The great riddle of all time - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 7:18,

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy."

Micah's question of God, as his reflection of worship, reminds me somewhat of what God told Moses on Mt. Sinai when Moses asked God to reveal himself to him. As the Lord passed by Moses he said, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7.

I have always thought Exodus 34:6-7 to be a great riddle: how does God, on the one hand, be compassionate and gracious, "slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin" but on the other hand, "does not leave the guilty unpunished"? How does both happen? And, here in Micah's prophecy we learn that destruction of Israel is coming because of their sin and rebellion against God, and yet, in the midst of the prophecy of Israel's destruction Micah says, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?"

How is it God does both? I don't think the answer lies in the rest of that verse, that God does not stay angry forever (a wonderful observation about God).  Surely, since God never changes, he is both just (resulting in the punishment of wickedness) and loving (resulting in his forgiveness of sins) at the same time. How is this riddle to be approached? How is it answered? Does God provide the answer?

Yes, he does. It is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross of Jesus Christ is the answer to the great riddle and the ultimate fulfillment of both God's justice and God's love.

All sins will be paid for. God tells us over and over in the Scriptures that he is a just God and will call all, everyone, to give an account of themselves before his judgment seat, "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat... So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." Romans 14:10-12. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13b. 

We are told that Jesus Christ himself paid for all the sins of all mankind for all time, "He [Jesus Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2.

If we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, his payment for our sins is credited to our account for when we appear before God's judgment throne. Jesus Christ will be standing at our side as our advocate. This enables us to be acceptable to God and become members of his own family. Here is God's love, his mercy, his forgiveness of sins. It isn't that sins won't be paid for. All sins will be paid for to satisfy our God of justice.

Either the payment of Jesus Christ for our sins will satisfy God's justice or, the payment we ourselves will have to make, (as it is described in Revelation 21:8, being cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, the second death.) It is all up to us. God asks us to make the decision. This is the purpose of the gospel enterprise.

Will Jesus pay for your sins? Or you? It is your choice.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The vindication of the faithful - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 7:2-4a,

"The faithful have been swept from the land;
    not one upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;
    they hunt each other with nets.
Both hands are skilled in doing evil;
    the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,
    the powerful dictate what they desire—
    they all conspire together.
The best of them is like a brier,
    the most upright worse than a thorn hedge."

What a state of depravity the prophet finds himself surrounded in! "Both hands are skilled in doing evil..." points to the level of sin the nation had sunk to.

However, where he begins his observation with "What misery is mine!" Verse 1, his response is, "As for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Verse 7. As we look at the sinful condition of the world around us, this is the outlook that marks the believer.

This chapter follows a fascinating pattern. First is the sinful condition of mankind the person of faith finds himself surrounded in, verses 1-7. Next we see what the faithful should take great encouragement in, the vindication of the faithful over the wicked in verses 8-17, "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." Verse 8. The pattern concludes with Micah's prophecy of anticipated, and yet, astonished amazement over what the Lord has wrought for the faithful:

"Who is a God like you,
    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
    of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
    but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
    in days long ago." Verses 18-20.

Though the faithful find themselves surrounded by depraved mankind, they will be vindicated! And, although the faithful will always find themselves in the cross-hairs of the wicked, "Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13, the faithful will be vindicated! And, although the faithful have sinned themselves, they will be forgiven, "You [God] do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18b-19.

Today we live in a culture that might be described best as Paul did to Timothy, "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power."

I'm of the persuasion the best outlook for the faithful today should be that which is provided at the end of Micah's message. It certainly is fitting. 

Take heart! The faithful will be vindicated!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Deception in the public square - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 6:16,

"You have observed the statutes of Omri and all the practices of
Ahab's house; you have followed their traditions. Therefore I will
give you over to ruin and your people to derision; you will bear the
scorn of the nations."

We read of these two kings of Israel, Omri, and his son, Ahab in 1
Kings 16. In verse 25 we read, "But Omri did evil in the eyes of the
Lord and sinned more than all those before him." In verse 30 we read,
"Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of
those before him."

The Lord's indictment against Israel was against the northern kingdom
as a whole, as well as the southern kingdom, not just a few folks. And
now it will suffer its destruction at the hand of the Lord. The folks
followed the practices and accepted the societal norms of the wicked
kings Omri and Ahab. The Lord is careful to specify many of the sinful
ways the people adopted as their lifestyle: cheating one another,
lying, child sacrifice, Asherah poles, witchcraft, and on and on. This
adopted lifestyle clearly pointed to Israel's abandonment of her God.

