Archive for the ‘Minor prophets’ Category

Dear Friends,

Greetings on this day of rest!  The beauty of the Christian faith is the rest we have because of God’s grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ!  We have been adopted into God’s family and made heirs and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.  We have been declared righteous and have been justified in God’s sight.  We can only rest in what Jesus Christ has provided and need not add another thing.  In fact, we must be faithful to enter that rest by faith or we will miss out entirely!

As I reflected on the readings this week, I immediately thought of Zechariah’s final discourse on Jerusalem and the importance of this city in the plans and purposes of God.  Jerusalem was known as the city of David, the beloved king of Israel, who took the city from the Jebusites.  It was there that David made plans to build a house for God and purchased the threshing floor of Araunah for a place of sacrifice.  (1st Chronicles 21:18-30) Solomon, David’s son, actually built the temple and Israel enjoyed a time of peace for 40 years during his tenure.  (2nd Chronicles 7:1-3)  As he dedicated the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the house so that the priests could not enter!

Several hundred years later, God’s people had slipped into idolatry and a shallow religion that brought about their captivity.  The beautiful temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonian invaders and God’s people went into captivity.  After 7o years, Daniel the prophet read the prophecy of Jeremiah and saw that the time was nearly over and began to pray and fast. (Jeremiah 25:11-12)  Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the temple again would stand.  Nehemiah and Zerubbabel led the rebuilding efforts and the work went forward.  God moved miraculously on the heart of King Cyrus and he supplied the authority and finances.

Prophets Haggai and Zechariah both urged the workers to rebuild the city and temple.  God had plans for a greater purpose and glory yet to come!  (Haggai 2:9) ( Zechariah 8:1-3)  According to Zechariah, Jerusalem would be pivotal for God’s end-time program of judging the nations.  (Zechariah 12:1-3) The nations will gather around Jerusalem to seek to destroy it in a final battle.   In fact, Jesus Christ is coming back to Jerusalem and will again place His feet on the Mt. of Olives, causing it to split and form a way of escape for God’s people.  (Zechariah 14:4-5)  Following this great battle, the Lord will be king over all the earth and rule from Jerusalem! (Zechariah 14:9)

Jerusalem is the joy of the whole earth because it is the city of the Great King!  Psalm 48 was composed by the sons of Korah to extol the virtues of Jerusalem and God’s presence and protection of His people forever!  We surely should pray for the peace of Jerusalem!  It is the home of our Great King!

“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain.  It is beautiful in loftiness, the joy of the whole earth!” Psalm 48:1-2

Scripture reading for October 3rd: Zechariah 12-14

“This is what the Lord says concerning Israel.  The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: ” I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.  Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.  On that day all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.”" Zechariah 12:1-3a

God has some serious plans for Jerusalem and Judah.  He foretells of a time when all nations will be gathered against Israel and Jerusalem.  They will attack but be broken, because God, Himself will be with His people.  God stated through Zechariah that He would set out to destroy all nations that attack Jerusalem.  (Zechariah 12:9)

God is going to pour out on Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication in that coming day, and they will look on Jesus, the one they have pierced, and mourn for Him.  (Zechariah 12:10)  (John 19:34-37)  He promises to open up a fountain for the house of David and Jerusalem to cleanse them from sins. (Zechariah 13:1)  The land will be cleansed of all idols and every impurity.  The wounds that would cleanse them, would be received at the house of his friends! (Zechariah 13:6)  The sword would strike the shepherd of the Lord and the sheep would be scattered.  (Zechariah 13:7) (Matthew 26:31-32)  God’s people would be refined in the fire of the last days!  Two thirds of them will perish but a third will call on the Lord and He will answer them! (Zechariah 13:8-9)

In these last days that are to come, Jerusalem will be captured, houses ransacked and women raped.  But, suddenly, the Lord will put his feet on the Mt. of Olives and it will split in two, creating a great valley.  It will make a way of escape for God’s people! (Zechariah 14:4-5)  It will be a day with no daytime or night.  It will be a day when living waters will flow out of Jerusalem.

“The Lord will be king over the whole earth.  On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name.” Zechariah 14:9

Jerusalem will be lifted up and inhabited.  It will be secure and never again destroyed.  The nations that attacked Israel will be struck with a terrible plague that will cause their flesh to rot while standing on their feet and the eyes to rot in their sockets!  There will be a great panic and these enemies will attack each other.  There will be survivors who will worship the Lord in Jerusalem by coming to the Feast of Tabernacles.  (Zechariah 14:12-16) “Holy to the Lord” will be inscribed on the bells of the horses and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house.  God’s people will  be pure and secure!

