding us up, comforting us, and yes, the bad things may not go away, we may not magically be cured of cancer or whatever, we may not suddenly find a very healthy bank balance, the wind and the rain may still continue to pour down, but God will never, ever, ever, leave us and when He seems far away, we are the ones who have moved.

Micah chapter 6

The Lord presents his case against Israel, and what a case it is. The mountains and hills were a witness of the pagan altars and Asherah poles they had built to sacrifice to false gods. They had oppressed the poor, used dishonest measures, extortion, violence, lying, cheating. Nothing new there then as all of that is still going on today.

And God asks them what exactly he has done to make them tired of him, for them to turn away and worship false gods. And what could they, or we, possibly say to justify it? Has God been wicked, cruel, overbearing? Has he brought calamity after calamity down on us, chased after us, threatened us, punished us? Or are we where we are today because of the things we have done, the lifestyle we have led? One of those questions that you can give all sorts of answers to depending upon what you believe in.

I know I believe in God, that he is full of love and grace and mercy, slow to anger, quick to forgive, never changing, all knowing, all seeing. And here, He is telling us how we should live our lives: to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.

Many people are good people. They are kind, considerate, charitable, always willing to help out, want to see justice done, help those suffering, they act justly and love mercy. But the third requirement is to walk humbly with God, and I reckon this is the most important one, because if you are walking humbly with your God, then acting justly and loving mercy will come naturally. After all, how can you possibly walk humbly with God and then use dishonest scales in your shop, refuse to help someone in need, demand more than your fair share of everything?
But being good is not a "get into heaven" card, anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car. Faith without good works, as James says, is meaningless. If we are truly believers in Christ, and have accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour, and are seeking to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, then things will change in our lives. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and He will change us from within to become more like Jesus, although I know he has a hard task with me, and a very long way to go. It may be a gradual change, it may happen overnight, it may be a combination of the two. But change we will.

There is a saying, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." It is just the same with believers. We cannot say we are Christians if we are bossy, bullying those we work with, lying, gossiping, being full of pride, anger, jealousy, carrying on with that affair, cheating the taxman, and so on. One day, we will all have to give account of every word and deed, and yes, we may have been forgiven, but imagine having to stand before God trying to explain why you were continually angry with your spouse, your children, why you lied on your cv to get that job, why you told everyone the piece of news that was told to you in confidence….And the thing is, God already knows you are doing/have done these things, and He sees you no matter where you are, knows your every thought, your actions, your motives. He is omnipotent, with the ability to watch over the birth of the babies that are being born every second, be with the people dying every second, answer prayers, co-ordinate everything, control everything, and to be with each and every one of us at the same time. Awesome!

We need to line up our talk and our walk, practise what we preach, act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Micah chapter 5

Trying to do a catch up here, so two chapters posted today!

These are the wonderful promises of Jesus, how he would be born in Bethlehem and one day, he will return and we will all live securely. But for me, the one verse that really stood out was "he will be their peace." That is filled with so much hope and promise and is actually what Jesus said to his disciples:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Have you ever just sat there, whether at home, work, church, in the car, out and about, and just known the presence of God, the peace that passes all understanding filling your body, your heart, your soul, wrapped around you like a large, comfy duvet, permeating through every pore in your body, filling you with calm? Or when things are hectic, when you just don't know which way to turn, found yourself longing for peace, for comfort, a hug?

The peace that comes from Jesus is the peace we can each have so that no matter what is going on around us, whether the house is falling down, a loved one is sick, you’re about to be made redundant or laid off at work, there isn't enough money to pay the bills, it seems like it is one problem after another that needs to be sorted and it is all down to you, the children are being absolute monsters and you wonder exactly who their parents are because there is no way that child could really be yours, surely…. It is a case of putting everything in the hands of Jesus, of turning all our burdens, our worries, each and every one of them, to Jesus, and trusting him, that no matter what is happening, He is there with you, beside you, and He is crying with you, laughing with you, rejoicing with you, grieving with you. Because bad things happen, even to believers.

But He is our peace. He is our hope, our comfort, our refuge and shelter in times of trouble, and those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91). We may not know why things are happening to us, we may not see an end to the troubles but all things work to the good for those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.

I know from the things that have happened to me that I am more compassionate, more understanding, more sympathetic, even though at times I know it doesn't come across as this (you only have to ask my children how many times I tell them "tough, get on with it"). We may never know why we have had to go through certain things (I have a long list of questions for God in a box in my head ready to ask when I get to heaven, although chances are, by the time I get there I will be so overwhelmed I will forget them all!) but we can know the peace of God, the peace of Jesus, the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

He will be our peace.

Micah chapter 4

This is a wonderful chapter about what life will be like when Jesus returns, when everyone will go to the mountain of the Lord to worship. It is full of promise, of hope, of peace, with swords being hammered into ploughshares, spears into pruning hooks, and every man able to sit outside his house under his vine (or in his garden) without any fear at all. There are places in this world now where people have to have strong gates, stout doors, they have to bar themselves in for protection, so imagine how they would feel knowing that they could safely sit outside without fear of any harm?

