Merciful Kindness

O. T. #2076  "Merciful Kindness"

Nov. 30, 2021

Joel 1-Part 4

LET IT GLOW

Psalm 117:1-2 says, O praise the LORD, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

This is the shortest of the psalms by an unknown writer. He is inviting people everywhere to turn to the Lord and join believers in praising Him.

Wiersbe gives us 4 privileges that belong to God's people:

1. Worshipping God-The first praise means hallelujah-praise the Lord; the second praise means to boast, to extol and laud. It refers to us tell God how great He is, and we brag on Him to others.
2. Sharing the Gospel-To the nations (Gentiles) and peoples (nationalities in the world). Israel failed at bringing blessings to all the earth and giving true knowledge of God, Scriptures, and Savior.
3. Depending on God's great love-We are saved by grace, not by our good works. (Eph. 2:8-9) While we deserved death and darkness, God showed His merciful lovingkindness through Jesus Christ.
4. Resting on Divine assurance-Truth or faithfulness refers to stability, certainty, trustworthiness, faithful, sure. The character of God cannot change and His promises will not change. Our assurance is in the Word of God and the God of the Word. 

*I am sorry this has taken so long to post. My electricity went off and I was not able to get back on this site. Thank the Lord it was not erased. 

 

LET IT GROW

Look at verses 13-15 of the first chapter of Joel. The Word of the Lord through the prophet Joel is addressing the priests in Israel. No one was able to bring proper sacrifices to the temple because there were no meal, wine, or animals available. The people and the Temple were in need. Nice there was such devastation, the only thing man could do was to repent and mourn.

The priests and ministers were to:

• exhort themselves with sackcloth as a sign of mourning, even those attending the altar at night;
• Lament means to bewail (weep, mourn);
• Sanctify means keep holy, purify to a fast;
• Gather the elders and inhabitants of the land into the Lord's house;
• Cry refers to assemble, call (together), cause to be proclaimed unto the Lord.

Those are the instructions during the devastation of the locust plague, before the armies of world's empires attacked.

The main things was for the people to repent of their sinful idolatry and turn back to God.

Will we sanctify, lament, and cry before the Lord our God? His mercy endureth forever.

 

LET IT GO

Jesus, the lives of Patty and R. E. are in your hands, as well as us.

Your mercy has no end. Great is Your faithfulness.

Please show mercy unto them as they deal with cancer that wants to destroy their life.

We realize we are but sinners in need of a Savior today. You alone are our hope, Jesus. We give thanks unto the Lord, for Your mercy endureth to all generations.

In Your hands we leave our sister and brother in Christ.

Show Yourself mighty in each situation, according to Your will.

To You be the glory for ever and ever. Amen

Rejoice, Return, Rapture

O. T. #2075 "Rejoice, Return, Rapture"

Nov. 29, 2021

Joel 1-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

Folks, Psalm 116 has a lot of good things to say to us believers in Jesus.

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The LORD preserveth the simple; I was brought low, and He helped me. (verses 5-6)

I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (verse 9)

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. (verse 15)

I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all His people. (verses 17-18)

God is always available so His children can reach Him immediately with our prayers and cry out for help. He bends down and listens to our voice. He answers the prayers of His children so He can give us His best. We are so precious to Him that God even chooses carefully the time when He calls us into His presence through death. God sees and values each life. So much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place in order for our sins to be forgiven. What a sacrifice! Have you accepted it yet?

Do we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD?

LET IT GROW

Let's remember that Joel probably prophesied during the reign of King Joash in Judah (835-796 BC). It would have been about 210 years before Babylon conquered Judah.

The people were careless and concerned only with their sinful pleasures instead of pleasing God and only worshiping Him. Sin's shackles had them bound.

What was going to happen in the land of Judah?

• The locusts (conquering armies) would devour the grapes so the drunkards could have no wine. (verse 5)
• A great lion/nation was coming as a lion to lay waste the fig trees.(verses 6-7)
• There would be no meat and drink offerings for the priests to give the LORD. (verse 9)
• Cornfields would be a wasteland, thus no oil available. (verse 10)
• No wheat or barley would be harvested. (verse 11)
• The pomegranate, apple, and palm trees will wither. (verse 12a)

The entire population is affected.

Joy is withered away from the sons of men. (verse 12b)

Is our joy withered? Are we so bogged down with troubles and despair that we just go through the motions of each day?

Our Creator will return to earth and set free those in sin's shackles, and then the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad... and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom like the rose. (Isaiah 35:1)

 

LET IT GO

Rejoice, for the Day of the Lord is coming!

Look up, for our Redemption draweth nigh!

One day Jesus will return and rapture us into heaven.

While we wait, let us rejoice, give thanks, and stay faithful to our King Jesus.

