Prophesy about Cyrus

Cyrus the Great defeated the Babylonians and gave rise to the next great Empire of the Persians. Persia, which is geographically modern day Iran. Cyrus was born around 580 BC lived to approximately 529 BC. Isaiah who prophesied this was living in 8th century BC before Cyrus even rose to power. Isaiah was a prophet that appeared to preceed the time of Jeremiah who actually first hand saw the Babylonians invade Judah and destroy Jerusalem. Yet Cyrus a Persian predecessor ousts the Babylonian Empire when he rose to power years later.

God Is No Spiritual Sugar Daddy

Many people treat God like some spiritual sugar daddy and want him to do this, bless that, give me that, and yes bless me with that powerball winning and that new car——-yet make no mistake, God is not like that and he honors those who honor him and listens to the prayers of those that do his will.

First God is not needing anything humans can offer him,

——For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship —and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

(Acts 17:23-31)

God desires repentence and faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin and calls us to follow him. God though is not enhanced in his being by us- he desires faithful people to follow him but is not dependent on people to add to his worth or happiness.

Second, unlike a wealthy old guy who wants an attractive young woman by his side in exchange for money to her- Sadly that is not unheard of in our day- but God is not depending on human beings but knows we are dependent on Him for our existence. Some though try to throw up to God religious works instead of giving him what he truly is after

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-6)

Take for example an ordinary human illustration, a man who loves a woman, if a man truly is in love with a woman he is after her heart- also, when that woman loves that man, she wants to do what pleases him and he wants to make her happy because he delights in her. Yet suppose time goes on and she starts to grow cold in her feelings and starts to only say what he wants her to say because he has money and resources and she does not really care much about him but just wants a man to take care of her. When that happens that woman gets irritated at small requests from him and does not enjoy seeing him to much unless she needs help he has to give. Do you know how that makes a man feel? When that man desires her, delights in every moment their together but she just is not that into him anymore. So his attitude changes toward her, he seems maybe not as warm, may express himself more to try to get her to get it. She grows irritated and thinks he is just so hard on her and just like a man who wants to boss a woman around and “Oh Its my duty” and disgust from that kind of attitude he must grow to be indignant. Perhaps this is how God must feel toward human beings. Perhaps God is more grieved then just merely angry. Anger is reserved for enemies but jealous indignant wrathh comes from a lover scorned. Human jealousy often manifests in sinful ways and is not good but the jealous wrath of God is totally righteous. For he created all and owns all, yet never brings guilt on himself by being possessive. God is God and made heaven and earth and is not wrong in demanding our wholehearted commitment to him.

Judas’s greed

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. ” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:4-6)

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot —went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:6-16)

We see a pivotal turning point for Judas seems to be when Jesus rebuked him and when Jesus stood between Judas and Judas’s love for money. After Jesus rebukes Judas we see immediatly in the text to follow: “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot —went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”

Judas probably angry about what Jesus said and then from there seeks to have Jesus done in. Judas was one of the twelve and spent a great amount of time with Jesus. The irony was it was not merely the militant religious leaders that hated Jesus on the outside, but one on Jesus’s own that became the worst enemy of Jesus. Jesus posed a threat to Judas’s underlying self out price, money. And in agreement to hand Jesus over to the religious leaders he jumps at the offer of 30 pieces of sliver.

Jesus today still reveals what people are truly in love with and what gods they truly serve. The god of Judas was not Jesus but he showed that money was a greater love for him then his own teacher and Lord he spent 3 years of his life learning from and living his life in close proximity with. When the true test of loyalty came, Judas was faced with, he chose his love for money. Had Jesus ever done Judas wrong? No. Had Jesus not been good to this wicked evil man? Jesus spent three years of his life pouring in to Judas just like the rest of the 11 yet Judas became the trator.

Now we know Judas was doomed as a result and his heart left no room for true repentence after his crime and treachery. If Judas had repented and turned in faith to Jesus he most likely, even he, could receive mercy and forgiveness- we see in Acts many who helped crucify Christ later hear Peter preach and were “cut the the heart” when they finally realized their crime! They believed and added themselves to the growing early church. Yet what was so sad about Judas was he realized eventually his horrible crime but commited suicide from remorse but never had genuine repentence that could save. His remorse was not enough, he ended his life as a result but never sought the mercy or forgiveness of Christ Jesus.

