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Episodes
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
Thursday with Tabitha
5. Micah by Tabitha SmithMicah came from the town of Moresheth in Judah, southwest of Jerusalem - other than that, we are not told anything else about the man himself. The book doesn’t tell us how God called him. His name can be translated as a question which asks: Who is like Yahweh?
Micah’s prophesy came during the years of kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah (who ruled between 750 BC and 687 BC). Hosea and Isaiah prophesied at roughly the same time. The main themes of Micah are God’s judgement and forgiveness. In this book we will discover the prophesy about Jesus’ birthplace and meet the Messiah as the Good Shepherd.
The book opens with a pronouncement against Jerusalem and Samaria, announcing to them that God is bringing his witness against them, like a kind of lawsuit. In the same way that a prosecutor outlines his case, God will bring charges against his people and back them up with evidence.
From chapter 2 God starts to set out his case. His people have dealt cruelly and unjustly with their fellow-men. Out of greed and jealousy they have desired what belongs to others and taken it for themselves - both houses and fields. False prophets have arisen amongst the people, speaking words that do not come from God. The prophets speak what the people want to hear, for their own pride and gain. In Micah 2:11, Micah sarcastically says that a prophet who promised plenty of alcoholic beverages would be just the kind of prophet the people desired!
The rulers of Israel are criticised for doing evil, abusing the people they are supposed to be ruling and despising justice. The leaders accept bribes, the priests preach for money and the prophets accept cash for false fortune telling. The whole society is twisted and corrupt, so far from the way God intended them to be. Judgement will fall on Jerusalem and Samaria in the form of invading armies of the Assyrians and Babylonians.
In chapter 4 the mood suddenly changes to one of future promise. In Micah 4:1, Micah says that ‘in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all peoples will stream to it’.
The phrase, ‘in the last days’ is often found in prophetic writing and it usually refers to a time in the future beyond the present era, sometimes referring to the time of the coming of the Messiah. Micah foresees a time when God will restore Jerusalem and make it a focal point for the gathering of the nations. Instead of climbing to high places to worship pagan false gods, the peoples will make the ascent to the dwelling place of God and worship him alone.
Micah 4:3 is quite famous; in it Micah prophesies that the nations of the world will ‘beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.’ Unprecedented peace will come to the world in the last days when the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, ushers in his new kingdom. These same words are found in the book of Isaiah 2:4. It is possible that Isaiah and Micah used a shared source for this, or one may have borrowed this thought from the other.
In chapter 5 we find intriguing prophesies about the coming Messiah. Micah5:2 is often read at Christmas time. It says “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.”
King David came from Bethlehem and was an unlikely choice to be king by external worldly measures. Bethlehem was a small town with nothing really going for it.
Several hundred years later, the greater David, the Messiah, Jesus, was born in this same small town. The Jews anticipated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, based on this prophecy in Micah. Yet they didn’t recognise him when he arrived as he didn’t come in the way they expected. Ironically, it seems that the Jews alive at the time of Jesus knew him as the carpenter of Nazareth in Galilee, ignorant of the fact that his birthplace was in Bethlehem. You can read more about this in the 7th chapter of John’s gospel.
This coming Messiah is pictured as one who will shepherd his flock, his people, and bring them unprecedented peace.
In chapters 6 and 7 God continues his lawsuit against his people. The charges now include corrupt business practices, disloyalty and betrayal within families, violence and falsehood. The downfall and destruction of Jerusalem is foretold. However, there is the promise of hope and restoration. In Micah 7:9 the city of God speaks with a prophetic voice: ‘Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.’
The book ends with a rhetorical question that echoes the meaning of Micah’s name: ‘who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again show compassion to us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.’
In the Bible the language of the courtroom and legal process is loaded with significance. God is the ultimate Judge, and he is always just in his judgements. He cannot just ignore sin and wrongdoing, or sweep it under the carpet. Where there has been a wrong, a judgement must be pronounced and a sentence served. In the New Testament we encounter the concept of justification. This is also a legal term. To justify someone means to acquit them, to declare them righteous. The Bible teaches us that God justifies us by grace. In other words, he declares us righteous although we do not deserve it. The penalty for our sin still had to be paid and Jesus did this for us, taking our sins upon himself in his death on the cross. So sinful people can be pronounced just because Jesus paid for (or atoned) for our sins. The penalty is paid, justice is done.
Justification doesn’t mean that God lets us off for our sins, or acts as if we’d never sinned; it means that God’s holiness demanded a payment for our sin, and God himself provided the means of this payment, through the death of Jesus on our behalf. Justice and mercy meet together and love and grace are seen most clearly on the cross.
God issues his people with a challenge in Micah 6:8 - “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
These words have timeless relevance and if you would like to see how Christians are working out this truth in the world today, have a look at www.micahchallenge.org.
Micah Challenge is a coalition of Christians who take their inspiration from this verse in Micah and campaign on issues of justice. They are working to hold governments accountable for the promises they made to the poorest people in the world in 2000 when the Millennium Development Goals were set. If you need some inspiration or resources to help you get engaged with issues of justice, poverty and action, have a look at their website. If you are involved with a local church, think about how you could encourage people in your fellowship to take practical steps to speak up for those who are denied justice. Love is demonstrated in action and we are all called to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.
