Judgment | Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Judgment'

Three Kings of Israel, the Northern Kingdom

Published September 30, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Ahab, Evil Kings, Jehu, Jereboam, Jezebel, Judgment, Kings, Vengeance

Click to listen to this teaching.

A QUICK AND EASY SURVEY OF HEBREW HISTORY

The Kings of Israel, the Northern Kingdom

Introduction. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel split in two. Ten tribes in the north rejected the House of David and formed their own nation under Jeroboam, son of Nebat. The southern kingdom of Judah retained the Temple, the Davidic line of kings, and the capital at Jerusalem. From that day forward, the northern kingdom – simply called Israel – walked a path marked by instability, idolatry, and eventual total destruction.

The Books of Kings give us a long list of northern kings. Almost without exception, the verdict is the same for all of them: “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Three of those northern kings stand out with special clarity:

Jeroboam established the pattern of syncretistic worship that would plague the nation for two hundred years.
Ahab took that pattern and plunged it into open Baal worship.
Jehu was raised up by God Himself to execute judgment on the House of Ahab – yet even he couldn’t bring himself to abandon the golden calves of Jerusalem.

Together, these three kings show us the tragic trajectory of people who traded the living God for political security, personal power, and cultural/religious compromise. Their stories still speak with force to every generation that is tempted to do the same.

Jeroboam, the first king of the north.

Insecure leadership, 1 Kings 12:25 – 27.

Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. [26] Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. [27] If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.” (1 Kings 12:25 – 27 | TNIV)

If you’ll recall, God had promised Jeroboam the ten tribes through the prophet Ahijah (1 Kings 11:29 – 39). The Lord’s generous promise, though, was conditioned on Jeroboam’s obedience. Jeroboam had every reason to trust the God who had specifically raised him up.

Instead, he looked at the political realities and panicked. He fortified cities. He calculated the risk of pilgrimages to Jerusalem. He imagined assassination plots. In short, he measured the future by what he could see rather than by what God had spoken.

Insecurity is a powerful engine of unbelief. When a leader’s first question is “How do I keep my position?” rather than “How do I honor the Lord?” compromise is almost inevitable. Jeroboam’s fear was not irrational on a human level – loyalty to Jerusalem could indeed undermine his throne – but it was faithless. The same God who tore the kingdom from Solomon could preserve it under Jeroboam if Jeroboam stayed faithful to him.

We see this pattern repeatedly in Scripture and in our own hearts. Abraham feared for his life and passed Sarah off as his sister. Saul feared the people more than God and kept the best of the Amalekite spoil. Peter feared the servant girl and denied his Lord. Insecurity almost always drives us to take matters into our own hands.

Setting up idols, 1 Kings 12:28 – 33.

After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” [29] One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. [30] And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other. [31] Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. [32] He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. [33] On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. (1 Kings 12:28 – 33 | TNIV)

Jeroboam’s solution was brilliant politics but disastrous theology. He created a convenient alternative religion. Two golden calves – like the ones at Mount Sinai – were placed at opposite ends of the kingdom so that no one had to travel far. Non-Levitical priests were appointed so that the religious system would be loyal to the king and not to the Mosaic Law. A new festival was invented on a date of Jeroboam’s choosing so that the people would not feel the pull of the true feasts in Jerusalem.

Notice the language: “Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Jeroboam didn’t invent a brand-new deity; he claimed to be representing the God of the Exodus. This is the essence of syncretism. It keeps the language of faith while emptying it of its content. These golden calves were not meant to replace Yahweh so much as to make Yahweh manageable, accessible, and politically useful.

The text is very blunt: “And this thing became a sin.” From that day forward, every northern king is measured against “the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat.” The calves at Bethel and Dan became the defining idolatry of the northern kingdom until it fell to Assyria.

Jeroboam teaches us that the most dangerous compromises are often the ones that look most practical. “It’s too much for you to go to Jerusalem.” Convenience is still one of the most effective evangelists for false worship. When the true worship of God requires inconvenience, cost, or risk, the temptation is to invent a more use-friendly version is strong. Churches and individual believers alike need to guard against this impulse to reshape the faith to fit our fears or our preferences.

Ahab, Israel’s worst king.

Ahab’s depravity, 1 Kings 16:29 – 33.

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. [30] Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. [31] He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. [32] He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. [33] Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. (1 Kings 16:29 – 33 | TNIV)

The historian’s evaluation of Ahab is devastating. Ahab did more evil than all who preceded him. The sins of Jeroboam – already having catastrophic effects on the people – were treated as trivial. Ahab moved beyond syncretism into open cultic/occultic polytheism.

