The writing on the wall

Daniel 5:1-31 NASB

Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together. The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom." Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale. "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners. " This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation."
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? "Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. "Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message. "But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom."
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him. "O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. "Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled. "But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. "He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. "Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified. "Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.
"Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ "This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENE’--God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. " ‘TEKEL’--you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. " ‘PERES’--your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians."
Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.


My thoughts -

Talk about a generation gap! Nebuchadnezzar knew God. Nebuchadnezzar may have started out a little full of himself... okay, a lot full of himself. He did make an image of himself out of gold and forced his entire kingdom to bow down and worship it under penalty on incineration. He started out proud, arrogant, selfish, and evil. But he saw God's glory revealed in the salvation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, the wisdom and discernment of Daniel, and a very humbling experience at the hands of God who briefly took everything, even his sanity, away from Nebuchadnezzar.

Belshazzar seems to have ignored all of the lessons his father learned. He gets spooked by a mysterious hand and mysterious writing but doesn't seem to even know of Daniel, so he sends for the very same people who were unable to interpret dreams and visions for his father. Unsurprisingly they are equally unable to help Belshazzar out. So the queen says there's this guy, Daniel, and this is kinda what he does. Maybe you should ask him about it.

Belshazzar consults Daniel and offers his reward, and I love Daniel's response:

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.

Daniel knows that God can provide for him far more than this king. I have know way of knowing but I suspect that Daniel didn't want to have the reward so that he could speak God's word freely to the king. Money and power would just complicate it. Anyway, Daniel reads the writing and translates it for the king, and it was bad news, indeed.

God is ending Belshazzar's reign. God is doing so because Belshazzar has been judged unfit to rule. The kingdom is being divided and given over to Belshazzar's enemies.

Now, I find Belshazzar's response to this news to be rather odd. Daniel has correctly identified what these words say and mean for the king, but the news is bad. In response to this bad news you would expect the king to punish Daniel. You'd expect him to be livid. But what does he do? He gives Daniel the reward that was promised, even though Daniel declined the offer.

Then he dies.

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But even if He does not...

Daniel 3:1-18 NASB

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald loudly proclaimed: "To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire." Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: "O king, live forever! "You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. "There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? "Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."


My thoughts -

Pretty much everyone who grew up in the church knows this story. If you didn't get it in Sunday School maybe you did from Veggie Tales. We all know that Nebuchadnezzar made an image, made everyone worship it, and if they didn't they got burned alive. Well who wouldn't worship the image? I mean, you're not out much. Just fall down and act the part. It sure beats being thrown into a furnace.

And we know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, of course, did not worship the image. So they were thrown in the furnace and God protected them, saving them and making his glory known in the process. Everyone knows this story. I know this story. I can't recall a time in my life that I didn't know this story. And yet, reading it this morning I noticed something that I hadn't before. I guess I'd read it. I mean, I'm sure I had. It's just sitting right there. And yet, in all of the action of the story I just kind of skipped right over it.

Look at verse 18 again:

"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

In my mind I knew the story. I knew they would be thrown into the furnace. I knew they would be saved. I guess I just couldn't really see that they didn't know that. They had faith, sure. They knew that God could save them. God is powerful. God can do anything. Miraculously saving three people from a horrific death is a pretty big deal for us but for a God who made the entire universe it's nothing. Our God has done far greater things than that. It's no big deal.

So of course they knew that God could save them. But they did not know that God would save them. And there's a big difference there.

They trusted God. They knew that the Lord their God was the only thing they could worship. They knew how twisted, wrong, and perverted it was to worship an image made by human hands. They knew idolatry was not acceptable. They knew what they should do and they trusted that God would reward their righteousness even if they didn't know for sure. They had faith.

And of course that faith was rewarded. They were rescued. God saved them. God rewarded their faith and God was glorified.

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Dry bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14 NASB

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ "Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’"
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."’" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ "Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. "Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it," declares the Lord.’"


My thoughts -

Yet again we see that God provides hope even in hopelessness. What is more hopeless than dry bones? There is no life here and no hope for life. This isn't Lazarus, just a few days in the grave. These are dry bones. No flesh. No breath. No life. And there hasn't been for quite some time. There is no hope here and then God acts.

I love Ezekiel's answer to God asking if the bones can come alive. I'd want to say "Yes, of course they can. With you, God, all things are possible."

But I wouldn't believe that. Dry bones? Come back to life? It's impossible! But Ezekiel says "O Lord God, You know."

Ezekiel trusts God more than his eyes and more than his brain. His eyes see dry bones. He knows there's no life there. How could there be? He knows that but he trusts that God knows better. Maybe there can be new life. Maybe there can't. That is up to God alone. God knows.

Things were looking bleak for Israel and for Judah. The land is barren. It's as dry as a bone. The people are defeated. They are scattered. Their way of life is no more. Their way of being is no more. They have as much of a chance of being restored as these bones do of coming back to life. They have no hope.

