It has taken me a long time to understand the gist of these verses. Today I finally realized that the author is being self-deprecating in countering arguments made by those who claim to be smarter and wiser than he. I am going to paraphrase what I think the writer is saying here:
You are right. I am not very bright and have failed to master human learning, let alone being enlightened. So, tell me, since there is no God, who made the world? Who is it who controls nature? You are so wise, explain it to me.
When we serve God, let us praise His name. We should not serve God with a “martyr complex”. We should praise God for every opportunity we have to serve Him and others. I will recognize that the opportunities God gives me to serve Him through serving others are a blessing, not a cross I need to bear. I will praise Him for honoring me by giving me the opportunity to serve others.
In the past, and in every interpretation I have ever seen of today’s passage, I have viewed this passage as a prediction about what is to come. Today as I read this, I saw it as a vision of what happened when the Lamb, who is Jesus Christ, came unto the scene. As He opened the scroll to read God’s word, the events listed took place. The Four Horsemen are not sent forth by the opening of the scroll. Instead they are revealed as the seals on the scroll are broken. They were already present in the world and as the seals on the scroll are broken, revealing that they are not the way to bring about God’s will in the world. As I write this I am realizing that what I am writing is not quite correct. The point I do think is correct is that the things which John sees as the seals on the scroll are broken are not the contents of the scroll. The opening of the scroll is not some future event. It is what happened when Jesus was raised from the dead. I am not sure that all of the seals have been broken yet, but the process of breaking the seals has already begun.
The prophet prophesies primarily against two groups of people: the wealthy and powerful who oppress others, and the leaders of the people. These two groups are not exactly separate groups, especially not in the situation for which Micah condemns them. The wealthy and powerful use their wealth and power to take what they want from those less powerful than themselves. They do not exchange fair value for what they want. The leaders are condemned for taking part in this. Rather than use their positions to lead the people in doing right and forsaking wrong, the leaders use their positions to take what they want and to live off of the hard work of others. Instead of encouraging people to do what is good and right, they encourage them to do what is evil.
However, the common people are not innocent in this. They have told those who warn them against doing such things to shut up. They do not want to hear from those who tell them that if they want to be successful they must work hard and put off their own gratification. They are looking for “prophets” who tell them they can drink and spend and not worry about tomorrow because someone else will take care of tomorrow. The people follow leaders who tell them that they can live off of the hard work of others, never thinking about what will happen if no one does the hard work.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Christmas is coming soon. Let us remember what it is truly about, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us strive to not be caught up in the commercialism which is what this season is about for many in our society today.
I believe that these words are sarcastic. Well, maybe not the first part where he declares himself weary. It strikes me as being written by someone who has been arguing with another for some time. The writer of this bit is tired of the argument and “concedes” to his opponent. It strikes me that he has been having a disagreement with someone who does not believe in God. So he asks him, where did everything come from? Surely, since you say there is no God, you can tell me how it all came to be?
…
And where did that come from?
This psalm is both a beautiful song of praise and a reminder that part of serving God is praising God. Let us praise God both day and night as we strive to be His servants.
Here John describes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. However, they are not the “Four Horsemen” of popular culture (even though those in popular culture derive from them). In popular culture the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. In this passage there is no Pestilence.
The first Horsemen is “Conquest” or “Victory”. There are several possible interpretations of this. I will look at two of them. The first interpretation is that the first Horsemen is Christ Himself. This interpretation sees Christ as riding forth and conquering before the Apocalypse begins. It’s fulfillment comes in the spread of the Gospel throughout the world to all peoples and nations. The second interpretation sees the first Horseman as the Anti-Christ, who will rise to prominence and conquer the world to begin the Apocalypse. The second interpretation has some merit. My reservations about it are based on the fact that the author of Revelation also wrote 1 John. In 1 John he tells us that there is not a singular Anti-Christ, rather there are many anti-christs. I said I was only going to look at two interpretations of the first Horseman, but a third one occurred to me that I have not seen mentioned elsewhere (although I find it hard to believe that no one has come up with it before). My thought is that the first Horseman represents a person, or nation, which will conquer so much of the world that there is no place on earth where there power is not felt.
In many ways, the other three Horsemen follow that third interpretation as naturally as night follows day. When the conqueror loses control over the territory he held, War, and Famine, and Death will surely follow. How the Four Horsemen fit together is a bit of a mystery to me, but the rest of this passage is clear. Over the course of history there will be numerous people who will be martyred for serving Christ. They will be rewarded for their faithfulness and will cry out for God to bring His promised judgement. They will be assured that this Judgement will come. Then we have the sixth seal. When it is broken, everyone will see that God’s day of judgement is coming. But rather than repent of their sins and turn to God, the vast majority will seek to hide from God.