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2 days ago
2 days ago
Wednesday Wisdom
Proverbs 11
1 A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in through their own naughtiness.
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perishes.
8 The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked comes in his stead.
9 a hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12 He that is void of wisdom despises his neighbour: but a man of understanding holds his peace.
13 A talebearer reveals secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter.
14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.
15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hates being surety is secure.
16 A gracious woman retains honour: and strong men retain riches.
17 The merciful man does good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubles his own flesh.
18 The wicked works a deceitful work: but to him that sows righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tends to life: so he that pursues evil pursues it to his own death.
20 They that are of a perverse heart are abomination to the Lord: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.
21 Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
22 As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 There is that scatters, and yet increases; and there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends to poverty.
25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that waters shall be watered also himself.
26 He that withholds corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that sells it.
27 He that diligently seeks good procures favour: but he that seeks mischief, it shall come to him.
28 He that trusts in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
29 He that troubles his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise.
31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.
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Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Thursday with Tabitha
4. Hosea by Tabitha SmithIf you have ever felt that God is distant, disinterested, and aloof from his creation, or you’ve thought that God is a cruel, heartless God who punishes his creation harshly, then the book of Hosea has truth for you. This short prophetic book contains heartrending descriptions of God’s feelings for wayward Israel. It is one of the parts of the Bible that most vividly demonstrates the intensity of feeling and the depth of emotion in the heart of God.
Hosea prophesied during the latter half of the eighth century BC. This was one of the most turbulent and difficult times in Israel’s history, just before the captivity to Assyria. The nation of Israel went through six kings in about 30 years. There was violence, political intrigue and great instability.
Hosea primarily writes to the people of Israel, whom he sometimes refers to as Ephraim. His main concern is the way that the Israelites have turned away from worshipping God and instead started to worship Baal.
Baal was a false god of the region of Syria and Palestine. He was thought to control agriculture, rainfall and fertility. Practices involved in the worship of Baal included human sacrifice and mutilation of the body; incest, sex with animals, the use of shrine prostitutes and drinking alcohol in excess.
At the start of the book of Hosea the prophet is called to do something extraordinary. God asks him to marry an unfaithful wife. The events that unfold in Hosea’s family will become a vivid image of the events occurring in Israel. Hosea marries a woman called Gomer and she bears him a son.
After this she has a daughter and another son but the wording of the text suggests that these two children do not belong to Hosea. Gomer has been unfaithful to him. The children are given names that mean “not loved” and “not my people”. In this way, Hosea’s illegitimate children become a picture of Israel, a child that will not be shown mercy and does not belong to its father. However, even at this tragic point, there is a promise of the mercy and love that the Father will show. God declares that in spite of this terrible unfaithfulness, he will show mercy and love again to Israel and Judah.
In chapter 2 God expands on the image of the unfaithful wife that was introduced in chapter 1. Israel has strayed from God, turning to worship Baal. She has taken part in pagan worship ceremonies and she has not acknowledged the way that God’s hand has graciously provided all of her crops, wine, oil, silver and gold, which she now uses in the worship of Baal. God declares that he will punish Israel and expose her adultery.
But even in the next breath he expresses his desire to heal her, and restore her and draw her back into a loving relationship with himself:
In verses 19-20 God says:
I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.
And in verse 23 he says:
I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one'. I will say to those called 'Not my people', 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' "
The language God uses is tender, affectionate and merciful. Israel will be his beloved bride again.
To complete the real-life metaphor, Hosea is instructed to go and love his wife again, even though she has been unfaithful to him. The fact that he has to buy her back suggests that she may have fallen into slavery. It costs Hosea to take Gomer back into his house. Hosea promises his faithfulness to Gomer and asks her to be faithful to him in return. This is powerful picture of love in action. It is love that is not based on warm glowing feelings but on commitment, intention, and faithfulness. This is love that hurts.
In the remaining 11 chapters of the book, Hosea continues his prophecy from God with a series of vivid pictures about unfaithful Israel. She is described as an adulterous wife, a disinterested mother, an illegitimate child, an ungrateful son, a stubborn heifer, a silly dove and a half-baked cake that is unfit for eating.
Hosea also paints a picture of Israel as a luxuriant grapevine that looked very promising at the start but then went bad. Another image likens Israel to grapes or new figs found in the desert – a wonderful discovery that then turned rotten.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking and tender passage comes in the first part of chapter 11. God describes Israel as a small child, a little son, who God himself called out of Egypt. God taught his child to walk, comforted him, kissed his wounds better and led him with kindness and love. But the child did not recognise the Father’s love and care and rejected the Father in favour of idols.
In spite of this painful rejection, God cannot abandon his child. In verse 8 God exclaims, ‘how can I give you up, O Ephraim?’
The book closes with an impassioned plea for Israel to turn back to the Lord and enjoy the blessing that this change of heart would bring.
