Readers of the Bible have much to overcome to grasp the message of God contained in the pages of the Book of God. There is, first of all, the issue of ancient history and practices one find everywhere in the Bible. The Bible is an ancient book and is filled with mysterious and ancient treasures that must be decoded. But when one arrives at the prophetic literature a new challenge is encountered. The prophets speak and act in very strange ways. They sound and feel as if they are from another world. Their writings are especially challenging. We could just overlook them, and some do, but what they have to say comes up over and over again, especially in the critical parts of the New Testament. When we enter the prophesies of Ezekiel, we keenly feel this tension of foreignness. How can we come to grips with the important message of God from Ezekiel?

Ezekiel is a strange and wonderful book. Its writer loved God and loved God’s people. That is evident throughout the entire book. Ezekiel lived and served God in a difficult time of great suffering. The two great superpowers of the day, Egypt and Babylon, were always bearing down on tiny Judah. Ezekiel himself suffered much, but his life was defined by his relationship with the Lord and the Word the Lord spoke through him to his generation and to history.

The book of Ezekiel displays amazing literary complexity. Ezekiel uses many literary devices to communicate his inspired message. In the book we find 4 visions, 7 parables, 10 symbolic signs and 15 prophetic oracles. In the book we also find apocalyptic sections similar to the book of Revelation. In fact, the book of Revelation draws much from Ezekiel.

Ezekiel was a priest, so the temple plays a prominent role in the book. He may have been 30 years old (1:1) at the time of his call, which was the age one began work in the priesthood.

In the book of Ezekiel we see many great truths, but especially we find the great truth that God is working out all things according to his eternal plan and for his glory. The glory of God is the central theme of the book around which all else turns. Ezekiel had an encounter with the God of glory that changed his life forever.

Historical Context

Ezekiel lived and ministered the Word of God in one of the most challenging and pivotal times in the history of Israel. Ezekiel gives exact dates for most of his prophecies, so we can say that the book reveals prophecies given by him from July 593 BC, to April 28, 571 BC. This was the time of conflict and struggle with mighty Babylon. For many decades the superpowers, Egypt and Assyria had exerted political and military influence and even control on the much smaller Judah. By 605 BC Babylon comes into the picture and takes the first group of people into exile (Daniel and his friends were taken at this time). In 598 king Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon. As a consequence a military campaign was sent to put the rebellion down. At that time many exiles were taken captive and sent to Babylon. Ezekiel was taken in this second deportation. He lived and ministered in exile. The third and final deportation came in 586 BC when the Babylonian army destroyed and burned the city of Jerusalem with the temple. Ezekiel brought the challenging Word from the Lord during this time of tension, struggle and conflict.

The Flow of the Book

The larger flow of the book, or the macro structure, consists of three main parts.

Prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 1-24).

Prophecies against the Nations (chapters 25-32),

Prophecies of Restoration (chapters 33-48).

The flow and message of this complicated book is easier to understand through the lens of the three part macro structure. The book revolves around the pivot of the fall of Jerusalem. The first section is before the fall, the third section is after the fall, while the center section (prophecies against the nations) is during the siege and after the fall of Jerusalem. Let’s look at each of these three main parts one at a time.

Prophecies Against Judah & Jerusalem: (1-24)

This first section of the book of Ezekiel consists of two cycles of prophecies with each cycle having a vision followed by a symbolic sign that is then followed by prophetic oracles. All these prophecies show the certain reality of the judgment of God on his rebellious people. Even in judgment God’s plan moves forward.

1. First Prophetic Cycle (1-7)

• Vision (1-3): The Call of Ezekiel

• Symbolic Sign: The Destruction of Jerusalem (4-5)

• Prophetic Oracles (6-7)

2. Second Prophetic Cycle (8-24)

• Vision (8-11): Corrupt Temple – Glory Departs

• Symbolic Sign: The Exile of Judah (12)

• Prophetic Oracles (13-24): Fourteen Prophetic Oracles

1. False Prophecy Condemned (13:1-23)

2. False Seekers Condemned (14:1-11)

3. Judgment is Certain (14:12-23)

4. Parable of the Useless Vine (15:1-8)

5. Parable of the Unfaithful Bride (16:1-63)

6. Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine (17:1-24)

7. False Proverb Condemned (18:1-32)

8. A Lament for the princes of Israel (19:1-14)

9. Israel Continually Unfaithful, The Lord Always Faithful (20:1-44)

10. Fire & Sword Judgment (20:45-21:32)

11. No One to Build a Wall & Stand in the Breach (22:1-31)

12. Two Evil Sisters (23:1-49)

13. Parable of the Bloody Pot (24:1-14)

14. No Mourning Allowed (24:15-27)

Prophecies against the Nations: (25-32)

Most of the prophets prophesied judgment against the nations. The Lord God is God over all people and nations. He is not just some local deity as the pagan gods were thought to be. The judgments against the nations were for their evil generally but also related to God’s people, Israel. These oracles against the nations serve two purposes: first, to warn the nations of impending judgment, and second, to comfort the people of God to trust in their sovereign God. He has a plan for them.

The prophecies of Ezekiel against the nations are first against those nations that surround Israel and had some impact on their turning to idols and on their defeat by Babylon. He begins with the four neighbors that circle Israel (Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia) each having a two part oracle of judgment consisting of a because part (reason) and a therefore part (reality). This is followed by three longer oracles against Tyre. Each oracle ends with the pronouncement: “you have come to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more.” Each of the oracles is against the pride of Tyre that led to its downfall.

Then, after a brief oracle against Sidon and a word of comfort to Israel, Ezekiel turns his attention to Egypt for an extended oracle. Egypt was a major player in controlling Israel and luring her away from Babylon, which led to her ultimate destruction and exile. One must also understand that the whole idea of alliances with international superpowers to gain temporary security was contrary to the covenant relationship Israel enjoyed with the Lord. In all there are oracles against seven nations and the final nation, Egypt, has seven oracles.

Between the oracle against Israel’s neighbors and the oracle against Egypt, we find a brief prophecy (two verses) of comfort and security for Israel. Though the Lord was using the nations to judge rebellious Israel, he will ultimately judge the nations and restore Israel. All this is for the glory of the Lord. His plan will be fulfilled for the salvation of his people.

Prophecies of Restoration: (33-48)

All the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) have large section of prophecies against Israel and prophecies against the nations and prophecies of restoration to Israel. Prophecies of restoration (ch. 33-48) complete the book of Ezekiel with a sense of hope for God’s exiled people. God’s plan is still on track even in the darkest days.

This section consist of eight parts. The first four parts are a transition from judgment in the previous chapters to hope in the following chapters. (1) They begin with Ezekiel called to be a watchman over the people of God, a grave and awesome call (33:1-20). (2) Then, a message of the fall of Jerusalem is received and recounted. From this, warnings are give to those who remain in the land and to the exiles (33:21-33). (3) The third part is an indictment against the unfaithful shepherds (prophets, priest & kings) of the people of God (34). They hold great responsibility for the wickedness in the land. Because his appointed shepherds were unfaithful, the Lord himself will be the shepherd of his flock. He will do this through the One Shepherd, the Messiah, whom he will anoint for this purpose. (4) Then, the transition section ends with further oracles of Judgment against Edom for their treachery against the people of God in their hour of need.

The last four parts of this final section consist of oracles of comfort and restoration for the beleaguered people of God. They are: (1) Restoration of Israel for the Lord’s Glory (36), (2) Restoration & Reunification (37), (3) Gog of Magog (38-39), (4) The Final Vision of Restoration: The Temple of God (40-48). These last four parts can form a chronological eschatology (End Times) of the plan of God. First, the restoration of the people of God under the Messiah who brings the Spirit. This will come to be known as the Church (36). Second, the Messianic kingdom will be established unifying all the people of God (37). Third, the final rebellion of Satan that is put down by the Lord (38-39). And finally, we see the New Heavens and the New Earth, the eternal blessedness of the people of God (40-48).

Major Themes in Ezekiel:

The Glory of God forms the main theme and the central driving force of the book of Ezekiel. The book begins with a marvelous vision of the glory of God, which is the call of Ezekiel. It is the glory of God that arrested Ezekiel’s heart and plunged him into a difficult ministry. Ezekiel’s life is seized with the mission to declare the glory of God in the face of Judah’s evil turn from that glory. Because their evil was so grievous, the glory of the Lord departs form his temple, the place where the glory resided. Two other ideas play into the major theme of glory in Ezekiel. First, there is the idea of the Lord’s name that the people treated with dishonor. The Lord will judge and restore for the sake of his holy name (20:9, 14, 22, 39, 44; 36:20, 21, 22, 23; 37:7, 25; 43:7, 8). The second idea related to the glory of God is that people may know that He is the Lord. The phrase is used 72 times in the book. The Lord does what he does so that people may know that he is indeed the Lord and relate to him in a righteous way. The Lord is glorious and all the earth must bow before him.

The second major theme flows out of the first. Because the glory of the Lord is so awesome, people must treat his holy name with great honor and reverence. When people dishonor his name and violate his will and refuse to humble themselves and repent, righteous judgment will fall upon them. The book of Ezekiel is filled with oracles of judgment against Israel and the nations. The Lord is merciful and slow to anger. But when people reject his goodness and refuse to repent, he sends judgment. His own people for whom he provides many blessings turned from him in wickedness so that their judgment is the just recompense for their deeds. The judgment of God is necessary and instrumental in the fulfillment of his plan of salvation for the world.

The third major theme we notice is the restoration the Lord brings to his beleaguered people. The righteous judgment of the Lord comes upon evil doers, but the mercy and compassion of the Lord is always near. Even as he judges his people he is preparing restoration for them. As they suffer under the heavy hand of judgment he promises future restoration for them so that they will not loose heart. Restoration is also necessary for the fulfillment of the plan of salvation. It is the restored community in the land that will give birth to the Messiah and the salvation he brings.

The fourth major theme in the book is the messianic prophecies we find. The painful, present suffering the people of God experience is mitigated by the prophecies of hope concerning the Messiah. The messianic prophecy in Ezekiel comes when the Lord condemns the unfaithful shepherds of Israel and promises to be their shepherd himself. Then in 34:23-24 we read, “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall tend them; and he shall tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I am the Lord. I have spoken.”

And finally, we see the theme of the New Temple. The last eight chapter of the book are a prophetic oracle of a new temple, its activities and the regulation for it. The new temple is a future time of blessing for the people of God when his presence will be with them in abundance. Their lives will be focused on the glory and worship of the Lord alone. The new temple is understood variously by different interpreters. Some see it as a literal future temple. Others view Ezekiel’s temple symbolically as the presence of God among his people in the Church Age. Still others see the temple as a symbol of the presence of Jesus in the Messianic Age (Millennium). Finally, it is understood as the presence of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb when there will be no literal temple in the eternal state of the New Heavens and the New Earth. The presence of God is key to all the Bible from the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation. The presence of God is the burning passion of the people of God. It is the purpose for which God saves us. He is always with his people. They can trust that his presence will give them strength through any adversity.

Conclusion:

The book of Ezekiel is a sure word from the Lord of judgment and salvation. The Lord is glorious beyond compare. Those who trust and revere him will receive his salvation. But those who reject his love and refuse to repent will fall under his righteous judgment. Ezekiel shows us that no matter how difficult the times may be, walking with the Lord is the way of blessing. Those who do so will experience the glory of the Lord in a powerful way.

As a pastor I’ve always encouraged people to read their Bibles. And of course, I’ve encouraged people to come to church to hear the Word of God preached, and to be part of a small group Bible study. I have also encouraged people in the reading of Christian books. Yet, not all people are readers, but the fact remains that God has given us a book. He has chosen to speak to us in a book. If a person is not a reader, they still need to read the Bible. I see reading the Bible as necessary for the Christian life. It is an act of personal discovery of truth and of God that can speak to us in a deep way.

Reading the Bible, though, is very personal. People who read the Bible a lot have their own ideas, process and methodology. But there are certain things that are common to all Bible reading. Things that are necessary for beneficial Bible reading. The first is that you have to have a plan. Reading the Bible without a plan is a plan to fail. There has to be some kind of a plan. It may be very simple or very detailed and complex, but it must be planned. People are creatures of habit. Good habits can make us in a good way, but bad habits can break us in very bad ways. We need habits, good habits that can shape us in deeply spiritual ways. Plans can do that.

I believe that reading the whole Bible in one year is not for everybody. Some people use it and find it very beneficial. I encourage those people to continue in that plan. But after many years of pastoral ministry I find that most people struggle with it. They may finish it, but it was not a happy experience. Most people who try it get discouraged and give up. When that happens, they are not reading the Bible at all. A successful Bible reading plan is one that helps the reader continue reading the Bible year after year and nourishes their soul in the process.

Just recently I’ve changed my mind about plans that require a fixed amount of reading, either daily or weekly. I now favor of a more free approach. You read what you can each day. In this way you are successful no mater how much you read. There is no pressure. The reason for this change of mind is that if you have a fixed amount to read each day and you don’t read part or all of each day’s reading for several day in a row, you get so behind that it then becomes a way to give up and quit. Yes, it is a spiritual discipline and requires some pain, but if you’re not ready to run a marathon, it’s better to run a mile than fall out after a few miles and quit running. Successful life changing Bible reading is reading you don’t give up on but continue in it day after day, year after year. On the fixed amount plan you set yourself up for discouragement and defeat. On the free approach you complete your reading and are successful no mater how much you read. There is no discouragement and defeat. You build strength and capacity at your own rate. God walks you through the low places and the high places at your pace.

A question with this approach is, “How can this be a Bible reading plan? You are not planning anything.” The answer is that you lay out the flow of your reading through the whole Bible book by book and follow that path. It can be as simple as beginning in Genesis and going straight through to Revelation. Or it can be a little more complicated as reading an Old Testament book(s) and then a New Testament book(s), and going back and forth. It can be any way you want to lay it out as long as you work your way through the whole Bible. You hear God’s whole voice at your pace and at your level. And you feel free to slow down or pause and interact with the text in a deeper way. This approach offers this freedom when something speaks to you, without getting behind and the feeling you are failing.

The second thing that is important in all Bible reading is consistency. Consistency should be measured weekly. You want to try to read each day. We eat for physical nourishment every day and we need to eat for spiritual nourishment every day. Of course, life is busy, things come up, emergencies happen, but if you miss a day or two you haven’t derailed your plan. It’s ok! If you need a brief rest, you can take it. In fact, you can build in rests right into your plan. But it is important to get in at least four days every week of Bible reading. Make it a priority. Spending time with God is essential. Studies have shown that the difference in four days of Bible reading and three is remarkable. I would say shoot for seven days a week, but if you occasionally only get four, you’re doing fine. If you’re flexible with your Bible reading, you can keep moving and still be consistent.

The third and final part of good Bible reading is connecting with God. That’s the reason we read our Bibles in the first place. Connecting with God is crucial for every follower of Jesus. It’s like breathing, spiritual life dies without it. You want to try to get something out of your reading every time. But the truth of the matter is that you will get something out of your reading even if it feels as though you got very little or nothing out of the time you invested. After all, the Bible is the Word of God and the Holy Spirit lives in your heart. You are always getting something even if it’s not as much as you want. The goal is to get as much from you time with God as you possibly can. There are ways you can use to help you achieve that worthy goal.

The first thing is to consciously look for the universal meaning in the passage you’re reading. What is the main point of the passage? What is the passage saying about God? What is it saying about people and how they related to God? What is this passage saying about and how does it fit into the flow of redemptive history? How do the lives and struggles of these ancient people relate to life now? You can also ask these three questions. What is this passage saying? What does the passage mean in the plan of God? How does that apply to my life? Believers who have been reading their Bibles for years often intuitively know how to get to the heart of the message of any passage.

People also often find it helpful to write down what they are thinking and learning as they read their Bibles. This Bible journaling doesn’t have to be well structured or flow smoothly. It is for your eyes and heart. Other people may never read it. For many people writing helps clarify the mind. Writing out what you’re getting from your Bile reading not only helps clarify your thinking, but it can also help you think more deeply about the meaning of the passage and what God is saying in it. Writing down your thoughts may take some effort, but it is well worth the struggle to make the connection with God.

And finally, you can connect with God in a meaningful way by beginning you time with prayer and ending your time in the Bible with prayer. Prayer connects us to God like nothing else. This has the added benefit of strengthening your prayer life. Beginning with prayer can be a time to ask God as you read to help you understand what the Bible means and how to apply it. We need God’s help to better understand His Word. And then as you finish your reading time you can offer prayer to God about what He has spoken to you from His Word. This can be very meaningful and helps immerse the Word deeper into the soul. Prayer can be a time to relate your reading immediately and directly to your life.

So, Bible reading is important. We don’t take it lightly or think that it’s optional. It is a way to grow in Christ and experience God’s presence in a real way. Your spiritual life is nourished and nurtured by the Holy Spirit as you spend time in His Word. Let me encourage you to commit yourself to Bible reading, and to do it in such a way that brings real blessing to your life.

