israel

HUMBLE not ENTITLED, Mary will birth Jesus for ALL of US

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HUMBLE – that is a great word to describe Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary was HUMBLE, not ENTITLED.

God sent an angel to tell her – and God sent a Son to dwell and grow in her – and God sent a Savior to save her – AND US…

…

HUMBLE

Unbelievable 

Mary

Bearing Our

Lord

Emmanuel – God with us…
…

Mary was a teenager when she learned her whole life would change – and she dedicated herself to that duty that the Lord established into her. Mary had an encouragement from her relative Elizabeth who praises: “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” – Recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapters 1 and 2.

Mary sings in response of this amazing fulfillment of time: Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.” 

And as I think back to my life at that time of teenager-ness – God also intervened and helped me feel my worth in an age that was and is so broken for so many – so tumultuous between childhood and growing into adulthood – so emotionally wrought – so unknown… God intervenes to show us worth – God reaches us to make us worthy – God grows in us to show us LOVE.

Mary was realizing that she was regarded as His maidservant – but not in an entitled way – Mary would choose to accept this with humility, and she knew that it was God “has regarded the lowly state” of her. AND THAT lowly not worthy state IS OUR OWN SELVES AS WELL – lowly as we are on this broken earth and in need of our Savior. MERCY as we would be humanly condemned but instead we are spiritually uplifted with GRACE. “AND HOLY IS HIS NAME.”

“And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.” – “He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.” – Remember how we can give up worldly things to accept that treasures are in Heaven and that we are to be hungry for the Spirit.

“He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.” – Mary gives us a history HIS story lesson – that the Messiah would come from the nations born of Jacob (Israel) who wrestled with God and saw the angels up and down to heaven as on a ladder. That the Messiah would come from amongst the many promised descendants of Abraham – revered as God’s friend and servant – who lived humbly and walked with God. Mary would understand God’s continuity and goodness – His Almightiness and Majestic Ways – and His Mission.

HUMBLE not ENTITLED, Mary will birth Jesus for ALL of US – “Jesus-ers” and “soon to be Jesus-ers” and “Jesus-wants-you-to-know-Him-ers” – EVERYONE…

ALLELUIA and AMEN

Luke 1-2 NKJV
Dedication to Theophilus
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

John’s Birth Announced to Zacharias
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”  And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth
Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
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The Song of Mary
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

And Mary remained with her [Elizabeth] about three months, and returned to her house.
***

Birth of John the Baptist
Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

Circumcision of John the Baptist
So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zacharias’ Prophecy
Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Christ Born of Mary
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented in the Temple
Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Family Returns to Nazareth
So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Scholars
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now soit was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor
Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

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Luke 1-2 NKJV – Dedication to Theophilus –  Here is a Bible Gateway link listening: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/bubb/nkjv/Luke.1 or reading:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201-2&version=NKJV

Jesus keeps Christmas Easter and FOREVER Alive, Micah 5

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It’s still Christmas for people, for those still celebrating and for those who wait for loved ones delayed in visiting, or are in the hospital. The tree will hold, the fridge will preserve, the date on the calendar means little compared to the celebration stage. Just like every holiday, it is the celebrating that is a state of mind over everything. It’s the REALNESS of the SAVIOR over the symbolism, the CONNECTION over the commercialism of convenience. (And why would precious gifts go 50% off based on a date anyway if they were THAT important in life.) Let us choose Christmas cheer over gifts this time of year. 

What’s real Christmas? Jesus arriving! Jesus arriving to fulfill prophesy (as written in Micah 5), be the babe of humble means from Bethlehem in lowly Judah, AND to be wonderful counselor, Jesus to be Mighty King of the ultimate Kingdom, AND to rule as KING upon His return on earth, AND to be acknowledged as KING of our hearts all the days in between… Real Christmas becomes Real Easter… Real Easter becomes a wait to see Jesus return from the heavens… “and He will be our peace…”

What about the Israelites and all the scattered Jewish people? Jesus Messiah will come back for Gentiles and Jews. Micah 5 states about a Savior: He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Micah educates all that Jewish people will be scattered, but remain loyal to Israel: The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples – AND – lifted up in triumph over your enemies. This is not just ancient history but future prophesy. And with God’s  “anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me”,God will surely demonstrate His Almighty Power.

So Jesus keeps Christmas Spirit alive and we worship God for His Greatness, celebrating Jesus for His Mission, and stay tuned to the HolySpirit for directions on giving credit where credit is due: God from ancient old is still current and will reign again on earth. Jesus wants to reign in our hearts forever. 

We know it as prophesy AND now TRUTH. 

CHRISTMAS continues for those still learning about Jesus. Easter comes for saving all. And Jesus comes again to put all evil down forever. 

Amen 

—

Micah 5 NIV 

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.

The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue. Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.

“In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will destroy your horses from among you and demolish your chariots. I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds. I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells. I will destroy your idols and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands. I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles when I demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

Family Dynamics and Complications but God’s Solutions: Obadiah, Edam, Israel, and All Nations

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And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

The video of the Bible Project is a good summary of the book of Obadiah and of understanding how God set up a complicated but consistent God’s Plan, His Sovereign Ways, His Judgment of all, and how Jesus did and will uncomplicate the worst of complications by defeating the evil that goes against God. God’s ways are MUCH higher than our ways.