Today many have rejected Christ as well, they let deceitful desires often get in the way of truly receiving forgiveness and cut themselves off from God’s love he would give if they only let go of the idol that keeps them back. Jesus taught about the four soils, the four conditions of a person’s heart- the four outcomes of the sharing of the Gospel. One was the seed sown on the path, where they hear the message but the devil comes and steals the truth from them like birds that come ate up the seed on the path. Then there is the seed sown among thorns that they thorns choke up the seek so that it never grows.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

(Matthew 13:18-23)

Often fear, desires for earthly things, pride, as well as just flat out unbelief keep people back from trusting Christ for salvation and turning to follow him, the deception of fear, idols and unbelief is blinding. Yet true freedom and fulfillment come through Christ and not living ignorant in our sins.

Human Dung Beetles

THE HUMAN DUNG BEETLE

Like a dung beetle rolling a ball of crap up a hill, so a man or woman can also roll their foolish ways and sins around. Tiring as it may be, to be foolish and roll around old sinful ways and wondering why the way is so hard for them. Yet lose that ball of crap one pushes around with them and then they may be able to see what is in front of them. Some wonder why life is not working out for them? Some wonder why they fumble around and cannot make sense of life.

But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble. (Proverbs 4:19)

When we act like human dung bettles, we put unwholsemome things infront of our face refusing to let them go, it can be sinful habits, others roll their bitterness around with them not realizing it, others still just think that thing that they know is wrong yet refuse to let go of, a wrong habit, relationship, whatever it is that slows them down, it becomes like a ball of crap that is being pushed up a hill in vain. Others see them doing their thing- and know why they are having a problem. Yet for tje ome pushing that unhealthy unwholesome ball- they are blinded to it by being so close. We all before we knew Christ stumbled in pur sins and foolishness. Yet even as Christians, we can fall back into old ways that hold us back if we let ourselves. Yet we must: Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

(Hebrews 12:1-2)

Danger of Redifining God’s Word

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.

(Micah 3:5)

False prophets and teachers and those that gather around them, they are well in favor of those who benefit them but make “war with anyone who refuses to feed them”

Alot of people in our day and time show this old truth is still in effect, and many may listen to false teachers for the sake of what they get- not whether or not the truth is being clearly taught and upheld. For example, many love the idea of Christianity including generousity to the poor and want a church that takes care of their material needs or wants but would shy away from a church that the preacher would present hard teaching to care for their souls. Some people want a Christianity that can give them what they want yet does not require them changes they need. And yes of course the Bible speaks much on caring for the poor, needy, widows and orphans. Yet some want the truths they like and reject the truths they don’t like.

Now let me give you an analogy: Suppose a man desires a woman, but suppose he only wants to be with her because she is nicy shaped, well figured and looks beautiful. Suppose he does not care anything about who she is as a person and what she likes or dislikes but says to himself, “She just has a great face and good body”—That woman thinks that man is outrageous and wont put up with a fellow like that if she has sense. The same can be true with a woman who just dated a rich guy because he has money and she wants access to his wallet but does not care much about him for who he is. That man if he has sense will turn that woman away even if she was very attractive, she undos herself by being that way and her looks wont make up for that with a reasonable man.

Yet many insult The Lord God by wanting God to be all they want him to be yet reject the things about him they do not like. If you want someone in your life, friend, marriage or any relationship, you accept them for who they are and sure even couples with great marriages have things that make them different in someways. Yet the Lord is entirely perfect and right, he has no flaws nor errs, and many unfairly treat the Lord as someone they expect to bless them, provide for them, give them this or that yet they complain about what he may expect they do not want to do.

If you want the Lord, receive Him for who Be truly is. If you do not, then turn away at your own loss. Yet do not take wickedness to an even greater level by redifining who he is, what he likes, what he does not like, and then lying about his person just because you do not favor how he feels on this matter or that. Your either for Him or at odds with Him.

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Suppose you were with your wife or husband and they started to say something- then you add “Oh no, my spouse did not mean that, what he/she really means is….”

Well then, does your wife, husband, or friend have their own mouth? Can they not discern well enough what they mean to say and appoint you as their spokesperson? Then why try to insult the Lord by being embarrassed over what His Word says just because some people don’t like what The Book said.

“Take the Word and with your life align it, or do what you want, turn away, malign it, but whatever you do just don’t be a total fool and redifine it.”

Ezekiel 24 Sermon

The Death Of The Prophet’s Wife

Now this passage in Ezekiel 24 seems cruel in our minds that God would make a faithful righteous man who served him go through this. Yet lets not think harshly about the Lord even though his ways may appear cruel at times. First of all we know Ezekiel is in the Kingdom of the Lord along with those who have gone before us enjoying eternal everlasting happiness and reward.

