Does God Expect Perfection?

This is a question I used to ask all the time, but then I read this verse in the bible and it got me wondering again.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Mathew 5:48

Jesus says this during his sermon on the mount. He just gave teachings like the beatitudes and covered topics such as adultery, murder, and prayer. Jesus concludes this by a verse saying "Be perfect."

If God expects perfection, we're all doomed. There is absolutely no way we can be perfect. And isn't that exactly what Jesus wanted to get across? In Exodus, the law was established to show Israel just how messed up they were. (Romans 3:20) We cannot uphold the law on our own. There's just no way that could happen. If the end of the story was that we need to be perfect, there would be no hope. Aren't you glad that this was just the beginning?

Jesus came to die, but before death, he had to live a perfect life. He came be perfect because he knew we couldn't. He fulfilled the law because God knew we never could.

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
Psalm 130:3-4

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:20

These two verses say it. We can't stand before God on our own. We cannot be perfect.

You guys probably knew that already. I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. So now, let's get back on topic.

If God expected perfection from us, he never would have sent Jesus, his son.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10

Jesus said this to Zacchaeus. He told Zachaeus that his sins were forgiven (Luke 19:9). He doesn't expect us to be perfect, God, the righteous judge, needs some atonement for sin and that would be Jesus.

Jesus wasn't lying, he wasn't just saying something. He said what he said in Mathew 5:48 to make a point, and I think that is this: There needs to be perfection for us to get to heaven. Be glad Jesus is willing to be that perfection for you.

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Hebrews 10:1-4

Photo Credit:

http://gallery.yopriceville.com/Free-Clipart-Pictures/Angels-PNG/Cute_Angel_Free_PNG_Clipart_Picture#.UvFErz1dWSo

Will you be Sleeping?

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
Nahum 1:2-6

These verses are pretty straightforward. God punishes the guilty. But how many times do we forget that? I've certainly been at point in my life were I wish I could be as well off as some of the successful, wicked people. Or I've wonder why that one person "got away with" a sin. Or why my sibling got away with something I didn't.

God controls storms and even clouds. They all do his bidding. He controls the sea, it dries up at his command. The mountains are afraid of God. The hills melt before him! So were does that leave us? Nature is afraid of God's wrath, so we definitely need to be.

I feel like we don't understand how scary God is when he is angry. His wrath shatters rocks! I feel horrible for everyone who goes to hell, were God's wrath will constantly be poured out on them.

I guess the take away is that God let's us sin...for now. Where will you be when God comes back?

This reminds me of Casting Crowns song "While we were sleeping"

Where will you be when Jesus comes back? Will you spend eternity with God, experiencing his love? Or will you spend eternity with Satan, where God's wrath is poured out on you?

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
Mark 13:34-36

Micah: Israel's Judge (Part 9)

Listen to what the LORD says: "Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. "Hear, you mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.
Micah 6:1-2

This is a strong opening. God is making a case against Israel. God is obviously going to be the judge in this case, but who does it say the witnesses are? The mountains, hills, and the very foundation of the earth. Hosea, who prophesied around the same time Micah did, also speaks of a case against Israel:

Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Hosea 4:1-2

Hosea gives us a bit of insight on why God is bring a case against Israel, which helps us understand why God is so angry.
Micah chose to omit the details of Israel's sin, but he still has something really important to say in the verses spends 

"My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me.
Micah 6:3

God wants to know what he did from them to sin against him. And he is a judge who does have a right to make an inquiry. What has God done to Israel, but love them?

I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD."
Micah 6:4-5

Balak and Balaam's story is in Numbers 22, but Balaam is mentioned in many places.

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
Deuteronomy 23:3-5

When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
Joshua 24:9-10

because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)
Nehemiah 13:2

These three verses are about how God protected Israel by his power. In Micah 6, there two examples of how God protects and delivers Israel, so this is obviously an important story. A donkey saved Balaam's life and then God used Balaam to bless Israel. 

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:6-8

Micah is hitting on an important point here, but he's a bit more subtle about in than others.

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Mark 12:33

But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Hebrews 10:11

Micah is saying that God has told us what to do, so why aren't we doing it?

