Kristin's Bible Study Notes

Zexhariahs Futuristic Prophecies

2009-10-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, this was a lot to read today. A lot to take in. Le t me see if I can recap this correctly. He begins by telling us about Gods defense of Jerusalem and destroying of other nations that cities people are called to rejoice. He talks about how the Messiah will come riding a donkey into the city. The Zechariah predicts Judah's rejection of the promised Messiah. He then describes Israel rejection of Gods Good shepherd and how they see Him as only worth 30 pieces of silver, slave value. With the Messiah rejected, go dallows His people to become victim to worthless shepherds who will feel on them instead of protecting them. Basically, by rejecting Jesus we reject salvation.

God will deliver His people from the attacking nations and in the future they will have a spiritual conversion. They will be delivered from sin. When the city of Jerusalem is under attack God will appear with a 'host of angles" and a great earthquake will split the Mount of Olives. Then the Lord will establish the kingdom of the messiah over the entire earth. We know that Jesus will rule over the entire world in the future. those of us who have faith believe this, but the question still lie int he fact that he needs to rule over our hearts, minds and souls TODAY!

2009-10-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

psalm 126: this psalm is a prayer for captives and a testimony to conviction that God will bring His people home rejoicing.

Psalm 128 is a prayer for the material blessings God promised to those generations of His people who were obedient.

Psalm 129 picks up another aspect of God's covenant promises tot he godly and calls on Him to take revenge on foreign persecutors

Psalm 132 is a prayer to be used in public worship. It recalls the joy that marked the day David brought the ark to Jerusalem and celebrates not only Gods presence, but His promise that the Messiah will come form Davids line.

psalm 147: God who heals the brokenhearted sustains the universe itself by his power. God, who supplies the living on earth, takes delight in those who fear him and grants them peace. God, who controls all by His word, has blessed Israel with His commands and decrees. praise the Lord.

Psalm 149: the psalmist summons God's people to praise him wholeheartedly for the blessings of salvation and for His justice.

2009-09-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Psalm 107: The psalmist calls the redeemed to praise God. In a series of vivid images he contrasts the lost state with the release that redemption brings. exercising His power over nature, God will remake our barren earth and revitalize our barren lives.

Psalm 116: the psalmist announces his intent to praise God and report his rescue from a life threatening situation. In repayment for God's goodness to him, the psalmist vows to praise God for His compassionate concern for the life and death of His saints.

Psalm 118: The psalm is sung as a joyful people join in the procession at festival time. God is praised for His enduring love and His help in triumphing over Israels enemies is recounted. these victories foreshadow the messianic triumph to come at history's end

Psalms of a Nation Restored

2009-09-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Psalm 78: Asaph's psalm fulfills each generations obligation to share its knowledge of God with the next. Because one generation forgot God they violated His covenant and suffered defeat. So Asaph catalogs the wonderful things God has done in revealing Himself to Israel. He hurled plagues against Egypt. He discipled and fed the wilderness generation. He punished and forgave. Yet Israel rebelled and turned to idolatry. Later, God beat back His peoples enemies and chose David to shepherd His people. How great the sin of man and how much greater the grace of God.

The meaning of Restoration

2009-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

Should the people continue to fast on the dates that were set aside many years earlier during the exile to commemorate the destruction of Solomon's temple? That is the question at hand. However, God was never really interested in the rituals before the fall He was more interested in the heart of the people. Were the people sorry about the sins they had done or sorry for the disaster. the issue was and still is today, of whether their and our faith is real. Our motive counts more then the actions we do. We are to be today what we will be when Jesus comes. Don't ever forget that. With all that said, the people continue the work on the rebuilding of the temple. When it is done, they celebrate with great joy.

God Appears

2009-09-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

Now that all this talk is over...God appears. He poses two series of questions to Job. Who is big enough to have the knowledge of the universe. If he then questions the Lord command of the universe then is he greater? Man has a limited authority over evil and nature and they must not try in any way to be greater in knowledge then God. God unfortunately does not explain why Job is suffering. But God never tells Job he is a sinner or even rebukes Job. The strength that we must find in difficult situations does not come from the knowledge of why these things are happening to us but from the knowledge that God loves us and we are ultimately in His hands.

Job responds to God in humility. He realizes how small he really is compared to God and says that he despises himself and will no longer challenge God. God then rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. He is not rebuking them because they were telling the truth, but only for the prayers from thier friend Job.

The end result is years into the future and shows us that Job was divinely blessed. He becomes twice as wealthy, his friends are with him, his family is restored by having 10 more children and he lived so long that he saw his great, great, great, great grandchildren! See if we just stay faithful it will come. But, ultimately it may not come in our lifetime. We may have to wait until the everlasting life we will get in heaven!

Elihu Now Speaks to Job and His Friends

2009-09-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Elihu has waited all this time until these older men have spoken and he can see they are done speaking for he is much younger. Elihu quotes many of the things job has said during this course of conversation, but the one thing he never odes is accuse job of sin. As a matter of fact he does the opposite. He actually sees that God may use suffering to redeem us. he says that pain could be used to help man to redirect his heart to God. In Jobs case he has proved to stay stead fast to God even in his pain. He tells Job that the attacks from his friends have failed and that he does not need to torment himself with fears and thoughts that the God he trusts is unjust. He the lifts up God high and exalts his majesty. There will always be questions of why or how to God, but as I have said before. If we stay steadfast and committed to God our trust in Him will be on solid ground.

Bildad has More to Say

2009-09-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Bildad thinks that God has established order in this world and universe. But as he shines brighter then any created thing in this world and that man in comparison is a "worm". So when Job professes to be pure it is meaningless.

Job strikes back and tell him that we can not squeeze God into our little minds and ideas of what and who He is. He is everything and all things. But he does reaffirm the one thing that the Friends have been saying. that God does eventually punish the wicked. Especially those who bear false witness and accusations. this chapter concludes with the thought that if we had a god that was just as wise as we are, where would be be?

Eliphaz has More to Say

2009-09-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Eliphaz ask how can any mans meaningless life benefit God? What does this imply. That God does not have this relationship with us. he is just out there to be the strong arm of the law. He stresses to Job to repent so that all this will stop and Job can basically get an "Get out of jail" card and use it. job moans and complains that if he could only talk to god and ask what is going on. All four men believe that if Job is really righteous then God is acting out of character of what they believe. The questions at hand for these men and throughout all time are things like...
Why and how can the wicked keep getting richer and poor pooer?
Why does God permit the wicked any rest?
Why is there poverty and oppression?
Once again, God has a mystery about Him and what He does, but we must remain steadfast and firm in our convictions.

Bildad and Zophar Speak

2009-09-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

Bildad who is the one out of the three who is somewhat sensitive to Jobs feelings is now angry that Job does not like the advice that he is given. He then just basically hits Job over the head with a bunch of things that happen to the wicked. I think in hopes that Job will surrender and say that he is wicked.

Job cries out in this humiliation. But he remains steadfast in his commitment that he is innocent Now with this all his friends completely refuse to give him any pity. But Job remains to be faithful to God. He know that one day he will be vindicated by God and he will then understand what is going on. He then warns them that with all this false accusation running around they ought to be careful. Those type of sin do not go un-punished wither. I want to be more like Job the more I read. He has fixed hi sites on eternity and this brief life we have will pass by so quickly but the everlasting life will be there for us forever.

Now Zophar is disturbed by the fact that he believes that the wicked joy only lasts but a moment and their grief a lifetime. At this job confesses to having fear in his mind about his afflictions. And he mentions that sometimes God will store up punishment for the sons of man. In all of this thought the reality of what is happening to Job is challenging the belief system among him and his friends. God sometimes will not give us the answer we want to hear or even an answer. Our job is to just sit and listen and be faithful no matter what the circumstances are.

Eliphaz Speaks Again

2009-09-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Eliphaz now goes for Job again but this time you can tell he is ticked off. He asks Job a bunch of questions that are more snotty then anything else. He then gives this speech about how those who are only after wealth ignore God and are wicked. He basically is accusing Job of all of this. the problem is his opinion of God is one that has no love or compassion. He shows that God only deals out punishment. period!

Job strikes back telling Eliphaz that he is a miserable friend. That he himself is not corrupt, wicked and has not stuck at God, but just the opposite. God has struck himself and he does not know why. However, Job sounds like a broken man. he figures that God will not help him in his lifetime, so he will have to wait for vindication when he dies. Job does not expect God to explain to him what is going on and neither should we. When God makes a decision for our lives, we must hold on to that and not ask questions. Job was a man of integrity and I would hope that if I am faced with a situation just half of what he went through that i could hold on to my integrity!

Zophar: God's Wisdom Hidden

2009-09-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

Zophar, Jobs third friend now wants to say his peace on this subject. He lectures job about being pure in Gods sight. If they were in court and God could take the stand, he would tell him of all of Jobs sins. Another words, if God punishes, then there is sin. And Jobs punishment is great so there must be a huge sin that job is not telling anyone about. He tells him to repent, pray and everything will be OK. Job must heave just felt like yuck at this point. Not one friend has give him a tiny bit of comfort, just blame and sermons and lectures!

Job know all the things that his friends have told him. But it seems to Job that what his friends have done is smeared Jobs name jut to make themselves and God look good. job says if only he could face God in court he would be vindicated. then he asks God to please stop tormenting Him and give him a chance to defend himself. this brings home the one thing we have to remember. When we are hurting and in pain God is not against us, but right there walking on our side.

Bildad: God is Just

2009-09-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Now Job's 2nd friend, Bildad, joins in the blame game. He tells him that the death of his children was proof positive that they were sinners. OK, well, I agree they were sinners, but so is Bildad. so that is not an answer. He is basically saying...Job you sinned and this is all your fault!

Job agrees that God does not reject the blameless, but how can a mortal be righteous before God? He tells him that it is God who is tormenting him not his sin. He then turns to God and asks Him why? What is it that I have done? It would be better if I were never born!

God is just, but sometimes life is still unfair! We should never pretend to God that all is OK. Admit a sin, thank Him for what He does give and be real with God. After all, he does know your heart!

Eliphaz: Believe Your own teachings

2009-09-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

At this point Jobs friend, Eliphaz and him have a little bickering match. Eliphaz feels that Job is being over dramatic. He feels that the wicked people in life are destroyed not the upright and good. i think he has forgotten that all human beings sin. No matter who you are. He tells Job that he should talk to God and ask God to heal him.

However, Job is upset. He wants an ear to talk to. he is in pain and all he wants is his friends to support him and be there for him.. Instead he gets a lecture. Job is not asking for money or anything like that, just devotion. But all he gets is some advice that is so obviously not fitting for him in this situation.

We have to remember no matter what sin our friend is in, they need us to comfort them first before we start giving the lectures of well, the sin you are in is leading you to this point....

Job and the Problem of Suffering

2009-09-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Shall we accept the good from God and not trouble?

Here we see Job as this righteous man that loves and obeys God.. He has a huge family with tons of wealth to go with it. God calls of few of his angels and Satan comes along for the ride. God points out to Satan to look at how righteous he is. Satan provokes God and say that if he has all his riches taken away, then maybe he would denounce God. So God allows him to do so. Job still stays true to God. Then God once again calls his angels and Satan appears before Him. God once again calls attention to Job and how righteous he is. Satan again provokes God and says if this mans health were taken away, he would not praise You. God allows it. Job is now covered with sores, his wealth is gone, his children are dead and now he sits for 7 days with 3 of his friends in silence before he speaks. His words are still not sinful against God. We must take from this that even though we may fail to understand what God has in store for us or what His purpose is for us, we must stay faithful, because His love is constant and faithful to us.

Shadrach, Meshach & Abendnego

2009-09-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Nebuchadnezzar calls all of Babylons leaders to follow him in a dedication of a towering idol. Everyone bows down to worship the idol except for Daniel's 2 friends, Shadrach, Meshach, Abendnego. The king of course is enraged but he give the 3 men a second chance. Of course they do not comply. the king has them tied up and hurled into a blazing fire. He is stunned when he sees four men walking around in a fire, so he calls for them to come out. When the 3 men come out nothing on them is harmed or burned and there is no smell of fire. Nebuchadnezzar sees once again the power of God and makes a decree that no one is to say anything negative against the God of these 3 men. These 3 men served God faithfully not in hopes of gaining something but in hopes of giving something back to God. We should do the same.