The decisive factor was his marriage to the wicked Jezebel, a Sidonian princess and aggressive promoter of Baal worship. Under her influence, Ahab built a temple for Baal in the capital, erected an altar, and raised an Asherah pole. Baal, the Canaanite storm god and Asherah, the mother goddess, were given official state sponsorship in the land that rightfully belonged to the Lord.

The northern kingdom had long tolerated the golden calves. Ahab took the next logical step: If the God of Israel could be reduced to a pair of golden calves, why not just add the gods of the surrounding nations? Cultural accommodation became full-blown apostasy.

Leadership always multiplies influence – for good or evil. Ahab’s personal choices shaped the spiritual climate of an entire nation. The prophets of Baal multiplied. The prophets of the Lord were hunted down. Ordinary Israelites found it easier to blend in with the new religious landscape than to stand against it.

We must never underestimate the power of a leader’s private compromises. What begins in the palace, eventually reaches the village.

A prophecy of judgment, 1 Kings 21:17 – 29.

The immediate occasion for this judgment was the judicial murder of Naboth. King Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth was one of the few righteous men left in Israel, and he refused to sell his ancestral inheritance. So Queen Jezebel arranged a false witness, a show trial, and an execution. Ahab got his vineyard.

God sent Elijah with a word of irreversible judgment. The dynasty would be wiped out. Jezebel would die a disgraceful, horrible death. Dogs and birds would consume the bodies of Ahab’s house. The language deliberately sounds like the earlier judgments against Jeroboam and Baasha.

But something very odd happens. Ahab tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, fasts, and humbles himself. The Lord notices this, and because of Ahab’s temporary humility, the full disaster is postponed until the next generation.

Two truths jump out. First, God is not mocked and sin has consequences – and those consequences can be far-reaching. Second, God is astonishingly patient. Even the most wicked king in Israel’s history received a measure of mercy when he humbled himself.

This episode also reveals the power of a godly prophet. Elijah didn’t have a political office or military force. He had the word of the Lord. That word exposed Ahab’s sin, pronounced judgment, and still left room for a flicker of repentance. The church today needs men and women who still speak the truth of God without fear or favor, trusting that the word itself carries the power.

Jehu, God’s avenger.

God chooses a king, 2 Kings 9:1 – 10.

Years after the prophecy against Ahab, God raised up the instrument of judgment. Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu, a military commander, as the next king of Israel. The commission was explicit: Destroy the House of Ahab and avenge the blood of the Lord’s servants.

Jehu was not a reformer in the modern sense. He was a warrior who was chosen for a specific and very violent ask. The anointing was private and hurried; the young prophet was told to run. God’s purposes often move through unexpected people and unconventional means. Jerhu’s rise reminds us that the Lord isn’t limited to the “nice” and “acceptable” instruments. He can use a ruthless soldier to accomplish His justice.

Vengeance belongs to God, 2 Kings 10:11, 17 – 31.

Jehu carried out his commission with ruthless efficiency. The entire house of Ahab was eliminated. Jezebel died exactly as predicted. The prophets of Baal were gathered under false pretenses and slaughtered. The temple of Baal was destroyed and turned into a public toilet – a deliberate act of permanent desecration.

The Lord Himself approved of Jehu’s work.

The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” (2 Kings 10:30 | TNIV)

And yet, the final assessment is sobering and disappointing. Jehu destroyed Baal worship but left the golden calves standing. He was zealous for the Lord’s judgment against Ahab, but he wasn’t at all careful to keep the Law of the Lord with all his heart. Partial obedience is still disobedience.

Jehu shows us the reality of divine judgment and the danger of incomplete repentance. God will not allow evil to go unpunished forever. At the same time, the instruments of judgment are themselves accountable. Zeal for one aspect of God’s will doesn’t excuse neglect of another.

Conclusion. The northern kingdom of Israel ever recovered from the pattern set by these three kings. Jeroboam’s calves remained until the bitter end. Ahab’s Baal worship left scars that even Jehu’s purge couldn’t fully erase. In 722 BC the Assyrians carried away what was left of the ten tribes into exile and Israel ceased to exist.

What do these stories teach us today?

First, leadership matters. Insecure leaders create false religions. Compromising leaders open the door to greater evil. God-raised leaders may accomplish significant good, but still fall short if their hearts are not full given to the Lord.

