Stone 35 - Mark

The book of Mark is the second gospel account and it is no surprise that there is a great deal of similarity among them. Let's take a look at what mark has to say...

Hop Right In!
Mark starts out quoting the Old Testament about how a messenger will come (Isa 40:3, Mal 3:1) and immediately we read about John the Baptist, Jesus getting baptized, and a whopping two verses about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. So in 13 verses we have caught up through about four chapters of Matthew.

Mark does not recount the birth of Jesus but gets right to His ministry.

Jesus heads out and gathers a few disciples - Simon, Andrew, James, and John (Mark 1:16-20) and then we read about the driving out of an unclean spirit.

Mark is interested in establishing the authority of Jesus.

**I find this to be very interesting. Mark 1:24
The man with the unclean spirit says - "What do you have to do with us, Jesus - Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!" What do you get from that...? Even the unclean spirits know who who He is! Nobody even had to tell them. The spirits, however, have a different ability to sense that perhaps... because an awful lot of people refused to believe it. So Jesus has barely gotten started with His ministry and the evil spirits have already publicly declared who He is. Fascinating!

Jesus responds by driving the spirit out of the man (Mark 1:25).

We then read some accounts of Jesus performing some healing and driving out of demons. People came in droves! (Mark 1:33)

Note that Jesus does all of these things but asks that it remain undercover (Mark 1:43-44). Yeah, well that would be pretty hard, I think, to keep something like that under wraps - being healed of leprosy.

More Than Expected
In chapter two we read about some more large numbers gathered around Jesus. Imagine the conviction of the five men - four of which carried their friend in on a stretcher because he was paralyzed! They believed that Jesus was someone who could do something about the paralysis. So convinced and so determined that they broke through the roof of the house and lowered him in because they could not get through the crowd of people (Mark 2:4).

**The visual is mind blowing to me. I cannot help but think what kind of lawsuit would come from that if it were to happen today...

Now consider carefully Mark 2:5  "Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

**Wait, What? Your sins are forgiven? I am guessing that is not why they came. They did not show up with their paralyzed buddy because Jesus was a forgiver of sins but because he was healing people and so "Hey Jesus! We got a guy here on a stretcher! He really needs some healing! Help us next! Help us next! And all the people in the room shouting "NO FAIR!", "I was here first!" or "Hey! He's budging." or "Hey! Who is going to fix my roof!?"

They got something they did not expect. Remember that these guys were determined. So convinced that Jesus could heal them that they busted through the roof to have that chance.

"Seeing their FAITH, Jesus told the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." (emphasis mine)

We often hear about how faith is some sort of blind belief without evidence but I think these guys were acting out of the same kind of faith that we have that the chair will hold us up when we sit on it and they acted on that faith. They probably heard many testimonies, saw others being healed, etc. They had good reason to believe.

They got way more than they expected. While everyone in the room is gazing upon this guy descending from the roof on a stretcher, there is probably not a whole lot of doubt as to why he was brought there. He was paralyzed - a physically visible characteristic of the man. I will go on record saying that I doubt he was simply a really good actor. There was also a lot of people there that could testify to the truth of his paralysis.

The condition of his heart, however, was not something that could be seen. The sin and corruption of his spirit could not be seen. Those are invisible attributes. Jesus begins by healing what everyone cannot see. He does this by forgiving the sins.

They got something they did not expect. In the same way, Jesus the King, was a kind of king that the people did not expect.

Continued Ministry and Rejection
Jesus continues to move about healing and driving out demons until he comes to his hometown (Mark 6:1-6).

**Something amazing to me is this idea we find here of being rejected at home. Jesus comes and wants to do some of the same miracles in Nazareth but gets shut down. In verse three we read about how the people know him as Mary's son and all his brothers and sisters. Simply by virtue of having lived around Jesus for many years as he grew, the people could not come to accept his teaching. As verse three concludes "So they were offended by Him."

Offended.

