Nahum 1:1-8

“The oracle against Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite: The Lord is a zealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and very angry. The Lord takes vengeance against his foes; he sustains his rage against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished. He marches out in the whirlwind and the raging storm; dark storm clouds billow like dust under his feet. He shouts a battle cry against the seaand makes it dry up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither; the blossom of Lebanon withers. The mountains tremble before him, the hills convulse; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all its inhabitants are laid waste. No one can withstand his indignation! No one can resist his fierce anger! His wrath is poured out like volcanic fire, boulders are broken up as he approaches. The Lord is good – indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he protects those who seek refuge in him. But with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of Nineveh; he will drive his enemies into darkness.”

— ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭8‬‬ 

Nahum and Jonah are the two books that deal with Nineveh. So much of the interpretation of these two books concerns dating. Which one was written first affects our understanding. Most conservative scholars will place Jonah around the lifetime of the prophet (assuming he wrote it). There are good arguments against this, as in not many prophets write their books in the third person. The sequence is then that Jonah went to preach repentance, it “worked,” but not for long. Nahum comes along and announces judgment that is coming regardless of their response. 

If Nahum is first, then scholars put Jonah as written more in the exile period. Nahum announced the fall and destruction of Nineveh, and the Jonah comes later to use the Assyrians as an example of just how great God’s love/compassion is. To a people in exile, wondering about all these foreign oppressors, the author uses their worst historical enemy (and somewhat recent) to let them know that God has forgiveness for even the worst.

Zealous: Also jealous. This is a very human trait, and the NET lists all the ways it’s used. Not often is it in a good context. They describe God as protective of His people and in judging their enemies. 

This type of anger/ wrath is odd to identify, and not typically something we see in descriptions of God. Especially for v. 7 to be focus verse of the day. How can these two things coexist, and not in a salvation conversation. I would think it does go back to His covenant with Israel and His protection of them. He can be angry against those who oppose them. This whole scene though is using human attributes and war imagery to describe a deity. This is very common in ancient near eastern writings. This may be more about how Israel is perceiving their God in relation to those of other nations as opposed to inherent, natural qualities of YHWH.

God is marching and walking on the storm clouds. He is Lord over creation, and this certainly has the imagery of other gods, too. There were storm gods, war gods, etc. These descriptions of YHWH find a home when compared to other civilizations and their gods.

Lots of phrases about his wrath, indignation, and fury against the enemies. Attacking Israel was attacking their god. So yeah, if I wanted protection, I would turn to YHWH. He knows how to lead and help His people. All those who oppose Him will be on the losing end.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Prayer for Strength

“Finally, pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. And we are confident about you in the Lord that you are both doing – and will do – what we are commanding. Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the endurance of Christ.”

— ‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭5‬‬

 2 Thessalonians is one of the most dispute Pauline letters for authorship (outside the Pastorals). 

After 1 Thessalonians’ heavy emphasis on Jesus’ return, the church (and some false teachers) got the wrong idea that it was going to happen, like, tomorrow. They stopped working, sitting on rooftops, waiting for Jesus. They spread rumors about various leaders and spread fear. 2 Thessalonians brings some clarity about these false teachers and some more information about preceding signs of Jesus’ appearing. (Glad this isn’t chapter 2, yet. That’s difficult.)

Paul here asks for prayer in his mission, because he is still trying to spread the gospel. Shocker: not everyone wants to hear it. Paul is still being persecuted, obviously not in Roman jail/ house arrest, yet. Not all have faith. We would hesitate to call people evil/perverse. Always good to remember our own faults, too (of course). Also good to remember people are not enemy. But yes, humanity has a problem with evil. Society has a problem with perverseness. Gospel is only hope.

But God is faithful…seems to be a recurring theme throughout Scripture. He offers strength and protection from the evil one. I know this is probably a substantive adjective. Definitely better not to translate as “evil.” (Same in the Lord’s Prayer—not “deliver us from evil” but “the evil one”) Verses like this keep our eyes on the true enemy. 

