Our reading plan brings us to Micah, one of four prophets of the 8th century, B.C.:

Micah, the final member of that powerful quartet of writing prophets who burst on the world scene in the eighth century b.c. (Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos were the others), like virtually all his fellow prophets—those charged with keeping people alive to God and alert to listening to the voice of God—was a master of metaphor… (From The Message)

Here’s the ESV intro:

Micah prophesied in Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (about 750–700 B.C.), at about the same time as Isaiah. It was a time of prosperity, and Micah denounced the wealthy, who were oppressing the poor, and warned of impending judgment. The northern kingdom actually fell during Micah’s ministry, in 722, and Judah almost fell in 701 (2 Kings 18–20). The book contains three sections, which alternate between words of warning and messages of hope. Micah told of a day when there would be peace among all nations, who would then be able to “beat their swords into plowshares” (4:3), and of a royal deliverer who would save God’s people from all her enemies. This deliverer would be born in Bethlehem (5:2).

And Micah starts with a boom:

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

Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.

All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards, and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations. (Micah 1.1 – 6, ESV)

Note that the vision is for “Samaria AND Jerusalem…for the transgression of Jacob AND for the sins of the house of Israel.” Remember, two different countries, since the divided kingdom of 1 Kings 12.

The problem is that the Northern 10 (Israel) was founded on idol worship – the golden calves – and they spread their sin to Judah:

For her [Samaria’s] wound is incurable, and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem. (Micah 1.9, ESV)

Buckle up. And remember: “prophecy” is less about the future and more about how we’re supposed to live today.

In chapter 1, God calls a man who runs away. So God provides…a storm and a great fish. In chapter 2, Jonah prays, essentially confessing his sin and vowing to do better. He also understands that “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”

In chapter 3, Jonah preaches with great results! Wouldn’t you like to go to, say, New York City, preach the gospel, and have the whole city repent? Even Billy Graham didn’t experience that kind of success. The repentance resulted in: “God relented of the disaster…”

And Jonah was angry.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. (Jonah 4.1, ESV)

An alternate translation of the first half of that verse:

It was exceedingly evil to Jonah.

Wow. God’s mercy was deemed by Jonah not as a good thing but “exceedingly evil.”

Therefore, God isn’t done. The Ninevites repented. Will Jonah?

The initial exchange:

And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the LORD said, “Do you do well to be angry?” (Jonah 4.2 – 4, ESV)

God is not done “providing.”

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.

• Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
• But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.
• When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 5 – 8, NIV)

Then this final exchange:

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4.9 – 11, NIV)

And the book ends.

Does Jonah repent? The text doesn’t say.

But who wrote the book? It’s apparent to me that in chapter 4, God not only provided a plant, a worm, and a wind, but God also provided a man. A man to teach us God’s heart for ALL people.

The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3.9, NIV)

Jonah 3 opens with Jonah in a different frame of mind. Duh.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. (Jonah 3.1 – 3a, NIV)

A little better response than the one in chapter 1:

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish… (Jonah 1.1 – 3, NIV)

So Jonah goes to Nineveh:

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” (Jonah 3.3, 4, NIV)

The result?

The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (Jonah 3.5, 6, NIV)

Wow. Not what I’d expect. Would you? Question: what do you think Jonah looked like after spending three days inside a fish? “What happened to you?” “Well, I tried to flee from God so I wouldn’t have to preach to you, but I ended up thrown into the sea and swallowed by a fish. After three days inside the fish, it vomited me out. So here I am.”

I’d believe him and his message of judgment! And so did the Ninevites.

And here’s a reminder of the purpose of prophecy. Remember, prophecy is given not so much to predict the future but to change the way we live today. The Ninevites didn’t mark their calendars to wait for their destruction in 40 days. NO! They repented and prayed at the direction of the king:

By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” (Jonah 3.7 – 9, NIV)

And so in 40 days, destruction fell on Nineveh, according to the word of Jonah. Nope:

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3.10, NIV)

One of the most successful missionary campaigns of all time, yes? So Jonah returned to Israel rejoicing. Oops. Not quite. Stay tuned.