It was not just that they didn't believe him or questioned where he learned it all. They were offended. I mean, right? How dare this guy we have known all our lives come back and try to preach at us. He is just the carpenter's boy.

Why is it that way? It is always so much easier to teach others outside the family. Spiritual matters aside - let's even look at something like algebra...

I can be so much more successful in teaching a stranger how to solve an equation than I can my own children or my wife. This has nothing to do with their level of intelligence - let me make that part clear. I think it has to do with feelings of inferiority - that somehow by nature of being in a position of "authority" as the teacher, that it places that individual on a higher level in the mind of the learner. Perhaps psychologically this is easier to accept if we do not know the person. However, if I have lived with you the last couple decades, we probably know each other and our problems and consider each other as peers or equals. When one or the other moves into a teaching or mentoring role, things change and in creep the feelings of "OH, he thinks he is better than me now." or "Why does she think she is so smart." And the heart and mind close up.

The truth can be offensive. This is no fault of the truth itself. It cares not. It simply corresponds with reality. It is a heart issue. Jesus can repair our hearts.  Just as the paralyzed man was forgiven of his sins - as his heart was cleansed - so our hearts can be cleansed.

Just as the paralytic had good reason for his faith, for his confidence, for his trust - so we have good reasons for believing that Jesus is who he says he is and that through him we may be saved.

I encourage you to seek out those reasons. Do the research. Do you reject the evidence and reasons? Perhaps it is all a heart issue then and not an intellectual one - like the people close to Jesus from Nazareth who were offended by the message.

In the end, the truth remains whether we believe it or not.

Please enjoy the video about Mark from our friends at Join the Bible Project.

Until next time...

Stone 34 - Matthew

Matthew is the first book in the New Testament and presents an account of the life and teachings of Jesus. Let's take a look at what we find.

Hey Everyone! This is the Guy!
Matthew begins with another one of those genealogies that makes you wonder if the New Testament is going to be just as dry as the some of the Old Testament.

Good News!

This one is short and very deliberate. Matthew is establishing Jesus as a descendant of both Abraham and David. Since Matthew's goal is to show that Jesus is the Messiah that has been prophesied for so long, this is an appropriate place to start.

Still within the first chapter, Matthew moves to the birth of Jesus. As this account begins, however, take note of Joseph...

Joseph is betrothed to Mary. They had not even consummated this arrangement yet (Mat 1:18). So as would have been acceptable for him, he was going to break it off in secret as to not disgrace her. That is actually pretty noble if you think about it. All Joseph knows is that Mary is pregnant and they have never slept together. I think it is fair to say that Joseph and the rest of the people have a pretty good understanding of how things like pregnancy happen. So in the eyes of Joseph... she has been sleeping around on him. Imagine how he felt in that moment... and yet he chooses not to disgrace her publicly (Mat 1:19).

Before he could actually follow through with that - he was told not to be afraid and that her pregnancy was a work of the Spirit (Mat 1:20). Note also here in Mat 1:23 the words from Isaiah 7:14. Matthew is continuing to connect the dots for the reader. This was prophesied.

In chapter two, the wise men sought the newborn king. They happened to swing in to Herod's place and inquired to the whereabouts of the child. Herod basically does the double-take and brings in the chief priests to tell him where this child was to be born (Mat 2:3-4). Bethlehem as prophesied (see Micah 5:2) comes the answer in Matthew 2:6. (This is the guy!!)

Herod asks the wise men to return to him so that he can go and worship too (Mat 2:8). Yeah right...
The wise men are warned not to go back to Herod and so they do not (Mat 2:12). Joseph is then told to go to Egypt because Herod wants to kill the baby (Mat 2:13). Ahhhh, the true feelings in Herod's heart are revealed. He was not interested in worshiping at all. He wanted to eliminate a threat to his own rule on the throne. Herod was furious and had all the male children under the age of two killed. Awful. Just imagine. Since Jesus was not there but in Egypt, he was in no danger. After Herod died, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus returned to Israel and settled in Nazareth (Mat 2:21, 23).

