prophecy

ASSURED in Order to Assure and Reassure, Anna and Jesus, Luke 1-2, Psalm 103

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ASSURED – Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer – Anna was Assured and Assuring. Mary and Joseph must have been assured – and reassured – by the repeated assurance of another person in the temple who was praising God and came up to them while they were holding baby Jesus.

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.

How interesting the shepherds were heralded by angels to go/come, Simeon was moved by the Spirit internally to go/come visit the temple that moment, saw the babe as redeemer as he prayed to see. But Anna? Anna was ALREADY THERE – already ready to serve and to praise. (and why did the Lord send double reinforcements in the temple – a male and a female voice each praising – or simply showing these double reinforcements that they were on the right track in praising for years and years – encouragers to keep encouraging!)

My grandma’s name was Anna – is Anna – and although she passed over 40 years ago now, I can remember her smile and joy in her grandkids. I can remember the gifts she put together at the table at birthday celebrations – they were small gifts for each person in a brown paper lunch bag tied with ribbon and then the ribbons were all tangled and you took your name tag tied to the other side and you had to unwind yourself and untangle with all the tablemates to get your bag – fun…  Grandma already was in the fun…  How encouraging for us to be those grandma-types now – to help others in the fun…

Anna, the prophetess, was surely assuring to the people who came to worship. Anna served God constantly day and night by prayers and by working the praise into witness. Fasting and Prayers – we could always devote more time – Anna did. Anna was gifted of those long years that opportunity to both see the Savior – but also to ASSURE and reassure His Parents. Like an angel, Anna was ALREADY IN THE KNOW that GOD ALREADY IS A GOOD GOD and worthy of being served.

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness...” God speaking to Moses in Exodus 34:6

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” David in Psalm 103

Yesterday I was SO BLESSED to share the sermon in my church – the family of believers with us are very spiritually strong and it is a JOY to be able to share openly with them as an encourager who gets encouraged. Assuring assurances. I was blessed it went well – with the enthusiastic prop craft that we all got to make – a torch bearing many LIGHT scriptures – over 70 – and making a remembrance to go out and share the light however you can… it was blessed. I stepped afterwards downstairs and in that quiet moment I praised the Lord for it going well and my eyes caught a lotion bottle on a shelf that said: ASSURED – yes – I was assured at that moment of God being in charge – of God making it go well – of the Lord working in all our lives. WE ARE ASSURED AND THEN READY TO ASSURE. THAT IS THE ANNA IN US – AN ASSURANCE TO EVERYONE – GOD IS MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS – AND WORTHY TO BE PRAISED.

Later that morning I had the opportunity to assure others – and remembering that I was assured – it becomes both an honor and a duty to assure others that GOD IS WITH US – IMMANUEL !!!

AMEN

—-

Psalm 103 NKJV

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies – A Psalm of David.
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.

Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

—–

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

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.”

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 so it 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.

Speak Praising God, for ALL to Hear, Luke 1-2

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What’s in a name? We get stuck on names – and interestingly the big movie in theaters now has a whole storyline based on the mispronunciation of a name. It was important but not… I myself get a little picky of how people call me – but usually I don’t share that – I am not a Deb or a Deborah – but a Debbie – with all the imagination that I put into it – for me it is not just personality of over a serious formal or non-childlike nickname – it is just what I like…  Either way it is OK when someone who doesn’t mean anything wrong to call me Diane (someone said that Sunday to me – it was OK, and also for Diane I appreciate that my take out food greeter recognizes me now and doesn’t give me Diane’s order instead of Debbie) or old days call me Linda or Cathy (people called me those names as a child) or even most recently had called me Beth or Bonnie (two of my great role models so I don’t mind) – or call me whatever name they think I am… It is better for me to be graceful than right – or rude. I am sure you know of others or yourself with different accents or spelling on your name. It happens – it is OK.

If we get caught in tradition to a fault, to the point of ignoring God, then we are caught in worldly ways. It better to be praising God with our lips than spending the time being complaining or be crass or worst speaking evil.

And what’s in a name? It is tradition to name sons from their fathers or grandfathers – depending upon culture – and yet in the biblical births of John the Baptist and of Jesus, the Lord God sent angel Gabriel to name these sons of impact. Here is the scripture of the parents (Elizabeth and Zacharias) in the naming of John the Baptist – by an amazing connection of the Spirit: 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.