Lament for Egypt

2009-09-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel fulfilled his commitment as the watchman. He did what he was suppose to do. He warned Judah. God will judge each of them individually. The disaster that Ezekiel predicted has come and now the great city of Jerusalem has fallen. Ezekiel has even condemned the other nations neighboring Jerusalem.

But he then turns back to the convenient that God made with Abraham. Unfortunately the people think that their promise means that they do not have to turn away from a sinful lifestyle. But God has every intentions of making Canaan a wasteland. The promised land will not be claimed by the wicked. For those of us who are believers, we have to make sure we are witnesses to those around us. We can not be responsible fro them being condemned because they did not hear the word from us.

A Vision of Ezekiel

2009-09-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel continues with the prediction of the restoration of the Jews. He is given this strange vision of dry bones coming to life which show that new life will be restored into the Jews. Even the Lord can make the dead (hard of heart) come back to life (repent). He then explains the reunification of the people under the Messianic King. God will unite these people and they will eventually have an allegiance in Jesus Christ.

He then describes a foreign invasion into the Holy Land which God will intervene. God's people have been restored to their land and live in peace when armies attack from the north. His predictions of God crushing the enemy has now come true. God uses nature to crush them and bring them into the hands of the Israelites. His commitment to them is now fulfilled. The nations will recognize Gods hand in this battle and Israel will finally know God.

The Exiled Nation

2009-09-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel has done his job so far warning the people. He warns once again that each person will be judged according to his ways. Ezekiel prophesied that Jerusalem would fall and it did. the Jews think still that the promised land will be theirs, but as we know from yesterdays reading, it will not for a long time. When the Jews see this they finally realize Ezekiel is not against them things change.

Each of the people are responsible for his or her own action, but Ezekiel show that the leaders are just as responsible for the tone they set for the society. He tells them that God will hold the leaders accountable for where they have brought the people. Leadership is an awesome responsibility, but it better be done with your eyes securely set on the Lord because if the people fail you will be held accountable.

Ezekiel tells the people that God will institute His covenant of peace. He will remove the foreign oppressors, represented by Edom. God will judge Edom! The pagan shrines in these armies must go. Gods people have been scattered because they have been idolaters and unclean. But their return will show them exactly how wonderful, holy and loving God can be. There will be a cleansing, but it will turn out that the people will increase and the knowledge of God and His word will spread!

Remnant Fless to Egypt

2009-08-31T04:18:00.000-07:00

This was a long reading and so much was going on here, but the main idea here is that the people ask Jeremiah for his prayers and tell him that they will do what ever the Lord tells them to do. And yet when he gives them what the Lord says, they out right reject it.

The Lord tells Jeremiah to tell the people to NOT go to Egypt. That they must trust in the Lord for their food, water and all the things they need. That going to Egypt will in fact end their lives. They then have the audacity to claim the Jeremiah is working for Babylon. OK, that is from the devil! What do these silly people do?? Go to Egypt anyway. So Jeremiah warns them that all will perish either by sword or famine. They are told this over and over again that their wives burning of incense to the Queen of Heaven is wrong, that their drink offerings is wrong. They come back with the fact that they felt when they were doing this they had prosperity and as soon as they started worshiping the Lord everything failed. Ahhh, but not all were worshiping the Lord. Their wives were still idolaters. Their hearts were still idol worshiping.

Basically it is the same thing. If we know God's will for us, if we read the Bible and know His word, If we go to church and hear how our lives are suppose to be, it makes no difference if we are not willing to put it into action. Those who know and hear the word and do nothing to place it in their lives will perish!!! That means, go to church weekly, read the Bible daily, pray to God in thanks for what He gives you and walk away from the idols in your life. Money, vanity, possessions etc. Rely on God and trust in the Lord and He will give you what you need!

Continued Lamentations

2009-08-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

The people finally realized the full extent of their loss. Jeremiah shows them their past and shows them how prosperous they were compared to now and their complete devastation due to theri sin. The Jews thought the fact of who they were...a line of David...would protect them. Crazy. Your name does not protect you but the wonderful loving arms of our creator. He finally cries out for God to restore the people. Help the people to come back to YOU Lord. You know God will always judge us, but He will never reject us. Just as we do with our children. There is always hope in the future even for those who have completely walked away.

Jeremiah's Lamentations

2009-08-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today's readings are the Lamentations of Jeremiah. They seemed to be focused on the land of Jerusalem. He mentions himself a couple times, but his sorrow is for the land and the hell it had to go through because of the people not listening and continuing in their sinful ways without repenting. God has taken the city and laid His anger upon it. These proud people have now crumbled to the ground stunned (duh) and terrified. God's actions were laid out in front of them for a very long time, yet they did not want to see. Sometimes God will allow His people to suffer just so they will turn away from their dangerous and sinful ways.

Fall of Jerusalem

2009-08-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

For 40 some years Jeremiah has been warming these hard hearted people that these things were going to happen and they finally come to be. His predictions of the Babylonians taking over and the walls falling down are now in front of their faces and the time to repent from sins are now passed. Zedekiah is taken, his sons and family are murdered in front of his face and his eyes are poked out as he waits to die. However Jeremiah is released from prison and given the chance for a future. He decided to stay with the poor people he warned over and over again.

We can never doubt the word of God as some of us do. We need to believe with a whole heart that what Gods' word says is true and what He says will happen will happen. There are no trick words, no play on words, no stories to scare us but truth for us to know what to do about our future and our future generations. Repent from your sins!

Jeremiah Escapes Death

2009-08-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

Zedekiah begs Jeremiah to pray for the city, but Jeremiah only tells the king about more disaster and ruin. While there is a temporary stop on the attack, Jeremiah tries to leave the city, but unfortunately everyone he is a deserter and he gets arrested. He goes to prison, but after a bit of talking ends up in the courtyard to get bread then into a cistern that is empty but muddy.

The king is scared out of his mind that he will dies and his city will go with him so he secretly goes to Jeremiah to talk about what he should do.Jeremiah tells him to surrender, that the Lord will take care and he will not doe nor the city be burned. However, like anyone who does not trust in the Lord, this scares him even more. he make Jeremiah promise never to tell anyone about this conversation.

Just look at this. Do you see how strong Jeremiah is and how week the king is. There was something the king could have done and he chose not too. It goes to prove you do not have to be big, rich and in power to be brave or courageous. You just have to have faith!

Ezekiel Talks to Tyre and Sidon

2009-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel talks now to the city of Tyer. He speaks that when this city falls their allies will tremble in fear. He even state that the city will die never to live again. I find that it is funny how he goes into the exact location of this city here. Usually it is just the city name and maybe a few neighbors, but here he goes to great detail as to where this city is. He then once again reminds them of their fall and then address Sidon with the same destructive end in mind. As we all know especially in these tough time, prosperity does not last forever. If you become a bit to arrogant with you wealth just remember you will fall hard!!

Ezekiel's Prophecies During Seige

2009-08-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

We see here that Ezekiel first has a few oracle against Judah's neighboring cities. Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia and Egypt. Each one has the same base line which is watch out cause God is against you and you will fall and then you will know that "I am" Lord. Ezekiel goes into an extensive amount of oracles directed to Egypt. Gee, I wonder why?! They have been a thorn in the Israelites side for years.

He talks about how not only will Egypt fall but all of her allies along with her. He goes and makes a comment about each city and how it will be destroyed. Then he speaks about the Pharaoh. he directs his writings to the Pharaohs arm...army and says that all his arms will be broken and that he will fall into the hands of the Babylonians. This will then break the poser that the Pharaoh has over the land. Because of the pride that the Pharaoh had, it caused his fall. This can happen o us today. Too much pride and self worshiping and worry about ourselves too much can cause us to fall and fall hard...just like Egypt!

Jeremiah Sees Spiritual Restoration Under the Messiah

2009-08-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is a very cool reading today because even a person who may not understand the Bible or who has not been reading and opens to this can see the relationship of Jesus Christ in this. He clearly state that Jerusalem will fall, but all will be forgiven and God will heal the land, bring Judah and Israel back and allow then to enjoy of the milk and honey. When this is all said and done the promise of a Messiah from the line of David will end up ruling the land.

"Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done". That's you and me too you know. As you can plainly see here that God keeps all his promises. Even to those who really do not deserve to have Gods loving arms wrapped around them.

Record of God's Promise

2009-08-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah is told to now record Gods word so that in the future when these things come about the people will know that they came from from God and not just by chance. Jeremiah gives a beautiful vision of Gods plans for His peoples future. He will first and foremost bring His people out of captivity and give them back the land. Eventually His people will be free again and ruled over by what is the Messiah.

God's discipline and judgment over the people of Israel and Judah will not end and His blessings will now come into play. They can look forward to this even though it is not to happen right away. Once again, God will transform the people and bless them, but with a new covenant, a new one. One that will overshadow the covenant of old. This will now make the Mosaic covenant irrelevant. It spells out the blessing instead of dwelling on the disciplines for those who will obey and have faith. God will put "The law in their hearts and minds...it will be made with the house of Jews". This covenant will now be a relational covenant with God instead of just a bunch a what could have felt like ritualistic rules and laws. As we will read later in the New testament, this new covenant relates directly to Jesus Christ. As Jeremiah says these laws belong in our heart. This is why we are to read the Bible over and over again, so we have these laws in our heart and mind everyday!

Jerimiah's Prophecies During Seige

2009-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

We now move back over to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah announces that God has explained that He is going to be on the enemies side and Judah will be and is doomed. Jeremiah tells the people to go. Run. He urges the people to re=-think how they are dong things. He wants them to reform. He then predicts that Jehoahaz will be taken captive by the Babylonians and no long be in rule.

Babylon has taken over and Jeremiah has been taken under guard when the Lord tells him to purchase a land occupied by the Babylonians. He does as he has been asked. He tells the witness that for now the land is occupied, but in the future it will be houses and fields. He is puzzled by this so he prays to God to ansers why he had to purchase this field. God explains that he will soon hand His people over to Babylon, but a few of His people will be restored and those few will be the start of re-establishment. You know faith see things not exactly as they are but as they will be and Jeremiah has that FAITH. He also waited to ask God why and question Him till after he obeyed God. We can for sure take Jeremiahs example here and obey first then ask questions. Mind you only from God do we do this.

Seige Announced to Ezekiel

2009-08-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

On the very day the King begins his attack on Jerusalem Ezekiel gets word from God to speak to his people about a cooking pot which represents Jerusalem. Basically that Babylon is going to boil up the people. Supposedly there is no way for Ezekiel to have gotten this message other then through God. a messanger would not have been quick enought to have gotten there at this point and time.

But then comes the message that is so close to home for Ezekiel. The Lord is going to take his wife away from him. He is asked not to do the traditional things people would do during mourning, but to continue on with the work of the Lord. Ezekiel does as he was asked and explains to the people that he and his wife are a sign. Soon Jerusalem will be destroyed and they too will not be able to mourn. Then Ezekiel is silent ed by God until the word comes from messengers that all these things he has spoken have come true.

This reading came at a perfect time for me. We had a few things happen yesterday that I was just blown away and I was questioning myself as to whether or not I am trusting in the Lord enough. Am I failing You Lord is that why these things are happening to me and my family? And this made me realize it is not always a punishment when things happen but can be a learning experience either for us or for others. As believer we are not immune to pain.

Alegory of the Prostitutions

2009-08-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we have a great picture of what the people of Israel have been doing to God. Using the twin sisters as prostitutes was a fantastic idea to really hone in what the heck these people are doing to God. Ezekiel accuse the leaders of leading the people into the adultery. By trying to get security with other nations that ware their enemies and that God has instructed to stay away from, they are leading their people to idol worshiping and dependence on someone else other then God.