He is Coming!!
John the Baptist is now on the scene and he also quotes Isaiah (40:3) and proclaims to the people that the kingdom is near (Mat 3:2). Jesus shows up and wants to get baptized by John as well (Mat 3:13). After some hesitancy and persuasion, John agrees.

So Jesus sets this example for us and gets baptized. This is very important since it marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry and his intention to follow God's will. This was also a way for Jesus to identify himself with all of the sinners that he came here to save.

Jesus then is led to the wilderness where he is tempted. The account details three times that he was tempted.

1. Life
2. Trust
3. Faith/Worship

I may not have accurately broken this down but would love to discuss it further in the comments for any who want to.

The well-known Sermon on the Mount comes to us in chapters five through seven. There really is an amazing amount of guidance and could be an entire course by itself.

Ugh

Okay so let's segue into a little bit of life reality for a moment. As I was sitting here engaging in some study and reflection on the book of Matthew and typing this up, I was really drawn into taking a close look at the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness and more specifically - number three as listed above. So much so that I put some thoughts out on Facebook. I was going to continue through the book but felt I need to simply end it on this particular topic. Here is the post from Facebook...

Consider the object of your worship. You might even think that you do not worship anything.

The word worship probably brings up an image in your mind. The word worship may even stir up positive or negative emotions.

Maybe it looks like being on your knees and bowing, arms above your head, repeatedly leaning forward to place your palms down on the ground in front of you with the object of worship in front of you. 
Maybe it looks like sitting criss-cross applesauce with your wrists on your knees, palms up, with thumb and forefinger touching while softly repeating the word Ooohhmm, Ooohhmm.
Maybe it looks like singing praises as part of a large group in a building called church.
Maybe it is something else entirely.

Whatever it may currently be - put that aside for a moment and consider this...

Implicit in the act of worship is that there is a dependence of the worshiper upon that which is worshiped. In other words, the worshiper acknowledges, (knowingly or not), that they are not sufficient without the object being worshiped).

Do you feel "less than", insufficient, insignificant, of little value without something? Money, spouse, job, material items, etc...?

You might say - "Hey, wait a minute! I don't worship those things!" - but is that because we are using whatever image we have of worship?

Satan is crafty - he is the deceiver. He wants nothing more than to trap us into doing evil while thinking that we are doing good. He will tell you lies about how you can be happy, successful, wealthy, respected, etc... Do you feel insufficient without those things?

Consider the object of your worship. What does that really look like? Is it what you thought it was? Is it what you want it to be? Is it what you need it to be?

The faith and worship of Jesus was attacked. Satan offered Jesus the world and in effect, the power to control them all if he would just bow down and worship him. Jesus does not take the bait, of course, but how many of us do?

How many of us think that we are serving God but are really bowing our knee to Satan? This was just blowing my mind today - especially since I have often told people that Matthew 7:21-23 should be scary verses for all who claim to be Christians. I do not want to be one of these people. I think about all the areas in my own life where I may be engaging in what I might call "unintended worship". What things have I been fooled by? What am I currently pursuing under false pretenses?

Jesus demonstrated his trust in the Lord in his response to Satan after the first temptation to turn stone to bread and thus satisfy his hunger and perhaps save his life. Noticing that Jesus quoted scripture, Satan twisted scripture in his next temptation and changed his angle by trying to get Jesus to demonstrate that trust by throwing himself off of the top of the temple. Dodging this, Jesus is presented with a third temptation where Satan tries to use the good intentions of Jesus of following the will of God as bait. 

Is this not where we get caught...?

Jesus wants to bring the kingdom of God to Earth. He could do that. He could be a great king, he could save the people, he could continue to do amazing things for God...?

Are we ministering for the wrong reasons? We cannot serve multiple gods... Who are we really serving...? Whoa - mind blown at the moment.