Second, idolatry is subtle and progressive. It begins with practical concerns – “It’s to much for you to go to Jerusalem.” It always ends with temples to foreign gods. The church must always examine whether convenience, cultural accommodation, or political advantage has begun to shape our worship.

Third, God is both just and patient. He judges sin, sometimes through surprising means and instruments. He also notices even the imperfect humility of a wicked man like Ahab. His patience is meant to lead to repentance, not presumption.

Fourth, these kings point us beyond themselves to the true King. Jesus Christ is the opposite of Jeroboam: Secure in the Father’s love and purpose. He doesn’t invent alternative ways of approaching God. He is the opposite of Ahab: Instead of selling Himself to do evil, He gave Himself to redeem the ungodly. He is the perfect fulfillment of what Jehu only partially accomplished. He will one day execute perfect judgment while remaining the perfect embodiment of God’s Law and grace.,

Until that day, the people of God are called to walk in the light of His Word, to reject every golden calf, and to trust the King who never fails.

Panic Podcast – What about Hell?

Published July 15, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Ask the Pastor, Hades, Hell, Judgment, Lake of Fire, Sheol

PANIC PODCAST

Series – Ask the Pastor

What about Hell?

ASK THE PASTOR

What the Bible Says About Hell

Introduction. Hell is probably the most sobering and least popular subjects in the whole Bible, and yet the Bible speaks of it with clarity and urgency. Our Lord Himself described Hell more often than any other Biblical figure. Hell is not some medieval invention or scare tactic invented by the Baptists. The doctrine of Hell flows directly from God’s holy character: His perfect justice demands punishment for sin, while His perfect love provides a way of escape through Christ. This study will examine what Scripture actually teaches. We’ll let the Bible speak for itself. The goal is not to frighten you but to awaken awe at God’s righteousness and gratitude for His mercy.

Descriptions of Hell.

Scripture paints Hell with very vivid, consistent imagery that underscores its absolute terror and finality. Here are four key passages that give us a multifaceted portrait.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41 | TNIV)

This is the king’s solemn verdict at the final judgment. Hell is not a divine afterthought or a human construct – it is an “eternal fire” deliberately prepared. The word “eternal” is “aionios” and is used here in the same context as “eternal life” a few verses on in verse 46, establishing “unending duration.” The fire is not purifying but punitive, reserved first for Satan and his demons but shared by unrepentant humanity. This verse demolished any notion of Hell as temporary or remedial; it is the just sentence for those who reject the King.

Matthew 8:12 adds another layer:

But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8:12 | TNIV)

In context, even those who outwardly belonged to God’s people – Israelites who expected a place at the feast – can be cast out. Hell is “darkness,” the opposite of God’s presence.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5 | TNIV)

The “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is a way to express intense sorrow mixed with unbearable regret. The phrase is used several other times in Matthew’s Gospel and it always describes the reaction of those condemned. It is conscious, emotional, and physical anguish.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 goes even further:

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might… (2 Thessalonians 1:9 | TNIV)

“Everlasting destruction” doesn’t mean annihilation but ruinous separation that lasts forever. It comes from a Greek phrase that has the idea of “irreversible loss.” I guess the worst aspect of Hell is not the fire or the darkness but exclusion from the Lord’s presence, who is the very Source of all joy, light, and life. To be “shut out” from the glory that sustains the universe is the ultimate desolation.

Finally, Revelation 10:20 describes the fate of the beast and the false prophet:

But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Revelation 19:20 | TNIV)

This “lake of fire,” which is also called “the second death,” is the Bible’s climactic image of Hell. The “burning sulfur” evokes the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19 but on an eternal scale. It’s not symbolic poetry alone; the context of final judgment show real, conscious punishment for those who deceive the nations and oppose Christ. Together these verses portray Hell as eternal fire, outer darkness, relational banishment, and a lake of sulfur – real, unending, and just.

The reason for Hell’s existence.

Why does Hell exist? The Bible makes it clear that sin against an infinitely holy God demands infinite justice.

We already looked at Matthew 25:41 that told us the eternal fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels.” Hell’s original purpose was the punishment of rebellious spiritual beings. Mankind joins them willingly by freely choosing the same path of defiance. Revelation 21:8 lists those consigned to the fiery lake:

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8 | TNIV)

These are not arbitrary categories of sin but lifestyles of persistent rebellion and unbelief. The “cowardly” are those who shrink back from following Christ; the unbelieving reject the Gospel; the rest practice sins that flow from idolatry itself. Hell exists because God’s holiness can’t co-exist with unrepented evil.