We as children of God must be careful not to follow a leader that is corrupt and will lead us away from God. I don't just mean the president or senate or mayors or whatever in our government, but I mean even the people around us in our day to day life. Even in our companionship that we have. If they are leading us astray we need to either cut the ties or keep that relationship at a distance. Because just like the people of Israel, we too can easily be led astray.

Lament for 2 of Judah's Kings

2009-08-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel saw that they all looked up to Zedekiah to get them out of this mess, but he is to be uprooted and burned. You see the leaders are not reliable and they are sinful and rebellious and evil. Lets look at history. They rebelled in the desert after the exodus and since then NOTHING has changed! Now, they will all be slaughtered. They just have yet to learn from their discipline. They get swatted over and over. They get told what to do over and over, yet their down right disobedience will now for sure bring on a discipline they shall not forget!

Ezekiel tells the leader that since they have deliberately disobeyed Gods commands that the city will become a furnace and the people will be purified. Think about it. The priests do not listen to what God has told them to do, the people follow the leaders that are liers, cheaters and are in it solely for some sort of riches and personal gain. And they all seek advice from pagan gods. God will judge them all. We, as God's children, today need to find leaders that are Godly and follow them not the sinful ones we see all around us. We to will someday be judged by God for the people we follow and the things we do and say...the choice to follow God or not!

God fortells Judah's Imminet Destruction

2009-08-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

The Jews I think figured they were safe because they are God's chosen people. But Ezekiel soon points out that yes they are the chosen, but they were chose to be righteous. And so far they have been like "a vine that produces no grapes". Just think about what God has gone through. The first people here on earth were so bad and all worshiped idols except for 1 that He had to wipe them out. Now we have a new set of people and we/they are doing the same thing. The difference? God made a promise to us not to wipe us out like that again. I bet He is regretting that! But still He never said He would not judge the wicked in His chosen people. And that you can bank on. These people are in a higher place then the norm. They are to live a life different then those around them. That is their responsibility! To show others who God is through their actions.

Now they start asking Ezekiel that if God does judge it will actually be for their ancestors sins not their. Right? Uuuh, WRONG! It is not my fathers fault of the choices I make. My parents may have formed who I am (my personality), but it is my choice to follow God or not. "The soul that sins in the one who dies". If your are righteous, you will live. I think it is pretty simple, "repent and live!" We are each judged for our own actions and we must take responsibility for those actions. We must change the future of our world and teach our children that. Our country has gone way to long blaming others for our actions and making others pay. No, we need to pay for our own sins!

Two Signs from Ezekiel

2009-08-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

"The word of the Lord came to me" was what Ezekiel said! Still after all the Jews have been through they still show doubt. The Jews feel that if judgment comes that they will not see it but their relatives will in the future. But Ezekiel warns them that soon all His people will be scattered among the nations.Then he proceeded to act out the terror that will come to Jerusalem. I think that sometime we think well if it has not happened yet it will never happen. But this is such a false thing to believe in. You have to remember that a lifetime to us is a blink of an eye for God. Don't make the fatal mistake of thinking that since you can get away with it for so long so far, that judgment will not eventually come to you!

Compared to the other Prophets speaking of a bright future, Ezekiel was all gloom and dark. God tells them that these other Prophets are false and they are spreading lies. They rely on witchcraft and sorcery to give the people what they want. They too will be punished! The leaders are so determined to have the future be sun shine, that they actually persuade the false Prophets to prophesy what they ask them to. Just wait, they too will be judged accordingly. The people followed those leaders. And for not using their smarts and following the one true God they will be judged too. Even today, we have to be careful what leaders we follow in our lives. Whether that be in church, at work or government! We too will be judged on whom we follow.

Exekiel's Denunciations of Judah

2009-08-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

As Ezekiel lay by this toy he had mad, he had a vision of Jerusalem under attack. He see the actual temple where idolatry takes place, he see woman at the north gate worshiping Tammuz, the goddess of fertility. The he see 25 men at the entrance to the temple worshiping the sun instead of worshiping the Lord. The dream show how each of these example of idolatry was being played out right there in front of the temple of God. The all abandoned God and soon they will have consequences.

As he continues to dream he sees some executors as well as a scribe to place a mark on those who have remained faithful. At this same time we see Gods Glory moving around the temple. The he see the cherubim with God in the wheeled vehicle just like his first vision. Now this vehicle with the glory of God leaves I think to show God leaving the temple and leaving his people. Another words, there is no more protection from harm. As I read this I felt that it was very sad, dark and scary. But Ezekiel has a word of hope that God will one day bring his people home. the people will have judgement on their acts, but God is gracious enough to save those who still believe.

Ezekiel, Prophet in Exile

2009-08-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today's reading is long and I decided to break it down by passage. There was so much going on I thought it was easier for me to write it, remember it and explain it! So this one is long.

Ezekiel is a young priest who is called by God who lives in the Jewish community in Babylon. He opens his books with a wonderful vision. For this vision I had to consult some books because I had no way of really understanding what he was seeing. It seems that this is obviously symbolism. These living creatures have these gigantic wheels which may symbolize some sort of freedom. When he speaks of this sapphire throne and this light I needed no book to help me know that he was seeing the glory of God. Oh, how this must have made him want to worship the Lord even more. As I read this I realized I needed to not read and re-read and dwell on all the fine details of what Ezekiel saw, but on the big picture and what it means.

God now tells Ezekiel that he is to carry out Gods word. OMGosh, I loved the symbolism here. He talks about how God had him eating the scroll. This is exactly what we should be doing today. And those of you who are reading with me are doing just that. Eating God's word daily so that we may have knowledge to know what to do. He is making the message that God gives him his own. He talks about how sweet it is on his tongue. This is how Gods word is. But how it burned in his tummy. It is so sweet to be called by God, but we must remember that the cost of discipline is high. It is not all roses. In Ezekiel's case it was the cost of sitting mute among the people for several days. He is then told he will be held accountable for those who do not hear the word of God. We, today, are responsible for warning others and for telling other just like Ezekiel. God tells Ezekiel that if he does not tell the people Gods word, Ezekiel is held responsible as you and I are too. But if he tells them and they still turn away, he (we) are saved! What a wonderful payment for a little work done for God. As I was reading this passage I kept thinking about the missionaries and how this must have been their vision when they decided to become missionaries!

Ezekiel is asked to make a replica of the city and lay on his side for 390 days and then again for 40 days which represents a day for each year the people have sinned against God. This represents him coming up against these two peoples and confronting them. He then continues with his symbolism by cutting off his hair and scattering it in several different ways the Lord tells him to. Just think of how he must have looked to his people. Everyone was watching him and every move he was making. Curiosity made them want to watch and listen. And this is exactly what the Lord wanted because then came his speech.

Ezekiel's first oracle to the people has now started. He tells them how God will purge all the idols from the land. That their gold will become unclean. Judgement has been delayed and now is upon them. No matter how they may think they can escape, Jerusalem will be so weak they will be unable to resit. All pagan nations will be taken over. They have lived for far too long disobeying the Lord and turning away from Him. Now is the time. An now is the time for us to turn back to God. Even if you are not sure about all this, just start asking questions of someone you know that knows God. Even if you think you know God, but have doubts, talk to a pastor and make sure that the word of God is on solid good ground in your heart and not thorny or rocky ground. Maybe you are a true believer with Gods word planted firmly in your heart, but you know someone who is not. Talk to them. DO NOT shove the word of God in their head, but talk to them and moreover, show them. Make sure of where you are with God because the day will come when He will judge all of us once again!

Doubt

2009-08-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Do you doubt the existance of God? Do you wonder if the earth is billion so fyears old? Do you thin that once you die you are no longer or do you beilieve in afterlife? Check out this article.

Warm up for Judgement

2009-08-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

I am putting the 13th as well as the 14th reading in one study note today.

"I will bring back Israel to his own pasture"

This is Jeremiahs final prophecy and is directed against Babylon. He states it very easily that Babylon will fall and the Jews will go back to where they once came from. He starts out with the doom and gloom of what will happen to Babylon and how their sin must be judged. God will bring Babylon down...FOREVER. Jeremiah explains exactly the vengeance that God will take against this nation called Babylon which will show just how useless the idols these people have been worshiping are to them. That they really are only wood and metal, not living gods. He also warns all Jews to flee quickly because the city will be devastated and all will die.

You see God once told us that all who come up against the descendants of Abraham must and will be judged. He is keeping that promise that He made 100's of years earlier. The thing that we can take away from all this is that we must look into ourselves and see where are idolatry is in our own heart and family. We must keep ourselves clean from this. Moreover, we are not the judge of those who do not believe or who are lost. God is that judge. God is the one who will ultimately deal with the descendants of Abraham (all of us) and will curse, judge and punish them. Keep ourselves clean, teach those around us about sin and God's love and judgment, but do not be the judge. Let God do his work.

Attack against False Prophets

2009-08-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

Here we have these false prophets who think they have been doing God's work yet have been leading the people of God farther away then ever! Jeremiah mentions that he is looking forward to the Messiah so that He will "do what is just and right". Then God speaks to Jeremiah about these false prophets. He is told that if they are to continue to speak these false words in the name of the Lord then there will be consequences. If they continue to look to idols for answers once again there will be consequences. The prediction of the false prophets are LIES. Only God know the future, the truth and the way! I read somewhere one that really stuck with me. "A lie and a truth are both heard and can both be seen." We need to be very awake and keep our eyes open for false prophets today even. Think about the government and how easy a false prophet can swindle his way in spreading what can at first seem like good news, but in the end can be evil. Just like in the days of Jeremiah. Pray, pray and pray before every election! Pray before changing a church. Make sure that every person who is over you you pray about before you listen to them. False Prophets are here today too!

Jeremiah's Prophecies Under Zedekiah

2009-08-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

OK, so now Jeremiah goes preaches tot he people to surrender to the King of Babylon. He tells Zedekiah not to listen to the preaching and teachings of the lying prophets who are trying to tell them that there will be independence from Babylon. then he states that all the temple articles will be taken to Babylon and not brought back soon. He talks about a wooden yoke and has one present to help teach about the warnings.

The the prophet Hananiah comes into the picture. He preached the opposite of what Jeremiah is teaching. Hananiah breaks the yoke from Jeremiah to symbolize the submission to Babylon and even states that Judah will be sent home in 2 years. But God tells Jeremiah to get a iron Yoke for Hananiah and to tell the false prophet that he will die within the year. And guess what? He does!

God gives us plenty of warnings in our lifetimes. He also gives us many choices along the way. He will say if you do this I will do that. Our goal in life is to listen. We may not like everything He has to say and wants us to do, but if we enter into this relationship with him with an open heart then we will listen and do as He wants us to. Heck we sure would probably be a lot more content in our life if we would do just that!

The Great Deportation

2009-08-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

After Jehoiakim's death his son becomes king for a short while until he surrenders and become a captive. All the gold and stuff that King Solomon made fort he temple of God is now in the hands of the Babylonians. Then Nebuchadnezzar put Zedekiah on the throne more as a puppet for 11 years until the complete fall and judgment has now come upon God people. God keeps his promise. And I am sure we will read tomorrow all about the destruction. The one thing that could have been mistaken back then and even now as we read this is the thought that there was no judgment against the evil doers. But we have to remember that it is all in Gods time. there is a reason He waited so long. Why? Only God knows that answer. Delayed judgment is no the lack of judgment its just not in our human timing!

Jehoiakim's Last Years

2009-08-09T21:15:00.001-07:00

Jeremiah still continues to be a messenger of God. As he looks across the nations he continues to tell of the judgment that will sweep across each nation.He speaks of Moab and how it will lie in desolation. He even speaks of Edom, Ammon Kedar, Hazor as well as Damascus and how their fall will be just like Moab's. They will all fall into the grip of guess who? Babylon. Basically what Jeremiah has been telling them will all come to pass. There is no nation that will be able to withstand God wrath. if we can just live a Godly life on a daily basis, which means to read, pray and trust in Him then we can surely allow God to take care of the worlds affairs. I am not saying not to vote etc, I am just saying that it ultimately is all in gods hands. Just in case you have not been reading with me....IT IS IN HIS HANDS!

