A Brief Look at the Prophet Habakkuk

“I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.” – Habakkuk 3:2

            This is a book of questions and answers. Habakkuk, who was commissioned to serve as a prophet for the Lord in 612 BC, asked God questions to try to understand why the evil and gross injustice continued to thrive in the world around him. The righteous seem outnumbered as those who do evil thrive. When will it all end, asks Habakkuk. 

            The Lord’s first reply to the prophet involved his causing Babylon to rise up to great power. They were a cruel and evil lot that completely destroyed anything that was in their way. Judah’s last four kings at that time were wicked men who did not fear God. The Lord used Babylon to punish Judah for their wicked ways by having Babylon invade them twice before destroying them completely in 586 BC.

            God replies to Habakkuk’s queries by saying to be patient for the evil in the world shall not go unpunished. The prophet couldn’t understand why the Lord did nothing about the wickedness in society right then. The thing Habakkuk came to understand from God’s replies was simply this: Instead of questioning what the Lord is doing, we must come to the realization that God is totally just and have the faith to trust and believe he is in complete control. Understanding that it isn’t a large leap to accept that one-day evil itself and those who do evil will be utterly destroyed. It will happen at God’s appointed time. 

            Delays in receiving answers to our prayers aren’t always God saying NO, but perhaps not yet  instead. We must never take matters into our own hands, but instead rely on the fact that God is never wrong and is never late. Question God all you want, but be sure to stay spiritually tuned in to hear his answers. 

            Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

A Brief Look at the Prophet Nahum

“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust him. But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood.” –Nahum 1:7-8a

            Nahum was the prophet that spoke a warning for the 2^nd time to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. After repentance following Jonah reluctant missionary journey to warn the Ninevites of impending doom for their many sins (between 785-760 BC), they had fallen back into immoral behavior once again. 

            The city was now called a “city of murder” (3:1). They were a cruel people, judged for their pride, idolatry, lies, treachery and social injustice. Nahum predicted this great and powerful nation of Assyria would be utterly destroyed because of its sins. The end came within 50 years of Nahum’s proclamation. The statement that illustrates the Lord’s infinite power and might is found in verse 9 where the prophet says: “(The Lord) will destroy you with one blow; he won’t need to strike twice!”

            With Jonah, some 100 years before, they heard God’s message of judgment and repented in sackcloth and ashes. This time around the Ninevites ignored the warning and continued on as if no judgment would be coming. They relied on alliances with other nations and military power, not realizing that no power on this earth can protect them from God’s fiery judgment. It comes with such force that it cannot be stopped.

            This book presents a clear message to all mankind … “Anyone who remains arrogant and resists God’s authority will face his anger.” We must remember that God alone can truly rescue us from fear or oppression. It is the Lord in whom we must place our confidence because he alone rules all of history, all the earth and all of our lives. *

            Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible. 

* Notes on P.1915 of the Life Application Study Bible.

A Brief Look at the Prophet Micah

“Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! Let the earth and everything in it hear. The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you; the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.” – Micah 1:2

            Micah is a book that speaks of God’s wrath and his love. God was angry at both the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. His anger burned against Israel, for their rebellious spirit and Judah, for their multitude of sins. Micah lists the sins: fraud, theft, greed, extreme indulgences, oppression, hypocrisy, heresy, injustice, extortion, lying, murder and other offenses. God’s patience was being tested. His judgment will more specifically include the false prophets, dishonest leaders and selfish priests in both Israel and Judah. When the people mixed their own selfish motives into their religion the result an empty display of religiosity thus perverting true faith.  

            The thing that we today seem to lose sight of, just at the Jews back then, is that God hates all sin. Sin in its simplest form is disobedience to the standard of God. His hatred burns against it with an all-consuming fire that destroys. If you doubt the reality of his hatred for sin look at what happened to Nineveh in 612 BC. The Babylonians and the Medes completely leveled the city so that it exists no more. God arranged that as judgment for their falling back into sin. 

            Micah speaks in chapter 4 of the Lord’s future reign. At this time according to Micah 4:4, “Everyone will live in peace and prosperity …”.  This is speaking of the Millennial Reign of Jesus on the earth. The Lord promises 1000 years of peace and prosperity. He also promises judgment and punishment for those who will not follow him. Both are certainties that share transpire at their appointed times. 