Paul loves this church and encourages them in what they are doing and will do. Yes, they have needed some correction, but they are serving well. If hearts gaze at the love of God and the faithfulness of Christ, we may be filled with the same. Those phrases are perhaps examples of “plenary genitives,” where the actions of God/Jesus motivate us to imitate the same. (It’s debated grammatically if it could just be the love God shows or only the love we show. Perhaps best to see both.)

Malachi 2:17-3:6

“You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?””

‭‭ ““I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all. Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the Lord a proper offering. The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in former times and years past. “I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all. “Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.”

‭‭-Malachi 2:17-3:6

Do you ever get tired of people? (I know, silly question). Why or how often? Ok, so obviously tired is more of a synonym for angry or annoyed.

Here’s a question: Do you ever think God thinks the same way for any reason? Does God get tired of people? Now let’s just say, if I were God, and I sent a flood of water, I don’t think I could make that rainbow promise. “I may just have to wipe you all out again if this gets too crazy. Don’t be stupid.” But really, does God look at us as a society and just get tired of handling us?

There may be a couple places in the Bible where you may be able to see something like that going on, but there’s hundreds of places where you can point to His mercy and patience offering forgiveness or waiting for people to repent before He judges them. 

Malachi 2 is one of those places where we see a balance of these ideas (keep in mind throughout this that God is talking to Israel post-exile, and the Old Covenant is still in place.) Of course, this would be figurative language, but it carries a huge lesson for us, one that we need to hear regularly. 

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

This is not saying that Israel is labeling sins and bad things as good things, or that their sense of morality is changed, although if you read the previous passage and sections of Haggai and Zechariah, you would find that to be true. The phrase, “in the sight of the Lord” lets us know that Israel is claiming that those who do evil are seen as “good” to God or “ok” or even “pleasing” to God. 

This is confirmed in the follow up question, “Where is the God of justice?” There’s all these evil people running around, and they look like they’re doing just fine. Meanwhile, we the people of God have economic problems, political problems, social problems, we have more orphans and widows and poor people among us than others. We have fewer freedoms than others. We have less money and land than others. Flip over to Chapter 3, v. 14-15 really quickly. Here’s what they’re saying. “It is a vain thing to serve God…”. We might as well turn evil, because it works out better for them in the end. 

And this line of reasoning goes even one step further if you’re Israel. Not only have you now accused your God of blessing and prospering and accepting the sinner’s lifestyle. Not only have you attacked His character by doubting His attributes of justice and righteousness. But you have looked at your current situation, as dreary as it may be (now remember I’m talking Israel, here, not us, yet), and claimed yourself to be completely innocent, placing full blame on God as breaking His promises. They thought that they deserved blessings from God, so when they received rebuke and punishment, they complained of injustice, ignoring their sin and placing blame elsewhere. 

And so, yes, it “wearied” the Lord. It made Him tired. Now, it was not in a physical sense or an emotional sense as a result of running a marathon or dealing with stress of a crazy life or tragic situation. This word obviously can mean those things, but that’s not the sense here. It implies prolonged, unpleasant activity that is about to stop. It means that God’s patience and endurance of their rebellion is about to end. Their desire for justice is about to happen. They are finally going to receive what they wanted, and they may not like it.

3 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Be careful what you wish for. You may want justice in this world, but God always begins discipline of His children, first. And in this passage, we see it even begins with the leadership, which makes sense, since early sections of Malachi 2 hammer them pretty good. There are four predictions in these first six verses, all of which can be summarized as a messenger comes to announce the arrival of the Lord. And when the Lord comes, He comes to judge and purify the priests and then the people.

Now look at v. 2 again. This is so common an idea when God shows up in these judgment theophanies. Theophany means an appearance of God. The obvious answer to who can stand before the Lord is … Uh, no one. No one who has been complaining about all the bad people having a blessed life and all the good people being punished can withstand judgment because when God shows up in perfect justice and righteousness, guess what, Israel? You are not innocent. Even in Malachi, we see that they were leaving their wives, offering cheap sacrifices. Well, look at v. 5.

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. 

