Reading 1 – Job 42:3

At the end, when confronted with the awesome majesty of God, Job said, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3).

“Will you lay your poor little insignificant present life and possessions on the scale, if God will lay the glories of endless eternity on the other side? Does not the gracious, marvelous prospect make you anxious to heap every possible service and sacrifice you can on your side, to manifest your bursting and overwhelming sense of thankfulness and awe? — to compensate with the manifestation at least of love and willingness for the utter nothingness of the very best you can offer? If not, are you really a living creature, or just a piece of dead, unfeeling wood? Does not the infinite wonder and beauty of it all fill your heart to overflowing? A cow cannot appreciate the marvels of a sunset, and we are all cows by nature, as to spiritual things. But God be thanked that we can learn to be something more than cows, if we desire it above everything else, and strive for it with all our heart” (GV Growcott).

Reading 2 – Mal 3:16,17

“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him’ ” (Mal 3:16,17).

The Hebrew word here, “segullah”, we are told, referred to the private treasure of kings. In societies where kings were more or less absolute dictators, everything in their realm was considered to be legally their property. But even a king could not control and spend and enjoy all properties in his kingdom. So he would possess certain properties, properties which were set apart as his own “special treasure”, his “peculiar” or unique property, and no one else’s (the same word occurs in Exo 19:5; Deu 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; 1Ch 29:3; Psa 135:4).

In the figure here, God Almighty is the great king, and all the universe belongs to Him, and all men, and all they have — it is all His. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him! But… the Heavenly Father has condescended to choose a special few of all His subjects to be His own family, His own special possession, His own cherished riches. They stay close to His person; they recline in His bosom; they hear His whispers of endearment; they feel the tender touch of His special love. They are dearer to Him than the stars in the heavens, or the glorious snow-topped mountains. They are dearer to Him than the treasures of the richest mines, or the harvests of the richest fields. They are the ones He has redeemed with the precious blood of His Son. With tenderness He gazes upon them. “These,” He says, “are mine!”

ÿ

Reading 3 – Rev 21:1-5

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’ ” (Rev 21:1-5).

“It is scarcely possible to miss the significance of this. God’s final encampment upon the earth is to be in a Tabernacle made of materials supplied by the human race — living materials answerable to the precious things offered by Israel, gold, silver, precious stones, representing the good and honest-hearted among enlightened men. The Tabernacle was not let down from heaven ready made, though the pattern after which it was made was from that source: so the divine system of things to occupy the earth for ever, does not come down from heaven as a complete literal development, after the manner of some people’s ideas of the New Jerusalem. The pattern comes from there. Christ, even in the days of his flesh, could say, ‘I came down from heaven,’ because the Spirit which caused his appearance emanated from thence. In how much fuller a sense, at his second appearing, will he be able to say the same thing? But the elements of the Tabernacle to be reared up upon earth, for the glory of God, will be supplied from the ranks of Adam’s descendants in conformity with the divine specifications” (Robert Roberts, “Law of Moses” 96).

“What the dwelling of God with His immortal saints will mean in terms of personal experience is evidently past the powers of even a mighty angel or an inspired apostle to put into words. That which devout souls have craved and reached out for in the days of their weakness will become a normal everyday experience, a satisfying never-ceasing reality, like the warmth of sunshine on the wings of a butterfly newly-emerged from its chrysalis.

“And the new and higher faculties with which the redeemed will find themselves endowed will be such as cannot be described in terms of present experience. Even this divine Apocalypse has to be content with a description in terms of the negation of every present tribulation. All this — death, sorrow, crying, pain — will be anointed out by the balm of God’s Holy Spirit, by the gift of personal immortality, and by the transcending experience of His own very Presence.

“Time and again in this Revelation the Holy Spirit gropes for ways of making known the marvels of blessings to come, which present limitations bar the reader from understanding. The new Jerusalem is pictured as a city in which the length and breadth and height are equal (Rev 21:16). This is no human metropolis. It has had another dimension added to it. The song which the redeemed sing is one which none can learn save those who share the fellowship of the Lamb on mount Zion (Rev 14:1,3). The new name received by ‘him that overcometh’ can be learned only by ‘him that receiveth it’ (Rev 2:17).

“It is not inconceivable that, added to the main comprehensible fact of immortality, there will be unlocked in the minds of the redeemed other faculties which have remained shut up and atrophied in the brain ever since a curse was put on the human race in Eden. Experts say that there are considerable areas of the human brain without any known function. And from time to time certain ‘freak’ individuals have been known to possess startling and altogether abnormal mental powers and perceptions. Can it be that these are hints of possibilities to be unlocked in a glorious day when servants of the Lord step out into a work of fuller endowment such as they have hardly suspected the existence of?

“A man who is color-blind lives almost completely without appreciation of much of the loveliness of Nature or the world of art. One who is tone-deaf is shut out of a realm which he knows exists for others but which, in this life, he can never enjoy. For him a Brahms symphony is just a long boring noise; and he would enjoy a Bach chorale just as well recited as sung. Such individuals know that there is something in life which they are missing and which no amount of effort and education can make good. But one day, by the grace of God, the first will stand in awe at the fiery splendor of a stormy sunrise or be charmed into speechlessness by the harmonies of color in a Scottish glen; and the other will revel in the timbre of horn and cello, and glory in his new-found ability to sing hymns by the hour to the God of his new creation. Then what of the man who comes from blindness to sight? And what must be the ecstatic shock to one who hears for the first time?

