God's Work in the Messiah

Zechariah 12:1, 8-10    1 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: 8 ...and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “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.

God's character begins with His work, creating both the universe and man in it.  And so He made His Son to also have a nature as ours, out of the lineage of David who also is the Angel of the Lord - the Anointed (Messiah, Christ).  His grace and Spirit are now poured into us who have looked on the crucified Christ and wept for His death that was rightfully ours due to our sin. So we follow Him who goes before us now.

Sheep Without a Shepherd

Zechariah 10:2   For the idols speak delusion; the diviners envision lies, and tell false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; they are in trouble because there is no shepherd.

Those who refuse to believe God and take Him at His word, who rebel to find anything or anyone else to listen to - they lead people into error like helpless sheep.  Without a shepherd to guide to safety and to food and drink, the sheep are led to their destruction over cliffs and in malnourishment toward spiritual decay and death.  Thank God He sent Jesus Christ to shepherd the lost back to the Father!

Rejoice in the King's Salvation!

Zechariah 9:9-10.  9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.’

Psalm 72:17-19.   17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed. 18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! 19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

The story told long before the Christ came triumphantly on a donkey with salvation and peace with God by reconciliation also quotes from Psalm 72.  Here the King to come is told to bless all nations, to do wondrous things, and to show His glory to the world.  The fact that Jesus echoes through history and Christmas celebrations reflect that glory to the world is proof of His word and will.

Ambassadors of the New Country

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Christ died to make us right with God, something we could never achieve on our own.  He chose to sacrifice His Son in place of us that He justly could release us from our due sentence and its punishment, making us righteous in Christ alone.  So we represent Him and this call to reconciliation and forgiveness of sins - what a humbling thought this work is, representing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for His kingdom!

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

God is With Us, Join Us!

Zechariah 8:21-23  
21 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.”  23 “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.” ’ ”

As God's people in Christ, one with His original chosen, if we pray and seek Him, then others who see and are called will want to go with us to gain access to the Father through the Son (we have the words of life).  So we must always be ready to give a good answer of the Gospel hope in us as we walk with Him.  And pray without ceasing.

Essential Truth

Zechariah 8:16-17   
16 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; 17 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.”

Ephesians 4:25    Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

Truth to all is essential, and seeking peace and fairness are brothers and sisters of grace.  This means we judge situations and others with this grace.  Letting our yes be yes and no be no show good intentions to others and honor God.  Doing what pleases Him in keeping the second greatest commandment is why we speak straight and walk true.

God Calls Out His People

Zechariah 8:7-8   7 “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; 8 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.’

Jeremiah 31:33-34.   33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

As God brought back His wandering people Israel, so He calls all peoples to Christ - to be our God, truly and with His righteousness alone.  He makes us new, putting His law in our hearts and minds; He lives in us as Spirit and we know Him personally and intimately.  This is why Jesus was born to die, and to rise from death to live again that we might live forever in Him in righteousness and truth.

Grace is Mercy in Justice

Zechariah 7:9-11  9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother.  10 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.’ 11 But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.

Unregenerate Israel was to live by doing the Law, and we have been taught by it to come to grace in Christ - yet God does not change in character, and the heart response in loving Him and others should be the same.  We must be just, merciful, compassionate, meeting true needs, and not seeking the evil of vengeance or any other ill will to others, no matter what they do.  Like the verses following the Lord's Prayer, if we close our ears and do not forgive and treat other as we want and He commands, He will not hear us either.

Ruler and Counselor of Peace

Zechariah 5:3, 8, 6:13  
3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.”  8 then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth.  Zechariah 6:13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.  He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’

God promised to deal with things like stealing, lying, and wickedness.  He would send one from the branch of David's house through whom He promised the Anointed Deliverer, the Messiah (Christ in the Greek of the NT).   So Christ forgives sin to the ones coming to Him who paid their price of sin's due penalty.  He rules over all and mediates as priest with peace to men in good will with no hidden agendas.  This is what the shepherds heard at His coming at Christmas.