Seems to me that whatever Israel’s complaints may have been, or whatever their situation was, and whatever judgment they receive when God does show up is warranted. This is an example of a people that throughout their entire history had a covenant with God that said obey me and I will bless you, and disobey me, and I will punish you. When they violated that covenant, God simply acted appropriately. Actually, you know what? God was unjust, in that He waited years and years to send them into exile. And here He continues to show them mercy and patience. 

I want to go back to the previous verses, though. The end of 2-4. Because God is tired of their false accusations. Their audacity of thinking He’s unjust and their guiltless. Because His patience is running out, justice is going to come. He is going to come and punish them, but to what end? Just purge them? Wipe them out like a miniature flood and start over? No, it’s going to be painful, but he’s going to be like a goldsmith, melting the gold and scraping the dross off. Then remelting it and scraping some more off. Then fuller’s soap—what’s that? It’s basically doing your laundry. Scrubbing with soap to get all their dirt off. Again, to what end? So that they can bring their offerings to the Lord again. And the offerings will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old. That’s what it’s all about, glorifying and honoring the one true God. He’s a very jealous God, but He’s not unjust or unrighteous or the cosmic bully we want to make Him out to be. V. 6 says so.

6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

It’s true, Israel. I’m coming in judgment. And it’s going to stink. Starting from the top down, leaders and priests to the people, no one can stand when I come. No one can rightfully accuse me of being unjust. No one is innocent, and all must repent and turn toward righteousness. There will be punishment and judgment to endure. 

BUT!!! Unlike you who looks at a covenant made either a couple days ago and starts worshipping a golden calf or a couple thousand years ago and still can’t worship me properly, and unlike you who forgets the promises you make either to your spouse or your God or your neighbor, I am Yahweh, and I do not forget my promises. That’s the meaning of “I do not change.” 

I know what I said. I meant it. And I keep it. Therefore, you, are not consumed. You will not perish. This judgment will be intense. It will not be pleasant. You may even doubt me more, but you will not die, even though you probably deserve it. I will not wipe you out and start over. I will harness my anger, because I am faithful to my promises. I am faithful to my people. 

Did you notice how He defines the people, though? Children or sons of Jacob. Where have we seen Jacob before in Malachi? All the way at the beginning. Where God said, I loved Jacob and hated Esau. And what was the point of that lesson or the point of God saying that to Israel so early in the book?

The reason Israel was so flippant or negligent in their worship was that they doubted God’s love for them. But God uses their history of being one of two twins, with no merit of their own, to show His immense love and devotion to their nation. 

And that has been an incredible theme throughout the entire book so far. Until you realize how much God truly does love you, you will not be able to offer Him your best worship. Until you realize how much God loves you, you will not be able to serve the Lord in ministry. Until you understand that God loves you even during the difficulties you face, you will always question His faithfulness and whether those who do evil really have a better life. 

God loves you. The Almighty Holy Just, Faithful God loves you. Period. Do you believe me?

Most of you probably do. Others may have some thoughts a lot like Israel. I know He does, but He must love those drug dealers, or con men, or scheming lawyers (not the good ones haha), or the real jerks and bullies of the world a lot more. I mean, I have a lot more problems than they do.

Maybe so. But there are enough examples in the Bible to show me that asking God a question is ok. But making Him angry to where He shows up is terrifying. And making Him weary with questioning His faithfulness and justice is not something I want to do. 

And I have learned that not every situation is a direct result of sin in my life. I am not always being punished, but I am not completely innocent, either. 

Here’s what I know. This world is a horrible place of suffering, pain, evil, and I’m strictly talking because of the decisions of people, not natural disasters or diseases (that’s a separate post). I am also capable of making some very stupid mistakes. Therefore, the situation I find myself in is a result of all these daily decisions of people working together. In the middle of it all, God loves me and is orchestrating His plan for me. Somehow that includes making me holy and equipping me to lead others toward Jesus. By the way, that’s His plan for all of you, too. And He is going to be faithful to protect me from the evil one, be with me, help me, strengthen me, discipline me when I get side-tracked, forgive me, all the way from point A to point B (Christlikeness and glorification on new earth).