“Imagine, then, for those blessed with a call to the marriage supper of the Lamb a like transformation even less susceptible of translation into words, because as yet outside the experience of all except Christ. Is it possible to conceive the addition of some sixth sense, some extrasensory perception? What will it mean to move into a world of more than three dimensions? Even the Book of Revelation cannot describe these things in terms which present human limitation can grasp. All it can do is to say: All experience which you know now to be a disability will become only a painless memory, perhaps not even that. It can only tell of a city in which the height is fully equal to the length and breadth, of a song which no man can sing now, try as he will, and of a new name not to be disclosed until the day when Christ bestows it” (Harry Whittaker, “Revelation” 242-245).

Reading 1 – Job 10:1

Job speaks out of his sufferings: “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul” (Job 10:1).

“In a charming essay on music, a recent writer has gathered up a great deal in one telling sentence. He speaks of the various moods of the world’s masterpieces of music — the romance, the sorrow, the aspiration, the joy, the sublimity expressed in them, and he adds that there is only one mood forever unrepresented, for, ‘Great music never complains.’ At first, this seems too sweeping. We remember so many minor keys, so many tragic chords, in the best music. But, as we think over it longer, it becomes truer and truer. Great music has its minor keys, its pathetic passages, its longing, yearning notes; but they always lead on to aspiration, to hope, or to resignation and peace. Mere complaint is not in them. The reason, after all, is simple. Complaint is selfish, and high music, like any other great art, forgets self in larger things. The complaining note has no possible place in noble harmonies, even though they be sad. So, if we want to make music out of our lives, we must learn to omit complaint.

“Some young people think it rather fine and noble to be discontented, to complain of narrow surroundings, to dwell on the minor notes. But it is well to remember that the one thing to avoid in singing is a whine in the voice; and whining is perilously close to any form of pathos. ‘Great music never complains.’ That is a good motto to hang up on the wall of one’s mind, over our keyboard of feeling, so to speak. The harmonies of our lives will be braver and sweeter the more we follow this thought. Without it, fret and discord will come, and mar the music that might be, and that is meant to be” (Biblical Illustrator).

Reading 2 – Mic 6:8

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8).

“When we are not thinking of God, the flesh is in control. When we are thinking of God, the Spirit is in control. Our success is, and will be, measured by how much of the time we are thinking of God. His Word is the material of which spiritual thought is made. His law is our life-line. His commandments are a light to our feet. His love is the fire that lights our heart. Man is made to be part of God. There is no true life for man outside of God. Man is made in God’s image: a glorious beginning, a glorious foreshadowing of what may be in the eternal beauty of its fulfillment. Blessed are they who get closer and closer, and are finally absorbed forever into God” (GV Growcott).

What God does want, Micah now tells us. He does so in a verse justly regarded as one of the memorable and timeless expressions of Old Testament ethical religion (cf Jam 1:27). It is the heart’s response to God demonstrated in the basic elements of true religion. This was shown to Israel in the social concerns reflected in the Mosaic legislation.

God has told the people what is good. The Mosaic law differentiated between good and bad and reflected God’s will in many areas of their religious and social lives. It indicated what God required of them. They were to act justly (lit, ‘do justice’, or mispat). The word ‘justly’ has here the sense of ‘true religion’, ie, the ethical response to God that has a manifestation in social concerns as well (cf Mic 3:8). ‘To love mercy’ is to freely and willingly show kindness to others. The expression ‘to walk humbly with your God’ means to live in conscious fellowship with God, exercising a spirit of humility before him. These great words recall similar words of our Lord in Mat 23:23.

The prophet was not indicating that sacrifice was completely ineffectual and that simply a proper heart attitude to God would suffice. In the preceding verse he painted a caricature, a purposefully exaggerated picture, of the sacrificial system to indicate that God has no interest in the multiplication of empty religious acts. Jer 7:22,23 is often appealed to as evidence that the prophets rejected the Levitical system; yet Jeremiah promised that the offerings would be acceptable if the people were obedient (Jer 17:24-26). A similar attitude toward sacrifice is expressed in Psa 51:16,17, but the succeeding verses show the author to be indicating that the Levitical sacrifices are acceptable to God only when accompanied by a proper heart attitude toward him (Psa 51:18,19).

The ethical requirements of v 8 here do not comprise the way of salvation. Forgiveness of sin was received through the sacrifices. The standards of this verse are for those who are members of God’s family and demonstrate the ethical response that God wants to see in those are under His covenant. These standards have not been lessened for Christians, for the NT affirms their continuing validity. We are still called to the exercise of true religion, to kindness, and to humility (1Co 13:4; 2Co 6:6; Col 3:12; Jam 1:27; 1Pe 1:2; 5:5). Believers are in a covenant relationship with God in which the law has been placed within their hearts (Jer 31:33; cf Heb 10:14-17); there it lives and guides their actions — so that the family likeness to their Heavenly Father will be shown to all men.