Grace to the Capstone!

Zechariah 4:6-7   6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.  7‘ Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”

God's crowning work was not Israel's deliverance as a nation from oppressors, but all God's people from the chains of sin and death due to us all.  This capstone of grace covers all who are in Christ Jesus, and levels all judgement that rightly condemns us.  Not by our own strength or power - all by His Spirit of grace who blows into our lives with a new birth and ability to understand and follow...

We are Brands Pulled out of the Fire

Zechariah 3:2-4, 3:8-9  
2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.   4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”  8 ... For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.  9 ...‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

We are all born in sin, in filthy clothing of our souls in opposition to God; as Joshua, we are accused of being unworthy by satan.  We are of ourselves, yet the shoot or branch of the Messiah from Davidic tree - Jesus, He takes away the unclean and clothes us with Himself, completely clean.  In one day on the cross He put us to death and then raised us up to take away our sin in His eyes forever!  We are pulled from the fire to come all by God's mercy and grace - all who repent, believe, and are reborn.

Repent as You are Called

Zechariah 1:4, 6, 2:10-11  
4 “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.   6...‘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.’  Zechariah 2:10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “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.

Before Christ came to stand between God's just judgment and our sinful hearts of missing the mark of obedience, we had no hope.  But He came as man and God to free us from that bondage and dwells within us now!  We have become His very people because of the One sent by God - Himself. This is what He offers as we think of Christmas.  We choose to partake of Him who loved and called us out first - while we still were lost and deaf to hear Him.

Fruitfully Reconciled

Haggai 2:19, 23  
19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’ ” 23 ‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

Even though we all have sinned and come short of God and His standards, like Israel we too can see blessings of provision for our soul in the chosen One who sits at the Father's right hand. The Messiah, Christ Jesus, holds all power and authority of God, and He offers deliverance from our disobedience and restoration of our souls before almighty God.  From the day we are reconciled through Him to God we bear true and lasting fruit.

Shaken But Not Stirred

Haggai 2:5-7  
5 ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’ 6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.

>>Hebrews 12:27-28.  27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Since God is within us, we do not need to fear the shakeup to come when judgment grips the world. If only others would come to their true desire, to the Lord who made us all!  Since we have a coming kingdom begun in us now, we can serve our Lord His way, with reverence and grace above all that drives us to Him and others.  We are shaken in the world, but not stirred in Christ. 

Be Strong in Christ

Haggai 1:12-13, 2:4  
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, “I am with you, says the Lord."  Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts.

The example given here shows when we do what God tells us, listening to His words and fearing Him with awe and as sovereign Lord - then we know just how much He is with us.  So let us be strong in Christ and do His work.  He will never leave or abandon us, and gives grace to help as needed.

Temple Ruins or Living Worship?

Haggai 1:6-9  
6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”  7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.

We also do not have enough when we neglect God's house; though this can apply to a church building, in a larger sense our bodies are the temple He inhabits and from which we worship.  So we must work out our salvation to be conformed to Christ, not leaving our temple in ruins but considering our ways and so doing what we were remade to do, honoring and glorifying Him in us.  It is our spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1-2). 

The Mighty One Will Save!

Zephaniah 3:15-17  
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see [fear] disaster no more.  16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.  17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Because God is with and in us who have believed in spirit and in truth, we do not fear the disaster of condemnation or hell any longer.  So we can take heart and do valiantly in His gladness and peace through Christ.  He does rejoice with singing, as he angels when we are saved from the grip of sin and come to new life in Him.  He is the Lord and King over more than just Israel; the promise to Abram is for all nations, and He rejoices over us all.

Set Apart by Promise

Romans 1:1-7   
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The good news of Jesus Christ was promised long before He came as a man to die and rise again, proving to us He is the Son of God.  He gave us proof both in the human bloodline and the works only God can do.  So we receive grace, forgiveness, and deliverance from sin and God's anger on us for it.   As His called ones, we are all called saints, holy or set apart ones, that we may be holy in His eyes and be changed day by day to reflect that holiness.  We now have peace with God by His grace alone!

