The Bible

The Requirements of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Requirements of God

Book of Micah Chapters 6 and 7

A requirement is a demand that must be met to receive some reward.

The truth is people in every nation, and every generation have turned away from the Lord.

Some of those returned to the Lord, and the rest are in Hell wishing they had returned to the Lord.

We are not whole until we are in a personal relationship with our Creator.

We cannot follow our own path and think it will lead us to Heaven, for it will not.

To live without God is to live a meaningless life!

Israel had God’s Word, God laws, and God’s commandments.

God’s laws are always for guidance and protection.

The greatest thing we can give back to God for all His benefits is our Love and our commitment to His Son.

God does not ever offer something that He cannot provide!

What did Israel do? They ignored the Word of God and made poor choices.

What does the Church do today? The Church ignores the Word of God and makes bad choices.

*****Mic 6:1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
Mic 6:2 Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

God is telling Micah he is to be an intermediary between Israel and God.

God told Micah to preach the Word of God so even the mountains could hear his voice.

God has a reason for every command He gives us, and we need to realize it.

We must listen to what God has to say.

What’s wrong with the Church today? The Church quit listening to what God has to say and listens to what some man says or in some cases some woman, of this secular world.

The words of man can never be as important as the Word of God!

We can plead our case, but our words will never be as important as the Word of God.

There is a big difference between speaking and preaching.

2Ti_4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

The command of God to preachers is to preach the Word, and it is used 47 times in the New Testament.

For those who want to speak, God says to speak the wisdom of God and not the so-called wisdom of this world.

1Co_2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co_2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

No wisdom of the world can help us get to Heaven; it is only the Word of God where we find such wisdom.

We may not always listen to what God has to say, but that thing we call nature is always listening to hear God’s next command.

Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Humans and the Devil and his demons are the only things upon this earth that rebel against God!

Those demons still tremble when you mention the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What had God done to cause this rebellion?

*****Mic 6:3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
Mic 6:4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
Mic 6:5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

Why do we accuse God of so many things when God is righteous in everything, He does?

God does not make accusations against Israel at this time; He just defends Himself against what the people accuse Him of.

Notice God still says they are His people.

It is an absolute honor to be a child of God!

Does God make our lives miserable?
Does God place terrible demands on us?
Does God make excessive requests of us?

God deserves an answer to these things!

Why do we always complain about what God is doing in the world when we do not do what He asks us to do?

To say yes to any of these things is to have the same attitude as the secular world.

What had God done to Israel that caused such rebellion?

  1. He delivered them from the bondage of slavery from the Egyptians. They had been servants, and slaves, and God had given them freedom.
  2. God had given them great leaders.

Moses

Moses was a faithful servant in the House of the Lord.

Heb 3:2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Moses delivered to Israel the laws of God.

It was Moses who led Israel out of Egypt, and Moses was led by the Great “I Am” of the Bible.

Moses was more than a Prophet of God.

Num 12:5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Num 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
Num 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Deu 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
Deu 34:11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
Deu 34:12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

Aaron

Aaron was Moses’ elder brother and the first High Priest of Israel.

Both Moses and Aaron together were a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Miriam

Miriam was the oldest of the children of Jochebed.

Miriam was a prophetess, but only in Music and Song.

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exo 15:21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Balaam

Balaam was a prophet, but he was a secular prophet, he was not a prophet of God.

God would not allow Balaam to place a curse on Israel but only a blessing.

Balaam did tell King Balak that the weakness of Israel was those men of Israel, who could be tempted by strange women.

This is a weakness in almost all men, so it did not take some great prophet to tell this thing.

God took the life of Balaam when King Balak went to war with Israel.

God is love, but God is also faithful, and Israel could not deny this truth.

So, what does the Lord require of us all?

*****Mic 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

These are part of the requirements of God.

God may be in Heaven, but God is everywhere. God is never very far away from us.

God is not impressed with gifts, or the sacrifices of animals, or of offerings.

If we want to get closer to God, we must meet God at His house with prayer.

Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

We must be humble when we walk with God.

We must do justly, which means to cause no one to be hurt in any way.

Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

Some say it is hard to be a Christian, but with the knowledge of God, I find it is harder not to be a Christian.

How does God describe the world in the day of Micah and the world we live in today?

Mic 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
Mic 6:11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
Mic 6:12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

*****Mic 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
Mic 6:14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
Mic 6:15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
Mic 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore, ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

The word “therefore” means because of these things He would bring His discipline to them.

God will not tolerate this sort of behavior for very long from those who are His children or say they are His children.

There is a sickness called sin-sickness, and God describes it here.

To smite sometimes means to kill, but it can also mean to conquer in a rout.

To smite with the tongue is to cause injury and reproach, so they could reflect on why God brought these things to them.

God does not want us to guess why we will see His wrath! God lets the sinner know to repent, turn back to the laws of God or face His wrath.

It is hard to enjoy anything when we are sick!

One thing was certain: they would not be able to continue their sinful activities.

God would take away their wealth along with all their treasures and make them desolate.

God can also take away our health if He so chooses.

If God in anyway causes our sickness, then He may heal us from that sickness.
If we run from God to the world and that sickness come from the world, then He may or may not take away that sickness.

I believe desolate here means God would desert them for a time and deprive them of comfort.

I do not know about you, but when you are going through something terrible in your life, the comfort of God sure does feel good.

God said He would bring hunger to the land.

They would no longer be satisfied with their meals, meaning they would not have enough to eat.
They would have a constant feeling of hunger.
Their enemies would come in and take away anything they tried to hide.
They would not feel safe in their own homes or in their nation.

Why do so many have weapons in America, because we do not feel safe in our own homes and the politicians will not do anything about it but continue to allow terrorists and corruption into our nation and allow judges to put dangerous people back on the street.

God had already told Israel what would happen if they rejected Him at any time.

Deuteronomy Chapter 28, verses 15 through verse 45. God is serious about rejection from His people.

Deu 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

God will surrender His people to cruel oppression!

Much of Israel does not feel safe in their homes today.

They are always aware that a siren could go off at any minute and they could spend endless hours in bomb shelters.
No other nation would tolerate this thing yet Israel is expected to stay calm and not try to get revenge.

God said these things would be taken away by force, a force they could not stop.

Their grain, their olive oil, and their grape juice would be consumed by their enemies.

Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Deu 28:50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Deu 28:51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

They rejected the laws of God so they could keep the laws of man.

In reality, we see many of these things in the USA today.

Our food is so high that we can barely afford it, and much of it is tainted We hear of food recalls almost every day.
I hate to think this way, but since we have turned to organic food, we find that some people will use anything for fertilizer, even human waste.
Our gas is getting so high that most of us stay home more.
People are moving from one place to another because they don’t feel safe or secure where they once lived.
People are leaving the Church and rejecting God, the only hope we have and many local churches have closed their doors.
The Church is rejecting the laws of God to obey the laws of man, and the church is failing in its mission to reach the lost.

Mic 7:2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.

Mic 7:6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

And we wonder why so many bad things are happening in our own nation!

*****Mic 7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Mic 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Mic 7:9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

Our only hope is in the Lord, and it is the same for Israel!

Though Israel has gone and is still going through many of these things, there is a better day a coming.

This time it is Micah who says “therefore”.

For the Church, as we see all these things going on in our own nation and what is going on in Israel, we must realize that surely our only hope lies in the Lord.

We know it has been about 2000 years since the Lord Jesus went back to Heaven, but He promises to return, and He will.

That trumpet of the Lord could sound at any minute, and we would be out of this world in the blink of an eye.

Most of us believe that the Lord Jesus will return to take His Church out of this world before God’s wrath takes place.

Israel has the great promise that the Lord Jesus(the Messiah) will soon sit as King of Israel, and King of this world.

Every day that passes gets us closer to these things.

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

We are always to pray for others, but disobedient souls must also pray for themselves and not be dependent on others to pray for them.

Micah pleaded with God on behalf of Israel and Judah.

Israel’s oppressors at that time were Assyria, and soon Babylon would be the oppressors of Judah.

Today the oppressors of the Church are the worldly powers who reject the truth of God.

The world had better not gloat over the fact that the Church is not growing, but we of the Church know that not all members were saved to begin with.

God will guide His Church as He always has.
God will protect His Church as He always has.
God will preserve His Church as He always has.

It is the same for Israel as they will soon see the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psa 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

God’s people will be vindicated in front of God’s enemies.

The lost still say today, “Where is your God?” but they will one day bow before Him!

Isa_45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Isa 45:24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Isa 45:25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

The Bride of Christ is the seed of Israel through Jesus Christ.

Rom_14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Php_2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

There is only one God.
There is only one Messiah.
There is only one Jesus the Christ of God.

*****Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Mic 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Who is a God like Yahweh?

No one can hold God’s people when He wants them set free!

Exo 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exo 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Exo 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

God is never going to be angry with His true children forever!

There are a lot of nations in the world who are sold out to false gods, but we do not see where any of those false gods can save or provide for them as individuals.

Black nasty dirty oil is the god of the Muslim just as gold and other valuable metals are the gods of most Gentiles.

To the terrorist their god is the bullet and homemade bombs.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can pardon iniquity. To bear iniquity is to endure the punishment for it and be happy to be forgiven for it.

What is pardon? When God pardons, He has removed the guilt of that iniquity.

To be pardoned of God means “as if I had never sinned”.

Who is the One true God? Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

God will one day stamp out all sin!

God has already forgiven all sin. The Lord Jesus Christ was the payment for all our sin. We must recognize that this is the truth and go to Jesus Christ who died in our place and ask for forgiveness.

It is mercy that drives God to forgive us, but God’s punishment of those who reject Him will be without mercy.

Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

What is the truth of Jacob? God’s promise, and God does not break His promises.

Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Gen 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

God gave the land of Palestine to Israel. God will make sure that this takes place. It is only a matter of time. All the Arab nations need to make peace with Israel!

What is the truth of Abraham? God’s promise.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Again, it would be best that all the Arab nations become friends with Israel!

All families are blessed because the Lord Jesus Christ is that “blessing” that came from Abraham.

Rom_4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

All true blessings come from above:

Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Eph_1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

God continues: Isa 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

The seed of Abraham is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bride of Christ(The Church)goes everywhere that our Lord Jesus goes.

He will never leave us or forsake us!

Today the Church is espoused to the Lord Jesus, soon the Lord Jesus will present His wife(the Church) to His Heavenly Father.

Amen

The Restoration of the Kingdom

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Restoration of the Kingdom

Book of Micah Chapters 3-5

How important is good leadership? Leadership is a matter of life and death to any nation and to any church.

What’s wrong with America today?

  1. America has walked away from God.
  2. The leadership in America has done nothing to keep America secure, militarily or financially, nor to provide proper care for its people.
  3. The politicians have forgotten that they are to serve the people and not themselves.
    They act like a bunch of cackling hens, forgetting what they are in Washington to do, and it is not to play politician; it is to serve our nation that is going to the dogs.

The leadership in America has failed its people, and they do not care to change their ways, and foolish Americans keep them in office to do nothing. If they had a real job, most of them would be fired and replaced, yet we the people do not have that option, but we should.

To be honest, I do not believe there is an honest leader in any nation today who serves to benefit their people.

This was the case in Israel.

The government of Israel was divided into civil, judicial, and religious branches, and the leaders of all three branches had become corrupt.

Sounds familiar, does it not?

Every leader in every leadership position is to act fairly with integrity and fair dealing, while upholding the laws of the land they serve.

They are to administer justice.

If we as voters send someone into leadership positions in our government offices or our courts, many of them become corrupt before they do any good at all.

It is a well-known fact that much of the Church has become corrupt, and it is the same in the false religions.

We absolutely cannot attempt to rewrite the Word of God every time we see something we do not like.

Just as Israel will be judged by God, so will the Church and the leaders of every nation upon this world.

Justice will extend to every part of the societies of this world and every aspect of human behavior.

In the Church, justice goes far beyond the legal systems of this world.

The Ten Commandments are all about justice.

God’s Law requires much more than avoiding wrongdoing toward others.

God’s Law requires much more than not harming or hurting others.

God’s Law requires much more than refraining from doing wrong.

True justice always seeks to do what is right and what is good.

True justice is the purpose of the Word of God, so we can be more like Christ Jesus.

Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

*****Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Many people throughout this world live in quiet desperation when they do not have to.

In Israel, the Temple was destroyed.

Today, we see the Church also falling apart.

The truth is that it is impossible that the Houses of God lie in waste forever!

The Bride of Christ is certain, and the Lord Jesus Christ will return to get His bride, and He will come just as soon as God the Father decides it is time.

Mar 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

This is a true statement because this was the procedure for all Jewish marriages. The bridegroom would build on to the Father’s House, and only the Father would know that everything was ready to accept the new Bride.

We know this entire world could collapse at any moment when one of the foolish leaders sets off an atomic bomb, and then all those weapons would be fired, and there are certainly some foolish leaders who could one day do this.

The fact is that the Temple of God will be rebuilt.

The Church will hang on till the end.

The Lord Jesus will return, first to get His Bride, the Church, then to remove sin from this world.

These are the facts.

Abraham, who is the father of faith, clearly understood this truth.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

What is left of the world after the return of Jesus Christ will walk to please the Lord!

The Gospel will be located in Jerusalem, and the world that remains will want to know all about it!

Jesus Christ caused the Gospel to begin in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the place where His ministry began, where He died, where He arose from that death, where He ascended back to Heaven, where He gave the Apostles their commission, and where the Church received the Holy Spirit.

It is only in Jerusalem that we can walk in the actual paths of the Lord.

All those who remain after the Lord has judged this world will remember what they had so easily forgotten.

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The Gospel is the fulfillment of God’s Law.

Why would any other city be chosen for Jesus to return to?

Why would we as Christians give up so easily? Where is our faith?

*****Mic 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Mic 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
Mic 4:5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

Our world has not been at peace since the sin of Adam and Eve, but the world will finally be at peace when the Lord Jesus returns, after He causes peace to happen.

As in every war, food will be scarce, so all military hardware that was used for war will be converted to farm equipment.

We may see tanks pulling plow equipment and building roads and repairing a broken world.

The word “war” will be totally forgotten and replaced with “love thy neighbor”.

Many a believer has thought, how wonderful it would be to sit at the feet of Jesus, and this will finally be possible when King Jesus rules from Jerusalem.

