Let’s Stop Partying!
Malachi 4 – Matthew 4
Chapter 4 of Malachi is very short; only five verses. It draws the curtain on the Old Testament. The day of wrath is coming. Be in right relationship with God and rejoice. The final two verses of the Old Testament tell of the return of Elijah.
The Bible goes silent at the end of the Old Testament. It is four hundred years between the time of Malachi and the time of Jesus. A lot has changed in the world since then. Whereas the world was dominated by Medo-Persian Empire at the end of the Old Testament it was dominated by the Roman Empire at the birth of Jesus.
In returning from an exile brought on by wanton worship of foreign gods, the people of Israel turned to a frantic quest for legal holiness. Now, instead of worshiping foreign gods they worshipped the Law itself. They exchanged one form of idolatry for another. In this time two major parties arose in opposition to each other. They very much remind me of the two major parties in America today.
The Pharisees were the defenders of the Jewish way of life. They were strict legalists and were extremely nationalistic. They were a religious-political party. Today they would be called fundamentalists and far right politically.
The Sadducees were the other party and they were made up of the wealthy and more liberal minded. They were liberal in their theology and rejected any notion of the supernatural. They were seekers after physical pleasure as a way of overcoming them. It is interesting to me that these liberal types were made up of the rich. This is much the way it is in our country today.
Before we start taking sides here, remember that Jesus condemned both parties. Neither of them got it. The same can be said of the two parties in America today; neither of them get it. That is why there is a Tea Party today. The American people are rejecting both parties. But I digress.
I have done a lot of paraphrasing of our friend Dr. J. Vernon McGee in the material above but he provides an excellent couple of paragraphs on the Scribes and I will share that word for word at the end of this post.
The New Testament begins with a recap of the genealogy of Jesus the Christ. Matthew was written to a Jewish audience to prove that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. The genealogy would be important to this group as Jesus could not be the Messiah if He didn’t have the right pedigree. As Matthew builds his case for the messianic nature of Jesus he says “this happened and it fulfilled this prophecy concerning the Messiah; and this happened which fulfilled this prophecy”, and so on. There is a lot of Old Testament quoting going on in the first chapters of Matthew as he provides Jesus’ bona fides.
So much happens in these first four chapters of Matthew that it is hard to focus on one theme. Since we are all pretty familiar with much of the story I thought I would point out some things that occurred to me as I read today.
Matthew 3:8-10
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
I have been quite taken with the book of John; the verses that deal with fruitfulness in particular (John 15). These verses above, spoken by John the Baptist, foreshadow exactly what Jesus says in John 15 as he prepares His disciples for His arrest and eventual departure from the earth. “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance”. I think this is an extremely important verse. If you have repented – and you must repent to truly receive Christ – then you will bear fruit. The fruit is the evidence of your repentance and salvation. Salvation does not come without genuine repentance.
The next thing that really caught my attention was the temptation of Christ. Take a look at this:
Matthew 4:5-10
“5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
As Satan would tempt Him, Jesus would swat the temptation away with a quote from scripture. The verses above show that Satan adjusted his approach and started quoting scripture as a way of justifying the temptation; fighting fire with fire if you will. I am a firm believer that we all should read the Bible from beginning to end just as God put it together at least once if not several times. I believe this because reading it this way you get the story as the Author intended.
It is very important that every Christian have a solid understanding of Scripture. There are those who read the Bible with an eye toward finding “Scriptural support” for whatever behavior they wish to perform. This is not reading the Bible to receive the message of the Author but to find a stick with which to beat back challenges to sinful behavior. The best example of this today might well be the defense of homosexuality.
Some will take the message of love that Jesus preached and say that it is not loving to condemn homosexuality. Of course it is God who condemns homosexuality in the very Bible from which they cherry pick their defense. Those same defenders of homosexual behavior completely ignore the fact that Jesus said that not one iota or dot would be removed from the Law until heaven and earth pass away (Matthew 5:17). That is the same Law that says homosexuality is an abomination before God. It is God who condemns homosexuality, not me. The proper response to such a blatant abuse of Scripture is to point the abuser back to Scripture. That is what Jesus did with Satan and it is an example for all of us to follow. You can only do what Jesus did, however, if you know ALL of Scripture and receive the message of the Author.