Was it just a few culprits? Was it just that someone might sneak into
the marketplace, cheat an unsuspecting customer and then steal off
into the night? As we read the book of Micah, as well as the other
contemporary prophets of Micah, we learn that it was the nation that
had embraced this direction. No need for liars, for idolaters, for
cheats and practitioners of the horrific religious rituals to sneak
off after doing their deeds as the nation had adopted these things as
an acceptable lifestyle. They had become convinced by their own hearts
that this was the way to live life. I suspect as the nation
degenerated, it did so with the thought that this direction was the
new way to go for the new age, the best way to go. Was the "hope and
change" slogan employed? Was it thought this direction was the "higher
road", a direction the well-informed and well-connected evolved to?

How does an entire nation allow itself to be deceived and to drift
into the terrifying hands of our God of justice? Didn't they have
Moses? Didn't they have the prophets the Lord was sending them? Did
they not have the Scriptures to keep them focused on what God desired
from them? Did they not have the patriarchs of faith to look up to?

Here is the horrible truth of mankind: we have inherited a sinful
nature and live in rebellion to our Creator. From the garden of Eden
we have become corrupted such that our hearts deceive us into
anything. No matter how bizarre, no matter how ridiculous, no matter
how foolish, our hearts deceive us into pursuing whatever corrupted
mindset our sinful natures are capable of. Israel is merely a
parade-ground example of where the deceiving hearts of all mankind can
take us. She had all the benefits of God's covenant people, and yet
they allowed themselves to be deceived. And it cost them. It cost them
dearly.

This is not an issue of intelligence, not an issue of education or
information. It is, at its beginning and at its end, an issue of the
deceitful heart. Through Micah and the prophets, reality set its
collision course with the Israelites. Although Israel thought she was
on a good path, they placed themselves squarely in the cross-hairs of
God's judgment of them.

God didn't ask them if they considered his coming judgment fair. He
didn't poll the folks, and he didn't consult with them. Our Creator,
as ultimate reality and in spite of the Israelites own self-deception,
turned his fierce anger toward his own people. And, he didn't check in
with anyone else to see if he should do so.

The parallels to our own day, of course, are striking. It doesn't
matter what you think about anything and it doesn't matter what I
think about anything. When it comes to perceiving reality correctly
and making decisions as to whose perspective should prevail in the
public square, God needs to be consulted. Our hearts are deceptive,
our hearts are corrupt.

For those "Christians" who feel we should not impose our beliefs on
others as we decide how to live life in our nation, they have a couple
of things they need to resolve in their own deceived minds: Jesus
Christ is not to be thought of in terms of an imposition on anyone.
Jesus Christ is truth: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6. As such, any
notion, both within the church walls as well as outside, in the public
square, must be reconciled with him. Otherwise, we are living the
whims of our own deceived minds. And, we may just have to pay for it,
as the Israelites did. If you doubt me, just ask any Israelite of
Micah's day.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

An issue of the heart - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 6:9-12,

"Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    'Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
    and the short ephah, which is accursed?
Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,
    with a bag of false weights?
Your rich people are violent;
    your inhabitants are liars
    and their tongues speak deceitfully."

The Lord's indictment of Israel points to certain things that demonstrated the nation had abandoned her God. They had appropriated "ill-gotten treasures", cheated one another by using dishonest measuring, they had been violent and become liars and deceivers.

If Israel had not done these things, would the Lord be happy with them? What if they somehow retained their same heart but stopped resorting to violence, to cheating, lying, deceitfulness? Would that provide them a secure position with the Lord?

I am reminded of an insightful passage in Isaiah 29:13, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me..."

The Lord is all about our hearts. He points to the things we think do and say to illustrate just what it is that is in our hearts, the condition of our hearts. Jesus, in defining the law said this about adultery, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The lust within the heart makes one just as guilty of breaking the seventh commandment as the act of adultery itself.

How often I have heard sermons on the imperative to stop committing sinful acts as if modifying our behavior is the prize in God's eyes. The fact is we sin because we have corrupt hearts and God's indictment of those outward acts is his proof of an inner heart problem. We read in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Our own inability to understand just how deceitful our hearts are requires the commands of God to show us our heart condition.

You cannot engage in what God condemns and claim to have a good heart toward God, certainly not in that moment - and it is our hearts that the Lord is looking at. Yes, he will judge mankind for all the things each individual has thought, said and done, however, it is from within our hearts those sins are spawned. Jesus said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." Mark 7:20-23.

Likewise, it is from within our hearts we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. God has decided to bring into his family all those who choose him over whatever else this life has to offer. Paul says in Romans 10:10, "It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." 