 

 

From Wasted to Productive

O. T. #2074 "From Wasted to Productive"

Nov. 26, 2021

Joel 1-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

As we continue in the psalms for encouragement, look at 115:

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathern say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. (verses 1-3)

He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. (verse 13)

Our God is is on His glorious throne, reigning as the Sovereign God of the universe, that is where He is. His throne is founded on mercy and truth (love and faithfulness), which reminds us of His covenant with Israel. Because He loved them, He chose them (Deut. 7:7-11) and gave them His covenant, which He faithfully kept. All of God's people can shout, "Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns!"    (Wiersbe)

Who gets credit if God answers my prayer?

With a heavy heart I write, for my sister in law has ovarian cancer, and goes to the oncologist Tuesday for their plan of treatment. Also, a good friend in the ministry has stomach cancer. He is getting a feeding tube and port put in this morning. He will be finding out  the doctors' plan of treatment soon, also. We would appreciate your prayers for these two loved ones. Our God does whatsoever pleases Him, so we give glory to the Lord Most High.

LET IT GROW

As we look further into the first chapter, we read of the four stages of the locust in verse 4 that Joel tells Israel is coming:

1. The palmerworm, which hatches out, is characterized by its gnawing activity;
2. The locust, which gets its wings and flies;
3. The cankerworm, that grows and eats away leaves, fruit, bark;
4. The caterpillar, which is full growth and development, devours anything in its path.

How devastating it would be for the grape harvest to be lost, as well as other crops, such as wheat, barley, fig, pomegranate, apple, etc.

As the locusts invasions were horrible, so would those human armies as they attacked. Those 4 stages of the locust's development are often taken as prophetic of the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires, which overran and controlled Judah.

Don't be discouraged, for God promised restoration in 2:25. He can repair our losses and make good on what damage we do in our life. Just come to Jesus.

As the father of the prodigal son made up for all that his son squandered, God vows that He will restore our loss.

Worthless years. Futile. Wasted.

Joni Eareckson Tada admits her hidden sins, lack of Bible reading, a dying prayer life after her disabling accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. Although she has never recovered, she now uses her time and life to honor God and encourage others to come to Jesus.

LET IT GO

Father, please for my wasted years that I squandered on my fleshly desires. Renew my time so it is used for Your glory and honor, sharing the gospel with others.

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

Here are some verses in Psalm 113 that fits this time of year:

Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised.

The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens.

Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,

Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! (verses 1-6)

God's name is the greatest. Do we glorify Him, making God look good to those who ignore Him, oppose Him, or do not know Him?

His throne is the highest. Are we exulting our King Jesus above all others?

The love and grace of God made Him stoop to our level as Jesus came to become one of us and die on the cross for us.

Think of Hannah (Samuel), Rachael (Joseph), Mary (Jesus), Elizabeth (John the Baptist).

No matter how dark the day or impossible the circumstances, our God is able to do the impossible. (Eph. 3:19-20)

Therefore, let us praise the God Most High, our Savior and Redeemer! There is no one like our God Jehovah!

An Urgent Message

O. T. #2073  "An Urgent Message"

Nov. 23, 2021

Joel 1

LET IT GLOW

Like a mystery, what is Joel about to reveal to his readers and listeners? Can we hear the urgency and intensity in his voice? When something extraordinarily good or extraordinarily bad happens to us, we can't wait to tell a trusted friend. What Joel is about to say is of such importance that he addresses his audience of:

• old men, elders, who were respected citizens of the land;
• those inhabitants of the land;
• hearers, regardless of their age, occupation, social position, or sex;
• and the descendants of Israel; (verses 2-3)
• drunkards, careless people in the land interested only in their sinful pleasures; (verses 5-7)
• farmers whose crops will be destroyed, as well as flocks and herds; (verses 8-12)
• priests, who were called to lament, pray, fast and seek the Lord. (verses 13-20)

Joel's prophecy is not to be forgotten, but communicated to succeeding generations.

Has the gospel become so urgent to us that we share with our children and grandchildren? Do we share our testimony when we have opportunity? How important to us is what Jesus did on the cross for us sinners?

LET IT GROW

This prophecy is not to be forgotten. It contains two unique, never-to-be forgotten events, but remembered and told to Israel's descendants-the locust plague upon Israel and the Day of the Lord.

We will read more details of those two events. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? Can we imagine the tension and suspense of the readers and listeners? Well, what is it?

LET IT GO

May we share the Good News of Jesus Christ with urgency.

One day He will return to earth to take His children home. Will you be one of them?

Jesus is the only way to God and heaven.

Have you come to Him yet, in repentance of sins, admitting you need a Savior?

There is coming a day when everything will end. Are you ready?

What is God Saying to Us?

O. T. #2072 "What is God Saying to Us?"

Nov. 22, 2021

Introduction to Joel

The Word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. (verse 1)

 

I want to take this time and thank you for your faithfulness in joining me as we study the 12 minor Prophets. It is difficult to find encouragement during such discouraging writings. Yet, we know God is in control and we have a hope in Jesus, our Savior. May the Lord bless you! And if you have joined us recently, may we grow together in the knowledge of our gracious and merciful God.