Reading 3 – James 2:22

“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (James 2:22).

“An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers. One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one oar the word ‘Faith’, and on the other oar the word ‘Works’. Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this. The old man, being a well-balanced believer in Christ, and glad of the opportunity for testimony, said, ‘I will show you.’ So saying, he dropped one oar and plied the other called Works, and they just went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to use the oar called Faith, and the little boat just went around in circles again — this time the other way around, but still in a circle. After this demonstration the old man picked up Faith and Works and wielding both oars together, sped swiftly over the water, explaining to his inquiring passenger, ‘You see, that is the way it is in the believer’s life. Works without faith are useless, and faith without works is dead also, getting you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing’ ” (Maritta Terrell).

Reading 1 – Job 15

Job 15-21: In this second cycle, the 3 friends merely restate their arguments from a different angle — growing more harsh. They do not mention hope for the repentant, and instead describe more fully the fate of the wicked.

Job 15: “Having gone through the first series of trials (3 accusations from his friends, as the Lord Jesus faced three trials at the hand of the Jews, and three from the Gentiles), Job now faces a second series (Job 15-21). Eliphaz opens the trial, claiming that Job’s words condemn divine law and are contrary to experience. He first alleges that:

Job’s argument are impious: vv 1-6; then claims that Job is conceited and arrogant: vv 7-16, and that teaching and experience proves Job a sinner: vv 17-35.

“Eliphaz is the most argumentative of the three friends, appearing calm and reasonable in his claims. He rebukes Job for the alleged impiety of his arguments (vv 2-16), and again urges that Job only suffered as a sinner on the grounds of experience: what he had seen and learned (vv 17-35). In this speech, his tone is much severer, as he has become exasperated with Job. It is also much shorter as he runs out of arguments. His rigid theory is epitomised in the statement: ‘Remember I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?’ (Job 4:7).

“Of course, Job stands as a type of the Lord Yahshua, who was certainly ‘cut off out of the land of the living’ (Isa 53) though having done no sin. Thus the illustrations of Eliphaz (vv 20-35) are but thinly disguised allusions to Job, which must have cut the patriarch to the quick, and increased his sufferings. In this speech, Eliphaz claims that it is only the wicked who suffer. As such he rejects the principle of ‘sacrifice that redemption might be obtained’ ” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Hab 2:4

“The righteous will live by his faith” (Hab 2:4).

The central affirmation of Habakkuk is the last part of Hab 2:4: ‘the righteous will live by his faith.’ There are three key words in this affirmation: righteous, live, and faith. It is interesting that in the three places where this verse is quoted in the New Testament, in each case a different word receives the emphasis:

In Rom 1:17, the emphasis is on ‘righteous.’ Paul’s concern in Romans was with the righteousness of God and how people can obtain it. In Gal 3:11, the emphasis is on ‘faith.’ Paul contrasted salvation by works and salvation by faith in Galatians. And in Heb 10:38, the emphasis is on ‘live.’ The writer to the Hebrews stressed the importance of living by faith as a way of life rather than turning back to Judaism and living by the Law.

Thus we can see that this statement is packed with meaning. In fact, many people believe that this verse expresses the central theme of the entire Bible.

This verse may be amplified thusly: “The righteous (those who are justified and declared righteous by God — being absolved of their sins) shall live (NOW, in their daily lives of faith, and in the FUTURE, in the day of resurrection and glory) by their faith (by acknowledging their utter dependence upon the LORD).”

Reading 3 – 1Pe 5:6

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1Pe 5:6).

“Be humble, and then God will not need to humble you. Having to be humbled is very unpleasant (though wholesome). With wisdom, it can largely be avoided, by getting there first voluntarily. Of course, if you are not God’s, He may not bother to humble you, He may just let you run out your animal course in your pride. But if you are His, humbling must come, one way or the other. Christ was humble — ‘Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.’ He towered infinitely above everyone on earth. How then could he be sincerely humble? Because he realized that he was nothing, and God was everything. He did not (like so many) compare himself with those around him, but with God. He knew that all he ever did or was or understood was of God: the gift of God, the love of God. He had no illusions of his own innate strength or goodness or wisdom. He emptied himself — his own natural, fleshly self — and filled himself totally with God: or, rather, he submitted to God totally filling him, to perfectly direct every thought, word and deed. He was the perfect vessel for the Divine use. Let us try to follow him.

“A word of caution: we are not to sit supinely waiting for this to happen to us — and then assume our own fleshly thoughts are God’s. We are expected to strain to the limit to prepare ourselves for divine use by study of the Word and meditation and prayer and constant self-searching. We can be sure that that is the wise and scriptural course that Christ followed. Psa 119, and other psalms, tell us that” (GV Growcott).

Reading 1 – Job 11:5

Zophar (who speaks in Job 11; 20) is content with mere assumption, and dogmatism (Job 11:6; 20:4). He also has a too rigid view of providence (Job 11:13-20; 20:5): that is, that “the triumphing of the wicked is short” (Job 20:5).

“Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you” (Job 11:5).

