Zechariah asks an important question. When we take part in religious activities and events, both celebratory and mournful, are we doing so for God, or for ourselves? How we feel about and treat others who also take part in such activities will tell us the answer to that question. God calls us to show mercy and kindness, and to love justice. Let us not snark at those who are not “up to our standards” at a worship service or other religious activity. Let us not do anything to make them feel out of place. Instead let us honor them for their attempt to serve and worship God. That does not mean that we do not instruct those who act inappropriately, but let us make sure that we do so out of love for them and not out of our own selfish pride. There is a lot more to be learned from this passage, but I am going to stop here for today.
This passage contains two sections which influenced, and are often connected with, the description of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation. At one point Zechariah has a vision of a man on a red horse with other riders on horses of various colors behind him. The number of riders is not mentioned, but one could easily read it to indicate a total of four riders (I think the passage suggests a larger number than that). Then later Zechariah has a vision of four chariots, each pulled by horses of separate color from the others. Both the horsemen and the chariot riders were sent out to patrol the earth.
Zechariah puts most of his focus on showing how God has blessed the two men most responsible for rebuilding the Temple after the Exile: Jeshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor of Jerusalem. These two men were blessed because they strove to do God’s will in rebuilding the Temple and to lead others to be faithful to God. We can learn a lot from what Zechariah says about these two men. God took away the dirty rags of Jeshua’s sins and dressed him in robes of righteousness. Jeshua did not make or buy these robes, they were given to him by God. The same is true for us. Any righteousness we may have is not our own doing, but a gift from God. Zerubbabel did not succeed by might or power. He rebuilt the Temple by the Spirit of God. We, also, will not accomplish the tasks God has given us by our power, might, or skill. We will only do so as we allow God’s Spirit to work in us.
Zephaniah starts out with what I take to be a bit of hyperbole, but might refer to the end of time. Zephaniah writes that God says that He will wipe all people and animals from the face of the earth. However, toward the end of his prophecy Zephaniah writes of those who remain will be the lowly and humble who trust in the name of the Lord, which leads me to believe that the beginning is a bit of hyperbole. That hyperbole does address those who might say, “Well, He can’t kill us all.” God says to those who say such things, “I will indeed kill all of those who remain complacent in their sin.” God’s terrible day of judgement is coming for those who do not seek the Lord and humbly obey His commands.
Unlike many of the prophets, Haggai addresses not those who sin, but those who strive to serve the Lord. The message of Haggai really resonates with me. I interpret this message in two ways. We should not wait to get our financial house in order before we start helping others both financially and in other ways. In addition we should not let the fact that we keep on sinning in one area stop us from doing what we know God wants us to do in another. In both cases, doing the right thing in one area will make it easier for us to stop doing the wrong thing in another.
Today, I am reading and commenting on Nahum and Habakkuk
Assyria was a powerful nation with powerful allies. The people of Assyria had come to believe that the wealth and power they had acquired was forever theirs and that no one could stand against them. We know from records elsewhere, and from what Nahum writes here, that they held God in contempt. Nahum’s prophecy reminds us that despite the apparent power of those standing against God’s people they will fall quickly when God chooses to act. Remain faithful to God in the face of a world hostile to His will because He will protect those who love Him.
In some ways the Book of Habakkuk is a logical partner to the Book of Nahum. Nahum speaks of the fall of Assyria, and Habakkuk writes of the rise of Babylon. Since the latter brought about the fall of Assyria the two prophets fit together well. However, I want to look at the lessons we can learn from this passage. And once again I find myself trying to figure out how to summarize what this passage says to me in a post which is shorter than the passage itself. Habakkuk tells us to be patient when evil seems to be overwhelming what is good and right. God will bring judgement upon those who do evil and overthrow the oppressor. Do not be fooled by the appearances of the world. Just as God raised up Babylon to overthrow Assyria and punish the people of Judah for their sinfulness. From Jerusalem, Assyria seemed unassailable until the moment they fell to Babylon. Yet God’s prophets foretold the fall of Assyria. Once Babylon became powerful, they seemed, at best, no better than Assyria. They considered themselves to be the measure of what was right, or wrong. Even there, God told His people to wait patiently. He would bring about the fall of Babylon as well. The wicked and arrogant will come to destruction while God will protect and raise up those who are righteous and humble.
Micah condemns government officials who make their decisions based on what is in it for them, and religious leaders who only preach God’s word to those who pay them. Further, he writes that the latter alter what God’s word according to what those who pay them want to hear. Despite the fact that they base their lives and wealth on lies and corruption, they believe that God will protect them and their patrons. Micah warns us that such a society cannot stand. Those who rely on fraud and deception to steal wealth from those who produce it will find that all of the wealth is gone and destruction is upon them. The warning Micah issues here applies today, when so many leaders seek leadership positions in order to build power and wealth for themselves rather than in order to serve those whom they lead.
Micah writes that despite the destruction which will come, God will rebuild Jerusalem. God’s teaching will go out from that rebuilt Jerusalem and draw people from all nations to Him. Those drawn to God will learn from Him to walk in His ways and follow His paths. They will learn to live in peace with each other, with each person thriving from the work of their own hands. Micah tells us what encompasses walking in God’s way:
to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Let each of us strive to walk humbly with our God.
The Book of Jonah tells the story of a man who worships God, but who struggles to accept God’s will for the world. When God called Jonah to prophecy to Nineveh, he went the other way because he feared that the people of Nineveh would repent of their sin and be spared. Jonah desired that the wicked people of Nineveh be punished to the point that he did not want them to cease their wickedness. Let us learn that God does not desire anyone to suffer punishment. Rather He desires that they turn from their sin, their self-destructive behavior, and be saved. We should desire the same. We often desire to see the wicked suffer for the suffering they have caused others, but we should prefer that they start doing good and stop causing others to suffer.