Fear Justice and Humbly Hear Grace

Zephaniah 3:2-12  
2 She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God.  5 The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame.  7 I said, “Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction’— so that her dwelling would not be cut off, despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.  12 I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

Let us learn from bad examples to do the opposite - we must receive and welcome God's instruction, trust every word of His, do all He says, and so draw close to Him always.  Emmanuel, God in our midst and in we who know Him, He is righteous, fair, and so should we imitate Christ.  So in awe we listen and learn, accepting needed discipline given in love.  Let us not corrupt what we do, but keep in step with the Spirit in us and be humble and meek, keeping strength in control to do right and walk by faith.  This is what we learn here.

Worship the One True God

Zephaniah 2:11

The Lord will be awesome to them,

For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;

People shall worship Him,

Each one from his place,

Indeed all the shores of the nations.

Those who attack God and His people will eventually die and face Him.  Even in the remainder of their lives here they will see how insignificant and powerless their imagined gods are.  There is only one fearfully awesome God who sent His Son as a man and who lives in His people as Spirit now.   So we in all this world who have been called out to Him worship the One in spirit and in truth, acknowledging Jesus is the only way, truth, and life there is.

Drawn to Deliverance

Zephaniah 1:12, 2:3  
12 “And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’  3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.

God searches our hearts, uncovering everything like the picture here of searching dark corners with lamps.  The lamp of His word will uncover the hidden thoughts and intents of the heart.  So those who choose to hide and say God will do nothing, that since Jesus died for the sins of the world they do not have to worry about doing anything good because God will not punish sin or condemn anyone..these forget it is only through repentance, faith, and a new birth that we appropriate all He did on the cross and up from the grave.  So we seek to do good, humbly coming to the grace of salvation.

Dressed In His Righteousness

Zephaniah 1:7-8  
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; for the day of the Lord is at hand, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests. 8 “And it shall be, in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

Matthew 22:12-14

12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

God gave us the ultimate sacrifice in His Son, inviting us to partake of Jesus and live; so we must be clothed as His guests in His righteousness.  With our own clothing of our attempts at doing good to earn God's favor we are dressed in what is foreign to His standards, falling short and resulting in our being thrown out and into the fire.

Mountain Top Glory

Habakkuk 3:17-19  
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. 

When we seem to be going nowhere and appear unfruitful, when all we own goes away - then is when we need to follow Habakkuk's example in finding joy in our Lord.  In every bad or good time we must rejoice, knowing Christ is our strength and will enable us to run and leap over the rocky hills as a deer on a mountain slope.  He saved us and will certainly carry us through it all for His glory, and so we find Him working for our good in all things.

Annointed With His Work of Salvation

Habakkuk 3:2-3, 13  
2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!  In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.  3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.  Selah.  His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. 13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked, by laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah

Though God has every right as Lord and Creator of all to be angry with each one of us, He chose to demonstrate mercy where justice was due.  He revived His fallen work - us - to be able to praise Him as the heavenly host of angels constantly do.  He as the Christ came forth with salvation from His anger and justice on our sin to show that mercy, exposing our sin and healing it with the balm of forgiveness and grace.  We neither earn nor deserve any of it.

Knowledge of the Gospel To All

Habakkuk 2:13-14  
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the peoples labor to feed the fire, and nations weary themselves in vain?  14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Nations and people work hard at feeding their houses and cities which will ultimately burn or otherwise fail in the end. Ah, but the knowledge of our great Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ will spread to all, covering with either judgement or forgiveness and grace filled mercy.  Why weary ourselves in vain when certain purpose in Christ alone can be found?

The Just will Live by Faith

Habakkuk 2:1-4   
1 I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. 2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.  4 “Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.