Romans 2:8 and 9 supplies the principle:

But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. [9] There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; (Romans 2:8, 9 | TNIV)

God’s wrath isn’t happenstance, undirected, or a form of capricious rage. It is the settled, holy response of the righteous Judge to those who “suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). Every human being knows enough about God through the observation of nature and conscience to be without excuse. Rejection of the truth brings “trouble and distress” – the very definition of Hell.

We learn from 2 Peter 2:4 that Hell is already in business:

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment… (2 Peter 2:4 | TNIV)

Here, Hell translates “Tartarus,” a place of confinement, like a prison. God has already imprisoned some rebellious angels; human judgment follows the same pattern. Finally, Matthew 10:15 warns of comparative severity:

Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. (Matthew 10:15 | TNIV)

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was temporal but Hell is eternal. Greater revelation brings greater accountability.

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. [48] But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47, 48 | TNIV)

Hell exists because justice requires it. A holy God cannot overlook sin without ceasing to be holy. Yet the very existence of Hell magnifies the glory of the Cross: Jesus endured Hell’s equivalent so that we would never have to.

The punishment of Hell.

The Bible never sugar-coats the nature of Hell’s punishment – it is conscious, bodily, and eternal.

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10 | TNIV)

That phrase, “tormented day and night forever and ever,” uses the strongest possible language for unending conscious suffering. The same Greek construction describes the eternal worship of God in Revelation 4:8 and 7:15. If Heaven’s joy is conscious and unending, so is Hell’s torment.

Matthew 5:29 and 30 applies all of this personally:

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. [30] And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matthew 5:29, 30 | TNIV)

Here, Jesus uses the word “Gehenna,” which is the “Valley of Hinnom,” a huge garbage dump outside of Jerusalem where the fires burned 24/7. This was our Lord’s picture of final judgment. The hyperbole is deliberate and obvious: No earthly loss compares to eternal ruin. Sin is so serious that radical obedience is wiser than any compromise.

The longest description comes in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22 – 31). The rich man dies and finds himself “in Hades where he was in torment.” He sees Abraham and Lazrus “far away” and begs for a drop of water because he was “in agony in the fire.” Abraham replies that there is a great, impassable chasm between the two of them. The man then begs for his brothers and sisters to be warned, only to learn that Scripture is sufficient.

This parable teaches us a number of things, like conscious torment, memory, regret, unquenchable thirst, irreversible separation, and the futility of last-minute pleas. Though a parable, its details definitely align with the rest of Scripture and cannot be dismissed as a mere metaphor.

The condition of people in Hell.

Those in Hell will not be annihilated or unconscious. They will exist in a state of complete consciousness and unending distress.

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man is “in torment” and Abraham gives him a reminder:

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” (Luke 16:25 | TNIV)

Memory lives on and the damned will recall their choices with perfect clarity. Again, in Luke 16, the agony the rich man experiences is physical (fire, thirst) and emotional (isolation). There will be no relief. Ever.

Psalm 139:8 adds an interesting little fact:

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (Psalm 139:8 | TNIV)

Here “depths” refers to Sheol, reminding us that God is omnipresent, even in Hell. His presence there is not one of comfort but of holy judgment. The same God who is a consuming fire upholds the very existence of the damned while executing judgment. They cannot escape His gaze or His wrath. This truth should humble us. No one slips into Hell by accident or unnoticed. God knows.

Major words for Hell in the Bible.

The Bible uses three primary terms – Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna.

Sheol is used 65 times throughout the Old Testament. In the NIV, it’s usually translated “grave” or “pit” or “realm of the dead.” It is the general abode of the dead – both the righteous and wicked. Sheol is dark, silent, and shadowy, but not always a place of active torment. It functions as the Old Testament’s way of describing the intermediate state before the final judgment.

Hades is the New Testament equivalent of Sheol. Like Sheol, it is simply the realm of the dead (Acts 2:27). In Like 16 it clearly includes a place of torment for the wicked while the righteous are “at Abraham’s side.” Revelation 1:18 and 20:13, 14 show that Hades is temporary; at the final judgment it gives up its dead and itself is cast into the lake of fire. Thus, Sheol/Hades is at present a holding place. The lake of fire is the final destination.

Gehenna is used a dozen times, all by Jesus, and it’s the most specific and terrifying. It comes from the Valley of Hinnom (Ge-Hinnom) south of Jerusalem – once a site of child sacrifice to Molech and later a burning garbage dump. Jesus used Gehenna as a symblod of divine judgment – a place of unquenchable fire where “the worm does not die” (Mark 9:48). It’s the New Testament’s main term for the final, fiery punishment after resurrection and judgment.

