Category: Minor prophets
Are you listening?
Scripture reading for September 22nd: Habakkuk 1-3
“How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.” Habakkuk 1:2-3
Have you asked God for answers, but wondered if He was listening or ignoring your cry? Habakkuk found himself in such a position. He was called to speak to God’s people on behalf of God but his words went unheeded by the people. He began to question God and He was silent. God always hears His people but sometimes is slower to respond than we would like. Sometimes, His response brings more questions!
In this case, God told Habakkuk how He was going to raise up the Babylonians and use them to sweep over the land and destroy it. (Habakkuk 1:6-11) These people were a law unto themselves and they were bent on violence. They were guilty men whose strength was their god. They were ruthless and impetuous and cruel. Habakkuk was perplexed that a God who was holy could use something as vile and lawless as the Babylonians.
God answered Habakkuk’s complaint. His answer spoke of the time of the end and would prove true. (Habakkuk 2:2-3) Babylon was full of pride and evil desires, but God used them to chastise His people for a season. In the end, Babylon would be punished. God’s people were to deal with these revelations with a simple truth: “the righteous will live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4
God’s ways are always righteous and just. His people must learn to trust Him and live by faith in who He is! We please God only when we live by faith! (Hebrews 11:6) God promised Habakkuk that He would judge the wicked and bring woe to those who live for themselves. He also promised to fill the earth with His glory! (Habakkuk 2:14)
Habakkuk ended his book with a prayer and a psalm. It’s a great short prayer for revival, asking God to renew His works. (Habakkuk 3:2) The psalm tells of the splendor of the Lord as He comes to judge the earth and deliver His people. Habakkuk was prepared to wait on God in faith, no matter what would happen! Are you living by faith today?
A shallow revival!
Scripture reading for September 21st: Nahum 1-3
A century earlier, Jonah had come to Nineveh and called the people to repentance. A great wave of conviction fell on leaders, men and even the animals. All repented and called on the Lord and He had mercy and saved them from destruction. (Jonah 3:6-10) These people got serious and averted the destruction that God had warned them of!
After a generation, God again sent Nineveh a decree of divine displeasure and coming destruction. (Nahum 2:13) Their time to make changes had come to an end. The revival of a century earlier had temporarily caused them to humble themselves, but they soon returned to their wicked ways. The revival did not affect their hearts.
In the midst of this prophecy, Nahum spoke a word of “good news” and peace to Judah. The wicked would no longer invade them and they would be restored to their land. In fact, the wicked would be completely destroyed! (Nahum 1:15) We know that God has defeated evil through the cross of Jesus Christ. He will ultimately defeat all wickedness and set up His reign of peace on the earth.
God always warns the wicked of the coming disaster. Nahum’s words were unmistakable. “. . all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.” “I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins–who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort her? ” (Nahum 3:4-5, 7)
As we think of God’s warnings to Nineveh, it is easy to think that they are meant for someone else. It is easy to give lip service to God, but still have a heart far from Him. This is a day of mercy and a day of “good news”! Don’t let a shallow revival bring you to a place of judgment! Go for the deep revival of true repentance that brings everlasting peace and blessing!
“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39
Keep it simple!
Scripture reading for September 20th: Micah 6-7
“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
The prophet Micah had a rough time during his years of work. Many people heard the messages He preached, but most were very complacent or even became his enemies because the message threatened their comfort zones and called for repentance and change. It is often easier to ‘kill the prophet’ than to apply the truth and change! God’s heart was also broken, for He desired a people who would simply act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him! (Micah 6:8)
As we read these last two chapters, we see words of Jesus as He walked this earth revealing the heart of the Father and reaching out to lost people. Through Micah, the Lord called out to the city of Jerusalem to heed His word. As Jesus wept over Jerusalem, the Lord “called out to the city”. (Micah 6:9, 16, Matthew 23:37-38) As Jesus looked for fruit on the fig tree, but found none and cursed it, so Micah stated that he was miserable because there were no “early figs that I crave”. (Micah 7:1, Mark 11:12-14) Micah warned that because of our walk with the Lord, enemies would arise from those close to us. (Micah 7:6, Matthew 10:34-36) Jesus used Micah’s words to exhort the people to love God more than they loved their families’ opinions or religion.