Yes, the Lord sent this name and this child to these parents who were dutiful and good – and knew this son was chosen “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zacharias had been made silent at the time that he was talking ot the angel after questioning the whole notion of having a son – by his aged wife – and that silence lasted – UNTIL the proclamation of John’s name by writing it on a tablet – to confirm wife Elizabeth’s proclamation. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 

PRAISING GOD – may our mouths always be praising – be thankful and praising. Jesus said: “those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:18)

As for the people who heard Zacharias praising, well – they knew God had made a move – God was causing this within their midst and they had reverent fear – and awe – they kept the knowledge that God was at work, as we should too. The people around the area were marveling: 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.

AND THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS WITH HIM – John the Baptist would move ahead of Jesus and PREPARE the WAY – share knowledge of the need of repentance – and explain that God was active in the times…  People would know – and look out for Jesus.

How about us – would we let anything stand in our way of praising God? Even if we didn’t know all God’s reasons? Would we be able to live less worldly and more faithfully knowing that God IS moving – God IS giving opportunity to praise and to share and to live more peacefully? We can spend our days best by speaking best of the Lord – praise praise praise for all to hear…

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.”

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 so it 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

God says ‘This is My People’, Zechariah 11-13

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Oh, it’s the amazing prophesy of Zechariah to speak of Jesus, yes, hundreds of years before He came to earth. There are stories presented in prophet Zechariah to understand that Jesus our Savior works to champion the underdog, the downtrodden, the slave, and all sheep with need of a shepherd. Jesus understood and understands where there is oppression, He can be the guiding LIGHT, for this world is fraught with pitfalls. We are delivered by Him to the hope away from these hassles. 

When this last half of Zechariah’s chapters of scripture speaks of people using people wrongly, Jesus rails against that. When this scripture speaks of bad shepherds, bad kings, people who are using people, Jesus rails against all of that. And this Zechariah scripture set truly speaks of the blindness of generations who don’t recognize the need to take care of others over themselves, let alone follow Jesus’s example.

And HOW will God be recognized? Yes, by those studying the prophesies and ALSO by the sheep themselves following Jesus, with an ability to recognize the old Covanent is broken (the people won’t humble themselves), but the new Covanent comes (Jesus who allows Himself to be ransomed, killed, and raised for the forgiveness of sins, the rescue of those who look to Him).

It’s not hard to see the prophesy parts now, in the reading of chapters 11-13, now that many have been fulfilled, all from the rejection, the 30 pieces of silver, to the piercing of the Lord. And now, a true faith practice will be for us to BELIEVE in the future prophesy of Jesus coming again, and to keep the faith that the Lord has all under control. 

Keep looking for Jesus and serve others by explaining the hope. Our new Jerusalem Kingdom, for us to live forever with him, will be God’s best delivery yet.

Amen 

They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’

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Zechariah, which is “a wild ride” of Scripture, as called by the Bible Project video, details this Messiah and messianic kingdom in chapters 11-on

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Zechariah 11:4-13 NKJV

Prophecy of the Shepherds

Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”

So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock. I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then I said, “I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.” And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter” – that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

And the Lord said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.

“Woe to the worthless shepherd, Who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm And against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”

The Coming Deliverance of Judah

The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.

“The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Mourning for the Pierced One

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Idolatry Cut Off

“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.

“It shall be in that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.

“And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Savior

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

DO NOT FEAR, ZECHARIAH 8

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“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” – that should be the ever-repeating statement of our lives. To plan some is good, but mostly prepare for something rather than worry about it, like travel and projects and especially illnesses and family situations. And rather than worry now, let tomorrow worry about itself and do the actual activities of the day in the day they occur. Live in the presence and present as God is with us and cross the bridges WITH Jesus in lead, step by step.

“DO NOT FEAR” – the best three words – from the Lord to His people. TO US.

This means take each day as it comes, deal with it, be fair in it, be worshipping Gid for how He has supported us this far! And will in the future. 

That even means, the future new city we will dwell in, the newest of life WITH God, as is laid out BY God. And in our worship, we will see the opportunity to build the next opportunities to share, just as the builders in Zechariah’s time rebuilt worship in the temple of Jerusalem.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’

The amazing walk with Jesus now won’t just stop, we can continue walking and working. 

