Month: September 2019

In Amos 7, the LORD shows Amos three separate visions of what Israel’s judgment will be like.  In the first, the land would be devoured by locusts.  In the second the land would be devoured by fire.  In the final vision, the LORD set up a plumb line, by which He would judge Israel.  Amaziah came to Amos and told him to leave the land and go to Judah.  He told him the people couldn’t take his words, so he needed to leave.  Amos responded that Amaziah’s wife would become a prostitute and his children would die by his side, and he would be carried off into exile and die in “an unclean land.”

Amos 8 resumes the judgment coming against Judah.  While it could be either Judah or Israel or both, the Temple is mentioned.  The key in this condemnation of the people is their mistreatment of the poor.  They use false measures against them and sell them for silver.  The result of such treatment is the destruction of those who do it. 

Amos 9 concludes the book with a promise of utter destruction on Israel followed by a promise to restore Israel.  The LORD tells the people no matter where they hide: Sheol, heaven, or the depths of the sea, He will find them.  But then, as is so often the case, the LORD changes His tone, and He promises a future when Israel will be restored.  The LORD’s mercy always wins in the end.

As we return to Mark 15, we read once again of Jesus being delivered to Pilate, and of Pilate handing Jesus over to be crucified.  The great shame of Pilate is he found no guilt in Jesus, but to preserve his position, he went along with the people’s cries for Jesus to be crucified.  As Jesus was being prepared for crucifixion, the Roman soldiers mocked Him, by placing a crown of thorns on His head, and dressing Him with a purple robe.  The people mocked Jesus when He was crucified saying He could save others, but not Himself.  The truth in that statement is so ironic: If Jesus had saved Himself, all of us would be lost, but because He gave His life in place of ours, we can all be saved!  Upon Jesus’ death, the centurion in charge said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”  He said that because of the manner in which Jesus died–calmly and with dignity.  Joseph of Arimathea received permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury Him in his own tomb.  This is where the chapter ends.  It is where the story ought to have ended, if Jesus were merely a man.  The devil would have won, and we would be lost.  But while Jesus was a man, He was more than a man, which is why there is a Mark 16, and why we have the hope of victory over sin and death!

Amos 4 starts with a rebuke of the women of Samaria, who the LORD calls “cows”, because they have fattened themselves with leisure, and turning away from the LORD.  The LORD tells the people over and over how He is judging them through various types of natural events such as drought, and famine.  He calls the people to repent, but they do not repent, so the judgment continues.

In Amos 5, he tells the people to seek the LORD and they will live, but if not then 1,000 will go out to battle and 100 will be left; 100 will go out and ten will be left.  The natural disasters and the battles will mount to Israel’s loss, and the people of various regions of Israel will be carried off to exile.  Even so, the LORD calls the people to let justice roll down like the waters.  He continues to call for repentance, to a return to following Him.  As always, the LORD’s judgment on sin and idolatry is sure, but He calls for repentance and a return to Him.

In Amos 6, the LORD pronounces judgment against the wealthy in Zion and Israel.  He tells them they will be the first to be carried off into exile or destroyed when the enemy comes.  They have lived a life of ease and ignored the commands of the LORD and the needs of others.  As always justice and obedience to the LORD are His call, and the people have neither heeded the call nor cared about it.

As we return to Mark 14, we read again the events leading up to the arrest and trial of Jesus.  They have become so familiar to us by this time, and we could write paragraphs about each one.  Jesus’ being anointed in Bethany, and the complaint by many that the ointment was “wasted,” while Jesus pointed out He was being anointed for burial.  Judas leaves the group and goes to the religious leaders to betray Jesus to them.  We read of the Last Supper, and all that went with it, including the disciples not knowing which of them would betray Jesus, and Peter’s claim he would never deny Jesus.  The group leaves the meal to go to Gethsemane for prayer, but only Jesus perseveres in prayer.  Then Jesus is arrested even though everyone knows He did nothing wrong.  When the religious leaders attempted to get false witnesses to testify against Him, they couldn’t even get their stories straight.  Even so, as the chapter ends, Jesus is bound, and Peter has denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would.  Peter weeps bitterly as the chapter ends, and each of us who love Jesus see the scene and are brought to tears as well.  But as we know, chapter 14 isn’t the worst that humanity did to Jesus.  That’s coming up tomorrow in Mark 15.