God was using Ezekiel to show the people that as it happened to him, so also The Lord would be grieved seeing his own sanctuary destroyed- the very symbol of God’s relationship with His people. The temple was God’s dwelling among them yet He allowed His own temple to be destroyed and with that, the relationship between God and this people for a vast span of years was over.

God was almost saying “That’s right, we are over, yes you can go see other gods because if you wanted me as your God then you would have listened when I told you it be over if you kept up your ways. Yes we are done!”

He gave them the choice though to be commited to Him or serve their gods and hold on to their violent ways, practice of deception, cheating other, greed, oppression and the like, the people were commiting adultery with their neighbors wives and husbands, and a whole list of other abominable sins. So God packed his suitcase and took his presence from that temple as a man or woman would who has had it with a spouse that does not take the threat of them leaving seriously. He left his temple, he let His enemies come and burn it to the ground and them to carry of The People he tried to make his own.

Yet he left an opportunity for a repentent remnant to return to the promise land, after 70 years in Babylon. Others however, stayed in Babylon dying their serving their false gods-

As it says “then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’ “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. (Jeremiah 16:11-15)

Under the old covenant- before Jesus Christ made it possible to be faithful to God by the Holy Spirit, God made the Law like a relational code of conduct (Take this analogy- a man says to a woman, ok listen if you show yourself to be a worthy woman I will marry you to myself and commit to you forever) God says to the Israelites, “Keep my laws and decrees and you will be my special people”

Yet how has this failed, Sin, because the Law was unable to be fully kept and the people throughout the generations failed to do it so God got angry with them. Yet by the basis of Abrahamic covenant God had promised this nation from Abraham’s line would be blessed?

Paul says “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. (Romans 9:6-8)

Hebrews 8 borrows from Jeremiah 31:34

But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. ”

(Hebrews 8:8-12)

What is the New Covenant? That we are made right in our hearts toward Jesus Christ by Faith and He puts His Spirit in us to move us to desire to obey God and carry out His commands. Under the Old Covenat God’s presence was in the temple and he would leave if the people sinned and forsook him- yet by faith in Christ Jesus we are born a new into life for real where God’s Spirit does not reside in a literal temple but indwells those who believe the Gospel by faith in Jesus Christ.

Through this: God can now marry Himself to people made new- before this, the requirements of the Old Covenant had to be followed like a written code. The Law is metaphoracally dating where as the life of faith in Christ is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit like that of an engagement ring- in the case of engagements, the ring promises that other you will marry them? Yet human’s can break their word, but if God seals us by the Holy Spirit to guarantee we will be saved on the day of Christ’s return, or when we die. Yet unlike those of prior generations, God could not guarantee Israel he would marry her but under Law he told her she would be his if she kept his stipulations and decrees.

However, “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, (Titus 1:2-3)

Here is the truth, that Jesus Christ is both the appointed Savior of original people/ Israel but also to all the World. Through faith amd turning to Him, He puts in us a new heart and spirit, and washes away our sins. Israel was not saved for obeying the Law but she stumbled over the Law and became aware as a sinner just like the Gentile nations were,

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:9-24

The Sun Setting On A Decision Neglected

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 3:6-7)

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. (John 12:35-36)

Many have seen the light of God’s gospel yet have in the day of light put off that critical decision as to what they will do with Jesus Christ, His Gospel, His claims, His Life, Death and resurection. There is only so much time to respond to His call, before the dreadful night of darkness descends on the sinner in unbelief. For some this means times of calamity come and they are filled with dread and some it takes great adversity for them to finally realize their sin and darkness and be saved. “Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 28:47-48)

Yet the sun too sets on life, and life is short and can end in the night of death for any of us, any day.

That is why we are warned: So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” (Hebrews 3:7-11)

For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

(2 Corinthians 6:2)

Dare we keep driving down the road of sin until dark night overtakes it and blackness completely shrouds the way?

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. (Proverbs 14:12-13)

Grief everlasting, regret eternal, and let it not be so!

Yet the hope is:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile —the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

(Romans 10:9-15)

The Love Of Hosea For His Wayward Lady

The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes. ” (Hosea 3:1)

Yet, then The LORD says to the Son, “15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:15-18)

Hosea buys back his wayward wife for 15 shekels of silver, as prescibed by the Law of Moses.

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.” For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days. (Hosea 3:2-5)

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. Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away. “But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest. You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother — my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful.

(Hosea 4:1-7)

“they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful” like Gomer exchanged the love of her husband Hosea for another man and prostitution of herself. The Lord then uses this example to bring charges against His own nation.