These words are not interchangeable synonyms. Sheol and Hades describe the temporary realm of the dead, but Gehenna and the lake of fire describe the eternal, conscious punishment that follows the final judgment. The Bible’s consistent revelation is clear – Hell is real, deserved by all apart from Christ, and avoidable only through the Cross of Christ.

Conclusion. What the Bible says about Hell should drive sinners to the Gospel. Jesus endured the darkness, the fire, and the separation so that “whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Hell magnifies the love of God: He gave His Son to rescue us from it! The God who prepared Hell also prepared Heaven for all who trust in Christ.

Random Studies in Ezekiel, Part 4

Published July 7, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: exile, Ezekiel, Judgment

Right after God called Ezekiel to be a prophet, the Lord sequestered Ezekiel in his house and, amazingly, the newly minted prophet was not allowed to speak a word:

Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 3:24 – 26 | NIV84)

What’s the deal with that? Why would God call Ezekiel to speak His Word, yet shut him up and shut him away from the people he was supposed to preach to? This section is really still part of Ezekiel’s call from his role as a priest to his new role as a prophet. It would be a difficult transition for the son of man to make. As a priest, Ezekiel would have had a series to duties to perform on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. His was a ministry of repetition. But that would all change. Now, Ezekiel would have to learn how to continually submit to the God’s Word. The prophetic ministry was not a repetitive one; from now on, he would never act on his own but would only appear in public when God wanted him to and he would only speak those words God moved him to say. And lastly, he lost the ability to speak.

Reading that paragraph, we realize that there is a co-operation between God and man going on here. Ezekiel was told by God to seclude himself in the house, and Ezekiel complied. He willingly went along with the strange request. But then notice the use of the word “they.” Somebody will tie Ezekiel up. The “they” likely refers to the prophet’s family or friends. Being bound symbolized Ezekiel’s lifelong commitment to his new ministry. And then the Lord stopped Ezekiel from speaking.

• Ezekiel went along with God’s command;
• Ezekiel asked others to tie him up;
• God miraculously shut Ezekiel up.

The work of the Lord involves a co-operation between all the parties involved. Then there’s this fascinating verse that is very telling:

But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 3:27 | NIV84)

Take note of the doctrine of personal responsibility. People are free to accept the word of the Lord or not. God sends out the invitations, but it’s entirely up to those who received the invitation to open it up and accept it or not. God never forces anybody to do anything.

What happened to Ezekiel here is not unimportant for Christians to take notice of and take to heart. We as Christians, even though we know God’s way is the only way, have NO right on our own to criticize or condemn or pass judgment on anybody. We cannot set the standards for people to meet. That’s not our job. Rebuke and reproof are what the Lord does. It is only when people are obviously violating the will of God, and only when the Lord allows us, that we are permitted to speak out for Him against them. To speak up and be critical of others on our own may result in our reputations or even the reputation of the faith being mocked or derided. But if God calls us to speak out against an individual or even an entire culture, then we have no choice. However, everything we do or say must always be on His terms, not ours, and under His authority, not ours.

God in control

From the very beginning of his new ministry, Ezekiel needed to realize that he was no longer calling the shots in his life. God was.

The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” (Ezekiel 3:22 | NIV84)

In that “plain” or valley, Ezekiel once again witnessed the glory of the Lord that had so moved him back in chapter one. He knew that he was in the very presence of the Lord, and once more we read this:

Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. (Ezekiel 3:24 | NIV84)

We read that phrase, “the Spirit came into me,” numerous times in this book, and it suggests that Ezekiel did not enjoy what all Christians enjoy: The abiding presence of the Lord in our lives. The Holy Spirit came and went with Ezekiel but since Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes and abides in the believer forever.

Also, notice the movement in this verse. Ezekiel was raised to his feet. We in the West view that movement differently than those who live in the East. For a king to invite a subject to stand in his presence meant that he had been accepted and that king was going to “do business” with him.

Prophecy in drama

• Ezekiel builds a model!

Chapters 4 – 24 record the opening prophetic salvo of Ezekiel, and it’s directed at Jerusalem. Even though he’s in Babylon, there was free communication between where Ezekiel was and his old home town. At the time the events of these chapters occurred, Jerusalem was still standing; it would be a few years before Nebuchadnezzar rolled in to destroy it in 586 BC. In these prophecies – and they are all prophecies even though they may not look it – are many strange symbolic actions, as well as sermons, all delivered in the Name of God. In these twenty chapters are riddles, allegories, and pantomimes, all used as vehicles for the Word of God.

