Floating Verses Without a Home

In the midst of the years make known, make thyself known, for now verily thou art a God that hidest thyself (Isa_45:15),

God's Design for Leadership in the Church

A very basic place to collect scriptures related to church leadership that I hope to get back to someday:

Acts 13:1   A church had been formed in Antioch, as we learned in chapter 11. Instead of having one man designated as the minister or pastor, this assembly had a plurality of gifts. Specifically, there were at least five prophets and teachers.  -BBC

Habakkuk

Historically, Habakkuk is a mysterious figure, little to nothing is known of him. Scholars are iffy about his home town, profession, parents, or tribe. To help flesh the background of Habakkuk out, here is an excerpt from Bible.org:

"Because the book of Habbakuk consists of five oracles about the Chaldeans (Babylonians), and the Chaldean rise to power is dated circa 612 BCE, it is assumed he was active about that time, making him an early contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. Jewish sources, however, do not group him with those two prophets, who are often placed together, so it is possible that he was slightly earlier than they.

Because the final chapter of his book is a song, it is sometimes assumed that he was a member of the tribe of Levi, which served as musicians in Solomon's Temple."

"The name "Chaldeans" derives from the ruling class that lived in southern Mesopotamia and took leadership in the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The last and greatest dynasty to rule Babylon was of Chaldean origin. Thus "Chaldean" was almost a synonym for "Babylonian." -Thomas Constable

Looking at a composite of perspectives, the book probably dates from between 608-587 BC. It may be a compilation from several periods of his prophetic career.

Judah, Southern Kingdom, Jehoiakim

fearful, Babylon looked, Egypt & Assyria

different, prophets, dialogued

"In the interim, while history is still awaiting its conclusion (and Habakkuk was not told when the end would come, apparently for him prefigured by Babylon's destruction), the righteous ones are to live by faith. The faith prescribed—or 'faithfulness,' as many have argued that 'emunah should be translated—is still called for as a basic response to the unanswered questions in today's universe; and it is this, a theology for life both then and now, that stands as Habakkuk's most basic contribution."--Expositor's Bible Commentary

"If Zephaniah stressed humility and poverty of spirit as prerequisites for entering into the benefits of the company of the believing, Habakkuk demanded faith as the most indispensable prerequisite. But these are all part of the same picture.

"Whereas Zephaniah stressed Judah's idolatry and religious syncretism, Habakkuk was alarmed by the increase of lawlessness, injustice, wickedness, and rebellion." -Kaiser "Toward an Old Testament Theology"

Looking at the style of the text, below is an excerpt from Bible. org

"The style of the book has been praised by many scholars,suggesting that its author was a man of great literary talent. The entire book follows the structure of a chiasmus in which parallelism of thought is used to bracket sections of the text."

A chiasmus is also known as an inverse parallelism.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick provides a more extensive description: 

chiasmus [ky-AZ-mus] (plural -mi), a figure of speech by which the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second. This may involve a repetition of the same words ("Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure" —Byron) or just a reversed parallel between two corresponding pairs of ideas … . The figure is especially common in 18th century English poetry, but is also found in prose of all periods. It is named after the Greek letterchi (x), indicating a "criss-cross" arrangement of terms. Adjective:chiastic.


While not directly related to Hababkkuk, I found these examples of "chaismi" enlightening:


A reversed order of the grammar in two or more clauses in a sentence will yield a chiasmus.


Consider the example of a parallel sentence:


Inverting into chiasmus:


Other examples:
”He knowingly led and we blindly followed”

(A B A B)

(Subject, adverb, verb, conjunction (cross), subject, adverb, verb.)
"He knowingly led and we followed blindly"

(A B B A)

(Subject, adverb, verb, conjunction (cross), subject, verb, adverb.)
"By day the frolic, and the dance by night". Samuel Johnson The Vanity of Human Wishes.

(prepositional phrases and gerunds in reverse order)
"His time a moment, and a point his space." Alexander Pope Essay on Man, Epistle I.