Daniel the Faithful Captive

2009-08-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

So now we come to where Daniel is taken to Babylon with three other guys to train to be in the kings court (nebuchadnezzar). Here they get their names changed byt the King. Daniel (Beltechazzar), Hananiah (sharach), Mishel (Meshach) and Azariah (Abenego). Daniel was ready to serve but not at the cost of defiling himself and his Jewish laws. He was respectful and talked to the cheif official for permission with a test of 10 days. If they were not still healthy eating only veggies, then they would eat the kings food. Of course they were in top condition. And of course they were the smartest, bestest and the favorite of the king. Unlike most of us, Daniel was un-willing to abandon his commitment to God in order to get along with the others. i love that commitment!

Now the king has a dream and puts it upon his magicians etc to tell him not only the interpretation but also the dream. As they all tell him that only a god can do that he tells them they will all die if they do not tell him the dream and the interpretation. When they can not he is about ready to kill them when Daniel steps up and says he will pray to God and be able to tell him. Of course as good as God is, he give Daniel a vision and the interpretation as well as the dream is revealed to the king. With this the king is so impressed he quickly makes Daniel a big official in his kingdom. Daniel did not panic when he thought that everyone was going to die at the hand of the king. He turned to God knowing that there was no limit to Gods understanding and power. We can learn to do just that when faced with something fearful in our lives.

God and doG

2009-08-08T00:14:00.001-07:00

Just thought you would all get a smile out of a pure and simple explantion of how god will wait for us to come back to Him. Check it out.
www.nutbugs.com/dog-and-god

Jeroiakim burns Jeremiah's scroll

2009-08-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah was directed by God to now put down on a scroll all of his preaching’s. He decided to hire Baruch to help him with this task of writing. Baruch now feeling a bit tired and discouraged from months and months of work has been given perspective. God tells him to be assured that he will be protected. He is now feeling more encouraged and told by Jeremiah that he must go to the temple to read the scroll since he can not. Well once some of the officials from the king heard him reading they had to go back and tell the king. But first they warned Baruch for him and Jeremiah to go and hide before they tell the king.

With that, the king heard of this and decided to burn the scroll. But this did not stop Jeremiah. He told Baruch to get more paper and ink and he would dictate the words once again to him. But this time Jeremiah adds a little note to king Jehoiakims. He will die!

This brings to mind one thing to me. That we must read Gods word daily. That we must use our heart and brain when we read it. We must not just read it to say we have read it. We need to read scripture with a sense of knowing this is God’s word. Not just a bunch of words in a book. And we must try to bury the word deep in our heart. The more we read the more we know and the more we can sense God in everything around us. The more we understand what is expected of us!

First Deportation from Judah

2009-08-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

God states it very clear “Do not provoke me to anger”. Yet day by day they did with their idol worshiping.. In this chapter we see that Jeremiah’s ministry is still rejected by Judah. God calls Nebuchadnezzar “My Servant” and foretold Jeremiah the coming exile. He then is given a cup in a dream and is told to pour it out which symbolizes Gods wrath. On his enemies. We have to remember if God is so willing to punish His own people then He for sure will punish those who are His enemies.
I love what the commentary said here. If a man will remain faithful for generations to a man’s command, then there ought to be more people obeying the commands of God, their very creator. LOVE IT. We are NEVER free from the consequences of our choices. Whether it be a good or bad choice. There are consequences.

Habakkuk's Questioning Prophecy

2009-08-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Habakkuk is so upset about the violence he see in his nation. So much so that he asks Gd the basic question we all ask...Why? He does not understand why he would allow a nation like Babylon to win at destroying Judah. Ahh, but God answers him nicely. he tells him that first off Judah need to be punished and that not bad deed will go un-punished whether if be from Judah or from Babylon. Babylons win will only be superficial. They will continue to do this and will create enemies which will lead to their demise. Habakkuk listens to God, understands what he is saying and accepts His words. But like all of us asks God to hurry it up a bit.

Basically He is telling us that we need to open out eyes. We can not deceive ourselves by just looking at there here and now or looking at the appearance of something. The successful people do not need to be envied. We have something much better then money, silver and Gold. We have a God that will protect us in times of disaster and guide up through any troubles we may have. Judgment and discipline will always come upon those who are un-just and disobedient to God. You want an answer...go to Gods word and He will provide answers for you!

Jeremiah's Judgemnet Against Egypt

2009-08-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

So here Jeremiah gives us messages about the fall of nations. It is described how Carchemish will be defeated and he sort of taunt them with his words. Or at least that is how it felt. he also talks about the evasion of Egypt that will happen. How Nebuchadnezzar will defeat the Egyptian military. Then lastly he talks about how he wants the sword to rest. How he wants to see peace, but he is not sure how this will happen since the Lord has commanded all this death on the nations. But there will be peace to come.

You could say...God is in charge! He is the one and only one who ultimately is in charge of what will happen around the world! But even as all this stuff is happening to His people, He still loves them and cares for them. It is the same and just as true for us today.

2009-08-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why Josiah decided to fight against Egypt. It seems weird, but he of course had his reasons. It is a bummer that he had to die. He was just getting the nation back to worship God the way they are suppose to. Because of a possible poor decision, his sons becomes king and the first one died at the hand of Pharaoh. Then Jehoiakim becomes king, but he basically is doing whatever the Pharaoh wants him to do. As this passages is titled…The Pharaoh’s puppet! So once again the nation is lead by horrible un-Godly king.

Funny how the king wanted Jeremiah dead, but he was able to talk his way out of it. With a little help from the few around him and God. But this other prophet Uriah who was prophesying the same thing as Jeremiah ended up being put to death by Pharaoh. You know what I see going on here is the same thing we have been talking and reading about for months now. It is the vicious cycle of listening and obeying and then getting a new evil king to throw the nation off track once again. Even today we see this happening in our own nation or even in our own homes or churches. You know discipline from God has limits. He sets those for a reason, but His judgment does NOT! He punishes those people who know him. What do you think He will do to those who do not. Judgment will come onto those people too.

Effect of Jeremiah's Preaching

2009-08-02T06:05:00.001-07:00

Gosh from the first part of today's reading you would think that the King had no idea of what was expected of them from God. He reads the book of law and tears his robe and starts to do as the law states. but who has been preaching to them this whole time and they Have not been listening????? Don;t get me wrong. I love the idea that they turned things around. And that is why God is so forgiving and gave them so many warnings. But why did they not believe Jeremiah?

Josiah's reign I think must have been such a Happy day for God. He must have been jumping up and down. Kinda like he might for each of us when we turn from Him and then return to Him. You see there is always hope if we just humble ourselves enough to admit when we are wrong and go to the Lord. That's exactly what King Josiah did. He humbled himself and then he used his influence to lead others back to God. Today is a new day. We can do the same.

2009-08-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

Keeping the Sabbath Holy

2009-08-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, God spelt it out clearly. It could not be any more clear. Obey the Sabbath Day and live or disobey and your city will die! Basically He is just asking to keep their commitment to the Old Testament Law. But still they can not even do that. No matter how much they are disciplined they still will not obey!

Jeremiah is led by God to watch a potter form a ball of clay into a pot. When it comes out wrong he lumps it back up and starts over. This is great example of what God can do for us. If we soften out hearts (clay) then He can mold us into what He wants us to be and ultimately what we want to be instinctively. God tells him that this is exactly what He will do with the nation. He will keep re-forming it through judgement. The leaders are so upset they plot against him and plan on attacking him verbally and by ignoring him and his message. Well, Jeremiah strikes back through angry plea to God to strike out his enemy!

Then he is told to purchase a clay jar and to take a few of the leaders and go to the dump right outside the city and break the jar which will symbolize the destruction that God is going to bring upon them if they do not start listening. Then he went back to the temple and preached the same thing as always, but this time, Pashur decided to beat him and put him in jail.

Once he was out the next day, he went through a mix of emotions. He is sad that everyone hates him. He feels as God has lied to him. But still yet he is driven to prophesy and he knows that God is there for him. God can do as He please. And judgment is for sure when we disobey Him. We all know it whether we are Christians or not. We know and feel it. We were made to have that feeling built into us. The best thing we can do is to be completely honest with God about how we feel about everything. Even how we may feel about Him!

VBS

2009-07-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

OK, I am being lazy about this post. I just posted some information on my regular blog about VBS at my church, Calvary Church and I can not seem to paste it here for some reason, so instead of re-typing it all I am just giving the link.

Also, my church is doing a great study on Genesis. Yea, I know you probably think..."I know Genesis. What more could I learn?" Well, let me tell you I have learned so much over the past few week. If you are interested in learning more in depth study of Genesis, they have MP3 files of all their sermons. Check out some of the MP3 for Calvary Church of Santa Ana.

Have a great weekend!

Linen Belt a Sign

2009-07-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

As I read this about the belt, I was confused and decided to look up what this meant. Why would God use this analogy? Then I found out that the belt was actually an undergarment and what it was signifying was the intimate relationship in which God once had with the people of Israel. Now the whole trip to find a belt, wear it, bury it and retrieve it makes sense.

It seems as if there is a drought that is just exhausting everything. So much so that Judah prays. "Do not forsake us!" But the Lord does not accept their prayer. He will not listen to their prayers until they repent of their sins! With Jeremiah talking about all this destruction etc. The people decide to go to another prophet and see if Jeremiah is right or not. Probably in hopes that they can get the next prophet to speak otherwise. Its like getting a second opinion for the Doctors. LOL. These false prophets do exactly as the people want. They say there will be no doom and gloom. God states that those who prophesy in my name but "I" did not send them will die!

Jeremiah is feeling despair! He has spent the majority of his life preaching to Israel and every single one of them hates him so that they want him dead. But God reassures him that he will be lifted up and vindicated

Circumcission Not Guaranteed

2009-07-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

Ultimately, Jeremiah states it quit clearly here. Or I should say God speaks through Jeremiah. God is in great sorrow over the sinful nature of these people. So much so he tells them they are like uncircumcised people. That's a big blow!! It is senseless to keep building these idols. Even the goldsmiths are shamed by it Their images are known as frauds! I love that image of the blacksmith being upset as they build these idols and everyone knowing that what they are building is a fraudulent god.

But what brings God even greater sorrow is the fact that they just will not stop worshipping idols. It is very clear not only in the text but to me, that God alone is great. But in the end this destruction that will hit these people will eventually be good because it will be a purging the evil that has taken over their hearts.

But the real pain of all this is the persecution of Jeremiah. "Let us cut the tree from it's fruit and cut him off from the land of the living". I know God says the Christians will be persecuted, but why? Even now he needs to reconfirm with God. He ask the very same questions we all ask. WHY? Why do the wicked live at ease while we stay persecuted? His answer is basically not to envy the wicked because their seemingly well off live and ease of live is only for a moment. Ours is forever!

False Religiosity Condemned

2009-07-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

Now Jeremiah tells them that the temple will be struck and become a den of robbers in sort. The people are not allowed to sacrifice due to their idol worshiping of "Queen of Heaven". Basically He is saying that you can not sin, not repent and feel secure. No Way! After his temple sermon we then read some messages from God. He identified the sin that they are doing and threatens judgment once again. He basically says that it is better to know our Lord then to feel secure in this city due to the temple.

Now Jeremiah is preaching to return to the law. He even talks a bit about some things going on in his life and how his hometown is plotting to kill him because of his preaching. Ahhh, but God will eventually punish them and once again no one will survive the coming invasion. God was making it and still makes it quit clear what he wants from us. There is no second guessing with God. The main thing he wants is our willful obedience for our life.

But look "you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless"

Advesary Will Devour

2009-07-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah calls the people to repent as he has been doing all along. However this time is a bit different. There is an enemy forming an army and he want the people to come to God so they can be saved because the enemy army will completely wipe out the land. Jeremiah is torn by this that he walks up and down the streets begging people to repent. But he can not find one Godly person. Their sin and lack of admittance of sin is depriving them from the good that God is willing to bestow upon them. But then Jeremiah see that it i God leading this army. Why? Because God wants the people to repent and turn away form their sin. Jeremiah talks about the smelting silver (refiners fire) which is just another symbol that calls for moral cleansing. If only they/we would repent. Think about the future. Isn't it easy to repent now then to see the fire that God will need to cleanse us.

