[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 281-Zephaniah 1-3; John 6 summary!]
When Abraham was 100 years old, Isaac was born to him and Sarah. That sentence shows us the amazing power of God to keep His promises. God had told Abraham he would become the father of many nations, and Isaac was the “down payment” on that promise. After all, before one can have descendants as numerous as the sands of the seashore, one must have one descendant. God always keeps His promises. We are beneficiaries of one of God’s promises to Abraham. God told Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Him. Through Jesus that promise is being fulfilled across the planet. God told Abraham the promise of land for his people wouldn’t be fulfilled for 400 years, long after Abraham would see the fulfillment. Yet, Abraham believed God and experienced many blessings from Him throughout his life.
In Genesis 22, we read of God’s “test” for Abraham. Imagine waiting all your adult life, waiting until you were 100 years old, before having your first-born child. Then, after the joy of having a son, and watching him grow, God tells you to take that only son, whom you love a great deal, and offer him as a sacrifice to God. Unimaginable, right? Actually, quite imaginable to any of us who have read the Bible in even a cursory way, because the account of Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God is one of the most familiar stories in Genesis. We know God spared Isaac at the last minute, telling Abraham to put down the knife. But Abraham’s obedience to God went to the extreme of being willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to Him.
Living in the 21st century, as we do, we find it hard to imagine “our” God, carrying out such a test in anyone’s life. “Our” God is loving and kind. He doesn’t hurt anyone or want us to hurt anyone. Our God is loving and kind. He is also holy and majestic. He alone is God, and He deserves our absolute allegiance. Jesus’ fame and miraculous ministry demonstrated God’s power in ways the people of Israel must have nearly forgotten. Yet, when Jesus went home to Nazareth, the people didn’t acknowledge His authority and power. As a result, Jesus wasn’t able to do many miracles there. “All” He could do was lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. (I’ve always thought laying my hands on a few sick people and healing them would be a fantastic day!) Jesus was amazed at the people’s unbelief. What a sad reason for Jesus’ amazement. I often wonder whether Jesus is amazed at our unbelief, and at how often we mold God into our image of what we think He ought to be like, rather than loving and serving Him for who He is.
God is not nice. He isn’t sweet. God does call us to radical obedience, and He has given us the same Spirit that was in Abraham. He has also given us salvation through the blood shed by Jesus on the cross. We must read every passage in the Bible and live out our lives remembering God has never been formed in our image. His constant goal is to shape us into His! For Abraham the greatest test was to give up His beloved son, Isaac. He passed the test with flying colors. Whatever tests God sends our way today, may we call on the power of the Holy Spirit that we, too, may pass!
Day 281-Zephaniah 1-3; John 6
Zephaniah prophesied during the reforms of King Josiah of Judah. Zephaniah spoke of the coming “Day of the LORD!” This day has two meaning throughout the writings of the prophets: 1) judgment against His own people for their sins, and various other nations for their sins that took place in their times; and 2) the LORD’s ultimate return and establishing of His Kingdom forever.
In Zephaniah 1, the LORD pronounces judgment against Judah for their sin, and also speaks of the day of the LORD. In that time, no one will escape the LORD’s hand, many nations will be brought to task for their sin against the LORD.
In Zephaniah 2, the LORD pronounces judgment against all of Judah’s near enemies for their sin against Judah as well as for their own sin. While we have seen the LORD’s hand go against His own people throughout our readings, because He always judges sin, it is no small matter to attack His people, or to fail to help them in their times of need. The nations surrounding Judah and Israel had done both.
Zephaniah 3 starts with judgment for Judah and the nations, for their evil at every level. Then as we draw to the end, the LORD tells us He will bring people from every nation to Himself. Finally, we’re told Israel will be restored and those who are humble and lowly will experience His favor. As is typically the case, in the words of the prophets, words of hope are the final word.
As we return to John 6, we read again of the only miracle performed by Jesus recorded in all four gospels: the feeding of the five thousand. Only in John’s gospel, though, does this amazing incident turn into an extended battle not only between Jesus and the religious leaders, but also between Jesus and most of His followers. The point of contention is Jesus’ statement that He is the Bread of life and that people needed to “eat His flesh and drink His blood,” which was obviously intended figuratively, but which they all took literally. By the time the discussion ended, everyone had left Jesus but the twelve disciples. Jesus asked them, “Are you going to leave, too?” They responded with a question and a powerful statement: To whom shall we go? You hold the words of life. It must have been a challenging day for everyone that day, but at the end of it, Jesus had made clear the preeminent place He must hold in our lives, if He is truly our Savior and Lord.