Now I will make a few comments on Micah 1-2. Micah condemns those who live in luxury obtained at the expense of others’ suffering. He condemns those who cheat, defraud, and use government power to take what they want from others. Rather than listen to the prophets who warn them to change their ways, they try to silence them. They are only willing to listen to those who tell them that they should do what pleases them and enjoy themselves.
Amos warns those who lounge in luxury and sing trivial songs that they imagine make them great musicians similar to King David. This tells me that Amos’ warnings were not, and are not, directed at those who proclaim themselves pagans. No, Amos’ warnings are directed at those who imagine themselves to be worshiping but who also worship idols. Amos goes on to remind the people of Israel, and us today, that all people are important to God. The Israelites were not, are not more important to God, than other peoples. God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, but He had brought other peoples out of other lands. The people of the United States are not more important to God than the people of other lands. Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior are not more important to God than other people. If we begin to believe that because we are Americans, or Canadians, or any other nationality, or because we are Christians that we are special to God over others, we will suffer for our arrogance.
I wrote above on the end of the Book of Amos, now a few comments on the Book of Obadiah. The people of Edom took advantage of the suffering of the people of Israel and therefore they were subject to God’s judgement. Fur much of the history of Israel and Judah, Edom had been under control from Jerusalem. This led them to resent the people of Israel, and Judah. This resentment led the people of Edom to feel entitled to take advantage of the misfortune of those who were almost their countrymen. Let us be warned not to seek profit by increasing the suffering of those already experiencing misfortune. The people of Edom imagined that the people of Israel deserved to suffer and that they deserved to profit from that suffering, even if that meant increasing the suffering. Obadiah tells us that we never deserve to profit from causing others to suffer.
Amos starts out by giving his credentials. He is a shepherd who had a vision. He notes that he had this vision two years before a significant earthquake. The beginning of his message is that the people have sinned again and again and God will not let them go unpunished. While Amos goes on to address more specific prophesies against Israel, the Northern Kingdom, I take his long list of nations whose people have sinned to indicate that his warning applies to all people every where. In particular Amos’ warning is directed at those who claim to worship God.
So, what is Amos’ warning? He warns those of us who live lives of leisure on the backs of the poor and needy. Through Amos God tells His people that they have forgotten how to do right. They live with wealth that was taken by theft and violence. They oppress the poor and crush the needy. All the while bragging about the sacrifices and offerings they make. They despise people who tell the truth and they twist justice to serve their own ends. Anyone who attempts to stand up for what is right and just becomes a target, so people remain silent. Except Amos tells us that it is not enough to not do evil. We must do what is right and good. We must stand let ourselves become a target.
I know there is a fine line to be walked here. I have friends who call all that I believe hateful and evil. Friends who are doing terrible things to themselves and others because society has told them there is no harm in it and that those who say otherwise are hateful. Yet those same friends tell me that they want the peace and love they see in my life. I strive to find the way to show them God’s love while warning them of the danger they flirt with. I know that I do not do a good enough job of preaching the Gospel to them, but I also know that it would be so easy to lose the opportunity to preach it to them at all. I seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to do a better job without closing the door completely.
I have said this before, the Book of Joel is unique. It is the only one of the prophets who does not prophesy about a foreign nation invading Israel (or Judah). Instead the inspiration for Joel’s prophecy was a locust swarm which overwhelmed the nation. Or perhaps, the locust swarm was similar to the insect invasions we sometimes see today where an invasive species appears in one location and spreads out from there. I am not sure, but perhaps the locusts had swarmed over one portion the land and the people had reason to believe that they would spread from there to completely wipe out the crops throughout the land. In any case, whether the locusts had devastated the whole land or just a portion, Joel uses this as an opportunity to call the people to repentance, prayer, and fasting. Christians in the United States do not gather for times of prayer and fasting nearly enough. I know that I do not do either nearly as much as I should.
From time to time, I wonder why we do not see God’s miracles more today. I think the Book of Joel provides an answer to that question. We will see God’s miracles when He pours out His Spirit on us. God will pour out His Spirit upon us when we pray and fast in mourning for the sins we have committed and that we see around us. Let us come to the Lord in prayer and fasting in order to prepare our hearts for His Spirit.
Hosea writes here about those who reject God and that which is good, then cry out to God for help. He tells us that those who plant the wind will reap the whirlwind. I find that an interesting metaphor because almost everyone can understand it even though it does not reference something which is physically possible. For any of my readers who do not know what it means, it references when people encourage rules or laws to be ignored when those rules or laws interfere with their goals. When you do that rules and laws will not be able to protect your interests later. If you encourage chaos and confusion to further your own ends at the expense of others (and ultimately, that is the only reason to do so), do not be surprised when everything becomes confused and chaotic.
Later Hosea writes that God calls for us to plant the good seeds of righteousness. Initially I viewed that as a separate message from his reference to sewing the wind and reaping the whirlwind, but as I started to compose my thoughts on this part I realized they are closely connected. In fact, Hosea holds planting the seeds of righteousness in direct contrast to cultivating wickedness and sewing the wind. Now is the time to plow up the hard ground of our hearts and seek the Lord. If we plant the seeds of righteousness we will harvest a crop of love. Using lies and power to get your way will not generate anything good. Let us do what is right so that we can spread God’s love to all and sundry.
