Today is Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent is the perfect time to reflect upon who we are and our relationship to the God who created us.

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God created us for His pleasure, to bring Him glory, and to accomplish this, He created us in His Image. Our purpose in living is to display His glory, His love, and His Image, and to multiply it throughout the world.

We were given this Image at mankind’s initial Creation and unlike the original Adam and Eve, and our Lord Jesus (who was not created), every human to-date still displays it, albeit in broken or defaced form. But Adam and Eve weren’t created from the get-go as broken people with a defaced, relic of God’s Image. They were perfectly reflective of God’s Image.

But what exactly is the Image of God? And does He create us now with a defaced, relic of His Image? Are we created sinners or just born that way?

Over the next 40 days, we will be nibbling around the edges of this topic of great discussion by theologians over the centuries, asking questions about what it means to be made in the mysterious Image of God.

Focus for Lent: Ash Wednesday has a traditional introspection on our sin nature and need for repentance as God’s Image-bearers.

Questions for further thought:

How does our sin nature relate to our having been created in God’s Image? Can you identify ways in which you are failing to live up to His likeness you were created to be and His Image you were intended to display?

In light of our imperfect and fallen sin nature and God’s perfection, how might repentance be appropriate as our response as His Image-bearers?

What can you do today to better reflect God’s Image and likeness?

Prayer for today:

Lord Jesus, help me to recognize the sins that I commit. Help me to see that the good things I have left undone, the ways I’ve diminished my fellow man, and my life/thought patterns which I know have grieved You. All of these failures are all sins against You and Your Image, something so precious in me. I ask for Your forgiveness, and that You would guide me to display Your Image and share Your gospel of salvation with the watching world. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Moving from Nahum’s warnings that accountability is coming, it’s a good practice to take a sober self-assessment and life inventory. That’s one of the things Lent is all about. It’s a period of 40 days (not including the Sabbath rest) to look at our hearts and lives in preparation for Good Friday’s crucifixion of our Lord Jesus and Easter when He has risen indeed.

What does it mean to be human? What constitutes sin? I believe it all comes back to the Image of God, the “Imago Dei” in which every human has been created. But what is that?

Join me for the 2023 Lent Devotional series “Created to Display His IMAGE” as we explore what it means and the profound implications of being Image bearers. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2023) and will conclude on Easter Sunday.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Who among us doesn’t yearn for justice, accountability?  The evildoers.  Yeah, that would be the only group.  The rest of us look at people getting away with things and it leaves us feeling a range of emotions from depressed, to frustrated, to angry.  Our available human recourses seem to vaporize before our eyes, and even when we see the satisfaction of a glimmer of accountability, those charged seem to get away light or off completely.

Not so with Nineveh.

Nahum 1:14 The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: “You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the images and idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile.”

Imagine how Judah must have felt, living under the heavy yoke of Manasseh, a puppet king of the cruel Assyrians, and made political prisoners.  Nahum’s warning from God to Nineveh was “It’s over.” And it was.

For Judah, there was hope and help in the form of an invasion, but this was one to punish their enemies. 

Yet, the conqueror would be Babylon which would eventually take Judah into exile and captivity.  From the fire back to the frying pan as it were…for a time…since the Assyrians were brutal beyond standards of their day.  The Babylonians conquered too but didn’t skin people alive like the Assyrians did. 

Babylon would go on to destroy the temple in Jerusalem
and haul Judah off to captivity. 

All would seem truly lost, including freedom and faith.

Sometimes, the plan of God takes time and strange turns. Things had obviously not improved for Judah markedly. Had God’s plan failed since shortly after Nahum, Habakkuk complains to God?

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict bounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

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Not at all! God’s plan is long range. Back to Nahum, God proclaims hope…for starters, it’s the short-term fulfillment as in its context of final accountability for Nineveh.  Nahum 1:15 “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. “ 

But there’s a long view too.  Eventually all evildoers will be held accountable.  Similar verses are quoted to tell of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who brings true peace in its fullest enduring form.