Only God can give them hope. Only God can restore them. And knowing that is a good way to be. Because God just so happens to be in the restoration business.

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How then can we survive?

Ezekiel 33:10-19 NASB

"Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, "Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?"’ "Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ "And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ "When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. "But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. "None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.
"Yet your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. "When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. "But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.


My thoughts -

In reading through the Old Testament there always seems to be a sharp distinction between the righteous and the wicked. Everything is black and white, you are good or bad, a sinner or a saint.

And yet, a lot of our saints are sinners. David committed murder and adultery, Samson had a thing for sex and violence, even Abraham lied about his own wife to save his skin. None of us are fully good. But also, none of us are too far gone that we can't repent and turn to the Lord.

Verse 11 tells us that God does not desire to punish sin but to have sinners repent and return to him. God doesn't want to destroy. God doesn't want to condemn. God wants to redeem. God doesn't want to punish sinners. God wants us to stop sinning.

When we repent, when we turn away from our sins and toward God then our transgressions are forgotten. Look at verses 14 through 16 again:

"But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. "None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.

So what does repentance look like here? It is not just saying "sorry". It is turning from sin and towards righteousness. It is doing what is right. It is making amends for what was wrong. It is not enough to say you are sorry. Fix it. Stop sinning and do what is right.

But we have Jesus. Doesn't that mean that our sins are forgiven no matter what? Lets look at what Paul has to say about that:

Romans 6:1-11 NASB

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So what do we do? How are we saved? The passage from Ezekiel says that if we are righteous and then sin our righteousness won't save us. Yet if we sin and then repent we are no longer in death in our sins but live in righteousness. We believe that Jesus died for our sins to set us free but Paul says that means that we have died to sin. We are now alive in Christ. We are to live in God's will through Christ.

We are dead to sin. Rather than having death as the penalty for sin we have died with Christ to sin. We no longer are held prisoner to our selfish, sinful nature. We have been set free to live in righteousness through Christ.

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Excellent quote on salvation

This is from David Platt's Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream:

We realize that we are saved not just to be forgiven of our sins or to be assured of our eternity in heaven, but we are saved to know God. So we yearn for him. We want him so much that we abandon everything else to experience him. This is the only proper response to the gospel.

This is why men and women around the world risk their lives to know more about him. This is why we must avoid cheap caricatures of Christianity that fail to exalt the revelation of God in his Word. This is why you and I cannot settle for anything less than a God-centered, Christ-exalting, self-denying gospel.

My Lord and my God!

John 20:24-29 TNIV

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus ), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”


My thoughts -

Maybe it's just that we share a name. Maybe it's that we both, though we're men of faith, wrestle with doubt and often demand evidence from God. Maybe it's that I'm a twin and Didymus means the twin. Whatever the reason I've always identified with Thomas.

How thankful am I that Jesus showed Thomas, and this Thomas (though I prefer "Tom"), all that he needed to see to believe and to proclaim, "My Lord and my God!"

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He is Risen!

Matthew 28:1-10 TNIV

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”


My thoughts -

Forget eggs. Forget candy. Forget the baskets with gifts and treats that are here today and gone tomorrow. Let us fall down at the feet of Jesus, our risen Lord, and worship. Shout it from the rooftop. Shout it from the mountaintop. Shout it in the streets. He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

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Love, lust, betrayal, rage, and reconciliation

Ezekiel 16:1-63 TNIV

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

“ ‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.

“ ‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

“ ‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.

“ ‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty. You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense before them. Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.

“ ‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood.

“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square. At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by. You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity. So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct. You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.

“ ‘I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

“ ‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

“ ‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see all your nakedness. I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you naked and bare. They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.

“ ‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?

“ ‘Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom. You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.

“ ‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done. Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

“ ‘However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before. You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.

“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord. ’ ”


My thoughts -

This is a very long passage but I couldn't really break it down into smaller chunks and there wasn't anything here that I wanted to leave out. The language here is just striking. Here we get God's point of view in the relationship. Here we see the people's betrayal from God's perspective and it is some of the most beautiful, striking, and vivid language. Some of it almost makes me uncomfortable and I am no prude.

God chose Israel. God took a helpless people and gave them life. God loved them. And God was betrayed. Look at the depth of betrayal found here. This is no one time incident but a lifetime of repeated, brazen infidelity. God's anger at that betrayal is intense. This relationship seems beyond saving. And yet at the end of this passage we have an appeal to the relationship. It will endure. The two parties will be reconciled.

Now, while the language here is sexual, was Israel and Judah's betrayal sexual? Were they having sex with other gods and other nations? That seems a bit weird, doesn't it?

In that worship is intimate, and they worshipped other gods the sexual language seems rather appropriate. That is the infidelity. That they gave their affections to another. They failed to hold up their end of the covenant.