So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’

May we appreciate and approach the day and our project and plans with joy that the Lord has our best interests in His Plan… one step at a time.

Amen

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Zechariah 8 NKJV

Jerusalem, Holy City of the Future

Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.’

“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ Says the Lord of hosts.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, You who have been hearing in these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid For the house of the Lord of hosts, That the temple might be built. For before these days There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew – I will cause the remnant of this people To possess all these. And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’

“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Just as I determined to punish you When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I would not relent, So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 

Do not fear.

These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ Says the Lord.”

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, And seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.” Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the Lord.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ “

Best New Year’s Resolution is Restoration, Zechariah 7

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So did you notice yesterday 1/25 was one month since Christmas? 

Yeah Christmas, ancient history mentally now,  so strange how we focus forward forgetting. Yes Christmas, so last year and feels like eons ago, yet simultaneously feels so recent, like was ONLY one month ago, like I still have candy leftovers etc. Yeah…

New Year’s was only 3 weeks ago. How about New Year’s and those resolutions? Still keeping faithful to them? Or mmmm…. game FOOD football season is upon us, how are we on health resolutions? 

Maybe the best not resolution but restoration is to listen to God better, walk more closely. The people of Zechariah’s time perhaps wanted to act more devoted, but actually got trapped in rituals including fasting. God spoke to Zechariah and told them instead to tap into and feel more strengthened by God to REALLY be devoted. 

The translations vary, but this statement question by God is truly pleading: “during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me – for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?”

Yes, God wants obedience over fasting or ritual worship. God wants to walk with us, us with Him, not fit into our plans but us into His. The exiled Israelites and Judah-ites of Babylon Captivity had not kept their eyes on the Lord. 

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’

May we try to simply let Him take the lead. Where He goes, let us follow. And may we simply be His.

That is both a resolution and a restoration. 

Amen

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Zechariah 7 NKJV

Obedience Better than Fasting

Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the Lord, and to ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me – for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”

Disobedience Resulted in Captivity

Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Execute true justice,

Show mercy and compassion

Everyone to his brother.

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,

The alien or the poor.

Let none of you plan evil in his heart

Against his brother.’

“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”

GOD WITH US, Zechariah 1-2

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“‘For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

“Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

Red horses? Myrtle trees? Horns? Angels? What an interesting chapter!!! Zechariah, not John the Baptist’s father, but a previous Zechariah, 500 years prior… A Prophet placed with  purpose. 

God speaks to His Prophets through angels and directly. God, we know from previous writers, has been pleading with people, His People exiled up to Babylon, imploring them to trust Him, repent their evil ways, and come back to worship. They were told they would return to Jerusalem and now this time has come. The old testament is fill with TESTAMENTS of those who saw destruction by outside powers, yet promises and fulfilments by God, and yet the people still made delays of paying attention to God…. oh, if only the people would be listening… (even especially now)…

God said there were people used to punish and cause harshness, but they went too far, evil overtook… but this won’t last…

Prophets Prophets Prophets, this whole last section of the Bible is filled with Prophets, prophesy and predictions – with proof of God being in charge. AND the book of Zechariah speaks again of JESUS coming in the flesh to dwell among them AND how Judah and Jerusalem are hotbeds of activities with God…. they still are!!!

Let us take these readings to the current day, and realize it takes time to get through to people, yet God doesn’t quit. We now have volume after volume to understand how human humans are… Let us apply grace and mercy, yet explain that we have been directed to forgive by God Almighty… be a witness with our actions and words…

Be a LIGHT, as we DO know Jesus and how He came and will come again!

Let us keep an eye on the sky!

“The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.”

Amen

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Zechariah 1-2

New King James Version

A Call to Repentance

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, “The Lord has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.

“Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers?

“So they returned and said: ‘Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us, According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He has dealt with us.’ ” ’ ”

Vision of the Horses

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”

And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.”

The Lord Will Comfort Zion

Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?”

And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, And they helped—but with evil intent.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’

“Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”

Vision of the Horns

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?”

So he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. And I said, “What are these coming to do?”

So he said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Vision of the Measuring Line

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?”

And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations

“Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”

For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

Oh My Prophet Zephaniah, STRENGTHEN OUR CORE, Focus and Faith

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Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Time for the unknown-to-me prophet name of Zephaniah… a prophet placed at the right time to tell of God’s Plan. Then and now..  Zephaniah was in the southern divided kingdom Judah – seeing all that went down in Judah and Jerusalem of Israel. He warned and warned… pray for God’s shelter he implored.