I pray for all of us that God and His Holy Spirit would reveal to each of us the areas in our lives that are bowing to the wrong master. I pray that He would convict and cleanse our hearts. I pray that we would have the will and strength to let go of those things to which we cling so tight for the best of intentions but that are truly not good for us. Reveal to us the truth. Speak to your servants, Lord, and clear the wax the blocks your voice so that we might hear, wipe the sleep from our eyes that we might see, and set a fire ablaze in our hearts to seek you and your will.

Here are the videos for the book of Matthew from our friends at Join the Bible Project.

Until next time...

Stone 33 - Malachi

Malachi is the final book of the Old Testament and the conclusion is as profound as one might expect. Of course, each of the 39 Old Testament entries are books with endings in their own right but the message of this book is very pointed and convicting. Let's take a look at the last book before a span of 400 years without any writings until Jesus arrives on the scene.

Rebellious Children
Immediately, the book opens up with God pointing out a huge problem...

"I have loved you," says the Lord. But you ask: "How have you loved us?" (Mal 1:2)

This defiant response of the people... "How have you loved us?"
So self-centered in nature.
The question implies that God has not loved them - as they are unaware - surely, if God had loved them they would have known it, right? What do they think it means to be loved by God? What are they expecting? What are the signs that one has been loved?
I would venture a guess that they feel they should be pampered and blessed with health, wealth, and happiness. However, as we have read throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites have had their share of ups and downs and perhaps they are a bit bitter about it.

You can almost hear the snarkiness of the Israelites now. With one hand on a hip and the other pointing a finger right in the face of God they pose the question while spewing forth all of the reasons they think support their claim. Then they turn their back to Him and walk away in a sort of modern "mic drop" arrogance as if God is really speechless and without rebuttal.

We see it again in verse six.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of me? says the Lord of Hosts to you priests who despise My name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised your name?"

Again in verse seven.

"By presenting defiled food on my altar." You ask: "How have we defiled you?" When you say: "The Lord's table is contemptible."

Time and again God answers them and they deny the accusations by asking 'How?'.

**As a father of five myself, I know the pain of this situation. More than once I have told one of my children that I love them only to have them respond with a curled lip and the words "No you don't."

But now look to Malachi 1:13...

You also say: "Look, what a nuisance!" "And you scorn it," says the Lord of Hosts.

God wants a relationship with the Israelites and they seem to find the idea burdensome. How different are we in this age? Not much, I fear.

In chapter two, God talks about how the people are hurt because He does not accept their offerings by asking why He does not accept them (Mal 2:13-14). This is compared to a marriage and Israel has been spending time worshiping other things.

God says He is wearied by the words of the Israelites and they respond with "How?". God points out that they say things like "Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord's sight." or "Where is the God of justice?" (Mal 2:17).

Malachi 3:13-14 brings another denial as God tells the people that their words against Him are harsh. They ask what they have spoken against the Lord and I guess they are not happy with the answer. God tells them that they have said that it is useless to serve God because they have gained nothing.

**Even to this day people ask a similar question. What will we gain? Unfortunately, while the answer to that question is very appealing, people often overlook the eternal benefit in light of the immediate or short term benefit. This is a decision that has eternal consequences.

**There is still hope. There is still time. This 2000+ year old message is still applicable today. The Old Testament message points to a savior we now know as Jesus. We will begin to look at that next time as we pick up in the New Testament 400 years later.

In the meantime, please enjoy these resources from the folks at Join the Bible Project and RZIM.

Worship: A Clue to Meaning in Life
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Until next time...

Stone 32 - Haggai and Zechariah

A difference between Haggai, Zechariah and many of the other prophets we have looked at is that they are on the scene after the exile period has ended. Let's look at the message God has to say now.

Haggai
Okay - flashback to the book of Ezra - Haggai and Zechariah both come and encourage the Israelites in order to keep them moving forward on the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5:1-2). This is the same Haggai and Zechariah. Here we get a little more detail on them.

