Nahum 3:11-15
You'll soon be staggering like a bunch of drunks,
Wondering what hit you,
looking for a place to sleep it off.
All your forts are like peach trees,
the lush peaches ripe, ready for the picking.
One shake of the tree and they fall
straight into hungry mouths.
Face it: Your warriors are wimps.
You're sitting ducks.
Your borders are gaping doors, inviting
your enemies in. And who's to stop them?
14-15Store up water for the siege.
Shore up your defenses.
Get down to basics: Work the clay
and make bricks.
Sorry. Too late.
Enemy fire will burn you up.
Swords will cut you to pieces.
You'll be chewed up as if by locusts.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Daniel 7:17 -27
Daniel 7:17 -27
"'These four huge animals,' he said, 'mean that four kingdoms will appear on earth. But eventually the holy people of the High God will be given the kingdom and have it ever after—yes, forever and ever.'
"But I wanted to know more. I was curious about the fourth animal, the one so different from the others, the hideous monster with the iron teeth and the bronze claws, gulping down what it ripped to pieces and trampling the leftovers into the dirt. And I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that sprouted up while three of the original horns were removed. This new horn had eyes and a big mouth and spoke arrogantly, dominating the other horns. I watched as this horn was making war on God's holy people and getting the best of them. But then The Old One intervened and decided things in favor of the people of the High God. In the end, God's holy people took over the kingdom.
"The bystander continued, telling me this: 'The fourth animal is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from the first three kingdoms, a monster kingdom that will chew up everyone in sight and spit them out. The ten horns are ten kings, one after another, that will come from this kingdom. But then another king will arrive. He will be different from the earlier kings. He will begin by toppling three kings. Then he will blaspheme the High God, persecute the followers of the High God, and try to get rid of sacred worship and moral practice. God's holy people will be persecuted by him for a time, two times, half a time.
"'But when the court comes to order, the horn will be stripped of its power and totally destroyed. Then the royal rule and the authority and the glory of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the people of the High God. Their royal rule will last forever. All other rulers will serve and obey them.'
"'These four huge animals,' he said, 'mean that four kingdoms will appear on earth. But eventually the holy people of the High God will be given the kingdom and have it ever after—yes, forever and ever.'
"But I wanted to know more. I was curious about the fourth animal, the one so different from the others, the hideous monster with the iron teeth and the bronze claws, gulping down what it ripped to pieces and trampling the leftovers into the dirt. And I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that sprouted up while three of the original horns were removed. This new horn had eyes and a big mouth and spoke arrogantly, dominating the other horns. I watched as this horn was making war on God's holy people and getting the best of them. But then The Old One intervened and decided things in favor of the people of the High God. In the end, God's holy people took over the kingdom.
"The bystander continued, telling me this: 'The fourth animal is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from the first three kingdoms, a monster kingdom that will chew up everyone in sight and spit them out. The ten horns are ten kings, one after another, that will come from this kingdom. But then another king will arrive. He will be different from the earlier kings. He will begin by toppling three kings. Then he will blaspheme the High God, persecute the followers of the High God, and try to get rid of sacred worship and moral practice. God's holy people will be persecuted by him for a time, two times, half a time.
"'But when the court comes to order, the horn will be stripped of its power and totally destroyed. Then the royal rule and the authority and the glory of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the people of the High God. Their royal rule will last forever. All other rulers will serve and obey them.'
Friday, May 21, 2010
Ezekiel 23:45-49
45 "Righteous men will pronounce judgment on them, giving out sentences for adultery and murder. That was their lifework: adultery and murder."
46-47 "God says, 'Let a mob loose on them: Terror! Plunder! Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces—kill all their children, burn down their houses!
48-49 "'I'll put an end to sluttish sex in this country so that all women will be well warned and not copy you. You'll pay the price for all your obsessive sex. You'll pay in full for your promiscuous affairs with idols. And you'll realize that I am God, the Master.'"