Today we turn to the prophet Amos, who may have been the first of the writing prophets.  He served both Judah and Israel, and pronounced judgment on the nations for their idolatry, and rejection of God’s ways.  In the end he offers hope that Israel will be preserved through a remnant who will return.

Amos 1 starts with a rebuke of Jerusalem and Judah, but then moves quickly to a condemnation of most of the nations that surrounded Judah and Israel.  The LORD promises to destroy each one for their sins against Israel and Judah.

This condemnation spills over to Amos 2, with a condemnation of the Moabites.  Then the judgment moves to Judah and Israel.  The LORD lists their sins in extensive detail, but by this time we have experienced most of what we read here in the other prophets.  The people are reminded of the LORD’s faithfulness from the time He delivered the people from Egypt, and they are reminded of their unfaithfulness from that time as well.

Amos 3 offers additional judgment against Israel, with the LORD asking rhetorical questions, which all have the same answer:  The people of Israel deserve their punishment. A bit of additional judgment is pronounced against Judah as well.  As we have seen time-and-again throughout the prophetic books, the LORD holds Judah and Israel to the highest standard, because they alone are His people. 

As we return to Mark 13, we recall it is Jesus’ pronouncement of what will happen in the future, and specifically at the time of His return.  The message of judgment sounds similar to that of the prophets of old, but throughout the tone is more hopeful, and throughout Jesus offers a call to be ready when He returns.  While many attempt to determine when Jesus will return, He tells us no one knows the day or the hour, so the key is to be ready whenever it is.  As we live our days, we know one thing for certain:  For us this is the “last generation” on the earth, that is each of us only gets to live for one generation.  Whether Jesus returns during our lifetime, or waits for the next generation, we have only this lifetime to trust Him as Savior and Lord, and only one generation to love and serve Him.  Let’s do that with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and do it in the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we do, we can be sure whether He comes to establish His eternal reign during our lifetimes, or whether we go to see Him at the end of our lives, we will be ready!

The Book of the Prophet Joel intrigues, because so little is known about him.  Because he writes primarily about Jerusalem and Judah, we assume he was from Judah.  Biblical scholars place the time of Joel’s writing between the 9th and 6th centuries B.C.  Joel speaks of the Day of the LORD, which the Jews thought was going to be a time of judgment against the nations, and of restoration for Israel, but Joel made it clear Israel was also in line for God’s judgment.

Joel 1 tells us of a coming storm of locusts that would destroy everything.  The resulting destruction was intended for Judah.  Joel calls the priests and the people to repentance, because that is the only thing that will stop the destruction.  This is always the case: we must repent or face the LORD’s destruction in our lives.  While Jesus has died and risen from the dead to redeem and restore us, we must repent and receive the gift of redemption or lose it.

Joel 2 offers us another picture of the coming judgment of the day of the LORD.  He offers another call to repentance, and then we read of the LORD’s great mercy, which will restore the land, and the people.  He also tells of the day when He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh.  This prophecy was fulfilled in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the 120 believers who had waited and prayed for ten days for His coming.  On that day the Church of Jesus Christ was born, and 3,000 new converts were added.

Joel 3 promises restoration for Judah and coming judgment on all the nations that have destroyed her in the past.  The book ends with more promises of Judah’s restoration.