The first prophecy was a clay model of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege. Yes, a clay model.

“Now, son of man, take a clay tablet, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 4:1 – 3 | NIV84)

Now, you and I might find this a little odd. Here’s Ezekiel, prophet of God, playing with models. But to the people of the ancient near and middle east, acting out a message was not unusual. Theology of our time has been heavily influenced by many centuries of Plato’s influence of emphasizing highly abstract ideas over concrete actions, like the ones we see Ezekiel taking. Fortunately for us, God was not influenced by Plato. He came to us concretely in the Person of Christ and died on a real Roman cross and rose actually from the grave and ascended literally to Heaven and announced definitely that He would return visibly.

Here, Ezekiel is doing essentially the same thing with his little model. Think of the old Claymation TV shows and you’ll have an idea of what was going on here. Ezekiel probably built this large model in front of his house in the exile village of Tel-Abib. The exiles would have seen it as they passed by and the prophet would have explained what the model represented: The destruction of Jerusalem and the fact that sin cannot go unpunished. That’s really the big picture here; the sins of the city (the sins of the people of Jerusalem) were seen by God, committed against God, and therefore God would deal with those rebellious people. The sheer wickedness of Jerusalem, if you can imagine, didn’t abate with the first exile. It got worse:

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. (2 Kings 25:18 – 20 | NIV84)

None of what was about to happen to Jerusalem as portrayed by Ezekiel and his model should have come as a surprise to the exiles or the people who heard about it back home. It was promised by God of they dared broke His covenant.

They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the LORD your God is giving you. Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you. Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. The most gentle and sensitive woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot—will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities. (Deuteronomy 25:52 – 57 | NIV84)

As Christians, we are not Israel. We aren’t the people whom Ezekiel had in mind when he built his tabletop model. But there are two verses in the New Testament that make it imperative we pay heed to Ezekiel’s words to his people:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature d will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7, 8 | NIV84)

That’s right. For us, our enemy isn’t Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, but the wages of sin – death. Our siege is accomplished by yielding to sin, trapping us. But in our case, we have God’s armor protecting us and He Himself is a strong refuge against it. And, unlike the iron plate that separated Ezekiel from this model of Jerusalem, God will never separate Himself from us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35 – 39 | NIV84)

• Ezekiel bears their sin

If you thought building a model was odd behavior for a serious, grown man to engage in, how about this:

“Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So, for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel. “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.” (Ezekiel 4:4 – 8 | NIV84)

Again, this a drama was acted out to give the people a visual representation of God’s Word. This was a slow, long theatrical prophecy lasting a total of 430 days, 390 of those days representing 390 years of the Northern Kingdom’s punishment for their sin and rebellion and 40 days representing 40 years of Judah’s punishment for their sin. The total number of years – 430 – is significant for a couple of reasons. First, historically, 430 years is the length of time that the Israelites were held in Egypt (Exodus 12:40).

Second, the total of 430 years of punishment for sin looks forward, and is therefore prophetic in nature. It’s a fact that all numbering and dating in the book of Ezekiel begins with the captivity of Jehoiachin in 597 BC; 597 BC is like ground zero for all the dates in Ezekiel. When we number forward 430 years from 597 BC we get to 167 BC (approximately), which is the year the Maccabean revolt began and the Jews finally got back control of the Promised Land – Canaan; for the first time since 597 BC.

Dates and numbers are interesting, but there is a much deeper significance here. By the siege and fall of Jerusalem, both Israel and Judah will be punished for their years of the rebellion and stubbornness. Ezekiel, lying on his side, is the one bearing their sins symbolically, in anticipation of the time when another Son of Man – the divine Son of Man – comes to bear the sins of many on the Cross. Here is a slight glimmer of the vicarious, substitutionary suffering of Jesus Christ.

The Minor Prophets, Part 3

Published May 11, 2017 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Amos, Judgment, The Minor Prophets

All we know about the prophet Amos is what his book of prophecies tells us, which is precious little.

Amos was a herdsman living in the village of Tekoa. All day long he sat on the hillsides watching the sheep, keeping them from straying. (Amos 1:1 | TLB)

But Amos replied, “I am not really one of the prophets. I do not come from a family of prophets. I am just a herdsman and fruit picker.” (Amos 7:14 | TLB)

And that’s about it, as far as the Living Bible is concerned. This man Amos was not a prophet by training. He was just a herdsman who tended to his sheep and a fruit picker who looked after trees.. The man’s character and ideals were forged by the rough Judean wilderness in which he lived and worked.

