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Devotion.al

Tag: prophesy

  • Pagan Response

    Ezekiel 27:1–36, Ezekiel 28:20–23, Luke 10:13–16

    To understand Jesus’ “woe” statements, one needs to understand history. While Tyre and Sidon were now (in Jesus’ time) prosperous cities, their pride, pagan behavior, and anti-Israel behavior had gotten them a lot of punishment. After Ezekiel’s prophesy, the cities weren’t washed clean, but wiped-off-the-map cleansed. Because of their geography, those locations would recover (and even retain their name), but the penalty received had been severe.

    In the time of Jesus, Tyre and Sidon were still very pagan, Las Vegas and New Orleans (during Mardi Gras) pagan. Devotion to gods or God was perfunctory at best. Money was the ruler. Yet…
    Jesus stated that those cities would have responded (positively) to the Kingdom of God, while the so-called devoted of Judah were apathetic or antagonistic!

    We look at our culture and often sadly proclaim that if they could just see Jesus, they would convert. Or if they joined the church, everything would be fine. Or (yes, foot-stomping ahead) if only prayer and the Bible would be allowed in schools again…

    The Jews had prayer. They had the Scriptures. They had “the church” (i.e., the temple and synagogues). It was all tightly integrated into their culture and their politics (more foot-stomping). Look where that got them! Chided and lectured by Jesus!

    1) Truly…are we all that different now than the Jews were then?

    2) Politicians—of all stripes—are rightly pulling and poking at our religious- and faith-strings. They see what we aren’t good at seeing…our inconsistency. They use it to bolster their kingdom. How can you separate the religious and faith truths from the political lies? How will you do that as each political group takes some, but not all, of the Christian ideology for political talking points?

    3) If the world is like Tyre and Sidon, and we are like the Chorazin and Bethsaida (the unrepentant Jewish cities), what do they (the world) see that we don’t about Jesus and the Kingdom of God?

  • Prophet of Peace

    Jeremiah 28:1–9, Luke 12:49–56, John 14:27–31

    There is something quite jarring in Jeremiah’s response to Hananiah. Did you catch it? Only when peace actually comes true will a prophet who prophesied peace be considered a true prophet. If you prophesy war, famine, pestilence, death, it’s all good. What?

    Think about that for a moment. The implication of Jeremiah’s words is pretty huge. It could be called a “duh” moment. In other words, it really doesn’t take much to prophesy (and be accurate) that there will be conflict and natural disasters. That pretty much comes with the territory of a fallen world.

    Yet, there was an expectation that the Messiah would bring peace. Jesus’ words in Luke put that to the question. Not peace, but a sword? It sounds so very warlike. If we think about it, most worldly peace is “won” through blood and death. So, if Jesus is bringing a sword, then what kind of war is it, now?

    The Word of God is a two-edged sword. It is not just a symbol of war, but it is also a symbol of cutting.

    Separating the followers in word only from those who follow from their hearts. In other words, it is not a “peace” of we’ll all get along, but a peace that separates the ways of the world from the ways of the Kingdom of God.

    When Jesus says that he will give peace, but not as the world gives peace, we should be grateful. The world’s peace can be torn asunder very quickly, and often only with a spark. God’s peace passes all understanding.

    1) Jeremiah’s words about prophets are disheartening, but they should also be encouraging? Why do you think that is?

    2) We often cling to the image as Jesus as the Prince of Peace, yet the Sword of Truth would seem to be contrary to that. How do you work that out in your mind and heart? How would you explain that to someone else?

    3) How have you seen the Peace of God come into your life?

  • Waiting to See

    Daniel 7:13-14, Luke 24:44-53, Ephesians 4:1-16

    The Book of Daniel contains many prophetic writings. Often the prophet themselves may not know what exactly the words mean. Christians, by-and-large, don’t disagree much on these verses in Daniel have to do with Jesus. It seems pretty obvious, but we can often deceive ourselves when it comes to prophesy (think the Book of Revelation). However, with our understanding (and belief) about Jesus, this passage in Daniel seems to us only applicable to Jesus. Just think about that. Daniel was given a vision of the future that in no way matched his understanding of God, yet here it was.

    Even living with Jesus, experiencing his life, death, and resurrection, the disciples had to have Jesus open their minds so that they could understand Scripture, including the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. It wasn’t easy. God had to open their minds. The disciples lived with God during his time on Earth, and their minds still had to be open. What does that tell us about ourselves?

    Jesus commands them to stay in Jerusalem until they are “empowered.” Yes, we know what that means, but did they? Jesus then blesses them and ascends to Heaven. And off they go to the Temple? How many people would go to someplace different, rather than stay at their “great” experience? They had someplace to go, for they had something to declare.

    The experience, the declaration, the way of life. Through the grace of Christ, it is to that we are called to live.

    1) Do you ever wonder what people in the Bible thought about the events that they were living? Do you give them more credit (or less) than they are due?

    2) The Holy Spirit had not yet come, yet the disciples’ minds were opened to an understanding of Scripture. What does that tell us and our understanding of Scripture?

    3) More waiting. The worship at the Temple may have just been the outlet for the waiting. What do you do as an outlet when waiting for God?