We’re now into Jonah 2, and Jonah prays. If I were in the belly of a fish, I certainly would, wouldn’t you?

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me…When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. (Jonah 2.1, 2, 7, NIV)

He prays for deliverance from a problem of his own making.

From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. (Jonah 2.2, 3, NIV)

He doesn’t sugarcoat his situation. It really is bad!

I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. (Jonah 2.4 – 6a, NIV)

But even when it looked bad, he had faith that “I will look again toward your holy temple.” Then back to the situation. “The engulfing waters…”

Then he realizes something, the lesson we should all take from chapter 2:

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. (Jonah 2.8, NIV1984)

And he appears to promise God that he’ll do better next time!

But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’ ” (Jonah 2.9, NIV)

And he does. Stay tuned for chapter 3.

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (Jonah 2.10, NIV)

Moving through our reading program, we get to tackle Jonah this week. A fantastic book, often wrongly restricted to “the story of Jonah and the whale.” We can do better. Jonah is four chapters, and we’re done with the “whale” at the end of chapter 2.

And let’s get the “whale” out of the way quickly. What does the text say?

Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1.17, NIV)

The text doesn’t specify what kind of animal other than it was a “great fish.” Also, “the LORD provided…” It was most probably a one-off, specially prepared.

How did Jonah get there?

By going the opposite direction from where God sent him:

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. (Jonah 1.1 – 3, NIV)

Told to go northeast, over land, Jonah went southwest, over water!

The fish is not the only thing God provided in Jonah:

Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. (Jonah 1.4, NIV)

God not only controls the weather, he controls the dice!

Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. (Jonah 1.7, NIV)

God again controls the weather…and the fish:

Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1.15 – 17, NIV)

We’ll see in chapter 2 that God now has Jonah’s attention! Stay tuned.

I don’t know quite where I’m going with this blog…

Did you see the story of the massive earthquake in Panama, Friday, October 9? The AP report starts:

LA VILLA DE LOS SANTOS, Panama (AP) — The government of Panama declared a state of emergency Saturday as the aftershocks of two powerful earthquakes that roiled the country shook communities for hours. Officials did not attribute any deaths to the quakes but reported damages in all 10 of Panama’s provinces and two Indigenous territories.

The 7.7- and 6.6-magnitude earthquakes on Friday toppled buildings near the epicenter and prompted evacuations across the Central American country. Seismologists recorded more than 100 aftershocks, including ones measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2.

The story continues:

Two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes roiled Venezuela’s La Guaira state in June, killing more than 6,500 people and leaving 17,000 homeless. In August, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Colombia killed at least 289 people.

There were no deaths in Panama:

The notably lower toll in nearby Panama may have been due to the country’s strict building codes, especially governing construction of skyscrapers in the capital, said Carlos Valdés, head of the Seismology Department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

If you’re like me, you were only vaguely aware of the earthquake. We’re inundated daily with news events from all over the world. We can’t possibly process it all. Yet in the middle of this one, someone I “know” experienced one of those events.

Regular blog readers will recognize the name Sahil Bloom, whom I quote from time to time. I’ve never met him, never even exchanged emails with him, but I do get a letter twice a week. Sahil was there. He wrote on October 14:

Last Wednesday, I flew to Panama to deliver two keynotes. I was excited for the trip. I’d been once before as a kid and remembered the beautiful country.

I completed the first talk on Thursday evening and the second on Friday morning. I left feeling energized and headed back to the hotel to take a few calls before heading to the airport.

At 12:56pm local time, I was on the top floor of my hotel, sitting at the desk, when I started to feel a light rumbling sensation in my chair. I brushed it off as the AC unit firing on.

But then, chaos. The floor started to shake. The entire building started to sway. I looked outside the window and could see windows billowing in and out on nearby buildings.