“Zophar was agitated that Job said that he hadn’t sinned and that he was pure in God’s sight. Zophar was sure that Job was wrong — after all, he thought, God must be punishing Job for his sin. So Zophar voiced a wish. He said, ‘Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open His lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides.’

“Zophar’s wish did eventually come true. But the result wasn’t what he had expected. God did answer Job and he put him back in his rightful, humble place. But God also told Job to pray for his friends — including Zophar, so that He would not deal with them as their sins deserved. He told them that He was angry with them because they had not spoken the truth about Him as Job had.

“God can see the big picture. The men in the story of Job may have thought they could see the whole picture of what was going on, but in actual fact their view was very lopsided. We too can have the same problem when we judge another person and wish a judgement on them. But beware: If we haven’t seen the big picture that same judgement might fall on us as it did to Zophar” (Robert Prins).

Reading 2 – Mic 7:3

“Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire — they all conspire together” (Mic 7:3).

BOTH HANDS ARE SKILLED IN DOING EVIL: They were “ambidextrous” when it came to sinning!

THE RULER DEMANDS GIFTS: “Gifts” is not in original: this may mean: “demands a sign” — and could answer to Herod’s asking for a miracle or a sign from Jesus.

THE JUDGE ACCEPTS BRIBES: Again, at the trial of Jesus, Pilate was probably seeking a bribe.

THE POWERFUL DICTATE WHAT THEY DESIRE: Caiaphas utters his own mischievous desire: “It is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11:50,51).

THEY ALL CONSPIRE TOGETHER: “And so they wrap it up” (KJV) — as if in a neat package! “There have been men who have been indolent in the performance of God’s work and have praised themselves for their love of peace. There have been others who have done evil with both hands earnestly, and have said, ‘See how zealous I am.’ In either case the deceitful human heart furnishes them with ample disguises, and ‘so they wrap it up’ ” (Islip Collyer, “Principles and Proverbs”).

Reading 3 – James 3:18

“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).

James’ simile of the fruit trees (v 12) and his allusion to the “fruit” of righteousness (v 18) are echoes of the Lord’s figure of speech in the Sermon on the Mount: Mat 7:15-17. As did Christ, James foresaw that men would sow destruction and confusion in the field of God. The damage that such men would cause by their schismatic tendencies, born of jealousy and pride, would have to be counteracted by the pure and peaceable and gentle actions of others. With this in mind James speaks of the tree. There is a tree which is righteousness, and righteousness is its fruit. It is firmly planted, rooted in the truth, and nourished by the soft showers of heavenly wisdom. Its fruit is harvested and then sown by the peacemakers who are pure in heart. The product will be many “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified” (Isa 61:3). But there is a condition for this planting in which God works with and through men: it must be done “in peace”, for strife is destructive of the very seed of righteousness.

Reading 1 – Job 14:4

“Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!” (Job 14:4).

“O that a clean might come out of an unclean…” (cp RV mg). If only man did not inherit by birth the impulse to sin…

While it is true that cleanness cannot come from the unclean — Haggai makes this point (Hag 2:13) — Job was incorrect to suppose that man cannot be cleansed by God. This is the work of Jesus, but was available to all by faith (Gen 15:6). However, it is righteousness that is imputed — not cleanness. Maybe Job should have used a Biblical word rather than one of his own making.

Reading 2 – Hab 1:2

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Hab 1:2).

“Habakkuk is a book in which a man, the prophet, asked questions and received answers. Note, for example, Hab 1:2, which voices the prophet’s initial question. Then turn to Hab 3:19, which gives his final affirmation after having received answers. The contrast between these verses is startling. It is a contrast between a wail of despair and a shout of confidence. GC Morgan observed, ‘From the affirmation of faith’s agnosticism we come to the affirmation of agnosticism’s faith.’

“This is the story of Habakkuk. At the beginning we hear a believer questioning God. The prophet’s problem was why God was not doing what He promised to do, specifically delivering His people from the violence with which the Babylonians were threatening them. Every believer faces the same problem sooner or later. Circumstances challenge the promises of God, and we wonder why God does not do something about the situation. Habakkuk wondered how God could use a more wicked nation, Babylon, to disciple the wicked Judahites.

“The key verse, Hab 2:4, is similar to the constricted part of an hour-glass. Everything that precedes it leads up to it, and everything that follows it results from it. It is like a doorway through which everything in the book passes” (Thomas Constable, “Expository Notes”).

Reading 3 – 1Pe 2:18-25

“Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1Pe 2:18-25).

The exhortations to slaves about serving their masters well (vv 18-20) has as its foundation and rationale… the atonement (vv 21-25)!