We should take notice of these old times to understand the times ahead… There is evil in the world still, and God has a plan for the healing of the nations… this book is a microcosm of then and power demonstration of to come. Have Hope. Have shelter in Jesus. 

The Bible Project video is so helpful!

I question why so many prophets and why for us to learn all these huge chunks of history… I believe a three enforcement and strengthening.  This sounds like my physical therapy time, I already know issues of my situation, therefore strengthening is key for a better focus and function. 

Let us continually focus and strengthen with knowledge of God’s Plan and Grace… it’s a bumpy ride at times for the world, but KEEP HOLDING ON TO THE LOVE! Let the Lord be our shield and shelter. 

AMEN 

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Zephaniah 1-2:3 NIV

The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

Judgment on the Whole Earth in the Day of the Lord

“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

“I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea – and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”

“When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,” declares the Lord, “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests – those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”

Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.

“On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit.

“On that day,” declares the Lord, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be destroyed. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’ Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. Though they build houses, they will not live in them; though they plant vineyards, they will not drink the wine.”

The great day of the Lord is near – near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath – a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness – a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.

“I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”

In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations – Judah Summoned to Repent

Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.

—

Bible Project video – so helpful!

A Remnant to be Saved – Jesus Will Restore, Amos 8-9

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I am blessed to be overloaded with Thanksgiving leftovers. What I don’t give away, I likely will bring to work so it doesn’t spoil and so I don’t eat too much pie… Overloaded is what we eat, and what we have, sometimes, and we SHOULD SHARE Then at other times, we have not enough, and oh so sad there are many that have much less, losing also hope. May we share where we can. Share our harvest gifts, including sharing the HOPE especially with Word of the Lord and His Promises fulfilled and still to come. May we share the fruits of the Spirit as well: Love, Peace, Joy, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

Enjoying Thanksgiving, I was so comforted in hearing the prayer of Linus during the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving cartoon, who gave an account of the first Thanksgiving and the prayer that day: “Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: ‘We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice'”.

As I return to my Old Testament reading and writing in Amos closing up the chapters, the Lord was telling Amos to tell people to practice justice and to shape up! The Lord saw false idol worship and really bad cheating of the poor, falsifying the balances by deceit. Remember that the Lord Jesus came to the temple courts and overturned the money exchange and selling market cheating the poor. The poor were supposed to be allowed to buy inexpensive items for required sacrifice. Cheating of those with little was rampant. God NEVER likes to see people ignoring His command to share, to be fair, and to be aware.

On Thanksgiving, it’s a reminder to appreciate what we have and surely others have shared with us, like those American Indians helped the settlement survive. Farmers know the land.

Amos is a fig tree farmer called to be a prophet during the wayward times Israelites and Judah-ites who are in a divided kingdom. Amos gives the Lord’s warning and judgment on the cheating. With a tough-love approach, the Lord said: “I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” – WOW! 

But here is the HOPE – Amos tells of a RESTORATION of the House of David – now there’s a great segue into Christmas – that the Hope is in the Lord to raise up the remnant of the fallen. To start a fresh seeding of the land: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper...”

So as we close this month of November, may we continue Thanksgiving with our hearts and actions (and some leftovers). May we especially thank God for the blessed Hope He planted in the days before our lives, all while planting and planning for us to know Him and His goodness. May we use our fruits of the spirit to keep showing others how we trust the Lord. Bear fruit for Him.

May we always be thankful. 

Amen

—

Amos 8

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.

Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

Amos 9

I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.

Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:

And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? 

Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.

For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

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 

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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.”

Amos AMAZING Almosts and Spiritual Saves, Amos 7

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So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said.

I know these next chapters of Amos are so important, as the whole of scripture is… So to understand better, I once again recommend the animated story board retelling videos on YouTube – a starting board from which to dive in….

And these images in Amos 7 are of a vision of the destruction of wayward Israel, offsprings of Jacob and his tribes, with locusts and fire – but Amos, a fig tree farmer turned prophesy preventer, calls out to the Lord as is to say ‘Don’t ruin us completely’: “How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” Yes, Amos was making the realization of the need to be saved as a people from their wayward ways, they were words the Lord was wanting to hear… Amos saw AMAZING Almosts then spoke of the Spiritual Save!

