DANIEL - End of Story

Jesus, the Savior is born.

Though the world did not know it, a new world order had begun. A brand new King had come to usher in God's Kingdom.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

In many ways, this was the beginning of life.

Yes, God created the heavens and the earth, and everything in it. That was the beginning beginning. The very first spark of life. The generation of all that is.

But the word *beginning* goes beyond that.

I love these words – commencement, opening, launch, foundation, establishment, inauguration.

Baby Jesus – the Beginning of Life.

But how does the story end?

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" is found in Daniel, and it prophesies the ending:

"I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge.

His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool.

He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence.

Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him.

Then the court began its session, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:9-10)

The first thing that occurred to me as I read this passage was the vision of all the angels. Those are the very same angels who watched with bated breath as Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was born into humanity.

Can you even imagine the hush that fell over the heavens at that moment?

Especially Gabriel.

The one who had been given the privilege of telling Mary about the secret plan of God.

I'm sure he hovered close by during the entire pregnancy, during the long trip to Bethlehem, during Mary's labor, and during the actual birth. Did he breathe a sigh of relief when Jesus was delivered safely?

And then, did his eyes grow as big as saucers as he looked at the miracle of God Incarnate – a baby with his Master’s eyes?

Glorious.

And yet, it was the moment that the angels were given their marching orders. War had begun on a level never before seen. The enemy was very, very angry. Spiritual conflict took on new meaning. I can see Gabriel turn to the angelic host and cry out, "Brethren, to arms!"

We who believe in the Savior – including the ones that came before us, and the ones who will follow us – have joined them in the fight.

We fight until the day when Daniel's vision comes true.

And it will come true – God has promised.

There is a court date on the calendar for every person, every nation, every authority in heaven and on earth. At the end of all time, there will be judgment.

"Then the court began its session…"

Can you imagine the hush that will fall over the heavens at this moment?

"…and the books were opened."

I'll bet not even a pin dropping would make a noise.

The end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end commences.

Daniel continues, "I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal – it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

(I just have to interject a holy WOO HOO here! OK, I feel better now…)

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" is like the period at the end of a sentence. A sentence that began this way, "She gave birth to her first child, a son" (Luke 2:7) – and ends with these words, "And the books were opened, including the Book of Life…Nothing evil will be allowed to enter…but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life." (Revelation 20:12; 21:27)

Yes, the beginning of the story began with a hush – and yet, in a nondescript manger war was declared.

But, one day the story will end – and the Son of God will reign.

I can only imagine the thunderous sound of saved souls and the heavenly host joined together in praise, worship, celebration, triumph…

"GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO."

Amen.

What does the birth of Jesus mean to you – both now and in the future?

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

NAHUM - Our Awesome God

My dad was a big guy.

Six foot, three inches tall – about 230 pounds.

Me?

5' 4" – around 110 pounds (in high school!).

I thought it was great that my dad was a little (a lot) intimidating. Kept me safe.

I vividly remember one night when a couple of guys thought it would be *real fun* to egg my house. They drove up our driveway and launched a salvo of poultry grenades at our front door and windows.

My dad flew out of his chair.

At the time, he was wearing this robe that his mother had bought him on a trip around the world. It was black, with little Chinese letters on it. It made him look like a Ninja warrior.

So, you can imagine what happened when Father Shogun threw open the front door and blasted out onto the driveway!

I have never in my entire life seen a VW Bug speed away so fast! I think it set a land speed record of 0-60 mph in 2 seconds flat.

Fortunately, my dad did not recognize the car or its occupants. I had my suspicions. Only later, much later, did a guy from our church 'fess up and relate that evening from his perspective.

"Man, Shari, I thought your dad would kill us if he got his hands on us. I've never been so scared in my life!"

I smiled.

For you see, I knew that my dad's *bark* was worse than his *bite* – but I was often glad for his bark…

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" is from the book of Nahum.

Before sharing the verses, let's explore a little background. Remember good old Nineveh? The city that repented after hearing Jonah's warning of judgment? Well, it seems that (only) a hundred years later, they had forgotten the message, and evil was again reigning.