King Jesus will also “Judge” all disputes between nations wherever they are located upon this earth.

I believe the task of those whom the Lord brought with Him, the wife He will no longer separate Himself from, will be to sit and judge the disputes of individuals.

1Co_6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Can you just imagine the savings when there is no money spent on war, no money spent to combat drugs, no money spent to combat sin, no money spent on bad health, and no money spent on politicians, for none of these things will exist.

There will be no United Nations, which has never been what it set out to be.

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

People will be changed: Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

People will enjoy life completely safe.

The Jewish people and the Jewish nation will be honored among all people.

Deu 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Jerusalem will then be the actual center of the world.

We should remember God’s promise to Abraham.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

God never breaks a promise!

All the people of the world will walk to Jerusalem in the laws of their god, but they will leave Jerusalem walking in the laws of the Lord God of Israel, and now the Lord God of all His Creation.

It’s like salvation. I walked in my own ways before I met Jesus. Now, I walk in His laws and will do so forever and ever!

All nations will recognize the Word of God as the Laws of God, which is much higher, much deeper, and more complete than anything previous.

All those who have had to hide their worship of the Lord because of their faith in Him can now walk openly.
All those who were outcasts because of their faith in Jesus Christ can walk with their heads held high.
All those whose walk was not perfect in the Lord will now walk in perfection.
All those who were afflicted because of their faith in Christ will no longer be afflicted.

There will be no power that can overcome the power of our Savior and our King, King Jesus!

Prophecy will be fulfilled: Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

King Jesus will sit on His throne in Jerusalem because all the prophecies of the Bible will have been fulfilled!

The Lord Jesus was born in a humble stable, to humble parents, and He served His life as a humble Shepherd, and He humbled Himself and died on a cruel cross, but this same Jesus is God Almighty and now sits as the eternal King of all His Creation.

This is how the true Judge of Israel began His life on earth.

*****Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Mic 5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

The Prophet Micah begins to tell us about the true Judge of Israel in more detail.

It is easy to see that the future of the Church, the Bride of Christ, and the future of Israel lies in that Babe that was born in Bethlehem Ephratah some two thousand years ago.

The prophecy of Micah was some seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, our King.

We read all the time about the prophecies of men who may get one or two things right, but the prophets of God had to get every prophecy of God right, or we could not consider them true prophets of God and the Word of God could not be trusted.

We know that this prophecy of the birth of our Savior was true, so why should we doubt that the Lord Jesus will sit as King of this world for a thousand years?

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is our life because He is our future.

He was born of a virgin just as the Word of God, by the Prophet Isaiah, wrote.

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This Immanuel is the true food of His people: Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

It is this Jesus who will gather His Church to bear the fruit of God: Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

The world does not get excited about these things, but we who believe and have faith in the work that the Lord Jesus did for our salvation should be excited and should stay excited about the truth of the Word of God. It is time to look up, for our redemption is closer than it has ever been.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

It is Israel that has given us our Messiah and our soon-coming King.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

When the Lord Jesus returns to this earth, He will come in His full power.

He will stand up for His people.
He will defeat the enemies of His people.
He will then be King but also a Shepherd and provide for the needs of His people.
He is God’s ideal King.

The Church, His Bride, will be with Him.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The remnant of Israel will join with the Church; all will be the children of God.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

*****Mic 5:7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
Mic 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
Mic 5:9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

We should all know by now the promises made to Abraham, and here in the Book of Micah, we see Micah give us information about the fulfillment of that prophecy.

God will make true believers out of that remnant of Jacob.

We need to understand clearly the promises God made to Abraham.

Paul wrote: Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

It was Jacob who inherited his father’s blessing, but Jacob was never a perfect man, and no patriarch of Israel can be seen as a perfect model of Christian morals.

We should also understand that it was the fear of his brother Esau that sent Jacob to find a Gentile bride. That Gentile bride is the Church.

The promise to Abraham was to be a blessing to all nations and not just to the Jews.

Micah describes a remnant that will be as fresh as the morning dew, sharing the water of life with the nations that remain after the Tribulation period.

Jer_30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

It is only at this time that the Jews become true believers.

After this remnant is noted as fresh as the morning dew, they will be to the Gentiles as a lion among the beasts.

At this time, all the animals will have become docile, and none of them will be against mankind nor mankind against the animals.

That remnant of the Jews will be associated with the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Israel will finally become a tool in the hand of God during the Tribulation period of seven years.

God will bring the Tribulation period to an end.

Mic 5:15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

These things have already begun to take place.

Amen

The Testimony of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Testimony of God

Book of Micah Chapters 1 and 2

The name Micah is a shortened form of Micaiah, which means “who is like Jehovah”?

What is a testimony?

A testimony is a statement made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact.

A testimony is the declaration of a witness. How my life has changed since the Lord Jesus Christ came into my heart and stayed.

Thus, the whole Bible is a testimony of JEHOVAH’S sovereign will, and the Gospel is a special testimony of the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus to the church and people.

If we are not willing to testify of the truth of our Savior, then we do not have much of a testimony.

Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Micah begins his ministry by warning of the coming judgment of God when true justice will finally, conclusively, and completely be executed.

All the wicked and the unjust in this world will have to give an account for their behavior.

A day is coming when everyone will face the “judgment” of God.

*****Mic 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

This prophecy will be against the Northern Tribes.

Micah presents Yahweh as the righteous Judge and the faithful Shepherd of Israel.

His message is that God hates sin, lawlessness, idolatry, and religious formality.

Religious formality refers to the strict adherence to outward rituals, rules, or procedures in religious practice, often at the expense of genuine spiritual engagement and heartfelt devotion.

What does God say? 2Ti_3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: “from such turn away”.

How are we to worship God? Jhn_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Any other worship is in vain! Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Micah was from a small town about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem called Moresheth.

We should understand that in the coming judgment, God is not going to send an angel or anyone else; He is coming Himself!

*****Mic 1:2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
Mic 1:3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

Micah prophesied for the most part to the Northern Tribes, but immediately the Holy Spirit says, “Hear all ye people, O earth and all that is therein”.

There is no part of the Bible that we should leave out of our studies!

All his life, Micah stayed true to the Word of God.

Micah not only preached the “judgment” of God, but he also preached the “Love” of God.

Judgment is certain for those who rebel against God, and just as certain is God’s love for those who keep a personal relationship with Him.

We should also understand that there is no one we can compare to the Holy Trinity!

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Not three gods but the three persons of the Triune God.

Isa 46:8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Samaria and Jerusalem would both face the harsh condemnation of God.

These were the capitals that represented the two kingdoms and everyone in them.

We should know that the fate of nations depends upon the people of that nation.

That national leader might not do right according to the Word of God, but we do not have to follow them. They will be judged harshly for how they had led their nation.

In fact, the fate of nations depends entirely on the fate of God’s people.

The Bible testifies to the judgment that will take place if we transgress the covenants God has made with His people.

The destruction of the Northern and Southern tribes of Israel is a testimony to the nations of this world of how God hates sin.

God is the Eyewitness to these truths!

God does not need anyone to tell Him how evil the world has become!

We all should take notice that if God is that severe with His own people, who should be the Light of the world, how can they think that God has too much love to punish this world?

The punishment of the Jews did not begin to end until May 14, 1948, and God has not begun judgment on the Church as of yet, except to say it is ongoing, and then after this He will judge this world.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Verse three tells us that the “Day of the Lord” has come and the LORD has appeared.

Those high places are everywhere where false worship takes place.

Up until this time, the Lord was out of view because just His glory would cause this world to burn and people to perish.

How can anyone think that God will not save His people, those who worship Him in Spirit and Truth, from His wrath?

The liberal church must have the same Bible I have, though many of them have removed much of the truth of God from it.

Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

It is the glory of God that will set this world on fire!

*****Mic 1:4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

When the Lord Jesus steps onto this earth, the consequences become immediately noticeable. When He touches the mountains, they become like wax before the fire. His majesty is a consuming fire.

The valleys collect that waxy mire, and in the end the world becomes almost level except for Jerusalem.

Heb_12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Psa 68:1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
Psa 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
Psa 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Now we know that this does not happen till the end times and has not yet taken place.

The destruction that Micah is referring to is the imminent destruction of the Northern Ten Tribes by the Assyrian Empire led by Shamaneser, and then the invasion of the Southern Empire by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar about 125 years later.

The final fulfillment of all these things will take place when the Lord Jesus returns to claim this world as His own.

Psa 96:13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Some of these things can be applied to us here today.

Those mountains of difficulties we face as Christians can melt like wax so that we can pass over them.

As Christians, we will spend our days on top of the mountain or down in the valleys; we will very seldom be completely settled, especially during these end times.

Isa 49:11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

*****Mic 1:5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
Mic 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
Mic 1:7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

What will the Lord Jesus destroy when He comes again to this earth?

  1. He will destroy all the places that wicked men and women considered to be safe.

Rev_6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

  1. He will destroy all (ALL) the militaries upon this earth that go against Israel.

Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

  1. God will destroy all places of false worship.

No nation will be safe from the wrath of God.

Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Why will God destroy this world we live in today? It’s very simple.

The reason for God’s actions is because of the transgression and the sins of His creation.

All those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will be destroyed along with them because they are not God’s people but are the children of Satan.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What about Israel? The seat of corruption lies in the capitals of these separated nations.

Governments have the power to remove evil wickedness from their nations, but in most nations, corruption begins with the government.

There is no doubt that Satan is in control of most nations’ capitals, if not all of them.

What are the facts? The Assyrians left only a heap when they destroyed Samaria.

The foundations of corruption were laid bare.

The only good side was the fact that the land could now be plowed to produce needed crops, which the world will need after Jesus Christ defeats this world of sin.

For the sinner, God will sometimes have to break down the walls that we have built ourselves just so He can reach the heart.

These things are mostly very painful. That Heavenly Hickory will become a Rod of Destruction.

God does not mind smashing idols to pieces, but the gifts and the treasuries of those places of worship will be plundered.

The Assyrians plundered the places of false worship and took the gold and silver and other valuables, and used them to make more of their own false gods.

This world just loves its many gods!

Spiritual harlotry is taking the things that belong to God and giving them to a false god.

These are the things of the heart: worship, praise, and faithfulness.

Idolatry is everything that takes our eye away from the Lord Jesus Christ as the center of our lives.

1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Micah mourns because this punishment extends to Judah also.

“Stripped and naked” describes the condition of the people that the King of Assyria took back to Nineveh with him.

Micah would do the same in Judah to show the people what the destruction of the people looked like.

Listen to Isaiah: Isa 20:2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isa 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
Isa 20:4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

The Hebrew word “tannin” is used where we get our English word dragons, but it can mean other animals or beasts.

The Hebrew word”tannin”. It typically translates to “sea monster” or “dragon” and is associated with formidable creatures in biblical texts.

The term can often symbolize power and chaos, often representing evil or national oppression.

In some contexts, it is also linked to the concept of a leviathan, embodying death and disorder.

The “wailing like the dragons” is a metaphor for profound, animal-like grief — a cry so raw and desperate that it echoes the howls of wild beasts.

It emphasizes the severity of the coming judgment, Micah’s own personal anguish, and the desolate state of the nation of Israel, the Northern Tribes.

It’s not just a description of sound; it’s a call to recognize the seriousness of sin and the weight of God’s wrath.

God said the wound of Israel, the Northern Tribes, was incurable because it had now passed to Judah.

We see that sin is contagious!

God set aside His “grace” from Israel, and only His wrath was left.

God would destroy the Northern Tribes using the hands of the Assyrians.

The same sins of the Northern Tribes led to the same sins of the Southern Tribes and would lead to the same fate.

We know that God used the hands of Babylon on the Southern Tribes.

God would not have put these things in the Bible if not for our own learning.

The citizens of the world are just as guilty today of idolatry, if not more so.

Our idols may not be the same, though some are, but to worship anything but the Living God and True God is still a shameful sin.

We cannot give ourselves to the false gods of this world and still call ourselves Christians or the children of God. We are called Christians because we are trying to be like Jesus Christ.

Idolatry in any form of false worship will doom us to Hell!

*****Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

What does God mean here? They were not led to idolatry by others; it was the leaders who conceived these evil things in their own hearts.

Those who are lost spend a lot of time planning some sin and planning to sin.

All idols are just figments of people’s imaginations!

The heart conceives this wickedness, and with their hands they make themselves a god, so their hands become their gods.

They no longer lifted their hands to God; they lifted their hands to themselves.

As my Pastor says, their hands were no longer Holy.

Today we would say, “Look what I can do”.

Today, this woe is for all those in power, the people with money and influence, who are only interested in self-enrichment, stop at nothing to practise the evil they conceive when they are at rest, and the next day they start doing it.

We should understand that there is only one cause for the “judgment” of God, and it is sin!

Judgment is coming!
Judgment is inevitable!
Judgment is inescapable!

Why? Listen to what God says. Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

This does not mean just a few, “but all”, every living soul that has ever put their foot down upon this earth and those yet to be born.

This world is full of people who hate for other people to have what they do not have.

This is the beginning of what is called socialism.

*****Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Just turn on the news, and you will see open violence and fraud that have been planned and put in place.

Isa 5:8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

We hear all the time about how generous the richest men are to charities, when the charities they donate to are immoral and sinful.

We do not hear how they buy up every piece of land in our nation until they own millions of acres, and we should ask ourselves why.

God knows why and pronounces this woe on them.

Covetousness is the sin of the world. Just look at the war in the Middle East that is taking place now.

Iran is planning, plotting, and telling the world that they own a body of water just because it touches their nation. If they get away with it, then every nation that joins the seas will try to do the same thing.

They keep this nonsense going on while in the background they are plotting for the destruction of all people they hate, making more war machines, and are determined to have a nuclear bomb.

There are a lot of things going on in this world, some of them good, not many, but covetousness, robbery, and oppression are the greatest crimes and are never brought to justice.

When the laws of God are violated, the rights of one’s neighbors are violated.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

When sin occupies our hearts, then sin will come from our hands.

Whatever our area of weakness, God warns us against thinking evil thoughts and planning or plotting evil.

Mat 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Those guilty of this will one day face the wrath of God.

*****Mic 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

God says we will reap what we sow.

Some people cannot get a good night’s sleep because doing evil is always on their minds.