Ezekiel 24
Bring the Pot to a Boil
1-5 The Message of God came to me in the ninth year, the tenth month, and the tenth day of the month: "Son of man, write down this date. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Tell this company of rebels a story:
"'Put on the soup pot.
Fill it with water.
Put chunks of meat into it,
all the choice pieces—loin and brisket.
Pick out the best soup bones
from the best of the sheep in the flock.
Pile wood beneath the pot.
Bring it to a boil
and cook the soup.
6"'God, the Master, says:
"'Doom to the city of murder,
to the pot thick with scum,
thick with a filth that can't be scoured.
Empty the pot piece by piece;
don't bother who gets what.
7-8"'The blood from murders
has stained the whole city;
Blood runs bold on the street stones,
with no one bothering to wash it off—
Blood out in the open to public view
to provoke my wrath,
to trigger my vengeance.
9-12"'Therefore, this is what God, the Master, says:
"'Doom to the city of murder!
I, too, will pile on the wood.
Stack the wood high,
light the match,
Cook the meat, spice it well, pour out the broth,
and then burn the bones.
Then I'll set the empty pot on the coals
and heat it red-hot so the bronze glows,
So the germs are killed
and the corruption is burned off.
But it's hopeless. It's too far gone.
The filth is too thick.
13-14 "'Your encrusted filth is your filthy sex. I wanted to clean you up, but you wouldn't let me. I'll make no more attempts at cleaning you up until my anger quiets down. I, God, have said it, and I'll do it. I'm not holding back. I've run out of compassion. I'm not changing my mind. You're getting exactly what's coming to you. Decree of God, the Master.'"
45 "Righteous men will pronounce judgment on them, giving out sentences for adultery and murder. That was their lifework: adultery and murder."
46-47 "God says, 'Let a mob loose on them: Terror! Plunder! Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces—kill all their children, burn down their houses!
48-49 "'I'll put an end to sluttish sex in this country so that all women will be well warned and not copy you. You'll pay the price for all your obsessive sex. You'll pay in full for your promiscuous affairs with idols. And you'll realize that I am God, the Master.'"
Ezekiel 24
Bring the Pot to a Boil
1-5 The Message of God came to me in the ninth year, the tenth month, and the tenth day of the month: "Son of man, write down this date. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Tell this company of rebels a story:
"'Put on the soup pot.
Fill it with water.
Put chunks of meat into it,
all the choice pieces—loin and brisket.
Pick out the best soup bones
from the best of the sheep in the flock.
Pile wood beneath the pot.
Bring it to a boil
and cook the soup.
6"'God, the Master, says:
"'Doom to the city of murder,
to the pot thick with scum,
thick with a filth that can't be scoured.
Empty the pot piece by piece;
don't bother who gets what.
7-8"'The blood from murders
has stained the whole city;
Blood runs bold on the street stones,
with no one bothering to wash it off—
Blood out in the open to public view
to provoke my wrath,
to trigger my vengeance.
9-12"'Therefore, this is what God, the Master, says:
"'Doom to the city of murder!
I, too, will pile on the wood.
Stack the wood high,
light the match,
Cook the meat, spice it well, pour out the broth,
and then burn the bones.
Then I'll set the empty pot on the coals
and heat it red-hot so the bronze glows,
So the germs are killed
and the corruption is burned off.
But it's hopeless. It's too far gone.
The filth is too thick.
13-14 "'Your encrusted filth is your filthy sex. I wanted to clean you up, but you wouldn't let me. I'll make no more attempts at cleaning you up until my anger quiets down. I, God, have said it, and I'll do it. I'm not holding back. I've run out of compassion. I'm not changing my mind. You're getting exactly what's coming to you. Decree of God, the Master.'"