So do wealthy and prosperous pagans upset me? Yea. I get jealous. Does it confuse my theology? No, because God loves me, and perhaps just as important God is faithful—to what He said He would do. 

If I ever start getting too jealous or too upset with God, if I think I deserve more than my friends or even family members because they make worse decisions than I do, if I can’t get over the fact of how much God has forced me to endure—I have to go back and reflect on His love. 

Joel 2:12-17

““Yet even now,” the Lord says, “return to me with all your heart – with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your garments!” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and boundless in loyal love – often relenting from calamitous punishment. Who knows? Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, and leave blessing in his wake – a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the Lord your God! Blow the trumpet in Zion. Announce a holy fast; proclaim a sacred assembly! Gather the people; sanctify an assembly! Gather the elders; gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out from his bedroom and the bride from her private quarters. Let the priests, those who serve the Lord, weep from the vestibule all the way back to the altar. Let them say, “Have pity, O Lord, on your people; please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked, to become a proverb among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, “Where is their God?””

— ‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭17‬‬

Joel is such an interesting little book. The first chapter describes an insane locust plague. There’s nothing left to eat. (Need to look up when Joel lived and when scholars date the book.) Chapter two is often seen as armies invading Palestine (whether Babylon or someone else), but it’s likely a metaphorical depiction of the same locusts. A great army, blackening the sun, hooves so loud, etc. 

Day of Lord is key phrase in Joel and speaks of God’s coming in judgment. It will be picked up in NT. So this is typological fulfillment. Joel is quoted throughout Acts and letters for God showing up in “end times.”

Prophet urges people to repent to see if God will relent from His judgment. “Who knows”? Very similar to king of Nineveh in Jonah. Human perspective when it comes to facing judgment. 

God does long for broken hearts and not just torn garments or sacrifices. We see this throughout the Bible. True repentance and submission to Him. Why? From fear? No, because He is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger. 

Always must remember Old Covenant. So He is judging Israel because of their foolishness and breaking of covenant. These descriptions of His character, though, are interesting, because even in that cultural context it’s how they understood Him.

He will leave a meal/wine offering…more evidence that locusts destroyed everything, but God may leave them something to offer.

Law gave certain people exemptions from tasks (e.g., men from jobs/battle after marriage), but Joel says this is more important. Blowing the trumpet signaled religious assembly. It’s time for all people to gather and cry to God. 

We see the covenant language in vv. 16-17. God is highest god. Don’t want Him to be mocked by other nations and their gods. This is all about your glory. So don’t let us fall down/apart. Don’t ruin us because it’s a reflection of you. Funny, cause that’s why God called Israel. To reflect Him and His name. Using His own purposes against Him.

Next passage has YHWH relenting. 

1 John 2:18-23

“Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us. Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you that you do not know the truth, but that you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.”

— ‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬-‭23‬‬

Author of these epistles (presumably John the apostle) shows tenderness to his audience. 

We repeatedly see the early church identify their generation as the “last days.” We have done more damage to our current generations by assuming world has gotten way worse (though, yes, I understand Jesus and Paul’s warnings of how wars will progress and false teaching will arise, etc.) The point is humans have been pretty awful since the beginning. And in the first century, they were just as expectant of Jesus’ return as we are. There is nothing hindering that. The “end times” began at the resurrection. This cannot be emphasized enough.

“The antichrist” has many titles in NT. Son of Perdition/ Man of Lawlessness. But there’s debate if AD 70 fulfilled this portion of these prophecies. Could be pattern fulfillment for multiple blasphemous people throughout history, and perhaps culminating in one terrible person at the end. Not really trying to get into the “beast from the sea” in Rev 13. Beasts typically refer to kingdoms, not individuals throughout Jewish literature, like Daniel 7.

Many antichrists have appeared, and not just appeared from outside in the culture. These have gone out from the church. 

This passage is used in nearly every conversation about preservation of saints, assurance of salvation, losing salvation, etc. I like to focus on God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to His people. This is what preservation means. He will get His people from Point A to Point B. He never loses any (John 10:27-28), and He will complete the work (Phil 1:6). 