(possessive phrases with nouns; also note that this is an example of chiasmus of inverted meaning "time and space", "moment and point")
"Swift as an arrow flying, fleeing like a hare afraid" --Wikipedia


Here's a helpful further reference:
http://www.drmardy.com/chiasmus/definition.shtml

Ah....I wish that someone had schooled in the structure of language early in life, that I would have years to play with these linguistic tools and work them into my style. But, better to learn them at 43 than never at all...
It will be interesting to see if this structure can be maintained in translation---will I notice chiasmi while reading Habakkuk, or are they lost in translation?

According to Bible.org, Habakkuk is the only prophet to question the wisdom of God. I'm not
sure that I buy that however, what about Jonah?

"Habakkuk is unique among the prophets in that he openly questions the wisdom of God (1:3a, 1:13b). In the first part of the second chapter, the Prophet sees the injustice among his people and asks why God does not take action: "1:2 Yahweh, how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you 'Violence!' and will you not save?" - (World English Bible).

Whether he's the only prophet wrestling with these issues or there are others, I find comfort in his struggle. His transparency is appealing to the modern man who is continually pummeled by his culture with doubts about the goodness and the very existence of God. Ours is an impersonal age, dominated by science and self-reliance. Perhaps even the thought of questioning God is becoming dated?

This skepticism toward the actions of God is the dominate theme of Habakkuk. In this regard, the book reminds me of Job. Unfortunately, the world is full of instances where the wicked are allowed to prosper in this present age. It's a modern, timeless question. It hits us where we live.


Structure & Verses


Above all else, Habakkuk is a dialogue between God and the prophet. I find the tension in it interesting, it reminds me of Job in this regard. Who wouldn't like to question God about a few things? And even though we know the questioning is ludicrous in one regard, we can't resist in another. I particularly like the diagram above, despite the neon color scheme, because it captures the tension of the interchange.

The second diagram below fleshes the particulars of the conversation out more thoroughly. It's useful as a quick snapshot of the themes and highlights of this book:

In Acts 13:41, Paul references Habakkuk:

"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." -Habakkuk 1:5

Clearly, Paul did not share our modern tendency to regard the prophets as obscure. He sees immediate parallels between God's work then and his work Paul's era. Speaking to the church at Antioch, he draws a parallel between God's unusual work of bringing the Israelites to justice through the oppression of the Chaldeans and God's plans for the early Church or His larger plan to extend salvation to the Gentiles and provide forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son, the Christ.

Toward the end of chapter 1, he sets up a poignant image of man under a merciless God. His simile is that God is like a fishmen and that men are "like crawling things that have no ruler." (Habakkuk 1: 14) The contrast brings to mind the modern despair we struggle with under Darwinian theory. If our universe is impersonal, and we are merely an impressive interchange between elements, a chemical reaction of sorts, then we are like these crawling things. If that theory is true, no amount of amazement or elaboration on the beauty or intricacy of our design will mute the fact that we have no larger master or purpose.

However, Habakkuk is no atheist. Instead, his imagery is not of an absent master, nor of an indifferent one, but of a God that seemingly delights in his "catch" of men:

"He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad." -Habakkuk 1:15

Following the image, this image of God is no kind "fisher of men" for higher purposes, but an earthy, hedonistic God who enjoys prosperity and plenty:

"Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?" -Habakkuk 1:16-17

In some ways, this portrait is easier to dismiss, in other ways, not. Our world is violent. It is full of injustice. If one does hold to the belief that God exists, how does one reconcile the nature and intent of Him with the reality of our broken world?

I believe they are reconcilable, if we pull back and look at the picture with more humility and perspective, allowing that God is God and His plans are broader and more complex than our own. The modern perspective, in my opinion, vastly underestimates the mind and character of God when they allow Him into the picture at all. And there is a hubris about their own wisdom in looking at things which is a bit ironic: they count themselves intellectually infallible in many ways, yet conclude we are all accidental and animalistic at best. Do they sense no disconnect? How can you know everything, even sizing up the issue of God in the universe, assuming to know His mind and make? The modern intellect makes some huge intellectual jumps and assumptions that they would rather not acknowledge. The perspective requires a heady view of one's own self-worth and intellect, requiring a naivete and faith of its own. Admittedly, there are many things that I live in uncertainty about--questions I'm patiently waiting for answers upon, and bits of Him that I do not begin to understand. However, one of my unresolved issues has never been my own inability to grasp it all, or my own sinful nature. Both are clear and indisputable.