As we return to Mark 12, Jesus tells the Parable of the Tenants, which is a thinly veiled condemnation of the religious leaders.  After this, those leaders seek to trap Jesus but fail each time.  First, the Pharisees ask Jesus whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.  Thinking whatever Jesus answers, they will have grounds to condemn Him, Jesus turned the situation around by proclaiming we must render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.  Next, the Sadducees attempted to show the fallacy of the idea of resurrection by telling a story about a woman who was married to seven different men.  Their question was, “Whose wife will she be, because she was married to seven different men?” Jesus’ answer puts them in their place as He tells them they have it wrong, because they don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.  He points out we are neither married nor given in marriage in heaven.  After this, a teacher of the Law asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment in the Law?  Jesus’ answer silences everyone: Love the Lord you’re God…and love your neighbor as yourself.  Next, Jesus turns the tables by asking them whose son the Christ is, because King David called Him Lord.  How then could He be David’s son?  Jesus warns the people to beware of the scribes, because their goal is the praise of people, not the glorifying of God. Finally, Jesus praises a poor widow for giving her last two pennies in the offering to the LORD.  He tells the disciples she gave more than all the rich people who gave out of their abundance, because she gave out of her poverty, trusting the LORD to provide for her.

Hosea 12-13 offer scathing rebuke and more judgment against Israel.  Judah is also included in the condemnation.  The LORD tells them they will both live in tents once again, meaning they will wander as they did for forty years in the wilderness after He delivered them from Egypt.  This time the wandering would be for seventy years, before some of them returned to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.  The LORD’s judgment is sure, and in ferocious terms He tells the people He will carry it out upon them.

Hosea 14 closes out the book with a call to repentance.  We see no evidence of that repentance, nor do we hear of a return to mercy.  We know the LORD has told us He will show mercy in the future in other chapters, and in other books of prophecy, but Hosea ends with no emphasis on that.

As we return to Mark 11, we read of the second time in Jesus’ life when He was acknowledged for the King He is: His Triumphal entry. The first time was when the wise men came from the east and worshiped Him when He was only two years old.  The Triumphal entry offers us the opportunity to see the people gathered from many lands for Passover in Jerusalem shout, “Hosanna!” to Him.  While the same crowd would shout, “Crucify!” in just five days, in this moment they called out to Him in exultation.  The next day, Jesus pronounces a curse on a fig tree, and cleanses the money changers out of the Temple. This altercation was a direct attack on the religious leaders’ ways, and Jesus knew where it would lead.  It didn’t matter, because His zeal for His Father’s house, would not let the religious leaders make a travesty of it.  When the disciples saw the fig tree Jesus cursed was withered from the roots, they were amazed.  Jesus used it as an opportunity to point out the importance of faith in our lives.  Finally, the religious leaders challenged Jesus’ authority.  This would be the first of a number of tests they would put before Jesus.  Each time they would be the ones who looked foolish, not Him.  In this case, when they asked Him where He received His authority to say and do what He did, He turned the tables by asking whether John the Baptist’s authority was from God or people?  The leaders knew if they said from God, Jesus would ask why they didn’t listen to him, but if they said from people, the people would riot, because they thought John was a prophet.  Thus, they said they didn’t know, and Jesus said then He wouldn’t tell them where His authority originated either.  This standoff was only a foreshadowing of what would take place over the next couple of days, but in the end Jesus knew where the path was leading–to the cross.  Thankfully, He was fully prepared for it, because that’s why He came to the world.  He came to die, so we can live life in abundance now, and in eternity with Him when this life ends!

Hosea 9-10 offer more words of judgment for Israel.  While the details vary, the theme is the same: Israel will be carried off by their enemies.  Both Assyria and Egypt are named.  The reason?  The same reason offered throughout the letter: the people have been unfaithful to the LORD, and their wickedness continues to increase.

After the nearly contemptuous condemnation of chapters 9-10, the LORD tells us in chapter 11 of His love for Ephraim, for Israel.  He recalls His founding of the people as He called them out of Egypt, and how even while they were “children” they turned from Him.  Yet, He is God and not a person, so He will show mercy.  It is the common theme of the prophetic books: The LORD’s judgment is sure, but His mercy is even surer!