But we know of people all the time who were in church, heavily involved, even pastors who turn away from faith, Jesus, ministry everything. 1 John 2:18 helps. They went out because they were not really of us. If they were of us, they would have remained.

Can they come back? Sure. I know Hebrews 6 says it’s impossible for them to repent. But I would say if they repent, then they haven’t really left. We like to debate. We like to find loopholes and make up weird situations to label people or make it difficult for either people to find God or the Bible to be true. 

First, let each Bible author say what he wants to say to HIS audience for THEIR situation. Second, these people were facing persecution and opposition from teacher that we can sort of relate to but not really. They were still wrestling with deity of Christ, the expansion of the gospel for all nations, and how all this works together. We have scores of other issues. 

But many of the biblical authors, John perhaps at the top, makes it fairly simple. Someone is either following Jesus or they aren’t. Revelation basically makes God’s team and the devil’s team. We can make up all sorts of practical scenarios of switching back and forth and leaving one and going back or taking a break. But John doesn’t mess around. You’re life as a whole…for or against. Period.

John echoes the confidence of Hebrews’ warning passages. His people have an anointing from above. They have received the truth. The lies they are hearing about Jesus’ deity. The opponents who have left are saying Jesus was not the Messiah. The one sent by God to rescue His people. And then John switches from plurals to singular—the antichrist. 

You can tell similar vocabulary and phrasing between this passage and John’s gospel. He who has the Son has the Father. Jesus reveals God perfectly. 

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut down in the wilderness. These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand died in a single day. And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall. No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

— ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭13‬‬ 

V 13 is great on its own but it makes so much more sense with the whole chapter (and chapters 8-10) in full force. This section covers the Corinthians’ question about food offered to idols. Though Paul’s instructions are similar to the meat/vegetables discussion in Romans 14-15, the conclusion is much more nuanced. He has different advice whether fellow eaters are unbelievers, believers, where you bought the meat, whether you pray over the meat, etc. In sum, meat is meat, and God has given us all things to eat. No problem. It’s pretty much always a matter of conscience. But if the eater is viewing the eating of meat as participating in idolatry, or if eating the meat is causing someone else to participate in idolatry, then it’s a no go. We can see this in the other passages of ch 8-10. This passage uses the children of Israel as an example. 

The fascination here is the use of the OT in the NT. In fact, this is the text that has caused many people to realize that NT authors do weird things with OT texts. The rock was Jesus?!?!?!

All under the cloud: Got it, they followed the cloud by day

All passed through the sea: Red Sea, check

Paul does something by using the word baptism to see the children of Israel identify with Moses as the people of God. He’s making a connection between Moses and Jesus. The old and new covenants. This may be the link between Moses and Jesus, where Moses is a type  type of Jesus, but Jesus always raises the pattern or fulfills it in a better/more complete way.

Spiritual food: manna. Yet, Paul may be linking the food to relying on Jesus for sustenance. I don’t think Paul uses John imagery often (i.e., feeding of 5,000 or “eat my flesh”), but it could be Eucharistic. Especially when seeing eating food offered to idols, or eating the flesh of gods.

Rock was Christ is classic midrash. Paul actually didn’t make this up. There are intertestamental writings that talk about God being the source of sustenance throughout the wilderness. Moses hit the rock for water twice, once at the beginning and end of the wilderness wanderings. Jewish rabbis concluded that it was the same rock, yet, since they must have needed water for the entire time in the wilderness, the rock must have followed them the entire time. Couple this with the verse about water gushing from the well (Num 21:16-18), and God was the source. Paul simply adds that Jesus was the rock that followed them.

Yet, we know that the Israelites took all these blessings for granted. Whether the Moabites (Baalam) or just the simple golden calf, they began to worship idols. And every time they did, it led to destruction. 

We have these stories as examples and for instruction. We have come before the living God. And Paul says the ends of the ages has come. And no one is able to stand on his own. We need to hold each other accountable and help one another endure. No person is an island in faith, and no one can be prideful. We must depend on one another, because we are weak humans.