I admire Habakkuk's pluck and candor:

"I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint." -Habakkuk 2:1

At least he's trusting God enough to ask the questions at the right place. At least he expects an answer.

God's reply gives us glimpses into His plans and character over history. After telling Habakkuk to write the vision, "make it plain on tablets," He alludes to the broader time frame of His plan:

"For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." -Habakkuk 2:3

We are an impatient people. We want eternal answers today. We want immediate relief from what ails us. God is not squeezed by time. His canvas is an eternal one. It's as if we are butterflies who live for two weeks trying to understand all four seasons and beyond.

We want to wrap up the story in our lifetime, in our zenith. But the story is one of many generations, it requires patience. It goes beyond our small lifespan on earth, reaching people, cultures, and times that we cannot begin to understand fully.

The Lord's answer also touches back to the arrogance of man's own assessment of things, contrasting that with a faith-filled one:

"Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith." -Habakkuk 2:4

He also points out that this human "amassing" of material things--whether it be nations or individuals doing the collecting--is vain and short sighted. Even the greatest of rulers, rule for a brief season in the sight of God. Alexander the Great was cut down in his youth, Pharoahs bones are strewn throughout the desert while their pyramids remain as monuments to their weakness.

In contrast, we are instructed by Christ to store up things where rust and moths cannot take them away:

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal." -Matthew 6:20

Everything on earth is really up for grabs--it's just a matter of time, and time is on God's side.

While we may fool ourselves amassing things, He also warns that deeds will find us out. Sadly, driven by our own need for safety and security, we make bad choices, we do not choose His best. In time, even the things themselves will testify:

"Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. "Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!"-Habakkuk 2:9-11

Clearly, to God why and how we do what we do is as significant, if not more than, as the actions themselves.

Isn't it wonderful to think of the ease that will be when the earth is full of His knowledge, when it is ubiquitous and indisputable?

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." -Habakkuk 2:14

There will be no peace until we are all on the same page in this regard, but once He goes forth, there will be no room for dispute, argument, war. In the glory of His presence, what else is there to say?

"But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." -Habakkuk 2:20

Chapter 3 definitely leaves one with a sense of the changing of the guard or passage. Thematically and intellectually, we seem to start all over again from the beginning--the war, the enemy, the violence around us. The God of this chapter is definitely a war God, pounding around the earth like the giant from Jack's beanstalk or one of the Greek Gods who comes down and goes back up again. Honestly, it's hard for me to relate to this imagery, though that's a weakness in my understanding and ability to grasp all facets of Him I'm sure.

Out of the carnage, the Lord's mercy shines forth like a prized gem:

"In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known;in wrath remember mercy." -Habakkuk 3:2

However, Habakkuk does eventually seem to land back upon some of his earlier themes--the need to wait, the need to hold fast to faith amid the present circumstances of our lives that press upon us, the unfruitful and bleak moments that threaten our long-range vision:

"Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."-Habakkuk 3:16-19

God makes all the difference. He enables us. He overarches our lives with divine purpose. He casts our lives in the broader seas of eternity. He provides sure footing even in our precarious todays. Selah for sure.

Nahum

King Nabopolassar of Babylon in 612 BC leads his troops out of the Ishtar Gate to join King Cyaxeres of Media in an attack against the Assyrians. http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com

Nahum--an obscure book? I don't recall any verses from it. I'm not sure how to say his name correctly, but here we go.

Background:

Chronologically he's between Micah and Habakkuk. He prophesied at the end of the Assyrian empire about Nineveh, its capital. His name means "comforter," and he's described as a "nationalistic Hebrew" by Wikipedia. Also, it notes that his tomb is in disrepair and is currently undergoing efforts to save/restore it.

The book talks about the destruction of Ninevah, a city founded by Nimrod with a long history. Both Jonah and Nahum prophesied to this city which was destroyed in 612 by the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians. The city was under seige until a flood of the Khosr River broke down part of the wall that ran through the city.