We also have the sin of Sodom explained clearly here ("Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.") It is assumed in our culture that the sin of Sodom was sexual. And that it manifested in a sexual act lends support to that. But we can't leave it there any more than we can take the sexual language found here for the people's betrayal to mean that they were all having sex with other countries and other gods. Sodom's sin was arrogance, trusting in it's own power, and abuse of that power. They did not care for the travelers and instead took those who were the most vulnerable and tried to bully and abuse them in the most humiliating way imaginable.

Israel and Judah, God says here, are so proud they wouldn't even mention Sodom, and yet their sin is worse. They have broken the covenant. They have worshipped other gods. They have not cared for the poor and needy. They have sacrificed their own children to idols. They have been brazen in their betrayal. And now they must suffer the consequences. The relationship is strained. More than that, really. It is broken. There is no hope to save it, or no reasonable one.

And yet God will make atonement for what they have done. God will fix the relationship. God will restore them. God will make it right. The party that has been betrayed is the one that will fix it.

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Eat this scroll

Ezekiel 2:8-3:11 TNIV

But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the house of Israel— not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house.”

And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”


My thoughts -

Do we consume the words of God? Do we eat them up? Do they taste sweet like honey to us?

A couple of other things: Ezekiel was being sent, with this word, to a people with whom it should have been a common text. He was given the word of God for the people of God. This was not a message for their captors, this was a message for the people of Israel.

We like to use God's word as a weapon against non-believers. In this instance the word is for believers, or at least for those who should be believers, God's chosen people. Ezekiel has consumed the word. He has taken it on as a part of himself. He is that intimately familiar with it. And he has an obligation to obey it, even to absurd lengths (see later in Ezekiel - the Lord asks him to do some rather interesting things).

After Ezekiel has consumed the word and obeyed God then it can be used to reprimand and to exhort God's people to return to God and to follow the ways of the Lord. And Ezekiel is obligated to speak God's word whether the people listen or not.

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Rock bottom

Lamentations 2:1-22 TNIV

How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion

with the cloud of his anger !

He has hurled down the splendor of Israel

from heaven to earth;

he has not remembered his footstool

in the day of his anger.

Without pity the Lord has swallowed up

all the dwellings of Jacob;

in his wrath he has torn down

the strongholds of Daughter Judah.

He has brought her kingdom and its princes

down to the ground in dishonor.

In fierce anger he has cut off

every horn of Israel.

He has withdrawn his right hand

at the approach of the enemy.

He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire

that consumes everything around it.

Like an enemy he has strung his bow;

his right hand is ready.

Like a foe he has slain

all who were pleasing to the eye;

he has poured out his wrath like fire

on the tent of Daughter Zion.

The Lord is like an enemy;

he has swallowed up Israel.

He has swallowed up all her palaces

and destroyed her strongholds.

He has multiplied mourning and lamentation

for Daughter Judah.

He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden;

he has destroyed his place of meeting.

The Lord has made Zion forget

her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths;

in his fierce anger he has spurned

both king and priest.

The Lord has rejected his altar

and abandoned his sanctuary.

He has given the walls of her palaces

into the hands of the enemy;

they have raised a shout in the house of the Lord

as on the day of an appointed festival.

The Lord determined to tear down

the wall around Daughter Zion.

He stretched out a measuring line

and did not withhold his hand from destroying.

He made ramparts and walls lament;

together they wasted away.

Her gates have sunk into the ground;

their bars he has broken and destroyed.

Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations,

the law is no more,

and her prophets no longer find

visions from the Lord.

The elders of Daughter Zion

sit on the ground in silence;

they have sprinkled dust on their heads

and put on sackcloth.

The young women of Jerusalem

have bowed their heads to the ground.

My eyes fail from weeping,

I am in torment within;

my heart is poured out on the ground

because my people are destroyed,

because children and infants faint

in the streets of the city.

They say to their mothers,

“Where is bread and wine?”

as they faint like the wounded

in the streets of the city,

as their lives ebb away

in their mothers’ arms.

What can I say for you?

With what can I compare you,

Daughter Jerusalem?

To what can I liken you,

that I may comfort you,

Virgin Daughter Zion?

Your wound is as deep as the sea.

Who can heal you?

The visions of your prophets

were false and worthless;

they did not expose your sin

to ward off your captivity.

The prophecies they gave you

were false and misleading.

All who pass your way

clap their hands at you;

they scoff and shake their heads

at Daughter Jerusalem:

“Is this the city that was called

the perfection of beauty,

the joy of the whole earth?”

All your enemies open their mouths

wide against you;

they scoff and gnash their teeth

and say, “We have swallowed her up.

This is the day we have waited for;

we have lived to see it.”

The Lord has done what he planned;

he has fulfilled his word,

which he decreed long ago.

He has overthrown you without pity,

he has let the enemy gloat over you,

he has exalted the horn of your foes.

The hearts of the people

cry out to the Lord.

You walls of Daughter Zion,

let your tears flow like a river

day and night;

give yourself no relief,

your eyes no rest.

Arise, cry out in the night,

as the watches of the night begin;

pour out your heart like water

in the presence of the Lord.

Lift up your hands to him

for the lives of your children,

who faint from hunger

at every street corner.