Video of Obadiah explained here:

One complication we know is of within our families – and small scale complications feels big scale in small units. Nation against nation is big and complicated too, especially when we know people within them who are friends and even family. To God, all people are family, and it’s all been complicated from the start. Adam’s children Cain and Abel, then the history of the lineage of Israel’s Jacob from his brother Esau is life being complicated and sticky. This continued in Jacob and Esau’s descendants Israel and Edom folks, where Edom took advantage of Israel being captured by Babylon. God promised judgement on any nation against Israel, and that’s a huge conversation that can still be discussed to this day. God’s family dynamics are just as (much more) complicated than ours!

However what’s even bigger in God’s power and realm, is His Plan to get us past all the problems. And the end of Obadiah speaks to this 

“The pride of your heart has deceived you” – this pertains to all of us and we could judge situations and others, and God could and will judge us. This is yet another reason for us to praise the gift of grace in Jesus. Not just what we get from Jesus, now, but what we already got – we got God’s plan planned out, our job is to follow through in faith. We also get the mercy for not being punished as we could be. And what we WILL get, is to watch all nations bow down to God one day, and all evil fall, knees down, to be humbled before the Lord who will destroy evil once and for all. (See the book of Revelation.)

Life will get worse before it will get better, so hold onto the hope which is holding on to you.

And family dynamics? Best to grin and bear it, in the holidays and always. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Love never fails.

Amen 

Obadiah

New King James Version

The Coming Judgment on Edom

The vision of Obadiah.

Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom (We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):

“Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

“If thieves had come to you, If robbers by night— Oh, how you will be cut off!— Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, Would they not have left some gleanings?

“Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! All the men in your confederacy shall force you to the border; The men at peace with you

Shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it.

“Will I not in that day,” says the Lord, “Even destroy the wise men from Edom, And understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau May be cut off by slaughter.

Edom Mistreated His Brother

“For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side— In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, when foreigners entered his gates And cast lots for Jerusalem— Even you were as one of them.

“But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity; Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; Nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction In the day of their calamity, Nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained In the day of distress.

“For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been.

Israel’s Final Triumph

“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.

The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the South. Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Messengers Go with God, Not the Status Quo, Amos 7

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If I didn’t take in my poinsettia, it would have froze. It’s doing well transplanted… ah, transplant like Amos the prophet…

If you think we’ve HEARD THE STORY BEFORE – we have.  Amos, a Fig Farmer, gives us the small MIGHTY fine print understanding of an era that God covers again and again in the old testament. And it FIGures, it’s probably no coincidence that Amos is a FIG FARMER called into be a prophet, where we now are seeing in scripture the consistent thought process for Israel being a FIG TREE that should have been blooming all along. It needed farmers in the prophets. Even told they were purposefully placed into captivity, and watch for signs. But no, the Israelites and Judah-ites knew of David’s Kingdom and the promise it was to be restored, (see the Psalm Sunday scene), but the rulers and their fellow folks couldn’t see to listen to God and BE FRUITFUL, even in dry spots of the nation’s life. 

The season of the Lord’s coming “should” have been met with a blooming Israel to greet Him, but Jesus sees them not seeing, and an accursed fig tree, recorded in Matthew, represents the Israel not fruitful (scholars say this, this makes sense). God uprooted the complacency of Israel many times, and like carrying the Ark of the Covanent around in a prescribed way, they should have carried out the hope in a Messiah and all that the Lord asked. 

A familiar king Jeroboam doesn’t listen to God, so God sends a messenger in a prophet, Amos. Even the prophets have to realize that God needs them to go, (just ask Jonah), so why a king can’t listen is because they don’t want to disturb their own status quo. 

These stories are of a long line of not listeners, of sadly thinking our thinking is above God’s, of even ignoring His Way as if it didn’t exist or won’t happen. It’s not being fruitful in a dry spell.

God is Almighty, Go with God. Bear His Fruit. Be thankful. Even Jesus said ask God to tell the mountains to move and they will. We can be fruitful in listening to His Way. 

Amaziah, not listening, was a priest of the divided kingdom section of Israel, and not happy to be told Israel was going into exile. Maybe Amos was like a worn out record of warning and against the status quo especially saying such within “the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amaziah was displeased and tried to turn away from the truth. So, Amos explained, he was clear that even He was pulled into service to speak God’s truth. And gave a frank account of God’s Plan. If the king (or priest) wasn’t listening to God, then they would not have given any encouragement for the people to. They were destined to be exiled, as matter of fact as it could be. It was them keeping the status quo of being selfish and not selfless to God’s plans. 

Remember, or if you didn’t know, we are currently in exile ourselves from an Eden with God, and we certainly spread through the earth for God’s mission, and are told to bear His Fruit from His Living Water, and keep planting seeds. This is God’s Plan for us. If we are to go, then let’s go. If we are to bloom where planted then bloom for this time, then send forth fruit. Like Amos, we must be messengers, go FIGure…

Always may we Go with God, and keep blooming… stay warm (like the poinsettia) in His Love.