But the verse that really struck me was verse 12 "but they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, he who gathers them like sheaves to the threshing floor."
God is the creator of the universe. He made the sun, moon and stars, the earth and all the planets, the land, the sea, the plants, flowers, animals and insects, even spiders and daddy long legs that I hate. He made each one of us, decided upon the colour of our hair, our eyes, our skin, the shape of our nose, forming us in the womb and watching over us. He knows each one of us intimately, and at any second of the day, he knows exactly what each and every person is doing - he is watching the babies being born, people dying, he knows what we're thinking, how we are feeling, and he is co-ordinating the weather, the wind, and he never sleeps.

And many of us carry on regardless, never giving a thought to the fact that the odds on there not being a creator, a grand designer of the world and all that is in it, are something like 1 in 10 to the power of 40000! Those are some serious numbers which make me wonder just how people can not believe in God.

We carry on with our lives, going to school, college, work, taking the children to school/work, keeping the house running, earning a living, all the everyday things we have to do, and life happens around us. And God is watching over us the whole time. Yet which one of us really knows the mind of God? Knows why things happen? Why we or our loved ones get ill, why we struggle at times, why there are floods, earthquakes, famine, disasters? Why our prayers are unanswered or answered?

I think the thing here with these verses, is that the leaders, the priests, the teachers, chose to ignore God, to live their lives without him, and just to pay lip service to Him, to the Laws of Moses, the rituals, festivals and ceremonies and so on. Well, you cannot string God along. You can't tell Him in church on Sunday (or the Temple on Saturday) that He is a great and awesome God, offer him your praises, your worship, and then the rest of the week ignore Him, ignore his laws, His calling , his guidance in your life. He is not a just God of our Sundays, He is God of our Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays as well, God of our nights and our days, our work and our leisure time.

Knowing God, or desiring to know God, is a conscious choice we make, or don't make, we have to choose to want to know him. The leaders Micah is talking about didn't want to know God, seek him, talk to Him, ask Him for help, for guidance, but instead, they wanted to go their own way, do what they wanted to do without having to count the cost, to take into account what God would have them do. And yes, it is often easier to do that than to make a stand, to do what you know God would want, but the rewards of obeying God, which may well never come in this lifetime, only after we are dead and buried, far outweigh any temporary gain from going our own way or following the crowd.

Micah chapter 3

Another chapter filled with doom and gloom.

This is a dreadful indictment on the leaders, the priest and the prophets of Israel. They were supposed to lead the people, guide them , help them, and yet here they are denounced for robbing the people blind, refusing to prophesy or teach unless they were paid, taking bribes instead of showing justice.

Because of their behaviour, how they have hardened their hearts and preyed on the people, their pride in assuming that God was with them, even though they were behaving in exactly the opposite way from the way God wanted them to act, then when they called out to God He would refuse to hear them.

When I first read this, it seemed harsh that when they turned to God He would ignore them. But really, they would be using God as a Mr Fix it, a cure for all ills, a magician who could solve all their problems and nothing in their hearts would have changed. After all, how can we approach God, ask for His help when we do not change our ways? When we continue to be full of pride, envy, jealousy, greed? When we commit adultery, when we have lust in our hearts, when we sleep around, take drugs, abuse our children, scrounge on others, lie, gossip, cheat, steal, murder, rape? When we consider ourselves to be better than others, superior to our neighbour, when we refuse to see the log in our own eye but are quick to point out the splinter in a friend's?
Time and time again, I am reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14:, the promise given by God to Solomon on the dedication of the temple.

When my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

It is a case of:

• being called by God
• humbling ourselves
• praying
• seeking His face
• turning from our wicked ways

And then God will:

• hear from heaven
• forgive our sin
• heal our land

The leaders here were not doing any of this, they were carrying on regardless, not changing anything, using and abusing the people, and assuming that God would come to their aid because they were His chosen people. But it is a two way street - how can we expect God to help if we ignore him except when we need Him? How can we expect Him to hear our prayers when we continually do things that grieve him? And I think here, that there is a difference between those who try to do right and then mess up, as opposed to those who never give it a thought, who carry on sinning left right and centre and have no intention of even attempting to do anything God has asked.

So Micah tells them just what he thinks of them, and then proceeds to inform them that he is filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, filled with justice and strength to boldly declare Israel's sin and rebellion.

This is how we as Christians should be. I know we are each filled with the Holy Spirit, but really, do we truly appreciate all that means? That we have been given the power to do all that Jesus did and more? That our prayers can move mountains, heal the sick raise the dead, make the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear? I know I read this in the bible, I know it is true, but actually believing that I can make a difference, can do all these things is such a huge leap of faith, and I am only taking baby steps when really, I should be running marathons as far as faith and prayer goes. And then what about being filled with justice and strength to boldly declare Israel's sin, the sins of our nations, the world? When do I actually stand up and say something is wrong? When does the church? There is the huge rift in the Anglican church at the moment and I can't help but think that if only the church, you, me, each one of us believers, actually stood up and said what we believed in, acted in faith, said that certain things are wrong, and that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should, then maybe others would listen, would turn to Jesus, and maybe the world just wouldn't be in the mess it is in.