The Bible is the Word of God. It communicates to believers the will of God and the way of God. Believer throughout the centuries have loved and longed to commune with God through His Word. We can find God and His voice to us in every book in the Bible, especially the book of Psalms, which is a favorite biblical book for many people. There are many reasons why the book of Psalms is so beloved. It is true in part, I think, because the psalms are poems that speak to people about life. When we read a psalm we see and feel the psalmist’s struggles as our own. They speak our heart language. The Psalms open a way to know God and pray to Him with power because we’re praying the very Word of God. But when we think about the prayers of the Bible, we may not think about the book of Psalms. But in fact, many of the psalms are prayers. In the book of Psalms we see people who found themselves in tough times and cried out to the Lord. We can relate to this kind of situation in our own lives. We experience similar things as the ancient psalmists did. Therefore, we can find great meaning in these prayers that help us in our own struggles.

One of the great prayers in the book of Psalms is Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is unique among the Psalms in that it is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible, being 176 verses long. Psalm 119 is also an acrostic psalm. Acrostic psalms are alphabetic psalms where each verse or stanza begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, so acrostic psalms usually have some multiple of 22 verses. Psalm 119 has 22 stanzas, one for each letter, with each stanza being eight verses long. Each verse in a stanza begins with the Hebrew letter for that stanza. This is a poetic form the Hebrews loved.

The Greatness of Scripture

The content of Psalm 119 is centered around two main themes. The first theme is the greatness of the Word of God or the law (torah) of God. The psalmist uses eight different Hebrews words to communicate this theme. He uses the terms, law (25 times), word (23 times), decree (23 times), commandment (22 times), testimonies (22 times), statute (21 times), precept (21 times) and promise or word (19 times). These words are translated a little different in various English translations. Each of these words emphasize the Scriptures, the written Word of God. One of these eight words is used in every verse in the psalm except verses 3, 37, 90 and 122. In all of this we can see the overwhelming emphasis on the Word of God in the psalm.

Some well known verses have this focus, like 119:106, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The word meditate or meditation is used eight time to express the way the psalmist finds blessing in the Word of God (119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148).

"Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97)

The psalmist meditates or thinks deeply about God and His Word. In this way he draws near to God and experiences the presence of God in a profound way. Throughout the psalm the psalmist lifts up Scripture as a great blessing and a way of life that brings blessing. By this focus on meditation the psalmist is calling on his readers to join him in enjoying the rich blessing of meditating as a way to enter a conversation with the Lord in the Word of God.

Hope in Suffering

The second theme in Psalm 119 is focused on the sufferings of life. The psalmist was well acquainted with suffering in his life. But even here it is the Word of God that gives meaning and strength in the face of painful circumstances.

We find this theme in verses like 119:25, “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!” And again we see it in 119:28, “My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!” We also find this suffering theme in 119:50, “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” And we see the psalmist’s amazing faith in 119:71, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes,” and in 119:75, “I know, O Lord, that your decrees are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”

The psalmist see his suffering coming from the Lord, not just bad luck, but from the loving hand of the Lord. And the Lord is faithful to do so. The psalmist’s faith tells him that it is good that he suffers so that he can know the Lord in deeper ways.

Often the psalmist’s painful experiences came from other people. This can easily lead to bitterness in a person’s life. But the psalmist was able to overcome that tendency by the word of God.

“The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law” (119:51). “Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law” (119:61). “The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies” (119:95). “I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts” (119:141).

Many other such verses speak of suffering at the hands of other people, but also speak of the power of the Word of God to deliver the believer from the trap of bitterness and blame.

A sub-theme to the main theme of the greatness of the word of God is the psalmist’s prayer for the Lord to help him understand his word. We find the psalmist praying eleven time that the Lord “teach me” (119:12, 26, 29, 33, 64, 66, 68, 108, 124, 135, 171).

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” (Psalm 119:33)

And five times he asked that the Lord will, “give me understanding” (119:34, 73, 125, 144,169).

“Give me understanding, that I may keep you’d law and observe it with my whole heart.” (Psalm 119:34)

In one stanza we see the psalmist praying these kinds of prayer for a deeper grasp of the word of God.

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways” (119:33-37).

The psalmist longs for the understanding of the Word of God that he may apply it to his life. One can feel the deep emotional desire of the psalmist to know the Word of God in such a way that it draws him close to the Lord and transforms his life.

Conclusion

One cannot read this psalm with any seriousness and fail to be unchanged. Better yet, pray it and be changed even deeper. This ancient believer had a fear of the Lord that was so profound that it drove him deep into the Word of God. It was not so much a religious activity as it was survival training. He gave himself over to the Lord in His Word. He longed for the Lord with such intense passion that he pursued him in the only place he could find him, in His Word. As we read Psalm 119 we must remember that it is a prayer, so that it can become our prayer in response to the Word of God. I encourage you to read this article again with your open Bible, looking up every citation in the Psalm. You will probably be moved to read the whole Psalm. Do it slowly and meditatively. You may even want to meditate on it one stanza at a time. Let this prayer work its way deep into your heart so it can transform the way you see the Lord in His Word. I predict that you will never be the same.

Dealing with adversity can be one of the biggest challenges we all face. Suffering happens to us all in this broken and fallen world. We want to avoid it, but it shows up in our lives uninvited far too often. How does the follower of Jesus Christ deal with this uncomfortable reality? What are the resources God has given us?

There is a beautiful and powerful promise in 1 Peter 5:6-11 that speaks to this need. In these verses, we find three declarations from God about the problem of pain:

• God tells us that He is at work in our lives.

• He warns us that we should not let the devil derail our lives.

• The bold assertion is that God’s grace will restore our lives.

God is at work in your life. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.”

Dealing with suffering requires that we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. God has his hand on us all the time. He is at work in every believer’s life all the time, but it is challenging to continue trusting him when his hand brings pain. We must humble ourselves. We naturally resist suffering. But when God has his hand on us, it is for our good. We humble ourselves by killing our pride, knowing that we need God’s work in our lives to give strength and maturity to our faith. Suffering can cause us to be bitter. But humbling ourselves can help us to trust God’s good hand. Suffering is the best way God helps us grow in the Christian life. Like a sculptor with a hammer and chisel in hand, God removes the excess “stone” from our lives through pain. Nothing shapes us for our good and God’s glory like pain.

Humbling ourselves is just the beginning. We must next cast all our cares on him. But what does it mean to cast all our cares on him? Picture yourself with a very heavy burden on your back. You can hardly carry it. You feel as if you’ll fall at any moment. Then, someone comes up to you and says, “Give that burden to me. I can carry it for you.” He comes beside you, and you roll that burden on him. It feels so good to get that weight off your back. You thank him profusely! It is such a joy and relief to be free of the burden. That is what Jesus does when we carry the burdens of adversity. He tells us to give it to him. He can carry it. To refuse to give it to him would be foolish. We give it to him by faith. But why would Jesus want to carry our load for us? Because he cares for us. He really does care for us! He’s doing a work in our lives to help us trust him more and more.

Don’t let the devil derail your life. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being accomplished by your brotherhood in the world.”

God is at work in your life, but there is someone who is opposed to that work. It is the devil. Therefore, we must be sober-minded and watchful. These two words refer to an intense focus, an alertness that knows something. What we know is that the devil is active and powerful in the world, and we are no match for him. So, being watchful is critical to our spiritual health. It is a command of God that far too many believers neglect. We can loose our focus on being watchful by the many distractions that are constantly coming at us. When as allow ourselves to be distracted we can easily become disoriented to what God is doing. It’s like walking through the woods on a trail. As long as we stay on the trail everything is fine and we have an enjoyable walk. But if we allow ourselves to get distracted and wander off the trail far enough, then we can become disoriented and not be able to find our way back to the trail. We are lost. It is often the devil who orchestrates these distractions that can lead us astray.

The devil is also described as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He is hungry, and we are his prey. How is the devil like a lion? Lions are stealthy and strong. The devil is also stealthy and strong. He is deceptive in his schemes and his actions against the people of God. He clothes himself as an angel of light. He makes his ways look attractive. We are easy targets for his schemes because we are often more in tune with the world’s thinking and desires than God’s.

Another way the devil is like a lion is that lions often prey on the weak. The weak are easy targets. The devil will prey on our weaknesses. You can bet he knows what they are. Like a lion, he wants to devour us by leading us astray from God. He uses deception to distract us and disorient us.

Like a lion, the devil is stealthy and strong, but there is a way to defeat him through God’s power and grace. We find here in this passage that we are commanded to resist him firm in the faith. When we are wise to his tactics, we can more readily resist him. Being oriented to God’s plan and his ways by the word of God and the Holy Spirit, we will not become distracted and disoriented and so be led astray. The word faith here means not only the exercise of faith but also the content of our faith. The content of our faith is the truth of Holy Scripture. And in this, we know that we have solidarity with other believers in Jesus Christ that experience the same things. We are a community of faith and suffering.

God’s grace will restore your life. (1 Peter 5:10-11)

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

God is the God of all grace in our struggles. He is a God of grace. Grace is a core attribute of God. His grace is the undeserved loving kindness he shows us. His grace is also the power that restores us and strengthens us when we are weak and have lost our way. His grace depends on His power and goodness not our own. His grace is sufficient for us.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God is the God of saving grace, of living grace, of dying grace, and of eternal grace. Our suffering lasts only a little while, but our fellowship with his eternal glory lasts forever. We have been called into that eternal glory. That knowledge helps us stand firm in the face of great adversity and the devil’s attack. He promises that He Himself will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us despite what we may have suffered. No strong attack of the devil nor any failure on our part will cause Him to fail to keep His promise. He will be faithful to that promise. As Paul said in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Many may try to be against us, including the devil and his minions, but none can be successful because God is with us and for us.

So, armed with this great promise, we are to hold fast to the reality that God is at work in our lives, so that we do not let the devil derail our lives, because we know God’s grace will restore our lives in His perfect time and in His perfect way. Find joy, peace and hope in our Lord’s presence, power and promise.

The book of Habakkuk is probably not a biblical book many people read. But it is a book that should be read because it is a book for our times. It is a book that speaks to difficult times when things have been going bad for awhile and are on the cusp of going really bad. Its message is one that believers today need to hear and heed. The book is hidden deep within the minor prophets toward the end of the OT. It is worth flipping through the pages to find it, and slowly meditatively reading it. It still speaks across the centuries.

The book of Habakkuk is unique among the prophetic books in the Old Testament in that there are no typical prophetic oracles in the book. The short book of Habakkuk is a prayer encounter of the prophet with the Lord. The first verse in the book reads, “The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.” This tells us two things. First, this prayer is considered an oracle. An oracle is usually construed to be a spoken message from God given by a prophet or a written version of a spoken message. Second, this is a vision that Habakkuk saw. The book of Habakkuk is not a conventional oracle or vision, but it is an inspired message from God. We have the opportunity to listen in on this prayer exchange between the Lord and his prophet.

Historical Context

Habakkuk does not give us any of the usual historical markers such as names of kings or events that would date the prophecy. But from the content of the exchange between the prophet and the Lord we know that the Caldeans will be used by the Lord to bring judgment upon Judah and that this was surprising, even shocking. The Caldeans destroy Jerusalem in 586 BC, so the book must be before that time. Also Habakkuk is deeply troubled by the wickedness and violence in Judah, which will probably rule out the heyday of king Josiah. Josiah brought great reforms in the twelfth year of his reign. The time of Habakkuk was probably the early years of Josiah, or during the reign of his father Amon or his grandfather Manasseh, both of whom were evil kings. This was a time when the people of Judah turned away from the Lord and did evil, which grieved the prophet’s heart. He went to the Lord with his concerns, as those who fear the Lord do when the days in which they live are evil.

Flow of the Book

The book, being a prayer, moves from the prophet’s cry to the Lord’s answer and back again. It is a prayer conversation between the Lord and his prophet. The book can be viewed in three sections:

• The First Prayer Complaint & the Lord’s Answer (1:1-11)

• The Second Prayer Complaint & the Lord’s Answer (1:12-2:20)

• Habakkuk’s Humble Prayer Response (3:1-19).

The First Prayer Complaint & the Lord’s Answer (1:1-11)

Habakkuk’s Cry (1:1-4)

Habakkuk, the prophet of the Lord, the man of God, is greatly burdened as he observes the spiritual condition of the people of Judah. They had strayed far from the Lord and violated the covenant in many ways. They had broken the two central commands of the law, which are, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. Habakkuk looked around at the lives of the people and saw violence, strife and contention. Justice was perverted so that the law of God was paralyzed. The prophet had prayed and preached for some time for the Lord to intervene, but to no avail. He is frustrated and a little bit cynical, and even blames the Lord for his apparent inaction. He asks the question, “How long?” This is a question many of the prophets asked. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are burdened and pained at the departure from biblical values and lifestyles. Habakkuk draws four conclusions: the law is paralyzed, justice never goes forth, the righteous are surrounded by the wicked and the justice that does goes forth is perverted.

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 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. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.”

(Habakkuk 1:2-4)

It seemed to Habakkuk that the Lord was allowing the state of affairs to continue and even worsen with no response. Why does the Lord not change things? When we can’t see the Lord working, we assume he is not. The Lord has his own timing and his own purposes. But we can get discouraged when things do not go as we think they ought. Habakkuk was discouraged and deeply grieved. Time and again he prayed. Did the Lord hear? But even in the face of his pain and confusion, Habakkuk persevered in prayer.

The Lord’s Answer (1:5-11)

Then, like a sudden thunderstorm, the answer from the Lord rolled into Habakkuk’s heart. The answer was not something Habakkuk expected. He wanted the Lord to change the people’s hearts so that everything could run smoothly. The Word came that the Lord was already at work, but in a shocking way. He was raising up the wicked and violent Caldeans to swoop in like a fierce animal for its prey. This completely caught Habakkuk off guard. The Lord’s answer to Habakkuk’s prayer provides us with some insight into what the Lord does, but also who he is. The Lord always acts according to his character. God has a plan and he is always working to fulfill his plan. But the way he works is often hidden and surprising. God uses the refining fires of suffering and hardship to accomplish his purposes.

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.”

(Habakkuk 1:5-6)

The Lord described their military might and cruelty with chilling effect. The Lord’s answer caused Habakkuk more pain than the condition of the people. This could not be the way of the Lord. There must be something he misunderstood. Surely the Lord would not use the wicked Caldeans! Is this justice?

“They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god.”

(Habakkuk 1:7-11)

The Second Prayer Complaint & the Lord’s Answer (1:12-2:20)

Habakkuk’s Reaction to the Lord’s Answer (1:12-2:1)

With hardly time to process what he experienced Habakkuk reacted to the Lord’s answer to his prayer. He begins with a rhetorical question. Could it be possible for the Lord, the Holy One, to abandon the covenant relationship with his people? The mighty and wicked Caldeans would swiftly blow through and destroy tiny Judah with no trace. That could not happen. Surely this was only for reproof and discipline. Would the Lord allow those more wicked than his people to judge them? In shock and awe Habakkuk refers to the Lord as Rock. The Lord is the rock of stability for his people. Would their rock crumble before the mighty Caldeans?

“Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?”

(Habakkuk 1:12-13)

Habakkuk used a clever metaphor to describe the rapacious Caldeans as fishermen franticly taking in peoples and nations like fish caught in the dragnet. They were so good at what they did that they worshipped their ability to defeat nation after nation. It brought them great fame and wealth. They were like gods in their own eyes, proud and boastful.

“You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?”

(Habakkuk 1:14-17)

Habakkuk, like all the prophets, was called by the Lord to be a spiritual watchman on the wall of his people. Habakkuk takes his stand to see what the Lord will say to him in response to his concerns. How would he argue his complaint against the Lord’s rebuke?

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.”

(Habakkuk 2:1)

The Lord Answers with a Vision (2:2-20)

The Lord begins his response to Habakkuk with a command to write the vision on tablets so that those who read it may run with it. Those who read the vision must turn to God and turn to the world with the message. The purpose of writing is running. Reading results in running. The vision will be awesome and amazing. It will come to pass in its time. It may seem slow but Habakkuk must wait for the Lord. Those who run are heralds for the vision of the Lord towards which the plan of God is moving.

“And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

(Habakkuk 2:2-3)

The vision begins with a statement about the arrogance of the Caldeans and their king, but those who fear the Lord must trust him. The righteous shall live by faith. The days ahead will bring judgment on Judah, defeat, destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple, and then finally exile. The righteous who suffered through this time would of necessity live by faith. The future will not look good from their perspective. Trusting the Lord’s promises will carry them through.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.”

(Habakkuk 2:4-5)

The last half of Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous shall live by faith” is quoted in the New Testament three times, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38-39 and is applied to those who by faith in Jesus Christ receive the righteousness of God. This verse is used to show the Old Testament roots of the doctrine of Justification by Faith, which is the ultimate fulfillment of this grand vision.

The Lord continues his vision to Habakkuk by declaring five woes against the Caldeans. A woe is a prophetic pronouncement of judgment. It is seen throughout the prophetic literature in the OT. Jesus used it in Matthew 23 against the religious leaders of His day What follows the woes of Jesus is the apocalyptic prophecies of Matthew 24. Jesus is fulling the grand vision of Habakkuk in his first coming to bring redemption, and in his second coming to consummate the Kingdom of God. In Habakkuk’s day God used the Caldeans to judge Israel, but they were not immune to judgment for their own evil. The Lord’s just judgment would surely fall on them. The instrument of God’s judgment would become the object of God’s judgment. The Lord is holy, righteous and just.