As I’ve read Hosea, I’ve been drawn to the image of Israel as God’s bride. God pledged his covenant faithfulness to his bride but she was unfaithful. As we move into the New Testament we discover a new image of the church, the new covenant people of God, as the bride of Christ. This image culminates in the glorious wedding feast of the Lamb in the book of Revelation. The church, now perfected and redeemed by Jesus, is presented to him for eternal union in the new heaven and new earth. Jesus has loved his bride, the church with the same complete commitment and devotion that God showed his original covenant people.
In the last days of his earthly life, Jesus had to experience the pain of loving those who would betray, desert and deny him. John’s gospel poignantly says, “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1).
Jesus demonstrated the kind of resolute, faithful, steadfast love that would hurt so badly it would cost him his life.
So what do we take away from the book of Hosea? I think primarily it is a powerful reminder of the intensity of the love of God for his people. That includes us. If we are unfaithful to him and put other things in a higher place of importance in our hearts, this hurts God. The human emotion of having been cheated on by someone we love is only dim shadow of the effect of our unfaithfulness on God’s perfect heart.
I think Hosea can also draw us into deeper wonder at what Jesus did for us on the cross. If we marvel at the love Hosea showed to Gomer, and what it cost him to buy her back whilst she was still a slave, how much more should we be floored by the love that Jesus showed for each one of us on the cross, giving everything he had to buy us back for God, whilst we were still dead in sin!
Last Friday was Good Friday and Christians around the world remembered the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. After the grief comes joy and on Sunday we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. Each Sunday is a commemoration of Jesus’ rising on the first day of the week. Each time we celebrate the Lord’s supper, the breaking of bread and the sharing of wine, we commemorate what happened on Friday.
Easter week may be over for another year, and of course we continue to celebrate each Sunday, but I think it is good to spend regular time thinking about the trial and the suffering of Friday. In doing so we remember what our freedom cost our Father, as we gather at the feet of our broken bridegroom, who loved us to the very end.
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Thursday Jun 26, 2025
Thursday Jun 26, 2025
Thursday with Tabitha
3. AmosAmos was a prophet during the time of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel. His prophecy came somewhere roundabout the year 760 BC, give or take a few decades! At this time Israel and Judah were enjoying an unusual spell of prosperity and political stability. This was especially the case in Israel, where the land was very fertile and abundant crops were growing. The threat from the kingdom of Assyria seemed to have lessened, at least for the time being, so life was pretty good.
Unfortunately the people of Israel and Judah had wandered far from the standards of holiness that God had intended for them. Idolatry was rampant, the rich were getting richer and more corrupt by the day and the wealthy were exploiting the poor. The Israelites falsely concluded that their prosperity was a sign of God's obvious blessing. They were looking forward to “the Day of the Lord” when God would finally crush their enemies.
It is into this environment that Amos was called to prophesy. We're told that Amos came from Tekoa, a small village in Judah, south-east of Bethlehem. He is identified as a shepherd or maybe a sheep breeder. A rather unlikely choice for a prophet on the face of things!
Amos begins his message in chapter 1 with a series of proclamations of God’s judgement on the neighbours of the Israelites. He has words of judgement for Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, the Ammonites and the people of Moab. These people groups were enemies of the Israelites. The charges against them relate to their violence, cruelty and abuse of other human beings, particularly during times of war and conquest.
The Israelites would probably have been nodding along happily until the beginning of chapter 2. At this point Amos suddenly turns his attention to Judah and then to Israel. The judgements leveled against God’s people are of a different order altogether. God accuses them of violating the terms of his covenant with them - they are called to a higher standard of moral and spiritual living than the pagan nations around them.
Amos doesn’t hold back! The sins of the Israelites include oppression and exploitation of the poor, sexual sins, idolatry, misuse of God’s temple, abuse and silencing of the prophets, and empty, ritualistic worship.
God had patiently tried to warn his people, by sending them prophets and providing examples of holiness in the form of people like the Nazirites, who took vows of holiness and of abstinence from wine. But God’s people had not listened and now God would judge them. The main message in the book of Amos is this: God’s judgement is universal; Israel and Judah are not immune.
Chapters 3 to 6 expand on the initial judgements outlined in the first two chapters. Even the women of Israel are exposed as people who oppress the poor - God likens them to the fat cows that graze in the fields of Bashan! God is appalled at the nature of the people’s idolatrous worship. The people had started to offer sacrifices in places other than the temple in Jerusalem and they had appointed priests who were not Levites. These things were deviations from the instructions that God had provided for worship. They had even turned to worshipping golden calves and other idols. The Israelites thought that they were offering worship that was pleasing to God but it was actually detestable to him. In chapter 4 God summarises a series of warning shots that he gave to the people, which were intended to bring them back to him, but the tragic refrain is repeated over and over again: “yet you did not return to me”.
In chapter 5 Amos entreats the people to turn back to God, telling them that it’s perhaps not too late. God laments over Israel like a father whose virgin daughter has been raped or become a prostitute.