Those mentioned in verse one, those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds and then do that evil, have a special judgment coming from the Lord.

As they devise some new evil, God will devise a new penalty.

Who is this family that God is so against? It is Israel.

Amo 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
Amo 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

When God mentions their necks, He is referring to a yoke put on the necks of animals that plow.

Hos 10:11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.
Hos 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

This yoke is their conquest and their exile at the hands of foreign powers.

Jer 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

God says it is this judgment that will remove the sinful pride from Israel, and it will be an evil time, full of calamity.

This yoke will be so heavy it will be a burden that will crush them.

Deu 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
Deu 32:36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
Deu 32:37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,

And the Lord continues:

*****Mic 2:6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.
Mic 2:7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
Mic 2:8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

Here is another place in the Bible that is being repeated in this day and time.

The people persecuted God’s true prophets and placed their trust in the false prophets of the world.

What is happening? Another church closes its doors every week because people do not want to hear the truth.

The mega churches are still growing because these worldly prophets preach only half-truths and have messages that assure the people of security and prosperity, which God made no such promises here on earth.

The average church just wants to hear pleasant things, but I hate to inform them that, as loving as the Lord Jesus is, He is bringing a calamity when He returns, and it will not be pleasant.

Church is not about having fun; it is for preparing for the return of Jesus Christ! This is the job of the Church.

Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

What does God say to do if we hear such preaching?

Mic 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

A truth that we can understand is that all those who preach a deceiving gospel will be right beside the Devil in the hottest part of Hell, and they will have no remedy.

*****Mic 2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

What God is saying about the judgment of Israel will hold to be true, but we must never think that God will allow the annihilation of all the people of Israel.

God will remove sin and corruption from this world, and those who do such things had better be aware of this and be warned.

God still has a plan of salvation and restoration that will survive and be put in place in the end.

Those who want to see a true miracle need to be aware that this whole earth will one day be like the Garden of Eden was in the first week of creation.

Praise the Lord, punishment is not the last Word from God!

Jer 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Jer 31:11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Jer 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

This is much greater than what has been happening since May 14, 1948.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

*****Mic 2:13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

We know that there is a lot of preaching about the Antichrist and the end times, but we must keep one thing in mind.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the only One who can break us out of Satan’s prison.

He is the Breaker!

The Lord Jesus will one day soon burst upon the scene of this world to first destroy sin and corruption and then remake this world.

The pains of bondage will be destroyed because He is also the Good Shepherd who will lead His own sheep out and bring them into freedom and care for them for eternity.

The Lord Jesus has already destroyed the bondage of sin and condemnation by dying in our place.
The Lord Jesus has already destroyed the prison of death and the grave at the cross.
The Lord Jesus has already made us acceptable to our Heavenly Father if we trust and follow Him in His ways.
The Lord will return to “deliver” us to His Father as His wife, the Bride of Christ.

It is called Redeemed!

Do we have the same faith as Job?

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

These things are not very far from being completed with the Church and then Israel.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The Lord Jesus Christ will be our Breaker, our King, and our Lord.

Amen

King Ahaz Walked Not After the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

King Ahaz Walked Not After the Lord

2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16

King Ahaz was the twelfth King of Judah and the son and successor of Jotham, king of Judah, who came to the throne about 734 B.C.

The only notable event of his reign, so far as we know, was the invasion made by his northern neighbors, Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Damascus.

Isa 7:1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

These two kings had made an alliance against the Assyrians and were trying to compel Ahaz to join the coalition.

When King Ahaz refused, they decided to war with Judah and defeat King Ahaz and then put a new king on the throne of Judah who would bring Judah’s armies to battle with them against the Assyrians.

God was not about to allow this to take place.

Ahaz did not venture to take the field but shut himself up in Jerusalem and strengthened its fortifications.

It was perhaps at this time of need that he sacrificed his son as a burnt offering to false gods.

2Ki 16:2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.
2Ki 16:3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.

We should clearly understand that God deals harshly with all those who sacrifice their children.

What did God teach them? Lev 20:2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
Lev 20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

God will never approve of abortion!
God will never approve of the destruction of babies or small children.

It was at this time of his accession that Rezin, king of Damascus, and Pekah, king of Israel, had recently formed a league against Judah, and they proceeded to lay siege to Jerusalem, intending to place on the throne Ben-Tabeal, who was not a prince of the royal family of Judah, but probably a Syrian noble.

*****2Ch 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:
2Ch 28:2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.

The reign of King Ahaz was disgraceful and full of devastating evil.

King Ahaz set loose a stream of wickedness that rushed Judah into total destruction under the hand of God’s judgment.

Those who choose to pursue the wrath of God do not know what they are seeking.

To look at King Ahaz, you would think that he ruled Israel rather than Judah.

King Ahaz did not have a righteous bone in his body.

King Ahaz led Judah to worship Baal rather than Jehovah, the true God.

Nothing good is written about King Ahaz.

He does what is evil in the sight of the LORD, Yahweh, Jehovah.

How wicked was King Ahaz?

*****2Ch 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
2Ch 28:4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

We should remember that the nation of Israel was to drive out or destroy the nations that occupied the Promised Land because those nations did the things that King Ahaz was doing.

His idolatry is so general that he makes any place he considers suitable for it a place where he can sacrifice to the idols.

King Jotham was far from perfect, but it was his godless son who revolted against God.

Every child has their own responsibility in the choices he makes, and the parents of that child should not be held responsible.

We know that God punishes everyone for their own sins.

Deu 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

As parents, we do have the responsibility to raise our children in a godly manner.

Pro_22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

What did God think of these things?

Jer 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
Jer 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
Jer 7:33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.

What do we know of the human heart?

Mar 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Jer_17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

There is only one way to change what is in our hearts: a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

King Ahaz could stop anywhere and worship his gods who traveled with him.

What did God do? God did exactly what He said He would do!

*****2Ch 28:5 Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
2Ch 28:6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

Syria and Israel had formed an alliance and then attacked the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

This is known as the Syro-Ephraimite War.

These are the things that happen when you face the judgment of God.

We can say that the God of the Bible was not the God of Ahaz, but we should understand that God will never give up His rights to His land.

The world needs to understand this! God loves Jerusalem!

Why does God judge His people, Israel? Amo 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
Amo 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

God disciplined King Ahaz by giving him into the power of the King of Syria and the King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

A large group of prisoners is taken by the King of Syria and the King of Ephraim, and the Northern Tribes slaughter even more of them.

King Ahaz wanted to be like the kings of the Northern Tribes, and he got a first-hand view of who they were.

They were the enemies of God’s people!

When we connect ourselves to wicked people, we will experience wickedness, and wickedness is ugly and can be very brutal!

King Pekah and the Northern Tribes were even more wicked than King Ahaz, but the Lord dwells in Jerusalem, so Judah has the greatest responsibility to remain with the Lord.

When things get out of hand, God will step in.

*****2Ch 28:8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
2Ch 28:9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.
2Ch 28:10 And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?
2Ch 28:11 Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

We see that God will punish even those whom He calls His children if they forsake Him.

God will use severe methods if this is what it takes to get us back in line.

God used King Pekah of the Northern Tribes to inflict severe punishment on Judah, but Pekah went a little too far when he attempted to make his own brothers, Judah, his slaves.

We do not know much about this Oded, but we know that he stood bravely before King Pekah and his victorious army and issued a strong warning to them.

  1. King Pekah of Israel was guilty of brutality; he was excessive in his cruelty.

They did not get the victory over Judah because of their military power.
They did not get the victory over Judah because they were better people; in fact, they were worse than Judah.
They did not get the victory over Judah because they were more favored by God.
They did not get the victory over Judah because they were more righteous, and the people of Judah were more wicked.

They got the victory over Judah because the LORD was executing justice upon Judah.

They had slaughtered the army of Judah in a rage that reached into Heaven, and God was not pleased.

They had shown no mercy! If not for God’s mercy, we would all be headed for Hell!

  1. They were attempting to enslave these men and women, a serious violation of God’s commandments.

Lev 25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
Lev 25:40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:
Lev 25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
Lev 25:42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
Lev 25:43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

This was a call for King Pekah and his army to repent or face serious judgment themselves.

  1. The Judean slaves must be freed immediately, for God was about to turn His wrath loose on the Northern Kingdom, and only if they released these people of Judah would He show mercy.

We should understand that our merciful, loving God, who is full of compassion, does not play when His wrath is being exposed to reality.

God means what He says, and God says what He means!

It was time for some of the men of Ephraim to come to their senses.

2Ch 28:12 Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,
2Ch 28:13 And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

We could say that even though there were wicked kings of Judah, only King Ahaz was as wicked as the Kings of the Northern Tribes.

King Pekah and his army relented, and these two hundred thousand would be slaves were released, and the plunder that was taken from Jerusalem was released.

These princes of Israel made sure that these captives were fed and clothed and then provided for those who were injured.

They made arrangements for their transportation as far as Jericho and provided a military escort to keep them safe.

It is not part of our lesson, but this is one of the times that the Edomites invaded Jerusalem while they were in a weakened state, and another reason the Edomites do not exist today.

The Philistines also took advantage of the weakness of Judah and took over a large part of Judah.

2Ch 28:19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

It was at this time that King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to come help him, and one of the kings did come, but not to help.

*****2Ch 28:20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.
2Ch 28:21 For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

The nation of Judah was in shambles, and the army had been diminished; Judah was helpless to defend itself.

The nation of Judah was under constant attack from neighboring countries.

Judah was suffering because of King Ahaz, but we do not read of King Ahaz ever repenting.

God had humbled Judah because of their sin.

Just because Judah’s King was so wicked, it did not mean the people had to be like him, but many were.

We must never think that God does not have a remnant of true believers because He always does.

It is never easy for God’s true people!

This Assyrian king had no intention of helping King Ahaz, but just like the others, he took the time to get a part of the riches of Judah.

This king attacked Syria and conquered them, but he did not do this to help Judah.

King Ahaz was forced to pay the King of Assyria a large amount of riches, and it appears that it bankrupted Judah, and Ahaz had to rob the House of God and demand large sums from the princes of Judah.

Judah was a conquered nation militarily and economically, and all these things were brought upon Judah because King Ahaz wanted to be like the Kings of Ephraim.

No human savior would be able to help King Ahaz; he needed the God that he had rejected.

There is no savior other than the LORD!

King Ahaz had rejected the lessons of history and sought salvation in mortal men when only the Eternal Supernatural God could provide him any help.

Sounds like another nation that has been in the news so much since April.

*****2Ch 28:22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.
2Ch 28:23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.
2Ch 28:24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

When the false gods of the Edomites did not help him, Ahaz turned to the false gods of Syria.

False gods cannot help anyone. King Ahaz was at the mercy and the power of the Devil.

Psa 115:2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
Psa 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Psa 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
Psa 115:5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
Psa 115:6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
Psa 115:7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
Psa 115:8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
Psa 115:9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

King Ahaz was not alone; this is a picture of all people, especially so-called religious people who do not allow themselves to be corrected in any way by the Living God.

They run on the road to destruction just because they reject the only true God and refuse to believe anything He says in His book called the Bible.

Everything that reminds this world of the Living God and our Creator is removed from their lives and their surroundings, and they continue to seek alternative ways of believing.

Everything is good to them, as long as it is not from the God of the Bible.

Sounds just like the USA today.
Sounds just like the evolutionists.
Sounds just like the atheists.

Ahaz was such a person! Ahaz was finished with God, but God was not finished with him!

The God of the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ!

The world thinks it is finished with Jesus, but it is not!

The world will soon meet Him as King Jesus!

The only good that came out of King Ahaz was King Hezekiah, his son.

King Ahaz lived in the way of the world we have today.

No one wants to hear what God has to say, and King Jesus will soon show up to put this world out of its misery.

Amen

Jonah the Committed Prophet

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jonah The Committed Prophet

Book of Jonah Chapters 3-4

Jonah the Rebellious prophet became Jonah the committed prophet, but Jonah still had a lot of hatred in him.

Jonah gets a second chance to go where God wanted him to go and do what God wanted him to do.

We may think it strange, but Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites because Jonah knew and understood the grace and mercy of the Lord, and he knew that many of them would probably be saved.

Jonah did not want any of them to get saved because Jonah hated the Ninevites, because they were such a cruel and wicked people, and had become a thorn in the flesh of Israel.

Jonah was a typical Jew who felt that the Jews were better than all other peoples.

The important word we should understand in this Book of Jonah is the word “repentance”.

Jonah had to repent of his own sin to understand the meaning of repentance, to preach a message of repentance to the people of Nineveh.

God often gives us a second chance and to some even a third chance or more, but we should also understand that He does not always do this because He can see into our heart.

Sometimes disobedience is of such a character that God cannot go on with such a servant.

1Ki 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
1Ki 13:22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
1Ki 13:23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
1Ki 13:24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
1Ki 13:25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
1Ki 13:26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.

It is always better to be obedient to the Word of God.

*****Jon 3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
Jon 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Jon 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.

Jonah gets the same command for the second time, and this time Jonah does not flee; he goes to Nineveh and preaches the sermon God told him to preach.

Every preacher is given a message he is to preach to those who gather with him!

Those who are not given a message from the Holy Spirit are not God-called, or they could have unrepentant sin in their lives.

God had accepted Jonah’s repentance and restored his ministry.

A great city would be a fortified city, and probably was a walled city, and probably had experienced war.

Most anything else would be a town, and that city in that area would be like a mother to those towns.

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, which had begun to emerge as a regional power.

It was probably a saying that Jonah that he had been spat out of a fish’s mouth because he had rebelled against God.

We should understand that the Philistines worshipped a god named Dagon, and Dagon was known as the fish god. Half man and half fish.

The Ninevites would have also considered Dagon as a god.

To the Jews, Nineveh was the land of Nimrod.

Nineveh was up to 700 miles from Joppa, so it would take a while for Jonah to get there, much more than three days.

When Jonah entered the city, he began preaching the message God had given him.

Nineveh was such a great city that it would take three days to walk around the walls of that city, if you could walk 20 miles a day.

Certainly, Jonah could not walk and preach at that pace, so this statement is tied to that phrase “such a great city” to tell us just how large the city of Nineveh was.

*****Jon 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Jon 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Jon 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Jonah had become a sign to the Ninevites: Luk 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
Luk 11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

The Ninevites had heard about this man Jonah, how he spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish.

