365 Reflections

If you've ever struggled with why God allows evil and suffering, the Prophet Habakkuk knows exactly how you feel. His book is written in the aftermath of great trouble upon Israel.  Habakkuk 1:2-3 (ESV) O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. The questions Habakkuk posed came after the fall of Israel to the North and before the fall of Judah to the south. He looked upon a nation in the south that was rapidly deteriorating spiritually. The reforms of the last righteous King Josiah were no longer in effect, and the nation seemed worse than ever. Habakkuk wonders how long it will continue. In response to the prophet, God offers a SHOCKING bit of information about what the future holds. Habakkuk 1:5–6 (ESV) “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doin...

Nahum is three chapters long but full of descriptive prophecy of the demise of Nineveh. The third chapter offers no glimmer of hope for this city as the prophet reveals vivid imagery of an inescapable judgment to come.  Nahum 3:1–4 (ESV) Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey! 2 The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! 3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! 4 And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms. Look notably at verse 4. The Lord describes the city as a prostitute. This is common imagery in judgment oracles throughout the prophets. Isaiah referred to Israel in the same way. So did Ezekiel. It is an important image for believers that we might understand the nature of a city. A city wil...

Nahum's name means "comforter." It's an interesting name for a prophet whose primary message is one of vengeance on Israel's enemies for what they did to them when God used them to judge her. But that picture of comfort is one we might be well served to understand. God comforts His people by always having their long-term interests in mind. No enemy will prosper against God's people. Though we suffer setbacks, the Lord is keeping records and will recompense those who attack us.  In our daily battles, we can be comforted to know that whatever loss we experience will be repaid by the Lord as we seek to do His will.  Nahum 2:1–2 (ESV) The scatterer has come up against you. Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength. 2 For the LORD is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches. The Lord restores through the vengeance against Nineveh. The people of Israel wi...

We come to one of the Bible's most obscure books. It's a valuable book, just not referenced much nor preached often. Yet it is one of the inspired texts of scripture and carries with it essential truths about God that we might neglect if we aren't careful.  What truth does Nahum present? That God avenges His people. Nahum prophesied 100 years later to the same people to whom God sent Jonah. Jonah preached reluctantly, and the entire city of Nineveh repented. This leading city of Israel's enemies was spared. And then later, they conquered Jonah's nation - the Northern Kingdom.  If you were a faithful Israelite in those days, you'd have reason to harbor resentment over the fact that the very nation God spared would then be God's tool of judgment against you. God is in charge of the nations and uses them to bring judgment on one another when necessary. So perhaps Nahum is often ignored because the context of its message is not taken into account. The opening wo...

Let's begin a new year with the end of Micah.  Sometimes we can feel like Micah in the last chapter of his incredible prophetic book. He was living in dark times, before Christ, when the work of the Spirit on men's hearts was rare, and the Church was not yet born.  Micah 7:1 (ESV) Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. What is the subject of Micah's woe? First, he mourns the loss of godly men.  Micah 7:2 (ESV) The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. Sometimes it seems like that in our day. Where are the faithful ones who delight in the Lord? Moreover, justice is perverted.  Micah 7:3 (ESV) Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire ...

Micah 6:1–2 (ESV) Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. The Prophet Micah brings another case against sinful Israel. And the Lord has questions. Micah 6:3–4 (ESV) “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! 4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. The questions are valid. Israel did not deliver itself from Egypt; God did that. He even reminds them in this chapter about those who intended to curse them, but God turned their curse into a blessing.  Micah 6:5 (ESV) O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may ...