Haggai begins by getting after the Israelites for spending more time on their own houses and not enough time on God's house (Hag 1:4). In fact, Haggai lets them know that God is withholding until his house is done (Hag 1:9-11).

If we compare Haggai 1:1 and 1:14-15 we learn that a little over three weeks has passed. That seems pretty good to me.

About a month later, (Hag 2:1), Haggai shares a word of encouragement from the Lord (Hag 2:3-4).

Zechariah
While Zechariah did help Haggai encourage the people to rebuild, God had another message for Zechariah to share. He was to help encourage the people not to be like their ancestors (Zech 1:3-4). After that, Zechariah had several visions.

1. Horsemen
2. Horns and Craftsmen
3. Surveyor
4. High Priest and Branch
5. Gold Lampstand
6. Flying Scroll
7. Woman in a Basket
8. Four Chariots

The horsemen apparently patrolled the Earth and found all to be quiet. Amid the vision is a message that God intends to restore His people and bless them with prosperity (Zech 1:17).

The horns appear to represent the nations that came in and conquered Israel (Zech 1:19), while the craftsmen appear to represent those who would in turn scatter them (Zech 1:21).

The surveyor seems to head out and measure for the rebuild but is subsequently told that there will be no walls (Zech 2:4).

The high priest seems to represent Joshua who was wearing filthy clothes and being accused by Satan when God declares that he will be made clean (Zech 3:3-5). The branch is stated as being the servant (Zech 3:8)

The gold lampstand has seven lamps and it sounds like it is fed oil by its own channel from two olive tree. These are declared as being the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel and the two annointed ones (Zech 4:6, 14).

The flying scroll is said to be a curse that goes out to afflict every thief and person that swears falsely by the name of the Lord (Zech 5:3).

The woman in the basket represents the iniquity of the people and her name is Wickedness (Zech 5:6-8). Apparently a shrine is being built that the basket will be placed upon (Zech 5:10-11).

The four chariots seem to be headed out to patrol the earth just as the horsemen did in the first dream (Zech 6:7).

**I am no interpreter of dreams so I will go with the explanation we find in the video.

Of course, no account of the people would be complete without some sort of rebellion to be found in the hearts of the people.

Zechariah 7:3 tells of the people asking whether or not they ought to mourn and fast as they have in the past. Of course, God knows the hearts of the people (Zech 7:5-6) and He calls them out as the selfish people they were. However, God also promises to be good to the people (Zech 8:14-15).

Again, we also have the message of hope! The coming king! (Zech 9:9)

**All throughout the Old Testament we find pointers to Jesus. He came to be the shepherd of our lives. We are but sheep queued for slaughter without the protection of the shepherd. He seeks to cleanse us of our rebellion and steer us to safety. Consistently we are called away from rebellion and urged to seek the Lord, truth, and all that is good. It is not we who get to decide that which is true and good. God, as creator of everything, has determined this. Our lack of understanding does not change the reality of truth. Have we accepted the truth of our brokenness and need of a savior?

Please enjoy these videos on Haggai and Zechariah from the folks at Join the Bible Project.

Until next time when we take a look at the powerful conclusion of the Old Testament and the book of Malachi.

Stone 31 - Habakkuk and Zephaniah

Let's hear about what a couple more prophets have to say.

Habakkuk
The first few verses of Habakkuk have likely crossed the minds and mouths of many people in some form or another over the years. They present a question that many continue to ask to this very day. The assumption is that God is not listening and that He tolerates evil.

**Have you ever asked why God does not listen? Just because things do not happen on our timeline or in the manner by which we think it should happen does not mean that God is not listening. God is not at our beck and call to do whatever we wish. It does not work that way. Patience and trust are needed. How do you respond when God does not answer the way you want Him to...?

God replies by telling Habakkuk that the Chaldeans are being raised to come in and clean house (Hab 1:6). Habakkuk has a problem with this too...