It started getting worse. I headed to the bathroom doorway, but the large glass shower door was swinging wildly. Things started falling off the counters and onto the floor. I would shortly find out that a 7.7 magnitude earthquake was underway. The largest such event in Panama’s recorded history.

Puts a different feel on it, doesn’t it? His essay is worth the read in its entirety. He closes with:

The stories we tell decades later are never about the easy, smooth days. They’re about the ones that shook us.

Quite literally, in this case. (Sorry!)

As I pulled back into my driveway 30 hours later, I was filled with gratitude.

For the incredible hosts in Panama, who took such great care of me to make sure I made it home.

For the resilient hotel and airport staff that showed up and provided calm throughout the experience.

For the strong infrastructure of the country that meant that a massive earthquake led to zero fatalities. And most of all, for my wife and son, who were waiting to hug me when I walked in the door.

As I say, I don’t know what our takeaway should be. We still can’t process all the events we’re aware of, but maybe we can remember that there’s a human element in them all. We can pray for the people affected. We can give thanks.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6.18, NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4.6, 7, NIV)

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1.6, 7, NIV)

My friend DuAnne Seeley just posted a blog entitled:

THE GOSPEL IS WORDS – Why our lives matter – and why we must speak.

She opens:

I visited a church where the pastor spoke about how we are ambassadors for Christ. He said something simple that stayed with me.

“The gospel is words.”

I loved that because we so often hear Christians say, “My life is how I share Christ.”

I understand what they mean. Our lives should reflect Jesus. Our kindness, integrity, generosity, and willingness to forgive should give people a glimpse of His character. How we live matters.

But can someone understand the gospel simply by watching us?

…

Watching our lives will not tell them that Jesus died for their sins, rose from the dead, and offers forgiveness and eternal life to those who trust Him.

That message requires words.

A Good Life Cannot Explain the Cross.

The blog is worth the read in its entirety. It reminds me of this couplet:

Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words. – incorrectly attributed to Francis of Assisi

It will be necessary. – Leroy Eims, The Navigators

Re Francis of Assisi, there is no evidence that St Francis ever said, “Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.” In fact:

St. Francis was an active and vocal preacher who delivered passionate verbal sermons to crowds, merchants, and passersby on a daily basis. He viewed spoken words and Christian action as a necessary “both/and” combination rather than an either/or choice. – FOCUS.org

DuAnne lives it out. She recently wrote to say:

One of my [discipleship group] ladies prayed to receive Christ last week. Torrey just turned 70! Did not even own a Bible. She is in my 2:7 group, and I shared the plan of salvation with her after everyone left. The next day she texted that she had never felt such peace and joy in her life.

The Apostle Paul did too:

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1.28, ESV)

We come to Obadiah, consisting of just one chapter, 21 verses. Hence references include only the verse numbers. I’ve read it, of course, but I’ve never blogged it or taught it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sermon on it.

Who Obadiah is about is immediately clear:

The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom… (Obadiah 1)

Before we go further into the message of Obadiah, let’s recall that Jacob, renamed “Israel,” patriarch of the 12 tribes, had a twin brother Esau, who was also called Edom.

Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) (Genesis 25.29, 30, ESV)

“Edom:” an alternate name for Esau and also the country where he lived.

The first observation is about the high cliffs of Edom:

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. (Obadiah 3, 4, ESV)

The Hebrew word for “rock” is Sela. We had an orthodox Jewish neighbor in Charleston, SC, who told me “Selah” in the psalms just means “rock.” A rock of truth. Stop and think about it.

Strong’s Concordance definitions. First, from the Psalms:

h5542. סֶלָה selâ; from 5541; suspension (of music), i.e. pause: — Selah.

AV (74) – Selah 74;

to lift up, exalt Selaha technical musical term probably showing accentuation, pause, interruption

Then from Obadiah:

h5553. סֶלַע sela‘; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; a craggy rock, literally or figuratively (a fortress): — (ragged) rock, stone(-ny), strong hold.