“Look, Lord, and consider:

Whom have you ever treated like this?

Should women eat their offspring,

the children they have cared for?

Should priest and prophet be killed

in the sanctuary of the Lord?

“Young and old lie together

in the dust of the streets;

my young men and young women

have fallen by the sword.

You have slain them in the day of your anger;

you have slaughtered them without pity.

“As you summon to a feast day,

so you summoned against me terrors on every side.

In the day of the Lord ’s anger

no one escaped or survived;

those I cared for and reared

my enemy has destroyed.”


My thoughts -

So this is rock bottom. Jerusalem has fallen. Babylon has conquered. The people have been captured and only a small remnant remains. Things are looking bleak.

The Bible is a love story between God and God's people, and here God is playing the role of a scorned lover. Rather than being the people's strength and salvation we find that God is "like an enemy". The relationship has broken down. The people have betrayed God. They have been unfaithful. They have worshipped other Gods. They have not upheld the law. They have shown no concern for righteousness or justice. And they have fallen.

Things are so bleak we have a description of such desperation that mothers, starving, may resort to eating their young. Surely it can't get any worse than this. Surely this is rock bottom. Surely they have fallen enough.

They are conquered. They are defeated. They are literally starving to death. Their king has watched his sons be put to death and then had his eyes gauged out. He will never know freedom. The last sight he saw was horrific and he will die alone in a cell. Those who remain have inherited a land that has been stripped of everything of value. They are poor. They are desperate. They are starving to death. And their God who could have been their shelter, who could have been their protector, who could have been their salvation, has become like an enemy to them.

Surely it can't get any worse than this. Surely this is rock bottom. Surely they have suffered enough and can turn back to God now.

Have you ever watched a loved one hit rock bottom? It breaks your heart. You want to try to help but it seems that there is nothing that can be done. You want to reach down and pull them back up but they are oblivious, they just keep digging. When reading this I can't help but fast forward a bit.

God has seen humanity at its worst. God has seen us at our most depraved. God has seen the suffering that we cause for each other. God has seen our abuses. God has seen our wretchedness. God has seen us suffer. God knows us at our worst. We are an awful, pitiful mess.

God saw Jerusalem hit rock bottom and God has seen all of humanity hit rock bottom. God's heart, even as God in this passage is playing the role of the scorned lover who has been betrayed by an unfaithful people, has to have broken. You can not watch a loved one suffer like this, even if the suffering is self inflicted, without your heart breaking.

God saw us at our worst and sent Jesus to redeem us. God saw us broken and sent Jesus to restore us. God saw us lost and sent Jesus to guide us back. We hit rock bottom and God sent Jesus to tell us to stop digging, grab his hand, and be lifted back up.

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Worship with joy our God who restores

Jeremiah 33:1-11 TNIV

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians : ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.

“ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,

for the Lord is good;

his love endures forever.”

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.


My thoughts -

In yesterday's post we saw how, despite the hopeless situation Israel and Judah were in, the Lord was their hope, even to the point of telling Jeremiah to buy a field. Here we see the same hopelessness. We see the gore, death, and despair the Babylonians are bringing with them. Desolation, destruction, and death are about to become very unwelcome guests. For all intents and purposes their world is ending. Life as they know it will be no more. This is essentially their nuclear winter.

And yet God assures them they will be restored. Even in this bleakness the Lord says they will sing and shout for joy and praise God in the streets. Things look as bad as they've ever been and yet this too will pass. God will restore them. And when restored they will worship and sing praises and shout for joy to the Lord.

This is the way God works with us, as well. No matter how bad things get we can always be restored to God. No matter how far we fall (remember this is a people who had fallen so far they were offering their own children as burnt offerings to Baal) we can always come back, we can always be restored. And when restored we can sing praises, shout for joy, and tell of the wonderful deeds of the Lord our God who is our Redeemer, our Deliverer, and our Savior.

We may fall but we can always come back. Our God is mighty to save, and if we come back our God will restore us. Let us sing for joy songs of praise to our God who restores this morning.

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An odd investment

Jeremiah 32:1-44 TNIV

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.

Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ”

Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

“In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’

“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all; you reward everyone according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all nations, and have gained the renown that is still yours. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.

“See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ”

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.

“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord. From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

“You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

“This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”


My thoughts -

The people have fallen. God delivered them, gave them a wonderful place to live and some rules to live by and the people couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. There has been drought. There has been famine. Many are now in exile. More are fleeing. Invading armies are coming. Hope is gone. Destruction is near. And God has told Jeremiah to buy a field. Wait, what?

Why on earth would Jeremiah want to buy a field in a land that is being destroyed? What part of "destroyed" do we not understand? Laid to waste. Barren. Hopeless. Great place to invest in? No, I don't think so. The people are fleeing. The land is barren. Invaders are attacking. There is no hope.