Finally, the entire purpose of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the ministry He expects us to continue, is summed up in this final verse.
Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Is the kingdom of heaven at hand? It was then, and it is today. You only get one life and this is it. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The decisions and choices you make today determine your eternal destiny. There is no “do-over”. Accept Christ and live or reject Christ and die. It is just that simple. “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Say it loud and often; a desperate and dying world need to hear it before it is too late!
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
P.S. From “Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee”:
“SCRIBES—The scribes were a group of professional expounders of the Law, stemming back from the days of Ezra. They became the hair-splitters. They were more concerned with the letter of the Law than with the spirit of the Law. When old Herod called in the scribes and asked where Jesus was to be born, they knew it was to be in Bethlehem. You would think that they would have hitchhiked a ride on the back of the camels to go down to Bethlehem to see Him, but they weren’t interested. They were absorbed in the letter of the Law.
My friend, there is a danger of just wanting the information and the knowledge from the Bible but failing to translate it into shoe leather, not letting it become part of our lives. Through study we can learn the basic facts of Scripture, and all the theological truth contained in it, without allowing the Word of God to take possession of our hearts. The scribes fell into such a category. In our own day, I must confess that some of the most hardhearted people I meet are fundamentalists. They are willing to rip a person apart in order to maintain some little point. It is important to know the Word of God—that is a laudable attainment—but also we are to translate it into life and pass it on to others.”
McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord
Zechariah 12 – Malachi 3
I was really grooving on Zechariah and then I came to Malachi and I grooved some more! So many verses popped up I’m just going to share them with you with minor comments. The verses from Zechariah that caught my eye included some that referred to Jesus’ earthly ministry and His return. Look at this:
Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
So this is God speaking and he says that the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall look on Him. And how does He describe Himself? He describes Himself as the one “whom they have pierced”! Here, just before we enter Matthew to read of the Messiah coming and dying on the earth, God says He is the one whom they have pierced! Do you really doubt that Jesus is who He said He is?
Why did Jesus come?
Zechariah 13:1
“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”
He came to cleanse us from our sin! He is a fountain!
Zechariah 13:1
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who stands next to me,”
declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
So God’s shepherd is the man who stands next to him. That shepherd was indeed struck and His sheep, the Apostles were scattered.
So that was what stood out to me in Zechariah. Malachi had some important things for the men of God to hear. Listen to this:
Malachi 2:13-16
“13 And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
God despises faithlessness. He despises it when committed against Him, and He despises it when committed against the woman to whom you were joined. God despises divorce. So many folks justify their divorce as being best for the kids. The studies are in and that excuse is proven to be a load of hog-wash. Kids are scarred by divorce; they carry that open wound with them for the rest of their lives. The grown-ups carry their open wound for the rest of their lives as well. If you care about your kids you love your wife more than yourself; you put her before yourself. I know that can be hard but no one ever said being a godly man was easy. Divorce may seem easy but that is an illusion. Divorce is harder than love.
Malachi 2:17
“17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”
This verse really stood out to me. Many in our world today call good bad and bad good. They make a world of suffering and pain by their evil choices and then ask “where is the God of justice?” Justice is coming my friends. Let not mercy be misconstrued as lacking in justice. People get ready. Justice is coming soon!
Malachi 3:8-12
“8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.”
Ouch! Old Malachi just keeps hitting us between the eyes; one good jab after another. Do you tithe? God is not giving you wiggle room here. He says that lacking in the tithe is stealing from Him. I have always thought that stealing was a bad idea, but of all from whom you might steal, God would be the last one on my list! He makes it clear that blessings and curses are wrapped up in our decisions on tithing.
Malachi
Introduction
Malachi brings down the curtain on the Old Testament. He is the last in a long succession of prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah. In fact, if we were to go back one thousand years before Malachi and then come down through the centuries, we would find that God was increasing the tempo of telling the people about the coming of the Messiah. And the last voice is that of this man Malachi. I like to think of him as a sort of radio announcer for the Lord. It is as if he were saying, “The next voice you hear will be John the Baptist four hundred years from now.” Well, four hundred years is a long time to wait for station identification!