Micah saw the judgment of God coming on a people who were complacent and going through the motions of religious ritual. He cried out in warning, but few heeded. He saw the earth being made desolate because of the wicked deeds of it’s inhabitants. (Micah 7:13) Jesus also warned of the coming day of the Lord when judgment would come upon those who were wicked! (Matthew 24)
So, today, let’s keep it simple! Let us love Jesus Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves! These are the two great commandments that Jesus left His people. If we do love with our hearts, we will do justly toward God and others. We will show mercy and walk humbly with our God as He leads us by His Holy Spirit! What could be easier? Try it, you’ll like it!
The Mountain of the Lord’s Temple
Scripture reading for September 19th: Micah 3-5
“Because of you (prophets and leaders), Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.” Micah 3:12
Micah wasted no time in telling the leaders of Israel and Judah their sins. These leaders had loved evil instead of good and failed to provide justice for the land. (Micah 3:1-2) The prophets of the land were no better. If they were given food or pay, they would bring a message of “peace”, otherwise the message would be of coming war! The results of the failures of leadership were the destruction of the temple and of the city of Jerusalem. The leaders thought that they were safe because they called on the Lord and stayed near His temple. They were just going through the motions and under a delusion of safety.
Wise leaders live by God’s word and call the people to follow. Integrity is a mark of good leaders. As we look at our nation today, we find few leaders who really love God. Many claim to be Christians, but their actions deny God. Where are the godly prophets who will confront sin in the leadership of the land?
“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.”” Micah 4:1-2
According to Micah, God was going to provide a new time of peace in the last days. He would again establish Mt. Zion as the place of rulership for all nations. They would come to the Lord and desire to know His ways. There would be a time of universal peace and He would rule over the peoples from Mt. Zion. (Micah 4:6-7) But before this took place, Israel would go into captivity in Babylon.
Micah then spoke about Bethlehem in Judah. From this city would come one who would rule over Israel. He would shepherd the flock of God’s people and His greatness would spread to the ends of the earth! (Micah 5:2-4) Micah named the city of Jesus’ birth over 700 years before the event!
You’ll have plenty of beer!
Scripture reading for September 18th: Micah 1-2
“If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people.” Micah 2:11
Micah lived in a day when God’s people lived for materialism and pleasure. His statement about a prophet who would tell them what they wanted to hear was meant to be funny and yet shock them to their senses. A man of God telling them about alcohol to cure their sin would be like a doctor prescribing poison to cure a fatal illness! Come to think of it, I guess that is happening today in some parts of our nation where euthanasia is legal!
As Micah exposed the sins of this people, he mentioned those who plotted to take the land of their brothers and sisters through fraud and deceit. (Micah 2:1-3) The land was a promised inheritance for each family. The promised land was divided by Joshua according to God’s plans by lot to each family. (Joshua 13) When people have their own property and are responsible for it, they work hard to keep it. They make the most of it for business purposes and to bless their family and others. God is for personal responsibility and ownership. If we can learn to be faithful with the little here, He can give us much in the coming millennial kingdom!
We are a people who have always valued the right to ownership. Our government has laws that protect property ownership and rights. Look at the countries where communism has tried to make the government owner and provider for all! It did not and will not work under man’s supervision. Sins of greed and desire for dominance soon take over.
“In that day men will ridicule you: they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined: my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.'” “Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by lot.” Micah 2:4-5
The loss of their land would bring about the ruin of God’s people! This people would receive a false prophet who would prophesy plenty of wine and beer. Their delusion would lead to their destruction and captivity. Oh that God’s people would listen to truth and be responsible stewards of God’s promises!
Belly of the Whale!
Scripture reading for September 17th: Jonah 1-4
Have you ever consciously tried to avoid obedience to God? Jonah was a prophet of the Lord who was given orders by God to go and preach to the city of Nineveh. Now Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the super-power of Jonah’s time. It is said that they impaled people on stakes and piled up heads in great pillars to spread fear and boast of their power.
