The Lord Has Spoken
On The Marathon of Biblical Proportions I am lagging far behind in September's readings.This morning I read Obadiah, a short book of one chapter; one of the minor prophets. A small part of verse 18 stood out on the page. stark and powerful, following a prophetic statement:
Obadiah 1:18 (New International Version)
18...The LORD has spoken.
I am coming towards the end of the books of prophecy, and they have been interesting reading. They were written over a span of hundreds of years before Christ, a turbulent time of kingdoms rising and falling and the people of Israel being taken captive into Babylon. The poor prophets did not have an easy time of it as what they had to say was not the message the people wanted to hear. The truth disturbed and offended people but over and over again, in the notes at the bottom of the pages in my Life Application Bible, it is clear that the prophecies were fulfilled. That is, with the exception of those concerning a time that the prophets said was far into the future; a time that we may be in now, or very close to.
The words, "The Lord has spoken," carry authority and power. What he speaks comes to pass.
We are in the first week of Advent; a season in which we reflect on the birth of a promised Saviour. The number of prophecies fulfilled in his birth, life and death, is staggering. Bethlehem, a virgin mother, a suffering Saviour, all, and much more, were foretold.
A story is unfolding as God said it would. The Lord has spoken.
Matthew 2:3-6 (New International Version)
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.
Comments
I love the photo! :) We haven't got our tree up yet (because of house issues) - but it makes me so happy to see yours! :)
Does anyone else find it a little bit frightful that what the prophets told became true? It scares me a bit when I read those books... It's like haunting foreshadowing.
But I shouldn't be afraid, because it's all good stuff (well, for us)... right?
I think just how they were able to see what would happen sends shivers up my spine...
As consolation, i just finished Amos today so I will read Obadiah and Jonah tomorrow. I was laughing this morning thinking how far behind everyone else I must be.
This is the 4th time I've done "read the bible in a year". Not once have I completed it in the time-frame.
I am journeying on though. As are you. I'm glad we're lagging behind together.
Love to you and thanks for your post.
Yes, the tree came out of the attic unexpectedly last weekend while I was shopping at Costco. I came home and there it was, all lit up, and my dear Paul wasn't crushed either.
The prophecies...yes, some of them are scary indeed. But God is with us and sometimes the prophecies said, "This is what will happen if..." as in the book of Jonah. In that case, God did not do what he said he would, because the people of Nineveh repented. This upset Jonah, who was more concerned about his own credibility than the fact that it was good that they turned away from sin.
:) hehehe... The way you speak about your Christmas tree, it is like it has a life of its own, deciding to journey down from your attic by its own accord. :) :) :) I think your tree certainly deserves to have a name for this extraordinary quality! :) I'm sure glad it didn't decide to crush Paul either! :) It looks beautiful too! :)
My tree isn't so extraordinary or so filled with character. And he hibernates in our basement. He's old and still hasn't awoken for Christmas even though it's nearly the 2nd week of Advent! I think we need to give him an alarm clock (or some coffee)! :)
Love, Night Owl
P.S. I admire both you and Joyful Fox for doing the Marathon of Biblical Proportions. And I strongly believe that late is definitely better than never! :) Lots of good things happen late which I'm happy to have had happened.
I understood all of your sentences. :)