Nahum’s warning for mankind would be that accountability for each of us is coming.  For some it is near.  For others, we go from the fire to the frying pan and back to the fire …before… (and in the bigger picture… so that) we will finally hear and receive the Good News and receive that ultimate peace.

Lord God, help us to always remember that You are a sovereign God who holds time and events in Your control.  Help us to see Your larger picture, to wait with patience, and to hold onto our faith in Jesus no matter the circumstances we’re in. May we trust in Your righteous nature to achieve true vengeance in Your perfect time. May we never give in to temptations to make it right through wrongful actions on our part.  Give us eyes to see You at work in our midst, embolden us to preach the Gospel while there is still time, and do our part to use the righteous means available to hold the line on our culture.  Forgive us, Lord, for the times we’ve partnered—actively or passively—with those who hate You, who mock You, and who deny Your existence.  Help us to see this evil as You see it.  For we love You, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

I’ve been accused (on more than one occasion) of being a dispenser of “hopium.”  Perhaps it’s the plight of people with natural encouragement in their veins and fire-tested hope in their hearts.  In the face of God’s discipline that some of us have experienced, a lesson learned is that there’s still hope.  In the face of man’s devastation of this earth and humanity, there’s always hope placed rightly in God. 

Climate change, nuclear war, racial tensions, myocarditis…will anyone rescue us from such things?  I say yes.  But it’s not hope in “the thing” or in man because that’s the distinction between genuine hope (in God) and “hopium” (in anything or anyone else saving the day). 

Hear me clearly: no one is coming to your rescue. 

Apart from God.

And praise God, He’s enough!

Nahum 1:12 This is what the LORD says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, Judah, I will afflict you no more. 13 Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.”

Nahum’s warning for us would be to consider the afflictions God allows as corrective discipline and to remain hopeful in the duration, following Him to do the works we can.  In God’s perfect timing, there is rescue for the faithful from the worst of tribulations.  There is freedom from the yoke of oppression, slavery, and the evils of this world.

“If the LORD had not been on our side– let Israel say– if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.  Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.  We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.   Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:1-8)

Praise God! Discipline has an end (in two meanings). 
Freedom is in store for those faithfully looking to God in hope.

Questions for further thought:

What do we make of man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty?  Are they rival ideas, or do they work in tandem?

When we cannot resolve certain world problems, does that mean we should be complacent because we can’t fix it anyway?

How is the dichotomy presented in a quote often attributed to (but never said by) Saint Augustine incorrect?  “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” 

If it were to say, “Pray because only God can rescue us, then diligently and tirelessly work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” how would that be more like it?

Lord, thank You that You are a sovereign God, and nothing escapes You.  Nothing happens apart from Your will to do us good in the long view, to give us hope and a future!  When we see things that trouble us, Father, please remind us of the truth that Jesus has overcome the world.  We can lay down the heavy yoke of self-preservation and place our hope in Jesus whose yoke is light and easy.  Be with us in these perilous times.  Help us to see Your light at the end of the tunnel, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

You don’t need a refuge when everything is peaceful and going swimmingly.  It’s when times get tough that a refuge is sought as shelter from the storm.

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him, but with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh; He will pursue His foes into the realm of darkness. Whatever they plot against the LORD He will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and devises wicked plans. This is what the LORD says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. (Nahum 1:8-12)

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There are times when we look at our current world situation in freefall and want to cry out “Make it stop!  Somebody!!!”

Our God is patient beyond anything we ever could exhibit, and truth be known, that’s a source of frustration for many of us.  But there comes a point when God says, “Enough!”  He’ll put an end to that and what He ends…is finished.

Such happened to Nineveh.  They were evil, heard the world’s shortest sermon by Jonah (Jonah 3:1-4:1), and repented (to Jonah’s great disappointment).  However, repentance doesn’t always last long. It’s not transferrable to the next generation, and therefore, what had been bad in Nineveh became worse.  Kind of like Jesus’ discussion of a kingdom divided in Luke 11:17-26 and the situation becoming worse than before.  Nineveh—at this point in their history—was worse than the Mos Eisley Space Port in Star Wars, of which Obi Wan famously said, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”  Obi Wan never went to Nineveh apparently. 