Amen 

—

AMOS 7:10-17

Amos and Amaziah

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”

Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the Lord. 

“You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

“Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”

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Mark 11

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Woe Complacency Sin, Amos 6

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If there’s a set of sins SO OFTEN called out in scripture, they would clearly be including complacency, settling into living without gratitude. This is what Amos is warning the people of Israel about, and warning all of us. Don’t be complacent and lack praise. 

We think of evil sins like murder and yet there’s sins of omission like apathy, living not caring even if you do know other’s plight. More turn our back sins like Charles Dickens wrote in “A Christmas Carol”, showing Scrooge horrified at children under the robe of ‘The Ghost of Christmas Present’ – the big booming voice: “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”

All these sins all fall under not being aware of how we drift away from awareness.  Apathy feeds itself, and complacent behavior is just that, complacent. 

God wants attention. God wants us to understand what is bothering Him about how we (ancients descendants of Jacob and all of us now) don’t praise for what we DO have. 

Amos foretold the exiles forced by fierce neighbors in the time of the divided kingdoms. (Amos tells us now that we are running out of time to pay attention.) Amos warns the day of complacent ways will come to an abrupt end – For the Lord has given the command – and if we can acknowledge that prophets like Amos spoke truth of what was going to happen, then we must recognize that the future prophecies will also come true. 

Best we can do (in addition to PAY ATTENTION and PRAY) is PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW… 

Praise God for the new day to keep looking and working for Him. 

Amen. 

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Amos 6 NIV 

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours? You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You ou dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.” If ten people are left in one house, they too will die. And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

For the Lord has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.

Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness – you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”

For the Lord God Almighty declares,  “I will stir up a nation against you, Israel, that will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.”

Feel the Heat, Seek the Lord and Live through Love, Amos 4-5

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“You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Some of the best assurances and warnings of the strength of the Almighty Lord is to understand His tough love policy for those who stray. It is still and always will be love because God is love. A squishy pushover love it is NOT, because God has enough power to destroy and correct what He made on the largest stage, and save, in the smallest behind the scenes moment. Therefore we must be tapped into the love of healing and knowledge of good and evil. 

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land – the Lord is his name.

Surely, the wayward chosen people of Israelites and Judah-ites were needing the reminder of compliance, as Amos the prophet gave. And so are we – to be reminded to stay devoted. The saved remnant of folks, from the tribes of Jacob, were described like a burning stick snatched from the fire, saved just in time. 

We now in life still fraught with society going every which way, should be thankful for we are in the boat with Jesus and able to say: “Lord, douse me with your LIVING WATER”…

God’s love never fails and unlike unfaithfulness waywardness which relies on crumbling human-invented paths, “those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground”, God’s love and God’s ability is the STRENGTH of the whole SYSTEM.  God’s righteousness and God’s justice will root out evil at the time of the harvest. Therefore let us be in the system of good, of devotion, of love, and share the fruitfulness from our watered souls, living as God’s love ‘through us’, not just ‘to us’.

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Let us all keep living and loving. Pray to walk with the God Who is with us.

Amen

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Amos 4:11 – Amos 5:17

“You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name.

A Lament and Call to Repentance

Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

“Your city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left; your town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.”

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek me and live;

do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

Seek the Lord and live,

or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land – the Lord is his name.

With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold and brings the fortified city to ruin. There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: “There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail. There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.

Amos – A(l)mos(t) to the end of the Old Testament, Amos 1-3

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Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

I held the Bible pages in an actual physical Bible and thought to myself, I am amazed how I have read and written through almost all of the Old Testament, after the New Testament, now 10 years nearly since my awakening. There are such slim pages left, and amazing for I seem to be on track for finishing reading and writing at the 10 year mark. And then what? Do it again… read, write, absorb, teach… Really the sharing is about our readiness for heaven – both immediately and ultimately – do we know Jesus to know He is the One taking us there? I hope the world knows Jesus as Lord and Savior before they kneel as conquered…

I thought, I think, I know that, well, these are TOUGH chapters at the end of the Old Testament WOW! It’s again and again old bits of TOUGH times prophecy in Amos, in the middle of the rough years of a divided kingdom – tough reading meaning text AGAIN about harshness on wayward Israel and Judah – and YET ISN’T THAT TRUE – isn’t that like end times of the tough understanding their situation in the world without the Messiah yet, without Jesus walking in it, without what they saw would be final restoration of the Kingdom. Think of the angst and hopes of Simeon to see the deliverer before he died… 

And so, there is info to learn in the Old Testament – I know we are not to breeze over these even if tough, knowing the New Testament is soon in my/our agenda, no. In reading the prophets, Amos especially, these are NOT tiny chapters of thoughts by prophet Amos even if tiny in pages.  This reading is a WHOLE bunch of learning – of God’s Way with His people.

