GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 31 ~ ~ Zephaniah 3:17 ~ ~ “The Lord your God in your midst —  The Mighty One — will save;   He will rejoice over you with gladness,  He will quiet you with His love,  He will rejoice over you with singing.”

We’re moving to chapter 12 in “How To Read The Bible” by Dr. Michael Youssef.

“MINOR” PROPHETS, MAJOR IMPACT

Recently I heard about a Christmas eve gathering of Christian friends.  As they were talking, the conversation turned to thoughts of Heaven.

One mature believer said, “I wonder what language we’ll speak in Heaven.”

Another mature believer said, “Maybe we’ll all speak in our own language, but we’ll understand all the other languages.”

Yet another said, “Maybe we’ll speak a spiritual language, unique to Heaven.”

These older friends traded opinions and speculations until one young man, a college student, cleared his throat and said, “I know the answer.”

All eyes turned to him.  “You do?” someone said, “How do you know?”

“I read it in my morning devotions,” the young man said.  “It’s in Zephaniah 3:9 in the English Standard Version:”

“It says, ‘For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord.’”

All the mature believers in that room took a lesson from the young college student in their midst:  If you want answers to your questions about God and eternity, you probably don’t need to speculate.  You simply need to read the answer God has already given in His Word.

In this case, the answer to a fascinating question about Heaven came from Zephaniah, one of the so-called “minor prophets” of the Old Testament.  But as we’re about to see the impact of the “minor prophets” on our understanding of God’s prophetic agenda is anything but minor.

HOSEA: A TALE OF REDEMPTIVE LOVE

The book of Hosea tells the story of a beautiful romance, heartbreaking unfaithfulness, and redemptive love.  It is set during the decline of the northern kingdom of Israel, shortly before it was conquered by Assyria.

God told the prophet Hosea, “God, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”  So Hosea obediently married a prostitute named gomer, and she bore him a son.

Hosea’s faithless wife led the prophet through heartbreaking humiliation.  But Hosea – who symbolizes God in His relationship to faithless Israel – was full of forgiving love for Gomer.  Finally, his unfailing love won her back and their relationship was restored.

This allegory teaches us volumes about the love of God.  Even though we reject Him and rebel against Him, even though we have broken His heart, He stands ready to redeem us and restore us.  He is a God of relentless love.

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Luke 1:78 ~ ~ “Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;”

Charles Haddan Spurgeon:

The tender mercy of our God (Luke 1:78) gleams with kindly light.  I see in His mercy a soft radiance like the matchless pearls that form heaven’s gates in Revelation 21:21.   Mercy is a melody to my ear as well as to my heart.  Mercy is music, and to the brokenhearted, “tender mercy” is its most exquisite form.

If you are desperate and depressed, “tender mercy” is life from the dead.  Think of this in connection with God, and you will be struck with wonder that One so great is so tender.  We often think of God as a crushing energy that scarcely can take into account our little, feeble, and suffering things.  Think  again.  And with a new wonder of admiration, know that it is so.

We read of His gentleness and His tenderness toward the children of men in 2 Corinthians 10:1.   The “tender mercy” of God’s heart is seen in the Dayspring from on high, Who has visited us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.  (Luke 1:78-79)

Mercy is divine essence, and mercy lies in the heart of God.  He has bound up His mercy with His existence.  The mercy of God’s heart means His mercy proceeds from His heart and is therefore sincere, tender, intense, warm, and affectionate.  If you desire to read the character of God’s mercy written in capital letters, study the visitation of His dear Son and all the wonderful works of infinite grace that proceed from Jesus.

God is love (1John 4:8).  Not only is He loving, He is LOVE ITSELF.

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“You will never find a bundle of affliction which does not have sufficient grace bound up in it.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

Ps 27:14

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.   Wait, I say, on the Lord!!!!”

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