Grow Resources

Idolatry has become the hallmark of God’s people. Israel worships gods made of stone, metal, and wood. They have not given up temple worship, only added the worship of something else. But the addition has cost them the closeness that God has always desired for His people. Idolatry has separated the hearts of Israel from the worship of God. It is a separation that will bring captivity. Sometimes it is so easy to look at Israel and wonder how they could have fallen so far. How senseless to worship a manmade image. How shallow to place hope and trust in something that does not move, love, and care for people. But the sin of Israel is rampant in our world today. We don’t stop worshipping God, we just bring in the world to walk beside Him. We trust human wisdom and make God fit the definitions and patterns of the world. We hope in future achievements and ask God to bless what we are doing rather than surrendering to what God has planned. We listen to the call of the world and believe that the world can offer us all we ever need or desire. All we have to do is…take our eyes off of God and put them somewhere else. This is idolatry. It is alive and well in our world today. And the consequences are the same. Captivity and death. Isaiah calls us to remember who we are, and to keep our eyes firmly on God.

A sound, a dream, or a thought wakes him in the night. He is 8 years old and scared. The darkness holds the unknown. It changes the familiar into shifting shadows of fear producing blackness. Daytime sounds are transformed at night. He pulls the covers close, but eventually it is too much for him. He makes a beeline for his dad. This is the image I have in my mind when I read Isaiah 26:9. Israel has chosen to walk in darkness. A time is coming when that darkness will take on the physical form of captivity in Babylon. In a foreign nation, there will be no temple in which to worship. Families will be torn apart. Identity will become murky. But there will be a longing in the night for the redemption, hope, and security that can only be provided by God. When my days are dark and fear seems to loom large, I know that there is a Father in heaven who listens. I know that God will move to calm fear and restore hope and peace. I know that my longings in the night don’t go unheard or unanswered. That is not what a father does. A father reaches out. A father comforts. Our Father does the same for us.

As Isaiah prophecies in Israel, events on the world stage are moving into a dangerous place for God’s people. The nation of Babylon is gaining power and land. Conquest and control rule the hearts of the Babylonians. As they approach closer and closer to Israel, Isaiah warns the people that the sin of idol worship has infected worship, daily life, and the holiness of a people who are supposed to belong to God. God will allow Babylon to take the nation into captivity. But God will not allow Babylon to continue in sin. Isaiah 13 begins a series of judgements on the nations surrounding Israel. Each will experience the consequences of sin, just as Israel does. Isaiah’s words bring into focus the truth that God is in control. He marshals armies, moves nations, summons mighty men to fight, and raises the cry for battle. Too often we hear this cry as a battle against the people of the world, when in reality, it is a cry to battle sin. God moves in the world to fight sin and bring people into a relationship with Himself. Israel will fall to Babylon, but God is preparing a return. The people of the world will fall because of sin, but God is on the move to call all nations to be His. He warns us today to be aware of sin. To fight against evil. To be His people.

Isaiah 4:2-6 contains a promise from God for the future of Israel. At a time when Isaiah is warning Israel about sin and its consequences, God gives Isaiah a word of hope to share. Isaiah 4:2 talks about a “branch of the Lord.” The promise is for a time of healing. A time when God’s glory will be present among His people again. Isaiah calls them to think back to the pillar of cloud and fire which led the Israelites through the desert and into the Promised Land. The future will be a time of God leading His people to promise. Isaiah talks about a time when sin will be washed away and holiness will replace unrighteousness, when healing will replace brokenness. It is a promise for the people of Israel to look forward to after judgment has taken place. For you and me, Isaiah’s words call us back to see God’s faithfulness. The “branch of the Lord” is the same branch that Jeremiah 33:15 and Zechariah 6:12 talk about. The “branch of the Lord” is Jesus! Looking at what God has done in our lives leads us to see Jesus. We experience the healing that God has promised. We know the hope that comes from knowing Jesus. We are called to be holy because Jesus transforms our hearts, our minds, and our hands. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise. Both for Israel, and for you.

The prophet Malachi prophesied to God’s people after the time of Haggai and Zechariah, but before the return of Ezra to Jerusalem. The date is somewhere around 470-460 B.C. Malachi deals with a great deal of the same subjects as the Book of Ezra; intermarriage, divorce, justice, worship, God’s love, and His patience. In Malachi 1:6-2:9, Malachi spells out three reasons why man should honor and respect God. The first is that God is our Father. Children should honor their fathers. The parent-child relationship is a special one. It involves love, nurture, and care. A good father pours himself into his children. God is the best Father. Second, God is our Master. Servants understand that the master is in charge. Malachi reminds the people, and us, that we call God, “Lord”. We should treat Him as the Lord of our lives. He is the One who provides us with all we need and who gives us purpose and direction. Third, Malachi reminds us that God is King. He is sovereign. He rules over all people and nations. His power is limitless and His justice is perfect. I like the three pictures because they remind me that I stand in a relationship with God. He is my Father, Master, and King. He is faithful, trustworthy, and able. I am His and He is mine.