            Some simply cannot believe in a God who would wipe out all who do not obey him. They see him as tyrannical … a dictator of sorts; a ‘do what I say or die’ type of ruler. There’s a little more that goes into it then that. God set up standards that were universally fair and just. Man, in their ignorance and arrogance, felt he knew better than the God who created them and he still does today. Man wants to be autonomous, relying on no one but himself or herself. It’s a faith issue. Facts and associated proof are not forthcoming for that negates the need for faith. We may consider all the warnings of the Minor Prophets to Israel and Judah to apply to us today as well. “God wants us to change our present behavior because of what we know about the future. Forever begins now; and a glimpse of God’s plan for his followers should motivate us to serve him, no matter what the rest of the world may do.”^[1]

                  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

^[1] Taken from the note for Micah 4:12 from p.1905 of The Life Application Study Bible.

A Brief Look at Jonah - Part 2

“When God saw what (the Ninevites) had done & how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind & did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” – Jonah 3:10 _NLT

            Have you ever been angry with the Lord? Well Jonah was very angry when he saw the immoral, evil people of Nineveh led by their King repenting before the Lord God in sackcloth and ashes. This redemptive event upset Jonah greatly. In chapter 4 Jonah complains to God that he knew he was filled with unfailing love, mercy and compassion. Jonah knew God wishes for all to become saved from his wrath. Since he saw with his own eyes the miracle of redemption from all 120,000 of the inhabitants of this evil city in Assyria, he told his God he would rather be dead. 

            This is a wonderful example not only of God’s compassion and mercy on display to a non-Jewish people in the Ninevites, but also the patience and mercy he shows his Prophet Jonah. Jonah messed up, relented, fulfilled God’s mission but was angry at having to do it. God asks Jonah if he has the right to be angry. Jonah didn’t reply but rather made himself a shelter by the edge of the city and waited to see what would happen. The Lord caused a leafy plant to grow there with the purpose of providing shade from the hot sun. Jonah was grateful for the shade. Then God sent a worm to eat thru the stem of the plant, thus causing it to whither. The sun grew hot and God arranged a strong east wind to blow. It must have seemed to Jonah as if he were in an oven.  He grew faint and wanted to die. God asked Jonah if he was right to be angry because the plant died. Jonah said ‘yes’, then the Lord wanted to know what the difference was between the people of Nineveh and the plant. Jonah did nothing to put the plant there, God did. It came quickly and then died just as quickly. The book ends with God asking the question that Nineveh had 120,000 spiritually dead people. Shouldn’t Jonah feel sorrow for such a great city?

            The message we should take from this is that we are to show mercy toward the unsaved and pray for their salvation, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done to you or to society in general. All have a right to taste God’s mercy, no matter what we may think.  The Jews didn’t want to share their God with anyone outside of their own country, even though that was the mission God had placed upon them from the beginning. The one thing they had forgotten and we also may have lost sight of is that no one deserves to be forgiven. I don’t, you don’t and the Israelites back in Bible times didn’t either. It is by God’s incredible grace and mercy, with a strong dose of patience, that we are allowed to live and not be destroyed. God judges, we are his conduits of mercy. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

A Brief Look at the Prophet Jonah - Part 1

Purpose: To show the extent of God’s grace – the message of salvation is for all people.

Author: Jonah, son of Amittai.

Who was this a message to: All of Israel.

When Written: Approximately 785-760 BC.

Setting: Jonah preceded Amos & prophesied during the reign of Israel’s most powerful king Jeroboam II.

            Nineveh was located at a northern most point of what is called “The Fertile Crescent” within the borders of the Assyrian Empire. In existence for approximately 3000 years, Nineveh had been known for its decadent behavior, thus earning the name ‘The Evil City’. God commissioned Jonah, a Jew, to “get up and go to the great city of Nineveh.” Jonah found this mission to be distasteful. He knew of their evil ways and frankly didn’t want to see them repent. He wanted them to be punished for their behavior. So Jonah went in the opposite direction from Nineveh securing passage on a ship leaving for Tarshish.