"He remembers his officers; they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall; the siege tower is set up. The river gates are opened; the palace melts away; its mistress is stripped; she is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. "Halt! Halt!" they cry, but none turns back. " -Nahum 2:5-8

This is interesting background from Bible.org:

"The city was destroyed so completely by the flood and the enemies that when Alexander the Great fought the battle of Arbela nearby in 331 BC, he did not know there had been a city there. Nineveh was never rebuilt, and this confirms Nahum's prediction in 1:9 that “distress will not rise up twice.“ It wasn't until 1850 that Nineveh was discovered by archaeologists. It is interesting to read liberal commentaries from before 1850 because they had problems with believing the books of Jonah and Nahum because there was no record of Nineveh."

The Catholic Encyclopedia dates the book between 664-606BC.


From Bible.org

Theme & Verse

Here is an enlightening comment from Bible.org on the characteristics of prophetic literature and battle accounts of that era:

"God's vengeance (justice) and omnipotence are stressed by the complete devastation that is coming. His power is demonstrated by tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes. He can dry up the sea, wither the vegetation, and destroy everything on the earth. God has the power to do whatever He wants. No one can stand in His way.

What we don't realize is that in the ANE battle accounts and Assyrian records, the kings often described their battles with similar words. For example: Ashur-nasir-apli II claimed that at his approach “all lands convulse, writhe, and melt as though in a furnace.“ So, this description of God's approach would have had special significance to the listeners of that day."

"His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." -Nahum 1:3

"The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it." Nahum 1:5

This is definitely not our culturally preferred picture of a kinder, gentler God. I wonder if we have over-effeminized God, drawing close to the softer, human, forgiving picture of Christ. God is soft and loving, but we must not also forget the harder edges of Him. The harder edges allow Him to be soft. They are necessary.

This God is the same God who frees us---but we have to recognize the reality of slavery, of the need to be released from the reality of evil and the consequences of our flesh to be freed:

"And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart." Nahum 1:13

In ways, it reminds me of the necessity of a military presence. Yes, I would rather that we not need an army, but in light of the presence of evil in this world, there is a need for a push-back, a force capable of stopping the evil and defending the good. This spiritual force in our world is God.

"But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness." Nahum 1:8

" I will make your grave, for you are vile." Nahum 1:14

"The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning." Nahum 2:4

"Desolate! Desolation and ruin! Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins; all faces grow pale!" Nahum 2:10

"Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard." Nahum 2:13

"Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies!" -Nahum 3:3

"Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.

I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle." -Nahum 3:5-6

Reading Nahum is like watching a war rage all around you--wailing, fear, death. No wonder the book is not a sentimental favorite of the masses--who wants to dwell upon the horrors of war? I think it's the same reason a piece of me shrinks from the book of Relevation. Because this imagery is so violent, I'd rather "skip it." Yet, the consequences are necessary for there to be true justice.

But the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day, wickedness must be checked, evil demands a powerful response:

"All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?" Nahum 3:19

When faced with "unceasing evil," we long for release. Praise God that He has made a way, that things are tallied, and everything, even and especially the evil, is under His watchful eyes.

Meandering Through Micah

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. -Micah 7:18

Truthfully, I wish I had a better track record understanding the minor prophets--can't tell whether it's the subject matter (woe), the obscure history, or genre of prophecy itself that puts me off so, but I find that I brace myself when approaching them.

The first layer of understanding Micah is as basic as trying to figure out where Philistia was and who was conquering whom. It sounds simple enough, but these things are not part of my collective knowledge of history. Assyria was invading. Interesting comment on Philistia here:

The name in Hebrew is "Peleshet" and means "land of immigrants or invaders". It comes from the Semitic word "plisha", meaning "invader". Philistia was the coastal plain where the Philistines lived after invading from Caphtor (Crete). In old Assyrian inscriptions it was called Palastu and Pilista. Philistia was in the southwest corner of Canaan, along the Mediterranean coast, and contained 5 cities - Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. The area under Philistine control at times extended up the coast to Joppa. The modern names Palestine and Palestinian come from the Biblical names Philistia and Philistine. The term "Palestine" was never applied to the whole land of Israel until 135 AD. At that time, after Rome had crushed the second Jewish revolt, the Roman Emperor Hadrian began using the term "Palestine" for the whole land of Israel. His motivation for doing this was his anti-Semitism, to negate the connection between the Jews and their Promised Land. He was very successful in this. Down through the centuries the whole land has been called Palestine, even though Philistia was originally just a small corner of the land.  -From biblicalzionist.com

Now I'm not entirely sure how trustworthy this source is (Biblical Zionist seems like quite a statement for a website), but this connection between Palestine and Philistia makes geographical sense and intrigues me...