Micah chapter 2

Well, here in chapter 2 there is a warning to those who lie awake at night plotting and scheming, those who use their position to oppress others, and also the false prophets, who put their heads in the sand and say everything is all right.

To me, the false prophets sound like the church today, or at least many people in the church. They say what the people want to hear, telling them that the words in the bible are not relevant for today, that people in the Old Testament times were living in a different age, a different era and that we need to move with the times. Things were different then and God did not mean that we couldn't do x, y or z now, that only applied in the Old Testament days. There are even ministers in the church who do not believe Jesus rose from the dead, something which is at the very heart of Christianity.

But how can we pick and choose what to believe in the bible and what to ignore? God does not change, so why should His word change? Is it right to only pick out the bits of the bible that lets us live life the way we want to? To only listen to those prophets and preachers who tell us what we want to hear?

If you truly believe that God is omnipotent, omniscient, all seeing, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, slow to anger, quick to forgive, knowing the past, present and future, then surely He would have known when the bible was written, Spirit breathed, what was going to happen? That He would have made His word just as relevant for today as it was all those years ago?
I sit here and read these words in Micah, and really, what is so very different today? People still lie awake at night plotting and scheming evil deeds, people in positions of authority and power still oppress those underneath them and there are preachers and prophets who even today will tell people what they want to hear rather than the solid truths in the bible. It is easier to go with the flow, to try to keep everyone happy rather than stand out from the crowd. And yet what punishment awaits those who lead others astray, the false prophets and teachers who draw people away from God instead of pulling them towards Him. It is such an awesome responsibility, and yet such a privilege but it is abused by many.

Then in the final verses of this chapter, the promise of restoration, of hope, and the return of Jesus. Just as true now as it was then, and even nearer in this year of 2008.

Micah chapter 1

Micah was just a countryman who lived in a small village in Judea, about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem near Gath. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, at the same time that Isaiah was a prominent prophet in Jerusalem. He exposed the sins of both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and boldly proclaimed the destruction of Israel (1:6-7), as well as of Jerusalem and the Temple (3:12). He also foretold Judah's restoration.

In this first chapter, Micah is telling the people that the judgement of God is at hand, to prepare themselves for the worst, because it is about to happen. I wonder how many actually listened to him? I'm sure I remember Ahaz telling another king that Micah never prophesied anything good about him, and you can understand why he had that opinion from just reading a few verses.

But the one thing that struck me was in verse 9, which in the NLT is translated as "For my people's wound is too deep to heal. It has reached into Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem."

The sins of the people were so bad, so ingrained, so much a part of their nature, that the people of Samaria were incurable. Their sins had proved to be a mortal blow to their bodies. They had reached the stage that even though Micah was telling them what was going to happen, they would not, could not, change their ways. Their hearts had become so hardened, that they refused to even consider that Micah might be right, that he might be telling them a message from God, rather than just giving his rather forceful opinion on their lifestyle.

Look around today, and exactly the same things are going on now in the world as there were in the time of Micah, Isaiah and the other prophets. Man has a tendency to sin, and the world today is such a truly evil and wicked place. There are stories in the newspapers, on the radio and television, of murder, rape, crimes, child abuse, extreme poverty, famine, floods, earthquakes. Drugs are readily available on street corners (mind you, if you were to ask me to go get some, I wouldn't have a clue where to start). People are hungry for God yet are looking in all the wrong places - sex, drugs, work, tarot cards, spiritualism, witchcraft, Buddha, New age religions, Islam, and so on. The world is hurting, the people and the lands are crying out, yet many have hardened their hearts. They have deliberately turned their backs on God and ignored Him, gone their own ways to such an extent that like the people of Samaria, their wounds are too deep to heal.

And it is progressing throughout the world, like an infectious disease. As crime, poverty, and other things become more and more common place, we close our ears, we accept it as a way of life and disregard it, switching off the news, doing something else to avoid having to face the reality that God is missing in so many people's lives. Political correctness is commonplace, you cannot stand and say what you believe in, say something is wrong without being categorised as prejudiced, and the church has accepted all this. It was a gradual process taking many years, but now, the church seems to have no backbone, trying to appease everyone, to keep the peace and avoid giving offence to anyone.

We need to turn our hearts back to God, to repent of our sins, because we are all guilty even if it is the sin of omission, of not standing up and saying something.

First post!

Well, I thought it was about time I took the plunge and started my own blog, and so here it is. I will try to post everyday but real life has a way of interfering with the best intentions, so please excuse me should I miss a day, or two, or maybe even more.



This is a summary of a walk I am taking through the bible, with some thoughts of mine along the way. These are just my thoughts from reading through the bible everyday: they may cause you to stop and think, you may completely disagree with everything I say or they may even inspire you to have a read of the bible yourself. Whatever the outcome, I hope you will enjoy this blog.

I'm starting with the book of Micah, rather than, say, perhaps the more logical Genesis or Matthew, or even John or Revelation, purely because I have currently reached Micah on my way through the Old Testament. So, pull up a chair, get yourself a cup of coffee and have a read. Let me know what you think.