2009-07-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

Such strong words. Faithless Israel is more righteous then unfaithful Judah. To me this is a great example of today. We have the new look which is the crosses on shirts and crosses in jewelry, Christian symbols are in a lot of today's trends but the people who wear it are unfaithful. They know who God is they wear the stuff that make people think they might be a christian or they wear it because it is the fad, but they are vacant of God in their heart. He even states that the people will say "As surely as the Lord lives..." but it is lip service not from the heart just as we say GOd bless, or I'll pray for you and then tuen away 5 minutes later.

In this part of today's reading Israel is begged to come back to God. The faithless are asked to see Him again and repent and believe again. That is all God wants. Just to have us love Him. It would be like our own child deciding never to call us again. How sad and heartbreaking it would be. It clearly states how sad God is and how much agony He is in seeing His children acting the way they are and walking away from Him as they have. The thing is they are letting all the sin they have done deprive them from being with God.

It is like a spiral. They sin and don;t ask for forgiveness and then sin again and don' t ask etc, etc. Then one day they are so deep in sin they feel there is no God for surely He would help. But the thing that is forgotten is the fact that all they need to do is ask for forgiveness. Do let all that shame and sin get between you and God. Ask for forgiveness TODAY!

Jeremiah the Weeping Prophet

2009-07-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah has now been appointed by God to be a prophet. In his first vision he sees an almond tree which symbolizes the judgment that has been held off and now will be forth coming. His next vision is of a pot that is tipping from the north which symbolizes the military that will cut down the Jewish homes. Basically Jeremiah's job is to warn people about the coming doom that will take place very soon.

As Jeremiah preaches he talks to to the people about God being the "living water",. I love how that is brought up here. Just one little mention of the up and coming Christ and the need for this living water. He also talks about how they have turned their backs but not their faces. How they only seek God when they are in need and need help. And God's come back? Where are your Gods when you need help. He even talks about them denying their sin. Yea, like they are so perfect.

It is so hard to read the last few paragraphs of this because it reflects in my own lifetime. How many time in over 40 years have I said oh yes Lord here I am but then turn my back to him when I was asked to serve. Oh but as soon as I needed Him there I was on my knees begging. Even today, I see that I still do this in some respect. I think we all do to some degree. Whether its talking to a lost friend about Christ and then chickening out or volunteering when asked, but not thinking we can do the job etc. There are so many things that God asks of us, but how many do we turn our backs to Him on. We may think that we do not have gifts to serve but Jeremiah was not the "type" but God can equip us if He sees fit and if we really are willing to say yes and mean it.

These people are no different here. All God has been asking for 100's of years so far is for them to come back to him. To look to him for everything. TO Love Him unconditionally. Sounds easy, but it really is harder then it sounds. The Bible is proof of that. But, there is absolutely no good excuse for basically abandoning God. Ahh, but the really happy news is that all He wants us to do to get back in His good graces is to ask for forgiveness. This is so hard for some. I know, cause my daughter is one that has a hard time asking for forgiveness. It is worth it to have the living water run through our veins once again.

Zephaniah Prophesies About the Day of the Lord

2009-07-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Oh good, I was glad to see that a young 8 year old was not going to try to run a kingdom alone. His relative Zephaniah steps in to help out and it seems to be that he is a Godly man too. So much so that he prophesies about the judgement of the world as well as the judgment of Judah. he explains that they need to turn back to God because once this destruction starts there will be no turning back. There will be no help and hand holding from other nations because they too will be destroyed. He speaks of Jerusalem and how and how it has become a city of oppressors therefore it will become consumed. However eventually the people will come together and turn back to the Lord and rejoice in Him.

Basically Zephaniah is saying to seek God. There really is no hope for the world in a whole, but as a one on one individual basis there is hope. if we make the choice to turn to Him. If we do this then it will change our future. Shoot it will change us!

From Manasseh to Josiah

2009-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Finally! A king that actually loves God! This is a king who actually will turn things around for the people....finally. Todays reading was short and sweet and not much really to talk about. Except...Told you so Nineveh! :)

Nahum's Prophecy Against Nineveh

2009-07-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Nahum in his first chapter talks about God and how the Assyrians will be plotting group. He talks about how God will be taking vengeance against those who are enemies of His people. But then he talks directly to Nineveh. He talks about the destruction that is about to come about. He jabs at the cites defenses and reminds them how oppressed they really are.

Nahum drives home the guilt of Nineveh. He explains that they are prowling on the innocent and ends up killing them. Or how this city is like a prostitute who enslaves others by witchcraft. Basically they are evil! God is clearly against them in this reading. He even explains that people will clap their hands when they fall to their demise. I mean there really is no pity to be had for these Godless people.

No one cries or feels for the cruel people. Ahh, but we can know the relief that he talks about from this oppression. God will give us that relief in His own time. But be rest assured it will come to you and me!

Been out of touch

2009-07-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Seems that the past few weeks or so I have not been in touch with anything. Life has gotten so busy and I have found that the reason I have been so tired and sort of down is the fact that my B12 level was so extremely low. I was having an extremely hard time getting up in the AM and even doing just simple things around the house not to mention even homeschooling the kids less alone trying to read the bible. Every time I would read anything I would almost immediately fall asleep. It has been going on for sometime now but the past couple months it was just getting worst and worst.

I finally went to the Dr. and started taking B12 shots as well as vitamins. I think this little miracle vitamin is doing the trick for me. I have energy that I have not had in months and months. Even the kids notice I am not as grumpy and moody and "lazy". However, I am over a week behind in reading so instead of trying to read each day one at a time and posting I think I will just read what I have missed all at once or in one or two readings and then start posting with the current reading. I am feeling better, but I do not want to overwhelm myself.

So I just wanted to let those of you who have been asking where I have been what is going on. Now you know and I am back!

Continued Restoration & the Messiah

2009-07-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is the start of the talk of the Messiah. You see one of the reasons we needed a messiah so badly was because we just did not have it in us to be a servant of God. It was always too difficult for the Israelite to serve God. They always need to go off and do their own thing. they needed something they could see, feel and touch to be able to serve it. So they had their idols.

If you think about it since the death of Christ and a few thousand years, we have pretty much turned into Israelites once again. There was a while there that many, many people had the see, feel and touch and fell to their knees saying I will serve. But now, it is back to idols.

How many different religions do we have, how many people have a many different idols they worship. If you were God wouldn't you be discouraged? Wouldn't you be hurt? Yet here is one things that remains true. GOD! He stills loves us, is there for us and keeps his promise. Boy if it were me and I spent thousand of years trying to get my children to obey me, I think I might give up! Shoot, I have been trying for 7 years to get my children to obey em and I'm pooped. I can;t imagine 2000 years +.

Isaiah's Prophecies About Restoration & the Messiah

2009-07-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, did Isaiah take a turn. We have been reading and I have felt so depressed while reading about all the judgment that will come to Judah but now he has taken a turn to comfort them. He talks about the Word of God standing and how the Lord is sovereign. He speaks of Gods control and strength and how Israel is especially chosen by God no matter what.

I guess you could say the whole idea here is that we can take some sort of comfort knowing who God really is. He is our strength if we just trust him with our day to day things. You see I trust God with my soul. You do too. Right? You trust he knows exactly what to do with it and where you belong up in heaven. Right? Then why is it we can not trust him with the smaller things like a decision on which curriculum to purchase or helping us to loose weight etc? If we can trust God with the biggy...our soul then we certainly can trust him with our day to day lives. Let go and trust in God.

Spiritual Decline Under Manesseh

2009-07-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

Man or man! So now Hezekiah dies and his son takes over at the ripe old age of 12. You think that might be too young to rule a nation?!?!?! Anyway, he ends up being the bad seed of such a God loving guy and turns the whole nation against God in jut 50 years of his rein. He is bitter, mean and kills and God finally says that is enough and tells them hes done. They will all perish and fall under Egypt!

Now this is a great moment to bring up the whole idea of children turning away from God. As a Christian homeschooler , we pray and do a lot of things through out our 24 hour day with the kids that all relate to God but if we do not explain why we should love God and then eventually, when they get a bit older, ask our children to commit their lives to God , there is always the possibility they could go astray! And even if they do commit their lives, they could still go a different way if the circumstances are just right. Just like Manasseh. The one thing we can all do for our kids is pray for them and pray with them. Yes, lead by example, but as you can see sometime examples are not the only answer. It is possible the Hezekiah led by a great example but neglected to explain the Whys of worshiping God. The Whos of God and the Whats will happen if we go astray. This is all so very important. Yes do it age appropriately, but do it. Do not expect that they grow up in a christian home they will be Christians. This is a perfect example of this not always being so.

Last Years of Hezekiah's Reign

2009-07-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

So here we have a man who about ready to die and he prays for an extent ion of his life. God see that Hezekiah is a good and righteous man so he extends his life by 15 years. But he starts to show some pride in his heart and God gets a bit upset with him after he has given him such a gift. But he apologises and God forgives. Then Isaiah tells Hezekiah that Babylon will take over. So Hezekiah builds up his city, the walls, armor etc to protect his city and fortunes.

Later the field commander from the king of Assyria comes and makes a proclamation to the people saying basically that it is impossible for them to be saved wither by force from the help of Egypt or by their God. He goes on to say that this God has not saved other countries so why should they listened to Hezekiah's God now. He will not save them. They should join forces with the king of Assyria. Well, in short Hezekiah prays and prays and eventually God bring upon the king and his troop a death so that when they wake up in the morning there were thousands dead. He ended up dealing with his tail between his legs in disgrace. This allow for the Lord to be exalted by many people and many lands. I am sure that was His plan all along!!! :)

So what does this all mean??? I think it means two main things. Our worship to God and how we worship Him makes all the difference in the world. Especially if we come to him wholeheartedly! It also means that God will give us back what we give Him in honor. He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever and all we have to do is give Him the Honor and Respect He deserves!

Isaiah Warns About Egypt & Ethiopia

2009-07-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

This next reading is all about Isaiah's thoughts on Egypt and the devastating judgement that will rein down on them from God. When this happens he predicts that a change will happen where all will worship God once more. But he then talks about how shallow the peoples faith is. But as we see the people do not trust God alone so they continue to try to get aid from the foreign peoples of the land. They even try to get the prophets to say what they want to hear. But, as he states here one day God will deliver them from their eneies and bring rain and punish their enemies.

The one thing I really want to pick up on here is the fact of shallow worshiping. The people will come around, but it will not be with their hearts. It will be with the rituals that God asks from them. Their hearts will still be hard towards God. We have to look at ourselves too. Do we have a hard hear. Do we go to church and put on our best appearance of good little Christians or do we come broken and ready to give everything to God? He wants 00% not 90%.

The Fall of Israel

2009-07-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

"They followed worthless idols and they themselves became worthless!" Re-read today's reading. Do you see how many times the Lord states not to worship any other idols. Not to worship any other god. Hmmm, you think God maybe wants us all to him selves? Duh. Yea! That is like your child calling a man on the street daddy or a woman mommy and doing everything that person says whether good or bad. Would't you feel a little upset?

I noticed something here. Well, not just here, but this is where I will comment on it. Have you noticed that every time the people of Israel turn away from God it is the leader that turns them away? Yea! Even in America today we have the same thing happening. We have leaders who are following idols of their own and not following Gods rule. Look at the homosexual agenda for example. The current president is supposedly a christian. He should know what is right and wrong in the eyes of God, yet he will still allow for homosexual marriage and abortions etc?!?!

Our fearless leaders around the world can make or break the way we people worship the Lord. In some countries you can DIE for mentioning Jesus' name. Now that is even sadder, but true. What can we do as God loving Christians who put God 1st to change they way our country has become like the Israelites? How can we make more of a difference and make our leaders come back to God. The first and most important way is to pray. I pray with my kids daily for our country and our President to come back to God. To look to Him for advice. You can too. What other things can we do? What suggestions do you have?