In chapter 5 God declares the following: “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:21-24 ESV)
God calls the people to repent and come back to him and seek justice. In chapter 6 further sins are described which include the complacency of the people in the self-indulgence of the rich at the expense of the poor. Chapter 7 to 9 contain a series of visions which Amos has. These visions declare that God’s judgement is unavoidable if God is to be just, which he must. The judgement is imminent. The final vision pictures God standing by the altar of the temple shaking it to its foundations. This is a prophecy about the final downfall of Israel. The prophecy was fulfilled very soon after this. Assyria gained power again and conquered Israel in 722 BC.
After all the serious judgements and the terrifying reality of the impending downfall of Israel, the book of Amos ends on a tantalizing note of hope. Despite the people’s willful disobedience and the depth of their depravity and sin, God is a God of mercy and deliverance. There is a promise of future restoration of the Israelites. God promises to repair the dwellings of David and preserve a remnant of his people for the future.
So what can we learn from the book of Amos? Firstly, we learn that God is always just. God is a God of love and he is mercifully patient but he has to judge sin, otherwise he is not really loving at all.
Despite appearances to the contrary, nobody is getting away with anything. Every human being who has ever lived or who will ever live must stand before God to be judged. And the truth is that none of us can stand before him with a perfect account, with an unblemished record of our own. However, the message of hope at the end of Amos hints at the salvation that would eventually come through Jesus.
God never meant his judgements on Israel and Judah to be the last word. In mercy he preserved a remnant through the line of David through which the Messiah would come. Through Jesus, God has provided the means of our deliverance and restoration. Those who’ve trusted in Jesus’ perfect, sinless record and accepted his payment for their sin (the sacrifice of his own life) will be able to stand before God without fear.
Amos’s message also shows us that the knowledge of God comes with responsibility. Those who know more of God and his standards of holiness will be held more accountable than those who have never heard about him. God chose the people of Israel out of all the peoples of the earth, but not because they were better or more numerous or more powerful. Quite the opposite in fact! They were chosen by grace alone.
God made his covenant with the people of Israel and gave them clear boundaries of ethical and moral conduct and instructions for their spiritual worship. These were for their own protection and their own benefit.
Today, as the new covenant people of God we are no longer required to keep all the requirements of the original old Testament law that God gave to Moses. However, Jesus did not come abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17). Just because we have been freed from the demands of the law we are not simply free to do whatever we want. In fact as Jesus pointed out we are called to go above and beyond the requirements that the old law demanded. Rather than restraining ourselves to proportional revenge on our enemies we are called to love them. Instead of simply giving the bare minimum required we are called to give extravagantly. Jesus teaches us that the standard of holiness we are called to is so much higher than we would think. We should view sin with such seriousness that hating somebody should feel as bad as murder and lusting after another person should be regarded as adultery in the heart.
Amos’ words need to speak to us today, reminding us that God’s standard of holiness is so much higher than we realize. Instead of passing our own judgement on the sinful Israelites we need to look honestly at our own lives and realize just how similar to them we can be. God calls his people to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with him (Micah 6:8). Are we doing that? Do we actively look for opportunities to defend the rights of the poor in our society and our world? Do we think carefully about how we worship God? God is so merciful and patient with us – he calls us to come back to him, to abide in his love, to learn from him and to be his hands and feet in the world we live in.
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Wednesday Jun 25, 2025
Wednesday Jun 25, 2025
Wednesday Wisdom
Proverbs 9
G’day! Welcome to Partakers and to Wednesday Wisdom, where we are listening to what the Bible has to say through the Wisdom literature of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Come on in!
Today it is Proverbs 9. Download this episode using this link
1 Wisdom has built her house, she has cut out her seven pillars:
2 She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine; she has also furnished her table.
3 She has sent forth her maidens: she cries upon the highest places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wants understanding, she says to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
7 He that reproves a scorner gets to himself shame: and he that rebukes a wicked man gets himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you: rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
11 For by me your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.
12 If You be wise, You shall be wise for yourself: but if You scorn, You alone shall bear it.
13 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 To call passengers who go right on their ways:
16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wants understanding, she says to him,
17 Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
18 But he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
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Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Psalm 56
for man wants to swallow me up.
All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
2 My enemies want to swallow me up all day long,
for they are many who fight proudly against me.
3 When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
4 In God, I praise his word.
In God, I put my trust.
I will not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words.
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They conspire and lurk,
watching my steps,
they are eager to take my life.
7 Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, God.
8 You number my wanderings.
You put my tears into your bottle.
Aren’t they in your book?
9 Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call.
I know this, that God is for me.
10 In God, I will praise his word.
In Yahweh, I will praise his word.
11 I have put my trust in God.
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your vows are on me, God.
I will give thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
and prevented my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of the living.