Now we do not know if the false god Dagon influenced these Ninevites or not, but we do know that the Ninevites believed that only a true God could have saved any man from such a catastrophe.

The sign to the Church is that God can bring new life to those who are judged dead in sin.

This king and these people believed in the story of Jonah, and we have no right to not consider it to be true today.

If God said Jonah was swallowed by a fish that He had prepared to swallow Jonah, then it has to be true!

The effect of Jonah’s preaching was spontaneous, and the people put on sackcloth and proclaimed a fast.

From the poor to the rich, they believed in the message of Jonah, which reached into the king’s palace, and this king caused a fast to be proclaimed in all of Nineveh.

Jon 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:
Jon 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

The whole city believed the God of the Jews could have the power to destroy them if He chose to do so, and we know He had that power; He is all-powerful.

This city believed this because they believed the story of Jonah being swallowed by a large fish.

Notice how God sends a warning with a chance to repent before He would bring judgment.

We are to pass this warning to those we witness to today.

*****Jon 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

All those people who sacrificed to idols and false gods had heard about the goodness of the God of the Jews, and they understood the message of Jonah and realized they had only one option to avoid perishing.

Notice they demanded no forgiveness.
They did not ask for mercy.
In their confession, there was no sacrifice.
They offered no promise to appease God.

Just as we know today, their fast and humility came by faith in the truth of God.

Our salvation is based on faith in the work that Jesus Christ has done for our salvation, and it is in this faith that God will receive us into His family and not by these other things.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

This is the work that God has required!

This is the reason Jonah did not want to preach this message, because Jonah understood the grace and mercy of God.

*****Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

God had seen the wickedness of Nineveh, and now God saw their repentance.

God heard them call out to Him.
God saw the change in them, their repentance.

What had they done? They had produced fruit worthy of repentance.

Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Mat 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise children unto Abraham.

That fruit was that they had turned from their wicked ways.

They did not need to sacrifice some animal, for that would have been little proof.

They sacrificed a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Psa 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Not only had Jonah preached the message God gave him, but Jonah had learned a lesson he would take back to the Jews and to the Northern Tribes.

God does not need an animal sacrifice to forgive sin.

These Ninevites were not confused about Dagon because they had now met Yahweh, Jehovah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what Jonah knew would happen, and Jonah did not want any of the Ninevites to come to know the true God of Creation.

Jonah had some understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jonah did not want it to happen.

*****Jon 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
Jon 4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

The Jews, they felt that the God of the Jews was just that. The God of the Jews and not God to any other people.

There are Christians today who feel that some people are just too wicked for God to save them.

There may be, but only God can know these things!

We are never to be hesitant to reach out to others, and if the Holy Spirit encourages us to reach out to certain individuals and we refuse, then we will be held accountable for the blood of that person if they never accept the truth of the Gospel.

God desires to have mercy upon every individual!
The Lord Jesus Christ paid the sin debt for every individual.

It is not up to us to judge if any person can accept the truth of God; this is God’s business, and God is in the saving business.

To be more like Jesus Christ, we must also be in the saving business!

God’s mercy can reach the lowest of the lowest, the highest of the highest, and all those in between.

God can save anybody, anytime, in any place!

Jonah understood this, but Jonah was not pleased with it.

Jonah understood God’s goodness and was not pleased with it.

Jonah explained to God that this was why he fled to keep this from happening, and he knew this was a great sin, and Jonah said to Jehovah, “Just take my life from me”.

Jonah discussed his anger with the Lord.

*****Jon 4:3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Even while he was angry at God, this is proof that Jonah did not water down the truth of God, but preached the truth straight from the Word of God.

Jonah did not keep his anger stored up in his heart, and this is a great example for all of us.

We will never understand everything that God does!

We will never understand the death of a child or why so many die in some catastrophe.

We may never understand why God did not answer our prayer or answer it in a way that we did not want Him to answer it.

Jonah knew God was gracious and merciful.
Jonah knew God was slow to anger and abounding in love.
Jonah knew God was willing to turn away from executing His judgment if His conditions were met.

It is very important that we all understand the character of God, and it is our goal to be more like Him.

What Jonah went through during this time in his life is a great lesson for us all.

Anytime we get to see how God does things is a place we can learn from Him!

It is very possible that Jonah became an enemy to his own people after leading these Ninevites to the Lord.

All the Jews hated the Ninevites.

Jonah may not have been able to witness to the Jews anymore.

Life did not make sense to Jonah any longer.

And God said to Jonah: Jon 4:4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

What do we know about anger? Anger is very ugly if it is allowed to simmer in our heart for a long period of time.

Jonah traveled a short distance from Nineveh and made himself a booth to sit under while he was trying to get over his anger.

God does not speak a word of reproach to Jonah, but God will teach Jonah a great lesson.

*****Jon 4:6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

When we are talking to God, it is always best just to stop what we are doing and sit down with Him.

If the Almighty God wants to discuss what has just happened and He takes the time to sit down with one of His children, then it is a great honor to hear what He has to say.

God does want us to understand the things we do not understand, but we must understand that it is because of the great love that He does most things.

Remember how God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah; now God has prepared a plant, a gourd, to come up and shade Jonah and allow Jonah some relief from the blistering sun.

Jonah was really happy with the shade this plant provided for him, but this relief would not last very long.

*****Jon 4:7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

If you fool with plants, then you know we can go to bed with our plants looking beautiful and wake up and find that insects during the night have tried to destroy our beautiful plants.

Then God prepared a vehement east wind, and it caused Jonah to be in misery.

That word vehement means a very hot east wind, a scorching, burning wind.

Jonah fainted from the heat, and he again wished for God to take his life.

All Jonah could think about was that gourd that had provided him with some relief the previous day.

Jonah became angry that the gourd had withered and died so soon.

Again, God told Jonah that it did him well to be angry at the gourd.

Then God said: “Here is the lesson for you to learn, Jonah”.

*****Jon 4:10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
Jon 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Here it becomes clear why God has created such a fast-growing plant.

If it had been a slow-growing plant, Jonah should have cared for it and watered it, but Jonah did not have to make any effort for the growth of the plant.

Jonah had no personal relationship with it.

We should understand that God is our Creator and He has that special love for all His created beings, and this includes such cruel and wicked people as the Ninevites were at this time of Jonah.

God made the sun to rise over Nineveh as well as provide rain.

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

God told Jonah that more than one hundred twenty thousand people were living in Nineveh that could not discern their right hand from their left hand; should He not offer them a chance to be saved from Hell?

This is a trait of God’s character that we cannot overlook: Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Should God not heal them? Mat 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Even the disciples did not understand these things.

Would Jonah understand God’s feelings for Jerusalem? Do we?

Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Even the animals were dear to God that were in Nineveh, so we must never think that God does not love His creation.

We do not get to read Jonah’s response, and the Book of Jonah comes to an abrupt end, so we know for sure that God always has the last words, and we need to grow in Christ to better understand the ways of God!

Amen

Jonah the Rebellious Prophet

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jonah The Rebellious Prophet

Book of Jonah Chapters 1 and 2

One thing we should be very clear about in this Book of Jonah is that it was written as actual history and not some allegory, or fiction, or parable, and refers to real people in real places.

Ancient tradition in Israel considered Jonah and the Book of Jonah as historical facts, and we should too.

A lot is written about Jonah by Josephus and other church fathers, and they all accepted the Book of Jonah as a historical fact.

It would be best for us to accept the Book of Jonah along with the sixty-five other books of the Bible as the truth of God.

If God said Jonah was swallowed by a fish to be delivered to Nineveh, then I accept it as fact.

It does not actually say that this great fish delivered Jonah to Nineveh, and Assyria had no shore and no seaport.

Jonah was probably put to shore at Joppa, the place from which he had set out.

God wanted His message of “judgment” preached in Nineveh, and He chose Jonah to deliver that message.

God does not just choose people He knows might not like the ministry He chose them for.

God chooses His children who He knows can get the job done if their faith remains strong.

  1. We have a duty to bear witness to the true Lord of all people, Jesus Christ.
  2. God wanted Israel to know that God loved all people.
  3. Jonah was to be a picture of repentance from disobedience of a true man of God, written to all God’s people.

Another thing to consider that is not mentioned is the fact that it would be the Assyrian Empire that God would use in His “judgment” of the Northern Tribes named Israel, and the capital of the Assyrian Empire was the city of Nineveh.

The Assyrians were known as some of the cruelest people in the ancient world.

The children of Israel could be just as callous and hardhearted.

Even though most of the Ninevites returned to pagan worship later, God always, always has a remnant that stays with Him forever.

I believe that when Israel was taken to Nineveh, not everyone would be their enemy.

God has a purpose and a use for everyone upon the face of this earth.

God will use everyone who turns to Him, but God will also use the wicked to further His plan of “redemption” while not causing their wickedness.

The truth of God is that He desires mercy more than judgment, and every person who lives will get an opportunity to meet the God of the Bible.

God’s patience with our sin and wickedness, our false worship and rejection of Him as the only Living God and True God, is hard to understand, but it is real!

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

We must understand that God’s “judgment” will be real when the Lord Jesus returns in glory.

There is nowhere to run to escape the “Judgment of God”!

*****Jon 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jon 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

The Book of Jonah, the fifth book in the row of the twelve minor prophets, is a unique book.

It is another place where we are to learn about the ways of God.

Jonah, the prophet of God, tried to put his own importance above the importance of God’s message.

We must learn that if we belong to God, we cannot run away from the purpose He has for us without feeling His chastisement.

Jonah knew the power and the truth of God!

When the truth of God is preached to any people, some will believe and be saved.

Jonah hated the Ninevites, for they were cruel, war-mongering people, and Jonah did not want to see any of them turn to Jehovah for salvation.

Just like God always does, He will take something that started badly and turn it into good results.

Jonah was running away from his home and his country to avoid doing what God wanted him to do.

Jonah would suffer unimaginable things, but in the end, he would be glad to do what God wanted him to do.

Jonah was already a prophet of God in Judah and was obedient to the Word of God.

Amos and Hosea were also serving the Lord during the time of Jonah.

They were to warn Israel and Judah of the coming judgment unless they would repent of their evil ways.

God’s new commission to Jonah was clear and unmistakable.

Jonah was to go to the city of Nineveh to warn a pagan people of the coming judgment of God.

We will learn a lot about Jonah, but we must pay attention to the actions of our God and Jonah’s God, Jehovah.

Of course, we know Him as Jesus.

Nineveh was one of the great cities of ancient civilization.

For the Lord Jesus to mention Jonah, we know that these things are true.

It just makes sense for us to accept all the Word of God as the truth.

To the Jews, the Book of Jonah is important, and they read this great truth of God during the Day of Atonement.

To critics, it is just a fairytale, but we live by faith in the whole Word of God.

If the Lord Jesus said these things are true, then we should not question them.

Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Mat 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Mat 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

What do we recognize as the sign of Jonah?

The sign of Jonah refers to the three days that Jonah spent in the belly of a great fish, which symbolizes Jesus’ death and resurrection after three days.

This truth is mentioned in the Gospels, where Jesus uses Jonah’s experience as a type of His own future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

The miraculous survival of Jonah serves as a powerful reminder of God’s mercy and God’s call to repentance.

It is God who is in control of all the parts of nature He created. God loves all people.

And for those who think God just has His eyes on His own people, all the other people of this earth should know that God has His eyes upon all His creation and all people of every nation.

What did Jonah do? He tried to flee from God.

God knows what each of us are doing at any given time.

*****Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

It is believed that Tarshish was a city of the Phoenicians in southern Spain.

This ship would have been an ocean-going ship and not a small fishing boat.

The Phoenicians were the dominant sea power at that time, and their ships traveled the world.

We should understand that we may not always like what God wants us to do.

We know He will never go against His own Word, so anything God asks us to do will be the right thing to do!

The people of Nineveh were evil and malicious, but as God had promised, the entire world must be warned of the coming judgment.

Nah 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
Nah 3:2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
Nah 3:3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
Nah 3:4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

All sin is an abomination to the Lord, but God will sometimes point out a specific group of people who have become so wicked that He will issue a special call of judgment.

Archaeology has confirmed what God is teaching us in this Book of Jonah.

The Assyrians were wicked people!

In their judgment of people, lips were torn off, hands were cut off, people were flayed like you would a fish while they were alive, and there were great mounds of skulls everywhere.

Jonah made a tragic decision to deliberately disobey the Lord and run away.

We must clearly understand that God can save anybody, anywhere, at any time, and it is not up to us to decide who God will save or who God will reject.

Rom_14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

The Lord Jesus said: Mat_7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

The Lord God Jehovah could not allow His prophet to get away with these things, which means He understood the feelings of Jonah, but Jonah was not God, and Jonah could not select who God would save or not save.

God’s message is to all people!

Jonah was in open rebellion against the Lord and wanted to get as far away from Nineveh as he possibly could.

God loved the Ninevites, despite their wickedness, and wanted them to hear that there was hope for them if they would only repent of all that wickedness.

We can also see that when we disobey God, we can endanger others.

God did not want His prophet to destroy his ministry or his life.

God caused a great wind, so great that this mighty ship could be destroyed.

The mariners of the ship all called out to their false gods, and we know there was no help there.

Jonah was asleep below deck, and the captain told him to cry out to his God, who is Jehovah, the God of the Hebrew people.

The Lord God of the Bible is the only hope we have in this world!

*****Jon 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Jonah may have thought for a while that he had successfully avoided going east to Ninevah by going west to Spain, but God was not through with Jonah.

Jonah knew why the ship was in such distress.

We should understand that God chastises those He loves, and sometimes a lot of chastisement is needed to bring us back to the right path.

While God was dealing with Jonah, He also took the time to demonstrate His power over the elements of this world.

This was the time of the year when the Mediterranean Sea would have been the calmest, and the crew, being polytheists, could only blame their distress on some false god.

They believed more in their false gods than many people believe in the true God, to our shame.

Ask a Muslim who believes in false gods or ask a Hindu about their faith.

God wants us to warn all people everywhere of His coming judgment, whether they believe it or not.

Jonah finally told them his God was the LORD, the God of Heaven, and that he was running away from Him.

It was obvious to the ship that it was Jonah’s fault that had caused this terrible storm.