Isaiah Continued

2009-07-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

I water it daily, I guard over it. I love those words. God is there always with us watching us. There is nothing we can hide from him. Not a thought, not an actions...Nothing. With that said, it is also hard to comprehend that. Isaiah gives many great words on exactly how God watches over us. He even says woe to those who try to hide thier plans from God. Who will know God? Woe to those who say, He has not made me.

Can you believe it. He even states back thousands of years ago about evolutionists and people not beleive in the maker...Creation. Funky! It just seems to me nothing has changed. I mean nothing. We have a world who is so far removed from the Lord. We have many different religions. And even in some of those religions people are fickle to their gods. But Isaiah reminds us that the blessings will be returned to us. That our sins will be forgiven! Yee Haw! Praise God that He is a loving, kind and forgiving God. But it is up to us to do the hardest thing ever asked of a human. Have faith in a God that loves you unconditionally and shows himself in so many things around you if you just open your eyes to it. And then to ask Him for forgiveness. Lets take a moment right now and ask Him to forgive us of our sins.

Isaiah Warns against Relapse

2009-07-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

Once again Isaiah is warning the people against their failures to worship God. They have come around now and see that they need to worship Him, but Isaiah knows that at any moment they could turn away from God once more. Which is pretty sad. I guess I have to remember that as I read the Bible, the time span is over hundreds and hundreds of years. Think about where we are right now. True Christians are far and few. Yes, there are those who proclaim to be Christians, but they are really not. They say the right words, maybe do the right thing in front of other people, but their hearts are far from being right with God. God to them in in 6th or 10th place. Not 1st or even 2nd place in their lives.

He even talks about the leaders not worshiping God. I think this can apply to us easily too. We are all leaders to come sort of degree. You see when you proclaim to be a Christian and a believer in Christ you have a duty to act like a Christian. You don't flip people off on the freeway and have a fish sticker on your car. You don't cheat someone out of money and wear a cross on your neck. Get my point! I know we are human, but just as the president has a standard to uphold as people watch him, we also do as Christians. People watch us closely. But if our hearts are not in it, it will reflect on the outside in the things we say or do!

It is a shame that we Christians can not learn from the mistakes we read about in the Bible. But I guess that is what makes us such imperfect creatures. I think Isaiah said it perfectly here. "These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by me. I need say not more!

Isahia Tells of Last Days

2009-07-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

OK, I have come to conclusion that Isaiah is depressed and very upset at how the world turned out. Every time I read these readings I get depressed. I can see why he writes the way he does. He really wants to get the point across that the way the people are acting and the things they are doing are going to lead them straight to hell. Maybe we need Isaiah to come and give a speech to our President and his men. So I do understand all of that. He does have one glimpse of light in his reading. He talks about the rejoicing of the saved. How feeble hands will be strong, blind will see, the sand will give water. This was a nice way to end today's reading.

I think Isaiah is like a what we would call today the hell and brimstone Christians. Those that are always trying to scare the you know what out of you to get you to turn away from sin and turn to God. Unfortunately that never worked for me. It was the love of Christ that worked for me. The thought that there was someone out there watching over me every second of the day and loving me through all my terrible sins. But for some this fire talk works. And with a new king, Hezekiah, the country should have a new leaf turned over in no time.

The Reforms of Hezekiah

2009-07-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Praise God, a man who finally had a heart for God. A man who was not afraid of standing up for what his community was founded on. Hezekiah was now in charge which meant that everything the people knew or thought they knew about religion was all going to change. He had the temple cleared out of all idol and anything that was not pure in the eyes of God. He then had all the Levites and Priests get themselves cleaned up. Soul, body and mind. And lastly he sent a letter throughout all Of Israel foe all those who were ready for the change to come and celebrate the Passover. I was actually cheering as I was reading this. Oh yea, then he prayed to God and asked God to forgive those who were not ceremonial clean. To give them a small break because they were finally coming back to God. And of course God was gracious enough to do so.

Can I just dream for a moment? Imagine it 4 years from now and we elect a new president. This new president not only stands by the rules of the Declaration but he also stands by the rules and is not afraid to stand up for what this country was founded on. GOD! Imagine he says no more gay marriage, prayer in school, pledge allegiance with the word God in it, He leaves the word God in our courtrooms and on our money. A fearless president. A strong leader. A man who puts God first. Wow. It would sure be nice to actually see a president in office who was fearless and did the job according to Gods word. Well, I know when the Messiah comes back, he'll have a bit to say to those past and current presidents who are cowards to actually follow Gods word. Oh yes, I know a few have said that they are Christians. But many people say they are, but obviously their actions speak multitudes. But then again, I am certainly not perfect either, but I am not a president of the USA who has the whole world watching me say one thing and do another. Am I? I would love to see a Hezekiah come into office here in the USA. OK, my day dreaming is done.

As I read today's reading I was just taken back and in awe of this leader. He seems to be the leader that really could make a difference for his people.

More of Isaiah's Prophe3cies Against Nations

2009-07-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

A we see here he now starts to prophecy about judgment against all the nations. Philistines will see the viper spiting venom, Babylon will see the day of the Lord with His fierce anger and destroying all the sinners. They will overthrown just like Sodom and Gomorrah. But God will have compassion on the house of Jacob and they will make captive their captors.

I like the title they gave this. Babylons Satan like fall. Even the pine trees will rejoice one you have been taken down. The graves give a cheer to see you coming, Babylon you are weak and fallen from heaven. Basically the world will rejoice when Babylon falls.

God will judge all of their sins as well as our sins. Babylon was so prosperous but it will be all taken away from them in a blink of an eye. Other nations looked up to them, but they will no longer. Those other nations needed to look into their own doings before they looked on at Babylon. Just as we today. W#e tend to look at other people and see them being prosperous and we say oh they must be right with the Lord. But that is not always true. We can not judge pother people based on how much they have or not have. That is NOT how God judges us and neither should we.

More of the End

2009-07-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

Isaiah talks more about the end. How all the animals will be the only ones to inhabit the land. He then talks about how Arabia will not see power for another whole year. Later he talks to Tyre, the wealthy seaport and talks about their demise. And then 70 years will pass and then and only then will the Lord deal with Tyre once Again. Then we move over to King Ahaz and his blindness to his sinful nature to sacrifice to other gods and his worshiping to idol gods. But after his death Hezekiah took over and he was fortunately faithful and steadfast to the Lord.

You know nothing but God can give us the strength to keep going. Nothing but God can hold our heads up when we are down and nothing but God can help us up when we have fallen. I am so glad the God is on my side.

Isaiah Prophesies Against Nations

2009-07-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

OK, I think I am in a little yucky mood today. I hurt my wrist and ankle and I just don't think I am able to concentrate very well. I read this section twice and I am at a little lost for understanding. It seems like this reading is filled with judgement and telling the people what is to come in their future. Or at least the dark side of their future, (if you know what I mean) of what is to come about. If I am reading it right he is talking straight to Babylon, Moab and Assyria. He talks about how God will judge the sins of the nations. Shoot the sins of man in general.

That is a scary thought considering where our country is going. I mean we once were a country of prosperity and based our lives on the Bible. Hey, we based our Constitution on the Bible. Today, well, I do not have to remind you that our government is far away from that ideal. I mean we are trying to take God out of Government all together. The schools don't teach about it anymore (government run). They do not even teach the real reason why the pilgrims came over. Religious freedom! Do they still use a Bible to swear on in the court house?. So if what Isaiah say is right we, as a nation will be judged. Whew, scary to think what he will do to us.

I guess, what we can do is once again live our lives for God in everything we do. Hey and let me make it very clear, I am not bashing the USA. I love my country. There is no such thing as perfection except in Jesus Christ. So I can not expect a government filled with imperfect people to be perfect. What I can do is pray for the decisions made by the leaders. But, I do have to say, the one HUGE mistake our country has made was walking away from God. I only pray that more and more of the people will walk closer with our Messiah and be willing to not have the future Isaiah predicted be that of the good old USA.

By the way, if I am way off on my reading today, let me know. Give me your thoughts and inputs!

Isaiah's Anger Against Injustice

2009-06-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Isaiah speaks here of God declaring that He will judge Assyria by destroying it instead of of just inflicting a little discipline Israel. However, He will deliver the few survivors. But the main message I see here is the message of the coming Messiah. The coming of a new Kingdom of God. This Messiah will judge the earth, make and establish righteousness, and eventually bring peace to us all. Once this all happens, the people will submit to God and He will eventually bring His chosen people back.

Basically what he is saying in a nut shell is that world peace awaits us with the return of Jesus Christ. So now lets look at application. Think about this. We know there is a coming judgement day. We know that God loves us. So this should motivate us to live a life for God. That the things we choose to do should be motivated out of the love for God and the will to want to please Him. For when that judgment day comes, I do not want to be the one that questions myself and wonders if I will go or stay. Do You?

Cry Against Injustice

2009-06-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

Amos is so sure of the coming judgment that he gives a lament over Israel of grief. He gives a call to Israel tat whatever God says or does Israel will not listen and warns then of the dark days to come. He even tells them that God hate them for their worthless effort to rituals instead of a relationship. Basically saying not to bother to worship God if you are going to oppress your fellowman.

With Israel found guilty, Amos see their future which is judgment by locust, fire. The king demands that Amos stop preaching because he thinks he is a conspirator. which leads to another vision from Amos showing a basket of fruit which means that the time is ripe for Gods judgment on Israel. He ends with us knowing that even though God will destroy them, there will be some that will survive as to rebuild the nation of Israel.

There is no way to resist God and tell him no to anything, As he will permit us to sin the consequences are and can be severe. However, hope of a wonderful future from God should sustain us when we are suffering.

Prophecies of Amos

2009-06-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Amos starts out by introducing himself and then giving a brief description of of the historical setting of his ministry. Then he talks about eh eight nations and his judgement on them. As he works himself around to all the nations of course he save Gods chosen ones for last. Amos talks about how their punishment is for sure to come since they have a special relationship with God that no other nation has. He also makes sure that he tells them that their riches will soon be gone. All the pretty things the ladies have will be gone.

You see God gives us plenty of warnings before he actually judges us. He gives us hints and sometimes blatant slaps in the face before he lays his hand of discipline on us. But we need to keep out ears and eyes open so that we can see these warnings.

More of Hosea's Prophecies

2009-06-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hosea tells of the punishment about to happen to the people of Israel. They are now going to become captive to Assyria. They will be completely stripped of everything and become wanders among their now desolate land. They have just completely rejected everything that God has tried to teach them. Yet, you see that God is being torn by this love that He has for his baby Israel and He just can not seem to give up on His people. What a loving God. That does not mean He does not punish them, it just means that He ends up giving back to them what is theirs. God has sent many messengers over the years to Israel and He will continue to do so.

What this all means? It seems to me that the people always have some sort of excuse why they turn from God. Just like we do today. But you know what? We can be really happy in knowing that Gods love has absolutely NO end and as long as we repent and try to turn away from our sins 2e may still reap punishment, but in the end we will still be able to sit with God.

Charge Against Israel

2009-06-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

The book of Hosea now starts the records of his pain that he has towards Israels disobedience. He starts by talking about Israels sins, then talks to the priests about their sin followed by the more common sins of the people like adultery. Funny how that is still common place today. In today's society though it is even easier to commit adultery and never have any one know or actually touch another person....Pornography. Anyway, he then follows that up with judgement on the people.

Funny how all of the sudden there is this repentance. But it sure is short lived. He finishes it up with a stern warning about foreign relations which if you have been reading with me we know is a no no. Oh and then the talk about idols. OK, I have to admit I find the whole worshiping the calf strange and kinda funny, but when I put it in direct perspective to today I can see how they would do that. Still have a hard time thinking a cow can be a god, but I see how what they wanted was something to look up to so the gold calf was it. Today we have many things. Money and possessions or I guess you could call it the "keeping up with the Jones" idol would be a huge idol we worship today. But Hosea closes this reading with the punishment that is in store for the people's.

I think his words are very self explanatory. I know when I read the Bible sometimes I need my study books with me to help me understand what the purpose of the writings are, but Hosea lays it out really straight forward. PLAY NOW, PAY LATER! We have to be careful about how we indulge in out sinful nature. Is it really going to be worth the consequences. I keep trying to drill that into my kids head. Think about what you are doing and what the end result will be.