God relented these acts of locusts and fire, but He was as True to His Word as the plumb line was to the earth – God was going to correct their waywardness, crumbling faith devotion, with exile and rebuilding. 

Rebuilding! This was the crumble before the correction… Soon to ve written is the rise from the ashes of a Savior (see chapter 9 ahead)… Jesus was and is and will be the Savior of AMAZING AMENS! 

AMEN 

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Amos 7

Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

“The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”

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.’”

I highly recommend this :https://youtu.be/mGgWaPGpGz4?si=_zCK2ZC8Q4_jo4zA

Seven this and that, but One Most Holy… Daniel 9

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It’s not a puzzle we are required to learn, we don’t HAVE to figure out all of Daniel’s Visions to move forward, yet it is worth remembering is that even if the puzzling visions Daniel had were SO INTENSE, that God sent an angel, Gabriel, to help interpret them. God never leaves us in the dark, God IS the Light on the Subject. On and IN! “For you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision”

There are marvelous interpretations and teachings of all Bible sections, for me, for us, in this old testament we surely need some. We blessedly often can get the main gist by Holy Spirit Help. My favorite cliff notes of the moment is the Bible Project video (link below). I also found a couple hundred teachings. But I hold off taking these teachings in until after I read the Word for myself… Most importantly, we are to remember that the Word pertains today just as much as then. 

First half of Daniel 9 includes what we should be praying: Forgiveness for ourselves and our fellow folks, “that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” It’s not just a joy, but it feels a duty to crack.Open our own bibles and it’s an obligation and a necessity to pray for our fellow men and women, society, children, everyone. 

Specifically, reading the second half of Daniel 9, v20 on, these dreams prophesied, this one “Seventy-Weeks”, what stands out is the word, theWord, the Holy One, ahhhh the Messiah. Scholars will tell you that seventy weeks prophecy from God calculates to almost 500 in God years. It doesn’t take a scholar to remember God does His own thing in His own time. The sets of prophesied scenarios are of past and future. 

“And to anoint the Most Holy.” – Well we know that the Most Holy IS the Messiah. And scholars and wannabees of the day, and for those next years, prayed and prayed and prayed, like Simon and Anna in the temple when Jesus was brought in as a baby. A select few chosen by the Holy Spirit to understand and witness.

The cliffnotes version acknowledges scholarly debate, and reminds us that Jesus used Daniel’s Visions to teach as well, to speak of God as Sovereign and Almighty. And we should trust that we will be active parts in God’s Kingdom, especially with our prayers for all. 

Let us keep listening and learning. We know that the Most Holy IS the Most Helpful. 

Amen

Link to video:

Daniel 9

New King James Version

Daniel’s Prayer for the People

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.

“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.

“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!

“O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

***

The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

“Seventy weeks are determined

For your people and for your holy city,

To finish the transgression, 

To make an end of sins,

To make reconciliation for iniquity,

To bring in everlasting righteousness,

To seal up vision and prophecy,

And to anoint the Most Holy.

“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

Dust In the Wind – Daniel 2 part 2 – The Dream

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“Dust in the Wind”, the 1977 band Kansas sings, “all we are is dust in the wind.”…  “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky…” Well, not even they do, but the earth and sky certainly have been around longer than people, and us, who are but traveling in the world, temporarily.

Prophet Daniel and others were in Babylon, where God promised they as an Israelite people would have a temporary stay in captivity. Must have FELT like forever, under a ruling kingdom with ever changing rulers, but even the rulers, like all old testament kings, came and went. (We should remember out times also will be temporary and like the weather, change soon enough. Dust in the wind, us too, we should live life fully meanwhile.)

Partially STRONG and partially brittle, that’s how Daniel described a kingdom in a dream by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, whose mind was troubled and could not sleep. Daniel actually interpretted the dream without being told it, so had a DIVINE relationship and revelation by God’s actions.

Knowing this was being sent as a message from God. Daniel stated:  “the God of Heaven will set up a KINGDOM that will NEVER BE DESTROYED, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself ENDURE FOREVER. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”

Wow! Daniel not only got out of a tough situation himself, but spoke of a Sovereign God Whose Kingdom will ENDURE FOREVER! Earthly kingdoms would come and go, but there is ONE of God’s Hands, made by God, to direct our devotion to. This was shared not just to settle down the king, but to show all the people (then and now) the HOPE of our ALREADY ALMIGHTY God, who formed us from that dust.