As we return to Mark 10, we’re reminded of Jesus’ affirmation of His Heavenly Father’s establishment of marriage in the fabric of creation as a relationship between a man and a woman for life.  The religious leaders came to Him asking whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife?  Jesus asked them how the Law of Moses read?  They said it was permitted, but Jesus responded this was because of human hardness of heart, but not God’s purpose or plan.  In this day of anything goes sexuality, it is vital for us to remember Jesus’ affirmation of the order of creation concerning it: Sexuality is a gift from God and is to be exercised between a man and woman in the covenant of marriage.  This statement rattled the disciples, because even in their day, such an affirmation seemed radical.  Imagine how radical it seems to us!  Yet, God’s truth is always best for us, His boundaries are intended to guide and help us, not to hinder or limit us.  After this comment on marriage, Jesus blesses children, whose parents brought them to Him.  While the disciples didn’t think this important, Jesus affirmed the parents’ desires and blessed the children.

Next, Jesus encountered a rich, young man who wanted to know how to inherit eternal life.  We need to understand in that day (as often in ours), wealth was considered to be a blessing of God.  Imagine the young man’s surprise when after passing the “religion” test, Jesus told the man the only thing he “lacked,” was to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, so he would have riches in heaven, and then come and follow Jesus.  The young man walked away sad, because he couldn’t give up his wealth.  Picture being offered a spot among Jesus’ disciples and giving it up, because you couldn’t let go of your money.  That’s exactly what happened.  The disciples were confused once again, by the idea that wealth could be a stumbling block, but Jesus offered His famous statement about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. We must never let anything stand between us and Jesus, because whatever it is, Jesus will ask us to give it up–or at least be willing to give it up–to serve Him.

The chapter continues with Jesus telling the disciples a third time He is going to be crucified and then rise again.  This time James and John see this as an opportunity to be given important positions when Jesus reigns as King. They ask for those positions on his right and left hand.  But Jesus tells them it isn’t His to give.  The rest of the disciples become irate when they find out what happened.  It wasn’t because they were so righteous, but because they were pre-empted.  Jesus reminds all of them leadership in God’s Kingdom is the opposite of worldly leadership.  Leadership in God’s Kingdom starts with servanthood, and Jesus is the best example of that!

Finally, Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus as we would expect in Mark’s gospel.  The entire chapter has been talk–significant talk, but talk nonetheless.  It ends with Jesus healing Bartimaeus, so we remember what Jesus came to do: Bring the Kingdom of God to earth.  In His Kingdom all can see!  Faith is the ingredient that makes it happen.  Here it was Bartimaeus’ faith.  In other places it was Jesus’ faith in His own power.  Always, faith brings the Kingdom forward.

Today, we turn to the Book of Hosea, a prophet whose ministry was directed to the Northern Kingdom, Israel.  He is often called the “Deathbed Prophet,” because he was the last prophet in Israel before the nation fell to the Assyrians.  As we will see, the LORD directed Hosea to marry a prostitute, which was to symbolize Israel’s relationship with Him.  Israel had become a prostitute, and even so the LORD still loved “her.”  He would, however, tolerate no other lovers in Israel’s life, so the message was to repent or perish . Some biblical scholars believe the LORD’s command to Hosea to marry a prostitute was symbolic, but the book reads as a literal direction to Hosea, not a symbolic one.

Hosea 1 lays out the command of the LORD to Hosea: marry a prostitute and have children.  Each of the children’s names symbolized the LORD’s judgment against Israel.  The first, named Jezreel, symbolized the LORD’s judgment of the people that would take place at Jezreel.  The second, named No Mercy, showed the LORD would not have mercy on His people.  The third, Not My People, showed the LORD would say the Israelites were not His people.  The chapter ends, as we have seen so many chapters of prophecy end already: with a promise of hope for the future.  The people of Israel would return and be numerous.  They would once again be God’s people.

In Hosea 2, the LORD condemns Israel for her unfaithfulness.  In graphic detail, He recounts how she has turned from Him, but then in the second half of the chapter, the LORD promises to take back His unfaithful wife.  He promises the people will prosper and “No Mercy” will be called “Mercy,” and “Not My People,” will be called “My People.”  This shows us the LORD’s mercy and forgiveness are always the final word for His people.