Within two of the five woes the Lord reveals amazing realities that demonstrate his greatness and glory. After the third woe the Lord makes a startling and awesome statement, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” The glory hungry Caldeans will fall, as do all glory-seekers. But in the future, according to the eternal plan of God, the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth. In the future, when the plan of God is complete, the eternal glory of the Lord will be known by all. All that is happening in Judah during the time of Habakkuk and all that happens when the Caldeans come and defeat Judah is working towards that day. The nations are clay in the hands of the Lord.

“Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!” Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

(Habakkuk 2:6-17)

Then, after the fifth and final woe another startling and awesome statement is made by the Lord. This statement concludes the fifth woe and summarizes the entire section. “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” No one can answer the Lord. He answers all glory-seekers and unrighteous boasters by closing their mouths. God is in control of the universe and his plan of salvation.

“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory. The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols. Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

(Habakkuk 2:15-20)

Habakkuk’s Humble Prayer Response (3:1-19)

Habakkuk’s Plea for Revival (3:1-16)

Habakkuk is deeply touched by the Lord’s last answer. A grand vision of Israel and the world emerged. Habakkuk gained a new perspective. He shifted from a short range perspective to a long range perspective. He was only looking at the trouble in front of him and was blind to the solution that was far down the road. Habakkuk could now see the awesome plan of God for the ages laid out before him. He responds in humble prayer.

The first thing Habakkuk does is make a profession of faith and three prayer requests that flow out of this deeper, fuller vision of the Lord’s work. The profession of faith is first the fame of the Lord he had heard of, and then the fear of the Lord in reverence and awe, and finally the work of the Lord. Then three prayers that we must pray today in our moment. The first prayer request is for the Lord to revive his work again in Habakkuk’s day. Habakkuk had read and heard of the mighty work of the Lord in days past. The prayer is for the Lord to revive that work in his day. Habakkuk longed to see a work of the Lord as in earlier days. The second request is that the Lord will make this vision known. This is the key to revival. As people get a renewed sense of the Lord’s greatness and his eternal plan, their lives are transformed and revived. The third, and final, request is for the Lord to remember mercy in the wrath that is coming on Judah for her sins. Through the ruin and destruction of God’s wrath there will emerge the covenant remnant people who will carry forth the work of God. They will be the ones who will read Habakkuk’s vision and run with it (2:2).

“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”

(Habakkuk 3:1-2)

Habakkuk then looks back to the history of God’s people and recounts the story of the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt and the conquest of the land. This was a day of the Lord’s redemption of Israel and judgment on mighty Egypt who oppressed them. Habakkuk longs for the day when the same work of God is applied to the contemporary situation of his day. Habakkuk puts this historical reflection in the form of a psalm to be sung.

“God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah

His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah

You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah.

You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters. I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon •people who invade us.”

(Habakkuk3:3-16)

Habakkuk Resolve to Rejoice in Suffering (3:17-19)

In the mean time, Habakkuk is resolved to rejoice in the Lord no matter what. Even if the worst happens, the Lord is the sovereign Lord of all things. He has his purposes that people cannot fully understand. Whatever the future brings he will live by faith in the transforming grace of the Lord.

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.”

(Habakkuk 3:17-19)

The Message of Habakkuk

What does Habakkuk say to us today as we read his ancient book? I think he would say to us that the ways of this world are often beyond understanding. They often seem to be out of control. But the Lord is sovereign over all the affairs of all people. He has a plan that he is bringing about in his own time and in his own way. Habakkuk looks at the condition of the people of God and is dismayed. They stray far from the Lord. He seemingly does little to allay the situation. Yet, when the Lord reveals his plan to Habakkuk, he finds it less comprehensible than the wickedness of the people of God. But in all these things God is perfectly sovereign, working out his purposes in perfect harmony with his character and plan. The response to the inscrutable circumstances of life is trust in the sovereign hand of the Lord.

But there is more to the message of Habakkuk. A fundamental attribute of God’s character we find throughout Scripture is his holiness. The idea of the holy is that God is unique and separate form all he has made. He is other than all created things. The idea of separateness means that God is separate from all moral impurity, He is perfectly righteous in all he does. When his holy people turn from him in unholiness he moves to bring them back to himself. When nations act in wickedness the Lord in his holiness brings judgment upon them. God is holy, and all who would know him and align themselves with him must surrender to his holiness.

The deeper message of Habakkuk is that the great prayer exchange between the Lord and Habakkuk was possible only because of the the faith relationship Habakkuk had with the Lord. Yet, when the Lord revealed his plan to Habakkuk, he found it very hard to grasp. It challenged many of his ideas of the ways and purposes of the Lord. To be righteous before the Lord Habakkuk must live by faith (2:4). He trusts the Lord even when he doesn’t understand. This is rock solid faith.

Conclusion

The rise and fall of kingdoms and powers are the expression of the Lord’s sovereign plan for history. God is working out all things for his eternal purposes. The fact that the Lord’s ways are often painful and confusing for us does not change the truth of his plan. We need a bigger and deeper vision of the Lord and what he is doing. Habakkuk received that vision and ran with it by faith. We must follow in his footsteps in our day. God is doing things that would shock us if we could see it all. But as in Habakkuk’s day, the righteous are called to live by faith.

I’ve never heard anyone say that the book of Obadiah is their favorite book in the Bible. I don’t expect ever to hear anyone say that Obadiah is their favorite book. Obadiah is not my favorite book, but it is part of Holy Scripture. We know that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). So, the book of Obadiah is inspired by God and has a divine message for us. As with every other divine message in the Bible, we need the message of Obadiah. The question is, “What is the message of Obadiah?” The message of Obadiah is not easy to understand. It takes some hard work. But for those willing to do the work of discovering the message of Obadiah, there is a great reward. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and is easy to overlook, yet it still packs a prophetic punch. We find some great spiritual truth in this little book that we all need in our hearts and lives. It is the burden of this article to discover those great truths.

Historical Context

From the content of the book of Obadiah, we know that it is a prophetic judgment on the nation of Edom (Esau) shortly after the fall and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Edom was a longtime enemy of Israel, and they had helped the Babylonians in their war against the people of God.

Whether Obadiah was a prophet of the Lord before this time or was called for the purpose of bringing only this message, we do not know. This is a prophecy against Edom, but surely it brought the exiled people of Judah comfort that all those who oppressed them would receive justice from the Lord, and that the Lord was still their God in a covenant relationship with them. They must have had questions about their future as the people of God. The devastation and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the judgment of the Lord was shocking. It was not what the people of Judah expected. They expected the Lord to come to their rescue. But this prophecy of Obadiah helped them see that they did have a future. God was in control despite the circumstances. He was refining them for his purposes.

Flow of the Book

The flow of the book of Obadiah is in three parts: (1) Judgment on Edom (1-14), (2) The Day of the Lord for all Nations (15-18), (3) The Kingdom of God (19-21). The biblical teaching of judgment, the day of the Lord, and the kingdom of God is everywhere in the Word of God. It is important to understand that these themes are interrelated in the plan of God. We need to understand them. God is working in the world to bring his kingdom to full consummation. He does that by what is called the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord occurs at strategic points throughout history, but finally and completely at the second coming of Jesus. The day of the Lord brings in salvation and judgment, both temporal and eternal. We get a glimpse of the intersection of these three themes in the book of Obadiah.

Judgment on Edom (1-14)

The first and longest section is the primary purpose of the book as a pronouncement of Judgment against Edom. This section has two parts: (1) A Prophetic and Poetic Pronouncement of Judgment on Edom (1-9), (2) The Reason the Lord is Judging Edom (10-14).

Ancient Edom was the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant went to Jacob, from which the twelve tribes originate, rather than Esau, though he was the firstborn of the twins. The relationship between Israel and Edom was always tension-filled. It seems from Obadiah’s prophecy that Edom was either in league with the Babylonians to defeat Jerusalem, or they merely took advantage of the situation by attacking refugees and stragglers. In either case, they worked against God’s people and would be judged for it.

The Edomites lived in the mountainous region to the southeast of the Dead Sea. They assumed their geographical isolation and difficult terrain would render it impossible for them to be defeated. Their pride would be their downfall. The Lord would orchestrate their demise as a judgment on them for their treachery against Israel.

The Lord is a God of Justice. His justice works in two directions, retributive justice, and restorative justice. Retributive justice works against those who oppress and victimize others. Restorative justice works for the victims of oppression. In the book of Obadiah, Edom is the oppressor, and Israel is the oppressed. In this world broken by sin and evil, oppression happens in many ways. There is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual oppression. Because we are all sinful, we all have experienced oppression as the oppressor and the oppressed. We often even oppress ourselves. God works to restore both. He restores the oppressor by his mercy and the oppressed by his justice. Those who refuse the mercy of God by repentance receive his just judgment. We may recoil against the idea that a loving God would judge anyone. But a God who will not execute justice against unrepentant oppressors is not loving. The book of Obadiah helps us feel the serious weight and force of the oppressed and the oppressor and thereby leads us to repentance and restoration.

The Day of the Lord for all Nations (15-18)

The second part of the book shifts from judgment on Edom to judgment on all nations. The Day of the Lord is a theme used often by the prophets. It can refer to salvation or judgment, and often both. Here it refers primarily to the judgment of Edom and all nations, but also to the salvation of God’s people. The theme of “Day” is seen throughout the book (vs. 8,11,12,13,14,15). The phrase, “the day of the Lord’ is seen once (v. 15). All nations alike come under divine scrutiny. God’s justice will judge them. Obadiah says that Israel will have a hand in God’s judgment of the nations, especially Edom, the house of Esau. The house of Jacob will be victorious over the house of Esau (v. 18). These two ancient rivals play a key role in the plan of God.

In Obadiah’s proclamation of the day of the Lord, he expresses the biblical principle of what a person sows that will they reap. Edom sowed evil and violence and would, in like manner, reap evil and violence. The metaphor is picturesque. As a farmer sows seed into the ground expecting a harvest, so people sow into their own lives and the lives of others, either good or evil. They will likewise reap the same. If our attitudes and actions focus on ourselves, we will reap that. But if our attitudes and actions are focused on others, then we will reap a harvest of good and blessing that brings in the kingdom of God and glorifies his name.

The Kingdom of God (19-21)

Edom stands for a type or pattern of all those who oppose the purposes of the Lord. In this final and shortest section, all those who oppose the Lord will be possessed by the people of God. The Lord is Lord of the nations and ultimately uses them for his redemptive purposes. Saviors or deliverers (from the word judge in the book of Judges) are sent from Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau. The nations come to the Lord as his Messiah Savior establishes the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the reign and rule of God in the hearts of his people. It will be restored in the future. There will be a time when God’s dispossessed people will again possess the blessings of the Lord. Those suffering in the early years of the exile surely found the Word of God from Obadiah to be encouraging and hopeful. The Lord has not forsaken his covenant with his people even though he has justly judged them for their sins. He remains faithful even though they were unfaithful. Theirs would be the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God was coming in the days of Obadiah, but it had not yet arrived.

The eternal kingdom of God through the Messiah will come, and his reign of justice and truth will be established on earth. Jesus is the Messiah. He first came to inaugurate the kingdom in the world. He will come a second time to consummate the kingdom. We enter the kingdom of God through salvation by faith and live in the kingdom as we grow in grace by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. God is bringing many sons and daughters into the kingdom by Jesus.

Conclusion:

The Word of the Lord came powerfully through Obadiah in his day, and it still comes powerfully to us. The Lord is Sovereign over the nations. The Lord is the God of his people, Israel, and the Church, but he is also the sovereign Lord of all peoples and nations. When they act in wickedness, his righteous judgment will certainly come upon them. When the people of God suffer at the hands of evil people or by the evil one, Satan, they can trust the Lord to execute justice and redemption for them. The book of Obadiah brings us that confidence. We know that God loves us and has a plan for our lives and our world.

The Kingdom of God is coming. God is the Sovereign King of the universe. But he does not reign in the hearts of those who have rebelled against him. He is working in the world to establish his eternal kingdom over all. Obadiah heard the message of the King and spoke it to the people of Israel and to us. God’s kingdom comes through Jesus Christ and will fully flourish in the redeemed earth. In the meantime, we follow Jesus in the mission of God.

The length of a prayer is no indication of the power of a prayer. Many a long protracted prayer proved to be powerless, while much shorter prayers carried great power. Both long and short prayers can be powerful or powerless. What makes the difference in powerful and powerless prayers is the heart of the person praying and the content of the prayer. The heart of the person praying must be motivated for the glory of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The content of powerful prayer must be focused on the truth of God’s word and the fulfillment of God’s will.

In the letter of Paul to the Philippians we find such a prayer. “

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

The prayer is just three verses and 43 words in the Greek text. It is short indeed but packed with great power. Every word or phrase in the prayer expresses a universe of meaning. Spending time and effort understanding this prayer will help us in two ways. First, understanding this prayer will help us grasp the deeper dimensions of the Christian life Paul is communicating in the prayer. Second, understanding this prayer will help us pray better prayers that are in line with the will of God. The prayer serves as a model for those serious about growing in their prayer lives.

The Prayer

We find three important elements in the prayer: the prayer itself, the purpose of the prayer and the result of the prayer. First, we’ll deal with the prayer itself. Paul is praying that the Philippians love may abound more and more. He is praying for a growing love in the lives of believers.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.

Paul is praying for more love, but in the prayer there is no object of the love he desires to see grow. Love must have an object, people love somebody or something. Since the object is unspecified we can take it as a general kind of love. The Bible throughout teaches us to love God and love people. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he responded with Deuteronomy 6:4, “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” And then he continued with the second found in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Paul wants and prays that the love of the Philippians would grow more and more. But there is more to it. If we take into account the whole book of Philippians we will find that the church was struggling with some internal conflict. Paul names some names in chapter four. There are also other places in the book where Paul encourages love and unity in the church. So we can say that the love Paul is praying for in this prayer is a love Jesus commanded his disciples the night before he was crucified. It is a love for fellow believers. Paul desires that their love for one another grow more and more, that it would overflow. That is a prayer we can pray because it is always a need.

The prayer request of Paul goes on. He tells us how that love will grow, and it’s somewhat surprising. Paul prays that their love grow with knowledge and all discernment. Often knowledge and love are pitted against each other as opposites, as incompatible, but the biblical reality is that they are not. Knowledge and discernment helps love grow. What kind of knowledge and discernment is Paul talking about? He is talking about the knowledge of God and the plan of God through the word of God. We can’t know God exhaustively, but we can know him truly. As we know more about Gods ways, and therefore know his purposes in the world, our love for him and for one another grows. We develop a discerning love that is a deeper love. A discerning love is one that is not deceived by the cultural counterfeits of love.

This discerning love that has a knowledge of God also needs a knowledge about people. We best love people when we understand them in some measure. From the Scriptures we learn that all people are created in the image of God and have an intrinsic value. Since God values people, so must we. We usually love most and best what we treasure. But also a knowledge of people from the Scriptures realizes that all people are broken sinners. People are valuable and flawed. We care about people, but we understand that they may act in ways that can hurt us and themselves A discerning love for people takes into account their weaknesses and their faults, not to deny them love, but to love them in an understanding way, a way that is best for them. And then a discerning love for people will grasp that while all people are broken sinners they are all redeemable. God can work in their hearts to transform them into the Christlikeness He created them to be. The cross has the power to change lives.

This discerning love Paul calls us to, understands God and people in some measure, but also needs to understand the nature of biblical love. What is the love God is calling us to really like? This is where we can discern the distortions of a worldly love that masquerades as genuine love. Paul defines this love for us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast. it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The Purpose of the Prayer

After Paul gives the prayer proper, he then gives the reason the prayer is so critical.

“So that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

The word approve means to prove something is genuine by putting it to the test, by putting it under pressure. As we put love to the test under the pressures of life, we see that it is real, excellent, what really matters. And in that process we find ourselves becoming pure and blameless. We find ourselves becoming righteous as God has declared us righteous in Christ. All of this is leading us to that great day, the day of Christ. The day of Christ is the day he returns in salvation and judgment. On that day Jesus will assess how we lived our lives for him and give rewards based on his righteous assessment.

The Result of the Prayer

The life that will be lived in answer to this prayer is a life of righteousness.

Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

A growing love is a life of righteousness that lives in harmony with the purposes of God. God is love. God’s plan is a plan of love. Where love grows, living for the plan of God grows. The fruit of righteousness is the godly character that is demonstrated in a person that makes love a priority.

It is Jesus Christ who generates this righteous love in believers through the Holy Spirit. It is a gospel love. Jesus is sent by the love of the Father and in love gives himself for us, so that we return his love to him by faith in him. As a result we love others. This circle of love is all for the glory of God. God is glorified as we experience and express his love.