Background

Author:

Little is known about this Joel who wrote these words in 3 short chapters and 73 verses. There are at least a dozen other men mentioned with the same name in the OT. He is mentioned in the NT in Acts 2.

The name Joel, pronounced Yow'el (Yo-ale'), means Jehovah (is his) God, in the Hebrew language.

The only background we have on this Joel is that his father was named Pethuel, which is mentioned no where else in the Scriptures. Other sources say that Joel was from the tribe of Reuben and from the town of Bethom or Bethharam, located northeast of the Dead Sea on the border of Reuben and Gad. It is hinted that Joel was a Judean from the Jerusalem vicinity, since the tone of a stranger is absent.

There are various opinions as to when Joel wrote his prophesies. There are no hints as to the world powers. He may have written them post-exilic prophets or during the reign of Joash (835-796 BC), which seems most convincing. Anyway, his message is timeless and can be applied in any age.

[Resource: The MacArthur Bible Commentary]

Apparently Joel was not a priest. His ministry may have occurred shortly after the days of Elijah and Elisha. That would have made him an early prophet of Judah. He doesn't mention Nineveh or Babylon, but does mention the Phoenicians, Philistines, Edomites, and Egyptians.It is possible that Joel could have written after the Babylonian captivity because the walls of Jerusalem are mentioned, so that would have placed Joel after Ezra and Nehemiah.

[Resource: Liberty Bible Commentary]

Setting:

Throughout the years, Judah experienced droughts, attacks of enemies, and economic devastation, leaving them a weak southern kingdom.

Judah had become prosperous and complacent, taking God for granted. They turned to self-centeredness, idolatry, and sin. Joel warned them that this kind of lifestyle would inevitably bring God's judgment.

Theme or Purpose:

A day of judgment was coming because of Judah's sins, resulting in devastation of the land (locust plague and drought) and the destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD). The Day of the Lord will bring restoration, though. There is hope of the material, spiritual, and national restoration for Judah.

In verse 1, Joel begins his prophecy by authenticating his prophetic office. The words he wrote had their source in God. Joel did not seek this message. He was called by God. The King came to a servant and commanded the servant to comply. (Tony Evans)

What is God saying to us? Joel wanted the people to know what God was saying to them through those critical events.

Give us ears to hear Your Word to us in this time, Lord.

Open our eyes to see our sins, bring us to repentance, and change our heart so we honor You.

 

 

 

 

 

LET IT GO

Certainty in an Uncertain World

O. T. #2071 "Certainty in an Uncertain World"

Nov. 19, 2021

Summary of Hosea-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Tonight between 1-3am, there is a lunar eclipse in our area. Even though I have seen it numerous times in my lifetime, it is still amazing how our God lines up earth between the sun and moon. I hope He will wake me up to see His handiworks. (I write this Thursday morning.)

As we live in a time of uncertainty, there is certainty. Billy Graham said, "We live in a world that is broken because of sin, and we share in its brokenness. It should give us greater compassion for others and make us yearn for Heaven."

 Looking at Psalm 11, we find:

• We are to praise the LORD with our whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. (verse 1)
• The works of the LORD are great, honorable and glorious, so wonderful to be remembered. (verses 2-4)
• The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. (verse 4b)
• He gives us meat; he is always mindful of His covenant. (verse 5)
• He shows His people the power of His works. (verse 6)
• The works of God's hands are verity (stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness, faithful) and judgment. (verse 7)
• He sent redemption unto His people; He commanded His covenant forever. (verse 9)
• Holy and reverend is His name. (verse 9b)

Do we have our eyes open to see the working of God in our life and the life of others around us? The works of God's hands are our certainty. We see Him heal, mend, protect, and astound us with His power, grace, and compassion.

 

LET IT GROW

Israel knew and saw the love of God like no other nation knew it. He had delivered them from famine, redeemed them from sin, protected them from enemies, His forgiveness, revelation, and love. Still yet, Israel turned to dumb idols and gave herself to them. This is sin at its worst.

Hosea called for repentance of spiritual adultery, to turn back to their First Love. But they would not, so Assyria conquered them. Have we left our first love? Do we know others who have? There is coming a day when Israel will believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah and their salvation.  

We see this hope in 14:8, when Israel will one day return to God with her whole heart. Folks, God loves us so much that He knew we could not be righteous, so He sent Jesus to become our righteousness. Without Him we would perish in our sins. With Jesus as our Savior, we have a home in heaven awaiting for us.

Do you believe in Jesus? Have you trusted in Him as your Savior?

LET IT GO

Jesus, You are so trustworthy, certain, stability, and Truth.

There is no doubt or denying that it is You we need.

Start a fire in us today, so we are on fire for Jesus.

You are our only hope of eternal life.

Open our eyes to see Your handiworks around us.