These temptations (v. 13 finally) are common. The worship of idols has been around since the beginning, and if God’s chosen people were miserable —given all the blessings and up close views of His glory they received—we best be careful of falling into idolatry. 

But God is faithful. Praise God it’s not really up to us. His faithfulness is more stable and secure than ours. Temptation is strong, but He always provides a way to escape. 

The final infinitive is debated. Many translations have purpose/result “so that you can endure it.” I sort of favor the explanatory interpretation. “The way out is enduring it.” It doesn’t really make sense that escaping results in enduring the temptation or I need to escape with the goal of being able to endure it. But the way to escape is to endure the temptation. And God is faithful to see me through it. (And the believing community).

Probably many more details in this passage, but the rest of these chapters help fill in the gaps.

Habakkuk 2:6-20

 ““But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: ‘The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead (How long will this go on?) – he who gets rich by extortion!’ Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into action, and they will rob you. Because you robbed many countries, all who are left among the nations will rob you. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster. Your schemes will bring shame to your house. Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer back. The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead – he who starts a town by unjust deeds. Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed: The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing. For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea. “You who force your neighbor to drink wine are as good as dead – you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, so you can look at their genitals. But you will become drunk with shame, not majesty. Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand is coming to you, and disgrace will replace your majestic glory! For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things? The one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’ is as good as dead – he who says to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life’s breath inside it. But the Lord is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence!””

— ‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭20‬‬

Lengthy passage to get context for v. 14. Habakkuk is an interesting little book. Need to reread or watch a brief introduction to overall themes and purpose/historical context, but I believe Habakkuk is defending God’s justice. 

Overall question is How in the world can God be just when Babylon is going to attack Jerusalem? Do You even know those people? They’re awful.

The first half of chapter 2 says, Yes, God knows them, but Israel must be disciplined for their disobedience, per the covenant they made with YHWH. Those who are proud and haughty will be punished/oppressed, but those who go through this faithfully will be delivered.

The rest of the chapter says that exile is not the end of the story. God may use the Babylonians to fulfill His purposes, but He will ultimately humble them as well.

Those who use violence and torment for their own gain will be brought low. The verses of nakedness most likely refer to parading victims of war through streets without clothes. 

God would vindicate His people and cause Babylon to pay for her wickedness. God was/is not dead. Whether the Jews or the Babylonians—I’m not sure at first glance who was saying YHWH was powerless when Jerusalem fell.

But through Habakkuk, God confirms that He is no lifeless idol. No one can limit His power to a meaningless piece of wood or stone. And when He acts, as v. 14 would say, the whole world will take note. The last verse says the earth is speechless at His presence. He will act on behalf of His people when the time to return to the land came. 

He is a powerful and good God, even when it seemed like discipline and wrath surrounded them. He is just and He would make all things right. 

Some Old covenant truths here, but also need to understand their perspective vs. general truths. Definitely some timeless principles in here about sovereignty, power, faithfulness, and goodness.

Isaiah 40:25-31

 ““To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?” says the Holy One. Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, “The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”

— ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭25‬-‭31‬‬

2 thoughts: (1) Yes, this is in the opening of the second “half” of Isaiah. Chapter 40 opens with the promise of restoration of Israel. It has YHWH coming to visit his people, and contains the “prophecy” of John the Baptist (well, at least the verses that John the Baptist quotes during his ministry). God is going to come visit His people in exile. He will not abandon them. I think we can get to general principles for application, but the historical context is still very important. 

(2) Reading the whole chapter makes the final verses even more shocking. This is not really about what we can do (rise up, not faint, be strong). Jacob/Israel is doubting the strength of God. Has He abandoned us? Has He forgotten us? Does He really care? Can He even conquer these foreign powers and bring us home? Won’t he get too tired?

Isaiah (or the author) says, Are you crazy? This is YHWH. He doesn’t faint. He doesn’t get tired. He gives strength. He is the source of all strength. He reigns eternal. And if you rely on Him, you also get strength and endurance (you know, for when you come home). 