Some Christians sin and sin over and over again because it's ok, God forgives our sins. God loves us no matter what. But that's the wrong attitude about life. Yes, God forgives us, but obeying is better than a sacrifice. If you are one of those people who thinks sin is fine, your wrong. Just remember than Jesus suffered for you. He was whipped, beaten with a staff, mocked, slapped, spat on, they divided up his cloths by casting lots, and even crowned him with thorns, which formed to remind us of sin (Genesis 3:18).
Jesus suffered for you. Every time you sin, you beating, spitting on him and even as your adding to the load of sin Jesus died for, Jesus has already forgiven you.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Luke 23:34

Sources:
http://biblehub.com/micah/6-6.htm

Photo Credit:
http://candy-jesusesmidulcerefugio.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html

What does it mean to fear God?

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them...Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:7;9-10

Psalm 34 is all about fearing God. It includes the rewards for fearing God and the punishment for not doing so. This might make you wonder what exactly, it means to fear God. First, I want to be sure everyone understand that fear of God is a positive thing. Here are a few examples of this:

• Exodus 1:17: Because the midwives feared God, they obeyed him instead of Pharaoh by sparing the Hebrew babies
• Exodus 9:29-31: Pharaoh brought disaster on his nation because he did not fear God
• Exodus 18:21: Moses was to choose leaders who feared God and wouldn't take bribes
• Exodus 20:20: Moses told the Hebrews that they should fear God to keep them from sinning 
• Leviticus 19:14; 32: The law says fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly well
• 2 Corinthains 7:1: Paul says to work toward complete holiness because we fear God

Fear of God is obviously not a bad thing, but is is indeed, fear, not a holy reverence.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mathew 10:28

Jesus says so himself. The bible does say over and over again to fear not, but what Jesus is saying is that shouldn't fear creation, but the creator. The creator is the one who decides if we go to heaven or to hell.

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13

Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2:11-12

I've talking on God's wrath before, so I'll get to the point. The point is 1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." So this may seem like a contradiction. How can we love and fear God at the same time? This verse says we can't.
Well Jesus is the best example of fear and love working together. He warned us over and over again to not fear men, but to fear God. He spoke lovingly, but frankly to all people because we all need to face our sin and repent. But he also demonstrated love beyond human understanding

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
John 15:12-13

Photo Credit:
http://survivingsurvivalism.com/fear.htm

Sources:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/spirituallife/what-does-it-mean-to-fear-god.html

Micah: Vengeance is Mine (Part 8)

Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a rod. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses.
Micah 5:1-5a

Micah has prophesied about destruction, judgement, justice, sin, and false prophets/teacher. Now, Micah is tell us about the one who can save us from all of this and the one who will judge those who choose to not be saved, and that would be Jesus. The most important thing in these first five verses is that Jesus' "greatness will reach to the ends of the earth." Even when bad happen, his greatness will be there.

And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses.

I love how Micah puts this. Even when there are invaders, Jesus will be our peace. When everyone else, is freaking out because people are marching through our fortress, Jesus' greatness will still remain.

We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue. Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.
Micah 5:5b-9

Later in this chapter, Micah focuses on the negative side of God's judgment, but right now, Micah highlights the fact that God will deliver them. Micah reminders us that delivereance will come, before getting into the details of the destruction.

"In that day," declares the LORD, "I will destroy your horses from among you and demolish your chariots. I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds. I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells. I will destroy your idols and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands. I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles when I demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me."
Micah 5:10-15

Micah prophecies about God's judgement time and time again, but there are a few things Micah mentions that have become idols to the people of Isreal:

1. Horses, chariots (This would be technology)
2. Strongholds (buildings)
3. Witchcraft, spells, (superstition)
4. Idols, scared stones, Asherah poles (false religions)

These are things people can become obsessed with in modern time, whether be getting the newest phones, computers, TVs, etc. or practicing a false religion such as Islam, Hinduism, and Atheism.
But Micah also reminds us that it not our place to avenge sin. God says through Micah: "I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me."

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."

Dueteronomy 32:35

-Ruth

Previous

Next (Coming Soon!)
First

Sources:
http://www.holydevotion.org/micah/2009/06/micah-510-15-standing-on-rock.html

Photo Credit:
http://untilallhaveheard1.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/the-prophets-and-prophecy-m-dods/

Micah: Justice (Part 6)

Then I said, "Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel. Should you not embrace justice, you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people's flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?" Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.
Micah 3:1-4

After reading through the book of Micah, I got the feeling that Micah had a very strong sense of justice. He is still defending Judah because he thinks it's not their fault. Micah says that they have been lead astray by their leaders and God agrees with him.

