Nahum 2:11

Where is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah in our world today?  We need to lift Him up so that all nations can be drawn to the power and the wonder of the Godhead. It was  too little a thing to have salvation come only to the Jews but from the beginning God knew this precious gift would be given to all men who would accept Him. There is no fear in God’s love if we abide in Him. Without Him we can do nothing....but with Him all things are possible!

Nineveh was the city of lions. Yet despite all the horrors that the lion of Nineveh had brought to other nations, it would no longer need to be feared by anyone.

Nahum 2:11

¹¹ Where is the dwelling of the lions, 
And the feeding place of the young lions, 
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, 
And no one made them afraid? 

Mark 2:17

He came to earth to be crucified. He died, and was buried. He arose again fulfilling Scripture and conquering deaths hold on man so that those of us who repent of our sins and choose to accept His sacrifice can have eternal life with God. No greater love than this exists... grab hold of it for dear life!

In this instance Jesus was speaking tongue-in-cheek when He used the word righteous. None are righteous, though some, such as the Pharisees, fancied themselves as such. Instead, Christ came to call sinners to repentance. Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

Mark 2:17

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Lamentations 2:8

The walls of defense that we build in our hearts to protect ourselves comes tumbling down in God’s presence. God punishes those He loves and will leave us to our own broken life if we insist on keeping Him out of it.

The Lord did not simply relax His protection of Judah He purposely worked against His people.

Four weeks after the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple, the palace, the homes of the people, and the city wall.

 Lamentations 2:8 

⁸ The Lord has purposed to destroy 

The wall of the daughter of Zion. 

He has stretched out a line; 

He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying; 

Therefore He has caused the rampart and wall to lament; 

They languished together. 

Hosea 10:11-12

There is no substitute for God’s wisdom and we need to quit trying to use man’s philosophy as a replacement for it. Will we never see and do the things that we know from the Word of God, Jesus Christ, is right or will man always think that he knows best?

Israel preferred to be unrestrained, like an unmuzzled heifer at the threshing floor that can simply lean down and eat the grain. Israel’s rebellious spirit necessitated harsh treatment, compared here to a farmer binding his calf to the yoke and forcing it to do hard labor. Threshing in this context refers to Israel’s service to the Lord; plowing refers to the discipline that Israel had to acquire through judgment and exile.

Hosea calls the people to repentance, reminding them that a decision could not be postponed, and that God’s blessings could still be restored. In Israel’s case, the people had to reestablish social justice—righteousness—and loyalty—mercy—in the land. Plowing and planting are necessary preliminary steps for growing a crop, which eventually sprouts when the rain falls in season. In the same way, repentance would set the stage for restored blessing, which God would eventually rain down on His people.

Hosea 10:11-12

¹¹ Ephraim is a trained heifer 

That loves to thresh grain; 

But I harnessed her fair neck, 

I will make Ephraim pull a plow. 

Judah shall plow; 

Jacob shall break his clods.” 

¹² Sow for yourselves righteousness; 

Reap in mercy; 

Break up your fallow ground, 

For it is time to seek the Lord, 

Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. 

Matthew 26:69-75

Without the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what we in ourselves cannot the world would be without hope. God knows that we are mere men and that the power to hear and to do His will comes only from His mercy and grace. 

Peter swore under oath that he did not know Jesus. He went out and wept bitterly indicates Peter’s genuine repentance. In His grace, the Lord later forgave Peter.

Matthew 26:69-75

⁶⁹ Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” 

⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” 

⁷¹ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 

⁷² But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” 

⁷³ And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” 

⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” 

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly. 

Matthew 24:4-8

Matthew was a Jew and was desperate to prove to his fellow members that Jesus’s deity could be proven and traced. He also connected the gentile Church to the salvation that would be given them through Jesus. These warnings of old sound way to familiar to the state of the world today. Shout it from the rooftops Jesus the Christ is Lord and place your trust in Him alone!

False messiahs and wars and rumors of wars are characteristic of the fallen world in which we live. When the Lord said all these things must come to pass, He used a word for must that indicates a divine or logical necessity. Such activities are necessary because of the people’s sin.

The earth continually has birth pangs today (see Rom. 8:22); during the tribulation, these “sorrows” will increase in intensity and frequency until Jesus returns in glory.

Matthew 24:4-8

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

Nahum 2:13

For months I have been having a deep prophetic fear for the US and the world, we no longer fear God, we fear each other and place our trust in ourselves and not in Him who controls all. Turn us back to You God and help us to humble ourselves and realize that we are just a small part of the whole of Your creation. In God we need to trust!

Although the Babylonians conquered the city, they were only God’s instruments. Nineveh’s greatest foe was the Lord of hosts Himself.

Nahum 2:13

¹³ “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.” 

Matthew 26:40-41

I get so frustrated with my flesh, that part of me that knows better but fails, but Christ recognizes the weaknesses of His creation and gives them grace...amazing grace! I thank God for the renewing of my mind through the teaching of the Holy Spirit but I long for the day that I will be changed permanently into the person that He intended me to be :). It frightens me to think of what the world would be like without the Holy Spirit to seek the lost, bind up the broken and reveal the truth of Jesus Christ to those who seek Him!

