Then the angel of the LORD said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

 Zechariah 1:7-13

Then the angel of the LORD said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. Zechariah 1:12-13

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is an unassisted review of Zechariah 1:7-13, which the commentary outlines as the first of four divisions for the text vv1:7-2:13 (1:7-13, 1:14-17, 1:18-21, 2:1-13).  Here, scripture describes a vision of a horseman (vv7-17) - an angel - whose horses' purpose was to "patrol the earth" on behalf of the Lord (vv10-11).  The angel asks God how long He will show no mercy and be angry with Judah (v12) and God responds with "gracious and comforting words" (v13).  So far in my reading of Zephaniah and Haggai, we see God full of grace and compassion on His people, as long as they repent and return to fellowship with Him.  This does not mean of course that we will not be punished for our sin and suffer the consequences.  We must be prepared for God to deal with us according to what we have done - see also post yesterday and Romans 2:6 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.  God is just - yet most importantly we should see God love us, so much so that He sent His Son!

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My Prayer: Jesus, You are amazing indeed!  I can never be separated from Your love and Your grace continues to pour over me - ceaselessly.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation[.]

Zephaniah 2:1

Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation[.] Zephaniah 2:1

I resume my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zephaniah 2:1, which is the text for the first division - entitled A Return to Worship Is Necessary to Recall and Repent - per the commentary.  Excerpts from the commentary:

• The commentary focuses on how chapter 2 emphasizes repentance vs chapter 1 which emphasizes judgement.  God calls us to gather in corporate repentance...and individually. 
  
• Repentance may have a worldly appearance of shame, as depicted in v1, but in God's eyes repentance is an opportunity for grace.  The commentary shares: "As we acknowledge our disobedience and humble ourselves before Him, we are able to experience grace and God’s affection."
• God's desire for and offer of repentance means that He still loves us and desires a relationship with us.
• While we are not absolved of responsibility for our sins, God offers to "comfort us and remind us of why we should return to Christ. As this verse reminds us, with its call to gather and repent, God is gracious and, in spite of our rebellion, He is calling us to repentance as a sign of His affection for us."

If you don't already believe and feel shame, repent and confess Jesus as Your Savior and be saved!  If you are already saved, rejoice in the freedom from the sting of sin and death!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your amazing grace and the blessing of never being separated from Your love.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and You God.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16

I continue a pause of my study of Ecclesiastes to study James 4:13-4:17.  This morning, I lean on DesiringGod.com's lab for 4:13-16 (Part 2) where John Piper takes a second pass at breaking down this text in detail.  Part 1 from yesterday focused on how God is sovereign over all, and the key question examined in Part 2 is whether God is sovereign over evil.  

First, Piper shares that this text in James is not the only discussion of God's will.  He then shares that there are two ways in which God's will is expressed in scripture:

1. Will of decree; God decrees something and then it comes to pass; see also Matthew 26:39, Acts 4:27-28, 1 Peter 3:17-18, Ephesians 1:11, Matthew 10:29, Proverbs 16:1, 21:1, Daniel 4:35, Job 42:1-2, Isaiah 53:10.  
   
2. Will of command; God commands something from us (believers); see also Matthew 7:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:18, 1 John 2:17.  
   

 Below is a snapshot definition from the lab video.

 

Connecting how God can predestine his Son to be crucified (will of decree) with how God commands all of humanity to do something or not do something (will of command), by sharing the example command that shall not murder, Piper then describes how God is sovereign over evil without Himself ever sinning...."coordinating, managing, governing" but not ever sinning.  Piper then shares that people are responsible and accountable, AND that God is just.  As he concludes the lab, Piper - in response to a rhetorical question someone might have whether God willed abuse of a child - shares that God commands love and hates sin (abuse).  He could have stopped abuse but He willed not for the abuse to stop (and there are examples of this both in our earthly lives and in scripture). God has omnipotent power and "can override all pain and sorrow and turn it for good."  We should focus on how God never stops loving and caring for us and most importantly He shows amazing grace and saves us. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You hold my life in Your hands and You are so full of grace and mercy, saving me from condemnation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation and for the incredible mercies and blessings You pour out for me every single day.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.