… There is some difference of opinion about the time at which Malachi wrote. The date that I suggest is 397 b.c., which is probably a late date. It is the belief of conservative scholars today that Malachi prophesied in the last part of the fifth century. That would be near 397 b.c. but somewhat earlier than that. The important thing is that Malachi was the prophet at the time of Nehemiah as Haggai and Zechariah were the prophets at the time of Zerubbabel and Joshua. This man Malachi concluded the prophetic books as Nehemiah concluded the historical books of the Old Testament. He probably prophesied during the time of Nehemiah’s governorship or immediately afterwards.
Outline
I. The Love of God for Israel, Chapter 1:1–5
II. The Priests Reproved for Profanity, Chapters 1:6–2:9
III. The People Rebuked for Social Sins, Chapter 2:10–17
IV. The Prediction of the Two Messengers, Chapter 3:1–6
V. The People Rebuked for Religious Sins, Chapter 3:7–18
VI. The Prediction of the Day of the Lord and of the Sun of Righteousness Who Ushers It In, Chapter 4
McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Well, that’s all for today guys. Tomorrow we raise the curtain on the New Testament. The Old Testament has been prologue for what follows. What a mighty, wonderful, amazing God we serve!
Have a blessed day brothers!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
You Are Stronger Than You Think
Zechariah 7-11
Okay, I saw two bits of prophecy in today’s reading that were actually fulfilled during the last few days of Christ’s human life.
Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
If that sounds familiar it should. Do you remember this from Matthew’s Gospel?
Matthew 21:1-5
“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
And then there was this passage from Zechariah:
Zechariah 11:12-13
“Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.”
That also should sound familiar. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Later Judas realized what he had done. He went to the chief priests and elders and threw the wages of his sin into the temple. He promptly went and hung himself. The priests, always concerned about following the letter of the law, decided they couldn’t put the money into the treasury since it was “blood money” so they bought a “potter’s field” as a burial place for strangers. Here is Matthew said about that as well.
Matthew 27:9-10
“9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
The quoted verse is actually from Zechariah as you can see above. I’m not sure why Jeremiah was mentioned here. The New King James Version has a note that refers to Zechariah 11:12-13 as well as Jeremiah 32:6-9. The Jeremiah reference does speak of redeeming a field but I don’t see a reference to thirty pieces of silver or a potter’s field.
At any rate, these “minor” prophets have been describing destruction and the coming Prince of Peace. The Bible is a story God wanted told to His children. It has been full of action and excitement. It has also contained a great deal of foreshadowing. Everything has been pointing to the arrival of the Messiah, His sacrificial death as the Lamb, and his return to earth as the Lion.
There is one last verse from today’s reading that I’d like to share with you.
Zechariah 10:12
“I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord.”
Jesus has made you strong in Him by sending His Holy Spirit to reside within you. You don’t know your own strength. You are like a big Baby Huey! You have to be as old as I am to get that reference but Baby Huey was a giant who thought he was a baby. You are strong! Walk in His name!
Have a blessed day brothers!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
The garments of the High Priest.
You Are A High Priest Before God
Zechariah 1-6
Well, we are in Zechariah for the next 2 and ½ days. We’ve slowed down just a bit after rushing through earlier “minor” prophets. This is the slowing before we hit the New Testament. All of the Old Testament has been driving toward the New. The word “Testament” is another word for “Covenant”. The point of the Old Covenant, or the “Law” as some might call it, is to show us our need for a Savior. For thousands of years the children of Israel had the “Law”. Could they obey the Law? No, they could not. They could not overcome their sinful ways and remain true to their Creator. That is the point of the Old Testament – the Old Covenant – we can’t, by our own effort, make ourselves right with God; we need a Savior. The New Testament – the New Covenant – does not abolish the Law, but actually makes it possible for us to be made right with God through His effort; His sacrifice on a bloody cross.
The prophets we have been reading have been telling us of the impending doom of Israel, of their return to Jerusalem, and their eventual complete return to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. These prophecies of Salvation make it clear that this promise is not simply for the Jewish people who are in right relationship with God, but for people of all nations who are right with God. The one unifying aspect of the saved is that they all are in right relationship with God; they have saving faith in Jesus Christ. Look at the following prophecy from today’s reading:
Zechariah 3:1-5
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.”