“No subject has occasioned more tears, and more rage, than the meaning of the Lord’s sacrifice. Christ died, in love and obedience, for us. Oh, some would hack with semantic knives at every nuance, every syllable of God’s resonating words on this subject. Would God we would struggle, with equal determination, to learn its meaning for our daily living, for how we treat other people. And this, in the end, is the greatest source of heartache for each of us: the multiplicity of ways in which we fail to live the atonement, HIS atonement. Peter writes, with all the hollow-eyed wisdom of a man who has persevered through his own moral frailties, in his first letter, to a demoralized and disoriented brotherhood. He writes of the Lord’s death, knowing he himself will die soon. And he teaches us, this man who denied Jesus as he walked through the valley of death, that the Lord’s dying must be our own, every day…

“I must serve my employer as if I am working for God. And the common injustices and indignities I suffer must be filtered through, and borne in light of, the suffering and death of my Lord. It is not always so with me. What a shock the full force of these words can be for us all. We ‘do the atonement’ in our cubicles, transport trailers, construction sites and executive suites. How intrusive and invasive Scripture is. It leaves no area of our lives unsinged; there are no private matters its searing edge will not cut and wound. These are hard words for people raised in the obsessive privacy of Western life. God does not ‘mind His own business’, but walks right into every locked room in our hearts and looks steadily into our reddened faces. Surely, none of us has escaped that feeling. Your place of labour is an atonement workshop” (Dev Ramcharan).

Reading 1 – Job 13:15

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).

“Though He slay me, I will trust Him,”

Said the sainted Job of old;

‘Though He try me in the furnace,

I shall then come forth as gold.

Though the “worms of deep affliction”

Cause this body to decay,

In my flesh I shall behold Him —

My Redeemer — some glad day.

Though He slay me — can I say it

When I feel the searing fire,

When my fondest dreams lie shattered —

Gone my hope and fond desire?

Though He slay me, I will trust Him,

For He knows just how to mold,

How to melt and shape my spirit —

I shall then come forth as gold!

(Mary Kimbrough).

Reading 2 – Nah 3

“Nineveh is doomed! So came the voice of the second prophet who was required to set his face against the northern oppressor. About 250 years earlier, Jonah was sent with a message of repentance, and was received by the people of this Gentile city in gratitude. The judgment of Yahweh waited in the days of Jonah, but was unleashed in those of Nahum. Nineveh had deteriorated in morality, and had returned to its former wickedness. Its history was stained with blood, and it became the focus of divine judgment. The voice of Nahum (whose name means ‘Consolation’ or ‘Comfort’ and is found in the name of Capernaum), reflected the abhorrence of Yahweh. He spoke of:

The cause of the overthrow: vv 1-5. The lesson of the overthrow: vv 6-13. The certainty of the overthrow: vv 14-19.

“Nineveh represents the world of today, which captures and destroys the spirit of the Truth for those who involve themselves in worldliness. The prophet ironically bids the Ninevites to prepare for a long siege, and to anticipate their destruction. The prophecy is most appropriate for today, as we live on the eve of the ultimate judgment of God. Nahum joins with Jonah to represent the two advents of Christ: the first to reveal the ministry of reconciliation; the second advent to bring judgment against an evil world” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 3 – 1Pe 1:13

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1Pe 1:13).

The first phrase in the NIV replaces the KJV’s literal translation “Gird up the loins of your mind.” The figure is of a man gathering the folds of his long garment and tucking it into his belt so that he can move freely and quickly (cf 1Ki 18:46; Jer 1:17; Luk 17:8). This was especially true at Passover (Exo 12:11). Related uses of the figure occur in Luke 12:35 and Eph 6:14. “Pull yourselves together” is a comparable English idiom.

“Discipline yourself. Keep bringing yourself back very frequently to the basic purpose of your life. As far as practical, pause very briefly every hour on the hour for reorientation of your thoughts and activities. Put aside all passing problems for a moment alone with God and with His eternal peace. Our greatest problem is distraction and forgetfulness. The whole weight of the natural mind is toward low and present things. We must keep pulling the mind upward. It is not merely for man’s convenience that God has caused the day to be divided into hours. They should be points of reference, compass settings, memory markers. Like the year and the month and the day and the seven-day cycle, they are measuring milestones to remind us to pause, review and refresh ourselves. We mean well, we plan well, and we determine well: but remembering and staying consistently on course are our besetting problems. Set yourself up periodic memory points, course-checking points. Of course the ideal is constant unwavering awareness; a perfect, undeviating, arrow-straight course toward the eternal goal. But we are weak creatures. Life is an endless, painful (though joyful and glorious) struggle to keep bringing ourselves back to being what we ought to be and doing what we ought to do” (GV Growcott).

“Be self-controlled”: The Greek present participle is “nephontes” and implies another figure. The original meaning of “nepho” related to abstaining from excessive use of wine. In the New Testament its sense broadens to “live soberly” — a meaning that embraces sound judgment in all areas of life.

“Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed”: Now we are God’s children, John wrote, but when Christ returns, we will be like him (1Jo 3:2,3). This longing for the Second Coming permeates the New Testament writings (cf Act 1:11; Rom 11:26; 1Co 15:51; 1Th 4:13-17; Heb 9:28; Jam 5:8; 2Pe 3:12,13; Rev 1:7; 19:11; 22:7-20).

Reading 1 – Job 8

Bildad (who speaks in Job 8; 18; 25) rests his philosophy on tradition (Job 8:8-10; 18:5-20). Like Eliphaz, Bildad has a far too rigid view of providence (Job 8:11-19; 18:5): that is, he believes that God will not “cast away” the perfect man (Job 8:20).