Hear the mournful Word of the Lord, “This is what the Lord says: “What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’ I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. (Jeremiah 2:5-7)

Almost as if He said “How have I wronged you, I freed you from your enemies and loved you, I brought you into my good land and did so much to prove how much I delighted in you. Yet you cheated me by your idols, you refused to keep the stipulations of our relationship and traded me in for your other lovers”

The heart of a man breaks when in love for a woman he gives his very best but she repays him with her unfaithfulness. Yet The Lord did His very best to love this people, and she fell in love with the gods of those nations around her and many years God sent prophet, and messenger to turn them from their sins until he gave them up-

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. (Jeremiah 52:2-9)

Even in the days of Moses it was forwarned,

“And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

(Deuteronomy 31:17-18)

He hid his face finally from His Jerusalmem for longer then previous times he deserted her, for 70 years he left her in the hands of Babylon.

Yet: The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God. “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.

(Isaiah 54:6-8)

The Lord Hid his face, but then they saw him face to face- not just metaphorically,

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

(John 14:9-11)

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

(Luke 4:16-21)

Though there came the time, they crucified him not really realizing whom they had put to death. Their Messiah they had long been awaiting throughout the years of the prophets. He came, and they crucified him with help of the Gentiles (Romans)

Yet, through this Jesus Christ’s blood served to buy back from sin what was lost, Hosea bought Gomer back for silver- Christ buys us back with blood after he was betrayed for silver.

“Don’t Plot Harm Against Your Neighbor”

Todays Encouraging Word:

Picking quarrels- not a kind or wise thing to do with people. After all, its not sensible to just try to instigate arguments when the people are just minding their own business and going their way. Yet people can let resentment fester and ever heard the expression “He just is mad at the world”

That is true about a person who grows resentful. They let themselves become just generally angry and can come off as aggressive to just about anyone who inadvertently rubs the wrong nerve. Some may just dislike certain people because they remind them of someone who hurt them.

However, this is no way to enjoy life or succeed. This is no way to thrive. We should be wise and follow the advice of Proverbs 20 “It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. (Proverbs 20:3)

The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated. (Proverbs 14:16-17)

Anger and bitterness are not good to let control our lives and we not only sin against God but create unnecessary enemies and other victims of our anger.

When people get resentful and live this way they may often say “I have been hurt in my life! Why should I care about anyone else, after all, who cared enough about hurting me?!” Yet the problem is, that does not undo what you as a person have suffered and harbor anger about but you become a victimizer of others just like those who hurt you. And we all must ask, “Do I want to be like the people who hurt me? Should I be aiming for their example?”

Of course not! Those people will suffer for their own sins and be judged by God and so will all of us if we walk in the ways of wickedness.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1:1-6)

“Don’t Gloat Over Me, My Enemy”

To gloat and take glee over anothers downfall is sin. The Bible warns sternly, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them. (Proverbs 24:17-18)

This is what happened. God got angry with his own people and judged them by sending them into captivity. The other nations took delight when they saw this and Edom especially took glee and wanted to take the land for themselves. Edom thought “Aha, they are being punished now we can seize what they lost.” What Edom failed to see was they were not robbing merely God’s people of their land but truly God. God never renounced his ownership of the promise land and though he removed his people from there, it was still property of The Lord himself. He got furious.

Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the Lord Almighty. “Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’”

(Zechariah 1:14-17)

No one, no one gets away with sinning, God’s own people did not, then those who sinned against them and angered God did not go unscathed either but like a bad kid who makes fun of his or her sibling in time out, mother may be watching from the other room and soon the spoiled sibling gets his/her turn.

Once God finished his chastening of his own people, he brought judgement on many other nations.

Timeless truth is God rules over all mankind and nothing escapes his notice. God desires people to repent and turn to Him and believe the Gospel before He begins to judge. Those who are disobeying that are saved, he gived them chances to turn away from the sins that are tripping them so he wont have to discipline them. Other time God humbles a sinner in rebellion with hard means or allowing them to reap their own choices to show them their way bring them pain.

Many non Christians assume so wrongly that being a Christian means a Christian can sin and be forgiven and they just have a free pass. Yet the times in my life I foolishly sinned and put God’s love and grace to the teat have not gone well for me, and it wont for any truly redeemed child of God. Sure we are saved by grace through faith but if we test God’s mercy and love we get the “Harder then it has to be” option to bring us to our senses. That is not fun. So its better to just obey God and sin as little as possible, not ever seeing how much one can get away with, because that is foolishly begging God to bring stern discipline our way.

God wants to bless us and does not want our lives to suffer more pain then life naturally brings- to sin is to ask for unnecessary sorrow and suffering.