The Joshua referred to here is not the Joshua who was Moses’ second in command and led the Israelites into the Promised Land. This Joshua was the High Priest among the remnant of Israel who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. The Hebrew name “Joshua” means “Jehovah saves”. That Hebrew name is translated in the Greek New Testament as “Jesus”. Jesus means God saves; and indeed He does. You’ll notice in the passage above that Satan stands to the right of Joshua the High Priest who is clothed with filthy garments. You’ve hear the saying “He’s my right hand man” haven’t you? When the Bible presents someone on the right hand of another, that person on the right is supposed to be of great help and support. Jesus is said to be on the right hand of the Father. The disciples fought amongst themselves for the honored places on the left and right of Jesus in heaven; the right hand being the most coveted.
Satan, however, was standing to the right of Joshua, who was figuratively representing the people of Israel, to accuse him. Isn’t that just like Satan, he tries to make you think he is your friend but what he wants to do is make you filthy before a Holy God and then accuse you before God so you will be forever separated from Him. He tells you to get down and roll in that mud puddle. He tells you to wander in the filth and mire. He whispers excuses and justifications for you to act contrary to the will of God and then, when you stand before God, this so called friend, acts as the prosecuting attorney before God’s Holy throne.
Satan is an anti-Semite. He is, in fact, the leader of all anti-Semitism in the world. He accuses Israel before the Father of their great sin, and he is, of course, correct. Israel is full of sin. Before you start nodding your head too strongly know this; you are equally full of sin and Satan accuses you before the father as well. He is not your friend and you should take no joy in his accusing others. Israel, like you and me is clothed with filthy garments. Guilty! Case closed! “But God”; that may be my favorite two-word phrase in the entire Bible. The angel in our vision here is none other than the pre-incarnate Christ Himself. What does the angel say? He says “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you; I will clothe you with pure vestments”.
Many of my favorite Christian songs deal with this theme. A chorus from one of them springs immediately to mind. “Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” This is exactly what Jesus Christ does for us. He pays our fine. He removes the filthy rags that are our sinful life and replaces them with snow white “vestments”. On the day that we stand before the throne of the one and only Holy God, with Satan present to accuse us of all the filthy things we have done in our life, Jesus will say, “Father, he is one of mine. I have taken away his iniquity. Heavenly host, remove his filthy rages and place on him the pure vestments I bought for him with my own blood.” Can you imagine that moment? Can you imagine the look on Satan’s face? I suspect I will not see that look upon his face for I will be lying prostrate upon my face in trembling, thankful worship of God, my Savior, Jesus Christ!
Here is another interesting thing about this prophecy. Joshua here is the High Priest of God. He is not only one of God’s chosen people; he is the chosen people’s High Priest. He was the one who once a year was ceremonially cleansed and dressed in holy garments and went behind the veil in the temple to make atonement for all the sins of the people. He personally was supposed to be exceptionally clean and the garments he wore never left the temple; they were to be spotless. You may wonder at the reference in the verses above to a turban. You see, part of the clothing the High Priest wore included a turban on which was written “Holiness Unto The Lord”.
My friend, even if you have accepted Christ, you are not completely clean. I shock you don’t I? Let me ask you; have you ever once sinned since the day you accepted Christ? I don’t know you, but I know you have. That doesn’t mean you aren’t saved. It means you are human. It means that you have failed to remain attached to the vine. As Jesus prepared his disciples for His departure, He washed each of their feet. Peter objected; he felt this action was beneath the dignity of the Son of God. Here is that story just to remind you:
John 13:5-11
“Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”
Notice the last verse “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.” You see, as we walk through this world we continue to pick up filth. We must continually come before God in humility, confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. Let me make this clear, all of us need to be washed by the blood of the Lamb. Even if we have already accepted Christ, we will at least need to have our feet washed. You are His High Priests. He intends you to minister to this lost and dying world. You must continually come before Him for cleansing but He is faithful and true to wash you and prepare you for your living sacrifice of obedience to Him.
Have a High Priest kind of day brothers!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
A Mighty One Who Will Save
Zephaniah 1 – Haggai 2
Do you feel us rushing toward the New Testament? Only four more days until we get to Matthew! Today we cover 2 more books of the Old Testament; Zephaniah and Haggai. It is always amazing to me that in the midst of God spelling out the coming punishment He also spells out salvation. I saw the same pattern in Zephaniah.
Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.”