And for us today, this tough reading is reflective of the tough now, knowing Jesus came, but we are sitting in a broken world holding onto the hope of looking for the Lord’s final return. The fire is refining before the finish. Jesus come quickly.

Then in the middle of the tough passages, I saw assurance: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” YES – God reveals what He is doing – we simply must listen and follow.

It’s these words of comfort we are to learn from these chapters. We are not going to be successful in insulating us from the evil – likewise we are not going to fix a world to save it – but instead need to have Jesus come to reign in it, then move to a new city kingdom heaven, in the time appointed. 

Meanwhile, our time is to learn and live best. We must dig in – dig into chapters – dig into learning – dig into living in a broken world as not a bunker but above it as an opportunity to keep our eyes on our Shepherd Jesus. As the Lord punishes the enemies of His people, He will knock down the evil once and for all, in that day of reckoning. He will also judge the goats from the sheep  – those who said they would help and didn’t vs those who listened and DID help. 

So, as Amos speaks of God’s punishment for His own people gone astray (Judah-ites and Israelites of the time), whoa to those now who hunker down, bunker down, in the world with protectiveness of possessions like those thinking the world will save them – rather than step out into the world with the armor of God. We must keep moving.

DON’T let the world’s trappings swallow you as a lion does – “as a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”

Keep walking my friends, light of foot and light in the eyes, share hope, we are A(l)mos(t) there.

Amen 

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AMOS 1-3, NIV

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa – the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

He said: “The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers.”

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: 

“For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not relent. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom, I will send fire on the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses. I will destroy the king of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines are dead,” says the Sovereign Lord.

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not relent. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire on the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses.”

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not relent. Because he pursued his brother with a sword and slaughtered the women of the land, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked, I will send fire on Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day. Her king will go into exile, he and his officials together,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not relent. Because he burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king, I will send fire on Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire on Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites.

“I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel?” declares the Lord.

“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

“Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain. The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing? Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

The lion has roared – who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy? Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: 

“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.”

“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.”

This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch.”

“Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

“On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished,” declares the Lord.

The Walking Led, Hosea 12

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“So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually.“

I’m stretching my left leg these days, it’s a small hamstring thing, it WILL get better I am assured.  No worries. I tested my right leg in the same stretching exercises yesterday to see if it’s general old age or specific issue – but it’s specific, the right leg is fine. I’ve got the hamstring and also some hip pain, but it’s not something to stop walking, if anything I need to be walking more, good for every part of my body.

I joked that the Lord touched my hip, like Jacob, to get my attention. To both Jacob and me, we had to keep walking, be the “walking led” rather than “the walking dead”.

Jacob is so crucial in Bible history and fulfilling prophecy, he is the one whom God rename Israel, and his 12 sons, 12 tribes of Israel brought forth the tribe families. Sure, they were much trouble too, from the Joseph situation down the well, to the continued lack of following the Lord. Many times corrected and still in need of rescue. 

Hosea spoke of Jacob in the prophet-way of their people needing directions and correction. Spoke of Jacob struggling (touching his brother’s heal, finding how to steal a birthright, and in getting the wife he wanted) and spoke concerning Jacob struggling until he found God. And then these words of Jacob getting his spouse: “Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved.” 

Wow, doesn’t that sound like Jesus too? Serving for tending sheep (us), searching for a wife (us the church as His Bride), a time in Egypt, and a preservation (Jacob and sons by Joseph’s generosity and forgiveness and US as Gentiles and Israelites saved by Jesus fulfillment of prophesy)… wow…

Yes, old testament Hosea wrote of the time and the struggles. We can read in the salvation and the Savior… we can know to reach for God rather than struggle. 

Thank You Lord for us being YOUR “walking led”… Keep walking my friends. 

Amen

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Hosea 12

“Ephraim feeds on the wind,

And pursues the east wind;

He daily increases lies and desolation.

Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians,

And oil is carried to Egypt.

“The Lord also brings a charge against Judah,

And will punish Jacob according to his ways;

According to his deeds He will recompense him.

He took his brother by the heel in the womb,

And in his strength he struggled with God.

Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;

He wept, and sought favor from Him.

He found Him in Bethel,

And there He spoke to us—

That is, the Lord God of hosts.

The Lord is His memorable name.

So you, by the help of your God, return;

Observe mercy and justice,

And wait on your God continually.

“A cunning Canaanite!

Deceitful scales are in his hand;

He loves to oppress.

And Ephraim said,

‘Surely I have become rich,

I have found wealth for myself;

In all my labors

They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’

“But I am the Lord your God,

Ever since the land of Egypt;

I will again make you dwell in tents,

As in the days of the appointed feast.

I have also spoken by the prophets,

And have multiplied visions;

I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.”

Though Gilead has idols—

Surely they are vanity—

Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal,

Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.

Jacob fled to the country of Syria;

Israel served for a spouse,

And for a wife he tended sheep.

By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,

And by a prophet he was preserved.

Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly;

Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,

And return his reproach upon him.

People being People, Corruption, Hosea 10-11

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For it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.

Love the person, hate the sin. Know the Lord loves each person. 