Beyond redemption: two of the scariest words ever put to print.

When something or someone is beyond redemption and God has said, “Enough!”, there’s no safety in numbers or powerful allies.  There’s no safety in darkness.  They’re all going down.

Bringing us to the modern times, how much “fundamental transformation” away from a Christ-honoring world will we need to experience before God says, “Enough!”?  I don’t pretend to know, but we’re on our way to that point with a recent Pew Research survey saying that more than 70% of a segment of Americans think the church makes things worse for the world but colleges make it better.  Church leaders in the UK are lamenting that Christianity has now “almost been vanquished”.  True, we may have little recoveries/victories for Christ here and there, but if the global transformation has been/is, in fact, “fundamental” then no amount of a human’s clawing it back is going to bring it from God’s declaration of beyond redemption… to redeemable.

Questions for further thought:

Sometimes when God says “Enough” there’s a period at the end of the sentence, forevermore.  Were Sodom and Gomorrah ever rebuilt?  What caused God to say “Enough”? See Deuteronomy 29:23-28.

Isaiah 13:19-22 tells the fate of ancient Babylon.  Had God had “Enough”?

Saddam Hussein tried rebuilding it, inscribing his name all over the place, but even now, it’s disintegrating and deserted. Now having received world historical site international recognition, restoration is on the horizon, already including the dragon body with the serpent head, a favorite of the god Marduk. In the article, they proclaim, “One can only imagine that Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, to whom local ladies still ask for intercession at a de facto re-appropriated fertility site where a recently reconstructed medieval shrine to Imam Ali’s son sits on top of his ancient temple, is well pleased that Babylon has been officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Yikes.

Jericho, another city destroyed, was rebuilt at a heavy cost as predicted by Joshua.  It became developed enough that Jesus went through there (Luke 19:1). But it was never again what it once was.

What about Europe?  America?  Has God had “Enough”? These are serious questions for serious Christians.

A theologian I know lamented that “the church is functionally Marcionite…it treats the bulk of the Old Testament as non-canonical.” 

In other words, there is a prevailing attitude in the modern church
that Jesus is the enduring “good God” of the New Testament.

Oh, at one time there was a wrathful angry God of the Old Testament. But He doesn’t hold sway anymore because we’re in a New Testament era with the triumph of love in His Son Jesus.  To those who slice and dice Scripture, the God of “Genesis through Malachi” has been sent out to pasture at the Old God Home to be isolated with His “hate” and medicated for His Old Testament outbursts and to keep Him from hurting anyone in a new age of love and forgiveness.

(Uh…Not even close).

I agree with this professor, seeing what passes for church teaching and finding only trouble ahead for such a church’s future that ignores the Old Testament and its importance. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

We’d be wise to heed that knowledge. God does not change (“I the LORD do not change.” Malachi 3:6) and Jesus is God who existed with God before all time. Scripture says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).

Therefore, we’re going to look at Nahum. (Say what?) Nahum, a minor prophet…about 6 books before the end of the Old Testament and the silent interlude before the New Testament heralds the birth of Christ Jesus.

Why Nahum?  You’ll see.  There is a frightening similarity between Nahum’s days and our own.  Judgment is on its way and friends don’t let friends believe that nice New Testament Jesus won’t do it.  (See Revelation 19:11-21)

“The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.” (Nahum 1:2-3)

Questions for deeper study:

What approach do we take to evil in our culture?  Read Romans 12:17-19 for ideas.  “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19).

Sin is not preached with the same fire of conviction as it once was.  Why is that?

What about God’s jealousy for His holiness and righteous living might be offensive to the unbelieving world, particularly those who diminish sin?  Is it an act of love to preach the truth no matter how offensive it might be?

Should it be offensive to Christ-followers to proclaim God’s holiness and wrath against sin?

Will the guilty be punished? How certain is that?