Monday, March 22, 2010
Joel 2:25-27
"I'll make up for the years of the locust, the great locust devastation—Locusts savage, locusts deadly, fierce locusts, locusts of doom,That great locust invasion I sent your way.You'll eat your fill of good food. You'll be full of praises to your God,The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder. Never again will my people be despised.You'll know without question that I'm in the thick of life with Israel,That I'm your God, yes, your God, the one and only real God.Never again will my people be despised.
The Sun Turning Black and the Moon Blood-Red
28-32 "And that's just the beginning: After that—
"I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people:Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters.Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions.I'll even pour out my Spirit on the servants, men and women both.I'll set wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below:Blood and fire and billowing smoke, the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,Before the Judgment Day of God, the Day tremendous and awesome.Whoever calls, 'Help, God!' gets help.On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a great rescue—just as God said.Included in the survivors are those that God calls."
"I'll make up for the years of the locust, the great locust devastation—Locusts savage, locusts deadly, fierce locusts, locusts of doom,That great locust invasion I sent your way.You'll eat your fill of good food. You'll be full of praises to your God,The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder. Never again will my people be despised.You'll know without question that I'm in the thick of life with Israel,That I'm your God, yes, your God, the one and only real God.Never again will my people be despised.
The Sun Turning Black and the Moon Blood-Red
28-32 "And that's just the beginning: After that—
"I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people:Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters.Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions.I'll even pour out my Spirit on the servants, men and women both.I'll set wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below:Blood and fire and billowing smoke, the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,Before the Judgment Day of God, the Day tremendous and awesome.Whoever calls, 'Help, God!' gets help.On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a great rescue—just as God said.Included in the survivors are those that God calls."
Joel 2:18-20
At that, God went into action to get his land back. He took pity on his people.God answered and spoke to his people, "Look, listen—I'm sending a gift:Grain and wine and olive oil. The fast is over—eat your fill!I won't expose you any longer to contempt among the pagans.I'll head off the final enemy coming out of the north and dump them in a wasteland.Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea, the other half in the Mediterranean.There they'll rot, a stench to high heaven. The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!"
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! God has done great things.Fear not, wild animals! The fields and meadows are greening up.The trees are bearing fruit again: a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your God.He's giving you a teacher to train you how to live right—Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
At that, God went into action to get his land back. He took pity on his people.God answered and spoke to his people, "Look, listen—I'm sending a gift:Grain and wine and olive oil. The fast is over—eat your fill!I won't expose you any longer to contempt among the pagans.I'll head off the final enemy coming out of the north and dump them in a wasteland.Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea, the other half in the Mediterranean.There they'll rot, a stench to high heaven. The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!"
21-24 Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! God has done great things.Fear not, wild animals! The fields and meadows are greening up.The trees are bearing fruit again: a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your God.He's giving you a teacher to train you how to live right—Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
Joel 2:12
But there's also this, it's not too late— God's personal Message!—"Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!"
13-14Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God.And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity.Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your God!
15-17 Blow the ram's horn trumpet in Zion! Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day.Call a public meeting. Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation.Make sure the elders come, but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies,Even men and women on their honeymoon— interrupt them and get them there.Between Sanctuary entrance and altar, let the priests, God's servants, weep tears of repentance.Let them intercede: "Have mercy, God, on your people! Don't abandon your heritage to contempt.Don't let the pagans take over and rule them and sneer, 'And so where is this God of theirs?'"
But there's also this, it's not too late— God's personal Message!—"Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!"
13-14Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God.And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity.Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your God!
15-17 Blow the ram's horn trumpet in Zion! Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day.Call a public meeting. Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation.Make sure the elders come, but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies,Even men and women on their honeymoon— interrupt them and get them there.Between Sanctuary entrance and altar, let the priests, God's servants, weep tears of repentance.Let them intercede: "Have mercy, God, on your people! Don't abandon your heritage to contempt.Don't let the pagans take over and rule them and sneer, 'And so where is this God of theirs?'"