Turning to another translation, verse 1 is slightly different:

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. (Amos 1:1 | TNIV)

Amos’ prophetic word concerned Israel. This may refer to both Israel and Judah, but most scholars are convinced Amos is dealing with the Northern Kingdom. His work as a prophet took place during the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel. The mention of these two Kings tells us a little about the world in which Amos lived, the 8th century BC.

Historians tell us this time period was somewhat unique for both Kingdoms. During the late 7th century BC and early 8th century BC, Israel fell into a deep depression and was for all intents and purposes subjugated by a foreign power. Judah would have certainly collapsed had King Hezekiah not come to power to reverse it’s regression to ruin.

Yet at the same time, it was during this century that the “writing prophet” rose to prominence in both Israel and Judah. They came from very diverse backgrounds but they spoke and wrote with great authority. These men of God denounced the sinfulness and rebellion of their nations and wrote about the near and far futures. Their often stunning visions concerned both Jew and Gentile alike.

In spite of the horrible economic and spiritual shape of Israel and Judah, the 8th century BC brought a renewed sense of hope to each Kingdom. Israel’s subjugation to Damascus came to an end thanks to the Assyrians, who decimated Damascus in 802 BC. The political and religious problems that plagued Judah vanished when King Uzziah ascended to the throne. His rule saw Judah prosper both economically and spiritually.

Meanwhile, in Israel under Jeroboam II, Israel prospered along with Judah. Thanks to the sturdy leadership of both kings, Israel and Judah enjoyed a kind of second golden age, second only to the time of Solomon. But even as their economic well-being and national strength grew and brought about a sense of security to citizens, the internal, spiritual decay was eating both kingdoms alive. The biggest problem for both Israel and Judah was a long lasting, almost continual violation of the great covenant established by God at Mt. Sinai.

This was Amos’ world.

Judgment is inescapable

One day, in a vision, God told him some of the things that were going to happen to his nation, Israel. This vision came to him at the time Uzziah was king of Judah and while Jeroboam (son of Joash) was king of Israel-two years before the earthquake. This is his report of what he saw and heard: The Lord roared-like a ferocious lion from his lair-from his Temple on Mount Zion. And suddenly the lush pastures of Mount Carmel withered and dried, and all the shepherds mourned. (Amos 1:2 | TLB)

Amos means “burden,” and surely what he saw was a terrific burden. To make his burden even heavier was the fact that nobody wanted to hear it. Times were getting good. Both nations seemed to be roaring back to economic, military, and cultural strength in spite of their sin and rebellion. Here comes this shepherd with his talk of judgment from God. He was, to his people, all bark and no bite. As Longfellow observed,

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.

Whether the people realized it or not, and whether they cared to acknowledge it or not, judgment from God was coming. Amos mentioned an earthquake that the people would have remembered. It wasn’t part of God’s judgment, but Amos brings it up as he begins his message of judgment. The people may not have been able to get their minds wrapped around a coming divine judgment, but they would remember how devastating that earthquake was! Assuming Amos gave this word around 762 BC, then Israel would have had 40 years to repent or face the onslaught of the Assyrians.

This is what the Lord God showed me in a vision: He was preparing a vast swarm of locusts to destroy all the main crop that sprang up after the first mowing, which went as taxes to the king. Then the Lord God showed me a great fire he had prepared to punish them; it had burned up the waters and was devouring the entire land. Then he showed me this: The Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, checking it with a plumb line to see if it was straight. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I answered, “A plumb line.” And he replied, “I will test my people with a plumb line. I will no longer turn away from punishing. The idol altars and temples of Israel will be destroyed, and I will destroy the dynasty of King Jeroboam by the sword.”. (Amos 7:1, 4, 7 – 9 | TLB)

The coming judgment would prove to be unrelenting. In chapters 3 – 6, Amos gives the reasons for this judgment. Essentially the people had habitually ignored God’s covenants. God was a faithful partner, but they were not. In chapters 7 – 9, God describes the results of His judgment.

Before facing the Assyrians, Israel would first face a locust invasion unlike any other. Locusts figure prominently in the Minor Prophets, and while Israel faced dreadful locust invasions regularly, one was coming that would be unprecedented and it would be a mini-judgment foreshadowing a much greater one.

What’s worse than the locusts was the threat of fire, in verse 4. There would be an all-consuming fire that would hit the land. Amos interceded and the Lord relented.