Reading 2 – Mic 4:8

“As for you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem” (Mic 4:8).

The “watchtower of the flock” is “the tower of Edar (flock)”; this was a watchtower near Bethlehem (Gen 35:21), where shepherds watched over their flocks of sheep destined for sacrifice in the Temple.

This scene is fulfilled in Luke 2:8: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”

“The former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem”: “The former dominion” is the beginning, or the nucleus of the Kingdom, with Christ in the midst of Israel: Zec 8:23; Isa 60:3,5-9; 61:5,9; 62:1-3; Eze 37:26-28.

Literally, Jesus Christ was God’s “first dominion”: the first place on earth where the Father would reign supreme and unimpeded! The coming of this “first dominion” was first announced to the shepherds of Bethlehem, at the birth of Jesus (cp the imagery of childbirth in Mic 4:910), just as this verse prophesies.

The first place on earth where the dominion of “Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11) was proclaimed was the hills near Bethlehem, the city of David. The angels sang of the birth of one in whom God would dwell in fullness, one who was the “kingdom of God” upon earth in its initial form. Christ would proclaim “glory to God” and “peace… toward men” (the true “peace” of sins forgiven, and reconciliation) (Luke 2:14). And he will finally bring that glory and peace in its consummate fullness when the true Kingdom comes at last to the “daughter of Zion”.

Reading 3 – Heb 13:2

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb 13:2).

Literally, show hospitality or love to strangers or foreigners. This is translated from the Greek “philoxenos” (1Ti 3:2), which occurs in the New Testament only here and Rom 12:13, although the related work (“hospitable”) occurs also among the qualifications for elders listed in 1Ti 3:2 and Tit 1:8, and also 1Pe 4:9). Such hospitality is commanded by the Law of Moses (Deu 10:19) and in the New Testament (Rom 12:13; 1Pe 4:9; 1Ti 5:10). Those who care for the little ones care for Christ (Mat 25:38,40). Hospitality was highly esteemed in the ancient world and was certainly very important for Christians. Accommodation at inns was expensive, and in any case inns had a bad reputation. But as Christian preachers traveled around, believers gave them lodging and so facilitated their mission (see esp 3Jo 1:5-8). Without hospitality in Christian homes, the spread of the faith would have been much more difficult.

Some have entertained “angels” “without knowing it”: Abraham (Gen 18:1-8) and Lot (Gen 19:1-3), but possibly also to Gideon (Jdg 6:11-22), and Manoah and the mother of Samson (Jdg 13:3-21). Angels also appeared to Hagar, Daniel, the shepherds, Peter, and many others. Compare the two at Emmaus (Luk 24:15-31). The writer is not advocating hospitality on the off chance that one might happen to receive an angel as guest but rather because God is pleased when believers are hospitable. Sometimes unexpectedly happy results follow acts of hospitality.

It is always possible God may manifest His care and protection in just such a way today — the “without knowing it” reminds us that, even if this were to occur, we might never know when it did… when some “unnumbered comforts” were bestowed upon us!

Are there any reasons why we should think that an immortal angel could NOT appear to us today? None that I know of. Of course the verse does say “unawares”… so it sounds like, by the very nature of things, we wouldn’t be able to prove it — even if we were visited by angels of God. And we know, for that matter, that mortal men and women can be employed in the providence of God as His “messengers” (or angels). (The same thing was true in Bible times: think of the two spies who came to Rahab: the word in Jam 2:25 is “spies” in NIV, and “messengers” in KJV; it is in fact “aggelos” or angels. Similarly, Boaz entertained Ruth, and she proved to be a “messenger” from God, by which Boaz was richly blessed.)

But I wouldn’t consider that examples of mortal “angels” being sent would necessarily rule out immortal “angels” being sent too. Any way, if nothing else (and even if we never know!), it’s probably healthy to keep that thought in mind. It may make us kinder and more courteous to the next store clerk, or deliveryman, or homeless person, or internet correspondent we encounter.

Reading 1 – Job 9:22

“It is all the same; that is why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked’ ” (Job 9:22).

“God knows when the good things are safe and when the evil things are needed; and the scriptural attitude is to accept, with a reverential submission, whatever comes; if good, with thanksgiving; if evil, with resignation. It would be altogether a mistake to assume that goodness only will be our lot, or that God regards us not if He suffer evil to happen. Job is ever a helpful illustration on this point. A man of the thoroughly approved stamp, God overthrew him in all his affairs without letting him know that he was being subjected to a test. Job, while asserting his integrity, took it all in submission, on the ground that God was supreme and did as He willed, and that man, as a created being, had no room to murmur if evil as well as good were his lot. In this Job took the right ground; for his judgment of the case was divinely endorsed as against that of his three friends, who argued that because Job had fallen into evil, therefore he must have been unrighteous” (Robert Roberts, “Seasons of Comfort” 22).

Reading 2 – Mic 5:2

” But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Mic 5:2).

In contrast to the humiliation of Israel’s judge (king) Zedekiah, a greater ruler would emerge later in Israel’s history. He would be Yahweh’s representative (cp John 17:4; Heb 10:7) and would arise from the comparatively insignificant town of Bethlehem (House of Bread) Ephrathah (Fruitful). (The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem has already been intimated in Mic 4:7-10.)