I can be the best do-gooder, but unless I give my heart to God, then I am merely practicing religion to no avail.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Micah's message for all mankind for all ages - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 6:1-2,

"Listen to what the Lord says: 'Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, you mountains, the Lord's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.'"

The Lord tells Micah to proclaim his indictment, his charge against Israel before all creation. The message of Micah's prophecy is not for Israel alone but for all mankind to hear. As God's chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, God's covenant people, the acts of Israel are an indictment of all mankind. The collective sinful nature of the Israelites is no different than the collective sinful nature of mankind as a whole. The Lord uses the nation of Israel to instruct all mankind.

What God communicates through his interaction with Israel is that all mankind has a problem with sin, and all need salvation. God expresses through the nation of Israel to all mankind the concepts of justice, righteousness, his love, his forgiveness and his program of redemption.

Was it the Jews who killed Jesus or the Gentiles? Something of an absurd question since it was sinful man, acting in his sin that put our Lord on that cross. Prompted by the spiritual dark forces in an effort to terminate Jesus impact in the world, mankind put him to death. Likewise, prompted by the love of God and the requirements of his sense of justice, in order to secure forgiveness of sins and entrance into God's family, the sins of all mankind put Jesus on the cross as well.

All mankind. All mankind is sinful, all mankind is rebellious. All mankind is in need of the Savior. Consequently the history of God's interaction with the Jews becomes God's message to all mankind. As such it is not surprising that God tells Micah to proclaim his indictment of Israel to the whole world. God's indictment of Israel is representative of his indictment of all mankind. Therefore, Micah's message is a message for all mankind for all ages.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The Redskins name and the gospel - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 6:8,

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

If we follow the line of thought in Micah's prophecy we find Israel to be in the cross-hairs of God's judgment. The Lord brings his indictment and announces his judgment. Verse 3 brings an interesting turn in God's indictment. In that Israel had abandoned God, he asks the question, "My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me." After freeing the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt, providing for them and bringing them into the land he had promised their patriarch, Abraham, it is a good question.

In light of the rhetorical question with its implied injustice, rebellion and sin of Israel toward her God, Micah asks how can he make amends? Will burnt offerings do? Thousands of rams? Ten thousand rivers of olive oil? How about sacrificing his firstborn? What will appease God for the continued sinful rebellion of Israel toward her God?

God's answer is somewhat in the vein of what David acknowledged when confronted by Nathan over his adultery and murder, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." Psalm 51:16-17. In answer to Micah's question the answer is that his people are to, "...act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." In other words, forget about the religion and have a right heart attitude toward God.

As I have said before, an impossible task for all who are dominated by a sinful nature. All of us have been and it is only till we embrace the Lord in faith and become filled with his Spirit are we able to walk humbly with our God. The accusation that we, in our lost and fallen state cannot is what Scripture calls the offense of the cross, Galatians 5:11.

God tells us we are sinful. God tells us we are spiritual dead and lost. God tells us we are estranged from him, that we are not good enough to have any kind of relationship with him. This is not just truthful, but it is also a jarring and an offensive thing to be confronted with. Particularly when we are so thrilled with ourselves just the way we are. The gospel message is not just a message of love, communicated through the willing sacrifice of Jesus to pay the penalty of our sins, it is also an offensive message... and should be. We need to be confronted with our sinful condition or we will never recognize the need we have of a savior.

My thoughts on a current found in our pop-culture today: Here is the motivation of the spiritual forces of darkness to promote the notion of political correctness and a victim-status for the allegedly offended in our culture today. While many of us shake our heads in disbelief over the seemingly vapid and mindless concern for the supposed American natives who are offended over the Washington Redskins name, (an offended group of real native Americans no one seems to be able to find), and a lack of coherence and logic as to why that name should be considered offensive, it is hotly pursued by the pundits among us. Why? It is not the name and it is not the issue that is important. What is important is to establish within our culture the notion that the most important thing in life is to not offend anyone. Get it?

I'm not suggesting these pundits have any clue as to what it is that motivates them, but motivated they are nonetheless. It will come to pass that evangelizing the lost will be considered to be an attack on others, child abuse, etc. God is building his kingdom and the devil is doing his best to slow that agenda. He knows what his fate is once the kingdom is deemed full by God and this age comes to a close.

Just a few thoughts on what lies ahead for the gospel mission as the message itself will become an identifiable transgression in our society. "We must not point to others shortcomings... it may offend them." This will result in anyone carrying the gospel message to be defined as an offensive bully, not one who carries a message of love.