Micah prophecies against Israel and Judah. He tells them that destruction is coming because those who have power do evil simply because they can. They should love good and hate evil but instead they love evil and hate good. When the leaders want a piece of land, they find a way to seize it. Micah bemoans those who talk about caring for the poor and powerless while using their position and power to enrich themselves. Over the last few months, I have heard various politicians praised for speeches they have made decrying how our system favors the rich and is stacked against the poor. Yet these same politicians made a fortune working in the system they now want people to believe they will work to change. If the rich and powerful do not stop using their power to take advantage of the poor and powerless, all the while using their rhetoric against such actions as an excuse to further their own power, God’s judgement will fall upon our nation.
Yet mixed throughout his condemnation of the sins of the people, Micah reminds us of God’s great faithfulness. He tells us that the day will come when people from all over the world will worship God. He tells us that the day will come when God will mediate between peoples and settle the disputes between nations. In that day they will turn their weapons of war into tools of peaceful industry. They will no longer study the methods of war.
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Micah prophesied against the people of Israel and of Judah. He told them that disaster would come upon them because of their sins. While the disaster would come upon the whole nation, for the sins of the whole nation, the center of those sins was in the political capitals. The idolatry of the people had its center in their political systems. It was the political leaders who had turned the people to sin.
He continued by saying that sorrow awaited those who lay awake at night planning evil. He condemns those who, when they want a piece of land, find a way to seize it. As I read this I thought of the Kelo v. New London Supreme Court ruling of a few years back. This entire passage is an indictment of political leaders who use their power to increase their wealth and that of their cronies. Micah condemns leaders who claim to know right from wrong but, instead of doing what is right, do evil and oppress the people. He continues by condemning those religious leaders who use their prestige to disguise the evil of the political leaders. They promise to help the poor and weak while at the same time taking advantage of them for their own interests. Despite all that they do to bring injustice and oppression to the poor and weak, they believe that they will not be harmed because they believe they are on the side of good.
Micah promises that destruction will come upon such people. He also promises that the day will come when God will gather people from all over the world who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. God will teach them His ways and they will walk in His paths. God will gather the weak, the lame, and the poor. He will mold them together into a strong nation. They will turn their weapons into farm implements. They will not need to prepare for war because God will be their defender and they will serve Him.
This passage describes the opening of six of the seven seals on the scroll. With each of the first four seals a different horseman appears. The first one is given a crown and rides out to conquer the earth. The second one is given a sword and rides out to bring violence throughout the earth. The third horseman carried a scale and rode out to bring famine (and what sounds like severe inflation to me). The fourth horseman rode out to bring painful death to one fourth of the living creatures on the earth. When the fifth seal is opened John sees those who were killed because they served Christ. They called out asking how long until God held the people of earth accountable for their sins. They were given garments of purity and told to wait a short time longer until all had been fulfilled. Then the sixth seal was opened and the sky was rolled up like a scroll and the geographic features of the earth were moved from their places. When this happened the people of earth sought places to hide from God’s pending wrath.
There is much symbolism in this passage, but the key factor for me is that God is in control of all that happens. When a nation or power conquers, it is because God allows and desires it to be so. When violence springs up in one place or another, or even over the entire earth, it is because God has allowed mankind’s sin to yield its fruit. When famine and economic turmoil occur, once more, it is because God has so willed. When death spreads over the earth, it can only happen according to God’s discretion. Those who faithfully strive to serve God in the face of difficulty and persecution will be honoured by God. When God’s time is ripe He will bring about the end of this earth. But nothing happens before God’s time and outside of God’s control. He will care for those who choose to serve Him.
Let us praise the Lord when He calls us to serve Him, even when it is in ways that might seem less than desirable, even when we are called to serve Him on the night shift. God will bless us when we serve Him faithfully and praise Him despite any unpleasant circumstances. I will praise the Lord, even when He calls me to serve Him in difficult situations.
Let us not be ashamed of being viewed as foolish by human standards. Who, but God, has seen all that there is to see. Human wisdom is not to be desired above that of God. It is God alone who created the world. He alone has understanding of how everything works and fits together. Let us seek wisdom from God, not from mere men who do not truly understand.
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
I read the first four chapters of Micah today. Micah speaks of mountains melting like wax in a fire beneath the feet of God as He comes in judgment. He tells us that God is bringing this judgment because of the rebellion of the nation of Israel. The prophet then lays the blame for Israel’s sin on Samaria, its capital. He goes further and says that Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, is the center of the Kingdom of Judah’s idolatry. This tells us something important. The corruption and idolatry of a nation spreads out from its capital. An entire nation only becomes corrupt and sinful when its government leaders are corrupt and sinful. Micah tells us that God is going to bring judgment on all of Israel and Judah, but it will focus on Samaria and Jerusalem because they are disproportionately guilty.
Micah goes on to condemn those who concoct evil plans. He speaks of people who carry out evil plans to oppress others, simply because they have the power to do so. The people told Micah that he should not say such things, that his prophesies of doom would not take place. He responded that if they did what was right, they would find his prophesies comforting. They do not find his words comforting because they are stealing the shirts off of the backs of those who trust them. They are evicting women from their pleasant homes. God is about to repay them by evicting them from the land. The people of the land are looking for a prophet who will tell them of the joys of partying. Does this not sound like the people of the U.S. and most of Western Civilization? Micah is telling these people that judgment is coming. Yet there is an important point we should make note of, the prophet also says that those who are doing right will be comforted by his words that God is coming. If we strive to do right, we need not fear the coming of the Lord.
