Psalm 137

WEEK  20                                           Psalm 137

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

The destruction of Jerusalem and Judah as a nation was a tragedy to the Jews. We can understand the heartbreak of seeing all they knew destroyed and seemingly washed away. After this, their captives call for the music which celebrated all that was lost. It would be like asking a mother to sing her child's favorite lullaby to the person who killed her child. 

 

When we come to the end of the Psalm for most of us our understanding turns to horror as the psalmist says the person who kills children should be happy. This is sickening to those in modern times who believe in honorable war or rules of engagement. In ancient times it was and even today in some places it is a common practice. Yet, those who came from Jerusalem saw this type of slaughter done to their own people. It can be understood that they want justice. They also understood God would allow equal retribution on Babylon for their atrocities. Seeing this as God's will they could say that the person carrying out God's will should be happy.

 

I understand this thinking but my heart is revulsed just the same. Jesus has taught us there is a better way, a way of mercy and love. I choose to embrace it.

 

Note: I place this chapter of Psalms here because we will soon meet Ezekiel who will be sitting by the rivers of Babylon. Though his story begins before the complete fall of Jerusalem perhaps it will give you the feeling of what some of those who were with him might have felt.  

Psa 137:1-9
(1)  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
(2)  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
(3)  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
(4)  How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?
(5)  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
(6)  If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
(7)  Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
(8)  O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
(9)  Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Amos 8

WEEK  20                                               Amos 8

TUESDAY  Reflections

God warns those who are taking advantage of people yet look religious. In this chapter, there is also a warning that though people look for the word of the Lord they will not find it. I read this and think about those who are dying of lung cancer then decide to quit smoking. Yes, quitting might still be good but it is too late to make any difference in the outcome. You can't train to be a fighter five minutes before entering the ring. So Israel can't expect to get a word from God on how to avoid judgment when judgment is falling. It is too late.

 

As Isaiah 55:6 says "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near."(NIV).

Amo 8:1-14
(1)  Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
(2)  And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
(3)  And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
(4)  Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
(5)  Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
(6)  That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
(7)  The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
(8)  Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
(9)  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
(10)  And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
(11)  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
(12)  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
(13)  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
(14)  They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

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2 Kings 5

WEEK  20                                         2 Kings 5

MONDAY  Reflections

Expectations can rob us of many a blessing. We looked at this in 2 Kings 4 and we see it here too. The only expectations that were right were those of the little Israelite servant girl and, of course, Elisha. Both of these trusted that God could do a miracle. The king of Aram expected that sending Naaman to the king of Israel would get Naaman healed, wrong.  The king of Israel thought the king of Aram was picking a fight, wrong. Naaman thought he should be healed a certain way, wrong. Gehazi thought no one would know he took a reward for God's gift, Oh so very wrong. Everyone who had wrong expectations suffered in some way, if only in getting angry. Yes, we don't see the king of Aram's response but I'm sure if he would have been there he wouldn't have been happy either. Watch out for wrong expectations.

 

There is a reason we pray, “thy will be done.” We are submitting our expectations to God. When we trust God we can rest. When we don't we will probably be disappointed. Thankfully when we, like Naaman, come to our senses God can do great things.  

2Ki 5:1-27
(1)  Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
(2)  And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
(3)  And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
(4)  And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
(5)  And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
(6)  And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
(7)  And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
(8)  And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
(9)  So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
(10)  And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
(11)  But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
(12)  Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
(13)  And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
(14)  Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
(15)  And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
(16)  But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
(17)  And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.
(18)  In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.
(19)  And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
(20)  But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
(21)  So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
(22)  And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
(23)  And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.
(24)  And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
(25)  But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
(26)  And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
(27)  The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

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Lamentations 5

WEEK  19                                      Lamentations 5

SATURDAY  Reflections

I suggest you listen to Lamentations 5. Don't just read it. Picture what the author is saying. For me, these last lamentations give the clearest picture. As it ends they ask the question, “God is still angry?.” This to me is not an accusation against God but more of a question of self-examination.

 

The author admits they had sinned as a people. Now perhaps he is asking is there something else we are doing wrong? It is the question we all should ask when bad things happen, "Do I deserve this?" We may not want to admit it but yes we did sometimes and we still might. It's like the man who had a heart attack because he didn't do what the doctor said and is now still not obeying his doctor. Or maybe it is the person who was innocent but now refuses to forgive. They were innocent but their current issues are a result of their actions in response to what has happened. Maybe we need to ask, God are you still angry with us?

Lam 5:1-22
(1)  Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
(2)  Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
(3)  We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.
(4)  We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.
(5)  Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.
(6)  We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
(7)  Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.
(8)  Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.
(9)  We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.
(10)  Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
(11)  They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.
(12)  Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.
(13)  They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.
(14)  The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick.
(15)  The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
(16)  The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!
(17)  For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.
(18)  Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.
(19)  Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.
(20)  Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?
(21)  Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
(22)  But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

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Amos 7

WEEK 19                                                   Amos 7

FRIDAY  Reflections

How does intercession work? How is it that our prayers can change what will happen, move God or stop the enemy? There is a lot of speculation. Some give too much power to the believer as if God and his angels can't work in this world if we aren't praying. Others look at prayer as only us reaching out to God but it can't change anything in this world. I believe both are true, to some degree. This chapter gives a perfect example.

 

God shows two forms of destruction that could be brought on the northern tribes of Israel. Amos prays to God and God says he will not do them. Amos’ intercession is amazing because he was a citizen of the southern tribes, Judah, and so it wasn't his country that would be harmed, yet he prayed for mercy for Israel. God, though he says he will not send locust of fire from the sea (a volcano would be my guess), says he will still judge Israel because of their sins. To me, this means we can get some mercy at times for people but ultimately they will have to answer to God for their sins.

 

How does intercession work? The only way I can picture it is if you put yourself in front of what is coming, God's grace for you stops or at least pauses it. As we saw in Jeremiah, there does come a time when God says, even if Moses and Elijah prayed for them I will not remit. In that case, the person/nation has gone so far you might picture it as their sins push you out of the way. If this picture doesn't help ignore it, just know God does listen to our prayers, but at the end of the day, it will not save the unrepentant. 

Amo 7:1-17
(1)  Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
(2)  And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
(3)  The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.
(4)  Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.
(5)  Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
(6)  The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.
(7)  Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
(8)  And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
(9)  And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
(10)  Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
(11)  For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
(12)  Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
(13)  But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
(14)  Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
(15)  And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
(16)  Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
(17)  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

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