What do you think? Am I off the mark here?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

What God requires - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 6:8,

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Here is the simple directive of God. Here is what he requires. There is nothing confusing about it, it does not require a theologian to tell us what it means. To us mortals, through Micah, God has given us this direction. It is not just for Israelites however. It is for all us mortals. Justice, mercy and humility.

While a word study could be done on these three, helping us to understand what exactly this means, I suspect most of us have a good idea. There is something else we already know. We don't pass muster. We all have a sinful nature and that nature precludes our ability to live these out. The last one seems particularly difficult. At the very time you feel you have arrived at a level of humility, you have lost it.

What do we do? Paul wrote Romans 7 to make the very point that we can never please God with the things we think, do and say. God's expectations become his indictment of us. Where does this lead us? Directly to the lap of his mercy. Knowing our Creator, our Judge, requires what we have no hope in keeping should drive us to the only hope we have: God's mercy as expressed in Jesus Christ.

We will all stand before God's judgment seat to give an account of ourselves and those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith will have him at their side. Jesus paid the price for our sins and when we place our faith and trust in him, his payment gets credited to our account with God the Father. Those who have not embraced Jesus Christ in faith will have to face God's judgment all alone. All who do so will be cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.

We all have a choice to make. What is yours?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Gentiles together with Jews in God's family! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:3,

"Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites."

This morning I am thinking about "the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites."

Here is a question we all should be able to answer: we are told that the Jews are God's "chosen people." Why are they God's chosen people?

If you are stuck on that, here is the answer: the Jews are the descendants of Abraham. God determined he wanted a people he would engage the world through, a people he would launch his program of redemption through to build his kingdom, a people through whom he would use to produce the Scriptures and entrust to, a people through whom he would send his Son into the world. In short, God's agenda in this life is to build his kingdom and many of the things he does in this life he does for that very purpose. Why the descendants of Abraham? Because Abraham was a man of the kind of faith God looks for in each one of us. Abraham is the model, he is the prototype, he is the example of faith. In quoting Genesis 15:6, Paul tells us, "Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:20.

God wants us all to look to Abraham to understand the kind of faith he looks for, the kind of faith he has chosen as the principle to determine who will enter his family. As such God entered into a covenant with Abraham, that he would bless his descendants with the inheritance he has in store for those he has chosen for himself (all who follow in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham.)

As we learn in Romans 4:11b, "So then, he [Abraham] is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised [the Gentiles], in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised [the Jews] who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised." The offspring of Abraham are not simply physical descendants, but all those chosen by God because they emulate the faith of Abraham, "In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." Romans 9:8.

God's family is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles based on the faith Abraham modeled for all mankind. as we read in Ephesians 3:4-6, "In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."

While some consider the "rest of his brothers" that return to join the Israelites in Micah 5:3 to be a rejoining of the various tribes of Israel together following their judgment from God, an argument can be made that those who return  to join the Israelites is a reference to the God-fearing Gentiles who place their faith in Jesus Christ to join Jews who have done the very same thing. I am reminded of Paul's reference to Hosea in Romans 9:25-26, "As he says in Hosea: 'I will call them "my people" who are not my people; and I will call her "my loved one" who is not my loved one,' and, 'In the very place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," there they will be called "children of the living God."'"

The nation of Israel holds the status as God's chosen people. God is not done with Israel and has his plans for the nation. Much of the prophecy of end times, the things that we are awaiting, are based on God's interaction with the nation of Israel. At some time Israel, as a nation, will embrace Jesus Christ as her Messiah, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." Romans 9:25-27.

How wonderful that God has made a place in his family for all peoples of the world! Yes, the Jews are God's chosen people, but much greater yet is that he has opened his family to include all who will embrace him in faith. May we all do so!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A famine of prophecy - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:3,

"Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites."

Micah speaks about a temporary abandonment of Israel. It will last until the Son of God visits planet earth, coming as a baby born to Mary. This "inter-testamental" period, a time of famine of prophecy, lasted for some four hundred years between Malachi and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus Christ signaled a new era, a return of prophecy, by John the Baptist, Jesus Christ himself, his apostles and those gifted with prophecy in the early fledgling days of the church. During that period, as the books of the New Testament were being created, prophecy was common in the church, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13.

The famine of prophecy Micah speaks of is similar to what we have today, following the early days of the apostolic church and what we consider to be the close of the cannon of Scripture.