Hosea 3 recounts the LORD’s command for Hosea to go and redeem his wife from prostitution.  Hosea pays the price of her redemption but tells her she must remain pure for many days.  In the same way, the LORD promises to redeem Israel, but it will be after a long time without prince, or king, or anyone in charge over Israel.

The LORD condemns the people once again in Hosea 4.  He continues to pronounce judgment against them and compares their going after false gods to “whoredom,” which it was.  The LORD was their “husband,” but instead of remaining true to Him, they chased after gods of wood and stone, and worshiped aspects of nature.  This passage is comparable to Romans 1, where the Apostle Paul condemned those who knew the LORD and his ways but abandoned them to worship idols and nature.  The human heart was created to worship.  When we don’t worship the living God, we worship created things.  When we become so arrogant that we will no longer worship any god, claiming to be atheists, we worship ourselves.  Thankfully, as we see from cover to cover in the Scriptures, the LORD is merciful, and His steadfast love endures forever.  While He condemns sin, when we repent–when we turn away from our sins–He receives us back and restores us.  Jesus is the ultimate affirmation of the redemption the LORD has for us.

As return to Mark 8, we come once again to the “turning point,” in the gospel.  Here Jesus sets His face to go to Jerusalem.  While we are only half-way through the book, from this time forward Jesus is heading to His ultimate destiny of dying on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin and rising from the dead to show He is Lord and God and the only way to salvation.  As the chapter unfolds, Jesus feeds four thousand men along with women and children with a few loaves of bread and fish. Then He has a brief run in with the Pharisees who demand a sign, which is quite odd given He just fed thousands of people with a meager amount of food!  Jesus tells them He isn’t giving them any sign.  Then as Jesus and the disciples travel by boat across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus tells the disciples to beware of the “leaven” of the Pharisees.  As was often the case, they didn’t get it.  They thought He was reprimanding them forgetting to bring bread.  Jesus reminded them He had provided bread for thousands but was talking about the works of the Pharisees.

When they arrived at land, they went to Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus asked the key question: Who do you say I am?  We must all answer that question.  Peter gave the right answer, “You are the Christ(Messiah) of God!”  After affirming Peter’s answer, Jesus told them for the first time He was going to be arrested, found guilty, crucified and buried.  He told them He would rise again.  Peter, who had just answered the most important question ever, showed his humanity by rebuking Jesus for saying He was going to die.  Jesus then called Peter “Satan,” for thinking solely from a human perspective.  Jesus then turned to the crowd and reminded them, and through them us, the only way to follow Jesus is to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow.  Jesus never sugar-coated the cost of being His follower.  It will involve self-denial, pain, and in extreme cases even death in this life, but the rewards both now and eternally are far more than any cost.

Daniel 10-12 comes to us as a unit.  It is an extended vision the LORD gave Daniel, but it starts with an amazing revelation: Daniel had prayed and fasted for understanding and for deliverance of his people.  He prayed day after day, and eventually he received an answer.  The answer was delayed for twenty-one days.  We’re told the reason for the delay was the “Prince of Persia” had battled the speaker, and eventually the LORD sent the angel, Michael, to help him overcome the prince.  The Prince of Persia is a demonic force.  We see here a clear example of spiritual warfare, and also how prayer plays a part in it.  The vision covers a vast amount of time, from Daniel’s immediate future to the time of Jesus’ return. We’re not told that specifically, but as we read through the vision, we read of the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans. The detail is so clear and accurate that many scholars, biblical and otherwise, who don’t believe the LORD revealed the future to the prophets, believe Daniel was written after the events occurred.  But there is also a prediction of the time of the end–the time when our time will end, and eternity will come to us.  Daniel was told to close up or save the message until that time came.  He was also promised when the end came, he would be rewarded with eternal life.  What a promise!