            This book is a lesson in the mercy and patience the Lord has with his children. Knowing full well what Jonah’s thoughts were and where he was going he caused a violent storm to rise up and toss the ship he was on. The fearful crew on the ship prayed to their gods to no avail. Knowing his running from God was the cause of this fearsome storm he told the captain of the ship to toss him overboard and the sea would become calm again. They tried to avoid doing this until it became apparent that was the only way the crew would be saved. 

            Now God arranged for a great fish (most believe it to be a whale) to swallow Jonah and he was inside the fish for 3 days and 3 nights.”* On the Lord’s orders the great fish spit Jonah onto a beach. A 2^nd time God spoke to Jonah saying, “go to Nineveh and deliver the message I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed and the king of Nineveh repented along with the entire city.  There is a sad end to the story in that the revival lasted until shortly after 600 BC, when the Ninevites returned to their sinful ways. God sent another (unnamed) prophet with a warning of destruction. This time they didn’t listen and in 612 BC Nineveh was completely destroyed. – More on Jonah tomorrow. Until that time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

* This event makes Jonah an OT type of Christ. Jonah was 3 days in the belly of a whale; Jesus was 3 days in the grave. 

A Brief Look at the Prophet Amos

“This is what the Lord says: ‘The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished.’”– Amos 1:3 NLT

The Purpose: to pronounce judgment upon Israel (the Northern Kingdom).

The Author: Amos of Tekoa in Judah.

When Written: Approximately 760-750 BC

The Setting: Israel’s wealthy were living in peace and prosperity and as a result had become complacent. God’s problem with them was how they were oppressing those in need, even selling them into slavery. 

Their punishment:  Israel would be conquered by Assyria and the rich would be sold into slavery.

            This is yet again another prophecy of warning to the people of Israel.  The economic blessing that the Lord had bestowed upon them had caused the people to become selfish and materialistic. They had begun to ignore the needs of the poor and less fortunate. Their self-centeredness caused them to become indifferent toward God. The Lord could have turned away from Israel due to the sinful disobedience, but his love for them ran so deep that he instead chose to punish them as a parent would punish a child. This was done as a means to bring the people to repentance. 

            Understanding that sin cannot intermingle with a holy God, Amos spoke out boldly against those who both exploited and ignored those in need. What Amos’ message from God was saying to the people of Israel and for that matter, the believers of today is that believing in God is much more than just ones individual faith. According to this writing all believers are to work against societal injustice and aid those who are less fortunate.

            During the time period Amos was prophesying, two other prophets were active in delivering God’s message; they were Jonah and Hosea. 

            I stated in one of my books that it matters little to God that you acquire wealth. The real issue is how you got it and what you do with it. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller 

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

A Brief Look at the Prophet Obadiah

“The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All our evil deeds will fall back on your own heads.” – Obadiah 1:15

            Obadiah happens to be the shortest book in the Old Testament. Very little is known about this man whose name means “servant or worshiper of the Lord”.  His audience was both the Edomites and the Jews in Judah (the southern kingdom). Edom was southeast of Judah with only a portion of the Wilderness of Zin separating them. 

            The Lord was angry at Edom for their constant harassment of the Jews. This prophetic book shows how God judges harshly all those who have harmed his people.  The following is the 16^th verse of the prophecy: “Just as you swallowed up my people on my holy mountain, so you and the surrounding nations will swallow the punishment I pour out on you. Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger and disappear from history.” God, in fact, did wipe Edom off the face of the earth never to rise again. “God will judge all people according to the way they treat others, especially believers (Revelation 20:12-13). Jesus talked about this in Matthew 25:31-46.”^[1]

            “Obadiah brought God’s message of judgment on Edom. God was displeased with both their inward and their outward rebellion. People today are much the same as people in Obadiah’s time, filled with arrogance, envy and dishonesty. We may wonder how much longer evil will continue. Regardless of sin’s effects, however, God is in control. Don’t despair or give up hope. Know that when all is said and done, the Lord is still sovereign and the confidence you place in him will not be in vain.”^[2]    Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

^[1] Taken from notes on p.1885 of the Life Application Study Bible.

^[2] Taken from notes on p.1886 of the Life Application Study Bible.