Wow!  What a conclusion to this ‘minor’ prophet!  We have encouraging words of hope for God’s people who endure and hold fast to Him.  Be sure He is King over your life for He will surely be and is “King over the earth.”

Scripture reading for October 2nd: Zechariah 9-11

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.  He will proclaim peace to the nations.  His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:9-10

Zechariah was very specific about the coming ruler who will be both a priest and a king.  This coming one would not be a great conqueror who would ruthlessly devour the nations or subdue them with strong-arm tactics.  Instead, He would come gently, armed with weapons of righteousness and salvation.  He would also be riding on the colt of a donkey.  He would come proclaiming peace to all peoples and nations!  His rule would extend to the ends of the earth!  What a picture of Jesus Christ! (Matthew 21:2-4)

This gentle King, who announces peace, will also save and restore His people!  Because of the blood of His covenant, He will free the prisoners!  (Zechariah 9:11)  Not only that, He will restore them double!  The Lord will save His flock like a shepherd from their enemies and they will sparkle like jewels in a crown.  (Zechariah 9:16-17)

The people of God were to ask the Lord for rain in the springtime.  God gives showers of rain to the just and unjust, but He is responsive to His people.  God was tired of shepherds who oppressed the people and promised that He, Himself, would care for the flock.  He would raise up from Judah one who would be the cornerstone and the tent peg.  He would bring forth the battle bow and every ruler would come from Him.  (Zechariah 10:4)  This again is a reference to Jesus Christ, who came from the tribe of Judah and became the chief cornerstone of the new temple!  He was a peg driven in a firm place and a mighty warrior!

This King would do many things for God’s people!  There are many “I will” statements in Zechariah 10.  Included in these statements are promises to strengthen the house of Judah and have compassion on them.  God promises to be their God and to hear and answer them.  (Zechariah 10:6-12)  He will gather them from where they have been scattered and they will walk in His name!

A final reference to this king is found in Zechariah 11:12-13 where the statement about the price of thirty pieces of silver for the pay of the shepherd was made.  It was to be thrown to the potter!  Zechariah had again left a significant word that signified that Jesus Christ was Messiah and described Judas’ betrayal for the thirty pieces of silver!  (Matthew 27:3-10)

Our King is coming again!  This time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Are you ready to meet Him?  Humble yourself today and ask Him to rule in your heart and life!

Scripture reading for October 1st: Zechariah 7-8

“Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me:  “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?   And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?’” Zechariah 7:4-6

Many times we who are the Lord’s children go through the motions when we seek to worship or serve the Lord.  We do what is expected or required, but don’t really put our hearts into it.  I know that I have done that before with fasting.  As soon as you seek to fast, your flesh acts up and distractions come faster than ever before!  You have a hard time focusing for prayer and thoughts of food or irritations come to distract you.

God used Zechariah to preach to His people on this subject as they returned to work on the temple.  You see, God did not want them just to not have food and mourn during the fast.  He wanted them to administer justice and show mercy and compassion to one another.  He wanted them to care for the needy and poor and help the widow and orphan.  He wanted their hearts to truly love each other instead of thinking evil. (Zechariah 7:8-10)  Real fasting that pleases God has to do with refocusing on what God really loves and doing that.  It was to produce positive results and progress in godliness.

God’s people just went through the motions and so God said that He did the same.  He became angry with them, and scattered them among the nations.  This is why the land became desolate and rested for the seventy years.  Hard hearts and disobedience had brought their inevitable consequences.

But now, God was again jealous for Jerusalem!  He would now show good and blessing to this city and favor them.  The true fast would be a joyful time and the festivals would be filled with happiness as they loved truth and peace.  God would gather His people again back to the land and many peoples and nations would also come and join themselves to the Jew!  (Zechariah 8:15-23)

Fasting has always been a way for God’s people to draw closer to Him and find their true appetites satisfied.  God, Himself, is enough for us.  A true fast brings cleansing to body and soul.  The body cleanses itself from toxins and waste as we quit eating and drink lots of water.  The soul quits focusing on bodily appetites and focuses on the Lord and His will.  Toxins of the soul include bitterness, depression, apathy, unforgiveness, lack of truth and injustice.  The water of God’s word washes the soul clean.  Take time soon for a true fast!  It will work wonders for body and soul!