Micah goes on to specifically condemn the government leaders. He says that they love evil and hate good. They claim to speak on behalf of God, yet protect those who offer them bribes from prosecution for their crimes and launch unjustified attacks against those who oppose their policies. They use their positions of power to personally profit at the expense of their responsibilities, yet claim that God will defend them because they do right. Micah tells them that they are mistaken, that God is going to bring judgment against them and justice for those they have oppressed.
The prophet tells us that in the last days, God will rule the earth from Jerusalem, settling disputes between nations. He tells us that in that day, people will turn their weapons into farm implements and nations will not go to war against each other. In that day. everyone will live in prosperity, enjoying the fruits of their own labors. This is a wonderful vision of some future time, but what does the prophet tell us of the preconditions for this day to come to pass. He tells us that people from many nations will say “Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, so that He may teach us His ways and we may walk in His paths” (my paraphrase). God promises that this day will come to pass. In the meantime, we are called to seek out the Lord so that He may teach us His ways and we may walk in His paths. The nations and peoples around me may worship after idols of all sorts, but I shall follow the Lord God.
In today’s passage the writer describes what happened in his vision when the Lamb broke the first six of the seven seals on the scroll which He had taken from the hand of God. With each of the first four seals a horse with a rider appears and is given authority over the earth. The first is on a white horse and is a conqueror. The second is on a red horse and is a creator of conflict and war. The third is on a black horse and creates food shortages, but not of everything only shortages of basic staples not of luxury foods. The fourth is on a pale (The New Living Translation says “pale green) horse and is named Death. Death is given authority over one quarter of all living things on the earth. In common understanding the four horsemen are often viewed as War, Famine, Pestilence and Death, yet that is not consistent with what is actually written here. The first rider is not an omen of death and destruction. Rather it appears to represent the spread of the Gospel.
It is worth noting that the four horsemen do not ride out together, but rather one after the other. There is a lot of thought that can be given into the meaning of each of these horsemen and perhaps another day I will do a post on just those four. But after the fourth seal is broken and Death rides forth, the fifth seal is broken. When the fifth seal is broken the writer saw the souls of those who had been martyred for being faithful to the word of God. These souls called out to God asking how much longer He would allow such persecution to go on. The answer they were given was to wait a short while longer until the fullness of their number had been reached. Then the sixth seal was broken and there was a great earthquake. At the same time as the earthquake we are told that the sky was rolled up like a scroll and all the mountains and islands were moved from their places. When that happened everyone, from the greatest to the least, hid themselves from the wrath of God. This vision is clearly figurative (the sky is not actually something that can be rolled up like a scroll), but is it a figurative description of great destruction of this earth, or of something else. Personally, I think it is a figurative description of the destruction of the earth at some future date. However, I think the most important part about this is the image that all people will one day face the judgment of God and that that is a terrifying experience. No matter how important you are (or think you are), no matter how powerful you are, you will face God’s judgment with no hope of withstanding it. On the other hand, no matter how insignificant you are, how unimportant your actions have been, you, also, will face God’s judgment with no hope of being overlooked. One day, all will stand before God and He will judge our actions. We will not come through that judgment on our merits. Only through the grace of God will we escape eternal torment. If we attempt to defend our actions we will be shown that there is no defense. Only by recognizing that we are no better than the most evil person who has ever lived and throwing ourselves on God’s mercy will we be spared that fate.
Let us not forget to praise the Lord as we serve Him. I will always praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him. Sometimes I feel like the service I am called to is a burden. Even when I do, I will strive to praise the Lord. I know that if I make the effort to praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him, even when it feels like a burden, doing so will make the burden seem lighter. I will pray that the Lord bless those who are serving the Lord in ways that I would find burdensome (or at least that I think I would find burdensome).
The writer of today’s proverbs tells us that he is tired and worn out. He admits that he is not very bright, nor does he consider himself wise. Then he asks a question of those who think they are smarter and wiser than he. He asks them to name the person who has gone up to heaven and come down again. Surely if they are so wise they can tell them who it was who gave them their knowledge and wisdom. If your knowledge does not include God, perhaps you do not know as much as you think you do. If your wisdom does not come from God, you are not very wise.
Once again I am reminded of the story in the Gospel of John of the man born blind. After he had received his sight the Jewish leaders questioned him. They did not like his answers and attempted to use the prestige of their positions and learning to intimidate him into changing his testimony. His response was “I don’t know. All I know is that I was born blind and now I see.” Let this be our testimony. When confronted by unbelievers, I do not wish to try and convince them with my brilliant logic, or overpowering wisdom (well, OK, I do, but I have learned that it never works). I strive to offer my testimony of what God has done in my life and pray that the Holy Spirit opens their eyes and convicts them.