God called Nahum to pronounce his judgment on the wicked nation of Assyria.

"The LORD is…filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies!...he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are dust beneath his feet. At his command the oceans dry up, and the rivers disappear…In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and his mountains crumble to dust in his presence." (Nahum 1:2-6)

God has *bark* – and He alone has the power to *bite*.

The world has laws – boundaries and rules that are set up by God. But people regularly flaunt these regulations. God calls this willful disobedience, this rebellion against His control – SIN.

Sometimes it seems that the wicked are escaping justice. That they are succeeding in their evil ways.

But, there is a day coming.

A terrible day of wrath.

Justice will ultimately be served. God will settle all accounts. He will not let sin go unchecked forever.

And woe to those who are not under His grace at that time.

"It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31)

Nahum's words are terrifying – even to me, a follower of Christ. Sometimes I think it's a good idea to get a healthy dose of the reality of God's power – His awesome might – His jealous fury. He is not a God to be trifled with – or ignored.

Today's verses serve as a warning to those who remain arrogant and resist God's authority. They will one day face His anger. No one will get away with rejecting Him – no one will be able to hide from His judgment.

For those of us who are believers, today's verses are an admonition. We are not to take the Almighty God lightly. He is a fearsome God who must be feared – worshiped with reverence and awe.

But, to us, He is also something more than a Judge.

He is Mercy Incarnate.

God is compassionate, slow to anger. Praise His name for His patience with me, a sinner who had nowhere to turn but to His salvation.

Jesus took the *bite* out of God’s *bark* for all those who believe on His name.

And those of us who trust Him will be kept safe forever.

"The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him." (Nahum 1:7)

How do you fear the Lord? How is He your refuge?

(I'm linked today with Charlotte at Spiritual Sundays, and Peggy at Soaking On SONday. And please feel free to visit me during the week at my other blog, Sharon Sharing God!)

"When in doubt, search God out!"

JUDGES - Do Not Grieve the Lord

It can be difficult to follow God over the long haul.

Just look at the people of Israel.

They always seemed to forget God when things were going well. When they were rich, and there was peace in the land. When enemies were far away, and life was humming along "status quo."

The entire era of the judges shows what happens in God’s heart when His people repeatedly reject Him.

Today’s "Bible Pick ‘Ems" gives us a window on that…

"But the Israelites pleaded with the LORD and said, 'We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us from our enemies.' Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the LORD. And he was grieved by their misery." (Judges 10:15-16)

I’ve read this portion of the Bible so many times. But today, that one particular phrase just jumped out at me – "And he [GOD] was grieved…"

I was so intrigued by this thought, that I looked it up in a few other translations:

"And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel."

(New King James Version)

"And God took Israel’s troubles to heart." (The Message)

"He could bear the misery of Israel no longer." (New American Standard Bible)

"Finally, there came a time when the LORD could no longer stand to see them suffer." (Contemporary English Version)

"So he felt sorry for them when he saw their suffering." (New Century Version)

This is an incredible thought to me.

That my behavior, that the state of my heart could actually AFFECT the Almighty God of the Universe! Just as a loving parent feels rejected when a child rebels, so God feels great rejection, He feels grieved, when we ignore or neglect Him.

We act just like those pesky Israelites when we go about our daily lives, focusing on them and leaving God out of the center of them.

But despite being rejected by His own people, God never failed to rescue them. He never fails to rescue us either. That was the whole point of sending His Son, Jesus – who was the Ultimate Savior. God sent His Son when we were still sinners, still in rebellion against Him.

He did it to restore our relationship with Him.

God’s love is more powerful than His wrath, and His compassion surpasses His indignation. However, God’s love does not negate His justice.

One of the translations of today’s passage says this:

"…and he became impatient over the misery of Israel."

(English Standard Version)

There comes a time when God’s patience runs out. In today’s verses, that time had come.

What’s the history behind today’s passage?

It’s interesting – and it speaks volumes to the universal condition of the human heart.