They asked Jonah how they could save themselves from this storm, and Jonah told them to throw him overboard.

They did not want to do this at first but later decided that there was no other option and tossed Jonah out of the ship.

*****Jon 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

These professional sailors got introduced to the God who is our Creator.

They asked that God not hold them accountable since it was because of Jonah that the storm was so powerful.

They were now afraid for their own lives and had admiration for the God of the Hebrew people, and they offered some sacrifice when they could have just said thank you and praised Him.

A vow would mean that these sailors made some kind of promise to God.

Only Jonah knew what happened next and lived to talk about it, and the Holy Spirit caused it to be written in the Bible we have today.

*****Jon 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

No one can outthink God! He knew exactly what was going to happen to Jonah, and He prepared a great fish to be ready to save Jonah from drowning.

If God can keep life in the womb before the birth of a child, why would He not be able to keep Jonah alive in the belly of a fish?

This great fish swallowed Jonah to protect him, and as my preacher says, Jonah became the first ever submariner.

Some say under these conditions, there was no way that Jonah could have known how many days he was inside this fish, but the Holy Spirit knows all things.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

There was but one thing Jonah could do.

*****Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,
Jon 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

This story of Jonah should confirm the fact that we can pray to God from anywhere but the grave, though we know that everyone in Hell is now a believer in the true God.

Wherever we find ourselves, we are never too far from God for Him to hear us.

Jonah had caused himself to be put into this precarious situation.

Jonah was in this situation because he had willfully disobeyed God, but God was still ready to hear from Jonah.

Had Jonah not prayed, he would have been lunch for this fish!

We must know that in our time of need, we should go to God, for He is always listening for our prayers.

Psa 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

We are never truly in a desperate situation when we know we can pray to the God of all power, even when we are in disobedience to the Word of God, if we are willing to repent.

It would take a miracle for Jonah to survive and complete the work that God had given him to do.

The Lord used this huge fish to keep Jonah alive while He also gave Jonah a sense of being in Hell.

  1. Jonah was in pitch-black darkness, along with the unbearable smell of rotting fish, seaweed, and whatever else a fish would eat.
  2. The Lord used this fish to give Jonah a sense of what Hell would be like for those who never heard God’s message of salvation.
  3. God used this fish to deliver Jonah from death to demonstrate His great love and mercy. God will do almost anything to get His message to those who have never heard it.
  4. The Lord used this great fish to swallow and then expel Jonah as a type of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, as Jesus said Himself.

Luk 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
Luk 11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

We should remember the Lord in everything we do, and He should never be the last thing that we remember in a time of need.

*****Jon 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Though Jonah was still inside this great fish, his heart began to change in his despair.

Jonah realized that the Lord had kept him alive inside this fish to give him time to repent.

Jonah could breathe while inside this animal, which causes many to believe this great fish was a whale, but we actually do not know for sure.

Jonah speaks with faith that the Lord could still save him if He chose to do so, and He did.

God intends that through situations such as the one Jonah was in, to show us His great mercy.

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Jonah did not know if he would truly be saved from his dilemma, but he did know that his relationship with his Heavenly Father had been mended.

Inside this fish, Jonah knew he could still reach into the throne room of God.

Jonah was not afraid to die!

*****Jon 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

We do not know where Jonah was put out on dry land.

We do know that God has control of all His creation, and this fish was obedient to God.

We can ignore all those who suggest the first part of the Book of Jonah is allegorical.

Those are just people who have no respect for the Word of God nor the power of our Supernatural God.

God had humbled His servant, and His servant was now ready to serve Him.

Jonah revived his ministry from this beach where he was deposited.

He would now obey God and go to Nineveh to proclaim the Word of God to a doomed people.

This is the same job we have today!

It was Jonah’s three-day experience when he was given a new life and a new beginning.

So, it is with us!

Through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we too can receive a new life, a new beginning, a brand-new start, a second chance, and spend an eternity with the One who loves us the most.

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. By Grace Through Faith.

We must never think that God is not working in this world to bring to full glory His plan of salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

Restoration

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Restoration

Book of Hosea, Chapters 1 through 3

Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Hosea was the only prophet who lived in the area of the Northern Tribes whose writings were preserved by the Holy Spirit and became part of the Bible we have today.

All the other prophets who prophesied against the Northern Tribes lived in the area of the Southern Tribes.

The Book of Amos was also of the Northern Kingdom, but Amos lived in the Southern Kingdom, along with Isaiah and Micah, who also prophesied against the Northern Kingdom.

The Book of Hosea gives us a picture of just how far God will go in trying to save His chosen people.

Our direct knowledge of Hosea comes entirely from the book which bears his name.

He is mentioned nowhere else in the Old Testament.

It is believed that Hosea prophesied for about 70 years.

The words of Hosea were written mostly to the Northern Tribes, but the fact remains that he was writing to all God’s people, including Judah, and to us who are alive today, because this is a work of the Holy Spirit.

The clearest lesson we can get from the Book of Hosea is that God loves His people and His greatest request is for His people to repent and return to Him.

God told Hosea to choose Gomer as his wife with the intention of showing us what it means to be unfaithful, as both Israel and Judah were in that day.

Once Hosea married Gomer, she would become involved in the sins of infidelity and unfaithfulness.

Israel and Judah had betrayed God and been disloyal and adulterous in their relationship with God.

They had committed act after act of Spiritual Adultery.

Many of God’s people are doing the same today. God must be first in our lives!

Hosea gives us a clear picture of God’s demanding call to us is for us to remain faithful.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We sometimes forget that God requires us to be obedient to Him and the Lord Jesus is the greatest example of obedience to our Heavenly Father, but we can learn from Hosea also.

Hosea would write from the heart because he would understand how God felt about unfaithfulness because of Gomer’s relationship with him.

Of course, we know that the Holy Spirit would still guide and approve what was written.

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Following the Lord will require us to make some sacrifices, and we are never guaranteed a pain-free life, as many of us have already experienced.

We must be clear as we serve the Lord: Jesus Christ is the only Savior of God’s people and the only One who redeems His people from death!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This message is clear and unchangeable!

We should be able to picture our Savior through the relationship of Hosea to his wife, Gomer.

The Book of Hosea stands as one of the most straightforward and passionate declarations of God’s great love for us.

We will also see that even as great as His love is for us, there is a coming judgment on those who refuse to repent and return to Him.

Spiritual Adultery is a serious matter, and much of the Church is involved in Spiritual Adultery today and needs to repent.

*Hos 1:1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

The Book of Hosea is the first of the books that are called the Books of the Minor Prophets.

We need to understand that the message of these books is just as important as all the other books of the Bible.

They are minor in that they are short books as compared to the books of the other prophets, such as Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel.

They would not be part of the canon of the Bible if they were not important enough for us to study God’s message that they have for us.

Remember, it is the Holy Spirit who has chosen what we need to know of the message of God.

2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

There are no unimportant words in the Bible, but many so-called modern versions leave out so many of them and change many others.

The prophets Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and Nahum prophesied in the time of the Assyrian world empire.

The name Hosea means “savior”, “deliverer”.

God wants to deliver His people from the power of sin, and this is still His will even now in the Church Age, which is soon coming to its end.

Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The prophets of God were not very popular among the people because they would usually appear when something was not right with God’s people, and many of them were murdered to keep them forever quiet, but the Holy Spirit made sure we of today get to know their message, which came straight from the lips of our Heavenly Father.

The first thing we notice is that the LORD Himself called out to Hosea. This would be Jehovah in the Old Testament, but the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.

We will also notice that God’s people as a whole are not open to hearing the voice of God, and not much has changed today, certainly not in the time of Jesus.

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Mat 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

People then and people of today just do not want anyone to point out their sin to them.

To be real, everyone knows that they are sinners. People know they do not do everything righteously.

Everyone knows right from wrong except for the very young, but even they are not innocent of sin.

Idolatry had become the national religion of the Northern tribes of Israel, and idolatry was making its way into the Southern Tribes, and idolatry has made its way into the America we love today.

Their king, Jeroboam I, had established a new religion that he had created himself. His son Jeroboam II now ruled the Northern Tribes, and he was no different from his father.

He did this to keep the Northern Tribes from going to the Temple on feast days to worship.

Now, don’t get me wrong, but these people knew the truth, and they should have rebelled against this false worship, but they just obeyed their new king because they hated the King of Judah.

During the reign of King Solomon, many of the lower classes were not treated fairly.

Some others just worshipped the false gods of the surrounding nations, but either way, they turned away from Jehovah and the truth of God.

Rom_1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

God used His Prophet Hosea to be an example of wicked Israel in a way we may not understand, but we should be able to see it clearly.

We should understand that it is often the case that God calls a preacher or a missionary who is sent to specific places where they labor long hours, but do not see much fruit because God made a promise to all people.

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Mrk_13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

God asked Hosea to do something that many of us would certainly not want to do.

Hosea would experience a whole lot of what we call drama today in his marriage to a harlot.

The Northern Tribes of Israel would never be at rest but would face one crisis after another.

The Northern Tribes of Israel did not have one decent king.

They all were after power and riches.

It is getting the same in America today and in much of the world.

When God’s way of righteousness is rejected, and His Holy commandments are ignored, this world will suffer in turmoil that could have been avoided.

*Hos 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

The wife of Hosea would be an adulteress, and God told Hosea to marry her and be faithful to her.

No matter what we do in this life, God is always faithful to His Word!

In reality, Hosea did not know Gomer would be an adulteress when he married her until God told him, but God did not cause Gomer to sin.

God will never lead us into temptation.

These marriages happen often, and divorce is rampant in America today, even in the Church.

People struggle with faithfulness!

Being faithful to God, Hosea obeyed and married a woman named Gomer.

The message God was sending to the Northern Tribes was a message of unfaithfulness.

Hosea would completely understand unfaithfulness to God by his own marriage to Gomer.

Hosea did not get to know Gomer through normal ways, as we would think, but Hosea purchased his wife.

Hos 3:1 Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
Hos 3:2 So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

We will understand as we go through this lesson that Gomer will be a picture of unfaithfulness representing Israel, and Hosea will be a picture of God’s faithfulness and God’s unlimited “Grace”.

Rom_5:20 Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

For the Prophet Hosea to prophesy in the right manner, he needed to understand and feel how God feels about unfaithfulness.

Hosea would write with a greater understanding of how God feels about His spiritually adulterous children.

Through the tragedy of his own marriage, Hosea will come to feel how unfaithfulness affects the heart of God.

Unfaithfulness will destroy love in most people, but Jehovah God has a love that we do not really understand until we get to know Him as our Savior.

Now, we do not really know if Gomer was immoral before her marriage to Hosea, but for her to be an example of Israel, then she would have to begin her marriage to Hosea with faithfulness, but with a faithfulness that did not last very long.

Israel began with the faithfulness of Abraham.

Gomer’s children had names given to them that had special meaning.

It seems that the first son of Gomer would be Jezreel.

Hos 1:4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Hos 1:5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

You know if God broke the bow of Israel, then He allowed them to be defeated. The bow was their greatest weapon against the enemy.

The first daughter was named Loruhamah.

Hos 1:6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
Hos 1:7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

Then another son named Loammi.

Hos 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

It appears that maybe these children may not have been fathered by Hosea because our verse says, “children of whoredoms”.

It could also mean that all of these children would follow in the ways of their mother and were fathered by Hosea, which would make more sense.

Hos 2:4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

We should not doubt that Gomer was an adulterous woman!

Adultery is also a picture of people turning away from God and giving themselves to false gods.

When the parents do not follow the Word of God, how can the children know what God expects?

We are to be godly examples to our children and train them in the way that they should go in life, God’s way.

If we look at the people of the entire world belonging to God because He is the Creator, then we see a world that is given over to the worship of false gods today

*Hos 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

We should understand that it was not just unfaithfulness in a few of these people; it was unfaithfulness, but that all the land of Israel had surrendered itself to adultery and unfaithfulness, ignoring the Word of God and the God who loved them.

It is estimated that there are around 20 million Jews in the world today.

Remember that Hitler slaughtered over 6 million.

God promised His people would be very numerous, and the pure fact is that God will keep His promise to Abraham.

Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Some say this would include the Muslim, and it could, because the seed of Israel would be from the line of Sarah, which would be Isaac and not Hagar, who is the mother of Ishmael, which includes the Muslim.

Muslims are not part of the Church unless they accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, and not just as some prophet.

To be a son of the Living God is to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior!

God promised there would be only one ruler, and that ruler would be the Son of David.

On the Day of Jezreel, in all of Israel, there will be a reunion of all the tribes of Israel.

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

God promised that they would be restored to the land given to Abraham. Now, this does not include the Muslims because this land was passed on to Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob, who is Israel.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

What do we know? God has never broken a promise, and He never will!

The Valley of Jezreel is located in the eastern extension of the plain of Esdraelon. (Jos_17:16; Jdg_6:33; Hos_1:5)

Jdg 6:33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

This place has been called the battlefield of Palestine. It has been a chosen place for encampment for every enemy of Israel and in every battle carried on in this country.

This is the same place of another prophecy that has not taken place as of yet.

Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

This is the same place where most of the armies of the world will gather against Israel, and the Lord Jesus will slaughter them there.

God will show us how He acts to get us back on the right path.

God will use chastisement to purify His people, but then God will love them back into the family.

In Hosea, we read that God denied His people, but through the work of Jesus Christ, God will redeem them.

They just do not realize it yet.

*Hos 2:6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

We know that adultery runs rampant in our societies of today.

Many couples do not even get married because marriage requires commitment, and these unions are full of fornication.

Look how many babies could be saved if fornication were not the lifestyle of the USA and the world.

It is the same as it was in the Book of Judges: Jdg 21:25 In those days “every man did that which was right in his own eyes”.

This includes the women of today.

Many a marriage has ended because of adultery, and this is the message God gives to Israel and that God gives to the Church.

Even if Gomer would not stay faithful to Hosea, she should have been faithful to her children, but we find that this is not the case.

This is another case of Israel not even training its children to follow God.

God is teaching us that if you travel the road with painful barriers on the left and the right, you can only go one way or select a path with painful injuries.

We should ask ourselves, why do so many try to break through those painful barriers, just to go against a loving God?

Those painful barriers represent the Holy Spirit trying to keep us on the right path to victory.

People today do not even think about their health when they get on that road to sin.

