Posts Tagged ‘Israel’

Jeremiah (part 3: Complaint Department)

Posted: October 20, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, culture, faith, prophecy
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Yes, I know you have it bad.

Yes, you should’ve gotten that promotion, or raise, or pat on the back, or new car, or whatever.

Yes, people are mean.

No, it’s not fair.

No, God isn’t picking on you.

Yes, you can complain about it (if you must).

No, God won’t be mad.

The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s complaint to the Lord as he mourned the fall of Judah. It gives us insight into the soul of the prophet and an unfiltered glimpse at his personal anguish.

Before you lament your own circumstances & join Jeremiah’s pity party, you should know that:

  • Jeremiah was accused of being a false prophet and a pro-Babylonian traitor (37:13).
  • He was ridiculed and ignored (26:7-9), his prophecies were cut-up & burned (36:20-24).
  • He was betrayed by his own family (12:6), intensely persecuted (15:15-18), plotted against (11:18-23; 18:18), beaten and imprisoned (20:2), and he faced hostility from the masses (26:10-11).
  • He was thrown into a dungeon (37:16) and a cistern (38:1-13), and was locked up in the guardhouse (37:21).
  • He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem under the heavy hand of a cruel foreign regime (2 Kings 24:10-14; 39:1-10; 52:1-11), saw the destruction of the Temple (52:12-27) and tells about the bloodshed in the streets (39:6-7).
  • As if that wasn’t enough, he was taken hostage by rebels and forced to live in Egypt (43:1-7).

 

Although Jeremiah never understood why he had to personally suffer while faithfully serving the Lord, he demonstrated fortitude of character and commitment–without compromising his faith–regardless of popular opinion, long-term persecution, and the apparent futility of his efforts.

Through it all, he clung to hope in the faithfulness of God:

Lamentations 3 (NLT)
19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

Now what was that you were complaining about?

Babylon is Calling

Posted: September 30, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, prophecy
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After a couple of weeks off of blogging, it’s time to get back to work. Here’s a funny video that covers 4000 years of Israel’s history in less than 5 minutes:

Two things:

1. Unlocking the Secrets of Bible Prophecy, a forum based on this blog series, begins at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, October 8th, at Niceville AG. Admission is FREE so bring a friend, but seating is limited to the first 900 attendees so come early to get a good seat!

2. Stay tuned! Our next series of blog posts will look at the prophets of Judah during the Babylonian Crisis:

  • Nahum
  • Jeremiah
  • Zephaniah
  • Habakkuk
  • Ezekiel
  • Obadiah

Isaiah (part 5: the OLD in the NEW and the NEW in the OLD)

Posted: September 8, 2010 in Bible, Christ, Christianity, prophecy
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In a nutshell…

  • Isaiah was the last prophet who lived during the Assyrian Crisis.
  • Assyria was the superpower that destroyed Samaria and exiled Israel (the northern kingdom) in 722 B.C.
  • Babylon was the superpower that conquered Assyria, destroyed Jerusalem and exiled Judah (the southern kingdom) in 586 B.C.
  • Persia was the superpower that conquered Babylon and released the Jews from captivity in 538 B.C.

 

When the Jews were released from captivity and returned to rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem, they were more than a little disheartened (Ezra and Nehemiah are vibrant accounts of this time in Israel’s history).

Life in post-exilic Israel was no bed of roses and the people rapidly returned to their sinful ways (the same OLD habits in a brand NEW setting). They became religiously complacent and saw no necessity for maintaining any distinction between themselves and their neighbors. God’s ceremonial laws were neglected, intermarriage with pagans became common, and idol worship quickly took root across the land.

Chapters 56-66 of Isaiah address this scenario. As you read this section, look for these recurring themes: (1) the absolute necessity for righteous living, (2) the absolute inability to live righteously, and (3) the absolute grace of God that delivers us from sin.

“These chapters are about the internalization of the law by means of an intimate relationship with God who alone can enable people to live holy lives [by his Spirit].” -Dr. John Oswalt

In other words, it’s the NEW Testament in the OLD Testament!

Notice that this section begins and ends by including all nations in God’s salvation plan (see Isaiah 56:1-8 and Isaiah 66:18-24).

So…

If salvation by grace, an intimate relationship with God, gentiles in the kingdom, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit all occur in the OLD Testament … is it possible that a call to righteous living occurs in the NEW Testament?

You decide:

1 Peter 2

1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good… 

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Humph! The OLD is in the NEW and the NEW is in the OLD.

It’s almost like God has a plan…

Isaiah (part 4: Rude Awakening)

Posted: September 7, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, prophecy
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Exactly as predicted, Judah was exiled by the Babylonians in three separate waves (605 B.C., 598 B.C. and finally in 586 B.C. when Jerusalem was destroyed). 

In Isaiah’s lifetime, Judah considered herself the darling of heaven and despite the prophets’ warnings, she was unwilling to face her peril. Now the Temple laid in ruins, their homes were ransacked, their leaders deported, their national identity destroyed and foreigners were brought in to occupy their land. 

Talk about a rude awakening!

Many Jews concluded that God wasn’t real. Others believed God existed but that He had abandoned them. Both groups were in danger of adopting Babylonian religious beliefs and losing their identity as God’s chosen people.

Historically, no nation had ever returned from exile.

Chapters 40-55 of Isaiah offer hope to people who fear they have been cast aside by God.

Do you ever feel that way?

Cast aside?

Forgotten?

Abandoned?

Have you ever been tempted to give up on God?

Doubt His existence?

Or feel like there’s no benefit to following Christ?

If so, these chapters will be extremely encouraging for you. God assures His people that He will conquer their enemies, destroy foreign idols, redeem His people from their sins, and restore them to their homeland.

Everything He promised came to pass.

God is absolutely trustworthy!

History proves it & faith clings to it. 

Isaiah 40

 1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
      says your God.
 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
   Tell her that her sad days are gone
      and her sins are pardoned…”

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