I am aware there are all kinds of people today who claim to speak for God, who claim to be prophets, or who have invented a new notion of what prophecy is so they can call themselves as such. I'm sorry, but I don't buy any of it. Real biblical prophecy, were it to happen today, would require us to move to 3-ring binder Bibles so we could add to our 66 books we currently have. Unless someone  is prepared to say they have received from God a message for the rest of us, and it is on a par with, lets say, the book of Romans, or any passage of Scripture, then it is not prophecy as the Scriptures speak of prophecy. Woe to the man who claims to have a new revelation from the Lord and does not! "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll." In Moses' day, the Lord instructed the Israelites to stone to death any one who presented himself as a prophet and was not. Not to be taken lightly!

Any potential argument over the issue of whether we are currently in a hiatus of prophecy needs to recognize the issue has nothing to do with believing God can raise up prophets in our day, or would God do so. The issue is very simply, has he?

We exist today in a similar famine of prophecy, but unlike Israel of Micah's day, we are not abandoned. Quite the opposite! Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, 1 Corinthians 3:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have access to the throne of Grace, Hebrews 4:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith can pray, knowing God is listening, James 5:16. Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have God working events in their lives for their own good, Romans 8:28.

Although there may be a famine of prophecy today, we have access to God through faith in a way no one previously had. Today, we need no priests - all believers make up a priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9. Today, we need no temple, we are the temple of God, 1 Corinthians 3:16.

So, do we need prophets today? Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." God will determine when we need a prophet, and, I can assure you he isn't going to check in with me first to see what I think. We will have prophets when the Lord determines and we best be listening when it happens.

As this age draws to a close, we will enter into a new flurry of prophetic activity. We read of two particular prophets in Revelation 11:1-12. As I say, when the Lord sends us prophets, we need to be ready, willing and able to listen up.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The King of Israel - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:4,

"He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in
the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live
securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth."

"He" in the above verse is the ruler over Israel that is prophesied in
verse 2. He will come from Bethlehem, but his "origins are from of
old, from ancient times." This ruler over Israel that Micah prophesied
about is Jesus Christ. Verse 4, above, is a prophecy not yet
fulfilled. Jesus has not yet ruled over Israel and the "greatness" (a
military and political greatness) that will reach to the ends of the
earth has not yet taken place. This greatness is the greatness of a
ruler who will not only rule over Israel, but also "shepherd his
flock", both in the strength and in the majesty of "the Lord his God",
verse 4. The greatness of Jesus Christ will not be confined to just
Israel, however, as "his greatness will reach to the ends of the
earth."

Jesus Christ will be Israel's peace when the Assyrians invade Israel
at some point coming. When this takes place he will deliver Israel
from Assyria, verse 6, and will rule this aggressor after vanquishing
her. Assyria was Israel's immediate enemy in Micah's day that would
eventually destroy the northern ten tribes of Israel, and here we read
of a future Assyrian enemy that will be vanquished, preventing a
future overthrow of Israel.

Jesus Christ came to offer himself on the cross two millenia ago. At
that time he did not come as a conquering military/political figure.
Israel, as a nation, rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah at that time
because they were looking for a conquering military/political leader.
However, Jesus Christ is coming back. And when he does, he will return
as precisely that: an insurmountable and invincible military and
political ruler who will extend his rule to the ends of the earth.

We see this in the vivid, dramatic and breath-taking portrayal of
Jesus as he returns to conquer his enemies in Revelation 19:11-16:

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,
whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and
wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many
crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of
God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses
and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is
a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule
them with an iron scepter.' He treads the wine press of the fury of
the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this
name written: king of kings and lord of lords. And I saw an angel
standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying
in midair, 'Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that
you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses
and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great
and small.'"

Put on your seat belts!! Stunning, astonishing and breath-taking
events are headed our way at some point! Israel, as a nation, will
embrace Jesus Christ as her king and the day continues to draw ever
closer when he comes to vanquish the earth and establish his rule from
Jerusalem.

This is what Micah is telling us, and given his track record for
prophecies fulfilled, only a fool to his peril will question the
remainder of events Micah spoke of.

Fascinating, isn't it?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Roman roads, Greek language, and the diaspora - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:7-8,

"The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue."

Just musing here. A remnant of Jews dispersed among the nations is a precise description of the Jewish diaspora that followed the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians in the sixth century BC, about a hundred years or so following the time of Micah.

The Lord utilized the diaspora, as well as other things, to facilitate the promulgation of the gospel following the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Greeks provided a common language for effective communication of the gospel in the known world, the Romans provided roads that made travel possible for the spread of the gospel, and the diaspora provided a home base for Paul and others to work from as they took the gospel from city to city in the known world.

Micah, as in a lot of prophetic material, jumps a bit from one future context to another, and, while I am not certain I am understanding this properly, one thing I do know: when it came time to take the gospel into the world, the Romans, with their roads, the Greeks with their common language of the day, and the diaspora were all things utilized for the spread of the Gospel.

