September 14–Zephaniah

“Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near. . .I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil’ ” (1:7, 12).

Zephaniah spoke often of the “Day of the Lord”. More than any of his prophet brothers, he predicted this dreadful, imminent day.

It will be a day of darkness and wrath. God will bring fair judgment on the human race for its long history of sin. Several smaller days will precede it, all partial installments of God’s gathering wrath. For Zephaniah, the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonian conquerors was a shadow and prefigure of the final day.

On that day, every form of resistance to the Holy One will be exposed. “I will search Jerusalem with lamps,” says the Lord. Comprehensive investigation! Fair and full. Nothing hidden from Him on that day. Nothing. God is more holy than we imagine, and more aware.

One sin identified in the coming search will be INDIFFERENCE. Those who are, “stagnant in spirit,” says 1:12. Neither hot nor cold toward God, not opposing Him, but not seeking/serving Him either. People who say in their hearts, “God will not do good or evil.” He is, in their mistaken view, inconsequential.

Even now, there are many! Stagnant in Spiritual matters. Neither interested, nor angry. Like a stagnant pond. No movement or energy. More polluted with each passing day.

To the last, the prophet urges the people to gather and to seek the Lord before the decree takes effect. See 2:1-3. A cold heart is a danger, but not necessarily a death sentence. “Kindle afresh the gift of God,” says the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 1:6.

Friend, when the day of the Lord comes, when the Holy One searches the hearts of ALL people will He declare that you have been Spiritually stagnant? Do you hear God’s warning? Will you turn to God with your whole heart and focus?

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. . .because you are lukewarm. . .I will spit you out of my mouth. . .behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with Him and He with me” (Revelation 3:15-16, 20).

September 13–Habakkuk

“Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines. . .and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation”(3:17-18).

Like us, Habakkuk had questions. At times frustrated and confused, he barely kept his balance on the sharp edge of his faith and his disappointments.

A contemporary of Jeremiah, Habakkuk lived in a time of growing anxiety. Babylon grew stronger with every passing day. The invasion of Jerusalem was ominously near. What were believers to pray and believe in such a situation?

“Why aren’t you answering us?” Habakkuk said to God in 1:2. “I am answering,” replied the Eternal One in 1:5. ” I am at work in ways that are different/larger than your ideas/expectations.” Note to self: Just because God isn’t doing what I think or like, doesn’t mean He is not at work.

Having heard this answer, Habakkuk determined to give himself to quietness, to dedicate the time to REALLY listen for God. See 2:1. Doing so, he received fresh assurance from God that the promises to Israel would not be annulled by the near-horizon destruction. God would keep His promises! All of them. “The vision is for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail” (v. 2:3).

There will be ups. There will be downs. The purposes of God, however, remain fixed and firm.

As the book comes to a close, the prophet has a new prayer. “Revive your work, O Lord.” See 3:2. Habakkuk finally understood. It is God’s responsibility to protect and complete His work in the world. This insight unlocked the prophet’s heart. “I will rejoice,” he says in 3:18. (Hebrew, alaz, to rejoice or triumph or celebrate.)

Habakkuk’s lesson is ours, too. In all circumstances, sorrow and success, our privilege is to lift glad voices to a faithful God. Friend, is there any part of your present challenge that is discouraging you? As you shift your heart-focus back to God, will you repent? Will you rejoice?

“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God. . . and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken” (Acts 16: 25-26).

September 12–Nahum

“A jealous and avenging God is the Lord. . .slow to anger and great in power, (He) will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way”(1:2-3).

The prophets knew God to be jealous. Not a jealousy such as humans have. Not petty or insecure. The word used in Scripture carries the idea of fire. INTENSE EXCLUSIVITY!

We are wise to remember this truth. Like weather, God is calm, until He is not calm. Long years of His patience must never lull us to believe that He has lost concern for sins or commitment to redeem a saved race of humans. We may get weary or distracted, grow lax and unfocused, He never does! Patience is part of His passion, not a denial of it.