And yet there is hope. Though they have fallen the Lord their God will save them. Though the have failed the Lord their God will not fail them. They will suffer for a time but they will be redeemed. They will be punished but that punishment will not last forever. God had told Jeremiah to buy a field because, when the dust settles and all is clear, people will once again go about the business of living and buying and selling and working the land.

Though things may look hopeless now God is their hope. Though things look lifeless now God will bring new life. Though things look lost now God will restore them. There is nothing that God cannot redeem.

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Do what is just and right

Jeremiah 22:1-19 TNIV

This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: ‘Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hands of their oppressors those who have been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”

For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gilead to me,

like the summit of Lebanon,

I will surely make you like a wasteland,

like towns not inhabited.

I will send destroyers against you,

each man with his weapons,

and they will cut up your fine cedar beams

and throw them into the fire.

“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’ And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’ ”

Do not weep for the dead  king  or mourn his loss;

rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,

because he will never return

nor see his native land again.

For this is what the Lord says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,

his upper rooms by injustice,

making his subjects work for nothing,

not paying them for their labor.

He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace

with spacious upper rooms.’

So he makes large windows in it,

panels it with cedar

and decorates it in red.

“Does it make you a king

to have more and more cedar?

Did not your father have food and drink?

He did what was right and just,

so all went well with him.

He defended the cause of the poor and needy,

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know me?”

declares the Lord.

“But your eyes and your heart

are set only on dishonest gain,

on shedding innocent blood

and on oppression and extortion.”

Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn for him:

‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’

They will not mourn for him:

‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

He will have the burial of a donkey—

dragged away and thrown

outside the gates of Jerusalem.”


My thoughts -

Jeremiah has spoken God's word to power in Israel. He has told them what God desires of them and has been cursed, spit on, and beaten for his trouble. His message was not good news to those who did not desire to do God's will. His message was one of drought, famine, siege, and desperation to the point of cannibalism. Outside of God's will, removed from God's favor and protection, Israel could not stand. They didn't care for the message so they punished the messenger.

Jeremiah is now speaking God's word to power in Judah. And what does God have to say to the powerful in Judah?

Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hands of their oppressors those who have been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.

Do what is right. Care for the poor, the weak, the oppressed and the powerless. Do good, not evil. Use your power for the benefit of those who have no power. If you do this you will be rewarded. If you don't you will be punished.

It's laid out in a pretty clear manner. But just so there's no confusion Jeremiah lets them know what doing it wrong looks like.

Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,

his upper rooms by injustice,

making his subjects work for nothing,

not paying them for their labor.

He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace

with spacious upper rooms.’

So he makes large windows in it,

panels it with cedar

and decorates it in red.

“Does it make you a king

to have more and more cedar?

Did not your father have food and drink?

He did what was right and just,

so all went well with him.

He defended the cause of the poor and needy,

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know me?”

declares the Lord.

“But your eyes and your heart

are set only on dishonest gain,

on shedding innocent blood

and on oppression and extortion.

Is the measure of a king's greatness found in a magnificent palace and all kinds of worldly, material things, or is it found in the well being of the people? Is a king's greatness found in his personal wealth or in his ability to care for the needs of the poor, the weak, the needy, and the oppressed?

Jeremiah is telling Shallum that he's doing it wrong. He has been enriching himself at the expense of his people. He has built a kingdom on injustice and oppression. His father, Josiah, cared for the needs of the poor and needy and yet had plenty. Shallum has had no such concerns and, though he has made himself wealthy he will die and no one will mourn him.

God desires us to use what we have to the benefit of those who do not have. Power is to be used to shield and protect the powerless. Wealth is to be used to provide for the needs of those who are poor. What we have is from God and for God's purpose. Failure to use it in this manner is to live outside of God's will. And that is no place to be.

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Convicting words on the cost of nondiscipleship

Here are some convicting words I just read from a book called: Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt. We pick up just after he has argued that while the cost of discipleship may seem high (leaving family and friends, forsaking former life, selling all worldly possessions and giving all to the poor, etc.) the cost of nondiscipleship is even higher.

The price of our nondiscipleship is high for those without Christ. It is high also for the poor of this world.

Consider the cost when Christians ignore Jesus' commands to sell their possessions and give to the poor and instead choose to spend their resources on better comforts, larger homes, nicer cars, and more stuff. Consider the cost when these Christians gather in churches and choose to spend millions of dollars on nice buildings to drive up to, cushioned chairs to sit in, and endless programs to enjoy for themselves. Consider the cost for the starving multitudes who sit outside the gate of contemporary Christian affluence.

Hope even in hopelessness

Jeremiah 17:5-11 TNIV

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed are those who trust in mortals,

who depend on flesh for their strength

and whose hearts turn away from the Lord.

They will be like a bush in the wastelands;

they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

“I the Lord search the heart

and examine the mind,

to reward everyone according to their conduct,

according to what their deeds deserve.”

Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay

are those who gain riches by unjust means.

When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,

and in the end they will prove to be fools.