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Monday Jun 23, 2025
Monday Jun 23, 2025
The Centrepiece of Joy
Leviticus 16:1-10 & Hebrews 10:1-10
Introduction
The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: ‘Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. (Leviticus 16:1-2)5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, my God.”’ 8 First he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them’– though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:5-10)
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Thursday Jun 19, 2025
Thursday Jun 19, 2025
Thursday with Tabitha
1. Jonah by Tabitha SmithHello, and welcome to the first episode in our series about the Minor Prophets. We're starting our series in the book of Jonah. Of all the books of the Minor Prophets Jonah is perhaps the one that people are most familiar with, or at least they think they are familiar with the story line. Many people will have heard about Jonah and the giant fish. But there is a lot more to the book of Jonah than this!
We going to look at some historical background to the book, the type of writing it is, the details of the plot, the major themes of the book and how we might apply these to our own lives today.
Jonah prophesied during the reign of King Jeroboam II, who ruled between 782 and 753 BC. Jonah is unusual amongst the Old Testament prophets in that his primary audience was a pagan nation, not the people of Israel or Judah.
People have debated about whether the story of Jonah is actually a historical tale or whether it might be a kind of parable or allegory. Some would argue that the episode involving the giant fish is too far-fetched to be historical. Others have argued that it is entirely possible for this to have happened, even without any miraculous intervention. However, the book of Jonah certainly bears all the features of a historical prophetic account and Jesus refers to the account of Jonah in Matthew chapter 12, treating the story as a genuine historical account of real events.
The book of Jonah is full of fascinating literary features. It contains humour, satire and irony. The basic plot is quite simple to follow but there are several complex interwoven themes that are developed in the course of four short chapters.
The book starts with God giving Jonah a prophetic assignment. God tells Jonah to get up and go to Nineveh, a very large, important city in the heart of the nation of Assyria. He is to go there in order to tell the inhabitants that God is greatly displeased by their evil behaviour and that he intends to judge them for this.
The people of Nineveh were really wicked! They would sometimes cut off the noses and ears of their prisoners of war to mark them out for life; they worshiped at pagan temples and sacrificed their children. They certainly did not worship God.
Jonah’s task was no easy one. Nineveh was over 500 miles from Jonah's homeland and the Assyrians were the enemies of Israel. Jonah finds the proposal from God abhorrent – he finds it unbelievable that God would offer the chance of repentance to this evil pagan nation! So instead of heading to Nineveh, Jonah runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction, ending up in the seaside town of Joppa. He plans to get on a ship and sail to Tarshish, in a naive attempt to escape from God. God called him to “get up!” but Jonah does exactly the opposite and “goes down” to Joppa!
Jonah hands over his cash and secures a place on board a ship heading for Tarshish. However, God has other plans and sends a great storm that batters the ship so hard that the sailors are afraid they will all die. They desperately throw cargo overboard as Jonah sleeps below deck, seemingly oblivious to their plight. Each sailor calls out to his own pagan god for help.
Finally, in desperation, the captain goes down to Jonah to ask him to call out to his God for help. The other sailors cast lots to try to establish who on board has brought this trouble upon them. And the lot falls on Jonah. Realising that he’s been discovered, Jonah confesses all and tells the men that he is trying to run away from God, the Lord God of heaven. The sailors are absolutely terrified and ask Jonah what they should do. Jonah asks them to throw him overboard because he now realizes his foolishness and he sees the hand of God in the storm. The sailors, however, are reluctant to do this, perhaps having compassion on Jonah, or perhaps fearing what God might do to them if they take his life in this way. They try as hard as they can to avoid having to throw him overboard. Finally, when the storm has reached its peak they cry out to God for forgiveness before throwing him into the sea. The sea becomes immediately calm and these hardened pagan sailors worship God in fear and trembling.
Meanwhile, Jonah is sinking further down, deep into the sea, where he is swallowed by a giant fish, sent by God for this very purpose. Chapter 2 contains a poetic prayer that Jonah prays from inside the giant fish. Jonah thanks God for saving his life although, interestingly, he does not spare any thought for the safety of the sailors. Little does he know that God has extended compassion and grace to them, rescuing them from their futile idolatry. God arranges for the fish to vomit Jonah up onto dry land and he is unceremoniously spat out onto the beach.
In chapter 3 God repeats the same prophetic call to Jonah and he commands him to get up and go to Nineveh. This time Jonah obeys! The city of Nineveh was huge and Jonah walks a full day into the city before preaching his short message: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned”. Much to Jonah’s disgust and horror, the inhabitants of Nineveh, from the smallest to the greatest, respond to the message from God. They believe in God, fasting, and repenting of their evil deeds. Even the King dresses himself in sackcloth and sits in ashes! A city-wide decree is issued that everyone should repent and humble themselves and ask God for forgiveness. Even the animals are included! God sees this incredible response of repentance and shows his compassion and steadfast love to the people of Nineveh, turning away from his plans to destroy them.
All of this makes Jonah incredibly angry. He finds it absolutely unacceptable that God would forgive the people of this pagan nation. He cannot comprehend that God’s mercy and love would extend to nations beyond Israel. In fact he is so outraged that he declares to God that he would rather die than see this city forgiven. God simply asks him: “have you any right to be angry?” Jonah goes out of the city, still outraged, and waits to see what will happen. He still hopes that Nineveh might be destroyed after all. God provides a plant that grows quickly over Jonah’s head, giving him much-needed shelter from the heat of the sun. Jonah thinks this is wonderful, but by dawn the next day the plant withers away, attacked by a divinely appointed worm.