Jair is the current judge of Israel. And again, the people had slid into apostasy. As the Scriptures put it, they again "did evil in the LORD’S sight…They abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all."

Until…

Oh, boo hoo, we’re in trouble.

The LORD, who "burned with anger against Israel," had allowed crushing oppression to come to their land. The Israelites were in great distress. THEN, they turned to the LORD – verse 10 says, "Finally, they cried out to the LORD for help…"

God told them to go to their foreign gods for help. Cry out to their idols. Let them rescue you!

Have you ever had someone say they’re sorry for the SAME thing over and over again? After awhile, you stop believing that they mean it. It rings false. How sorry can they be if their behavior never changes?

This is my other incredible thought – do I really want to test God’s patience?

It was only by ridding themselves of their foreign gods (who were powerless to help them), and by submitting themselves to the LORD’S justice, that the Israelites had any hope of rescue…

Only AFTER they put aside all other things, and returned to Him with a repentant heart – only THEN did God again act to redeem them.

I can grieve the heart of God, and I can test His patience.

WOW…

And yet, He still loves me.

"The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." (Psalm 145:8)

We should strive to stay close to God, and worship ONLY Him, rather than see how far we can go before His judgment comes…

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you." (James 4:8)

Are you following Him wholeheartedly – or are you grieving His heart?

Are you serving Him completely – or are you testing His patience?

“When in doubt, search God out.”

EZEKIEL - The Long Fall from Grace

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” lands us in the middle of Ezekiel, a very interesting book.

Ezekiel was one of the Major Prophets in the Old Testament. He had clear and vivid prophecies and visions. However, very little is known about his personal life. He was one of the thousands of young men deported from Judah to Babylon. Up until those tragic days, Ezekiel was being trained for the priesthood.

Like Isaiah, Ezekiel had a shocking encounter with God. He was never the same!

Whereas Isaiah had warned Judah of the coming storm – Ezekiel spoke in the middle of it. He prophesied in the middle of terrible defeat.

God described Ezekiel as a watchman on the walls of the city, capturing the personal nature of his ministry. Dangerous, responsible, crucial…

A central part of Ezekiel’s message was the importance of each person’s accountability before God. He taught the exiles that God expected personal worship and obedience from each of them.

Today’s verses are a reminder of what happens to the disobedient:

“…you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian…Your heart was filled with pride because of your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground…All who knew you were appalled at your fate. And you have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more.” (Ezekiel 28:16-17, 19)

Some of the phrases in this passage describe the human king of Tyre. Tyre was the powerful capital of Phoenicia. It was a highly prosperous and beautiful city. However, pride caused its ruin.

At times, though, Ezekiel describes the king in terms that could not apply to a mere human. Therefore, he may have been condemning not only the king of Tyre, but Satan, who had tempted and motivated this king to sin.

And we all know that pride caused his ruin.

I take two messages out of this passage. First of all, there will be an end to prideful ways, and haughty people. There will be an end to Satan’s rule. The long fall from Heaven is only the first judgment of God against our enemy. He has a final judgment day ahead of him. And after that day, he “will exist no more.” I take comfort in that fact.

God cares about justice. Wickedness will not win out in the end.

The second message I take out of this passage is a warning. God exacts punishment against those who proudly set themselves up. He will not tolerate those who do not yield to His Sovereignty. He demands fearful worship, and a heart yielded to His purposes. Pride will cause ruin.

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

Proud people are rarely aware of their weaknesses. They think they are above the frailties that plague others. However, in this state of mind, they are easily tempted – they are easily tripped up.

Proud people seldom realize that pride is their problem.

So, it’s time to take inventory. It’s time to let Ezekiel speak to us.

Are we proud of our “beauty” – our accomplishments, our success? Do we love splendor and money more than God? Have we sacrificed our wisdom in favor of wealth?

Listen to the warning – return to true worship. Avoid the long fall from grace.

“I will not endure conceit and pride. I will search for faithful people to be my companions.” (Psalm 101:5-6)

Oh Lord, count me among the faithful…count me among the humble.

“When in doubt, search God out!”