Conclusion

The prayer of Paul in Philippians 1 is supremely God-centered. He prays for a growing love that transforms the believer’s life and fulfills the plan of God. This is the love of God on which the gospel of grace is based and is poured into the believer’s heart by the Holy Spirit. It is the love displayed in the humble self-sacrificing service of Jesus dying for the salvation of the world. Many things in life are trivial and don’t really matter that much, but the love that flows form God through believers to others is of transcendent significance. It has infinite value. As Paul prays this for the Philippians, so we can pray this powerful prayer for ourselves and others with the assurance of its transforming impact in their lives.

The follower of Jesus Christ finds prayer to be as necessary as air. Prayer is half of spiritual breathing. Spiritual breathing is breathing in the word of God, God’s heart to us, and breathing out our prayers to him in response. If we don’t have prayer, we can’t breath. But because of the fallenness and brokenness in the world, we all have spiritual asthma. We have trouble breathing. The cure for our spiritual asthma is the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will need the medicine of the gospel for the rest of our lives. We find one of the best medicines for our spiritual asthma in the prayers of the Bible. They help us with breathing in, the Scriptures, and they help us with breathing out, praying the prayers of Scriptures.

We find actual prayers all over the Bible. But especially in the letters of Paul, we discover numerous prayers. In most of his letters to churches, he includes one or more prayers in the body of the letter. Paul was a great man of prayer. He was so because he learned a great secret that is an open secret. And that secret is that we all desperately need the grace of God, and prayer is a doorway into that grace. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

The letters of Paul were written to address the needs of the churches, and because of that, his letters are very practical, and at the same time, very theological. As a result, the prayers of Paul in his letters are very practical and theological. Prayer, by its very nature, is practical and theological. So, when we think about any of the prayers of Paul, we learn how to relate to God in the ordinary everyday struggles of life.

In this article, we want to look at the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3:14-21. This prayer is set in the context of Ephesians, in which Paul was describing his call from God to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. He does this by explaining the eternal purposes of God to bring many to salvation. But in Paul’s ministry of preaching the gospel, he often faced suffering through persecution. In fact, Paul was writing this letter from a Roman prison. In his concern for the Ephesian believers, he asks them not to loose heart over his present suffering, “So I ask you not to loose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory” (3:13). Into that context, he prays the prayer of 3:14-21. This prayer is for their present need, but it has application to any need or struggle in which we may loose heart.

Prayer to the Father

We notice three parts to the flow of Paul’s prayer. In the first part of the prayer (3:14-15), Paul is addressing the Father for the needs of the Ephesians.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (3:14-15).

The Ephesian believers are in danger of loosing heart because Paul is suffering persecution. The best way for Paul to help them in their need is to pray to the Father for them, and send them the prayer so they know just what he is praying. Paul addresses his prayer to the Father, the Ephesians Heavenly Father. They need the comfort and confidence that the Father is with them. The whole family of God in heaven and on earth are loved children of God. The second part of the prayer is the heart of the prayer, consisting of two petitions (3:16-19). Then the third, and final, part of the prayer is the doxology (3:20-21).

Two Petitions

Prayer is not exclusively, but is most often, asking God for things. He calls us to come and ask him for the things we need, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). In this central part of the prayer, Paul asks for two things every believer needs, strength and love. Loosing heart is being discouraged. When we are discouraged, we need strength from God to carry on, and we need to know that Jesus loves us and has a plan for our lives. In this first petition, ,Paul asks the Father to give the Ephesian believers strength.

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (3: 16-17a).

There are four elements in this first petition: (1) The source of the strength is God’s grace (according to the riches of his glory he may grant you). (2) The agent of the strength is the Holy Spirit (through his Holy Spirit). (3) The location of the strength is the heart of believers (in your inner being). (4) The purpose of the strength is intimate fellowship with Jesus (that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith). Christ already dwells in their hearts by faith because they are already believers. But in their struggle with discouragement they need to experience the presence of Jesus in a real and personal way. Paul prays that the Holy Spirit will give them the strength for that experience. So, in our struggles with discouragement we also need the presence of Jesus to give us strength.

The second petition is a request to know the full dimensions of Christ’s love.

“That you being rooted and grounded in love, may have the capacity to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (3:17b-19).

In this second petition, there are three elements: (1) The position of believers with regard to Christ’s love is that they are rooted and grounded in love. They are saved. At salvation they knew for the first time the love of God in Jesus. Being rooted and grounded is the stability they have in that love. (2) The present need is for a deeper grasp and experience of Jesus’ love. They must comprehend the full dimensions of his love (breadth, length, height, and depth). This love is knowledge but it surpasses knowledge; it is the experience of love. (3) The purpose of this experience of Jesus’ love is that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. Experiencing the love of Jesus, we experience the fullness of His presence. The love of Jesus is demonstrated in the cross. Coming to know Jesus’ love in a deeper way is coming to grip with the meaning of the cross for salvation and for daily life. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Doxology

The prayer of Paul ends with a doxology. A doxology is a formal praise ascribing glory to God. Doxologies often have the basic form with variations, “To God be glory and honor and praise.” In this context, we have a doxological form that fits the need and emphasis of the prayer. The people Paul is praying for are discouraged because of persecution. Paul frames his praise to God to fit the need of his readers. The first part of the doxology is directed to God, describing him in terms that speak to the need of the people.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (3:20).

The Ephesians need to praise, and trust a God who is able to much more than they are asking him or can even think to ask him because he is at work in them. It is encouraging to know that God is at work in us even in our struggles. All people who are discouraged need to trust and praise the God who is able.

The second part of the doxology gives the praise.

“To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (3:21).

Again, the praise emphasizes what the Ephesian’s need. God gets glory in the church, even a struggling and discouraged church. This kind of a church can bring glory to God because the glory comes from Christ Jesus. The church is Jesus’ church. He builds it and leads it to accomplish his mission in the world. The glory the church brings God through Christ Jesus is eternal. No matter how weak they feel, their lives are making an eternal difference in the plan of God.

Conclusion

The prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3:14-21 is a master class on deep, rich theological prayer that perfectly fits the practical needs of the people for whom he is praying. This prayer is one that should be meditated on over and over again, and prayed often for ourselves, our families and our churches. It is a prayer powerhouse to chase away the dark clouds of discouragement that can invade the hearts of God people. It is also a prayer that teaches us how to pray, and empowers us to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives and our churches.

Crucifixion was a terrible way to die. It was a torturously slow and painful death. It was designed by the Romans to be intensely difficult to experience or to watch. You did not want to give Rome any reason to consider crucifying you. It was painful enough to have spikes driven into your hands and feet, but hanging on the cross suspended that way made breathing agonizing. You had to push up on the nail pierced feet to get a good breath, which was excruciatingly painful. To try to say something from the cross was even more difficult.

As difficult as it was to speak, Jesus spoke seven time from the cross. He obviously had something important to say each time. There on the cross, dying for the sins of the world, Jesus had some final words he wanted to say. We’re going to look at each of the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross to notice what was most important to him in his dying moments.

1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

The first thing that Jesus took the effort to say from his cross was a word of forgiveness. The one who preached forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-35; Mark 11:25; Luke 17:3-40), practiced forgiveness in an immensely difficult situation. This is a prayer to the Father asking him to forgive those who crucified him. They did not ask for forgiveness. Most of them would have mocked the idea. But Jesus still forgave them. We all think that we should forgive when wronged, but we find it harder to actually forgive. The deeper the hurt the harder the forgiveness. Jesus forgave the hardest possible hurt.

Who exactly are the people Jesus is forgiving here? Is it only the Roman soldiers who had just nailed him to the cross? I believe that it was not only the Roman soldiers, but also the religious leader who orchestrated the crucifixion of Jesus and who mocked him while he was on the cross. It was also the crowds who jeered and cried, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” But it was also the others in the crowd who painfully watched the whole grizzly ordeal. But even further than that it must include all those who had a hand in some way of putting him on the cross. We could even say it included not only those there who were involved in a direct or indirect way at that time, but those throughout history whose sins sent Jesus to the cross. There is room in Jesus’ forgiveness for you and me.

The reason Jesus gives for forgiving is that they don’t know what they are doing. But did not everyone involved in the crucifixion of Jesus know what they were doing? The religious leaders even calculated and plotted his death in an insidious way. They all knew what they were doing and are responsible for their actions. But in a certain sense they did not know the full spiritual dimensions of what was transpiring. Much of their ignorance is due to their rejection of Jesus. But they can still repent and trust in Jesus as we see in the second saying.

2. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

The second saying of Jesus is spoken to one of the two criminals who were crucified along side of him. There were three people crucified that day. Jesus was on the center cross and two were on either side of him. One of the criminals began to mock Jesus for his claims to be Messiah (Christ). In his painful dying moments he mocks the religious claims of another person. But the other criminal rebuke him, saying, “Do you not fear God?” The man implies that he fears God, and he goes on to take responsibility for his crimes and the situation in which he finds himself.

The man turned to Jesus and said to him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The man recognized Jesus as the Messiah King and asks for grace to be part of his kingdom. Jesus has spent three years calling people to do that very thing. Jesus responds to his request by saying, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Today . . . with Jesus . . . in paradise. To a repentant trusting criminal, Jesus extends the grace of forgiveness and salvation. To all repentant trusting criminals, Jesus extends the grace of forgiveness and salvation, even to you and me. That day, that man left this world and went with Jesus to the world of paradise. A place of no more sorrow, suffering or sin, but a place of unimaginable joy. But while still in this world, anyone has the opportunity to follow Jesus.

3. “Woman, behold, your son!” “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26-27)

There were many faces in the crowd that day watching the spectacle of a crucifixion. In the pain and suffering of the cross all those faces must have blurred together with the sweat and blood dripping down into Jesus’ eyes. But then, Jesus spotted a face he knew and cherished, a face he knew longer than any on earth. He saw the face of his mother.

There she stood not far from the cross with a group of women followers and with the disciple Jesus loved, John. Jesus was motivated to overcome the pain and struggle to say something, and he spoke to her. His words were brief, but his point was clear. He said, “Woman, behold, your son!” She had been painfully looking at her Son for some time. Now, Jesus directs her attention to another. He say to her, “Woman!” He does not say to her, “mother.” She was his mother, but she was more than that. She was the woman who had received the pride of place of all the Jewish women of her day. She was chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah. She was a humble women, blessed above all women.

Then Jesus said, “Behold, your son!” Jesus directs her gaze from himself to John. Behold! Look! Your son! With those words Jesus is caring for the future of his mother. He is honoring his mother. And in so doing he is saying that all should honor her for her place in the plan of God. From now on her son will be the beloved disciple, John.

But then, Jesus turns his attention to John to complete the transaction. He gives John his responsibility. “Behold, your mother.” “Look at this woman, John. She is now your mother.” Before, she was the mother of Jesus. Now, she is mother to John, but more importantly, he is the caring son to her. Even in his pain as life is slowly ebbing away, Jesus is sensitive to human relationships and the needs that arise. He feels her pain and provides for the heart of a mother and the love of a son.

4. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)

Jesus was the God-man. He was God incarnate. Jesus is truly and fully God, and truly and fully man. Jesus was, in every sense of the word, except for sin, human. He had to be human to be the mediator between God and men. And it was necessary as mediator to die for the sins of the world. As a man, Jesus suffered as all men, He felt the searing pain of crucifixion as any person would. And as all crucifixion victims, Jesus experienced the loss of blood and bodily fluids that precipitated an unquenchable thirst. Feeling that thirst deeply he cried out, “I thirst.” The thirst was so great that he expended the effort to verbalize his thirst. He’s asking for something to quench his thirst.

But this cry of great thirst is more than an acknowledgment of Jesus’ humanity. It is an intentional fulfillment of prophecy, as the text in John clearly states. We read in Psalm 69:21, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” This is the cheapest wine reserved for the crucified to show some tiny twisted pity. We also find the prophecy in Psalm 22:14-15. Psalm 22 is an amazingly detailed description of what Christ went through in the crucifixion. In verse fifteen we find this words describing the intense thirst Jesus experienced, “my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” Jesus fulfills even the minute details of the prophecy about him.

But the thirst of Jesus has an even deeper meaning. It has a spiritual meaning. The one who now thirsts physically is in that act of thirst is fulfilling what is necessary for those who experience spiritual thirst. Those who thirst for the Lord find the quenching of that thirst in Jesus. As he told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

5. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)

After Jesus was on the cross for three hours, God got the attention of everyone in Jerusalem. At high noon when the sun was at its highest point, darkness covered the whole land for three hours. The Father shrouds Golgotha, the Skull, with darkness as he judged the sins of the world on his Son. At the end of three hours, Jesus cries out what is called the cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

As God was pouring out the sins of the world on Jesus, he was drinking the full cup of the wrath of God against them. Jesus is quoting Psalm 22:1, the great Psalm of the cross. Jesus is experiencing and expressing the intense feeling of divine forsakenness. The Father forsook the Son to provide salvation to the world. Paul relates this divine forsakenness in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He who knew no sin, became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus became sin. He bore our sins in his body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

The great paradox of the cross is that while God forsook Jesus to give salvation, he did not utterly forsake him in that the Father was with Jesus to endure the cross and with him in the resurrection. God highly exalted Jesus in the resurrection. Jesus was forsaken by the Father so that we would not be forsaken but redeemed.

6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

As Jesus’ life draws to a close, he has an announcement to make. That announcement is to give clarity and meaning to what has happened in the crucifixion. This marks a point of completion. There are three levels of completion with the words, “It is finished.” The first is simply that the time of suffering is done. It is over, finished. The purpose and extent of his suffering is complete.

Second, Jesus is saying that his mission is finished, complete. What he came into the world to do is done. The father gave him a work to do and he has done it with perfect obedience. Sin is paid for. The captives will be set free.

And finally, the plan of God for the redemption of the world is complete. The divine decree from all eternity is completed in time at the cross. The resurrection is still to come, but it is an assurance because the cross is finished. Salvation is completed and Satan is defeated.

7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

When the work of the cross is all said and done Jesus voluntarily gives up his spirit to the Father. As the true man Jesus now experiences the full range of life with death. The simple reality of death is that the spirit leaves the body. The way Jesus dies shows the life he lived. It was a life of total dependence on the Father. “Into your hands” means the total dependence of complete trust. Jesus throughout his life had trusted the Father with complete and total trust. When you’re trusting in God’s hands you’re in the right place. Jesus faces death with faith. It is an act of surrender.

We read in Psalm 31:5, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” These are the words of David, but also the prayer of the Son of David, Jesus Christ. He is safe and secure in the Father’s hand. Jesus is redeemed from the power of the evil one. God is faithful. Jesus was faithful to the Father. The Father is faithful to Jesus. He can die in the knowledge that God is with him and he is with God.

Conclusion

The cross was the greatest act of self-sacrifice in all of human history. In those six hours, Jesus was giving himself for the sins of the world. But during that act of sacrificial dying, Jesus was caring for others. He was caring for his enemies when he forgave those who were responsible for crucifying him. And in that selfless act he was caring for all who were watching and hearing. The impact of that statement must have been overwhelming on those who saw it and heard it.

Then Jesus was caring for one man who had made a huge mess of his life. A man who in his last dying moments repudiated all his previous sins and turned to Jesus with repentance and faith.

But Jesus’ dying concern went even further. As his life was ebbing away Jesus cared for his mother by giving the responsibility for her to his closest friend. His focus was not on himself but on her.

But also think about what Jesus was doing. As he cared for all those who were there that day, he was also caring for all of us down through the years. All of us who needed forgiving, who had made a mess of our lives, and all of us who in the grip of grief needed someone to care for us. No greater love has any person demonstrated than Jesus did for all humankind.

The central person in Christianity is Jesus Christ. Christianity is about Jesus. He is the main figure in the Christian faith. In fact, Jesus is the most influential person who ever lived. To say His impact on the world is profound is an understatement. But at the same time most people do not follow Jesus in any significant way. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, very God himself, the Savior of the world. That makes Jesus a very important person. He is a person every other person should be curious to know.

The best way for people to know Jesus is by reading the Bible. Jesus is the main character in the Bible, even though he does not appear in the Bible until about two thirds of the way in. By his own claim the Old Testament speaks of him often. He is the central focus of the whole story of the Bible. He is the [promised Messiah Savior.

But when we do get to the historical person, Jesus of Nazareth, we find his story in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They all tell the story of the life of Jesus. The really interesting thing is that a significant part of each Gospel is devoted to the last week in Jesus’ life. If you do the math you’ll discover that about 29% of the book of Matthew is devoted to the last week, Mark devotes 37.5% to the last week, Luke about 23% and John a whopping 40%. Seeing that Jesus lived 30 plus years, that is a huge amount of ink spilled on one week. The last week of Jesus’ life must be very important.

Many Christians for centuries have referred to the final week in Jesus’ life as Holy Week. It is the most sacred time of the year for many followers of Jesus Christ. Holy Week covers the eight days from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem, but was raised in the small village of Nazareth in Galilee. He spent most of his ministry in Galilee, but often traveled to Jerusalem for many of the Jewish holy feasts. At the end of his life he traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. It was during this final week at the feast that Jesus was arrested and crucified. How did that happen? How did it come about that things got to the point that Jesus was killed for political and religious reasons? The answer to this question is what transpired in the final week. Holy Week was according to the eternal plan of God. Therefore, telling the story about each day of Holy Week is important. These events are critical to the saving faith of Christians. Therefore we will give an overview of each of the eight days of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday: Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday for the Passover feast. Knowing what the week would mean and that the cross was his destiny, Jesus orchestrated the events of Palm Sunday or the Triumphal Entry, as it is often called. He entered the city in such a way that it was clear that he was claiming to be the Messiah. He entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to the messianic accolades of the crowds, which was prophesied in the book of Zachariah (9:9). The story of Palm Sunday is found in Matthew 12:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44 and John 21:12-19.