How amazing it is to consider God’s plan. It has been in motion since before man first set foot upon the Earth. To think that He who suffered and died for us, and saved us, will “rejoice over you with gladness”, makes me tremble at His love. He is indeed a mighty one who will save. He has saved. He does save. He will save!
Below are outlines for the books we read today.
Zephaniah
Zephaniah, like young Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Micah, ministered during the reign of Josiah of Judah. The emergence of so many powerful prophets during this king’s reign suggests how significant the moment was. As Josiah, who became king at age eight, matured, Assyrian power was at a low ebb. The nation enjoyed a brief period of relief from foreign intervention, and attention was focused on internal affairs. The primary concern of the young king, which was increasingly evident, was the moral and spiritual reform of his people. We can divide Josiah’s reign into three stages: a pre–reformation time, from 640 to 628 b.c., a period of intense reform, from about 629–622 b.c., and a post–reform period from 622 to Josiah’s death in 609 b.c.
Commentators debate which of these periods Zephaniah’s messages belong to. Yet it is clear from history and from the other prophets that despite Josiah’s personal commitments, the people remained indifferent to Yahweh and involved in pagan religious practices. So at this critical time Zephaniah, whose name means “Yahweh protects” or perhaps “Precious to Yahweh,” boldly announced his grim message of imminent judgment. Yet the same God who announces through Zephaniah that “I will sweep away everything” has a promise for His people. In a coming Day of the Lord, God’s judgment will extend to all people. Then, with Judah’s evil purged, the Lord at last “will gather you; at that time I will bring you home.”
ZEPHANIAH AT A GLANCE
MAJOR THEMES OF ZEPHANIAH
Pride. Arrogance is mankind’s major sin (2:10; 3:11), and produces rebellion against God (3:1–4), idolatry (1:4–6, 8–9) and injustice (1:7–13; 3:3–5).
Judgment. God will respond to mankind’s pride by a judgment expressed in the “Day of the Lord,” which is to have an immediate impact on Judah (1:14–17 a future impact on all nations (2:4–15).
Purification. God’s judgment will have a purifying effect on the survivors of Judah (2:7; 3:9–20) and thus is intended to correct as well as punish. A humbled and believing Israel will be returned to the Promised Land (3:14–20).
Authorship. While little is known of Zephaniah aside from his name, several things can be deduced from his book. We do know from the lineage reported in 1:1 that Zephaniah was an aristocrat, one of the royal family. Yet rather than enjoy the rights of his privileged position, the young prophet took a passionate stand against religious and moral depravity in his society. Although burdened with a message of judgment, Zephaniah was also confidently optimistic. He continued to hope, proclaiming that in the end God would usher in an era of peace. His lineage and the fact that he ministered in Jerusalem (cf. 1:4, 8, 12) suggest it was his home and that he was intimately acquainted with the capital, its people, and its ways. Bold and brave, Zephaniah serves as an example of a man of commitment and faith.
THEOLOGICAL OUTLINE OF ZEPHANIAH
I.
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JUDGMENT
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Zep 1–2
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II.
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JERUSALEM
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3
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CONTENT OUTLINE OF ZEPHANIAH
I. Introduction (1:1)
II. Judgment Day (1:2–2:15)
A. Against Judah (1:2–2:3)
1. Warning (1:2–3)
2. Judgment ahead (1:4–13)
3. Judgment described (1:14–2:3)
B. Against the Nations (2:4–15)
1. Philistia (2:4–7)
2. Moab, Ammon (2:8–11)
3. Cush (2:12)
4. Assyria (2:13–15)
III. Jerusalem’s Future (3:1–20)
A. Judgment Soon (3:1–8)
B. Peace at Last (3:9–20)
Haggai
Haggai is the first of three postexilic prophets who ministered in Judah to the tiny community established after the Jews were permitted to return to their homeland. Haggai, whose name means “festal,” or “festival,” appears briefly in Judah to accomplish a specific mission. His carefully dated sermons focus our attention on a four–month period in 520 b.c., when Haggai called God’s people to complete rebuilding of God’s temple, begun 18 years before (see The Postexilic Prophets).
Haggai’s message has nothing in common with the prophets who cried out in Israel before the Assyrians crushed the Northern Kingdom in 722 b.c. and before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Judah. He says nothing of idolatry, nothing of injustice or violence. Instead Haggai simply urges the people of Judah to put God first and to demonstrate their commitment by finishing construction of the temple.