When the sun beats down harshly and the east wind blows on Jonah, he gets very angry again and declares that he would rather be dead than put up with the injustice of the plant having been taken from him. The book closes with God pointing out to Jonah that he has no right to complain about the destruction of the plant because he did not make it or care for it, or even deserve it. In contrast, God has every right to care deeply about the 120,000 people living in Nineveh and all the animals, whom he created and cares for.
The overriding theme in the book of Jonah is the compassion of God and his steadfast love for all people. God goes to incredible lengths to get his message out to the nations, including those who do not know him. Jonah’s disregard for the people of Nineveh stands in stark contrast to God’s compassion on the pagan sailors, the people of Nineveh and Jonah himself.
Throughout the book, Jonah demonstrates a distinct tendency towards self-centredness and hypocrisy. This was intended to be a lesson to the original readers of the book. God never wanted his chosen people, Israel, to become self-centred, self-serving and inward-looking. Israel was indeed chosen by God, but not because of any worth of their own, but only because of grace. They were chosen to be God’s instrument through which salvation would come to all the nations.
Throughout the book we also see God’s sovereign purposes being carried out. God chooses Jonah, a very fallible human being, to take his message where it needs to go. When Jonah does not obey God, and even when he runs away from God, God does not give up on him or reject him. He patiently teaches Jonah and continues to use him, despite his faults, in order to accomplish his purposes. This perhaps can give us hope too. God can and will use us to accomplish his purposes, even when we make mistakes. We may have some learning to do first and God is patient and compassionate! We would do well to pay attention to Jonah’s experience, and learn that it is better to obey the first time that God asks you to do something, even when it seems like a very challenging thing to do!
We can also learn from the dramatic response of the people of Nineveh to God’s message. Jonah did not preach a long, eloquent, all-singing-all-dancing message when he reached Nineveh. His message was very simple but it produced huge results. We should remember that the Word of God is living and active and very powerful. God promises that his words will not return to him empty but will accomplish everything he has intended them to do (Isaiah 55:11). This should give us confidence that we can declare God’s message simply, not needing to soften, embellish or alter it in any way to make it more palatable to those who need to hear it. We also learn from Jonah that God always responds to genuine repentance. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love!
There is a symbolic foreshadowing of Jesus in the life of Jonah. Jesus is the greater Jonah who also descended to the depths of the earth (in the grave) for three days, only to rise again in order to bring salvation to all people, both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus himself draws attention to this point in Matthew chapter 12. The people of Nineveh foreshadow the great number of Gentiles who will repent and be saved when they hear God’s message.
We might need to ask ourselves whether there is any person or people whom we have foolishly considered to be beyond the reach of God. Is there any way in which we are being like Jonah, gladly accepting God’s compassion and grace but wanting to keep it for ourselves? Have we placed limits on what we think God can do? Or have we become too comfortable in our own secure position, forgetting God’s heart of compassion for those who are lost without him?
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Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Psalm 95
(read by Carol)
95:1 Oh come, let's sing to Yahweh.
Let's shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
95:2 Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving.
Let's extol him with songs!
95:3 For Yahweh is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
95:4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth.
The heights of the mountains are also his.
95:5 The sea is his, and he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
95:6 Oh come, let's worship and bow down.
Let's kneel before Yahweh, our Maker,
95:7 for he is our God.
We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care.
Today, oh that you would hear his voice!
95:8 Don't harden your heart,
as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
95:9 when your fathers tempted me, tested me,
and saw my work.
95:10 Forty long years I was grieved with that generation,
and said, "It is a people that errs in their heart. They have not known my ways."
95:11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
"They won't enter into my rest."
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Monday Jun 16, 2025
Monday Jun 16, 2025
A Prayer of Anger - Psalm 94
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I believe that I would be right in saying that most of us here have prayed. Whether in joy and happiness; or in sadness and grief; in need or in want; in praise or in worship or in confessing sin, or in other ways we have prayed. But how many of us have prayed in anger, following the example of the writer of Psalm 94. Have any of us prayed out of anger to a God who is a judge? Have we cried out in anger to a God who punishes evil? By anger I do not mean that short burst of temper when something happens to us against our will. The kind of anger that rises when somebody does something against you, and you retaliate against them.
No, the type of anger I am talking about is the anger we should feel inside us that occurs when we see injustice being done; when we see sin being done to assist in the systematic abuse of other people. The sort of anger that the church should have felt in Germany during the 2nd World War when the creatures of the Nazi regime held mock trials of so-called criminals such people as Dietrich Bonhoeffer for opposing the ungodly views of the state.
The type of anger we should feel when we face today on our television screens when we see the pictures of the innocent victims of war or any region where people abuse people for the sake of their own power and glory. The sort of anger that should make us cry tears of sadness and humility when faced with the utter poverty of the families living on the streets in the cities of the world such as New Delhi, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paolo. George Bernard Shaw once described poverty as the greatest of crimes.