It is my firm conviction that to understand what God does in the world, it needs to be understood from the context of God's over-arching agenda for this age: God is building his kingdom. The personal salvation of individuals is the goal. If that be kept in mind, questions might be framed better, perspectives on what the Lord is doing may be much closer to the mark, a lot of things in life become more understandable.

"He [the Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9b.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The provocation of fulfilled prophecy - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 5:2,

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

Here is a prophecy regarding the coming Messiah. This passage from Micah is provided in Matthew 2:6, over seven hundred years later, in the account of the Magi quoting it in answering King Herod's question as to where Jesus Christ was to be born. As you recall, the result of quoting Micah 5:2 by the Magi was the slaughter of all boys, two years of age and under, in Bethlehem, in Herod's effort to kill Jesus as a very small child. The importance to the spiritually dark forces of destroying Jesus can be measured by the extreme measure Herod took.

This prophecy tells us several things about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was to come from Bethlehem, which was fulfilled over seven hundred years later. He will come from the tribe of Judah, and he will be the ruler over Israel, something yet future to happen. The prophecy also tells us that Jesus Christ is from "of old, from ancient times." His birth in Bethlehem to Mary is not his beginning and not the beginning of his story, no more than God the Father's is.

Many prophecies about the coming Messiah are provided us in the Scriptures. Unbelieving academics and theologians (yes, there are many unbelieving theologians) have been attempting to discredit the many prophecies found in the Scriptures for years and years. It is always the same worn out story for these sad folks, with accounts of new found evidence, always dressed up in exciting newly-arrived-at information, that the Bible is anything than what it actually is! Empty claims, (that are always subsequently disproved through archaeology and newly found manuscript evidence, etc.), have been offered, re-offered, regurgitated and re-run. The same fare is always offered: the books of the Bible were always written much later than expected (in desperate attempts to explain away fulfilled prophecy), the books of the Bible were always written or redacted by someone else, other than the author we expect (in desperate attempts to invalidate the inspired Scriptures), the books of the Bible contain all kinds of material that is in error, including the misrepresenting of historical, geographical and cultural details, conflicting theology, etc.

None of this is true. The Bible is a collection of true and reliable documents. Its pages are filled with historically correct information, geographically correct information, is entirely consistent within itself theologically, and provides us those things God wants us to know of himself and what he is doing. Nothing is more exciting to read than accounts of what is to take place in the future and then to read the later accounts as to how the foretold things came to pass precisely as written.

It certainly ought to motivate all of us to spend more time in the Scriptures to find out what God wants us to know of himself, what God is doing in this age, and what is coming down the pike for us. What could be more fascinating?! since Micah accurately prophesied the place of birth of the Messiah, does that not motivate us to read and study the Scriptures to find out about what is coming our way in the future? What the end times will look like, what will bring about the end of this age, the nature of the second coming of Jesus Christ and what takes place then?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

No more war, no more threat, no more fear. - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 4:3-4,

"He [the Lord] will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken."

As the Lord reveals through Micah a glimpse of life in the age to come, we read that although there may be some disputes, the Lord himself will arbitrate between nations. It will be a time when no nation will be a threat to any other. The desires of some nations to conquer and consume others will be a thing of the past as no one will have anything to fear anymore, 4:4. War will become a thing of the past as, "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." Verse 4:3.

Paul makes an interesting comment as to why the Lord set up nations among mankind in the first place. It was with the purpose in mind of building his kingdom. Paul tells us that it is through the interactions of nations, the threat they impose on one another that brings a fear into the heart of man, and, hopefully, through it, prompt man to reach out to God in desperation to be rescued. "From one man he [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:26-27. Also, "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21.

The reason there will be no more war then as there is today, and the reason the Lord will judge between nations directly as he does not today, is that he will no longer be building his kingdom. The kingdom will be full, no more need for evangelizing the lost and no more need for the Lord to inject desperation into the hearts of mankind through wars, etc. to motivate man to reach out to him.

This dynamic of the Lord bringing pain on people to prompt them to reach out to him is played out over and over again in the book of Judges, a fascinating read. If it has been a while, pick up the book of Judges and read it. Then reread this passage in Micah... and it all comes together and makes perfect sense.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

America: which way are we going? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 4:5,

"All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever."

We all have a choice. And, as all nations, our nation has a choice. America was established under the auspices of a recognition of God's grace and a determination to seek it. Here is where the rights we have inherited find their origin, meaning and expression. Here is were America has achieved an uncommon and remarkable prosperity. Here is where we have, as a nation, discovered exceptional opportunity and outcome.