Listen to Job: Job 19:8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

God will not put anything in our path to stop us from reaching Him, but He will put obstacles in our path to try to get us to change directions and return to Him.

The message of God is still repentance.

*Hos 2:7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.
Hos 2:8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
Hos 2:9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.
Hos 2:10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

Israel was chasing hard after false gods, but they could not find one that could help them.

Gomer was guilty of lust and adultery, and it was the same for Israel.

Gomer became enslaved by her desire for sexual pleasure, unable to break free from her passion.

This is what being enslaved to the Devil means. The Devil chains us to our sins and does not allow us to break free.

2Ti_2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

We talk about how we should not waste the things God gives to us, but Israel would melt down gold and silver and make idols to worship.

How smart is that, by the way? That made those idols valuable to a thief who is the Devil.

It is a sad day when we forget that it is our Creator who has provided our needs all our days, and we begin to worship some false god who cannot give us anything but death.

It is even worse when we give credit to idols for the things we have.

When we seek the world seeking some benefit that appears to be good and supposed riches and prosperity that the world hoards for itself, instead of God, who is in control, we will find that there is no advantage to be gained in the world.

We find that in war or in bad times, the Church is filled with prayerful people, but as soon as these things are over, those same people return to doing what they were doing before.

They should ask themselves, would God answer their prayers, and why would He? No, God will not listen to them lest they repent and return to Him.

Job 35:12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.
Job 35:13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

Only because God had placed obstacles in her path to keep her from finding her lovers did Gomer decide to go back to her husband, Hosea.

This will be the path of Israel!

When Israel is face-to-face with the results of her rebellion and sees no way out, will she ever return to the Lord?

We should be amazed at the “GRACE” of God and His “FORGIVENESS” of our sins.

No false god in this world can provide for our needs because they are only figments of the imagination.

We will never gain satisfaction from false gods or from this world!

Israel will one day realize that they were much better when they followed the LORD than when they followed the world.

This will be a while because they will be going through the Seven-Year Tribulation Period.

When we become spiritually blind to the truth of God, we become blind to the benefits of serving Him.

Psa_68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

This world and its politicians make promise after promise, and when they are elected and run again for the same office, they make the same old promises that they cannot fulfill.

Why do we tolerate such people and not vote them out?

God keeps every promise He has ever made.

God provided for Israel while they were in captivity, but they gave their offerings to idols of this world.

What did Israel lose?

They lost God’s care and His provision.
They were publicly exposed and shamed before the eyes of the world.
They could not escape God’s judgment.

There is no place for the sinner to hide from God’s judgment!

God began by taking His provision away from them.

These are the same lessons Gomer learned. Her bad reputation took her lovers away from her.

We cannot pretend we love the LORD and then go against His Word.

*Hos 2:13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.

The days of Baalim were the days consecrated to Baal, and on which the worship of Jehovah was transferred to that idol.

In the days of Ahab, Baal worship was elevated to the status of a “state religion” while service to Jehovah was set aside.

1Ki 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
1Ki 16:32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
1Ki 16:33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

2Ki 11:18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

The name Baalim, Baals in plural, means the various forms of Baal-idolatry or any modification of Baal-worship.

Some say Baal is the god of the elites of society, and in many places, we find this to be true.

They worship what their riches have bought them.

Baal is also mentioned in the Quran.

To be clear, when you give anything that God has given to you to some idol, some Baal, you have committed a terrible sin.

God provides our needs; they are intended for our use in life or in a ministry of the Church.

Gomer celebrated her marriage with Hosea, but she was deceptive and insincere, a wife of whoredoms.

She turned her love away from Hosea and gave that love to other men.

Israel and many others have turned their love away from the LORD and given that love to a god that does not exist, for they have rejected the Son of God, their one true God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we meet the God of the second chance.

*Hos 2:14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
Hos 2:15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
Hos 2:16 And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
Hos 2:17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

People say Grace is a New Testament thing, but we can see God’s Grace all through the Old Testament.

Hosea decided to renew his romance with his adulterous wife.

He would give her assurance that their marriage was safe, speak tenderly to her, and take her to places away from the temptation of her former worldly life.

This was a place where they could be alone and focus on each other and rekindle their original love for one another.

God would also do this for Israel.

Isa 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
Isa 65:10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

God says, “My servants will dwell there”. This would be the land of Israel.
God says, “My chosen ones shall inherit it”. This would be God’s people after the Tribulation. Israel and the Church.

The heir of Judah will be the Messiah, and that remnant will be unified with Him.

This is the seed that grows into a great nation, and the world will be at peace.

It is believed that the name “Ishi” should be “my husband” and no longer be referred to as Baali, which means “my lord”.

We could say that this passage is spoken by the Messiah Himself, our Lord Jesus.

Isa 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
Isa 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

We know this is the Lord speaking because we know that after the Great Tribulation, our Lord will remake this world as it was in the Garden of Eden when He said His creation was “very good”.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

This is the same earth that our Lord Jesus will make again, a New Earth.

*Hos 2:18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
Hos 2:19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Hos 2:20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

All those who want to know about the animals that God created on day five and day six, they were all at peace with mankind.

Adam and Eve and all the animals ate from the grassland and the fruit trees. No animal ate another animal. No insect caused harm to another insect. No fish ate another fish. No dinosaur ate meat.

What is the truth of God?

All those who have committed Spiritual adultery and rejected the Lord can still have a wonderful future if they return to the Lord.

It is still called repentance today!

No one could say these things if they did not know the future!

God seeks a personal relationship, and He will have it with those who repent and join Him in sincerity and truth.

There would be no divorce, only an eternal union that could never be broken.

This relationship would be built on love and mercy, and no one has as much love and mercy as the LORD.
This relationship would be built on faithfulness, and no one is as faithful as the LORD.
This relationship would be built upon knowing and acknowledging the LORD.

*Hos 2:22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.
Hos 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Jezreel (‘whom God soweth’) is a title symbolically applied to Israel.

Once Israel returns to the LORD, many things will happen.

We should remember this is also the time that the Earth will be destroyed by fire.

The LORD will restore the earth:

1) The LORD will meet the needs of the heavens.
2) The heavens will meet the needs of the earth.
3) The earth will meet the needs of the harvest, including grains, vineyards, and olive oil.
4) This great harvest will meet the needs of Jezreel as it is applied to Israel at this time and all those who are alive during the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ.

*Hos 3:4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:
Hos 3:5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

There should not be even one Israelite who can deny the truth of verse four.

God has a purpose for this time period.

Certainly, God has sent missionaries to Israel to tell them the truth of Jesus Christ, but in reality, God has not sent them a prophet since the time of John the Baptist and then His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

What did Jesus tell them? Mat_17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

We know even at this time David the King had been dead and buried for many years, so God is not talking about David, and not a resurrected David.

God is speaking of the Messiah, the Son of God, the One called the Son of David.

Mat_1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

This will be the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The example given to us from the Book of Hosea should teach us about the enduring love God has for His people.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Amen

The Logic in God’s Judgment

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Logic of God’s Judgment

Book of Amos Chapters 1 through 4

As we take a look into the Book of Amos, we should realize that the Ten Tribes called Israel had moved away from God from the very first day of separating from Judah.

As we study this book of prophecy, we will see that God has given this nation a last chance to repent and return to the truth of Jehovah and worship as God had given them in the Books of Moses.

None of the kings of this divided nation called Israel had any interest in the truth of God nor the worship of the LORD Jehovah.

We know the Lord is patient with His people, but there is an end to that patience, and after patience runs out, it is replaced with judgment.
,
God always has to overcome His compassion for His people to bring judgment, but He will.

It is these lessons we read about in the Old Testament that we can learn how God will react to these same types of things today.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

We can visibly see how patient God is with the world we live in today, but the Old Testament proves that God’s patience will end, and judgment will come.

God will not allow wickedness and sin to continue indefinitely!

The Book of Amos is a book of judgment!

For one hundred and eighty years, the Northern Kingdom had rebelled against the LORD.

Amos preached a message that focused on the coming judgment of God.

Amos was just a lowly shepherd from Judah who prophesied mostly in Israel, showing us that God can use anyone willing to serve Him.

*Amo 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

In the Scriptures, earthquakes are mentioned as tokens of God’s power, but also as a means of fine-tuning the timeline of the Scriptures.

Job 9:6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.

Earthquakes are also tokens of God’s presence.

Psa 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Earthquakes that we are more familiar with are those that are from God’s anger.

Psa 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

God’s fierce anger is still in the future.

Isa 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Isa 29:6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

*Amo 1:2 And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.

Amos was chosen because, in his preaching, he could roar, and his message was that God would soon roar out of Zion.

In fact, Amos begins where the Book of Joel ends.

Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Zion was the same as the city of David to Amos.

1Ki 8:1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.

Amos first begins to prophecy judgment on all those nations that have had any dealings with Israel.

The LORD speaks from Zion, which He had assigned to be the central place of worship of the Jews and also the central place of government, as formed by King David.

Israel was to have a theocratic government. A government that followed the Word of God.

God speaks to all His people, and He includes strangers.

Zion is the dwelling place of the LORD, spiritually and soon will be physically for one thousand years!

A roaring of the lion can be heard from five to eight miles, but God’s roar will be heard from any location upon this earth if He so chooses.

A lion’s roar is aimed as a threat to his enemies, and the roar of God in judgment will be directed at His enemies, the enemies of the Church and the enemies of Israel.

Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

This is another reason why the Lord Jesus is known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will roar in judgment sooner than we think.

*Amo 2:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
Amo 2:7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
Amo 2:8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

What was wrong with Israel in the day of Amos and still so today?

This sent waves of shock through the crowd that Amos was preaching to, for in their mind they would say to you, “There is no way God’s judgment would fall on them”.

They are so wrong because they know the key to God’s Grace is obedience to His Word. Why would God not judge those who refuse to obey Him?

To the world today that misunderstands God’s nature. Yes, God is Love, and because of this, He is long-suffering.

His long-suffering means He is waiting for the world to repent and turn from its wicked ways, but it never will, so eventually God’s justice must prevail on those who live wickedly, or He would not be the God of truth.

Israel was feeling really good about everything when Amos was preaching about judgment on all those other nations, but their attitude changed when Amos began with God’s judgment upon Israel.

The Judgment of God is coming to this world, and the only way to miss it is to repent and turn back to our Creator. Our God is also our Creator!

God has warned this entire world.

Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

God’s justice must prevail!

These verses describe to us the crimes of Israel.

1) We see a perversion of justice. The judges took bribes and condemned the righteous.
Keep in mind, Judas took silver to condemn our righteous Savior.

For the very smallest of bribes, they rejected the cause of poverty in their own nation.

Eze 13:19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

They continuously broke the Laws of God.

2) They desired that the poor be removed from the earth.

This sounds like today, when our politicians remind us that if not for the poor and the elders there would be plenty of money to waste on other things, while they intentionally try to move the middle class into that poor category.

Those who are poor are also those who are depressed, even though depression can attack anyone, no matter their status.

It is many of those who are poor who are almost forced to do crooked and evil things in an attempt to survive.

We cannot defend this, but we can acknowledge it.

The world continuously ignores the dignity of human life if you are not a part of their crowd.

3) For a man and his father to go into the same maid could be said to be incest, which was forbidden and could be seen as organized prostitution, but it is certainly fornication.

Eze 36:20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

4) Those who were well off would take the outer clothes of those who had fallen on hard times, as a pledge. These would be the clothes they wore during the day and covered themselves with at night.

Those who stole those clothes would think nothing of wearing them to the House of God.

They engaged in hypocritical worship by worshipping at every altar in any place of worship, even those places where idols were worshipped.

Israel’s worship of Jehovah had become corrupt.

Before we pray and worship at any altar, we had better be sure we are in a true House of God!

5) Israel rejected the Lord as the source of their blessings since the Lord removed them from the Iron Furnace of Egypt.

*Amo 2:9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
Amo 2:10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
Amo 2:11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
Amo 2:12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

As we read the Old Testament, we read over and over how God had blessed this nation and had forgiven their many sins.

It was the Almighty God who had destroyed the Amorites and allowed Israel to take over their cities and their homes.

They were certainly wicked people, but Israel was falling into the same trap of judgment.

It was the Almighty Living God who had saved Israel from Egypt, where they had been slaves for nearly four hundred years.

It was the Almighty God who had sent to them His prophets from their own nation, and they had murdered many of them.

6) Even the Nazarites who had committed themselves to live righteously and devote themselves to the Lord were forced to drink wine against their vows.

I absolutely cannot see how those of a certain religion can serve wine at communion, knowing God said not to drink wine at all.

We have to make a vow to live righteously to be saved!

Those who interfere with God’s children will truly suffer the wrath of God.

Mat_18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mrk_9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Luk_17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Israel at this time was no different than the nations and peoples God had removed from Canaan Land!

Have you noticed how the Church is following in these same steps?

If you are in a godly church today, it is a must to resist any change that goes against the Word of God! All the Word of God!

Jer_6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

We cannot be so foolish as not to walk in the truth of God.

What is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a person who pretends and is deceitful.

Claiming to believe in the LORD is not enough to become acceptable to God.

A true believer will do their best to follow the LORD!

A true believer will do their best to be obedient to all the Word of God.

A true believer will do their best to live righteously in this world.

A true believer will be looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

A hypocrite is deceitful.

What did the Lord Jesus say we needed to watch out for in the end times?

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

We cannot allow false so-called Christians to destroy our churches!

1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

*Amo 2:13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
Amo 2:14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:

In response to any rebellious attitude and opposition of people in answer to His concerns, God has no choice but to react in “Judgment”.

Sin is a heavy burden that will take us into the pits of Hell, when God is so willing to forgive if we will repent and return to Him.

Why would anyone want to go to Hell to spend an eternity there?

The Northern Tribes of Israel were guilty of extreme wickedness, and God judged them by sending them into captivity into a nation that worshipped idols and rejected Jehovah.

God is saying that His cart is so heavily loaded with sin that anything He rolls over will be crushed into non-existence.

God will have removed His compassion.
God will have removed His mercy.
God will have removed His grace.
God will have removed His love, and this leaves only His “judgment”!

God had stated that He hated Esau and the Edomites no longer exist as a people.

God is telling sinners that He hates sin, and the Lord Jesus will say, “I never knew you,” or to Him, you did not exist.

Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Are those Ten Tribes of Israel still lost?

The “lost tribes” were not entirely lost — many integrated into local populations, and some groups, like the Samaritans, preserved their identity.

The one thing we know for sure is that there are Jews scattered all over the world, and many of them have gone back home to Israel.

We can say that there are no lost Tribes of Israel because God knows where they all are.

What did God do?

God shows them instances of judgments He had sent at various times to correct His people.

*Amo 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
Amo 4:8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

This is not some form of toothache, but it is famine.

Their teeth would be clean because they had nothing to eat.

The Laws of Moses, which they were so proud of, stated: Deu 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he hath destroyed thee.
Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

In all the years since God had taken Israel out of Egypt and formed the nation that they are today, they have never truly repented of rejecting God and His Word.

God disciplines because He loves us, not because He hates us!

The stubbornness of Israel’s rejection caused God to be harsher with His people.

All God has ever asked from any of us is to repent and turn back to Him.

The LORD sent famine and hunger, and this famine struck every city so that each city would not have the resources to feed its people.

Next, God sent drought, and God sent this drought three months before harvest time, so there would be very little to harvest.

They had three months to repent and save their crops, but they were too stubborn to give in.

They would hear about rain in another city, but by the time they got there, the water would be used up.

When they did have enough water for meager crops to grow, God sent the blight and the palmerworm.

Blasting was the damage caused by the scorching East wind.

Eze 17:10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

Mildew would also ruin some crops. Mildew is caused by fungi from dampness and is the opposite of conditions caused by drought.

The locust swarms and disease would take anything that was left of their crops.

They faced economic devastation, but they still would not repent.

War, drought, and famine always end in disease, sickness, and plagues among the people.

These would be the same type of plagues that God used on Egypt, but they still would not repent.

So, God sent war.

The young men, the pride of most nations, were slain with the sword of their enemies. This is what war does. War removes many of the next generation and affects a nation for years.

God took away their ability to defend themselves.

The stink of unburied carcasses lay everywhere, and even more disease came to Israel.

*Amo 4:11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
Amo 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

God reminds them that their sin was counted just as hideous and wicked as the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they would have perished if God had not plucked them out of the fire.

Their homes were burned, their cities were burned, and everything they had left was burned, and they have been to if God had not plucked them from the fire.

There was only one thing left to do, and it was for God to come to this earth and take care of this rebellion Himself.

We should all ask ourselves, “Are we ready to meet the God of the Bible?”

God’s judgment is certainly coming to this world.

Judgment is inescapable for those who refuse to repent and return to the Creator.

God will not send an angel.
God will not send the death angel.

God will come Himself, and if He comes in His glory, no one will be able to stand before Him.

There is only one way out to safety, and it is by repentance and returning to the God who made us.

Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

We can meet God in the clouds, or we will meet God in “judgment,” and we do not have much time left to decide!

Amen

Amaziah-The King Who Stopped Short of the Goal

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Amaziah-The King Who Stopped Short of the Goal

Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 25

I think the greatest thing we can learn from the Old Testament is “what not to do”.

No matter how powerful we become upon this earth, we are very, very small compared to God!

Over and over, we read how people went against the Word of God, and God had to take away His hand of blessing.

You see God does not cause our problems; He just removes His hand of blessing that would have stopped most of our problems.

God wants us to allow Him to dictate how we live our lives to gain the greatest blessings while we are alive and even greater blessings when we join Him in Heaven.

God wants to deal with us as any good Father would.

We are foolish people when we do not realize that God wants to bless us and not take away our blessings.

People believe that God does so many things to them, when actually it’s the Devil who has more freedom when God removes His hand of blessing and protection.

We get a bird’s eye view of these things in the Books of the Kings and the Chroniclers, and in the divided nation, we see how leaders rebel against a loving God, and it did not go well for them.

None of us like discipline, but for all of us, a little discipline is necessary.

Throughout the Old Testament, God dispensed His theocratic kingdom through mediators, the prophets.

God appointed human leaders through whom He revealed His will and made Himself known. He still does this today.

The final ultimate form of God’s theocratic kingdom will be the Millennial Kingdom governed by Jesus Christ.

There is no more important subject in the Old Testament than the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Old Testament looks forward to all the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and it gives us true history so we can better understand.

We must understand that God deals with Israel to bring her to a place of Spiritual blessing in which she will be the agent for God to bless the nations of the world.

We now know that this will not take place until after the Rapture of the Church and the Seven Years of Tribulation, which the Church will miss.

The Mosaic Covenant was conditional and a demonstration of God’s Holiness.

All those who would enter into fellowship with our Holy God would have to meet His Holy Standard.

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

The Prophets of the Old Testament teach us how God will achieve this with Israel.

We know the Messiah will rule this earth from Jerusalem, but the Messiah first came as a suffering Messiah through whom God offers forgiveness of sins.

This forgiveness is for the whole world, but each individual must acknowledge it.

1Jn_2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The one thing we see in all the Bible is the continuation of sin in the human race, and there is only one race in all the Scriptures.

Red, yellow, black, and white, we are all sinners in His sight, but we are all forgiven if we trust what God has done for us.

Rom_3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We know the Messiah to be a descendant of King David.

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

This is the purpose of God to gain as many as will accept Him into His Heavenly Kingdom.

The Old Testament gives us the history of Israel in the way God moved these people to fulfill His purpose for them.

Our lesson continues to show us how the divided nation of Israel and the kings in the line of David continued to fail God in His purpose, but the plan of God continued to move forward, as it still does today.

How many of us stop short of the goals God has set for us because we have slipped backwards from time to time?

I know I have. I am a work in progress.

I also know that God does not ever change. This is why we need to study the Old Testament to learn from the mistakes made then.

*2Ch 25:1 Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
2Ch 25:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

After our salvation, God the Father gives us opportunities to earn rewards that will be in Heaven when we get there.

When an opportunity arises, we must grab it, or else we will lose that opportunity.

God gave opportunities to the Kings of Judah to become great kings, but most of them let pride and discipline be their downfall.

Pro_16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

In fact, God provides opportunities to every national leader because it is God who put them in place.

We know we just do not see great leaders anymore.
The leaders of today are poisoned by the wickedness of this world.
What did God say on the day of Noah?

Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

God says the world keeps going as it always has, disregarding the sin that is in this world.

We here in America have great hope for the one who sits in the chair of the president today, but we do not know as of yet.
All we know is that he was the best choice to change the direction our nation was following, and he still is.

Opportunities are lost by God’s people because we just do not know how to discipline ourselves in the Word of God.

When we as Christians meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds, He will probably remind us of all those lost opportunities.

In the Books of the Kings and Chronicles, we see the lost opportunities of the leaders of Judah and Israel.

Judah had nineteen kings and one queen, and most of them were wicked rulers.

We must completely understand that God is not going to allow us to live like a bunch of pagans.

Amaziah was the son of Joash, also written Jehoash, and was the ninth King of Judah.

Joash was the son of Ahaziah, King of Judah, and the only one of his children who escaped from the wicked Queen Athaliah when she killed her own grandchildren.

At the age of seven, Joash became King of Judah, and for twenty-three years, he did right in the eyes of God because he was led by Jehoiada, the High Priest of Israel.

When Jehoiada died, Joash fell into the hands of bad advisors, and he revived the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth.

When he was rebuked by Zechariah, the son of the High Priest, he had Zechariah stoned to death in the Temple.

He had allowed the people to build worship centers on former pagan sites, and God was not pleased.

He failed to remove the High places where the worship of false gods took place.

False worship began to intermingle with the worship of Jehovah, and God was not pleased.

These same things still happen today, and some inside the Church.

People just never change from their wicked ways because they cannot without God in their lives.

Ecc_1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Not too much later, he was assassinated by two of his own servants.

Even though Amaziah was known as a mostly good king, we find that Amaziah was much like his father, King Joash, and never truly committed himself to the Lord.

From time to time, Amaziah would worship idols instead of the Lord.

We have a lot of our leaders who claim to be Christian, but the fact remains that any leader who only gives the Lord part of his heart is not really a leader at all and certainly does not belong to God.

God is an all-or-nothing God.

Amaziah did not close the “high places,” which were places where false worship took place.

Amaziah did not serve God with a perfect heart.

Once Amaziah returned from his captivity in Israel, he was not much good to the people of Judah, and a conspiracy was made, and he too was assassinated.

We cannot just be guided by the Preacher; we must be guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Amaziah began his reign by punishing the murderers of his father but not their children in obedience to the Word of God, but this was about all he did in obedience to the Word of God

Amaziah was not going to be the new King David.

He actually helped to bring idol worship into Judah.

Amaziah numbered his army and became a foolish king.

*2Ch 25:5 Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
2Ch 25:6 He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.
2Ch 25:7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.
2Ch 25:8 But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.
2Ch 25:9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.

Amaziah found that he had three hundred thousand men who were able to go to war.

Notice that a man had to be at least twenty years old to serve in the army and physically able.

Then Amaziah committed a no-no.

He hired a hundred thousand mercenary soldiers of Israel.

If we are God’s people, then we must trust that God will provide for our victories in life.

If Amaziah had gone to war with the help of this mercenary army and won, then he could have bragged about how great he was instead of how great God is.

The man of God stepped in to warn him.

It is important to God that we turn away from evil associations with the enemies of God.

Our job is to witness to them the truth of God, but we are not to become a part of the lost crowd.

It was Edom who had refused to allow the nation of Israel to travel through their land in the exodus from Egypt.

It was Edom who had helped round up escaping Jews to give to Nebuchadnezzar.

We should remember Edom was established by Esau, the brother of Jacob.

We would think that one side of the family of brothers would help the other side in their time of need, but not Edom. Edom is Esau

What did God say? Rom_9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Eventually, Edom and Moab were taken over by the Nabateans.

King David had conquered the Edomites, and so would King Amaziah without the help of that mercenary army.

This would not have happened had he kept that army with him.

It is God who has the power to help, but He also has the power to take down, as many who have faced Israel have found out.

Amaziah gave this army a hundred talents of silver, which he had promised, and sent them away, but they were not satisfied with that.

King Amaziah had to choose between losing the hundred talents and losing the war with the Edomites. He chose to win.

As the servants of God, we cannot allow ourselves to be pushed into disobedience because of others, especially by those who do not know the Lord as their Savior.

Satan smiles every time this happens.

We must be led by the LORD and not by the circumstances we face in this world.

*2Ch 25:10 Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

One man wrote that this army was disgraced by this rejection and disappointed with the spoil they hoped to gain and sent home empty.

It is believed that a hundred talents were probably given to the officers who raised this army, and the soldiers themselves got nothing. This is the way greed works.

You cannot trust an angry army of a hundred thousand men!

They returned to Israel with great anger.

*2Ch 25:11 And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.
2Ch 25:12 And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.
2Ch 25:13 But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil

What did this man of God say? It may be okay to hire others who have the same hope in God and have an interest in Heaven, but God will never allow us to associate with those whom He has given over to the Devil.

We cannot expect godliness from those who are ungodly.

Amaziah was now convinced that he was stronger without the army of Israel than he was with them.

The Valley of Salt ֶwas a significant geographical and military location in the ancient Near East, mentioned in several Old Testament passages.

It is generally identified with the southern end of the Dead Sea, in the arid and salt-impregnated plain between Judah and Edom.

It is believed to be part of the Arabah, a broad plain at the Dead Sea’s southern end, bordered by salt mountains, salt marshes, and brackish water.

Twenty thousand men of Edom died in this war with Judah.

Ten thousand of them were just murdered, but we should understand what God said.

This place is now called Petra. Selah and Petra are the same.

2Ki 14:7 He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.

The name Joktheel means subjugated of God.

Today, many liberals would scream bloody murder at such a thing, but God does not ever forget the cruelty of His enemies.

Eze 25:12 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
Eze 25:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
Eze 25:14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

Oba 1:10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

Edom or Esau is a picture of sin, the old nature of the flesh.

Edom had always behaved as a merciless enemy of God’s people and was judged for it.

We cannot feel sorry for God’s judgment of sin!

When armies were victorious in those days, they would take plunder, which could include men, women, children, cattle, and any other wealth of the defeated army.

Since there were no prisons, the defeated army was often killed to keep them from seeking revenge.

We could feel sorrow for any people if we had the opportunity to lead them to the Lord, and we did not even try.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

While Amaziah was occupied with Edom, those soldiers from Israel showed just how foolish it was for Amaziah to associate with them.

We next see that Amaziah becomes a foolish king.

*2Ch 25:14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

We might ask ourselves, “Why would Amaziah do such a thing”?

The only answer is that he was not completely sold out to Jehovah!

Of all the sins we commit, false worship is the worst besides rejecting the Lord Jesus, which has no forgiveness!

Exo_34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

What Amaziah should have destroyed, he began to worship.

He bowed down to these false gods on more than one occasion, and he became a fool.

If false gods cannot save us, why would we consider them gods?

America is full of people today who worship material things and figures of the imagination.

No one has ever seen God, so no one can make an idol that is in His likeness.

It’s the same for Jesus Christ. We do not know what Jesus looked like except to know He took on the resemblance of the Jews.

Jesus was likely a first-century Jewish man with olive-brown skin, short black hair, a beard, and a modest, stocky build, standing around 5 feet 5 inches tall.

Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

We should not have objects of worship for either one, for they are no more than idols.

What had God said?

Deu 7:5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
Deu 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

Even a picture of said Jesus Christ can become an idol if we see it as a thing to worship.

Another King of Judah had failed God’s people.

Amaziah had potential, but he became a failure.

Amaziah became boastful and arrogant because of his military victory, which he would not have had if he had not listened to the man of God.

This arrogance would cost Judah a great deal more!

We should realize that if the Kings of Judah had all lived by the Word of God, then God would never have allowed Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem, and the Middle East would be far different from what it is today.

It is the same for the Church today. If the Church is obedient to the Word of God, it will thrive because God’s plan works while our plans fail.

The truth is, at this moment, the Church is failing because it has allowed the world to get inside the Church, and man’s laws have overcome God’s laws.

Just because a judge can decide the fate of certain people, only God can decide the true fate of all people.

Amaziah challenged the king of the Northern Kingdom, King Joash.