My thoughts -

The Lord is angry. God's people have worshipped other gods. They have made idols and sacrificed to them. They have bowed down and worshipped gods they made with their own hands. They have forgotten God's law. They have not cared for the poor. They have not observed the Sabbath. They have just done whatever they please. And God is not pleased.

God has sent a drought and the people are suffering. And the people's suffering is about to get worse. They no longer have God's favor. They didn't fulfill their end of the covenant so God no longer favors them. They no longer have God's protection. They didn't fulfill their end of the covenant so God is no longer protecting them. They no longer have God's love. They have forsaken God so they have been forsaken.

In this passage God curses those who trust in their own strength, those who have used their own strength to unjustly enrich themselves. Those riches are gone. The desert awaits. God has judged them, has seen their hearts, has seen their injustice, their wealth acquired "like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay", and they don't get to keep it. They are deserted. Abandoned. Forsaken. They have turned from God so God has turned from them.

To those who have trusted in their own strength, that strength has failed them. Their economy has crashed. They are under siege. This is a hopeless situation. All is lost. But it doesn't have to be this way. God offers hope to those who trust in the Lord. Look at the words of encouragement the Lord has for them:

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

However bad things may appear, God is still in control. The world may seem like it is turning upside down. Everything that we have relied on and held dear may abandon us. Our own strength may fail us. Everything in the world may be set against us, but God is still in control. This is good news for those who trust in the Lord. Those who trust in the Lord have hope even in the midst of hopelessness.

For those who trust in themselves and their own strength, however, it may not be so comforting.

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Reform your ways

Jeremiah 7:1-11 TNIV

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand at the gate of the Lord ’s house and there proclaim this message:

“ ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

“ ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.


My thoughts -

Can we worship God and not be transformed? Can we worship God yet be unwilling to do God's will? Can we worship God and also worship the things of this world that distract us from God's purpose? Can we worship God and also worship what is worthless? Can our worship be divided?

Can we worship God on Sunday morning and then go about doing whatever pleases us the other six days a week? Can we do that and feel safe? Is that what God desires from us? Is that our "get out of hell free card"? Is there no cost to discipleship? Is there no compulsion to care for the needs of the poor, the weak, and the oppressed inherent in worshipping a God that desires that from us?

What happens when we worship? What happens when we gather and sing and pray and tell of all that God does? Do we just say words? Do we just sing songs? Is our faith in any way relevant in a world that so desperately needs God? Do we have anything to offer? Does God have anything to offer through us? Are we doing anything worth doing? Are we only doing what pleases us?

What separates us from the rest of our culture? What differentiates us from anyone else? What do our actions say about our beliefs? What are we doing?

Are we serving God or just saying words? Are doing God's will or just singing songs? Are we worshipping or just paying lip service?

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Only in pretense

Jeremiah 3:1-11 TNIV

“If a man divorces his wife

and she leaves him and marries another man,

should he return to her again?

Would not the land be completely defiled?

But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—

would you now return to me?”

declares the Lord.

“Look up to the barren heights and see.

Is there any place where you have not been ravished?

By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers,

sat like a nomad in the desert.

You have defiled the land

with your prostitution and wickedness.

Therefore the showers have been withheld,

and no spring rains have fallen.

Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute;

you refuse to blush with shame.

Have you not just called to me:

‘My Father, my friend from my youth,

will you always be angry?

Will your wrath continue forever?’

This is how you talk,

but you do all the evil you can.”

During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord.

The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah.


My thoughts -

Here we have the relationship between God and God's people described as a marriage. Unfortunately this particular marriage does not appear to be doing well. One party has been unfaithful.

I'm not sure how I feel about the language here of worship as sex. It makes sense but our culture views sex as something taboo. Sure, people have sex, but that's their business. We don't want to talk about it. If we do talk about it we will do so salaciously but in hushed tones and with implied judgement. Sex sells but is scandalous.

Sex, though, binds two parties together. Two become one flesh. They are joined. They form a union. In worship we bind ourselves together with God. We merge. We share, or try to at least, one will.

When Israel and Judah bound themselves to other gods they broke their bond with the Lord. They created distance. They no longer shared God's will. They no longer acted in union with God.

Judah was the kingdom that came from the house of David. Even after Israel fell and followed the ways of other nations and worshipped other gods Judah remained faithful. Well, for a while. But they, too, strayed. Their unfaithfulness though still had some of the trappings of faithfulness. They still paid lip service to God and to their former ways.

As far as Israel fell, as much as they betrayed their relationship with God (and they did betray - to the point of sacrificing their own children in burnt offerings to Baal, even) theirs was an "honest" betrayal, if there is such a thing. It lacked pretense. They fell, they fell hard, and they fell all the way. They hit rock bottom.

Here Jeremiah says that Judah's pretense is a greater offense than Israel's complete betrayal. Here Jeremiah argues that giving your heart to another while paying lip service to the former is a greater betrayal than just going all the way.