The book of Nahum prophesies the destruction of Nineveh. Coming a century and a half after Jonah, it served as a severe sequel to God’s earlier mercy. Apparently, the repentance in Jonah’s time was only true for a time. Over years, the city returned to self and sin and encountered the fierce jealousy of God.

Friend, do you feel the intensity of God’s desire for you? The unchanging strength of His loving plan? Nahum did.

Is the God you know jealous? Does He remind you of a storm?

“The opposite of love is not anger, it is indifference” (Tim Keller).

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance; the only thing it cannot be is moderately important” (C. S. Lewis).

“You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for the Lord your God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments”(Exodus 5:9-10).

September 11–Micah 5-7

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah. . .from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity”(5:2).

September 11, 2001 was an unforgettable moment for Americans. We remember it today.

It came without warning. Afterwards, nothing was ever the same. Not all days are equal. Some are supersized in importance and impact.

In 700 B. C., the prophet Micah saw a supernatural moment coming. Larger, by far, than any other historical event. A day planned by the Father from long ago in eternity past. Micah prophesied the day. Israel’s promised king would step into history. He would, “go for Me (the Father)”. The incarnation! The birth of the Messiah.

Micah’s amazing prophesy was spoken in a time of great fear. The siege of Jerusalem was coming. King Zedekiah would soon be humiliated, and the nation with him.

Looking beyond the trouble on the immediate horizon, the prophet saw the glory/success of a COMING KING. While no specific time is given, a baby would be born. See 5:3. In a moment, the Son would be incarnated into history and time. God with us!

Years later, in the time of Herod, the priests and scholars answered Herod’s question by referencing this verse. They knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. See Matt. 2:4-6. (They KNEW! When rumors came of angels and shepherds, why didn’t they go to investigate? I have no answer. Why don’t we?)

Friend, do you believe in God? Do you believe that in a moment of His own choice the Creator God revealed Himself to the world in the person of His Son? The baby born in the manger was (is) the Living Lord!

God has no limitations. No restraints. He is faithful to His own word and His own schedule. The world can change in a moment. It has done so in the past. Someday, it will again.

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie; above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight”(Phillips Brooks).

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. . .the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall all be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

September 10–Micah 1-4

“Woe to those who scheme iniquity, who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, for it is in the power of their hands. They covet fields and then seize them, and houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, a man and his inheritance”(2:1-2).

Christianity is a restored relationship with God the Father through faith in His Son in the power of His Spirit. Capitalism is an economic system which predicts the creation of wealth through the use of capital and individual initiative. The second is useful. The first is essential. Our love and loyalty belong to God alone.

When the Old Testament prophet Micah declared the judgement of God on Samaria and Jerusalem (capitals of the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom, respectively) he made this point very clear. In large part, God’s anger toward His people was economic. His judgment came on His people from their unfettered and unfaithful pursuit of wealth.

Remember Jesus cleansing the moneychangers from the temple? One of our Lord’s concerns was that economic pursuit had captured and corrupted the godly purpose of the temple. Wealth was the true ambition. Is this not still a danger in our churches and nation?

Is economic gain forbidden? No. People who follow God are often blessed with great wealth. Abraham is one example. Even so, the pursuit of wealth must be carried out under a larger narrative of God’s care for all people and with a stewardship of all resources according to God’s law and will. We do business according to our theology, not vice versa. When we lose a Spiritual conscience, when we begin to operate out of selfish ambition, His judgment will come. Guaranteed.

Friend, do you hear this warning? Are you ethical in business? Are you generous with the poor? Is the invisible world your true ambition and goal?

“You cannot serve God and wealth” (Jesus, Matthew 6:24).

“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed”(1 Timothy 6:17-19).

September 9–Jonah

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish”(2:1).

It was a turnaround moment! Blessed breakthrough! In the midst of painful discipline, after days (months? years?) of avoidance and disobedience, Jonah prayed to the Lord. With honest words of humility and repentance, he reached upward toward God.