Reflections on Particular Verses in Micah

"Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?" -Micah 2:5

The word of God is helpful and nourishing to those who follow His ways and seek righteousness. Right and righteousness has become such an abused word these days. To be "righteous" recalls "self-righteous" and has negative connotations. Certainly we don't naturally think of "God-righteous" as a default. Even just thinking about "righteous," it seems to carry a sense of superiority, a lack of humility that I don't think the original word intended.

From Strongs:

yâshâryaw-shawr'

From H3474; straight (literally or figuratively): - convenient, equity, Jasher, just, meet (-est), + pleased well right (-eous), straight, (most) upright (-ly, -ness).

"And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—you who hate the good and love the evil" -Micah 3:1-2

This reminds me of some of the convoluted perspectives in our culture--what a great question! Do our leaders know justice? Does the Lord hope for them to? Certainly our leaders often choose otherwise-- hating the good and loving the evil.

Micah has much more to say about the corrupt state of leaders, priests, and prophets:

"The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us." -Micah 3:11

It discourages me to think that our political and religious leadership is guilty of such abuses. Corrupt leadership leaves the people vulnerable. Honestly, I feel so out of touch with leadership that I'm not able to discern their hearts. I'm concerned that the foundation of our system has become so entirely secular and socialistic that it has turned MY heart from the leadership and the people in need who seem to be "disabled" by the aid without accountability given to them. This aid, this "good" becomes a harm, an "evil" to them.

Comforting domestic imagery here---I think this is where I'd like to live, safe under my fig tree:

"...but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken." -Micah 4:4

"And this man shall be the peace" Micah 5:5

Definitely deep to think about the construction here---the tone is emphatic. The sentence pattern: S-VL-PN ?

Beautiful imagery of refreshment here:

"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men." --Micah 5:7

John Wesley's commentary:

"As a dew - This remnant wherever they are, shall multiply as the dew that refreshes the grass, so where this remnant is, it shall be a blessing to those about them, that use them friendly. As the showers - God shall bless them by his immediate hand, as he alone, without the help of man, gives dew and showers. As this was fulfilled in the type, before the gospel was preached to all nations, so it hath been, now is, and ever shall be fulfilled in ages to come. God's remnant shall be a blessing to the places they live in."

Are we a remnant of sorts, or am I too far off here? I pray that we would be a people of blessing--giving a blessing, not obsessed with "getting" one. Sadly, the Church often seems oppositely motivated, seeking our own refreshment, demanding it of God like some type of cosmic gumball machine. 

"You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword." Micah 6:14

Isn't that the truth in life? Our satisfaction comes not so much from delicacies of food or drink, material goods or money we may store away. Satisfaction is a gift of the Lord. I am convicted by the thought that I put away but do not preserve--all of the extra clothes and household items that we have outgrown or do not use lie stuffed in our basement and attic. My problem? No time to get to them...don't want to emotionally deal with them. Lord, help me to find time, to make time, to be satisfied with what You give us, not to see more, to hoard up things for any reason--fear, avoidance, selfishness, despair. All hope and satisfaction surely comes from You.

"..,when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me." -Micah 7:8



This is such a comforting image--sitting in darkness, trusting the Lord as our light.

Historical Background

Here is some helpful background on Micah from Bible. org. Can you blame someone who probably saw their hometown pillaged and his relatives killed from being "heavy" in tone?

"Micah's hometown of Moresheth is probably the same town identified later as Moresheth-gath in the Shephelah (rolling hills) of Judah. This village was one of many that was captured by Sennacherib in his attack on Judah in 701 BC. (cf. Micah 1:14). Moresheth was an important city which guarded a key route into the hill country of Judah south of Jerusalem. Because of its importance it was fortified by Rehoboam as a defensive center (2Ch 11:5-12) Nothing else is known about Micah, but we can surmise that Micah may have actually prophesied during the invasion and witnessed the destruction of his own hometown by Sennecharib. He probably saw his relatives killed and hauled off into slavery." Bible.org

"Micah's hometown of Moresheth was also destroyed by Sennacherib at this time, and its people were killed or deported as slaves.