This is what the LORD says: "As for the prophets who lead my people astray, they proclaim 'peace' if they have something to eat, but prepare to wage war against anyone who refuses to feed them. Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God."
Micah 3:5-7

I can relate to Micah because I also have a strong sense of justice. God has a strong sense of justice too, but he loves us more than he loves justice. That is why he sets aside being fair and gives us something better that justice. He gives us mercy.
God has given the false prophets a chance for mercy, but he does have to have a sacrifice for sin, whether that's a lamb (old testament) or Jesus' death or, if you don't except these, you are the sacrifice. If you don't accept the savior, you must burn up in hell.
Here, God is thinking of ending the age of the prophets. Prophets were suppose to be God's way to communicate to his people, but even they were becoming corrupted and their corruptness was rubbing off on the Israelite. God knew he had to stop this, but first God gave a chance for repentance through Micah because Micah was one of the few people who still had faith in God.

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.
Micah 3:8

Micah is a righteous prophet. Even though people are against him, he stands strong because he longs to please God.
The false prophets are telling the people exactly what they want to hear. No one wants to believe that Micah is right. They don't want judgement, so they believe the false prophets and continue with their lives as if nothing's wrong.
The same is true of today. Their are false pastors and teachers who tell people what they want to hear and they usually have a huge audience because who doesn't want to be told what they want to hear? Everyone wants to be told that God is fine with their sin.
But then there are the pastor and teachers like Micah who tell you what God wants you to hear. They tell you what the bible says, not what the world says. Those are the people you should listen to.

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD's support and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us." Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.
Micah 3:9-12

Previous

Next
First

Photo Credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Micah_prophet.jpg

Micah: In Denial (Part 5)

"Do not prophesy," their prophets say. "Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us."

Micah 2:6

These are the false prophets of Judah, and they are in denial. They don't want to believe that they were sinning or that disaster would befall them. They want to live in the moment, ignoring the consequences of their sin, ignoring that it is sin, but Micah was called to change that.

Should it be said, O house of Jacob: "Is the Spirit of the Lord angry? Does he do such things?" "Do not my words do good to him whose ways are upright?
Micah 2:7

Micah now poses this question: can God be angry?
The answer is absolutely! God has a righteous anger. Anger becomes sinful when it turns into a grudge or causes you to do anything else sinful.

Lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle. You drive the women of my people from their pleasant homes. You take away my blessing from their children forever.
Micah 2:8-9

Most of the prophets are not accepted by their people. (The only exception that comes to mind is Jonah.) There's even a parable that says this!
Micah his says people are acting like an enemy towards everyone, which probably includes himself.

Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy. If a liar and deceiver comes and says, 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' that would be just the prophet for this people!

Micah 2:10-11

We live in a time of opposition. Mathew 7:15 says "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." There are false Christians that wish to destroy the true ones.
In the time of Micah, there were no Christians, but there were prophets to lead the people. There are also false prophets that pretend to be true ones.

"I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head."
Micah 2:12-13

I think this is talking about Jesus. Jesus will break open the way and go before us.
Micah promises that Jesus is coming, that he will redeem us. He'll lead the way.

The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.

Previous

Next
First

Photo Credit:
Micah: http://communitysteeple.com/spiritual/146-a-major-message-from-the-minor-prophet.html
Wolf: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/more-on-false-prophets/

Micah: The Deliberate Sinner (Part 4)

Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance.
Micah 2:1-2

There's sin, and that's bad, but what's even worse is when someone plans their sin. Micah isn't the only bible verse that says this.

I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.
Psalm 36:1-4

" 'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD and must be cut off from the people of Israel.
Number 15:30

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Hebrews 10:26-27

Deliberate sin is wrong, the old and new testament both agree on that.

Therefore, the LORD says: "I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
Micah 2:3

Micah is very straightforward. He tells us "Don't do this because God will do this." If you deliberately sin, God will plan disaster for you. This might be dooming you to hell, or there might be disasters on earth.