Do we stay on guard, with faith in our watching how and where God leads us?  This must be with an attitude of teachability and response of faithful obedience with joy in following Christ.  His word has been written down for us, and history plays out by His written account of it from beginning to end.  The sovereign Lord of all will surely do exactly as He planned.  So by faith we follow and watch as we serve, seeing the events unfold as we point to all God has done in His Son with word and deed.  Let us labor and agonizingly strive for the good news of reconciliation in Christ! 

We Shall not Die as Justified

Habakkuk 1:4-5, 12-13  
4 Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds. 5 “Look among the nations and watch—be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you.   12 Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. 13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?

Chaldeans were used to execute God's anger on the continual sin of His people, yet the problem was that His people tried by following rules of the law which they could never keep in their own strength.  Ah, but God promised to do a work unheard of.  He did this for us all in sending His Son among us to save us from the judgement we deserve and can never escape in or of ourselves.  God cannot stand to put up with rebellious evil - sin - so He Himself took on the judgement in Christ in our place for those called out to Him and responding.  The work we have difficulty believing though it is told us.

Man the Fort! Watch the Road!

Nahum 2:1, 8   
1 He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road!  Strengthen your flanks!  Fortify your power mightily.   8 Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, now they flee away.  “Halt! Halt!” they cry; but no one turns back.

Nineveh was used as an example to wake Israel up to repent as they did, but fell away and was coming under attack.  So they were warned to fight and watch as they strengthened their defense - but they did not stand, but ran away in disregard of God's advice.  Do we fight the good fight and aim to finish the race?  Do we man the fort of faith's witness, watch with spiritual vision, watch sin creeping at our backs, and find strength in obedient trust in the almighty?  Or do we run into defeat?  We can do everything through Him who gives us strength from such an infinite pool!

The Yoke of Slavery to Sin is Broken

Nahum 1:7, 13, 15  
7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.   13 For now I will break off his yoke from you, and burst your bonds apart.”   15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off.

Though these words were spoken to Nineveh to repent and avoid destruction, the same words were used in Romans 10 to those sent to tell the good news of what Jesus did to break the bonds of sin and death that hold us all until we hear, turn, and believe Him.  He was God as a man, taking our just sentence of death and freeing those who believe and so receive Him to be made new.  Peace with God.  That is why we remember Him not only at Christmas, but every day.

Eternal Passover of Mercy

Micah 7:8-9, 18  
8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.  9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.   18 Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.

Those opposed to Christ, and so also to me, like it when I fail or fall in my walk, but God is my light and lifts me up each time.  I know I am a sinner, so when accused, I agree with the enemy - yet also speak forth that His justice and wrath on my sin has been covered in forgiving mercy by grace in Jesus Christ.  He has taken my punishment and covered all my sin with a complete and never-ending pardon.  He delights in mercy!  His eternal Passover of mercy will be ever remember in the light of glory! 

Enemies on Earth, Family in Heaven

Micah 7:6-7 
6 For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own household.  7 Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Jesus reminded his disciples that the cost of following Him was high; it meant that some relations would be set against you if you follow Christ, even to the point of becoming enemies.  Yet waiting on God and losing our lives and all that relates to them is the small cost of discipleship for His sake and eternity's reward.  So we take up our cross of death to ourselves and all life offers in exchange for everything.

Matthew 10:34-39   34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man's enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Does God demand sacrifices to please Him, even to our firstborn?  No. All the deeds we do fall short of pleasing Him - what He really desires is our heart of obedient, humble, merciful, devoted love for Him.  This is why Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all we have and are, and then to love others as we love and care for ourselves.  The biggest sacrifice is praise to Him in these things, for all comes from and goes to Him.

Abiding in the One From Eternity

Micah 5:2-4  
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”  3 Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel.  4 And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth;

Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, has always existed from everlasting or forever.  He was born as a man of a virgin as told here in order to show God was His Father, that He is God's word become a man to speak directly to us.  Seeing Jesus, we see God.  So He came to bring His people to Himself, first the Jew, then the world. He watches over and keeps us to forever, feeding us of Himself, in which we see a shadow in the taking of the bread and wine until He returns.  This shows His majestic care for us.  We abide in the One from eternity, who always is and was and ever shall be! 