**How often have we felt the way Habakkuk does? He says wait a minute... How can you let these guys who are worse than us win over us...!? What gives? (Hab 1:13)

God replies to Habakkuk with a vision and five 'woes'.

1. Woe to him who amasses what is not his (Hab 2:6)
2. Woe to him who unjustly gains wealth for his house (Hab 2:9)
3. Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with injustice (Hab 2:12)
4. Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink in order to look at their nakedness (Hab 2:15)
5. Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up! or to mute stone: Come alive! (Hab 2:19)

Just as Israel is being punished for their wrongdoing, so will the other nations. God is just and all will receive their due.

Habakkuk recounts the power of God and reaffirms his trust in Him.

**So many struggle with this very idea of evil and suffering in the world and we should be upset by evil. We should also seek out the only force that is capable of dealing with it and trust on His timing and manner by which it will be dealt with.

Please enjoy this four part series of talks from Ravi Zacharias on the problem of evil and suffering called 'Though The Fig Tree Does Not Bud'.

1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3
4. Part 4

Also please enjoy the video on Habakkuk from the guys at Join the Bible Project

Zephaniah

Zephaniah has a similar message to many of the other prophets. We hear about the day of the Lord coming, a call to repentance, and a message of hope.

The first chapter describes the downfall of the nation and specifically the tearing down of the temples of the false gods that i are being worshiped there.

The first few verses of the second chapter is the call to repentance while the rest outlines the downfall of many nations and it isn't pretty.

The last half of chapter three provides the message of hope.

**It is worth noting that because of the righteousness of God, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. He does not tolerate the worship of other gods and He does not tolerate any other sin. God will address the sin and evil in the world but it will not be at the time or in the manner that we may want. God will not deal with His creation using a human understanding of things. He will use divine understanding - something we just don't get but will have to trust.

We need to stop and listen to the voice that cries out, seek him, and worship him.

Please enjoy the video on Zephaniah from the guys at Join the Bible Project

Until next time...

Stone 30 - Micah and Nahum

Two more small books this time; Micah and Nahum. What do they have to share?

Micah
We start out with some judgement against Israel for their rebellion. Sound familiar? So many prophets came and shared a similar message.

**Many times, through many prophets, across multiple generations, God tried to warn the people of the coming consequences of their rebellion and gave them an opportunity to repent and follow Him.

Micah 3:1-2 shares an interesting tidbit that is not all that different from today regarding the leadership of the people. A great question is asked... "Aren't you supposed to know what is just?" and a statement made... "You hate good and love evil." Ouch.

In Micah 3:9 the leaders are accused of abhorring justice and of perverting everything that is right. Because of this, Micah states, Jerusalem will become ruins (Micah 3:12). However, we read that all is not lost. God will redeem His people and restore the nation with a new king (Micah 5:2).

Chapter 7 reveals the moral failings of the people and how one cannot trust even those in their own home (Micah 7:5-6).

God has the power to save, to redeem, and to heal but we must first come to Him.

Nahum
This book brings a two-sided message. On the one hand, God looks after those who take refuge in him (Nahum 1:7). On the other hand, God will bring justice against evil (Nahum 1:2-3).

In this message, the main event is centered on Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Assyria was known as a cruel nation that continually brought destruction to other nations for the purpose of gaining riches and power. Assyria was the nation that brought down the northern kingdom of Israel.

Eventually God brings justice to this oppressive nation. While this is a poetic book, it is not really what you would call a rated PG book. A great deal of violence is depicted here. Some may struggle with this aspect of God. God's justice against evil is necessary because He is holy, righteous, and just but his love is even greater. Seek Him and take refuge in Him.


**These are short books with quick messages. Please enjoy the videos about Micah and Nahum from the folks at Join the Bible Project. They do such a great job at bringing these messages to life.

Until next time.