In that day people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: 'We are utterly ruined; my people's possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.' "
Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.
Micah 2:4-5

If you plan sin, you will be punished. God does punish sin. It's not always immediate, but it does happen.

Previous
Next
First

Micah: Powerful Prayer (Part 3)

Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and moan like an owl. For Samaria's plague is incurable; it has spread to Judah. It has reached the very gate of my people, even to Jerusalem itself. Tell it not in Gath; weep not at all. In Beth Ophrah roll in the dust.
Micah 1:8-10

In the previous post, Micah prophesied about Samaria being destroyed. Micah is distressed because Samaria started sinning by worshiping Baal and sacrificing their children to their idols, but it spread like a plague to Judah. Micah weeps before God and God answers his prayers.

So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.
2 Kings 17:18-19

2 Kings 17 describes the attack of the Assyrians and the sins of Israel. It is the devastation Micah prophesies about, but God heard Micah's mourning. God spared Judah, even though they were infected with sin, God heard.

Pass by naked and in shame, you who live in Shaphir. Those who live in Zaanan will not come out. Beth Ezel is in mourning; it no longer protects you. Those who live in Maroth writhe in pain, waiting for relief, because disaster has come from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem. You who live in Lachish, harness fast horses to the chariot. You are where the sin of Daughter Zion began, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you. Therefore you will give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath. The town of Akzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel. I will bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah. The nobles of Israel will flee to Adullam. Shave your head in mourning for the children in whom you delight; make yourself as bald as the vulture, for they will go from you into exile.
Micah 1:11-16

Seeing his own people suffer was painful, so he wept, he prayed. God didn't destroy Judah because of prayer.
This is why we must pray. God doesn't have to answer us with a yes, but you're prayer can never be answered if it's never asked.

Photo Credit:
http://www.theomegadays.net/topics/minor_prophets_micah1.htm

Previous
Next (Coming 7/14/13)
First

Micah: Judgement is Coming (Part 2)

Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign LORD may bear witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.

Micah 1:2-4

Verse 2 of Micah is an important, commonly overlook verse

Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it,

This tells us that he is speaking to everyone of that time period.

that the Sovereign LORD may bear witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

This tells us the purpose of his letter, to warn to whole world that God is going to bear witness against us. Micah might be referring to the later mentioned case God makes against Israel.
Or perhaps, he's saying that sometimes, it may seem like bad people are successful. Sometimes, evil people do well, but Micah is warning the world that in the end, God will punish those who don't give their life to Christ. (Or, in that time, have faith in God and have it credited to you as righteousness).

All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem? "Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used."
Micah 1:5-7

Micah might be talking about when the Assyrians invaded Samaria. (2 Kings 17)
Micah's first prophecy is about God punishing sin and that is true today. God punishes sin.

Photo Credit:
http://www.yahwehsword.org/s_destruction/08_hosea_and_the_assyrians.htm

Previous
Next

Nahum and Haggai

Over the course of Monday and Today, I have read through three books of the bible, Haggai, Nahum, and Habakkuk.
People who have been reading my blog for a while probably remember this verse from a posts I did about a year ago:

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of [Nineveh]; he will pursue his foes into darkness.
Nahum 1:2-8

I really like reading through the prophets because the prophets are not anything special, they're just people. They do what God tells them to do, and get amazing results. I won't have time to do a devotion on ever prophet book that I read, as I am going at a fairly fast pace, but I will do as many as I can (There should be one about Habakkuk out pretty soon)

Photo Credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nahum-prophet.jpg

Obadiah

Today I started reading through the prophets and as my introduction to it, I read Obadiah, a one chapter (21 verses) book by the obscure prophet Obadiah. Here, he writes his vision concerning Edom.
The history behind Obadiah (The person, not the book) is a mystery. Even though there are many Obadiah's mentioned in the old the old testament, the lack of information about the author contained in the book leaves us with no clues to this man life, background, etc.
Anyway, here is the book:

The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom--We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, "Rise, and let us go against her for battle"-- "See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.
Obadiah 1:1-5