As we return to Mark 7, we find Jesus in another debate with the religious leaders.  The disciples caused the debate by eating food without washing their hands according to the ceremonial tradition developed by the religious leaders.  When they complained to Jesus about it, He quoted the prophet Isaiah’s condemnation of previous Israelites for honoring God with their lips, but not with their hearts.  Jesus made a general comment to the crowds about food and righteousness: No food makes one unclean.  It isn’t what goes into a person, but what comes out that makes the person clean or unclean. He meant it is what is in our hearts that determines what comes out of us.  After this encounter, a Syrophoenician woman approached Jesus about healing her child.  Jesus said, “No.” His explanation was He wasn’t going to throw the “children’s” (the people of Israel) food, to the “dogs” (Gentiles).  The woman answered, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table.”  Jesus healed the child because of the woman’s answer.  Finally, Jesus healed a man who was deaf and mute.  Mark always manages to complete a chapter that was primarily teaching or interaction with the religious leaders with a couple of miracles to remind us how Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to earth not only in words, but in power!

Daniel 7 offers us a vision seen by Daniel himself.  The vision was of four terrifying beasts, each of which represented a particular nation.  These nations had come and gone by our time in history, but they were said to be nations that would battle against the saints or the LORD’s people.  The overarching theme of the vision, though, is the Ancient of Days, and His entrusting authority to the Son of Man.  This speaks of God the Father, and Jesus.  We know this time is yet future even for us, so Daniel was given the opportunity to see visions that related to his time as well as to the end of time.  The visions disturbed Daniel, as well they ought to have done.  Neither the present nor the future is always easy for God’s people but in the end, we win, because God wins. Daniel’s vision made that clear.

Daniel 8 offers us another vision of Daniel.  In it, The Medo-Persian Empire is represented by a ram, and Greece is represented by a goat. The goat overcame the ram, just as Greece would one day overcome the Medo-Persian Empire. Many consider Daniel’s message to be written after these events, because they are so precise as to what happened.  But if the LORD is the one who gave the vision, then we would expect it to be precise!  We’re told even after Daniel was given the explanation for the vision he still did not understand, and it made him sick for some time.  Many in our day hurl themselves into the study of the prophecies relating to the end times, and Daniel is certainly among those prophecies.  The challenge is Jesus told us no one knows the day or time when He will return.  Even He didn’t know.  That means we must invest the best part of our time in being ready when He returns, whether it is today or decades from now.  Living in a state of readiness only happens when we put Jesus first and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Daniel 9, Daniel offers a prayer of repentance to the LORD.  He admits the LORD was right in sending the people of Israel into exile.  He admits the people disobeyed the LORD and didn’t follow the Law of Moses.  Yet, he calls on the LORD to show mercy and to restore the people.  The prayer is filled with acknowledgement of what the people have done but calls on the LORD to do what He does: show mercy.  That is such a vital reminder for us!  We must call on the LORD to forgive and restore us when we turn away from Him.

As we return to Mark 6, we see Jesus returning to Nazareth, His hometown, and while the people recognize Jesus’ authority and ability to heal and deliver people, they reject Him, because they have known him throughout His life.  Next, Jesus sends out His disciples to minister in the towns and villages of Galilee.  When King Herod heard of the miraculous power of Jesus, he said it was John the Baptist raised from the dead.  Then Mark recounts how Herod had been the one to execute John, because of a promise he made to his wife’s daughter at a dinner party.  As the chapter continues, Jesus feeds the five thousand, and then sends the disciples on ahead of Him in a boat.  This gives Jesus the opportunity to come to them walking on the water.  The disciples are, of course, amazed at Jesus’ power to defy the laws of nature.  After this, they crossed the Sea of Galilee once again, and landed at Gennesaret.  There Jesus healed everyone the people brought to Him.  We see God’s Kingdom breaking in everywhere Jesus goes.  That is also how it ought to be when we go places where people experience life challenges they can’t handle.  As the salt and light Jesus called us to be, our presence ought to change their reality and bring wholeness in their lives, too.