Monday: Though all four gospels give a chronology of the week, Mark gives the best chronology. From Mark we learn what happened on Monday. The other gospels do not separate the days as clearly as Mark does. During Passover week the population of Jerusalem would swell by a factor of about ten. The city was packed without enough room for everyone to lodge. Jesus and his disciples were staying in the village of Bethany a short distance for Jerusalem. They probably stayed at the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. On Monday morning while he made the trip from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered a fig tree in leaf with no fruit. Strangely, Jesus’ reaction to the situation was to curse the tree. Entering the city of Jerusalem he went to the temple. There he made a whip and with righteous anger he drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple courts, turning over their tables. These events had great prophetic significance for the people of Israel who would that week reject and kill their Messiah. Their hardness of heart brought upon them the judgment of God. The events of Monday are found in Matthew 11:12-22; Mark: 11:12-19 and Luke 19:45-48.

Tuesday: Tuesday was a busy day. It was also a turning point in the events that led to the cross. It was a day of controversy. The Jewish religious leaders questioned Jesus’ authority to do what he did in the temple. The temple was their domain and they resented Jesus acting as if he owned the place. Jesus told the people parables directed at the religious leaders. Jesus was bringing an indictment against them for rejecting him and for failing to shepherd the people. Matthew gives the full list of parables Jesus told that day. Attempting to gain the upper hand, the chief priests and the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus in his words by asking leading questions. Jesus turned all their questions back on them showing them to be blinds guides. Jesus then turned the tables on them by asking them a question they could not answer concerning how the Christ (Messiah) could be David’s son and his Lord at the same time. Jesus then pronounced seven woes upon the religious leaders. A woe is a prophetic pronouncement of judgement.

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving the temple, one of the disciple made a comment on the grandeur of the temple complex. At that point Jesus gave them a teaching known as the Olivet Discourse. This teaching was about the coming judgement on Israel by the Romans, which occurred in 70 AD, and the judgment of God in the last days. He then told the disciples parables related to the end times. All the important events of Tuesday are found in Matthew 21:23-25:46; Mark 11:20-13:37 and Luke 20:2-21:38.

Wednesday: After all the controversy on Tuesday, Wednesday is a pivotal day. Jesus taught in the temple on Wednesday. He taught every day in the temple according to Luke 19:47. But the main events of Wednesday were the religious leaders plot to kill Jesus (Mark 14:1-2). They had desired to kill Jesus for some time, but after the events of the last few days, their desire to dispose of him became more desperate and intense. They found the way to carry out their plot when, on that same day, Judas when to them to betray Jesus into their hands (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11 Luke 22:1-6).

Thursday: Jesus again taught in the temple on Thursday, but the most significant thing that occurred that day was the preparation for the Passover. “And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover” (Mark 14:12). Passover was just one day in length, and the feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated for a full week. It was customary, according to the law of Moses, for the Passover lamb to be sacrificed and the Passover meal celebrated at sundown, which began the new day according to Jewish reckoning of time. Jesus had made arrangements to use an upper room in the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with his disciples. Jesus sent two disciple there to make the necessary preparation for the meal.

Good Friday: That evening, as Friday began, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples. During the meal Jesus transformed part of the Passover ritual into the Lord’s Supper, where the bread represented the body of Jesus and the cup represented his blood given for us (Matthew 26:20-35; Mark 14:17-31; Luke 22:14-38). After the meal Jesus gets up form his place and washes his disciples feet (John 13:1-20). This symbolic act was looking to the cross, but also was an object lesson on humble service in the body of Christ.

After Jesus washed the disciples feet, Judas left the upper room to go and betray Jesus into the hands of the religious authorities. At that time Jesus began a lengthy teaching many call the upper room discourse (John 13:31-17:26). In this teaching Jesus explained to his disciples what will soon happen that night and the next few days. Jesus also gives a detailed teaching on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The upper room discourse ends in chapter 17 with Jesus’ high priestly prayer. He prays first for himself concerning what is coming up in the crucifixion and the resurrection, He then prays for his disciples and lastly for all who will believe in him in the future. This prayer is an amazing and powerful prayer.

Jesus and his disciples leave the upper room and travel across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives where they enter the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays in the garden with his disciples who have a hard time staying awake (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). The garden must have been a favorite place for Jesus to pray because Judas knew the place and brought a crowd of soldiers and temple officials there to arrest Jesus. At the garden Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus allows the tempe authorities to take him into custody (Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11).

Then those who arrested Jesus took him for two sets of trials. First, there are the Jewish trails before Annas, a former high priest and the father-in-law of the current high priest, then to Caiaphas, the current high priest, and finally before the Jewish council called the Sanhedrin. It was during these trials that Peter denied Jesus three times. Second, there are the Roman trials. The council then took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor to have him put to death. When Pilate learns that Jesus is from Galilee, he sends him to Herod who has jurisdiction in Galilee. Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus and sent him back to Pilate. Pilate could find no wrongdoing in Jesus and wanted to release his, but the chief priests were so insistent, that Pilate capitulated and delivered Jesus to be crucified.

The Roman soldiers took Jesus to a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Golgotha. There that crucified him between two criminals (Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:21-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:16-37). Jesus suffered all these things to be the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. God judged sin on Jesus rather than on us. “He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

After Jesus was dead, a wealthy man, who was a member of the Jewish council, named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body and buried Jesus in his own tomb. He was assisted by Nicodemus another rich man who was also a member of the Jewish council. They did this quickly because it was the day of Preparation and the Sabbath was beginning (Luke 23: 50-53; John 19: 38-42). A detail of soldiers were posted at the tomb to secure it so that nothing would happen to the body (Matthew 27:62-66).

Saturday: A group of women who were followers of Jesus followed Joseph and Nicodemus to the tomb to find out where they put Jesus. When they saw the tomb where Jesus was buried they returned to where they were staying and prepared spices and ointments for Jesus’s body. Since the Sabbath was beginning they rested all that day (Luke 23:54-56). His disciples were in hiding for fear of the religious leaders.

Resurrection Sunday: Early on the next morning, which was Sunday, the women went to the tomb. They knew where it was located because they had been there the day before to find its location. When they arrived at the tomb they discovered that it was empty. They encountered two angles at the tomb who said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:5-7). The women ran to tell Peter and John who ran to the tomb and also found it empty. Later that morning the resurrected Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and to the other women. He also appeared to the disciples without Thomas. A week later he appeared to all the disciples including Thomas who confessed that Jesus was his Lord and God. Over the next forty days Jesus appeared to many people many times in groups large and small. There was no doubt in any of their minds that Jesus was alive. He had been resurrected indeed! The grave could not hold him!

Conclusion: Holy Week is the significant event in the life of Jesus, and therefore the most significant event in all of human history. It is through Holy Week that we make our way to the cross. The cross is the place that God atones for our sin. Jesus bore our sins in his body on the tree. And it is the cross that leads to the resurrection. Through the cross and the resurrection Jesus defeats sin, death, and Satan. As we celebrate Holy Week it is a time to reflect on all that God has done for us in Jesus. We can meditate on all the details that had to fall into place for salvation to be accomplished. And in Holy Week we can see the tender loving card of our good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Fear is a human emotion all people have experienced. It can be very troubling and cause people to act in irrational ways. We have all struggled with fear in the forms of worry and anxiety. The Bible talks quite a lot about fear. The command, “Fear not!” Is found dozens of times in the Bible. But fear can be sinful disobedience or just a natural human reaction to adverse circumstances. There is a fear that the Bible not only recommends but commands we have in our hearts. That fear is the fear of the Lord.

Fear for the Lord is the humble response to the realization of the immense responsibilities we have before a Holy God. It is the realization that God knows and sees all tings. The Lord is a God of love and grace, which brings us comfort and peace, but He is also a God who calls us to obey His Word. He calls us to obedience because it is the best thing for us and because we owe our creator obedience. So we often feel the burden of obedience as well as the joy of obedience. The fear of the Lord is also the experience of the felt presence of the Lord with us. Basically, the fear of the Lord is to be understood as deep reverence or awe for the Holy God and not a paralyzing fear of an unknown threat. Rather than repelling, the fear of the Lord draws the worshipper to the Lord, but keeps the familiarity from becoming frivolous. We humbly approach the God who calls us near. In Exodus 20;20, Moses tells the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai after they experienced the awesome presence of the Lord, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.” They were not to be terror stricken before the awesome Lord, but to bow in deep reverence to Him that moved them to serve Him.

The fear of the Lord is also a common phrase in wisdom literature, especially in Proverbs. The phrase is found 14 times in the book (1:7, 29; 2:5; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26, 27; 15:16, 33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4; 23:17), which shows the deeply God-centered nature of wisdom in Proverbs. Those who would posses the wisdom of the Lord must come into His presence with reverence. The fear of the Lord and wisdom are related. We see this in the phrase, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is something all people who humble themselves with great reverence before the Holy God can possess.

We find the words, “Fear and trembling” used in the Bible to connote the serious nature of the fear one has for the Lord. We find the idea in both the OT and the NT. In the OT we find the it in Psalm 2:11 to show the response one must have to the Lord who judges the wicked righteously, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” In the NT the phrase is used in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out you salvation with fear and trembling.” The call here is to work out the salvation they have rather than work for the salvation they seek. Living before the face of the gracious God is a serious matter. We are to devote ourselves to working out our salvation in daily life in a manner that pleases the Lord.

But maybe we see the fear of the Lord most clearly in the story of the call of the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-8. In this passage we see the vision Isaiah received from the Lord. It came at a difficult time in the life of the nation and in Isaiah’s life. It was the year that King Uzziah died. King Uzziah had a long and prosperous reign. It was a time of stability for the people. At his death everyone felt the instability, especially Isaiah. It was that very year that Isaiah received the vision. Isaiah saw a glorious vision of the majestic Lord, the true King, sitting upon a throne in the temple. He is the sovereign Lord whose presence resided in the temple. Isaiah also saw seraphim, holy angels with six wings, flying about the temple calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” The angels cry out and proclaim the holiness of the Lord. He is matchless in His majesty. In His holiness He infinitely transcends every created being and demands their reverence. As many have noted, the Lord is not only holy, and holy, holy; He is holy, holy, holy. The glory of HIs holiness fills the whole earth. With the thunderous voice of the angles the thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Isaiah was humbled and himself deeply shaken by this vision. He cried out, “Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Isaiah thought that he would be immediately destroyed because he a sinner had seen the Lord of glory. But at that moment, one of the seraphim flew to him with a burning coal from the altar. The angel touched Isaiah’s mouth with the coal and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” The altar was the place of atoning sacrifice. The innocent was killed in place of the guilty. The sinner was made right with the Holy God. This is a picture of the cross of Jesus Christ. Then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” At this compelling call Isaiah cried out, “Here am I! Send me!”

In this vision of Isaiah we see the essence and heart of the fear of the Lord. Those who truly fear the Lord see Him as He is. That is why they fear Him. They shake with reverence because of his awesome presence. But in their humility they find atonement in the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. And in that reverential awe they answer the call of God upon their life. The fear of the Lord moves them and drives them into the presence and service of the Lord of glory. And in that place they are filled with the blessing of a sense of that glory of the Lord that is beyond description.

Whenever my soul feels dry and my spirit is weary, I go back to the vision Isaiah saw of the holy glory of the Lord and my soul is revived and my passion rekindled. It is this God, Almighty in Majesty, Infinite in Glory who loves me, sent His Son to atone for my sin and called me into His saving presence. What can one do but bow in humility before Him. He is the one true and mighty God who demands and deserves our reverential fear.

What is God like? Can we trace out his ways with perfect accuracy? The answer to these questions are more difficult than they might seem. God refuses to be put in a box. He refuses to dance to our tune. But by paying attention to the actions and attitudes of God in Scripture, we can learn how to relate to him and even walk with him. The book of Jonah is a great place to stand back and watch God at work as he deals with selfish and weak people.

Jonah is a unique book among the prophets. The only prophetic message given by the prophet in the whole book is the one sentence sermon to the people of Nineveh in chapter three, verse four. The book is really a story. It is a story about God’s reluctant prophet and how God deals with him. It’s also a story about God’s compassion and concern for people, and his just judgment on the wicked. These two realities together show us the complexity of life and of God’s dealing with us. The book presents Jonah as the reluctant prophet, but also paradoxically, God as the reluctant judge.

The book is unique in another sense. Jonah writes about one season of his prophetic ministry that is a great success and at the same time a great failure. Jonah preaches to a large city that is antagonistic to his message and they all repent. It’s hard to imagine a greater ministry success story. Yet, at the same time it is a great failure. Jonah is a failure in the most profound way. He fails in the purity of his heart. He did the right thing for the wrong reason. In this Jonah is a reflection of all people. Corruption invades the heart even when the right thing is done. Only under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can one be so honest about himself.

Historical Context

The book itself gives no indication as to when the story takes place. There are no historical markers except that the story must occur before the fall of the city of Nineveh to the Babylonians. We do get a clue from 2 Kings 14:25 which mentions the prophet Jonah prophesying during the reign of Jeroboam II (782-753 BC). At that time the Assyrians (Nineveh was the capital city) were not as powerful as they later became, though they were still a powerful and cruel people. Jonah had deep-seated prejudices against the people of Nineveh, which fueled his rebellion and fleeing from the Lord.

Flow of the Book

The four chapters of the book basically represent the four movements of the story of the Lord’s call and Jonah’s ministry to Nineveh. The story deals with God’s call on Jonah to go preach against Nineveh, Jonah’s rejection of that call, the Lord dealing with his fleeing prophet, Jonah’s repentance and obedience to go and preach against Nineveh, the repentance of the people of Nineveh and Jonah’s displeasure and anger with the Lord’s compassion and mercy on the hated city of Nineveh. The story ends with a question, a question that probes the heart of Jonah (and us) about the heart of God. The book is a powerful story that causes one to ask important questions about themselves and their relationship with the Lord. If the prophet of the Lord struggled to be obedient and to serve the Lord with compassion, then what might be our attitude to the call of God on our lives.

The story of the book of Jonah unfolds in the following way:

1. Jonah’s Call and Disobedience (ch. 1)

2. Jonah’s Prayer and the Lord’s Rescue (ch.2)

3. Jonah’s Second Call and Obedience (ch. 3)

4. Jonah’s Anger and The Lord’s Compassion (ch. 4)

Jonah’s Call and Disobedience (ch. 1)

The story begins with the word of the Lord coming to Jonah to go preach against the evil city of Nineveh. Instead of going in obedience to Nineveh, Jonah runs in the opposite direction boarding a pagan ship. A raging storm ensues and Jonah is forced to confess his culpability As a result the sailors reluctantly throw him into the sea. The first movement of the story shows how God deals with his disobedient prophet. As Jonah moves farther away from the will of God geographically, he moves farther away from God spiritually. God brings pain into Jonah’s life as a display of his grace to lead the runaway prophet back to obedience. We see God’s hand pursuing Jonah in all the circumstances of chapter one. The Lord is in control. Jonah runs from the presence of the Lord, but he cannot escape the relentless pursuit of the Lord. At the end of the chapter we find Jonah in the sea swallowed by a God-directed fish.

Jonah’s Prayer and The Lord’s Rescue (ch. 2)

Chapter two is a prayer in poetic form. Verses one and ten are a non-poetic introduction and conclusion, while verses 2-9 are the poetic prayer. In the prayer, Jonah praises the Lord for rescuing him from the sea by sending a great fish to swallow him and deposit him on dry land. We are especially joyful when in the grip of some calamity, the Lord comes to our rescue, however unlikely the means of the rescue might be.

When Jonah is thrown overboard by the sailors he sinks to the bottom of the sea and is in danger of drowning. There he prays to the Lord he is running from, and the Lord sends a great fish to rescue him. The Lord hears the prayers of runaways when they cry out. The fish is not the punishment but the rescue. God pursues Jonah to the depths of the sea to restore the relationship. Running from the Lord is no excuse to continue in that same direction, especially when things go from bad to worse. When we are in trouble we cannot extract ourselves from, we turn to the Lord in humble prayer.

Jonah’s Second Call and Obedience (ch. 3)

Rescued from the sea, the Lord has Jonah’s attention. The call comes a second time for Jonah to go preach against Nineveh. This time Jonah obeys, walking through the city with a message of judgment. Miraculously, the people of Nineveh believe God. Why would these pagan people believe the Lord’s prophet? If there was some pending disaster or some looming problem that urgently pressed upon them, they would have naturally turned to their pages gods. But instead they repented calling for a fast and putting on sackcloth. Why did the people of Nineveh repent and turn to the Lord? There was nothing in their culture or the circumstances of their lives and times that had the power to move them to repentance. It was a miracle of God. The miracle of repentance in the pagan city of Nineveh is greater than the miracle of the great fish! Good is at work in his world for his glory and the salvation of souls.