The Prophecies of Hosea

2009-06-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hosea was told by God to marry an adulterous wife who would then bear children from another man. And God also game him specific names to name each of the children which is a foreshadow of what Israel is to expect. Then we go into a pretty poem which talks about a man and his wife, but I feel it symbolizes Israel and God. God talks about how his love may be withdrawn now and then, but it eventually comes back. He talks about the yearning for his wife (Israel) to come back to Him. At this point Hosea goes and buys a prostitute to be his wife, Gomer.

Hosea modeled God and obeyed him too. You see Hosea was willing to marry this woman knowing full well she would not be faithful. He was willing to bear the pain for this all for God. Boy just think if we all modeled God more often. Slow to anger, so much love etc.

The Preaching of Jonah Against Nineveh

2009-06-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we all know the story of Jonah and the whale. He is asked by the Lord to go to Nineveh and he runs. He is on a ship the sea gets really bad and the people on the ship realized it is Jonah’s fault so Jonah asks to be thrown over, God saves him by having a big whale swallowed. He prays to God from inside the fish and the fish spits him out on land. H preaches to Nineveh and they repent. The king of Nineveh orders that all the people are to be more righteous which lead to God having compassion on the people.
Jonah gets mad at God because he said he knew that God would have compassion on the people. So when Jonah goes outside the city to pout God give him a vine to cover him from the heat, but wh3en Jonah continues to put God takes it away and bring a harsh wind. And God explains that the people of Nineveh are more then his one person.
Wowsers! So here is what I picked up on from all this. You see Jonah believed in God and went by his standards most of the time. But when something really hard came his way, he needed to look to God once more instead of fleeing from fear. You know that knowing God does not always guarantee us doing the right thing and we see that here with Jonah. Isn’t that why we do these Bible studies.
The other thing I see is the compassion that God gives us. So much so that He give so many of us second chances and third and fourth etc. I read that we are not called to believe God is compassionate but to be compassionate because He is. This really sums up the story of Jonah perfectly.

Era of Jeroboam II in Israel

2009-06-15T06:38:00.001-07:00

YEA, we finally have a new king who is doing right in the eyes of the Lord. Amaziah. But it makes a special note to tells us he was not like David but like Joash. So I thing that must be important enough for us to remember as we read.

Then once again there is this special note on Elisha and how a man was thrown into his tomb and how he came to life once he dead body touched the bones of Elisha.

Once king Hazael died and Ben Hadad took over, he was defeated three times and all the towns of Israel were taken back in the Jews hands. And to top all this off Amaziah take all the gods of Edom and sets them up to be worship and consulted by himself. Ok, now even a man of God confronts him and says if these gods could not save the Edomites why on earth would you consult them and think they could help you. But he does not listen and even threatens him.

Amaziah decided to gather up the Israelites who were old and strong enough to fight , but a man of God came to him and told him that the Lord was not with them. Sot the king sent them home and of course they went home angry. So the king took what army he did have and fought and won. Meanwhile the people as they went off home in anger they decided to plunder Judean towns. They ended up killing 3000 people. Seems to me all out of anger?!?

Anyway, this was a short lived victory for Amaziah over Edom because he got a little to proud and full of himself and had to go and pick a fight with the king of Judah. Now king Jehoash tells him that he is getting a bit to big for his britches and tells him to stay at home. But does Amaziah listen? No!! Of course when he dies his son takes over and does more evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Our patience is limited...very limited as a human, but I can see here that God is extremely patient. But I think even he has some limits and then end may be coming. Look it is very easy to sit here read these and judge these me for their blind acts. But we have to remember that this event were taken over many years and we also have to remember that if someone were to write our life out in a few chapters how would it look!? Would someone look at it and pass some judgment on us. We do some of the same things these men did in the past. The difference...culture. Our time and our culture is soooooo very different. It is easy to say I live for God every day and in everything and then turn around and curse or deliberately cut someone off on the street on steal or, or, or. Repentance is so important. We have to ask God to forgive us of all those thoughts and actions everyday. When we read these stories we need to read them as if it is a how to book. How to be closer to God and stay focused on Him.

Era of Joash

2009-06-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

Joash now is king and he decides to repair the temple by using the money from the census, personal vows etc. Joash's me did not get going on this project right away but once they did they acted with complete honesty and never stole the money they collected so they could pay the workers to rebuilt and repair the temple. Now once the priest who is in charge dies Joash decides to abandon the his project and take up paganism. Why? It's like I want to go back in time and give him a slap across the face or something.

Now Joash was a smart man. When king Hazael was starting to come upon Judah, Joash decided to take a bunch of gold objects etc and send them tot he king to get him to stop advancing towards Judah. Did it work? Yup! Then Elisha give a few bits of instructions here and dies. It just seemed weird how that was added in here.

Once he starts this he ends up dieing at the hands of his officials and his son, Jehoahaz, takes over which is not a great thing because he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Bummer!! You know it seems to me that even when history takes a unforeseen direction and may seem a bit uncertain, we can still have confidences in knowing that God is here watching over us and is in 100% control of everything.

The Prophecy of Joel

2009-06-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

I found this a very interesting book. I also found the fact of where it actually is in the Bible very interesting. I mean here we are in Kings for the past week or so and this is many books down the road. Anyway, Joel, the prophet, has some powerful images he draws up as he speaks here reminding us the our relationship with God take priority over everything in our lives. Calling the Israelites to come back to God. He first starts out with he vision of this terrible invasion of locust.

I have to stop here and just make a side note of something I read about this. Did you know that when the locust came and ate they would lay their eggs during their time on the farms. And so when the new growth of vegetation would start to spring up later on down the road it was just in time for the eggs to hatch and the baby locust to come out and eat up everything new growing close to the ground. Uuugghh. How horrible and they did not have pesticides like we do now.

Anyway, back to Joel. This whole text talks about this invasion of this army of locust a which he tells us is a divine invasion. This now leads to him talking not about locusts but an army that will invade the land. He calls upon the priests to repent and fast. Then his whole tone changes a bit. He tells us how God will provide for each persons by pouring his spirit out on the people in response to their cry for salvation and he will judge those who have been oppressing them as well as give them back their wealth once again. As these enemies try to come up against the Jews God will come and take over the fight and win and judge those pagan nations.

This was really I think very beautifully written. I actually read it twice not because I did not understand it but I just thought the way he wrote it was really a beautifully drawn out picture of repentance and revival. He basically saying it is never to late to turn back to God if we just repent from the heart. We should always be looking at what Gods purpose is for us and if we do these two things His spirit will be poured out on us. I also like that he threw in there that the daughter as well as their sons were intended to prophesy. That was a nice bonus for us woman. Great book to remind us to repent and turn back.

The Era of Joash in Judah

2009-06-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

So Jezebels daughter Athaliah decides to kill every descendant of her husband Jehoram so that she can have total power. Ahh, but there is a child hidden by Jehosheba, Joash, for 6 years. But the problem? He is only 7 years old. Bummer. Well, once the priest announces to the people that he is to be king this now affords for the priests etc to run the country until this tiny king is old enough to do some good and for them to get rid and kill Athaliah .

Meanwhile, Jehu deceitfully gets all the priest who worship Baal together in the temple so that he can kill them and do away with the worshiping of Baal. God was pleased with him and told him that for 4 generations his family will rule. But there lies a problem. He now is worshiping the calf. From one idol to the next.

You know we see all these things that these people did wrong and we can sit back and read and judge them and say what were you thinking. and you know what, someday someone will read the book of our lives and say some of the same things. It is so easy for us to judge and ask why God are you not disciplining them sooner.Why do you wait to discipline their descendants. But we have to remember discipline as well as blessings may sometimes nor come as quickly as we would like, but they will come in God's due time.

HEaling of Naaman

2009-06-10T20:51:00.001-07:00

Naaman who was the commander of the Syrian army had leprosy. On of the girls who happen to be Jewish who was being held captive mentioned to the king that there was a prophet who could heal him of leprosy. Unfortunatly when Naaman reached Israel, the king thinks this request to be healed is a sign that Syria wasn't to go to war. However, luckily Elisha overhears this and invites Naaman. Now Naaman gets all upset when Elisha tells him to be healed he must go bathe in the Jordan river and dip himself 7 times. He figures, he could have saved time and money by just cleaning himself back home. He gets over his anger and does as Elisha had instructed him to do. He is healed.

He now has a conviction to praise God.So much so he asks to take some soil back with him to his homeland. He promises to worship the Lord but has an exception due to his duties to the king during religious ceremonies. He then offers ELisha gifts which he does not accept. Ahh, but his servant Gehazi decided to run after Naaman and ask for money and clothes not realizing that Elisha can see these things.
When Gehazi gets back ELisha confronts him with his selfish act and curse him and his descendants with leprosy.

There are 2 things I really can be taught here. The first one is that we must realize that when we do things for God or in the name of God we do not need material possessions to be rewarded for the things we have done. We must do them directly for God and in His name.

The second thing is very simple and we all know this, but we are being watched at all time. Every remark, every bad look, every wonderful deed is being watched. We are never unobserved. So what does that mean? We should act accordingly. Pretend that a camera is on us 24/7 and the whole world is watching. Cause there is someone who is much more important watching us and His opinion is far more important then 10 billion people around the world.

Obadiah's Prophecy Against Edom

2009-06-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is a really short book. Looks like it talks about some sort of relationship that the cities of Edom and Judah Basically he talks about the day when Edom will go into battle with Judah and Edom will fall. The day that the Jews will occupy the promised land once again. I think he is also trying to warn us to choose sides. Make sure to look at all possibilities and all things before you choose the side for if you choose incorrectly you could be consumed.

2009-06-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Judah joins Joram in a revolt against Israel and to attack the Moabites. They take 7 days and then all the water is gone so then plead with the Lord for more water. Elisha has a message for these men telling then they will have all the water as well as a victory over the Moabites. The Moabites heard the kings were coming and decided to line up a whole bunch of men along the border. When they got there early in the morning the new water that the Moabites thought it was blood from a battle. Of course the Moabites were defeated as predicted.

Jehoshapaht dies and his son Jehoram (Joram) takes over. I have to interject here for a moment. When I read the next passage I was feeling so sad. Sad that corruption and evil can have such a hold on people and turn what could be good people to bad. Anyway, Joram ends up not following in his fathers footsteps but Ahabs and corrupts the people.

A Mysterious letter arrives from Elijah basically recapping to Joram how evil he is and telling him that the Lord will strike his people. But just remember that the Lord will still keep his promise to preserve the line of David. So the Philistines attack.

So you can see that sometime good thing happen to bad people, but God will always keep his promise. Basically I see here that rewards have always been the way we see Gods handy work, but sometimes we can see God and His faithfulness to us throughout His punishments too.

Elisha the Prophet

2009-06-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

So we have Elijah who has been a wonderful prophet for the Lord and has an apprentice that when he dies if he see him go he will become the next prophet. Well Elijah does not die he is taken away in a Chariot of fire and Elisha is now the prophet. When this happens a group of men ask Elisha if they want them to go look for Elijah. Of course Elisha knows that Elijah is in heaven so he says no, but they keep pressuring him. He gives in to the request so as to not get ridiculed. But he has no problem is saying I told you so when they get back and can not fond Elijah.

This starts Elisha on a journey of one miracle after another. He purifies water, he save a widow with an almost endless supply of oil, raises the dead feed a multitude of people on an endless supply of bread. Sound familiar???

I think these miracles are the onset of Jesus coming to town. But if you look at it closely these miracles are not for God. They are for his people. He allows the miracles to happen to bring people to God. Shoot he really provides these miracles to us today. Think about it right now the way our economy is. Most of us still have a place to live, food to eat. These are miracles. We just need to open our eyes to the things he does for us daily and not to forget to thank him for them.

Battle

2009-06-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

OK, yesterday I wrote some of this already about Ahab's death so I will skip all of that and move on to his successor his son Ahaziah which he also happens to be evil and follow in his fathers footsteps.