God is moved by wickedness and cruelty towards the poor and oppressed! (Jonah 1:2) He has promised retribution for these sins. But God does not judge or pour out wrath without first giving warning and an opportunity to escape. He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone! (Ezekiel 33:11)
Jonah was sent on a mission of mercy to a wicked people. He chose not to obey and boarded a ship going in the opposite direction! During the course of the journey, God sent a great wind to buffet the ship. The wind obeyed the Lord when Jonah wouldn’t! The sailors cast lots to find out the one causing the trouble and the lot fell to Jonah! Jonah told the men he was running from the Lord. He told them to throw him overboard and the sea would calm down. They obeyed and the sea was calm!
As Jonah sank down into the sea, God appointed a great fish to swallow him! Jonah found himself in the belly of this great fish, wrapped in seaweed and darkness! For three days and three nights he wrestled with his own heart and finally offered a beautiful prayer of repentance from this belly of the whale! (Jonah 2:2-9) The Lord spoke to the fish and Jonah was vomited up on the shore of Nineveh!
The ironic part of all of this was that the Ninevites worshiped Dagon, the fish god! When Jonah came out of the fish, they thought that their ‘god’ had sent him! As he preached repentance, all of them responded! God can take our rebellion and make it work for His purposes!
Jesus used the sign of Jonah to tell people that he would be buried for three days before His resurrection! (Matthew 12:38-41) We learn that God is sovereign and that creation obeys His commands! How much more should we obey Him! If you are running from God, why not avoid an experience like Jonah’s?
Pride caused judgment!
Scripture reading for September 15th: Obadiah
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. Prophesy was given over them even before they were born that there would be conflict with each other. Esau was the first-born and Jacob came out holding onto his brother’s heel! A spiritual conflict ensued that caused these brothers and their descendants to be in a struggle that lasted for hundreds of years. Jacob got Esau’s birthright for a bowl of soup. (Genesis 25:32-34) Jacob stole his brother’s blessing from their father Isaac with the help of their mother Rebekah. Esau was furious and held a grudge against Jacob, plotting to kill him. (Genesis 27:41) Jacob fled to Paddan Aram, to Uncle Laban’s house to find a wife. (Genesis 28:1-3) Esau upset his parents by marrying Hittite women who were idolaters! (Genesis 27:44) So this conflict between two brothers smoldered like a fire, particularly in the heart of Esau!
Over 500 years later, Obadiah was sent with a message for Esau’s descendants. They had become a nation that was dwelling next to Israel but still held a grudge! They had pride in their own power and strength to make their own way. (Obadiah 3-4) They had violence in their hearts against their brother Jacob and stood aloof while Jacob was under attack. (Obadiah 10-12) They had looked down on their brothers when they were being overtaken by foreigners and actually rejoiced over their misfortune rather than helping to defend them. (Obadiah 12-14) God’s message was that as they had done, it would be done to them! Edom’s pride would result in the destruction of the House of Esau! (Obadiah 15-18)
We can all learn from this sad story! A grudge held can infect a family which can eventually destroy a nation of people. Esau’s grudge was never fully dealt with! Esau’s focus on his own needs. Personal pride caused his family and eventually the nation that came from him to dwell in pride. This pride resulted in God’s judgment and their destruction! Unforgiveness is just as dangerous for us today! It will isolate us from our family and open us up to the enemy of our soul. It will cut us off from God’s grace! Jesus Christ died to heal our broken family ties and restore us to God’s family! Take time today to ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness! Humility always wins and defeats pride’s death traps!
Famine for God’s Word!
Scripture reading for September 14th: Amos 8-9
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land–not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11-12
We are so blessed in America! We have nearly 360,000 churches across our land. Even in our city of Owensboro and surrounding area, there are nearly 200 churches to choose from for a population of about 115,000. About 30,000 -40,000 of those attend a church each week, a high number compared with other parts of our nation. We have services broadcast on television, cable, internet, and radio each day of the week. Christians should be out in the community sharing their faith and the word of the Lord each day. We should not have a famine for God’s word or have to search for it! Bibles are in most homes and for sale everywhere.