The trade routes were in the valleys. A city on a hill could guard the trade routes. That's where Moresheth was. Lachish was the largest city in the area. When Senacharib attacked, he captured Lachish but could not take Jerusalem. When he went home, he made reliefs of the battle with stone throwers, slings, ramps, battering rams, etc." Bible.org


Taylor Prism, from Nineveh, discovered 1830

"In 701 BC, a rebellion backed by Egypt and Babylonia broke out in Judah, led by King Hezekiah. In response Sennacherib sacked a number of cities in Judah. He laid siege to Jerusalem, but soon returned to Nineveh, with Jerusalem not having been sacked, in order to put down an attempted coup. This event was recorded by Sennacherib himself, by Herodotus, Josephus, and by several Biblical writers. According to the Bible, Sennacherib also withdrew because the "angel of Jehovah went out and put to death a 185,000 in the Assyrian camp" (2 Kings 19:35). -Wikipedia entry on Sennecharib

Isaiah 10 and Micah 1 give the battle plan that Sennecharib used to attack Jerusalem. You can only approach Jerusalem from the north or south. Sennacharib sent part of his army from the north (Isa 10:) and part of his army came up through the Shepelah from the south.

The only thing which spared Jerusalem was the Angel of the Lord. Sennacharib records that he took 46 strong walled cities, and countless unwalled cities which really left only Jerusalem. He took 200,000 captives. Mysteriously 185,000 Assyrians were killed and they fled home and there is no record of that in Sennecherib's chronicles." -Bible.org

Sennecharib's campaign was recorded in cuneiform on the Taylor Prism housed in the British Museum.

Perhaps even more interesting to my literary tastes is this once common, now somewhat obsolete, poem by Byron:






THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB, first published in 1815


The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!
And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

It amazes me to think that this poem was once part of popular culture, while here I sit, a fairly well-educated 21st century Christian, generally oblivious to the events and working so hard to understand even the background of Micah, never mind this poem. The threads of history we hold in our hands seem tenuous at best.

More details on the Assyrian attacks from Bible. org:

The two pronged attack against Judah and Jerusalem focused on the two strategic approaches into the hill country of Judah and its capital. The first side of this prong attacked north of Jerusalem against the cities on the Central Benjamin Plateau, the main entry to Jerusalem along the north (cf Isa 10:28-32). The second side of the prong swept through the Shephelah of Judah capturing the approaches into the hill country to the south of Jerusalem (Micah 1:10-15). The chief city in the Shephelah was Lachish—a city second in importance only to Jerusalem in the kingdom of Judah. Sennacherib captured Lachish; and this event was so significant to him that he commissioned a relief to be made of the battle which adorned the walls of his palace in Nineveh. The relief included graphic pictures of people impaled on poles, being skinned alive, beheaded. An Assyrian relief shoed the Jews going into captivity.





A piece of a relief from Sennacherib's palace.





Larger view of the relief, housed in the British Museum, capture of Lachish by Assyrians.

The full account of the history behind this prophet is worth reading 2 Kings 15:32-19:37. It is particularly interesting to watch Hezekiah's generally right approach to the aggression of the Assyrians. To his men's credit, they resist the derisive words of the Assyrian messengers who try to discourage them. Hezekiah takes the message and lays it before the Lord and prays over it, prays to be led in a proper response. Two thoughts while reading this:

1. Is my first impulse to pray over a bit of bad news for my proper response? Do I lay things fully before the Lord?

2. Would soldiers in our country resist negative words of attack or succumb to them? Actually, a good chunk of the military seems to necessarily have a stronger form of faith than many civilians.

End of Sennacherib's campaign..............................

More information on Micah specifically and parallels between Isaiah and Micah who were contemporaries:

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Still working on background here:

*Ahab made Judah a vassal of the Assyrians in order to fortify itself against Israel and Aram. Aram was an ancient Syrian culture in the mountains of Lebanon.





From Bible History.com

Assyria eventually conquered both Aram and Israel, leaving Judah in an even more subservient position.