Jehoshaphat is told to make sure he consults the Lord in judging. Then he is told by some of his men that war was coing his way from the Moabites, Ammonites and Menunites. Jehoshaphat declares for all of Judah to fast and pray and ask the Lord for guidance. He then says a wonderful prayer in front of the assembly. The Lord answers through Jahaziel and He says to not be afraid because the battle is the Lords. (I love this next part) The Jehoshaphat gather up some men to go ahead of the army and sing praises to God. And they won the battle.

Then Jehoshaphat made a terrible mistake. He made an agreement with Ahaziah to build a fleet of ships. This angered God and he destroyed them all. Ahaziah goes to consult a false God and Elijah is there to remind him that doing so will result in his death. The king sends men to kill Elijah but God kills off the 1st And 2nd troop of men. When then 3rd troop see this they beg for their lives. Elijah went back to the king with the 3rd group to tell the king again that he will die. and he did. His successor...Jorams. And he was evil too.

Wowzers. What a story. This would make a great movie. No disrespect intended. I just see throughout all of this one simple thing that I have been seeing all along. Seek God first and all will come out good in the end. Consult your false Gods...alcohol, porn, TV, food, sex etc., and you will surly die! Simple enough for you?

Ahab and Jezabel

2009-06-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

So lets back up a bit. I re-read yesterday's reading and then today's and I think I understand the events a little bit better now so instead of re-writing yesterdays I thought I would just combine yesterday and today together

So Ahab becomes the king that is known as the most wicked and he happens to marry the most wicked women ever. So much so that not a soul alive would ever name their child Jezebel. Basically they ended up leading the Israelites in worshiping the pagan God Baal . Elijah, the prophet, came to Ahab and told him it would not rain for 3 years because he was so wicked.

Then the Lord sent Elijah to hide because he was sought after to be killed. There the Lord had the ravens bring him meat and bread.

After three years of hiding and no rain he returned to Ahab and he made it rain. When Ahab saw him he called him the trouble maker, but Elijah was quit minded and told him that it was not him that was making the trouble but Ahabs family have caused the problem because of the worshiping of Baal. Then he told him to have his priests meet him at Mt. Carmel.

There Elijah challenges the priests to prepare 2 bulls on a bed of hay for a sacrifice and to call for their gods. The god who answers with fire will be the true god. Of course they called for their gods all day and nothing happened but as soon as Elijah called on God the fire erupted and consumed the sacrifice. as well as the false prophets. That really is better then yesterdays description.

OK, so now after this spiritual thing going on Ahab has the want for this vineyard, but the owner Naboth is not interesting in selling. So wicked Jezebel decides to get this vineyard anyway. She write a letter in the king Ahab's name saying for some people to bear false witness on Naboth and kill him. When this happens and Jezebel hears it is done she is elated and Ahab takes possession on the vineyard. But Elijah shows up again and tells him about God's judgement on Ahab and his family. But believe it or not Ahab humbles himself and God tells him that this disaster will not happen till he is dead.

Ahab and Jehoshaphat meet and tells him that he must have Ramoth witch was given to him by Ben Hadad and asks Jehoshaphat to help. But Jehoshaphat consults the Lord. Ahab has him consult his corrupted prophets and they predict success. But Jehoshaphat will not have it. He wants to see the true prophet Micaiah which when consulted he predicts that the prophets were lying and there is no success in the future. And of course Ahab is wounded beyond repair and dies with dogs licking his blood just as Elijah had predicted.

Whew, done! OK, so what does this all mean for us thousands of years later? OK, lets start with Ahab and Jezebel. You see we have to be careful of the partners we choose in life. Not only in our marriages, because they are for life, but also even in business. We need to be careful not to make the wrong choice and end up being persuaded to their ways of life.If we stand strong in our faith and call on God in important decisions then we know that no matter what God's people will always in some way will outnumber the liers. Does that make since?

Elijah the Prophet

2009-06-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

We now are learning about the prophet Elijah and how he foretells the drought coming and how God will fee him through the Ravens, and then once that was all done he was told to go see a widow. Now imagine this. He tells this poor woman that she is to make bread for home and not for her family with the little bit of oil and flour she has left. And she did it! That is faith. Then this poor ladies son dies, but through the power of God Elijah is able to raise him from the dead.

Elijah goes out and as he is walking he meets up with Obadiah. He tells Obadiah to tell Ahab that Elijah has arrived. Obadiah does that even thought he is fearful that Elijah will disappear again and Ahab will kill him. Elijah warns Ahab and the Israelites that as they follow Baal they are making a grave mistake. But he asked them to call on Baal. As the people shouted and cried out there of course was not answer. But when Elijah call for the Lord…The fire consumed all the sacrifice. The Israelites saw this they cried. The Lord id God! With this Elijah call for the death of the Baal priest. Then guess what happened? The drought ended.

As Ahab was going to meet Jezebel, she sent word to Elijah that she wanted him dead. Elijah got scared and ran. As he lay under a tree until the angel of the lord appeared and gave him food to strengthen him. This way he was able to make it all the way to the cave at Horeb. Once there he heard from the Lord once again and was to go to Damascus and anoint the king and to then be called a prophet.

There are several things to pick up on here. The first thing is trusting God. The widow trusted God, Elijah trusted God. And we must do the same. Because we are really never alone in life. He is right there. Here is one problem I see. We make mistakes we tend to get really hard on ourselves. We get depressed and down and then we end up fleeing and hiding. But that is not what we are to do. We must never punish ourselves more then God would do to us. We must keep our faces on God and ask for guidance.

Two Kingdoms in Contrast

2009-06-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

So Asa rebuilds Judah and re-builds the peoples faith in God. While Nadabs is having Israel becoming more and more corrupt before his assassinations by Baasha who later becomes an idol worshiping king. Unlike Baasha, Asa kept Judah from War for 35 years.. However at one point the went to the King Aram to make a treaty. Hanani told Asa what he did was not of the Lord and that he should have relied on God not another man. Well, he becomes angry and puts the seer in jail.

In Israel, Jehu who is the son of Hanani, warns Baasha that he is far from God and tells him that the dogs and birds will eat of him. Then Baasha dies. Elah his son, succeeds him as king for only 2 years (I think by the way it reads) and is assassinated. Then Zirmri becomes King for a week. This one week reign ended with the killing of all Baashas family and the suicide of Zimri.
Now Omri becomes kings. Let me stop here and mention that it has now been 31 years that Asa has been king in Judah. Israel is really having problems with their kings. Mainly because they are so far removed from God. Of course Omri dies and Ahab takes over the Israel Kingdom./ Now this is the worst king of all. He provoked the Lord to anger. He worshiped Baal!

At 41 years as king, Asa contracts some sort of foot disorder and instead of going to God for help he only went to men…physicians to help him. Which resulted in his death. Jehoshaphat, his son, became the next king of Judah. He was a good man. He finished removing all idol form Judah and kept the people on track to worship God. The Lord was with him. He has several officials start to teach about the law of God in the city. Because of this the surrounding cities became scared of Jehoshaphat. Therefore he kept peace with Israelis king.

Continued Division

2009-06-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jeroboam had a few things happen to him that were pointing him in the right direction, but he still chose to still worship idols. Because of this the Lord makes Jeroboam’s son ill and die. Then Rehoboam takes to idolatry and Israel follows like little sheep. Because they were unfaithful to God an Egyptian King came up against Rehoboam and took over his cities. Rehoboam humbled himself to the Lord and the Lords spared his life. Once Rehoboam dies of old age, his son Abijah took over.

Well, now the war between Abijah and Jeroboam takes place. But Abijah recalls to the Israelites that they are descendants of David and should turn from Idol worshiping and turn back to the Lord. When Jeroboam attacked, the Israelites relied on God and guess what? They won!!! They had heavy losses, but they won. And to top it off Jeroboam lost power to Abijah . Unfortunately, Abijah was not perfect and still committed many many sins. His mind was in the right place but his heart was not and like all other that followed David, he sinned miserably.

I think we each have a responsibility to do Gods will, as we understand it. You know we will never do it perfectly, but when we outright sin like Jeroboam, we need to reflect on what is going on in our heart. We see some of what is going on here in today. Our society has abandoned Gods moral standards and with that we have more and more wickedness. More and more sorrows. More and more strife. And as our society continues to decline, we will see more and more of all of that jus like back then with Jeroboam. One thing we can do is pray that God will bring a man in power who will not be ashamed to run a moral country!

Division Between Israel and Judah

2009-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

So, Solomon’s son takes over, Rehoboam. Jeroboam tell his brother that he should lower the taxes and relieve the people, but Rehoboam will have nothing to do with that and threatens to raise the taxes. When some tribesmen come home and see that this tax thing is going up, they rebel and stone Jeroboam reps. They make Jeroboam their king. Rehoboam dislikes this and raises up an army to fight. Meanwhile Jeroboam, sets up a new worshiping system (Idol worship made to look like God worshipping) because he does not want his people to go to Jerusalem to worship. This goes against everything that God has told them to do for worshiping the Lord.
Seems to me that these two men are just down right disobedient. I mean, not that we all aren’t, but wow. They knew exactly what they were doing was 110% wrong. I actually take that somewhat back. Rehoboam was more foolish then disobedient. Jeroboam was outright disobedient. You know Gods promise. You would be foolish to disregard it and do things out of fear like these men did.

Life's True Meaning

2009-05-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

This was a great book of the Bible. Even though once again I thing that Solomon was reflecting on his own life and looking at his failures and warning the reader not to do the same thing. How do we best learn, but by the failures of our own and from listening to the failures of others.

Look in everything there is, even reason, it all goes to God. It all looks back at Him. Instead of always looking around us and glooming over the don't haves or glooming over our own mistakes. We need to point out head up to the sky and praise God that we know Him and know that since we know who he is, we have a relationship with him and He is always there for us, we are blessed. Just as blessed as Solomon, David and all the rest. The words that we have been reading are given to us so that we can learn to be more righteous and right with God.

Value of Wisodm

2009-05-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

Solomon's tone sure does change here. He does not seem as upset and cynical about his upcoming death in the future. He goes back to giving us his advise on hoe to live our lives. My favorite out of here was the danger of extremism.

In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Do not be over righteous, neither be over wise...why destroy yourself?
Do not be over wicked and do not be a fool...why die before your time?
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.

Basically what I thing he is saying is MODERATION in everything.

Meaninglessness of Human Pursuits

2009-05-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

OK, in my last post I stated that Solomon was being cynical. Yea! H e is reflecting on his life and realizing that life really is meaningless. That all the wisdom and wealth in the world is meaningless without God. Our ultimate goal is to not try so hard to fulfill our every desire because "all things done under the sun are meaningless and a chasing in the wind."

I like how he talks about the meaningless of materialism. Living hear in Orange County California, materialism is probably one of the highest in the nation. Most of the people who live here are very well off or just trying to look that way. They have their flat screen TVs, extra large SUV, 3000 square foot homes with pools, beautiful brand new furniture up the ying yang, kids in every class under the sun and shopping at Nordstroms etc. And guess what they are doing while trying to keep up with the Jones? Going bankrupt! I bring this up here because Solomon make such a great case against all of that. I have lived my life like Solomon describes, somewhat meagerly not getting all the new and best things, and from time to time, I get jealous of some of my friends. I want all that cool stuff and beautiful yards and awsome things in my house. But after reading this, I realize more then ever that Solomon is right...It is all meaningless and a chasing in the wind.

He also mentions the fact that we need each other. Here is another thing that bothers me about our country or even world right now that I myself have gotten caught up in. The fact that we no longer are dealing with people. We send emails and text etc. Yes, I admit, I am a bit of a loaner, but I also love to have my friends around. Solomon warns us that if a man falls down and he is alone it is hard for him to get up. But if he has a friend or a partner or as he calls it a brother then we can just get up. We need each other and we need to get off the computer and make that call instead of email.

Look Our hearts are always yearning for something. We try to fill it with TV, cars, email etc, but the only thing that can fill those empty spaces and voids is God. The sooner we learn this and live it the sooner our desire for all that stuff will start to die down!

Great read and a real hit home for me.