Are love and wrath mutually exclusive?  In other words, would God be righteous and holy if He gave (for example) child abusers and murderers a smile and a pat on the back and say, “It doesn’t matter.  I love you!”? 

How does Jesus’ payment for sin make it possible for guilty sinners to be recipients of grace?  Do all sinners receive His forgiveness or only those who repent and believe? How should holy fear of God’s wrath against the unrepentant guilty motivate us to preach sin and forgiveness in Christ?

True Confession: I am a morning person.  I’m typically up well before dawn.  I situate myself with my Bible, my computer, and my coffee so I can watch the sun rise (which in Florida typically includes seeing the sun). Watching the sunrise each day sets my heart to right as the Bible tells me, “This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24. 

For the new day that accompanies another new year, I find myself asking whether we can hope 2023 will be “better” than 2022.  The truth is I don’t know because it’s largely in how one defines “better.”

If it’s just another year, yes, hope dawns with each new year and individual commitments to strive for better, be more successful, godly, and honest in our living.  Even if difficulties come our way, Psalm 118 (NIV) shows us in Whom we have our confidence, in Whom we rightly place our trust, and of Whom to be afraid.  It doesn’t paint a life free from struggles.

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”

 5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place. 6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7 The LORD is with me; He is my Helper. I look in triumph on my enemies… 13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD Helped me.

 14 The LORD is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.

 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. 18 The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.

 21 I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

 24 The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 25 LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! 26 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless You. 27 The LORD is God, and He has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, and I will exalt You. 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; his love endures forever.

Even if this new year is the very threshold of tribulation, I wonder how our hope would be different.  There’d be a renewed urgency to share the good news.  A reinforced need to trust in God.  A rejoicing in what the Lord has done.  So, whether the new year presents us with triumph or tribulation, our response should be exactly the same.

Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.  I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.  For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 57:8-11

Happy New Year!

Born this day in Bethlehem is the Christ, the One who was born King, to take by Divine right the throne of His father David and to rule the remnant for eternity.

“Who is the One who has been born King of the Jews?  We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  Matthew 2:2 

Anticipating the coming King of the Jews had been important since it was prophesied, Ezekiel 21:27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’ (Ezekiel. 21:27)

Jesus was rejected by those whose self-derived expectations
of what a messiah should be …
outweighed their faith in Him … as the Messiah we needed.

“12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:12-14)

As we conclude our look at the remnant through the genealogy of Jesus up to the moment of His birth, we can see His birth set in motion the fulfillment of everything the ancients passed along as words of life. 

Here’s the key: it is not just an ending as if one had to be in Jesus’ genealogy to be in the remnant.  No, it’s the beginning!  Hallelujah!

Jesus’ birth would inaugurate a new way, a new covenant, and a new beginning!  It’s not physical descendancy at all!  It’s faith that determines the remnant!  Hallelujah!

God’s remnant of faith is growing ever larger.  Soon the full number of Gentiles will be in.  The Jews chosen for faith, still looking, still waiting (hardened, with blinders on) for their Messiah will—at long last!—see Him and clearly recognize Him.  They will be grafted back into the family of God to greet their King when Jesus returns.  Hallelujah! And Amen!

20 Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)

As we welcome Your birth, let us welcome Your Return!  Come, Lord Jesus.

Today, we enter an interesting point of divergence in our look at the remnant through Jesus’ genealogy.  Yet we see God maintaining the remnant of faith and fulfilling Scripture.  After King David in the genealogy, there are no similar names in Luke’s gospel to Matthew’s genealogy until we get to Shealtiel, the father of the governor Zerubbabel.  It’s like a parenthesis of names. Don’t you find that interesting?

What happened to the Davidic Kingdom?

The Davidic Kingdom was once a world power with great respect and stature with the divine favor of God as His chosen people! It had been reduced to a humbled state of division and weakness, ultimately being taken over by Assyria (the fate of the northern tribes) and Babylon (taking Judah into captivity). 

It happened because God pronounced
that the Davidic Royal Line by physical birthright was over.  Very over. 