There is another important difference. The words of the former prophets were largely ignored by God’s people and led to national disaster and captivity. But Haggai’s words were heard, and the whole community rallied to the task. A new, though much smaller temple rose on the site of Solomon’s magnificent building. God was to be put first, and His worship was to be celebrated again in a house dedicated to His name.
Date and Authorship. Haggai is mentioned by Ezra (5:1; 6:14) and Zechariah (8:9). But little is known of him as a person. The date of Haggai’s ministry is easily established, for the day each sermon was given is precisely identified. With adjustments made for the lunar calendar used in Old Testament times, scholars suggest the sermons can be dated 21 September, 17 October, and 18 December of 520 b.c. Given the book’s single theme and brief extent, it is best to use the four sermons themselves as a structure for the outline of Haggai.
OUTLINE OF HAGGAI
21 September 520 b.c.
I. Challenge to Rebuild (1:1–15)
A. Haggai’s Call (1:1–11)
B. The People’s Response (1:12–15)
17 October 520 b.c.
II. An Encouraging Word (2:1–9)
18 December 520 b.c.
III. Blessing and Defilement (2:10–19)
IV. A Word to “Zerubbabel” (2:20–23)
Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.). Wheaton: Victor Books.
Have a blessed day brothers!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
For God And Country
Nahum 2 – Habakkuk 3
Well, it seems I’m going to have to give you an outline for both Nahum and Habakkuk since we finish both books today.
It is believed by some that Jonah went to Nineveh with a message from God 100 to 150 years before Nahum wrote his prophecy of destruction. If you’ll remember, Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh but once he did the entire city turned to God. Here we have a wicked city that turned back to God only to wander away from Him once again and pass the point of no return within a couple of hundred years. How sad!
Nineveh, by the way was the capital city of the Assyrian empire. You can understand why Jonah didn’t want to preach repentance to Nineveh if you remember that Assyria was conquering the planet at the time and threatening the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In fact, within 50 years of Jonah’s preaching to the Assyrians they conquered Israel and sent them into exile. Still, when Jonah preached, the entire city repented and turned to God. Have you ever heard of such a large revival?
The years went by and the revival wore off. The descendants of those who turned to God in response to Jonah’s preaching had returned to evil ways. Nahum prophesied of that cities demise and in fact archaeological research has confirmed that his prophecies were fulfilled. Did Nahum go to Nineveh to preach repentance as Jonah had years before? No. Nineveh had been given the light and the light was rejected. Grace was offered and eventually rejected. Punishment was all that was left.
We have heard a story of revival that flourished and the petered out. During the time of the French Revolution, another revival was taking place. This revival was taking place in England and was being brought to the people by George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley. At the time, England was the most powerful nation on earth. What has happened in those 200 years since? What is the spiritual state of England? What is the political state of England? Where do they rank among the nations? They aren’t even in the top 5 power ranking. What happened? They departed from the one true God.
In reading Dr. J. Vernon McGee I found this interesting quote:
Quite a few years ago I cut out this little clipping which reads:
“A United States Senator has stated that the average life of the great civilizations of the world has been about 200 years. He goes on to say that these civilizations have progressed (if that’s the right word) through the following stages:
from bondage to spiritual faith
from spiritual faith to courage
from courage to liberty
from liberty to abundance
from abundance to selfishness
from selfishness to complacency
from complacency to apathy
from apathy back to bondage
The Senator points out the interesting fact that the United States of America will be 200 years old in 12 years. Which of the above stages do you think we’re in? How much longer is our civilization going to last?”
McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Of course, America is even older than that now. At the time of the American Revolution we too were experiencing a revival; the same as in England driven by the Wesleys and Whitefield. In fact we had a couple more after that. But how long has it been since this nation experienced true revival? Is America today in a state of ascendancy or decline? I know we long ago passed the “selfishness” stage and I am pretty sure we have gone through the “complacency” stage. Have we hit apathy yet? Bondage doesn’t seem all that far away.