Years later, he wrote down his words and thoughts from that day. He likely reflected on this moment the rest of his life. Recorded his story as a guide for others who also struggle. To pray, I must surrender. To surrender, I must pray. They are synonyms.

It is a detail often missed in the Jonah story. “I was so obsessed with what was going on inside the whale that I missed what was going on inside of Jonah,” said Thomas John Carlisle. Gradually, painfully, God drew Jonah back to Himself. Back to humility. Back to prayer. Back to obedience.

Like the prodigal son, the trip home for Jonah began with a shift in focus. In the darkness of his misery, he said to the Lord, “I will look again toward your holy temple.” See 2:4. God in His temple is God in His self-revelation, His worth! When Jonah focused his eyes there, he found grace. To get well, our eyes must turn to something higher than ourselves. This is the great surrender. We stop looking at ourselves and look to God.

In v 2: 8-9, Jonah confessed the essential truths about God. No idols. Faith (and faithfulness) are required. Salvation is from God only. Whether Jonah expected to be vomited up safe on dry land, we cannot know. Even so, there was no bargain in this prayer, Jonah turned to God because it was right to do so!

Sad report. Later in the story, Jonah’s ego resurfaces. None of us is ever completely free from the downward pull of sin. Not in this lifetime. Self-denial is daily task for every believer.

Friend, is it time for YOU to go pray? Have you struggled long in your own stubbornness? Are you trapped in circumstances of your own making? Mercy is available. Much-needed answers. The Father invites you to seek Him in prayer.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 121:1-2).

“And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me (Paul), ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you do’ “(Acts 22:10).

September 8–Obadiah

“Do not gloat over your brother’s day, for the day of his misfortune, and do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction. . .for the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you”(12, 15).

Long feud. Bitter. Brothers Jacob and Esau had a history of competition and tension. Sadly, it carried forward into their families. Like the Hatfields and McCoys. Like the Montagues and Capulets.

The descendants of Esau became the nation of Edom. Over years there were frequent episodes of conflict with Israel. The Edomites rejected Moses’ request to travel through their lands. See Numbers 20. They opposed Saul. See 1 Samuel 14. Ancient animosity. A repeating cycle of hate/hurt/hate.

When Jerusalem was attacked, the Edomites stood by, refusing to help. See v. 11. They rejoiced in Jerusalem’s defeat. They even participated in looting the city and took cruel advantage of the fugitives as they fled. See v. 13-14. God judged them for the malice.

The Scripture is very clear about my relationship to those who hate me. I am to LOVE my enemies and PRAY for those who despitefully use me. No matter the provocation, the Great Judge holds me responsible for any simmering resentment in my heart. No excuses. No exemptions.

“Father, forgive them,” said the Savior. His example to me. His expectation of me.

Friend, will you pray today for those who have wounded you? Stop! Will you actually DO this exercise, and not just think about it? Will you regard with HIS eyes those who have hurt/disappointed you? This is God’s wisdom. This is God’s command.

“Love. . .does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth”(1 Corinthians 13:6).

“See to it. . .that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble, (for) by it many people will be defiled”(Hebrews 12:15).

September 7–Amos 7-9

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for the hearing of the words of the Lord”(8:11).

“A word from the Lord was rare in those days; visions were infrequent” (1 Samuel 3:1).

The last three chapters of the book of Amos contain a series of five visions. Five pictures of God’s judgment. Locust swarm. Devouring fire. Plumb line. Basket of ripe fruit. Altar destroyed. Terrifying images, all.

In Chapter 8, God compares Israel to summer fruit, ripe, just at the turning point. Beginning to spoil. Soon of no value at all.

What crimes carried the nation to this dangerous point? Greed played a significant role. The eagerness to get rich. See 8:5-6. The same warning given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6. The men of Israel were punctual in religious services. No fault there. But their enthusiasm was focused on the “work week” when they could get back to making money. It was their true love. Slowly this cancer of the heart separated them from God. Note their characteristic callousness toward the poor.