That deep seated anger that should be amongst us as Christians when we see the oppressed and the poor being used and abused by those who are in positions of power to help them. We are all quite comfortable with the God of Psalm 93, the God of majesty, strength and magnificence who is from everlasting to everlasting. The God who is mightier than the greatest seas! The God whose glorious holiness covers his house eternally!
Yet something, somehow, makes us uncomfortable about praying to God for justice. Perhaps our view of God is too small. For sure our God is a God of mercy but he is also a God of justice. Our God is a God of love, but He is also a God of wrath. His written word affirms all these things.
So the writer of the Psalm calls and prays to God for justice to be done. That He, the judging God might be glorified. Has the writer made this up? No, because God has described Himself as Judge and Avenger (Genesis 18:25; Deut 32:35). How many of us here, have prayed for justice to be done? Perhaps we should pray on occasion for burden of injustice to be lifted off the poor and oppressed peoples of this world. But, before we go any further on this thought, let us consider together 3 things about Psalm 94.
1. Whom is the writer praying to (Vs. 1-3)?
The obvious answer to this question is God. But what sort of God is He? Let's look at all the various descriptions given to us about God in this Psalm. A God who avenges (v. 1). To avenge is to seek revenge on behalf of somebody else. Here God is asked to avenge for the poor and innocent against the wicked and guilty people A God who judges (v. 2). To judge is to decide which is right and which is wrong.
Here God is asked to judge the wicked and guilty people for their wrong doing. A God who created and creates (v. 9), disciplines (vs. 10, 12); teaches (vs. 10, 12). A God who knows all things (v. 11) through omniscience. A God who relieves (vs. 13), assists (vs. 14, 17, 18), loves (vs. 18) and supports (vs. 18). He is a God who consoles (vs. 19), and who is incorruptible (vs. 20). A God who is strong and dependable (vs. 22) and a God who is a refuge (vs. 22). But he is also a God who repays and destroys (vs. 23) evil men for their wickedness. Is your vision of God still too small?
2. Why is the writer praying (Vs. 4-7)?
The writer js praying because he has seen the wickedness of mankind and has a deep inner anger against the brutality and evil deeds of the wicked. These people may not be foreigners, since many Jewish leaders were also brutal, for example the evil King Manasseh or the cynics of Isaiah (Is. 5: 18ff).
What sort of things are these evil people doing, and what sort of people are they? Arrogant and boastful (vs. 4), crushing (vs, 5), oppressing (vs. 5), slaying widows and foreigners (vs. 6) murdering orphans (vs. 6). The people who do this sort of thing are the object of the writer's anger. They are not only content to do evil deeds, but also add hard speeches, boasting, threatening and insulting the saints of God. The insults are used so often that they become a natural part of the language.
That is the idea behind the phrase "pour out" in vs. 4. Words often wound more than swords, they are as hard to the heart as stones are to the flesh; and they are poured out by the ungodly against the godly. According to verse 4, they even talk to themselves, and of themselves, in spiritual arrogance, as if they were doing some good deed in crushing the poor and killing the widows, orphans and foreigners.
Their error is that they believe that God cannot see their doings, and even if He could see, He wouldn't do anything about it any way. These evil people, who grind the people of God with oppression, crush them with contempt claim that God cannot see them, and so therefore reason that there is nothing to stop them from doing their evil works.
There is no limit to the pride and arrogance of these wicked people, as they have lost their senses (vs. 8 ) and lost all common sense. It is natural for them to boast, just as it is natural for godly men to practice humility.
The God of Jacob heard him and led him throughout his life and said concerning Jacob "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm", yet these proud and arrogant people proclaim boldly that God neither sees nor knows what we do. It is true that those whom God will destroy, He leaves to the madness of their corrupt hearts.
What is God going to do? In verse 14, is the answer to verse 5. The Lord has not rejected his own people. He has not forsaken those who are his. To do this, would go against God's very nature. As his inheritance, God has marked out all those who are his saints. God takes a peculiar interest in their well being and delights in them; He has an eternal covenant with them. I will be your God, and you will be my people. Will God not defend his people?
In verse 14, we have the answer!! The Lord will not withdraw His love or leave people totally on their own against the evil persecutors. For a little while, He may leave them with the design to benefit them, yet he will never utterly destroy them. He will discipline His people, but never destroy them.
In vs. 15, the great Judge will come, the reign of righteousness will begin, justice will be done and then all the godly will rejoice. The vehicle of right will be driven down the streets of evil, and all those upright in heart will follow it in joyous procession. Are we as the people of God today, following the path of righteousness or are we trampling somehow on the poor and oppressed? Are we keeping silent when we should be speaking out? Some governments of this world, have for sometime been using their power to oppress, but the cry of this prayer will bring back righteousness to the throne of government, and then every upright heart will proclaim loudly with joy!