Ephrathah (or Ephrath) was an old name for the area later occupied by Bethlehem in Judah, in contrast to other Bethlehems in the Promised Land (cp Gen 35:16-19; 48:7; Josh 19:15; Rth 4:11). Bethlehem was, of course, the hometown of David (1Sa 16:1,18,19; 17:12), so the reference to it allows for the possibility of a familial connection with King David.

“Whose origins are from of old, from ancient times”: The NIV has “origins”, and the KJV has “goings forth”. The Hebrew “mowtsaah” occurs only three times: it signifies family descent, or most literally a fountain or gate (Strong). This Hebrew word is derived from the more common “mowtsa”, used 27 times, signifying literally a ‘going out’: it seems to have a variety of meanings, it is used with reference to the exodus from Egypt (Num 24:8; 33:2; Deu 8:14), words spoken from lips (Num 30:12; Deu 8:3; 23:23; Psa 89:34; Jer 17:16; Dan 9:25), a fountain or spring flowing out (Deu 8:15; 2Ki 2:21; Isa 41:18; 58:11), the sun rising or going forth (Psa 19:6; 75:6; Hos 6:3); an exit (Eze 42:11; 43:11; 44:5).

All of these ideas are suggestive: Jesus was the Word of God made flesh (Joh 1:14); he was the great light sent into the world (Joh 8:12); he was the Passover lamb to bring about the “exodus” from the Egypt of sin (Joh 1:29; etc). All this was decreed from the very beginning, even “from everlasting”, and in a sense Jesus WAS these things from the beginning, although he had no personal existence until his conception in the womb of Mary, because God’s word and promise was sure and certain.

But, most especially, the Hebrew for “origins” points to the paternal “fountain” of procreation: Jesus, a man born of a woman (Gal 4:4), was also the direct and immediate descendant of the Eternal Father. On his mother’s side, he was but a man descended from many other men and women. But on his Father’s side, he was one small step removed from the Creator of Heaven and Earth — his paternal origin was “from of old, from days of eternity”. His paternal lineage in that sense predated Adam, and all other created things. He was (approximately) the 42nd generation from Abraham, and (approximately) the 77th generation from Adam, BUT he was also the FIRST generation from Yahweh!

Is there a problem with saying Jesus was “from God” or “from heaven” or “from eternity”, whilst still maintaining he was a mortal man whose individual existence began with his conception? Of course not. In the simplest terms, men may be said to be “from” their parents, without necessarily having any separate or personal existence at all the same times or places as their parents! Indeed, they cannot have so existed along with their parents. Both of Barbara’s parents were born in Scotland and emigrated to Canada as small children; Barbara was born in Canada, and has never set foot in Scotland — yet with all reasonableness she may be said to be “from Scotland”.

Finally, there is a Biblical sense in which Levi may be said to have paid tithes even before he was born, being still “in the loins” of his father Abraham when Abraham did so (Heb 7:9,10). Likewise, Jesus may be said to have been “from everlasting”.

The phrases “from of old” and “from ancient times” are also interesting. Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For “miqqedem” (of old) see Neh 12:46; Psa 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For “mime olam” (ancient times, or days of eternity) see Isa 63:9,11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view. This verse alludes to David, as the references to Bethlehem and to his ancient origins and activities indicate. The passage anticipates the second coming of the great king to usher in a new era of national glory for Israel. Other prophets are more direct and name this coming ideal ruler “David” (Jer 30:9; Eze 34:23,24; 37:24,25; Hos 3:5). Of course, this prophecy of “David’s” second coming is actually fulfilled through his descendant, the Messiah, who will rule in the spirit and power of his famous ancestor and bring to realization the Davidic royal ideal in an even greater way than the historical David (see Isa 11:1,10; Jer 33:15).

Reading 3 – James 1:25

“But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom [or ‘the law of liberty], and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it– he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).

There are three sorts of dogs in the city:

the wild, masterless dog that roams the streets at will, steals his meals from garbage cans, and often comes to an inglorious end in the lethal chamber of the humane society; the chained dog, which cannot be trusted for more than a few feet; and the dog that knows and loves his master and responds obediently to his voice.

The first of these has liberty but no law; the second has law but no liberty; whereas the last enjoys the perfect law of liberty.

All men seem to be like one of these three dogs:

The masses are utterly lawless when it comes to the authority of God. They are dominated by sin, and “sin is lawlessness” (1Jo 3:4). Truly they are “free”, but at what a price! And then, there are many who are like the dog on the leash — they have law, but no liberty. These are legalists in the religious realm. The sad, fearful Pharisee is the representative of thousands who, “being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:3). But the believer who knows the truth of New Testament salvation is like the third dog. He needs no chain but is guided by his Master’s eye and his Master’s voice. He does what he should, the best he can, not because he is afraid of punishment, but out of gratitude to a loving Master. He needs no chains except the “chains” of devoted love.

Reading 1 – Job 6:21

“Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid” (Job 6:21).