Scripture reading for September 30th: Zechariah 5-6

Our goal during these devotions on God’s word is to see Jesus Christ in every book of the Bible.  Zechariah, other than Isaiah, has more references to the coming of Jesus and His ministry than any other prophet.  In today’s reading we have more of the eight visions that God gave Zechariah to encourage the workers who were rebuilding the temple and city of Jerusalem.  Eight is the number of ‘new beginnings’, by the way, and is significant to those aware of numbers in Scripture.  Even the number would be encouraging to those beginning again on the temple!

Zechariah has already mentioned the ‘Branch’ who was symbolized by Joshua, the High Priest.  This ‘Branch’  would come and be fully obedient to God and take away the sins of the nation in a single day. (Zechariah 3:8-9)  The High Priest symbolically did this on the Day of Atonement each year.  He got to go behind the veil of the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the mercy seat.  His offering of blood was for the sins of the nation.  (Leviticus 16:15-17)

In today’s reading, Zechariah sees another vision of powerful horses going throughout the earth.  (Zechariah 6:1-6)  One of the horses goes toward the North and brings back a report of rest being brought to God’s Spirit.  Zechariah then is told to take silver and gold from the returned exiles, make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the High Priest.  He was to say to him: “Here is the man whose name is Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the Lord.  It is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He will be clothed with majesty and will sit on His throne.  And He will be a priest on His throne and there will be harmony between the two.” (Zechariah 6:12-13)

As we reflect on this vision in light of the life and current ministry of Jesus Christ, we see that the ‘Branch’ is again a picture of Jesus Christ who was and is both priest and king!  He holds both offices without any conflict!  He is our “High Priest” before God, there interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)  He is the “King of Kings” who is coming in power to claim His bride, the church, and punish His enemies. (Revelation 19:11-16)

We can be encouraged by these ancient visions today because of the revelation of the Holy Spirit through the word of God.  Jesus, our Priest and King, is praying for us today.  He has given us the Holy Spirit and we have overcoming power to share with the lost world the good news of His coming again.  We are watching for His return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Our faith and faithfulness will crown Him when He comes!  (Revelation 4:9-11)

Scripture reading for September 29th: Zechariah 3-4

When we face an impossible looking task for the Lord, we begin to take inventory of our resources.  We check our bank account to see how much money we have; we check our physical and mental abilities to solve the problem; we consult those who might help us with the work to see if we have enough manpower to do the job we look at all the obstacles and see how the task might be accomplished.  God’s people and their leaders faced a task that looked impossible:  the rebuilding of the temple and of Jerusalem!  God sent visions to Zechariah to expand their resources and bring encouragement!

The second of eight visions pictured Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Lord, and Satan there accusing him.  The Lord rebuked Satan and spoke of Joshua as a burning stick snatched from the fire!(Zechariah 3:  (Jude 22,23) He then ordered Joshua’s filthy clothes to be removed and clothed him in clean garments.  Joshua was told that if he walked in the Lord’s ways  and kept His requirements, he would govern God’s house and  have a place among those standing there by the throne of God.

In this vision, Joshua the high priest was symbolic of things to come.  God would send His servant, the Branch, and would remove the sin of Israel in a single day.  Wow!  Zechariah is getting vision of things to come that we now see and understand!  Jesus Christ was the servant of the Lord who was sent by God.  He was and is the Son of God.  He fully obeyed all of God’s requirements and walked in His ways.  He became sin and was made like the burning stick, under the fires of God’s judgment for us.  God raised Him from the dead, snatching Him from the fire, and seated Him at His right hand!  In obeying His Father, Jesus Christ removed the sin from the land and from all people in one day!

And that wasn’t all of the visions from the Lord.  Next, Zechariah saw a golden lamp stand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it.  There were two olive trees standing on either side of the bowl.  Zechariah again asked for understanding.  “So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6)  God was again giving vision to those leading the rebuilding.  It was not their might, power, or ability that would accomplish the task.  God would bless their efforts and He would see it through by His Spirit!

As I reflect on this last vision, I see the church as the lamp stand and the lights in the world.  The Spirit is the oil that brings the energy for the work and light.  God’s anointed leaders help with the dispensing of the anointing oil as they live by faith and do their assigned jobs!  Their lives of faith reflect God’s Glory and the work goes forward!  It may seem like our work is small–only a plumb line to measure the progress!  Don’t despise it– live by faith in the power of His Spirit!  The mountain will become a plain!