Know that each person sins and whole peoples go off the deep end at times. But the Lord loves them. 

I woke up with the name Voltaire on the brain. I don’t know why, I don’t know his writing in the 1700s, but a quick Wikipedia search tells me his writings stirred up controversy. I’m not going to dig too deep, just knew he was commenting on his time… There were corruptions in the monarchy and the close connection between government and church was fraught with abuse of power…

Yes, life history tells us that’s a theme… 2000 years earlier, Israel and Judah and corruption are the forefront of Hosea’s writing. Clearly the Lord calls out the corruption and of course the false worship. The Lord’s warning to Samuel, prophet, early on, was that kings will divert attention from worshiping the Lord.  As Saul was corruptable, so was the long line of kings… Even as the lineage of Jesus was brought forth from the appointed David, after the Lord tapped him to lead, corruption marred the moments that could have been lived better by listening to the Lord. 

Hosea wrote:

Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones. Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?” They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

CORRUPTION… a continuous issue… The Lord who raised His people (then and now) saw and sees corruption: “My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.” 

Love the people, hate the sin. 

Jesus spoke in John 3:19-20: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

We know history,  we know sin, we know evil at a certain level. The Lord knows that the cure is His righteousness. He will bring forth His people and corruption will put on incorruptible Jesus as our Light and Leader to replace all earthly kings.

Thank You Lord for the Light!

Amen 

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1 Corinthians 15:53-55 KJV

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

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Hosea 10-11 NIV

Israel was a spreading vine;

    he brought forth fruit for himself.

As his fruit increased,

    he built more altars;

as his land prospered,

    he adorned his sacred stones.

Their heart is deceitful,

    and now they must bear their guilt.

The Lord will demolish their altars

    and destroy their sacred stones.

Then they will say, “We have no king

    because we did not revere the Lord.

But even if we had a king,

    what could he do for us?”

They make many promises,

    take false oaths

    and make agreements;

therefore lawsuits spring up

    like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

The people who live in Samaria fear

    for the calf-idol of Beth Aven.

Its people will mourn over it,

    and so will its idolatrous priests,

those who had rejoiced over its splendor,

    because it is taken from them into exile.

It will be carried to Assyria

    as tribute for the great king.

Ephraim will be disgraced;

    Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.

Samaria’s king will be destroyed,

    swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.

The high places of wickedness will be destroyed—

    it is the sin of Israel.

Thorns and thistles will grow up

    and cover their altars.

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”

    and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

“Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel,

    and there you have remained.

Will not war again overtake

    the evildoers in Gibeah?

When I please, I will punish them;

    nations will be gathered against them

    to put them in bonds for their double sin.

Ephraim is a trained heifer

    that loves to thresh;

so I will put a yoke

    on her fair neck.

I will drive Ephraim,

    Judah must plow,

    and Jacob must break up the ground.

Sow righteousness for yourselves,

    reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

    for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

    and showers his righteousness on you.

But you have planted wickedness,

    you have reaped evil,

    you have eaten the fruit of deception.

Because you have depended on your own strength

    and on your many warriors,

the roar of battle will rise against your people,

    so that all your fortresses will be devastated—

as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,

    when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.

So will it happen to you, Bethel,

    because your wickedness is great.

When that day dawns,

    the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.

God’s Love for Israel

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,

    and out of Egypt I called my son.

But the more they were called,

    the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals

    and they burned incense to images.

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

    taking them by the arms;

but they did not realize

    it was I who healed them.

I led them with cords of human kindness,

    with ties of love.

To them I was like one who lifts

    a little child to the cheek,

    and I bent down to feed them.

“Will they not return to Egypt

    and will not Assyria rule over them

    because they refuse to repent?

A sword will flash in their cities;

    it will devour their false prophets

    and put an end to their plans.

My people are determined to turn from me.

    Even though they call me God Most High,

    I will by no means exalt them.

“How can I give you up, Ephraim?

    How can I hand you over, Israel?

How can I treat you like Admah?

    How can I make you like Zeboyim?

My heart is changed within me;

    all my compassion is aroused.

I will not carry out my fierce anger,

    nor will I devastate Ephraim again.

For I am God, and not a man—

    the Holy One among you.

    I will not come against their cities.

They will follow the Lord;

    he will roar like a lion.

When he roars,

    his children will come trembling from the west.

They will come from Egypt,

    trembling like sparrows,

    from Assyria, fluttering like doves.

I will settle them in their homes,”

    declares the Lord.

Israel’s Sin

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,

    Israel with deceit.

And Judah is unruly against God,

    even against the faithful Holy One.

A Stretch Job for God, Hosea 4-5

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Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

Thank God I have an option for Physical Therapy – I can’t wait to stretch my muscles, I’m not sure what would damage and what is good for my hamstring pull and I have not been babying it much, healing on the go. It takes time. It’s not an alignment issue but an attachment one. That attachment restores alignment. 