In the third vision, Amos saw the Lord holding a plumb line in His hand. In the old days, a plumb line was used to make sure walls were built straight up and down. God would check the nation He built; the one that used to be true to plumb – straight up and down – but was now out of line and needed to be torn down. Unlike the other visions Amos saw, there was no recovering from this judgment and God would not relent. God’s people would soon find out the truthfulness of something Leonard Ravenhill wrote:

Our God is a consuming fire. He consumes pride, lust, materialism and other sins.

God can also be a wrecking ball; smashing down the walls we build around our little kingdoms.

Woeful life of a prophet

Amos was preaching a series of sermons to people who had no interest in hearing what he had to say. Even the religious leaders of his day despised the prophet.

But when Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, heard what Amos was saying, he rushed a message to Jeroboam, the king: “Amos is a traitor to our nation and is plotting your death. This is intolerable. It will lead to rebellion all across the land. He says you will be killed and Israel will be sent far away into exile and slavery.” Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos, “Get out of here, you prophet, you! Flee to the land of Judah and do your prophesying there! Don’t bother us here with your visions, not here in the capital where the king’s chapel is!” But Amos replied, “I am not really one of the prophets. I do not come from a family of prophets. I am just a herdsman and fruit picker. But the Lord took me from caring for the flocks and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people Israel.’ “Now, therefore, listen to this message to you from the Lord. You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel.’ The Lord’s reply is this: ‘Because of your interference, your wife will become a prostitute in this city, your sons and daughters will be killed, and your land divided up. You yourself will die in a heathen land, and the people of Israel will certainly become slaves in exile, far from their land.'” (Amos 7:10 – 17 | TLB)

This group of verses interrupts Amos’ visions and they give us some interesting information about the prophet himself.

Amaziah was the chief priest at Bethel, which was one of the state-sanctioned sanctuaries established by Jeroboam when he split from Jerusalem. It was designed to copy the religious system of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and bring stability to Israel (the Northern Kingdom). This priest had accused Amos of conspiracy, and I love his attitude. He declares that he “wasn’t a professional prophet,” hired to say things against the king, but just a man of humble circumstance who simply heeded the call of God.

Furthermore, he did not “conspire against” the king, as Amaziah as he had been charged. The prophet who condemns the evil is not the cause of the evil, or of the punishment that follows the evil, and Amos wasn’t the first prophet of God to be held responsible for the judgment to come. Evil king Ahab had his run-in with Elijah, and Elijah’s reply is classic:

“So it’s you, is it?-the man who brought this disaster upon Israel!” Ahab exclaimed when he saw him. “You’re talking about yourself,” Elijah answered. “For you and your family have refused to obey the Lord and have worshiped Baal instead. (1 Kings 18:17, 18 | TLB)

The people hated him and his prophecies of judgements because they knew he was right and that God was indeed justified in taking action against them.

A sad end

That Israel’s days were numbered was obvious to Amos and other prophets. The people, though, high on a return to prosperity and military soundness had no interest in what Amos was saying and didn’t believe him. Here were people who grew up surrounded by the Word of God. In fact, any time they wanted to, they could return to their roots of pure faith. The Assyrians were at the door, but something something else – something unexpected – was about to befall Israel:

“The time is surely coming,” says the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land-not a famine of bread or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will wander everywhere from sea to sea, seeking the word of the Lord, searching, running here and going there, but will not find it. Beautiful girls and fine young men alike will grow faint and weary, thirsting for the word of God. (Amos 8:11 – 13 | TLB)

These people who didn’t want to hear the Word of God one day would be UNABLE to hear the Word of God. God would give them their desire: A life without a single word from Him. The Assyrians would take away their homes, their jobs, their lands, and everything they held dear. God would remove His Word from their lives.

So it was that when they gave God up and would not even acknowledge him, God gave them up to doing everything their evil minds could think of. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness and sin, of greed and hate, envy, murder, fighting, lying, bitterness, and gossip. (Romans 1:28, 29 | TLB)

It musn’t have been easy for Amost to preach sermons like he did to people he knew and grew up around. But it was God’s own word for them, nonetheless. And God’s Word is, after all, as sharp as a double-edged sword.

Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Judgment'

Three Kings of Israel, the Northern Kingdom

Panic Podcast – What about Hell?

Random Studies in Ezekiel, Part 4

The Minor Prophets, Part 3

Recent Posts

Another great day!

Meta

Blog Stats

Jump To…

Never miss a new post again.

Archives

Email Subscription

Top Studies

Places I find interesting

Who’d have guessed?

My Conservative Identity: