Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Introduction to Jonah





If you are at all like me, the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the name Jonah is "and the whale" or "and the big fish." It's one of those Bible stories that kids learn at the earliest of ages because it's an adventure story with amazing moments and a miraculous save. Unfortunately, it hardly does justice to the Book of Jonah, since the fish story only comprises a few verses in chapters 1 and 2! (I will say, though, that the VeggieTales' folks did an excellent job in getting to the meat of this book in their "Jonah" movie.)

Let's remember that Jonah was a prophet. God assigned him to the 10 tribes of northern Israel back in 784 B.C., about a dozen years after Joel's time of prophecy to the southern kingdom. Isn't it interesting, though, that Jonah was assigned this huge region of folks to reach, yet what we remember Jonah for--because it's the focus of the Book of Jonah--is his ministry to the city of Ninevah.

My study Bible notes that this stance was also held by the Pharisees in Jesus' day.

"The Pharisees were wrong when they said 'no prophet arises out of Galilee' (John 7:52) because Jonah was a Galilean."


Jesus, however, would talk about Jonah's ministry to the Ninevites in His trying to reach the Pharisees with the truth. Of course, they didn't listen, but we should take heed to the points Jesus was making (and we will look at His words as we get deeper into Jonah).

So, who was Jonah? We know his name means "dove" and he was the son of Amittai, whose name means "truthful and loyal." Jewish tradition--not proven nor mentioned in the Bible--says that Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephath whom Elijah raised from the dead (Great story in I Kings 17: 8-24). This all sounds like marvelous qualities for a prophet! We will learn, almost immediately, however, that Jonah does not live up to his name.

Jonah lived in Gath-hepher, a town near Nazareth, and served during King Jeroboam II's reign. The times in the northern kingdom were good and prosperous, unless one looked at the nation's spiritual health. Rituals and idol-worship were the course of the day in Israel and the perversion of justice was the norm. The time was ripe for a prophet to speak the truth. But, again, remember that the story preserved in God's Word about Jonah's ministry is his time in Ninevah.

A little background on Ninevah: it was the capital of Assyria and one of the largest cities in the ancient world. It was founded by Nimrod, who was a great-grandson of Noah. Assyria was a constant source of friction with Israel, and God would use this friction to, eventually, cause Israel to fall to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. as punishment for the tribes' lack of faithfulness. But, this did not mean that Assyria would triumph forever. Indeed, Ninevah would be destroyed 150 years after it had repented of its ways (through Jonah's work).

As you can imagine, this will be another great adventure through a book that seems on the surface very familiar and simple. The short-and long-term ramifications of God's plan will be known. And the story of Ninevah, begun with Jonah, would continue through Christ. That definitely has me charged up for an excellent summer study!

My study Bible sums up the book in this way:

"Jonah is a picture of Israel, who was chosen and commissioned by God to be His witness, who rebelled against His will, but who has been miraculously preserved by God through centuries of exile and dispersion to finally preach His truth."

Next week, Jonah's disobedience.... 'Til next Wednesday!



Photo: http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/d/do/dore_jonah_whale.jpg


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Next week: Jonah 1:1-3

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.


I also use
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).


Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Joel 3: 18-21





Judah Will Be Blessed
18And in that day
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
And the hills will flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a spring will go out from the house of the LORD
To water the valley of Shittim.
19Egypt will become a waste,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20But Judah will be inhabited forever
And Jerusalem for all generations.
21And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
For the LORD dwells in Zion.

And here we are! The closing verses of Joel and a happy ending as the section subhead suggests: Judah will be blessed.

Such a beautiful series of pictures. We start with sweet wine flowing from the mountain. My study Bible has a note that says this literally means "freshly pressed out grape juice." I cannot help but think back to Chapter 1 and the swarm of locusts that almost did in the residents of Judah, and caused the wine drinkers to wail "...on account of the sweet wine that is cut off from your mouth." (Joel 1:5) Through their repentance and His mercy, God restored the fruit of the vine--literally and figuratively.

"...The hills will flow with milk." I've been blessed with the unexpected joy of studying the exodus of the Israelites through Priscilla Shirer's study One in a Million. Had no idea how many parallels I would see between Joel and Exodus. But, should I have been surprised? Joel's prophecy is steeped in references to the fulfillment of God's covenant with His people, one of which was made through Moses.

"So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey...."
--Exodus 3:8


The Promised Land is synonymous with "milk and honey." God's words in Joel reassured that the promises of His care and provision, and the ultimate security of God's reign over the land of His people would be there.

Finally, water flows everywhere! From a land with famine and drought to a land of rich abundance and water. The valley of Shittim is worthy of note, with its significance back in the days of the exodus. Again, from my study Bible: "Known for its acacia trees [BTW, the wood of acacia trees was used to create the ark of the covenant and other parts of the tabernacle, back in the days of Moses], the valley was situated on the northern shores of the Dead Sea and served as the final stopover for Israel prior to her entrance into the Promised Land. This valley is also the place to which the millennial river will flow." Christ's coming to reign will be as a spring from the house of the Lord.

Although our passage is a blessing and comes with God's perfect justice, it does not come without bad news for some. Joel speaks of Egypt and Edom, specifically. The Israelites were ill-treated slaves in Egypt for years and years and years. God's miracle of the Red Sea crossing with Pharoah's crew's demise was a mere preview of the justice that He will carry out upon that nation. Edom, as you'll remember from our study of Obadiah, is completely obliterated:

"Because of violence to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever."
--Obadiah 1:10


Verses 20 and 21 conclude with God's establishing the place of Judah/Jerusalem as part of His Kingdom. It is the finish to an amazing race, a true journey! And if there were any doubt as to whether God had completely forgiven them their sins, note verse 21 in the New International Version: "'Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon.' The LORD dwells in Zion!" (emphasis mine)

This was a message to be shared and passed down to the generations. This was a time for Judah that had come and gone--with devastation and renewal--and a time with blessing that is yet to come. And the hand of God is ever present and the mercy of God is there, when hearts are where they should be.

"Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?"
--Joel 2:14, God speaking


Who knows? The only One who can truly know! Will we let His Word fill our hearts, as the brooks of Judah will flow with water?

Moving forward to our next prophet--Jonah! 'Til next Wednesday!



Photo: http://heureuxpourtoujours.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/milk_pouring1.jpg


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Next week: Introduction to Jonah

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.


I also use
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Joel 3: 13-17





13Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe
Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15The sun and moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.
16The LORD roars from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth tremble
But the LORD is a refuge for His people
And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
17Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,
Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain
So Jerusalem will be holy,
And strangers will pass through it no more.

If you weren't with us last week and just started reading our passage this week, you might feel as though you've been thrown for a loop. A ripe harvest and full winepress! Let the Jubilee begin!! But don't celebrate too soon, as the end of verse 13 sets the score straight: "...for their wickedness is great."

Faithful reader, Carmen, caught on to the tone God was setting with the words of Joel in the last post. There is an invitation to the nations to come to the valley, a ripe crop needing to be harvested. God is waiting...waiting for the multitudes. But we have already read God's agenda for this gathering early in the chapter, and this will not be a time of toasting.

"For the LORD'S indignation is against all the nations, and His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter.... For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion."
--Isaiah 34: 2 & 8

The next verses continue the verbiage we read in Joel 2, as creation takes a turn for the drastic and horrible. Everything that once shone light is now dark. The voice of God is heard. Not just heard, but God "roars." This creates a most frightening picture. Prepared for battle, the nations are gathered around at the invitation of the Lord, and God turns out the lights and raises His voice. And He's just getting started! [shudder] I like what Strong's says about the Hebrew for the verb tremble in verse 16: "To undulate (as the earth, the sky, etc.; also a field of grain), particularly through fear; specifically to spring (as a locust)." Love the tieback to Joel 1 and the locusts. Multitudes of nations, quaking in fear, springing, as locusts.

Jeremiah 16:19 is a cross-reference for this verse. "O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to You the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, 'Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, futility and things of no profit.'" That last quote is pretty powerful--"inherited nothing but falsehood, futility and things of no profit." When we think of inheritance, we generally think of acquiring good things, like a monetary sum, a business, a position. The nations will inherit nothing for their waywardness. They have "chased after the wind" as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes.

Then, there is a shift midway through verse 16, as Joel speaks of God being a refuge and a stronghold for His people. There will be those who will not see destruction on this Day. [More on the blessings for Judah next week.] God will fulfill the message that the nations have heard generation after generation after generation. His people will be ransomed and everyone will know that He is God! And as the Lord Jesus begins His reign in His second coming, Zion will once again be made holy. Jerusalem will once again be made holy. The "strangers", the "aliens", those who have "turned aside" from their God [Strong's] will be no more.

Closing with a reference verse from Obadiah [keeping the links to recently learned knowledge alive!]:

"'But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, and it will be holy and the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.'"
--Obadiah 1:17



Joel concludes and "Judah will be blessed".... 'Til next Wednesday!



Photo: http://www.seniortimesmagazine.com/images/663.jpg


* * *


Next week: Joel 3: 18-21

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.


I also use
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Joel 3: 9-12




9Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men!
Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!
10Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man."
11Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves there
Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones.
12Let the nations be aroused
And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to judge
All the surrounding nations.

God's Word tells us that there is a time for war and a time for peace. Joel is pronouncing a time of war, as he continues forward with the theme of the judgment of the nations in chapter 3.

We have seen the word nations used throughout this chapter, and we know it refers to those who are not God's people. In verse 9, the King James uses 'Gentiles', referring to foreign nations--those for whom God is foreign--and the Hebrew translation of the word can refer, figuratively, to "a flight of locusts," [Strong's] which would seem quite appropriate given what we have already read in Joel.

Verse 10 deserves to be read carefully. When I first read the verse, I recognized the words. But, although the words are in perfect context here, this was not the phrasing with which I was familiar. This is because God has used these same words--different context and directly opposite phrasing--in other prophecy (Isaiah, for instance)! Again, Joel says that the nations need to prepare for a time of war, not peace. The instruments of agriculture would be transformed into instruments of battle. How apropos, in this story of land destruction and famine, that God should call for that which transforms the soil and allows for the production of a harvest to be used in a battle that would end quite differently than the trial that befell Judah!

Verse 10 concludes with an oft-used comparison between the weak and the strong. Though the foreign nations would no doubt present themselves with grand armies and fine weaponry, it will be Judah who will stand strong in that day of judgment, with God raising up the frail.

"'In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them....'"
--Zechariah 12:8

As we discovered last time, God is raising up His people to carry out His punishment upon the nations for their evil deeds. A cross-reference for verse 11 is Isaiah 13:3--"I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute My anger." Let us be reminded that Judah is not in this position as a reward for good deeds, but because Judah was a chosen nation. Not a chosen nation that was without sin, but a chosen nation that recognized and honored its God, repenting of its sin and returning, by grace, into God's presence, redeemed and restored.

The nations, meantime, are called to gather at Jehoshaphat (which means, God's verdict). Though they are "surrounding," they are powerless. This judgment will be the ultimate.

"Before the LORD, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness."
--Psalm 96:13

Harvest metaphors continue to be twisted in the Day.... 'Til next Wednesday!



Photo: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-El2Hec_jbIt8K0K5yiTbE29fRr_2oWEzlj99Nm5ppb-S8dYykgjhNqkqC0oggsZS_xNHXm6f4r85J3sxjzK086BifqvZM_oIY9mTOwxAreVpFjBeDs1IbvrAbFqe4Pgkl20Bak74eh8/s400/Joel+3+-+Plowshares+into+swords.jpg


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Next week: Joel 3: 13-17

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.


I also use
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Joel 3: 4-8




4"Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia?
Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me,
swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head.

5"Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples,

6and sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory,

7behold, I am going to arouse them from the place where you have sold them, and return your recompense on your head.

8"Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation," for the LORD has spoken.



God's judgment of the nations continues in these next verses of Chapter 3. The Father is very specific in His address now, calling out the nations of Tyre, Sidon and the "regions of Philistia," which the King James' refers to as "all the coasts of Palestine."



Tyre and Sidon were, at different times, the capital of Phonecia. My study Bible says that slave trading between the Phoenicians and the Philistines was not uncommon. Our passage today records that these nations were slave trading God's people to the Greeks to "remove them far from their territory." (vs. 6) If you think about where Greece is from these cities--across the Mediterranean and north--that would be far-removed Judah in the southern kingdom.

Obviously, God is not pleased with His people being in bondage. The sins of the nations are grievous. But, even more so, the attitude--the heart attitude.

"Are you rendering Me a recompense?" (vs. 4)


'Recompense' is a fancy word for fix things. It means to repay, to make compensation for, to make amends or, more literally, to balance out again. (Dictionary.com) At this point in the life of the nations, with God's judgment being spoken, an offer of making amends is not only noticed and rejected, but noticed and avenged.

At its most literal meaning, recompense means "to weigh together," which spurs to mind the image of the scales of justice. Surely the nations were willing to offer up anything in their possession to balance the scales once again. God definitely doesn't see things similarly. This is not a situation which can be balanced, for there can only be One who possesses--Him who creates and apportions all things. The temples of the gods were filled with the precious metals from the land of God's people--this, on top of the people being sold into slavery.

But where verse 4 hints that any suggestion of recompense would be misguided, verses 7 and 8 confirm that reality will befall the nations. What's fascinating to note here is how God chooses to bring about His revenge. He is going to use the very people--His people--who have been enslaved. He will "arouse" them. That expression "sleeping giant" comes to mind, as God will raise up and strengthen those to bring the very treatment they received upon those who had administered it. It's an Old Testament "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" kind of response (Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). The Sabeans, merchants of Arabia, were known to be exporters of gold, precious stones and perfume. Not surprisingly, God earmarked the nations' children to those who were also masters in the slave trade. (vs. 8)

"The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; and they will call you the city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
--Isaiah 60:14

Joel regains his speaking role, picking up where God left off.... 'Til next Wednesday!



Photo: http://americainchains2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/chains4.jpg; http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/sidon.html


* * *


Next week: Joel 3: 9-12

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.


I also use
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).