I can’t complain, it will heal but need Physical Therapy to help to know which way to go. I’m looking forward to that. I joke a little bit of God touching Jacob’s hip as he struggled with God, and got Jacob’s attention. I was grumbling some last week about discomfort then drove by a one-legged man, oh, stop my grumbling… Similarly knowing past damage to my shoulder is completely healed – and so last week when I walked by a man with one arm, it was like seeing a child with one arm while mine was on the mend years ago, I again told myself to stop grumbling… Start stretching… 

I see in my reading about grumbling forgetful people who lived into generations of grumbling, and God knows they would have been better to count blessings and stretch. I feel like I have been reading a broken record in these chapters of Hosea, about Israel northern kingdom called Ephraim, the son of amazing Joseph, with the dreamcoat and amazing story going to Egypt and giving life-saving food for his brothers, father Jacob in a famine, and giving forgiveness to brothers who abandoned him. This now next few generations repeats the grumbling and eventually healing: Idolatry, abandonment, restoration. It’s both an attachment and alignment issue. They choose idols over God. 

Hosea writes of the long drift. “Ephraim” the son of Joseph’s name, is used for identifying the northern kingdom of Israel which drifted. With Judah not far behind, “Judah” (a brother of Joseph) being the identifier for the southern split kingdom. After Solomon’s line, it all fractured and yet a small remnant remained for God’s purpose of bringing Jesus through the line of David  who came from the line of Jacob, renamed Israel for the people of God. 

Maybe these people didn’t have the hip pain like Jacob to remind them to rely upon God, worship Him. Maybe our aches and pains are that too, not God inflicted but used for a God-convicted focused view to remember to rely upon Him. REATTACHMENT and RESTORATION.

WE ALL NEED OUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST IN JESUS… STRETCH US LORD, STRETCH OUT LOVE. 

AMEN 

—-

Hosea 4 and 5 NKJV

God’s Charge Against Israel

Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:

“There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

“The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.

The Idolatry of Israel

“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God. They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, Because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery. 

“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.

“Though you, Israel, play the harlot, Let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’— “For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the Lord will let them forage Like a lamb in open country.

“Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone. Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Impending Judgment on Israel and Judah

“Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor. The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, Though I rebuke them all. I know Ephraim, And Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled.

“They do not direct their deeds Toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the Lord. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them.

“With their flocks and herds They shall go to seek the Lord, But they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, For they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage.

“Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud at Beth Aven, ‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’ Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure.

“The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked by human precept. Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, And to the house of Judah like rottenness.

“When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

One King Above All, foretold Ezekiel 37

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One in God, under God, with God, having peace with God.  We all long for that peace and in Ezekiel, we are told the WHO brings it to us: a lineage that forms under King David and leads directly to Jesus. God both lays the groundwork and adds the prophecy, hundreds of years in advance. We know now that Jesus is our One King – but did these people? If we have so many now who don’t know – then throughout the ages, God has pointed to a One King to come to earth – but not an earthly king – a Heavenly One.

The logistics of Jesus’s lineage in the nation of Israel (and back to Abraham, Noah, Adam…), meant in advance, the Lord set aside re-mending of the people of Israel. And getting the people to be re-membering that the kingdom traced back to King David, and the lineage back to Jacob and his 12 sons – and further back.In a mini-version, God brought Jacob’s son Joseph back to his people, his brothers, his father – after the brothers abandoned him and left him to his own devices… God promised and promises peoples will return to Jerusalem (over and over again). And even when people abandon God, God does not abandon them: “for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them.“

Here is one of the best lines of the Old Testament: “They will be my people, and I will be their God.”  And this is reinforced with the follow up line: “and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Perhaps in years of exile, the israelites whisked away to Babylon – or run away to Egypt – would have the time to think and ponder the lineage, the promises of God – and the writings of David in Psalms – and then the writing of Ezekiel in prophecy:  David being a shepherd in mini proportions to our Great Shepherd – and a mini king to our One King – an earthly lord to The Lord.

Ezekiel writes of the Words from God of The Messiah – The Ultimate ‘Son of Man’…

We get to listen in to his insights – and now remember Jesus DID come – and will come again…

Amen

—

Ezekiel 37:15-28

One Nation Under One King

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.

“When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’ Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

“‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”

Aha! Ezekiel 25

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Aha! I’ve never seen that word before in the Bible, wow! “Aha!” was the emotional expression that the enemies against God, of the old testament Israelites, had said about when the sanctuary temple that Solomon has built in Jerusalem was to be destroyed in the years of war between nations into Babylon’s capture of Jerusalem’s people. Those from Amon said “Aha” we will rejoice over the take down, and those from Edom, Moah, and Philistia also mocked God. 

Well, there’s one thing that we DO know about God from reading the Old Testament (well OK, we know lots of things), we KNOW God will NOT be mocked!!!

God can make war happen: one land against another, like with the Ammonites in Old Testament Ezekiel, God can move mountains and seas, can shake a nation and can feed and protect a wandering complaining flock. God loves, and God also can bless one soul, turn a remnant of a tribe into His Plan for Saving Grace, and forgive. God forgives.

If God can forgive whom He loves, He loves whom He forgives.

If God loves whom He forgiveness, He aches for those who don’t accept His Forgiveness and love. 