The question for us, then, is this: Is our worship lip service? Have we given our hearts to another but are still paying lip service to the Lord? Are we joined to God in a faithful union fully devoted and only doing God's will or is our attention divided? Are we distracted by the gods of this life? Are we distracted by worthless idols made with our own hands? Are we distracted by shiny junk?

Are we faithful or do we just go through the motions committing a greater betrayal than those who stopped even paying lip service quite some time ago?

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Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen?

Isaiah 58:1-12 TNIV

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

and to the house of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out;

they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

and seem eager for God to come near them.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,

‘and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves,

and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed

and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord ?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe them,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you,

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.


My thoughts -

I am not a fan of fasting. Any of you who know me should not find this hard to believe. It's not that I'm against the idea of fasting, merely the practice. And I'm only against the practice of fasting under a very narrow set of circumstances. Those being my involvement in the practice. I'm against me fasting. Passionately against it.

Yes, I've fasted. I fasted for ten days once. It was hard. Very, very hard. It required more discipline than I like to have. It required more prayer than I like to pray. It was an intense experience. There's a reason it's a spiritual discipline and there's a reason a lot of us don't practice this discipline. It requires you to rely on God in an a much more radical way than we usually have to. It's uncomfortable. But it is also rewarding. My fasting experience was a transformative one and I really ought to do it again and do it more often. But again, I hate being uncomfortable and having to rely on God in such a radical way. But that's my issue.

Here we have another issue described related to fasting. A few days ago we asked what good prayer and offerings are without a desire to do God's will. Today we are faced with an even more intimidating (surely I'm not the only one intimidated by fasting!) spiritual discipline being completely worthless if it is not accompanied by a desire to do God's will.

If you say the right words, if you play the part, if you follow the law to the letter and appear to be devout, and yet are unwilling to do God's will, you are just going through the motions. What good is spiritual discipline if you don't have concern for the poor? The irony with fasting in this case is that people would deny themselves food while continuing to deny food to the hungry.

What good is all of the religious devotion a human can muster toward the Almighty if it does nothing to address abuse and oppression? What good is fasting if those that practice it continue to participate in a cycle of abuse and oppression? Are you any closer to God if you deny food to your body but continue to deny yourself to God? Even the most intensely religious action is worthless, less than that, really, if it does not compel one to do God's will to care for the least, the lost, the broken, the poor, the hungry, the powerless, and the oppressed.

Fasting is good. Fasting is necessary, even. We need to learn to rely on God. I need to practice regular fasting. My own experience with fasting convinced me as much. But even fasting, if you are unwilling to be transformed and unwilling to give yourself to God and to do God's will in this world, is worthless.

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Preparing for worship with Isaiah 42

Isaiah 42:10-17 TNIV

Sing to the Lord a new song,

his praise from the ends of the earth,

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

you islands, and all who live in them.

Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;

let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.

Let the people of Sela sing for joy;

let them shout from the mountaintops.

Let them give glory to the Lord

and proclaim his praise in the islands.

The Lord will march out like a champion,

like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;

with a shout he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.

“For a long time I have kept silent,

I have been quiet and held myself back.

But now, like a woman in childbirth,

I cry out, I gasp and pant.

I will lay waste the mountains and hills

and dry up all their vegetation;

I will turn rivers into islands

and dry up the pools.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

But those who trust in idols,

who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’

will be turned back in utter shame.


My thoughts -

This passage seems a little like the one the other day in that here we have a call to give God praise in destruction. Sing praises. Sing a new song. Rejoice as God lays waste to mountains and vegetation. Celebrate as God brings about destruction.

Honestly this sort of thing makes me uncomfortable. God's love I can handle. God's call for goodness, righteousness, and justice I admire and desire to participate in. But God's awesome power. That makes me a bit nervous. Awesome is a word we throw around a lot but the power and might of our God is truly, breathtakingly, awe inspiring. And downright terrifying.

So I'm not comfortable with this praise in laying waste thing. I like my warm fuzzies. I want to feel good. But what is really going on here? Did I just distract myself with the part of the passage that made me uncomfortable? What is this awesome, powerful God that we worship doing with that awesome power?

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,

along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

I will not forsake them.

So, God is destroying God's enemies, bringing about destruction so vast and incomprehensible that mountains will be laid to waste. I don't even know what that means but it sounds horrifically gruesome. And yet, in the same breath God is leading the blind, guiding them gently along what could otherwise be treacherous paths. God is making smooth terrain for them to travel. God is protecting them. God is shepherding them, keeping them safe and ensuring that no harm will come to them.

This powerful God that is bringing about destruction is the same gentle living hand guiding the weak and the vulnerable. To the powerful, their power is nothing compared to the one that created everything. But this power is used for the aid, comfort, guidance and protection of the weak.

To those who are enamoured with their own power. To those who worship the labor of their own hands. To those who create gods for themselves out of the fleeting, useless things of this life the power of God, the Lord Almighty, is a destructive force. This God breaks down and tears apart the powers of this temporary fleeting life. This God destroys that which distracts us from eternity, that which keeps us from living our true lives.