“Why is it that humans are fascinated by freaks — the elephant man, the bearded lady, Siamese twins — as long as they are kept a safe distance away? But as soon as we are confronted by a person like that, whose features are deformed or who has a serious and visible illness, we feel insecure, frightened and well out of our comfort zone. We can feel similarly out of our depth if we know of a personal problem of an acquaintance, or when someone is in mourning from a death. What do we say? How do we react? Do we ignore it? Or should we dwell on it? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but Job felt that he was in the position of the freak, the outcast. His friends came to comfort him and he said, ‘Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid.’ If Job had been his normal, rich, healthy self, his friends would have had no problem discussing his feelings and solving his problems. But here was a sick, ugly and rejected man and they couldn’t get past his looks and their fear to comfort him.

“Let us be glad that God can see past our outward form and can look at our hearts to comfort us — and let us try to do the same” (Robert Prins).

Reading 2 – Mic 2:13

“One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head” (Mic 2:13).

ONE WHO BREAKS OPEN THE WAY WILL GO UP BEFORE THEM: As a shepherd breaks through obstacles and barriers to lead his sheep into pleasant pastures, so Israel’s Good Shepherd will clear the way for His sheep to return to the land (cp Psa 78:52,53; 80:1). They will break out of their former habitations, pass through the way he opens for them, and leave all parts of the world to return to the Promised Land.

The “Breaker-Through” later became one of the recognized titles of the Messiah, and was used by various rabbis.

THE KING WILL PASS THROUGH BEFORE THEM, THE LORD AT THEIR HEAD: Yahweh would not only function as their Shepherd but also as their (Davidic) King (cp Isa 6:5). He will lead them as a mighty conqueror and ruler (cp Isa 33:22; Zep 3:15; Zec 14:9), especially in the person of His Son.

Reading 3 – Heb 12:27

“The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken– that is, created things — so that what cannot be shaken may remain” (Heb 12:27).

We have many things in our possession at the present moment which can be shaken, and it ill becomes a believer to set much store by them, for there is nothing stable under the sun; change is written upon all things. Yet, we may derive real comfort from the things that cannot be shaken, which will remain. Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation. You are standing at the foot of his cross, trusting alone in the shed blood of Jesus, and no rise or fall of the stock markets can interfere with your salvation in him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, you have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He loves you with all the strength of his affectionate nature — nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from the field, it matters not to the one who can sing, ‘My Beloved is mine, and I am his.’ Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us show that we are not such little children as to be cast down by what may happen in this poor fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel’s land, our hope is the coming Kingdom, and therefore, calm as the untroubled sea of the Apocalypse; we may see the wreck of everything around us, and yet still rejoice in the God of our salvation.

Reading 1 – Job 12

“Zophar’s air of superiority aroused the ire of Job, who answered with heavy sarcasm: ‘Thou are the people without doubt, and wisdom shall die with you.’ He declared that his understanding was not inferior to theirs (Job 12:1-5). He then advanced incontestable facts:

The wicked prosper in spite of the dogma of his friends (v 6), and God is both wise and omnipotent (v 7 — Job 13:2)” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Nah 1:3

“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power” (Nah 1:3).

Yahweh is low to show anger, BECAUSE He is great in power. His power to judge is omnipotent, but His mercy is stronger!

“He is truly great in power who hath power over himself. When God’s power doth restrain Himself, then it is power indeed: the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action. The weak mind is irritated at a little: the strong mind bears it like a rock which moveth not, though a thousand breakers dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit. God marketh His enemies, and yet He bestirs not Himself, but holdeth in His anger. If He were less divine than He is, He would long ere this have sent forth the whole of His thunders, and emptied the arsenals of heaven; He would long ere this have blasted the earth… and man would have been utterly destroyed; but the greatness of his power brings us mercy” (CH Spurgeon).

Reading 3 – James 5:10

“Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord” (James 5:10).

“In pursuing our duties in the Truth, we must be actuated by a higher motive than that of present success. Whether men will hear or forbear, through evil report or good report, we must steadily and cheerfully go on. God more frequently than not permits our labors to be fruitless. ‘How few receive with cordial faith the tidings which we bring.’ We think of the labour and expense in our big and little efforts, and the infinitesimal results.

“Our failures, too, are not confined to the alien. How often is the faithful word of warning, of counsel, of reproof, treated with heartless contempt by professors in the household? Yes, there is now but little success; failure is the rule.

“Yet so far as the obedient are concerned, it is not really failure, for by means of it inconceivable good is being evolved. This will be apparent when the day arrives for the manifestation of the sons of God. Even the offense given, the misunderstanding created, the enmity and bitterness evoked, aid in developing the sufferings which teach obedience and bring perfection. Christ’s service calls for the exhibition of patience and long-suffering. These virtues can only be cultivated by turning a deaf ear to the likes and dislikes of man and performing our duties as unto Christ, who is at the head of affairs, manipulating them as His wisdom sees fit. In our trials, let us think of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the prophets, who through their patient endurance have earned the praise of God (Jam 5:10). Let us pray with Paul that we may be ‘strengthened with all might, according to His (God’s) glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering and with joyfulness’ (Col 1:11)” (AT Jannaway).