Truth!

God pulls His people close, and even closer and has ALREADY provided the forgiveness for all – all who accept this justifying grace. 

We believe in God’s Son given – we know ‘the rest of the story’ of Jesus defeating sin and death – and of His covering blood.

Let us “Ahhhhh….” and restore ourselves and others IN Him.

Let us not mock our Maker, Whom makes friends with us.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Amen 

—

OLD TESTAMENT 

Ezekiel 25 NKJV

Proclamation Against Ammon

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God: “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Proclamation Against Moab

‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Proclamation Against Edom

‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

Proclamation Against Philistia

‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,”  therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”

—

NEW TESTAMENT

Galatians 6:1-10 NKJV

Bear and Share Burdens

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

Be Generous and Do Good

Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Isn’t He Just Telling Parables? Ezekiel 19-20, 11JUN

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‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’ Well, yes and no – to God, parables are real – just a real way to explain things to people and make them think it thru – and remember it…

And we can say, ‘oh geez’ with the lost being lost – but the found being reminded to think of the efforts God put into finding. In the Old Testament, the lost bosses of the Babylon-bound lost Israelites, were not really wrapping their heads around the severity of the sentence God has for their judgement, exile, punishment. No one whole group could pull themselves completely out of sin. Ezekiel (God called him ‘Son of man’ as a prophet to speak to the people and their rulers) lays out God’s verdict in plain language in chapter 20, after a chapter 19 vivid portrayal of Israel as having a mother like a lioness rearing her cubs or as a vineyard bearing fruit plucked up and withering in dryness from disobedience. 

The parables of the Bible (old testament and new) make people think, therefore the rough reality truth of chapter 20 should make people know!!! Perhaps the wayward rulers wanted to go back to parables instead of plain truth: “I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you”, declares the Sovereign Lord.” The consequences of the wandering in Moses’s time continued in the hearts of the people putting idols first, not listening to the prescribed remedy for obedience. 

What about us? Ezekiel’s message reminds us of God’s Sovereignty and His Rule. We learn that God wants no one to worship falsely. 

“‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” …. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. … I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord.  

We also learn of His Mercy!!! And He scattered the tribes of Israel rather than destroy them. 

But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

Who can challenge the parables or the truth? No one. God’s lament over the lost becomes our lament too.

If we learn anything from the old testament, it is for us to listen to God and pray for those who aren’t.  Amen to this – AND – I read the lyrics of a song in these scriptures – “With a Mighty Arm and an Outstretched Arm…” the song continues “His love with last forever” – the scripture mentions, however, His Wrath…  Let us be remembering WHY God’s wrath was shown and stated – He want all to come to Him for this LOVE – God knows best – we best stick with God! Ezekiel said: Rebellious Israel Purged and the renewed. We know our Savior in Jesus – the renewal and the hope and the peace and the Way the Truth and the LIfe.

Amen Amen

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Ezekiel 19-20 NIV

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

“Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother

    among the lions!

She lay down among them

    and reared her cubs.

She brought up one of her cubs,

    and he became a strong lion.

He learned to tear the prey

    and he became a man-eater.

The nations heard about him,

    and he was trapped in their pit.

They led him with hooks

    to the land of Egypt.

“‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,

    her expectation gone,

she took another of her cubs

    and made him a strong lion.

He prowled among the lions,

    for he was now a strong lion.

He learned to tear the prey

    and he became a man-eater.

He broke down their strongholds

    and devastated their towns.

The land and all who were in it

    were terrified by his roaring.

Then the nations came against him,

    those from regions round about.

They spread their net for him,

    and he was trapped in their pit.

With hooks they pulled him into a cage 

     and brought him to the king of Babylon.

They put him in prison,

    so his roar was heard no longer

    on the mountains of Israel.

“‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard 

     planted by the water;

it was fruitful and full of branches

    because of abundant water.

Its branches were strong,

    fit for a ruler’s scepter.

It towered high

    above the thick foliage,

conspicuous for its height

    and for its many branches.

But it was uprooted in fury

    and thrown to the ground.

The east wind made it shrivel,

    it was stripped of its fruit;

its strong branches withered

    and fire consumed them.

Now it is planted in the desert,

    in a dry and thirsty land.

Fire spread from one of its main branches 

     and consumed its fruit.

No strong branch is left on it

    fit for a ruler’s scepter.’

“This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”

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Rebellious Israel Purged

In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.’

“Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.” On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

“‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.

“‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness. But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands— because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness. I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”

“‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries, because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols. So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live; I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.’

“Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me: When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings. Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’” (It is called Bamah to this day.)

Rebellious Israel Renewed

“Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images? When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.

“‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors. There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Prophecy Against the South

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland. Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’”

Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’”

Detestable, Desperate, Despicable but Deliverable

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It shows the depth of deception and indecent activities of the land of Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16 – easier to listen to than to read (link below) – a land of people who forgot the blessings and guidance from Abraham to Jacob to Moses to Joshua to Judges to Kings David, Solomon, and kings/kingdoms divided – a land of people following God who forgot to keep following Him, now living with their scathing condemned condition for the adulterous prostitution of life that they carried out, there’s no sweet coating these accusations as the Lord, calling out the building sinfulness of Jerusalem in Ezekiel’s time. 