When the Lord saw them repent and turn from evil, he relented from sending judgment on them. God responds in mercy at the repentance of sinners. Repentance turns judgment into mercy.

Jonah’s Anger and The Lord’s Compassion (ch.4)

God’s mercy on the people of Nineveh greatly angered Jonah. Jonah prays a second time to the Lord. This prayer is a selfish angry prayer that resents God showing mercy to the people he hates. Jonah is so angry that he asks the Lord to take his life. Prejudice is an ugly beast that pollutes the heart. Selfish hate only brings sourness to the soul.

Jonah goes outside the city to watch, hoping the Lord will in fact bring judgment on them. While he waits the Lord provides Jonah a plant to give him shade, to relieve his discomfort in the sun. At this, Jonah was very happy. Then the Lord provides a worm to eat the plant. After that the Lord provides a scorching east wind to intensify the heat on Jonah. With this turn of events Jonah in unhappy again and asks the Lord to take his life. At that perfect moment the Lord asks Jonah a question, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” Jonah has no appreciation for the Lord’s provision or the lesson he is teaching him. He is focused on himself. Jonah had no concern for the many souls in Nineveh but only for his own comfort.

The book ends with the Lord asking Jonah, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” The question is really about the heart of Jonah and the heart of the Lord. Those who know the Lord must align their hearts with his. It is a hard thing to change a heart set on hate. The book ends without knowing Jonah’s response. Maybe the question is for us as well as Jonah. How do we answer in our own struggles? Does the Lord have the right to show mercy and judgment according to his eternal plan?

Jonah Speaks Today

In the book of Jonah we run headlong into the brick wall of God’s severe mercy. Mercy will have its way with us even if it must bruise us up a bit. The mercy of God in the book of Jonah is big, powerful and robust. Mercy is often seen as a weakness, but is shown to be a great strength in the book of Jonah. God’s mercy flows out of his love and compassion for the plight of people. People are broken, fallen and sinful. They tend to move away from God. They rebel against him at every turn. Even his own prophet is rebellious. Yet, in the face of all that, God loves people and pursues them. In the book of Jonah God shows his severe mercy to the people of Nineveh, to the pagan sailors and to the prophet of the Lord, Jonah.

The relationship between mercy and justice is complex and difficult to fully trace out. God is just and people deserve the judgment that comes from his justice. He is fair to give it. But then mercy shows up as if God is reluctant to judge. An offer of forgiveness is extended, often with some pain to prime the pump. If it is received, mercy flows, if not, just judgment falls. But even for those who have received forgiveness, like Jonah, mercy still pursues. Undeserved favor is given. In this way, God’s plan of redemption moves forward. The world is changed.

Also in the book of Jonah we notice the sovereign providence of God. The short book of Jonah is brimming over with the sovereign providence of God. Though the world seems random, the Lord is in control of every movement, every moment and every mind in it. The Lord sends wind and fish to do his will. Jonah is cast into the raging sea of God’s sovereign providence. And when Jonah was waiting and wishing to see the Lord cast some form judgment upon the great pagan city of Nineveh, the Lord appoints a plant to comfort him, then sends a worm and a scorching east wind to discomfort him. All from the wise hand of the Lord, though often unwanted by Jonah, the perfect need of the moment. God’s invisible hand shapes his plan in the lives of his people. Often unnoticed and unappreciated, the providence of God guards and guides his people toward his purposes and their destiny.

The road to embrace the severe mercy of God is along the narrow path of repentance. Repentance is the impulse that connects the heart of God to the heart of his humble servant. In the book of Jonah we see the repentance of the prophet Jonah, pagan sailors and the people of Nineveh. The fleeing prophet of God repents and fearful pagans far from God repent. Repentance is turning from a wayward direction to the path of the Lord. It is the realization of spurning the goodness of God, and then the resolute decision, with God’s help, to turn around, to change. In repentance we own our transgressions and seek God’s forgiving heart.

The story of Jonah is much more than a fish story. It is the story of God pursuing those who run from him, prophet or pagan. God is on mission in the world. The whole Bible and the work of God in the world is a rescue mission. God is on mission to save people, and he calls his people to be on mission with him. The mission may be near or far, Nineveh or Samaria. So also, Jesus was on mission. His entering the world was an act of mission. The ultimate mission was the agony of the cross and the glory of the resurrection.

Conclusion

The book of Jonah is a short book packed full of encouraging truth. The book is like a fresh breeze of God’s love and grace, but it is also like a mirror. Mirrors reveal reality. They show us who we really are. In Jonah we can see ourselves as we are. Lovers of the Lord, but fearful and often angry. We can find ourselves repentant and selfish at the same time. But in all this the Lord knows our hearts. He has a plan for our lives and he pursues us for his glory and our good. The book of Jonah shows us as we are and as we can be.

What did the cross of Christ accomplish? What did the death of Jesus provide for the believer? What does humanity need to be reconciled to God? These are serious and important questions. They are questions concerning the biblical doctrine of the Atonement. Throughout the history of the Church the doctrine of the Atonement was articulated in various ways. These are often called theories of the atonement. The seven main theories are: Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA), Christus Victor, Satisfaction, Ransom, Moral Influence, Government, and Recapitulation. Of all these theories PSA is the most controversial and it has been for some time, but is more so in recent years. It seems that many people are bringing the doctrine into question or even denying that it is biblical altogether. I do not believe these theories are actually theories but aspects of what Christ achieved for sinners, and PSA is the central aspect of the atonement from which all others flow. Without penal substitution there is no atonement. There is no AT-ONE-MENT. We are estranged form God by our sins. The consequence of this estrangement is judgment or punishment. God is holy righteousness and just. He must judge sin. But God is also loving and merciful. He offers Himself (The Father sends the Son) as a substitute to suffer the punishment for our sins. We find PSA in many passages in the Bible. The most clear and moving passage is Isaiah 53. This essay is not a critique of the theories of atonement or an answer to the objections to PSA, though both of those are a worthwhile ventures. This essay is an exposition of Isaiah 53.

The Bible is a large and complex book. It is often hard to understand. It helps to keep in mind that the Bible has two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. And a simple and accurate way to get at the heart of the Bible is to say that in the Bible the OT is about promise and the NT is about fulfillment. What does the OT promises and the NT fulfill? Broadly speaking, the OT promises salvation (atonement) and the NT fulfills the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ. We find the promises of salvation most often in the OT books of Psalms and Isaiah. In the book of Isaiah the promises are diverse and varied. One of the beautiful and meaningful ways we see the promise of salvation in Isaiah is in the Servant Songs. There are four of these Servant Songs in Isaiah that give us insight about the person and work of the Messiah (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12). The fourth and final servant song is the most detailed and moving of them all, and deals directly with PSA.

Isaiah 53 is about the suffering of the servant sacrificing himself for sin. We do not find anywhere in the Bible a clearer depiction of what Jesus did on the cross than in Isaiah 53. The chapters and verses in the Bible were not in the original text, but were added much later to facilitate the study of the Bible. They are often a good representation of the flow of the message, but sometimes are off a bit. That is what we find here in Isaiah 53. The suffering servant song begins with the last three verses of Isaiah 52, (52:13-15).

The structure of the suffering servant song is in three parts alternating between the testimony of the Lord and the testimony of people. First, we have the testimony of the Lord: the exaltation and humiliation of His suffering servant (52:13-15). Second, there is the testimony of people: The meaning of the suffering and death of the Lord’s servant (53:1-9). And third, we see the Lord’s testimony: exhalation of the servant, offering atonement for the sins of the people according to the will of the Lord (53:10-12).

Exaltation and Humiliation of the Servant

The final servant song begins with the testimony of the Lord as to the work of the suffering servant in honor and in dishonor. The Lord gives his servant the highest honor because he acts wisely, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely, he shall be highly lifted up, and shall be exalted.” The servant acts wisely in that he fulfills the work of salvation the Lord sent him to do. He did not waver from it. Though he was misunderstood and persecuted, he continued to do the will of the Lord in his mission. The ultimate exaltation will be that the servant, the resurrected Jesus, will sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

The humiliation of the suffering servant will come at the hands of wicked people who beat him and crucified him, distorting his appearance beyond that of a human person. “As many were appalled at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of mankind.” Jesus suffered the hatred and violence of people against him as a sacrifice for sin according the the plan of the Father.

By submitting to the horrors of the cross, Jesus was highly exalted in resurrection and was seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. In this position he will sprinkle kings and nations with his glory. “He will sprinkle many nations; kings will shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they understand.” The suffering servant, because of his willingness to suffer, will be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He will bring in the kingdom of God.

Suffering and Death of the Servant

In the second section (53:1-9) we see the human testimony of the meaning of the suffering and death of the Lord’s servant. This section has three subsections: (1) 53:1-3; (2) 4-6; (3) 7-9. The first subsection begins in 53:1 with two questions where the second answers the first. “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” The answer to the first question is, “no one,” until the gospel message is revealed, the second question. People reject Jesus until the gospel message is revealed to their hearts by the Holy Spirit, then they see and know the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). Next, verses two and three explain the rejection of the suffering servant. “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and aquatinted with grief, and one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not.” Jesus did not come as a human king or a military man or one of the esteemed religious leaders, but as a teacher and healer among the multitude of the poor. In fact, the elites of the day rejected and despised him and ultimately led most of the common people to do the same. Thus only the Spirit of God can woe people to Jesus.

The next subsection of the song (53:4-6) is the heart of the song expressing the vicarious suffering of the servant for the transgressions of the people. It was for sinners that he willingly died. He carried all our brokenness and alienation from God (53:4), yet we cared not for him. “Surely he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.” In the suffering of Jesus there was the great exchange. He was pierced, crushed and chastised in our place, and we received peace and healing (53:5). “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” The wounding of the sinless one brought healing to the sinners. This is a clear expression of penal substitutionary atonement. Next, the metaphor changes to the sheep who strayed away and the shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep (53:6). “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” We turned away from the way of God to our own way. But he, the perfect one, the Lord laid on him the weight of our distain for the way of the Lord.

In the next subsection (53:7-9), we see all the sordid business of the process of his humiliation in crucifixion. There is a three step process described here. First, he was severely beaten and unjustly tried, yet he made no defense (53:7). “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Second, he is led away to the place of crucifixion and nailed to a tree while the religious leaders and the people cursed and spat upon him (53:8). “By opposition and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgressions of my people?” And finally, we see the burial of the innocent one who died for others. He would be buried with the rich (53:9). “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”

Atonement and Exaltation of the Servant

In the third and final section of the song (53:10-12) we once again see the Lord’s testimony of the servant receiving exaltation for offering atonement for his people according to the will of the Lord. This section has three subsections as did the second section, corresponding to each of the three verses. In the first subsection (53:10) we are told that it was the will of the Lord to crush his servant by crucifixion and death. It was the plan of God from all eternity to provide salvation through the death of his Son. But it was the servant who poured out his soul as a guilt offering, and in so doing he shall see offspring and prolong his days. This is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus and salvation of many people. “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering of guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”

In the second subsection (53:11) we see that the anguish of the servant’s soul experienced in the crucifixion, became satisfaction to him in the knowledge that many will be justified (declared righteous) by his atoning death. The righteous one, Jesus, make many righteous, sinners, by providing forgiveness for their iniquities through his death (2 Corinthians 5:21). “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

In the third and final subsection (53:12) we find the conclusion to the song with a declaration of victory through the death of the servant for the sin of many. Victory through apparent defeat is the glory of the gospel. Death brings life. Here we see the servant, Jesus, poured out his soul to death for the salvation of many. In so doing he makes intercession for transgressors. “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Conclusion

Isaiah 53 is without a doubt the clearest and most powerful prophecy concerning the death of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, in the Bible. The chapter is written in poetic language which provides a highly evocative expression of the suffering and death of Jesus. But the most moving aspect of the song is that it provides the reader with the meaning of the death of the servant of God, Jesus Christ. It answers the questions: Why did Jesus have to die? What does the death of Jesus mean to people? The servant song in Isaiah 53 is the clearest articulation of the biblical teaching of penal substitutionary atonement. We find Isaiah 53 quoted in the New testament in seven passages (Matthew 8:14-17; Luke 22:35-38; John 12:37-41; Acts 8: 26-35; Romans 10:11-21; 1 Peter 2:19-25). Two of these passage deal directly with penal substitutionary atonement (Acts 8:26-35; 1 Peter 2:19-25). The death of Jesus was a substitute for the penalty that our sin brought upon us, and was the means by which we are put in a right relationship with God. The beauty of all this is that it is the eternal plan of God that demonstrates His great love for us. It is the way, the only way, God heals His broken world.

How can suffering be a gift? Maybe you’d like to skip that gift. Here are six ways the Bible teaches us that suffering is a gift we need.

1. Suffering Strengthens Faith

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2–3, ESV).

Suffering and trials tests our faith and strengthen it by producing steadfastness. It’s like going to the gym and working out. It strengthens our muscles. So also, suffering stretches and strengthens our faith. We are forced to trust God in the pain.

2. Suffering Builds Character

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4, ESV).

As we face the difficulties of suffering and are able to find some joy and endurance, we are building character in our lives. It’s like building a house. The house never gets built unless we work at it. We have to persevere and not give up. We can start the house but give up part of the way through and it stands as a testimony to our failure. Building the house of character requires perseverance in suffering.

3. Suffering Produces Humility

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9, ESV).

Suffering makes us look weak and it’s painful. Suffering is like a thorn in the flesh. It humbles us. We usually can’t get rid of the suffering ourselves, we need God’s grace to turn our weakness into strength. The strength we need is humility. Life is ultimately about God’s grace. In another place Paul asks the Corinthians what they had that they didn’t receive. They had nothing they didn’t receive. It was all grace. Suffering helps us be humble and acknowledge the grace.

4. Suffering Develops Empathy

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, ESV).

When we go through some suffering, we know what it’s like when someone else faces a similar situation. We can share with them what God has taught us in the trenches of trouble. We can walk with them in the valley of the shadow of pain. Maybe the situation is too painful so we can say nothing but provide our presence. If we had not experienced the pain, we would not have the gift to share.

5. Suffering Teaches Obedience

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8, ESV).

Even Jesus, as a man, learned obedience through his suffering. Suffering can teach wonderful lessons. If we suffer and don’t learn them, we’ve wasted our pain. People always grow much more in their adversity than in their prosperity. It is the nature of suffering to be a teacher.

6. Suffering Brings Intimate Fellowship with Christ

“That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10, ESV).

Jesus suffered. He suffered more than anyone ever suffered. His suffering provides us with eternal salvation. We can, in some small way, join him in his suffering as we suffer. It is a kind of fellowship, a kind of communion with our Savior. It is a precious gift to walk with Jesus through the darkness of suffering. He is with us every step of the way.

Conclusion:

Suffering is the way of this fallen, broken world. We all suffer. Suffering is a gift from God. He means it for our good. If we can embrace suffering with the attitude of a gift, it will truly be a blessing.

Adversity finds it way into every life in some form, but when it comes with crushing devastation it seems too hard to bear. How does one cope with the physical, emotional and spiritual pain when such immense weight falls upon the soul? Jeremiah struggles with the answer to this perplexing question of the intersection of pain and faith. Jeremiah was a man of God, indeed the prophet of God. Yet he suffered with the people of God. Jeremiah’s love for the people of God, the place of God (the Holy City Jerusalem), and especially the purposes of God, leads him to express his broken heart in the form of lament. The lament was a very Hebraic way of emotional expression. The lament psalm is even more common than the praise psalm in the book of Psalms, the book of praises. For these ancient people of God, lamentation was the way to work through the experiences of brokenness. Lamentation is a kind of prayer for the limping prayer warrior. God hears the prayers of lament from his people with mercy and kindness.

The book of Lamentations is part of Holy Scripture, it is the Word of God. As such, God has a message for us in this book. It is not a book people often read, but it has something to say to us for our lives. This article is meant to help believers read the book of Lamentations and hear the voice of God in it.

The book of Lamentations is a book of poetry. It is located in the Prophetic books in the Bible, but in the Hebrew Bible it is in the section called the Writings, in which we find other books of poetry like Psalms and Proverbs. Lamentations contains five complex poems, which we will discuss in some detail later in this article. The book laments the fall of Jerusalem with the resulting pain and suffering. It is skillfully and powerfully presented. The emotions Jeremiah felt are conveyed to the reader.

Historical Context

The book does not explicitly identify its author, though most ancients and moderns consider Jeremiah to be the author of the book. We will follow that assumption, which is a good one, that the lament poems of the book flow from the heart and experiences of the prophet Jeremiah. The time of the writing of the book falls sometime in the early days following the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and then the exile to Babylon. The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem for more than thirty months. The battle for the city was intense. The book has the feel of an eyewitness who still lives among the ruins and rubble of the city.

The experience of the siege and destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its people is beyond description and imagination. The images of pain and suffering and sorrow were burned deep into the soul of the writer. It appears that these events were fresh on his mind. The vivid and moving poetic descriptions expose the heart of the poet.