3. What is the writer praying (vs.8-23)
a) Help!!!! (vs 16-19). The writer is praying for God to judge injustice, and avenge the oppressed (vs. 2). But not only that, as he is also crying out for help (vs. 16). Who is going to rise up against the evildoers? He obviously needs help, and his friends are not there for him, so he calls out to God for help! The soul is safest and at rest, after calling all others to assist and no one comes, when total trust for help is upon God.
Today the church sees error and evil coming into her, and faithful godly leaders seem to be a minimum, and fewer still are bold enough to stand up and defy the enemies of truth. Our great hope is that the God of the Bible is with us, and He will call out his champions to defend Him. Are you one of God's champions? Is your foot slipping, are you feeling weak at this moment in time and need help?
Take courage, we feel our weakness, and see our danger, and in fear and trembling we cry out. Our inbred sin is dragging us down and we need help. God, in His supreme mercy and love, helps us and our joy is that His mercy endures forever, and is always available to help us in times of danger to support us. From my sinful and proud thoughts, my thoughts of sorrow, my cares, my conflicts, I will hurry to the Lord. This is a cry of the writer, yet are we the same? The Lord alone is consoling, and yet not only consoling but delighting in me.
How sweet are the comforts of God the Comforter, the Holy Spirit? Who without feeling joy, can think about eternal love, trustworthy promises, the coming to earth of the Redeemer in Jesus Christ, the risen Saviour and his next coming again. The little world within us, that is full of confusion and strife becomes calm when we rely upon Jesus to say "Peace be with you!"
b) Can a corrupt throne be allied with you? God enters into no promises with those governments who are corrupt, and He gives no help to unrighteous laws. No assistance does He give. They might legalize robbery and violence and then say in defense, it is the law of the land, yet it is still evil and wicked. No injustice is permanent, for God will not set His seal upon it, nor have any fellowship with it, and therefore one day it will fall. An example of this was the slaughter of the Jews during the 2nd World War. The German church in general, allied itself along with the laws and decrees of Hitler, and changed its theology to that of white supremacy. We all know that the plans of the Nazis failed.
Or take for example South Africa, which up until recently had a policy of separating whites and others. For a long time the mainstream Church held as its theology that this was true. Since then, the walls of apartheid have fallen, and the church has confessed this sin to God. No evil regime lasts very long. The unrighteous join together, in order to attack the righteous. The guilty join each other to attack the innocent. No crime is too great for them.
Yet there is good news. Let the ungodly join together, the Psalmist is not afraid, but sweetly sings that the rock upon which he stands his the Jehovah God, Yahweh who is his fortress and refuge. Firm is the rock of God's love, and in Him we go for shelter. He is indeed a tremendous lover. As if in answer to his own question of verse 16, "Who will rise up for me against the wicked and evildoers", the final verse gives us an answer. The natural result of oppression, against the innocent, the poor, or the righteous is the total destruction of the ungodly. The great God who is judge, will repay their sins, and destroy their wickedness. While the bread and food they have stolen is in their mouth, God's wrath will slay them. God himself, visibly and noticeably, visits them and reveals His own power to them.
So now what can we say in conclusion.
Firstly, our vision of God should not be too small. We need to acknowledge him as a great lover, but also as a terrifying Judge. Remember, it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). To quote John Stott - "God is not at odds with himself, however much it may appear to us that he is. He is 'the God of Peace', of inner tranquility not turmoil. True we may find it difficult to hold in our minds simultaneously the images of God as the Judge who must punish evil-doers and of the Lover who must find a way to forgive them. Yet he is both, and at the same time."
Secondly, can we rightly pray, in the light of the New Testament, for the vengeance of God to come down against the ungodly? No, we cannot, for then we would be no better than those who do not know Him. The vengeance of God has already come down upon one man. One day his judgment will fall, and it is from this terrible event that this man is our deliverer. This man, the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross, for you and me and all our enemies, took upon Himself the full vengeance of God. He took the anger of God upon himself, so that no-one may face the judgment of God without first having the opportunity to turn to Jesus in repentance of sins. We should be praying for the governments of this world that abuse the widows, orphans and innocents of today, that they will see their errors and turn away from them. And not only that, we should pray that the members of these governments will turn to God in awe and wonder to worship Him. One day all men and women will be called upon before God to give an account of themselves to Him. If they do not know this Jesus as their Saviour, then God will cast them from His holy presence. We should also pray that godly men and women will become members of the governments of the world to help protect the innocent and the righteous, that leaders will be raised up, who know God personally to stop the abuse of the innocent.
Thirdly, even in the face of abuse and persecution, we should turn to the living God for comfort and help in our circumstances. Too often we rely on ourselves or others for strength in times of trouble. It is God alone who can help us, and it is God alone who will destroy the evil in the world. The judgment of evil, according to Psalms, is a time for universal rejoicing. Ps. 67:4; 96:12-13; Ps. 35:24. Let us rejoice together when good overcomes evil in this world.
Finally, let us pray and cry out in anger against the suffering and evil in this world. And not only pray about it, but do something about it. We, as Christians, should be as light and salt to the world of darkness and evil. What will you and I do about being light and salt to a world where the innocent suffer, the widows and orphans are abandoned and murdered?