Condemnable but Coverable by Covenant. The people would feel the shame of their bad shape, God saved anyway because God stays His same sane Love in a land of chaos life.

Finely adorned and adored became detestable, broken covenant, broken commands, broken attention, all seen by God, bringing God’s Wrath, Fury, and Anger – but God delivers a Deliverer, as Promised, in a New Covenant, Whom we know will come in Jesus. Jesus Won. It was Done.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed…”

Ashamed but Saved.

Detestable, Desperate, Despicable but Deliverable.

Done.

Amen

Listenable Link

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/suchet/nivuk/Ezek.16

Ezekiel 16

New International Version – UK

Jerusalem as an adulterous wife

The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

‘“Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.

‘“Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

‘“I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewellery: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace round your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendour I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.

‘“But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favours on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty. You also took the fine jewellery I gave you, the jewellery made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. Also the food I provided for you – the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat – you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.

‘“And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.

‘“Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square. At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by. You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbours with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity. So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct. You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.

‘“I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

‘“You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favours. So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favours. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

‘“Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked. I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewellery and leave you stark naked. They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.

‘“Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?

‘“Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Your elder sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom. You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.

‘“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done. Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

‘“However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before. You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all her neighbours and the daughters of the Philistines – all those around you who despise you. You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.

 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’

Pausing to Process God’s Power, Jeremiah 47-49

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Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,” says the Lord. 

You might think that’s a headline of the day, but it’s thousands of years ago. God preserves His remnant of Israel, always. It may be a long road – winding and wandering – but God’s people are preserved by God’s Power

And others are condemned by God too: Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

God means business – this scripture is but one meaning business for the these village areas and peoples around the scattered areas of Israelites are but a few of the wrath-recipients from a God, Who means business.  He destroys and He builds up too, but chapters 47, 48, 49 of Jeremiah are pretty harsh. Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa – Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam – Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa. 

“I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,” declares the Lord. “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord.

SO, God destroys what He warns He will be against – there’s no stopping God’s Plan. 

The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken.

I can’t give you much of my own wisdom as to why, scholars (I am not) could trace all these lineages I know. There’s a reference to Esau, and we do know that God divided the brothers, Jacob and Esau, and their offspring to be in coexistence but against each other. 

We could look at all this as ANCIENT history, buy it’s not. Conflict arises always. Remember the parable of the grain and the weeds, Jesus told, the evil is planted in the fields by the devil from the times of Adam. Evil and conflict is nothing new under the Sun. We just have to be our Shining best despite the challenges of the day.

God builds up too.

Pausing to Process God’s Power, we should remember God’s got this,  God’s got a plan, God will send help in a Messiah. God uses evil even for His Advantage. It will all finish at one point – and peace will reign when Jesus comes again.

Go God Go! But Mercy please Lord, rescue Your people and protect all the innocents in the crossfire – yes Lord, protect me and protect all, please, under Your Wings.

Amen

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All of Jeremiah 47 to 49, link to scripture:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2047-49&version=NIV;NKJV

Jesus parables of how heaven is being revealed:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2013&version=NKJV;NIV

Clay Pots needing to be filled – Jeremiah 18

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Even angels long to look into these things.

Oh Holy Spirit – I love the Lord’s Word – it is meaty and solid and yet leaves plenty of room for a space in the middle of you to be open and receiving and movable and fresh – yes – a jar of clay that has that space for the Holy Spirit to be in us – a fresh filling!  The Holy Spirit brings us the Glory of God in our midst – we are to call upon Him and ask for a fresh filling.  While discussing the Holy Spirit in my bible study class and how we are made of clay by our Father the Potter, I find today here in Old Testament book of  Jeremiah, where he instructs the people based on the messages directly given to Him by God, that God says “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. This was God’s message to have Israel repent. Jeremiah was watching a potter at his wheel reworking old clay into a new vessel, “shaping it as seemed best to him.”

We are formed and remain His, He forms us as He sees best. As Isaiah (chapter 64:8) teaches: But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!

In the New Testament, Paul writes a letter to the Corinthians that we are jars of clay, hard pressed by the world – the stress and the circumstances – but honestly that makes us stronger and able to be filled. STRONG and able to hold something! We are shaped by the inside and the outside to be functional and fillable. We are to ask for this fresh filling of the Holy Spirit – a baptism of Spirit.

Oh to be re-filled and re-filled and movable and ready to be poured out into a situation. Oh Lord, we ARE clay pots needing to be filled. Even angels long to look into these things – the Spirit pointing us to Jesus.

Thank You Lord for the work of Your Hands and the Life of Your Son and the Spirit of Yourself bringing us always to see Your Majesty and Plan.

Amen

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At the Potter’s House (Jeremiah 18:1-11)

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.  Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’

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Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 11:16

2 Corinthians 4:6-18 NKJV

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. * And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. * Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

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1Peter 1:8-12

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.