*2Ch 25:18 And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.
2Ch 25:19 Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
2Ch 25:20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

We get a close-up view of what pride can do to us if we fall into its trap.

God may have allowed Amaziah to be victorious if he had not begun his worship of false idols.

Truth be known, it was probably Joash, King of Israel, who had sent that army back into the land of Judah.

We can see that the areas and the cities that are mentioned were once part of Israel, and Samaria was the chief city in the kingdom of the Ten Tribes of Israel.

God was on the side of Amaziah until he turned his back on God and began to worship idols.

One of our greatest problems we as humans has been that we think we are far more important than we really are

Many of us walk around thinking we are some great things, but we are nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without the love of God, we are nothing!

It is Okay to take a little pride in our accomplishments and our achievements, but we must never think we did those things under our own power.

We must never look upon others as being of less value than we are!

Self-pride and self-righteousness are enemies to our relationship with our Righteous and Holy God.

Psa 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Psa 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
Psa 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

When we go to others to solve our problems and not to God, we are just asking for failure.

When we say goodbye to God, He will say goodbye to us.

He will never force us to follow Him or His Words!

2Ch 25:22 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.
2Ch 25:23 And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

The arrogance of Amaziah cost his nation dearly; even the House of God was plundered.

He was captured and was a prisoner to Israel until the death of Joash.
The wall of Jerusalem was broken down for about six hundred feet.
The treasures of the Temple were stolen.
The treasures of the king’s house were taken.
Many royal hostages were taken back to Samaria.

It should be very clear that God will judge us for our sins against Him and His Word.

*2Ch 25:24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
2Ch 25:27 Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

It should be easy to see that the Bible is always right. Pride does go before our destruction.

When we say goodbye to God, we begin walking on dangerous ground.

Our biggest problem from the beginning of time is that we just think too highly of ourselves.

Joash was even more wicked than Amaziah.

We see that wicked people can see through the motives of other wicked people much better than we can.

Almost all wicked people are driven by the same motives!

We would be wrong if we cannot see that God is using Joash to punish Amaziah.

Amaziah would enter his own home as a prisoner and see it plundered by Joash.

A section of the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed, and Joash goes too far when he plunders the House of God.

Joash takes hostages from the house of Amaziah to make sure Amaziah does not plan to retaliate.

Joash’s advantage was a surprise attack, but more importantly, God’s help. Other than God punishing Amaziah, Israel was no stronger than Judah.

God had already given Israel over to destruction.

After Amaziah’s exile, he ruled in Judah for fifteen more years, but he was never the same, and he accomplished nothing else during his reign.

He never returned to the Lord, and in a conspiracy, he fled Jerusalem and was assassinated, but he was still buried with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Amaziah had the potential to be a great king, but once he left the Lord and filled his heart with apostasy and self-pride, he was just a figurehead sitting upon the throne of Judah and never accomplished anything for God’s people.

We just must not squander the opportunities God gives us to fulfill the purpose He has for us.

If we just follow the Word that God has given us we live a good life here on earth and a much better life in Heaven.

1) Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2) Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

3) Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not

These are mine right now but what are yours.

Amen

Jesus Christ Is Alive

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Is Alive

Book of Luke Chapter 24

People sometimes ask, what is the greatest discovery that has ever been made throughout the history of our world?

Immediately, they think about material things or certain medicines.

That answer should be simple. The greatest discovery that has ever been made in this world is the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ!

His tomb is still empty today because it was a borrowed tomb; the Lord Jesus only needed it for three days.

Much of this world does not know this, and most of the world does not believe this is true to their loss.

We should be very clear: if the Lord Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, there would be no such thing as Christianity.

Christianity would be just another religion serving a false god.

The empty tomb and our risen Savior have to become a personal discovery for each individual on this earth.

If my God cannot do the impossible, then He cannot be my God!

If my God is not alive, then I am no more than a fool and bound for Hell with no means of salvation.

The Passover is past. The Lord Jesus was buried just before six PM on the day of the Passover.

The first day following Passover was to be a holy convocation treated as a special Sabbath, and it did not matter what day of the week it was; it could well have been on a Friday.

Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover.
Lev 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

It was on Tuesday when the Lord Jesus had these words.

Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Two days after Tuesday would be Thursday. The words of Jesus are more reliable than calendars; this Passover was on a Thursday.

The day after the preparation day, which was Passover, would be the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was treated as a Sabbath, a High Day. Then, in this particular year, the true Sabbath would follow that day, meaning that when Sunday came, Jesus would have been in the ground for three days and three nights.

The Lord Jesus had been in the grave three days and three nights just as He had said.

At least this is where my Bible study leads me.

Mat_12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so, shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jhn_19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Luk 23:54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
Luk 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Luk 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

*Luk 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luk 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Luk 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

It was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that would bring the history of this world and eternity to their fulfillment according to God’s plan.

God plans that every living soul be provided with the opportunity for atonement.

The day of atonement was the only day of the year in which the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, but not without blood, which he offered for himself.

On this day, he wore none of his colorful clothes to enter behind the Veil but wore white linen clothes.

On this Passover, the Lord Jesus offered His own blood for the atonement.

When the High Priest fulfilled his purpose, he left those clothes in the Holy of Holies just as the Lord Jesus left His white linen clothes behind, and He is not only our Mediator, but He is our true High Priest.

Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

The meaning of the word is at-one-ment, and it means the state of being at one or being reconciled to God.
Until you are washed in the blood of Jesus, you cannot be reconciled to God!
Atonement is reconciliation. It signifies the truth of the Gospel which flows from the death of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ died in our place! The Lord Jesus Christ took our punishment, which we were rightly due for the sins we committed against our Heavenly Father, our Creator.

Our guilt was imputed to Him, and this is why He came at the First Coming.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

This was God’s plan, and it was executed by His only begotten Son.

The Old Covenant is over, and the New Covenant has begun.

These women were not aware of these things, yet all they knew was that the body of the Lord Jesus Christ had not been properly cared for, and it had been three days.

At four days, the body of Jesus would be corrupted.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had rushed to get the body of Christ into a grave on the day of Passover.

The Lord Jesus had been dead three days, just as He had said.

Mat_12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ arose on the first day of the week, which is Sunday on the Jewish calendar.

We now look at Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday as our Sabbath.

Act 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

This Sunday would have had its beginning at six o’clock the previous day, and these ladies came to the Tomb of Christ early that next morning.

Because His resurrection had occurred just as He had said, another order of things had occurred.

It was love that brought these ladies to the tomb of Jesus, and it is love and truth that should bring us all to the cross of Jesus.

Death reigns no more in our earthly flesh if you are reconciled to God.

The curse of Adam has ended for you.

The rules of death have been broken by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why? Because His tomb was empty, but that was not all.

1) The Scriptures were opened: Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

2) Eyes were opened: Luk 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

3) The mind is opened: Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

4) Heaven was opened: Luk 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

That stone was not rolled away to let the Lord out of that grave. He was already out before the angels rolled away that stone.

That stone was rolled away to allow these women who loved Him so much to go inside and look at an empty tomb.

This was the first victory of God’s amazing grace.

Now, mercy and grace are the rules God will use toward all mankind.

These ladies were perplexed about what they had seen.

*Luk 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

One of the best proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the testimony of these ladies.

They witnessed the body of the Lord Jesus being placed into that tomb, and they now see that the tomb is empty.

They knew He was dead, and they knew where He had been laid, and the door had been sealed.

It was the penalty of death to remove this seal unauthorized.

None of those who came to the tomb of Christ had believed Him when He said He would be three days in it and then He would arise from that death until it took place.

As they arrive, they see the stone rolled away, and no one man could do such a thing, and they knew that they could not do it themselves.

Mar 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Mar 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
It was the angels who rolled away the stone.

Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

An angel of the Lord cannot lie; they are only messengers.

The body of Jesus Christ was not in the tomb.

These angels had taken on the form of humans.

They looked like men, but their clothing was not of this world but shining garments.

One angel was on each end of the slab where the Lord Jesus had lain, which gives us the vision that the mercy seat was no longer in the Holy of Holies.

Jesus is first called Lord Jesus in this passage after His resurrection, for He is now our risen Savior.

What was the message of the angels?

*Luk 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luk 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luk 24:8 And they remembered his words,

They were not so much afraid of those angels as they were about the missing body of Christ.

The truth is, God the Father has fully accepted the work of His Son for our atonement, and life has returned to Him.

Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

The Lord Jesus becomes the Living God because death cannot hold our Savior!

Not many living will stay in a dead man’s tomb for very long.
.
These angels also reminded these women of what the Lord Jesus had said before His death.

We had better be clear in our hearts, we do not honor a dead Savior, we honor the Living God!

Because they now remembered the words that Jesus had spoken, they had conviction and boldness to witness to others this truth.

The Lord Jesus had declared that the grave could not hold Him.

Heb 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

It is the power of His resurrection that removes any doubt that the Lord Jesus is the true Messiah, God in the Flesh.

None of those who had followed the Lord Jesus had truly accepted that He would arise from His death.

They had not accepted that He would die until it happened.

It is an eye-opening event when we realize that we were wrong about God!

God is who He says He is!

God does as He says He will do!

*Luk 24:9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Luk 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Luk 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

What is the greatest lesson we can learn from this passage?

We need to pay attention to what the Lord Jesus Christ says!

The Lord Jesus always speaks the truth!

Not finding the Body of Jesus puzzled these women when it should have brought faith.

Many will say that an empty tomb is not proof of a resurrection.

Full belief required the appearance of Jesus Christ.

Faith would know that He is alive!

We should understand that the Holy Spirit did it this way so the Church would know that the grave was empty and it was the actual body of Jesus and not some ghost.

Many commentators will say that those two angels are Moses and Elijah, but the Bible does not lead us in this direction.

The angels quickly told these ladies that if they wanted to see the Risen Savior, they had come to the wrong place.

We know our Savior cannot be bound by any tomb, and you will never find Him there again.

The angels told these ladies to remind the eleven Apostles that He would meet them in Galilee.

The angels also said, “Do you not remember what Jesus said?”

Luk 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
Luk 18:32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Luk 18:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

The body of Jesus Christ had not been removed; Jesus had walked out of that grave, going straight through the rock because it was the angels who rolled that heavy stone away.

The enemies of Jesus were still rejoicing, but this rejoicing was about to end.

It took a while for these women to believe that the Lord had risen from that grave, and the Apostles did not believe these women.

The greatest sin in all the Bible is to not believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The Apostles had no excuse for rejecting the truth of the resurrection, for the Lord had told them He would arise on many occasions.

They did go to Galilee, but they were quitting. They felt they had no one to serve after the death of Jesus.

This is where they would witness the truth of the Lord Jesus.

There is a lack of clear direction. They are no longer full of the Lord Jesus, and activities they previously abandoned for Him have a chance to creep back in.

It is never a good time to quit on Jesus!

Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Peter was still suffering because he had denied Christ.

*Luk 24:12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Many say that those linen clothes lay in that grave just as they were wrapped, meaning that the body of Jesus had passed through those wrappings, leaving them in place.

Jesus had folded the napkin that was over His face and laid it in another place, and we all know the meaning of this. “I will be back.”

As I said earlier, the High Priests would always leave those white linen clothes in the Holy of Holies, so that the empty tomb had become the Holy of Holies, and that place in the Temple was no longer important. The Veil had been torn into two pieces.

Peter came to the tomb of Jesus.

Peter saw what manner His clothes were laid.

Peter departed, wondering within himself what had actually happened.

What we now know is that it is dangerous not to understand the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We cannot spiritualize the Word of God because it will lead to unbelief and serious problems.

All we need to do is be open to the evidence that the Holy Spirit gives us in the Gospels.

1) The tomb is empty.
2) Jesus has risen just as He said.
3) The Holy Spirit will convince us of the truth if we listen to Him.

Joh 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The risen Messiah was not some spirit, He was not some vision, not some phantom, not a hallucination or the figment of man’s imagination, He was the risen Savior.

One day, not so far into the future, we will have a glorified body just like the Lord has.

*Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The road to Emmaus is another great picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but our lesson goes to the teaching of the Lord Jesus to the Apostles after they knew that the resurrected Christ is the same Christ who had died for their sin and ours.

Now that these Apostles know that Jesus is a risen Savior, they can better understand the lessons He had taught them.

All prophecies up to the point of the Cross had been fulfilled just as they were written.

Jesus makes a point to teach these men that every word of God would be fulfilled just as written.

We can depend on the Word of God and a proper translation of the Word of God, such as the KJV.

Many translations are nothing but trash and should be done away with.

1) The death of Christ and the Resurrection had to take place just as they happened. Some of the brutalizing of our Savior was unnecessary, but foretold.

None of these things should have been a surprise to these men, and certainly not to the Scribes and Pharisees who were supposedly Bible scholars.

The Lord Jesus had preached these things Himself.

2) It was necessary that the death of Christ and His resurrection take place. His death was imperative, or we would still be bound with our sin, unforgiven.

His resurrection also had to take place, showing us the power of God and our own future resurrection of our bodies.

The Lord Jesus gave us His own division of the Bible of that day.

The Law
The Prophets
The Psalms

Basically, the entire Old Testament.

3) The Lord Jesus opened their eyes so they could understand:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

4) These prophecies had to be fulfilled.

Christ had to suffer a terrible death and then rise from that death.

Repentance and forgiveness must be preached.

The Holy Spirit and the Power of Heavenly Father must be sent.

Every believer was to be equipped for witnessing the truth of God.

The source of the Holy Spirit and His Power can come from God the Father only.

Jesus Christ was to send the promises of God the Father.
It was God the Father who made the promises.
We are to wait upon the Lord Jesus Christ to return while praying for the promises of God.

God the Father is the source of all power.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

His work finished, the Lord went home to be by His Father’s side.

*Luk 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

Luke closes his Gospel with the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He had remained on earth for forty days since His resurrection.

The Lord Jesus came to this world on a mission to save the people of this world, and He provided a means of salvation and reconciliation with God to every individual who has lived since that time.

His ascension closes His earthly ministry, but it opens His Heavenly ministry, His mission of intercession for the world.

He now bears witness through the lives of those who believe Him.

He is now the propitiation for our sins.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

God’s Son returned to the right hand of God the Father.

His ascension proves that Heaven is a real place!

Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

His ascension assures us that we have a very special Helper in Heaven who really loves and cares for us.

Amen