God’s response? A famine. Not of harvest, rain and bread, rather of the hearing of God’s word. The Spirit was grieved and quenched. Sermons were preached, but hearts were unmoved. No one heard a word from God. Nothing to shatter the conscience and sweep them into a radically new life. Cold souls. An absence of power. A famine in the land.

“Preaching is the public exposition of Scripture by the man sent from God, in which God Himself is present in judgement and grace” (John Calvin, italics mine). Friend, is God present when we gather for worship? Is there sufficient fire in our churches to draw people from their computer screens and sporting events to the place where God is present to save? If not, then we, too, are experiencing a famine.

“My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power”(1 Corinthians 2:4).

“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?”(Acts 2:37).

September 6–Amos 3-6

“But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness as an ever flowing stream”(Amos 5:24).

Justice is God’s word. It implies a decision made by God. (The Hebrew word mishpat meant “judgment or decision.”) It points to a verdict reached in the mind and heart of the Holy One. When people and situations conform to HIS judgments of right and wrong, it is rightly called JUSTICE.

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial, famously quoted Amos 5:24. Doing so, he interpreted God’s demand for social justice, justice in the way humans treat other humans. In this, Dr. King was in step with the prophet Amos who called ancient Israel to radically reorder their relationships toward the poor. See 5:12.

Even so, the LARGER, FULLER meaning must give focus to Spiritual justice. In today’s text, I hope you will notice how often Amos joins the ideas of justice AND righteousness. Unless a man is right with God, he is not just.

Our very idea of fairness, and our ability to do it, rises from God. Those who truly want justice in this generation must seek God or fail in their quest.

Racial and economic justice are only a part of God’s plan. His judgements regarding life and marriage and property are equally clear. Attempts to establish social justice apart from Spiritual justice will fail from lack of foundation and power. What a sad record secular human history provides! Human attempts to create utopia always fail. It is not revolution we need, but revival.

Justice is God’s word. Unless we seek Him, we will never achieve it. To be fair with people, we must first be fair with God.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”(Micah 6:8).

September 5–Amos 1-2

“The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa. . .’the Lord roars from Zion. . .for three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not revoke its punishment. . .for three transgressions of Israel and for four, I will not revoke its punishment’ ” (1:1-3, 2:6).

Have you ever heard a lion roar? It is a sound that touches a primal fear in the human heart. The prophet Amos said God roars with the same purpose. He wants us to feel the fear, to receive the warning of His coming judgement.

Amos was a simple man. A shepherd. Not rich. Perhaps, it gave him special sensitivity to the misuse of wealth in a prosperous age. Uzziah was king in the south. Jeroboam was king in the north. Years of stability. Wealth accumulated. Leisure became possible. Religion became either idolatrous, or formal and powerless. Please note: wealth is often a significant spiritual danger.

As Amos’ sermon began that day, his hearers must have been pleased. They were glad to hear their neighbor nations called out for their sins. (The prophets were monotheists. ALL nations answered to Jehovah God.) How smug this congregation must have been that morning. “Go get ’em preacher! Give ’em hell.”

As the sermon continued, however, Amos aimed his words at their consciences, too. He called out Judah and Israel. Accused them of sin. Rejection of God’s law. Economic injustice. Sexual immorality. Idolatry. They had become secular, ignoring their obligations to the Holy One.

God has no favorites. Not in the sense that He ever lowers His holy expectations. The opposite, actually. “To whom much is given, much is required,” said the Savior. God’s blessings ought to make a nation zealous for good works, not comfortable and self-absorbed.

Do you hear the roar from heaven today? A holy warning to nations of the world? To our nation? God’s mercies OBLIGATE us to righteousness. The first human duty is worship. Without holiness we are in danger. We are to be passionate for justice. Advocates for the poor. Morally pure. Prayerful. Friend, do you hear a Lion roaring?

“Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds”(Titus 2:1).

“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:15-16).