The Flow of the Book

The book of Lamentations in composed of five poems. The poet utilized two Hebraic poetic forms, acrostic and chiastic forms. In the acrostic form we find that the first line or stanza of the poem begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the second line with the second letter and so on throughout the entire alphabet. There are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. With the chiastic form the first line or section is parallel with the last and the second with the second to the last. The center line(s) or section(s) stand by themselves and are the main focus of the poem. The five poems (four acrostic and one non-acrostic) form a chiastic structure following the form where A parallels A’ and B parallels B’ and C is the center: (A) Present Pain (chapter 1), (B) Past Failure (chapter 2), (C) Future Hope (chapter 3), (B’) Past Failure (chapter 4), (A’) Present Pain (chapter 5). The book, thus begins and ends with the reality of present pain. The center section (C) Future Hope, is the main focus of the book. Despite the present pain and past failure, future hope is the main focus of Jeremiah’s poem. This divine truth speaks comfort into every hurting heart.

Present Pain: The Devastated City: Chapter 1 (Acrostic 22 Verses/3 lines per verse)

In this acrostic poem the narrator depicts the ruin and pain that the city of Jerusalem now experiences (1:1-11). The once proud and city full of people, now sits empty and shamed. One can feel the wistful mourning in the words of Jeremiah. The poetic voice shifts and Zion speaks (1:12-22). She acknowledges the guilt of the city, because she trusted in other nations rather than the Lord. She now needs help, but all her former lovers have abandoned her. In her pain and bitterness she prays that they may be as she now is.

Past Failure: The Lord’s Judgment: Chapter 2 (Acrostic 22 Verses/3 lines per verse)

The acrostic poem in chapter two also has two voices, the narrator and an eyewitness. In the first voice (2:1-10) we see that the hot anger of the Lord burning against his people in judgment. They has abandoned Him and served other gods. His warnings through the prophets was rejected. So he devastated the land and its people, and dispossessed them as his people. Another voice steps forward to lament, speaking directly to Zion the daughter of Jerusalem (2:11-22). The sorrow of the eyewitness results in a physical reaction because of the suffering of the children in the city. The intense suffering of the most vulnerable leads the eyewitness to chastise the people for following false prophets. Despite their sin and the Lord’s just judgment, they cry to the him for mercy in their pain.

Future Hope: Great is Your Faithfulness: Chapter 3 (Acrostic 66 Verses/1 line per verse)

The singular voice in chapter three is one who has seen affliction but know the mercies of the Lord. This is a person who is honest with his pain but trusts the Lord. He first recounts his affliction in great detail (3:1-20). But the tone changes and hope dawns with a shift in focus on the Lord in the pain (3:21-39). Hope is renewed. The Lord is faithful and has purpose in all he does, so the afflictions he brings must be endured with faith. Then a call for self-examination and repentance goes forth (3:40-51). The poet ends this central poem with a call to the Lord for help and vindication (3:52-66).

Past Failure: Deep Destruction: Chapter 4 (Acrostic 22 Verses/2 lines per verse)

Chapter four returns to the theme of past failure and the Lord’s destruction. We again see the pain of God’s judgment fall especially hard on the children (4:1-10). Then we find God’s judgment on the religious leaders who led the people astray and bear the lion’s share of the blame (4:11-16). The poet revisits the idea that Judah was no match for those the Lord sent to devastate them (4:17-20). This poem ends with the hope that the suffering is at last ended (4:21-22).

Present Pain: Struggle for Life: Chapter 5 (Non-Acrostic 22 verses/1 line per verse)

The final poem is non-acrostic prayer, yet it has 22 lines. It is acrostic in function if not in form. The poet cries out to the Lord as he painfully describes every day life as a struggle to live under the yoke of the aftermath of destruction. Joy has left life. Violence rules the day. Life is hard. Yet, the last four lines of the poem and the book voice a plea to the Lord for restoration. Hope clings to faith, if rather fragilely.

Major Themes in Lamentations:

The book of Lamentation has a message to those living many centuries later. The wise hear and take heed. The first theme we find in the book is that of affliction. The pain of affliction is great whether it is self-inflicted or undeserved. The people of Judah and Jerusalem were suffering greatly due to their own sin. In any situation like this, some were more and some less guilty of the devastation that came. The writer of Lamentations voices this pain from personal experience. If the writer is Jeremiah, then the suffering is underserved. But he, nonetheless, trusts himself to the mighty and tender hand of the Lord. People today find themselves individually and collectively experiencing the pain of suffering. We can draw strength from Lamentations that though we suffer, the Lord has his purposes and he will rescue us at the proper time. As we suffer he hears our cries of lament.

The second theme is prayer. Lamentations is a poetic and artistic expression of the heart of prayer. The poet calls on the Lord for help, he confesses his sin and he often lays his pain before the Lord, whom he knows hears his prayers with compassion. When the pain of life crush both body and soul, prayer is the only comfort for the godly. They cry to the Lord and he hears their groaning. Even if the pain is intense, it is a comfort to know that the Lord hears with a caring heart. The act of prayer in affliction clings to a tiny thread of hope.

The third theme we notice in Lamentations is the theme of mercy. The Lord is holy and just. He must judge sin. He had provided every way for his people to be reconciled to him, but they refused. Judgment must come, but the Lord is merciful. He responds quickly to repentance. He desires that his people turn back to him with humble hearts. He promises forgiveness and restoration to all who come. The Lord is faithful to his Word.

Conclusion

The storms of suffering blow through every believers life. But storms, as destructive as they can be, bring much needed rain to parched ground. Intense suffering brings deep pain, but it come in the plan and purposes of God for our lives. We struggle to understand why these things happen as we lean on the Lord in faith. Lamenting helps us deal with the experience with honesty and with hope. It keeps us connected to God rather than distant from him. Lament, as an emotional expression of pain, is a way the Lord has given us to cope with our struggles and to walk with him in more intimate communion. The book of Lamentations is a gift from God to empower us to tread the well worn paths of suffering as we make our way to the glory of his presence.

Prayer is a wonderful blessing beyond imagination. The mighty God who is the creator of the vast universe allows his tiny creatures to speak to him. But more than that, God allows his tiny sinful creatures to speak to him. The beauty of prayer is that it is even more than merely speaking to him; it is that he hears us and answers us according to his mercy and grace. Prayer is such a blessing that it should fill our hearts with immense gratitude to him for his goodness. But there is even more to be thankful to God for the blessing of prayer, and that is the reality that God helps us in our prayers to him when we struggle to pray. And we do struggle to pray. It is part of our human weakness. One of the ways God helps us as we struggle in prayer are the numerous actual prayers we find in the Bible. They give us insight by the Holy Spirit to go deeper in prayer.

There are certain verses in the Bible that are so powerful and the promises found there are so great that they take on a life of their own outside the context in which they are found. One such verse that almost everyone knows is John 3:16. People who have never been to church or read the Bible can quote John 3:16 almost verbatim. There is another very famous verse in the Bible, especially in some Christian circles, that has similar weight, and that is 2 Chronicles 7:14. This verse is often used to express the need for revival, and God’s promise of revival. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

In order to fully grasp the meaning of this great promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, one must have an understanding of the prayer of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 6. The Lord is responding to Solomon’s prayer by the promise we read in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Every element in the promise is found in Solomon’s prayer. It is therefore important to spend some time thinking about Solomon’s prayer.

Praises for the Covenant Keeping Lord

The flow of the prayer takes a very definite structure. The prayer begins with Solomon praising the Lord for being a covenant making God and for being a covenant keeping God (6:12-17). The relationship of the people to the Lord through the covenant is the foundation of the prayer. The Lord is faithful to keep the covenant promises he has made and calls his people to be faithful in obedience. Solomon ends the first part of the prayer by asking the Lord to continue in faithfulness to his covenant. “Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant DavidHear My Prayer, O Lord.”

Hear My Prayer, O Lord

The second part of Solomon’s prayer is a plea to the Lord to heard the prayer he makes as he dedicates the temple to the worship of the Lord God. Solomon, the great builder of impressive structures, even this awe inspiring temple, is humble before the Lord recognizing that heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain the Lord, how much less this house Solomon had built. Before he makes any other requests, Solomon asks the Lord to hear him. Solomon also begs of the Lord that he would hear the prayers of the people offered in the temple and toward the temple. In the coming years and generations the people of God will come to the temple or pray toward the temple, the dwelling place of the Lord. They will pour out their hearts to him with their needs. Their only hope is the Lord. The temple is the place of the Lord’s name, “That your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place” (6:20). In the New Covenant we pray in the name of Jesus who is the true temple of God. Praying in the name of Jesus is praying by his power and authority, praying for his purposes and praying to his glory.

Have Mercy on Me a Sinner

In the third part of the prayer we find seven kinds of prayers that the people of God will pray in and toward the temple (6:22-40). This part of the prayer is the heart of the prayer and its longest section. All these prayers have some common features. Each prayer begins with the word, “if” or “when” expressing a potential situation where the people experience some great need, so that they cry out in prayer. The second feature of the seven prayers is that the situation that led to the great need in which the people find themselves is that they have sinned against the Lord. The predicament which led to the need that now weighs upon them was the result of turning from the Lord in sin. The third feature of each prayer is that the people turn from their sin and repent. Their pain forces them to see the connection between the problem and the sin. Then as the people pray in or toward the temple, Solomon prays that the Lord would hear from heaven and forgive their sin. The flow of this process is first sin, then suffering, followed by repentance and culminating with forgiveness and restoration. The seven kinds of prayer Solomon prayed for are:

(1) Personal conflict (6:22-23).

(2) Defeat in War (6:24-25).

(3) Drought (6:26-27).

(4) Troubles of Life (6:28-31).

(5) The Prayer of Foreigners (6:32-33).

(6) Going into Battle (6:34-35).

(7) Sin and Repentance (6:36-40).

We Rejoice in Your Goodness

In the final section of Solomon’s prayer for the dedication of the temple (6:41-42), we find three concerns of Solomon that brings together all that the prayer seeks to communicate. The first is Solomon’s prayer for the Lord to take up residence in the temple. In the temple and the tabernacle before it, the dwelling place of the Lord was between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant. There were two cherubim, golden winged angels, with one cherub on each side of the ark cover, called the mercy seat The ark was in the most holy place, the inner sanctuary. Seven times in the OT the Lord is said to be enthroned between the cherubim of the ark. Solomon desperately wants this house of worship he has built to be accepted by the Lord. Immediately after this prayer of Solomon we find in chapter seven verses one through three, the Lord entering the temple and filling it with his glory.

Solomon’s second concern in this final section of the prayer is for the people of God. He prays, “Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness” (2 Chronicles 6:41b). The priests wore holy garments to perform the priestly work of salvation. Through the service of the priests in the temple the people know, love and rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.

Solomon’s third concert was for himself. Solomon’s deep desire was that the Lord would accept him as the anointed heir of the Davidic covenant. This desire was fulfilled by God’s grace through David’s greater son, Messiah Jesus. Jesus was the true temple, the ultimate anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of David, the Son of God. The temple built by Solomon was by God’s design, the place of atonement for sin, the place of the presence of God, and the place of prayer, as this prayer of Solomon shows. But Jesus as the true temple is the true place of atonement for sin as he bore our sins in his body on the cross. He is the true presence of God as Immanuel, God with us, and Jesus is the true place of prayer as we make all prayer to the Father through the name of Jesus. Because of this, Jesus is our salvation and as his saints we rejoice in his goodness.

Great chapters in the Bible can be considered great because they are well known and loved, and because of their great content. The great chapter we are going to think about in this installment qualifies for all these reasons. It is a well known and loved chapter, and the content of the chapter is great. It is 1 Corinthians 13, affectionally know as the love chapter. Love is a subject people love to think about and talk about, and on top of that this chapter is a beautiful and even poetic meditation on the necessity and greatness of Christian love. It is well worth the effort spending a little time exploring this amazing chapter in God’s Word.

This chapter is often quoted at weddings and on other occasions, but to really understand it we need to see it in its context. 1 Corinthians 13 is in the context of chapters 12-14 in the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians. The focus of 1 Corinthians 12-14 is on spiritual gifts. The Corinthian church was struggling with the misuse and the misunderstanding of spiritual gifts, especially the supernatural gifts. Paul writes to help them understand and experience the awesome power of spiritual gifts given by God to the church for the advancement of the gospel. We notice in chapter 12 that Paul shows how spiritual gifts provide unity to the church as the body of Christ, and how all spiritual gifts are needed and necessary for the body to function properly. The Corinthians seem to have put the supernatural gifts on a higher plane and considered the other gifts to be secondary. This was a serious threat to the unity of the church. Paul then makes the case in chapter 13 that the spiritual gifts must be exercised in love for them to be effective as God designed them to be. And finally, in chapter 14 Paul outlines the proper function and order for the use of spiritual gifts in the church.

We find in 1 Corinthians 13 three sections in the flow of Pauls argument. First, we see in verses 1-3 how some of the supernatural gifts would look without love. Second, verses 4-7 show us what love is all about. And third, we see in verses 8-13 that love is supreme because it is eternal, while spiritual gifts are necessary but merely temporary.

Power without Love

Paul shows us the ugly picture of raw power without love in verses 1-3. Great things seemingly done for God and the good of people can be nothing more than displays of human self-aggrandizement. Speaking in human or heavenly languages without love is nothing more than noise. Verbiage that is mostly self-referential has little or no positive impact on people. It is not really love. Likewise, the heights and depths of spiritual insights and the faith to bring about impossible achievements are actually nothing, and makes us nothing, if not done with love. And finally, any display of extreme generosity or the self-sacrifice of martyrdom without love profits a person nothing. All the impressive accomplishments that humans can do without God’s empowering love amounts to nothing in the work of God in the world. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith , so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but I have not love, I gain nothing.”

The Picture of Love

What is love? That should be a question that anybody could easily answer because we’ve all experienced it. Yet, people grapple with the right way to describe it. Paul describes love both accurately and beautifully with positive and negative attributes (31:4-7). He shows us what love looks like lived out with divine impact in a broken world. Notice the depth and breath of each of these attributes. It would be profitable to think deeply about each of these qualities with an extended meditation. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” The nature of this God given love is not self-centered but God-centered, and others focused. It cares about people as those created in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Christ. Love also cares about the will of God and the glory of God. It is a love with strength of character. It is a humble love.

Eternal Love

The final section (13:8-13) closes the chapter showing the permanence of love. True love comes from God and goes back to God. It never ends. All spiritual gifts end. They were designed to flourish in the limited space of time. Earth is their home. The intention of spiritual gifts were to help the people of God navigate the struggles of the fallen world to accomplish the purposes of God. They have God-given limitations. Paul compares the limitations of spiritual gifts in this life with being a child and all the ways of a child. But childhood is not the end or the ultimate goal. It leads to adulthood. Adulthood is compared to the perfect and the complete, to living in the face to face presence with God. We cannot see all things clearly in this life, but in the next life we will know as we have been fully known. “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, But then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” The temporal passes away, but the eternal is forever. What remains eternally are faith, hope and love. But of these three eternal realities, love is the greatest.

Conclusion

When we read and think about 1 Corinthians 13 we encounter a powerful, and meaningful expression of the inspired heart of the apostle Paul. And when we encounter Paul’s heart we encounter God’s heart for his people and the world. Love, rightly and biblically understood, is the essence of God’s plan for the kingdom of God. Love is the demand of God for the Christian way of life. We are to live by love. The problem is that we often fail at this. But when we do, God calls us back again and again to love. We do so by the empowering presence of God in the Holy Spirit and the eternal truth of the Word of God in the soul. When we love like God calls us to love in 1 Corinthians 13, we are living more and more like the greatest man of love in all of human history, Jesus Christ. Let us follow Jesus in genuine love.

It had been a long and difficult journey to the holy city of Jerusalem. The travelers were pensive the last few days, anticipating the encounter with the royal child. This child was born King. Most kings become kings by lineage or conquest. But this King was born to be king. Hundreds of years had passed since a king from the line of David sat on the throne in Jerusalem. Could it be so now? The Hebrew holy book and the stars were pointing in that direction.

Suddenly the holy city came into view. The sun glistening off the white stone buildings was almost blinding. As they approached the North Gate, the Magi went into the city while the rest of the caravan cared for their beasts and began to set up camp outside the city. The Magi entered the city gate and immediately noticed the Temple Mount to their left. It was as impressive as anything they had ever seen. The top of the holy temple could be seen and evoked a sense of awe. The hustle and bustle of people and beasts made the main street through the city busy and slow going. They made their way to Herod’s palace to inquire about the birth of the royal child.

The guard at the palace gate was curt and took their request to the captain of the guard. He relayed the message to the chief steward of the palace, who rushed in to seek an audience with King Herod. When Herod heard the request of the Magi, he was greatly troubled and flew into a rage. The servants in the palace had seen this happen many times and hurried about their business, trying to stay clear of Herod’s wrath. Word quickly spread throughout the palace and then through the city.

Finally, Herod became quiet and introspective. He then barked orders to send for the chief priests and the scribes. When all the holy men made their way to Herod in small groups, he posed the question that occupied his mind. “Where is the Messiah to be born?” They immediately responded, quoting the prophet Micah, that the Messiah was to be born in the city of Bethlehem in Judah, the city of David. Herod’s eyes began to dance as he schemed what he would do next.