Stone 29 - Obadiah and Jonah

Let's take a look at two more short books and see what message from the Lord they bring: Obadiah and Jonah.

Obadiah
While it is the smallest book of the prophets, it packs a powerful message to the people: A message of pride. The book begins with a judgement against Edom. In verse four we read about how the nation of Edom "seems to soar like an eagle" but even so they will be brought down.

**This makes me think of the saying about bringing someone down off of their high horse.

We also have many references to Esau here. Verse six, verse eight, verse nine, verse 18, verse 19, and verse 21 all mention the name of Esau. Remember Esau from Genesis? That is the guy. He was the beginning of the Edomites. You will also notice references to Jacob here in Obadiah's message. Verse 10, verse 17, and verse 18 all mention the name of Jacob and verses 10 and 12 use the term brother to connect Esau with Jacob.

**Hopping into the time machine we can read in Genesis 25:23 about the two nations in Rebekah's womb who were named Jacob and Esau. In Genesis 25:30 we read how Esau got the name Edom and in Genesis 36:9 Esau is called the father of the Edomites.

**Now look at Genesis 32:28 - God gives Jacob the name Israel.
In Genesis 27:41 it is stated that Esau held a grudge against Jacob. Now perhaps I am reaching a bit far but I find it interesting that the Edomites (Esau) as a nation continue to be at odds with the nation of Israel (Jacob).

So Obadiah talks about Esau and Jacob, Edom and Israel. Edom takes advantage of the situation rebellious Israel has found itself in. Israel is busy being handed over to the enemy and Edom sweeps in to gloat. In verse 15 we read that Edom will get exactly what they deserve based on what they have done. The prideful, high and mighty attitude of the Edomites would come crashing down.

In the last few verses we read about Israel and the blessing as they are restored to the area. Let us take note that in the end good triumphs - the goodness of God not the goodness of mankind.

Please enjoy the video on Obadiah from the folks at Join the Bible Project.

Jonah
This book, while short, provides a wonderful narrative that reveals so much about human nature. Jonah is one of those names from the Bible with which, it seems, many people are familiar. I think this is in large part due to the account of the great fish event - but do we know the whole story?

We begin with God calling Jonah to go to Nineveh (modern day Iraq) to preach a message. Rather than obedience, Jonah chooses to run from God by hopping on a ship and travelling in the opposite direction to a place called Tarshish which would have been in modern day Spain.

While at sea, a huge storm ravages the ship and the crew comes to blame Jonah for their predicament. Jonah tells the crew to toss him overboard in order to be rid of the problem. Unfortunately for Jonah, his desire to die was not to be granted. Enter the great fish. Jonah is there for three days and nights (Jonah 1:17).

**If God can do something as amazing as create the universe and everything within it, I think this is possible for God as well. Thing is... that is not the focus of the message... Let's continue.

Jonah cries out to the Lord, grateful for saving him and agrees to do what God asks. The great fish spits him out and Jonah then travels to Nineveh and delivers the short message that in 40 days Nineveh would be overthrown.

The people of Nineveh repent and God spares them the disaster which really upsets Jonah.

Jonah is angry because God spared the people of Nineveh - his enemies. He knew God was good and merciful but Jonah, in his heart wanted disaster for Nineveh. So Jonah heads out to the countryside and watches the city (Jonah 4:5). God has a plant grow up and provide some shade which Jonah likes (Jonah 4:6). God takes away the plant the next day (Jonah 4:7).

So God asks Jonah if he is angry about the plant and he replies in the affirmative (Jonah 4:9). Now God replies with a great question. You cared about the plant that you didn't even have to labor over and grow - should I not care about all these people?

**We sometimes complain when good things happen to bad people don't we? Just as God asks in Jonah 4:4 - Is it right for us to be angry?
God cares about all of his creation. He calls each and every one of us to repentance and genuine love and obedience. Check your heart. Where are you at right now?

Please enjoy the video on Jonah from the folks at Join the Bible Project.

Until next time