Here’s a photo of the entrance to “Sela,” a natural fortress in ancient Edom:

The main message of Obadiah is that the Edomites were practicing what we call today Schadenfreude: the German word for enjoying the suffering or misfortune of others.

The problem was the Edomites rejoicing over Judah’s captivity, made doubly bad because “Jacob” was “Edom’s” brother:

Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.

But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. (Obadiah 10 – 14, ESV)

And for that, Edom will be judged:

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. (Obadiah 15, ESV)

The application is clear.

PS Decades ago we attended a live session of Walk Through the Old Testament. Here’s what he said about Obadiah. “The Edomites ridiculed the Israelites when they were taken into captivity. That was bad. Oh, that was bad. Oh, bad… Oh bad iah.”

We come to Amos 9 – the last chapter…

It’s hard to know what to do with it. 15 verses, of which the first 10 are literally death and bodily destruction, a summary of all that’s gone before: 8 chapters plus 10 verses of judgment. Then?

“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this.

…”I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God. (Amos 9.11 -1 5, ESV)

It reminds me of Hosea:

For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3.4, 5, ESV)

Both Hosea and Amos are prophets to the Northern 10. Both these passages refer to King David, NOT the kingly line of the Northern 10 who split off. But they will come back to the true King David: Jesus.

When? How? We don’t know, at least I don’t know other than, according to Hosea, “in the latter days.”

What’s the lesson for us? Maybe that none of us is too far gone to repent and receive God’s love.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are [or what we have done]. (Romans 3.21, NLT, last phrase added, I believe, in keeping with the spirit of the verse)

PS Romans 3.21 contains a clear, positive presentation of the gospel. I was talking with a fellow recently who told an inquiring unbeliever: “You’re a sinner. We all are. No good is in any of us. We can’t seek God. God has to seek us…” When the fellow asked me if I agreed with him, I said something like, “I probably agree with most of what you said; however, that’s not what I would tell someone who wants to consider following Jesus.” If I have a chance to talk with his friend, I hope I lead with something more like Romans 3.21. People will “return and seek the LORD their God…” And when they do, the LORD will receive them.

We come to Amos 8 where there’s another picture and a clear message of what they’re being condemned for:

This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. “What do you see, Amos?” he asked. “A basket of ripe fruit,” I answered. Then the LORD said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. (Amos 8.1, 2, NIV)

Same language as chapter 7: “I will spare them no longer.” Why?

Hear this, you who…

• trample the needy and
• do away with the poor of the land, saying, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?”—
  • skimping on the measure,
  • boosting the price and
  • cheating with dishonest scales,
• buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals,
• selling even the sweepings with the wheat. (Amos 8.4 – 6, NIV)

Business owners cheating the poor in a variety of ways. Running a business, selling goods and services to those who need them, is a good thing. Cheating, however, is not!

“Skimping the measure,” for example. It’s perfectly legal, but have you noticed that containers are smaller than they used to be? Orange juice that used to be sold in 1/2 gallon containers comes in similarly shaped containers containing, maybe, 56 ounces instead of 64.

I don’t know into what category this falls, but do you remember when eggs came in “small, medium, and large”? Today, those same eggs are labeled “large, extra-large, and jumbo.” Not cheating, perhaps, just marketing… I guess the lesson is that God is watching, and if you’re an owner, best be careful.

And what happens when a nation rejects God’s Word long enough?

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.” (Amos 8.11, 12, ESV)

I’m not sure what that looks like – a “famine of hearing the words of the LORD,” but as the late Navigator Skip Gray said about other passages, “I don’t know exactly what that means, but it’s a bad scene, and I don’t want to make it!”

That “famine” is predicted elsewhere:

Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. (Proverbs 1.28, 29, NIV – the whole section is worth reading: Proverbs 1.20 – 33)

For now, the Word is available in the US. However, having bibles in our homes but not reading them is the same as a “famine of hearing the words of the LORD.”