Scripture reading for September 28th: Zechariah 1-2

Which do you prefer: a scathing rebuke? or encouragement?  God’s prophets used different styles and approaches to get the message to God’s people.  The prophet Zechariah prophesied during the time of the first return to Jerusalem after captivity in Babylon.  Zechariah is one of the longest of the minor prophets and he employs a very encouraging style of message designed to motivate the Jews who came to rebuild Jerusalem.  Let’s look at how he encourages them in these first two chapters!

Zechariah begins his message with a word from the Lord to Israel.  The Lord had been angry with their forefathers because they would not respond to His call for them to return to Him.  For years prophets had been sent with a simple message calling for repentance from evil and idolatry and a faith response of obedience toward God.  But the people of God would not respond so God’s word, which promised consequences and curses for disobedience, overtook them!  (Deuteronomy 28:15)  People just can’t outrun the word of the Lord! (Zechariah 1:6)

Zechariah then was given a night vision of a man riding a red horse.  This rider was followed by riders on red, brown and white horses.  As he asked the Lord for understanding, an angel answered him.  These horses and riders were ones that the Lord had sent throughout the whole earth and they reported back that the world was at rest and peace.  The angel then turned to the Lord and asked Him a question:  “How long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem?”  (Zechariah 1:12-13) (Revelation 6:1-7)

The Lord answered the angel with encouraging words about Jerusalem.  He was jealous for Jerusalem and would return to Jerusalem with mercy.  The temple would be rebuilt and the measuring line again stretched over the city in order to build the wall of protection around it and keep it secure.  Prosperity would again flow to God’s people and God, Himself, would comfort them.  (Zechariah 1:14-17) (Revelation 11:1-2)

It sounded good, but in the vision four horns appeared.  Zechariah was puzzled and asked their meaning.  They represented the nations that had lifted their power against Israel and scattered them. (Zechariah 1:18-21)  They would be thrown down by spiritual forces of the Lord in the heavenly realm.  A spiritual conflict would go on as the temple was rebuilt, but God’s people would succeed!

God’s people would succeed because their protection was not just physical walls!  In fact, Jerusalem would be a city without walls!  God, Himself, would be a “wall of fire” around the city and its Glory! (Zechariah 2:4-5) What a glorious vision of encouragement to those who had by faith come to rebuild the city!  God’s promises can be depended on and faith lays hold of them.  God further stated that His people were the “apple of His eye” and that He would deal with anyone who would oppose them!

Are you fearful today?  Do you need a word of encouragement?  Read Zechariah 1-2 and let God speak vision and encouragement!  He is your wall of fire and Glory forever!

September 27th, 2009

Dear friends,

Greetings on this another day of rest and reflection concerning all God has done.  Last Sunday night was marked by a deluge of rain that brought some trouble to our church building.  We were replacing the roof and doing needed repairs, when about 5 inches of rain fell in a short time.  We had felt roofing material on the roof, but it did not protect it from the heavy rain and we ended up with water inside the building.  Many came to help with the clean-up.  I am thankful that our church family pulls together in times of difficulty and redirects their priorities to help with our church building.

As I reflect on what God is saying through this time, I feel that He is gently reminding us of our priorities.  Haggai, the last minor prophet we looked at this week, delivered a message from God about priorities. (Haggai 1:7-8)   People are God’s priority, and He wants us to seek the lost.  (Luke 19:10) Building His temple brings Him honor and He delights in each new ‘living stone’ that is added.  We must be careful to assess our own lives and even our own church priorities.  Are we spending more time on ourselves than on God’s priorities?  Does it seem like we have a purse with holes in it?  Are our crops ’short’ because God is wanting to get our attention? Could it be that He is hindering our efforts because our priorities are misplaced?

God’s  people listened and obeyed Haggai.  (Haggai 1:12)  The people feared the Lord and heeded the word from Him.  God then stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the governor, and he and the people of God began to work again on the house of the Lord!  God declared that He would be with them and would bless them as they again worked. This looks like the standard ‘formula’ for revival in action!

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no  rain, or command the locusts to devour the land or send a plague among My people, if My people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2nd Chronicles 7:13-14

As God’s people, let’s be about the Lord’s business.  Let’s seek to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face.  He promises forgiveness and blessing!  Have a great week of right priorities!  Jesus is coming soon!  The Glory of this temple will be greater than the former!