However, today, the people of America are hell-bent on a separation-leading-to-divorce with God and the outcome is unknown, as well as unnerving to consider.

America does not have to abandon God, as it is simply a choice, the trajectory, so many are pushing the country to take:

We don't need a Creator, we will manage the creation ourselves through the EPA. We will "heal" the planet ourselves through carbon credits and taxes.
We were not created by any "god" as male and female, we will decide what gender we are.
We do not need God as our provider: we have social safety nets, welfare, food stamps, Obamacare.
We don't recognize any righteous and holy God as our Judge: we will "evolve" on homosexuality and same sex marriage.
We don't recognize the life God gives us as holy and sacred, we will decide who lives and dies because we are "pro-choice."

You get the picture. Mankind is lumbering toward a "global community" in its effort to return to the Tower of Babel, to throw any vestige of the knowledge of God behind its back, to reject God, to replace God with himself as god. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." Romans 1:18-19. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles." Romans 1:21-22.

"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." Romans 1:25-27.

The reality is that a person's politics are not arrived at intellectually. A person's politics are not the sum of a college education or indoctrination (I repeat myself) as harmful as that is for our young impressionable minds. Rather, politics are arrived at spiritually.

Many may balk at that notion, but it is truthful. A person's political persuasions are dictated by a person's spiritual condition - how they think about God, where they look to for answers, how moral guidelines for society are arrived at, what we should expect from one another and how we should treat one another. I'm not talking Democrat versus Republican, but I am talking about the perspectives of who's to blame for our cultural ills, how we rectify the societal failures of a culture dominated by a collective sinful nature, etc.

Here is where Micah's words are so important for us to consider today. Will we walk in the name of the Lord our God? Or, as a nation, will we abandon him? Will we continue in the footsteps laid by our country's forefathers that have brought such blessing to our country or will we abandon God?

"All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever." What will America do? Her future is at stake...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The need to learn in the next age - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 4:1-2,

"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

In this passage Micah's prophetic attention turns to the coming age. From the context it is clear that Micah is looking ahead to a time following the return of the Lord to planet earth. We are told the Lord himself will "judge between many peoples..." It is clear from what Micah says here that the Lord will rule all the nations of the earth from Jerusalem. It is fascinating to read what Micah has to say about these coming days. The Lord himself will settle disputes for "strong nations far and wide." Verse 3. During this age nations will no longer fight among themselves, verse 3. It will be a time when fear of others cease, without the threat of others taking what belongs to a person, verse 4.

What captures my eye this morning is that many will go to Jerusalem to learn of the Lord directly from him, that they may learn his ways and walk in his paths. I suspect many have a view that the new age will find people somehow complete, fully mature, without any need of learning anything. I'm not sure where we get all the ideas we do about the next age, but obviously a lot of what we think needs to be validated by what the Lord tells us through his prophets. Here we read of a desire to learn of the things of the Lord during the new age.

What kinds of thoughts do you have about life following this age? How much of that can you validate through what is revealed to us in the Scriptures? We just may find we need to adjust some of our thinking. I know I do from time to time.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

On knowing: the thoughts of the Lord and his plan - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 4:12,

"They do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan..."

Here is what I find a startling reality: many do not know the thoughts of the Lord or understand his plan when it is available to all of us. They can know these things, as the Lord has provided us his word, through his prophets, such as Micah, in our Bibles. Everyone can know the thoughts of the Lord and his plan.

To be sure, the Lord's thoughts are not our thoughts. We are not God and we don't think like him. In Isaiah we read, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" 

He alone is God and to know his thoughts required him to reveal them to us. He wants us to know what he is thinking and what he is doing. Here is the issue: God has provided all we need to know of him and his agenda, his plans in the pages of Scripture, however, we have to make the choice to learn of these things ourselves. If we take no interest, if we avoid learning of him, if we cling to our sin and reject him, we will never know what he is thinking and what he is doing.

The surprising thing I have found over the years is that it is the very group of folks who do not invest the time, energy and effort to learn of God that seem to be the most adamant that they know all there is to know. They know the things of God better than you and me. (Sometimes I suspect they feel they know the things of God better than God!) They tell us what it is they think they know of God, or even question his existence, and insist we subscribe to it. In their ignorance of the Scriptures, they think the rest of us don't know any more than they do. The condescension of these folks is something to behold! How adamant are the cults! How adamant are those who cling to "denominational distinctives"! How adamant are the atheists and the enemies of Jesus Christ!