Psalm 118, A Confession

I  have a small confession to share: I've never done well with verses like the one above.

For better or worse, I resist the idea of having to "whip up" joy about something upon demand--even something as good and excellent as God.  Is that pride in my heart? Shortsighted balking that I was not the originator of the emotion or idea?  Perhaps...

Perhaps it's the lack of context.  Perhaps it's the perky song that reverberates in the back of my mind when this verses is isolated within a song, and I feel that I must drum up joy. I don't like singing about something I don't FEEL necessarily at the moment...for me it causes too much disconnect between my mouth and my mind. I'm not even feeling harmonious at that point, never mind like rejoicing.

Today is today.  It will have some high points.  It will have some low points.  I have seen enough grief to know that life is a vapor and to appreciate the value of today.  But rejoice?  This "rejoicing" sounds like it should be filled with fervor and zeal.  What does that look like?  I generally reserve rejoicing for special occasions.  Am I glad to be alive?  Do I appreciate the food on our table?  Am I glad that today is here? Glad that I am living?  Yes, I am glad and thankful in all these things...but again, what am I to make of this call for"rejoicing"? 

Interestingly, Spurgeon sees this verse as a commentary on the Sabbath:

"We ought to be specially joyous on the Sabbath: it is the queen of days, and its hours should be clad in royal apparel of delight. George Herbert says of it: - 

“Thou art a day of mirth,
And where the week-days trail on ground,
Thy flight is higher as thy birth.”

Celebration of the Sabbath--how to properly celebrate God on this day, the extent to which I am to abstain from "work," are other unclear areas of my walk.  It seems to me that there is so much work and hustle about getting to church, serving in church, being tired from the activity of church, and then the preparations of the coming week seem to consume my mind if not my physical being for the remainder of Sunday.  Do I rejoice in the Sabbath?  Good question.  Again--what does that "look like?"

Here's another one that is even harder for me:

No surf, no butterflies, no sunrise or flowing dresses over here...

"Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to 

anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. 

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."  -Nehemiah 8:12

 Again, with the "joy"---perhaps I'm even biased against the word!  Perhaps I'm confused about what that word even means.  Joy to me leaves me feeling like I'm on the outside looking in.   It makes me feel that everyone else is leaping around in some kind of emotional fervor of joy, that they are in the midst of  holy zeal, more in touch with God, more connected, more grateful. 

Maybe it's just my personality? I'm not an especially "joy" prone person---I appreciate things--people, places, time, moments....but I am more of a thinker, a reflector....

No conclusions here...just a small confession.

Psalm 118, Discipline

"The LORD has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death."

-Psalm 118:18

Discipline is not a popular idea in our culture. No one likes being disciplined, and as a parent, I was slightly surprised to learn from experience that it's no fun doing the discipline either. It's a necessary check to redirect, regroup, and reflect upon our behavior or decisions and who likes to be "re" anything? Our natural impulse is to do something, be done with it, then move on. We resist re-writing and revising our writing much as we do anything else. Yet, no one would contest that the revising is important--it's what makes the writing better. When we reread a passage, we inevitably understand it better and glean more from it. Discipline has these same elements---it makes you revisit decisions and behavior in light of new information or with the wisdom of an addition set of eyes.

The children and I are also reading Hebrews where the author also refers to the positive qualities of discipline:

"Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed." -Hebrews 12:9-13

This passage is rich with points to ponder. Our earthly parenting is "as it seemed best"--so true! I wish our parenting was perfect, and we do the best we can in the moment, but honestly, it is full of our human emotionalism--fatigue, hasty judgments, imperfect solutions to the problem du jour. Our parenting never happens in a perfect vacuum--it's "real time" and even at its very best, its executed by imperfect parents.

It's also true that all discipline is painful in the moment. No pain no gain goes the slogan. In a funny way this seems to be true. Discipline demands a change, a cost of sorts. It is never "pleasant" at the time. The long term fruit is worthwhile though---who doesn't want "the peaceful fruit of righteousness" after the "training." Training is a good work here---we don't think of training as "bad"--perhaps it's more on the front end and discipline is more "after the fact." But the discipline is part of the training which is an important point. Perhaps if we thought of it as training we would not buck against the goads as much?

