September 25 - Obadiah and Jonah 1-4
I pray that you heard the Lord speak to you through these two short prophetic books. Each one has a powerful message for us today.
Obadiah is a prophecy against Edom for being proud and for not supporting Israel. Both of these sins are very serious. Pride always leads a person or a nation to a fall. God hates self sufficiency and arrogance. He will do whatever is necessary to show an individual or a country that they must depend on Him alone. This is what He was doing to Edom, and I believe, He is trying to get the same message across to the USA today. The matter of not supporting Israel goes back to God's covenant with Abraham. God promised to bless the ones who blessed Abraham and his descendants, and He promised to curse those who curse them. Edom was against Israel because of their pride, so God carried out His promise. Now, there is no more Edom, but there is an Israel.
Jonah is a very insight filled book. As I read today, the thing that jumped out at me was Jonah's attempt to flee from God's presence. (1:3) He got on a ship going far away from his country. He got down in the lowest part of the ship. Even when he was thrown overboard, there was the sense in which he thought God would not be there. However, Jonah found out that God was everywhere. He was even in the belly of a fish. God was in Nineveh, even though it was an evil city. Jonah could not get away from God, and neither can we. Don't try to get away. Get right with Him.
What did Jonah need to do to get right with God? He had a prejudice against non-Jewish people. He did not love them, and he did not want God to forgive them. Really, he only cared for himself. This was a terrible sin that effects many people today, even believers. God does not want us to be prejudiced against any person or group of people. The word means to prejudge someone before you know their heart. What was the heart of the people in Nineveh? They repented before God and cried out to Him. Their hearts were much better than Jonah's heart. God is the only one who knows person's heart. We must love the people around us and be obedient to do what God tells us without prejudice.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Micah 1-4.
Obadiah is a prophecy against Edom for being proud and for not supporting Israel. Both of these sins are very serious. Pride always leads a person or a nation to a fall. God hates self sufficiency and arrogance. He will do whatever is necessary to show an individual or a country that they must depend on Him alone. This is what He was doing to Edom, and I believe, He is trying to get the same message across to the USA today. The matter of not supporting Israel goes back to God's covenant with Abraham. God promised to bless the ones who blessed Abraham and his descendants, and He promised to curse those who curse them. Edom was against Israel because of their pride, so God carried out His promise. Now, there is no more Edom, but there is an Israel.
Jonah is a very insight filled book. As I read today, the thing that jumped out at me was Jonah's attempt to flee from God's presence. (1:3) He got on a ship going far away from his country. He got down in the lowest part of the ship. Even when he was thrown overboard, there was the sense in which he thought God would not be there. However, Jonah found out that God was everywhere. He was even in the belly of a fish. God was in Nineveh, even though it was an evil city. Jonah could not get away from God, and neither can we. Don't try to get away. Get right with Him.
What did Jonah need to do to get right with God? He had a prejudice against non-Jewish people. He did not love them, and he did not want God to forgive them. Really, he only cared for himself. This was a terrible sin that effects many people today, even believers. God does not want us to be prejudiced against any person or group of people. The word means to prejudge someone before you know their heart. What was the heart of the people in Nineveh? They repented before God and cried out to Him. Their hearts were much better than Jonah's heart. God is the only one who knows person's heart. We must love the people around us and be obedient to do what God tells us without prejudice.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Micah 1-4.