Amos lived and ministered among a people who were religious and went to church each Sabbath day to hear God’s word! They had prophets who spoke to them regularly. Children of that time had to memorize the Books of Moses before their thirteenth birthday in order to become an adult. What happened that Israel would have this famine in their land?
When we ignore the Lord and the truth we have from Him, we go into darkness that is deeper than before! They willfully went their own way and neglected to apply what was made known to them. This brought God’s wrath and judgment on them. This should be a strong warning to us today in America and in our city of Owensboro! To whom much has been given, much will be required!
God’s mercy was evident even in these dire prophetic writings of the prophet Amos. (Amos 9:8-10) God promised restoration after the judgment. He promised to restore the nation again and plant them in the land that He gave to them. (Amos 9:11-15) God’s goodness to a stubborn people is amazing! It draws us to repentance and faithful love again! (Romans 2:4) Let His mercy bless you today! Take advantage of the blessing of having God’s word as your living bread! Eat and be satisfied!
Amos and the plumb line!
Scripture reading for September 13th: Amos 6-7
“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. The the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.” Amos 7:7-8
Amos had received a series of visions from the Sovereign Lord about the coming judgment on the nation. The first vision concerned a swarm of locusts stripping the land clean. (Amos 7:1-3) Amos interceded and the Lord relented. The second vision concerned a judgment by fire and Amos again interceded and the Lord relented. Prayer by one man can make a difference! We must never stop praying and believing!
Amos saw the Lord standing by a wall with a plumb line in His hand. A plumb line was line of string with a pointed weight on the bottom. It was held up near the wall and showed clearly if the wall was perpendicular. In this vision, the wall that was built true to plumb was the nation of Israel. God had “squared” them away and put His law as a plumb line in their midst. The people, however, refused to love God and obey His law. He sent prophets to drop the plumb line into the lives of His people and show them that their wall was out of plumb! Amos had been sent to warn them of their complacency and materialism. (Amos 6:1, 4-6) They were living lives of luxury, feasting and drinking but had forgotten the God!
Amos got the left foot of fellowship from King Amaziah. He was told not to speak any more in Israel but to go back to Judah where he came from. (Amos 7:12-13) The rejection of correction meant that their wall would have to fall. If they would have listened and repented, they would have been kept safe. (Amos 7:16-17)
How is the wall of your life? Is the plumb line of God’s truth being dropped regularly alongside of it? Are you listening and reading and heeding the plumb line? Today is a good day to straighten up and make the necessary changes!
Prepare to meet your God!
Scripture reading for September 12th: Amos 3-5
Amos was a country preacher who used plain language that cut to the chase! Country people don’t beat around the bush. They call it like it is. This is a good trait, but sometimes lacks tact in the eyes of those who are more refined! Amos likely made a few people pretty mad! In Amos 4:1 he called the women of Samaria “cows”. These women were likened to the well-fed cattle of Bashan, a farming area east of the Sea of Galilee. They were demanding drinks from their husbands and were oppressing the poor and needy while they enjoyed an abundance. Amos promised them that God’s punishment was on the way.
Amos told the people to go up to Bethel and sin. They were religious people who loved to put on a show. They boasted about their offerings as if they had produced them all by themselves. God had tried to correct them and get their attention, but to no avail! They would not return to God with humble and contrite hearts! (Amos 4:6, 9, 11) God had sent famines, plagues, war and trouble to wake them up but they failed to respond. The final call was for them to prepare to meet their God! (Amos 4:12) God had power that should have been revered! He was now ready to call them to stand before Him in judgment and the results would not be pretty!
These religious people said that they longed for the day of the Lord! Amos told them that it would be a day of darkness, not light for them! (Amos 5:18) It would be like a man fleeing from a lion, only to meet a bear. Because their hearts were not in their religious devotion and assemblies, God hated their songs, festivals, feasts and offerings! He wanted justice and righteousness, not a religious show! (Amos 5:24)
As we read about this farmer-preacher, we see that he spoke truth in plain language. The times he lived in were a lot like ours. We need to be sure we are seeking the Lord with our hearts, and not just words and ritual. We must hate evil and love good! We should be working in our day for justice and compassion for the poor. The day of the Lord is coming! Will you be ready?
“. . . prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” Amos 4:12b