The prophet Zechariah started his prophetic ministry two months after Haggai (Haggai 1:1 and Zechariah 1:1). His purpose was the same as that of Haggai. He encouraged the Jews who had returned from Babylonian captivity to complete the work started on the temple fifteen years earlier. Through a series of eight visions, Zechariah shared with the people of Israel how God was moving to protect and defend them. Zechariah’s writing calls for the people to be aware of the presence of God today. To see how God is blessing and guiding his people. It is an important point for us to embed in our hearts. God is moving today in the lives of His people. The Book of Zechariah ends (chapters 9 through 14), with a beautiful picture of the future. Zechariah told the people of God that the Messiah and His kingdom were coming! The future was bright with the glory of God! Zechariah offered a hope for the future that shaped the today of God’s people. The New Testament writers will quote from Zechariah many times as we follow the events of Jesus and the church. God still holds the future in His hands. He still offers hope for tomorrow that encourages us today!

Apathy can be a killer. It kills motivation, zeal, passion, and action. Sometimes it comes on slowly; sometimes it seems to fall on us like a ton of bricks. We just get distracted, we don’t “feel like it”, or we just wander away in our thoughts. Spiritually speaking, apathy can sap your strength and limit your vision. In 520 B.C., the Jewish people who had returned from Babylonian captivity were gripped with apathy. They had faced opposition to rebuilding the temple. To avoid conflict, they concentrated on building their homes and businesses. Fifteen years had passed since the foundation of the temple was laid, and now the structure sat uncompleted. That’s when God, through the prophet Haggai, stepped in. Haggai encouraged the people to get back to rebuilding the temple. He drove them out of apathy and into action. How? He pointed them to the greatness and love of God. He reminded them that they belonged to something greater than themselves. He gave them a vision for the future and encouragement for today. These are the things that overcome apathy. As you embed the Bible this week, listen as God calls you to action. Catch the vision that God has for His people. Take encouragement from the promises and power of God.

What does it mean? How can I live this out? These are important questions as we embed the Bible. We read for information and for transformation. God wants us to be changed when we come into contact with His Word. But how do we see Ezekiel? Ezekiel’s life and ministry has been centered around one small town in a foreign country at a time when God’s people were in exile. Uprooted from their homeland, separated from the temple, experiencing broken families, broken relationships, and broken hearts, the people of Israel must be confused, disoriented, and grieving. It is not hard to imagine that they must struggle with ‘why?’ Why is this happening? I don’t think it is too hard to identify with the question. Just look around at our hurting world, or inside our hurting hearts. Ezekiel’s answer is to seek God. To look to Him when we feel lost. To lean on Him when we feel weak. God is not far away, He is right here. Will you look for Him today?

Ezekiel 37 has to be one of the coolest chapters in the Bible. Ezekiel, a man called to live out the message of God in bold ways, is led by the Spirit of God to a valley. As he looks around, he sees bones everywhere. They are laying on the ground, they are sticking up through the grass; the valley is full of old, dried up bones. Brittle, lifeless, God asks if these old, dry bones can come back to life. Ezekiel answers, that only God knows. All of a sudden there is a rattling sound. The bones begin to move! Muscle and skin begin to form over the bones. Now Ezekiel stands in a valley of dead bodies. But God is not finished. From the rattling of bones to the sound of a blowing wind, the bodies rise up. Ezekiel describes it as an army! What a picture! Old, used up, dead, lifeless bones can be healed, mended, rebuilt, reclaimed to become an army for the Lord! What does it take? The power of God. But this is God’s promise to us. A promise of transformation. A promise of new life. A promise of relationship and intimacy. Nothing can stand in the way of God’s power at work in your life!

Israel is in captivity. Separated from homeland and temple worship, Israel longs for the day when she can return home. Not everyone in the region looks forward to the day of Israel’s return. In Ezekiel 26, we are shown that Israel’s neighbors are rejoicing in the destruction of the nation. In particular, the city of Tyre has sung songs of Israel’s destruction. As God turns His eyes on Tyre, a terrible prophecy is proclaimed. Tyre will be punished for her joy over someone else’s downfall. Tyre will become a barren place, a “bald” place, where no life will take root. The prophecy comes true when Alexander the Great conquers the city of Tyre approximately 250 years later. The lesson? Arrogance, human wisdom, and mortal strength are not what God calls us to rely on. We are called to lean on the strength of God. To place our trust in Him. He sees all. He moves justly. He prepares the future for His people. We don’t need to look to the world around us for our answers. We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.