The disciples needed to stay awake and pray because they were about to be tested themselves. Here the word flesh emphasizes human weakness. The contrast between the weakness of the disciples and the strength of the Lord is startling. Because the flesh is weak, every child of God needs supernatural empowerment.

Matthew 26:40-41

⁴⁰ Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 

Ephesians 3:8-12

Any hope I have is deeply rooted in my faith in Christ Jesus knowing that in myself is nothing worthy of salvation but in Him all things are possible........Amazing Grace!

Paul was not expressing false humility when he called himself less than the least of all the saints. He was truly humble because he previously had persecuted Christ’s church. 

Paul’s mission as an apostle was to enlighten all people about the mystery of God’s grace in Christ, which was not understood in previous times but which had become clear with the coming of Jesus Christ. 

Angels are also learning about God’s wisdom as they watch His grace working in us.

Ephesians 3:8-12

⁸ To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; ¹⁰ to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 

Matthew 18:32-35

Forgiving others is not an option....it is a command.  Forgiving those who have wronged us may be the hardest thing that we will ever do but it is an outward expression of our faith if it comes from the heart.

This parable reiterates the principle that we should forgive others because God forgives us. All of a Christian’s sins are forgiven and forgotten forever. But this parable illustrates the Christian duty to forgive others. If our forgiveness should be in direct proportion to the incredible amount that we have been forgiven, then we must always be willing to forgive.

Matthew 18:32-35

³² Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 

³⁵ “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” 

2 Kings 19:3-7

Do not fear when trouble comes, and it will, seek the Lord in all things and rest knowing that all things are under His control!

The Hebrew phrase translated here indicates not only the great danger of the present Assyrian crisis, but the distress that Hezekiah felt. Hezekiah realized that the Lord’s corrective chastisement had come upon Judah and Jerusalem. The closing proverb using the imagery of birth stresses the need for God’s intervening strength if Jerusalem were to be delivered.

^{Jeremiah 46:27} “But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, 

And do not be dismayed, O Israel! 

For behold, I will save you from afar, 

And your offspring from the land of their captivity;

2 Kings 19:3-7

And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ” 

⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶ And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. ⁷ Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ” 

Isaiah 58:6-9

Happy 4th of July America.....let the truth of Christ ring free! 

To loose, to undo, to let go free, and break every yoke are synonyms of genuine righteousness (Ezek. 18:16–18). Yoke is a metaphor for social oppression. For similar expressions of the duty to take care of the poor, see Job 31:16–23; Matt. 25:35, 36. The poor who are cast out refers to those whose lands and houses were expropriated in payment of debts. 

The light dawned with the advent of Christ.

Isaiah 58:6-9

⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: 

To loose the bonds of wickedness, 

To undo the heavy burdens, 

To let the oppressed go free, 

And that you break every yoke? 

⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, 

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; 

When you see the naked, that you cover him, 

And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 

⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the morning, 

Your healing shall spring forth speedily, 

And your righteousness shall go before you; 

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 

⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; 

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ 

Jeremiah 7:5-11

We cannot earn our way to heaven, it is through the death, resurrection and the salvation given to us in Jesus, BUT we are living epistles, His examples of the right way to live. It is our duty as CHRISTians to judge without partiality,  not make a stranger feel distressed, anxious or uncomfortable nor to treat them unjustly, to take care of those who cannot care for themselves, and most importantly love God with all our heart, mind and spirit!

This Hebrew word for stranger could more precisely be translated “resident alien.” It refers to those foreigners who lived as permanent residents within Israel. Israel was to treat aliens within its own borders in such a way that they would want a relationship with Israel’s God.

^{Deuteronomy 10:16-20} Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. ¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. ¹⁸ He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 

^{Matthew 25:37-40} “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 

Jeremiah 7:5-11

⁵ “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, ⁶ if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, ⁷ then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 

⁸ “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. ⁹ Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, ¹⁰ and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? ¹¹ Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord. 

Mark 3:23-27

Are you familiar with the saying “Divide and Conquer”?  That is what is happening in the world and my fear is that we will end up like the Roman Empire, fixated on the rights of the individual at the expense of the whole. No sum can be greater than its parts. God’s house needs to unite and stand up for His love for all people guided by His Word, Jesus Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit. He shows partiality to no one. As it is with God’s body so it should be with a nation that calls on His name!

^{Leviticus 19:15} ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. 

^{Deuteronomy 1:17} You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s.

^{Deuteronomy 10:17} For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. ¹⁸ He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

^{11 Corinthians 12} For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ 


¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. ¹⁴ For in fact the body is not one member but many. 

But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵ that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 

Jesus’ reply in parables was actually a threefold message that contrasted unity and disunity. Nothing—including Satan’s kingdom—can stand if it is divided.

Whoever defeats Satan must be stronger than he. Jesus implies that He Himself has come to enter the house of the strong man, Satan, to seize his goods (1 John 3:8).

Mark 3:23-27

²³ So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. ²⁷ No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.