Truth requires work and truth requires courage. Many don't invest the time, and many are fearful and avoid the truth. Many cling to their sin and simply reject the truth. The sad reality is that none of this is necessary. We all can know the thoughts of the Lord and we all can understand his plan (which, by the way, is that he is building his kingdom, his family, in this age.)

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The coming destruction of Israel's enemies - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 4:12,

"They do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor."

Here is a frightful thought: assuming everything is just fine while the Lord is gathering you and yours together for destruction! How perilous it is for those who do not know the Lord, for those who do not understand him and fail to apprehend his "plan". 

In this case, it is those who have gathered together to destroy Israel, not realizing that the Lord himself will protect her. Micah's prophecies have moved on from Israel's near term destruction that took place in 722 BC. The prophecy in view here is of the destruction of "many nations" that gather to destroy Israel. This does not happen at the time of Micah, nor has this time yet arrived. The "many nations" reference in verse 11 preclude the Maccabean victories during the intertestamental period. I believe there is a strong possibility we may be seeing this unfold before our eyes today, although I am certainly no prophet - but if not in our day, it will be in days yet future for certain.

Just as the precision accuracy of Micah's prophecy of Israel's destruction during his day, so this prophecy will be likewise fulfilled - just as Micah provides it. Many nations will gather against Israel and the Lord will enable Israel to "break to pieces many nations." Verse 13. I note it is the Lord himself who will equip and enable Israel to do this. "I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hooves of bronze..." Verse 13.

There are many today who do not know the thoughts of the Lord, who do not understand his plan. They think they do, but for all those nations who stand arrayed against Israel today, these are the ones who are in the cross-hairs of the Lord. Destruction without recourse will be theirs.

The Lord is not done with Israel. May I suggest a thorough reading of Romans 11:11-12, 25-32 to get this understood properly. Woe to those who stand against Israel!

My take-away on this prophecy is being reminded how important it is to know the Lord, to know the thoughts of the Lord and to understand his plan. All of this is available to us in the pages of Scripture for any and all who take an interest. As for everyone else... just as Micah prophesied, destruction is the only outlook.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Judgment for sins comes later - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 3:12,

"Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets."

It is heavy weather ahead for the Israelites. They abandoned God and chased after the diversions that drew them away from God. Now they are faced with destruction from him.

In Hebrews 9:27, we read, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...", the destruction of Israel we read of in Micah is not this judgment. We read of a judgment, a time when all people who ever lived, will stand before their Creator, one by one, and give an account of themselves. We read of this in Revelation 20:11-15.

The Lord has focus on building his kingdom in this age. It is his agenda and his accomplishment. During this age, we do not face this judgment of Revelation 20. That is an event that follows this age. Many folks have a misunderstanding that our Creator, as our Judge, is making everyone pay today for all the sins they are busy committing today. The expression  of the Lord's righteousness and justice by making all pay for their sins does not take place till later, after this age is over.

During this age, as the Lord builds his kingdom, he is very active in the affairs of mankind. If people place themselves in the path of progress of God building his kingdom (the work of evangelizing), he will take what steps he deems necessary to keep things moving along as he brings more into the fold. This can look and feel like the judgment of Revelation 20 at times. The Lord is not going to let anything get in the way of his program of redemption. We see it in the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. As with these two, the Lord has a lifestyle, we as believers are to live. Sometimes we face correction or even death, possibly, if we hinder the progress of the gospel.

"I can't believe in a God who allowed my daughter to die of cancer and allows this child molester to live." I'm sure we have all heard these kinds of statements and they betray a lack of understanding about the justice and judgment of God. A girl might die from cancer, because at some point we all die physically. Whether the child molester lives to be a ripe old age or not is no indication of God's justice. That justice will be satisfied at the judgment of God we read of in Revelation 20, the "Great White Throne Judgment."

Yes, Israel had sinned, and yes, as we read in Micah, the Lord is going to destroy Israel for her sin. However, these folks have not faced justice yet for their personal sins. That comes after this life. Israel faced God's judgment, God's destruction, because they had abandoned their place as God's covenant people who were to be instrumental in God's plan of redemption. Because of the direction the Israelites took, the Lord is going to bring horrific pain to this people to make preparations for their later involvement in God sending his Son 700 years later.

Something to think about. God is a just God. He is a righteous God. His justice will demand all pay for their sin, and, all have sinned! Where would I be without Jesus Christ?! I thank you God for sending us your Son! He can pay the penalty on our behalf! He will stand at our side in the judgment as we give an account of ourselves to our heavenly Father! All he asks is that we embrace him in faith...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com