In His Love, Pastor John

Scripture reading for September 26th: Haggai 1-2

Have you ever struggled with priorities?  We have so many choices and opportunities.  Many times they all look good.  Mary and I had just about gotten our children through college and the last one was ready to get married.  We were enjoying our first senior pastorate in Lacey, Washington and an empty nest.  We loved to go out on my day off and go antiquing and sight-seeing in that beautiful state.  None of those things were sinful and we were having a good time.  Then God spoke to us through a missionary and our friends about enlarging our family by adoption.  To be honest, that choice did not initially look like something we wanted to do with all our hearts.  We wrestled with it for some time, before becoming settled on the Lord’s will and priority for our lives.  After we chose, we knew we had done the right thing!

Haggai was speaking to people who had chosen to come back from Babylon and rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem.  Initially, these people had the right priority and obeyed the Lord.  But they had drifted away from the priorities that once motivated them and began to focus on themselves, their own houses, and family needs.  They neglected the house of the Lord!  (Haggai 1:2-4)  Haggai spoke to them directly from the Lord’s word through him.

“Give careful thought to your ways.  You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat but never have enough.  You drink but never have your fill.  You put on clothes, but are not warm.  You earn wages, only to put them in  a purse with holes in it.”  “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains, and bring down timber and build a house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,”says the Lord.” (Haggai 1:5-8)

Have you experienced lack of satisfaction and lack of fulfillment?  It may be your priorities are out of whack like those who were in Jerusalem to rebuild the Lord’s temple.  They had gotten their focus onto themselves and their houses and neglected God’s house!  God was gently reminding them of their priorities.  If we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, everything we need will be added to us.  If we try to grab what we need, even what we have will be lost!  (Matthew 6:33)

We need to be about God’s business, because a shaking is coming!  (Haggai 2:6)  God is going to shake the earth, sea, and all the nations of the earth.  The ‘desired of the nations’ (Jesus Christ) is coming and will fill His house with glory! Jesus Christ did this in human form about 500 years after Haggai’s time.  He will do it again during the millennial reign following the rapture of the church.  The temple was the place of the first house, we are His temple today!  “”The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,” says the Lord Almighty. “And in this place I will grant peace,” declares the Lord Almighty.” (Haggai 2:9)

Scripture reading for September 25th: Zephaniah 1-3

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save, He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.“ Zephaniah 3:17

Zephaniah was a prophet around 630 B.C. during the reign of Josiah, a good king of Israel.  He spoke some pretty strong words to the nation of Judah concerning the coming day of the Lord.  Through Zephaniah, God warned that He would sweep everything from the face of the earth. (Zephaniah 1:2-3)  He was going to take man completely from the face of the earth, and the  animals, birds, and fish in the sea as well!  Wow!  That sounds like a very thorough cleaning similar to the great flood of Noah’s day!

Even Judah was warned of God’s hand against those in that nation who were idolaters.  There were those who claimed to be Abraham’s descendants but were worshiping Baal, the Canaanite fertility god.  Even some of the priests of God’s house had fallen into idolatry.  They were worshiping Molech and the starry host using astrology. (Zephaniah 1:4-5)  By the way, astrology is popular today in America.  Almost every newspaper has a horoscope and some people read it daily and try to order their life by the predictions of the stars.  Many follow the example of Judah in Zephaniah’s day, and turn away from following the true God.  They are complacent or have followed gods of convenience and pleasure. (Zephaniah 1:12)

Zephaniah cried out to this complacent and sinful people that their appointed time was coming when judgment would bring a day of wrath and destruction.  Trouble, clouds, darkness and death were on the horizon.  Their money could not save them on this day of wrath that would come suddenly at the appointed time. (Zephaniah 1:17-18)

The only remedy offered by Zephaniah was to seek the Lord with humble hearts.  Those who responded would be sheltered by the Lord.  What was needed in this time of complacency, was a desire to seek God!  An appetite for God must come from a heart that is humble and not centered on idols or upon oneself. (Zephaniah 2:2-3)  Idolatry is all about making a god that gives me what I want, instead of serving the God who made me to do what He wants!

We know from history that the young king,  Josiah, turned to the Lord and led a revival that removed the idols and cleansed the land.  He likely was responding to this prophet’s strong preaching.  When we repent, God relents!  He would rather be mighty to save us than mighty to judge us!  He takes great delight in His people and desires to quiet us in His love.  He rejoices over us with singing!  Picture God spinning around in delight singing a song of joy over our return to Him!  (Zephaniah 3:17) This reflects the thought of the Hebrew words of this verse!  God is so merciful; turn to Him today before the coming “day of the Lord”.