This is all about the one true source of strength and how it never falls short. And yes, I’ll say it still applies. Especially since the NT applies this passage to the coming of the Lord in Jesus.

Psalm 126

 “When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, we thought we were dreaming. At that time we laughed loudly and shouted for joy. At that time the nations said, “The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.” The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us. We were happy. O Lord, restore our well-being, just as the streams in the arid south are replenished. Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.”

— ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭1‬-‭6‬‬

Keeping this passage in historical context protects us from over applying or allowing text to make promises that it doesn’t. God rescued Israel and they are confident He can restore their joy again. 

Farming verses are parallel in 5-6. Could be literal as an illustration or metaphorical speaking of Israel. We get to the same place either way. God would bless the process of sowing or difficult times with abundant joy.

No, we are not Israel, but we can see Gods faithfulness in the past. Are we guaranteed future success or prosperity or blessing? Well, no. But learning of Him based on experience and how He has interacted with His people before us, this can give confidence in His presence and power and promise to provide. We can have joy, even ultimate joy, and passages like this need to be understood in literary and historical context to help support our faith and Gods character.

Hebrews 11:1

 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.”

— ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬‬

“And these all were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us.”

— ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭39‬-‭40‬‬

I’m not philosophical/theologically inclined enough to distinguish hope and faith right now. No pithy or tweetable definitions to astound. I’m sure there are biblical passages to help separate them, but I’m just as confident there are passages where the semantic range overlaps. This is why I stick to individual passages and branch out to books, or the author’s corpus (and if need be other portions of the Bible if a topic demands it).

It does appear here that faith is a more grounded hope, and it is grounded in something stable, i.e., the faithfulness of God. We can only be convinced of something we have not touched or seen because we are confident in the character of the One who has promised. And we can only be confident in His character because of past kept promises. 

Yet, even in this chapter, the context of the book of Hebrews is more important. After listing many OT individuals and what they gained or accomplished by faith, the author of Hebrews says these “did not receive what was promised.” So did God fail? No, the point is that Jesus and the New Covenant is superior. This has been the point throughout the whole book. 

Stick with Jesus and receive the promises, just as those saints will. Endure (12:1-2). Do not return to Judaism, even if it is safer and you escape imminent persecution. 

This book is amazing, but it must be read sequentially and fully. Chapters 10 and 12 surround this chapter as warning passages (the most harsh warnings to not turn back). We are going to inherit a kingdom that doesn’t fade away. We enter by faith. We see it now by faith.

Isaiah 54:8-10

 “In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,” says your protector, the Lord. “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood would never again cover the earth. In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you. Even if the mountains are removed and the hills displaced, my devotion will not be removed from you, nor will my covenant of friendship be displaced,” says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.”

— ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭8‬-‭10‬‬

These are the kinds of daily verses that really require someone to read the whole chapter. And it doesn’t take long to figure out the context.

YHWH is talking to Israel about exile—the most monumental, devastating event in their history to this point. Depending on what you think about authorship of Isaiah—this passage is written with a backwards look, or as if they’re in exile and looking forward to being back in their homeland. 

Hold up, God rejected? God forsook? Abandoned? That’s strong language and at least scary. At most terrible theology. Couple options, again, depending on how we want to read the Bible. Could focus on genre: prophetic literature using imagery/anthropomorphism/hyperbole. More progressive approach labels this as how humans engaged or experienced God’s actions. It felt like God abandoned them. 

In either case, it really isn’t abandonment. He was always completely faithful to the Mosaic covenant (obedience=blessing, disobedience=exile). He was actually merciful for centuries. But now He says, I will bring you back and bless you abundantly. 

Are v 15, 17 where we get the idea that no weapon or nation can conquer Israel (bombs exploding over the border, etc)? May not be author’s intent

So can we apply this, other than ripping it out of context and saying God’s devotion will never be removed from me, even if the mountain are removed? I mean, that’s true, but Romans 8 says that the same way. Isa 54 is saying something different to a different audience (with exaggerated language). 

Focus on the character of God. Faithfulness of God. Love of God. Discipline of God (perhaps). But we have been grafted into new covenant.