But to those who are weak this powerful God is their strength. To those who are vulnerable this powerful God is their shelter and their protection. To those who know they need to rely of God this power is not destructive but comforting.

This loving, guiding, comforting, caring, tender, gentle powerful God is more than worthy of our praise. Let us sing joyfully God's praises. For this God is our shelter, our shield, our protection, our guide, and our peace.

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Adventure Time

My princess and I took advantage of some beautiful weather and went on a little adventure. I wish we could do this more often.

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The hungry they leave empty

Isaiah 32:1-8 TNIV

See, a king will reign in righteousness

and rulers will rule with justice.

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind

and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in the desert

and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,

and the ears of those who hear will listen.

The fearful heart will know and understand,

and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

No longer will the fool be called noble

nor the scoundrel be highly respected.

For fools speak folly,

their hearts are bent on evil:

They practice ungodliness

and spread error concerning the Lord ;

the hungry they leave empty

and from the thirsty they withhold water.

Scoundrels use wicked methods,

they make up evil schemes

to destroy the poor with lies,

even when the plea of the needy is just.

But the noble make noble plans,

and by noble deeds they stand.


My thoughts -

What does God desire from us? What does God desire from our leaders? I think these are important questions. Individually and collectively we see time and time again that living outside of God's will leads to destruction. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, weaves a narrative of God and God's people. It's a passionate, if dysfunctional romance. An on again and off again relationship. It runs hot and cold. The people embrace and reject God. They are rebuilt and they are destroyed and they are restored again.

Individually you see this hot and cold with God and with people. A lot of us have stories of coming to Jesus and being "on fire" for God and then cooling off. We get caught up in worldly thinking. We get tied up in the things of this life. We forget our first love. We no longer seek God's will.

But that gets me back to that initial question. What is God's will? What does God want from God's people and what does God want from our leaders?

In the Bible you see this on again off again relationship between God and God's people play out pretty much the same way all of the time. When things are "hot", when they're "on", when the people are right with God there are two things that always seem to happen.

First, they worship God and only God. They don't worship idols. They don't worship what they produce themselves. They don't get enamoured with their fleeting human stuff, the things of this world that don't last.

And second, they have righteous leaders that care about justice. They have leaders that understand that, ultimately, power like everything else is God's. These righteous, godly leaders then use what power God has allowed them to have not for personal enrichment at the expense of justice, but they use it to pursue justice. They use their power to ensure that the interests of those without power are not trampled on.

In this passage we see the righteous and the scoundrels compared and contrasted. What does the righteous ruler do? The righteous rule with justice. The righteous are a shelter. The righteous our protection for the weak and for the needy.

And the scoundrel? The scoundrel destroys the poor with lies. They spread lies about the Lord. They distort. They abuse. They leave the hungry unfed. They give the thirsty nothing to drink. They're in it only for themselves. They abuse the weak and the oppressed. They're nothing more than self enriching opportunists. In short, they are evil.

Now, what kind of leaders do we have? What kind of people are we? Are we doing God's will? Are we a righteous people who care for the needs of the weak, the poor, the helpless, the oppressed, the hungry, the thirsty, the lost and the broken?

Or are we a people who are distracted by the idols in our lives that we have made with our own hands? Have we been taken in by the fleeting things in this life and by the lies of scoundrels?

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Finding God in economics and politics

I can see God in socialism. Now, don't get mad about that. Hear me out before you label me some crazy pinko. I can see a lot of grace in socialism, or the ideal of socialism. After all, what is grace if not inherently socialistic? In grace we are all made equal regardless of who we are or what we have done. What is grace if not socialistic? In grace there is no inequity. In grace we are rewarded not based on who we are or what we have done but instead we are rewarded based on God's love for us, for all of us. In grace we are all equal and loved equally based on our inherent worth to God as God's children. This does seem a bit socialistic, doesn't it?

But I can also see God in capitalism. After all, God is a Liberator. In grace Christ sets us free. Capitalism ideally guarantees freedom to pursue economic interest without interference from an oppressive regime. God is nothing if not for freedom and against oppression. Sure, we should be concerned for others. Sure, we should be concerned for the poor. And in fact, in Christ we have been set free in order to do that. Grace frees us from the mandate of the law and binds us in freedom and love. We are free to love our neighbors and care for the needs of those less fortunate without any oppressive force dictating what we must do and how.

Where I do not see God is in plutocracy. A government of the rich and powerful, by the rich and powerful, and for the rich and powerful is antithetical to righteousness, justice, and freedom. A government where money and power buys influence and preferential treatment is as far removed from God as anything imaginable.

The Right fears that we will lose our freedom if we have a more socialistic safety net to provide for the needs of the poor and the powerless. The Left fears that we will lose concern for the poor and for righteousness and justice if we do not have a system in place that ensures some measure of equality. While both sides fight each other over these concerns we have become a plutocracy.

And God is nowhere to be found there.