'Prophets' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish…” vss. 14-15a Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 There was a time when preachers and revivalists regularly invoked the vivid pictures of the day of the Lord that are found in the Hebrew prophets. These passages paint a bleak description of judgment,…
Daily Devotions
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” vs. 7 Psalm 80:3-7 When things were going bad for the people of Israel, something that happened with some frequency, it was not unusual for their prophets and psalmists to yearn for restoration. In recent years we’ve even seen that theme used as a political slogan as some have lifted up their voices to urge that America be made great again. Such persons remember a…
Daily Devotions
And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord.” vs. 20 Jeremiah 15:19-21 Jeremiah did more than his share of lamenting in his short but storied career as a prophet in Jerusalem. The royals had paid no attention to his warnings and oracles and he was lucky to have avoided…
Daily Devotions
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.” vs. 6 Isaiah 51:3-6 At first glance the prophet’s vision for his people seems horribly depressing, but as we think about what he means, a deep and comforting truth…
Daily Devotions
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8 Psalm 85:8-13 All of the prophets felt a call to bring the word of the Lord to the people of Israel and Judah. Most of the time it came as a warning of impending doom if idolatrous behavior didn’t come to an end. Again and again the prophet would…
Daily Devotions
…and the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.’” vs. 6 Jeremiah 28:5-6 Jeremiah wasn’t the only prophet in Jerusalem in those years before its destruction. Hananiah also had a vision for the future, and his optimistic words were like candy to the ears of the people. Jeremiah…
Daily Devotions
But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’” vs. 29 Numbers 11:24-34 According to the Book of Numbers, Moses was feeling the burden of leadership in the wilderness and complained to the Lord. He was instructed to gather 70 elders from among the people, and the Lord put his Spirit on them and they then began to prophesy. But…
Daily Devotions
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” vs. 26 Luke 6:20-31 Most of us have an enormous need to be liked, a character flaw that the social media giant Facebook has exploited to generate traffic on its pages. People will go to any lengths to post pictures and comments that will get them “likes” from their hundreds of make-believe “friends.” The vulnerable among us, particularly the young…
Daily Devotions
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?’” vss. 4-5a Amos 8:4-5a When Amos, from the hill country of Judah, went to the prosperous kingdom of Israel to speak a word from the Lord, he couldn’t believe his eyes. These folks were the descendents of Abraham.…
Daily Devotions
He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” vs. 21 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Elijah was the first of the prophets to appear in the ancient stories that were so cherished by the Israelites. People loved to read about his exploits as a defender of…
Daily Devotions
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.” vs.1 Malachi 3:1-4 Advent is here! One candle has been lit and we’ve thought a bit about the Day of the Lord that was so much on the minds of the prophets. They were a remarkable group. Israel and Judah had wandered from the way of righteousness again and again through the centuries but the prophets…
Daily Devotions
The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.” vs. 26 Mark 6:21-29 Those who operate without a moral compass often make decisions with far-reaching effects for the flimsiest of reasons. Herod makes a foolish promise to the step-daughter who has entertained him and his presumably well-lubricated guests. The girl’s mother seizes on the opportunity to rid herself of a well-hated nemesis–and John the Baptizer loses…
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