God sustains nations, and he destroys nations. Every day your nation is still running, and not crumbling in an inferno, you should praise God because he has given that country another day. Maybe the country is evil, or maybe it's good...either way, God has a purpose for it. When ever he ceases to need to country, he can destroy it. God can do whatever he wants. For Edom, has is planning an attack that will destroy them in the end. Obadiah gets to be the one who explains why. Reason one: They are a very prideful and arrogant nation. And there destruction will be from another nation that will choose the battle them because they say among themselves: 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

"If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night--Oh, what a disaster awaits you--would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it. "In that day," declares the LORD, "will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau? Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
Obadiah 1:6-9

God's wrath will be so unleashed that the arrogant warrior will be terrified...because they had never seen anything like that before. God even explains why he is not just going to send thieves and robbers to them-because then the thieves will only take what they want, which is not everything. But God is very clear that everything will be taken to them, so much so that none of the warriors had ever seen anything like it happen. All their allies will become their enemies. They will not know who they can trust. And everyone in Esau's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
Oh, and here's another thing... But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! Back when this book was written, the only banks out there where the ground. And so, in the ground people would bury their greatest possessions. So ransacking hidden treasures would be taking your greatest treasure.

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.
Obadiah 1:10-14

Here is the second reason as to why Edom is being punished so harshly, the founder of Edom is Esau (Genesis 36:8-9) and this founder did some pretty bad things, as we see it the verses above, and his children are being punished for it.

"The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been.
Obadiah 1:15-16

Now check out this passage from Mathew:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Mathew 25:31-45

In Obadiah, it says "As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head." In the case of Edom, God is saying: 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." The LORD has spoken. People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess [the land] as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD's.
Obadiah 1:17-21

And this is the fate of Edom. When Esau was alive, his brother Jacob stole his birthright (Genesis 27) and finally, Jacob takes it all from Esau because his descendants destroy Esau's descendants.
And this concludes Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament.

Sources:
http://www.insight.org/ministry/bible/obadiah.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edom
http://www.gotquestions.org/Jacob-Esau-love-hate.html

The Smart Donkey Series: Prologue

Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites. The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." 
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed." The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.
When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said. "Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.

This part just makes me wonder what Balaam was thinking...I don't know why he would even ask God if he should curse his chosen people.

God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?" 
Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'"
But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."
The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."
Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. They came to Balaam and said: "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."

Now Balaam is being bribed...don't listen to them!

But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.
Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me."

I wonder if Balaam really meant that. The reward might have tempted him.

That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
Number 22:1-22

To be continued...
I can see God sighing, and wondering why Balaam fell into temptation

Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
Jude 1:11

Jude says that Balaam was in it for the money. 

They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
2 Peter 2:15

And says the same, that wickness won Balaam over. And God was very angry with him...

The Unfamiliar Judges: Ehud

Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer--Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it. At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him. Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house." They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their LORD fallen to the floor, dead. While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. "Follow me," he ordered, "for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over. At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped. That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years. 
Judges 3:12-30


First
Next
Last

The Unfamiliar Judges: Othniel

The Judges who aren't well known usually don't have much written about them, but I think that they should be known. I'll admit that Othniel really doesn't have a lot written about him, but I don't think he should be left in the dust. The judges show how God is full of anger and love.

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. 
Judges 3:7-11

God was burned with anger, but the cry of anguish got to him. Even when we make him burn with rage, he still love us. When we pray God answers. In this case, he used Othniel, who was Caleb's little brother. Caleb got to lead Isreal and God gave Othniel a chance to lead Israel too. 
I have been focusing a lot on God's wrath. I think that The plagues of Egypt and the Judges of Israel are both great displays of how God burns with rage and is abounding in love. All at the same time. And of course it a righteous anger. There are so many stories that I could go through that prove God is an angry God. This is solid evidence that you would use in court. My Love V.S. Wrath Series was about what people said. Solomon says that God has anger and then Judges proves God has anger. At some later date, I may talk about the more popular judges, but I think it's important for everyone to know about the lesser of the judges. And by lesser, I mean less know or written about. If someone had taken the time to write more about what Othniel had done, then he would have been more famous, but because no one took the time, or we don't have the documents that have greater detail, Othniel is stuck as one on the unknown Judges.

Next
Last

500 Views Later Part 9

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place." After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." So the Israelites did this. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians--all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops--pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the 
other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.  During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen--the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
Exodus 13:17-14:31