Joel 2
7-11The invaders charge. They climb barricades. Nothing stops them.Each soldier does what he's told, so disciplined, so determined.They don't get in each other's way. Each one knows his job and does it.Undaunted and fearless, unswerving, unstoppable.They storm the city, swarm its defenses,Loot the houses, breaking down doors, smashing windows.They arrive like an earthquake, sweep through like a tornado.Sun and moon turn out their lights, stars black out.God himself bellows in thunder as he commands his forces.Look at the size of that army! And the strength of those who obey him!God's Judgment Day—great and terrible. Who can possibly survive this?
7-11The invaders charge. They climb barricades. Nothing stops them.Each soldier does what he's told, so disciplined, so determined.They don't get in each other's way. Each one knows his job and does it.Undaunted and fearless, unswerving, unstoppable.They storm the city, swarm its defenses,Loot the houses, breaking down doors, smashing windows.They arrive like an earthquake, sweep through like a tornado.Sun and moon turn out their lights, stars black out.God himself bellows in thunder as he commands his forces.Look at the size of that army! And the strength of those who obey him!God's Judgment Day—great and terrible. Who can possibly survive this?
Joel 2
Joel 2
1-3 Blow the ram's horn trumpet in Zion! Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain!Shake the country up! God's Judgment's on its way—the Day's almost here!A black day! A Doomsday! Clouds with no silver lining!Like dawn light moving over the mountains, a huge army is coming.There's never been anything like it and never will be again.Wildfire burns everything before this army and fire licks up everything in its wake.Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden. When it leaves, it is Death Valley. Nothing escapes unscathed.
4-6The locust army seems all horses— galloping horses, an army of horses.It sounds like thunder leaping on mountain ridges,Or like the roar of wildfire through grass and brush,Or like an invincible army shouting for blood, ready to fight, straining at the bit.At the sight of this army, the people panic, faces white with terror.
1-3 Blow the ram's horn trumpet in Zion! Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain!Shake the country up! God's Judgment's on its way—the Day's almost here!A black day! A Doomsday! Clouds with no silver lining!Like dawn light moving over the mountains, a huge army is coming.There's never been anything like it and never will be again.Wildfire burns everything before this army and fire licks up everything in its wake.Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden. When it leaves, it is Death Valley. Nothing escapes unscathed.
4-6The locust army seems all horses— galloping horses, an army of horses.It sounds like thunder leaping on mountain ridges,Or like the roar of wildfire through grass and brush,Or like an invincible army shouting for blood, ready to fight, straining at the bit.At the sight of this army, the people panic, faces white with terror.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Shut Yourselves In
Isaiah 26:20-21
Come, my people, go home and shut yourselves in. Go into seclusion for a while until the punishing wrath is past, Because God is sure to come from his place to punish the wrong of the people on earth. Earth itself will point out the bloodstains; it will show where the murdered have been hidden away.
Come, my people, go home and shut yourselves in. Go into seclusion for a while until the punishing wrath is past, Because God is sure to come from his place to punish the wrong of the people on earth. Earth itself will point out the bloodstains; it will show where the murdered have been hidden away.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Those who trust in God
Psalm 125:1-5 (The Message)
Those who trust in God
are like Zion Mountain:
Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain
you can always depend on.
Mountains encircle Jerusalem,
and God encircles his people—
always has and always will.
Those who trust in God
are like Zion Mountain:
Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain
you can always depend on.
Mountains encircle Jerusalem,
and God encircles his people—
always has and always will.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Jer 15: 6-9"You left me, remember?" God's Decree. "You turned your back and walked out.So I will grab you and hit you hard. I'm tired of letting you off the hook. I threw you to the four winds and let the winds scatter you like leaves.I made sure you'll lose everything, since nothing makes you change. I created more widows among you than grains of sand on the ocean beaches.At noon mothers will get the news of their sons killed in action. Sudden anguish for the mothers—all those terrible deaths.A mother of seven falls to the ground, gasping for breath, Robbed of her children in their prime. Her sun sets at high noon! Then I'll round up any of you that are left alive and see that you're killed by your enemies." God's Decree.
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