In the morning paper today I read a story about a number of preachers around the country who will publicly support specific candidates for political office from the pulpit. Such an act is illegal and those churches risk losing their non-profit tax status. The preachers feel their constitutional rights have been wrongly violated by legislation in question and I must say I agree with them. The government has no right to restrict the free exercise of speech just because one wishes to exercise that right in a church. In fact, free speech is protected by the constitution specifically for the purpose of protecting political commentary. It is outrageous that the self-seeking politicians have so clearly violated one of our most basic and cherished rights.
By the same token I believe these pastors are misguided. Just because we have a right does not mean it is prudent to exercise those rights in certain circumstances. The political dialogue in this country has been poisonous, obnoxious, and hateful for many years. The body of Christ is about taking the good news of the Gospel to the lost. When churches preach politics from the pulpit they are dividing the body of Christ and losing focus on the number one priority; they are playing the devils game by his rules. We lose. As a wise friend once told me “You don’t fight God’s battles with Satan’s weapons”. By focusing on politics we lose focus on spreading the Gospel. You don’t believe me?
How excited to you get about the political situation in our country today? How much time do you spend reading about the latest political battles or tracking or talking about the upcoming elections? How many Christians can you expect to show up to a conservative political rally like the Tea Party? Okay, how often do you share the Gospel with a lost person? Last Tuesday night at our weekly church outreach effort we had 9 people. I know because I was one of the 9. Satan is winning. We fall into his trap. We have taken our eyes off the ball and Satan couldn’t be happier. As long as he can show the angry shouting faces of those who call themselves Christians to a lost world he keeps the good news from going forth. The lost are looking for a reason to reject our message and far too many of us are giving them an excuse.
Our job, our focus, is the Gospel. We are citizens of this country and we have a right, and I dare say a responsibility to be politically active, but if you really want to see America restored that dog won’t hunt. If you want to see America restored you are going to have to start doing your part to spread the Gospel.
Man, I did not see myself going there! Well, I’m going to have to give you two quick overviews of Nahum and Habakkuk and sign off. Here they are:
Nahum
Outline
I. Justice and Goodness of God, Chapter 1:1–8
II. Justice and Goodness of God Demonstrated in Decision to Destroy Nineveh and to Give the Gospel, Chapter 1:9–15
III. Justice and Goodness of God Exhibited in Execution of His Decision to Destroy Nineveh, Chapters 2–3
A. Annihilation of Assyria, Chapter 2
B. Avenging Action of God Justified, Chapter 3
Habakkuk
Outline
I. Perplexity of the Prophet, Chapter 1
A. First Problem of the Prophet, Chapter 1:1–4
Why does God permit evil?
B. God’s Answer, Chapter 1:5–11
God was raising up Chaldeans to punish Judah (v. 6).
C. Second Problem of the Prophet (greater than first), Chapter 1:12–17
Why would God permit His people to be punished by a nation more wicked than they? Why did He not destroy the Chaldeans?
II. Perception of the Prophet, Chapter 2
A. Practice of the Prophet, Chapter 2:1
He took the secret problem to the secret place.
B. Patience of the Prophet, Chapter 2:2–3
He waited for the vision.
C. Pageant for the Prophet, Chapter 2:4
The great divide in humanity: One group, which is crooked, is flowing toward destruction; the other group, by faith, is moving toward God. This is inevitable.
D. Parable to the Prophet, Chapter 2:5–20
The application is self-evident from the vision. The Chaldeans, in turn, would be destroyed. God was moving among the nations.
III. Pleasure of the Prophet, Chapter 3
A. Prayer of the Prophet, Chapter 3:1–2
The prophet, who thought God was doing nothing about evil, now asks Him to remember to be merciful. Was he afraid that God was doing too much?
B. Program of God, Chapter 3:3–17
God rides majestically in His own chariot of salvation (v. 8).
C. Position of the Prophet, Chapter 3:18–19
He will rejoice (v. 18). He has come from pain to pleasure.
McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Brothers, you’ll have to forgive me. I hope none of you take my comments to mean we shouldn’t actively participate in our civic duties or that we should not voice our opinions about the issues of the day. I am simply attempting to point out that such activity often seems to be a greater priority for us than sharing the Gospel. It is said they will know we are Christians by our love. The most loving thing we can do is tell a lost and hurting world about the good news of Jesus Christ.
What would America be like if the majority of her citizens were in fact new creatures in Christ?
Have a blessed day brothers!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