Let us make the most of the dust today, and rely upon the rock-solid God, Who reigns the Kingdom forever. 

Amen 

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Daniel 2:39-49

“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

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

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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.’”

I Will Save My People, Ezekiel 13-14 and now

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“Don’t go with the crowd” – it’s good to go the Way of the Lord in your unique way with Him. If you know that it’s a bad way, don’t go along, stop and pray it out, listen to your gut, and ask forgiveness for where and when life gets confusing. GOD WILL GET YOU OUT OF A JAM, and be whole FRUITFUL once again.

Ezekiel was the educator example teacher prophet for Jerusalem sons and daughters of Jacob who lost their way, being ignorant of God’s commands. Ezekiel reminded: Don’t be a false prophet or an idolator listening to them… The one who goes astray is just as guilty as the one who pulls them astray. Ezekiel was tasked: Tell the people to LISTEN to God – God says “I will save My people”…

Ezekiel also reminded the people that they could not be saved by associations – even the holy people of Noah, Job and Daniel were to be saved but their sons and daughters could not be saved by just being offspring and associated to the holy men. Each person needs their OWN relationship with our saving God.

Repentance is Real. Wash CLEAN white instead of whitewashing false. 

WE HAPPILY AND JOYFULLY HAVE A FRIEND IN JESUS.  Instead of whitewash to cover unsightly things (like Ezekiel spoke of), we have His ability to wash us, as sinful people, WHITE AS SNOW. 

God said He would spread the word through Ezekiel “to recapture the hearts of the people” – we now have the Word, Jesus, to regather us.

Let us rejoice and be glad – our Repent opportunity is Heaven sent!

Amen 

Audio:

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/suchet/nivuk/Ezek.13

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/suchet/nivuk/Ezek.14

Ezekiel 13-14

False prophets condemned
The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!  Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, ‘The Lord declares’, and expect him to fulfil their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The Lord declares’, though I have not spoken?

‘“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

‘“Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace’, when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you covered it with?’

‘“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: in my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

‘Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

‘“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practise divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.”’

Chapter 14 – Idolaters Condemned
Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’

“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!

“‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“‘And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.

“Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.

“Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Oh – the Trails Trials and Tough Spots – Gedaliah – the Book of Kings – Jeremiah 40-42

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Wait – who are these people? The Bible has so many TOUGH names to pronounce but their spelling is so unique and lives unique enough for me to read along and to say – “wait, I heard this name before.” Yes, Zedekiah, Gedaliah, Jeremiah, and Nebuchadnezzer…  And yes – read along and say: “I’ve heard this story before.”

Ah – 2nd Kings brings the back stories from where my memory rings.  And in 2nd Kings – the Lord brings clear details in brief: like for Zedekiah: “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” OK, got it. And the Lord gives the back stories for the people – like those who were poor were allowed to stay in the land and be the vinedressers – but then in the turmoil, they were led by fear to want to exile themselves to Egypt. God wanted them instead to be with the Babylon invaders. He wanted to keep them, give them hope, even if it took a generation or more.

Ah yes, remember that these kingdoms of Jerusalem and Judah were split in this era – ever since the offspring of Solomon’s time – and both were going downhill (with a few bright spots of people) – but so many kings and the people who did evil in the sight of the Lord. But there was a hope kept alive in Judah – and always told that a Savior King would come out of David’s line. Well, that line was like a string of back and forth, wanderings and walkings and capturedness, and exile. For this section told by Jeremiah’s chronicles, Babylon took the people for 70 years as pretold by the Lord to Jeremiah. Plus, there were also remnants of people scattered about – and especially the poor who were left to (actually called back to) harvest the fields.