Babel to Pentecost

Acts 2:4-7
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?

I have always looked at the day of Pentecost as God's calling His people back together who were separated at Babel with diverse languages to keep them from banding together in prideful unrighteous, similar to Eden's banishment to keep us from living forever in sin.  By His Spirit giving understanding of each other again, He showed our calling out together once again - but in Christ safely together for our good and God's glory.

Live Eternally in God’s Name

Micah 4:5
For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

Many reject the Gospel, choosing instead to work hard to "make it to heaven" in vain, and others say there is no God or that it does not matter.  But those of us who know Him will never live otherwise because He has so changed us and opened the eyes of our hearts to see and know Him.  No religion of man can bring us to union with God but Christ.  On we walk, pleading with others to be reconciled and reborn with and in Him who made us all.

Taught by God

Micah 4:2  
2 Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.”  For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Hebrews 1:1-4  1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

The promise through Abraham for all nations to be God's shows His Law was to bring us to realize our desperately sin-filled nature which keeps us from walking in His ways.  So His Son Jesus, who shows us God did for us what we could not, speaking the final words of salvation which the prophets only pointed to.  We can only walk in His ways by His sacrifice for us, His presence (Spirit) within us, with a new heart from a new birth as a new creation by God.  We are taught by God (John 6:45, 1 Thessalonians 4:9) to walk in His ways by His Spirit and word.  

False Teaching and Repentance

Micah 3:8, 11  
8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.  11 Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.”

Israel had many false self seeking and self appointed prophets as they wandered further from God.  But the few God called directed their sight to their sin, and showed they could not rely on being called God's people to avoid judgement and just punishment as a consequence.  So what will God do today if we allow false teaching in the church to go unchallenged?  In love sin must be pointed to in order to allow the chance to turn from it.

Freed at Last!

John 8:34-47 
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

We are all sinners, coming ever short of God's standard of perfection.  Yet Jesus offers freedom if we love Him and listen to what He says.  God Himself came as a man to talk to us face to face, yet many still refused to listen, putting intellect and religion above the One who is the source of both.  If we are of God, we listen and believe Jesus Christ; if we are not of Him, we shut our ears, get angry, and reject Him.  Nobody can come to God unless He calls - and we listen.

Fanaticism of Health and Wealth, or Truth?

Micah 2:11  
If a man should walk in a false spirit and speak a lie, saying, ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,’ even he would be the prattler of this people.

As in Israel's days, so now in the church age there are those who set aside the glory and truth of God to listen to any fantastic teaching from any charismatic speaker or writer who tells them something good for the ear as they see it.  Teachers prattle about no Hell, no judgement, no submission or obedience to the Lord who bought them at such a high price in His Son.  They speak of babbling stories as if Jesus is speaking personal comfort, yet it is not Jesus talking, for it is not aligned with the truth of the Bible.  They listen to tales spun of all the good health and wealth "promised" us, yet forget He had no place to lay His head, that the Apostles suffered in many ways - and in all, God alone received all the glory, honor, and praise.   Our kingdom and riches and health are in Christ alone.

Do No Harm

Micah 2:1, 7  
" 1 Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.  7 You who are named the house of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?"

God commands us to first love Him above all else, then to love others as we love ourselves - doing no harm to them.  Those who walk over others to get what they want take time to find ways to cheat and defraud them.  But they will face God.  And when His words are heard, they will deny and suffer, or they can find joy and forgiveness in those words as they do to others as they want done - and as God does for us.

Judgement from Heaven Coming Down

Micah 1:2-5  
"2 Hear, all you peoples!  Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord God be a witness against you,The Lord from His holy temple. 3 For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth. 4 The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place. 5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?"

Just as God spoke judgment on Jerusalem and Samaria, to come down from heaven Himself to even things out, both landscape and those in it, so He will at the final judgment - the mountains will fall and even the stars will fall from the sky as Jesus said.  This world must know the gospel is to answer the judgement we all deserve for our disobedient sin, calling us by grace and faith alone in Christ alone, not in anything we can do to earn His forgiveness and relenting of punishment. 