In a proclamation for Jehoiachin: “I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear– Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians. I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. You will never come back to the land you long to return to.” …  30 This is what the LORD says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:25-30)

Yikes. End of that line, so God tapped back into the holy stump of Jesse to raise up Zerubbabel to be a governor and to carry the Davidic line of ancestry to the One who would ultimately fulfill the reigning on David’s throne forever.

It would not be a matter of biology, physical inheritance, or job description.  The remnant would not be nationalistic, but one of faith and converge Jesus’ genealogies in the person of Zerubbabel who would restore worship to Jerusalem.

“14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, (Haggai 1:14)

Questions for further thought:

We read in Ezra 3:2-3 that worship in accordance with the Scriptures would happen despite their fear of the culture around them.  ”2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.  3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.“ 

How might their boldness to worship God in spite of opposition be a lesson for us all? “Do not fear” was a command given by angels to the shepherds regarding worship of the Christ Child. In what way does that same command apply to us who live by faith?

Why would it be important post-parenthesis to converge the genealogies back to fulfill Scripture in Christ? 

21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.  22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.  23 “‘On that day, ‘ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” (Haggai 2:21-23)

Prayer:  Thank You, Lord, that Your salvation has always been by faith. We ask that You embolden us to worship You even in a culture which denies You and opposes You.  Let us be a light to the nations as we persevere in faith and remain so until the end.  We love You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

A remnant, by definition, is a small amount out of what was many.  In the Bible, it often refers to what is left over after destruction. The remnant of the Bible is a people of faith, purified faith, having been tested and tried, and proven faithful in adversity.

When God allowed adversity upon the remnant, it was enough to make a prophet cry out in confusion.  Such was the case for Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 11:13 Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?“

 14 The word of the LORD came to me:  15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our possession.’

16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’   17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ 18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:13-20)

Questions for further thought:

How does this apply to modern Jews and the nation-state of Israel?  Leaders, in their arrogance and unbelief have long existed. It’s not a new phenomenon, and just because the wicked share a locale with the faithful doesn’t escape God’s notice. See Ezekiel 11:1 “There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 The LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city.”

God said He’d put an end to that.  “I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. And you will know that I am the LORD, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.” Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. (Ezekiel 11:11-13)

It can happen rather quickly.

Now, entering into the controversy at the time of this writing, is it antisemitism to notice the leaders in our world of Hollywood, journalism, banking, politics, and healthcare making bad decisions, maybe for personal advancement at the cost of a culture or its morals?  Think of recent movies and what they glorify and how often they ridicule Christianity.  Think of newspaper articles.  Think of predatory lending, crypto-scandals, power-hungry, lying or cheating politicians, and global governmental or pharmaceutical executives exerting their will on (and against) the people worldwide for their own profit?

Is it antisemitism to observe (as a percentage among that leadership number) how many are of Jewish ancestry?  That’s what leads some in our culture to call those leading the way with evil and wicked advice “fake Jews” versus those who are still looking for the Messiah as “real Jews.”

Even with that explanation, I can’t go there. Personally, I prefer to note their actions rather than their ancestry.  To me, an evil person is an evil person irrespective of his background. 

But I will tell you that God may be particularly angry at any Jewish people who are among the wicked leadership because they had every privilege listed in Romans 9:4-5.  They had every privilege of lineage but have fallen from a greater height and turned their backs in a more significant and offensive way than those who fall into sin without the words of life to guide them.  God will take care of that evil in His timing. All evildoers will be held to account in the end irrespective of ancestry, and God’s actions are always just.

Are the diaspora (scattered Jews) being gathered back in the nation-state of Israel?  Have they been “sheltered” in God’s sanctuary care even while dwelling in other nations?  Does God fulfill Scripture and set the stage in advance of His actions on behalf of the remnant?

Prayer:

Father God thank You for giving us spiritual eyes to see what is going on in our culture. Help us to remain faithful to You and be a light to those who do not know You, no matter where the nations they have been sheltered.  For Your glory we pray.  Amen.