And those poor folks – who were already being displaced – were at least being productive in the fields and under the authority of this Gedaliah – appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. Gedaliah didn’t believe that others had a plot to kill him and it seemed OK at the moment. But wouldn’t you know it, Gedaliah was being hunted down by folks that wanted to kill him – and they did – and THREW him into the bottom of (you guessed it) a CISTERN. Ah, the carnage and the loss, the men who were with Gedaliah and those who came to honor him – all in the cistern – except a few who had gifts of grain and olive oil. Ah the sacrifice of a ransom to live….  OH, THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR…

I can not say that I will remember many of these names or these times – but I can see themes here – God calls for people to listen to Him; people rebel for power and goods and status and are simply lost; God calls them back to repent – there are sacrifices to be made – but God keeps the kingdom line alive for a Great King – Savior – the Christ – JESUS – to be HIS PLAN for saving all the people – a ransom – a sacrifice – then and now. Yes, Jesus also would be squirrelled away in Egypt for a time but that was of a different time (because in Jeremiah’s time, God said go to Babylon and live there and don’t go to Egypt, see chapter 42 of Jeremiah).  In all this, we see times to WAIT -and times to do more – to act. Jesus also had to “lay low” and not start his active ministry until He was 30 years old and the time was right.  We must also know when to lay low and when to move – our movements are to teach and witness and to live. Our faith allows us to move when we are not sure – but God is. God IS.

Jesus as an ultimate harvest of the best of the best – God’s son – was given up to be a sacrifice to sin and death so that we would not have to be banned, exiled eternally from God. Yes, our poor, our harvesters of the gleanings of the field, were still rich in the HOPE of this best life – and they did travel to keep their HOPE alive – scattered but not lost – hidden but not unknown – bruised but not dead – and then add the new testament references to this as well: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Oh yes, there are trails and trials and tough spots for us as there were for the faithful (and non-faithful too) – but don’t lose HOPE – there are reasons – there are ransoms – there are sacrifices – there are times of despair. But let us not lose HOPE – we are in a season of watching for Jesus – the ultimate realization of His Victory. We must pray for ALL the remnants of the lost and the scattered. As Jeremiah was attuned to God’s workings, so must we – keep working keep waiting keep hoping keep productive. KEEP FAITH!

Let us keep keeping on!

Amen

2nd Kings 24:17-20 – Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

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Jeremiah ch40:7-ch42 – Gedaliah Assassinated
When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah[b] the son of the Maakathite, and their men. Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over.”

When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.

Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?”  But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

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 In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there.

The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord. Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.” So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon. When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

Flight to Egypt
Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived, whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt  to escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

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 Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.” Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’

“However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God, and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’ then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’

“Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’  I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”

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2nd Kings 25

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.

So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.  And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.  But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the Lord, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.

The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.

And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king’s presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city: And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.  And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

—

2nd Corinthians 4 – a letter from Paul – Present Weakness and Resurrection Life
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Jeremiah, Show Us the Hope

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If you think your life is busy, oh my, look at Jeremiah… prophet, public prophet, even got published with a God-sent scribe to help him. I took a screen shot of the Bible Project’s story board, it’s intense. So much for so many years! (Video link below).

I don’t race through reading these chapters and I sometimes feel stuck in so much of the deep narrative, but if God can keep His wandering workers working, I can keep keeping on learning… so these 7 minutes of video cliff notes are a Godsend, we now understand where God is placing Jeremiah in time (siege by king Nebuchadnezzar, towards the 70 yr Babylon exile), and yet we understand the timelessness of the prose (lessons for them and us now), and we learn the definitive process to God taking His Own Time to bring about His Word, to teach and work among His people, and to prepare us all for our Savior and His Restoration. Yes, there is a definitive answer, the Messiah, coming, came, and will come again. This is a truth all throughout the scriptures and in life.

“For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel…  

“I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; … 

“This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”

Jeremiah is the writer of HOPE and judgment, and of course of timetables for Israelites in exile to Babylon AND for their return. Jeremiah is the poster child of prophets. He has got a lot going on (and I didn’t even get to his section of his Egypt imprisonment yet).

But oh, to stop and absorb this chapter Jeremiah 33 – it makes my slow progress reading take a moment to say ‘Ahhhhh…’ just like climbing a summit and looking across the landscape… Jeremiah 33 speaks of past, present, future – and especially about the Messiah… it brings old testament connections to Jesus in both introduction to them of great hope and continually explaining intricacies of the journey.

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.”

Life is a journey. I’m glad to say God, in Love Everlasting, is taking us on ours.

Let’s keep reading, walking, believing.

(And hitting those summit times of understanding God’s promised Forever).

Amen 

Here’s the video:

Here’s the chapter of 33’s HOPE! It’s not just 33 and a third, it’s a record for forever.  (thanks Bible Gateway for the text)

Promise of Restoration – Jeremiah 33 NIV

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.

“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.”

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

“‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’”