Herod hastily dismissed the chief priests and the scribes and called his chief steward to summon the Magi to meet with him privately. Herod took his time to thoroughly interrogate the Magi as to the exact time they had first seen the star. Then Herod, feigning piety, instructed the Magi to go search out the child and come inform him so that he himself could go and worship the child.

In the meetings at Herod’s palace that day concerning the great question of the Messiah’s birth, there were three groups of men, each having a uniquely different motivation. First, there was the Magi who came to worship the child born to be king. Their motivation was adoration. They had traveled long in their quest to meet this special child. They had a mission from which nothing would hinder them.

Then, there were the chief priests and the scribes. They were the religious leaders of the Jews. Their interest in the question was merely academic. Perhaps they were not informed as to the possibility of the child’s birth, but the word had spread through the city. Surely, they who had their ear to all things political and religious knew. When the child grew up and challenged their traditions, their attitude towards him was very hostile. They had their place and their power, and they intended to keep it. Religious people are often that way.

Finally, there was Herod. He was known as the king of the Jews. This title had been given to him by Rome. He kept his power and kingdom by cruelty. He would allow no opposition, and especially no other person to be called king of the Jews. He would eliminate all contenders for the throne. His motivation was fueled by hatred and fear, which is a deadly combination of attitudes. Of all the groups of men there that day, it was only the Gentile Magi to whom the Lord had revealed the Messiah.

The Magi left the great city of Jerusalem, the city of power and manipulation, and traveled south to the sleepy village of Bethlehem, the city of David. Their cumbersome caravan slowly made its way through the hills and valleys of Judea. Then, suddenly they saw the star they had seen in the east. This divine and supernatural star guided them to the very house where the child was. When they saw the star rest over the house, they were filled with a great and glorious joy beyond all expectation. Entering the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary and Joseph. At that very moment, the long arduous mission of the Magi came to its consummation. With hearts filled with joy and humility, they fell down and worshiped the child. They bowed before him as king and worshiped him as the King of kings. There in that humble place they opened their treasure chests and brought out gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts spoke of the identity of this special child. The gold revealed that he was indeed a king, the King of kings. The frankincense spoke of his work as priest offering fragrant sacrifices to God. And the myrrh was for burial, showing his death for sin as the Savior. This child was King, Priest and Savior to the world. “And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3)

The divine and supernatural light of the Bethlehem star led the Magi to the child, who is the divine and supernatural light of God. The long years of waiting were over. God’s Messiah, the anointed one, had come into the world. Salvation had arrived! The Magi were wise men in the world’s use of the word, but became wise men in the divine use of the word as the light of The Christ Child shone in their hearts, giving them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Their long and difficult journey had found its destination. The most important journeys of life always find their destination in Jesus.

The book of Psalms is a book that resonates with many people because they find it meaningful. The book of Psalms speaks to the human heart about the challenges and struggles all people face. The book of Psalms finds a home in the broken pieces of peoples lives. We go back to the book time and time again. But there are individual psalms that most people appreciate and revisit when life becomes difficult. The pages of their Bibles are worn and thin at those places. Probably the best known and most loved psalm is Psalm 23. It is short and easy to remember, in fact it is taught to children to memorize, which is a good thing. But more than that Psalm 23 is emotionally moving and speaks comforting truth to followers of the Good Shepherd. Psalm 23 qualifies as one of the truly great chapters of the Bible, we can’t turn away from it because we need it so often.

Psalm 23 is biblical poetry and uses the imagery of the shepherd and his sheep as a metaphor for the Lord and his people. The image of the shepherd is such a evocative one that we need to understand the shepherd - sheep relationship. Shepherds have the responsibility to care for and protect the sheep. They lead them and feed them and watch over their every need. Shepherds are dedicated to the well-being of the sheep. When we transfer this imagery to the Lord and his people, we understand that it is the Lord who cares for and protects us. He is dedicated to our well-being. It is a metaphor that naturally fits with what we know about the Lord and his love for us.

In the six verses of Psalm 23 we notice three stanzas. The first stanza David is talking about his relationship with the Lord in terms of what he knows, shepherds and sheep. David spent a great deal of time as the family shepherd caring for the sheep. He knew first hand what it meant to be a shepherd of needy sheep. When he spoke of his relationship with the Lord that imagery naturally came from his heart. The second and third stanzas are David talking to the Lord about the relationship. It moves from the third person to the second person, from he to you. Now, David is in the role of the sheep and the Lord is his shepherd. In the first stanza (23:1-3) we see how the Lord cares for his sheep. The first verse gives us the general statement of the Lord’s care. Then we find in verses two and three four ways he cares for us.

The First Stanza

This beautiful and meaningful poem begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (23:1). In this first verse the image of the shepherd is evoked and then the result of the relationship is expressed. Notice the power of the tiny first person singular personal pronoun, my. The Lord is my shepherd. Yes, he is the shepherd of every believer, but to say he is mine conveys a close relationship that has important ramifications for my life. He belongs to me because I belong to him. There is a relationship that he initiated and maintains. I am the recipient of his grace. He’s not going to slack off as my shepherd. What happens to me matters to him. Then we see the result of this personal relationship. His presence is always with me. I shall not want means that I shall not be without what I need, though I may not have what I desire. Because the Lord Jesus is my shepherd I shall not be in any need that he will not take care of. The divine shepherd cares for the needs of his sheep in a way that no human shepherd can. We can take our needs to our shepherd knowing he will provide what is best.

In the rest of the first stanza (23:2-3) David enunciates four ways the Lord, as his shepherd, cares for him. First, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” In the land of Israel green pasture are hard to come by. The shepherd would sometimes lead his sheep for long distances to locate the necessary pastures. Our shepherd, the Lord Jesus, provides us with the rest and nourishment we need in the green pastures of his physical and spiritual provision for us. Second, “He leads me beside the still waters.” The still waters bring peace and refreshment to the sheep. Water is life giving. We need water to live. Our shepherd provides us with the spiritual water we need. “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (John 6:35).

We find the third provision of our shepherd in verse three, “He restores my soul.” The word soul can mean the inner most part of our being, or it can mean our life in general. We can take it both ways here. Jesus restores our souls by the salvation he brings. He saves our souls. Our soul is the most precious thing we have. It is the real and true person. Unless one’s soul is restored by redemption it will never reach its God given potential, but suffer loss. Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul.” In like manner he restores our lives. A ruined and wasted life can be restored by the Shepherd of our souls, “For you were straying like sheep, but have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25). Finally, the fourth provision of our shepherd concludes the first stanza, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” When our path feels uncertain we know our shepherd is leading us. In the first three we are the passive recipients of the Lord’s provision. But in this final provision we are actively involved. He leads but we must follow. The path he leads us to walk in our lives is the path of righteousness. We live in conformity with his will by obeying his word. And it is all by his grace and for his glory (for his name’s sake).

The Second Stanza

The second stanza (23:4) is a prayer. David prayer to the Lord is about his fears and the Lord’s presence that calms his fears. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Lord is our shepherd. He is always leading us. Sometimes he leads us through the darkness of shadowy valleys that feel like death. He is with us there and he has purpose in the valley. Our shepherd does not deliver is from the dark valley but walks with us through it. We fear no evil in that dark place because he is with us. Our fears loose their power when we realize we are being led by our shepherd and not left to wander. Our shepherd promises to be with us. He will bring us out on the other side of the dark valley. In the valley we know that our shepherd carries his rod and staff. The shepherd’s rod was a short stout club to chase away the predators. His staff has the shepherd’s hook on the end to snatch us out of danger. The rod and the staff of our shepherd comfort us in the valley.

The Third Stanza

We notice in the final stanza that David has shifted the metaphor from the shepherd to the gracious host. Some people maintain that the shepherd metaphor is present throughout the psalm, but it is clear that the third stanza changes the metaphor to praise the surprising grace of the Lord on David’s life. The Lord is the host at a banquet where David is the guest of honor. The host showers his gracious blessings on his guest. The Lord as host sets a banquet table with David at the honored position. As the honored guest David’s head is anointed with oil. The anointing with oil represents the Lord’s choice of David as king. But the contextual meaning of anointing the head with oil is that of the honored guest who comes in from a long, dusty and tiring journey and receives the refreshing oil on his head. Life is a hard journey, but the grace of the Lord refreshes along the way. He is with us every step of our journey through this life. Here the surprising, amazing grace of God is poured out on David’s life. David is astonished to see all the Lord has done for him. David sits in the place of honor, not because he deserves it, but because of the pure grace of God. So it is with every believer in Jesus Christ. The grace of God is poured out on us in more ways than we realize. Because the Lord is so good and gracious, David expects this blessing to pursue him all the days of his life. This is beautiful, but the grace of the Lord does not end there. David knows that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. His eternal home is in the presence of the Lord. So it is with every true believer in Jesus Christ. We have a home in heaven because the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all our sins. We have the promise that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Conclusion

The twenty-third psalm is truly one of the great chapters in the Bible. Believers in Jesus have cherished it and been strengthened by it throughout history. It speaks to us of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. Each word speaks to the heart. It is a feast of God’s love and grace that humbles us and encourages us as we face the struggles of life in this broken world. We can meditate on this powerful Psalm and find peace and direction for life. And we can integrate these meditations into our prayers. We thank the Lord for his blessings of life, and we thank the Lord for the blessing of Psalm 23.

The Bible is a great book. It is the greatest book of all times. It is so because it is the word of God. It was written by men who were inspired by God. Every word they wrote was breathed out by God. It contains the only infallible revelation about God and the plan of salvation. When the devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread after he had fasted for forty days, he answered the devil by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Every word found in the Bible is great, and as a result, every chapter. But there are some chapters that hold a special place in the hearts and lives of many people. People know and cherish these great chapters.

Chapters were not originally part of the Bible. Chapters and verses came into the Bible much later. They are not part of the inspired word of God, but they do help most people read and study the Scriptures. Chapter divisions have been part of the Bible for so long that many people tend to think of the Bible’s content in terms of chapters and verses. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it can lead to misinterpretation when verses and chapters are taken out of context. People tend to gravitate to their favorite chapters and verses in the Bible because they are so meaningful to them. We want to look at some of these chapters. This will be the first in a series of meditations on the great chapters of the Bible. This inaugural meditation will focus on the chapter that contains the most well known verse in the whole Bible, John 3:16. We will dive deep into John chapter three, which deserves to be called one of the greatest chapters of the Bible.

John chapter three is truly an amazing chapter for more reasons than simply because it contain the best known verse in the Bible. The chapter contains a great deal of amazing truth. When we observe the flow of John three closely, we’ll notice that the flow of the story contains three episodes. The first is Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus (John 3:1-15). The second is God’s love for the world (John 3:16-21). And the third is the overlapping ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist (John 3:22-36).

Jesus’ Dialogue with Nicodemus (John 3:1-25)

The encounter of Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council and a leading Pharisee, with Jesus of Nazareth, the new upstart rabbi and miracle worker, is one of the great stories in the Bible. Jesus was at the Jewish feast of Passover teaching and performing great miracles. The Passover was one of the special feast of the Jewish religious year. Many Jews from the far reaches of the Roman world crowded into Jerusalem. There was a buzz in the crowds over this new prophet from Galilee. People were starting to take notice of him. Even the religious leaders had their eyes on him. Nicodemus, one of those religious leaders, came to see Jesus by night to check him out. Nicodemus addresses Jesus as a teacher come from God, because no one could do the great miracles Jesus did unless God was with him. Nicodemus may have been flattering Jesus or he may have been sincere in his assessment of Jesus. Either way, Nicodemus is saying, “I see who you are.” But Jesus immediately says in essence, “You don’t see because you can’t see.” What Jesus said to him was, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Being born again gives one the capacity to “see” the kingdom of God.

What is Jesus getting at when he tells this great religious leader that he cannot see the kingdom of God unless he is born again? The word “see” can mean either understand or experience. This is one of the many places in the book of John where we find a double meaning. Jesus means both in this context. Can one really understand the kingdom of God and not experience it? Or, can one really experience the kingdom of God and not understand it at some level? I think it’s clear that the answer to both questions is, no! In order to experience and understand the kingdom of God, one must be born again.

Nicodemus was perplexed; he did not understand what Jesus was talking about. It was a puzzle to him. The reason was precisely because this great religious leader and teacher had not been born again. He did not realize that Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth, born of God, even though Jesus further explained it to him. “That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit” (John 3:7). Nicodemus could never quite understand his need to be born again. Those who are spiritually blind and spiritually dead can never really grasp the essence of and need for spiritual birth. What Nicodemus needs, and all people need, is regeneration. Regeneration is a new spiritual birth by the power of the Holy Spirit. One becomes a new person by a radical transformation in the soul that creates a spiritual relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This begins one’s spiritual journey with God.

God’s Love for the World (John 3:16-21)

The second episode of this incredible story is probably explanatory comments by John, the writer of the Gospel helping the readers grasp the deep spiritual importance of the encounter of Nicodemus and Jesus. These comments begin with John 3:16, which may be the Bible’s best known and most loved verse. That is for good reason because it contains so much truth and power. We notice three statements in this amazing verse. First, we see God’s love for the world. The world is the world of unbelieving people who are opposed to God and his ways. This is everyone. They oppose God yet he loves them. This love is deeper than our understanding, but we can experience it through Jesus. The Bible reveals not only that God loves, but that he is love. Second, we see how God expresses his love. God loves the world in a particular way. God loves the world in that he gave his only begotten Son for the world. God’s love is not merely an attitude; it is also an action. God’s love is a giving love. God’s gift is of infinite value. He gave of himself. He gave his only Son. God himself came to rescue us because he loves us. Third, we see the result of God giving us his Son. Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. This is God’s offer of salvation. It is a universal offer. It is offered to all regardless of who they are or what they have done. It is a conditional offer. Salvation is conditioned on faith. One must trust in, rely on, depend on Jesus for salvation. The consequence of this offer is either eternal life or eternal perishing depending on faith.

The rest of John’s comments (3:17-21), works out the full dimensions of the gospel. First we see that God’s intention in sending Jesus into the world was not condemnation but salvation (3:17). God is more concerned in the first advent of Jesus with salvation than condemnation, but there will be condemnation for all who reject Jesus. Then John informs us that faith separates those who are saved from those who are condemned (3:18). One condemns oneself by not believing in Jesus. And finally we see that those who do not believe fear exposure so that they do not come into the light of the gospel (3:19-21). This fear is at the same time an arrogant refusal and rejection of God’s love and grace, and the lie of the devil. Satan works hard to keep people in the dark. But we can praise God for the riches of his love and grace.

The Ministry of Jesus and John (John 3:22-36)

In the final episode of John chapter three we find the overlapping ministries of Jesus and John happening in the same general vicinity, which leads to a conflict. This final episode is actually a story within a story. We can think of this story as having three scenes. In the first scene (3:22-24) we find the overlapping ministries of Jesus and John. John and Jesus’ disciples were both baptizing in the same vicinity of the Jordan River. This is a transition time between the ministry of John the forerunner and Jesus the Messiah. This first scene is the setting for the conflict that arrises and its resolution in scene two and three.

The second scene (3:25-30) relates the conflict that arose because more people were going to Jesus and submitting to the baptism of his disciples than to John. This was difficult for John’s disciples who stayed with him. They were used to large crowds coming to John with all the buzz and excitement with John’s powerful preaching and the many baptisms. When things changed they went to John and complained. They were probably surprised that John has a mild rebuke for them. John explained his relationship to Jesus in the plan of God. John gave his disciples, and us, profound and universal life truth about God, his plan and our part in it. “John answered, ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given from heaven’” (3:27). Only what God calls us to and prepares us for can we successfully achieve for his kingdom. All that we seize for ourselves, or usurp from another that is not given by God, will not be blessed by God. Realization of these two truths frees us from misplaced competition and anxiety about our lives in relation to God.

The third and final scene (3:31-36) is either further explanation by John the Baptist or a summary statement by John the apostle, the writer of the book. Either way, it gives us great insight concerning the spiritual life that comes through the Son of God. Jesus is the one from above, from heaven. John, and all people are the ones from the earth. Jesus is above all. He is the Lord of heaven. Few accept the words of Jesus, but those who do certify that God is true. The Father loves the Son and has given him all authority. He is Lord of all! Those who come to the Son in faith receive eternal life. Those who reject the Son have God’s wrath or judgment remaining upon them. These are the most important issues in life. It doesn’t matter how much money you make or the size of your platform, but your relationship with God through Jesus.

Conclusion

John chapter three is such a great chapter in the Bible because it goes to the heart of the most important reality in life. It concerns one’s relationship with God. It shows our spiritual helplessness and the love of God. God truly cares about our predicament. It unravels the Gordian knot of the meaning of life. It answers the ultimate questions people ask. Who are we? What are we here for? What, if anything, happens to us after we’re gone. But most importantly, John chapter three shows us Jesus in all his humanity and deity, the one who comes as one of us but is so far above us. It is Jesus who loves us and gives himself for us. This chapter has the power of the ages all wrapped up in thirty-six verses. Take it; read it; study it; meditate on it. It will be of infinite value and blessing to you!