Most significantly, verse 13 indicates that the ultimate goal is healing. Discipline has the power to heal what is broken, or if we resist, we can make the injury a permanent disability.Our culture views one kind of discipline as very positive---SELF discipline. We are such a country of "rights"---I guess it's okay to discipline yourself, just not for others to discipline us, and certainly not God...We like "self-discipline" because it reeks of ultimate independence, freedom even from self!




I think we also value"self-discipline" because it connects us to OUR goals. If it can further our own desires, then it becomes more palatable:

Self-discipline also has that very popular "Eastern" vibe about it. Man masters self and all. It's an attractive notion, no doubt! Who doesn't wish to master self?

Of course, we can never truly master self--it goes back to the whole sin problem of course. It's the evil in us that we can't completely root out in this lifetime. To think that we can root it out completely is to live in denial of reality and set ourselves up as our own goal and God.

The Christian concept of discipline is a much humbler creature. It's about letting God wash our feet. It's allowing that His plans are greater and wiser than our own. It's about being humbled under the hand of God for HIS purposes and glory, which are ultimately the best for our life in the end.

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law to give him rest from days of trouble..." -Psalm 94:12-13

Psalm 116

"I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live." -Psalm 116:1-2

Spurgeon makes an excellent point here: we are prone to love the unworthy, those who wrong us or will betray us, those who may love us for shallow reasons or because we are useful or valuable to them in some capacity.

"The Psalmist not only knows that he loves God, but he knows why he does so. When love can justify itself with a reason, it is deep, strong, and abiding. They say that love is blind; but when we love God our affection has its eyes open and can sustain itself with the most rigid logic."  -Spurgeon, Treasury of David

In contrast, our love for the Lord is different; it erupts as a proper response to Him first loving us:

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Human love is more like this---high on lofty emotion, romantic, but fickle in the end.

His love is superior because it is characterized by action, not mere words. He loved us at a
cost to Himself, the cost of alienation from the Father. Because His love was concrete, our love is also to be concrete to others, not words, but actions and deeds:

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

Human love is watered down by our ulterior motives and limited capacity to be selfless. I think this is why we live in a culture permeated by divorce, where parents place their rights to "face time" with their children above the rights of the children to a stable and balanced life, where adults "fall" out of love and leave the spouse of their youth by the wayside in their pursuit of self-fulfillment and personal happiness no matter the cost.

It's ironic that Christ then points us back to ourselves, to Christians and to loving each other as the hallmark of faith. I think He knew it'd be easier in many ways to love God than to love man, but that's our calling:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13: 34-35

Out of all of our callings, this one seems one of the most comprehensive and difficult to walk out. Love takes energy. Love takes patience. Love must persevere.

The apostle John has a vice grip on this message of love--it resonates through his gospel and letters over and over again. I wonder what John was like as a person--the warm tone of his letters intrigues me. I love the reason and tenacity of Paul, but I think I'd rather spend long lingering time with John. He strikes me as easy to be around, compassionate.

Matthew 27, the Trial & Crucifixtion

Walter Hancock,The Garden of Gethsemani (bronze, 1965–66), The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, Bardstown, Kentucky

I had forgotten the detailed and brutal depiction of the crucifixion via Matthew 27--so full of specific imagery, mockery, betrayal, and the oddly passive attitude of Christ toward the events as they unfold. Jesus was such an odd mix of unabashed confrontation (throwing over tables in the temple and verbally flaying the Pharisees right to their faces) and unnatural passivity (his attitude during the trial in particular).   Because he knew exactly what was in the heart of man (John 2:24-25), he was never taken by surprise. Sadly, he knew the depths to which we could sink.

Pilate Washing His Hands by He Qi, China

One of the most convincing pieces of the evidence for His resurrection for me is the heart and life change of the disciples AFTER the crucifixion.  They are such a cowardly and unresolved bunch here and in Matthew 26--they can't stay awake when asked, they flee when he's arrested, Peter--the closest--follows only to lie when quizzed, Judas hangs himself.  What a bleak group.  I wish I didn't see so much of my cowardly self in them.  Of course, they are a completely different creature in Acts which gives me hope for us all...