Grace - He Relents from Doing Harm

Jonah 4:1-2.  
" 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."

Do we get angry when people who do very evil things are changed by God, such as Dahmler, or do we see past the gross sin to the soul made and remade in God's image?  Jonah saw the Ninevites as godless and evil, and knew for years they did not do what God wanted - yet when he told them they would be destroyed in judgment, they repented - Jonah was angry and wanted to die.  It is as if he did not want to see them saved from sin's punishment, but wanted to see them get what is coming to them.  Do we love the lost and rejoice when God calls them?

Repentance and Forgiveness

Jonah 3:8-10  
"8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it."

Repentance from the things God has declared to be morally wrong, sin, means to turn from them and toward doing what is right according to His standards (not ours either by choice or vote).  When those of Nineveh saw this, they turned and God chose not to punish them. So in Christ we can be forgiven and the destruction passed over us by His payment for us.  We are sinners in the hand of the angry God apart from Jesus.  In Him we find God's favor forever.

Salvation is of the Lord!

Jonah 2:2, 4, 7, 9  
"2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. ‘Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.  4 Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’"   "7 “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.  9 But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”"

God hears when I call out to Him, even when I get myself into a situation due to not doing all He says, like Jonah.  This example is here to turn my eyes continually to my Lord, to worship with thanksgiving from my heart.  He delivers just as when I was lost and confessed, repented, and turned to Christ with faith that acted on His promises.  So I act and so I find His faithfulness in the promises to deliver and strength to obey out of love and not turn away from following.  Salvation is of the Lord.

Why Do we Run From God's Work?

Jonah 1:5, 10  
"5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep."  10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them."

Do we hide, asleep in the light given us?  Whenever we run from God's calling, we think falsely that it only affects us - not seeing how not bearing witness to the gospel allows the storm of sin to bear down on others, to their destruction.  So we cannot run from God, His presence, nor His will.  Since His will is to make disciples of all nations and to teach them all He taught us in His word, then this is our life goal in the race set before us.

Don't Run from Preaching Repentance

Jonah 1:1-3   
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord."

Do we run from God's command to make disciples of all nations, telling the good news of reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ solely by repentance and faith?  Repentance in acknowledging our sin and guilt before a holy God, and faith in His work on the cross to die for our just punishment - this is good news indeed to find our forgiveness wrapped in grace and mercy, unearned and never found in religious good deeds.  We who are made right with Him should never run from telling others this hope forever in Jesus Christ.

Return on Investment, or Salvation?

Obadiah 1:15-17  
"15 “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head.  17 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions."

Matthew 7:1-2    1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

Judgement in the sense of condemning, not discerning, comes back on all but the Righteous Judge, Jesus Christ, to whom it belongs.  He offers deliverance from eternal judgement and forgiveness here and now.  We are to discern for the good of others in humility in the church, leaving those outside with no eternal justification to Him who judges rightly.  So let us be holy, as He is, but humble because we are not Him.

Pride Precedes the Fall

Obadiah 1:3-4  
"3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’  4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” says the Lord."

Like Edom, pride makes many trust in their own defenses, arrogantly believing that not even God can level the fortresses built high as a Swiss fort on a mountaintop.  Even if we travel to the stars, we are never too strong for pride to bring us down.  God alone is sovereign over history, nations, and each of us. 

No Escape by Our Will or Work

Amos 9:2. 
“Though they dig into hell, from there My hand shall take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down;"

Just as Israel attempted to escape God's judgement (Psalm 139:8), so many now also try (Matthew 11:23) to bury themselves in hell by living for now, getting all they can and trusting in their own strength in being bad to endure.  Others attempt to do enough good works to earn a place in heaven, also attempting in their own ability to get there.  But the reality is that only God was good enough to earn a place for us, and that through the cross.  We are all evil in our heart motives and all the evil we do is not strong enough to protect us from justice in the end.  Jesus really is the only way, truth, and life for us all. 

Night for Day

Amos 8:9-10 
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight; 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, and baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day."

People stopped hearing God's words as in Amos' time, and when Christ hung on the cross, they saw the sun darken in daytime as God's only Son died in their place - not when they listened and turned to Him, but He died while they were not seeking and still sinners.  He does that now as well (Rom.5:8), and brings hope in darkness and new life from us who are dead to Him in sin.  There can be joy and feasting again in Jesus the Christ. 

Acceptable Offerings of Justice and Righteousness

Amos 5:22-24  
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.  23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.  24 But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

If we do not know the God we worship, if we are unrighteous and unjust to Him and others, then all the songs we sing and offerings we give are meaningless to Him.  He wants our hearts and lives.  These are acceptable offerings of justice and righteousness.  His.  Nothing less.  Do we love Jesus Christ as the one way to please God by faith, and do we seek to love Him by treating others in love with justice, mercy, and right actions?  He wants mercy and not sacrifice which is empty. 

Hate Evil, Love Good

Amos 5:14-15   
14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken.  15 Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

Romans 12:9  Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

We are to really despise want is evil if we are ever to become holy as God is and desires us to be.  But this means we need to also really love what is good - not grudgingly say it is good, but enjoy and run after those things God says are good.  This is walking with Him to "always do those things that please Him (Jn.8:29)."  Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with our God. 

We are Brands Plucked out of the Fire of Judgement

Amos 4:11-13 
11 “I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.  13 For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth— the Lord God of hosts is His name."

As we are brands plucked out of the fire of certain judgement, rescued as Joshua in Zechariah 3:2 was taken from destruction for God's purpose, so we must turn to Him continually.  This is the God of all living who makes high mountains, makes wind we cannot see, and even knows all we think.  He brings light that is good into darkness and lowers the pride of men and Angels.  His name is holy, and we called by that same name are to be holy just as He is.  How can we not follow after Him as we run the race Paul spoke of?

Zechariah 3:2. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 

Keep in Step With the Spirit

Amos 3:2-3.  
2 “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.  3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

We who have been chosen and called out in Christ, who believed and received Him, are His children, His family.  So we are like Israel in that we must align to God's word to live with Him - we can only so walk if we are in agreement with His word and will.  This means listening to those also in agreement with His word, just as the prophets of old who walked together with Him did so together.  Let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

Lies Lead Astray, But Truth to Follow and Obey

Amos 2:4.
"Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies which their fathers followed."

We must not as before our conversion turn from God's word as commands.  He spoke for us to gladly follow and obey His word, not to ignore or even despise what He tells us because we don't like parts of it or don't agree with it as we align with society's benchmarks.  As Calvin said, "We are not to follow the fathers in error, but must follow the word of God alone."  Just because someone teaches something, it is not to be adhered to unless it is backed by Scripture.  Reformed listening includes finding out if these things are so (Acts 17:11). 

Valley of Decision and Our Calling of Grace

Joel 3:14-16. 
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.  15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness.  16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel."

In the end, the sun and moon will darken along with the stars; when God finally judges the world after giving so many chances for the multitudes of people to choose life through repentance and forgiveness in Jesus Christ, this earth will be so shaken.  Yet those called out by and to Him will find safe shelter and strength to and through this end - and into a never ending beginning which began in reborn hearts before that time. 

His Spirit Poured Now Into Us

Joel 2:28-32  
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.  32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls."

As this was fulfilled in the events recorded in Acts 2:17-21, God brought in the time for deliverance from sin in Jesus, followed by His Spirit living in those called out as His - first for the Jews in Acts 2, then to the rest of the nations as promised to Abraham long ago.  God opens our eyes to Himself and gives understanding to His words when we are so saved from sin and regenerated in Christ.  God calls.  We must answer.  Then we are pulled as a drowned man from a living death and breath again in Him with a living life that has no end!